The McGill Tribune Vol. 23 Issue 12

Inside the Liberal Party convention

Features gets personal.

FEATURES, PAGES 14-15

NEWS, PACE 2

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Matt Mays brings altcountry to town.

A&E, PAGE 19

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ILL T R I B U N E Vol. 23 Issue 12

Published by the Students' Society of McGill University since 1981 G A M E

R E P O R T

Tuesday, November 18, 2003 Redmen 90, Citadins 72

Armstrong, Reid punish UQÀM McGill basketball wins second of season in front of packed house James Scarfone

NINA ZACHARIADES

Butterflies on display at the Insectarium. These are not edible but you can sample tasty grubs. Story pg. 19.

Dallaire: "Commit to humanity" Kim D'Souza

Retired Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire, who led the United Nations’ peacekeeping force in Rwanda in 1994, spoke last night at McGill about his experi­ ences and challenged Canada to shed the role it has been playing in recent international conflict inter­ ventions and take up the challenge of leading with the United Nations to advance a new philosophy of life and commitment to humanity.

“The book speaks from the heart and wants to engage you in a discussion with yourself around the question: are all humans human or are some humans more human than others?” Dallaire said. “Is there a prioritization that deter­ mines [who] will survive, die or prosper?”

Criticizing the self-interest shown by world powers, Dallaire said Canadian troops had a deep instinct for humanity. He described a situation when he asked 26 pla­

toon commanders if they would help dying people, knowing that they stood a 30 per cent chance of contracting AIDS. Only the Dutch, Ghanaian and Canadian commanders said they would help, but he said that when faced with this situation in real life, “[A Canadian] platoon leader didn’t have the time to turn around and give the order—the troops were already in the ditches helping.”

World powers “There is no depth to the commitment to humanism when the big powers are dominated by self-interest,” Dallaire said.

“Even when the term ‘geno­ cide’ was finally agreed to after one month when 200,000, close to 300,000 bodies were dead in the latrine pits, the ditches, the world community was not going to risk the lives of its diplomats, its mili­ tary for a country that has nothing to offer,” Dallaire said.

Dallaire said the recent US-led military action in Iraq was a perfect example of self-interest.

“Be very leery of a single nation-led coalition that is going off to establish human rights and democracy in a far-off nation,” Dallaire cautioned.

Despite its faults, he said, “There is no power, no nation as transparent as the UN.” Dallaire said world powers have been less reluctant to inter­ vene in areas such as the former Yugoslavia, where they can more easily relate to human suffering.

“We have family there, they’re European, they’re white,” Dallaire said, “but black Africans killing themselves just didn’t count.”

He indicted world powers for their reluctance to expend human lives and resources.

“We don’t believe our blood should be spilled even though we’re See GENERAL, page 7

Denburk Reid and Derek Armstrong combined for more than half of McGill’s points to lead the Redmen past the expansion Université du Québec à Montréal Citadins 90-72 in their home open­ er on Friday. The Redmen, with a roster full of inexperience and only one returning starter, sit second in the Quebec University Basketball League standings.

McGill, who started off slowly against a surprisingly aggressive UQÀM squad, finally got the ball rolling when Armstrong took a feed from the veteran Reid and made an exciting two-handed dunk—one of three he would have In the game.

He proceeded to make a couple of crowd-pleasing blocks on UQÀM’s big forwards on the following pos­ session to wake up the near-sellout gathering at Love Competition Hall.

“I just felt we came out a little flat and [UQÀM] came out and wanted to beat us because we went to their home and crushed them,” said Armstrong. “I felt as though I needed to do something to boost up the team.”

The 6’4 ” forward from Montreal posted a career high 29 points and shot 11 of 14 from the field. He was also exceptional on defence, making good moves along the baseline to stuff many of UQÀM’s sizable players. In eight games this season, including three conference matches, Armstrong leads the Redmen with 20.1 points per game.

Reid poured in 27 points of his own, with 15 of those coming from downtown. Reid has been playing

with a bad ankle this year, but with his overwhelming speed and ball handling skills on display Friday, it was hard to notice any injury trou­ bles.

“Energy, the crowd, it all worked in our favour,” Reid said.

“Once we start rolling, I don’t think about [my ankle].”

Though Armstrong and Reid complemented each other very well on the court, it is the supporting cast that was suspect and will likely remain that way for the rest of the season. Head Coach Nevio Marzinotto conceded at the begin­ ning of the season that the Redmen were inconsistent all of last year, and he alluded to his team’s attempt to eliminate that factor.

See CAGERS, page 22

■ Rebecca G rab er o n strippers, a n d o th e r th in g s n o t Iraq.

OP/ED, PAGE 8 ■

Reviews o f tw o new stu d e n t th eatre p ro d u c ­ tions.

A&E PAGE 17 ■ S t-Pierre first w o m an to w in in m en ’s u n iv er­ CD C7S

sity hockey.

SPORTS, PAGE 22

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The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Brave young Liberals C h r is t o p h e r M o o r e explores

the smoke-filled back rooms of the Liberal Party convention

B anned in the USA!

stands to make some inroads into Canadian Alliance country, where many grow increasingly skeptical about the ideological integrity of a united right.

“It’s hard enough being a Liberal in [British Columbia], but if someone is going to come out and support you, you’re going to support them as well,” said Whatson. “It won’t be every­ where... but I think we’ve got a good shot at increasing represen­ tation.”

Martin’s intentions toward relations with the United States should also gain him ground, “in part because of what’s happening to us in BC with the softwood lumber tariff,” said another Victoria delegate, who preferred to remain anonymous. “He has the power to talk to [US President Young at heart Although Martin’s momen­ George W. Bush] and get some­ tum has had conflicting effects on thing done.”

Martin’s patronage of the the participation of Young Liberals, it has had a clearly posi­ West has indeed been evident.

“In western Canada, new tive impact on their opinion of him. Indeed, his momentum has voices are rejecting calls to build... been further spurred by those firewalls,” he said, “wanting instead to exert the influence that favourable opinions.

“He’s so supportive of the the West’s size and success war^» youth,” said Leanne Hussy, presi­ rant.

Legislation up in smoke? dent of YLC Newfoundland. “He There is much speculation makes his campaign a youth cam­ over the future of certain legisla­ paign.”

Oddly enough, however, not tive hopes in light of Martin’s all youth have felt as though their intentions toward US relations. direct participation was necessary. The US is less than impressed “The [turnout] has been with the potential for both the very, very low,” said Hussey. decriminalization of marijuana “That’s one thing that Young possession and the legalization of Liberals want to get [established] : same-sex marriage.

“We will make our own deci­ that young people get out and vote, express their opinion, [that] sions. We can make our own deci­ sions,” said Martin in regards to they do have a say.”

In the West, however, where marijuana. “We’re an independ­ expressing support for the ent country, and we’ll make them Liberals does involve deviating in the best interests of Canadian from the status quo, the youth youth and Canadians.”

However, Martin supporters have been turning out.

“We’ve got a lot of youth across the board are quick to involved,” said Ivan Whatson, a remind the public of the degree to Victoria delegate and Young which the Canadian economy depends upon the US. Liberal.

Nevertheless, Liberals Liberal standing in the West has been less than powerful in remain confident in Martin’s soundness of mind. The Victoria recent years.

“It’s a generational shift,” delegate expressed optimism about the future of Canadian-US said Whatson.

Indeed, Martin himself relations.

“I think he actually will have pointed out that there was a larg­ er contingent of young Canadians the ability and the desire to try present than at any leadership and resolve relations with the US.” convention thus far.

aul Martin’s assump­ tion of the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada has been a foregone conclusion since he won nearly nine times the number of delegates that Heritage Minister Sheila Copps did in a September vote. The overwhelming support for Martin has seemed to polarize participa­ tory sentiment between bright­ eyed enthusiasm and weary apa­ thy.

The Young Liberals of Canada haven’t been any excep­ tion. On the one hand, they seem to have nothing but affection for, and confidence in, Martin.

However, their willingness to actually make the trip has been tenuous.

P

Wagons West

A new politics

Reaching 212 in number, the British Columbia delegation was the largest.

“When Martin came to Victoria... he said that he would­ n’t consider himself a successful prime minister if he did not sub­ stantially reduce Western alien­ ation,” said Whatson.

Gazing westward, Martin

Martin’s momentum, of course, has not been fueled entire­ ly by the youth vote. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of the 3,242 votes that officially brought him to the head of the party at the convention were cast by riding delegates, only a fraction of See BONO, page 7

“At Select SAQ Stores” www.hillsabsinth.com

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

News

3

Midnight Kitchen continues to wait

Campus

Stopping paper waste

SSMU hopes kitchen will be ready by February Laura Saba

SSM U and administration support recycling campaign Robert Church The “Recto-Verso” environmen­ tal campaign, an initiative started by students at Concordia and l’Université de Montreal, has begun to gather support from the Students’

According to Sabourin, election by­ laws require that all campaign posters contain at least 15 per cent recycled content and the McGill School of the Environment purchases 100 per cent recycled content.

Kathleen Ng, environmental

EUROPA.EU.INI

How many trees have to die for your term paper?

Society and some faculty associa­ tions, said SSMU Environmental Commissioner Anne Sabourin.

The campaign, proposed to council on November 6, seeks to reduce paper use, increase recycling and encourage sustainable paper pur­ chasing policies throughout Quebec.

Sabourin suggested that McGill adopt measures such as allowing stu­ dents to submit assignments on dou­ ble-sided paper, printing all docu­ ments double-sided and increasing the number of recycling bins on cam­ pus. She also suggested that SSMU council agendas be printed on paper containing a minimum of 50 per cent recycled content and 30 per cent post-consumer content.

Sabourin said she became aware of the campaign in early October, and began gathering support at McGill through petitions.

“The SSMU environmental committee and other student groups have already received student support for the initiative,” said Sabourin in her report to council last week.

She also acknowledged the sup­ port given to the campaign by the SSMU executives.

“The executives I approached felt it was a really great campaign.

They were very enthusiastic,” said Sabourin. “They are all excited to have such measures implemented in the organization.”

Students’ Society Vice-President University Affairs Vivian Choy said council’s support for the campaign was unanimous. “[The executives] are definitely in support of the campaign,” she said.

Some groups within SSMU and the university already use certain environmentally-friendly practices.

safety officer and member of the uni­ versity senate sub-committee on the Environment, said that several departments within the university have already begun purchasing recy­ cled paper.

“The purchasing department [of Ancillary Services] just negotiated a contract for 100 per cent post-con­ sumer paper,” said Ng. “We try to speak to people who are major paper users, check their current practices, and check whether they use recycled paper.”

Greening McGill, an environ­ mental group on campus, has been largely responsible for the ground­ work of the campaign.

Michelle Lee, student coordina­ tor of Greening McGill, said that the group has not yet determined who consumes the most paper on campus.

While Lee acknowledged that none of the measures proposed in the cam­ paign have been officially imple­ mented yet, she expressed her satis­ faction with the level of student sup­ port.

“We have collected over 2,000 signatures from McGill students, she said. “Everyone is shocked to see that McGill spent over half a million dollars last year just buying paper, so we have a lot of support.”

Sabourin did not know the uni­ versity’s current policy on handing in assignments on double-sided paper.

“It just appears to vary from professor, where some explicitly state that assignments must be single­ sided when handed in,” she said.

“This is why it is important that [the campaign] becomes part of a school policy, to make sure that it happens and demonstrates our commitment to reducing our impact as a university. ■

The Midnight Kitchen will continue to operate using the Newman Centre facilities because of the delays to the Shatner University Centre renovations.

The project is behind sched­ ule because the university informed the Students’ Society executive over the summer that the building needed an external fire escape, requiring a fiscal review of the renovation plans.

The City of Montreal has since deemed the external staircase unnecessary.

The Midnight Kitchen was organized in the summer of 2002 with the goal of providing vegan food for students. Initially, the cooking was done at Douglas Hall, but in October of 2002, the Newman Centre extended an invitation to use its kitchen, which had recently been renovat­ ed by a private donor.

“Last semester, we were serv­ ing up to over 300 people a day, twice a week, but the kitchen at the [Newman] Centre can only handle us cooking for 80 people a day. It’s not an industrial kitchen, and operating at industrial capaci­ ty creates damage,” said Camille Rudney, a volunteer who was a coordinator last year.

The Shatner renovations were originally intended to be complet­ ed before the start of classes.

“We were frustrated because we felt that SSMU was not keep-

O C P The only campus-wide yearbook has been published since 1 897.

Every week until March 30th, 2004 Old McGill nostalgia will appear in the McGill Tribune.

The Midnight Kitchen provides vegan meals on Mondays and Wednesdays at 12:30 pm.

ing us up to date with the delays, or helping us with accommoda­ tions,” said Jessica Dennis, Midnight Kitchen’s outreach coordinator.

It’s n o t an industrial kitchen, and operating at industrial capacity creates damage.

Camille Rudney Midnight Kitchen Volunteer

Students’ Society VicePresident Clubs and Services Mia Gewertz said she hopes the kitchen will be ready by February, but cannot be absolutely sure.

“We could not tell them any­ thing because we didn’t know any­ thing,” said Gewertz, who has recently begun to meet with the Kitchen’s coordinators once a week to keep them abreast of the progress.

Students’ Society President Kate Rhodes said she has made it clear to the contractors that the kitchen is a priority in the current phase of the renovations.»

2004

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The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

dis- c a m p u s

Equi-Tea serves up queer discussion

Kim D'Souza

sexual diversity in the Jewish com­ munity.

Students, faculty and staff dis­ cussed queer identity and the inter­ actions between queer and non­ queer communities on Thursday at a panel discussion organized by the I Students’ Society Student Equity Committee.

Equity Awareness Office

Blachford, who is also involved in the Queer Equity sub-committee of the Joint Senate-Board Equity committee, said that the sub-com­ mittee is looking to set up an Equity Awareness Office.

Can everyone be queer?

Matthew Toth from Queer McGill addressed the meaning of the word “queer.”

“Really it’s a word for anyone who sees that it applies to them,” he said.

Several panelists and audience members expressed discomfort with ROBERT SCHAFER this usage because, they said, it Panelists discussed issues such as as gender-neutral washrooms hides important differences and artificially broadens the category. Trans/Gender Alliance spoke about has experienced hostility because Other people agreed with Toth, say­ the importance of supporting a pro­ of her involvement in queer ing that allies should feel free to posal to build a gender-neutral activism, she said, “Sticking one’s neck out is a wonderful way to identify as queer if they feel com­ washroom in the Shatner building. “[By using segregated wash­ live. There [are] many locations fortable doing so. room facilities] those of us who of solidarity on campus.”

Safe versus separate space Gregg Blachford, director of Social Work Professor Shari don’t comply with the rigid rules of Brotman said that because she sup­ gender-conformity risk exposing Career and Placement Services, described his success in integrat­ ports queer activism but does not ourselves to violence,” he said.

Emmer went on to say that ing his sexuality with his profes­ identify as queer, she sometimes trans and gender-variant people sional life. feels like an “outsider outsider.” have experienced false arrest and “I never saw being gay as a “I come from the feminist movement, so I believe there are been attacked and barred when separate part,” he said. “It was reasons for women-only spaces,” attempting to use segregated facili­ just as heterosexuals do—they she said. “I advocate for queer-only ties, so explicit inclusion of gender live their lives openly.”

Robin Taylor spoke of how spaces, but then I’m left out of identification and presentation in anti-discrimination policy is impor­ she is using her involvement in those.”

First Peoples’ House and Queer Other participants in the dis­ tant.

The Trans/Gender Alliance, he McGill to form her identity as a cussion made the distinction between Safe spaces, where they said said, is organizing a forum to give a native queer person.

“I’m using these to come allies should be welcome, and sepa­ historical perspective to transpho­ rate women-only or queer-only bic violence from 6:00 to 8:00 pm out, in a wayr she said. “I’m hop­ spaces. Several audience members on November 20, International ing to learn how to live in these agreed that there is a need for both. Trans Day of Remembrance in two communities simultaneous­ ly’’ One audience member reiter­ Leacock 26.

On campus Elliott Glassenberg, co-presi­ ated the need for safe spaces where The other panelists shared dent of McGill Hillel, said that comfort for participants, rather than identity, is the criterion for both negative and positive campus being a queer Jewish person is to experiences, but most expressed be a double minority. entry. optimism.

“I’ve experienced homopho­ “Safe space is really about Brotman said that she knows bia, but I’ve also encountered behaviour,” he said. of students who have been told it anti-religiousness,” said Gender-neutral washroom was inappropriate to work on Glassenberg, who is involved in Pascal Emmer of the queer-related issues. Although she Bagels^ a group that deals with

Israeli Bedouin dispels myth

Breads of India

Blachford and SSMU VicePresident University Affairs Vivian Choy clarified that the office would be separate from the procedure for punishing offences.

“I do believe it’s important to make the distinction clear so that in the grievance procedure you have people who are seen as impartial,” Choy said. ■

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shmael M. Khaldi, an Israeli Bedouin, addressed the issue of Israeli pluralism during his talk on November 11 at Moot Court.

The Bedouin people make up 10 per cent of the Arab popula­ tion in Israel, making the group a minority within a minority.

“Bedouins are committed to the state of Israel,” said Khaldi.

Khaldi was inspired to travel to North America and speak after fighting broke out between Arabs and Israelis following the failure of the 2001 Camp David Peace Accords.

Israel has been ascribed a tar­ nished image, said Khaldi.

“I have met people that [did­ n’t] want to say the word ‘Israel.’”

Khaldi stressed, however, that “Bedouins today are part of

I

Israel.”

With the creation of Israel in 1948, leaders of the state “designed a Jewish-Bedouin rela­ tionship” incorporating Bedouins into Israeli democracy and bureaucracy, noted Khaldi.

“For the first time in our lives, we found ourselves in a regime... that was interested in fulfilling our needs... [and] it was the Jewish state,” said Khaldi.

Still, considering that Bedouin culture is generally a nomadic society, Khaldi said, “[absolute] integration into Israeli society is a process that will take a long time.”

Khaldi also discussed the per­ ception of Israel.

“On every campus in the world there’s an anti-Israeli move­ ment,” said Khaldi, who felt that the negative views are unwarrant­ ed. “We have witnessed that Israel, as the only democracy in the

Middle East, treats Bedouins, part of the Arab/Muslim minority, as equal citizens.”

Khaldi said that he has often experienced discrimination or attacks because of his pro-Israeli views.

“The Bedouins are a part of the larger Arab minority... [and] they don’t like us because we are a part of Israel,” he said. “[The] Arab world looks at us as ene­ mies.”

David Herz, an event organ­ izer and Israeli activism chair for Hillel, said Khaldi delivered a message of hope. An important message of the event “was the debunking of the impression that Israel is only a state for the Jews,” said Herz. “[Khaldi] shows that the Jewish state [is] a pluralistic and multi-ethnic... as well as a Jewish state.” ■

Department o f Italian Studies New York University

"A ugustine's Landscapes of M em ory: Petrarch, Rousseau, and Leopardi" Thursday, November 27, 2003 / le jeudi 27 novembre 2003 5:45 p.m. / 17h45 Stephen Leacock Building, Room 26 Pavilion Stephen Leacock, Salle 26 855 Sherbrooke St. W. / 855, rue Sherbrooke ouest

All welcome / Entrée libre SEMINAR / CONFÉRENCE: "The Narrative of Conversion: the figure of Statius in Dante's Purgatorio (Cantos XXI - XXII)" Wednesday, November 26, 2003, 3:30 / le mercredi 26 novembre 2003 à 15h30 Arts Council Room 160, 853 Sherbrooke St. W. / Pavillon des Arts, Salle de conférence 160, 853, rue Sherbrooke ouest

For more information, please contact the Department o f Italian Studies. 398-3953

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

News

5

Debate addresses Canadian health care concern with FTAA Students discuss the merits of a two-tiered system Christine Cullen

A debate on the issue of health care and the Free Trade Area of the Americas was staged by the McGill Debating Union last Friday.

The Debating Union chose to focus on health care as a way of allowing peo­ ple to look at a specific issue within the FTAA. “There have been too many debates on whether Canada should join the FTAA,” said debate Chair Zach Abrahams.

The debate was designed to shed light on the effects, both positive and negative, that joining the FTAA would have on the health care system in Canada. The main issue discussed was the adoption of a two-tiered health care system, with two students taking oppos­ ing positions.

CASA commends Senate suggestion

A key Canadian Senate com­ mittee has recommended that the moratorium on students filing bank­ ruptcy on their loans be reduced from 10 years to five.

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, a national lobby group of which SSMU is a member, has been lobbying for such .jin amendment since 1998.

“I think it’s a great thing for stu­ dents,” said CASA National Director James Kusie. “It alleviates punishing a student for going to school and accumulating student debt.”

Kusie said that the current bankruptcy laws have the potential to “destroy” students’ credit ratings and financial futures.

He added that CASA would continue to work with senators to ensure that the recommendada*Lis implemented.

At present, the Canada Student Loans Program allows students to apply for as much as $10,000 worth of debt reduction and up to five years of interest relief on their loans.

Nevertheless, some students are unable to make their payments, even with CLSP assistance. With no option of filing bankruptcy, many of these students are forced to default on their debt. _ — Nuran Kendiroglu

Munroe-Blum listens to students

Principal Heather Munroe-Blum sat down with about 20 students on Wednesday to discuss what they like and don’t like about McGill.

The first of a series of planned meet­ ings, Munroe-Blum listened to students representing most faculties, years and inter­ ests. The randomly chosen students spoke about issues such as bureaucracy, class size, francophone student participation and chal-

Debating Union member Gaurav dard of any social service, not just Toshniwal argued in favour of a two- health care,” he said.

He also argued that a two-tiered tiered health care system. He empha­ system would reduce sized the idea that waiting times for governments medical procedures, should focus on as well as improve It is the responsi­ the consequences the health care sys­ of their public bility o f the gov­ tem in general. policies, and that The students ernm ent to provide a adopting a twowho took the oppo­ tiered health care m in im u m standard site position argued system would ben­ that a two-tiered sys­ o f any social service, efit Canada. tem would cause Toshniwal n o t just health care. health care to be said that the exist­ more about profit, ing public level of and less about heal­ health care provid­ ing. ed by the govern­ Gaurav Toshniwal “Brain drain will ment should con­ McGill Debating Union occur in Canada tinue to exist, but towards the private be complemented sector as doctors want to make more by a private level.

“It is the responsibility of the gov­ money,” said Debating Union member ernment to provide a minimum stan- Jessica Prince.

lenges with advising.

Gayle Delahunt, a U2 Management student who was part of die discussion, said she found Munroe-Blum approachable, “I think it was a good forum [for me] to learn [about) other student issues,” she said. “She allowed students to speak their minds.”

Students’ Society Clubs Representative Sarah Elgazzar was also present, but in the role of a student. . .

“I believe she was genuinely con­ cerned,” she said. “I just hope to see some results from this forum.”

In her closing remarks, Munroe-Blum said that she and her colleagues will look at smaller class size, continuing her commit­ ment to enhance the undergraduate and graduate experience.

“It’s very helpfiil to me to hear your comments,” she said.

— .Katie bugler Redpath renovation inaccessible

University administrators are meeting today to discuss plans to make the new mini-information commons in the base­ ment of Redpath Library accessible to stu­ dents with physical disabilities The area across from the cafeteria in the basement of Redpath Library was out­ fitted with computers and tables over the summer as part of a larger project funded in part by the Students’ Society.

There are 38 students with limited mobility, five of whom use wheelchairs, said Nissim Louis, coordinator for access servic­ es for the Office for Students with Disabilities.

SSMU Vice-President University Affairs Vivian Choy said the inaccessibility is unacceptable. Choy’s concern is that there is no elevator for students with limited mobility to use to access the mini-informa­ tion commons.

“There is an elevator that does go down to the sub-basement level, but it's "On the other side of the library complex in the McLennan area,” she said.

-Project manager Adrian Nicolicescu said the elevator project is in the design stage.

“The funding and everything has been approved,” he said. “As soon as [the design

Teammate Katherine Roy agreed.

“We need good quality doctors everywhere, for everybody,” she said.

A two-tiered system will not help the people most in need of health care services, said Prince. She contended that Canadians are supportive of the existing public health care system despite the fact that it does have many costs.

“The Canadian government should reflect what the people want,” she said.

Srinivas Murthy, asserting that twotiered health care would be beneficial, disagreed. He said that the private sec­ tor would still be under the regulation of the government, and would still be accountable to the people.

Murthy said that currently many qualified doctors leave for the United States, and a two-tiered health care sys­ tem would help to keep them in Canada.

“Privatization is not necessarily a bad thing,” he said. ■

is) completed we can go ahead and build it.” MUNACA members,” said Luk, who Plans are also underway to make six declined to comment on whether washrooms in McLennan and Redpath MUNACA has lost any of its members.

—Josh Wilner libraries wheelchair-accessible.

“It’s been given top priority, but they Perks of power still need to have the plans drawn up,” said Students’ Society President Kate Bruna Ceccolini, deputy building director and administrative assistant to the director Rhodes will be traveling to Brisbane, Australia the first week of December to of libraries.

The library basement is not the only attend a conference held by Universitas-2-1.

McGill building lacking accessibility. Universitas 21 is a global network linking Neither the Redpath Museum nor the new 17 research universities located in 10 coun­ development and alumni relations office at tries. U21 provides a system for student, faculty and sraff exchanges.

1430 Rue Peel are accessible, Louis said.

Rhodes will be representing McGill on “Accessibility shouldn’t be something that’s extra,’’ Choy said. “It should be part her university-funded trip. Among the problems to be discussed is the task of facil­ of the plans.”

—Jennifer Jett itating exchange opportunities. Rhodes sees significant potential in U21, lauding the benefits of “studying abroad for cultural MUNACA in conciliation with university Talks with the McGill University Non- [and] academic benefits.” She added that in Academic Certified Association are once many schools it’s standard to study abroad for a year. . again at an impasse.

“Universities are more and more recog­ The union, which represents 1,500 non-academic McGill employees including nizing how valuable exchanges are,” she clerical and technical staff, library assistants, said. “We stand to benefit from the sharing and nurses, has been negotiating a collective of resources [through U21].”

— David Nataf agreement with “the university since November 2002.

Montreal transit workers strike On October 21, 500 members protest­ Due to a conflict between the Montreal ed against the university’s proposal of increasing working hours and eliminating Transit Corporation and maintenance two summer holidays. without compensa­ workers, the metro and buses will only be running on weekdays at peak hours. tion.

The workers have been without a con­ The university subsequently backed down, taking the proposal off the table. tract since January, and negotiations broke MUNACA is now in conciliation with the down on Sunday night. According to Pierre Saint-Georges, president of the union, the university.

In accordance with the Quebec Labour company withdrew an offer on the table, Code, either party in negotiations may which ended the talks and service to com­ request that a conciliator be appointed by muters. The issues that are being negotiated the minister of labour when the bargaining include pensions, salary increases and a cost of living indexation. process arrives at a stalemate.

Due to a contingency law that requires “McGill request[ed | it,” said Dot Luk, workers to provide minimal operations, the president of MUNACA. "We have to transit system will be running from 5:30 am appear before the conciliator now.

“O f course 1 would hope to get a settle­ to 9:00 am, from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm, and ment ASAP,” Luk added, noting that many from 11:00 pm to 1:00 am on weekdays, MUNACA members have been approached but will have no weekend service.

Handicapped transportation is not affected by other unions.

Sources: www.ctv.ca ■ and Luk said that the practice is fairly com­ www. canada, com/montreal mon, especially when a union has no labour — Katie Fugler agreement.

“They have been trying to recruit

6

News

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Music students raise money for their own bursaries

Students request full-time ombudsperson lis a Varano

The Students’ Society is recommending an expansion of the part-time position of ombudsper­ son for students.

SSMU’s suggestion of “full-time coverage” asks the university to either add a second part-time ombudsperson or make the position full-time.

It is also the Post-Graduate Students’ Society’s position that there be full coverage for the ombudsperson.

The mandate of the ombudsperson, who is also a faculty member, is to intervene at the begin­ ning of the confidential student complaint process.

The ombudsperson also provides information and referrals.

Norman Miller, the current ombudsperson, is available two and a half days a week—Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. He said that a student who makes an appointment can sometimes see him on the same day or within a couple of days, although during busy periods the delay can be three to four days.

“It’s pretty important for students to recognize that they have an office to go to if they have prob­ lems with faculty or other students,” said Arts Senator Ruth Chen, whose motion for full-time coverage was unanimously approved by SSMU council on November 6.

From September through May of the last aca­ demic year, 226 students, 50 per cent of them undergraduates, visited the office of the ombudsperson.

In an annual report on the future of the ombudsperson office, former ombudsperson Carol Cumming Speirs recommended that a second parttime ombudsperson be appointed.

“I think it’s very clear that [students] feel that access to the office is not as readily available as it should be,” said Cumming Speirs.

Miller said that his part-time status can make following up on cases difficult.

“It’s an issue of doing the work that’s required to resolve the problem, where different depart­ ments and different individuals in the university need to be contacted and information has to be processed,” he said.

Cumming Speirs observed that McGill is below the norm of Quebec universities when it comes to the office of the ombudsperson.

Concordia, for example, has two full-time ombudsperson positions, one for undergraduates and the other for graduate students.

The university has also looked at the possibili­ ty of distributing the work to other departments.

Martha Crago, the chair of the group formulating the university’s equity policy, said Provost Luc Vinet has given some indication that certain com­ plaints would be the responsibility of the new equi­ ty office.

Crago said that Vinet might be waiting to see how the new equity office will affect the office of the ombudsperson before deciding if full coverage needs to be applied to either of the positions.

Miller questioned the rationale of a separate person dealing with equity issues. Combining the two offices would be a formal recognition of the equity issues he addresses as ombudsperson, Miller added.

“It’s becoming clearer and clearer to me that this needs to be a full-time service even if there’s integration,” he said.

Cumming Speirs disagrees that there would be significant overlap between the ombudsperson and a new equity officer, pointing to the ombudsper­ son’s broad mandate and potential to investigate the future equity office.

“I really do think that it’s a mistake if there’s any thought of combining them,” she said. ■

General recalls horrors drowning in the blood of developed nations,” he said.

He also argued that the classi­ cal idea of war is obsolete; however, military powers were slow to aban­ don it because of the success of the Gulf War in the early 1990s. That victory further entrenched anachro­ nistic classic warfare in the main­ stream, he said, in an era when commanders “ didn’t even know what the action verbs were.”

Three years of hell

Dallaire, who signed copies of his book Shake Hands with the

Heather Haq Lawrence

Music students will perform a con­ cert Thursday night to raise money for music scholarships. The event will fea­ ture baritone Jonathan Davis and will be conducted by Sam Tam, both fourth-year music students.

“I wanted to raise money for music students because there aren’t many scholarships around,” said Davis, who organized the event. “Even if the con­ cert only raises enough money to give scholarships to one to four people, they are people that wouldn’t have gotten any money [if this concert had not taken place].”

Tam is working to prepare the artistic aspects of the concert and rehearsing with the student orchestra.

“I think it’s unique for students to organize something like this,” Tam said.

“Any money that we can raise for stu­ dents will give me a sense that we accomplished something.”

Student-run concerts such as this one are not allowed to charge money for admission. Davis is counting on vol­ untary donations to provide the fund­ ing for the scholarships.

All donations go to a committee that will decide to whom the scholar­ ships will be awarded.

Although Davis obtained approval to use Redpath Hall for free, there were additional costs of the concert that were funded by the Students’ Society and the

Continued from cover

Devil, said “The book is a product stagnation and ultimately became a of three years of what one of the genocide. We ultimately failed nuns that we saved has called ‘three Rwanda and worse, we failed the years into hell.’”

Rwandans,” Dallaire said.

He described the frustration ‘The worst scene that keeps troops felt as the conflict exploded coming back is of the pain of eyes,” beyond the expectations of the he said. “O f these eyes many are international community. “Within children’s eyes.

24 hours there was no [classic “But the worst eyes that keep peacekeeping] mandate left, so I coming back are bewildered,” could have pulled out my troops Dallaire said, those of refugees. and let [the warring factions] go at “They look at you as that outside it,” he said. neutral force that was supposed to “A mission that started off so assist them, and with those eyes optimistically in August 1993 with­ they say, ‘What in the hell were you in a year degenerated into political doing?”’ ■

FLOORFELLOW, DON, MOREFELLOW A re you thinking ab o u t th e next a c a d e m ic year y e t?

Music Undergraduate Students’ Association.

“The cost of the musical score and advertising wouldn’t have been possible without SSMU and MUSA,” Davis said. “Without their support it would have been nearly impossible to hold this fundraiser.”

Generating money for scholarships is only one reason Davis decided to .hold this concert.

“There are also simply a lot of music students that don’t get the oppor­ tunity to be featured,” he said. “I creat­ ed this project to give students addi­ tional performance experience.”

Davis said a performance that took place last year gave him the inspiration to organize this fundraiser.

The concert takes place at 8:00 pm in Redpath Hall. The program includes Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Songs of Travel” and Hayden’s “Symphony No. 104.”■ W H A T: Jonathan Davis, baritone, with student orchestra, Sam Tam, conductor W H E N : Thursday, 8 pm W H ERE:

Redpath Hall

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The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

At the end of meeting of la Fédération étudiante universi­ taire du Québec this weekend in Sherbrooke delegates unani­ mously approved a framework law supporting a legislated freeze on tuition and the eventual aboli­ tion of differential tuition.

La FEUQ is a provincial lobby group of which the Students’ Society is a member.

Students from about 30 universi­ ties were in attendance at the congress, said Students’ Society Vice-President University Affairs Vivian Choy.

“It was our main goal,” said

■ |

t

|

National Defence

'non'to differential tuition

Arts Representative Elise Legault, who attended the congress in her capacity as SSMU liaison to la FEUQ. SSMU Political Attaché Baijayanta Mukhopadhyay said that it was hard to comment on the likelihood of influencing the provincial government on differ­ ential tuition. “We don’t yet have a cohesive plan,” he said, “but it’s probably a medium-to long-term battle.

“We might have more suc­ cess with this government than with the previous one, but I can also see how it might go the other way,” he added.

Another major project at the

meeting was the drafting of a lengthy document that asserts the importance of reinvestment in post-secondary education and prioritizes areas that the reinvest­ ment should target. The docu­ ment, which is still a work in progress, also includes a recom­ mendation proposed by Choy and Community and Government committee chair Ewa Krajewska that any develop­ ment or renovation projects on university campuses include plans to make buildings accessi­ ble.

“Everything from ramps to accessible washrooms becomes a priority,” Choy said.

Students’ Society President Kate Rhodes and Music Representative Ashley Becker, who is acting as interim vicepresident community and gov­ ernment, also attended.

Greater SSMU participation at la FEUQ will be facilitated, Rhodes said, by the recent hiring of a full-time translator to do real-time translation for Anglophone delegates and to sys­ tematically translate FEUQ doc­ uments into English.

SSMU is working with la FEUQ on a framework law on accessibility, said Legault, that may come before the National Assembly before Christmas. ■

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Log on to www.mcgilltribune.com to vote.

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Régulai and Reserve

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Défense nationale

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TR IBU N E

La FEUQ says Jennifer Jett and Kim D'Souza

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Canada

whom were Young Liberals.

This across-the-board overwhelming sup­ port for Martin cannot be attributed merely to the lack of any effective competition. Martin has been alluding to a freshness of approach to Canadian politics since the leadership race began.

“It is time to summon a new Canadian will,” he proclaimed in his victory speech. “We embark on a new voyage. We need a new approach to pol­ itics, to what we do, and how we do it. We need a new politics of achievement.”

Martin seems to have a clear vision of the future—a vision, moreover, that most Liberals evidendy share, and one that for obvious reasons appeals to the younger voters.

“Within a generation, the United States will not be the lone economic superpower,” Martin said. “Ours must be an economy driven by indi­ vidual ingenuity [and] creativity. This means an education system second to none.”

Martin’s vision, furthermore, seems some­ what prescriptive rather than predictive.

“Let me be very clear. Ideas and discovery will be the true currency of the 21st century,” he said. “Increasingly, that currency must be Canadian.”

However, Martin’s prescription for a new politics seeks more than mere socio-economic achievements.

“We have to change the way things work in the nation’s capital,” he said. “Your member of Parliament must be your messenger to Ottawa, not Ottawa’s messenger to you.”

Martin wants “a Canada where Canadian citizens choose to be fundamentally engaged in the way our government goes about the nation’s business.”

Ironically, Martin’s momentum has reduced the level of the participation that he hopes to stimulate.

“Ours is a liberal vision,” he said. “I believe in the freedom of the individual, and I believe that that freedom is best assured when we recog­ nize our collective responsibility to one another.”

Martin is seeking to eschew both right-wing and left-wing dogmatism, rejecting both trickledown economics and the idea that “you can run a government with the bankers pounding at the door... [borrowing] from your children and grandchildren.”

Martin’s words were echoed by U2’s Bono, who performed at the convention.

“A certain kind of idealism still seems to be alive in this country,” he said. ■

8 Op/Ed

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Opinion The

TftHURD

Rail

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Rebecca Graber

iiiia i1

Editorial

1 n A lA o h in ’

c C IL L T R IB U N E Ed it o r -I n - C h ie f

News Editors

Mark Kerr

Kim D'Souza Katie Fugler Jennifer Jett

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ep u ty

Ed it o r

Production Manager Natalie Malo-Fietcher

npi

Strippers,' an d other ifca -4 In■tl■le ■quiet aind still air of things that are not Iraq • ■plagiarism?

t s been a slow week for the world. Yeah, there’s the war, but I promised myself not to talk, nay, think about Iraq for a week or three— too distressing. I pledged instead to take all the anger, frustration and time squandered thinking about Iraq and investigate the rest of the world. Normally I do this regardless, but there seemed to be a dearth of non-Iraq-related headlines, and I reckoned I had prob­ ably missed something.

However, outside of North America and several sand dunes lying between Africa and Asia, things are as quiet as a rosy-cheeked first-year passed out peaceful­ ly beside the porcelain goddess.

Actually, I lied. Stuff’s happening—it’s just hardly covered. Not by the Globe and Mail, the New York Times, the Guardian, or the BBC, at least.

There was that state of emergency declared in teeny Sri Lanka, straining the very tenuous ceasefire there, but who cares? The president rescinded the order and everything is la-di-da again, aside from that pesky 20-year-civil-war thing. No wor­ ries.

Seems endless civil wars lack the compelling dramatic arc of say, killer dogs or casket switching, says the Globe and Mail And speaking of itsy-bitsy nations, li’l old Cyprus is keeping Turkey out of the European Union. Not by itself of course— that would require political muscle whereas Cyprus has only a political pinkie finger—but the EU warned Turkey yet again that it won’t be admitted unless it withdraws its troops from our favourite island featuring both Greek Orthodoxy and an abundance of naked ladies.

Don’t fret if you were unaware of Cyprus’s existence, much less its occupation.

I wouldn’t know either, except my Cypriot friend won’t shut up about how, yes, her nation actually does exist and, no, her calendar depicting the countryside is not actu­ ally just photos of Greece with the name Cyprus written in the margins with red marker.

Neither of these stories got much press, but that’s understandable—internation­ al politics and lengthy civil wars are abstract concepts, whereas the public likes old fashioned, concrete violence.

There s plenty of violence if you search enough, however. The UN tribunal investigating the massacre of 800,000 Rwandan people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, has begun trying four key generals of the militia involved in the killings. O f course, even after half a billion dollars and eight years, the tribunal only has 12 convictions to its credit, so who knows how that’ll end up.

That tidbit was buried on the Guardian Web site, but whatever. They mention an ethnic cleansing that happened way back in 1994, when flannel was the rage and Dave Grohl still drummed for Nirvana, and they expect us to care? Puh-leeze.

Sure, there are more recent events to consider, like how the government of Guinea disobeyed a UN arms embargo against Liberia, providing the war-torn country with weapons that Liberian rebels have used to commit what the Human Rights Watch called “egregious violations of the laws of war.”

This should matter since Guinea currently sits on the UN Security Council, but honestly, can you locate Guinea on a map? If it’s invisible, how can it possibly fund guerrilla warfare?

Heck, one day last week the lead story on the New York Times International Web page was of a Parisian lingerie shop offering stripping lessons for those made­ moiselles lacking ideas for their new purchases. Obviously this is the first and only case of France following Quebec, since Montreal already has a bona-fide stripping institute, but other than that, how is this justified as news?

Journalism is about disseminating information, but unfortunately, world events don’t sell papers. Salacious photographs of Parisian women wearing only a beret and a garter belt—now that sells papers. That and people blowing themselves up (peo­ ple that tend to look like us, of course).

Apparently this is the way the tide is going these days. Methinks I should change my column logo to something more provocative. Now, where did I put that corset? ■

Sarah Wright

l

Features Editors

Brody Brown Jeff Roberts Entertainment Editors

Panthea Lee Spencer Ross

urnitin.com is, plain and sim­ ple, a bugaboo. Let me begin with the uncontroversial: pla­ giarism is a major problem at McGill. It threatens the very foundation of our university. There is simply no place for academic dishon­ esty at an institution built on scholar­ ship.

Forcing students to use turnitin.com is not, as some have argued, a form of persecution. We are not persecuted. We just so happen to go to the best school in the country, no matter what Macleans has to say about it.

The use of the Web site does not constitute an injustice. What does, in my opinion, is that people who pla­ giarize get away with it while others put in honest work to earn their diplomas.

A McGill diploma is valuable in large part because of McGill’s reputa­ tion, one that depends, to some degree, on its bright and motivated students. Plagiarism undermines this.

If cheating is perceived to be a serious problem at McGill, then the value of your degree decreases.

And that’s why making us pay for this service is not unjust. We do receive benefits from it. They may be intangible, but they’re there.

Ignorance of an effect does not pre­ clude its existence. Turnitin.com could help preserve the reputation of this university and, in turn, the value of your diploma. This service, then, is presumably worth something.

But what about students’ intellec­ tual property rights? Does iParadigms, the owner of the system, actually own our papers? I do not believe so. The Web site merely searches for similar strings of words in other works. The company does not, and is not legally entitled to publish or otherwise profit from students’ papers.

A statement on the Web site asserts that the system provides the same fundamental assessment of a paper as professors might make if they suspected foul play. The difference is merely technical. Turnitin.com com­ pares papers electronically. Your pro­

T

is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society of McGill University Sports Editors

Editor

James Scarfone Andrew Segal

M,

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Tomoko Shida

Nicole Leaver Nina Zachariades On-line Editor

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STAff: Lise Bondy, Dave Brodkey, Robert Church, Christine Cullen, Sarah Dolgoy, Yasemin Emory, Laura Etheredge, Dennis Feeney, Benji Feldman, Rebecca Graber, Dany Horovitz, Nuran Kendiroglu, Catherine Kramarczuk, Heather Haz Lawrence, Iwona Link, Dan McQuillan, Christopher Moore, Ryan ). Mulligan, Julie Peters, Casey Reynolds, Emily Richardson, Laura Rudy, Laura Saba, Scott Sameroff, Robert Schafer, Liz Treutler, Leemore Valin, Lisa Varano, Josh Wilner

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fessor would do so manually. It’s sim­ ply a question of access to literary resources and time constraints.

Some say the introduction of this system alienates students from faculty and creates a militant environment at our school. Those behind this argu­ ment are confusing cause and effect.

The fact is, students are copying papers. It is these acts that represent the “declining sense of community” at McGill, not the measures that are being taken to combat the offence.

I have taken and am currendy taking a turnitin class. It has been my experience that professors are willing, even eager, to help students do their best work honesdy. I think the follow­ ing passage written by one such pro­ fessor sums up this attitude well.

“I do not believe most McGill students today are guilty of plagia­ rism. Nevertheless, plagiarism has become such a significant problem that it would be irresponsible for McGill or me to ignore it.

Fortunately, plagiarism is not hard to avoid. I am quite willing to help you do that.”

Professors are on our side.

Sure they make us “turn it in,” but this does not mean they assume we’re guilty. No assumption whatsoev­ er is made about the guilt of any indi­ vidual student. If everyone were assumed to be guilty right from the get-go, we’d all just get zeros and not have to bother with this blasted sys­ tem. What is assumed, and what is in fact correct, is that there are guilty stu­ dents at McGill. Turnitin.com is a method of prevention, not inculpa­ tion.

Walking down the street late at night, do you become indignant when a cop car passes by? No. You think, “I’m glad they’re around. I feel safer.”

Their presence does not mean they think you are guilty. It merely means they’re looking for those who are.

Similarly, it is not unjust that pas­ sengers are “coerced” through security checkpoints at airports. The good of the community means making demands on individual liberty. It’s not a tradeoff; it’s a balance. ■

Letters must include author's name, signature, identification (e.g. U2 Biology, SSMU President), telephone number and be typed double-spaced. Letters more than 200 words, pieces for Stop the Press more than 500 words, or submissions judged by the Editor-in-Chief to be libellous, sexist, racist homophobic, or solely promotional in nature, will not be published. The Tribune will make all reasonable efforts to print submissions provided that space is available, and reserves the right to edit letters for length. Letters may be submitted to the Tribune office, faxed to 398-1750, e-mailed to tribune@ssmu.mcgill.ca or submitted via the Tribune web­ site.

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The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

faculties not trade schools

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9

EDITORIAL

Engineering and management In his column of Nov. 4 “What am I doing here?,” Jeff Roberts labels engineering and man­ agement faculties as “trade schools.” As my engineering degree (with management minor) spanned five faculties and three languages, seemingly a prima facie case for the converse, I would suggest Roberts’ assertion stems from a large misunderstanding of those faculties.

To rebut his assertion of “no higher learning [being present],” one has only to refer to the independent undergraduate research thesis encouraged in engineering departments across the country. One has only to consider the wide spectrum of professorial research in the management faculty, encroaching into the domains of psychology, economics, governance and public policy.

These faculties are more than places where technical skills are taught; that common misun­ derstanding is completely wrong. The ambit of an undergraduate engineering or commerce degree, as with an arts or science degree, is to furnish the student with a skill set to use in further learning. While my senior courses involved modeling gas flow reactors, I at no point expected to apply them directly in my oil field ambitions post-graduation. Rather, 1 applied information, con­ cepts and methods of analysis learned in lower courses towards a self-selected area of research and activity: just as with a philosophy or English honours seminar. Indeed, those senior courses have served me rather well in my legal studies thus far.

Roberts states: “Science students... are precluded from learning the ethics and metaphysical implications of their own discoveries.” This is disingenuous: their focus is by definition science.

They remain free, however, to take electives, or even a full ethics degree after the science degree.

Moreover, the empirical evidence contradicts Roberts argument, insofar as leading scientists often lead ethical debates (see any major journal).

While I agree with promoting broad undergraduate degrees, I take issue with how he has chosen to illustrate his point.

— Matthew Keen Law II

Op/Ed

Chretien's mixed legacy ith Jean Chrétiens send-off complete, we are left to ponder the prime minister’s 10 years as the leader of Canada. And as the cloud of sentiment settles, it is clear that Chrétiens lega­ cy, as it applies to Canadian universities, is mixed at best.

Chrétien trumpeted his improvement of accessibility to post­ secondary education for every Canadian student. The Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation was created in 1998 to improve access to post-second­ ary education for lower and middle class students. According to the founda­ tion, $ 1.2-billion has been awarded since 2000, mostly through bursaries.

While Chrétien had good intentions, the foundation recently reported that the legislative goal of improving access has not been realized. By substitut­ ing grants for loans within aid packages, according to the foundation, money has not gone to needy students that don’t have access to post-secondary edu­ cation. Rather, the goal of reducing student debt has won out over accessibili­ ty.

It is equally difficult to evaluate Chrétiens impact on the quality of uni­ versity education, as it is the domain of the provinces. However, his financial commitment to the institutions wavered. The reduction of funding to the Canadian Health and Social Transfer to the provinces might have allowed the balancing of the federal budget, but it left provinces struggling to meet the demands of many different programs. Health care was the first priority, with other social programs left to divvy up the scraps.

While reinvestment in the CHST came in 1999, universities continue to suffer the effects of Chrétiens cost cutting. Many infrastructural improvements have been pushed to the backburner to the detriment of students.

And while the restructuring of the CHST in February of 2003 offers some hope for the future, it does not go far enough. Health care transfers have been separated from social transfers to promote a more equitable division of funds.

However, Chrétien would have received higher marks had he adopted the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations’ suggestion of targeted funding within the CHST for education.

A discussion of Chrétien and his policies cannot exclude new Liberal leader Paul Martin. As Finance Minister in Chrétiens government from 1993 to 2002, Martin takes credit for many recent successes, including balancing the budget. The soon-to-be prime minister has made fiscal prudence his priority, including a further reduction in the national debt load. Social spending could certainly be a casualty of Martin’s conservative approach to the books.

Martin’s strict focus on the economic good should be the greatest concern for students at this research-intensive university. In his speech, Martin pledged to advance the commercialization of university research, with the hope that private sector funds will drive scientific process. One possible implication is research will be based solely on its worth in the marketplace, not to mention the ethical concerns of scientists beholden to corporate executives.

In the coming weeks Martin will be laying the groundwork for re-election of his party in the spring. If he hopes to win, he will have to address the short­ comings of his predecessor while striking a new policy direction.

There is no better place to start than with post-secondary education. ■

W

McGill lacking media savvy niversity students today are told time and again who wishes to leave McGill with more than just a political that they are members of the most media-sawy science degree. For instance, the concept of melding commu­ generation in history. But inside these hallowed nications with art history is absurd and is symptomatic of the halls, the opposite seems to be true. The empha­ real problem: the university’s apparent aversion to anything sis that McGill University and its Students’ current. It seems as if the study of communications needs to Society place on media—a discipline that will affect the lives be restrained with something classical like art history. Its not of almost all students once they leave the university’s gates— surprising, then, that the cultural studies honours program— is sorely lacking. As media become even more prevalent and the closest thing to a communications degree currently in society moves deeper into the Internet age, will McGills stu­ place—requires 12 credits in, of all things, English literature.

Furthermore, the university lacks majors in other nondents be able to cope?

While McGill prides itself as a forward-thinking, pro­ traditional disciplines, such as film, theatre, journalism and gressive institution of higher learning, it currently lacks dance. It seems as if one enters a 1950s-style Pleasantville courses to back up this claim. Although the university does after passing through the Roddick Gates.

While there are campus newspapers andT~V McGill, the have a Department of Art History and Communications, ostensibly McGill-based CKU I radio featured a grand total there are only two undergraduate courses offered in the lat­ of only 30 minutes of McGill-related programming per week ter discipline, and none above the 200-level. While the pos­ sibility exists that a complete undergraduate communica­ last semester.

CKUT is completely dominated by the Montreal com­ tions major will be put in place, it may only happen in 2005munity at large, and while some outside input is not a bad 06— that is, if the proposal even gets past the mountains of thing, its overwhelming dominance of the airwaves has bureaucracy.

But there are more pressing concerns for the scholar pushed students’ voices out.

U

1SB

----------- ----

As someone who loves sports, I have tried numerous times to pitch the idea of sports programming, only to be rebuffed and told that it’s not within CKUT’s mandate. I look wistfully at Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s Web site and see every football game covered on the radio except for the Redmen. I’m compelled to ask: why can’t our campus radio station be like the ones at Queen’s or Alberta, housed in the Student Union building and receptive to students?

Perhaps it is because SSMU is simply unwilling to accept that mantle of responsibility, instead complaining that the administration is trying to force it to accept CKU 1 under its umbrella. But how can the Students Society expect to prepare its constituents for the future if involvement in media cannot be a part of their undergraduate experience?

Fortunately, there is an opportunity for this to change.

CKUT’s letter of agreement with the university is expiring shortly, and SSMU can and should make CKUT a priority for renewal. The Faculty of Arts should also push the com­ munications major through quickly. These changes are nec­ essary if we are to remain competitive with those not trapped in the Ivory Tower. ■

10 Op/Ed

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

«

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Vi

Time burns calculators

Most Quebec high school students and graduates think that doing arithmetic with a calculator is an acceptable alternative to the efficient mastery of arithmetic without. So I say shame on students who do decline to know their times tables, and do not know how to do arithmetic with whole numbers and fractions without.

I also say greater shame on the Quebec Ministry of Education course designers and math teachers for not verifying and developing in the first year of high school the ability to do arithmetic efficiently without a calcu­ lator. The lack of this essential skill is the foremost source of difficulty and failure in secondary and CEGEP level mathematics, and in the physical sciences.

—Alan Selby McGill Education Program, Advanced Standing

In regards to the debate on gender-neutral bathrooms (Dev/Matt Debate, Nov. 4), I think that both authors missed the point of this debate. Gender-neutral bath­ rooms is not just an issue of theory, it is an issue of public health and safety.

Gcnderqueer students are not safe at school when they are subject to harassment in the bathrooms. In a recent study found on pissr.org, transgender people report being yelled at, stared at and attacked for being in the “wrong” bathroom. In New York City, it is common for genderqueers to be harassed and arrested by the police for the “crime” of using the wrong bathroom, even though it is not illegal.

This is also a public health issue because many genderqueer people do not feel safe using bathrooms where they could potentially face harassment and violence. As a result, they do walk around campus in the cold to look for safe bathrooms or hold it in for hours, which can cause bladder infections and more serious health prob­ lems. I think that the only “intellectual masturbation” being done on this issue is by the authors. The lack of gender-neutral bathrooms is discriminatory, unsafe and unhealthy. SSMU would do students an injustice by not including gender-neutral bathrooms in the renovations.

— Erica Weinstein McGill '02 Brooklyn, N Y

SSMU Dentistry Representative Haissam Dahan cited the health of the McGill community as the reason for banning the sale of cigarettes on campus (“SSMU considers going cold turkey,” Nov. 4). Despite being flattered that an unknown stranger is wor­ ried about my health, I find his arguments a little too protection­ ist and rather patronizing. If SSMU denies the contract with Imperial Tobacco, what kind of precedent will it s e t ^ r what is sold on campus?

No one, including smokers, will con tend ffiat smoking has a positive effect on health. Cigarettes, hoWêver, arc nqt jWfc only unhealthy items sold on campus. If we truly are ouft^tfproKÿt the health of McGill, we should definitely stop selfing fxiecProods.

Pogos and deep-fried chicken burgers contribute tojiwStys grow­ ing heart problems and obesity. What about coifëfTLegaJ addictive stimulants are hardly good for Stressed and overworked students.

We also need to watch the sale of liquor. a bar on campus can easily promote binge drinking a n ^ ^ ^ ^ m d en ce on alcohol.

Oh yes, don’t forget those s p g ^ ff)-to-save-50 cents student cards being sold in the Shatner mBraing every semester. People can be taken advantage of and spend their money unwisely.

Obviously there is a flaw: most McGill students are legal adults and, should therefore, have the capacity and freedom to make their own decisions.

If SSMU chooses not to renew its contract with Imperial Tobacco, not only will the Society be losing $31,000 that would likely be spent buying cigarettes at a dépanneur elsewhere, but stu­ dents would then be treated like children and not adults. Some may feel that smokers are not smart enough to know what is good for them, and our student government needs to help dictate some of our choices. I hardly believe making it more difficult to acquire cigarettes on campus will affect the way we choose to live our lives outside of campus.

More importantly, however, I do not feel that the SSMU is warranted to try to affect our choice to smoke by inconveniencing smokers, especially when the method is detrimental to the budget.

— Lauren Attard U3 Humanistic Studies

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Features I

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Being Boustan JEFF ROBERTS ta lk s to th e m a n b e h in d th e sa n d w ic h Ste-Catherine between St. Marc and Atwater. Within the first year, 14 of the 15 restaurants in the location folded.

Smaidi stayed, continuing to work as an engineer while trying to nurse his new venture to solvency. His round head momentarily sags with exhaustion as he recalls how he logged 19hour days for five years: “I didn’t know if I was coming or going. I would arrive downtown early in the morning, still seeing myself from the night before.”

It was time to concede defeat. On the verge of doing so, Smaidi’s gloom was arrested while passing through the airport one morning. There, he glanced at a business magazine which listed 10 up-andcoming trends, one of which was restaurant deliv­ ery—an angle he had not yet tried.

“That’s when Boustan was reborn,” he says. “I knew that it could work. I made flyers and went at six o’clock in the morning to the downtown Metro sta­ tions. Some have five, six entrances—I went to a dif­ ferent one every day and gave out my flyers, talked and joked with people. And YASEMIN EMORY soon after, slowly at first, the Imad Smaidi-the Boustan Man-is a master of the fine art of falafel-ing. phone started ringing.” t’s four o’clock on a grey early-winter afternoon, when Imad Smaidi arrives promptly. In a smart blue shirt and red-and-white tie, he looks restlessly at the crutch under his arm which has kept him from his usual post this past week. Instead, Smaidi’s son, an

easy-going 16-year-old, is manning the counter at Boustan today.

Smaidi hobbles to a stool, shakes my hand and invites me to sit down. When asked for his name, he seems almost disinterested, implying that it is not partic­ ularly important. And perhaps he is right. After all, for our purposes, he is the Boustan Man—the creator of the best Lebanese food in the city. His chicken and falafel sandwiches are legendary, a source of pilgrimage for tourists and Montrealers alike.

Boustan: the early years

Smaidi came to Montreal at 21, leaving his native Lebanon and an army position shortly before the out­ break of the country’s civil war. He returned only briefly, just long enough to nab his young wife. The restaurant business was far from his mind as Imad embarked upon studies at l’École Polytechnique, from which he emerged a successful engineer.

Smaidi’s alert eyes and trim moustache show soft amusement as he recalls how he came to trade electrical circuits for falafels. It began when some acquaintances asked him to become a silent partner in a food court ven­ ture. He agreed, but the partnership turned sour, leaving Smaidi—who had barely ever used a stove—the newlyminted proprietor of a restaurant.

“I thought they would buy me out. Instead, all of a sudden, I was the head of a business that I knew nothing about. But I wanted to try it. I told my wife that she and her mother knew how to cook and that we would work to make the best product possible. Then we would sell and get out.”

And work they did, but the early years were trying.

The business was situated in a kiss-of-death location—a second-story food court along the derelict stretch of Rue

Boustan the triumphant

the doctor said, ‘Hey, you’re the Boustan guy, aren’t •OÎJ you?

W haf s in those sandwiches?

So how exactly does Boustan manage to transcend run-of-the-mill Lebanese food? There are no secret ingre­ dients, though Smaidi confesses some have suspected otherwise.

“People say that there is hash in the chicken and LSD in the sauce and that’s why the sandwiches make them happy,” he laughs.

But then he grows serious as he begins to speak about the secret of Boustan. At first, his words sound like those of a middle-management hack, but then you real­ ize he clearly means what he says.

“The key to business success is honesty, to believe in your product and to love what you’re doing. Every sand­ wich has to be right. I treat each one like it’s my sand­ wich. As soon as my eyes are happy, I know it’s ready.”

The larger picture

It’s approaching five o’clock and the beginnings of the dinner rush are streaming through the door. The clientele reflects the diversity of the downtown neigh­ bourhood and nearby Concordia. The interview is occa­ sionally disrupted as customers yell greetings in French, English and Arabic.

I ask Smaidi about whether he ever feels the ten­ sions that occasionally animate this downtown commu­ nity. His reply is guarded but sincere.

“There are two things that you don’t discuss in busi­ ness: politics and religion. There is something that is more important, though. That is to respect people for who they are. You have to learn to make them feel com­ fortable. I learned that when I was in the army a long time ago. It’s part of savoir vivre."

So what’s next for the Boustan man? He admits that he looks forward to retiring, possibly returning to the sun of Lebanon. But for now, he cannot. Although the business is a runaway success, he can’t leave. In all seri­ ousness, he says, “I can’t go until someone can make the sandwich like I can.”

Smaidi smiles as he recalls his early hustling and bustling. After changing locations several times, he has been comfortably established at the current Crescent street address for eight years. And now customers seek him out.

Every sandwich has to be right. I treat each Discreet photos near the cash register depict reveling Alouettes one like it’s m y sandwich. As soon as m y eyes are players hoisting the Grey Cup inside Boustan. Another shows happy, I know its ready.

Pierre Trudeau sitting down with Smaidi... When pressed for other In the meantime, he is happy. He loves his restau­ celebrity tales, Smaidi speaks with rant and the people who come there. And he declares unaffected modesty.

“You don’t recognize most of them. I don’t know. that there will be no second Boustan, that he hopes his Most of the CFL players, L.L. Cool J, Brian Mulroney, place will become known as a one-of-a-kind institution.

Jacques Villeneuve [whose Newtown bar is next door] “Like a Lebanese Schwartz’s,” he smiles. ■ comes in here with Patrice Brisebois—they’re friends, you know.”

He seems genuinely uninterested in celebrity lore, preferring to talk instead about the generation of Concordia and McGill students who have been living off his chicken sandwiches. His favourite occasions are when out-of-town students bring their parents to Boustan, and he notes that this is the highest compliment FROSH STUDENTS he can receive. He is fond also of Montreal Finals are last approaching ex-pats who rush to his shop when they - cue are ollering TESOL Certified 5 days are in town for a visit. in class (Monthly classes), 1 HOUR OF FREE TUTORING. Smaidi pauses to look at his injured I on-line or by correspondence.

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The M cG ill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

T r a v e ls

15

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Features

Aussie exchange students bare all

CLOBALCOURMET.COM

LAURA RUDY and others swap their sun-bonnets for toques

’day mate! Imagine immersing yourself in a culture that is largely foreign to you. For the Australian exchange student, Montreal’s way of life is something of an adjustment.

Experiencing Montreal’s joie de vivre ren­ ders the student aware of differences in all aspects of daily life when compared to his native land. Last academic year, McGill wel­ comed a total of 60 exchange students hailing from Australia.

G

According to the Australian exchange stu­ dents interviewed, the consensus is clear: Montreal differs from Australia in many aspects. Here is a scatter-shot look at how the “Land Down Under” reacts to the “Land of Poutine.”

Food

Australian cuisine includes many dietary staples which are not customary in Montreal.

From meat pies that are a staple for practically every Australian lunch diet, to vegemite (a concentrated yeast extract), Australian eating habits differ from Québécois fare.

“Dagwood dogs are the Australian equiv­ alent of a hot dog. The hot dog is wrapped in pastry,” says Quentin Meagher, a U2 Commerce student from the University of

New South Wales in-Sydney.

“Montreal does not have Milo, a choco­ late-flavoured energy food drink, as well as Tim Tams, a chocolate biscuit,” says Jessica Cameron, a U2 Arts student from the University of Queensland in Brisbane.

“Despite some dessert type snacks, people generally eat more healthily in Australia. Juice bars and sandwich shops are everywhere,” adds Cameron.

People

Although both Australians and Montrealers are a gracious bunch, “people are more friendly in Montreal” claims Zina Elimelakh, a U2 Law and Management stu­ dent from the University of New South Wales.

“It has been easy to make new friends and L in, as people are so welcoming.”

“Students don’t solely concentrate on studying in Montreal. In Australia, people work and go home. People here are more interested in the whole university experience,” interjects Cameron.

“Individuals are more expressive in Montreal and state their mind to a greater extent. In Australia, people are non-confrontational,” says U2 student Heather Randall from Canberra, studying political science and inter­ national relations at the University of Queensland.

Nightlife

“Ladies Night,” where women receive i drinks before the stroke of midnig is not a permanent fixture Australian bars. “That is a wonder part about Montreal’s party scene adds Cameron.

Finance issues

Friends don’t • let friends get slippers.

Ask for a cool phone.

In Australia, prices include In addition, it is not necessary to waiters and bartenders. Ferj Fitzwarryne, a U2 student from University of Melbourne studyii Arts and Commerce, does not appri date Montreal’s tipping culture. “I don’t like having to be required to give a tip if the service is poor,” he sa1 Minimum wage workers in Ausl receive almost twice the Mom hourly labour rate. Twelve dollars | | hour is the average and, depending on the region, the rate increases.

University life

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Diverse teaching styles ptevJ| “In Montreal, the lectures actuaw help you. Back home, you can do | | | the reading on your own and leach, yourself without having to go fjj class,” states Cameron.

Meagher believes that the exams ate less challenging in Montreal. “I have not worked at all, yet I’ve done well,” he claims.

“The Internet is used much more frequendy in Montreal and group work is relied upon a lot more; asserts Elimelakh. “Also, it is not unusual to see a class of 1,000 stu­ dents back home, so class sizes are smaller at McGill. The student receives more personalized attention."

Furthermore, many Australian students will pursue a double degree and remain in university for a total | | five years.

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Think Montreal students drink a lot? Think again! “Australians drink more heavily,” says Ehmelakjjj Furthermore, since Montreal has adopted more lax laws regarding mar­ ijuana usage, “Pot is so much mon widespread here,” notes Cameron.

Australia’s laws are more stringent with regards to the drug’s recreation® usage.

Despite the many cultural differ­ ences, all exchange students were cop tent with their decision to study 1 Montreal for a term. “I’m really happy to be here. It’s been an awesome expe­ rience. ” says Murray-Noone, l 9 Commerce. ■

14 Features

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

issues

Bodies in

PRO TEST

of obesity Use Bondy

t’s true that being obese is detrimental to ones health, that obesity is reaching epidemic proportions, and that the plethora of health prob­ lems associated with obesity are and will be a huge drain on the health care system. This “war” on fat is not being waged on face­ less people. Obesity affects our mothers, our children, our peers, even our professors and politicians. And it continues to affect me gready.

We are coming to acknowledge that obesity is widespread among the Canadian population. By the standards of the Canadian Institute of Health Research, close to half.of adult Canadians are overweight and one in six is obese. Even more disturbing is the trend of obesity among schoolchildren, char­ acterized by the Yale University director of public health as “children growing up to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents because of epidemic obesity and diabetes.”

Our bodies are not meant to handle the calorie load and sedentary lifestyle many are embracing; our bodies have evolved so as to accommodate times of food scarcity.

There was a time when people would starve temporarily and binge when food was available. Now food is always plen­ tiful, but were drowning in excess calories. The result is a world where people in industrialized nations suffer a multitude of obesity-related health problems (diabetes, cardiovascular dis­ ease and hypertension) while those in developing nations continue to suffer malnourishment and contagious diseases such as malaria.

The present epidemic of obesity can be attributed to the high fat, packaged and convenience food products crowded onto store shelves, too much time spent in front of the television, vending machines, and a lack of regular phys­ ical activity in elementary schools.

But there are also subder factors that give rise to obesity, including genet­ ics, socio-economic condition and lifestyle. Our relationship with food will forever have complex psychological and physiological toots.

Eating, for me, is both my greatest joy and my worst enemy. I love to cook, bake, eat, learn about food and read about food. And yet, I still cant eat alone in public without feeling ashamed. As a person who is overweight, I can’t help but feel that people silendy watch me and judge me.

Perhaps this notion stems from the time, when, as an obese teenager, I was sitting in the mall with my best friend, enjoying a sticky cinnamon bun with gooey cream cheese icing. A random elderly woman approached and I thought she was going to say something cute and old-ladylike about young girls hanging out at the mall. Instead, she swatted me and berated me for several minutes. “You’re too fat—why are you eating that? You’re much too fat,” she cried.

Needless to say, that incident didn t leave me with the most positive feelings about eating in public.

I was a slim, well-adjusted child in early elementary school, and morphed into a fat, unhap­ py, overachicving pre-teen and teenager. My weight peaked in grade 10, at 250 pounds. At 5’5”, it was neither gracefully carried nor easy to bear. Gym class, school dances and band concerts were all fraught with an added factor. I was picked last for sports teams, called “lard ass” by my square dance partner, labeled “Fatty” by classmates, and “Shamu” by a boy I had been friends with before my fat days. I remember fighting back tears while my friends were being measured for their XS and S sweaters for band, while I sported an XXL sweater, a size 20 tuxedo shirt and 42-inch waist pants, specially purchased in the mens section at our local Maries Work Warehouse.

Children are cruel, and their shifting Byzantine social order in the playground is difficult to navigate as the little fat kid. When presented photos of various children by researchers, a group of children candidly characterized ohese individuals as lazy, stupid and dirty.

Despite these prejudices, I made great friends, amazing girls with whom I’m still friends

|i

Children are cruel, and their shifting, Byzantine social order in the playground is difficult to navigate as the little fat kid. today, who never treated me differently because of my weight.

High school was much harder. The hormones, cliques, and—in my schools case—abun­ dance of beautiful size 0 nymphets, squeezed into their Miss Sixty jeans and Kookai sweaters, made navigating the social waters all the more difficult.

Teenagers are more subtle in their discrimination toward obese people, but the prejudices are certainly there. In high school, an obvious shift in attitudes toward the obese occurs. It becomes more adult in style, and is reflected in condescending sympathy to your face combined with a disdain and sense of innate separation.

I wonder if obesity should be equated with a health-harming behaviour like smoking? But smokers can easily hide their cigarettes, and obese people can’t hide their fat.

Should we tax high-fet food like we tax cigarettes? Some people think fàst-food chains are the criminals.

I think we are responsible for what we put in our mouths. Some corporations make too much See M0RE „„ „ext page

get hungry Natalie Malo-Fletcher

ating disorders do not have to culminate in a medical emer­ gency to leave bruises. Often, they evolve in supposedly safe places, like a childrens dance school. They begin in the form of casual tummy-prodding, as cute little bodies in leotards bounce around the floor. Then they turn into a full-out com­ petition, a collision between the iron will of prepubescent girls and their invincible self-consciousness.

Food and ballet are poles apart. In ballet, students are taught the ideal of weightlessness—how to float, to defy gravity, to make one­ self lighter. As an inevitable consequence, food gets associated with heaviness, with bulk. In the end, it’s either dancing or eating; not both, or else one will suffer. History repeats itself—Karen Kain fol­ lowed a strict tomato-only regimen the days preceding her ballet exams; Gelsey Kirkland didnt let her dancing get in the way of nearly starving herself to death. Our dance class’s story was no dif­ ferent.

As kids, we paraded about in our matching garb, ecstatic about getting to skip around in pink solidarity. As tweens, things became more complicated: we were no longer comrades but con­ tenders, competing not for the teacher’s affections, but for the best reflection.

The cheap studio mirrors, however, were not exactly compas­ sionate. So, we cheated by buying extra small bodysuits and accen­ tuating the tags as we undressed, barely breathing for the hour just to prove our grand petiteness. We would huddle in the dressing room before class, examining the flawless figures in our dance magazines and swapping nutritional tips like they were wonderdrugs.

The one girl who dared to eat her after-school snack got assailed

We were no longer comrades but con­ tenders, competing not for the teachers affec­ tions but for the best reflection. by a chorus of calorie-sawy freaks. The day she whipped out a box of Glosettes, she was accused of heresy and kicked out of our club. It was like we were outdoing her with every mouthful. We were the true faithful, pointing our proud skeletal toes and leaping in, way over our heads. What 13-year-old needs to wear control-top tights? We do, we do.

Our teacher was so oblivious. She preached moderation with the most noble inten­ tions, but as we all congregated around her old photos, admiring her non-existent bal­ lerina frame, clearly she missed the signals. Besides, we were skeptical: the homemade cookies we gave her at Christmas always ended up in the garbage can and it seemed more than just coincidence that the chubby girl was never accepted to represent the school at ballet exams. To us, moderation meant dont settle. It meant drinking water until we flooded our systems because our appetites needed suppressing. It meant doing extra sets of sautes until we were more dead than alive. It meant evading averageness.

To be fair, our narcissistic balletomania remained within the studio walls, and we forgot our battle of the bulge as soon as daily life regained its grip. Most of us got off easy, receiving stern looks from our doctors when they realized we were a bite or two below our healthy weight. A few of us were diagnosed with ‘disordered eating’ and it became a reccuring joke. The thought of stomach anarchy fit in well with our rebellious spirits. It fuelled us to try harder to look pretty in pink.

There was one exception, however. One friend went so far as to merit that horribly hoarse-sounding adjective: anorexic. Also known as absolute loss of appetite, as van­ quisher, as champion. She was carried away in an ambulance for a victory gallop around the city before ending up in the hospital and placed on her big fluffy podium for all to see. Except we didnt visit her. We couldnt. Its not that we were jealous or wished to be in her place, its that she had outshined us. She had won the dance devotion cook-off; she was the most committed. Yes, she was bedridden, but she was also the best balleriBut as we continued to attend class and she continued to miss it, we realized our logic was a bit distorted. “Dance every performance as if it were your last,” she used to croon, as she chasséd across the floor. And it hit us: Erik Bruhn’s oft-repeated saying had turned into dramatic irony. We knew what was ahead but she was still happily starving in the shadows.

Her experience was not a tragic tearfest as she did recuperate with the syrupy help of Boost drinks and group therapy. Though she never returned to class, she left her mark by giving our teacher grounds enough to allow the leg-warmers and sweats our nearnaked bodies so badly needed to feel less scrutinized. Suddenly, we were dancing better because we saw less of ourselves and more of our form. And yes, rather than eye each other enviously, we concentrated on the reason we started dancing to begin with: the pure joy of movement.

Teenagers and body image truisms go hand in hand. It seems not a single girl’s ado­ lescence can calmly unravel without the See MOVEMENT on next page unwanted onset of some kind of food obses-

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Bodies

More than just skin deep

in p r o t e s t

Movement never lies

Continued from previous page

money selling high-far foods, while others make money selling us weight loss products: Jenny Craig, the Atkins diet, Curves, various pharmaceuticals and Dr. Phil’s new weight loss boob, for example. We all buy into the culture of weight obsession to some degree as we clutch our Snackwell s cookies in one hand and our copy of Shape magazine in the other.

High-fat foods also tend to be cheaper, and consequently obesity has become a huge problem for the less affluent. But educated professionals including professors, politicians and physicians are obese too. I was the waffling (waddling?) contradiction—my own father is a respected endocrinologist who deals with lipid disorders. I didn’t watch very much television, I ate minimal junk food and never ate fast food. My family just ate too much really good food and I was never as passionate about physical activity as I was about food. losing weight is so hard. It has taken several years and much struggling to get where I am now.

I’m still your “pleasandy plump” McGill student in a sea of slim paragons of feminine beauty, but I’m no lo n g e r referred to as the “fat one.” Nor am I still used by parents, as on one memorable occasion, as an example for their children of a Jenny Craig candidate. It bothers me immensely how thoughdessly people treat obese people. Obese people should not feel ashamed or uncomfortable; they are equal members of society. Obviously, it’s important to encourage healthy lifestyles and good eating habits. We can teach people about nutrition and the benefits of physical activity. However, we also must accept that not everyone can fit into a neat sliding scale of a healthy weight and we should ask for respect and fair treatment of all people, despite their size. We must investigate more deeply certain people’s need to be comforted and sated by food.

Our society lives a paradox wherein we indulge in over-consumption while, at the same time, expressing enormous prejudice against those who are overweight. This is a tension that should be explored—and resolved—at a time when we are getting ever larger. ■

sion. T a l k i n g about it is almost gratuitous. Who wants to stomach another diary-like confes­ sion if its purpose is merely to re-establish the obvious fact that appearances are key in this social pressure cooker we inhabit?

Yet the personal accounts abound and the audience hasnt gotten any thinner. The reason, it would appear, is that the simple process of sustenance has taken on new roles, permeating areas of activity where the goals are altogether different. What does food have to do with the modelling of clothing, with athletic competence, with professional dance? Nothing and every­ thing.

Teenage dreams are far-reaching and unduly demanding. Group mentality is infectious.

Those afternoons spent in motion were more about our bodies than our craft. We loved to dance, but what we loved most was looking like dancers.

It took a hospital scare, an exercise in self-denial and lots of modern dance classes to make us aware of our mini hunger crusade. And ultimately, our clearest moment of vision took place when, blindfolded for a contemporary dance workshop, we were too busy trying to maintain our balance to let self-image interfere with grace. ■

A n y questions concerning food and body image can be taken to

M cGill's Nutrition and Food Science Centre, at the Royal Victoria Hospital, 398.8888.

An experim ent in self-esteem Thirty girls in thirty days

wo roads diverged in the cafeteria. Down the first my studies lay, while down the other, a cute girl sat all alone, reading a flyer she must have pulled from the wall; though it was undoubtedly clear the flyer was merely a faCade.

Long I sat, looking in her direction and back again— between schoolwork and the girl. In days like these, it s hard to say which is more important. And so, though both paths looked just as fair, the latter had the better claim because usually I chose my school work. Not today.

Today I was on a mission, the first of 30 days, where on each of those days I find a random girl and strike up a con­ versation. Not to pick her up, but just to talk—to build a greater sense of confidence in myself. This was an idea I got from my roommate who read about it in a health magazine.

I figured I might as well give it a try. After all, there must be many like myself who shy away too quickly from encounters with strangers. Somebody’s got to lead the charge. And it might as well be me—me who makes Woody Allen look like Antonio Banderas.

Explains Psychology professor Mark Baldwin, “shyness, or in its most extreme form, social anxiety, generally involves feeling uncertain that one will be able to create the impres­ sion one desires. When in a social situation where the rules of interaction are often unclear, people sometimes imagine the worst possible outcome.”

This is exactly why I hardly ever approach strange girls and ask: “Can I get your number—I mean the time?” Well, that, and I’m also not clever enough to think of any good pick up lines.

The idea in my exercise was not to pick up girls, but just get more used to talking with them so that later on,

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15

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Continued from previous page

DanyHorovitz

Features

when the need arises, I will have super human-like social skills.

“Gradually gaining exposure to the situation in a lowrisk manner gives the opportunity for learning that the feared outcome is not inevitable,” said Baldwin.

I found that this was very true in my case. The more I spoke to these girls, the more receptive the next seemed to be. And I learned that there were many techniques.

For example, I got a three-minute response from the question: “So, how do you like your classes this semester?”

Seriously, women love to talk—and I dont mean that in a bad way. Hell, it’s better than awkward silences where I’m very prone to making dumb remarks: “Hey, you know I think the lighting in here is halogen, which is different from neon. Did you know that? ... What’s that? You have a class now? ... Oh, alL right, see you around.”

At this point, the cute little red-headed girl slowly turns her walk into a jog, then breaks into a run to get away from me. Oh good' grief.

Since the beginning of this experiment, that sort of sce­ nario happened less and less because I did not feel any pres­ sure—it was more like I was talking to one of my friends.

And if I got her name, great, and if I didn’t, who cares?

Professor of psychology Richard Koestner warns against trying this because “in 98 per cent of the cases, it makes the women uncomfortable” to be approached by strangers.

Nevertheless, Koestner says there is a motivational con­ cept called “self-efficacy.” It refers to a person’s belief that they will be capable of performing the actions needed to reach some goal.

There are three ways Koestner says this works: 1. “Set easier, proximal goals that you can succeed at and that will build some momentum as you move toward the larger goal.”

2. “Think of similar goals that you have performed suc-

/

Hey, you know 1think the lighting in here is halogen, which is different from neon.

Did you know that?

cessfully in the past... Try to remember what the key to success was.”

3.

“Think of a person simi­ lar to you who seems able to reach this goal.”

These three steps are key to the tri­ umph of the experiment. The entire process is based around the first rule, and you need to apply the second as the month goes on, or else you will not learn anything.

As for the third, it helps to search inside yourself and ask: “What would George Clooney do?” And I think we all know the answer to that.

Then again, he has a pretty face and millions of dollars, and all I have is a watch that glows in the dark.

But seriously, I have to say that, in the end, it was all worth it. I got a chance to get to know 30 really great girls.

And I think that they got something out of our conversa­ tions too, because when a girl is approached by a stranger, it means she looks interesting, even desirable, and that could boost her confidence. So I hope, if any of you read this, you aren’t too angry with me. And if you are, then I apologize, but it was all in the name of science and the progression of the human race.

And no, dear reader, I did not sleep with any of them, or make out with any; all we shared was simple conversa­ tion. In many ways, now that the experiment is over, I’m still as shy as I was. And yet, I think that I have grown as a per­ son. I feel that I am someone else, something different than I was a month ago.

All this because two roads diverged in the woods and I, I took the road less traveled by. And that made all the dif­ ference. ■

arts&entertainment

T h e M c G ill T rib u n e , T u e sd a y , N o v e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 0 3

Baby with the Bathwater a fine satire of parenting Spencer Ross

uesday Night Café Theatre’s latest production, Baby with the Bathwater, pres­ ents its audience with the tale of a boy named Daisy, whose gender remains unknown through the greater part of the play. Bathwater, directed by Liz Truchanowicz, features a small yet exceptional cast that, under Truchanowicz’ tutelage, manages to display the satirical side of family relations.

The beginning of Bathwater opens with two parents, John (Brandon Finegold) and Helen (Sabrina Selway), who sing to their newborn to calm him down. In a dis­ play of sheer pathos, John and Helen are immediately ruled out as fit parents as we learn that they possess no knowledge of the baby’s gender. John and Helen’s interac­ tions display themselves like Wally and June Cleaver meets Lost in Space.

The baby’s nanny (Stacey O ’Neill, who also plays various other roles) interjects by telling the child, “don’t depend on mommy, baby, she’s not all there.”

Yet it becomes apparent as the play continues and the baby grows up that John and Helen shirk responsibility for their child, allowing him to chase after buses, play dead in the sandbox and lie in the dirty clothes hamper. Helen often repeats to her husband, “I was just kidding, let’s be parents now.” Her pledge, however, never comes to fruition.

It isn’t until the second act that the audience finally learns that baby Daisy, played by Michael Ercolini, is really a boy. Through an extended soliloquy, we learn the side of Daisy’s autobiogra­ phy that runs contrary to John and Helen’s por­ trayal of it. This scene, through Mike Hegenbarth’s various lighting changes, is depicted as multiple psychiatric sessions explaining Daisy’s perpetual confusion as a result of his upbringing.

In one scene alone, Ercolini manages to steal the thunder from the rest of the cast, but better illu­ minates the character flaws of Helen and John.

PLAYERS' THEATRE With Hegenbarth’s minimal set design, the cast is left to its own devices to tell Christopher Durangs poignant story. From the outset, the intimacy of the cast appears strong, but O ’Neill’s acting abilities show the most strength throughout the entirety of the play.

Regardless, the humour of Baby with the Bathwater is enough to warrant seeing it. ■

T

W H EN :

November 19 to 22 at 8pm

W H E R E : Mortice Hall P R IC E :

$8 general $6 students/seniors

CO N TACT: (514) 398-6600

for reservations

PLAYERS' THEATRE |

Pop goes the nanny, played by Stacey O’Neill.

ERIC SADVARI

One of the wisemen? This guy has an unhealthy fixation on the Noah's Ark story.

The Bible comes to McGill Casey Reynolds

layers’ Theatre’s latest pro­ duction, The Bible: The Complete Work o f God (abridged), is not a play that one has the chance to see every day. Any production that chooses to select subject matter such as religion and place it in a humorous context is noteworthy.

Viewers looking for a serious analysis of biblical stories will be disap­ pointed. Bible is a satirical look at an important subject and this work takes the theatre-goer from the Book of Genesis straight through to after Jesus’ death. From the outset, it proves to be both an amusing and interesting show.

Three actors (Grant Spurling, Don Fletcher and Matt Goldberg) are cast as the unusual trio who highlight various Bible stories in a humorous manner.

Goldberg, who on occasion tends to overact, has a fixation with the story of Noah’s Ark. This becomes irritating and eventually culminates in a scene that is just too long. He does, however, make an excellent Jesus.

In addition, there is a running joke throughout the play involving the ever­ present virginity of the youthful-look­ ing Spurling, who plays all the female characters. O f the three actors, Fletcher is strongest, often as the voice of a very Jewish-sounding God who keeps the show running smoothly.

P

The first act has brilliantly funny moments, including a memorable con­ versation between Abraham and God. Many of the jokes, when delivered well, are worth a whole-hearted belly laugh.

Unfortunately, the second act, devoted mostly to the story of Jesus, seems rushed and functions merely as a way to finish off the play in a coherent man­ ner. A discussion between the Three Wise Men is the weakest element while the best aspect involves a re-enactment of the Last Supper. The audience is also included in this act with some funny but slightly forced participation.

Although it may seem like a reli­ gious rendition of Mel Brooks’ History o f the World Part I, The Bible: The Complete Work o f God (abridged) is a worthwhile stop for many. The actors’ varying acting styles make it an inter­ esting piece to watch. This light-heart­ ed overview of the Bible is for anyone who needs a crash course in Christianity or a reminder of Sunday school. ■

November 19-22 and 26-29 W H E R E : Players’ Theatre in the Sharner Building P R IC E : $8 general $6 students/seniors W H EN :

CO N TACT: ) 5 14) 398-6813

17 A&E

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

® b s ic

® bht!ife

Gimme some moe.

Ryan J. Mulligan eing a veteran “moe.-ron,” I

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thought I knew what to expect last Thursday. However, when my companion for the evening asked what type of sound moe. has, she was met with an empty response. The truth is, describing the sound o f moe. is an extraordinarily difficult task. Fun, funky, jazzy, psychedelic, progressive bluegrass-rock is all come to mind—not the most helpful statement when trying to describe a completely unknown band.

That is the genius behind of one of the most popular jam-bands on the scene today.

Through 12 years of constant touring, and 14 releases both live and studio, moe. contin­ ues to reinvent its sound with every performance. The band’s return to Montreal—after a lengthy six-year absence— at the relatively unknown Cabaret du Plateau brought a more mature and refined sound than has been heard in past years.

Consisting of A1 Schnier on guitars and keyboards, Rob Derhak on bass, Chuck Garvey on guitar and Jim Loughlin and Vinnie Amico handling percussions, moe. began playing bars at the University of Buffalo in 1991.

With several albums under its belt, the band’s latest release, Wormwood, magnificently merged the sound of live under-tracking with the guitar driven overdubs of the studio.

By opening for wellknown artists like Robert Plant and The Dead, playing two critically rave-reviewed sets at back-to-back install­ ments of the Bonnaroo Music Festival and hosting its own

moe.down Festival for the past four years, its accessibility to a wider audience has been made possible.

In addition, the live moe. experience has never been a standard affair. The recent Halloween spectacle in Chicago, The Headbangers’ Left Ball: An Evening of Heavy moe.tal, demonstrated the group’s desire to make each concert experience a unique one by performing heavy metal covers along with metal versions from its own cata­ logue.

As moe. opened the first set, it was unclear as to how much the band would feed off of the small crowd of 200 fans.

However, as it moved from the heavy bass of “32 Things” into the precise groove of “Buster,” it was clear that the evening would be a music communion between band and fans. Even the radio-friendly “New York City” was well received, with all participants singing along.

The crowd impatiently awaited the start of the second set, knowing full well where the possibilities could lead, a curiosity moe. did not fail to exploit. Playing for nearly an hour on the opener “Recreational Chemistry,” the band took its ambient jam into “Sensory Deprivation Bank.” Through the entire set of nearly two and a half hours, moe. seamlessly transitioned into songs with the greatest of ease. Nowhere was this more evident than with the end of the set, which created a musi­ cal tapestry jamming in and out of “Timmy Tucker” and Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.”

Thursday night’s per­ formance showed those in attendance that jam-bands are not merely a monotonous marathon of notes; rather, moe. showed that the music can actually be fun. ■

Chuck Garvey and company left the Montreal crowd wanting moe. moe.

Studies got you feeling blue?

A look at some of the St-Denis blues bars the change in your pockets for that final latenight beer. ave you heard enough cheesy 80s L’Ours qui fume (2019 St. Denis) is proba­ music and mindless hip-hop to last bly this writer’s favourite bar in all of Montreal. you a lifetime? Are you tired of hear­ This hole-in-wall drinking parlour is a shrine to ing DJs play the same tracks over and Montreal’s rich history of the blues. The walls are over again? Perhaps a night of blues is adorned with pictures of past performances from what you need. If so, check out these hidden St. now legendary blues players. This smoky house of blues features live music Thursday through Denis treasures.

Bistro à JoJo (1627 rue St-Denis) is a fun Saturday with no cover.

After 1 am is when the craziness begins. In and rowdy bar that showcases live blues and rock seven nights a week. The beer is great and the your drunkenness, you may find yourself dancing crowd is a fun mix of locals and leather-clad bik­ with a Québécois woman who is old enough to be ers. The bands are usually top-notch, and there’s your mother, or clapping ashtrays together to the always some kind of alcohol-fueled insanity going beat of the drum. A night at L’Ours qui fume always makes for one hell of a good time and, if down onstage.

Cover is $8 Thursday through Saturday, and .you are lucky, you may catch a performance by $5 otherwise. Admission is free after 1:30 am, one of the outstanding local talents that will make which is key for when you’re scrounging through your jaw drop. ■ Scott Sameroff

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The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

More than flowers and peace signs

18

Disc Review s Flagrant

"Global Village: The 60s" shows

Chodair

a new side of the sixties

Sextant Records

memorable image is a mammoth portrait of a young woman’s face. What is interesting about it is that while a standard large portrait of a woman’s face would self­ consciously display her beauty and the talents of the artist, this larger-than-life portrait showed someone who is explicitly ugly. The artist does not gloss over this woman’s imperfections in the way one from the preModern era might have, but instead celebrates the detail of her overabundant freckles, crossed eyes, crooked teeth and stupid expression.

One of the sections of the exhibit is a room enti­ tled “Fragmentation,” and some of of its pieces are con­ ducive to nausea. They are a reminder of the things in American society in the 60s that were not whole or per­ fect and romantic, but misogynistic, cruel and disjoint­ ed. Here, for example, was a photograph entitled “Cold Meat,” featuring a fridge full of slabs of meat juxta­ posed with a woman’s naked breasts.

The final room is “Change,” and it seems that this is the final message to be gleaned from much of the art from the 1960s. The world changed after the world wars and after people started to revolt against the injus­ tices of the world. This society that our parents lived through opened doors for us that we take for granted when we think about those crazy drugged-out hippies who listened to the Beatles and drew peace signs on their Volkswagens. There is so much more to that era than all that, and there is some amazing art out there to remind us of it. ■

Is good Canadian rap an oxymoron? Why does it seem slightly contrived for someone like Choclair to be conveying the struggles he endured growing up in Toronto when the Canadian health insurance program would always be there for him? Maybe his strife is lost on this reviewer, but the socially-conscious efforts on his latest album, Flagrant, seem a little, well, silly.

The opening track, “All I Need In This World Is You,” is basically a rehashed version of City High’s “What Would You Do? Another, Thought Train,” reminds listeners not to hate him because he has seen the errors of his ways, and tells us that we, too, can rise above the streets to become a rap star.

And who doesn’t enjoy a little big pimpin’, magic-stickbrandishing tail-feather-shaking every now and then? “Till Now, featuring a lineup of Canadian hip-hop personalities, showed promise. Like 1998’s “Northern Touch,” which boasted a similar ensemble, “Till Now” pledges the same national alle­ giance and makes the same attempts at legitimate street cred.

However, unlike “Northern Touch,” this track lacks the fun “ain’t nobody can’t hang with us” sing-along pace of the former.

It is this lack of spirit, as well as a solid single and tireless “It’sss Murdahhh”-esque references to his label, that give listeners a less than favourable impression of Flagrant. Unless silly rhymes of urban struggles float your boat, keep looking.

-—Emily Richardson

he revolutionary 1960s: a magical land populat­ ed by the Beatles, Andy Warhol and Twiggy, and emblematized by hippies, hallucinogenics, sexual liberation, and peace and love, baby. This is what most of us think of when the lost era of he 60s is mentioned. However, there was more to it han just the celebrities and catchphrases we use to rater down all that the 60s represented. The era is not sst— it’s held in intense and colourful preservation by he art pumped out by that era.

Right now at the Musée des Beaux Arts, “Global tillage: The 60s” is On exposition until March 7, 2004. t’s a fun exhibit worth going to, especially on the nuseum’s three-dollar Wednesdays, but also has a lot of ontroversial and thought-provoking material.

The art from the 60s is not all splashy flower prints ■nd peace signs, although that is not to say they were tot represented in the exhibit. The peace and love novement came out of a reaction to some of the disurbing world events during the time. America was orn by war and racism, and there seemed to be fearoaked guns hanging over everyone’s head. One paintng in the exhibit portrays the French, Japanese and unerican flags side by side, the red in the flags bleedig into each other morbidly, sending chills down the pine.

Another painting is simply entitled “American nterior,” and portrays a clean and prim American bedoom with one wall filled by an angry mob holding red lags and guns. This painting expresses the fear that was nd arguably is still hovering over the heads of every unerican: that outside the safe sanctuary of one’s perîcdy-manicured home is an angry uprising of hatred ist waiting behind the white picket fence.

The exhibit also displays the outpouring of modrn art in the 1960s. Doubtless there are a few of the lassie large blank canvases and a few pieces so mod hat they needed a full length explanation beside them i the vein of “This piece is a video loop of a television ;reen filmed from the side so that the images are nrecognizable, causing a questioning of what televiion and images really mean...”

But there are also some interesting pieces that phold the modern ideas of breaking from standard MMFA.QC.CA irm and ideals of beauty in order to question those The 60s: peace, love and Janis Joplin's Porsche. anons and find meaning in a new way. One quite

T

A&E

Solar Power

Freeworm Audiogram Records The first spin of Freeworm’s sophomore album, Solar Power, might result in a few puzzled squints. What is this album? Can’t Freeworm decide if he’s an electronica, jazz, or rap artist?

Actually, he can. He’s all of the above and more. A Montrealbased environmentalist, he draws on travel experiences, ecology, and his affinity for digital programming to create the genreeschewing sound offered up in this release. He writes the tracks, plays a wide variety of instruments, and has no less than 27 guest musicians backing him up. Solar Power is not for everyone; the rap tracks might be lost on those appreciating the nature-based instrumentals. But enter with an open mind and the pieces of this album fall into place. The result? It’s a diverse collection of songs that make a perfect soundtrack for a night of chilling and drinking with friends.

— Liz Treutler *

:» music * I

Cattarini mercilessly exposes the sickest mind of the 20th century.

His book is for those who think the soul deserves better protection.

Save yourself from the hell of existentialism as well as the vanity of humanism. Dare again to believe conscience precedes consciousness.

* * ^ * : ® ;

Picks

Robert Randolph and the Family Band

Tuesday, November 18 Cabaret du Plateau (4530 Papineau) J-Live @ Loosie Magazine launch party Wednesday, November 19 Tokyo Bar (3709 St-Laurent) CBC/M cGill Series: Carnival ofthe Animals Peter and the Wolf

I * |

&

Thursday, November 20 @ 7:30 pm Pollack Hall (555 Sherbrooke West)

: theatre $ 12.95 A V A IL A B L E O N LY A T : Argo Bookshop 931-3442

:

Black Comedy

J

l T

November 19 through 22 Moyse Hall (853 Sherbrooke West) info: (514) 398-6070

: etc

Double Hook Books 932-5093 The W ord 845-5640

* *

Z * *

CASCO Children's Hospital Benefit Fashion Show Saturday, November 22 (show starts at 8 pm) Le Medley (1170 St-Denis) Info: (514) 288-4424

19

A&E

The M cG ill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Mmm, tastes like... bugs Dennis Feeney

.*.•

had imagined that if I was ever about to eat a piece of bug-covered food, I would stop myself and say, “What am I doing?” and get rid of it. But the other day, when I was really in this situation, I decided to just say “what the hell” and take a bite.

Now don’t get the wrong idea—I’m not that disgusting. It’s not like I ate an old piece of chicken I found under my couch—after I remembered there was no two-month rule on food off the floor. I was at the Insectarium de Montréal, which hosts insect tastings Thursdays through Sundays.

Once there, don’t just grab a spoonful of crickets and start eating. The insects are added to dishes such as pizza, cake and fudge. It is the strangest buffet this writer has ever been to but, oddly enough, not the worst. I found it hilarious when a woman in a full chef outfit served me Galleria lar­ vae and spinach dip on a toast-round and

I

said, “bon appétit.”

I do have some complaints though.

There wasn’t enough cricket on my maki and I think they skimped on the fruit fly sprinkles for the banana cake. But serious­ ly, I’m not one who can easily down nachos with South American queen ants and meal­ worm pizza, so you can imagine my trou­ ble when a locust got caught in my throat.

But I don’t mean to make it sound revolting. Edible bugs are rich in protein and in many countries, they are more valu­ able than other kinds of meat. In fact, Captain Scott O ’Grady of the US Air Force spent six days eating ants while evad­ ing enemy capture after his F-16 was downed over Bosnia in 1995.

Nevertheless, I felt like I was skipping a few links in the food chain. I usually eat the thing that eats the thing that eats the thing that eats the bugs. But it was interest­ ing and worth the gag reflex. If everyone tries it then at least I won’t be the only one picking thorax out of my teeth. ■

Mealworm pizza and creepy crawly fudge considered delicacies at the Insectarium.

WHAT: Insect Tastings WHEN: Thurs/Fri (5-7 pm) Sat/Sun (9 am-7 pm) through Nov. 30

• • WHERE: Montreal Insectarium • 4581 Sherbrooke East 0 J Ë CONTACT: (514) 872-1400

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Mays flies country rock project solo to leave a lot of space, but also to fill up a lot at the same time. I like a bit of both.” hen Matt Mays hits the stage this Leaving The Guthries has allowed Mays to Thursday in Montreal, fans can expand as an artist, accommodating his prolific expect a livelier performance than the songwriting. songs on his new self-titled album “It feels a lot more right,” says Mays when asked about his new career as a solo artist. “I like might suggest.

“The live show is quite a bit more upbeat than being able to get all my songs out there. Before, I the record,” says Mays, who will bring his band, El only got about a fifth of my songs out.”

That’s not to say that Mays has shut out input Torpedo, to Le Petit Campus. The group will be from other artists. performing with Nathan Wiley.

Bob Egan, a pedal steel player from Blue Rodeo, played on several tracks on the new effort. And local Halifax musi­ cians such as Mike O ’Neil, formerly of the Inbreds, lent their talents for the record.

According to Mays, his friends helped to keep the songs from all sounding the same.

And those same songs have been getting a lot of exposure lately.

Mays just complet­ ed an opening slot on Sam Roberts’ Western Canada tour.

“It’s been a good opportunity He's not as vicious as he looks; Matt Mays and company play Petit Campus this Thursday. to play to 2,000 to 3,000 fans every While the album is definitely not a collection night,” says Mays.

For him, a successful show follows the rock ‘n’ of lullabies, Mays plays laidback alt.country, com­ plete with themes of travelling and a prison song roll cliché.

“To me and the band, it’s to get the crowd off, thrown in for good measure. A former member of The Guthries, a group from Halifax, Mays com­ connect with them and spark some feelings. [If bines soothing harmonies with a solid dose of rock that happens,] I’m happy.”

With Mays professing that he and his band ‘n roll. “Where Am I Going,” one of the strongest tracks on the album, is a good example of Mays never just go through the motions, that connec­ tion just may happen Thursday. ■ keeping the alt.country genre fresh.

“I like to keep an edge,” explains Mays. “I like Mark Kerr

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A&E

20

Cinemonia searches for a hidden wonder to have a bit more money behind it.

The aim of Cinemania is to showcase French-language films, subtitled for English-speaking audiences. Often, the festival is a forecaster of popular Frenchlanguage films such as 2001s le Fabuleux destin d ’Amélie Poulain.

This writer saw two films at the festi­ val and each time, the crowd was both large and encouraging. It gave the feeling that the movie was really going to be something great. The high expectations, however, that made the reality of the films that much worse.

Who Killed Bambi (Qui a tué Bambi), a supposedly Hitchcock-esque suspense thriller, and Notfor, or Against (Ni Pour, N i e c r a n n o ir . fr Contre), a movie about a botched Oceans Eleven stint set in Paris, were movies that leemor Valin couldn’t even be categorized as bad films. unday evening marked the end of They were worse than bad; they were the ninth annual Cinetnania Film quintessentially unimportant, unoriginal Festival that ran at the Musée des and predictable.

Beaux Arts theatre. Although the In Who Killed Bambi, the killer, a festival provided a very unique experience, lonely doctor who sedates gorgeous, thin on the whole, this year’s version was not French women undergoing surgery and much different from many film festivals then sexually abuses them, is shown to the around Montreal—although it did appear audience within five minutes. Don’t both­

S

Walk-Safe General Meeting

er waiting for the strange twist at the end that would make the film at all interesting, it never comes.

In Notfor, or Against, the protagonist, Caty, is another thin, pretty French girl who plays a camerawoman. She gets involved with a small group of thieyes that want to pull off a big-time heist ar|d need her help. Less shockingly, they get caught at the last minute and a couple of the nicer guys are killed. Caty ends up betraying them all and running away to some unnamed Florida-like paradise alone with millions of dollars.

The only interesting part of this movie was in the last 40 seconds where, after arriving at her new condo, Caty is greeted by her 60-year-old stereotypical American neighbour and finds herself liv­ ing in whitewashed sunshine with no friends and nothing to do. In the last few seconds of the film, the camera takes a close-up and we see her contorting facial expressions reflect a deeper knowledge of the old idiom “money can’t buy happi­ ness.”

These films had some redeeming qualities; they were filmed well and were

eating out

- o n M o n d a y N o v e m b e r 2 4 tb

- AtS:QD pm r jp l F*

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| - All Memben should attend

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Mathematics Coaching (Ph. D.) (5 1 4 ) 9 3 1 - 8 9 2 2

Enroll a teen or adult to meet eet A and support ($) a full, clear, ir- m thought-based development m of high school math from  arithmetic to calculus.

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www.whyslopes.com/programs.html

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING CKUT volunteers and members are requested to be present. All McGill students are welcome to attend.

9 0 .3 FM

UT W e d n e s d a y , N o v e m b e r 26t h , 2003

(a) 6pm Thompson House 3650 McTavish St. Information: le v Tiefenbach 514.398.5104 or accounting@ckut.ca

e Cavalier Afghan (170 Rue PrinceArthur East) is a deliciously cozy, bring-your-own-wine nook nestled quietly between four or five of the ubiquitous Prince-Arthur Greek restaurants. The menu offers a varying selec­ tion of Afghan dishes with unrecognizable names in a festive, warm setting.

The walls are painted a garish yellow, but that fortunately went almost unnoticed in the dim light of the lantern sconces. Carpets draped along the walls and slung across booths in addition to a working fireplace pro­ vided an intimate, insulated, south-Asian feel.

The three older men near us arguing loudly in Farsi confirmed this authenticity.

We were greeted with a basket of thick, tra­ ditional Afghan bread—reminiscent of a soft focaccia—and an extraordinary tangy dipping sauce. From the menu, we opted to partake of the table d’hôte, selecting for our appetizers the machawa and the boulani. machaiva was a fasci­ nating, thick, vegetable-based soup filled with balls of ground beef, chickpeas and a delicate yogurt swirl. It was a luscious, unexpected treat and perfect for the chilly evening. We also enjoyed the boulani, a fried tortilla filled with a tender leek and potato stuffing which, although greasy, was satisfying.

The entrees (kofta- $14.95 for the table d’hôte, and kebab cbami $16.95 for the table d’hôte) were just as tasty as the appetizers. The kofta platter consisted of four tender meatballs in a thick, seasoned sauce showered in chickpea and carrot pieces, served with the standard side salad and seasoned rice. _ .

The kebab appeared to be nearly the same as the kofta, though the meat was grilled and thus a bit tougher, almost too tough. It had a different flavour, although just as delightful as that of the kofta, because of the cooking method as well as the spices used. The portions were excellently sized and, coupled with the appetizers, proved to

pleasant to watch in terms of cinematogra­ phy. However, between some laughter and temporary moments of suspense, all this writer wondered was why someone even bothered to make these movies. Why did money, energy and time go into movies that were so blatandy boring, albeit nice to watch, but literally a waste of time?

Leaving the second film, with my brain racking itself for explanations for why I had sat through two extremely uninspiring films, I returned the ticket I had for a third, despite the large lineup already building for it. For a split second, I couldn’t help but get curious about the next film. Was this next show going to be the hidden wonder that everyone hopes to stumble upon at a festival; the premiere of the next Amélie! After all, it is not the fault of the festival. By chance, I could have seen the only two boring movies there.

But I was desperate to see the kind of French-language movie that doesn’t give you a chance to start asking questions about the point of its existence. This year’s Cinemania Film Festival didn’t seem to provide that. ■

Afghan food is "the bomb"

L

be quite filling.

The table d’hôte included a dessert option, from which we selected ferni—thin, lumpy cus­ tard seasoned with rosewater and pistachio— and dejelabi, a crispy galette glazed in honey, as well as Afghan tea.

The fem i was soupy and sealed in by a film that proved all too durable on the top, and the dejelabi was much like a honeyed Rice Krispy treat; although neither was remarkable in itself, both managed to serve as nice endings to a sur­ prisingly delectable Afghan experience. The tea bore a slightly antiseptic scent, but was wonder­ fully if not curiously flavoured—certainly an unusual blend.

The only major downside was the incredibly slow service towards the end of the meal; howev­ er, the food was brought relatively quickly, and - the warm atmos­ phere forgave WHAT: Le cavalier Afghan the disconcert­ ing absence of a WHERE: 170 Prince-Arthur cheque.

East In sum, two HOW $15-$ 17 for thumbs way up for Le Cavalier MUCH: three courses Afghan. ■ CONTACT: (514) 284 6662

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18 , 2 0 0 3

GAM E REPORT Redmen 4, V arsity Blues 2

S C O R E BOARD

McGill enjoys weekend sweep of Toronto teams

Basketball (W) Fri. Nov. 14

60 46

Martlets UQÀM Sat. Nov. 15

59 51

Concordia Martlets

St~Pierre~becomes first woman to win men's hockey game

Basketball (M) Fri. Nov. 14

90 72

Redmen UQÀM Sat. Nov. 15

Hockey (W) Sat. N o v 15

5 0

Martlets Carleton Su n . Nov. 16

3 0

Concordia Martlets Hockey (M) Fri. N o v 14

4 2

Redmen Toronto Sat. Nov. 15

5 2

Redmen Ryerson Volleyball (W) Fri. N o v 14

3 0

Laval Martlets Su n . Nov. 16

,

Martlets Sherbrooke

3 0

Volleyball (M) Fri. Nov. 14

Laval Redmen

because I don’t pep talk them too much anymore,” he joked. “The guys knew what they needed to do What happened in the McGill to pick up the energy from the sec­ Redmen locker room after the sec­ ond period and they did just that.” ond period Friday night? Nobody Despite a memorable third really knows, but whatever magic period, the other two were emblem­ was stirred up seemed to have been atic of the Redmen this season. The created by a whole new team. The team has often faltered on scoring boys came back in the third frame opportunities when given a chance. and fired away to win their matchup McGill owns the league’s worst with the Toronto Varsity Blues 4-2 power play, executing on only 7.7 after a tame first period and lacklus­ per cent of its chances. The unit did tre second. not appear to be getting any better Although Head Coach Martin Raymond claimed little responsibili­ despite a solid effort.

McGill winger Ken Davis net­ ty for the increased energy of the ted the first goal of the game at 3:20, team, he was happy about the per­ assisted by centre Bruno Lemire and formance of the Red ‘n White at defenceman Rheal Guenette. The McConnell Arena.

Blues soon responded with a goal of “I must have been here too long their own, from George Trifon at 9:02.

With a goal from each team on the board, the second period could Benoit Martin have been interesting; however, it F orw ard, M cG ill lacked energy and zeal. Despite a commendable goal scored by McGill Patrice Godin forward Rafael Courtemanche off a pass from Benoit Martin, the G oalie, M cG ill Redmen did not show their best JL Rafael Courtemanche efforts. Toronto was all over the home team in a continuous struggle F orw ard, M cG ill to get the puck out of McGill’s zone.

Catherine Kramarczuk

96 73

Concordia Redmen

3 0

★ ★

3 0

Martlets take home opener Women fight through first half fitters to earn their second win of the season Dan McQuillan

DAVE BRODKEY

Anne-Marie Scherrer (9) for two.

Captain Bruno Lemire recorded a point in both McGill wins.

The Redmen also lost defenceman woodwork, especially goalie Patrice Daniel Jacob hallway into the period Godin.

A modest Godin knew his role after he was hit in the throat by the and showed his talents accordingly. puck.

“I just made sure I was in front Despite leading 2-1, a resurrec­ tion from the dead in terms of of the shots... square in front of vigour was needed for the Redmen them,” he said.

With Godin’s focus paying off, to maintain control.

Raymond commented on the per­ Luckily, that is exactly what happened. The Red ‘n’ White’s spir­ formance of his netminder, who has it emerged as they finally offered filled a large gap created by the loss what everyone was waiting for. As of two key veterans.

“Godin really kept us in the roles reversed, McGill placed trepi­ dation and fear into the lagging game after the second period. It was good to see him play so well and that Toronto team.

With Jacob back in the game hé winds up being the highlight of and star players Lemire and Joel the game,” Raymond said.

With confidence in their goalBergeron providing a solid backbone to the team’s efforts, the younger tender, McGill potted two more players began to come out of the See HOCKEY, page 22

GAM E REPORT M artlets 60, Citadins 46

Su n . Nov. 16

Sherbrooke Redmen

ANDREW DOBROWOLSKYJ, McGILL ATHLETICS

As incessant rain and biting wind plagued the city over the past week, the McGill basketball Martlets took to the indoor floor at Love Competition Hall on Friday night and experienced many of the same conditions.

L’Université du Québec à Montréal rookie Marianne Rémy rained down four three-pointers and Sophie Lacroix nailed perimeter jumpers, as the expansion Citadins gave the Martlets problems for the first 20 minutes.

But just as quickly as they had started, the winds changed and the monsoon ended. Rémy did not record a single trifecta in the second half, and the game went into the

books as a 60-46 McGill comeback win.

“We started working the ball around a little more [in the second half],” explained Head Coach Ryan Thorne, who emerged victorious in his first home opener as the Martlets’ bench boss.

The disappointing first half for the Martlets was characterized by numerous bad shots and a passive zone. This allowed Rémy and Lacroix, who totaled 23 and 13 points, respectively, the time to knock down their shots and keep UQAM in the game.

McGill kept up by constantly scoring nearly effortless buckets.

This was mainly because of UQÀM’s aggressive full-court press, which was supposed to force the Martlets’ guards into making mis­

takes. However, this strategy pro­ had lots of stress,” she said.

Thorne, however, wasn’t willing duced only one turnover in the first half, and the Red ‘n’ White were able to accept that line of reasoning.

“The girls just didn’t come out to exploit its holes, leading to 14 easy points and a 29-29 deadlock at ready to play,” he explained bluntly.

The coach needs to work to the break.

McGill opened the second half remedy the problem quickly, as with determination, with several McGill will face the eighth-ranked Martlets hitting outside shots. This team in the country, the Laval led to additional points in the paint, Rouge et Or, on Friday night. But which proved to be the edge the on a night where the offence sput­ Martlets needed. Forward Sarah tered at times, the women were Gagné also attributed the win to bal­ happy to get the win, as the long and arduous journey towards the anced scoring.

“That’s how we win games. It’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport crown begins. not a one-man show,” Gagné said.

Unfortunately, the Martlets Her point was backed up by the weren’t able to carry that momen­ fact that McGill had three women hit double digits on the scoresheet. tum into Saturday’s contest, in Both Gagné and Cheeka Mitchell, which they fell to the Concordia two of the team’s three captains, put Stingers 39-51. Mitchell led the up 12 points on the night, while Martlets in scoring with 12 points, plus seven steals on defence. The centre Alisen Salusbury added 11.

McGill’s slow start to the game, women also went perfect from the however, could be cause for concern, free throw line, shooting l4-for-l4, especially when the team faces but it wasn’t enough to overcome tougher competition.

Gagné the Stingers. McGill is now 2-2 on claimed that the Martlets had a the year and sits second in the fivebuilt-in excuse for their lethargic team Quebec conference. ■ opening half.

“It’s our first home game. We

22

Sports

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Cagers overcome inexperience contests

Continued from page 1

he said. “Rebounding has been awful, it’ll Second-year point guard Elliot be our Achilles heel all year unless we take Siemiatycki turned the ball over at half care of it. We were also outworked in the court several times, which led to some first half.”

McGill did not take the lead in the undefended UQAM layups. However, he game until Armstrong sunk a three-point­ did make some smart plays in transition as he dished the ball to Reid on some nice er early in the second half to put the outlets. Centre Pawan Sidhu struggled in Redmen up 45-43. In the end, it came the paint and had difficulty grabbing down to aggressiveness, which UQÀM dis­ offensive rebounds. The Citadins were def­ played at the outset but did not have the initely stronger in that aspect, as they beat endurance to maintain. McGill’s speedthe Redmen to the ball time and time overwhelmed the visitors, and the home fans, thundersticks in hand, certainly lived again.

“It’s a process, everybody needs some up to their end of the bargain.

However, against Concordia on time to get adapted to each other,” Reid responded when asked how his younger Saturday, it was an entirely different story. and inexperienced teammates will develop The Redmen trailed by 26 at halftime some consistency. “They’re coming along, before finally falling to the Stingers 96-73. though, and slowly but surely, we’ll get to Rookie Daniel Martin led the Redmen with 21 points and Reid added 13, includ­ where we want to be.”

Marzinotto did not have as optimistic ing his 500th career field goal and 100th career three-pointer. The loss dropped the an outlook as his veteran guard.

“I think we have to have consistency,” Redmen to 2-2 in regular season play.B

1he Martlet hockey team ended up on both sides of shutouts over the weekend, defeating Carleton 5-0 on Saturday and losing to Concordia 3-0 on Sunday. Justine Keyserlingk led the way in the win over the Ravens recording two goals. Katherine Safka netted the game-winner, while Véronique Sanfaçon added a power-play goal and an assist. Kalie Townsend was credited with the win, making 10 saves.

The Martlets had difficulty with the second-ranked Stingers, however, going 0-for-5 on the power play and failing to record a goal despite putting 38 shots on net. Townsend played the entire 60 minutes and took the loss. The Martlets sit in third place with a 2-2-2 record in the four-team Quebec conference.

Redmen v-ball shut out twice

against Sherbrooke

The Redmen volleyball team suffered backto-back 3-0 losses on Friday and Sunday to Laval and Sherbrooke, respectively. Andrew Royes starred for the Redmen against the Rouge et Or, recording 11 kills and two stuff blocks in the 25-20, 25-22, 25-16 defeat. In the 25-9, 2515, 25-19 loss to Sherbrooke, Royes again stood out, providing seven digs, nine kills, one stuff block and one ace. The Redmen are currently 04 and in last place in the conference.

The women’s volleyball team lost 3-0 (2523, 25-23, 25-19) to the Laval Rouge et Or on Friday, despite a strong effort from Anne Robitaille, who recorded 21 digs, eight kills and an ace. Catherine-Anne Murray helped out in the losing cause, adding 10 digs and eight kills of her own. The Martlets came back on Sunday to take down the Sherbrooke Vert et Or 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-11), earning their first win of the season in Quebec conference play against three losses.

Laval headed to Vanier Cup

Standing room only at synchro event

The preliminary synchronized swimming meet held Saturday drew a boisterous, sold-out crowd at Currie Pool, and McGill’s participants didnt disappoint. Breanne Gellatly and Joanna Smeeton placed third in the duet competition and Ami Feige placed first in the solo competi­ tion, against representatives from Ottawa, Queen’s, Toronto, McMaster and Western. In the group competition, McGill’s White team tied the Queen’s A team for first. The Red team, came in fifth, while the Pink team, the only novice squad to participate, wound up in eighth out of 10.

■Katie Fugler

SO...

psychology, huh?

NICOLE LEAVER

Redmen guard Greg Kennedy (right) dribbles down the lane against the Citadins.

Hockey team back to winning ways Golden goalie gets her first win in Redmen uniform

Kim St-Pierre backstopped the goals in the third. Martin scored at 9:01, assisted by Courtemanche, and less than a Redmen to a 5-2 win against Ryerson minute later centre Pierre-Antoine Paquet Saturday night at McConnell Arena. She became the first woman in the history of put one in the back of the net.

Martin commented on his goal and Canadian Interuniversity Sport to earn a how important it was for the team to come victory on a men’s hockey team, while also becoming the first to play all 60 minutes. through in the third period.

“My goal was to just push the puck,” The 24-year-old Châteauguay native he explained. “I saw that [Toronto’s] goalie stopped 27 shots as McGill improved to 3throughout the whole game was mostly 5-0.

“I was very nervous before the game, it sliding on the side so I put the puck on top.

“I also think the third period energy we was quite stressful,” said St-Pierre. “But had is really important. We have lost a lot of things calmed down after Ryerson’s first games in the third period this season and goal. After that, the guys played very well in this time we actually picked it up. It is time front of me and it was like a normal game for me. I was focused and very confident.” we did this,” he added.

Five different Redmen provided the With Toronto scoring one more goal late in the game, the Blues attempted to scoring punch, including Sebastien counteract the Redmen’s fervour by pulling Langlois, who potted the game-winner and the goalie in the final minutes. Nothing, added an assist.

Next up for the Redmen is a trip to came of it, though, and the Redmen skated off with a much needed win to improve southern Ontario for a couple of weekend matches against Brock and Laurier. ■ their record.

— w ith file s from James Scarfone

I •: !

Martlets volleyball falls to Laval, rebounds

I he Rouge et Or came back to beat the McMaster Marauders 36-32 in the Mitchell Bowl this past Saturday, earning them a spot in the Vanier Cup game, to be held Saturday in Toronto. Quebec conference MVP Mathieu Bertrand completed 13 of 23 passes for 217 yards, and scrambled 30 yards for the game­ winning major with 2:33 left. To win its second national title, Laval will have to get past the St. Mary’s Huskies, who blasted Simon Fraser 60-9 in the inaugural Uteck Bowl.

Continued from page 21

I : I

W a y to g o b u d d y .

You finally worked up the nerve to talk to that girl from Psych 101, but you still sounded like a doofus with nothing intelligent to say.

T h a t's w h e r e w e c o m e in.

LÀ”"ON 1 ‘" ~Ss~~— aieae sra3s

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The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Sports

25

Anti-doping not dope enough to make a difference The moral that many people take away from these stories and the numerous others reported in the media is. that illicit drug use runs rampant at the Olympics. But of the 2,600 tests conducted by the World AntiDoping Agency (WADA) to Olympic-calibre athletes between February 2001 and January 2002, only 24 came back positive for performance­ enhancing substances, and LA SER VISION CO RRECTIO N some of those who tested positive had medical clear­ Experience ance. That result indicates Our surgeons have performed only one per cent of com­ more than 50,000 laser vision petitors were in violation of 1 • *■? corrections. the rules.

In contrast, Major T e c h n o lo g y M B League Baseball announced We offer patients state-of-the-art jÉIggs last week that between five technology and eye evaluation Wr and seven per cent of players equipment, including the Bausch tested positive for steroids & Lomb Zyoptix custom laser. during random, anonymous Results tests administered during Most of our patients enjoy 20/20 the past season. While some vision and good night vision former stars, notably José kvi W allerstem , M D M a rk C o h e n , M D P ie rre D e m e rs, M D quality.

Ophthalmologist Ophthalmologist Canseco and Ken Caminiti, Ophthalmologist j 20,000 surgeries 20.000 surgeries have come out to say that 13,000 surgeries they used steroids during their playing careers and that up to 50 per cent of their teammates were users, P r i c e s s t a r t i n g a t Our fee covers: baseball’s brass has always pre-procedure examinations, laser treatment stated the problem was con­ per and follow-up. fined to a small sample of * The McGill Student Health Plan covers laser vision eye players. correction with LASIK MD. Special offer exclusively for Now the head honchos ASEQ members.

Prices may vary based on prescription strength. at MLB can no longer claim EÜ Bonaventure Applicable to surgery of both eyes. ignorance; the players are as juiced as the balls. But rather than getting tough on offenders, the owners rati­ fied baseball’s collective bar­ www.lasikmd.com gaining agreement which, to M o n tré a l T oron to M is s is s a u g a N ia g a ra F a lls say the least, lays out an extremely lenient way of dealing with the issue.

According to the CBA, all players on 40-man rosters ‘Twas a month before Christmas will be tested this upcoming A n d a ll through M c G ill season. Those who are found to be on steroids will Ourcatering elves be identified, and will face a series of punishments. The Have orders to f i l l first offence results only in treatment, while a second positive test brings just a 15We have pastries and sweets day suspension and/or a $10,000 fine. Only after a Or hearty buffets fifth positive test is a player A l l prepared by our chefs banned for a whole year.

This policy is absolute­ In beautiful displays ly ridiculous. If baseball wants to prove it is tough on those who use anabolic We are M c G ill’s caterer steroids, so as to allay the fears of fans and restore lost The best one in town dignity to a once-proud Reserve y o u r date early game, both the Players’ Association and the owners So y o u w on ’t be let down need to come together for change.

For one thing, the pro­ N o w pick up the phone cedure pales in comparison to the one instituted-by A n d give us a call WADA and signed on to by the International Olympic We’l l make sure y o u r party Committee and 93 other Is the best one o f a ll!

Olympic committees and international sport federa­ tions. If found guilty by Call Milva Salera: 398-3732 WADA, an Olympic athlete is subject to a two-year ban for the first offence and a

hose of a certain age remember Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson run­ ning the 100 metres in 9.79 seconds at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Just over two days later, those same people sat in shock as Johnsons time was wiped out of the record books because of a positive test for

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stanozolol.

More recently, Canadian cross-country skier Beckie Scott had her bronze medal from the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics upgraded to silver because the Russian who finished ahead of her was caught in a blood-doping test.

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lifetime ban for the second.

WADA chairman Dick Pound believes this penalty discourages cheating, and the fig­ ures back him up. Baseball’s policy, which lets a player get away with treatment for a first positive test, is not an effective deterrent to players who think they probably won’t get caught anyway.

Further, while only one per cent of those tested in the year before the Salt Lake City games returned positive results, up to 2.5 per cent of players can test positive in each of the next two years, and anonymous testing will start again. This will allow players another opportunity to use steroids without lost endorsements or the tainted image that comes from a positive test.

However, this policy is most damaging because baseball is undergoing a crisis of trust.

Fans feel the owners are simply attempting to make money without showing concern for them or the teams involved in the owners’ maneuvering. We think that sluggers like Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa are cheaters, using illegal substances and corked bats. We note that offensive records are falling too quickly, and find that our supposed heroes who set these records, like Mark McGwire, are taking muscle-boosting supplements. We basi­ cally don’t believe in the sport of baseball any­ more.

Fans clearly feel ambivalent about a sport with questionable practices, and it shows up in attendance at games and in TV ratings. Is it any wonder, given these events, that the three lowest-rated World Series of all time have taken place within the past four years? The fact that the NFL—the major professional league with perhaps the hardest stance on ille­ gal substance abuse—has risen in popularity should be baseball’s wakeup call: the players should get the message that ‘cleanliness’ equates to fan support.

To renew its fans’ faith, MLB needs to dispel our apprehension and show us that it is bringing legitimacy back to a formerly noble game. Rooting out and identifying those on steroids is a good start, but the punishments need to be severe enough to send a message; right now, it’s not even close.

Adopting a code similar to WADA’s would help, but in the complex world of base­ ball negotiations, it will never happen. The players got the owners to agree to the current plan in the last CBA, so they’re not going to throw away what they earned. However, if this keeps up, an already floundering sport will continue to suffer.

The player’s association needs to realize that its members’ livelihood is suffering from fan indifference. The MLBPA should get together with the owners and construct new, tougher regulations surrounding steroid test­ ing and the punishments that go with it. They should include mandatory random testing for every player every year—regardless of wh at percentage tested positive the previo s year—and significant suspensions on the first offence for players who test positive. Finally, the tests should check not only for anabolic steroids, but also for other performance­ enhancing substances, like ephedra and androstendione.

Fans haven’t given up on America’s national pastime yet, but it is fading fast from the American sports landscape, falling further and further behind NASCAR and the NFL. If Major League Baseball wants to keep its fan base—and its players want to keep their salaries high—a strict policy on illegal sub­ stances is necessary. Going clean is one impor­ tant way to bring fans, trust and dignity back to the grand old game of baseball. ■

M A X IM C a n a d a 's

S e a rc h

C lu b T o u r f o r th e

C o o rs L ig h t M a x im

C M

0 TWINS COUNT 3NE CONTESTANT? If

^

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(Y O U B E T H E J U D G E )

REGIONAL FINALS

Vancouver October 27 Richard's on Richards - Kelowna October 29 Flashbacks

Calgary November 2 Outlaws - Winnipeg November 7 I k Colosseum, Canad inns, Windsor Park - Hamilton November 12 front 54 Toronto November 17 The Opera House - London November 19 Club Phoenix - Ottawa November 24 Capital M u sk Hall M ontreal November 27 Complexe M illenn ium - Quebec City November 29 Le Palace - Halifax December 3 The Palace

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