The McGill Tribune Vol. 25 Issue 17 by The Tribune

WÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊmÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊm PUBLISHED

BY T H E

STUDENTS'

SOCIETY

MCGILL

Vol. 25 Issue 17 I Tuesday, January 17, 2006

UNIVERSITY

M c G ill s h u ts o u t M a rtin PMO says admin blocked campaign visit ROBERT CHURCH A high-profile campaign announcement by Prime Minister Paul Martin that took place this week end at Concordia was originally sup posed to be held at McGill, but according to the Prime Minister's Office, McGill administration officials were so difficult to deal with that frus trated PMO staffers were forced to move the event On Saturday morning, Martin visited Concordia for a major cam paign announcement on internation al affairs and education funding. In his address, Martin announced a number of initiatives, including an expansion of the 2,000-member Canada Corps volunteer agency, his commitment to a more comprehen sive ban on weapons in space, and the establishment in the Middle East of the Canada Centre for Peace and

Democracy in order to illustrate Canada's commitment to the peace process. Martin also announced that, if re-elected, the Liberal Party would offer tuition credits to any youth who participated in the Canada Corps pro gram, up to $12,000 for two years of post-secondary education. The speech and subsequent press con ference were carried live on national television and radio stations, and included representatives from most major media outlets in Canada. According to Liberal Party repre sentatives, the high-profile campaign event was originally supposed to take place at McGill, with negotiations tak ing place late last week between Martin's aides and McGill officials. "The [Prime Minister's Office] wanted to hold it at McGill, because See PRINCIPAL'S, page 6

C a rn iv a l c lin c h e r Redmen secure playoff spot with 3-1 win RORY GANGBAR When you're this good, luck doesn't even enter into the equation. Faced with the task of extending their 13-game unbeaten streak on Friday the 13th, even non-triskaidekaphobes had to admit that it seemed like the stars were aligned against the Redmen hockey team. But the Red 'n' White avoided any ill fortune that might have hung in the air, hammer ing the Concordia Stingers 3-1 on Carnival Night at McConnell Arena.

The rinkside atmosphere was electric as a packed house of 1,451 turned out for the 159th meeting between the long-time rivals. With those participating in winter carnival out in full force and dressed in their infamous "puke suits," the throng was extremely loud and rowdy, giving the home side a boost "The big crowd really produces a playoff atmosphere," said defensemen David Urquhart 'It was very exciting for all the guys." See REDMEN, page 22

T h is w e e k

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Friday 20-Jan Redmen Hockey vs Concordia 7pm Friday 20-Jan Basketball vs UQAM(W) 6pm&(M) 6pm www.athletics.mcgill.ca * advance student tickets at Sadie’s ■ ■ I

cover photos by LUKAS BERGMARK

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"to talk about intentions." Thibodeau also suggested that the NDP, which has prom While many of the large parties claim to be committed to ised its support for a system of proportional representation, younger voters and their issues, at last Wednesday's NDP held part of the solution to the country's chronically low voter McGill-sponsored meet and greet with Montreal-area candi turnout. He cited cynicism and inertia as the main causes of dates, students' skepticism was understandable. The Liberals, the problem, calling Canada a "demo-critical state." Conservatives, and Bloc did not send representatives to the Christopher Coggins, Montreal representative for the event, billed as an open discussion between McGill students Green Party of Canada, emphasized his party's focus on "welland local actors in federal politics. being rather than health care." The event was aimed at introducing "Only 25 per cent of 18- to 25-year-olds Amongst the Greens' platform pro students to candidates in nearby ridings voted in the last election. If we vote, politi posals is a fast-food tax intended to and to the platforms their parties repre tackle obesity. The principle, cians will have to pay more attention." sent. While the province's top three par according to Coggins, is to "tax ties decided to spend their time else —Erica Martin, NDP McGill co-president bads, not goods." where, several candidates from the New Pierre-Albert Sévigny, Green Democratic Party, the Green Party, the Marxist-Leninist Party, candidate for NDG-Lachine, also discussed health. the Canadian Action Party and others did attend. 'Two-tier health care is here to stay," he said. The Erica Martin, co-president of NDP McGill, helped to organ Supreme Court of Canada recently opened the door to private ize the gathering. clinics in Quebec, though the decision has been stayed until "Only 25 per cent of 18- to 25-year-olds voted in the last June of this year to allow the provincial government time to election," she said. "If we vote, politicians will have to pay more prepare. attention." The NDP's Thibodeau said he was also concerned with GRAPHIC BY JAMES GOTOWIEC Nicholas Thibodeau, NDP candidate for Mount-Royal, is in the environment, an issue that has been drawing some tradi the midst of completing his degree in Political Science at tionally NDP voters to the Greens. Thibodeau said he was These were the only parties that showed up for the event. Université du Québec à Montréal. He stressed the importance especially proud of his party's call for the federal government of voting, likening it to sponsoring the party. Indeed, under new to share reponsibility for urban mass transit, the idea being to Both Olivier Jarvis Lavoie, president of Liberal McGill, and election laws, in effect since the 2004 election, parties are give citizens more incentives to leave their cars at home. Daniel King, president of Conservative McGill, said their candi guaranteed $1.75 per year in federal funding for every vote Martin and fellow NDP McGill co-President Mark Sanford dates were already engaged at the time they received their received. extended invitations to Liberal and Conservative candidates invitations. Both noted, however, that students were able to Thibodeau acknowledged that the NDP platform con through Liberal McGill and Conservative McGill, and they invit meet candidates for McGill's Westmount-Ville-Marie riding at tained a number of vague promises, but he said he remained ed the smaller parties personally. The Bloc was invited through an all candidates debate on Jan. 16. ■ confident in its direction, arguing that campaigns were the time McGill's Comité Souverainiste club. JACQUI W ILSON and NIALL MACKAY ROBERTS

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S tu d e n t in v o lv e m e n t up as e le c tio n n e a rs S S M U

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KATHERINE SPIRGEN

McGill students gathered outside CBC studios in Montreal last Monday for the second of two English-language debates between Liberal Party leader Paul Martin, NDP leader Jack Layton, Conservative leader Stephen Harper and the Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe. Some students took part in a Students' Society-organized rally, while others showed up to support individual candidates. About 75 students from both McGill and Concordia gath ered at the rally in order to bring attention to the issue of edu cation, which many feel has been overlooked in the election campaign. "Between the four candidates there was almost no discus sion of education and funding in the English debates," said SSMU Vice-President External Affairs Aaron Donny-Clark. "We need it to be more prominent." Members of all four parties were also present at CBC stu dios to show support for their candidates. Conservative McGill President Daniel King admitted that he'd like to see more dis cussion of the issues surrounding education. "I would say I'm a little disappointed in the lack of discus sion of education by all the candidates," he said. However, he went on to say that it is difficult to discuss education in the federal debates because it is usually an issue left to the provinces. "Universities are chronically underfunded and the Liberals aren't doing anything to address that," King said. "They are only addressing the financial needs of the students." Olivier Jarvis Lavoie, president of Liberal McGill, also said that the parties could have done a better job addressing edu

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cation, but he acknowledged that there were many issues in the election that needed to be addressed. "I can understand on what premise it would be based that education was ignored, but I don't think it's entirely true," he said. "There are many issues that need to be addressed and education is one of the many." Lavoie said that during the debate Martin referred to his previous commitments to education such as the 50-50 Act, which will pay for half of the first and graduating years of post secondary education up to $3,000 per year, and his plan to lower interest rates on student loans. Jennifer Drouin, president of the McGill chapter of the Bloc Québécois, believes that Duceppe has advanced his plan for education, even though she agrees with King that federal candidates find it difficult to address the issue during federal elections because it falls under provincial jurisdiction. "We have to solve fiscal inequality," Drouin said. "Liberals don't even admit the problem. If Quebec were sovereign, we would have control of the tax money and be able to decide what to do with it." Regarding the issue of education, each political party has expressed its plan in its platform. "Some parties have committed to what we want and oth ers haven't," said Donny-Clark, regarding funding for education. The NDP has stated in its party platform that it will restore $4-billion in cuts to post-secondary education funding and transfer money to the provinces in return for their commitment to lower tuition fees. The Liberal platform calls for increasing education funding with $2.1-billion in student aid and $3.5-billion for work-train ing programs. It also includes $600-million a year for the 5050 Act and tuition credits for Canadian youth who participate

in the Canada Corps, an international volunteer program. The Conservative's Stand Up For Change platform takes a different approach. The Tories say that if elected, they will invest $100-million per year in "measures to improve support for postsecondary students," including the Canada Student Loans program, a far cry from students' current demand for $4.9-billion per year in renewed funding. They would also make the first $10,000 of student scholarships tax-exempt and allow students a $500 tax credit for money spent on textbooks. The Bloc is demanding a $2.75-billion raise in federal transfers for post-secondary education and social programs for Quebec. SSMU, along with campus political groups, is encouraging students to go to the polls and vote this month. Both Conservative and Liberal McGill are contributing to SSMU's efforts, combating the traditionally low voter turnout among students. Liberal McGill plans to make a special effort during advanced polling on Jan. 13, 14 and 16 and during the actual election on Jan. 23 to get known Liberal supporters to the polls. Campus political groups have seen more ardent involve ment from students this semester, possibly due to the proxim ity of the election. Turnout [at the rally] was high because people are hear ing more about the issues and election time is an easier time to think we're having an effect directly," Donny-Clark said. "All the issues were in the air." ■

A student debate involving ail parties will take place tonight at 8 p.m. in Molson Hall. There will also be astudent debate on national unity on Friday at 3 p.m. in Leacock. Admission is free to both events.

the mcgill tribune | 17.1.06| news

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DANIEL AMIN

VLADIMIR EREMIN Professor Hans Larson spoke briefly about paleontology and evolution, before sitting down and lunching on a big bowl of soup. Professors from many different fields spoke over the week-long event, including chem istry, math, computer science, and psychology.

Every day last week, Science students gathered in the lobby of the Trottier building for lunchtime presenta tions from new professors on the research they are con ducting. The event, called Soup and Science, was a chance for students to find out about hot new research, and to get involved in it as well. Over the course of five days, 26 professors gave short presentations on their particular fields of research, after which students and faculty mingled over free lunch. The event was designed to allow undergraduate students to get more involved in research being conducted at McGill, or at least become more aware of it. Victor Chisholm, undergraduate research officer in the Faculty of Science, organized the events. "We wanted to give undergraduate Science students an idea of how they can get involved in these exciting endeavours," Chisholm said. "By showing [them] the kinds of research that some of our newer professors are doing," he said, the faculty hopes to motivate students to take an interest in research. Professor Monique Zetka of the Biology department, who presented Thursday on meiotic cell division, said that she liked the idea of Soup and Science. "Its purpose was to highlight the research being done by new faculty here," she said. "Undergraduates don't really know what the faculty is doing." For students, most of whom admitted the free food was one of the main reasons they attended, it was also an opportunity to see what other departments in the fac ulty ate doing. "I was interested in seeing non-chemistry talks," said Neenah Navasero, MSc Chemistry. Navasero was impressed with what she saw of the event.

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"It's a great concept," she said. "They should do it again next year." Several of the students who attended Soup and Science agreed that the event was needed, and also said that not enough is done to make students aware of research opportunities available to them. "I think they could do more," said Amy Sur, UO Science. "[Before this event] I didn't know I could get so involved." In an effort to increase student research, the Faculty of Science opened the Office for Undergraduate Research in Science in September. Chisholm said it was created for students looking for hands-on experience. He said the office is also working with individual departments to intro duce new undergraduate research courses. Some of the participating professors did not feel that students need to be more involved in science research at McGill. Zetka said that the Biology department is very research-intensive, and that its students are greatly involved. Professor Andrew Hendry, also of the Biology department and a presenter on the evolution of biologi cal diversity, agreed that in his department most profes sors think that students are already participating. Still, he said that Soup and Science did a good job exposing stu dents to research underway across departments and pro vided an easy way for them to job hunt. "For professors, it's an opportunity to recruit stu dents," Hendry said. "It's effective from [my] perspective because students who wouldn't have otherwise contact ed me have contacted me." According to Chisholm, students can expect to see Soup and Science back again. He said that the event, as well as September's Undergraduate Research Conference, will return next year, along with other similar initiatives. ■

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VINCCI TSUI

After months of busing students to see doctors far removed from its Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue facilities, Macdonald campus has finally found a physician to host monthly clinics. Nine students took advantage of Dr. Adarh Gavsie's first clinic, which was held with little fanfare during exam period in December. Gavsie's next visit to Macdonald campus is sched uled for Thursday, and all available time slots were filled within a week after its announcement. Throughout all of last term, residents at Macdonald were forced to travel to the Brown building downtown or make arrangements at other clinics on the island. "I always knew I could go downtown," said Alexia Bufour, UO Dietetics, "but the long drive was inconvenient." Alison King, nurse at Macdonald Health Service, believes that the monthly visits will remain insufficient to meet student demand at Macdonald. "It is necessary [to increase services] based on numbers from last year," she said. "It would be great to have Dr. Gavsie more often, but I don't know if it's realistic, because he works in a lot of different places in Montreal and also in some north ern communities." Dufour expressed similar dissatisfaction with the status quo, noting that students with sudden illnesses must still travel off-campus for appointments. "I'm a little reassured," she said, "but it's only once a month, so it's not that helpful. I'd prefer once a week at least. If I'm randomly sick I'd probably go downtown, but if it's some thing that I know I need advice for, then I'd probably make an appointment." Fortunately, it appears that additional help may be coming to Macdonald in the near future, as two physicians have responded to a recruitment letter sent throughout the West Island in the fall.

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'The hope is also to have a female physician out at Mac," King said, "and I know one of the physi cians who respond ed was female. I'm crossing my fingers hoping that it will work out, and that we will be able to offer two medical clinics per month, one male and one female." King is unsure if or when a female physician will be available, as all medical staffing for Macdonald cam pus is arranged through Student ROBERT CHURCH Health Services at the downtown cam It's bad enough having to ride this bus to class everyday-can you imagine riding it to the doctor? pus. She suggested, however, that the lack of female doctors and a very caring person. In the end, I didn't need to be called had yet to cause noticeable problems for Macdonald's student in." Bufour, at least, seemed to agree, though she expressed population. Gavsie's current appointment list is predominantly female, and King offers students her presence at any examina hope that another physician would eventually be found. "[The lack of a female doctor] is not something that both tion. Two individuals [at the December clinic] had said that ers me at all, but I know some females prefer having a female they might want me in the room," King said. "I guess both of doctor," she said. "It would be better overall if we had a female them felt very comfortable, because Dr. Gavsie's very relaxed physician and a male physician." ■

news ) 17.1.06 j the mcgill tribune

S P E A K E R S

SSMU IN 60 S E CONDS The first council meeting of 2006 was also the quickest in recent mem ory. President Adam Conter made the second-best fashion statement of the evening, wearing an attractive pair of green slippers to the meeting, while Management Representative Aneerudh Borkotoky took first place, attending in a Santa suit. Apparently it had something to do with Management Carnival. • Vice-President Finance and Operations Eric van Eyken announced that the new provincial smoking ban, which takes effect in May, prohibits the sale of cigarettes in college or university buildings, effectively ending the annual debate about cigarette sales at Sadies Tabagie. Where the lost revenue will be made up—tobacco products account for roughly half of annual sales— is still an open question. • Roz Freeman, vice-president communications and events, announced that she would be reopening negotiations on SSMU's beer contract with Boreale. She is hoping to expand the deal between Boreale and McAuslan. • The Irish Student Association received interim club status. Normally clubs undergo a three-month probationary period, but VicePresident Clubs and Services Leon Mwotia said he would be open to short ening the period to two months and two weeks, just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

QUOTABLE "Have you been living under a rock?" —Students' Society President Adam Conter, responding to Arts Representative Corey Shefman's question at Council on Thursday about whether Gert's has turned a profit in any month besides November.

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medical school information session, Although Academia Week is based on a scientific framework, many of the lectures appeal to the general public. According to Ludovich, in choosing the keynote speaker, the SUS tried to pick someone who would inter est students both inside and outside the Faculty of

SARAH FRASER

Jay Ingram, host of the Discovery Channel science program Daily Planet, is one of several speakers appear ing at McGill next week as part of Academia Week. Hosted by the Science Undergraduate Society, the annu al event consists of a series of speakers who shed light on the diversity of options available to McGill Science students after graduation. SUS Vice-President Academic Marina Ladovich is in charge of organizing the event. She said that many Science students have a misconception that research and medicine are the only options open to them after gradua tion. "Academia Week helps Science students realize all of the possibilities out there after they finish thefr degree," said Ladovich, U3 Immunology. "It is not one straight path." Academia Week is the largest academic event organized by the SUS, and Ladovich said she expects this year to be as popular as ever. The event has attracted many famous vis itors since its inception. Past keynote speakers include environmentalist David Suzuki, astro naut Roberta Bondar and SARS expert Mona Loutfy. The lineup for this year is no exception to the big-name rule, as Ingram will start next week off as the keynote speaker. "Last year was very successful, and we are looking to build on that momentum," said SUS President Marta Filipski. The final lecture of the week will be deliv ered by Joseph Mapa, CEO and president of COURTESYTHEAIREOi III EMIND.CA Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto. Mapa gave a lec ture during Academia Week last year and is back by popular demand, addressing opportu Jay Ingram will be giving the keynote speech next week. nities in healthcare leadership. Other highlight ed speakers include Victoria Kaspi, a representative from Science. The SUS eventually chose Ingram, who has won the Canadian Space Agency, and Christiane Ayotte, a several awards for promoting science and making it chemist from the World Anti-Doping Agency. accessible to the general public. ■ Along with presentations, there will be workshops exploring career options after a science degree and a

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the mcgill tribune | 17.1.06 | news

NEWS

ANALYSIS

M c G ill e n t e r s t h e d ig ita l a g e — p a r tia lly B u t is t h e

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EMILY HARRIS

tarting this semester, McGill Student Accounts no longer bills students for tuition by mail. Instead, stu dents receive a notice that their electronic bills are ready through the university Webmail service, and then access them on Minerva. Because some students rarely check their university e-mail accounts, however, the change has taken them by surprise. "I think it's kind of stupid to inform students of a new e-mail billing system by e-mail," said Megan Brunet, 1)3 Psychology. "I found out from a flyer, so it was lucky that my tuition was on time. One of my friends had to pay the late fees because she was out of the country with no email access." Brunet is in her final year at McGill and was expecting her mailed bill as usual. In general, there were no excep tions given on late tuitions this month, even if a student had no knowledge of the change. "[The administration] wasn't even flexible about the payment dates," Brunet said. "My friend was only two days late on the payment and was still charged the interest fees." But according to Mary Jo McCullogh, accountant at the Student Accounts Office, Brunet's friend is in the minority. “[Late payments] are something we're monitoring very carefully," she said. "We're using all sorts of indicators to

see if there are more people who haven't paid their bill this semester, because iTs really the first time they haven't been prompted [with a paper bill]. And in fact the amount of interest is lower this year than last year, so that's a good sign. Had the interest been higher I would have thought 'Oh, more people haven't paid their bills,' but the interest was actually lower." McCullogh said that the university is switching to elec tronic billing in order to improve service to students. "From the point of view of storage for students, they can now see up to 12 months of their [past] bills," she said. "They can go back and look at it whenever they want." She also pointed out that statements will no longer get lost in the mail. Although there are complaints that the policy wasn't clearly disseminated, some students said that its positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. "I think that this idea is progressive," said Nate Charach, U2 Physiology. "I don't know if the bills were changed for environmental reasons, but it will save a lot of paper." Although Charach found this a positive aspect of the new plan, he finds it "harder to keep track of [his financial matters] without the paper copy." "I get so many e-mails that it is easy to lose track of

the notice," he said. Not only does this new policy save trees, it should save the administration money it would otherwise spend on postage and labour. McCullogh said that every semester McGill sends out approximately 26,000 bills. Since paper bills were sent out in August and September, this year the university won't see as much savings. "We estimate that in our first year, we're hoping to save around $65,000," she said. "After the first year we would hope to save somewhere in the realm of $120,000 per year." „ Charach expressed his desire that these savings be used to improve student services. McCullogh agreed. "Hopefully it goes back into teaching," she said. As for the late payment issue, McCullogh recognized that some students weren't able to pay their bills on time due to the switch. She said that the Student Accounts Office would examine cases individually to see if there was cause for leniency. Students seem to be embracing the idea, however. "I don't think the plan is all bad," Brunet said, "I just don't think it was implemented very well." ■

—Additional reporting by James Cotowiec

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news j 17 .1.06 j the mcgill tribune

P r i n c i p a l ’s r e p d e n i e s L i b e r a l P a r t y c l a i m s A U S

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they have a great reputation and an interna tional reputation," said Brigitte Legault, presi dent of the Young Liberals of Canada (Québec). "The PMO called in [to McGill], and first of all they wanted to visit a room with a large area. They went and visited a room, and it wasn't suited for what they wanted, so they called back the administration. I don't know who they talked to, but the McGill representa tive said they didn't have time and that they were going on vacation at the end of the day." According to Legault, time constraints meant that the prime minister's representa tives only had a short period to find a venue for the announcement. "It was a big thing and we only had four hours to find another room, so we just called Concordia." McGill rep "just didn't care"

Aide says principal's office offered "every possible support"

Patrick Gutteridge, chief of staff to Principal Heather Munroe-Blum and director of federal government relations, disagreed that the McGill administration blocked Martin's visit in any way, but insisted that the prin cipal's office had offered all possible assistance in organizing an event. "As soon as I became aware of [the PMO's interest], I placed a call to

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the person that I know to be most responsible than happy to support the people of Canada for the prime minister's activities in Quebec and the democratic process in terms of provid and offered every possible support to her, ing a venue for this kind of thing." quite apart from whatever other contacts she Gutteridge was apparently unaware that and her colleagues may have been making an announcement had taken place at through various channels to secure space at Concordia on Saturday. McGill... I was thanked for my offers, told that "In fact, we understood that someone did she might very well come and see one partic be back to me to fol "If the prime minister of Canada cannot ular space, decided that it low up on some of wasn't ideal for what they them, and the next get a room at McGill, how are students were looking for, and in thing I did hear fact, to the best of my and student groups supposed to get was... that they had knowledge, no event rooms for their events?" decided to change took place at Concordia." —Adrian Angus, AUS VP academic direction and go Arts Undergraduate somewhere else. So Society Vice-President I'm very comfortable that this office offered Academic Adrian Angus, who attended the every possible support, as we would for any of announcement at Concordia, said that this the major party leaders." instance was indicative of McGill's wider prob Gutteridge said that if any federal or lems with red tape and bureaucracy. provincial party leaders were ever interested in "If the prime minister of Canada cannot visiting McGill, the university would be open to get a room at McGill, how are students and hosting them. student groups supposed to get rooms for "If you want to pay the rental fee and the their events?" Angus said. "It's just incompre cleanup charges, and security arrangements, or hensible. McGill denied Paul Martin a room not whatever might be required, we'd be happy because of an ideological difference or not to," he said. "The people of Canada have made wanting him to make a campaign announce huge contributions to McGill over the years to ment at McGill, but because of bureaucratic make us the place that we are, and we're more red tape."

Continued from cover

Olivier Jarvis Lavoie, president of Liberal McGill, said that PMO representatives had orig inally booked Leacock 232 but were forced to relocate when they realized the room did not meet their needs. "They had to move it from the Senate room to another room, and it was at that point that the McGill bureaucracy kind of chased them away," Lavoie said. "They had to get a room on very short notice, and they were told by the per son they were dealing with that they didn't have time to come look at dif ferent rooms. They finally made a call to Concordia and had a room within five minutes." According to Lavoie, the prime minister's aides were dealing with a McGill staffer from Ancillary Services and were surprised at the staffer's apparent unwillingness to help them find a venue. "Basically the person [from McGill] just didn't care," he said. "The woman on the line... was telling them there wasn't much available, asking if they had enough money, and so on. She did not seem to grasp at all that she needed to help them get a room. When the PMO wanted to move it from the Senate room to something else, for audio-visual rea sons, the person said no. The PMO asked if they could see one or two other rooms, and she said that there was no way because she was going on vacation soon, and this would just take up too much time... [The PMO] still wanted it to happen at McGill, but they needed a room on extremely short notice, and the McGill bureau cracy just didn't care at all. The PMO needed something else, and they got it at Concordia easily and quickly. "The PMO representative actual ly called me afterwards to tell me how unpleasant she thought the person she was dealing with was," Lavoie said. "She wanted someone else to deal with."

‘e x c e p t i o n a l l y

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"ROBERT CHURCH This would have been the scene Saturday, were it not for an unhelpful staffer.

Angus questioned how such a move would reflect on the McGill community. "McGill was exceptionally rude in this instance. The Prime Minister's Office was not even dealt with in a courteous manner. This is a major problem, because if they treat the prime minister like this, you can imagine how they treat students." ■

JANUARY 2 0 0 6

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the mcgill tribune | 17 .1.06 j news A u k Myq-â» l w ^ ç | * fclip* » jila: V y,

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Pakistani officials reacted angrily to an alleged CIA attack on a village in north ern Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border. The airstrike was reportedly an effort to kill Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader, but local officials claim it n# killed 18 civilians, including six children, and left iipfl III» the Al Qaeda leader unharmed. • An Arizona woman tried to push the boundaries of the legal I ■■P- Mn system recently after she was fined US$360 for JK improperly using a High Occupancy Lane. She argued lU îrf» s that the unborn baby she was carrying in her womb f should have counted toward the occupancy of her vehi cle. A Phoenix-area judge disagreed. • Chileans elected their first female president Sunday. Former political prison er Michelle Bachelet received more than 53 per cent of the vote in the run-off election, made necessary when none of the four candidates running in the Dec. 11 con test received a majority. She is only the second woman to head a government in the western hemisphere. • At the annual MacWorld Expo, Apple Computer President Steve rs.c Jobs announced that Macintosh computers would begin shipping with a new dual-core Intel processor. The move means that Macs will now be more compatible with PC software, and opens up the possibility that users can have ay w i 1’4 'a both Windows and the Mac operating system on their com fk puters. • The chief judge in Saddam Hussein's trial has announced that he is resigning from the trial, as he is fed up with political interference. • Straight out of Michael %{: Crichton's The Andromeda Strain, a NASA capsule carrying space dust from a comet landed in a remote stretch of Utah desert late Saturday. Hopefully residents of any Ils; fi ; ■' nearby towns will be spared terrible space diseases. • ff Police in Shelbyville, Tennessee, chased a weaving pickup truck 11 km around the town before it stopped in front of a house. When police approached the car to arrest what they thought i . was a drunk driver they found instead a sevenyear-old. The child told his pursuers he was on his way to get his licence. He faces charges of tli '! . evading police and driving without a licence. Sources: apple.com, breitbart.com, cbc.ca, 4 k ctv.ca, globeandmail.com, nytimes.com m * its \m

VLADIMIR EREMIN

Last weekend the McGill chess team spent hours in positions just like this one, thinking hard about their next moves. It paid off, as the team ended up in first place.

“I w as able to sell m y textbook for $60 when the bookstore would have given m e $ 1 6 ” - L u k e H e a ld , C o m m e r c e III

C o n vert y o u r textb o o ks to C ash • Sell your textbooks • You set the price • Cheque ready for you immediately after sale ^

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2074 rue Aylmer (near Sherbrooke O)

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Subjects and predicaments

opinion

T h e

fin a l

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Off the board

M OHAM M AD MIRALY

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DAVID BLYE

hree years ago, I would not have thought this possible. Three years ago, the Liberal Party had a virtual lock on power in this country. Quebec nationalism was dying down and the far-left NDP had been reduced to an obscure fringe party that held just 12 seats in Ottawa. But most importantly, three years ago, the conservative movement in this country was divided and disjointed, with two parties repre senting the right. The larger Canadian Alliance was seen as a bunch of socially conservative Western nut jobs. The traditional but decisively smaller Progressive Conservative party was seen as being on its death bed, needing Joe Clark—a man who had been turfed out of office—to take the party lead. Neither one wanted to submit to the other. Fortunately, the Liberals also thought that their position as the uncontested rulers of Canada could not end. Even though the Liberal's record was less than stellar, they felt they were in a situation in which voters could not possibly reject them. Canadians seemed to ignore that they had failed to scrap the GST, nearly allowed Quebec to secede, reduced Canada's military to an international joke and were only able to balance the budget by signif icantly cutting transfer payments to the provinces. With no real opposition, they could go back on their promises, waste money on useless programs and quietly get their friends rich under the auspices of "national unity." Oh, they had it all. But we're in 2003 no longer. In 2006, we have AdScam, where the federal sponsorship program led to the Liberals and their friends receiving millions of taxpayer dollars, all under the guise of national unity. In 2006, we have renewed calls for Quebec separation. But most importantly, in 2006, we have the Conservative Party of Canada, a unified right wing party, and Stephen Harper, a young and dynamic leader

that seems to have his finger on Canada's proverbial pulse-a pulse that is beating loudly in favour of tossing out the Grits. And why shouldn't they? In this election campaign, the Conservative Party has announced plans to lower the hated GST to five per cent by 2011, putting more money in the hands of Canadians. It has promised to end the problem of provincial transfers to the provinces, a problem that even Liberal premiers such as Dalton McGuinty and Jean Charest not only acknowledge, but believe that their provinces need. The Conservatives have promised to improve relations with our neighbour to the South, which remains our biggest trading part ner despite ill will between the governments. And of course, the Tories have continued to harp on the undeniable truth that the Liberals' corruption and the "culture of entitlement" must not be allowed to go unpunished. Though the Liberals have sought to portray Harper as a man with a "hidden agenda," Canadians so far have seen beyond this lastgasp tacit After over two years in Ottawa, Canadians have been able to see Harper as a moderate conservative who throughout this campaign has presented himself in the mould of Robert Stanfield, Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney. But most importantly, the Liberals, and specifically Paul Martin, have failed to inspire Canadians. They have provided little in the way of new policy initiatives. They have failed to dis pel the image of corruption they so nicely culti vated for themselves. But most importantly, they have failed to say anything to advance their own cause, other than, "We're not the Conservatives." The Conservative slogan for this campaign has been "Stand up for Canada." I say stand up for yourself and put an end to this failing Gritocracy. ■

he public outcry following November's cancellation of Fox's Emmy-winning sit com Arrested Development was cer tainly more than muted. Still, unlike the furor of tens of millions of voices that fol lowed the end of Seinfeld, a show about nothing, the passing of Arrested, a show that's really something, seems to have made only critics and the dozens of fanatics irate. Strangely, Fox's move comes at a time when our present protagonist program is the top-rated comedy on TV.com, while the aforementioned immaterial show holds the seventh spot So why did FOX decide to scrap a pro gram that garnered them six Emmys and has the unabashed admiration of America's top critics? According to some commenta tors, the show's self-referential humour and its upper-class characters make it difficult for audiences to relate. And the absence of a laugh track has been claimed to alienate viewers who are unable to make the deci sion to laugh on their own. But, it's precise ly the show's quick pace and innumerable in-jokes that make it simultaneously ill-suit ed for a laugh track as well as brilliant. The simple reason Fox is dropping the show is that while Arrested captured an average of only five-million viewers this sea son, another Fox show set in Orange County, The O.C., brought in more than double that amount Considering that Fox is preeminently advertising-oriented, it is per haps understandable that the network would desire to dissociate itself from any programming that would endanger its cash flow. But this decision leaves its program ming a veritable Aztec tomb of weak plots, romantic melodramas and reality carica tures. So Fox's motivations are economic, but that still begs the question: Why, ifAD is so brilliant, did it fail in the ratings game? Therein lies the rub. According to Alia Shawkat, who plays Maeby Funke, the show is too brilliant. In an interview, she

relates an instance in which the show's cre ator, Mitch Hurwitz, fumed after a meeting during which he was told to make the show "simpler." Indeed, she says, Fox was so sure that their audience would not watch the show that they didn't even advertise it, effectively rendering it dead as a dove. While LA is littered with billboards for The O.C. and Prison Break, there are none for Arrested. Even the Fox lot bears no marker of this magic show. Perhaps Fox is underestimating its audience. But, then again, perhaps it isn't Considering the popularity of shows with unashamedly unrealistic plot lines, like CSI and sitcoms that thrive on strategically timed laughs and plotlines centred around misunderstood situations, maybe there is little space on network television for a pro gram whose genius is its multi-layered complexity. What this really speaks of is a society with a generally low level of tolerance for intelligence and a generally high level of physical and intellectual laziness. This malaise is perpetuated by a media that, instead of raising the proverbial bar, stifles room for intellectual growth by pandering to an unthinking couch culture. The upshot here is a society that becomes increasingly satisfied with uninspired thought and rehashed ideas, the result of which is stag nation. By cancelling programming that pro motes the movement of neurons, the net works, and indeed, society at large, will find inevitably that the/ve made a huge mis take. Obviously, television programming is not the prime mover of society's advance ment, but considering the pervasiveness of television culture, its influence cannot be understated. Certainly, the motor of today's world is economics. But without the social ly responsible investment in education by all sectors of society, including television networks, we as a society will find quickly that we don't have a banana to stand on. ■

Nu-kyuh-lur blast

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ations build brands—symbols of the character of a peo ple and government. This election is about Canada's brand, and it presents Canadians with a set of polaropposite choices: to ally ourselves with America's tarnished image, of to persist in defining this nation as a compassionate and equitable place for all. The latter is the mission of the Liberals—the party that is truly standing up for Canada. ' It's necessary to bring to light the true character of the opposition. On this page two weeks ago, as columnist Leigh Aslateei wrote, "It's treasonous for Martin to harm our nation al interests south of the border and then pass it off as patriot ism, as he did with his 'I will stand up for Canada-period' jab." Last I checked, standing up for Canada is not only patriotic, it is the job of the Prime Minister. Martin is committed to winning the dispute on softwood lumber... for Canadians. He has taken the fight into American living rooms, purchasing commercials that describe why US tariffs hurt American pocketbooks. Stephen Harper, meanvyhile, has indicated that he won't hold America to the letter of the law, and would instead sell Canadian lumber in Asian mar kets. This would call into question the ability of the govern ment to defend national interests and would perpetuate an

image of spineless pacifism, eroding confidence in the feder al government Aslateei fails to grasp that the Prime Minister is elected to serve the interests of the Canadian public. It will never bene fit Canada to be a nation subservient. America is drifting with out a vision of the road ahead, its global influence waning. The Conservatives are content to drift rudderlessly alongside. In contrast, Liberals recognize the opportunity for Canada to assert itself. Scholar and Liberal candidate Michael Ignatieff echoes these sentiments, saying, "If the Americans will not lead, we will have to create alliances with other countries to do so. The price of saying no to the Americans is going down, not up. [This] is an invitation for us to decide we will not wait for them to lead." The Conservatives are terrified at the thought of offend ing our neighbours. Yet for the American government, Canadian sovereignty only exists when it's convenient for the US. Canadians must therefore choose leaders who will defend Canada's sovereign interests. Stephen Harper feels that "Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its sec

ond-rate status." What, may I ask, is second-rate about a nation that defends the interests of its citizens by providing universal health care? What is second-rate about a nation that works to integrate new Canadians? And what is second-rate about a country that is respected the world over? Is it that we aren't mired in unsubstantiated conflict? Is it that our economy is putting people to work? Is it that we respect the rights of minorities? No—what Mr. Harper seeks is a sententious and pretentious Canada that will win the respect of no one; a Canada that rewards the elite alone. Allow me to introduce you to a Canada that isn't afraid to assert itself for what is just. This is not the Canada of Steven Harper; it is the Canada of Paul Martin's Liberals. It is a Canada that doesn't feel "second rate," but instead feels proud of what it has accomplished and optimistic about the road ahead. This election is about brands. Will Canadians cower in fear of their American brethren, or will they leverage the opportunity to assert themselves and build an independent foreign policy? If the Canadian people want a brand that is respected and that they can respect, they know to vote for Paul Martin's Liberals. Otherwise, they can follow Harper and a broken-winged eagle... right off a cliff. ■

the mcgill tribune | 17 .1.06 | opinion

I McGill Tribune

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p r io r it ie s

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p a r t ie s

[Public education is] the single most important element in the maintenance of a democratic system. —John Ralston Saul

EDrTOR-IN-CHIEF

Liz Allemang editor@mcgilltribune.com

ake no mistake about it—despite what some networks, pollsters and other news papers may have told you, the election isn't over yet. However, with under a week to go in the campaign, the undecided or those disin clined to vote will have to think long and hard as to what course of action they should take come Jan. 23. Students at McGill study (and many live) in the most educated riding in Canada. Voters in Westmount-Ville-Marie are thoughtful, principled and in tune with national issues. They aren't swayed by reactionary partisan politics or person alities, choosing instead to focus on policy. And with two universities calling the riding home and over 40 per cent of Westmount-Ville-Marie's resi dents holding university degrees—and many more on their way there—post-secondary education is an issue at the fore when people head to the polls. With those issues in mind, we're looking for the best options on the ballot And much as it may pain those turned off by scandal and corruption, the Liberals clearly emerge as the frontrunners. As far as education is concerned, the Conservative Party receives an "F," according to the Canadian Federation of Students-sponsored Web site www.voteeducation.ca. The site examines the various party platforms specifically as they relate to education and grades them on behalf of students. It gives the Conservatives a failing grade based on their continued insistence on incomecontingent student loan repayments and their unwillingness to commit substantial funding to post-secondary education. The Liberals, meanwhile, receive a strong passing grade. The Libs' education policy has been in the news lately, as the party recently intro duced the 50-50 tuition plan, in which the govern ment would pay half of each student's tuition in the first and last years of their degrees. Every stu dent would receive up to $6,000 in financial aid, helping lower tuition costs and decrease massive student debt. In addition to this, lower-income students would qualify for up to $3,000 extra for each year of their bachelor's degrees. The NDP has, for its part, proposed a general transfer payment to the provinces and pledged a national system of grants for those in need, and not surprisingly, received the highest grade from CFS. Why, then, do we advocate for the Liberals? For one thing—even though their chances may be remote at this point—the Liberals actually have the ability to form the government, while the NDP doesn't. Secondly, it is because the Liberal party made ambitious promises regarding post-second

offered. They've proposed a five per cent reduction of the GST—something from which tuition is already exempt. So that would save the average student bubkes on tuition. This, along with a string of vague promises such as "we will invest in educa tion," is their way of hoping to attract the student vote. Sorry, Mr. Harper: we are not dim enough to fall for this type of ambiguous pledge. Regardless of this focus on education, votes shouldn't be cast based on a single issue. We should look at the larger picture, at the values the McGill community holds dear, and consider which party they align with. We support the Kyoto accord. We support rights for same-sex couples. We’re against sending troops to Iraq. We're against missile defence. While we have reservations about the Liberal party in other areas, its members and leadership side with us on these concerns. So when we flock to the ballot boxes on Jan. 23, we should keep in mind exactly what we have at stake. We need to ensure that post-secondary education is made a priority and that our ruling party shares our vision of Canada. We shouldn't abandon our principles for the sake of change in government. ■

ary education during the last election, and we want to keep them in power to have the opportu nity to hold them accountable. Students have rallied tirelessly for increased funding for post-secondary education for the last decade. During the 2004 election campaign, the Liberal government answered, promising to create a dedicated transfer payment that could reach into the billions of dollars. On top of that, the 2005 Economic and Fiscal Update included $1-billion set aside to improve university infrastructure. Students have worked hard for a new investment in education, and we're finally seeing a genuine reaction. But if a Conservative government is elected, all our years of lobbying will have been in vain, and all the initiatives will be scrapped. We'll have to start applying pressure all over again, only this time we'll be starting even further behind. While the Liberals may not be as responsive as students would like, we can at least attempt to press them to deliver on their claims. Harper, meanwhile, has promised nothing of substance for students. How, then, can groups like Conservative McGill jump on the Harper train? Let's take a real look at what the Tories have

DARK H U M OU R

by j a m i e G o o d m a n

OFF THE B O A R D

Eric Alper, Daniel Amin, M ohit Arora, Tessa Blanchfield,

Leila Brillson, Dave Brodkey,

p r a y e r

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GENEVIEVE FRIESEN

Sarah Fraser, Rory Gangbar, Ezra Glinter, J.S. Hancox, Emily Harris, Chris MacLean, Mohammad Miraly, Katherine Spirgen, Vmcci Tsui, Jacqui Wilson Tribune Offices

Editorial. Shatner University Centre. Suite 110, 3480 McTavish, Montreal QC Tel: 514.398.6789 Fax. 514.398.1750 Advertising. Brown Student Building, Suite 1200, 3600 McTavish, Montreal QC H3A 1Y2 Tel. 514.398.6806 Fax. 514.398.7490

onight calls for something special. After my Carnival experience last week, I have reached rock bottom, and I have nowhere left to turn. I am sick of Boréale. No amount of Cuivrée, Blonde or Blanche will be able to fool me into drinking anymore of this swill. And so this is what I'm going to do: I am going to say a prayer. Just a little one. Well, after the prayer for a sexy dream. I'm going to say another. It will go something like this: Oh, Roz. Why have you taken Molson away from me? For no reason, I am forced to drink Boréale, and it is your fault The rumour mill has been working overtime, forcing me to question your intentions as VP Communications and

Events. Did Boréale really offer us a better deal? Could Molson not compete? Maybe it was the Coors affiliation that turned off such a liberal school as McGill. Oh, Roz. Please. Send me a sign that this wasn't a personal vendetta against Molson. And explain how, without even polling the student body you represent, you thought this was in our best interests. Tell me it's a lie that it's costing us the same amount of money to drink that polarbear-labelled poison. Oh, Roz. I loved Molson. We had an uncon ditional relationship; he never judged me on lone ly nights and always kept me company on the best of them. I feel like I'm cheating on my

boyfriend with another man. Oh, Roz. I just wish I would have known a lit tle bit sooner. You took away my first McGill friend and it has been a little hard to bear. Had the departments not been forced to sign these con tracts through your coercive ways and been allowed to sign with Molson, next year's froshees might still stand a fighting chance of enjoying beer. Oh, Roz. It's okay to make mistakes, as long as you're able to stand up and say you've made one. I pray that you are going to realize that it's high time the student body was given an apology for being forced to drink Boréale. Oh, and that you get a haircut. Amen. ■

The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society of McGill University, in collaboration with the Tribune Publication Society. Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@mcgilltribune.com, and must include the contributor's name, program and year, and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic, or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

opinion | 17 .1.06 j the mcgill tribune

Do you sudoku?

Letters to the editor

l NDP backers: full of predictable rage since 1961

Thank you to Brandon Chudleigh for wearing his prejudice and insecurity so proudly on his sleeve (Tickling my fancy—and Olivia, 10.1.06). Perhaps I need to recognize tongue-in-cheek humour when I see it, but it's not obvious in this case. Fallacy No. 1: Hippies and environmentalists are lazy, unkempt, and bad; unkempt people are lazy and bad; bad people are recognizable by their unkempt lazineSs and environmentalist worldview. I happen to fit roughly into both these categories, with pride at that. While I choose for a number of reasons (expense and uselessness being impor tant ones) not to get my hair cut, shave or spray myself with toxic chemicals, I am neither lazy nor unkempt. Fallacy No. 2: Students, and people in gener al who as I do vote NDP regularly, are naive and blind. The people I can always depend on to have a good conversation about such ostensibly nause ating things as social democratic values are some of the most-informed and un-illusioned people I know. I regularly go out of my way and spend valuable time keeping myself abreast of who's doing and saying what about things that affect us all, such as funding for post-secondary education, which enables you and me to pur sue our dreams and passions with an eye to a career carrying them out, regardless of our income class; public health care, which enables us all to go to the doctor and the hospital for free (never mind that such a worthy project is being bled dry by Liberals and Conservatives both in the interest of helping their private sector friends inflate a survival-of-the-richest market for human wellness, and that it was the pre-NDP Co-operative Commonwealth Federation under Tommy Douglas who implemented the bold vision of Canadian public health care to begin with and leg

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islative and on the ground protection of the natu ral environment, which enables us to have nice vacations at the cottage, and to breathe while walking down the street. Fallacy No. 3: Facial hair is an indicator of dis honesty or having something to hide. Again, here's another projection of people's own insecu rity and shady ethics onto others to whom such a notion simply wouldn't have occurred. Men have facial hair. It's a fact of life. Remember sex ed in grade 8? Get over it. Fallacy No. 4: The NDP has ulterior motives. Please! Just look at Stephen Harper—he wants-to start talking about missile defence again! Former Liberal MP and US ambassador Frank McKenna is well known to have ties to the arms-production industry and to support the Bush administration's scheme [ Ed. note: Former New Brunswick Premier McKenna was the leader of the New Brunswick Liberals; he has never served as a federal MP] There are also the issues of bulk water exports, general military integration with the US instead of UN peacekeeping, and many others. One has only to look at the history of these two parties, not to mention the Bloc Québécois, for lessons in ulterior motives. Fallacy No. 5: Urban wind turbines are a waste of money. Not only could this innovation potentially give every building independence from the grid and Hydro Quebec (that government cash-cow) along with its own energy source at zero operating cost; produce jobs in engineering, manufacture and maintenance; and even profit from the sale of excess power, it would dramati cally reduce pollution. Thanks, Brandon, for this opportunity to clear up a few things. Loren Carle M.Mus. Year 2

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campus S IL H O U E T T E — SUS/EUS

Esperanto: licking the

BLOOD

world with a new

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mother tongue

They vant to draw your blood

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c o m p la in ts

b lo o d

Although the last McGill blood drive held in Shatner angered Queer McGill because of a HemaQuebec policy that denies gay men the ability to donate blood, the Science and Engineering Undergraduate Societies' are holding another one in the very same place from Jan 23-27. Olivia Chang, U1 Biomedical Sciences and Humanistic Studies, is one of the five blood drive committee members dedicated to getting McGill students' blood. The drive is being held, says Chang, to find more donors. "We aim for 125 units of blood," she says, "and we've met that in the past." Although the advertising bill is being footed by EUS and SUS, the drive is essentially the same as the SSMU blood drive. Chang feels that the problem with Queer McGill is not one that should prevent students from giving blood. "It's not our stance, it's HemaQuebec's," she says. "I think, though, if people look at the grand picture they'll see that it's more impor tant to give blood than to fight over little details." Giving blood is more important than many people seem to realize. Chang had statistics at the ready when she explained why students should be more willing to give blood. "Every 80 seconds, someone needs a unit of blood," she says. "A lot of people don't know that with giving one unit you can save as many as four lives." Moreover, young peo ple are needed more than ever before. According to Hema-Quebec, the average donor age has risen to 45, which could have negative consequences for the future. Some people are afraid of the process, but Chang notes that all of the needles used are new and sterile and can't pass on any diseases to donors. In order to spread the word about the drive, the combined EUS/SUS committee is putting more money into increasing the events visibility through means of advertising and postering. In addition, they have decided to pull out the big guns: There will be loads of free food available to donors after they give blood. Chang says, "We encourage blood donors to have a snack and a short rest afterwards." While you're taking time away from classes, you can enjoy the post-needle coffee, juice, cookies and muffins; somehow, giving blood seems like a better excuse for missing a lecture than does an afternoon at Snow AP.

- a c _cy ”0 3 u CO

3 a _

E ro u

W H A T ...

d o n ’t

If the promise of free cookies isn't enough to coax you over to the cots in Shatner, Hema-Quebec has a system that encourages frequent blood dona tion—you can donate up to six times a year-by offering a reward system of sorts, called donor recognition. When you give blood, your name gets added to a database; you're thereafter categorized based on how often you give blood. Those who give often are compensated with pins and other small tokens of appreciation, including plaques and certificates. Chang donates blood four times a year, or "every time McGill has a blood drive." She chal lenges other students to do the same, saying that there are no good reasons not to give blood. "A lot of people want to [donate blood]," she says, "but they're just lazy. They think about it and don't do it. You've got to get off your seat and go." ■ Check out www.hema-quebec.qc.ca for more information on eligibility and blood drives.

No t r e

Vi n

m aiso n

VLADIMIR EREMIN

Maybe more people would give blood if they handed out wine and chocolate afterwards.

W H O ...

W H E N ...

c h a n c e

s e c o n d

h a lt t h e

d r iv e

GENEVIEVE JENKINS

CLUB

t o

le a r n

la n g u a g e

GENEVIEVE JENKINS

Esperanto Club President Leonid Chindelevitch began speaking Esperanto, a global second language, almost three years ago. Although he claims not to have spent much time working toward fluency, Chindelevitch had a firm grasp of the language after only two and a half months. "I'm a fairly lazy person," says the U3 Math and Computer Science major, "so it could have taken less time to learn." Chindelevitch first became interested in this mysterious language through Internet discussion groups. He identified with the set of ideals Esperanto seems to embody. "It's based on the ideals of equality, neutrality and simplicity," he says. "The idea is that there should be a language that allows eveiyone to speak on equal footing, is easy to learn and doesn't belong to a specific group." The Esperanto Club started last year and now boasts about 15 full-time members and a bevy of no-show believers. Year two promises some interest ing developments for the club, as Chindelevitch prepares the material for his Esperanto mini-courses. Most people in the club are not fluent, but they are learning. Chindelevitch, who learned Esperanto on his own using tapes from the library, says, "One of the purposes of the club is to allow people to learn in a friendly environment." Through the Internet Esperanto communities, Chindelevitch has made many friends around the world with whom he communicates regularly through the shared language. Person-to-person, Esperanto is used less frequently, but local speakers can find outlets in the weekly get-togethers of Montreal inter-uni versity groups. Says Chindelevitch, "It's a nice way of overcoming the FrenchEnglish language barrier; it allows equality to be attained." Esperanto was created in 1887 by Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof with the aim of creating an "easy and flexible language as a universal second language to foster peace and international understanding," according to Wikipedia. It's very difficult to establish exactly how many people in the world speak Esperanto because the speakers are not concentrated in any one place. Chindelevitch esti mates that there are between one and two million people fluent in Esperanto. Despite these relatively low numbers, the language is one of the top 15 most active languages on Wikipedia. Over 3,000 books are published in Esperanto every year, and there are speakers on every continent. Interestingly, the language seems to be most prevalent in those countries with the greatest number of different languages; in other words, Esperanto does appear to be an effective universal second language. "Some people think the purpose of Esperanto is to get rid of all other lan guages," says Chindelevitch, "but the purpose is to provide an easy second lan guage instead of suppressing any other languages." Because Esperanto allows for global communication, it has actually contributed to the preservation of minority languages in the world. If you're thinking of joining the club, there are countless reasons to do so. Chindelevitch says, "I don't think there is one 'best' reason for people to learn Esperanto: Some people like the creativity of it, some like the ideals, some want to add another language to their list, and others want to take advantage of the cheap means of travel." Apparently, Esperanto speakers around the world offer traveling speakers a chance to stay in their homes for free-not a bad perk for a student traveling on a shoestring budget. ■ Chindelevitch recommends Wikipedia for anyone who's interested in finding out more about Esperanto. If you're inclined to learn the language, check out www.lernu.net and stop by the Esperanto Club table at Activities Night this Wednesday.

W H E R E ...

C O N T A C T ...

Gimme Shelter Benefit Concert

Habitat for Humanity McGill

Jan. 18, 9 p.m.

Brutopia (1219 Crescent)

habitat_mcgill@yahoo.com

*Zombie Self-Defense Classes

McGill Sociey of the undead

Jan 21, midnight

Shatner Ballroom

george..romero@gmail.com

Jan. 20th, 3:30 p.m.

The Tribune Office

*Guess Cristina's Underwear Colour

Fhe McGill Tribune Ed Board

www.livejournal.com/~cristinasblog

***See how these listings are just TOO good to be true? To avoid showing up for an event that doesn't (sigh) exist... Submit your listings! Advertise to the masses! Cive us your money! Advertise your event! For only a toonie you can get a listing in the print and on-line editions of the Trib. Drop by the SSMU Office (Shatner building, Suite 1200) to pick up a form. Deadlines are Fridays at 3:30 p.m. For more information call 398.6789 or e-mail calendar@mcgilltribune.com

student living SAFETY

Protecting the Precious F o r

b e s t

(th e ft)

p r o t e c t io n ,

CRISTINA MARKHAM

Blanche Dubois, altruist that she was, always depended upon the kindness of strangers. Unfortunately, Blanche was dragged off to the nuthouse, so be sure to take her advice with a grain of salt. The majority of strangers, when put to the test, often come through—doors are held for old ladies, lost books are turned in to the lost and found, and laughter is stifled when the treacherous sidewalks of McTavish get the better of unsus pecting victims. But every once in a while, strangers can disap point us; in fact, they can be downright assholes. When you've become the victim of theft, you'll hear Blanche's words for exactly what they are: the deranged rantings of a Southern belle who has spent far too much time in the sun. We're all guilty of leaving our laptops out while we run off to make a phone call, or asking the person sitting opposite to keep an eye on our stuff as we dash off to the washroom. These, however, are the opportunities that thieves look for. While there's no need to become a shifty-eyed paranoid pursedutcher, there's no harm in being a little cautious. There are a few things you can do before you even leave your home. Engraving your valuables, like your iPod or laptop, with your name or phone number makes them much less valuable to thieves. Although pawn shopg owners are aware that the majority of the merchandise in their store is stolen, they will be less willing to sell something with identifying marks that can lead back to the original owner. Yes, defacing your predous iBook may break your heart, but a prim and pristine lap top is just begging to be lifted. Thieves who lurk in the library or bookstore are there for

k e e p

t h e

g o o d s

u n d e r

w r a p s

a reason. Open bags and abandoned laptops are temptation enough, but throw preoccupied students into the mix and you have a pickpocket's dream world. There are a few very simple things you can do to avoid making a target of yourself. First of all, zip up your damn bag! It's pathetic how something so simple can save you so much trouble, but an open bag is pretty much an invitation to have your wallet lifted. Also, avoid hanging your bag on your chair - but if you must, try to put it either between you and a neighbour, or near a wall. Laptops, despite what their advertisers will tell you, are awkward and cumbersome and are a definite hindrance to bathroom runs. But" according to McGill Security, four laptops are stolen every day in the McClennan library alone. So if shoving it in your bag is just not an option, at least go to the trouble of asking your neighbour to watch it for you. Leaving it open and in the middle of your table means that a thief will have to go to the trouble of packing it up, which will draw unnecessary and unwanted attention. But if it's gone when you get back, don't come crying to me. Finally, if you are unfortunate enough to be the victim of a theft, make sure you report it to McGill security and the police. There are a surprising number of video cameras hidden throughout campus, so there's a chance that the culprits will be caught on camera. The odds of your stuff being recovered are slim, but if the guards know who to look out for, you may be helping to prevent further incidents. Also, make sure you report the serial numbers of any stolen items to the police. The odds

of your belongings turning up are slim, but on the off chance that they do, the police will be able to get them back to you. While it’s much more fun to live in a deluded little dream world full of love and pixie sticks, the sad truth is that thieves don't care how screwed you'll be if your cell phone goes miss ing, and they're not bothered by how upset you'll be when all your favourite movie stubs disappear. So try to err on the side of caution-stay in your dream world, but keep an eye on your bag. ■

RECIPE

Cookies = Friends B a k in g

sk ills

ca n

b r in g

b a c k

t h e

lo v e

CRISTINA MARKHAM

While it is true that you only get one chance to make a first impression, you never run out of opportunities to remind people of how awesome you truly are. Unfortunately, charm, wit and a killer sense of humour will only take you so far. Sometimes, a little baking is required. If you need to dazzle friends and family with your incredible domestic skills, or if you just want to blatantly suck up to new co-workers, these cookies are ideal. True, they are a little more labour-intensive than your regular run-of-the-mill chocolate chip cookie, but when you see the looks in your friends' eyes after they take their first bites, you'll see why the extra work vyas worth it Hey, if you get them hooked on your cookies, they'll be a lot more willing to keep you around. Ingredients: 1 cup peanut M&Ms, Hershey's kisses, or Smarties 3/4 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda some extra granulated sugar (optional) Preheat the oven to 190 C (375 F). If you have an electric mixer, now is the time to blow the dust off of it and bust it out If, like the majority of the student population, you are lacking in the area of electric kitchen appliances, this can double as an awesome arm workout Combine the peanut butter, brown sugar, butter and granulated sugar, and mix until creamy. Beat in the egg and

vanilla extract In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking soda, then gradually beat the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mix ture. Only mix until the flour just disappears. Once the dough is smooth, roll it into one-inch balls. Then, roll each ball in granulated sugar. Place the dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet then bake for seven to nine minutes, or until lightly browned. Before the cookies can cool, press a candy into the middle of each one-the heat of the cookie will melt the chocolate just enough to make it stick. The cookies are cool enough when the chocolate has set Serve, sit back and let the compliments and praise come rolling in. ■ Cristina's list of favourite smells other than freshly-baked cookies:

- Clean laundry - Polo Blue cologne (especially on certain editors) - Pages fresh out of the printer/photocopier - Strawberry Kiwi Comet BonneBelle lipbalm -Campfires - Fresh cut grass - Cinnamon buns - What the Rock is cooking

the mcgill tribune | 17 .1.06 j stu d e n t living 13

DISCOS

W o n ’t y o u t a k e m e t o F u n k y t o w n ?

LOUIS BURROUGHES Although he blessed the radio with a great track, Jay-Z failed to present any practical solutions to said girl problems. Ask any guy on campus if he dances: One in two will likely hesitate before answering along the lines of "I suppose" or "Define dancing." Though I am no pick-up machine—I'm quite ready to admit that I am the chump who is forced to showcase his person ality in an attempt to obtain digits—I am more than willing to hold- my own on the dance floor. I have defeated many attempted cockblocks with a sim ple invitation to dance. But alas! You never signed up for that SSMU dance course, and instead opted for yoga, thinking that being the only male in a room full of flexible girls would inevitably lead to phone numbers galore. Now you're stranded on the floor with nothing more than the requisite dry hump mastered by every Froshie and that tired dancing robot routine Uncle Gerald taught you. How are you going to show the object of your affection you are the alpha male of her dreams without looking like Courtney Love at a PTA meeting? Here's a hint: pick a Friday night, scrape up $9 (includes cover and coat-check) with a motley crew of friends and head down to Funkytown. Welcome to UoD-University of Disco. Here, you'll see the pros in action. I'm not talking about the guy in your accounting class who wears polyester leisure suits (Jean-Guy probably works the Montreal Casino part-time), but people who learned to do the Hustle while Nixon was in office.

Geri Curls, turtlenecks tucked into navel-high Jordache jeans and mostexcellent mullets extend far as the eye can see. This clientele never gave up on the Dream of Disco, love their Trans Ams more than their offspring, mourn the death of Labatt's 0.5 beer and probably maintain a medicine cabinet full of Dippity-Do. If He-Man had distant cousins, they1d hang out here and call themselves the Masters of Disco. Without getting too close, let alone friendly, observe their calculated yet liberated moves and take (m ental) notes. Before jumping in, take heed to these words of caution: This is cougar country. Remember that this is where Uncle Gerald picks up his non-babes. The patrons (m ale and fem ale) can smell the fresh meat as it shows the bouncer its ID. To deter ambushes, don't go anywhere alone and travel in packs. Don't hold eye contact and stick with the convoy. Remember: loose lips sink ships-keep your mouth shut (Drinking) x (M ale hormones) + Cougars = Big Mistake. Be smart and leave your beer goggles at home. An error in judgment at a disco club will surely contradict a few of your New Year1s resolutions while providing your friends with some priceless material. Follow these three simple guidelines. Not only will you mean it when you tell your friend "Word to your Mother,” but you can bet your platform clogs you'll be a big success on your next Café Campus retro night visit ■

Dance to these disco tunes •

2. ABBA "Mamma Mia"

1. Shirley & Co. "Shame Shame Shame"

4. The Hues Corporation “Rock the Boaf

3. Billy Paul playing Elton John's "Your Song"

6 . Gloria Gaynor "I will survive"

5. Boney M. “Ma Baker"

8 . Grace Jones "La Vie en Rose"

7. The Sylvers "Boogie Fever"

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features

T h e a e s t h e t ic o f s e lf - s u b t r a c t io n S u c k in g

j -

A ~

tio n

a re

■

and

d ry :

h o w

c o s m e tic

c h a n g in g

th e

lip o s u c

s u rg e ry

w a y

w e

see

o u r s e lv e s

GENEVIEVE JENKINS

10* "" e've all seen the advertisements with the shocking "before" and "after" pictures; we know the images of a deformed and reformed body on display. Cosmetic surgery pictures always elicit a strong response because we can so quickly identify the differences, so readily determine our preference for the de-fatted, reorganized body in the post operation image. Among the most shocking pictures are those from liposuc tion patients, whose bodies have been reduced, the fat sucked out by metal rods injected under the skin. These pictures are appalling not only because of the difference from the initial photograph, but also because of the fact that something has been removed from the body rather than added. What are the patients losing in this subtraction? What are they gaining? It's an odd process of reduction—one that 4 0 0 ,0 0 0 Americans signed up for in 2001, with numbers climbing in the years since— that leaves us with the unsettling knowledge that something has changed outside of the physical self. When we tamper with our exterior (and the fat underneath), are we risking a fun damental change to ourselves?

■ N H M

T h e cu t ru n s d eep C o s m e tic

s u rg e ry N o rth

is n o t a n

A m e r ic a n

GENEVIEVE JENKINS There are those among us who scoff at the rela tively recent trend in cosmetic surgery as something unique to our North American culture. It is, such scoffers presume, a product of our own creation: born of Calvin Klein ads and Michael Jackson's acceptably freakish vis age. We have, after all, watched cosmetic surgery take centre stage among our treasured celebrities, replacing eating disorders as the physical corrector du jo u r. To regard it as something unique to North America, how ever, is to make the error of ethnocentrism: We North Americans are not the only ones spoon-fed the images of the impossibly thin, doe-eyed women and muscled, beautiful men. Around the world, people of different countries have found their cosmetic surgery preferences and bought into what seems to be a global trend toward an imagined perfection. In North America, we may have a wannabe-Barbie, Cindy Jackson, but China has its Hao Lulu, a young woman who went through over a dozen operations on what the China Daily called a "ducklingto-swan" journey. China, so long a communist country, now has over a million cosmetic surgery clinics where about $2.4-billion was spent in 2003. Eager patients in the United States, in comparison, spent approximately $9.4-billion on cosmetic surgery. Though the US is still ahead by a long shot, China may be vying for the title of most surgically enhanced population. In 2003, China held the first Miss Plastic Surgery contest, a beauty pageant for women who had under gone cosmetic surgery. The contest was repeated the following year, drawing contestants from all over the world. It began when an 18-year-old Chinese woman, Yang Yuan, was removed from the Miss Beijing Beauty contest because she had 11 operations to alter her appearance. As the China Daily wrote in 2004, "Beauty pageants were once considered reviled displays of western decadence but have become big business in

e x c lu s iv e ly

fa d

China following more than two decades of economic reforms." Chinese men have joined the women in the quest for physical perfection; more and more Chinese men are signing up for cosmetic surgery—including breast implants—to more adequately fufill what they see as a cultural ideal. Along with the Miss Plastic Surgery con-; test, China gave its men a chance to compete to become the first man-made handsome man. The win ner of the contest, Zhang Yinghua, underwent seven surgeries following his victory in the hopes of becoming a successful model or actor. The most common cosmetic surgery practices in China appear to be types of facial restructuring, particu larly those surgeries which reshape the eyes to give a wider look, and those which build up the nose to give it a more defined bridge. Elsewhere in the world, specifically Brazil and other parts of Latin America, the surgical emphasis is on the buttocks. According to the Liposuction, Tummy Tucks and Butt Implants Specialists (No, this is not a joke), "although our international colleges especially in Brazil and South America have always had an interest in body, sculpting, the US was not as focused. One of the areas in plastic surgery that is becoming the centre of atten tion is the buttock area." When resculpting the buttocks, doctors can remove fat from other parts of your body and inject it into the appropriate areas of the cheeks; otherwise, you can get a butt implant. Although the rest of the world may have some sur gical trends that we haven't quite caught on to yet, it is still the West that leads the cosmetically enhanced pack. "The U.S. continues to perform the most aesthetic pro cedures," noted Dr. Luiz Toledo of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in a recent interview with the Cosmetic Surgery Times. Given the rapidly rising numbers of people signing up for surgeries in North America, the line at the grocery store checkout might soon look like a group of contestants competing for the coveted Miss and Mr. Plastic Surgery sash. ■

If obesity is a disease... You can find books about plastic surgery dating back to 1597 in the McGill library; it's a medical practice that was first documented in 1000 BC Despite this, cosmetic surgery is a product of a more recent age. The two terms—plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery—are distinct and should be seen as such: Plastic surgery is intended to repair damaged or diseased body parts, whereas cosmetic surgery is performed in order to alter the aes thetic of a body. This is what makes liposuction such an interesting surgery: Is it technically plastic or cosmetic surgery? Arguably, if the obese body is a diseased body, liposuction is being performed to alter the diseased body part (in this case, the whole body). On the other hand, liposuction isn't nec essarily fixing the problems of the disease, only its physical indicators. In other words, the fatty deposits visible to the world can be removed, but the internal organs, likely also buried in fat, remain damaged. So what, if any thing, is being repaired? The answer to this argument may seem irrelevant, but in many ways it is of the utmost importance. For some people, liposuction is obviously a form of cosmetic surgery; they are the patients not technically overweight who want liposuction only to conform to some cultural ideal of a trim body. And the trend is growing. Viewing the images of the before and after, younger and slimmer groups are being converted to the culture of cosmet ic surgery. They are becoming convinced that someday they, too, will be just like the groups of men and women in the "before" pictures; the only way of saving themselves from such visible humiliation as the photographing of their someday-overweight figures is to stave it off, to free themselves of all fat before it has a chance to accumulate. Searching for self If, then, we can safely assign liposuction to the category of cosmetic surgery, a new and even more interesting question about the motivation for liposuction and its distinction from other forms of cosmetic surgery arises: What is the significance of subtraction from the body? Being able to remove so much of the body potentially alters the psyche. Think of liposuction in comparison with the loss of a leg. Though the patient chooses liposuction in an attempt to gain self-confidence and we assume someone who loses a leg in an operation does not choose it and typically suffers from loss of self-confidence, the two still share the commonality of reduction of the physical self. The fat removed during liposuction, even if unwanted, is a part of the patient that will never be regained (assuming post-surgery goals are met). Interesting, too, is the fact that liposuction allows for a new body. Although more and more young people are lining up for cosmetic surgeries that will reduce their barely there fat or enhance their newly developed body parts, the surgery is used most often to return aging bodies to an earlier state, before all of the extra calories heaped up into gobs of quivering stom ach rolls. The surgery works like a fountain of youth, only you're spewing liq uefied fat into it rather than imbibing rejuvenating waters. all photos by LUKAS BERGMARK

the mcgill tribune | 17.1.06 | features 15

T h e yo u n g and th e s u r g ic a lly e n h a n c e d : |

If y o u ’r e

g o in g

p la s tic , w h y

GENEVIEVE JENKINS

Consequence-free? Although most people today think of cosmetic surgery in a very limited! way-namely, in the "before" and "after" photographs-it has consequences! for both the individual and society. "Cosmetic surgery has been absorbed by contemporary culture and, as a l result, domesticated and de-traumatised," claims Marzena Kubisz, author of 1 Strategies o f Resistance. "The phenomenon of cosmetic surgery has been ide-| ologically reinforced and culturally blessed." The point may seem obvious, but it also seems to be something given! very little thought today. We see movie stars and assume that they have had I plastic surgery, or, at the very least, Botox. Plasticization of the human form has! become the norm as w e add and subtract from our imperfect figures to m ake| them into the Barbie and Ken dolls we were never meant to be. When we examine those pictures, those tangible testaments to the pos sibilities of cosmetic surgery, we're missing a lot of in between. We miss th e l entire period of bruising and pain and incapacitation. We're missing the ideal that losing something of ourselves isn't pain-free, even under circumstances j of our own choosing. One of the most significant things we, as a global society obsessed with! image, seem to be missing is the perspective of what is an improvement! upon the body. On its Web site, the Canadian Institute of Cosmetic Surgery! boasts, "This year, more than two million North Americans will improve th e l way they look and feel through plastic surgery: men and women, young and! old, people from all walks of life who want to make a change for the better."| Somehow, we—or at least two million North Americans this year—have deter-F mined that changing ourselves through cosmetic surgery is change "for th e | better." ■

According to a study conducted by MedicineNet.com, the number of cosmetic surgery procedures performed soared 2 9 9 per cent from 1997 to 20 03 . In the same study, 559 university-age women were questioned about their experience with cosmetic surgery. Only 5 per cent of this sam ple had had some form of cosmetic surgery before. The number may make it so u n d as if young women are not really being sucked into the growing trend of physical plasticization; however, over 4 0 per cent of the study participants claimed they would "consider plastic surgery in the near future." Let's not be shocked. Rather than asking why young men and women would even consider get ting plastic surgery, it may make more sense to ask why you would ever consider getting plastic surgery at a more advanced age. After all, if you're looking for the self-esteem boost that comes from feeling like you have a better body, wouldn't it make more sense to have the surgery when you're young and still searching for a mate? Botox and facelifts are all well and good in their own place and time, but the youthful figure is the best figure; if you're looking to remodel, why not start with the best? In some stranger cases reported by China's People's D a ily O nline in 20 04 , a six-year-old asked for surgically made double eyelids and a mother requested that a doctor put two dimples in the cheeks of her three-year-old child. These instances are troubling, but by no means the norm. In fact, plastic surgeons typically refuse to perform opera tions on patients under 18 (unless they have physi cal abnormalities). In the US„ girls are asking for breast implants, nose jobs, chemical peels, tummy tucks and liposuc tion well before they hit legal drinking age. Boys, though a little slow to catch on to the trend, will like ly jump on the bandwagon before too much time goes by. What better time in life to have some bulging pecs and stunningly well-shaped calf mus cles than the post-puberty years of university?

n o t d o

i t e a r ly ?

Heather Panzer, a 21-year-old university gradu ate, asked her parents for a boob job when she fin ished school, as she told Good Morning America in 20 04 . Her parents agreed to foot the $6,000 bill in order to help boost Panzer's self-esteem. Panzer is hardly alone in her quest for the plastic remedy to her personal woes. Although many people consider this to be an outrageous display of physical obses sion, can we really say that Panzer's motivation is unsound? It's been the policy of the average person to look down on the presumed shallowness of those who undergo repeated cosmetic surgeries, even while agreeing with a standard of physical beauty that harbours surgical alterations. Why wouldn't younger people be interested in the surgeries that have for years so successfully salvaged the careers of models and actors? Why wouldn't it make sense to start hacking up imperfect parts at a young age to stave off the inevitability of fading physical appeal? It's a question we really haven't asked, and we cer tainly haven't answered. ■

The "FSU Facebook Girl" (shown here without a head) is known to have a set of silicone guns.

F u n d in g f a t s u b t r a c t i o n T h e

c o s ts

o f b o d y

2001 STATISTICS (US National Average) PROCEDURE SURGEON/PHYSICIAN FEE Botox® injection $388 Breast implant removal $2,086 Breast augmentation $3,043 Breast lift $3,503 Breast reduction in men $2,747 Buttock lift $3,717 Cellulite massage treatment $235 Cheek implant $ 1,945 Chemical peel $516 Chin augmentation $1,488 Collagen injection $333 Dermabrasion $1,254 Ear surgery $2,168 Eyelid surgery $2,544

a lte r a tio n

Facelift Fat injection Fibril injection Forehead lift Laser hair removal Laser skin resurfacing Laser treatment of leg veins Lip implants Liposuction Upper arm lift Lower body lift Microdermabrasion Rhinoplasty Sclerotherapy Thigh lift Tummy tuck

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a&e COMEDY

You W IL L see my show, you W IL L see my show, you W ILL...

Damian the Hypnotist promises good laughs and pregnant men TESSA BLANCHFIELD ' Som e p e o p le can p ick up a g u ita r a n d listen to a son g a n d s ta rt p layin g rig h t aw ay; well, those are g ifte d musicians. I was g ift e d to hypnosis. I un derstood it rig h t a w a y w ith o u t m u ch fo rm a l training." -D a m ia n the H ypnotist

Oddly enough, Damian the Hypnotist's first encounter with his mysterious skill was at a dentist's office. Damian could not stop grinding his teeth while he slept. At the suggestion of his dentist, Damian saw a hypnotherapist to help him shake the habit and was impressed by the technique's success. He then discovered that he had a natural inclination towards hypnotism; "I understood the whole process, and I was really drawn to it," he explains. "You really have to understand that part of your mind and how to transfer your energy and to hypnotize the people." Damian has been on the road for five years, performing 150 shows per year in five countries. He has worked with MTV and toured with Steve-0 of Jackass. Now, he's coming to Montreal because AfterDARK, an event planning organization run by students, is offering the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see and participate in his high-energy, interactive stage show. But Damian is more than just flash. There's substance to his style, as evidenced by his certification as a master hypnothera pist and a member of the prestigious British Association of Therapeutical Hypnotists. He has also released three self-hyp notherapy CDs to help willing people quit smoking, lose weight and get motivated. Although Damian is now pursuing his Ph.D. in clinical hyp notherapy, he insists that schooling is not the necessary element of a good hypnotherapist. "If you gave me a piano and you taught me piano for months and months and months, I would never be a pianist," he explained. "With hypnosis, it is the same thing."

different routines for different audiences, ranging from PG-13 to X-rated stage shows. Damian will be performing his most risqué routine Thursday at 8 p.m.—meaning, of course, that the main topic is sex. Don't worry, though: the event coordinators for AfterDARK, Andrew Graham Hussey and Zach Klein, assure would-be spectators that the show will be tasteful. No clothes will be removed, but you can still have fun. The winning element of this show is how Damian tailors his performance to the crowd. DJ Mike McDonnel spins tracks according to reactions from the audience, creating a sponta neous, memorable experience. Offering different spectacles in different venues provides a unique dynamic in an already unpre dictable medium.

Methods of Mayhem Damian's Web site, w w w .d a m ia n th e h yp n o tistco m , features video clips of some of his shows. Among the human bull riding, excruciating karaoke ballads and assorted mayhem, Damian hyp notizes both women and men to believe that they are giving birth to a child after nine months of gestation. The groans of agony from the hypnotized and confused men turn to cheerful whimpers when they are finally presented with the invisible fruits of their loins. When asked about the amount of power a hypnotist appears to possesses, Damian clarifies one of the many miscon ceptions about hypnotism. According to the artist, hypnotists cannot control anyone. They can merely make suggestions to people in a state of deep relaxation. "I get into your subconscious," he says. "I relax you to the point where you get into REM sleep. Once you get into that REM, I can control your subconscious and give it suggestions, and you act upon those suggestions. It's really not that magical. It's just a matter of you getting yourself hypnotized with my energy, and then falling into the show." Contrary to popular belief, anyone can be hypnotized if they are willing and do not fight the process. "If you can dream at night, you can be hypnotized," Damien says. "You are using the exact same part of your mind. What I do as a hypnotist is I relax your conscious mind and I open up your subconscious, which is your creative side." ■

Humble Beginnings Before staking his reputation in hypnotism, Damian had aspirations of becoming an actor. He got a few assorted gigs, of which the crowning glory was hosting Animal Planet's show Celebrity Pets from 2 0 0 0 -2 0 0 2 , and his acting jones shows through in his frenetic and engaging show. He calls 15 to 20 vol unteers on stage and makes them do anything from "becoming Britney Spears to having them make love to their chair." He offers

HANDS

OFF

THE

After performing at more than 9 0 universities worldwide, Damian has developed a special tenderness towards his coed fans. For the provocative hypnotist, university students make the best shows. By connecting with what appeals to undergraduates, Damian says, "I bring this to the next level in the sense that it's hip and fun, and I created the show in that fashion." Damian himself is very enthusiastic about his chosen career. He is a charismatic figure and speaks excitedly about the special pull of the show. "When you've got a hypnotist, instead of seeing a comedi an, you've got 15-20 people up there being the comedians. It's a lot of fun to see your peers getting hypnotized and doing things that they wouldn't normally do."

DAMIANTHEHYPNOTIST.COM Damian the Hypnotist—with eyes that could steal your soul

D a m ia n the H ypnotist w ill b e p e rfo rm in g Thursday, Jan. 19, a t 8 p.m . in the S hatner Ballroom , th ird floor. There w ill be a m e e t

like a camera.

a n d g re e t a fte r the show, a t Cert's.

CANVAS D o e s

th is

m a k e

th e m

p s e u d o -c e le b s ? LEILA BRILLSON

hen I was entering the seventh grade, I had an older, wiser and slightly rebellious friend named Rachel. Rachel was super cool—she listened to the Deftones before they sucked and shaved her head. Suddenly, without any warning, her seemingly laid-back parents sent her to "boarding school." The next summer she came back telling us how she had discovered, through her school, a religion known as "Scientology." She was moving to L.A. and was heartbroken because she was leaving her boyfriend, a nonScientologist she was forbidden from seeing. That was the last time I heard from Rachel, except for a mysterious post card with no return address. I had almost entirely dismissed the incident as being incredibly bizarre and semi-depressing until quite recently, when I was introduced to the term "pseudoscience." Tom Cruise spouted this word during his unprovoked attack on Matt Lauer during the Today S how this summer. In his tirade, Cruise criticized Brooke Shields for using anti-depressants to treat post-partum depression. While successfully proving that he must have inhaled too much glitter on the set of Legend, Cruise also brought Scientology into the limelight. To say Cruise is nuts is a statement that no pop-culture junkie could deny. However, what is Scientology exactly? Why is the entirety of Hollywood involved? Most importantly, why

is it so shrouded in mystery? To answer these questions I decided, against my better judgment, to join the Church of Scientology. Scientology was founded by controversial 20th-century figure L. Ron Hubbard. The basic precepts of Scientology are sound, practically sensible. Humankind consists of sentient beings (Thetans), and should use scientific methods to understand their emotions. Okay, understandable. However, to dissect the mind, one must engage in a procedure of "auditing," or talking to an Operating Thetan—the equivalent of a Scientologist priest. Here is where Scientology becomes entirely convoluted. There are paths and "levels" of knowl edge that one can obtain, but only through being audited. Auditing, apparently, is the antithesis of psychiatry. While other religions have Satan, Scientologists have psychiatry. This is all shrouded in a great deal of mystery. In fact, I discovered that there are eight levels of Operating Thetans. To gain entrance to level VII—something I don't think any celebri ty has yet achieved—Scientologists are taken o n to a ship to be truly enlightened by their final auditing. What was even more interesting is that nowhere in any of the Scientology material I pored over did I discover the meaning of auditing. I did discover that it requires plenty of money and without it, I would get nowhere in the realm of

Scientology—or in life, as luck would have it. I also took a test to see exactly what Scientology said was wrong with me, the results of which were eerily sent to the local Church. (If any one wants to accompany me, I'll gladly pick them up. I am not going alone). Yet, I did find something prominently displayed on Scientology's Web site—the number of celebrities who have converted to the religion. Cruise and John Travolta are the most widely recognized, but Scientology also claims Katie Couric, Kirstie Alley, Isaac Hayes, Lisa Marie Presley and Jenna Elfman among its devotees. Okay, we can afford to lose them. But what about Beck, Jason Lee (Brodie in M allrats ), Juliette Lewis and even Hyde from That 70s S h o w l Basically, Scientology is a religion (even though Canada courts have twice handed down criminal convictions against Scientology as a corporation) that provides relief to those who can pay for it It is convoluted and creepy, and its propo nents are all over our televisions. Are the lives of celebrities so unfulfilling that they need to turn to a cultish organization to achieve some kind of inner sanctity? My hypothesis is that when one obtains an inordinate amount of money, some thing must be done with it. That something, for half of Hollywood, is to fund and develop the appropriately-titled "pseudosciences." ■

the mcgill tribune | 17 .1.06 | a& e 17

N I G H T L I F E

PREVI EWS

T h e r e ’s s o m u c h t o d o

wam m m

A fte rD A R K

Student-run company likes to party TESSA BLANCHFIELD Zach Klein and Andrew Graham Hussler are two regular university students. Klein is a student at McGill and Hussler studies communications at Concordia. Together, the two friends started a promotional event organization and christened it AfterDARK Events. Their latest production is a long-term project that the boys are quite proud of—Damian the Hypnotist will be performing at Concordia University Jan. 19, and at McGill the follow ing night. Listening to Klein and Hussler talk, it was easy to see that they are passionate about their work. "We've thrown some very good parties over the last three years," Klein said, "so we're really excited about venturing into new territory and trying something new." AfterDARK has given university students reason to drink, dance and be all-around merry with their numer ous loft and dance parties for the past three years. Other than just partying, the two students are serious about promoting local up-and-coming talent and paying them when possible. "We like to work with new artists, because they've been struggling to do a bunch of shows and they're doing it for free. It's good for everyone," explains Hussler.

Two student comedians will emcee the upcoming event. Productions such as AfterDARK events are invaluable to new talent who need the exposure. This Thursday will be the first time AfterDARK has ventured into the realm o f comedy, with the X-rated humour of Damian the Hypnotist. As Klein said excited ly, 'The vibe for this party and the feedback we've been getting from people, it's been awesome." In fact, the event was first scheduled to be held in Moyse Hall, which seats 306. Yet, as Hussler explained, "We've got a lot of positive response for this show, so we're thinking of moving it to a larger venue." There has been so much hype about the show that the pair decid ed to release more tickets and move the event to the spacious Shatner Ballroom. The dedicated pair has worked hard to offer Montreal students the opportunity to see quality local tal ent inexpensively. Their events are unique in that they seek to host events such as art shows and concerts at unconventional venues like warehouses and lofts. ■ Visit www.AfterDARKEvents.us fo r in fo rm a tio n

u p c o m in g p a rtie s a n d events. D a m ia n th e H y p n o tis t w ill p e rfo rm u n d e r th e A fterD A R K b a n n e r this Thursd ay in th e S h a tn e r B a llro o m a t 8 p.m .

THEATRE

N o h o r s in ’ a ro u n d

Players’ Theatre saddles up for some heavy drama BEN LEMIEUX As Barry O'Connell, lead actor in the latest Players' Theatre dramat ic production, asserts, "You don't ever wonder, try to remember whether or not you're seen Equus. You know you've seen Equus'.' It’s rare that a theatrical piece leaves a mark as profound as Peter Shaffer's memorable 1973 gem. The play is set at the time when it was written, dealing uncompromis ingly with all the hot-button issues of the tim e—sexuality, religion, fetishization—in ways that few other literary or theatrical works of the era dared to explore. The play follows psychiatrist Martin Dysart (played aptly by O'Connell) through his counselling of 17-year-old Alan Strang (Daniel Clegg) after he inex plicably gouges the eyes of six hors es with a hoof pick. While at first Strang's actions and psychosis seem like a bottomless pit of arbitrary madness, it gradually becomes apparent that his unstable character is the product of a confounding reli gious upbringing and sorely misdi-' rected—and unchecked—sexuality. O'Connell views the play as one that will force the audience to question itself about the motifs and touchy subject matter. "What hap pens when sexual ecstasy is either thwarted, denied or misplaced?" O'Connell poses. "I think that's what this play is about. What do you do, [for instance], when you discover you're never going to be a father, never going to have that power to say, 'This is something that I've cre ated.'"

The line between healthy sexu ality and godliness is often blurred in Equus, rarely offering the audience members a clear answer as to the author's intentions, or any of the hundreds of identity-related ques tions they will toss around in their minds while walking home. 'There's a sense of complete disbelief that this could actually hap pen," explains director Sean Waugh. "Through Alan Strang and through Martin Dysart we see all these ques tions being posed to the audience. 'What is normal? What role does reli gion play in our lives? The way we're brought up by our par ents or exposed to sexu ality, how does this shape us as a people?"' The questions are handled with fine-tuned acting by leads O'Connell and Clegg, while Waugh handles the text and stage direction squarely and competent ly. Clegg's characteriza tion, in particular, is a to u r-d e -fo rc e perform ance rendering every nuance of mental distur bance, yet simultaneous ly allowing the audience to feel compassion for an utterly deranged char acter. "Alan has problems which hardly anyone can relate to in a specific sense, but he is a sym pathetic character," Clegg argues. "The play is so well written you can

compiled by Melissa Price

Film. Cannes Advertising Festival 2 0 0 5 —Cinema du P arc-3575 Parc-now playing r/t v g v L Normally, I'm of the mind that commercials are deepiy evil and should be avoided like the plague. In the case of the Cannes Ad Festival, however. I'd like to advise everyone to go watch award-winning advertisements for an hour and a half. No, seriously. If the winning clips fea tured in previous years are any indication, these commer cials are so good that you almost forgive them for relentlessly trying to sell you goods and services. See cin e m a d u p a rc c o m for showtimes. Art. S tretchpoem —Michelle Gay—Articule Gallery4001 Berri # 105—opens Jan. 14 As obsessively incestuous networks of bloggers and livejournallers worldwide would be all too happy to tell you, technology does not necessarily have to be alienat ing. In Stretchpoem , Michelle Gay explores the ability of computers to connect us through the written word. It's interactive, so you get to help play with the big, floaty words being projected on a screen and watch them twist into meaning, creating what Gay calls a "tex tual landscape." Open Wednesday to Sunday, 12-5 p.m. Music. Feist-Metropolis—59 Ste-Catherine E —Jan. 17 Feist, whose actual first name is Leslie, is a perpetual buzzword on the collective lips of the Canadian music scene. She's a member of Broken Social Scene—which is still really cool despite the fact that two-thirds of the musi cians in Canada are or were in Broken Social S cen eplayed guitar with By Divine Right, and has worked with Kings of Convenience and crassly intimidating electrodash enigma Peaches. Oh yeah, and she released two great indie-pop solo albums, one of which won a Juno. I know no one cares about the Juno Awards, but it's still impressive. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Film. M atch Point—opens Jan. 20 Okay, for one thing, it's a suspense flick directed by Woody Allen that's been getting great reviews in places where it's already o u t For another, it features the ridicu lously hot Scarlett Johansson (and also Johnathan RhysMeyers, if thats the way you swing). In case you need any more reasons to see this film, it's touted as a noirish and nail-bitingly sus penseful thriller with a tangled plot that will leave your head spinning and more romantic intrigue than you can shake a stick at. How's that?

understand exactly why he's got to that stage—you appreciate him as much as a victim as he is an antag onist towards the horses. Everyone can relate to Alan in their own way [because] everyone knows what it's like to have questions about what-is normal. 'Am I normal? Are these things that I think normal? Is what I do normal?'" Is it? Find out for yourselves. ■

Please, please w rite for us. W e are so very tired. Mondays @ 5:30 in Caferama.

POSTERING SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE O N CAMPUS

Equus plays Jan. 19-21 a t 8 p.m . a n d Jan. 2 2 a t 2 p.m . S tudent tickets are $6. The Players' Theatre is on the

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3 9 8 - 6 7 7 7 or POST<S>SSMU.CA This unique service offers advertisers the opportunity to reach the rich McGill student market within the McGill ghetto community

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a&e | 17.1.06 | the mcgill tribune

FILM

L e a r n in g t h e le s s o n s o f H o t e l R w a n d a Paul

R u s e s a b a g in a

speaks

EZRA G U N TE R Crowds of people lined up outside Concordia University Wednesday to hear Paul Rusesabagina, the subject of the 2 0 0 4 film H o te l Rwanda, speak about his experiences. Rusesabagina is known for his humanitar ian efforts during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when he used his position as manager at the Hotel des Mille Collines to save 1,268 refugees. He is the recipient of such honours as the Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity, the National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. During his lecture, he stressed the need for Westerners to become involved in world events, in order to prevent the kinds of atroci ties he experienced. Between April and June of 1994, some

a t C o n c o r d ia

where from 8 0 0 ,0 0 0 to one-million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered in Rwanda by the extremist Hutu militia known as the Interahamwe, a loosely organized group com posed largely of civilians. Rusesabagina described seeing his own "neighbours with machetes [and] guns." Though Western leaders were aware of the situation, they refused to intervene and the few UN forces that were allowed to stay in Rwanda were unable to stop the growing slaughter. Shortly after the genocide began on April 6 , Rusesabagina took his family and neigh bours to the Mille Collines, which was relative ly safe due to its Belgian ownership and bevy of international guests. After the bulk of UN troops withdrew from Rwanda, however, for eigners were evacuated and the growing num ber of refugees were left to fend for them

selves. "The international community had decided to close its eyes, ears, turn its back, run away," Rusesabagina said. He was able to pro tect the refugees through his personal connec tions as well as numerous bribes. They stayed in the hotel for 76 days, during which time they were forced to resort to the swimming pool for drinking water. Eventually the Mille Collines refugees were evacuated to safety behind Tutsi rebel lines. Rusesabagina remained in Africa until 1996, when he moved to Belgium with his family. Since then he has lectured extensively in an effort to raise awareness about the Rwandan genocide as well as current and future humanitarian disasters. He also estab lished the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, which "provides support, care, and assistance to children orphaned by, and

wom en abused during, the genocide in Rwanda." Rusesabagina's lecture was followed by a short speech by Jean-Paul Gahunde, a 28-yearold political science student at Concordia whom Rusesabagina saved during the geno cide. Gahunde arrived at thë Mille Collines with four gunshot wounds, and was immediately warned to be careful who he spoke to. Consequently, he was completely unaware of Rusesabagina until he saw the film H o te l Rwanda. The two met for the first time on Wednesday. During his lecture, Rusesabagina repeat edly urged Western nations and their citizens to keep their eyes open and take action against continuing atrocities. "One day," he said, "we will have to face history." ■

FILM

E u r o S l i c e ‘n ’ D i c e

Hostel: for all your slasher needs H IT T I il ■ «1 ■ i U l U l l

*t i l i il

J.S. H A N C O X

horror, H ostel does not rely on the jump-out-at-you thrills that drive the tedious Scream s of the genre. The horror is built upon sheer dread at the thought of what will happen to the protagonists. Additionally, the characters them selves are more than afraid. Like Saw, it focuses on what ordinary people will do to survive when they find them selves having woken up in hell. Now, you could say that H ostel is misogynistic, that it's ethnocentric, that ifs bigot ed—but in reality. H ostel paints a pretty dim picture of just about all its characters. It's an equal-opportunity discrimi nator. To finally address the issue of quality, if you're an afi cionado of blood, gore and menacing atmospheric quali ties, you will doubtless have an appreciation for Hostel. My heart rate did increase; the violence was suitably vio lent; the madmen terribly insane; the women frequently unclothed. Ifs a B-grade slasher that doesn't pretend to be anything else. A masterpiece it is not—though there is one scene involving an American businessman that I would certainly call inspired—but ifll do for your Fridaynight thrills. ■

The movie I was most reminded of while watching the gore-fest known as Hostel, strangely enough, was 2004's Eurotrip. Both movies feature young Americans searching Amsterdam for sex and legalized marijuana and both take a trip to a version of Eastern Europe reminiscent of the Dark Ages. H ostel is Eurotrip seen through a very ominous looking-glass. It's a psychotic reflection of its sunny and sex-drenched cousin. Before I go on, I want to make a comment about horror movie reviews. There's a specific reason that hor ror movies always receive, well, horrible reviews—and it is a bad reason. Reviewers hold them to standards they were never intended to meet. I don't venture into an urban drama looking for scenery to match a classical painting, and by that same token, I don't go to a horror movie looking for complex interplays among various char acters. It's a different brand of filmmaking altogether. H ostel was produced by Quentin Tarantino, so there's no doubt walking into the theatre that it will be astonishingly violent. There's that (in)famous line uttered by Marcellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction, "I'ma get medieval on yo' ass." H ostel is essentially a trip to a dungeon where some one's ass does in fact get medievaled. Every prop and atmospheric touch in every horror movie ever con ceived makes a guest appearance—drills, knives, pliers and other unidentifi able metal implements, blowtorches, chainsaws, bare light bulbs, damp and grimy tile walls, etc. The stark contrast between the sombre, dated dungeon and the modern appliances appearing at the beginning of the film add yet another distinct touch of eeriness to GAMEMAG.RU the tale. As a member of a rela N ot exactly the sunny, sex-drenched vacation she had hoped for—though sexy. tively higher-brow school of

the mcgill tribune j 17.1.06 | a& e 19

BOOKS

S o , h o w d o y o u t e ll w h e n a n a d d i c t is ly in g ? O p r a h ’s g o ld e n (a lle g e d )

b o y

turns

o u t

fra u d

MELISSA PRICE 'That is... essentially, exactly the way it happened." —Fox Mulder, from the X-Files episode "Bad Blood" In 2003, James Frey's A M illion Little Pieces was published. A fragmented, beautiful memoir about deal ing with addiction, it follows Frey's broken and blackoutridden slough through the hell of drug rehabilitation. From the moment he wakes up on a plane, still drunk, bruised and covered1with blood and vomit, with no idea where he is or where the plane is headed, the book is a detached yet heartwrenching account of his struggle to reconcile his own nihilism with his intense will to survive. Frey's brutal and uncompromising description of substance abuse unfolds in a manner comparable to William S. Burroughs' Junky—that is, uncomfortably glib yet deeply honest. Oh, also, he made the whole damn thing up. At least, that's what recent exposés have been saying: A bunch of the criminal wrongdoings he detailed seem to be unsubstantiated by police records. Additionally, critics have questioned the veracity of several events in the THESMOKINGGUN.COM book, including a series of anaesthetic-free root canals. Frey in 1992, after crashing into either a pole or a I'm not going to waste my time speculating on cop (depending on who you ask). whether the guy is a really a hopeless addict in trouble with the law or just a really good liar. This is partially researched fictional memoir, and frankly, that's what a because I have no idea, but mostly because it doesn't hell of a lot of autobiographies actually are. People don't matter all that much. This isn't to say I place no value on the distinction remember past events perfectly, and moreover, the between fiction and non-fiction. Frey has billed his book complete, exact, 100 per cent true truth isn't always the as a memoir, and if it turns out that he fabricated a large most interesting book one could write. Of course, most authors of memoirs tend to embel part of the story, then that sucks and he's an asshole. Flowever, whether or not it's fictional, A M illion Little lish the truth, rather than concoct elaborate lies. The Pieces is still an excoriating piece of literature that is large problem lies in the grey area between the two, which ly valid in its status as a non-fiction memoir of its genre. Frey appears to be precariously straddling. However, the Unlike other personal accounts of drug addiction issue reflects more on Frey than on the work itself; at the that have been alleged to be false, Frey's story is one that risk of sounding overly philosophical, I'd say that the truth comes close enough to true descriptions of the experi contained in A M illion Little Pieces does not depend on ence to shed some light upon the actual situation. Take whether the events actually happened. If the allegations turn out to be true, more than a Co Ask Alice for contrast: Published in 1971 as the anonymous diary of a young girl spiraling down into the few people will be very upset with James Frey. This is evil Hippie underworld, Alice is interesting only as an totally justified. All the same, I hope it doesn't overshad ow the fact that he's drawn from what must be at least example of post-sixties anti-drug propaganda. See, the narrator was a nice young lady until, in a desperate bid a modicum of personal experience to create an insight to fit in, she ended up at a parly with "the wrong crowd." ful and openly confessional piece of writing, one that They slipped a tab of acid into the poor, unsuspecting looks unflinchingly into the personal eye of the psychol child's Coca-Cola, and it was all downhill from there. ogy behind addiction. After some bouts of random sex with drug dealers and I sincerely doubt that the majority of the book is her first few mainlines of speed and smack, the hapless Frey's invention, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's taken heroine runs off to the West Coast to play around with more than a bit of, er, "poetic licence." Neither conclusion hallucinogens and free love. Naturally, she manages to is especially relevant to the fact that it's exquisitely writ keep hold of all the diary entries she writes on scraps of ten and shaking with truth. paper during this time, to better facilitate their subse So, read the lying bastard's book. Maybe he made quent publication. it up, but something like it has happened to someone. ■ That's the kind of bullshit that should not be billed as a memoir. Frey's book, on the other hand, provides a For an ala rm in g ly thorough (a n d rathe r spiteful) slough through Frey's le g a l past, check o u t A Million Little remarkable look into the mind of a heavily addicted man Lies, the fe a tu red article a t thesmokinggun.com. looking for a way out. If it's fiction, it reads like a well-

He says, TSG says Here's a sample of the discrepancies being pointed out in Frey's memoir: "...I drove up onto a sidewalk and hit a Cop who was standing there. I didn't hit him hard because I was only going about five miles an hour, but I hit h im .... The backup came and they approached the car and asked me to get out and I said you want me out, then get me out, you fucking Pigs. They opened the door, I started swinging, and they beat my ass with billy clubs and arrested m e .... I stayed in Jail that night and I was arraigned the next morning on charges of Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Assaulting an Officer of the Law, Felony DU I, Disturbing the Peace, Resisting Arrest, Driving Without a License, Driving Without Insurance, Attempted Incitement of a Riot, Possession of a Narcotic with Intent to Distribute and Felony Mayhem." Well, sort of. According to The Sm oking Gun, this is the event that led to the mugshot above, and Frey's account is true... if by "hit a cop" he means "brushed up lightly against a pole." He was apparently very polite about the whole thing, despite being quite validly extremely plastered, and TSG were unable to dig up any evi dence of felony charges in his name. Frey says this is due partially to his crappy memory, partially to embellishment and partially to the fact that he’s had his more serious records purged since his rehabilitation.

REVIEWS

compiled by Ben Lemieux

Martha Wainwright. I Will Internalize EP. I've never understood what people liked about Martha Wainwright. Her 2 0 0 4 EP, B lo od y M o th e rfu ckin g Asshole, was asinine at best. Her heavily lauded debut album basically served to consolidate a style that was n't working too hot in the first place. At long last, her late November release, / W ill Internalize, is not a case of Wainwright re-inventing herself or experimenting with a new sound or style, but finally playing her own music properly. Her emotive, soulful vocals are in full form here, washing warmly over her min imalist acoustic guitar work, and for the first time, her words and melodies do not seem excessively angst-ridden or contrived, but have a naturally har monious and earnest gleam to them; The five songs feature a stylistic and dynamic uniformity that doesn't feel redundant; they act as a concise approach to creating a low-volume, jazzy singer-songwriter chic that is becoming all her own. A wonderfully subtle, bare-bones addition to the folk/pop adult tradition. K.T. Tunstall. Eye o f the Telescope. Think of newcomer Tunstall as Scotland's answer to Sarah McLachlan—assuming, of course, that beyond Fum bling Towards Ecstasy she required an answer that wasn't "meh." Tunstall, not unlike McLachlan in the early 1990s, sets the bar for the female pop songwriter style. Her lyrics are accessible, smartly constructed without being pretentious. Most impressive is Tunstall's music writing ability—Eye o f the Telescope displays inventive, well thought-out chord progressions and tasteful vocal overdubs. If the Brit music awards nomination for Best Female Artist of 2 0 0 5 is any indication of Tunstall's ability and potential, look forward to many great albums to come.

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VOLLEYBALL — MARTLETS 3, MONTREAL 0

M a r t le t s c r u is e t o s t r a ig h t s e t s w in

Team celebrates coach’s milestone with home victory JENNIFER JETT Martlet volleyball Head Coach Rachèle Béliveau isn't one for analyzing the record books. She'd much rather just keep win ning. McGill swept Université de Montréal in three swift sets (2 5 17, 25-23, 2 9 -2 7 ) Friday night at Love Competition Hall, as Béliveau was honoured as the first McGill coach to reach 3 0 0 career victories in any sport Athletics Director Derek Drummond was on hand at the team's first home game since the historic victory to present Béliveau with a plaque in commemoration of her achievement. Béliveau, a four-time Quebec conference coach of the year, is in her 15th season at McGill. She notched her 300th career win on Jan. 6 at the Quality Suites Invitational in Ottawa, where McGill defeated McMaster University in a five-set game. Béliveau, however, didn't realize the match's significance until afterward, when the team pointed it out to her. “I knew I was 280-something at the beginning of the sea son, but then I never counted," she said. "We have a good team and a chance to win, so I was really focusing on every game." Libero Maxime Lefebvre said the recent milestone made the Martlets even more determined to win Friday's game. "We needed to win tonight to make this a fun celebration," she said.

McGill comes through in tough sets And win the Martlets did, bringing their Quebec conference record to 9-2 and helping to maintain their place ahead of Montréal in the national rankings. Entering the game, McGill was fourth in the nation; Montreal was sixth. Though the two teams appeared evenly matched in the first set, a seven-point run by power hitter Jennifer Thomson gave the Martlets a 21 -13 lead. The Carabins managed to gain a few points back, but were unable to catch up. "We executed what w e needed to do," said power hitter Catherine-Anne Murray. "We had a game plan, and we followed it and that may have given them more trouble.” The Martlets trailed the Carabins early in the second set before tying the game at 15-15. Possession alternated frequent ly as both teams inched their way up the scoreboard before the Martlets finally pulled it out A five-point run by Thomson in the final set brought the Martlets to within three points of victory before the Carabins regained control. Both teams fought tooth and nail for the last

few points, resulting in some impressive rallies before McGill won 29-27. "We don't usually get that many runs," said Thomson, who also added 10 kills. "Once we have the serve we try to maintain one or two points and just focus on control." If the team does lose possession, Murray added, "we focus on the sideout right away and don't let them get a run in the other direction." Technique Christine Borisov led the team with 11 kills, seven digs and two blocks, while middle blocker Gillian Johnson racked up eight digs and eight blocks. McGill now in sole possession of second place If the Martlets hold o n ^ second place, they will have home-court advantage when it comes to the Quebec University Volleyball League semi-finals. First, however, the team goes head-to-head two times with Sherbrooke and once more with first-ranked Laval, to whom the Martlets have already fallen twice. These upcoming games will not be easy, Thomson said. "We will have to fight hard to maintain sec ond place," she acknowledged. Meanwhile, Béliveau continues to take the season one game at a time. "We still have 10 more games to go before we start the playoffs, so I'm really focus ing on each game and trying to build a winning attitude with the girls," she said. "We had to learn how to win." The Martlets hope to be one of two Quebec teams to reach the CIS national cham pionship tournament in Calgary in March, not least of all as a proper farewell to fifth-year stu dents and co-captains Murray and Lefebvre. "Hopefully, we reach a goal for them and JENNIFERJETT for the team as well," Béliveau said. "For them it's their last chance." The Martlets hope to keep second place in the Q U V L . But while Béliveau will no doubt be disap pointed if she can't steer the Martlets to nation if Mr-rill falls short, the stalwart coach will have plenty of opportunities to als on behalf of her team leaders, it appears that keep racking up the victories. ■

THE RED ZONE H a tin g

th e

p la y e r s

What I love about sports is that when I watch them, I don't have to deal with so much of the hyper-consumerist pop culture that dominates our society. The main themes of most sports bring us back to man's natural element: competition, survival of the fittest, battle, intensity, pressure and performance. There's nothing quite like a real dogfight between two equally-matched teams. At least these events have emerged from the growing pervasiveness of mindless materialism relatively unscathed—or so I hope. But there are ever-more examples of corporate encroachment on our already thoroughly inundated lives. As much as exceptional athletes are a part of sports, so to are the stadiums where they contest their battles. Home to heroic gladiators, these holiest of holy places for sports fans are where legends are made, where heroes fight and where entire cities and "nations" come together. We have all heard of the Boston Garden, the Montreal Forum, Maple Leaf Gardens and Candlestick Park. These are museums and historical sites for many sports fans. But these stadiums and arenas are becoming few and far between. Last week, the Ottawa Senators home arena was

th e

c o rp o ra te

renamed Scotiabank Place, much to the indifference of Senators fans. The arena's previous name, the Corel Centre, was equally meaningless. But this is nothing new. The fabled Forum is no longer the home of the most suc cessful team in NHL history. Maple Leaf Gardens, too, is gone, and in her place is the Air Canada Centre. The par quet floor of the Boston Garden is now a memory, replaced by the bland TD BankNorth Garden. Candlestick used to be the home of the San Francisco Giants, but then they moved to a new stadium called Pac Bell Park, which was later changed to SBC Park and will soon be renamed AT&T Park. In this era of encroaching corporate influence, the frequent name-changing by partnership appropriation is something we've unfortunately come to accept as typical. We continue to stand by as the character and identity of our sporting establishments gets bought and sold, with no regard to aesthetic appeal or public input. Corporations, as always, look for short-term profits with their continuous branding efforts. They want more logo recognition, which they think will result in- higher quarterly earnings and thus an increase in shareholder happiness.

g a m e

CHRIS MacLEAN

They are, unfortunately, devaluing these buildings' charac ters and creating apathy among fans. I understand that the world changes and we must learn to move on from the past. This doesn't mean that all change is good, though. I also understand that these spon sors provide a lot of money for these stadiums and merely want to have their brand visible. But we already have to deal with advertising on the blue lines, the boards, in centrefield walls and on scoreboards. We are subjected to in game features like the "Ford first half highlights" and the "Budweiser player of the game." We have to put up with fre quent "TV commercial timeouts," at which point I usually frantically change the channel. Surely, this corporate overload can be avoided in some way, like say, promoting a product through ticket packages or special promotion nights. But I really shouldn't even be suggesting alternatives. Why can't these teams realize that it should be about the product on the field, and not the suits that sponsor it? Why aren't they aware that it's sup posed to be about the game, about winning and losing? Because in truth, it's not sponsorships that sell tickets, it's championships. ■

the mcgill tribune | 17.1.06 | sports 21

IMAGES G im m e s o m e M o

‘L a c e s

o u t,

D a n !’

MOHIT ARORA

istory almost repeated itself on Sunday when Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis fumbled at the goal line, allowing the Indianapolis Colts one last shot instead of putting the game out of reach. It was instantly reminiscent of a play made 18 years ago—to the day, actually—on which Cleveland Browns running back Earnest Byner fumbled at the goal line trying to tie up a 38-31 game, sealing the victory for the opposing Denver Broncos. I have to admit, Bettis' fumble really did have me a little wor ried. I've always liked Bettis. He's the first player I can vividly remember seeing play in college, and he's the subject of a hotly contested argument I’ve had on occasion—namely "Is he the fat test fit man alive, or the fittest fat man7' So when the possibility arose that he might one day be remembered for this play rather than the rest of his wonderful career, it was a bit disconcerting. Luckily, Bettis' play was erased from history by Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt, whose missed 46-yard field goal attempt imme diately brought back memories of Scott Norwood, the Buffalo Bills kicker whose missed field goal lost Super Bowl XXV in 1991. Norwood, Byner and many others are unfortunate victims of the single cruellest phenomenon in sports: The labelling of the scapegoat, or goat, in coping with big losses. Imagine being Byner, someone who had a long and distin guished career in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl and going to two Pro Bowls, but only remembered for the fumble. Isn't that just a kick in the junk? Even Tommy John has a better legacy than Byner. But thè truth is that it's kind of unsettling to admit to ourselves that while we cheer for our favourite teams and players to suc ceed, we're also implicitly cheering for others to fail. And some times they do. Spectacularly. And we're just not very good at let ting anyone forget about it. Seriously, some goats have really stood the test of time, haven't they? Norwood, Bill Buckner, and Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams really seemed to get a reaction out of people. In fact,, Norwood's story is so tragic it even inspired the character of Ray Finkle in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. And yet, not every error or miscue achieves immortality. People rem em ber "Wide Right," but nobody remembers Minnesota Vikings kicker Gary Anderson missing his only kick of the 1998 season in the NFC Championship game. And Phillies fans vilified Williams for giving up Joe Carter's home run in the 1993 World Series, but nobody came down on the guy who gave up Bill Mazeroski's home run in the 1960 World Series. So what does it take to really leave one's mark as a goat? Why do some mistakes live in infamy while others barely fast a week? What does or doesn't have to happen for an error to become a larger than life tale? We should get Malcolm Gladwell to investigate this. He'll come up with an explanation. Until then, though, we're going to have to remain in the dark. Some plays are going to be remembered as classically awful moments, and some are going to be forgotten, and we're power less to change that. All an athlete can do is hope and pray that his or her worst moment won't be remembered and instantly demo nized, but instead thrown out with yesterday's highlight reel. And that's pretty much what Vanderjagt must be going through right now. But I don't think he needs to worry. While there's no way he'll return to Indy, I think he'll join another NFL team or even come back to the CFL. Either way, this kick won't be remembered by October. Somewhere, I imagine, Scott Norwood is slamming his fist against a table and cursing, for he knows his legacy won't be supplanted just yet. ■

N Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.

DAVE BRODKEY

sports | 17.1.06 | th e mcgill tribune

TWO- POI NT CONVERSION

R e d m e n sta y

B e e r pong th e w ro n g w a y

u n d e fe a te d

Not everyone likes to play by the rules

Continued from cover

of legs and ended up somewhere in a crowd behind us. This is when the unfathomable occurred. Some chick that was looking for her own ball, saw ours and claimed it for her own. I immediately confronted her, and suffice it to say, I had one of my jerk moments—they don't happen too often, I swear. I ripped into this girl, but she was having none of it. She was so stuck up that she would not admit that she stole our ball. At this point I was shit out of luck-with another guy, this might have been fight territory, but even / would not hit a girl. So the game of beer pong was wrecked by a bunch of self-serving bitchy girls. They mined the fun of two sports editors who were just trying to let off a little steam from another tough week at the helm, printing a paper for all you loyal readers to enjoy. What is even worse is the fact that these girls tried to rise above the game of beer pong. Often, you'll see players like Terrell Owens performing selfish acts and alienating all others in the sport, but rarely do you see it from a bunch of girls at BDP. It's really upsetting that this is what the McGill sports world has come to. ■

ADAM MYERS

The hottest sport to hit McGill since ultimate Frisbee, beer pong is attracting all kinds of different ath letes. Most of these people have something important in common: Decency and a respect for the other indi viduals who play the game—after all, the purpose of the game is for everyone to get very drunk. However, last Tuesday at Bar Des Pins, a select group of girls crossed the line between competitors and adversaries, causing me to lose all respect for these particular princesses. After a hard yet successful first semester, my co editor Dave Blye and I decided to hit the town for some celebration. And what could be more fitting for a cou ple of sports editors than a nice evening of beer pong? Dave and I were sure to arrive early, to guarantee us a table—and, of course, give us extra time to drink. The bar started to fill up shortly after we got our game going, and by 11 p.m. the place was crowded. By this point, Dave and 1 had won our first two games and were definitely starting to feel the buzz. Things were going great, but then the night took an unthinkable turn for the worse. A brief digression about beer pong: the game is really quite simple. It involves placing six cups filled with liquid gold on either end of the table. The main point of the game is to throw a ping pong ball into the opposing team's cup, at which point they have to drink the beer in that cup. The first team to end up with all of its cups empty loses. There are some other rules to the game, but at this point those are less impor tant than my outrage, so I'll continue with my story. As Dave was hitting long shots from downtown Laval (or Oakville for you Swirsky fans), his counterpart happened to miss a bit long on his shot. Our Bud Light, the nectar of gods. ball bounced through a bunch

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LASERVISIONCORRECTION O v e r 2 5 0 ,0 0 0 p r o c e d u re s across C a n a d a

Starting at

The first period saw a back-andforth battle with bone-crushing hits, hard fore-checking and powerful shots. McGill's All-Canadian goaltender Mathieu Poitras was tested early on, making a huge save on a breakaway just two minutes into the match. Soon after, a Concordia penalty gave the Redmen the oppor tunity to draw first blood) with Urquhart firing one past Stingers' goalie Chris Lepage after receiving a pass from leading scorer Shawn Shewchuk. Urquhart chalked the first goal up to just getting a lot of shots on the net. "The power-play was really click ing early, and sometimes the puck just has eyes for the net," he said. The Stingers, though, wouldn't roll over in the face of the McGill attack. The rest of the first period was plagued by chippy play, as penalties and game misconducts were the order of the day. Finally, Concordia forward Yannick Noiseau capitalized on a two-man advantage, and the teams headed into the dressing rooms tied at one after 20 minutes. Dirty play plagues second frame The rough play continued into the second period as bodies flew everywhere and emotions boiled over between two teams. Five min utes into the frame, McGill captain Pierre-Antoine Paquet was hit from behind in front of the Redmen bench. The hit caused Chris Churchill-Smith to jump to his linemate’s defence and sparked the game's first fight. But while the crowd got into it, the scuffle didn't impress Redmen Head Coach Martin Raymond "Sometimes you find yourself in unwanted situations," he said. "But our team objective has always been to be disciplined." When the dust settled, though, the Redmen had a two-man advan tage and was looking to take the lead. But the Stingers kept McGill at bay and when the buzzer sounded to

end the second, the score remained tied. The third period was when the Redmen's talent really shone through. In a spectacular race for the puck, Eric L'Italien managed to break away from the defence and deke out Lepage. LTtalien's unassisted marker served to reinvigorate the rest of the team, as the Red 'n' White continued to pressure the Stingers after the goal. McGill's hard work was eventu ally rewarded with a power play goal from Doug Orr late in the third to salt away a 3-1 victory. Finding a way to win Despite their early power play goal and the fact that they never trailed during the game, the Redmen were frustrated by Concordia all night, especially on the PK. "They threw something a little different at us tonight, but we never quit, and we had a much better sec ond and third period," Raymond said. "We had a lot of energy, and at times were a little too excited, which prob ably affected our decision making." However, even the Redmen's seemingly-endless energy isn't what has gotten them this far, five points up on Université du Québec à TroisRivières in the OUA Far East division with a 12-0-2 record. Their dedica tion to getting better and their com mitment to not just rest on their lau rels is why they're the only undefeat ed team in the nation and remain second in the CIS national top 10 poll. They've also sewn up their spot in the playoffs with 10 games to go in the season. But with two more games this week—the first tonight on the road against UQTR and the second a rematch at home against Concordia— the Redmen will certainly have to keep working toward the final prize. "Ultimately our goal is to win a national championship," Raymond said. "But for now, we have to just improve in every game and take it day by day." That, and not allow any supersti tions to get in their way. ■

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the mcgill tribune | 17 .1.06 j sports 2 3 compiled by DAVID BLYE and ADAM MYERS

A R O U N D

S T A N DI N G S OT

PTS

HOCKEY (M )

McGILL*(F-East)

RMC*(M-East)

6 11

UQTR (FE)

OTTAWA (FE)

CONC'DIA (FE)

TORONTO (ME)

RYERSON (ME)

PTS

McGILL

CONCORDIA

OTTAWA

: CARLETON

QUEEN'S (ME)

HOCKEY (W )

V-BALL (W)

LAVAL

McGILL

MONTREAL

14 j ) ) |

h i

13 |

*Represents division leaders OUA hockey ranks the two division le; j first and second, and then ranks the [ remaining six team according to total jj points. Six teams make the playoffs.

SHERBR'K

UQTR

! 35

BOX SCORE

DECK

Friday, Jan. 13, 2 0 06 McGill Redmen 3 vs. Concordia Stingers 1 McConnell Arena

Redmen Hockey—Concordia @ McGill; Friday, 7 p.m. at McConnell Arena It's a rematch of last Friday's clash, only this time it's for the Corey Cup. While McGill has beaten Concordia twice this sea son, they still cannot look beyond their rivals. Concordia is in desperate need of a win if they want to improve on their play off situation and cannot be taken lightly. Besides, don't you guys still need one more shoutout to set the record?

SCORING SUMMARY

Martlets Basketball—U Q À M @ McGill; Friday, 6 p.m. at Love Competition Hall While the Martlets just had one of their worst weekends in a while, they'll have the chance to atone for it almost immediate ly. Another game with UQÀM means they've got an opportuni ty to turn the season around against a team they really should beat.

SECOND PERIOD: (no scoring)

Redmen Basketball— U Q À M @ McGill; Friday, 8 p.m. at Love Competition Hall We really thought last weekend could be the Redmen's first QUBL win game of the season. Then the Bishop's game hap pened, and the shock resonated into the game on Saturday. However, this weekend, they play UQÀM; it's their first game of the weekend and this one's at home. Maybe, just maybe, they'll get rid of that goose-egg. N H L -T o ro n to @ Ottawa; Saturday 7 p.m. on CBC While this battle between the Leafs and the Senators will be a big deal, it would help if they didn't play again two nights later in Ottawa. But hey, this is the new NHL: Where conference teams play each other to the point of absurdity and non-confer ence games are treated as a special event. We'll tell you one thing: with only four shots at a team each year, the "old" NHL actually made division games important.

THIS WEEK IN McGILL SPORTS HISTORY

FIRST PERIOD: McGill - David Urquhart 5 (S. Shewchuk, M. Leclerc) 4:48 (PP) Concordia - Yannick Noiseux 6 (F. Faucher, K. Gagne) ■ 14:32 (PP)

THIRD PERIOD: McGill - Eric L'Italien 4 (C. Churchill-Smith) - 6:49 (SHG) McGill - Doug Orr 9 (S. Shewchuk) - 17:40 (PP)

POWER PLAYS (goals/chances): Concordia: 1 /6 McGill: 2/11 (plus 1 SHG for) GOALTENDERS: Concordia: Patrick Lepage (L, 2-7-3, 60:00, 3GA, 28 saves) McGill: Mathieu Poitras (W, 9-0-1, 60:00, IGA, 18 saves) MOLSON CUP 3 STARS: 1. Eric L'Italien, McGill 2. Patrick Lepage, Concordia 3. Mathieu Poitras, McGill

Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001 The Martlet cagers earned a hard fought 64 -6 0 win over Concordia to keep themselves afloat in the race for a playoff spot in the QUBL. The win put the women in Red and White just two points back of the final postseason birth in the confer ence. McGill led 48 -2 4 at halftime but a feisty Concordia team simply would not die, producing an astounding 35-11 run that would tie the game with less then two minutes left. However, through solid free throw shooting, McGill hung on to salvage the win. Saturday, Jan. 18, 2003 The Redmen basketball team suffered a shocking 79-76 home defeat at the hands of the Bishop's Gaiters. McGill, which opened the game up 27-12, could not find a lick of consisten cy all night, and had given almost all of it back at halftime, with Bishop's trailing by just one point. The second half was a see saw affair, with the lead constantly changing hands. But, in the last few minutes, Bishop's was able to open a six-point gap on McGill and sit on it until the final buzzer.

ATTENDANCE: 1,415

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NFL

PLAYOFF

TRIVIA ■w s#*» ti

1. Which Giants longsnapper messed up a field goal attempt on the final play of the game as New York eventually lost 39 -38 to

the 49ers? 2. Under Bill Cowher, the Steelers have made the AFC championship six times, including this upcoming Sunday's game. Of the five games already played, how many has Pittsburgh played on the road? 3. What was the name of the Bills QB who came off the bench to replace an injured Jim Kelly and lead the great est comeback in NFL history against Houston? 4. On what yard line did "the drive," in which John Elway led the Broncos to a game-tying touchdown against Cleveland, begin? 5. Who was Terry Bradshaw's primary receiver on the "Immaculate Reception" play? u o s je o j A u e g 'S

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H O R N

Redmen bailers suffer hellish weekend After being thrashed 78-28 on Friday by Bishop's, Saturday's clash with fourth place UQÀM was a near-must win affair if McGill had any hopes of salvaging the '06 cam paign. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Samuel Johnson and Marc-Olivier Beauchamp scored 23 and 21 points, respectively, as the fourth-place Citadins disposed of McGill 74-67. The win moved UQÀM four points clear of winless McGill (0 -8 ) in the Quebec confer. ence standings. Sean Anthony and Chris Horwood led the Redmen with 13 points each, while rookie Yannick Chouinard added 12. Point-guard J.P. Begly also had nine points and grabbed five rebounds. UQÀM shot 45.6 per cent from the field (26-of-57) and went to the foul line 26 times, connecting on 18. The Redmen only got to the charity stripe seven times, sinking five, while shooting 43.5 per cent from the floor (27-of-62). The loss was McGill's second of the weekend, after being pasted 78-28 by Bishop's on Friday. The 50-point defeat was the largest margin of defeat the Redmen have suffered since a 92 -38 loss to Assumption College (now known as the University of Waterloo) on Dec. 8, 1962. According to available records, it was the fewest points scored by a Redmen team since at least Feb. 1, 1958, when McGill lost 54 -30 to Assumption. Philippe Lagredelle led McGill with just eight points and six rebounds, and was one of only six players to score for the Redmen. The silver lining for McGill was the return of 6'9" cen tre Olivier Lamoureux, who came back to the lineup -well ahead of schedule after suffering a broken wrist in November. Lamoureux netted four points against Bishop's and nine against UQÀM. Lamoureux also came down with a team high 6 boards in Saturday's loss. With eight games remaining before playoffs, the young Redmen squad will get another chance for their first league victory in a virtual must-win affair against UQÀM at home on Jan. 20. McGill will play at Laval the following night. Not to be outdone... Like their male counterparts, the Martlet Cagers also suffered a pair of loses this weekend, falling 64-53 on Friday to Bishop's and 53-43 on Saturday to UQÀM. In Friday's clash, top scorer Sarah Gagné led the way with 18 points on 7-11 shooting and added a pair of assists. Unfortunately, Gagné had little help from the rest of the squad, who shot a dismal 35 per cent (21-60). McGill had no answer for Bishop's forward Laurie Pitfield, who had game highs both points (1 9 ) and rebounds (8). Saturday's affair was one of McGill's worst shooting performances on the year. The Martlets shot a dismal 24 per cent (12 -5 0 ) from the field. On the other side, UQÀM shot an impressive 48 per cent (2 4 -5 0 ) behind 22 points from Mireille Karangwa as they pulled off the upset. The loss dropped McGill to 3-5 and pulled the Citadins just a game back of the Martlets for third place in the QUBL. The Martlets will attempt to snap their two-game losing streak when they get a rematch against UQÀM at home on Jan. 20. They are slated to travel to Ste-Foy the next day to take on second-place Laval.

SHOTS BY PERIOD: Concordia 10 1 8 (1 9 ) McGill 7 17 7 (3 1 )

Friday, Jan. 22, 1999 The Redmen hockey team staged a dramatic come-frombehind win to defeat the Ottawa Gee-Gees 8-6. McGill, after jumping out to a commanding 4-0 lead in the first period was sucker-punched in the second, with Ottawa outshooting the Redmen 21-6 and scoring 6 goals to take a 6-5 lead. However, McGill was not quite out of gas, scoring three goals in the third frame to complete the comeback.

T H E

Martlets skate to a pair of weekend wins Rookie foward Amanda Carmichael's goal at -2:23 of the second period was enough for the game-winner as McGill edged College St. Laurent 2-1 in a non-conference women's hockey game at McConnell Arena on Saturday. The victory gave rookie netminder Gabrielle Smith her first win as a Martlet. McGill, which had a 29-16 edge in shots, opened the scoring late in the first period when senior Kristin Leuszler hit mesh at 19:01. Patriotes' captain Stephanie Daneau snapped rookie Gabrielle Smith's bid for her first collegiate shutout with only 4:48 remaining. Smith kicked aside 15 shots to earn her first W, evening her record at 1-1-0. On Sunday, Kalie Townsend was the difference, mak ing 31 saves, earning player of the game honours as the Martlets defeated the Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-1. Amy Bombay gave the Ottawa a short-lived lead with a power play goal at 7:34 in the first period, but McGill roared back soon after with a pair of power play goals of their own by Leuszler (10:07) and Brittany Privée (10:42). The Martlets secured the win when rookie Kailey Robertson netted an insurance marker with only 1:29 remaining in the second period. The win, the first of six consecutive road games for Martlets, improved McGill to 8-1-0 and kept them atop the QUHL standings. They will continue the road trip next week end when they travel to Halifax to face St. Mary's, Dalhousie and St. Francis Xavier in non-conference tilts. The editors of The M cG ill Tribune would like to remind remind all students to vote on Monday.

included in OLD McGILL The Official Yearbook

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