OPINION: Smoking is wrong, lawsuits are worse.
Curiosity delivers. Vol. 25 Issue 6
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A&E: And the winner of the Nobel prize in skankiness is...
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P U B L I S H E D BY T H E S T U D E N T S ’ S O C I E T Y O F M C G I L L U N I V E R S I T Y
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
Music building opens Unprecedented private donation meets funding shortage KAYVON AFSHARI McGill's distinctive n ew Schulich School of Music, a $70-million project jointly funded by public and private sponsors, opened last Friday morning to extraordinary public attention. "As an architectural landmark with a technologically advanced infra structure, our n ew m usic building will support McGill in its m ission to attract top-quality faculty and scholars involved in m usical research that pushes both the disciplinary and cre ative envelopes," said Don M cLean, dean of the Schulich School of Music. The Schulich School of M usic is located on the com er of Sherbrooke and Aylm er. The building's eight above-ground floors and two base m ent levels are equipped with stateof-the-art technology that M cLean claims will m ake McGill the global leader in the fields of m usic technol ogy, performance and research. Among the m any modem facili ties now in place are an acousticallyadvanced scoring studio, the 2 00seat Tanna Schulich recital hall, the
three-storey Marvin Duchow music library and the Wirth opera studio. The sixth and seventh floors of the building, however, have yet to be furnished. The Faculty of Music says it intends to fill the em pty floors with offices and administrative space in order to open more rooms to classes in the neighbouring Strathcona music building, but budgetary constraints have prevented the project's comple tion. At the McGill Board of Governors meeting last Wednesday, m em bers approved a $1 .5-million increase in funding to finish outfitting the build ing. Governor Kohur Gowrisankaran questioned the timing of the budget ary changes, which cam e only two days before the building's scheduled opening. M usic Faculty representatives, however, claimed that it only recently becam e clear how much additional m oney w as needed, and their motion w as carried without objection. Music students appear largely See STATE-OF-THE-ART, page 3
New Music faculty namesake Seymour Schulich finds out exactly what $20-million will buy from Principal Heather Munroe-Blum as they embrace at last week's opening of the new Music building.
This Week in McGill Athletics Wed., Oct. 5 Redmen Rugby vs Concordia 9 pm Molson Stadium F it, Oct. 7 Martlet Hockey vs Concordia 7:30 pm McConnell Arena Fri., Oct. 7 Martlet Soccer vs Bishop's 7 pm Molson Stadium Sat., Oct. 8 Redmen Hockey vs WLU 7 pm McConnell Arena www.athletics.mcgill.ca * A dvance Student Ticket S a le s at S a d ie ’s__________________
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C o n victed crim inal lectures at M cGill “Professor A D SCA M ” details fraud temptations for Management students LIZ ALLEMANG Paul Coffin, the first key player in the federal sponsorship scandal to be charged and convicted, spoke to 180 manage m ent students last Tuesday. His 30-m in u te lecture and PowerPoint presentation delved into issues of business ethics and his own professional downfall. Coffin w as handed a conditional sentence last month after pleading guilty to 15 counts of fraud in Septem ber 2 0 0 3 . He acknowledged his active role in defrauding the federal govern ment of S i .5-million as part of his plea agreement. The caution ary talk, arranged through the faculty over the sum m er, w as a proviso of his sentence. Security was kept extremely tight, with McGill security guards positioned outside of both entrances to Bronfman room 151. The windows into the lecture hall were papered, and the doors were kept under lock and key. Only students registered in Management's Organizational Behaviour course w ere permitted into the lecture. A handful of "special guests" invited by Professor Patricia Harlos w ere also allowed into the classroom. Coffin said that his appearance was not part of a plea bar gain. "I'd like to set the record straight," Coffin said, "I've been talking to Dr. Harlos for months now." His appearance was instead, he said, an act of concern for students who might be challenged by similar opportunities to "mix good business with bad." Coffin recounted the disgrace that he acknowledged bring ing upon himself. "I didn't have the strength to stop lining my own pockets," he said. "I am sincerely concerned that what happened to m e could happen to all of you." Coffin used the lecture to detail the rise of his advertising career as well as his professional decline. He also discussed the extent of his involvement in the sponsorship scandal. "At all tim es, I w as encouraged to seek out new responsibil ities to sponsor other events. This is w here the sponsorship pro gram [becam e corrupt]; here lies the beginning of the road to hell." Coffin said that the “carte blanche" system facilitated by the sponsorship program "preyed on [hisj weaknesses." Coffin
noted, however, that he knew of the illegality and immorality of his actions. "Why did I continue to sub mit false invoices? Because I could. There I w as, a seasoned professional who had fallen into the trap of earning easy money with little or no effort," he said. Though Coffin claimed his actions w ere a com m on human failure, he warned students not to "get sucked into this." He added that the scale of his uneth ical actions w as irrelevant. "Activities don't need to be illegal to be unethical," he said. Coffin repeatedly encour aged students to avoid the pitfalls that he had been unable to resist. O f his experience, he said, LIZ ALLEMANG "Take it and learn from it—you Coffin departs the Bronfman building after his ethics lecture. No driver, Paul? have an entire department set up [for this purpose]." John M enzies, a UO Arts and Science student who was Students who attended the lecture felt it w as appropriate demonstrating at the event, said he w as there "to raise aware and surprisingly moving. ness." He described Coffin's lecturing at McGill as "disgusting." "He was very humble," said Carrie Qin, U1 Management. He added, "I think it's ridiculous and absurd that McGill is allow She added that she symphatized with the suffering endured by ing him to speak." Coffin's fam ily throughout the scandal. In a statem ent released last Monday, McGill said that the "I feel bad for him, but worse for his family. If that were Faculty of M anagement accepted Coffin's offer because they felt som ebody close to me, I'd be really em barrassed," she said. it w as in keeping with the faculty's mission to augment students' Meighen Fitzpatrick, U l Management, said that she was ability to use good judgment and to tackle ethical issues appro glad to hear Coffin speak, noting that he sounded "sincere." priately. "He knew what he did w as wrong and didn't try to justify it Though Coffin volunteered to lecture at several universities, too much," Fitzpatrick said. "It m ade people more aware that this no other engagements have been announced. could actually happen to anybody, even an experienced busi Coffin w as expected to speak at Concordia, but w as turned nessm an like him." down according to reports in The Gazette. Jerry Tomberlin, dean A small but animated group of protesters held a makeshift at the John Molson School of Business, explained, "I didn't feel vigil in the Bronfman lobby. They brandished signs reading comfortable having [Coffin] teach here." ■ "Liberal + Ethics = Iron/' and "Professor ADSCAM" w hile chant ing "Coffin, go to jail!" in unison.
—Additional reporting by Niall Mackay Roberts
CAMPUS
Sixty-five per cen t alcohol free, guaranteed Arts Undergraduate Society enforces bylaw restricting alcohol spending JACQUI WILSON Student associations that receive funding from the Arts Undergraduate Society can now spend no more than 3 5 cents of every dollar on alcohol, according to an AUS financial bylaw ' that applies to any association with a budget of $ 5 0 0 or more. The am ount of m oney these associations receive is based on enrolm ent in each department, and com es from fees paid by students. There is som e confusion as to w hether this is a new bylaw, or one that has been on the books for a long time. AUS Vice-President Finance Téo Leroux-Blackburn said that the reso lution w as passed years ago. If true, however, it has been poor ly enforced. The bylaw itself is not available on the AUS Web site as the link is not up to date. History Students' Association President Paul Todd disagreed with Leroux-Blackburn, saying the restriction did not exist before. "AUS is telling students how they can or cannot spend their money," said Todd, who argued that students m em bers of these groups should be the ones to decide their budget. Leroux-Blackburn said that the purpose of the by-law is to ensure that associations affiliated with AUS are holding a variety of activités for students, instead of only drinking events. She said that it w as not supposed to tell students how they could spend
— rjodergraduate Societ:
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AUS had its way, this two-eight would only have 9.8 beers.
their associations' budgets, but rather a w ay to protect the AUS mandate as a representative student organization. In an e-mail to the Tribune, Leroux-Blackburn said that the bylaw is going to be enforced by overseeing the budgets of var ious student associations. According to her, if indeed the bylaw w as on the books last year, then it is imcompatibie with Todd's belief that 5 0 -6 0 % of last year's HSA budget w as spent on alco hol. Aaron Kligman, U2 Political Science and Econom ics, agreed with Todd. "[Associations] should use the m oney however they feel would better benefit the students," he said. "If it was just a cheese, rather than a w ine and cheese, no one would come." But Jon Lafontaine, U2 History, said that 35 per cent is a fair am ount to spend on alcohol. "Why should students pay for a limited group's drinking fest?" he said. Nicole Carson, U 1 Psychology, also argued there should be no limit on student groups' alcohol budgets. "If those are the events that are drawing in people to get more involved in their faculty," she said, "then why should the Arts Undergraduate Society be able to tell the departments how to use the m oney?' ■
EXCLUSIVE
the mcgill tribune | 4.I0.05| news
I N T E R V I E W - M I C H A E L I G N A T I EF F
3
T h e next federal cabinet minister? Canadian scholar returns from Harvard, shares views on Canada from outside in we help local family farms but we don't do something stupid like subsidize them completely so they're unproductive. We give them some kind of playing field so they can make a buck, but on the other hand we don't subsidize in such a way that we're clobbering produce in other parts of the world. This is what globalization means, and that's why it's so dif ficult. This is the new frontier of international politics—getting the balance between how we preserve economic objectives at home, versus how we promote economic objectives abroad.
Dr. M ich a e l Ig n a tie ff d e liv e re d th e B e a tty M em o ria l Le ctu re to a p a ck e d h o u se on Sa tu rd a y a s p a rt o f M cG ill's H o m eco m in g fe s tivities. D r Ig n a tieff, w h o re ce n tly g a v e u p h is p ro fe sso rsh ip a t H an/ard to tea ch a t th e U n iversity o f Toronto, h a s b e e n w id ely tout e d b y so m e in th e m ed ia a s a fu tu re le a d e r in th e L ib e ra l party. R em a in in g tig h t-lip p ed o n a n y le a d e rsh ip a m b itio n s, h e sa t do w n w ith th e
Tribune to
sh a re h is view s o n th e m ilitary, Q u eb ec
sep a ra tism a n d th e fu tu re o f th e UN.
Michael Ignatieff on...
...development aid and Africa:
.. why Canada needs a strong military:
I'm not one for handing out lots of bilateral assistance gov ernment to government. I think if s basically a mistake. What you want to do is create international economic regimes that say 'this is tough love time.' If you've got a product we want, we'll create a fair international regime; and if you can get your beans to our market, terrific. What I don't like is a kind of developmental ideology that says, 'All the problems of the developing world are our fault, and if we just make nice Africa would be better.' Ifs not true. What we need to do is say, 'This is a competitive world—if you have something we want, we'll play fair.' End of story.
I believe that you can't have international influence unless you have some elements of hard power. If you're going to Kandahar, and you're going to be serious in Kandahar, you need to be bulked up. You need people in Kandahar. It will not become secure and stable itself unless there's a security pres ence that has firepower. Hard power matters because the good that is most missing in the world is security, not food or water or anything else, just basic security. To the degree that Canadians are mandated by international organizations to provide security, we've got to be able to do it If you only have soft power, you turn out to not have very much soft power at all.
...the relevance of the United Nations: We're now in a much more difficult and adverse world, in which the multilateral institutions that we bet the store on, like the UN, are in big trouble. Canadians have a reflexive support for the United Nations which is not necessarily consistent with what the UN is. On the human rights side, its record is just not good at all. If Canada believes that the only legitimate international action it can take is as a result of UN Security Council approval, we'll be waiting forever.... I don't want to be heard to say, To hell with the UN.' Middling powers need international organizations to franchise and multiply our legitimacy. So who do [we] ally with? Sometimes we can work with the Scandanavians, sometimes we can work with the Europeans. But it will be very difficult for us to get the business done if we can't work out something with the Americans.
...US foreign policy: Some of the difficulties we've got projecting influence and power abroad have to do with the decay of the institutions we started out with in 1945—NATO, the UN. We're in a very rudder less world. We're in a world where the United States is not lead-
...separatism and federalism in the 21st century: JAMES GOTOWIEC
Ignatieff declined to comment on his possible political future. ing in the reconstruction of international institutions, so we're struggling. The story I'm telling is that if the Americans aren't going to play, if we don't like what the Americans are doing, we just have to get out there and shape the world as best we can. We've made our way in the world by manipulating imperial relationships to our advantage, and the problem is now that we're having much more difficulty doing that. But it's not a mes sage of defeat We've done some things—land mines, [the International Criminal Court], responsibility to protect-which were good for the country.
...trade and human rights: In the human rights field, one of the things that is interest ing is how important the [World Trade Organization] is. If you take West African countries that have low incomes, their basic commodity export is cotton. The right way to improve the human rights of West African countries is to improve the price of cotton. Canada has lots to do there. That's what makes internation al politics so important—to get these balancing exercises right so
You can justify separation in cases of ongoing violence, dis crimination, extermination. I'm not one of those people who believe that separation is never justified. There are cases where self-determination is a vital necessity for people. The problem is that it isn't in Quebec. Quebec has effective self-determination in all areas that are essential for cultural and political survival of Québécois law, Québécois culture, Québécois history, Québécois tradition, immigration ... It just is a fact that this is one of the most decentralized federations in the world. The ca u su s b e lli is simply not there. Separatists' basic view is the only way you can create a political community is with people who are like you in some fun damental way, and I'm saying no. If you believe that, then we're going to have a very violent world. The challenge everywhere, not just in Canada, but every where, is to make political communities with people who are not like you—different religions, different races, different cultures, dif ferent gender, different sexual orientation, different language. That's the basic challenge of politics in the 21 st century and def initely the challenge of your generation. ■ —C o m p iled b y Ja m e s G o to w iec a n d N ia ll M a cka y R o b erts
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Q UO TABLE
State-of-the-art building lacks muchneeded practice space Continued from COVER
enthusiastic about their faculty's new facilities, but some undergradu ates have complained that the Schulich building does nothing to address a chronic shortage of rehearsal space. The building, which is entirely dedicated to graduate work, includes no additional rehearsal rooms. 'Finding rehearsal space really is a nightmare," said Matthew Toth, U4 Music History. "It doesn't make sense to me that no new practice rooms were put in [the Schulich building]" According to Toth, the existing rehearsal space in the Strathcona building is difficult to reserve and in a state of disrepair. Nonetheless, Toth remained positive about the contributions the Schulich building would bring to the university. There are so many good things coming out of this," he said. "Of course there are criticisms, and of course there are complaints, but really it's great to see all of these new facilities that we're getting... Music at McGill has always been one of the best things that the uni versity has going for it" The government of Quebec has provided $25.3-million for the new facilities since planning first began in 1995. The other principal benefactor is wealthy Toronto businessman and McGill graduate Seymour Schulich, for whom the building is named. At the urging of his wife, his daughters and Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, Schulich privately donated $20-million to the Faculty of Music, $8-million of which has gone directly to the new building. The
sum is the largest ever privately granted to a university arts department in Canada, and the school is the first at McGill ever named in honour of a private benefactor. Munroe-Blum expressed her gratitude to Schulich at the building's opening ceremonies. "Seymour Schulich has directed his philanthropy where it will have an unprecedented impact towards student scholarships and cul ture," she said. "He has been groundbreakingly generous and strategic in keeping with his belief in the responsibility of those more fortunate to apply their wealth to the greater public good." A portion of Schulich's donation will also provide for 40 annual Schulich scholarships for music students. August Murphy King, U1 Music Composition, was among the 40 students awarded a Schulich music scholarship this year. “I think it's pretty amazing that he's donated so much money," said King. "We now get a chance for a new building and a new space to expand the faculty and move forward. Hopefully we'll get more space for students to practice." The building's striking postmodern design—the product of Montreal architects Gilles Saucier and Anik Shooner—has been a topic of conversation throughout the Music Faculty and around campus. Toth, who was initially concerned about the building"s appearance, said he was won over after seeing the facilities firsthand. "When you're looking out [from Strathcona], the Schulich building looks kind of like the Death Star," said Toth. "But on the whole, I was pleasantly surprised, and I think most people are happy with it" ■ —With file s fro m N ia ll M a cka y R o b erts
"We know even less about Harriet Miers than we did about John Roberts." —US Senator Charles Schumer, responding to US President George W. Bush's nomination of White House Counsel Harriet Miers to fill Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's seat on the Supreme Court
4
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While students downtown may be moaning and groaning about the twoto three-hour wait tim e for the urgent drop-in clinic or complaining about hav ing to schedule doctor's appointments two to three w eeks ahead, Health Services at Macdonald Cam pus is scrambling to find a physician to take any appointments at all. Dr. Sabrina Ahmed, w ho hosted monthly medical clinics at the cam pus in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue in the past, is going on maternity leave. She has not been able to provide the service since the beginning of the semester. "The crux of this situation is scarce resources," says Alison King, nurse at Macdonald Health Services. "We have asked m any doctors from downtown, the Centre Locale de Service Communautaire and even in the area, and it's just that no one has hours to free up.” This is not just a problem within the university—there is an estimated shortage of about 8 0 0 general practitioners in the entire province of Quebec. Dr. Pierre Tellier, medical director of Student Health Services on the downtown cam pus, ascribed the shortage to politics. Aside from acquiring a license to practice, physicians m ust also have a permit to practice in a certain area. This year, only 3 4 positions have been set aside for the island of Montreal. The government issues more permits in remote areas to ensure that residents of rural areas have access to doctors and em ergency services. Another issue facing Q uebec physicians is the obligation to perform activ ités m edicales particulières, which are special medical activities designated by the province to ad dress "We did have a new physician for Macdonald h ig h-n e ed services that Campus, but she did not feel that we were going to are not pro pay her enough for being out in Ste-Anne-devided in the
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office. These include work ing in em ergency and ambulatory clinics and caring for seniors. Doctors in Q uebec m ust perform a certain num ber of hours worth of AMPs every three months, or face a 3 0 per cent pay cut. While m any em ployers, such as hos pitals, are able to provide AMP hours to their em ployees, being a physician at McGill is not considered a "high need," and the university cannot offer physi cians that perk. Money is also a problem w hen it com es to recruiting physicians. "We did have a new physician for Macdonald Cam pus," Dr. Tellier said, "but she did not feel that w e w ere going to pay her enough for being out in Ste-Anne-deBellevue for the am ount of patients that she w as going to see." King noted that even with the increased population at Macdonald Cam pus due to enrol ment as w ell as the shuttle bus, two medical clinics a month consisting of con tinuous 15-minute appointments from 9 a.m . to 4 p.m. should be sufficient for the students' needs. "However," she added, "there isn't a good gauge of demand because w e've only counted the students that com e on the days w e have advertised. We could conduct a poll or something, but at this point, we're really not sure what the demand is." Until the issue is resolved, students at Macdonald Cam pus do not have much nearby in term s of health services. Nurse King is only available three days a w eek—from 10 a.m . to 2 p.m. on Mondays and from 9 a.m . to 4 :3 0 p.m. on Tuesdays and W ednesdays—and the two doctors in the town of SteAnne-de-Bellevue are not accepting any new patients. The Student Health Services Web site lists three clinics on the West Island, but a student taking the 30-m inute bus ride to Pointe Claire could easily take the shuttle down town. Student Health Services is attempting to lighten the load by setting som e appointments aside for Macdonald Cam pus students. ■
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the mcgill tribune | 4.10.05 | news
CAMPUS
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Taking M cGill to task Students suggest improvements to university life and learning LISA VARANO McGill's extracurricular activities, advising and bureaucracy are all in need of im provem ent according to the Students' Society, which plans to subm it recom m endations in these areas to the Principal's Task Force on Student Life and Leaning. The Task Force w as formed last year to hear from the McGill com m u nity and report on ways to improve the student experience. SSM U's draft recom m endations suggest that the university revise its room booking fee structure for cam pus groups, hire more advisors and adopt a philosophy of custom er service to combat red tape. An open forum w as held last w eek for student consultation on the draft docum ent, attracting about 3 0 participants. David Novak, U3 Psychology and Biology, said he attended to complain about the red tape he has experienced at McGill. "This is the first tim e I've actually been able to sit with stu dents w ho might have similar problems and discuss them , and perhaps see other directions I could take," he said. Dean of Students Bruce Shore, w ho is also making a sub mission to the task force, used the forum to ask students if they found his recommendations relevant. "I think it's creating comm unities, and I think its the need to find ways to enhance the sense of being at McGill m ore than the courses," said Shore about what he considers in need of im provement. "It's definitely not there as much as it should be for students who com m ute from the Montreal area, w hose orig inal hom es are here." The Q uebec experience is one of five areas the task force will exam ine. Other working groups will focus on academ ics, support services, diversity, and technology and communications. M usic Senator David Matthews is among the 12 students handpicked by the university administration to sit on the 25m em ber task force. He encouraged subm issions by individual students.
DAVID BRODKEY
These students left shortly after claiming their free food. "When [students] send a submission to the task force, there's a lot of really high-up people in the university w ho are going to sit there and actually read their concerns," he said. "There will be the big, formal subm issions from the student groups, but the m ore informal subm issions are also really going to shape the process." SSM U has criticized the appointment of student task force m em bers by the university, arguing that student associations should have played the leading role.
"Had I had to appoint people, I probably would have appointed m any of the people on the task force," said Max Reed, SSM U vice-president university affairs, "but I think as a general rule, this university is run on the principle of collegiality, w here the Students' Society is in the best position to pick the best kind of students for this task force." Reed said there w ere drawbacks to having students handpicked by the administration. "For future years, having the different constituent bodies appoint their own representatives to a task force is really, really important, in that I think we'll yield a much more productive and much higher quality of analysis than without doing that," said Reed. However, Victoria Meikle, special assistant to Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, said that student organizations w ere con sulted about the university's nom inees to the task force. Four of the students on the task force w ere selected by SSM U or the Post-Graduate Students' Society, while three more w ere execu tives on faculty associations, she said. "This is not a body that is m eant to be representative," said Meikle. "It is a body that is m eant to bring together people with a broad experience of the university." A final report is expected from the task force next fall. "The task force aim s to formulate a few significant recom m endations that may have the greatest im p act... while being mindful that our resources are constrained and w e must be thoughtful, therefore, about how best to be strategic in our approach," Munroe-Blum, chair of the task force, said in a m ass e-mail inviting student com m ents. The deadline for subm issions is Oct. 15. ■
What do you think is wrong with McGill? Put those complaints and suggestions in writing. Visit ww w.m cgill.ca/studentlife/subm issions/ for informa tion on how to make a subm ission to the task force.
This year, the SSMU will work hard to inform you of the latest developments in McGill’s undergraduate community. Expect a SSMU half-page every second week in the Tribune, on page 5.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and SSMU is doing a campus wide shave to save.
Conference : Louis Bernard
Shave The Heads of Various Members of the Student Body including the SSMU President. All of October there will be PINK themed events including Jazz Nights, Band Nights, charitable fundraisers, all to try and reach our goal of $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 for the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.
Come meet and ask questions to PQ leadership candidate Louis Bernard Thursday 6 October from 3 :3 0 to 1 8 :0 0 at the Lev Buckman Council Room in the Shatner Building. Mr. Bernard holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and has served under PQ and Liberal governments. He was the Chief of Staff of René Lévesque’s PMO, amongst others. An interesting debate in per spective!
LOUIS BERNARD
This week at Gerts For more information including details of the Competition in Residence, please con tact ssmushavetosave@hotmail.com
Come experience OPEN BAR at Gert’s on Thursday O ctober 6th and 13th. OPEN BAR from 11 -12 for ladies, 12-1 for gents. Also be sure to com e by for Wednesday night live Jazz. Also opening this week is AL TAIB. Come down and taste what the M o n tre a l M ir r o r calls the best Pizza in Montreal!
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| the mcgill tribune
CAMPUS
N o bones o r m uskets about it Forgotten Civil W ar specimens get new lease on life ROBERT CHURCH A McGill doctor, staff m em ber and graduate student are doing what no one at the university has done in alm ost 100 years: giving McGill's little-known collection of Civil War-era m ed ical specim ens the attention they deserve. Dr. Richard Fraser, a professor in the pathology department of McGill's medical school, has designed and overseen the con struction of an exhibit in the Osier Library of Medical History that seeks to shine som e light on part of McGill's neglected medical collection, specifically bones donated by the US Army that date back to the American Civil War. According to Fraser, in the 18 6 0 s the US Surgeon General decided there should be a method to study the w ounds soldiers sustained in Civil War battles, in order to better learn how to treat future injuries. Specim ens such as amputated limbs or severed skulls w ere collected from battlefield hospitals and kept in US Army m useum s in Washington. When McGill's own medical m useum , one of the primary institutions to teach medical students in the late-18th and early19th centuries, suffered a devastating fire in 1907, the Army accepted McGill's request to help replenish its collection. According to Fraser, the Arm y Medical M useum curator donated about 1200 specim ens, of which roughly 120 remain. About 3 0 to 3 5 of these specim ens date specifically from the Civil War, and they are the main focus of the exhibit "The exhibit started because I w as interested in preserving som e of the history that w as associated with the pathology department," Fraser said. "In the late 19 9 0 s I w ent around the Duff Building looking in the cupboards and in the basem ent that had been left for years to gather dust, to see if anything was there. I found a bunch of boxes that had bones in them , and I w as curious to know w here they cam e from . .. A bit of research into the bones w hen I took them out of the boxes showed w here they cam e from, from the Civil War and what w as then the Army Medical Museum.” Som e of the bones on display include shattered skulls and
a spine with a m usket ball lodged between the vertebrae. Fraser said the exhibit merely illustrates the realities of the war, and that one of the exhibit's strong points is that it relates history to the battles and injuries the soldiers endured. Fraser hopes the exhibit, which opened S e p t 19, will not only create interest in the bones them selves, Lum bar V erteb rae. A conoidal ball, but also make people more aware apex dow nw ard, is present in a depression in the posterior part of of the importance of properly pre the body and anterior part of the left serving m useum collections. lamina of th e 5*h lumbar vertebra, having apparently entered through 'W e tell several stories [in this the 4th and 5th intervertebral foramen exhibit]," Fraser said. "How the spec T he bod ies o f th e v e rte b rae are im ens cam e to be at McGill, the ankylosed together. Age 40 years. G unshot injury, unknown circum story of the bones them selves, the stances. Died 18 years later, unknown soldiers and the medical aspects. cause. We want people to see how easy it is to lose these artifacts, these things put on shelves and rotting away. It's happening all over the world. My aim is to tell a story, but the other aim is to help preserve these speci JULIA SHONFIELD mens." Assisting Fraser in the creation Musket ball in the spine— courtesy of the Confederate States of America of this exhibit w ere Monica Farcas, a lection, but that m any of them are interesting because they dis graduate student in chemical engineering, and Joan O'Malley, a play afflictions that are no longer prevalent in the modern world. staff m em ber in the pathology departm ent Farcas said she "I've read every single card on all the specim ens," she said, becam e involved with the project after working with Fraser on "and each one is special because it's a story of som eone's life.''* her master's thesis. "Personally I think [how they were being kept] w as a bit dis respectful," Farcas said. "They com e from Civil War soldiers. There's a lot of honour in what they've done. They w ere donat ed for learning, and it seem s at McGill they w ere discarded." O'Malley said she has no "favourites" in the pathology col
The exhibit is located near the entrance to the Osier Library o f the History o f Medicine, on the third floor o f the Mcintrye M edical Building, It will run until March.
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MiHti* 030 stakil'ze granular materials in her lab. Her find» ings could have implications for children everywhere. rüïsyUm»; j o t f . ! • a rubber com pany in China has begun marketing condom s under the brand nam es Clinton and Lewinsky. "The Clinton condom will be our top of the line," says Liu W enhua of the Guangzhou Rubber Group. 'T h e Lewinsky tf»î fiïitiMisn» condom is not quite as good." • In his book The Meaning of Tingo, Adam Jacot de Boinod has compiled a collection "At D aw of words and phrases from around the world that have no pîfY&Kft* English equivalent. They include: katahara itai (Japanese) laughing so much that one side of your abdomen hurts; bakku-shan (Japanese), a girl w ho appears pretty from "Bc’lCv behind but not from the front; Kummerspeck (G e rm an ), the Hjitk \ me excess weight gained from emotion-related overeating; B iV t o c v Drachenfutter (G e rm an ), peace offerings m ade by guilty husbands to their w ives; uitwaaien (D utch), walking in à » ti car: windy w eather for the fun of it; koshatnik (R ussian), a deal ijvtitiaw i er in stolen cats; aviador (Spanish), a government em ploy Ik *en. ee who only shows up on payday. • A n ew Cambodian cafe is offering diners a slice of life under the Khm er Hxk." whk W«MWar I Rouge, with a m enu featuring rice-water and leaves, and waitresses dressed in the black fatigues worn by Pol Pot's j i&jMC via . ultra-Maoist guerrillas. • The annual World Toilet Sum m it wrapped up in Belfast last w eek. Three hundred fifty li t ? a il pan M kteeWN It experts discussed subjects ranging from portable toilets to anti-social behaviour in washroom s. It w as agreed that tW s ta Singapore has the world's best public toilets. • CPAC Iflttlf W'd ; has annouced that it will now be making the daily par {ffeet to him [’to liamentary Question Period available for podcasts. Pocket protectors and retainers sold seperately. ■ TL *** iu.i a Mb Sources: Associated Press, B BC News, Globe irtn tB f hack n u n and Mail, Reuters I t ia e a t h
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the mcgill tribune | 4.10.05 j news
NEWS
7
BRIEFS
Endowment to attract architectural elite to McGill Thanks to a n ew million-dollar endowm ent, McGill Architecture students could soon have the chance to study with som e of the world's most renowned archi tects. The endowm ent will fund a new faculty position in the McGill School of Architecture, the Gerald Sheff Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Architecture. Donated by business leader and philanthropist Gerald Sheff, the endowm ent is expected to attract top talent to McGill. "The goal is to identify som eone who will not only attract students to the graduate program, but will enrich their experience, stimulate them and push them in unex pected ways," said David Covo, director of the School of Architecture. The first appointment will be in the Winter 2 0 0 6 term for a position in the Master of Architecture program. The structure of the professorship may vary, but will always focus on guaranteeing access and exposure to all Architecture students through public lectures, sem inars and exhibitions. The donation will be phased over five years, after which the university will have the revenue to endow a new full-time teaching position in the School of Architecture. Students and school officials alike are eager to attract som e leading architecture talent to university. "Many architecture schools have visiting professor ships, and until now, McGill has kind of been out of the loop," said Architecture Students' Association President Colin Hanley. "Now w e can get som e big nam es to com e in and interact with students on a more regular basis." The School of Architecture has hosted architectural elites through programs such as the annual David J. Azrieli Lecture in Architecture series, but these experiences have not given students the opportunity to interact with promi nent architects on a regular basis. With its com m itm ent to a high level of faculty-stu dent interaction, the School of Architecture aims to struc ture the program so that professors are accessible to a m axim um num ber of students. "Design teaching happens to be a one-on-one type of mentor situation, a dialogue structured around the stu
dent's work," Covo said. "Now the students are going to gain exposure to people who are developing and explor ing ideas that they've read about or heard of in lectures . .. That kind of experience is irreplaceable."
IMAGES
—Nora Coghlan
Conter to Senate: Where's the beef (with Dawson)? At the Senate meeting on Wednesday, Students' Society President Adam Conter raised questions regard ing the reduction in service at the Student Affairs Office in Dawson Hall, which serves students in the faculties of Arts and Science. Last month, Dawson hall began offering counter service only in the morning and phone service only in the afternoon. At Senate, Conter asked w h y these changes have been m ade, how the administration thinks this change will affect student access to advising information, and if the administration is taking any action to make the uni versity a more navigable place for students. In response, Acting Provost Anthony Masi said the hours w ere cut to allow staff to reduce the backlog of work they currently face. Conter claimed this backlog is created by a ques tionable division of work within the administration. 'There could be a restructuring of the advising department because McGill advisors do work that other universities delegate to their registrar's office," he said. McGill students are now able to speak to Dawson Hall staff in person from 9 a.m . to 1 p.m. Masi said that afternoon counter service will eventually be reinstated, but he failed to give a timeframe. 'Th is change in hour distribution is temporary," Masi said. "It's in response to this backlog of work." Conter said the reduction in hours is especially inconvenient given the shortage of advisors to whom Dawson Hall staff grant students access. "Dawson Hall is the main advising centre for under grads," Conter said. "For 6 ,0 0 0 students there are only eight advisors. A further reduction is worrisome." Masi could not be reached for further comm ent.
—Kelly Harris
VLADIMIR EREMIN
McGill's new mascot was unveiled at Saturday's homecoming football game against Sherbrooke.. The mascot, which has yet to be named, did little to help the football team, who fell to 1-4 on the season with a 4234 loss. See page 20 for the game report.
FALL ELECTIO N S TIME
A R E Y O U IN F IR S T Y E A R ? ? ? IN TERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED? R U N F O R A P O S IT IO N O N F I R S T Y E A R C O M M IT T E E O F C O U N C IL ( F Y C C ) ELECTIO N S McGILL is currently accepting nominations for: ■X President ^ VP Academic ■X VP Communications
■X VP Finance ■X VP External VP Internal
Pick up a nomination kit starting Wednesday, October 5**1 in the Elections McGill office, Shatner 405, or visit us online at:
www.electionsmcgill.ca All nomination kits are due in the Elections McGill office by NOON on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19th. NO LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED Questions or concerns? E-mail us at:
co n ta ct@ ele ctio n sm cg ill.ca
opinion
Kleinium
Anything but an Intelligent theory
Parry and Thrust
Should tobacco companies pay for heath-care costs? GENEVIEVE JENKINS and BEN LEMIEUX La Geneviève declares: We all know that smoking is bad, and now the provinces have the right to sue tobacco companies for the seemingly individual stupidity of smoking. Are w e letting smokers off the hook for their own poor judgment? For over five years now, w e've known that cigarette companies have been making the most effective "nicotine delivery device" they could. In Canada, between the 1970s and 1995, the nicotine levels in cigarettes increased by 53 percent. Ifs funny how having more nicotine pumped into your body every tim e you take a drag makes it more difficult to quit. Given the taxes w e pay for a working medical care system, w e shouldn't be paying for the millions of smokers who haven't already m ade the intelligent decision to quit. This isn't just about the stupidity of the individual smoker's choice. Ifs about having too much of my money spent on the wrong health problems. The cigarette companies should be held accountable for the addiction they've encouraged.
Le Ben responds: Whether or not cigarettes are being m ade increasingly addic tive in term s of content is inconsequential. Anti-smoking campaigns and lobbies have made it possible for a cautionary quip to be written on every single cigarette package explaining to potential users what is already comm on knowledge: that said product will gradually destroy their lungs and throat, render them impotent, pose a health risk to anyone sharing the sam e air as them and waste $50-100 a week. We've succeeded in bringing the proportion of smokers in Canada from 5 0 per cent of the population in 1965 to just under a quarter at present. The government has ensured that people know from the get-go that smoking is among the more destructive habits in which they can engage. For provinces to be entitled to claim damages for the lingeringly clueless 2 5 per cent of the country is equivalent to suing gun companies over self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The action is voluntary, the outcome is pre-ascertained; w here's the problem? Back at you, Ben: Where's the problem? The problem lies in the fact that the Canadians who choose not to smoke are being held accountable for the health problems of those who do smoke. The provinces are now able to sue cigarette companies for the costs incurred by the health problems of smokers, which forces the cancer-causing com panies to pay for the harms they've knowingly caused. Smokers may be aware of the dangers of smoking and willing to pay for them , but guess what? The Canadian health care system ensures that they won't be the only ones covering the costs, and the rest of us shouldn't have to pick up the tab. Think about the dollars that could be saved if cigarette companies paid their share. Gen, put it in your straw and suck it: You can't boil this down to broad corpo rate accountability. You can't just create a legal precedent rendering cigarette com panies financially responsible for the pseudo-masochistic plight of people idiotic enough to disregard the fact that over 7 ,0 0 0 Canadians die of smoke-related dis eases every year. This will no doubt open the floodgates to class-action lawsuits filed by scores of pan-handlers who merely need to claim they "didn't know any better." Ifs impossi ble not to loathe cigarette companies and everything they stand for, but one thing they are plainly not responsible for is making people stupid. ■
JONATHAN KLEIN orget Michael Jackson or Martha Stewart: There's a trial going on right now that actu ally has significant consequences for the world at large, and it has the potential to impact scientific teachings for years to come. The court case began last w eek in Dover, Pennsylvania, over changes made by the school board to the high school biology curriculum. These changes force teachers to preface their treatment of evolution with a passage explaining that there are "gaps" in modern evolutionary theory and that these are the source of wide spread controversy in the scientific community. More disturbing is that teachers must also mention that a competing theory, known as intelligent design, may be better able to explain the development of complex life on Earth. ID claims that modern life cannot be explained by naturalistic means and that the development of complex life requires the guiding hand of some supernatural intelligence, which is almost always assumed to be the God of creation. Debates like this one are not new: A court in Georgia heard a similar case last November, and Kansas school boards recently decided to include ID in their biology classes. But ID is not a scientific theory and has no place in biology classrooms any where. ID supporters-President George W. Bush and other religious zealots among them —claim w e should "teach the controversy" over evolu tion to high school biology students. The idea is to force teachers to present students with Iwo competing views of the origin of life and let stu dents decide for themselves which to believe. To back this up, those who favour ID point out that the history of science is rife with debates over competing theories. The problem with applying this logic to the evolution debate is (say it with m e ): There is no controversy over evolution! It is likely that, to a first-order approxima tion, 100 per cent of scientists believe that species develop through evolution by natural selection. Controversies do exist within the field of evolutionary biology, but these are based not
F
on. whether or not evolution occurs, but rather on theories of how evolution proceeds. There is so much evidence in favour of evolution from so many different scientific fields that no other competing theory even comes close. ID proponents, w ho claim their theory is scientific, have not advanced any evidence to support it. All they do is point out "problems" and "gaps" in evolutionary theory. But every day, scientists are testing new ideas and finding new specimens that fill in more and more of these gaps. IDers regularly attack evolution on the basis of small problems while conveniently ignoring the theory's extraordinary success. This method is akin to attacking Newton's theory of gravity because it breaks down at the sub-microscopic level, without mentioning that it allows us to send spacecraft to Pluto. Anyone claiming that Newton is incorrect without provid ing an alternate explanation and a significant body of evidence to support the new theory would be rightly laughed out of the room. And yet, somehow, ID proponents are welcom ed into schools and other public forums in the nam e of "science." Another favourite tactic of IDers is to attack evolution under the label of "Darwinism," pre tending that Darwin's On the Origin o f Species is the be all and end all of evolutionary theory. Imagine som eone criticizing 21st-century com puter engineering by pointing out flaws in the design of ENIAC, and you begin to perceive the absurdity of this logic. It is true that Darwin laid the groundwork for contemporary evolutionary theories, but for the past 140-odd years, scien tists have investigated, tested and revised hypotheses about evolution. To deny evolution is not simply to rebuke Darwin, but to refute the work of hosts of scientists from many different fields over the last century and a half. There's not enough space on this page to adequately address all the problems with ID and all the evidence in favour of evolution. But hopefully the court can see through the rhetoric and keep this unintelligent theory on the side lines. ■
In the right
The great Kyoto hoax LEIGH ASLATEEI ichael Crichton's new novel, State o f Fear, probes the politically correct belief that global warming will cause cataclysmic climate change. Crichton's villains are ecoterrorists with scarce evidence to support their claims, but reli gious zeal to compensate. Their data fails to prove a connection between global warming and environmental catastrophes, so they manufacture high-tech disasters, such as a tsunami hitting the California coast on the last day of a global warming confer ence in Los Angeles. I'm not insinuating that there's a diabolical despot in the world today with his finger on the proverbial hurricane button. But if you take a closer look at the people wetting their pants over greenhouse gas em issions, you'll understand w hy Crichton's book—which em phasizes how society's prevailing wisdom is media-manufactured and disseminated to the uncrit ical m asses who, lacking the time and interest to scrutinize rhet oric, agree for the sake of convenience and to facilitate a return to normalcy—is so relevant to the real debate on global warm ing. During a panel discussion on African poverty at the smug ly titled Clinton Global Initiative, the dialogue surprisingly turned toward global warming. Kenyan environmentalist Wangari
M
Maathai drew her own direct connection between current poverty and greenhouse gas emissions, alluding vaguely to the disappearance of forests and vegetation. Meanwhile, Jeff Sachs, director of the UN Millennium Project on reducing poverty, dis ease and hunger, chimed in on a topic entirely outside his port folio with a declaration of more frequent and stronger hurri canes in the future. Ted Turner brought us to climax, prophesizing "the greatest catastrophe the world has ever seen to date." Their words left no room for debate, even though, for instance, global temperatures actually declined between 1940 and 1970 while carbon dioxide levels rose. Which brings us to Canada's eco-saga and its frightening prospects. Friendly dictator Jean Chrétien, in search of a lastminute legacy, ratified the Kyoto protocol on climate change in 2 0 0 2 . The accord calls for draconian reductions in greenhouse gas em issions by 2 0 1 2, and reaching its targets will cripple a large, cold, exporting nation like Canada. Consumers and busi nesses can look forward to double-digit percentage increases in the costs of electricity, natural gas and petroleum, amounting to thousands of extra dollars spent by Canadian families. Of course, due to the massive job losses that will follow Kyoto's implemen tation, som e people won't be able to pay their bills at all.
That only scratches the surface. Kyoto is, in fact, the largest wealth transfer schem e in history. It will have no impact on reducing greenhouse gas em issions, and it could actually make the atmosphere dirtier. Many substantial emitters, like India and China, are exempt, and of course, the US didn't ratify the accord. This legislation forces Canada and other developed nations to purchase imaginary carbon credits at a cost of billions of dollars in order to maintain their level of em issions. So while developing nations maintain environmental standards that would be illegal here, Canada—a negligible part of the "prob lem" at just Iwo per cent of world em issions—is taxed and penalized. The Kyoto Protocol's prognosis is negative for tree huggers and titans of industry alike. But fear not, friends of reason: The accord's death knell may be ringing. At the Clinton shindig, even British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a longtime proponent of Kyoto, rejected it as unfeasible. "No country is going to cut its growth," he said. I couldn't agree more. As Crichton's book makes clear, claims about the impending global warming disaster and the benefits of Kyoto should be taken as nothing more than, well, hot air. ■
the mcgill tribune | 4.10.05 [ opinion
I M c G ill T r ib u n e
EDITORIAL
Good riddance, September
C u rio sity d elivers. E d it o r - in - C hief
There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse; as I have found in traveling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position and be bruised in a new place. —Washington In/ing
Liz Allemang editor@mccgilltribune.com M
a n a g in g
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E dito r s
Jennifer Jett Andrew Segal seniored@mcgilltribune.com P r o d u c t io n M
anager
Lara Bekhazi production@mcgilltnbune.com N ew s E dito r s Robert Church James Gotowiec Niall Mackay Roberts news@mcgilltribune.com F eatures E d ito r s Genevieve Jenkins Lise Treutler features@mcgilltribune.com A & E E d ito r s Ben Lemieux Melissa Price arts@mcgilltribune.com S po rts E d ito r s David Blye Adam Myers sports@mcgilltribune.com P h o t o E d ito r s Lukas Bergmark Vladimir Eremin photo@mcgilltribune.com C o p y E d it o r
S
o there it w as, and now it's gone. Septem ber 2 0 0 5 . Even the most
ignorant of McGill students is aw are of the events that took place at this university over the past 3 0 days. Fortunately, the dawning of October m eans the end of one of the m ost tum ultuous m onths of the m odern McGill era. Too bad that it, too, had to begin on a sour note. After a hazing scandal, cuts in student services and seeing McGill nam ed one of the top 10 party schools in all of North Am erica (b y Playboy magazine no le ss), M cGill, in its enduring w isdom , decided w e didn't have enough controversy. How could it possibly get w orse? Sim ple. Have a convicted criminal, a man who defrauded the national governm ent of m illions of dollars and was com placent in one of the biggest political scandals in Canadian history, give a lecture to budding M anagem ent students ab o u t... w ait for it... business
ethics. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's take a m inute to look at som e of the events that have defined our fair school over the past few w eeks. After the optim ism that accom panies the n ew school year each August, Septem ber tested the resolve of every proud McGill student. We w ere so surrounded by turmoil, it's alm ost im possible to decide w here to begin. It's fair to say that McGill is not renow ned for its athletics program. Our gym—which, by the way, w as not open on the first day of school, due to renovations that w ere m onths behind schedule—is constantly cited as a sad symbol of McGill's lack of com m itm ent to its students, and none but a few students can nam e the last national cham pionship won by any of our team s. Yet our athletics program becam e the sym bol of our school and entered the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Though the foot ball hazing scandal does not reflect fairly on this university, its students or even the majority of the football team , it put McGill in the new s. It's unfor tunate but true that, as Al Pacino describes the CIA in The Recruit, our fail ures are known, our su ccesses are not. How could Septem ber get any w orse for students? W e had bad press all over the country (and even in the U S ), but leave it to McGill to figure out a w ay: W hy not live up to our reputation as one of the m ost bureau cratically riddled universities in North Am erica and cut the hours available
for advising to 6 ,0 0 0 undergrads? It doesn't matter; everyone's transcripts will have the hallowed McGill nam e attached to them , so w ho cares if everyone's course load includes what they actually need to graduate? W e've endured this m uch controversy, so w e can handle a little self-advis ing, right? It rem ains to be seen how the Dawson Hall issue will play out, and with the university claiming it's a tem porary m easure, but not giving us a tim efram e in which to have it resolved, w e can be sure to look forward to m onths m ore of half-day counter and phone service. It seem s that as long as this place has electricity and real, live professors, w e should be counting our lucky stars. But even if McGill is suffering on cam pus, at least it still has a worldrenow ned reputation, right? Well, apparently our status as the "Harvard of the North" didn't m ean m uch to Playboy magazine, which last w eek nam ed McGill one of the 'Top 10 Party Schools in North Am erica," up there with the likes of Florida State and the University of Georgia (H arvards of the South, perhaps?). Just w hen w e think our hard work is going unappreciat ed, Playboy gives us another reason to sm ile. Ladies, be sure to keep your eyes open for their representatives on cam pus next w eek, if you have a hankering for som e extra cash and international notoriety for your breasts. O f course, having Paul Coffin, recently convicted for his involvem ent in the federal sponsorship scandal, speak to a M anagem ent class last Tuesday w as the icing on the cake. Why are w e giving this m an a chance to rid him self of sh am e and garner so m e good press w h en w e're the ones w ho need it? In addition to all our other m isdeeds, now w e have convict ed crim inals giving lectures on business ethics. If this isn't enough to final ly get us the top spot in the M aclean's rankings, then w hat is? Either McGill is the laziest, drunkest, m ost apathetic school on the continent, or every single one of us dropped the ball big tim e in September. But don't despair: hope is spelled O-C-T-O-B-E-R. There's a n ew $70million M usic building, a search for six fresh Deans, $ 14-million for a new cancer centre and $ 1-million for the faculty of Architecture. Our grounds are changing, alive with fall colours, and w e should, too. Here's the challenge, M cGill: Let's all forget Septem ber, and try and m ake this n ew month a w hole n ew school year as w ell. ■
Traci Johnson copy@mcgilltribune.com
OFF
THE
BOARD
D es ig n E dito r s Tiffany Choy Spenser Sproul
Setting the newspaper record straight
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BEN LEMIEUX n a recent conversation, one of m y friends noted that a great num ber of her buddies around cam pus have a certain aversion toward the Tribune. T h e statem ent brought upon m e the kind of puzzlem ent and disappointm ent w hich typically surfaces in a doting m other w ho discovers that her son w as booted from the m athletes because he had innate, uncorrectable difficulties with fractals. W hat reason could people have for disliking m y new spaper? W as it the occasional overuse of pink on the cover? The excessively inflam m atory content of op-ed pieces written by colum nists Brandon Chudleigh or Am anda "MIA" G reenm an? T h e fact that the second page of our last issue w as horrifyingly close to anti-Sem itic adspace? Wrong on all counts. The dreadfully unsatisfying reason given to m e— the cross-cam pus justification for avoiding our new spaper like a lam e, fourth-rate cliché—w a s, and I quote: "They're th e SSM U paper." This bothers m e. Not because it isn't a nutshell representation of the Tribune's identity in the sphere of cam pu s new s, but because of the unjust and thoroughly confused assum ptions people tend to m ake based on our affiliation with the Students' Society. I've grown to understand that cynical folk autom atically think the w orst w h en faced with rem inders of our stu dent governm ent (and all that it stands fo r), but I've also grown to under stand that plenty of people are ju st plain dense. T h e M cG ill D aily will gladly inform you of our affiliation, as they did in their first publication of the year: "Every Tuesday [The M cG ill Tribune] will give you the latest on cam pus new s, culture, and sports. Though e ssen tially harm less, beware! It's ow ned by SSMU." W hile m any of us can under stand and have an appreciation for the D aily's tongue-in-cheek style, other people do not have the sam e panache for com prehending subtlety. Let m e spell it out for you: w e are not "owned" by SSM U , and I am not Adam Com er's bitch. To those m a sses unable to com prehend the rela
I
tionship betw een the Tribune and SSM U since our founding in 1981, here's a rundown of w hat it actually m eans. First, it m eans that, officially, w e represent you, the m em bers of the Students' Society. Our publication is the collective voice of everybody on cam pus. This forces the Tribune to represent the greatest variety of view s and interests in our n ew s coverage and editorials, in order to accurately reflect the diverse student body w e represent. It also m eans that if any of our readers are unhappy with elem ents of our publication, it is their responsibility to write letters to the editor, guest colum ns or even becom e w riters for our sections to have their voices incorporated into the Tribune. Second, it m eans w e 're accountable. This is an aspect of a publica tion that is of undeniable im portance. As a result, w e have an obligation to act with appropriate journalistic integrity, because w e know that if w e put out a subjective, inaccurate, personally motivated or biased paper, sooner or later there would be so m eo n e w e'd have to an sw er to. It does not m ean that w e 're a SSM U m outhpiece. Though their rep resentatives have occasionally trudged angrily down the hall to complain about our coverage, w e have never modified our publication because w e felt it would get us on the executives' good side. I've seen Adam Conter in our office just once, w h en he w as kind enough to bring us a replace m ent com puter m o use. If you feel that constitutes SSM U "ownership," then you probably don't po ssess the cognitive abilities required to attend university. I know this m ay all sound like horn-tooting and self-praise, but I'll be the first to adm it that the Tribune is just as flaw ed as the next paper. My point, however, is that those various pecadillos stem from the people w ho work for it, not because of a m aster/slave relationship betw een our paper and SSM U. But if you disagree with this in an y way, tell us so. After all, our connection with SSM U m eans this is your paper, too. ■
The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society of McGill University, in collaboration with the Tribune Publication Society. All letters must include contributor's name, program and year, and contact information. Submissions may be sent by e-mail to letters@mcgilltribune.com. Any material 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.
10 opinion j 4.10.05 | the mcgill tribune
Letters to the editor See, we also print letters of praise As a form er sports editor and McGill grad who cov ered the Redmen football team for several years, I have been following the disgraceful hazing incident and agree fully with your editorial statement. Coach Chuck McMann has taken a role of moral cowardice by blaming the inci dent on one player, and responsibility should ultimately fall on him, as well as the team captains who deserve far sterner punishm ent for their abusive behaviour than a light one-game suspension. McMann's job should be in serious jeopardy for bringing sham e to a once-proud program. Kudos to your editorial staff and sports team for bringing out the real story and truth.
—Jerem y Kuzmarov BA '01, MA '02
An athlete weighs in on hazing As a McGill student and athlete I find it totally unac ceptable that the Departm ent of Athletics will continue to finance a losing team that has no respect for the Athletes' Code of Conduct. Why should the university pour m oney into the Redmen football team w hen they seldom win a game and its veteran m em bers are unable to restrain the puerile urge to humiliate team m ates? Forgiving the disgusting behaviour of these students is dem eaning to athletes participating on team s lower down in the absurd ranking of McGill intercollegiate team s. I am no longer proud to be a m em ber of the McGill athletic community.
—Name withheld on request
A view on hazing from the Ohio State of Canada As an athlete who has been involved with various team s in num erous sports, the hazing incident reported last w eek ("Hazing victim: AD fum bled inquiry," 2 7 .9 .0 5 ) did not surprise m e. However, what did shock m e w as the national attention the story received. Upon reading the story, I w as not surprised that a hazing incident had taken place. Furthermore, I w as not astonished w hen I realized it w as a football team doing the hazing. I am not defending hazing. Nevertheless, in many team sports at higher levels hazing is in a sense a rite of passage. Amazingly enough for som e team s, it is consid ered a bonding experience. The younger players know the older players have gone through it and thus, although
grudgingly, accept their fate. Hopefully other team s across the country are not haz ing to the extent of the Redm en football team . Nonetheless, as m uch as the public wants to deny it, haz ing is going on all over the place. From fraternities to am a teur sports to pro sports, hazing is a ritual that is not going aw ay anytime soon. Even with strict penalties, team s will continue to find w ays to "initiate" their rookies. I can tell you that there are much worse hazing incidents than this occurrence of alm ost meeting "Dr. Broom." This w as a story that needed to be reported by the Tribune. However, it did not deserve the national attention it received. It is true that the Canadian public should be m ade aware of hazing. However, w hy not inform us of occasions during which som ebody has been injured or killed by hazing, as opposed to a student athlete w ho w as on the verge of being hazed. Sports media outlets across Canada had a chance to create major aw areness about a bothersome issue. Regrettably, they led their audience into a haze.
—Justin Lipton University of Western Ontario
Sidewalk chalk: apparently not beautiful enough Learning is often a collaborative enterprise, and true learning can be characterized by the ability to demonstrate one's comprehension to others. The mission of McGill University is "the advancem ent of learning through teach ing, scholarship and service to society: by offering to out standing undergraduate and graduate students the best education available." Additionally, written into the mandate of the Principal's Task Force on Student Life and Learning is the credo that "a supportive cam pus environm ent is essential for students to thrive. The atm osphere on our cam puses should be open and tolerant, respecting aca dem ic freedom s and building strong accountability, both on the part of individuals and of the community." Why then, w as an initiative designed to stimulate learning and collaboration am ong m em bers of the McGill com m unity stifled by the administration this past week? Last Friday, 160 elem entary science teaching students from the Faculty of Education spent an entire day chroni cling the history of the earth on McGill's sidewalks (using washable sidewalk chalk). The im m ediate purpose of this activity was to facilitate a broader understanding of the evolution of the earth, and to help students situate the his tory of humankind in relation to the earth's history. This
activity not only involved the full participation of all 160 of our students, but also garnered the interest and participa tion of other m em bers of the McGill com m unity and the general public. That is, until McGill administration sent out mainte nance staff to erase every last speck of our students' labour so as to "beautify" this cam pus for an upcoming interna tional conference. In response, I can only ask, at a univer sity striving to maintain its reputation for excellence in teaching and teaming, what can be more beautiful than the demonstration of active learning engaging all m em bers of our intellectual community?
—Allison Gonsalves Ph.D. 3, Department o f Integrated Studies in Education
Big Mac attack I am writing in regards to Genevieve Jenkins' article "What's Up, Mac?" (9 .2 7 .0 5 ) I felt that the article w as not well-researched enough, and although Ms. Jenkins did touch on the good points about Mac, in the end she w as basically saying, "Downtown is better." First, the nitty-gritty: There are two residences on Mac cam pus. EcoResidence—the one that is not 50m away from student services—was actually awarded the Prix d'Excellence from the Ordre des Architectes du Q uébec in the year 2 0 0 0 . Ms. Jenkins also failed to mention the EcoM useum , which is essentially a mini-zoo located near the Arboretum; it hosts m any animals that are native to North America and offers educational "workshops" on a regular basis. I understand that the shuttle is annoying for students who are juggling classes at Mac and downtown, but for stu dents that are here full tim e, w e wouldn't change a thing. 1 should know; after being completely determined that I would eventually m ake the move downtown at the end of last year, it's only been a month into school and I'm now not sure w hether I want to. The walk to classes is short, people stop and talk to each other in between classes and I can party freely at the bar without worrying that a creepy guy at least five years older will start rubbing up against me. Sure, w e seem far aw ay from downtown, but there are m any things that the cam pus and the surrounding towns on the W est Island have to offer. Maybe it's not what w e expected w hen w e first cam e to Montreal for school, but Mac cam pus is definitely McGill's best kept secret
—Vinca Tsui, U I Dietetics
Guest Soap
Hazing punishments need to be severe BRYAN ARCIERO espite w hat others m ay believe, I am not surprised by the hazing allegations currently surrounding the McGill football team . Many athletics team s engage in this behaviour in one form or another. Clubs and student organizations also participate in w h at so m e w ould call hazing. Depending on what w e define as hazing (and there are m any defini tions), som e students subjected to this seem to enjoy it. But what is ultimately m eant to be a bonding experien ce betw een individuals sharing the sam e experiences can easily turn into an ugly scene of degradation and hum iliation. Initiations are m eant to be symbol ic m om ents of the culmination of hard work and effort, yet m any try to use them as a forum to degrade younger "rookies," as evidenced by
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these recent allegations. What I am surprised about, however, is the allegedly slow reac tion tim e displayed by McGill Athletics in dealing with this. I can not believe that this initiation cere m ony w as unknown to the coach es or support staff. Is there a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy in place? Without the dem ands of the stu dent's father, I fear that this matter may have been swept under the carpet. There is, however, light at the end of the tunnel. Any student found to be in violation of the Code of Student Conduct should be dealt with severely by the Committee on Student Discipline. We are not a Division IA football school, and thus, there is no pres sure from a booster club that gives us millions of dollars to treat these
offenders with a slap on the w rist If these allegations are found to be correct, these students have com mitted severe violations of the Code and m ust be expelled. If coaches and staff w ere aware of this and did nothing (as I horribly suspect m ay be the case), then I expect equally stern judgment on them . The stupidity of a handful of individuals has tarred the nam e of a w ell-respected football team . Unfortunately, the one person that had the guts to do something about it has left the school. I would much rather have this student here than the idiots who are responsi ble. ■
Bryan A rciero is a form er Engineering senator who graduated from McGill in 2005.
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CH A TTER B O X
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- Research
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Security
Group
Bolero, Britten and Joni Mitchell in
Professor Lloyd WhiteselS tells all
“Everybody feels better with security” Say the Men W ithout Hats and McGill’s security research group
Lloyd "Chip" Whitesell, loved by any student who's taken one o f his courses, is an assistant pro fessor in the Faculty o f M usic's theory department. With a Ph.D. in m usic history from SUNY Stony Brook, he teaches film music, 20th-century opera, and the Art o f Listening, in addition to graduate sem inars on queer m usicology and Benjamin Britten. As if his winning the 2 002 Philip Brett Award for excellence in gay and lesbian m usicolo gy wasn't enough, he recently spoke at McGill's presentation o f an honourary doctorate to Joni Mitchell.
I like to go by "Chip" because... I'm the third generation [of my first nam e], so I'm Lloyd III. I needed a different nam e to differentiate m yself from my grandfather and my father. I don't feel like a Lloyd in som e ways, I think. But I didn't choose [Lloyd], m y parents did.
basis, researchers with REGIS are constantly hard at work to publish and disseminate inform ation. Becau se R EG IS researches fter spending hours absorbed in the som e of the current Canadian military prob third season of Alias on DVD, I had a lem s, funding for the group com es from the hard tim e convincing m yself that the Canadian Departm ent of Defence. Université de M ontreal/M cGill University The one Joni Mitchell song that is required lis "The Department of Defence wanted Research Group in International Security tening for everyone is... well, there's the ones two things [from REG IS]: to increase knowl (R E G IS ) w as no more than a research that everybody knows, like "Both Sides Now," but edge about security affairs in Canada and to group. Though there are no conspiracy the I would think the whole album Court and Spark, build up a core of expertise in this area," ories surrounding the group and no secret because she's just at her peak. It's just fun and says Brawley. m issions that any of us will find out about she's just totally on. Although the Department of Defence is any tim e soon, REGIS is contributing good handing out the cash, it's not directing theStudents enjoy my classes because... with the things to the body of scholarly work on studies. As McGill's cam pus director of Art of Listening (M UAR 2 1 1 ) and the arts cours security. REGIS, Brawley is responsible for reporting Between the two universities, REGIS es, I mix pop and classical m usic and I just try to the research results, but, he says, "What has nine regular com m ittee m em bers who make it fun. It's really to make people enthused, angle w e take, what specific things w e supervise research and instruction of securiso you can let your hair down a bit. KIY0K0 GOTANDA exam ine, [the Department of D efen ce] never directs us Growing up, I always wanted to be... I don't Chip: He's no cookie, but he sure is sweet. "The Department of Defence wanted two things unless it's done as a specific know; I had my head stuck in a book. Then I [from REGISJ: to increase knowledge about secu co m m ission ed study. They played the piano a lot, and so I thought for a basically w ant to give out while I w as going to be a concert pianist, but I'm happy being a scholar. I did have romantic ideas of rity affairs in Canada and to build up a core of money." being a paleontologist. expertise in this area," says Brawley. Befo re you decid e to ditch a lucrative career in law I think that the new music building is ... fabulous! Long-awaited and well deserved. I'm very happy for a position in REGIS, consider that the ty studies. McGill Cam pus Director, Mark with it. group receives only $ 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 a year from Brawley, shared som e information about the the Department of Defence. While it is If there was one thing I would change about the Faculty of Music, it would be... well, the facilities— group with the Tribune. Brawley is the chair money, it's also being distributed between and that is obviously on the way—b u t... definitely the facilities. I m ean, you get the nice statue of Queen of the political science department and spe the Université de Montreal and McGill, Victoria, but everyone knows that w e don't have enough room, and [the Strathcona Music Building] is cializes in international relations. am ong every person contributing to the REGIS is an ongoing research project at so old. research. m ost major universities across Canada. Each When looking at the future security of university focuses on a specific aspect of The most embarrassing album I own is ... Chariots o f Fire by Vangelis. Canada, Brawley is optimistic. "Canada is security. The most humbling experience I've had as a professor is... I don't know. There's m any tim es where "[McGill's] emphasis is much more on less of a target than lots of other places, so the theory development in international I wouldn't really be worried about this, per you think you know something, but the students know more. I m ean, you still have those dream s of relations as it pertains to security, training sonally," he says. The relations with the being up there and teaching naked. graduate students and generally promoting US and its hyped-up military agenda are Music is as necessary in education as math or English because... it's the whole person. It's the other knowledge about security affairs," states questionable and likely under current exam Brawley. While McGill does its work, the ination by som e subgroup within REGIS. side to your brain or your soul or whatever you want to call it. G E N E V IE V E J E N K IN S
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University of Calgary focuses on security with a historical angle and Dahlhousie University addresses maritime issues as they pertain to security. One of the best things about REGIS is the cooperation it forces on different university groups. "It's gotten all of us in Canada who deal with [security] issues talking to each other,” Brawley comments. Though most Canadians probably don't think about security issues on a regular
'The goal of being inter-operable with the US is probably impossible because of the new technology and the US constantly jumping three or four steps ahead. We do a better job than any other country," says Brawley. So don't worry about REGIS joining forces with George W. anytime soon... right now, it's just spurring conversation across regional boundaries within Canada and prompting further investigation into the aca demic side of security. ■
The best classical music for people who hate classical music is ... well, one of my favourites is Ravel, and he is deceptively gorgeous. Bolero is so famous, but there are all kinds of pieces that are imme diately seductive, but when you listen to it there's a lot more going on. McGill needed a Queer Studies minor because... students have been clamoring for it, and because it brings together a whole bunch of different directions of scholarship and relevance to politics, law and healthcare—you know, it touches all of these types of issues. The greatest thing about living in Montreal is ... I'll just be flippant and say the bike paths. —Compiled by Julia Raponi
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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
features --
The big, bad teeth of terrorism
T h e state of security around the w o rld — can it take this bite?
The term "terror" in the United States has becom e a buzzword that justifies any type of w ar and implies a force of evil attempting to bring down a force of good. While it is not—and never has been—that simple, 9/11 m ade terrorism the global, all-encompassing enemy. The repeated attempts to breach American se cu rityterrorists with shoe bombs, terrorists with shoe knives— have m ade that enem y more tangible, more accessible to the average imagination, and that enem y is making its way across the globe.
Summer in London
G E N E V IE V E J E N K IN S —
he m em ory of seeing the planes hitting the skyscrapers is I still painful and real, even if you only saw it on television, I even if you didn't know anyone in the Twin Towers, even if you think America is the scum of the earth. It's been just over four years since the terrorist attack on N ew York City. For four years w e've seen a flurry of security activity south of the border, we've seen Canadian security called into question, w e've seen immigration laws tighten, colour-coded warnings flashing across US television programs—all signs of the invasion of "evil," as US
President G eorge W. The incident will remain forever a Bush would poignant memory and both a nation say. Your own m oral stance al and personal tragedy, but we've on the issue of become irritated with its after-effects. re lig io u slyfueled terrorism doesn't have to match his, but most of us want to preserve our w ay of life ... and our lives. What is the Canadian government doing to ensure the safety of its citizens? What new risks do w e face? Are w e so different from the rest of the world?
9/11 fallout The scariest thing about the 9/11 attacks w as the elem ent of surprise. In those m om ents, each of us suddenly becam e vul n erable-each of us a potential victim. The methods of everyday transport could be used for terror. Our death could m ean the deaths of a thousand other innocent people. It w as an unreal realization—a final breakage with the naive feeling of safety most of us had held on to for so long.
Now, the story is almost stale. It's been exploited by politi cal conservatives, condem ned by US liberals and beaten into all of us with the proverbial stick. The incident will remain forever a poignant m em ory and both a national and personal tragedy, but w e've becom e irritated with its after-effects, such as two-hourlong waits in US airport security lines. An airport guard asking, “Can you please take off your s h o e s ... and your belt?" is likely to elicit a frown and an exasperated sigh from a passenger partial ly denuded by the security process. When faced with the reality of what it takes to prevent future breaches in national security, m ost of us don't want to waste our time. The horror of 9/11 fades away in the im m ediacy of our pressing daily business, and security issues are forced to the backs of our minds.
South of the border Despite this, the US government seem s to push its securi ty-heavy agenda farther forward with each passing day. In response to 9 /1 1 , the US Departm ent of Homeland Security w as created; a national Advisory System with colour-coded ter rorist warnings appeared on every television new s program; armed guards started patrolling airports. For at least a year after 9 /1 1 , Americans lived with an extreme case of paranoia, never doubting that their next plane flight might be their last Retaliation for the 9/11 attacks led the US into Afghanistan on a quest for the supposed mastermind, Osam a Bin Laden. Not long after this military expedition, Bush sent troops into Iraq on another (arguably less justified) mission against terror. At the end of August this year from Nambo, Idaho, Bush said, 'O u r nation is engaged in a global war on terror that affects the safety and security of every American. In Iraq, Afghanistan and across the world, w e face dangerous enem ies w ho want to harm our peo ple, folks who want to destroy our w ay of life."
On July 7, 2 0 0 5 , terror struck again—this time, across the Atlantic in London, England. In the early morning rush hour, four bombs w ent off, three within a minute, the fourth about an hour later. There w ere 56 people killed in the bombings, which targeted travelerheavy London Underground train and bus system s, and over 7 0 0 people injured. July 2 1 , 2 0 0 5 saw a second round of four attempted bombings in London; this tim e, the bom bs did not detonate and there w ere no fatalities.
Bali Bombings This past Saturday, Bali, Indonesia w as rocked by blasts set off by suicide bombers. The explosions claimed 19 lives and injured over 130 people. Eerily reminiscent of the 2 0 0 2 bomb ings on this tourist-packed island, these attacks w ere denounced as acts of terrorism.
All's calm in Canada? After the US and England were rocked by these subversive aggressive acts of terrorism, the rest of the world w as left reel ing. Both of these countries had im pressive security even before the attacks—were other countries likely to be completely dem ol ished by similar attacks? Or w as it sim ply the power and wealth of these countries that m ade them so uniquely vulnerable? Either way, Canada shouldn't be considered the safest place to be. It is heavily involved politically and econom ically with England and the United States, but has few er military resources with which to retaliate should a terrorist organization decide to make a move. Though this m ay be the very thing to keep Canada safe in the long run, it's still undeniably disconcerting. Canada's security is a much-ignored topic am ong the gen eral public. We joke about the lack of a Canadian military, belit tling the role of the government in keeping us safe. We share the world's horror at the attacks on New York four years ago, but feel assured that the US will continue to bear the brunt of bombwielding anti-Western terrorists' angst. Even if w e're content in this complacency, the government has been hard at work in recent years to prevent similar attacks from touching Canadian
the mcgili tribune | 4.10.05 | student living 13
Conflicting reactions in C anad a Montrealers spearheaded the apprehension against post-9/11 Bill C-36 LISE T R EU T LER any of us respond to the word "terrorism" by thinking only of the events that have played out since 9 /1 1 . It is a grave mistake to limit our scope of terrorist acts to the four-year period since the World Trade Center fell. Only by looking at a more com prehensive history of terrorist activ ity can w e begin to understand the natures of political crimes, those who com m it them and the potential impact on the future. People the world over know at least pieces of informa tion about the US' actions since Sept. 11, 2001 ; the world's infatuation with American politics assures this. But how often do w e look to our own government and the decisions being m ade within? Where does Canada stand on the anti-terror ism scale? And what, if anything, is happening here in Montreal? In March 2 0 0 2 , Montreal hosted the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice as they gathered at a confer ence to discuss Canada's po st-9/11 stance on terrorism.
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Among the concerns being voiced w as the portayal of Canada as a terrorist haven due to the relative ease of slip ping through cracks during immigration or claiming refugee status. Representatives from universities, CSIS and interna tional positions met to discuss the outcom es of changes, like Bill C-36, which gave the police force greater power to arrest without a warrant and enabled the government to restrict any and all information relating to terrorist organizations from the public. Recent changes related to prior disasters, nam ely the infam ous FLQ Crisis and the subsequent invocation of the War M easures Act by the late Pierre Trudeau, w ere also mulled over. 'Terrorism doesn't fit neatly into legal processes," claimed the Director of CSIS, Ward Elcock. "Most of those seen as potential terrorists are not yet 'criminal'—difficult to pursue and prosecute." However, m any attendees, including Ontario Provincial Police com m issioner Gwen Boniface, felt that Bill C-36 and its cohorts would up Canada's security level and put the pub lic at ease: "Canadians clearly want two assurances. O ne, that they will be protected from risk, and two, that their rights will
be protected. C-36 does both." Boniface's statem ent is not without its detractors. After the quick passing of the Anti-Terrorism Act (a s Bill C-36 is now called) in Parliament, m any Canadians spoke out against the apparent threat to their freedom . When the Department of Justice gave a m ass survey to both anglo phone and francophone participants from across Canada, the reactions w ere mostly mixed and often confused. A group of francophone Montrealers vocalized their view s on the new laws by calling them "driven by the United States" and "a serious threat to the rights of Canadians." Perhaps after living in the shadow of Pierre Lapointe's death at the hands of the FLQ's nationalistic terrorism, respondents from Q uebec strove to avoid an even bigger shadow from the US. The Q uebec Bar Association, as quot ed in a World Socialist Web Site article by François Legras, affirmed that "certain clauses would lead to violations of the rights recognized by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It would be a mistake to believe that this law will not eventually be used against any Canadians—Canadians who are not terrorists." ■
W e think th ey’re paranoid Canadian and American students have their say on our world’s mistakes Do you feel safe here in Canada? 'Yes, I do. I think that Canada is far less highprofile on the world scale—unlike the UK or the US—and we're not particularly involved in Iraq. The world certainly doesn't hate us as m uch as other countries!"
—Lindsay Bush, U2 History; Canadian
harm ed US interests in the region far m ore than helping."
—Spencer Hepburn "I think they're responding horribly! The American government is acting to provoke terror ism and not to discover the root causes of terror ism in the first place."
—Torin Spangler
The Global Partnership Program is specifically intended to end the terror ist threat. Starting in 2 0 0 3 , Canada, Chair of the G 8 Sum m it at the time, pledged up to $1 billion over 10 years for this program. Along with the other countries of the G 8, Canada will be pursuing the following: "destruction of chemical weapons, dism antlem ent of nuclear subm arines, nuclear and radio logical security and em ploym ent of form er weapons scientists." The G PP was recognized in a resolution by the United Nations in 2 0 0 2 . The Canadian security m easures taken in recent years focus largely on nuclear disarmament, an issue still unresolved in the US. Since the 1993 Geneva Conference on Disarm am ent, Canada has been working to make the agreem ent hold around the world. Although nuclear weaponry rem ains a global concern, especially with growing fears over North Korea's supposed possession of nuclear w eapons and the initial Bush administrations claim that Iraq's Saddam Hussein had control of w eapons of m ass destruction, the Cold War days of having too m any fingers too close to the button have been large ly forgotten. Chem ical and biological weapons are other types of "weapons of m ass destruction" threatening to infiltrate Canadian air space. This m ay be where the greater and more im mediate threat lies, considering the ease of transfer ring them across national boundaries. Working with the US, Canada has passed a Chem ical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Research and Technology Initiative to fund counter-terrorism science and technology. Canada has also been making m oves in recent months to w ork with India in nuclear disarm am ent Pierre Pettigrew, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister, said in a press release last w eek that he w elcom es "the occasion to advance the already dynamic partnership between Canada and India." The two coun tries will be hosting workshop on terrorism next year. Canada's diplomatic work is one of its strongest assets. Peacekeeping always takes precedence over war-making, something which can be said of few first-world nations. When Little Red Riding Hood confronted the wolf in the fo rest she had her fair share of problems. As Canadians try to skip by unnoticed, let's hope the red "severe" stage of the US Hom eland Security Advisory System can bet ter deter the big, bad teeth of terrorism. ■
—Spencer Hepburn, U2 Middle Eastern Studies; Canadian "I'd say s o. . . but I wouldn't really know how to deal with it if I didn't feel safe. What can [the average person] really do?"
—Madelaine Krehm, U2 Psychology; Canadian "I feel safer in Canada [than in the US], con sidering that Canada does relatively little to invoke the anger of hostile countries."
Globally, are governments doing enough to combat terrorism and promote peaceful securi ty? "I don't think that they are. I feel like every one is overreacting, but then directing that energy to the wrong things, like border control instead of em ergency planning."
—M adelaine Krehm "The world should be doing more to educate people on causes of terrorism rather than just inciting paranoia. In this way, governments are not preparing people at all."
—Torin Spangler
—Torin Spangler, U3 History; American
How do you think the American govern ment is responding to terrorism? "I think it's so m ew h at ridiculous that Americans are so paranoid w hen other countries in the world are com pletely war-tom—w here peo ple have to worry about getting bombed and killed every day—and Americans still, comparative ly, live a life of luxury. The Bush administration keeps trying to m ake Am ericans paranoid by ways of national security and "terrorist threats," going on a fucking crusade to "find the terrorists" when Osam a bin Laden is still at large."
—Anonymous, U2 Anatomy and Cell Biology; Am erican/Canadian dual citizenship
Is the war in Iraq aggravating terrorists and thus making the world a more dangerous place? "For sure. I think it also contributes to the anti-Western m indset that leads to attacks like those w e've seen."
—Madelaine Krehm
Do you think we will see more attacks against Western countries in the near future? "Barring a US withdrawal from Iraq and a progress towards resolving the Israeli/Palestinian conflict the issue of another terrorist attack seem s m ore a matter of when than if"
—Spencer Hepburn
"Poorly. The idea of combating terrorism by forcefully installing 'democracy' in Iraq and Afghanistan was a quixotic fantasy that has
—Com piled by Lise Treutier
KM -
soil.
'Yes. Canada's relatively benevolent foreign policy and reluctance to engage in overseas mili tarism provides a better defence against terrorism than waging foreign wars ever will."
student living RECIPE
Spice up y o u r m idterm co m fo rt food! A tw o -co u rse meal that’s oh-so deliciously im pressive Appetizer: Festive Fruit Salad For the honey-lim e dressing 1 cup yogurt 1/2 cup raspberries 2-4 tbsp. of honey (adjust for taste) 1/4 cup lime juice 1 tsp. vanilla extract For the salad 2 peaches or nectarines, sliced 1 cup raspberries 1 cup honeydew melon chunks 1 cup red or green (seed less) grapes 1 tbsp. fresh mint leaf lettuce
HOW
Place the yogurt, raspberries, honey, lime juice and vanilla extract in a blender. Process until smooth. In a large bowl, com bine the peaches/nectarines, raspberries, honeydew and grapes. Toss well. Place the lettuce on the serving dish (es). Top with the fruit salad. Drizzle with the dress ing and garnish with fresh mint.
Main Course: Thai Veggie Wraps 2 carrots 12 button m ushroom s 3 leeks snow peas
3 cloves of garlic Peanut (or sesam e ) oil Sesam e seeds Wash and julienne the carrots, m ush rooms, leeks and snow peas. In a wok, stir fry all the vegetables and minced garlic in peanut oil (or sesam e oil). Season with salt and pepper if desired. Roll veggie mixture into tortillas (storebought, or use handm ade crepes if desired), tucking in all edges—approximately two table spoons per wrap. Before rolling the wraps, top the veggies with sprinkled sesam e seeds. Fry wraps and serve with peanut sauce (or substitute similar sauce).
—Com piled by Use Treutler
TO
G e t in bed w ith me Folding sheets is more fun than a midget rodeo Of the finer pleasures in life, a neatly folded linen is one of the more oddly satisfying. There is a certain je ne sais quoi about a fitted sh eet-w rin kle free with tidy creases—as it is removed from packaging and clipped of tags. Maybe the presence of perfectly wrapped bedding invokes a certain nostalgia, at least am ong those of us who w ere raised anal retentively. Likewise, the enjoyment could stem from the knowledge that bringing hom e sheets from the store is the one tim e w e will see them dean, pressed and smelling fresh. The feeling can't last forever, though. And of course christening sheets is just as swell an experience. You can never completely duplicate the magic of a n ew sheet, especially a pesky fitted sheet with all of those finicky elastic bits. But with our ad vice -an d M artha's-you'll get you as close as you possibly can to perfection. Depending on which is your dominant paw, you'll be folding differently. These guidelines are for right-handed folk, so invert everything if you are a lefty. 1. According to Good Things for Organizing (Clarkson Potter, 2 0 0 1 ), it is best to begin with the sheet inside out. Place a hand in contiguous corners. 2. Guide your right hand to your left and place the com er in your right hand over the one in your left The corner on top will be right side out. Crouch down and retrieve the cor ner that is hanging in front, adjacent to the one that was in your right hand. 3 . There should be one corner left, provided you haven't given up and abandoned task. Fold it over the other three. It should now be right side out. 4 . On a d e ar surface, lay the sheet so that it is flat. Smooth it out so that it resem bles the diagram above. 5. Fold the elastic edge in, then fold in the remaining edge. 6. Take the strip and fold it into a smaller rectangle. Continue folding until it is the desired size.
the mcgill tribune | 4 .10.05 |
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15
a&e MUSIC
A glimpse into A tm o sp h e re The air here is genuine, if not crystal clear CATHERINE LEMERY Next Monday, Atm osphere will perform at Foufounes Élec triques (8 7 Ste-Catherine E.) courtesy of Under Pressure. This hip hop group from Minnesota formed in 1994, and consists of rapper Slug (Sean Daley) and deejay Ant (Anthony Davis). Described by Rolling Stone magazine as "the best up-and-com ing indie hip hop group," Atmosphere is definitely worth seeing. Today marks the release of Atmosphere's seventh album, You Can't Im agine How Much Fun We're Having, and you can expect their concert next w eek to be filled with great new beats while retaining the genuine hip hop flavour that has prevailed so strongly on the A tm osphere-ow ned label R ym eSayers Entertainm ent Rym eSayers is hom e to other amazing artists like Eyedea and Abilities, Brother Ali, MF Doom, Mr. Dibbs and BluePrint, who will make a guest appearance along with RJD 2 on Monday. Atmosphere is a group devoted to staying true to the hip hop principles structured in the pioneering years of rap music. Regardless of the fam e they've achieved and the audiences they've conquered, they have kept their own contribution per sonal, honest and original. Through politics, em otions and fascinating social com m en tary, Slug show cases a unique ability to transm it personal truths and experiences in a way that few artists have been able to achieve. Many of his raps tell elaborate stories, often doing away with choruses to better facilitate the narrative. The Tribune caught up with Slug to discuss his new album, inspirations and views on hip hop. He w as incredibly genuine, so m uch so that one almost forgets he's sold more than a million CDs. Although w e w ere only scheduled for a 15-minute inter view, he w as so interested in discussing the finer points of hip hop that he blew off his lunch hour.
So, you're going to be in Montreal on Oct. 10. What do you think of Canada? I fucking love Canada! The rules are aw esom e and everything is so user-friendly and liberal, and I don't m ean that in a political sense but m ore like you can walk down the street and no one's going to stop you to check on what you're doing. People here just seem to have it right; I've com e here a lot and every time I've loved it.
How does your new CD, You Can't Im agine How Much Fun
HANDS
OFF
THE
We're Having,
differ from your other albums?
It's a concept record. Really, it's a continuation of m y sto ry-as I've gotten older and wiser, I've learned a lot of s h i t . .. . It really show s how m uch I've grown, as an artist and personally, and how I've becom e m uch m ore focused.
Something that strikes me about your music is the passion you are able to convey through your lyrics. What inspires you to write? Well, I write a lot that doesn't even m ake it into the songs. A lot of my stories are directly out of life and m y observations—I m ean, I'm a rapper but m ore specifically an observer. I am fasci nated by everything that goes on around m e and affects me, so I guess you could say m y passion com es from the fact that I truly believe I'm what I'm saying.
I'm sure you're aware of the fact that as a hip hop artist you have one of the largest female fan bases. However, there is a huge discrepancy when you look at the amount of men and women hip hop attracts. Can you explain why hip hop draws more men then women? Seriously, it doesn't really matter w ho gets the m essage as long as it's getting out there. Like if a guy goes to m y show s and I can inspire him to treat his wom an better, then I don't really see it as a problem.
Hip hop is often classified as either mainstream or under ground. Atmosphere has had so much success as an under ground hip hop group, would you say your fame has changed your classification in the underground genre? Along that line, what does underground hip hop really mean in your opinion? I don't see the label of 'underground' anym ore because as soon as you're perform ing... you're showing your m usic and getting it to people. I m ean, if you're in your basem ent making m usic then there's really no w ay people are going to hear you and that's underground. Underground, to m e, is not striving to get your shit heard.
A lot of your lyrics involve interesting social commentary. For example, in the song "Always Coming Back Home to You" you say, "He held the register open while he counted her change/l was next in line which meant I was invisible." Is there a message, whether it be political or social, that you subtly try to convey about life?
Well, yeah, I definitely do make a lot of observations that do imply something greater... You can't just do that, you can't just make a song about preaching to people because it'll piss people off, so often I try and subtly put it out there—kinda like hiding vita mins in a Twinkie. That w ay people will be bobbin' their heads to the beat, feelin' the track and appreciating what is being said, w hether they realize it or not at the time.
You once said in an interview that you don't think of yourself as a poet; however, I find a lot of your lyrics really poetic. Aside from the obvious differences like gangsta rap and bat tling, what do you think distinguishes a rapper from a poet? Well, personally, I think to call yourself a rapper you have to study rap in the sam e w ay that to be a poet you have to know literature... With hip hop, I'll say that I've paid m y dues, and I haven't paid those dues to poetry so I can't call m yself a poet.
Hip hop has evolved so much in the past few decades; it seems like it's always finding new ways to define itself People have argued that it began as a voice for the black com munity to express itself, and with the commercial attention and fame it gained one could say it has accomplished what it set out to achieve. However, many would argue that hip hop is much larger, that it's become a way of life to so many peo ple, a culture that applies to all forms of expression. Where do you see hip hop going? Well, I've never been great at predictions, but I'd definitely agree with the fact that it's a culture to so m any p e o p le ... There's so m uch room with hip hop. It's a lot like punk music, which has a huge culture, and they're both giving oppressed youths a w ay to find expression. Hip hop has so m uch fluidity and can definitely grow in m any different direction... It's all a m ovem ent for the people to find their voice as things change, as politics, norms, all that shit changes. So will music, and I think that's w here hip hop com es in. It's a voice and a counter-culture that's always evolv ing." ■
CANVAS
Paris in flames w ant to be a Hilton. Since the premiere of Kathy Hilton's reality show, I've been thinking that the best place to be in Hollywood is in the slouchy and ambivalent shoes of Paris Hilton. As a Cultural Studies major and tentative fem i nist, I should be cringing at the hotel heiress, cursing her bee-stung lips and her lithe and form less body. But instead, like m uch of the English-speaking world (and Japan, where Paris and her sister Nicky are huge), I watch with glazed eyes, hopelessly addicted to Paris, the saw iest wom an grac ing the front pages of the celluloid world today. Demonstrating her am azing duality, Hilton graces the October covers of two very different magazines—Stuff, the Maxim-like m en's jerk mag, and Vanity Fair, the illustrious chronicle of the rich and desired. In the blink of an eye she has managed to target two very relevant audiences: the men who rem em ber her from "that porn video" and the high-class world of reporters like Dominick Dunne. What exactly has Paris Hilton done to deserve the cover of one of the most sought-after magazines, one that reportedly turned down other teen idols like Britney Spears in search of som eone more culturally significant? Hilton is essentially fam ous for doing little to nothing at all. Right?
I
Slug: Nowhere near as spineless as his namesake.
To call Paris talentless is an undue insult, however. Granted, she doesn't do anything w ell, but it is her ability to retain our attention that is her most poignant trait. She emerged from wealth straight into the spotlight thanks to, if you recall, One Night in Paris—a befittingly titled porno tape in which she starred with ex-boyfriend Rick Salomon. Instead of crawling back to her hotel chain with her Chihuahua's tail between its legs, she used her less-thanladylike exposure to launch her career. This career has con sisted, in a nutshell, of being Paris Hilton. TTie reason the trajectory of her work is so relevant is that it's so antithetical to anything and everything w e value as a society. Arguing that she wouldn't even have gotten her Manolos in the door without m oney is beside the point, because it is Paris's total subm ergence in wealth that m akes her Paris Hilton. She epitomizes the notion that m oney can indeed get you anywhere, but it is either a savvy business sen se or an am azing PR rep that can keep you there. Her indulgence is disgusting, her acting in that slasher flick (w hich m any people w ent to solely to se e Paris meeting a gruesom e death) w as horrendous, her show w as insulting, her sex in One Night w as so uninspired that she reached for
LEILA BRILLSON her cell phone in the middle of it, and even her catch phrase, "That's hot," is tacky. And yet, she is on the cover of Vanity Fair, and w e are actually buying it Frankly, culture consum ers should have rejected her as they did Britney, Ashlee or Pamela. Why didn't we? What keeps us glued to the Hilton show, purchasing trashy mags, devouring her Rom anesque features, worrying about her cellphone, her pooch, her fight with Nicole Richie, staring like it w ere som e perverse car crash? The reason, I believe, is because she is so unabashed ly unapologetic. She has never pretended to be smart, pure or well behaved. She is bred from the decadent and spoiled "A-list" of celebrities and doesn't m asquerade as anything else. As Vanity Fair aptly explains (after contending that she is indeed talented), Paris Hilton is so far removed from any thing that is familiar to us, she becom es a soothing, unchanging spectacle from which w e cannot look away. Paris Hilton has been marketed successfully and with force. We should hate her—and m any of us do—but no mat ter what, w e know who she is. Never before has porn launched som eone into the pages of Vanity Fair, and to be honest, that's dam n smart. ■
the mcgill tribune | 4 .10.05 | a&e i 7
M USIC
PREVI EWS
Aussie G reats
Theatre.
T h e G ra te s shake up A cad em y C lu b ARIELA W EIN BACH The Grates' four track E.P. The O uch. The Touch, has the kind of raw energy that makes you want to drop whatever you're doing and dance like crazy. The Australian trio consists of singer Patience Hodgson, gui tarist John Patterson and drummer Alana Skyring. Hodgson, who has no formal vocal training, admits to using the radio to teach herself to sing while she was working in a café in Edinburgh shortly after the three decided to form a band. That was two years ago. The Grates began recording in a shed in Patterson's backyard and on a whim, they submitted a tape of their work to Triple J, a nationally broadcast alternative radio station in Australia. In an interview last week with Skyring, her account of The Grates' emergence on the Australian music scene had an air of the fantastic. She makes it seem as if the band went from relative anonymity to a national tour in a matter of weeks. "We sent in this demo of a song of ours called 'Trampoline", which is on the EP; we recorded it our selves with one mic in the shed and they started playing it on a high rotation just out of the blue," she explained. Skyring thinks The Grates' experience is representa tive of the main advantage of starting a musical career in Australia over North America. "If you've got something about you that can stand out just a little bit, you get heaps of opportunities from the start," she admitted. "It's so easy to get shows in Australia and you always get taken care of." Third in the lineup of four bands performing as part of Pop Montreal, The Grates stole the night at Academy Club (4 4 4 5 St-Laurent) on Friday. Hodgson leaped, pranced, shimmied, and slid across the stage with a huge, girlish grin on her face. Skyring pounded on her drums with intense concentration and Patterson hardly cracked a smile. They blasted out the tracks from their EP, among a number of other songs that will presumably be featured in their upcoming full length album. All of the songs were short, fast, and extremely danceable.
compiled by Melissa Price
HUES*
G a la p a g o s - Kurt Vonnegut-Centaur Theatre Com pany-453 rue St-François-Xavier-Oct. 7-15 As part of their Brave New Works initiative, the Centaur Theatre Company is presenting a theatrical adaptation of Vonnegufs apocalyptic novel G a la p a g o s, first published in 1985. The play, adapted by Stacey Christodoulou and The Other Theatre, follows the strange twists of the novel-it's narrated by a ghost, for one thing. The spirit observes humanity over hundreds of years, witnessing a world wide financial crisis and, later, a disease epidemic that renders the Earth's pop ulation infertile-except for a small group of people shipwrecked in the Galapagos islands. The fun really starts when natural selection starts to kick in. Call 288-3161 for ticket information.
Music. The New Pomographers-Cabaret La Tulipe-4530 rue
They're Grrrrrate!!! Hodgson's voice and movements evoked and echoed the feelings of carelessness and abandon in the audi ence. People rocked out right in front of the stage and had a damn good time doing it. The band is now in Chicago mixing their full length album, which will most likely be released in Australia in the spring of 2006, and subsequently in Canada and the US. Skyring said that the band is excited about the pos sibilities the studio and their producer have to offer.
"We don't see live shows and recording as neces sarily having to be the same thing, she said, adding "One doesn't have to try to replicate the other, so we've been really kind of pushing the boundaries at this point." Among the new sounds we'll hear on the album are brass instrumentals, banjo, fiddle, and "schoolyard claps and chants" performed by the producer's daughter and her friend.
At the end of the Grates' set at Academy Club someone in the audience asked a man for the name of the band that had just played. The man responded, "The Grates—fitting, eh7' Although this man didn't quite have the spelling of the band's name straight, he certainly made an excellent point ■
Papineau-Oct. 10 The New Pornographers are a pop band. In a world of prefab boy groups and trashy pop tarts, the words "pop" and "band" may sound a bit odd when used in conjunction. The Pornographers, however, are pop in the classic sense of the word. They're a pop band like The Beatles were a pop band, meaning that their songs are full of bouncy guitar riffs and sweet harmonies. If you need a respite from the angsty gloom and catchy banality that is all too pervasive in popular music, they're a breath of fresh air. Doors open at 8 p.m.
Poetry. Harry Thurston and Geoffrey Cook-Zeke's Gallery-3955 rue StLaurent-Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m. Bored of drinking? Or, at least, bored of drinking and then having your intellect assaulted by the latest hits glorifying drugs, bling and ho's? Get sloshed and then head over to Zeke's Gallery to get some culture into you, so at least you'll have something respectable to slur about. Both Thurston and Cook are Nova Scotian poets, with voices that are simultaneously distinct and fundamentally connected. Thurston mixes ecologically-sensitive travelogues, Maritime history, and evocative description into uniquely integrated poems and stories. Cook uses exquisite metaphor to connect strands of unrest in both Atlantic Canada and the former Czechoslovakia. Hey, it's also free. Film. Zomb/'-Cinéma du Parc-3575 ave. du Parc-Oct. 5, 9 p.m. With October upon us, the horror section of your local video rental joint will begin to thin out as soon as people start their Hallowe'en frightfests. Creep yourself out the old fashioned way instead, with a nice solid zombie movie on the big screen. Z o m b i is director Lucio Fulci's unofficial sequel to George A. Romero's D a w n o f th e D e a d . Originally released in 1979, Z o m b i carries on D a w n 's legacy of bloodthirsty undead, risen to prey on the living. In the grand canon of crappy horror movies, Z o m b i stands out as one of the most grotesque, featuring all the rotting flesh you can stomach. • ht jm m m
FILM
Flightplan fails t o ta k e off Thriller won’t make it into anyone’s mile-high club
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JOSH HANSEN Robert Schwentke's debut thriller, Flig h tp la n , strives for Hitchcockian levels of suspense, but ultimately falls far short of its mark. The film opens with Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) mourning the recent death of her husband. Riddled with grief, Kyle and her six-year-old daughter Julia board a state-of-the-art aircraft, holding more than 4 00 passengers and crew members, in order to take Mr. Pratt's remains from Paris to the U.S. to be buried. A few hours into the flight Kyle falls asleep, waking up to a hor rifying reality: Julia is nowhere to be found. It shouldn't be too difficult to find a missing child on an airplane, particularly with the support of the captain (Sean Bean), an air marshal (Peter Sarsgaard) and the crew. It also doesn't hurt Kyle's case that she was-one of the principal engineers of this airborne behemoth. Especially since, after a cursory search for her daughter, the crew begins to believe that Kyle's simply lost it and her missing daughter is a mental fabrication. After all, when the going gets tough, it's good to be familiar with your surroundings so that, for example, you're aware of the fact that there's a conveniently placed escape hatch in one of the plane's restrooms that leads directly to the fuse box of the plane. In case, you know, you need to do some light electrical work after you've relieved yourself of some bad Chinese. Foster gives a solid performance as a desperate mother, but neither she nor her co-stars Sarsgaard or Bean— all top shelf actors— are able to rise above the weak script penned by Peter Dowling and Billy Ray. The plot twists are absurd, the dialogue ridiculous. At one
M us'c Infected Mushroom-Aria Night C lu b -1280 rue StLaurent-Oct. 7 Hailing from Israel, Infected Mushroom are purveyors of some of W ÊÊÈÈb • the most mind-bending trance you'll ever encounter. Their psy chedelia-tinged electronic jitters are elaborately composed, with dozens of layers for you to get lost in. The note patterns converge in your spinal cord and make standing still positively out of the question. If you and your enormously dilated pupils are prepared for many hours of spasmolytic danc ing, this is the place for you. Show up after hours and dance until the sun is high-just make sure to drink water, okay?
Couples wanted for a research study R E C E IV E
Foster, victim of a shitty script. point a character mocks Foster's predicament, saying, "It's not as if she's lost a Palm Pilot." Ouch. The situational intrigues are no less contrived, including a painfully forced subplot with a suspected ter rorist, which adds little to the film other than a glorious slow motion shot of Foster running full tilt toward the suspect from about eight feet away. I can only assume that the purpose of this scene was to serve as Foster's physical training for the action-packed finale. Unfortunately, it doesn't work as well in the context of the narrative. Where Hitchcock succeeded and Schwentke fails is in recognizing a script with interesting characters and a plot that isn't curtailed by its own implausibility. Do your self a favour: skip this ill-conceived thriller and rent Hitchcock's The L a d y V an ish es instead. In essence, it's the same film, except that in The La d y V an ishes, the film makers cared enough about the audience to develop a coherent story. ■
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18 a&e | 4.10.05 | the mcgill tribune
C O M E D Y
L IT E R A T U R E
Free laughs for charity
Seeking S e y m o u r M ayne Award-winning Canadian poet visits McGill ERZA GU N TER Seymour Mayne, award-winning poet and author of more than 40 books and monographs, spoke on Wednesday to an eager audience of McGill students, staff and alumni. Mayne, now a professor of Canadian literature and creative writing at the University of Ottawa, read from his poetry works and recounted memories of his formative undergraduate days at McGill. When he began studying at McGill in 1961, he described it as "the most literary campus in Canada." At that time, as a tender undergraduate, he was able to participate in the remarkable revolu tion in Canadian literature in such roles as poet ry editor of the M cG ill Daily. In those days, by his own account, Canadian literature was not regarded seriously in the literary world. Mayne was even taken to task once for taking Canadian literature courses as an Honours student. Much of the change that has occurred since then is due, in no small part, to the efforts of writers and academics like him. During his studies, Mayne was also taught by notable Canadian poets and writers like Louis Dudek. Once, he recalled, upon entering his poetics class, he noticed a man wearing a blue raincoat sitting at the back of the room. This man was, as he later discovered, none other than Leonard Cohen, visiting from Greece. Since his days at McGill, Mayne has been busy both teaching and writing. He has also
The rain in Mayne stays mainly on the plain. translated works from Yiddish and Hebrew, work for which he received the American Literary Translators Association Award. In one of his more noteworthy contributions to his craft, Mayne helped to develop a form of poetry called the "word sonnet." Like traditional sonnets, word sonnets are composed of 14 lines, but each line consists of a single word. Given the extreme brevity of these works, he read each of these poems twice during his visit, allowing the listen er to experience their full effect. "It's not that I want to be repetitious," he explained. "But, then again, professors are always repetitious. They always have to say something more than one time." His collections of poetry are available from the author, or from on-line booksellers such as am azon.com . ■
m a tth e w g o o d in a c o m a 1995-2005
M o n treal’s ow n com edy nest egg While their set initially seemed con trived and the Chickens' stage antics a bit over-the-top, the company certainly Ernie Butler's Com edy Nest, voted improved as the evening wore on. They had Montreal's favourite comedy club in The some great recurring concepts like the M irror's 2 0 0 5 edition of the "Best of Moderately-Abled Olympics and, to their Montreal," was home Tuesday to Unplucked credit, they catered to the audience, making & Uncut. A benefit for the Montreal cracks about syndicated sex columnist Josey Children's Hospital, Unplucked is performed Vogels and staging a hilarious takeoff on by four perky comedians known as The those "heritage" commercials, deadpanning, Rubber Chicken Factory. "Canadians getting excited at the mention of The comedy group is made up of their city in an American movie— a part of our Davala LeBlanc, Sohrab Falahaktar, Marla heritage." Patchake and Ryan Harper Brown, all gradu It's also important to note that it was a ates of Concordia's Communications pleasure to see a talented female comedian Department. The show was a reprise of their for a change. While many others have made recent appearance at the Fringe Festival, decent attempts, it is rare to see a woman which was filmed for DVD release. do sketch comedy at all, let alone perform well. Patchake definitely kept up with her male counterparts and some times surpassed them with her comedic timing and expressive abilities. The admission price— free entry with a one-drink mini m um — was certainly appropri ate, as all that was asked of spectators was to donate toys or games for the children's hospital patients. It was per haps not the most deliriously funny show, but based on the large pile of donated toys that left the performers and organ KIY0K0 G0TANDA izers all choked up, the evening was definitely a suc T he Rubber Chickens go all the way for sick kids. cess. ■
ERIN FAGEN
a 17 song single retrospecitve including oh be joyful, and the previously unreleased pony boy deluxe version includes all the greats plus acoustic reworkings of matthew good classics plus rarities and dvd
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the mcgill tribune | 4 .10.05 | a&e 19
FILM
R E VI E WS
Into th e blue balls
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Neverending White Lights. A c t
H o t a cto rs, hot sets, surp rising ly good plot BEN LEMIEUX Apart from the prospect of seeing hard-bodied heartthrobs Jessica Alba and Paul Walker half-naked for roughly two hours, there is very little about summer blockbuster-come-late In to th e B lu e that looks terribly promising. The lame, redundant and idiotic trailers advertise ample amounts of bikini outfits, outrageous gangland/druglord scenarios, scores of 21st-century pirates and the corresponding amount of booty (no pun intended)-in short, a $10, late-evening snooze fest. What may well have been a frightfully uninteresting film, as it turns out, ended up being a reasonably inter esting picture cursed with a horrible marketing cam paign. The film chronicles the events of a few life-altering days in the otherwise bland existences of pauper-esque, Bahamas-dwelling deep sea divers Jared (Paul Walker) and Samantha (Jessica Alba). Trapped in lives of tertiary sector servitude, the best-looking screen couple of the year would do nearly anything to catch a big break at sea. Thriving on his boyhood-turned-manhood interest in oceanic history and buried treasure, Jared is keeping his fingers crossed that recent hurricane activity in their area will displace enough sand on the marine surface to uncover sunken wreckages that have been buried for centuries. Joined on a dive by visiting friends Bryce (played by the endlessly-charismatic Scott Caan) and Amanda (Ashley Scott), Jared's hunch is quickly validat ed by the discovery of a quasi-mythical shipwreck known as the Zephyr. The problem (because there needs to be one, or hey, no movie) is that the expired ship's location is no less than 100 yards away from the considerably-more-recent wreckage of a plane carrying several hundred kilos of cocaine. Herein lies the dilemma. Drawing police attention to the fallen plane would tie up the area in endless, meticulous police investigation, which would doubtless ly shatter the attractive quartet's hopes and dreams. However, leaving the millions of dollars in cocaine to sit peacefully while the four of them come up short for equipment payments necessary to dig up 17th-century plunder is certainly no encouragement for some of them to "play it straight." Before long, the four ideologi cally disparate divers find themselves at the mercy of unforgiving drug traffickers and at odds with one anoth er. Though the narrative appears simplistic and over done, In to th e B lu e does quite a bit to distinguish itself from aquatic genre predecessors. Alba can't help but
provide mediocre acting, but the strong performances by (and charming dynamic between) Walker and Caan elevate the film to a status notably higher than the typ ical action flick. Walker's portrayal is earnest and heart felt, without resorting to the cheap, tacky, contrived sen timentality that the romantic leading man's role often demands. Meanwhile, Caan plays the smarmy, Napoleon-complexed, all-talk-but-no-... (rhymes with talk) New York attorney to perfection. An interesting touch to the film was director John Stockwell's decision to shoot over half of it under water. Simple as it may sound, both the technical undertaking involved and the willingness to present a movie half void of dialogue or regular (you know, land-based) inter action between the characters take some serious c o jo n e s to put into practice. Thanks to sharp editing and ability on behalf of Stockwell and the actors to create and maintain tension over long spans of time, the sub marine shots of In to th e B lu e turn out to be some of the more exciting parts of the film. Nothing to write home about, but it is an entertain ing piece of sunlit film to chase away those October blues. ■
I : G o o d b y e Frien ds o f
th e H ea ve n ly B o d ies.
This CD would be easy to hate, with its preten tious title and its unnecessary and supercilious divi sion into acts. However, the lyrics and melodies are melancholic, emotive, romantic, depressing and inspiring at once. Previously unknown songwriter Daniel Victor brings us this labour of love, featuring some of the leading male vocalists in the hemisphere: Nick Hexum of 311, Alexisonfire's Dallas Green and Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace fame, to name a few. This assortment of such varied singers could lead to a jumbled, disjointed product, but the overarching presence of slow synth and brooding melodies creates a cohesive tone throughout the entire album. The tracks "Age of Consent" and "The Grace" are destined to be played on repeat on all the indie-kids' iPods, and "Liar" showcases Maida's best vocal work since his Clumsy days. That said, there are many criticisms to be made of this album. One could say it is too emo, too repetitive, too restrained and too similar to Broken Social Scene or Radiohead to be considered relevant. But they won't come from me. —Ja d e Blair
Christine Fellows. P a p er Anniversary. The sound of Christine Fellows' refreshingly beautiful voice almost makes up for the fact that the melodies of the songs on P a p e r A n n iv e rsa ry are painfully mediocre. Almost. Fellows, a Winnipeg native, plays piano, glockenspiel, accordion and bells on the album, among other instruments. Her voice has a soothing and calming quality, in spite of the fact that if you listen closely, most of her lyrics discuss misfortune, depression and death. Her music has been influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris, and, frankly, she would do well to stick more closely to their exam ples. At times her unconventional phrasing serves as an interesting stylistic device; at others it completely fails her and makes it sound as if she could n't figure out how to properly fit her lyrics into the music. A certain elegance makes "Vertebrae" and "Souvenirs" stand out as the most well-crafted songs. The rest sound quite similar with the exception of the title track, which has an extremely odd tempo and sounds like it belongs in an elementary school musical. P a p e r A n n iv e rs a ry isn't a bad choice if you need to satisfy the occa sional mellow-folk-music-craving, but it's definitely not a must-have. —A riela W einbach
Jessica Alba is a diver, and she is always down.
Elliott Brood. A m b a ssa d o r. The first full-length album from country-rock trio Elliott Brood provides one of the more viscer al, nostalgic listens of any release this year. Working with predominantly minimalist arrange ments which focus on gorgeously conceived interplay between acoustic guitar, lap steel and banjo, the band relies on powerful, continuously gripping songwriting and the raspy, road-worn vocals of Casey Laforet and Mark Sasso to maintain the engaging, intimate, whimsical flow which Ambassador so majestically exudes. Beyond the groggy, grinding, superlative two-chord album-opener "Twill" and woeful, ethereal ballads "Jackson" and "Back of the Lot," there is a death-country masterpiece on this album for every lonesome train burning coal through the dim solitude of the night, for every forgotten drunk pinned down by the rain, for every stone left unturned and guitar left unplayed, for every sentient being under the sun with a barstool story to tell. Ambassador is a contemporary chef d'oeuvre in a universe of its own. —B en Lem ieu x
BRIEF:
BECK
LIG H TS
UP
TH E
BELL
C E N T R E
Various Artists.
T he
S u ic id e G irls: B la ck H ea rt
R etrosp ective.
Beck, the master of everything you can't quite put your finger on.
Damn, does this guy make playing music look easy. Alternating between guitar, drums, beat machines, turntables and ban jos while singing, Beck is a musical prodigy whose wacky, futuristic perception of sound is an absolute pleasure to hear. His twohour-long set (Sept. 30th at the Bell Centre) spanned a wide array of material, entwining classics like "Devil's Haircut" from O dela y with newer conceptions such as "E-pro" and "Que' Onda Guero" from the recently released G u ero . Backed by a seven-piece band, including a video deejay from Japan, Beck commanded the crowd with a healthy mixture of goofy antics and virtuous playing. Halfway though the set, seeing that his hard working band needed a little R&R, Beck brought a dinner table with food and wine glasses to the stage and proceeded to play 'dinner music' on the acoustic guitar and accordion. Instead of leaving a tip, the band grabbed their silverware and accompanied Beck with a serenade on the wineglasses and plates. Beck's live performance, as always, proved to be an equally quirky and breathtaking experience. —Sco tt S a m e ro ff
Ahh, the SuicideGirls. For the uninitiated, the SuicideGirls are porn stars of the ilk who prefer their girls pierced, dyed, tattooed and pissed off. Their Web site, suicidegirls.com, has gained avid followers jonesing for centerfolds who know how to remove nipple rings with their tongues. Why have they released an album, you ask? I have no freaking idea. But hey, if Hilary Duff can release a greatest hits album documenting the ins and outs of her two-album musical career, then a throng of hot chicks who like to show off their elaborate tat toos can release an album too. Especially given that B la c k H e a rt R e tro s p e c tiv e rocks. It's a mix CD laying out 15 good reasons not to laugh at goths. Actually, it's easy to fully condone laughing at goths continuously, but the tracks show case everything that's awesome about goth music The album picks right up with "Every Day is Halloween," an early eighties ode to dressing funny by industrial/metal icons Ministry. From there, the mix never slows, ducking into various incarnations of danceable gloom by the likes of mope-rock pioneers Joy Division, punk crossovers Siouxsie and the Banshees, Canadian industri al bulldozers Skinny Puppy, synthy brooders Killing Joke and many more. There's even a cover of the Sisters of Merc/s "Lucretia My Reflection" by Alkaline Trio, who infect the original with their own brand of drunken, maudlin bravado while still managing to sound entirely unlike themselves. The songs are all soaked in drum machines and synths, which can indeed sound dated at times. The point being: it is dated, but it's still great music, as the itchy bass riff crawling under your skin will surely prove. The album also comes with a handy little booklet that unfolds into a poster of three of the SuicideGirls. Hot. —M elissa Price
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F O O T B A L L — S H E R B R O O K E
42,
R E D M E N
34
V e r t e t O r in te r c e p t R e d m e n ’s playoff h o p e s Connell th ro w s fo u r picks as team in disarray loses to Sherbrooke fo r first tim e CHARLIE BLORE One week after an inspiring win in the face of adversity, the Redmen showed Saturday that they are still a team in turmoil. Now, the big issue weighing on the squad isn't a scandal; it's the very real possibility that they'll be on the outside looking in come playoff time. Facing the team they're chasing for the last post-season spot in Quebec, the Redmen came out flat and played sloppily on their way to a demoralizing 42-34 defeat against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or in front of 1,935 fans on Homecoming weekend at Molson Stadium. McGill committed 194 yards in penalties and turned the ball over five times in the loss. Quarterback Matt Connell finished the day with huge offen sive numbers, completing 27 of 48 passes while throwing for three touchdowns and a school-record 449 yards. However, his four interceptions and poor decision-making played a large role in the Redmen's inability to earn the victory. "We had our opportunities and we squandered them away," said Head Coach Chuck McMann. "We'll continue as a coaching staff and as players to work hard and try to improve." Despite an offence that gained 542 net yards, the Redmen could not seize an advantage in the playoff race against lowly Sherbrooke. McGill headed into the game at 1-3, while Sherbrooke sat at 2-2. With the two team's head-to-head record as the first tiebreaker should they have identical records upon the season's finale, McGill would have put itself in prime position for a playoff spot with a victory. Instead, the loss—the first McGill has ever sustained at the hands of the Vert et Or, who are in just their third year in the conference—means McGill now trails Sherbrooke by two games. Wth only three remaining on the schedule, the Vert et Or now hold the tiebreaker. The impact of the devastating result could be seen in the long faces of McGill players on the field after the game. "We're going to have to finish strong and see if something comes up for us because right now, it's going to be tough for us to get in," said Redmen linebacker Jean-Nicolas Carrière. Redmen lack focus early For whatever reason, it seemed as if the Redmen's collec tive heads were not in the game. Early in the first quarter, McGill wide receiver Tim Kraemer fumbled a Sherbrooke punt, which the visitors recovered. The Vert et Or took advantage of the great field position, driving 28 yards for paydirt to open the scoring.
TH E
RED
Kraemer was able to atone for his mistake on the ensuing drive, as Connell hit him with a slant pass on the first play from scrimmage. The second-year receiver broke a couple of tackles and out-ran the defence for a 64-yard score, the longest play of the year for a McGill receiver. Kraemer finished with six catches for 146 yards and the touchdown, but wasn't satisfied. "We didn't get the W and that's what we were aiming for," he said. "So my personal stats don't mean anything." Carrière, despite being the only bright spot on the defence with two forced fumbles, a sack and a blocked field goal, echoed that sentiment. "It's a team sport and you gotta show up to games as a team," he said. "I'm not happy with the way we played. We got what we deserved."
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VLADIMIR EREMIN Tim Kraemer sprints past a Vert et Or defender while taking a Matt Connell pass to the Redmen defence struggles... again house in Saturday's loss. The 64-yard completion is the Redmen's longest of the year. Under new defensive coordi nator Dennis Waide, McGill's defence has had difficulty all season long, especially against the capped off with a beautifully designed misdirection play. The Vert run. Opponents are now averaging 192 yards per game on the et Or line blocked right with the quarterback following behind as ground, after the Redmen allowed 304 rushing yards against if it were a sneak. However, the centre held the ball between his legs allowing Dorval to march 50 yards untouched to the endSherbrooke. zone, salting away the game. The duo of Alain Dorval and Diego Râtelle formed a oneAll the teams in the conference have a bye next week, giv two punch of speed and power that McGill simply could not con tain. Dorval gave the defence fits as he ran for 168 yards and ing the Redmen plenty of time to reflect on this loss before two touchdowns on just 13 carries. Râtelle pounded the ball their next game, at Bishop's on Oct. 15. If McGill wants any chance at making the playoffs, they can't afford to overlook this through the tackles all day for 110 yards on 15 carries. The running game wore down the Redmen defence, which game against the winless Gaiters. More likely, however, this became evident as McGill was trailed 28-25 midway through the game will be a battle to ensure that the Redmen stay out of fourth quarter. The Vert et Or took possession at their own 15 the basement in the QUFL, a sad commentary on how far the and travelled 95 yards on six plays, all runs. The drive was McGill football team has fallen this year. ■
Z O N E
Wake up the echoes: Notre Dame matters W
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hile Canadians are looking forward to the start of hockey season, college football is in full swing south of the border. And no school has a bigger impact on the NCAA football schedule than University of Notre Dame. However, as this season began, certain members of the media claimed that the Fighting Irish were a relic of the past. Alan Grant of ESPN.com said, "Notre Dame isn't relevant. Once upon a time, it was." Another so-called "expert" believed that Notre Dame had fallen so far that it would start the season 0-6. How wrong they were. The Irish have begun the season 4-1 and are ranked 12th in the nation. With just a few wins, the Irish bandwagon has been fired up. While there may have been gloomy predictions for the boys in South Bend, ESPN's College Gameday still decided to open their season in Pittsburgh where the visiting team was none other than the then-unranked Irish. ABC proceed ed to televise the game in primetime. Clearly, the networks know what sells. The Fighting Irish are the only college or pro team that has a national TV contract. Why? It's because they are so well supported that they can maintain their indepedent sta tus. With a schedule containing some of the best programs in the NCAA, the Notre Dame faithful are always at games,
regardless of location. They are "the subway alumni": peo ple who never attended Notre Dame but still bleed blue and gold. Many base their allegiance on the fact that Notre Dame is America's most prominent Catholic university, while for others, it's a chance to be in touch with a glorious foot ball past. In Canada, many of us just don't understand the appeal of NCAA football. We see young men—and especially young black men—sold a bill of goods, promised an education in exchange for playing a sport, only to have the coaches and administrators emphasize their athletics while ignoring their academics. As a result, few of these so-called student-ath letes graduate, with many just putting in three years before they jet off to the NFL. Canadians don't understand the notion of going to university for anything other than ensur ing you leave with a viable degree. But Notre Dame is among a very small group of American schools that have managed to combine academ ic and athletic excellence. With the exceptions of Stanford and Duke, Notre Dame graduated a higher proportion of their male athletes last year than any school in the NCAA. But the Stanfords and the Dukes of the world have never captured the popular imagination the way Notre Dame has.
d a n iel
M cQ u i l l a n
Throughout the years, the star-making machine that is Notre Dame has produced the likes of the Gipper, The Four Horsemen, R u d y and of course, Joe Montana. In Montana's case, he looked far from a superstar on the field at South Bend. However, the pressure cooker that is Irish football saw Montana blossom into the NFL's great est clutch performer and perhaps finest quarterback of all time. So it was truly fitting that Notre Dame grabbed the national headlines last week when new Head Coach Charlie Weis granted the last wish of young cancer patient Montana Mazurkiewicz—named, of course, after the legendary QB—by calling pass right as the first play of last Saturday's game. It's all part of the legend that is Notre Dame football. Here at McGill, we often downplay athletics, fearing that paying too much attention to sports might undermine our academic reputation. However, if Notre Dame, one of the premier academic institutions, can be successful on the grid iron and in the classroom, why can't we? Even if Notre Dame doesn't win the national champi onship in the next few years, it doesn't matter. They're the Fighting Irish. They're going to grab the attention of fans everywhere, regardless of results. That's something that McGill could strive for as well. ■
P R O F I L E —
B O B B Y
the mcgill tribune | 4 .10.05 | sports 2
P A S T E R N A K
McGill s tu d e n t m aking golf
G im m e s o m e M o
My own private Oktoberfest
duds th a t a r e n ’t Q uagm ire G o lf a new clothing line aim ed MOHIT ARORA
at young golfers ADAM MYERS It's time to get rid of those tight pleated pants and ugly plaid shirt that are traditional golf attire; finally you can look cool playing golf. McGill student Bobby Pasternak is remaking the golf world with a new line of clothing. Pasternak realized this sum mer that the golf world was lack ing in clothes suitable for young adults. So he decided to do some thing about it. "I went on a golf trip as staff and met a guy who is now my partner. We took 30 kids across Florida, and the kids on the trip were wearing Abercrombie, American Eagle and Quicksilver," Pasternak says, stressing that these brands are everyday wear, not typical golf wear. "We decided, let's put some clothes on the kids that are for the golf world." Pasternak, along with partner Geoff Tait, founded Quagmire Golf and plans on bringing a new face to the golf shop, one geared toward the tastes of young golfers. It was on this summer golf trip that he realized that no company currently gears clothing towards the needs of young golfers. While Pasternak wants to do this, he does agree it is important to remain true to the stylistic codes of the traditional game. "I want to make golf cool, to create an image of golf for kids and people like us," says Pasternak, who majors in Humanistic Studies. "If you want to have a meeting with your boss on the golf course, you don't have to look like a golf dork. People should be able to be comfortable and look cool on the golf course." While the game of golf is rapidly growing in popu larity, especially among young individuals, the fashion industry has yet to cater to these young golfers and their stylistic preferences. Although popular names have graced the racks of golf shops for years, the appeal for young golfers has never truly been acknowledged until now. The Quagmire Golf slogan claims that the products are "Not fit for the fairway," highlighting that the styles are far from the clean, cut lines of the short grass. The new line will come out in the spring of 2006 and will be available throughout Canada. Pasternak was recent ly at McGill promoting his company to the school's golf coach, trying to get university golfers to wear the new brand. The line will allow the young to express their per
QUAGMIREGOLF.COM sonality in the latest of golf trends. Pasternak is currently focusing on the company, and is not attending school this semester. The 21-yearold is originally from Toronto, which is where Quagmire Golf is located. Though Pasternak completed U1 last year and is excited to get back to McGill to finish up his degree in the near future, he wants to devote his time to making sure the company gets off to a good start. "I focus on making sure the design is what we want, pick fabrics, pick colours, get it out in the golf world, market it and sell it," he says. The company's introductory line offers several dif ferent styles for both men and women. They offer pants and shorts for men while offering skirts, dresses, pants and capris for women. Shirts and jackets are offered for both sexes, and all clothes coming in a wide variety of colours and styles. Pasternak has been sure to has stress fun exciting designs for the company's clothes. Offering a unique product, different from the main stream clothes that young adults are wearing is impor tant to Pasternak. This is what sparked the idea for his company, along with the feeling that there was a large market of young adults who are beginning to play golf seriously throughout the year. Pasternak notes that Quagmire is truly a Canadian company from the creators and designers, to the fab rics, manufacturing and distribution. His goal is to keep prices affordable for all golfers, so everyone can look cool on the course. Fo r m o re in fo rm ation on th e com pany, visit th e w eb site w w w .q u a g m ireg o lf.co m
Having this space to do with as I please each week isn't all fun and games. It's a responsibility, and one I fear I may not have been taking seriously enough so far. Looking back on the past month, it's evident that I, like countless others, have allowed myself to be taken in by the spell cast by the NFL. The league hyped the start of its season so much that peo ple were going crazy with anticipation when the 2005 campaign finally kicked off, and then let that momentum snowball with the special Monday night telethon in Week two and Sunday's ArizonaSan Francisco game in Mexico City. But as I found myself watch ing the Cardinals cause a 49ers turnover and then fumble the ball back to San Francisco on the same play, I realized I made a huge mistake. How could I continue to invest so deeply in what has thus far been a very mediocre NFL season, and yet go the entire month of September without writing a single word about Major League Baseball's pennant races? While the Patriots, Steelers, Chargers, Vikings, Eagles and Panthers were collectively playing .500 foot ball, the Yankees and Red Sox renewed their rivalry for the 87th straight year, the Braves won their 14th straight division title and the Cardinals ran their win total to 100 on the season. Luckily, September was only a dress rehearsal, and the fun is just beginning. With the MLB playoffs upon us, it's time we take a step back from worshipping an NFL where the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins are first-place teams, and instead give the boys of summer their due. After all, some of these gentlemen have been truly remark able. In the American League, the debate rages between Boston's David Ortiz and New York's Alex Rodriguez for American League MVP. While Rodriguez has been excellent both in hitting and in fielding, Ortiz has used a penchant for late-game heroics to turn the tide in his favour. With all due respect to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim—who this year led the league in home cities— and the Chicago White Sox, the American League is once again destined to come down to a tilt between the Yanks and Red Sox, and that is when A-Rod and Big Papi can decide once and for all who is the most valuable player to his team. The National League is no slouch, either. St Louis is the favourite to make it back to the World Series, but Houston got just enough hitting to sneak in to the playoffs, and instantly become a threat with the ability to throw Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte at opponents in a short series. Meanwhile, can I be the first to officially say that the NFL has sucked this season? Sunday's Philadelphia-Kansas City game is the first time all year that two good teams played well against each other, and it's a reach to say that Kansas City is good. New England has been shaky and Minnesota horrible. Stars like Peyton Manning, Daunte Culpepper and Jamal Lewis have all struggled. After watching Sunday's night's disastrous game, you couldn't blame 103,000 Mexicans if they thought that the best player in the NFL is Arizona kicker Neil Rackers. Hell, they might just be right So can we all just ease up on our love affair with the NFL for a few weeks and give the MLB playoffs some well-deserved atten tion? Just think back to last year's American League Championship Series, and how great it was when one stolen base turned the tide in a 3-0 series and shut whiny New Englanders.up for the first time in 86 years. This year, there are eight teams vying for a chance to produce a moment like that again. I just hope I'm not the only fan vying for the chance to see it. ■
Best player in the NFL? 100,000 Mexicans can't be wrong.
22 sports | 4 .10.05 | the mcgill tribune
BASEBALL
PLAYO FF
S O C C E R :
PR EVIE W
MLB p o s t-s e a s o n : W h a t c o lo u r a r e y o u r so ck s? M ATT ROSENBERG As the 2005 second season looms, we examine which players will be heroes and failures and how this will impact their teams' chances in the Division Series
N ational League St Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres Obviously, players like first baseman Albert Pujols and centrefielder Jim Edmonds will put up big numbers for the Central Division champs. But look for second baseman Mark Grudzielanek-who provides solid play in the field and consistency at the plate, coupled with some playoff experience-to help the Cards go a long way this year. Conversely, ace Chris Carpenter may have issues winning in the playoffs. The Cards have counted on him all season, but he has yet to pitch in a meaningful game throughout his injury-plagued career. For San Diego to have a chance, the Padres must rely on solid pitching, especially from ace starter Jake Peavy. All season their bullpen has been strong, anchored by closer Trevor Hoffman. However, if Hoffman is to see any action, set-up man Scott Linebrink becomes of utmost importance; he must be able to keep games close. Prediction: Cards in four Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros In spite of Andruw Jones' 50 homeruns, for Atlanta to make a serious run in the playoffs, they are going to need to play "small ball." The Braves will rely heavily on lead-off man Rafael Furcal to get aboard and make some noise on the base paths. However, a potential pitfall lies in pitcher Jorge Sosa, who has a career record under .500. Having him as Atlanta's number-three pitcher in a short series is certainly a risk for Bobby Cox. The Houston Astros make formidable opponents, largely due to a very strong three-man rotation. But closer Brad Lidge and outfielder Lance Berkman might struggle against a team making an unheralded 14th straight trip to the playoffs. This will be a low scoring series, with Atlanta's overall tal ent giving the Braves a slight edge. Prediction: Braves in four
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F iv e -sta r M artlets re b o u n d in style H igh-octane offence and shut-dow n defence lead to M cG ill v ic to ry DAVID BLYE After suffering a shocking defeat last weekend to the Laval Rouge et Or, Head Coach Marc Mounicofs Martlet soccer side spent most of the week frustrated and upset. On Friday night, they took those frustrations out on a Université du Québec à Montréal side that didn't belong on the same pitch. Wth a clash against a strong team from Université de Montréal on the horizon, the Martlets sent a clear mes sage to the rival Carabins by thoroughly dominating the hapless Citadins. The eventual 5-0 victory had both play ers and coaches pleased and hungry for more. "I thought it was a really good game," said captain Shari Fraser. "We played strong coming off the loss on Sunday. It was very important to put in a good game for our game on Sunday against Montreal. It was a good per formance and a good team performance. "[Montreal] were our biggest rivals last year," she added. "They were the only team that beat us in the league last year, so it's a pretty important game, especial ly since we lost a point last weekend." Mounicot echoed the defender's sentiments. "I was very pleased," he said. "We had a good week of practice and the girls wanted to rebound from the loss at Laval. It was a perfect result for us, as we had lost some points on Sunday. I would say it was the ideal preparation for us." Martlets manhandle out-matched opponents From the opening kick-off, McGill controlled all aspects of the match. Play was constantly in the Citadins' end, and the Martlets completely dominated possession of the ball. So it was no surprise that after 18 minutes, midfielder Eloise Vandal found the mark with a brilliant strike from the top of the box. Before halftime, she was joined on the score sheet by Neena Gupta, Shari Fraser
and Caroline Pelletier, a sure sign that the rout was on. During the break, Mounicot elected to rest five of his starters, in an effort to keep them fresh for Sunday's match with U de M. Once play resumed, the new-look Martlets put the final nail in UQAM's coffin, with Pelletier scoring her second goal of the night. Pelletier, after notching her first career double, stressed the importance of the team as a whole. "1 think we play very well as a team," she said. “I got open but in general, I think the team played well coming off the loss. I was happy I could finish with a couple goals." In addition to this offensive barrage, the defence was stellar. Earning their third shutout of the season, the Martlets held the Citadins to just one shot all game and have limited opponents to just three goals for the year. Goalkeepers Victoria Villalba and Laura Defuria shared the clean sheet between the posts. Injury puts a downer on otherwise solid performance Though the Martlets were happy with the result, an early injury threatened to derail the team. Twenty minutes in, midfielder Sarah Chmielewski went down with an apparent ankle injury and did not return. “I hope she will be ready [for Sunday]," Mounicot said. “Right now, it's not too swollen, and I hope she gets better, but if not, someone else will have to step up." Chmielewski did manage to play in Sunday"s game, a 1-1 draw with Montréal. The affair was not quite what the Martlets had in mind. McGill went down 1-0 early after surrendering a penalty to the Carabins. However, Magalie Kolker managed to right the ship late, firing home the equalizer in the 82nd minute. The game was shroud ed in frustration, with four McGill player receiving yellow cards. In spite of the draw, the Martlets proved this week end that they are hitting their stride and have to be con sidered definite threats for the CIS crown. ■
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A m e rican League Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox Chicago had serious pitching issues in the second half, largely due to closer Dustin Hermanson's back problems. This has caused manager Ozzie Guillen to put his faith in rookie southpaw Bobby Jenks, whose inconsistency around the strike zone could be a problem. To win this series, Chicago is going to need lots of runs, so expect veteran outfielder Carl Everett to step up. The defending champion Red Sox come into the post-season with a depleted pitching staff. Don't expect much out of their starters, especially since ace Curt Schilling is still aching from ankle surgery, and closer Mike Timlin has been erratic not just this year but throughout his career. Even Big Papi and Manny won't get the champ's past the first round. Prediction: Chicago in five Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. New York Yankees Look for John Lackey to pitch lights out, just like he did three seasons ago when the Angels won it all. LA's starting pitching will be strong in general, with Bartolo Colon forming a very capable one-two punch with Lackey. Offensively, Darren Erstad has been mediocre all season and struggled down the stretch, which will continue during this series. This year's Yankees feature a line-up with big name players at almost every position, so the list of possible goats is endless, However, first baseman Jason Giambi has the greatest potential for failure. He will struggle when the Yanks hit the road, and the boos will become too much for him to handle. On the other hand, DH Bernie Williams will prove that he still belongs in pin stripes. Wiliams is a clutch hitter and will play a pivotal role in what may be his final post-season. Prediction: Yankees in five
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The Martlets played possession soccer on Friday night on their way to a 5-0 win.
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B U S IN E S S H O U RS: M o n : 8: 00a m to 3: 00pm T i e s t o F ri: 8:00a m t o 6: 00pm S a tu rd a y : 8:00am t o 3: 00pm
Spread the word about your upcoming hoedown or shindig for only a toonie— have it listed in the Tribune’s Campus Calendar. Forms available in the SSMU Office. Deadline Fridays at 3 pm.
/lartlets and Redmen Soccer—Bishop's @ McGill; Friday, 7 and i p.m. at Molson Stadium he Martlets begin the doubleheader, hosting the last placed earn in the QUSL and will try to add another notch their netaphorical belts. The Redmen play an exhibition game against te Gaiters, as Bishop's has no men's soccer team; the game hould be a good warm up for next week's clash with Concordia.
- S. Jalbert 34 yd interception return (A. Dorval kick) ^3:42 MCGILL - C. McGuire 34 yd pass from M. Connell (R. Eeuwes kick) 14:42 SHERB
Quarter SHERB - M A Tougas 1 yd run (A. Dorval kick) 07.54 MCGILL- R Eeuwes (single point) 10:30 MCGILL - P. Beesla 1 yd run (R. Eeuwes kick) 15.00
îedmen Hockey—Wilfrid Laurier @ McGill; Saturday, 7 p.m. at /lolson Stadium or anyone that needs a live hockey fix, the Redmen host the jolden Hawks in their final pre-season game at McConnell Arena
Fourth Quarter SHERB - A. Dorval 50 yd run (A. Dorval kick) 06.20 MCGILL - R. Eeuwes 28 yd field goal 12:13 SHERB - M A Tougas 1 yd run (A. Dorval kick) 14-21 MCGILL - E. Galas 3 yd passfromM. Connell (M. Connell Pass failed) 15:00
JHL—Montreal @ Toronto; Saturday, 7 p.m. on CBC vfter over 15 months, Canada's game is back. Hockey Night in Canada will be getting back to its roots as the Leafs host the Canadiens from the Air Canada Centre. And guess what? Thanks o the end of the CBC lockout, we won't miss Coach's Corner.
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
ALB-New York @ Anaheim; Tuesday, 8 p.m. on Fox kfter 162 games, the real season begins in the Major Leagues. Tie Angels battle the Yankees in a clash of recent World Champs rying to get back to the Series.
Sherbrooke McGill
Attendance: 1,935
T H IS W E E K IN H c C IL L S P O R T S H IS T O R Y
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Friday, Oct. 4, 1996 The Redmen soccer team solidified their spot in the playoffs with a 1-0 win over Concordia. Gabriel Gen/ais scored the game's lone goal on a header with fewer than ten minutes remaining in this scrappy affair. Keeper Jason Forsyth was rarely tested in this contest, but came up big when they needed him, especially when he made a diving save in the 30th minute to preserve the shutout.
First downs Yards rushing yards passing j ota| offence j eam |osses Net offence f
Friday, OcL 6, 2000 & Monday, Oct 9, 2000
Sher 28 304 154 458
McGill 37 99 449 548
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Saturday, Oct 4,2003 In front of a crowd of roughly 1,500 at Molson Stadium, the Redmen football team thoroughly massacred the expansion Sherbrooke Vert et Or 61-0. Led by running backs Danny Tai and Mike Samman, the Redmen gained 399 yards on the ground and cut in for six a whopping eight times. Not to be outdone, defensive back Fredrick Martin had a record-setting day on special teams, becoming the first player in McGill history to return two punts for a touchdown in a single game.
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j [\|0te to Joe Theismann: just because you played ir ^ çy^., that doesn't change the fact that the rouge is stil impossible in the NFL, regardless of what the 49ers migh »want« ThankSi Cleveland: after all the single-game play 0ff thrills that could have resulted from this weekend ir baseball, the Indians put together a couple eggs against the White Sox and saDDed all the excitement... Wow, the CBC
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