The McGill Tribune Vol. 26 Issue 14

The McGill

Published by the Students'Society of McGill University

Volume 26 Issue 14 • December 5,2006

www.mcgilltribune.com

Students make the difference Youth play big role in Liberal convention D a v id B ly e a n d E liz a b e t h P er le

McGill admin meddles in SnoAP

Security Services insists on maintaining presence K en S un For years, SnoAP has provided cheap beer and a respite from the cold as stud.ents attempt to forget about heading back to class after the holidays. But the adminis­ tration's increasing concerns regarding oncampus alcohol consumption have resulted in a new requirement that McGill security be present for the winter event that was once staffed solely by SSMU Security.

After last January's SnoAP wrapped up, McGill Security Services announced that they would be taking responsibility for the security and safety of future events. This

decision has left coordinators confused and slightly frustrated, as they feel that SSMU Se­ curity is adequate and effective.

"McGill Security didn't really make it clear to us their reasons for taking over SnoAR"said SSMU Vice President Communi­ cations and Events Gill Prendergast, who is overseeing the organization of the event. "I haven't heard of any lax security or problems with the service provided by the SSMU." Pierre Barbarie, assistant manager of McGill Security Services, which is respon­ sible, for all aspects of security on campus outside of the Shatner Building, made the decision to put campus security in charge

of the event.

"We have accommodated SSMU Se­ curity over the last few years, but McGill Security should handle any and all events throughout the year," Barbarie said. "McGill Security taking over [SnoAP] had nothing to do with [the SSMU Security] being inad­ equate. Our mandate is to ensure the safety and security on campus, which obviously includes any event that takes place here. We have a mandate to protect and safeguard everyone on campus."

Jacob Itzkowitz, co-director for SnoAP,

See SPONSORS on page 3

Aspiring politicos, leadership hopefuls, lifetime Liber­ als and young members of the party from all over Canada invaded Montreal last week for the Liberal Leadership Con­ vention and made their voices heard at one of the most wide-open races in party history. McGill students were out in full force at the Palais des Congrès and some were work­ ing in the upper levels of campaigns to bring the important youth vote to their candidate.

"Under no uncertain terms, a leadership candidate cannot win if they don't have the support of the youth," ex­ plained Denise Brunsdon, U3 Political Science arid Econom­ ics and director of the Youth, Women and Blogs campaign for Stéphane Dion.

Brunsdon began working on the Dion campaign more than six months ago, and Friday saw her hard work put to good use as Dion, who wènt in to the weekend as the un­ derdog, began to emerge as a serious threat.

Fellow student Gosia Radaczynska, U3 Political Science and International Development Services, was elected as a delegate, representing Liberal McGill. Radaczynska volun­ teered for the Michael Ignatieff campaign last weekend, where she described the team as one of the most youthoriented in the party.

"The majority of the students involved are Political Sci­ ence majors," she said. "Most of the people in his key staff are also under 30," she added. "It's great to finally see young people getting the experience they need to move forward in politics."

McGill students were well-represented at the confer­ ence: at least a few dozen participated in Dion and Ignatieff's respective campaigns, according to Brunsdon and Radaczynska.

With approximately one-third of the delegates under 25, young voters held significant power at this convention.

The increased youth involvement can be attributed to a growing grassroots initiative within the Liberal Party, some­ thing that has generally been more prevalent within the Conservative Party and its predecessors.

For the first time, an official "blogging" room was set up at the convention. One of the bloggers present, 19-year- old Miranda Hussey, insisted this was an important way through which young people could affect media coverage. "[Blogs are] becoming a really great medium through which to share, communicate and organize.," Brunsdon agreed. "And not just through blogs: m eetu p .co m , instanta-

See DION on page 2

presents December Exam Coffee Breaks! f M cGCome illenjoy complimentary snacks and refreshments at the following locations: Alumni Association

December 4th: Macdonald Campus- Macdonald-Stewart Foyer: 11am—2pm December 5th: McLennan Lobby: 10:30am—-12:30pm & 3:30pm—5:30pm December 6th: Chancellor Day Hall Atrium: 10:30am— 12:30pm Education Building Lobby: 12:30pm—2:30pm December 7th: Bronfman Lobby: 10:30am— 12:30pm

Ti

m

T h e M

c G

ill A lu m

n i A s s o c ia t io n

w is h e s y o u

December 8th: McLennan Lobby: 10:30am— 12:30pm December 11th: McConnell Lobby: 11:00am— 1:00pm McLennan Lobby: 3:30pm—5:30pm December 12th: Strathcona Music Lobby: 10:30am— 12:30pm December 13th: McLennan Lobby: 10:00am— 1:00pm g o o d

lu c k

o n y o u r e x a m s !

N ews

COVER PHOTO BY LEE TIPTON MASTHEAD GRAPHIC BY JAMIE GOODMAN

CAMPUS

Med students' protest kicks into high gear Ongoing political standoff jeopordizes possibility of graduation K a yv o n A fsh a r i McGill's Medical Students are intensifying their campaign to raise awareness about how they are af­ fected by a current political standstill. In order to op­ pose what they view as unfair legislation, Quebec's medical specialists are protesting by refusing to offer hospital instruction and supervision to medical stu­ dents.

Last Wednesday, the Medical Students'Society or­ ganized a demonstration in front of the Roddick Gates and on Friday, about 50 McGill medical students par­ ticipated in a broader demonstration organized by the Fédération médicale étudiante du Québec, a provin­ cial medical student lobby group.

Medical Students' Society President Tim Lussier said that the student involvement in the McGill dem­ onstration was impressive.

'There is no way that this could have happened without a lot of people and so there were a lot of stu­ dents that helped out."

Negotiations are currently under way between the Quebec government and the Fédération des mé­ decins spécialistes du Québec regarding Bill 37, which caps specialist wages while regulating hospital con­ duct. The bill also limits the ways in which specialists can legally protest against it. Many Quebec medical specialists have opted to express their opposition to the bill and its provisions by denying hospital instruc­ tion, supervision and evaluation, leaving a significant portion of McGill medical students with no access to education.

According to Catherine Patocka, Quebec regional representative of the Canadian Federation of Medi­ cal Students, approximately 60 per cent of third year McGill medical students and 20 per cent of fourth-year

students are currently not receiving teaching.

Lussier said that at a general assembly on No­ vember 24, the students "were in support of removal of Bill 37, which is one of the goals of the FMSQ/'adding that,"they recognize that [salary] parity is an issue that needs to be discussed and the government should take steps towards addressing that."

According to the Canadian Federation of Medical Students, Quebec specialists are paid 15 to 35 per cent less than in other provinces.

Josée LaRochelle, FMEQ vice president external affairs, said that her organization sides primarily with students in the current situation and denounced the denial of instruction.

"Nothing justifies the pressure tactics that are being imposed on the students right now,” LaRochelle said. "Of course we find the law coercive and I think that it should be repealed, however mainly we want our education back. We feel that right now we are vic­ tims in a conflict and that we've been taken hostage."

She said that both sides must work constructively at the negotiating table and noted that, "We want the two parties to talk and that has been our focus from day one."

Patocka, who declared that the CFMS is in full sup­ port of the FMEQ, which has been'running the show," echoed a similar position. "[The CFMS] sympathizes with the specialists in Quebec but feels that it's unacceptable and unfair to compromise medical education," she said.

“If this goes on over a couple of months, there is no way that a year could be salvaged for some of these students. This would mean that some of the students STEVEN CAMPBELL wouldn't graduate, which would mean that there Having been denied hospital instruction, this medical student takes out her would be a whole cohort of students that wouldn't frustration by using her medical tool as a weapon to fight the Quebec regime. come into residency."*

Dion camp snags Kennedy and Rae delegates With youth, wildcard candidate leaps ahead of pack late in the race continued from COVER neous news and text messages as well."

In fact, the Ignatieff team had a text mes­ saging system set up to allow each of its mem­ bers to receive updates on the campaign move­ ments instantaneously.

After the formalities of Wednesday and Thursday, candidates presented their speeches over raucous cheer­ ing from their supporters on Friday night. This was particularly true during the Dion speech, which was cut short partly because of his particularly rowdy youth team, self-labeled "Dionistas".

Later in the evening, emotions ran high as the first ballot results were announced. Young supporters, like the trained spin doctors talking to the press, tried to convince others of their candidate's momentum. At the hotel that eve­ ning, Queen's delegate and Gerard Kennedy supporter Mark Sholdice ambitiously claimed that he would personally provide the three del­ egates needed to boost former Ontario Educa­ tion minister Gerard Kennedy into third place.

Flowever, when Dion extended his lead on the second ballot, Kennedy elected to endorse him and took an overwhelming majority of the GK youth team with him. Pandemonium en­ sued on the floor of the convention.

Alexie Landry, second year law student and a delegate for former Ontario premier Bob Rae, scrambled across the floor in Viger Flail, trying to galvanize her team and convince as many Ken­ nedy delegates as possible to come to her side.

She felt they were hurt by Kennedy going to Dion but was still confident in an eventual win.

"Our chances are still good," Landry said after the second ballot."! don't think that Kenne­

dy has a full understanding of what that actually means for Quebec and for Liberals in Quebec."

But with Kennedy's endorsement and a vast number of delegates following his cue, Dion surged ahead after the third ballot. Ignati­ eff managed to hang on to second place, while Rae came in third and was eliminated.

"Sometimes, nice guys do finish first and Dion is a fine example of that."

— Denise Brunsdon, National Dion Youth Coordinator Flowever, Rae delegates would prove to be a deciding factor in the race. Rae chose not to endorse either of the remaining candidates, thereby letting his delegates vote their con­ science. Most of the young delegates traded in their Rae pins for green scarves embroidered with Dion's name.

Rae delegate Danielle Takacs, fourth year Conflict Resolution and Peace at University of Toronto, felt voting for Dion would help stop the Tories in the next election.

"I think that a lot of the youth are coming from the Rae camp to Dion,"Takacs said. "I think Ignatieff will divide the party. Fie seems too much like Fiarper."

Flowever, there were some, like McGill Rae delegate William Pyle, second year Law, who re­ mained unsure as they stood in line to vote.

"I haven't decided, yet," he said. "I'm going in with a Dion pin and an Ignatieff pin."

In the end, Dion held on to his lead from the third ballot, finishing with 54.7 per cent or 2,521 votes to secure the Liberal leadership.

Though disappointed, Radaczynska echoed Ignatieff's support of the results."! think

the party needs to pull together now more than ever,"she said.

At the Dion victory party, Brundson was ecstatic with the historic result.

"I feel privileged, emotionally filled, pro­ fessionally satisfied but most importantly, I've learned there are different ways of doing poli­ tics," she said. "The cutthroat style is not always successful. Maybe some would call it old school, I would call it just plain decent. Sometimes, nice

guys do finish first and Dion is a fine example of that."

Brunsdon credited the entire youth move­ ment for the result.

"From Dionistas all week, to the beginning of the day [Saturday] when Martha Hall Find­ lay joined on board to Gerard Kennedy, there is no question in my mind that the Young Lib­ erals were absolutely the lynchpin in today's victory."*

ELIZABETH

PERLE

Out of love for the holidays and environment, Dionistas Andrew Crowe, Pat Connors, Ami Goldman, Tony Pritchett, Kate Clark and Neil Madsaac traded in red shirts for green.

05.12.06 «The McGill Tribune • 3

CAMPUS

AUS meets with deans over space changes Society's president worried re-allocation won't be completed on time K ristin M a ich McGill's faculty space is set to undergo an overhaul this summer due to the recent acquisi­ tion of a building on Durocher.

After months of planning and consideration, the reallocation proposal has been approved by the University after consultation with the Arts Un­ dergraduate Society.

The biggest changes in the plan, which will go into effect next September, include the move­ ment of Quebec Studies and other Arts space out of New Chancellor Day Hall, and giving the Cen­ tre for Developing Area Studies to the Faculty of Education.

Tentative portions of the plan include mov­ ing the French Department from Peterson Hall to the Arts Building. They also plan to develop a 24hour study space within Leacock and create new faculty offices in the Arts building, as well as cre­ ate 17 new offices in Arts West.

AUS executives met last Tuesday with As­ sistant Dean Academic Mary MacKinnon and Wednesday with Dean Christopher Manfredi to discuss McGill's proposed plan to rearrange sev­ eral spaces for departments within the Arts, Edu­ cation and Law faculties.

Last week, AUS issued a report on the plan

put forward by the University last month. The society took issue with the suggestion of putting professors'offices in Ferrier, the relocation of the Leacock computer labs and various other logisti­ cal practicalities.

According to AUS President RJ Kelford, last week's meetings were productive and he praised the communication between themselves and the administration.

"We brought forward a lotLespecially about the computer labs, and they were very amenable to our concerns," Kelford said. "Dean Manfredi actually brought up what we had spoken to As­ sistant Dean MacKinnon about the day before ...They've been good to us."

Incentives for students to support the plan lie in improved security services and possible 24hour access to student space with a washroom in the Ferrier building. There is a further proposal to build an Arts café on the second floor of Ferrier and to landscape the path between the Arts and Ferrier buildings to create a green area.

The plan received by AUS from Dean Man­ fredi has several core elements. One of the most controversial for Arts students is the suggested move of the Arts computer lab in Leacock to the Ferrier building, located behind the Arts build­ ing.

SEMESTER IN REVIEW A q u ic k lo o k a t th e m o s t s i g n i f i c a n t e v e n t s s o fa r September 10 , 2 0 0 6 : A Cessna makes an emergency landing on Avenue du Parc. Many tam-tammers proclaim, "man, this shit is really kickin in!"

September 12 , 2 0 0 6 : After problems with the original content led to delays in publication, "Student Society" finally presents the HAN book.

September 2 6 , 2 0 0 6 : Canada Post launches a postage stamp for Macdonald Campus to honour its 100 th birthday, featuring a photo of a building from the CEGEP next door.

Fortunately, 90 per cent of McGill students have never been to Mac, nor do they know that the stamp exists.

September 2 7 , 2 0 0 6 : The infamous "FEUQ-gate"meeting between former FEUQ Secretary-General and former SSMU executive Eric van Eyken, Arts Senator Jake Itzkowitz and others takes place. SSMU feels that its local sovereignty is threatened. Monkey business ensues.

October 1 , 2 0 0 6 : An all-too-familiar chuckle is heard around campus as former Prime Minister Joe Clark is hired as Professor of Practice for Public-Private Sector Partnerships.

October 3 , 2 0 0 6 : SSMU holds its first ever semi-annual General Assembly. Students complain about the lack of advertising and the inconvenient timing of the GA. Three radical motions pass, including one that strictly prohibits urination on the statue of James McGill.

October 18 , 2 0 0 6 : Mayor Tremblay announces that Avenue du Parc will be renamed to Avenue du RobertBourassa. Most of the reaction is negative, ranging from the cost of changing all of the signage to what the 80 bus will be called.

November 2 , 2 0 0 6 : SSMU takes a hard stance against Héma-Québec's MSM policy by banning blood drives in the Shatner building. Students quickly sacrifice time that could be spent donating blood in order to protest the policy.

— C om piled by Vincci Tsui

"I think [the Arts computer lab] is convenient where it is now," said Jennifer Christie, U2 Indus­ trial Relations and French. "Location is definitely the most important thing. [Leacock] is my every­ day path, so having to go to Ferrier could be kind of a piss off" "I don't even know where Ferrier is!" said Ali­ son Wicks, U2, Geography and Urban Systems.

However, both Wicks and Christie agreed that it would be nice to have "more of an Arts at­ mosphere" than in Leacock and were especially interested in the idea of an Arts café.

"If they really catered to the student body, it would be an added bonus," Christie said. "If they give the perks, I think well adjust."

Apparently, there is a tunnel connecting Arts and Ferrier, but there is some confusion as to its exact location. Its existence is one of several ambiguities that Kelford hopes to clear up as the plan develops.

"They still don't even have a cost estimate for the plan," he pointed out. "It's been hazy. It's more of a concept than a plan right now. Hon­ estly, I'm not sure that it will even go through, but we're trying to ensure that if budget cuts are made [in order to fund the renovations], it's not coming out of Arts."

In an attempt to consolidate each depart­

ment, the Centre for Developing Areas Stud­ ies, Quebec Studies and the French and English Departments are to be relocated. The English Department is to move within the Arts Building, while the other three departments are being dis­ placed entirely to different buildings.

Director o f the CDAS, Professor Philip Oxhorn, is in complete support of the move.

"We appreciate the efforts of the Dean and the faculty to find an alternative space and all in­ dications are that we will have one by the end of the summer, which is ideal," he, said.^: isoioem Referring to CDAS's present building on Rue Peel, Oxhorn said he believes the inconvenience to be worth the trouble.

"Moves always disrupt," he said, "but I think if we move closer to the main campus it will be worth the disruption, because the reality is, being up on a hill is farther away than most people like.

The most important thing is that we get a space relatively closer to the campus and I'm pleased and confident that that will happen," However, AUS executives are concerned that the timetable for completing the move is not feasible and could inconvenience students.

"They have a Fall 2007 deadline,” Kelford said.

"There's no way they'll get it done that fast. I would recommend at least doing it in increments."*

Sponsors help cover costs SSMU concerned McGill security is limited continued from COVER said that McGill Administration is find­ ing ways to rid the campus of drink­ ing events altogether.

"McGill has been looking for all sorts of ways to shut down SnoAR" Itzkowitz said. "It's not a written policy, but if you went to McGill Administra­ tion and asked them if they wanted to get rid of drinking events, they would say'yes™ Barbarie disagreed, emphasizing that SnoAP has not been cancelled.

He stated that McGill has been very accommodating and flexible, par­ ticularly with deadlines for liquor li­ censes, in order to allow events such as SnoAP and frosh to continue and to run smoothly.

According to event coordinators, McGill Security costs $3 an hour more per agent than SSMU security. Howev­ er, the extra costs won't be transferred to students according to Pfehdérgâsf because of increased sponsorship for the event.

"We're getting some good pro­ viders,” said SSMU Creative Marketing Director Farah Quasemi."There will be more food and more variety this year."

Domino's, Haven Books and Rogers Wireless are among the ten­

tative sponsors of the big white tent.

However, according to Quasemi, the projected $6000 or more in endorse­ ments will not be enough to com­ pletely cover the increased cost of security.

Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Morton Mendelson, said that since the university is account­ able for what happens on campus, it should be responsible for security. He added that the university is not trying to eliminate alcohol consumption on campus. "[For] large events at which alco­ hol is responsibly served and respon­ sibly consumed, the administration has no objections - assuming that the events are meant to promote the goals of the university, which include creating opportunities for positive, safe social gatherings for students," Mendelson said."However, [for] large events designed to promote drinking, per se, the administration does have objections."

Itzkowitz agreed that the main reason McGill Security has decided to take over is likely because McGill is legally liable for events on campus, but added that McGill Security may be unable to control the crowds at such large events because of the pro­

cedures they follow.

“McGill Security does not touch any of the students. Their option is to ask any student causing trouble to leave, and if they don't comply, they can record their student number. And if that doesn't work, they eventually will call the police," Itzkowitz said. "Mc­ Gill Security won't be able to handle the large amounts of drunken stu­ dents and SSMU is concerned that, instead, a lot of them will end up get­ ting arrested or hurt."

Barbarie said that physical force is only to be used as a last resort.

"We don't look to use force at all,” he said. "We often negotiate with indi­ viduals because we feel this is a bet­ ter way than to wrestle people down.

However, if need be, we will do what is needed to ensure everyone is safe. We aren't here to cause any havoc or con­ frontation with McGill Students. The way we hope to handle everything is to keep everything at a low level."

He went on-to state that he sup­ ports the more preventative security of McGill's service in order to avoid the use of force.

"I don't see why SSMU Security is allowed to use force," he added. "They're not peace officers, but if they want to do it their way, it's up to them." ■

MCAT ^ Prep and Review ï>$$ Cheapest Course $$

Get Y our M C A T

S co re s UPH

Stew art U niversity Go to... www.stewartmed.org

4 «News *05.12.06

The McGill Tribune PHOTOS BY LEE TIPTON

NEWS SPECIAL

EXECUTIVE REPORT CARDS Students' Society executives have been busy this semester, but what have they been up to and is it worth their increased stipends?

Their feet are held to the fire in this seven piece report card. Slack­ ers just might need a parent-teacher conference.

GILL PRENDERGAST

VPCOMMUNICATIONS AND EVENTS

AARON DONNY-CLARK

A-

PRESIDENT

Prendergast kicked the year off with a less contro­ versial and more school-focused approach to frosh that offered more to students than just the beer tent. On top of this, the event pulled in a surprising $3,000 surplus. Her successors and future froshies can also thank her for set­ ting up an online frosh registry program. Her fall project, 4Floors, generally regarded as a sure-fire flop, turned out to be an overwhelming success partly as a result of her creative Halloween theme. She was also swift in orga­ nizing the Héma-Québec Town Hall in order to facilitate discussion on their blood donation policy. Furthermore, this year's SSMU e-mails have been loaded with worthy announcements and events.

VPCLUBSAND SERVICES

VPEXTERNAL

B

B+ Silverman's devotion to the Canadian Student move­ ment is unquestionable. Since returning from his 30-day tour across Canada with Donny-Clark, the VP External has been a pa rticu Ia rly-act ive campus voice, wielding consid­ erable power. While his early Flying Squad initiative was poorly thought out, his recent efforts towards procuring federal representation have been swift yet cautious. With a prospective membership in the Canadian Federation of Students, Silverman and the SSMU delegation are look­ ing before they leap while managing to make significant, early progress at the recent CFS general assembly. While SSMU's recent departure from La Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec has finally reached a conclusion in Silverman's favour, his approach was particularly emo­ tional and dramatic. A more professional and less personal role would have benefited students trying to understand the issues.

Herra-Vega has been hard at work this year, starting off with the creation of the Harm Reduc­ tion Centre. She clearly has students'interests at heart, confirmed by the abolishment of room booking fees in Shatner in collaboration with the rest of the executive. She has streamlined the club approval process and been gener­ ally available to those in need of help. Activities Night was generally functional, but some clubs were less than thrilled at their new location on the fourth floor. Herra-Vega managed to put to rest the Midnight Kitchen dilemma following the GA motion. She has also been an active par­ ticipant in the blood donation debate, although her approach has too often been an unprofes^ sional and heated one in response to comments with which she disagrees.

DAVE SUNSTRUM

FINN UPHAM

VPFINANCEAND OPERATIONS

VPUNIVERSITYAFFAIRS

K

B+

(MUSTSUBMIT MORE WORK)

Gert's is making money? No, seriously? Ap­ parently the campus bar, under Sunstrum's watch, is turning a profit this year for the first time in re­ cent memory. New events and party bookings are earning SSMU some extra revenue. Sunstrum also managed to end Pepsi's exclusivity contract in the Shatner building, increase medical and dental cover­ age in the health and dental plan and increase club funding. However, upon approving SSMU's financial statements, Sunstrum has failed thus far to publish them, as required by the Constitution. While he serves as one of the more pragmatic executives at Council, Sunstrum's reports are consistenly disorga­ nized and slapdash.

C

This year's councillors' abilities are varied. On the one hand, there a hand­ ful of level-headed, constructive, engaged councillors who know that their obligation is to their constituents and are willing to question executive ac­ tions. On the other hand, this legislative body is littered with several councillors

Donny-Clark has proven himself to be a strict adherent to the Constitution and bylaws, so long as its implications are to his benefit. The blatant failure to advertise for the fall General Assembly, as clearly required by the constitution, was only followed by a nonchalant response. While his passion for politics is apparent, his preoccupation with the broader Canadian student movement seems to be coming at the sacrifice of his internal responsibilities. He has failed to communicate to students any progress on his "five year developmental plan,"as coined in his election campaign. Donny-Clark also ran on the contention that he would work to improve the sustainability of McGill's campus.

However, other than sitting on the Environment Committee, Donny-Clark doesn't seem to have made much progress on this front. Furthermore, he seems to represent the interests of a select cadre, not of all McGill students.

FLOH HERRA-VEGA

MAX SILVERMAN

COUNCIL

c

What exactly has Upham accomplished this semester? We don't know. The problem here lies in the fact that she has not communicated any ac­ complishments whatsoever. Her early goals this year related to increasing undergraduate research and beginning an "academic integrity campaign," but they have yet to see any results, or if they have we haven't heard about them. As to whether or not she is invested and committed to her position, it remains a mystery. Even in light of the fact that her portfolio's work typically takes place behind the scenes, previ­ ous UA's have done much more to communicate their accomplishments to students.

who display a severe lack of participa­ tion and engagement. This quiet group has shown that their mandate ended as soon as they won their election and could pad their resumé. And finally, too many councillors are simply using meet­ ings as a forum to make friends with the executives in order to garner political

support. Seemingly innocuous, the role of these'yes men and women'is degen­ rating debate and turning Council into a rubber stamp.

In general, while debate in the strictest interpretation of the word does take place, it too often occurs with councillors merely echoing the

executives or one another, while clearly diverging from their obligation to rep­ resent constituents and hold executives accountable for their actions. However, while councillors often sway from prop­ er procedure, Speaker Corey Shefman generally manages to keep order with competence and professionalism.

05.12.06-News *5

www.mcgilltribune.com

CAMPUS

News Briefs

Students vote FEUQ off campus in a landslide Judicial Board recognizes problems with question but rules to unseal ballot results M a tt C a m pb ell The results of the fall referen­ dum on membership in the Students' Society's provincial lobby group were unsealed last week, after a failed bid by a former SSMU executive to get the Judicial Board to invalidate the question. In an unprecedented turn­ out, students voted overwhelmingly to leave the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec.

Chief Returning Officer Elections McGill Bryan Badali presented the results at Gert's on Wednesday night and at SSMU Council the following evening.

"The voter turnout was 5445 people, accounting for 26.7 per cent of the total eligible voting body," he said.

Of the students who voted in the referendum, 73-9 per cent voted to sever ties with the lobbying group.

Only 24.9 per cent voted to remain in the organization, while the remaining 1.2 per cent were spoiled ballots.

SSMU Councillors, who formed a 'Yes' committee during the cam­ paign, were visibly pleased Thursday evening upon hearing the results.

Vice-President External Max Sil­ verman described his reaction to the board's findings.

"I think they made the right deci­ sion,” he said. "It shows that the whole thing was just an attempt to stall le­ gally what [FEUQ] couldn't win politi­ cally. They just didn't have a case."

Silverman felt it showed that SSMU had a mandate from students.

the question. Traditionally, council­ “When we started the campaign, lors are given notice that a question a lot of people argued that we were will be brought forward and then over-reacting," he said. "These results consider it at the next meeting. The showed that students really did care.

Judicial Board did not accept the ar­ The huge turnout and the nearly three quarters of students support­ gument that two separate meetings had not taken place, but took issue ing leaving the organization secured with the way in which the question in my mind we were doing the right had been approved. thing."

"The short duration of time be­ Badali was encouraged by the tween meetings and the serious na­ high voter turnout considering it was ture of the matter at hand suggest the fall election period, which tends that council and the student body to be low because it traditionally at large would have benefited from a deals only with elections to the First lengthier adjournment,"they said.

Year Committee of Council.

Van Eyken, who actively cam­ The results had been sealed by paigned against the question, indi­ the Judicial Board while they heard a challenge by former SSMU vice-presi­ cated he wasn't surprised with the referendum results. dent and former FEUQ executive Eric "It has always been my conten­ van Eyken, who argued the question was biased and unconstitutional. Fie tion that the question that was asked was meant to elicit the response that claimed that SSMU failed to approve the question 21 days prior to the refer­ was had," he said.

While he was disappointed with endum period and that the question the board's overall decision, he relacked clarity.

After hearing arguments from ' mained positive regarding their writ­ ten ruling. both sides on Nov. 9, Judicial Board "I hope the SSMU takes to heart Justices ruled in a 2-1 decision that the importance of the recommenda­ the results were valid and they would tions made by the Judicial.Board." not overturn them, but they did not The Elections McGill report to stop short of criticizing the question.

Council indicated that neither side "The referendum question, conducted a clean campaign that re­ approved by the SSMU Council is perhaps the m o del...o f the type of spected all election bylaws. The 'Yes' committee was fined $110 for poster­ question that should be avoided in ing infractions, campaigning within 10 referenda,"John Ramsay wrote."Flowfeet of a computer and one Fa ceb o o k ever, it does not mislead or confuse infraction. Badali fined a member of students." the'Yes'campaign $5 for leaving a Yes Van Eyken had also argued that poster as their display photo. Simi­ SSMU Council had failed to follow larly, the'No'campaign was fined $135 society by-laws when it recessed for for similar infractions. ■ only 10 minutes before considering

IMAGES

McGill demands newly defined relationship w ith ASA When representatives from the Architecture Students'Association went to pick up their student fees from McGill a few weeks ago, they were surprised to learn that McGill had suspended the money. No money was to be transferred until McGill and the ASA signed a memorandum of agreement - a contract that outlines the relationship between a student organization and McGill.

"We never had [an MOA] with McGill," said ASA President Andrew Chau.

"I'm not sure why we didn't; we had simply negotiated things before. Now McGill decided that whoever didn't have an MOA, they weren't going to deal with anymore."

Chau said that he was prepared to sign an agreement with the University.

McGill requires any organization that wants to sign a letter of agreement to be incorporated, to have insurance for events and to have its books audited annually. The ASA meets these requirements, so Chau expected negotiations to move quickly.

"Since we can afford all that, I figured we'd be able to go it alone," he said.

"But I was told by the lawyer that that isn't what McGill admin wants to do."

Chau said that several smaller school-organizations have also been af­ fected by this move, including the school of social work, physical and occupa­ tional therapy, and religious studies. Some of these schools have signed MOAs in the past, but according to Chau, McGill has said the agreements will not be renewed.

The ASA is the largest of the groups affected and wants to retain its au­ tonomy. Chau, who is completely opposed to this move, still wants to nego­ tiate an MOA with McGill and not be forced to join another group, like the Engineering Undergraduate Society. Doing so would mean the ASA would be subject to the terms of a different group's agreement.

"Basically we would be subject to the terms of the EUS's MOA,"Chau said.

"We would be mentioned in their MOA and we'd be subject to whatever deals the EUS makes with McGill."

Chau was surprised to learn of McGill's decision so late in the year.

"I think [McGill] made the decision at the beginning of the year, they just never notified us they had suspended the money until we went to pick it up."

— Jo sh Stark

SSMU-mobile damaged in highway accident The Students'Society PT Cruiser was recently damaged in an accident on Quebec's 20 East highway, en route to a Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec congress in Rimouski, QC. According to SSMU Vice-President External Max Silverman, who was driv­ ing the car, a large truck cut him off when merging onto the highway. As is standard according to Quebec traffic law, the truck should have yielded to the vehicle, but instead it attempted the pass.

Silverman said he maneuvered the car away from the truck and in the process, scraped the car against highway traffic direction signs. The vehicle was damaged on the left side as a result of the incident.

Silverman explained that, "given that it was highway speeds and a truck that weighed 10 times the amount of our car, the minimal damage reflects that it was the right choice to make."

No one was injured in the incident.The car, which is insured by SSMU, has been repaired and is now back on the road.

The PT Cruiser was acquired in a contest known as the "Coolest Car on Campus Contest," which involved the DriVesafe clubs from various universities competing to win the car. McGill's program beat out the others and SSMU received the car free as the prize.

The vehicle is used by the executive to attend events and meetings in the area.

"Most associations incur high car-rental costs for such trips." Silverman said. ".. .The PT ultimately saves [SSMU] money."

— Alii M a d s a a c

STEVEN CAMPBELL

McGill students take time to stand in solidarity with millions affected by AIDS around the world to commemorate World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. Along with several guest lecturers, a candlelight vigil was held to acknowledge those who have suffered.

Christmas Kettle Campaign Underway For the 122nd year, Salvation Army volunteers and officers will be en­ couraging passers-by to spread the Christmas cheer as they launch their an­ nual Christmas Kettle Campaign this week. Shoppers and passersby can place donations in the kettles, which can be found in several locations throughout Montreal.

"All donations go to the Community Services ofThe Salvation Army, so it is not only for homeless people but for everyone who needs help," said Salva­ tion Army Communications Agent Maeva Dourthe. "It is important to mention that our action is all year long. Obviously we collect more funds over Christmas time but we offer the same services all year round."

Denis Lebrun, Director ofThe Bay's flagship store in downtown Montreal will be kick-starting the Kettle Campaign by giving the first gift.

According to Dourthe, $7,200,000 was collected in 2004 and $7,494,000 in 2005. With the money that is collected, the Salvation Army is able to give hot meals, blankets, clothing and food hampers to underprivileged families.

They are also able to give shelter to the homeless and Christmas gifts to needy children.

The message the Salvation Army hopes to send out to the public this year is, "We see what most don't. This Christmas, we ask you to open your eyes and your heart, and give."

Christmas Kettles will be spread throughout Montreal shopping centres from Dec. 1 to Dec. 23.

"We are asking the public to look around and see that there are still too many people living in distressing situations," Dourthe said. "Their gift will allow us to offer comfort and hope during Christmas time and all year long."

— La n a A y o u b

CAMPUS RECREATION

INTRAMURAL SPORTS DIVISIONS

C O ST

REGISTRATION DATES

BALL HO CKEY

Men A & B Women A & B

$ 120.00 per team

November 27 , January 9 , 17:00

BA SK ETB A LL

Men A & B & C Women A & B

$ 120.00 per team

INDOOR SO C C ER

Men A & B Women A & B Corée A & B

INNERTUBE WATERPOLO

# PLA YER S TO R EG ISTER

GAME DAYS

LOCATION

8

Mon & Tues Sunday

Fieldhouse A&B

November 27 , January 9 , 17:00

8

Tues, to Fri. Sat. & Sun.

Gymnasium 1&2

$ 120.00 per team

November 27 , January 9 , 17:00

8 4 Men & 4 Women

Mon. to Fri. Sat. & Sun.

Fieldhouse C&D

Co-Rec A&B

$ 120.00 per team

November 27 , January 9 , 17:00

4 Men & 4 Women

Sat. & Sun

Currie Pool

VO LLEY BA LL

Men A & B Women A & B Corée A & B & C

$ 120.00 per team

November 27 , January 9 , 17:00

8 4 Men & 4 Women

Mon. to Fri

Gymnasium 1&2 Fieldhouse A&B

V O LLEY BA LL 4 ON 4 Tournament

Co-Rec

$ 30.00 per team

TBA

2 Men & 2 Women

TBA

Gymnasium 1&2

PLEASE NOTE THAT REGISTRATION DEADLINES ARE STRICTLY ENFORCED - SPACE IN MOST SPORTS IS LIMITED - REGISTER EARLY !

W interEquipmentRentals Work o ff exam stress at Pay-As-You-Go-Fitness Pay-As-You Go Fitness Schedule until December 15 ,2 0 0 6 M on.

STEP

18h00 -18U 55

Aerobics R m .

Tue.

TA E B O X

17h 00 -1 7 h 5 5

Aerobics R m .

W ed.

BOOT CAM P

18h 00 -18h 55

Aerobics R m .

T h u rs .

B O D Y D E S IG N

17h 00 -1 7 h 5 5

Aerobics Rm .

F r i.

POW ER YOGA

17h30 -18h 25

Aerobics Rm .

S P IN

18h00 -1 8 h 5 5

Spin Rm .

S a t.

STEP

11 hOO -11 h55

Aerobics Rm .

Sun.

A E R O B IC S

1 2h00 -12h 55

Aerobics Rm .

McGill ATHLETICS

Same Day Overnight 2 Nights

3 Nights 4 Nights

Week

Ski Package

$10.00

$12.00

$15.00

$20.00

$25.00

$30.00

Poles

$2.00

$3.00

$4.00

$5.00

$6.00

$7.00

Boots

$4.00

$5.00

$6.00

$7.00

$8.00

$9.00

Skis

$5.00

$7.00

$9.00

$11.00

$15.00

$19.00

Snowshoe Package

$10.00

$12.00

$15.00

$20.00

$25.00

$30.00

Study Break Package $30.00

Feb. 16 to Feb. 26, 2007

E q u ip m e n t re n ta ls fo r w in te r a ctiv itie s

i'

can b e p u rc h a se d a t C lie n t Se rv ice s (O ffic e G-20C).

E q u ip m e n t fittin g a n d re tu rn s a re m a d e a t th e n e w e q u ip m e n t ro o m (G-48).

For more information: Phone: 398-7011 or visit www.athletics.mcgill.ca

IN F O R M A T IO N : 3 9 8 - 7 0 1 I

W INTE

FITNESS A N D RECREATION COURSES DAY &TIME

COURSE

COST

WKS

KIDS’ AQUATICS Olympic Way - White (3 -14 yrs) White Adv (3 -14 yrs) Green (3-14 yrs) Blue (3-14 yrs) Bronze (3 - 14 yrs) Silver (3-14 yrs) Gold (3 -1 4 yrs)

Saturday

10:30-11:15

36.85/54.41

8

Saturday

18:30-19:25 11:15-12:10 18:30-19:25 11:15-12:10

36.85/54.41

8

18:30-19:25

15.80/20.18 11.41/15.80 32.46/67.57

1/2 hr 1/2 hr 8

Wednesday

18:30-19:25

23.70/41.24

8

Friday Friday Monday Wednesday Wednesday Tuesday (beginner) Tuesday Thursday Friday Thursday Tues. 8 Thurs.

Tues. & Thurs.

•Monday Tuesday Friday Thursday Tuesday Thursday

16:30-17:25 17:30-19:00 17:00-17:55 17:00-17:55 19:00-20:25 18:00-18:55 19:00-10:55 19:00-19:55 18:00-18:55 20:00-21:25 17:00-18:25 18:30-19:55 19:00-20:25 19:00-20:25 19:00-19:55 19:00-19:55 20:30-21:55 18:00-18:55

48.26/70.20 78.97/122.85 36.86/58.79 36.86/58.79 49.14/71.08 36.86/58.79

10 10 10 10 10 TO

Mon. 8 Wed. Mon. 8 Wed. Mon. 8 Wed. Mon. & Wed. Saturday Tues. 8 Thurs.

Mon. 8 Wed. Sunday Tues. 8 Thurs.

Tues. 8 Thurs.

Friday Mon. 8 Wed. Saturday Sunday Mon. 8 Wed. Tues. 8 Thurs.

18:00-18:5S 17:00-17:55 19:00-19:55 12:00-12:55 12:00-12:55 18:00-18:55 17:00-17:55 11:00-11:55 17:00-17:55 18:00-18:55 16:30-17:55 18:00-19:25 11:00-11:55 11:00-11:55 18:00-18:55 18:00-18:55

(C a rd i o - R esp i ra to r y E n d u ra n c e )

Stroke improvement DANCE Ballet - Beqinner Ballet - Intermediate Belly Dancing Flamenco Hip Hop

Irish Dance Jazz Intro Jazz Inter Latin Dance

Middle Eastern Dance Social Dance Swing Dance - Lindy Hop I

48.26/70.20 78.97/122.85 78.97/122.85 48.26/70.20

10 10 10 10

36.86/58.79 48.26/70.20 36.86/58.79

10 10 10

COURSE

36.85/80.72 36.85/80.72 36.85/80.72 36.85/80.72 18.43/40.36 42.12/85.95 36.85/80.72 29.83/51.77 36.85/80.72 59.66/103.54 44.75/66.69 89.50/133.37 18.43/40.36 18.43/40.36 40.36/84.23 40.36/84.23

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

Capoeira Judo Karatedo Kendo Kickboxing Kickboxinq - Savate I Kickboxing - Savate II Tae Kwon Do Shaolin SPORTS Fencing 1 Fencing II Hockey 1 Hockey II ..Skating

Skating (Private) Skating (Semi-Private) Squash Intro

FITNESS & WELLNESS Aerobics - Retro Cardio Abs, Back & Bootie Body Works Body Desiqn Boot Camp Cardio Jam De-Tox Cycle Kick, Punch, Jive & Jam Pedal Jam Spin 8 Trim Spin & Trim Step Train Your....Off Yoga For Athletes Varsity Yoga

Monday Tues Sunday Wednesday Thursday Friday Friday

Step Tae Box Aerobics Boot Camp Body Desiqn Spin Power Yoga

CPR Re-Cert Hatha Yoga I

Pilâtes Pilâtes Pilâtes Pilâtes I & Il Power Yoga Tai Chi

Tennis Inter

2.19 2.19 2.19 2.19 2.19 2.19 2.19

19:00-22:00 09:00-19:00

43.87/48.26 43.87/48.26 219.35/250.06 75.59/83.36

1 1 14 1

Ice Climbing Snowshoeing

09:00-17:00 08:00-08:55 16:00-16:55 18:15-19:25 19:30-20:40 08:00-08:55 16:00-16:55 17:15-18:25 17:00-18:10 18:30-19:40 17:00-17:55 13:00-14:15 19:00-19:55 14:30-15:45 13:00-13:55 17:00-17:55 20:00-21:25

48.26/57.04 32.46/67.56 32.46/67.56 50.89/94.76 40.36/75.46 40.36/84.23 32.46/67.56 40.36/75.46 40.36/75.46 50.89/94.76 40.36/8423 50.89/94.76 40.36/84.23 25.45/47.38 40.36/84.23 40.36/84.23 40.36/57.91

1 8 8 10 8 10 8

Aqua Fitness Badminton Basic Traininq Belly Dancing

Tennis (Private) Tennis (Semi-Private)

Mon. 8 Wed. Tues. 8 Thurs.

Mon. 8 Wed. Tues. 8 Thurs.

Tues. 8 Thurs.

Friday Mon. 8 Wed. Tues. 8 Thurs.

Thursday

7

DAYS TIME

COST

WKS

Tuesday 8 Friday Mon., Wed., Fri. Mon. 8 Wed. Mon. 8 Wed. Tuesday & Saturday Mon. 8 Wed. Tues., Thurs., Fri. Tues., Thurs., Fri. Mon. & Wed. Tues. & Thurs.

18:00-19:55 17:00-19:55 16:30-17:55 17:30-19:25 19:30-21:25 20:00-21:55 09:00-10:55 15:00-16:25 20:30-21:25 19:00-20:25 19:30-21:25 20:00-21:55

78.97/122.85

10

70.20/136.01 63.18/107.06 63.18/107.06 63.18/107.06

10 10 10 10

48.26/114.08 48.26/114.08 70.20/136.01 63.18/107.06 63.18/107.06

10 10 10 10 10

Tues. & Thurs.

Mon. & Wed. Mon. 8 Wed. Friday Friday Wednesday Saturday Saturday by appointment by appointment Monday Monday Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Thursday Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Thursday Saturday Sunday bv appointment by appointment Monday Monday Thursday Friday Friday Mondav Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Tuesday Wednesday Friday by appointment by appointment

08:00-08:55 19:00-19:55 20:00-20:55 13:30-14:45 15:00-16:15 15:00-16:15 10:30-11:20 11:30-12:20

41.24/76.34

8

41.24/76.34 48.26/65.81

8 8

48.26/65.81 32.46/50.01

8

15.80/20.18 11.41/15.80 22.81/35.98

1/2 hr 1/2 hr 6

22.81/35.98

6

16.67/21.06 11.41/15.80 29.84/43.00

45 min 45 min 6

Sun., January 21 Sat., January 27 Sun., January 28 Saturday Sunday Sun., February 11 Sat., January 20 Sat., February 3 Sun., February 18 Sun., March 4

12:00-15:00 10:00-13:00 12:00-15:00 13:30-15:25 13:30-15:25 All Day All Day

Mon. & Wed. Mon. & Wed. Mon. & Wed. Mondav 8 Friday Tues. & Thurs.

Tues. 8 Thurs.

Tues. 8 Thurs.

Mon. 8 Wed. Tues. 8 Thurs.

Tues. 8 Thurs.

Mon. 8 Wed. Tues. 8 Thurs.

Mon. 8 Wed. Mon.. Wed.. Fri. Tues. 8 Thurs.

Mon. 8 Wed.

12:15-13:00 12:30-13:15 13:00-13:45 12:00-12:45 12:30-13:15 12:15-13:00 13:00-13:45 12:30-13:15 13:00-13:45 13:00-13:45 12:00-12:45 12:15-13:00 12:15-13:00 12:00-12:45 12:15-13:00 12:30-13:25 13:00-13:45

16:00-16:45 17:30-18:15 16:45-17:30 17:30-18:15 12:15-13:00 13:00-13:45 16:00-16:45 16:45-17:30 08:30-09:15 09:15-10:00 14:30-15:15 15:15-16:00 16:00-16:45 10:45-11:30 11:30-12:15 16:45-17:30 17:30-18:15 11:30-12:15 12:15-13:00

13:00-13:55 15:00-15:S5 16:00-16:55 09:00-09:55 11:00-11:55 14:00-14:55 16:00-16:55 13:00-13:55 15:00-15:55 16:00-16:55 16:00-16:55 14:00-14:55 10:00-10:55

•

20.18/24.57 14.04/18.43

1 hr.

1 hr.

18.43/22.81

1

127.23/136.01 127.23/136.01 65.81/70.02 40.36/44.75

6 6 1 1

$13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16

13 13 13 13

$13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16

13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13

OUTDOOR PURSUITS Cross Country Skiing

Equestrian by appointment by appointment Wednesday Saturday, TBA Sunday, TBA Sunday, TBA Mon. 8 Wed.

Tues. 8 Thurs.

Hatha Yoga II

Squash (Private) Squash (Semi-Private) Tennis Intro

18:00-18:55 17:00-17:55 12:00-12:55 18:00-18:55 17:00-17:55 18:00-18:55 17:30-18:25

FITNESS & WELLNESS Fitness Appraisal Weigtht Training (Private) Personal Trainer Development CPRVFirst Aid

Squash Inter

Tennis Advanced

FITNESS & WELLNESS (PAY-AS-YOU-GO)

0

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

11:15-12:00

Monday Saturday Wednesday Saturday by appointment bv appointment Tues & Thurs

0

• Register in the Client Services O ffice o f the Sports Centre - M onday through Friday 0 8 :3 0 - 2 0 :0 0 hrs. • Registration starts November 2 7 , 2 0 0 6 • Non-members registered in courses may use th e facility only during th e ir designated class tim es, • Most classes begin th e w eek o f January 15 , 2 0 0 7 • Pay-As-You-Go classes begin January 15 and run until A pril 2 9 , 2 0 0 7 • Classes w ill not be held A pril 6 , 8 ,9 2 0 0 7 • Full-tim e McGill students may register at th e m ember's rate • Prices do not include GST & PST

MARTIAL ARTS Aikido

AQUATICS Adults Learn To Swim (Level 1 Beqinner) Adults Learn To Swim (Level 2 & 3 Intermediate) Swim (Private) Swim (Semi-Private) Swim Fit

2

—

8 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 l—~8

STAFF FITNESS

Body Desiqn Body Design Dance Aerobics Spin Hatha Yoga 1 Hatha Yoqa II Pilâtes - Intro Pilâtes - Advanced Power Yoqa Lite Recess Tennis Tai Chi

o r w w w .a th le tic s .m c g ill.c a

M McGill ATHLETICS

O pinion THE HELPLESS ROMANTIC SIMPLY SPOKEN

Painting politics pink VIlRIAM MARTZ SIMPLYSPOKEN@HOTMAIL.COM olitics is something of a man's game in many countries. If women want to play, they have to play like men, ex­ cept in Canada. Canadian politics has had Belinda Stronachforthe last three years and if you don't know who she is, you need to spend more time reading the tabloids. Now, Canadian politics has the "Pink Book"too.

What is the Pink Book? That's hard to answer, because there's not much public information on it yet. What is certain is that it is the work of the.Liberal women's caucus, 28 pages of policy .ideas— on bright pink paper— on how to raise the incomes of Ca­ nadian women. It is, however, not clear how. much of the Pink Book has to do with mak­ ing women's lives better and how much has to do with attacking Stephen Harper's Conservative government. But then again, what can you expect from politicians?

Goals of the pink policies include keep­ ing women out of poverty, closing the pay gap between women and men, improving maternity benefits, improving child care access and improving income security for senior women. It gives special attention to Northern Canada and to Aboriginals. Fur­ ther details on these policies were to be made public in Montreal this past weekend at the Liberal leadership convention.

What drove the Liberal women's cau­ cus to write this book? Was it a huge con­ cern for all the single mothers in Canada who need better social support? You would think that would be at the top of the list of pink policies. However, that is not the mes­ sage that the MPs who wrote the book seem intent on giving us.

Stronach, who is the chair of the cau­

P

cus, says that the Pink Book was written because Canadian women need a po­ litical voice: "today [...] more than ever as the Conservative government pursues an ideological agenda that ignores the needs of many women and cuts the funding of groups dedicated to those who need help most." Of course, she was a Conservative right up until she left her party and her boyfriend for a seat in Paul Martin's cabinet.

But, that doesn't have anything to do with politics, right?

Liberal MP Judy Sgro was even more blunt: "I think Harper and his Conservative government, based on their policies, would clearly prefer women would stay barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen and move us backwards 40 years."

If you read enough news stories on women in politics and any on Stronach in particular, you start to get the idea that Conservatives are sexist and that Liberals are not. That's what the Pink Book is really for: extra brainwashing in case the tabloid stories don't work. The Liberals have made it clear that the Pink Book is intended to be part of the new party platform. In other words, it was written as a fancy way to get women to vote Liberal.

Now, I have no problem with the Lib­ erals doing this as long they actually do treat women better than the Conserva­ tives have. But if the Pink Book turns into just another Red Book— a bunch of broken Liberal campaign promises— I don't really care who says who is sexist.To throw some of Stronach's words on Harper back in her facd: You have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. ■

An ode to coffee R ic h a r d T sen g RICHTSEN@GMAIL.COM

'm writing this after several dismal fail­ ures at getting a heartless professor to extend my deadline for his final paper and the complete collapse of my Inter­ net connection. With this being my last column of the semester, I've decided to devote it to my co-author: the Ethiopian Muse. What follows is a poem devoted in heroic form to my most, beloved of sav­ iours, the one true friend who stayed up with me through the night: bitter, home­ brewed, slightly burnt and a little sour, bottom-of-the-pot coffee. Herein lies an ode, in appreciation to that cosmopolitan drink of the intellectuals and truckers alike.

Black as ink, yet with orange glints «on the outer rim I am reminded of inner-ness And whatever minds in moments most dim And lacking in things, which special muses Would call the ol'late-night inspiration A hyper tinge on edge: conflagration.

Keeps me up on those late night driving sprees By masters of our regurged spewings.

Which they call essays and I call feces Of the mind. Hardly worth second viewings.

Nonetheless they want these horrid obscenes And so I respond by quaffing black beans.

I hand in my"work,"slightly late, no doubt But mine prof sees it, mid-lecture of course "The work left me uncrushed, take that you lout!"

Defiantly said, eyes bloodshot, voice hoarse But two-score pages neat, tidy and done Coffee makes cramming bearable, essays fun.

So raise a glass—or a mug—to this drink!

Late-night defender of your GPAs! When slurped will push heart and mind to the brink Bringing visions which turn night into days Hurry and write—for the wild muse won't last!

Nor will the mood that these failed sheets can pass...

First found in Ethiopia and once con­ demned by imams in Mecca for its stimu­ lant effects, it has since become one of the most popular drinks in the world—yes, that black bean, which when boiling water is run through it, makes for the drink best suited to studying on cold, late nights, but also for waking up in the morning. It has so many uses and all over campus, it's the same at heart, no matter how you take it; whether in thermoses, paper or styrofoam cups, or with sugar, Splenda, cream or milk.

So ditch those false energizers—Red Bull, tea and Gatorade—chuck the illicit crap, and go to aTimmy's or café today. ■

WET PAINT

Don't look at me in that tone of voice D o m in iq u e Z ip per DOMINIQUEZIPPER@GMAIL.COM

arlene van Niekerk, a well-known South African auI thor, writes, "Some gym-goers behave as if the entire I club is a scene of meta-togetherness [...] specifi­ cally designed for encounters." She elaborates, "There are the people one always sees breaking through the polite distance barriers."

This resonates with me. I must agree that the idea of the gym-scape as a meta-togetherness seems to pervade the imagination of every body-building, liquid-nutrition guzzling gym-goer on the island of Montreal. And this bothers me— mostly because I didn't come for dialogue or head-nods—but also because it makes me think about our growing isolationist nature.

I kind of feel like an asshole when I glare at the beefy guy walking towards me in an effort to stave off any potential "conversation” he might have in mind. I've heard the line, "Hey, hey, why you gotta be so defensive? I'm just tryin'a meet new people!" and in response, I thought to myself, "Funny, you're not trying to meet any of the people with penises," way too many times to humour anyone.

But I resent glaring. I resent his implication that I'm cold, stuck-up or snappy just because I don't feel like batting my

Mi

eyelashes at every unsolicited opportunity for conversation.

I'm sick of being told I'd look better if I smiled, when it's clear that I'm so far from smiling because I'm being talked at.

For me, it all comes down to looking. Like most of us, I was taught that staring is outside the bounds of propriety. Afamous American feminist essayist, Susan Sontag, wrote, "the camera is the ideal arm of consciousness in its acquisitive mood" and that"to photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed."

I would argue that the same process takes place when one is blatantly sized up and stared down. I once knew a woman who, for the sole purpose of shaming men who were overtly ogling her, carried pictures of herself in her purse. Granted, I doubt I'd like to reify Sontag's words in this way. The point is that being stared at effaces the reciprocity of normal relations and renders you the wallpaper for someone else's fantasies.

French author Franz Fanon, in writing about the coloniza­ tion of Algeria, explained that, "The woman who sees without being seen frustrates [the colonizer]. There is no reciprocity".

Today, his thoughts on the consequences of looking find ap­ plication on the streets of Montreal, where it is indecorous to visually appropriate another, male or female.

However, I do understand the desire to look. In a world

where we rarely interact with strangers beyond the context of making a purchase, we rely on visual appearances and of course I look at people; yet I also usually practice the lookaway-as-soon-as-they-notice routine. But maybe I shouldn't.

Maybe we're not looking at each other enough. Perhaps with our iPods, sunglasses and our layers upon layers of boho-chic clothing that leave us swaddled in consecutive coatings of ourselves, we lose some of our necessary communal contact.

You get it—you saw Crash.

That thinking only lasts for five minutes, due to the daily encounters with those who, like Sontag's photographer, enjoy the feeling of "putting [themselves] into a certain relation [...] that feels like knowledge [...] like power." A friend of mine is constantly barraged by men questioning her background.

They approach her at the gym or at bars with a sly smile and a "Fijian. You're Fijian." Rarely ever posed as a question, their comments serve to appropriate her essence and render their own position one that must truly feel, to them, like knowledge and a certain penetrative power—until she says"no"and walks away.

Nevertheless—where do they get off?

Not in her, that's for sure, H

05.12.06 • Opinion* 9

T ribune

EDITORIAL

A m essage on behalf of McGill students

www.mcgilltribune.com

E ditor-in-C hief

James Gotowiec editor@mcgilltribune.com

M anaging E ditors

David Blye Traci Johnson seniored@mcgilltribune.com

P roduction M anager

Tiffany Choy production@mcgilltribune.com

N ews E ditors

.

Kayvon Afshari M att Campbell Kate Spirgen

news@mcgilltribune.com

O pinion E ditor

Adam Smith opinion@mcgilltribune.com

F eatures E ditors

Rachel Melnik Elizabeth Perle features@mcgilltribune.com

A rts & E ntertainment E ditors

Crystal Chan Ben Lem ieux arts@mcgilltribune.com

S ports E ditors

Charlie Blore Aaron Sigal sports@mcgilltribune.com

P hoto E ditors

Lukas Bergmark Lee Tipton photo@mcgilltribune.com

C opy E ditor

Terri Alderfer copy@mcgilltribune.com

D esign E ditors

Samantha Chang Andrew Frankel Jessica Shapiro design@mcgilltribune.com

hen November rolls around there are a few clear signals that the semester is winding down. A crush of paper deadlines, fights with roommates and through our new Mercury course evaluation system, Deputy Provost Morton Mendelson sending you formulaic e-mails remind­ ing you to fill out the online equivalent of bubble sheets.

For those of you who make it a point to avoid using your m ail.m cgill.ca addresses or don't go to class near the bitter end, perhaps some clarification is in order. This year, McGill added another Roman deity to its proverbial Pantheon as Mercury joined Minvera to bring us course evaluations online, com­ peting the switch over in course evaluation systems from the old, paper-based setup. This new method could have a lot of benefits both for students and the university, but there are still many improve­ ments to be made to the system.

It's important to emphasize that students must take the time to submit their comments. Though McGill doesn't currently make the results widely available, they are still considered by the commit­ tees that decide to grant professors tenure.This may not directly affect those who have already taken a professor's course, but it is crucial to students en­ counter the prof somewhere down the line. The completion rate for the online evaluations is appar­ ently not any worse than that of the paper ones, but we have little excuse not to make it even higher.

The evaluations can be completed from any computerwith an Internet connection, and are now available 24 hours a day for the last month of class. There is no reason that every student should not be filling them out. On the other hand, McGill should extend the evaluation period until the end of exams, since a number of students may have an entirely different opinion of the course once the final is written. ' Of course, students can hardly be blamed for not wanting to take the time to fill out the forms and stop the annoying e-mails from Mendelson. Commenting on courses doesn't currently'result in any tangi­ ble benefits. But now that the process is on­ line, the administration has no excuse not to make the it more open and transparent.

Mercury's greatest potential lies in the fact that evaluations can be instantly analyzed and widely distributed. Students

W

deserve to see what their peers think of courses and professors, and the Provost should direct each faculty to publish the results as soon as they are available in an easily accessible form. While the uni­ versity did briefly attempt this during a pilot project from fall 2002 to winter 2004 when results from the paper evaluations were posted online, that informa­ tion was virtually useless to students. The reams of data (the PDF file containing Economics evaluations from Winter 2004 is 199 pages long) were presented in a manner that was so unfriendly, it was next to impossible to glean any useful information from them. The same can be said of all the course evalu­ ations that are available in the library— something most students don't know about.

This is an area where the Students' Society could do a tremendous deal of good for students.

It could compile an "anti-calendar," such as the one produced annually by the University of Toronto's Arts & Science Students' Union. ASSU compiles stu­ dent evaluations of all the courses and professors and summarizes the written comments in short paragraphs that are easily readable and extremely informative. If SSMU tackled a project like this for McGill it would give students a much more formal and reliable resource and allow them to make much more informed decisions as to which courses to take. The Arts Undergraduate Society has attempt­ ed a scheme like this, but in the form of an online forum that saw little success. SSMU could bring

resources to the task and produce something that would benefit students in all faculties.

Of course, this would involve releasing the comments that students make about professors.

It has been argued in the past that this brings up sticky privacy issues, but a professor's teaching per­ formance is a matter of public concern. And if stu­ dents knewthattheirfeedback would end up being read by other students, instead of only professors, it is likely that they would make comments beneficial to both parties.

Another important part of producing an anti­ calendar is the quality of the questions. Now that evaluations are online, it shouldn't be too difficult to tailorthem to each departmentand replace generic form questions. In addition, a wider variety of ques­ tions could be used. Instead of being asked, "How appropriate were the reading materials?" a more informative series of questions could be posed, ask­ ing students to "Rate the reading materials on the following points: length, number, difficulty, etc."

This way, much more detailed feedback would be collected and McGill would be able to make better adjustments to teaching in order to suit students needs.

With the move to Mercury, McGill and SSMU have an excellent opportunity to improve the course evaluation system. Students need to fill them out, but the university needs to make them worth our time. ■

A dvertising M anager

Paul Slachta advmgr@ssmu.mcgill.ca

OFF THE BOARD

The war on Christm as

A d T ypesetter

Vladimir Eremin

K a t e S pirg en

P ublisher

Chad Ronalds C ontributors

Steven Ahern, Lana Ayoub, Jennifer Bartoli, Steven Campbell, Matt Chesser, John Dingle, Mario Forti, Riva Gold, Jamie Goodman, Adam Heller, Floh Hetra-Vega, Nadine Lessard, Alii Maclsaac, Kristin Maich, Miriam Martz, Joyce Ng, Eliot Perrin, John Semley, Josh Stark, Ken Sun, Keren Tang, Rich Tseng, Vincci Tsui, Mike Vallo, Mike Valo, Dominique Zipper T ribune O ffices

Editorial Shatner University Centre Suite 110,3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3 A 1X 9 T: 514398.6789 E: info@mcgilltribune.com

Advertising Brown Student Building Suite 1200,3600 McTavish Montreal, QC H3 A l Y2 - T: 514.398.6806 F: 514398.7490

hristmas is by far my favourite holiday.

What's not to love? Sparkly lights, presents, home-baked cookies, flying reindeer and a magic fat man who can somehow fit down your chimney— it doesn't get much better than that.

But lately I've noticed that Christmas is under attack. Militant minority groups from all over are claiming that the holidays as we North Americans know them are evil and discriminatory when the exact opposite is true: Christmas is all about love and giving, not excluding others.

However, Santa-haters everywhere are claim­ ing that it's prohibitive and insensitive to put up Christmas decorations and sing carols. The^r are trying to ruin Christmas for the rest of us. Tactics like petitions and protests— but thankfully not suicide bombing— are bringing down Christmas lights and spreading a dark and gloomy cloud over the holiday season. I don't get it; isn't it supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year?

What these grinches don't seem to under­ stand is that Christmas is no longer a religious holi­ day. Of course there's still the holy aspect of Christ­ mas, what with the nativity scene, Baby Jesus and all that, which remains important for Christians;

C

but for everyone else there is the secular Christ­ mas.

Secular Christmas is the one you see in the shopping mall and on TV. The Christmas of Santa Claus, Rudolph and the elves that can't possibly be offensive to anyone. Santa wears red and white because the Coca-Cola corporation popularized the version of Saint Nick that we know today and Rudolph and the elves started off as marketing ploys to encourage consumption during the holi­ day season. So unless you hate capitalism, which you shouldn't, you really don't have anything to complain about.

Maybe I just don't have enough free time on my hands to get pissed off about everything, but how exactly is Frosty the Snowman infringing on religious rights?

I'm not even particularly religious, but Christ­ mas still fills me up with that warm, fuzzy feeling.

I have tons of Jewish friends, a few Hindu friends and lots of atheist ones who love Christmas just as much as I do, if not more. Their families indulge in a Christmas tree, the lights and the awesome food and never think twice about the "discrimination” involved. It has become a tradition of their own

and they wouldn't give it up for anything.

What exactly is there to be offended about?

"Peace on earth" and "Goodwill towards men" aren't even exclusively Christian values. Any de­ cent human being can appreciate the value of those things. So what's really the issue here? Are the anti-Christmas crusaders just bitter that ev­ eryone else is having more fun than they are? Are they angry that our holiday doesn't involve starv­ ing yourself or playing with dreidels? If that's the case, the easy solution is to join in the festivities, not take the joy of Christmas from everyone else.

What kind.of monster would want to do that?

I'm not claiming that we should put a nativity scene in the middle of the town square, but what's wrong with some lights? Muslims, Jews, Atheists, Satanists and Christians can all appreciate some extra cheer in the middle of a heinous Montreal winter when it gets dark at 3 p.m.

Instead of attacking the holiday celebrations as discriminatory, quit your whining, jum p on the Christmas sleigh and join the party. And for all those of you who are still offended by the happi­ ness that this season brings, happy fucking holi­ days! ■

The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society of McGill University in collaboration with the Tribune Publication Society. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Students' Society or McGill University Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor's name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune Submissions judged by theTribune 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 • 05.12.06

The Quebec nation debate A week ago the House of Commons passed a motion recognizing that "that Q uébécois form a nation within a united Canada." The motion has ignited a firestorm of debate across the country over the meaning of the motion and whether the the Q uébécois do form a nation.

A nation, indisputably t is important to preface the following with a few disclaimers. First and fore­ most, the following is not stating a case for Quebec separation, which should not even factor into the Quebec nation debate: Recognition of a nation and a nation-state are two entirely separate things. Secondly, it is important to note that the issue at hand is also the recognition of a Q uébécois nation and not that all of the people living within the province of Quebec are members of the same nation. This isn't and shouldn't be about heaping eggs into one basket: No one cares that Gilles Duceppe thinks this is what the debate is about. You have t a take everything the man says with a grain of salt, given that his primary undertaking seems to be the proactive polarization of a country that was founded upon principles of compromise and moderation.

Now that the technicalities have been sorted out, is Quebec is a nation? The defi­ nition of "nation" that nearly everyone from Stalin to heavily-quoted contemporary po­ litical scientist Stephen Handelman agrees upon goes something like this: "A nation is a historically constituted, stable com­ munity of people, formed on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life and psychological make-up manifested in a common culture." Thus, based upon the definition of a nation that every first year poli-sci student is taught, Quebeckers clearly form a nation.

Late 19th century thinker Ernest Renan further defined membership in a nation as a "daily plebiscite," insinuating a voluntary participation. Renan felt that being part of a nation entailed not only the according self-identification, but daily participation in the life (economic or cultural) of the nation as well.

If we amalgamate these two ideas, it should only follow that Quebeckers are a nation. They share a common history, cul­ ture and language, all of which are differ­ ent from that of immediately surrounding areas and they also have a common terri­ tory. In terms of the day-to-day, this trans­ lates into a slew of subtleties and idioms unique to Quebec. People born and raised within francophone areas of the province (regardless o f mother tongue) will inherit a

particular sense of humour, an appreciation for different foods, a separate code for legal practice, unique ideological outlook and, most importantly, they will likely identify themselves as Quebeckers.

Cynics will argue the slippery slope: "Well, if Quebec is a nation why don't New­ foundlanders or the Khabili people living in Marseille also qualify as a nation?"The an­ swer is simple: If either of those places or peoples were politically significant— which is to say if their"nationhood"had an impact on local or national politics— they definitely would be.

My counter-argument is to ask: "Why is Canada a nation? Why isn't it just the 51st state?" Think about it: The United States and our country share the same continent, the same ancestral history (the coloniz­ ers of both countries were bound to have stepped off the same British ship a few generations prior), the same language, the same popular culture-granted, with some regional disparities. The only element that distinguishes our two countries is political history.

The Q uébécois population has shown itself to be politically significant during de­ bates on the attempted redrafting of the constitution— Meech Lake and Charlotte­ town accords. This is not an agreement or even validation of the views and arguments they brought to the table at these confer­ ences, it merely underscores the impor­ tance of Canadian politicians acknowledg­ ing that Quebec is a unique entity— not-a sovereign entity,justa body of people living within Canada who have a specific culture, who think, feel and are subject to different cultural upbringings than the rest of Ca­ nadians. Similar to the First Nations, Cana­ dians should be perpetually aware— both in governmental affairs and in everyday life— of the vastness of our country and the diverse histories and cultural facets that this vastness inextricably entails. This is what the Quebec nation debate ought to be all about: fostering a better sense of socio-cultural understanding within our country. ■ Ben Lem iex is a Tribune editor a n d w an ts to be reco g n ized as a m em b er o f the Q uebec nation.

BEN LEMIEUX says they do. ELIOT PERRIN disagrees.

Nation? No thanks uebec is a nation; it must be true be­ cause Stephen Harper said so. He needs votes— particularly Quebec votes— and decided to take the lead from our resident "American," Michael Ignatieff, Mr. to us ensem bles. What Harper is proposing is a short-term fix to Conservative political woes, not a permanent solution to our country's unity debate. Harper's motion represents a further hewing of Canadian federalism. For French-Canadians living outside of Quebec, it is yet another reminder of the lack of respect and solidarity of fellow French-Canadians. Yes, French-Canadians, as in people who are of French ancestry and speak French. Q uébécois, meanwhile are people who live in .Quebec, whatever language they speak.

A political entity does not constitute a nation. Quebec is a political entity and will re­ main so, although the separatists would have us believe otherwise. To buy the notion that Quebec is a nation, one would need to ig­ nore the fact that the French-Canadian ethnic group spans across all provinces. Their mar­ ginalization is often supported by much of Canada's continuing recognition of Quebec as the only area in which French is spoken and French-Canadian culture exists. Only those with the most simplistic view of this federa­ tion would identify Quebec as French Can­ ada and the other nine provinces as English Canada. For instance, French is also an official language of New Brunswick, the only officially bilingual province in the country. No province is culturally, socially and linguistically homog­ enous, so Jet's stop pretending that they are.

Who needs Quebec separatists when federal politicians are all vying to politically divide our country? The separatists are un­ doubtedly squealing with glee at this latest concession. They see political recognition of Quebec's status of a nation as a step in the right direction.

If those both in and out of office are so concerned with recognising French Canada's cultural distinctiveness, then they should rec­ ognize French Canada as a nation, not Que­ bec. Doing so would turn this debate around and deflate the separatist argument. I would love to see Gilles Duceppe explain his reasons for opposing such a motion. That said, there is really no point in recognizing French Canada as a nation; French-Canadians have a very

Q

strong culture and language and certainly do not need any official recognition of this to survive and prosper. They have done quite well over the centuries, despite the fracturing of their "homeland" into provinces, of which Quebec was one.

Coming from a French-Canadian family outside of Quebec, it has been frustrating to witness Quebec separatists use misconcep­ tions and half-truths about French-Canadian culture to further their small-minded and shallow vision for sovereignty and the sup­ posed survival of their identity. They somehow argue that severing ties with the extended French-Canadian community and abandon­ ing a country that is not only dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the French language but has also witnessed a steady in­ crease in French language instruction would somehow protect French-Canadian culture. In the past, people would have laughed at the thought of waiting lists for French-immersion schooling in Alberta and British Columbia, yet they exist.

J e m e so uvien s — I remember when our French-Canadian ancestors were happy to adapt themselves to the Natives' culture, adopting their clothing, technology and lan­ guages but never forgetting their own history.

They rejected self-imposed isolation and so should today's French-Canadians, especially one that is state-sponsored. The plurality of Quebec society, which is made up of far more cultures than the p u re laine French-Canadi­ ans, rejects the foundations and limitations of being considered a nation. Canadian society has recognized and supported this plurality of cultures and will continue to do so with pride.

As the world becomes increasingly in­ terconnected, let us not fall into the trap of exacerbating domestic divisions; instead we should look to sponsor a fuller, richer under­ standing of one another. Let us not allow political opportunism to prevent a national debate on this subject, for this is a decision whose ramifications for Canadian federalism and the people of Canada are far too signifi­ cant not to have a serious discussion. ■ Eliot Perrin is a U3 H istory & C a n a d ia n S tu d ­ ies stud ent. To him , Q uebec is a province, n o t a na tion.

VOX POPULI

Raising awareness: Feeling good about doing nothing

M

ik e

V a lo

MIKEVALO@GMAIL.COM n Monday Nov. 27, there was a well-intentioned benefit to increase general awareness of the situation in Darfur, Sudan. It was called "The Amazing Benefit Concert for Darfur," or more concisely, "the A B C for D." Its tagline told us to "get educated about our world now." I chose not to attend.

I had no other plans and my schoolwork could have waited, but I am not interested in "raising awareness" for situations that are years old and well publicized. I don't believe in Dar­ fur awareness, certainly not amongst the target audience of theoretically well-educated university students. These events accomplish nothing.

Events like this sh o u ld seek to enlighten the uneducated, but th'ey dohjNnstead, they become events to make educated middle and upper class white kids feel good about themselves.

No one actually-cares about it. Darfur aw a ren ess is irrelevant.

Talking about it has reached a point of trendiness and point­ lessness. We, the educated strident body, know what is hap­ pening in Darfur ând wé know how desperate the situation is.

What needs to be accomplished now is to make people care

O

about that of which they are already aware. Talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words. It's tough to beat a good rhyme or an apt cliché.

So what can we do in Darfur? What is the solution, if talking it out amongst ourselves seems to yield no produc­ tive results? Maybe we should get these educated, motivated awareness seekers to join a volunteer vanguard. They could be trained and then sent into the field to set the situation straight, along the lines of our Western standards and values, of course.

We need a wealthy, philanthropic benefactor to fund an army of well-intentioned do-gooders, because nation-states left to their own devices seem unwilling to take the necessary ac­ tion.

The United Nations seems like the natural ally here. Why is it so difficult for them to reach a Security Council resolution with sufficiently sharp teeth to initiate real action to stop the genocide, the starvation and the civil war? The problem, to a large degree, is economics. "China, a permanent member of the Security Council, imports a significant amount of oil from

Sudan. It has used the threat of its veto liberally to retard UN action, but troops must be sent in if real change is going to take place.

Perhaps the Chinese should take unilateral action, à la the US in Iraq. Certainly, from among their 2.25 million active sol­ diers they could find a handful to move into the country, secure peace and establish a stable government. Taking charge of the situation would even put them at a competitive advantage to secure Sudanese oil for the long term. The valuable revenue from the oil sales could help generate the necessary funds for the reconstruction of the war torn country.

Alas, these ideas seem jocular, too sjjtople and will not be taken seriously. But until we start thtnkfh,g,creative)y about real solutions, rather than lamenting the current “hopeless" situation in Darfur, this poor state w ill continué tOvStnk into the sands of ever greater despair. ■ M ike Valo is a U3 H istory stu d e n t a n d he's tired o f peo ple, try­ ing to m ake h im m ore a w a re o f th e D arfurcrisis.

FEATURES

COVER ART AND GRAPHIC DESIGN BY JOYCE N g

many university students share.

T raci J ohnson Dad picks up Suzy from the train station after her first semester at university. Tired but happy, she enthusiastically confides that she loves Big Name U, thinks she aced her final exams and has made tons of new, intelligent friends that just, like, "get" her, you know? Cut to Christmas morn­ ing. Mom can't stop admiring the handmade scarf Suzy knitted herself and little brother is already pulling on the Big Name U t-shirt Suzy bought for him at the bookstore.

Fast forward to New Year's Eve. Suzy rings in the New Year in a sixties-inspired mini dress that shows off her toned legs— treadmill workouts staved off the freshmen 15— and reconnects with her high school friends. They don't talk as much as they used to, but they haven't grown apart at all.

The scene above is one variation of the fantasy that thousands of university students imagine each Decem­ ber as they prepare to head home for the holidays. After weeks of cramming for exams and writing papers, stu­ dents refocus their efforts on friends and family at home.

It's only natural that as capable high achievers they want to impress their loved ones, at least a little, while enjoy­ ing a relaxing, much-de­ served break at home.

And while expectations for a winter break filled with only picture-per­ fect moments and fa­ milial harmony may be a tad unrealistic, the search for the perfect holiday is far from abnormal. In fact, it makes sense when you consider the personality characteristics that

Defining per-fek-shuh-niz-uhm "You can expect that most McGill students are some­ what perfectionistic," says Psychology Professor Richard Koestner."So it's not like it's necessarily a bad thing."

Perfectionism is the need to be, or at least appear to be, perfect.The degree or severity of perfectionism an indi­ vidual exhibits varies, but people with the personality trait generally have extremely high standards, are persistent, de­ tailed and goal-oriented. . L)2 Archaeology student Dario Guiducci says his per­ fectionism isn't disruptive, but it does cause him to be selfcritical.

'If I make a mis­ take, I go through about a half hour to an hour where that's all I can think about,” he says.

According to Koestner, who conducts research on goal-setting and self-regulation, the key to whether or not perfectionism is harmful lies in the distinction between its two forms.

"Adaptive perfectionism has to do with setting high goals and working hard to achieve them,"he says."The mal­ adaptive form of perfectionism is called 'socially prescribed perfectionism'or'self-critical perfectionism'and it is associ­ ated with having a very powerful sense of others expecting you to be perfect."

The maladaptive form of perfectionism is associated with ineffective goal-setting and goal pursuit and can be a factor in reports of anxiety and depression. Koestner's research team found that university students scored sig­ nificantly higher on the adaptive side of the perfectionism continuum; unlike maladaptive perfectionists, they can

drop their high standards if the situation requires it.

Mackenzie Lees, U2 Anatomy, says she is a perfection­ ist, to an extent.

"If I had to, I would rather hand something in that I know is not very good than get a zero on it," she explains.

"But I would not be very happy about it.”

Who wants to be Martha Stewart?

Lees believes her perfectionism drives her to work more at school and work better, but it can also cause stress during the holidays. McGill Psychology Professor David Zuroff says this makes sense. Zuroff, who co-wrote a paper in 2004 addressing the relation between self-criticism and perfectionism and their relation to depression, says that personality traits can cut across situations.

"At one point it was believed that perfection­ ism didn't extend into pri­ vate life, but I think it's abundantly clear that self-criticism can extend to anything," he says. "All things being equal, if you tell me that you are highly perfectionistic in your school work, the smart bet is that you are elsewhere too."

The same perfectionistic tendencies that propel stu­ dents to university in the first place may also givè them un­ realistic expectations for holiday bliss. When the inevitable occurs and instead of holiday perfection, imperfections and family quirks materialize, frustration results.

"I get pissed off when my cookies don't turn out right," Lees admits. "I want them to look pretty."

The smiling faces of impossibly happy families decked out in matching sweaters, jovially decorating a Frasier fir tree or digging into a honey-soaked ham while a toasty fire crackles in the background are immortalized in many a holiday movie and sappy Christmas special. Of course, not

"You can expect that most McGill students are somewhat perfectionistic" — Psychology Professor Richard Koestner

Relieving exam and holiday-induced stress S ta n d in g o n o n e fo o t

With the exam period well on its way, we know that we can count on lots of studying and even more stress. While a little bit of pressure can help you focus and propel you to succeed, too much anxiety can lead to frustration, breakdowns and all sorts of other not-so-good things. Although the Rolling Stones might suggest that "there's a little yellow pill" that "just helps you on your way, gets you through your busy day," Mother's Little Helper (Valium, in case you didn't know) is probably not the ideal solution to exam-induced stress.

Thankfully, there are other things you can do to keep yourself from going off the deep end over the next few weeks.

By now you have certainly heard all about the benefits that getting a good night's sleep, eating properly (breakfast especially) and taking regular breaks can have on your studying, but there are other, less conventional ways to help you deal with that overwhelming need to pass all of your classes.

Supposedly, the difficulty of balancing helps to focus your mind.

at the end can help push you through that last chapter of Pla­ to's R ep ub lic just when you feel like you can't take it anymore.

Baking

Take your mind off work for a while and use it do something relatively simple, yet satisfying. Plus, then you can eat whatever you've baked during your study breaks.

S m ilin g a t y o u rse lf in a m irror

H u m m in g

The peppier the tune, the bet­ ter. It will lift your spirits and put you in a better mood.

C leaning

Apparently if you smile long enough, signals will go to your brain telling you that turning the corners of the mouth upwards is what you're "sup­ posed to" be doing with your face.

Another simple task that can keep your brain off work and give you a nice sense of satisfaction.

D a n cin g th e jig /m a ca re n a /w h a te v e r y o u r h e a rt desires in fro n t o f a m irror

Whether it's playing squash, going for a run or hopping in the pool for a swim, keeping yourself active can help you stay energized and focused.

Exercise

See previous.

E a tin g so m e th in g u n h ea lth y th a t y o u love

It goes against the concept of eating properly, but having a little something to treat yourself to

Oi

a Cc

sti re

w

Baking, sex and standing on one foot A dam S mith

e\

Sex

Do we need to explain this one? ■

&c

sh sc fa he

pr

ar fa< ar

fu ca in<

Af

la!

ini

sh Th

P€

ar all Pl­ ea

su

is

05.12.06 • The McGill Tribune • 13

Under the secular campus tree ie dreams of a Brady-Bunch style family celebration, leration grew up watching A C hristm as story, not It's erful Life, and listening to Adam Sandler's flippant srody The Hanukah song. However, for university s returning home for the first time in months, there the pressure to reconnect with relatives and friends atting into the famous spirit of the season, r Kronstad, 1)2 Microbiology, says the high stante applies to her schoolwork tend to backfire when is home for winter break. Kronstad claims she is nes a perfectionist, explaining,"Getting B's feels like a me because I know I need high marks to get into she says. len Kronstad travels home to Vancouver, she feels î to spend as much time as possible with her friends rily, but usually encounters frustration and dissatis"I'm trying to please everyone and it doesn't work y all get angry,"she says of her time at home.

Finding Tickle-Me Elmo ring the month of December, "the most wonderof the year," students converge on the library in a -tinged haze, rushing to finish papers and resistimpulse to surf the Internet as they cram for finals, ey set their pencils down upon completion of that m, their energies switch to a new pursuit: procur­ ants. th e rest of North America begins the holiday ig season on Black Friday, the day after American jiving, when stores woo consumers in search of the gift with a blitz of Santa-themed advertisements per-cent-off coupons. University students generlin their seasonal sprees only after finals are over, g shopping expeditions while nursing hangovers from partying on four hours of sleep. Yet, the presind a special gift for Mom, Dad, siblings and friends lit to resist.

"On certain things I can be a perfectionist,"says Janese Flécha, U3 Political Science. "I do strive to have the best, perfect, you'rejg * . the-greatest-person gift. It's what I aim for."

Joyce Ng, U2 Psychology, describes a similar penchant for creating the perfect present. "I like to vW assemble my gifts," she explains. "Every item should 'a go into a coherent package that has an overarching theme."

The need to show loved ones we care with the selec­ tion of a just-right gift is developed early, fueled by the magic of St. Nicholas'sack, jewelry ad campaigns and a bit of guilt. Giving the perfect gift means making other people happy as well as making up for not being the best boyfriend/son/brother during the rest of the year. When the stakes are set so high, loaded with symbolism and years of childhood memories, it's no wonder perfectionists feel pressure to make holiday dreams come true.

The high expectations placed on trips home i for the holidays may ultimately go unrealized. ) High school friends do grow apart. Sibling ri.,■?/,*-■} valries and common family friction do not disappear after a short stint away from the nest. Great gifts, handmade with love and care or secured with a $1,000 deposit, cannot guarantee happiness. Perfection' istic, over-worked and sleep-deprived university students can increase their frustra-. tions by striving to achieve a perky, Martha Stewart-esque illusion of holiday paradise like Suzy, but they may prefer to take comfort in Professor Zuroff's words.

J Ê Ê S jj* "The quick solution to mild levels of self-criticism," he maintains, "is to go to someone you're close to and have a hug.'B

What is your idea of '‘ the perfect holiday gift?

'Experiences, memories..."

—Jess Ward, P.h.D 3 Biology ‘A roasted pig."

— Daniel Bonder, Ui Finance "A DVD set of S ex a n d the City."

— Martino Spiridigliozzi, U1 Anatomy and Cell Biology “A passing grade."

—Sadaf Kashf, Ui Management Tm not into materialism."

— Alberto Mann, U3 Computer Engineering "The book / Like You: H ospita lity U nder the influence, by Amy Sedaris."

— Alisa Poulin, U4 International Development Studies.

“A surprise!"

— Elizabeth Ellyson, Ui Social Work 'Tickets to the Justin Timberlake concert!'

—Lindsay Taub, U3 Psychology "A fair tradeftea set."

— Livia Ottisova U3, International Development Studies and Psychology "A pepper grinder."

-K e lly MacLean, U3 Bachelor of Arts and Science

Ironing your underwear?

Top 10 signs you’re a perfectionist Do you meticulously alphabetize your spice rack? Do you find yourself rewriting group members'work because it's not up to your standards? Are you afraid of mak­ ing mistakes, no matter how small? If some, or all, of the following questions apply to you, it may be time to put on mismatching socks and throw your tightly-tucked bedsheets to the wind — you'll thank yourself later.

1) You noticed the faux error on the cover of this pull-out. (See below for the an­ swer.)

2 ) You are intensely competitive. You can't stand when your friend's markon a paper is two percentage points more than yours.

3) You only doing something "just right"or not at all.

4) Not only do you demand perfection from yourself, but from others as well.

5) You think asking for help shows weakness.

6 ) You will persist at a task long after other people have quit.

7) People avoid you because you cannot refrain from correcting them and pointing out their flaws.

8 ) You are hyper aware of other people's demands and expectations.

9) You hate making mistakes in front of other people because it makes you self-con­ scious.

10) You can't stop thinking about a grammar mistake on an assignment worth 10 per cent of your final grade.

-Adapted from in fo rm a tio n on BBC N ew s a n d University o f Texas W eb Site

qq6 u aqt ot paubye aie sauiaqo jaqio am jo swats aqt a|iqM 'y a | aqt 01 stuiod ÀJiaip puooas aq tjo wats aqi uoua xnej

Student Living to p

HOW-TO

10

Most disgusting holiday Bags are packed-mrt stranded in the ghetto food concoctions Cabs aren't the only way to travel in the city

Rum balls are not as enticing as their name might imply M aria Forti One of the greatest things about the holiday season is holiday cuisine. Nothing is better than filling up on candy canes, latkes and hot chocolate with marshmallows on top. Yet not all traditional holiday goodies taste, well, good. Here is a list of foods to avoid during the festivities: 10. Christmas pudding (otherwise known as plum porridge or plum putting): Does "thick soup made by boiling up por­ tions of beef or mutton with dried prunes or plums and seasoned with spices and wine" sound good to you? Didn't think so.

9. Gingerbread Houses: Doesn't sound bad initially, but if you let the house sit out for all 12 days of Christmas, that gingerbread will develop a seasoned flavour of cardboard.

8. Mulled Wine: Historically made from wine that has gone bad, but masked by add­ ing spices and honey, mulled wine is served hot. Hot wine. Hot sour wine. Sounds posi­ tively amazing.

7. Ribbon Salad: Otherwise known as green and red Jell-o in the shape of a bunt cake with little floating bits of fruit and other “goodies" inside. Unless you consider it inter­ esting to be "surprised" by what you find in your Jell-o, steer clear of this holiday favou­ rite.

6. Eggnog: Maybe it's just me but, a thick concoction of milk, eggs, sugar and maybe cream never seemed appealing. Even with the addition of cognac, rum or brandy.

T iffany C hoy

It's that time of year again: roommates and 5. Tofurkey: Being a vegetarian sounds friends alike are all preparing to frolic in sweet, like a lot of fun, until you see this nasty sweet freedom once exams are over. But before substitution for the traditional holiday cen­ you run out the door towards holiday bliss, con­ trepiece. sider one of these traveling alternatives to get 4. Mince Pies: Anything with the word you to your point of destination. pie in it should be tasty. Mince Pies, on the If you're making a mad dash for the air­ other hand, contain mincemeat, which is port, the easiest— and most costly— way to get usually a mixture of raisins, currants and can­ there is via taxi. Without any massive traffic jams, died fruit peels along with spices and nuts. you're guaranteed to get there in less than 20 Interesting? Maybe, but not edible. minutes from the downtown area. The cost is 3. Rum Balls: Your grandmother's grand­ rather steep, $35 plus tip, but those who are into mother's holiday treat, rum balls are made of daredevil rides with Montreal cab drivers will get stale fruitcake (wait, is that possible?) that is nothing short of an extended rollercoaster ride. mashed up and mixed with cocoa and rum!

Low on funds after all that end-of-semesThe combination of the chocolate-rum fla­ ter partying? Most would be surprised to hear vour is enough to make a child quit candy that you can actually make it to the Pierre-Elliot forever.

Trudeau airport via public transportation. Hav­ 2. Bean Casserole: Actually, substitute ing taken this route personally, I speak from ex­ any funky smelling, weird consisten­ perience when I say the long trip can be daunt­ cy casserole that came from your ing. However, you can't beat the very cheap V • creative aunt who makes all the fare: only $2.50 cash, less if you have the s t cousins' festive sweaters for the ?v": reduced six-strip tickets. It's a straightholiday season. % ; forward trek and difficult to get lost— jr î 1. Fruitcake: The Canadian .A f . just follow fellow riders toting luggage Air Transport Security Authority A'., and you're bound to make it to the air­ banned the famed, food-turnedV; port. Head on out to the Lionel-Groulx weapon from carry-on baggage in metro station via the green or orange airports in 2003 due to its high den­ line and hop onto the 211 bus. Get cozy sity, which hinders the X-ray machines. M and take it all the way out to the Dorval if:* A cake made with dried fruit and soaked train station— you seriously can't miss this stop, in brandy or rum, fruitcake just isn't very ■ê % it looks like a mini bus-depot— and switch to appealing. It is also interesting to note f e w„ the 204.The bus drops you off right in front of that fruitcakes can be wrapped in brandy the airport, making it the best mode of transor wine-soaked linens and may actually ' x port for cost-effective travelers. taste better with time. The hardy tarts Alternatively, you can ride the Aérocan be saved for up to 25 years. ■ v;$ %

1

IV

bus. It's the official transport to and from the Pierre-ElliotTrudeau airport and downtown cost­ ing $13 one-way or $22.75 if you plan ahead for a roundtrip ticket. Unfortunately, there are limited pick-up and drop-off points; Station Centrale at Berri and Maisonneuve, the Sheraton and the Queen Elizabeth hotels on René-Lévesque and the Chateau Champlain on rue de la Gauchetière. If you don't live nearby, you might as well take public transportation.

Taking the train back to Toronto? For most travelers, this means moseying down McGill Col­ lege, through the Place Ville Marie mall and to the ViaRail station. Likewise, Montreal's famous Underground City can get you there if snow finally falls, but this can be difficult to navigate for first timers. Coming from outside the ghetto, you can also get to the station by metro on the orange line; disembark at the Bonaventure sta­ tion.

Going someplace closer than Toronto? Bus depot Station Centrale at Berri-UQAM is your place of departure. Located on Maisonneuve and Berri, you can either get there by walking or taking the metro. With two major lines running through it, both the green and orange, you'll just have to head up one block north after exit­ ing the Berri-UQAM metro stop.

If you miraculously still have cash to blow, the most convenient method of transporta­ tion will always be the taxi. Who doesn't want door-to-door service? The key to making these alternatives work is to pack smart; use luggage on wheels or duffel bags with properly padded shoulder straps. You won't be cursing as you haul your suitcases around the city, but more importantly, your wallet will thank you for loos­ ening the noose around its neck. ■

é>= S jf

POD PEOPLE

Giving you the Christmas creeps Holiday tunes that spread more than good cheer Rachel M elnik With the onset of finals, cold weather and empty wallets resulting from gift-giving mania, we may have forgotten that December is, in fact, meant to the "the most wonderful time of the year." But in case you need a reminder, Christmas carols can be heard almost everywhere. With their perky melodies, nauseatingly good cheer and totalitarian omnipresence stuck in your head wherever you may go, Christmas carols inform you that this is supposed to be a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Yet have you ever thought that perhaps, these sweet little tunes ac­ tually reveal a Christmas that is a little bit more sinister? Christmas carols may be merry, but, if you listen carefully, they can also be slightly scary. Here is a list of lyrics that reveals the hidden dark side behind the Christmas carol: 1. Santa Claus is coming to town “He sees y o u w h en you're sleeping, H e k n o w s w h en you're aw ake, H e kn o w s i f you 've been b a d o r go o d , S o b e g o o d , fo r g o o d n ess'sa ke."

He sees you when you're sleeping? He knows when you're awake? Santa sounds a little bit like a creepy stalker and pedo­ phile. And from the sound of it, he is coming to town, so run tittle children, run!

2. Frosty the Snowman "Frosty th e sn o w m a n w as a jo lly h a p p y so u l With a c o rn c o b p ip e a n d a bu tto n n o se A n d tw o eyes m a d e o u t o f co a l Frosty th e sn o w m a n is a fairy tale they sa y H e w a s m a d e o f sn o w B ut the children k n o w

H o w h e ca m e to life o n e d a /

Now imagine a giant mass of snow, complete with a corn­ cob pipe and charcoal eyes (eek!) all of a sudden coming to life.

That could scar a kid for life.

3.

Grandma got run over by a reindeer

"G randm a g o t run o ver b y a reindeer W alking h o m e from o u r h o u se C hristm as Eve. You ca n sa y there's n o su ch th in g as S a n ta B u t as fo r m e a n d Grandpa, w e believe."

Okay, this is simply morbid. There's nothing like a reindeer hit-and-run to commemorate the holiday spirit, especially if you really hate those annoying relatives.

"Rudolf, the red -nosed reindeer h a d a very sh in y nose.

A n d i f y o u ever s a w h im ,yo u w o u ld even sa y it glow s."

Perhaps the real reason that Rudolf's nose is red is because the mammal snorts coke.

7.

I've been an a w fu l g o o d girl.

S a n ta baby, a n d hurry d o w n th e ch im n ey tonight."

So we all know that Santa gets around on Christmas. But he's supposed to receive cookies and milk for all of his hard work and not, ahem, sexual favours!

8.

4.

I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus.

"I s a w m o m m y kissing S a n ta Claus, und ern ea th the m istletoe last night.

S h e didn't see m e creep d o w n the stairs to h a ve a p e e p ’

Isn't Santa Claus supposed to be an ugly old guy with a beard? Is mommy really that desperate? This is probably not the way that a child wishes to remember his or her Christmas.

5.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

"Ap a ir o fh o p a lo n g

b o o ts a n d a p isto l th a t sh o o ts Is th e w ish o f Barney a n d Ben; D olls th a t will talk a n d w ill g o fo r a w alk Is the h o p e o f Ja n ic e a n d Je n "

A pistol that shoots? Perhaps a less violent stocking stuffer will be a better idea. As for the talking dolls, maybe these girls need a bit more social interaction.

6.

Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer

Santa, baby

"Santa baby, slip a sa b le u n d er th e tree, fo r me.

Walkin'in a winter wonderland

"In the m e a d o w w e ca n b u ild a sn o w m a n , A n d p reten d th a t he's a circus clow n.

We'll h a ve lots o f fun w ith m ister sn o w m a n , Until the o th e r kiddies kn o ck h im d o w n .’

The poor snowman didn't even see it coming!

9.

The night Santa went crazy

"For th e g o o d G entile girls a n d th e g o o d G entile boys W hen th e b o ss b u sted in, nearly sca red 'em h a lf to dea th H a d a rifle in his h a n d s a n d ch e a p w h iskey on his breath.

From his b ea rd to his boots, h e w a s co vered w ith am m o.

Like a big fa t drun k d isg ru n tled Yuletide R a m b o A n d h e sm iled as h e sa id w ith a tw in kle in his eye, 'M erry C hristm as to a ll - n o w you're all g o n n a die !"1

Come to think of it, Santa is just like any other regular guy Overworked, underpaid (milk and cookies? What a rip-off!) and bitter. Weird Al got it right: Santa is bound to strike back eventu­ ally. ■

05.12.06 • Opinion * 15

Letters to the editor Golden Key not fighting for library Your Nov. 28 article ("NDG library set to close due to lack of funding,”28.11.06) suggesting that Golden Key McGill is engaged in a "fight to save the Fraser-Hickson library" is simply untrue.

As Vice-President External of the McGill Chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society, I can attest that we are in no way involved with the library's political battle.

As part of our annual "Make a Difference Day," Golden Key McGill has indeed teamed up with Better World Books to run a charity book drive for schools in Africa; starting at the begin­ ning of next semester, Golden Key McGill will be collecting used textbooks all over campus.

When the Fraser-Hickson Library contacted us and generously offered to donate used books to our drive, we enthusiastically accepted.

Golden Key McGill is extremely grateful to the library for having given us so many valuable resources, and we truly appreciate the library's gracious gift. We are thankful recipients of the library's contribution, but are not involved in the politics of its closure. We co-ordinated with Mc­ Gill students who are in fact involved with this effort, who made the donation, and whom the Tribune interviewed.

Perhaps if someone from the Tribune had bothered to contact Golden Key McGill prior to printing, this would have been clear. We would appreciate that you recognize your error and re­ tract the claim.

— Larissa M oscu U2 Jo in t Honours History & Political Science VP External, Golden Key M cGill

[Note; The Tribune did attempt to contact the President of Golden Key McGill, but calls were not returned. We apologise for the error.]

Trib snubbed by SSMU I am puzzled as to why the SSMU execu­ tives send forth their edicts through the Daily rather than the Tribune. Do they know that they have a newspaper of their own? Or is it just that the Daily is more their style? In any case, it's iron­ ic that the Daily, which promotes itself as the independent voice on campus, has agreed to be the mouthpiece for the man.

— Leron Vandsburger U3 Chem ical Engineering

[Note; on this page below the letters is the SSMU executive's submission to the Tribune on the blood drive debate] Some people appreciate art Re "Do Canadians appreciate art?" (28.11.06): I am always hurt when people look at me with a skeptical look and ask me what I'm going to do with my art.history degree, or worse yet say that art is useless. Don't people realize that without art, the world would be a horribly dull place and worse yet filled with almost nothing but work?

No music, no paintings, no photography, no TV shows, no museums, no theatre.

So do Canadians appreciate art? No. Artists are constantly under-appreciated and under­ funded.

— Karine Gagnon

and love of art, rather than simply throwing money into a very symbolic, stylized pit— after all, if people see no real difference between art­ work and a Metro wall, can it be surprising that one is treated like the other?

— Ed Petrenko U3 Anthropology

• Art has lost much of its popularity be­ cause people are all rushing frantically toward some trivial goal of individual success and the accumulation of material wealth. We require instant gratification and a constant stream of non-interactive entertainment to hold our short attention spans, but art demands more from us than some passive, glassy-eyed, non-critical gaze; to fully appreciate a work of art one must block out the distractions and step back for a moment from the crazed, never-ending rat race. .

Art requires thoughtful reflection and enough time to fully take in and interpret its deeper meaning and beauty, and many of us do not have this to offer. Normally I would have laughed at the idea of sitting on an art gallery floor, earplugs in, reflecting on sculptures and twisted bits of metal and stone, but when our class went to the McClure Gallery, I actually took the time and I ended up truly appreciating the art.

— D ana Willbanks U3 Hum anistic Studies

U4 A rt History

• I don't think the solution is to increase funding for artists—forced sponsorship of art simply because it's Canadian is no way to en­ courage either art or a distinct Canadian culture.

Schools should be encouraged to expose Cana­ dians to more art and cultivate an appreciative eye for it. Ideally, this would generate a real need

Proving our point "Fixing our broken Town Halls" (Nov. 28) is one of the more conceptually ridiculous editori­ als to grace your pages. Hats Off to you for real­ izing that town halls are unproductive, but we hope most students can see that your absurd

analysis is based on the faulty assumption that town halls are a form of participatory democ­ racy.

Calling something a "Town Hall" does not automatically make it a legitimate democratic institution. Instead, one must look at the facts: it was a simple Q&A session with the spotlight on one person, our principal, and everybody else condemned to the peanut gallery. By handing in a petition and asking some tough questions, students acted within the narrow margins of the format.

I believe that Munroe-Blum came up with the town hall idea as a way to circumvent more appropriate avenues for discussion. As we pre­ dicted, she came to the meeting armed with the standard arsenal used in PR stunts: excuses, soundbytes and nothing of substance. The Tri­ b u n e would have preferred to see discussion and compromise, but they fail to grasp that the town hall, the administration's disgusting per­ version of participatory democracy, does not allow for any of those. The administration set those terms, and thus the blame for the meet­ ing's lack of discussion, debate, or compromise falls squarely on them.

Instead of PR stunts, the administration should have a two-way dialogue with students, faculty, staff and other members of the McGill community. This means meeting with student groups, answering calls from campus media and coming out to student General Assemblies. In the meantime, the Town Hall format will con­ tinue to radiate nothing but arrogance, belittlement and disrespect at its participants. Thank you, Tribune, for falling into the PR trap.

— La za r K on forti U5 In tern a tio n a l D evelo p m en t Studies GRASPé a ctivist

VOX POPULI

SSMU execs: blood drives unconstitutional F lo h H erra - V eg a CS@SSMU.MCGILL.CA n Nov. 2, the Students'Society Council voted to ban blood drives from the Shatner Building until such a time as HémaQuébec's blood donation policy is consistent with the SSMU Constitution. As a result, there has been a flurry of letters both to the SSMU Executive, individual SSMU Councillors and the campus papers. In light of this controversy, as well as SSMU Coun­ cillor Evan Singer's Vox Populi in the Tribune ("SSMU: Undemocrat­ ic, hypocritical, out of touch,"21.11.06), we feel the need to clear up a few misconceptions about the decision that was made.

SSMU is not banning blood drives from campus. McGill is a large campus with many available spaces. In fact, a blood drive took place last week in the Tomlinson Fieldhouse and McGill Ath­ letics has expressed interest in hosting further blood drives in their space. Furthermore, we are not taking away faculty associations'ability to choose to hold blood drives anywhere outside the Shatner Building.

We are not placing the blood supply in peril. There is blood available for those who need it. At no point has anyone, including Héma-Québec, pointed to any shortage of blood.

We are not violating anyone's right to give blood. A simple visit to Héma-Québec's Web site would point an interested indi­ vidual in the direction of numerous blood drives in the Montreal area. If giving blood is important to you and if you can give blood,

O

cc <

SSMU encourages you to do so.

Beyond that, it also seems necessary to clarify the intent and reasoning behind the ban. Any event taking place in the Shatner Building’is a SSMU endeavour. In the same way that the SSMU does not fund or recognize clubs with discriminatory mandates, it does not allow its space to be used for events that are at odds with its constitution.

As a last point, I would like to address Evan Singer's article and specifically, his motion to reconsider the original blood drive decision a week after the decision was made. Simply put, the mo­ tion to reconsider failed because there were no new arguments on the table. The argument that events held in the Shatner Build­ ing but not organized by the SSMU were not SSMU endeavours was one that had been considered and rejected already.

Singer wanted the motion reconsidered on the grounds that popular opinion was against the decision SSMU Council had made. The fact of the matter is that SSMU Council was well aware that banning blood drives from Shatner would be an unpopular decision and— while taking this into account— was undaunted.

The matter of having blood drives that perpetuate negative stere­ otypes about disadvantaged groups is not one of popular opinion or majority rule; it is a matter of protecting our constitution and protecting minority rights, even when this is at odds with the will

Last day of classes.

o

Our constitution is clear: "No endeavour of the Students'So­ ciety shall discriminate against persons or groups on the grounds of irrelevant personal characteristics." By Héma-Québec's own de­ scription of the outdated nature of the donation questionnaire, there is no question that the lifetime ban on men who have had sex with men since 1977 (among other groups) constitutes dis­ crimination based on an irrelevant personal characteristic and not the safety of the blood supply.

In conclusion, we'd like to stress that this was not an easy decision to make. We would also like to encourage students to get involved with the campaigns that the SSMU and the Canadian Federation of Students are launching on this issue. Banning blood drives in Shatner prevents discrimination in our building, but does not get to the root of the problem: an outdated, irrelevant dona­ tion questionnaire. We hope that through lobbying Health Canada and other relevant groups, as well as raising public awareness on the prejudices perpetuated by the current Héma-Québec dona­ tion questionnaire, we can pave the way to a change in blood col­ lection policy and have blood drives back in our building soon. ■ Floh Herra-Vega is the S SM U Vice President Clubs & Services. She is w riting o n b e h a lf o f the entire SSM Ü executive.

First day of exams.

Don't worry, it'll all be over soon, we promise.

Don't go tomorrow! Load

z

of a majority.

up on sleep instead.

LU — 1

< u

4

5

6

7

8 :

9

11

12

13

14

15

16

]

10

LO

D CL

2 < u

Want to advertise in the Campus Calendar? For just a toonie you can advertise your event up to two weeks in advance.

Email calendar@mcgilltribune.com for more information, or drop by the Tribune office in Shatner 110.

17

A rts & E ntertainment MUSIC

Canadian jazz songstress bound to set your soul ablaze Taylor-made brand of jazz combines blues and gospel influences B en L emieux Dione Taylor has been blessed with the gift of song, and is using that gift wisely. In recent years, there has been a resurgence in jazz/lounge popular­ ity with artists such as Diana Krall, Matt Dusk and Jamie Cullum, yet Taylor's work has, for lack of better descriptive phrasing, more of a classic allure. Each song on the young Saskatchewanian's debut album, / Love Being Here With You, is an auditory trip back to the 1950s.

Her music swings and grooves thanks to smooth, confident vocal turns and a strong backup band composed, in part, by veteran drummer Terry Clarke and Ottawa's eminently talented Jake Lang­ ley on guitar. But beyond the technical merits of the band lies a real talent for lyrical storytelling. Taylor's songs are a true romantic's approach to modern, urban life and her lyrics a poetic appre­ ciation of a number of topics, ranging from self-empowerment to a night out on the town. She's putting her own spin on the good ol'dayS. The Tribune spoke with Dione Tay­ lor about her experiences on stage as well as off.

ROGER HUMBERT

Putting grace and pizzazz back into the genre from where they originated.

What reflects your musical up­ bringing? What style of music first Sparked your interest?

I grew up in Regina listening to a lot of gospel music— my father is a pas­ tor, so secular music wasn't allowed in the house. So, if I wanted to listen to The Temptations or anything like that I had to sneak out of the house with the headphones. The thing with music today is that it's all very rooted in blues

and gospel and I find that the jazz that I do is more earthy and rootsy than loungy, different than the jazz you hear commercially.

When you say blues, how far back do you go?

I'm influenced by Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Louis Jordan— even though my style is not quite like that, it pays tribute to those kinds of artists.

You've performed in front of quite a few notables in high profile concerts, how do you control the nerves?

I try not to think of it like I'm per­ forming in front of the President of the United States so I should sing this way, or I'm performing at a Montreal bistro.

It's not like that for me, for me it's about being the best I can be in every show, no matter the audience. Once I get on stage, I just let go of nerves, and think 'this is my moment to shine.' It's second nature to.me.

positive and strong though not aggres­ sive light in this music industry. I don't feel like I have to be half-naked to get that point across. It's lyrically that I want to get that message across: that you can be a strong female, that you can be sexy, you can be lovable, you can be fun and you don't have to do it in a nasty way.

Is this a phenomenon that you feel is prevalent in today's music in­ dustry?

It's definitely something you see on TV, it's something that I hear about when talking with my girlfriends and with people I know who have kids who are growing up, so it's definitely an issue that we as artists have to take seriously.

You were working with a re­ ally strong crew of musicians on this album. How do you feel the record and the songs evolved as a result of their presence in the studio?

Eventually I had the conception o f making this a them e album— a theme of love.

We definitely had a specific sound that we were going for, a jazzy, bluesy sound, and we played with that in mind when we made the record.

Hypothetical situation: if you could set the standards for the music industry and/or entertainment media, what would be at the forefront? What do you feel is primordial for musicians to have at this point?

I think it's important to have good song writing and to not focus so much on the physical aspect of the music in­ dustry. The music industry is very, very much a physical thing first. It's about how you look first and about the music second, if that. I think that we're given this image, and the second someone comes along who doesn't look like that image, we don't know what to do with [the situation], so we tend to dismiss it.

Basically, let's have less focus on image, more focus on substance. ■

What goals do you aspire towards with your songwriting?

The songs that I write are very pro­ female. It's very important for me to be a

See Dione Taylor live, opening for Matt Dusk Saturday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Outremont Theatre (1248 Bernard W.).

C a ll (514) 495-9944 for ticket information.

POP RHETORIC

W hy CanLit is so boring (so far) E zra G linter his Country," wrote Herman Melville to his publisher, "is at present engaged in furnishing material for future authors; not in encouraging its living ones." Things have no doubt changed since Melville's 1851 observa­ tion, and not just in the United States. Canada, Mordechai Richler once observed, has completely emerged from such literary negligence."When I started out,"the acclaimed nov­ elist said, "it was assumed that you couldn't possibly be a writer if you were a Canadian. Now, merely to be a Cana­ dian makes you a writer."

There is no doubt that present-day Canada, as op­ posed to Melville's America, encourages literary production.

Last year alone, the Canada Council for the Arts handed out approximately $i20.5-million in grants, many of which were for literary enterprises. But while Canada furnishes plenty of encouragement, even of the financial variety, evidence would suggest that it does not provide the highest calibre material. It is true that Canadian authors and books have recently enjoyed a great deal of international acclaim and there are many Canadian works that I admire and enjoy.

T

But compared with other national bodies of literature, our canon is downright boring. This is particularly evident if we consider that most robust body of work from our im­ mediate neighbor to the south. At first glance, this might not seem like a fair comparison. After all, the US has been around longer and has a far higher population, yielding, one would imagine, a more extensive talent pool. But there is a deeper factor at work here. AmLit, or at least, many works thereof, has in spades what CanLit hardly has at all: exuberance.

Exuberance is a trait that has infused American litera­ ture right from its Puritan beginnings. One does not have to agree with Jonathan Edward's fire and brimstone rheto­ ric, for example, to appreciate the passion of "Sinners in the hands of an angry God." Later, from a different angle, we can encounter a similar passion in the radically self-assertive works of writers like Emerson or Whitman. Consider also the metaphysical ranting of Moby Dick, or the priapic au­ dacity of Henry Miller or Philip Roth. And let's not forget the great, foaming-at-the-mouth ecstasy of Allen Ginsberg's

"HowL'Where, I ask, are our Canadian counterparts?

To be fair, CanLit does have a few examples of such lit­ erary enthusiasm. Richler's Duddy Kravitz is a case in point, and Leonard Cohen's Beautiful Losers might be another, in its own perverse way. But by and large, our literature is much more tame. That's not to say that it's bad. I do respect the controlled cadences of, say, Margaret Atwood or Alistair Macleod. But there's no way that they can provide the same aesthetic, emotional or even spiritual thrill of the aforemen­ tioned works.

But what is the cause of this difference? Is it really a question of material? Is Canada just a boring country? While the US certainly has a more colourful history, I am reluctant to admit that it has a more vibrant present. We are smaller true, and for that reason, perhaps more provincial. But our richly diverse Canadian society, as it presents itself to me, is full of opportunity for imagination and excitement. And this, whatever the reasons for past failings, is what's really important. We have the potential, I believe, for an exuber­ ant literature. And I look forward to reading it. ■

05.12.06 «The McGill Tribune • 17

Previews

TH EA TRE

An urban Robin Hood tale M a m e t p ie c e a w e ll-d ire c te d a tt e m p t J en n ifer B a r t o li A sign outside welcom es you to Don's Resale. No, this is not a fluke. You have the right address and this is the right place. Walk up some dingy steps and enter into the midst of w hat looks like an old attic: a vintage G on e w ith th e W ind poster is tacked to the wall, some dusty plates are stacked on the floor, records rest in a cardboard box, an ironing board and some empty beer bottles stand in the corner. Now find a seat across from all this junk and start enjoying the show.

SideMart Equity Coop, an en­ semble born of permanent members of the renowned SaBooge Theatre Company, an international theatre collective based in Montreal, presents a vivid performance of David Mamet's A m erican Buffalo and manages to cre­ ate a unique off-stage experience for audience members.

The play centres on the conniv­ ances of Donny (played by Graham Cuthbertson), Bobby (Patrick Costel­ lo) and Teach (Trent Pardy), who plan on stealing a rare Buffalo coin bought by a patron o f Donny's Re­ sale store, for what they believe was an unjust amount. Mamet's snappy dialogue throughout the play allows for dynam ic interaction between the three characters, an elem ent which was am azingly captured by the cast.

Patrick Costello offers an especially touching performance, convincingly delivering Bobby's constant jittery lines and com m unicating his sub­

missive position to both Donny and Teach. The play attests to the friend­ ships between the characters while emphasizing their skewed vision of the way they believe business works.

Director Andrew Shaver says his first encounter with the play was one of his formative theatrical experi­ ences. He portrayed Bobby in A m eri­ ca n Buffalo while studying theatre at Queen's University. He has since then attended the École Jacques Lecoq in Paris and is the co-founder of the SaboogeTheatre Company, which he still works with today.

On his particular attachment to the play, Shaver notes: "It's as funny as it is tragic and as poetic as it is crude.

And I think that's a wonderful blend."

The play oscillates between moments of violence, friendship, dishonesty, affection and harshness.

The intimate setting of the theatre, the original set and the powerful per­ formances of the three protagonists make for an extremely well directed play. SideMart Equity Coop states that its goal is to reenergize the Montreal theatre scene, and with A m erican B uf­ falo, they are certainly off to a good start. ■ American Buffalo runs

from Nov.

3 0 to Dec. 9 a t 8 p.m ., a t th e M ainline Theatre (entrance a t 4 0 0 8 St-Dom inique). Tickets are $ 12. Sea tin g is limited, so reservations are recom m en ded. Call (514) 5 8 1-0 3 2 1 fo r m ore inform ation.

Theatre. A lice in W onderland, Dec. 1 - 10 ; D.B. Clarke Theatre (1455 Maisonneuve O.). Local theatre com ­ pany Geordie Productions opens its season with a new version of the perennial children's (and Stoner's) classic by Lewis Carroll. Adapted by Montreal actor and w riter Harry Standjofski into the 2 1 st century, this play incorporates musical numbers as w ell.The bevy of whacky characters, including the White Rabbit, the Smoking Caterpillar and the Mad Hatter, are all portrayed by seasoned Montreal stage and TV actors.

Tickets are $1 2 .5 0 . Call (514 ) 8 4 5 -9 8 10 for tickets and more information.

Film . The Pursuit o f H appyness, opens Dec. 15 . Go-getter Chris Gardner has been the recipient of much attention for his amaz­ ing story from such notables as Oprah Winfrey, who recently called up the man behind the m ultim illion stock brokerage Gardner Rich & Com pany for a chat on her show. Now he gets the Hollywood treatm ent from Will Smith, who portrays Gardner in a movie based on his hum ble beginnings on the streets of San Francisco. In the inspirational rags-to-riches film of the holidays, The Pursuit o f H a ppyness, Gardner lives in a series of m akeshift homes in order to save money and make it in the business world. He is accom panied by his young son, who is played by Smith's own son in the movie. Watch it to find out w hy "happiness" is spelled wrong, and stay for the sob fest.

Com edy. Rob Steen, Dec. 6 -9 at 8:30 p.m., late show Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m.; Montreal Forum (2313 Ste-Catherine 0 ., 3 rd floor). Late Show with David Letterman veteran stand-up Come­ dian Rob Steen is in town, courtesy of Comedy Nest. The jokester got his initial start in entertainm ent as a 12 -year-old juggler in Bos­ ton. Steen's current popular act is characterized by high energy and participa­ tory, crowd-pleasing antics. He is known for his sensitivity to every particular audience's nuances and his ability to play off of them to the max. Tickets are M $12 . Call (514) 9 32-6378 for tickets and more information.

M usic. Rancid, Dec. 9 at 8 p.m.; Metropolis (59 Ste-Catherine O .jThe party is going to smell Rancid at Metropolis on Satur­ day night. After a two-year hiatus, the punk band, known for songs like "Time bomb" or their newer"Falls backdown," start­ ed a tour in the summer and played half a show in Montreal on Aug. 31 , at w hich Lars Frederiksen, who does vocals and guitar, collapsed on stage due to a com bination of medication (supposedly prescribed) and ex­ haustion. They're now back in town to make up for the uncom pleted shows.

Tickets are $2 0 . Call (514 ) 9 0 8 -9 0 9 0 for tickets.

A w h o le n e w y e a r to d e d ic a t e to ja m p a c k in g y o u r d a y s w it h a s m u c h f u n a s p o s s ib le !

M U S IC

The Trailer Park Boys of rock'n' roll (kind of) At its best, rock and roll is just an extension of misdirected drunken belligerence. This is something Bobnoxious, a hard rocking and hard liv­ ing Ontario metal/punk band, seems to understand. Hailing from London, Ontario, Bobnoxious follows in the vomit-stained footsteps of bands like The Who and AC/DC, whose passion for rock was penultimate to their pas­ sion for partying.

Having conquered Southwest­ ern and Central Ontario, Bobnoxious brought their unique brand of rock decadence to Les Saints last Friday.

Vocalist and guitarist Bob J. Reid (Bob­ noxious him self), is no stranger to the self-immolating rock and roll lifestyle.

As a former member of Canadian thrash metal outfit Razor, Reid has hit the road with metal heavyweights ranging from Slayer to Motorhead to Venom. Reid brings his veteran experi­ ence in the domain of speedy, middlefinger-waving metal to Bobnoxious, where his passion for thrash is realized by himself, Jeff Bialkowsky (lead guitar/ vocals), David Wyles (drums/vocals) and Stan Fountain (bass/vocals).”lt's rip roarin) straight-down-the-middle, hard rock'n'roll," Reid says of Bobnoxious.

"Our main concern," Reid contin­

ues, "is that our fans are diggin' what we're doing and having a good time and that wherever we're playing they don't run out of beer." Indeed, the fu­ sion of music with unabashed alcohol­ ism is at the core of the Bobnoxious ethos. The band's latest album, in a stroke that is as ingenious as it is mar­ velously puerile, functions as both a tepid speed-punk offering and a drink­ ing game.

Entitled Rockaholics: The Fun Drinking G am e (is there any other kind?), the album challenges listen­ ers to consume eight beers and five shots in the course of 37 minutes. It is a daunting task for even the thirsti­ est rockers. It is also beneficial to the album, as inebriation renders this soso release considerably more listenable. Sober, Rockaholics feels more like a hangover than a liquor-injected night of bedlam. And though it would be all too easy to tear apart this album with a barrage of metaphors about drinking and dry-heaving, you have to give a band some degree of credit for so singularly manifesting the "hope I die 'fore I get old" philosophy of rock overindulgence.

Bobnoxious, if anything, is unique in the realm of Canadian rock music, in that a) they're not some pretentious "collective" and b) in their habit of shy­

dy in

M E

E D IC IN E urope

d a y a t G e r t 's . a r t s @ m c g illt r ib u n e .c o m __________________________________

ing away from the polite non-offensiveness that often marks us Canucks as different from our Yankee neigh­ bours.

"It's a party nation. It's a have fun nation," Reid says of his home and na­ tive land. "Nobody's out to screw the other guy on purpose," The band's attitude has garnered them a cult following in Ontario, where fans affectionately refer to themselves as Rockaholics.

“We are, really, the serious Trailer Park Boys.. .o f a rock 'n' roll band!" ex­ claims Reid, and indeed the band's music and outlook is comparable to the endearingly self-destructive resi­ dents of TV's Sunnyvale trailer park.

This low-brow, knowingly unrefined aesthetic is one that has assumed prevalence in contemporary Canadian culture and it is one that Bobnoxious is surely benefiting from.

Reid summed up the band's outlook towards excess and personal candor, saying "you never know how much tim e you got hangin'around, so you might as well make it a good one.

And if you got something to say, you'd fuckin'better say it."

Trooper (or was it April Wine?) said something like that once. But by golly, they were nice enough not to use so many darn cuss words. ■

Stu

T h in k c o n c e r t s , p la y s a n d w w w .m e c iic a i- s c h o o i.c a m o v ie s a re f u n ? C o m e to o u r m e e t i n g s , 530 M o n - eaiiadiiim@medical-sdiool.ca

C a n a d ia n b a n d m ix e s b o o z e a n d ro c k J o hn S e m le y

COMPILED BY CRYSTAL CHAN

ONE OF NORTH AMERICA'S LEADING DISTRIBUTORS IN HOME DECOR IS...

E M I*

TAXES INC.

|

Carpets from $2.00 ; Candleholders from$1.00 Cushion Covers from$1.00 | Xmas Ornaments from$0.25 Xmas Candles from$1.00 i Furniture upto70% off

iiiïïT ïïn

■

Valid with proof of co u|

STO RE HOURS cut out this Ad

A d Vi entrepôt I

645 Wellington 514.861.6597

Mon. toW ed. * iiu i c& Fri. Thurs.

Saturday Sunday Sunday

11- 5pm 11 - 6pm 10- 5pm 12 to 5pm

MÉTRO Square Victoria

The McGill Tribune

18 • Arts & Entertainment • 05.12.06 F IL M

Editor's Pick: Best Smells like a murder movie T y k w e r's P e r f u m e all fla ir, little s u b s ta n c e albums of 2006 B en L em ieu x

A lte rn a tiv e hits w o rth a listen B en L em ieu x 1 . Aereogram m e— Seclusion. This album kicks ass in

more ways than M r.T and Chuck Norris could come up with combined. Lynsey Joss's vocals deftly handle the alternation between breezy, heartfelt synthy ballads and peeling the shellac on the ten-m inute powerhouse "The Unravelling," w hile the rest of the band creates soundscapes and melodies that are puzzlingly delicate for a hard rock album . There isn't a dull moment on this record, and you have to give props to a band who covers the Flaming Lips'"Lightning Strikes the Postman” and improve it. The only downside to this album is that listening to it dwarfs anything you've ever done.

Most film directors, be they in­ volved in fiction or documentary projects, will tell you that smell is the most challenging of the human senses to translate onto the screen.

With CGI wizardry, tremendous ad­ vances in sound editing over the years and the vibrating chairs they

have remained alien to him over the years. The young wanderer eventu­ ally comes across a beautiful young woman selling fruit, a person who exudes a smell so sublime that Gre­ nouille is awed by it and immediately drawn to it. Grenouille's pursuit ends when he impulsively, though acci­ dentally, asphyxiates her and strives to soak up the smell of the woman's body, to preserve her scent. Frustrat­ ed by his inability to do so, Grenouille seeks out once legendary perfumer Giuseppe Baldini (Dustin Hoffman),

m urder the gorgeous young women of the town as part of a m eticulously conducted project to concoct a per­ fum e that holds the sm ell of virginal wom anhood.

Naturally, the most im pressive part of Perfume is watching Tom Tykwer's directorial m astery at work as he gracefully and im peccably toys w ith the audience's olfactory.Thanks to m arvelous image and sound edit­ ing,Tykw er is able to evoke the sm ells of 19 th-century Paris cringe-induc­ ing accuracy, particularly Grenouille's nascence in a dingy, putrescent fish m arket— a scene filled to the brim w ith close-ups of decapitated trout corpses and the gooey, squishy swish of organs being stripped from stale carcasses. The latter half of the film , shot in the glowing rural com ­ m unities o f Provence, boasts ju st as much "visual aroma" w ith its endless lavender fields and soap m anufac­ turing lines.

All olfactory dazzle set aside, however, the film has a few glaring problem s. Though W hishaw's por­ trayal of Grenouille is appropriately confused and sinister, his character is sim ply not likeable or perhaps not pitiable enough to sustain the film 's 14 5 -m inute running tim e. The narrative's heel-dragging progres­ sion may be attributable to Tykwer's partial lack of control— in term s of having to refer back to the source m aterial. Those who rightfully recog­ nize Tykwer as one of the most pro­ foundly com petent film m akers and storytellers of his generation must also recognize that the success and unique style and texture of his film s stem from his com plete control over the production— w ith Run Lola Run

who passes on what knowledge he can and sends Grenouille to make his name as a perfumer in the Provence town of Grasse. There, he becomes driven to madness by his quest to capture the feminine scent and be­ gins to remorselessly kidnap and

he took on the responsibility of w rit­ ing the original score in addition to w riting the screenplay and directing.

The process of adaptation seems to stifle Tykwer's boundless creativity, yielding a film that sm ells fantastic but tastes m ediocre. ■

eyes.

Cut to Grenouille as a young man: a perpetually detached gloss drawn over his eyes, his skin spotted with coloured patches after years of intensive labour in a leather tannery.

While delivering hides for his master, Grenouille wanders off into the dimly lit streets of Paris, endeavouring to absorb and savour all the smells that

2 . People in Planes— As Far As

the Eye Can See. A britrock band at the core, People in Planes distinguishes itself sim ply by incorporating a more diverse palate of genres than any of its stylistic peers or predeces­ sors. Part 9 0 's alternative rock, part acid-jazz, part post-rock, As Far As the Eye Can See does for 2 0 0 0 's guitar rock w hat Radiohead's The Bends achieved a decade ago.

3 . Parov Stelar— Seven and Storm. Stelar's vision of w hat you can only call "psychedelic jazz" is utterly singular. Com bining upright bass sounds with turn­ tables, electronic house beats, 19 5 0 s lounge/soul vo­ cals and samples from the Batman television series, each song on Seven and Storm is an intricate web of sounds that is just as interesting to dissect upon the 10 0 th listen as it is on the first. A contem porary, genre-bending tour-de-force.

4 . Rocco DeLuca & the Burden— / Trust

You to Kill Me. Aside from having the coolest band name and

album title this side of the tropic of Cancer, DeLuca and the boys should be touted as the early 2 1 st century's forem ost blues-rock heroes.The first band to be signed onto Kiefer Sutherland's back-to-basics Ironworks records, the Burden's debut is w hat you'd expect Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti to sound like if Jeff Buckley had played it. DeLuca's register is phenome­ nal and his dobro— hollow-body guitar with a steel top, also among the hardest instrum ents on Earth to play properly— slithers and slides through the album like a rattlesnake with a bad case of the Delta blues. Beyond w hich, in the wake of James Blunt's shenanigans, DeLuca has the stones to feature the phrase "You're beautiful..." rather prom inently in the chorus of his sublim e album closer"Favor,''and makes the line feel more earnest than you've ever heard it before. A genuine m asterwork.

5 . Dum as— Fixer le Temps. With 2 0 0 4 's Le Cours des Jours, Quebec heartthrob Steve Dumas proved be­

yond the shadow of a doubt that he was the best songwriter this province— probably even this coun­ try— has to offer. His follow-up, Fixer le Temps holds its own and shows Dumas, as ever, exploring new musical and lyrical terrain when most people figured he would probably just elect to slack off with this one. Here's to showing Ron Sexsmith who's boss.

S m o ke -fre e e n v iro n m e n t

PLACE

D o n 't fo rg e t y o u r

Welcome to new and returning students!

S in c e

B

a n J o r e l a s t ta r d s .*

ITWORKS! Call Paul at B U N E 398-6806

* S e p t. to end o f A p ril

G O O D L U C K O N F IN A L

Remember, your advertising runs for seven days in the McGill Tribune at a very low rate—book your space now

E X A M S A N V PA PE R S H

a w

a

Adapted from the popular Pat­ rick Suskind novel of same name, Per­ fume is a story that revolves around scent. Our doomed anti-hero, JeanBaptiste Grenouille (Ben W hishaw of Layer Cake) is born into/the pu­ trid slum markets of Paris and raised in an orphanage for brats, ruffians and frustrated, unwanted children.

Through the early form ative stages of his life, Grenouille's entourage interprets his stoicism and inability to speak as signs of developm ental problem s, but beneath the guarded, uncom m unicative shell of boy exists a preternaturally advanced sense of sm ell. Grenouille's nose can discern w hich leaves have fallen from w hich trees, can detect an object being thrown at the back of his head from 30 feet away and essentially allows him to map out the entirety of his surroundings w ithout even using his

The McGill

1964

rea kfa st and m o re

installed in some megaplexes a few years ago, our sight, hearing and tac­ tile senses are easy for most films to target, tickle, take advantage of or isolate.The gritty visuals and earsplit­ ting explosions of Steven Spielberg's mock Omaha Beach in Saving Private Ryan, or even the choppy editing, mesmerizing visuals and punctu­ ated sounds of Requiem for a Dream were instrumental in enhancing the overarching aesthetic achieved by both films. By stark contrast, smell is impossible to convey to cinema audiences in a straightforward man­ ner. Tom Tykwer's (Run Lola Run, The Princess and the Warrior) attempt to tackle this very impossibility is what sets Perfume apart.

,s a f e

H A P P Y H O L ID A Y

J

05,12.06 • Arts & Entertainment • 19

www.mcgilltribune.com FO O D

Hot and spicy, just the way we like our winter eats E ateries serve u p a u th e n tic C h in es e dishes K eren T an g W hile General Tao's Chicken is still a Chinese-Am erican favourite, there is no shortage o f real Chinese cuisine in the city o f M ontreal. Going to a Chinese restaurant doesn't have to mean ordering "delicious" sw eet and sour soup and chicken or beef broccoli, dishes that are far too Am ericanized for m ost Chinese.

For a country w ith such a large and diverse population, you would think that its cooks would produce more than ju st som e m eat stir-fry with seafood occasionally as a luxury.

Some bold North Am ericans are finally beginning to discover a great­ er variety o f dishes, several that the average Chinese m ainlander would enjoy and label as delicious.

Don't get me wrong, General Tao has its m erits. Who doesn't enjoy the sensation o f sinking their teeth into thick batter coated w ith rich sw eet sauce before finally reaching the proportionally m inuscule piece o f m eat inside? But honestly, there is a w hole other w orld of Chinese cui­ sine out there.

Beyond dim -sum , for exam ple, there is a different type o f cuisine to die for if you like your food hot and spicy. This is food from the Sichuan province, where the food is char­ acterized by the fiery sensation it leaves on the taste buds.

The restaurants Yu Hang and Nyu Kee serve as prim e exam ples of the Sichuan fare. The tw o are distinct

LEE TIPTON

Sober décor meets spicy, exotic cuisine. from one another despite the short distance between them. Yu Hang is a more chic venue: the lights are dimmer, tablecloths whiter and the servers are in better uniforms. The food presents some novel tastes and is authentic to a degree, although it still caters largely to non-Chinese taste. Other frustrations arose from the communication barrier between servers and patrons and slow, less than friendly experience.

Nyu Kee, just down the street, is a typical hole-in-the-wall eatery.

Despite the long line of people that extended down the stairs, we were seated within seven minutes of ar­ riving. The casually dressed servers

greeted us w ith a sm ile and apolo­ gized for the w ait. The size of the restaurant is not big; it sits about 25 patrons. However, it is rem iniscent of sm all, lively diners in China— w here the next table's conversation is the accom panying m usic. Our tw o spicy dishes plus one plain vegetable stirfry created the perfect m ix o f heavi­ ness and spice. The food was great; every single crum b and bean sprout disappeared to leave shiny plates.

This fam ily restaurant also expresses its personality along the w alls. The chef actually learned his Sichuan cooking skills in his home province o f Henan, and his w ife is a Peking opera perform er who has had her sm all share of fam e in China as w ell as here in Montreal. Along the w all hang various portraits depicting the heavily m ade-up singer in colourful outfits during past perform ances.

At Yu Hang, a dish such as spicy chicken w ith hot chilli peppers or eggplant w ith garlic sauce w ill cost from $7 -1 0 . The sam e dish w ill be tw ice the size at Nyu Kee for tw o to three dollars more. In this case, the bigger the better, as the plates at Nyu Kee beat out those at Yu Hang in both portion size and quality.

Some tips when ordering Sichuanese food: There are very few dishes on the menu that wouldn't be recommended, but it's always a good idea to consult the servers about the freshness of the ingredi­ ents. Furthermore, because of the excess spice, it's best to include at least one non-spicy or green dish to buffer the taste.

On a final note, some items may seem rather out-of-this-world, or on the contrary, exactly what you have heard about real Chinese food. What are you afraid of? It's just intestines!

Breakout of the bubble and indulge.

Yu H a n g (400 R en e-Levesq ue) vs.

Niu Kee R e sta u ra n t (116 3 Clark)

Rating on a scale 1 -10 : Yu Hang Food: 8.5 Nyu Kee LEE TIPTON

Round tables big enough for the the whole family.

Décor: 7 Service: 3 Food: 9 Décor: 7 Service: 9

Reviews C onverg e— N o H e ro e s. The new est album in Converged 15 year history, No Heroes is a d ifficult yet intriguing record to assess. Unlike m any m etal and hardcore bands trying to find th eir unique niche in an increasingly saturated scene, Converge does not sim ply push boundaries; they don't recognize the existence o f them .

Like the rest o f th eir catalogue, No Heroes uses the deranged, incom ­ prehensible vocals of frontm an Jacob Bannon to com plem ent th eir unique style. W hile disturbingly off-putting to m ost uninitiated listeners, Bannon's contribution is not m eant to be delivered as a driving force in the song but instead is entirely em bedded w ithin the riff in order to articulate its dark and com plicated nature. G uitarist, producer and engineer Kurt Ballou really shines on this album , not only by providing the com plex riffs but m ore so by bringing this album 's and this band's sound to full fruition. The produc­ tion on No Heroes has certainly com e a long w ay since Converge's pre-rem astered release o f Petitioning th e E m p ty Sky, w hich, by contrast, is a loud, schizophrenic grind w ith a shot of adrenaline.

The album has its ups and dow ns. O nly 58 seconds in length, "Ven­ geance" is indicative of Ben Koller's ability to bring the drum s to the center; "Orphaned" is a steady rockin'tune to m osh to; and the title track serves to show case each o f the m usicians'instrum ental prowess, individually as w ell as co llectively. On the other hand, "Grim Heart/Black Rose," w ith guest vocal­ ist Jonah Jenkins, is a 1 0 -m inute miss.

W hile No Heroes is a m ust have for Converge fans, it is probably not the best induction for a first-tim e listener as it is sim ply not as rockin'as more riff-oriented, cult classics like Ja n e D o e and W hen Forever C om es Crashing.

— Kayvon Afshari

S o w hat's A â&#x20AC;&#x2122; ' f ÂŤ

'

7

7

y e a r b o o k a ll a b o u t?

This is the only campus-wide yearbook...

Take th e g o o d tim e s a lo n g D o n 't m is s o u t o n y o u r c h a n c e t o b e p a r t o f t h e M c G ill h is to r y b o o k s , w h i le s t u d y in g a t t h e b e s t U n iv e r s ity in C a n a d a in o n e o f t h e m o s t b e a u t if u l c itie s in t h e g r e a t e s t c o u n t r y in t h e w o r ld . $42.00 plus tax gets you a Yearbook $25.00 plus tax gets you a Photo $67.00 plus taxes gets you Immortality

j o

s t e n

s

Jo s te n s

( 5 1 4 ) 2 0 5 7

is

an

g r a d u a t io n

r in g s

A v a ila b le

a t

o f f ic ia l to H F

s u p p lie r

M c G ill

U n iv e r s it y .

P h o to

4 9 9 - 9 9 9 9

S ta n le y

o f

S tre e t

S t u d io .

S p o r ts E X C L U S IV E IN T E R V IE W — D E N B U R K R E ID — M O N T R E A L M A T R IX

Former McGill basketball star took the blue pill S p lits t im e as R e d m e n a s s is ta n t a n d A B A s n ip e r C h a r lie B lo r e Denburk Reid probably thought his bas­ ketball playing days in Montreal were behind him when he graduated from McGill in 20 0 5 as the Redmen's all-tim e leading scorer with over 20 0 0 points, 3 0 0 steals and more than 40 0 rebounds. Then cam e the opportunity of a lifetim e.Tw o years ago, the Montreal Matrix basket­ ball club was founded as the newest franchise in the massive 5 1 -team Am erican Basketball Association. Now in his second year with the club, the s '9 ’ point guard has managed to forge him self a niche in the professional ranks. True to form , though, the Little Burgundy native— a rather rough neighborhood of Montreal, near the Atwater market— hasn't forgotten where he cam e from. Despite the dem ands of being a professional athlete, Reid is currently pulling double duty by serving as an assistant coach for the Redmen. He managed to take tim e out of his busy schedule to sit down with the Tribune and discuss the Redmen, the Matrix and every­ thing in between.

What do you think of this year's edi­ tion of the Redmen?

We have a lot o f potential. We're young and energetic and I think we could make some noise this year; we just have to believe we can.

Just because we're young doesn't mean we can't w in. Because we're young, we have noth­ ing to lose and we can go in there and use our young energy. We're also very athletic and I think that goes hand-in-hand with the energy.

Was McGill always the first choice?

Actually it wasn't. Like everybody else, I wanted to go the States to play. I knew that any­ where I would go I was going to play basketball but I also wanted to make it worth my w hile in term s of getting an education. So I turned down a couple of schools on that basis and then with a couple of others, like Maine, it just didn't work out for a variety of reasons. In term s of Canada, I had a lot of choice. I knew a couple of guys from my days at Dawson who were playing at McGill but because of the coaching situation

and the style they were playing here, I wasn't re­ ally looking at M cGill. I knew academ ically they were good but again I wasn't considering them because of their style of play. Then there was Concordia but I quickly dropped them because there was an incident with a recruiting trip I had there. I didn't like w hat the coach there said about McGill and that's w hy I decided to come here, [laughs] Just to spite him . But at the same tim e I decided, there was a coaching change here and so that just made it that much easier to com e to M cGill.

What are some of the things you took away from your time at McGill and what do you think you've brought to the program?

It's a different culture here than it is in Little Burgundy, so I think I took a lot away in terms o f culture and cam araderie. I learned a lot by meeting different people from different backgrounds. In terms of athletics, though, the m entality here is maybe a little more laid back. I think I can bring a bit more o f an aggressive ap­ proach to the game here. We don't always have to be nice guys. O ff the court we do, but while we have to be respectful on the court, we don't necessarily have to be nice guys.

problem scoring right now; it's more of a defen­ sive thing. We all have to be on the same page on the defensive end but once we get that straight we should be good.

What do you think of the ABA's dis­ tinctive scoring system?

I like it. No lead is ever safe and that means no game is ever over. In ju st two or three min­ utes, with a couple o f steals you can get back in any game. Teams press more to get the ball more so you see guys taking more risks to get the ball back. So I think it makes the game more exciting, it adds a different flavour to the game.

[The ABA uses the unique "3 -D" scoring system , w hich allows in certain circum stances for baskets to be worth one more point than they would be norm ally; check out www.abalive.com for details.]

Did you ever consider going anywhere

else to play basketball professionally?

I did for about a second, but because of my fam ily situation with my son, I wasn't like everyone else. I couldn't ju st get up and go wherever and if it doesn't work out just go som ewhere else. I don't have that freedom to just move over and over. I had some good of­ fers but when it was all-said and done I think the best thing for me was to stay here and it just so happened that the ABA cam e along.

Is coaching something you hope to pursue full-time when your playing career is over?

It's a possibility. So far, the more I do it, the more I enjoy it. I coached the"AA"team at Daw­ son College for a few years, so it's not like I just decided one day that I wanted to coach. I've been involved with coaching for a w hile now so I guess it's ju st a natural transition for me back to the university level. ■

Has the transition from student ath­ lete to the pros been difficult?

It's certainly a different approach. You're used to doing everything with the team when you're in school: You practice together, you run together and you go to the gym together. In the pros, you really have to take care of your own thing. This is w hat you get paid to do and so you have to make sure you do it to the best of your abilities and that means taking care of yourself. That's part of the transition. The other part is that it's more dog-eat-dog. You have to make sure you're a survivor and you do your thing so you can make it over others.

What do you think of the Matrix's chances this year?

We're struggling a bit right now with our COURTESY MONTREAL MATRIX chem istry but I think once we get in a good flow we should be all right. We don't have any Reid makes transition from the floors of the

ie Gym to the court of the ABA.

T H I R D M A N IN

Can we get Ron a seven second delay?

A dam S mith

R

on MacLean doesn't like the NHL's new rules and has never made much of an effort to hide his displeasure.

But now, enough is enough: It's time for him to quit yap­ ping and accept that they're here to stay. The fact is that what­ ever MacLean thinks of the rules—which, for the most part, are actually just old rules finally being properly enforced— most people like the "new NHL" and his constant harping on the subject has become tiresome.

MacLean sits in his ivory tower on Hockey N ight in Canada every week and takes gratuitous pot shots at the new rules. He particularly enjoys sneaking in a snide little remark just as the show—be it"Coach's Corner"or the Hot Stove panel—goes to commercial when there's effectively no opportunity for his in­ terlocutors to respond; a childish tactic if ever there was one.

That's not to say that he isn't willing to debate the issue. In fact, he's often eager to do so and will pick fights about it with Don Cherry, Al Strachan, Eric Duhatschek or whoever else he can get his hands on.The week before last, he got a great op­ portunity to do just that when the NHL's Senior Vice-President of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell—the man responsible for implementing and monitoring the rule changes MacLean so loathes—appeared as a guest on Hockey Night, as he oc­ casionally does.

In the days before that, MacLean came out with a "new" way to criticize the NHL, declaring on AM 6 4 0 's Leafs Lunch in Toronto that it was "willing to throw players under the bus."

After whining about the parade to the penalty box all of last season, MacLean has changed his tune slightly this year. He's still against the crackdown on obstruction, but this tim e it's because he thinks it's leading to too many head injuries.

In MacLean's view, because the new game flows more freely and players aren't allowed to clutch and grab opponents like they used to, players have a false sense of security and are more susceptible to open-ice hits, which are even more dev­ astating since they now comeat higher speeds. This is simply preposterous.

While there have been an unusually high number of big, legal hits resulting in head injuries this season, the new rules aren't to blame. Those have always happened— remember Scott Stevens knocking out Eric Lindros in the 2 0 0 0 play­ offs?— and to a certain extent always w ill.

I will admit that the Canucks'Willie Mitchell's hit on Johan Franzen of the Red Wings—which is what got MacLean going this time—was a tad cheap but the obstruction crackdown has nothing to do with that. Franzen is out because Mitchell caught him looking down at the ice and laid into Franzen's

head with his shoulder.The problem there is that it's not illegal to hit a guy in the head, as long as you do it cleanly, and that the equipment players wear these days is so hard that it can be used as a weapon.

There's a simple solution to this, though: Make shots to the head illegal under all circumstances and start giving out match penalties and suspensions to those who break the rules. In addition, the league should force equipment manu­ facturers to develop new padding that protects the wearers but isn't the current plastic armour that causes so many inju­ ries to those on the receiving end.

Simple changes are all it would take to drastically cut down on the number of plays like those that MacLean com­ plains about. There's no reason to go back to the old style of the game. The truth is that Ron MacLean despises the new NHL and is merely using this as a cover to advance his efforts to roll back the clock on rule changes. What he needs to re­ alise, though, is that his opinion is not shared by the league, players or vast majority of fans. The new NHL may not be per­ fect, but it's a hell of a lot better than the old one and it's not going anywhere, no matter what MacLean says.

And hey, it can't be that bad if even Don Cherry isn't grip­ ing about it. ■

The McGill Tribune

2 2 -Sports-05.12.06 W O M E N 'S H O C K E Y — M A R T L E T S 6 , C A R L E T O N 0

M cG ill c r u is e t o a p e r f e c t M a r t le t s

c r u s h

R a v e n s

M att C hesser As the weather in Montreal begins to grow colder, the McGill Martlets are o nlyju st heating up.

The red-hot Martlets improved their regular season re­ cord to a perfect 10 -0 -0 by blanking the Carleton Ravens in a 6 -0 whitewash at McConnell Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Forward Rebecca Martindale notched two goals, centre Van­ essa Davidson added a marker and two assists and Charline Labonté made 29 saves for the shutout, to help McGill extend its undefeated streak against CIS teams to 17 games (16 -0 -1 ).

McGill's last loss to a CIS opponent was against Lau­ rier on Mar. 11 , in the opening round of last season's national cham pionship.

"I don't think that we've peaked at all," said Head Coach Peter Sm ith. "One of the nice things we have on this team is a group of great young players, as well as some veterans who provide terrific leadership w ithin our dressing room. The strength of our team is definitely our depth and our balance."

The puck stops here The story against Carleton was yet again Labonté, who picked up her CIS-leading fifth shutout in 10 regular season starts. The rookie goaltender was sharp all game and now boasts a league-best 0.80 goals against average as well as a stellar .955 save percentage.

Labonté was particularly im pressive in the second pe­ riod, when she turned aside 15 Carleton shots to preserve her 10 th victory of the season.

“In the past four or five games I don't think I played very w ell,"Labonté said."We were getting the wins'but I was letting in a couple of soft goals that I should have stopped. That's w hy it was im portant for me to be focused and get the shut­ out in our, last gam epf the year."

Labonté had plenty of help from the team in front of her, w hich now boasts the top eight scorers in the Quebec

to

r e m a in

S H O O T IN G O U T T H E L I G H T S S «&

1

0

H earing isn

u n d e fe a te d

Conference. Four players had m ultiple-point nights, includ­ ing Catherine Ward, the top-scoring defender in the CIS, who added three assists to bring her point total to 15 in only 10 games.

Alyssa Cecere opened the scoring just over 10 minutes into the game for the Martlets, notching w hat would prove to be the eventual game-winner. Forty-six seconds later, Valérie Paquette doubled the lead with her fifth goal of the season.

Kate Elzinga would round out the first period scoring with only 55 seconds remaining, banging home a loose puck w hile parked in front of the Carleton crease.

More of the sam e in second In the second period, Rebecca Martindale scored tw ice in ju st over tw o m inutes, both tim es converting cross-ice feeds from Davidson over a sprawling Valerie Charbonneau.

Davidson, the Martlets' leading-scorer, capped the McGill on­ slaught by cleanly beating two Ravens defenders before slid­ ing a backhand past Charbonneau.

"It's nice to have a goaltender like Charline, who we know will always come up with a big save when we need it," Davidson said. "But we all played our game today and got a lot of shots on net. We dominated the flow of play."

McGill now owns a 2 8 -0 -1 lifetim e record against Carleton, and heads into the Christm as break as the undisputed top team in the nation.

"It's always a concern that players m ight become com ­ placent with so many victories early on,"said Sm ith. "But we're very cognisant of that and we constantly challenge them to work on their habits. We talk a lot about the things that we need to do to be successful, regardless of the team that we're playing."

In the new year, the Martlets w ill com pete in the Theresa Humes Tournam ent at Concordia before resuming regular season play on Jan. 13 against the eighth-ranked Ottawa GeeGees, who presently sit a distant second in the conference. ■

IM A G E S — B A D M IN T O N

:

b e lie v in g A d a m H e lle r s technology advanced from print to radio and on to television, the axioms used in these new media evolved with it. We w ent from "reading is believing" to "hearing is believing" and now "seeing is believing." Sports coverage has followed the same path except that the last tw o have been com bined— now we must hear and see to believe. Alm ost all broadcasts, regardless of sport, "wire" or "mic up" players so we, the viewers, can hear an edited version of w hat is being said throughout the course of the game. It is a great idea, but does it work? Not from a technical perspective (I remember Bryan McCabe's mic getting tangled in his stick earlier in the season), but from a "believability" perspective. Should we believe what w e hear or are the players playing to the mic? Does it matter?

I'll use hockey as an exam ple because this w eek had a couI pie of good exchanges caught on tape. The first was on Thurs­ day night in Phoenix before a fight between Coyotes' goon j George Laraque and Kings'tough guy Raitis Ivanans. Laraque j was "wired" for the game and had the following to say to his fellow com batant before the fight started:

A

Laraque:You wanna go?

Ivanans: OK Laraque. OK. Square up?

Ivanans: OK Laraque. OK. Good luck man.

They proceeded to fight. Aside from the obligatory "wow, i those guys were really angry at each other"and "this is an em­ barrassm ent to the league" crowd piping in with some more | insight into w hy hockey should .becom e a non-contact sport, I am curious as to w hether Laraque was influenced in any way ) b yth e factth a t he was mic'd."Good luck man?" Are you kidding ! me? It is entirely possible that Laraque wanted to seem cool on ! television, so he dressed up the fight to look like a walk in the : park. As TSN com m entator Darren Dreger said after the fight, it looked a lot more like a staged bout between the Rock and j Stone Cold Steve Austin than anything else.

Wiring does deliver some insight into the game beyond | the macho discourse before a scrap. It can also give insight after j a throw-down. In a game on Saturday, Alexander Ovechkin of j the Washington Capitals blindsided Buffalo Captain Daniel Brij ere, triggering a huge brawl. Capitals defencem an Bryan Muir was mic'd for the game and after he served his tim e in the pen­ alty box he tried to explain w hat had happened to a teammate ' on the bench: Team m ate: What happened out there?

M uir: Oh, [Ovechkin] smoked someone. I didn't really see it,

I

Redmen and Martlets smashed the opposition at a tournament hosted

by McGill on Saturday in the Currie Gym.

in other new s, the M cGill Redmen hockey team faced o ff against defending OUA cham pions Lakehead in Thunder Bay on the w eekend.

In th eir first m eeting since the Redmen lost last season's OUA fin al, the team tied 3-3 on Friday and lost on Saturday 3-2.

—

--------------------------- -,

G e t a

F R E E

6 -p a c k

j

o f Trojan c o n d o m s* |

STUDENT WORKS PAINTING TERRITORY MANAGER Currently hiring hardwork­ ing students. Don't miss out! Open to all majors.

Great resume builder.

Average earnings last summer was $1 2,2 0 0 !

No previous experience necessary. Full training and support provided. Do you want to get ahead at a young age? Interested?

I

•When you purchase 12regularcondomsfor $2.99 J •Coupon required | •Exp. 12/31/06 j

e h g g jm .J 3511 Peef Stre e t (in th e B ro w n b u ild in g ) ;

Deadline Dec. 4 2006 Call: 1-800-698-2770 ASAP LEAVE A GREAT MESSAGE R EC EIV E A C A LL BACK.

I had the puck behind the net. I came flying out and I saw three guys come flying in with their gloves off so it was pretty evident w hat was happening.

It is good to know that sometim es the' players on the ice know about as much as us watching at home. This was less likely a player pandering to the mic, but who knows.That is the problem with wiring players: hearing is not necessarily believ­ ing. It is, without a doubt, entertaining, but im agine if you were j wired for an intramural game. You would try your best to put on a show for the people listening and at least make it interesting j for them . I've noticed that a lot of the tim e when they show a wired player talking on the bench, no one is listening. This is either because no one ever listens or because everyone knows that Player X is wired and is trying to be funny on television.

Several solutions are available. One would be to wire ev! eryone so that we would pick up some genuine insight. This is a problem because no one really knows w hat true insight is.

Unless you have an intim ate understanding of all players and their on-ice personas, this would be im possible. Another would be to not tell the player that he's mic'd. This is probably against some rule, but worth a shot. A third would be getting rid of the wire altogether. But would this be a good idea? Probably not. Sports is entertainm ent above all and wiring players is unj doubtedly engaging. However, it is an interesting debate and targets the blurry line between acting, competing and w hat we as viewers w ant to see. Sports and entertainm ent have become ; alm ost one and the sam e^ ask career show-boater and camera hog Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals, the consumate hybrid of athletic ability 3nd showm anship . So keep the wire, but when watching, stay cognisant of the fact that hearing, like seeing, shouldn't necessarily mean believing. ■

05.12.06-Sports-23 ■■■■■■

www.mcgilltribune.com

Football

After last year's disastrous season both on and off the field, no one was quite sure what to expect from the Redmen this year.That being said, while their perfor­ mance was a big improvement from last year's, it can hardly be called a great suc­ cess. All tolled, it was a campaign marred by inconsistency, due in large part to the defence's inability to stop the run and the offence's failure to develop a balanced attack.

The 20 0 6 Redmen finished off their regular season at 4 -4 , w hich was good enough to get them into the QUFL semi-finals, where they were prom ptly spanked 5 2 -0 by the eventual national cham pions from Laval. However, it's im portant to note that McGill's four w ins— one of w hich was the result of a forfeit by St. Francis Xavier University— came at the expense of teams with a com bined 8 -23 record.

The biggest bright spot on offence was the play of quarterback Matt Connell, who led the team all season, throwing for a McGill record 2,146 yards. It shouldn't be surprising, then, that the receiving corps also had a solid season, led by Greg Hethrington, Erik Galas and freshman Charles-Antoine Sinotte. Hethrington's efforts earned him a spot as an offensive second team All-Canadian along with teammate Ben Walsh at guard. The flip side of the aerial assault, though, was that the Redmen rushing attack was non-existent, putting up less than 4 0 0 yards on the ground as a team all season.

The defence was equally inept in stopping the ground game. Opposing run­ ning backs looked forward to playing the Redmen who allowed three different ball carriers to run for over 20 0 yards in a game. Defensive back Anthony Lucka was one of the lone bright spots for the McGill defence, finishing the season w ith four interceptions. ■

Led by mercurial striker James Scholefield—a second team all All-Canadian and the Quebec Con­ ference scoring leader—the Redmen put together a very solid campaign as they drove to within a double-overtime goal of the QSSF finals, losing to their nemesis from Laval in the semis.

j

Coming off a disappointing 20 0 5 in w hich the team finished fifth in the Quebec Conference and missed the playoffs with a 5 -6-1 regular season record, Head Coach Philipe Eullaffroy cultivated a fresh approach to the pitch, in w hich hard work, increased intensity and a high-octane offence would be stressed. Sure enough, the Redmen saw a dram atic im provem ent in their on-field play and as a result, in their spot in the standings. The squad slotted home 12 more goals this season and only allowed two more to find the back of its own net, leading to a subsequent rise up the Quebec standings to second place with an impressive 6 -3 -3 record in 12 games and an eventual spot in the QSSF semi-finals.

While the team will have solved this problem as of the beginning of next year, the Redmen did suffer from a lack of experience as the squad was loaded with first and second year players. However, if the team can put together a strong indoor season, and return to the pitch with the same focus next year, watch out for Redmen soccer squad in 2 0 0 7 . ■ Grade: A-

MVP: James Scholefield Player to watch: Shawn Amarasekera —Aaron Sigal

Grade: C MVP: Matt Connell Player to watch: Charles-Antoine Sinotte —Mike Vallo

It was another stellar season for the soccer Martlets, one of McGill's most con­ sistent and successful team s. Rock-solid defence and superior conditioning were the hallmarks of a determ ined and am bitious squad that looked to be a threat for the national title from day one. However, that CIS crown proved as elusive for the 2 0 0 6 Martlets as it has been historically for the wom en in Red and W hite.

McGill cruised through the regular season with an 11 -0 -3 record, outscoring

Redmen Rugby Prior to this year, the rugby Redmen had been a force in Quebec rugby, reaching the final in each ; of the three previous years. They set out this year though to make up for losing last year's Quebec title to Concordia and managed to make good on their efforts. McGill dominated the regular season, going [ 7 -0 -1 . Highlights included a 7 0 -7 win in the opener against ETS and a 5 1-10 mauling of Sherbrooke. The !

Redmen's only loss came in one of their two meetings with the Stingers, who also finished 7 -0 -1 , but with a much smaller point differential.

their opposition 37-3 en route to becoming the only team in the nation to post an undefeated record. The success continued through the QUSL playoffs, with a thrill­ ing shootout win over Laval in the final earning the Martlets their eighth Quebec title in the last nine years, their fourth in a row and a trip to the CIS Championships.

It was there that McGill's fortunes took a bizarre turn. The Martlets lost their first game by default after Head Coach Marc Mounicot pulled the team off the field when one of the stadium's banks of lights did not turn on despite growing dark­ ness, making conditions dangerous and unplayable in his opinion. The referee and tournament officials did not agree and ruled that McGill had forfeited the match, relegating the Martlets to the consolation pool.

The Martlets salvaged something from the tournament by knocking off topranked Victoria in their next game, but their sixth-place finish could not have been very satisfying for a team that, from the beginning of the season, had set their sights on a national title. ■

The Redmen then waltzed through their first playoff game, crushing Bishop's 4 4 -0 to secure a berth i in the final, where they met Concordia once again. It was a tight contest that was in doubt until the final i w histle but the Red 'n'W hite held on to capture their second cham pionship in three years with a 1 6 -12 j victory.

Grade: A MVP: Shari Fraser Player to watch: Marie-Jasmine Parsi

Grade: A MVP: Matt de Graff Player to watch: Kyle Buckley

Although McGill had several other players named to the all conference squad, McGill's captain Matt de Graff, playing his final season for the Redmen, was their most influential player. He was a leader both on and off the pitch throughout the year and nothing better exemplified McGill's drive and hunger to avenge last season's loss than de Graff's determination to play the second half of the final despite disloeating his shoulder before the break.»

—Adam Smith j

—John Dingle

Martlets Rugby All bubbles have to burst and 2006 was the year that the Martlets rugby team I was finally knocked off its perch as the top team in the Quebec University Rugby I League. After winning cham pionships in seven straight seasons— and not losing a single game in that span— the Martlets cam e crashing down to earth this year, falling I 7-3 in conference play to Laval and later falling 8-5 in the conference cham pionships I to the Rouge et Or. The initial loss ended the team's QURL unbeaten streak at an I unprecedented 65 games.

In addition, Coach Vince de Grandpre w ill be in need o f reinforcements as the squad w ill be losing Quebec conference all-star Ashley Rycroft and all-Canadian Laura Belvedere. Belvedere w ill be a particularly hard loss as she has been one the team's finest players for the past four years.

However, this is still a team that enjoyed an alm ost eight-year long unbeaten streak. All team s have tough years and with an expectation of success, one has to believe that the Martlets w ill recruit well in the offseason and be back next season, just as strong. ■ Grade: B 1 MVP: Laura Belvedere I Player to w atch: Laura Stewart

; j ; ;

"Best-ever"is the only way to describe the perform ance of this year's edition of the Martlets CrossCountry Team. The ladies recorded the highest finish in McGill's history at the CIS Cham pionships in Quebec City, placing second behind only the powerhouse Guelph Gryphons. Leading the way for the Martlets were Lauren Whyte and Elspeth MacGregor, who both earned All-Canadian honours by plac­ ing in the top seven. Whyte narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing in fourth place. Other highlights of the season for the Martlets included winning the Western International Meet in September, knock­ ing off rivals Guelph in the process, as well as taking the QSSF title in October.

The Redmen couldn't quite keep up with their fem ale counterparts, although those were high standards to match. The team did capture the Quebec title for the eighth tim e in 14 years, edging out favoured Sherbrooke by a single point, but managed only a H Ih place perform ance at the CIS Cham­ pionships. Individually, Adrian Walton was the top Redmen performer over the year, earning a bronze medal at the QSSF finals as well as taking the gold on home tu rf at the McGill Open. ■

Grade: Marlets A, Redmen B+ MVR Female: Lauren Whyte MVR Male: Adrian Walton Runners to watch: Stephanie Magrath, Steven Douglas — Jo h n D ingle

— David Blye

mm

^ lull

CTJ C

1

mi

<3

V ) $>

* 5

c

VJ

ê

o o »

M

>

I I I I I I I I I I I I

im -

R o Q a C

D

J,*fi| 5* £S9i ** *** '* :

«ÉW * *#• *Z v o e w

2

^

s

>* H

s g V* 2 2. < >

* * **? ■à * 5 > «a» J*J i 3 v j " i : i * 0

S

o C

^

o

. jc

f i

T3

(9

V

:s

îS

m

a?** '

*V h

ÜX

F ■ ^S *■

to £

C O *

V.

o ,?

G ÿMt

W

<*

c

f

3

*>

£ g

w

* «/ y

2 F - I

*T <3

-C

K

y

0

f i l l 1 f - s $

h

(9

2>8

U_

I I