The McGill Tribune Vol. 26 Issue 2

Published by th e Students' Society o f McGill University

w w w .m cgilltribune.com

Volum e 26 Issue 2 • Septem ber 1 2 ,2 0 0 6

Cessna lands on Parc Major street turned into runway K ayvon A fshari

Tam-tams participants quickly became eyewitnesses to a private Cessna airplane safely landing on Avenue du Parc near the George-Étienne Cartier monument at 4 p.m. last Sunday. Bill Berenholc, 49, owner of the family-run Lester's Deli, had asked the pilot to take him and his ten-year-old son, Sammy, flying above Montreal to get a bird's eye view of the city and of the family deli. Engine failure soon turned the outing into a terrifying close-call.

"We lost power to our engine and we came down on Parc Avenue," Berenholc said. “We had no choice; we were over downtown Montreal with big buildings.

There was very little open space, this was it. We were just looking out to find a street to get down as fast as we can. There were cars on the road and people, but we got lucky and we even got the green light. How hard is it to get a green light on Parc!"

The two passengers and pilot suffered no injuries, and the Cessna, which hit a pole during its descent, managed to land while only suffering damage to the left wing. No pedestrians, bicyclists, or cars were hurt.

According to Robert Mansueto, officer of. Media Relations with the Montreal Police Department, "[The See PLANE on page 2

Héma-Québec's speedy return questionable Blood agency afraid that on-campus dynamics haven't changed M

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Héma-Québec is still unsure about returning to McGill after a controversial though effective protest staged by radical sexual rights group Second Cumming during last January's blood drive.

The demonstration was in protest of the blood agency's policy barring men who have sex with men from donating blood.

The event caused Héma-Québec to shut down the drive three hours early due to concerns about the validity of donors'sexual history questionnaires. Posters were put up on campus asking students to come to the blood drive and "act faggy, do drag, lie about sexual history ...and cause a commotion."

Students'Society Vice-President Communications and Events Gill Prendergast sat down with Héma-Québec in August to try to

convince them to return to campus. According to her, the issue lies somewhere between whether Hema-Quebec is willing to come back and whether students are willing to have them back.

"Héma-Québec is okay with the idea of students protesting," she said. "Their real concern is the idea or suggestion of people lying about their sexual history when signing up to give blood.

They had no choice [last year] but to shut down the blood drive."

Prendergast explained that the blood collection agency isn't prepared to come back this semester because of how recently the incident took place. They fear that the dynamics at the school haven't changed and that the same problems would arise.

According to SSMU President Aaron Donny-Clark, the blood agency has been reluctant to engage in any sort of dialogue on the issue.

M cGill Soccer H om e Opener Wear your Red & White T-Shirt and get FREE ENTRY and $2 on ALL Concessions T-Shirts Available at - Sports Complex (Room339) - AUSSNAX(Arts Building) - At the game itself Other Games this Weekend: Baseball vs. John Abbott College on Friday, Sep. 15th at 7:30 PM at Trudeau Park Cross Country McGill Open on Saturday, Sep. 16th at 9 AM (registration) at Sports Complex Womens Rugby vs. Sherbrooke on Sunday, Sep. 17th at 1 PM at Macdonald Campus Men’s Rugby vs. Sherbrooke on Sunday, Sep. 17th at 1 PM at Molson Stadium

Please see BLOOD on page 2

McGill Redmen Football Home Opener

Friday, Sep. 15th vs. Sherbrooke at 6 & 8 PM at Molson Stadium T h i s i s t h e F I R S T R e d & W h it e G a m e o f t h e Y e a r !

"it was a big step just to have them talk to us," he said. "They felt they were being targeted when they shouldn't have been.”

However, not all student groups are eager to have the blood drives return to Shatner. Queer McGill, in particular, has been active in efforts to influence Héma-Québec to adjust its policy on MSM blood donation. Late last year, the group passed a policy calling on SSMU to ban Héma-Québec from the building. Queer McGill maintains its support for the idea of blood drives, so long as members of the queer community are able to participate.

Queer McGill Equity and Policy Coordinator Kiran Sunar explained her group's stance.

“SSMU has an obligation to ensure that discrimination is not

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Cut ou t this a d a n d P R IN T you r name - Forms w ill be collected a t the game W inner must be present to be eligible to claim p rize

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COVER PHOTO BY JAMES GOTOWIEC

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SSMU ditches room fees Shatner opens its doors Kate S pirgen

Making good on a central campaign promise, Students' Society executives announced last week that rooms in the Shatner Building can now be booked free of charge.

Beginning last Friday, internal clubs, faculty associations, media, SSMU recognized groups and others are now able to use the rooms without the customary- bill.

However, not all groups will have free access. Outside groups not approved by SSMU will still have to pay a fee to use the Shatner rooms.

SSMU President Aaron Donny-Clark, VicePresident Clubs and Services Floh Herra-Vega and VP Finance and Operations David Sunstrum all campaigned with one of their goals as the elimination of booking fees in the Shatner Building.

"We can't ask McGill to get rid of room booking fees if we're still doing," Sunstrum said earlier in the year.

Herra-Vega agreed, adding, "McGill should be encouraging students to use their facilities and some clubs have trouble affording that.

We think that booking should be accessible.

The fees right now aren't representative of the administrative effort that goes into booking rooms."

Sunstrum estimated that SSMU had an income of $33,000 from internal room booking fees, $8,000 of which was from SSMU mini-

. courses. Another $2,500 was made from faculty bookings and $15,000 from external university administration.

However, SSMU will not be going into debt or running a deficit due to the loss of booking income.

"We don't have to rework the budget at all because we had such a large surplus last year and such a large projected surplus for this year," said Sunstrum. "Now more club subsidies can go to students for this year."

"It just seems silly to charge students for space when we're giving out grants to pay for room bookings," Herra-Vega said. It's just a huge -slush fund.The money is going out and coming right back to us in room booking fees," HerraVega said.

"We've been trying to do this since we took office. It was just a matter of geting us all together,"said Sunstrum.

SSMU executives spent the summer coming up with the best system to implement to abolish fees, and agreed on Saturday to the current plan.

Clubs will now be able to book ten hours per week in the Shatner Building for free, excluding the Ballroom, which can be booked at a maximum of thirty hours per month.

"The Ballroom is different because groups need to book it for a longer chunk of time," said Herra-Vega. "They have to do sound check and set up which takes a lot longer than just a meeting. Also, people don't tend to book

them for two meetings a week every week. It's mostly special events."

Any group found leasing their time in the rooms to a company or private party will lose booking privileges for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time. This policy is designed to ensure that the rooms are being used for McGill clubs and students.

Another concern for the new policy is the amount of space in the building in proportion to the number of clubs.

"Everything is really full," Herra-Vega said.

In order to bookthe larger rooms in Shatner:

Plane lands safely on Parc Heroic effort fails to disrupt Tam-Tams continued from COVER

police] weren't advised ahead of time that it was going to land on Parc Avenue. Obviously if that was the case, we would have tried to stop traffic and advise pedestrians and cyclists in the area. As you know, there was Tam-tams going on and so there were a lot of people in the area."

Eyewitnesses said that there was very light traffic during the landing and that the cars formed a'Y'to avoid the oncoming plane.

"It's a miracle that no one was hurt on the plane and on the ground," Mansueto said. "It probably was the best case scenario for this type of event to happen."

Berenholc's daughter rushed to the scene after receiving a call from her distraught father.

"I came here as fast as I could because my dad's voice was panicked and he said that'we had an emergency crash landing on Parc Avenue and we need a ride, come get us,"said Candice Berenholc, third-year Commerce student at Dawson College.

Upon arriving at the scene, the police closed off the area and had investigators from Transport Canada come to do an investigation to find out why the plane went down.

Jay Cochrane, a vendor at Tam-tams, was an eyewitness to the entire incident.

"Everyone from all over the mountain came running down to see what was going on,"Cochrane said. "The guy selling next to me ran down and grabbed onto the back wing of the plane to slow it down. He was just sort of pulling it down. Then he just came back up here and kept on selling after that."

GeremiVespa, second year Masters student in engineering, was with friends at Tam-tams when he witnessed the plane touch down.

"The plane was perfectly quiet when it landed,"said Vespa.

MATT CAMPBELL "The pilot and everyone inside looked really calm. There was Small plane parks on Parc. the smell of leaking gas in the air, but no one seemed to care."

The pilot has worked for Aerogram, an aerial media flies our banners around for special events. I asked him to take company, and has flown banners for Berenholc's family dell on us up one day and just show us what-it's like up there because special occasions.

I've never flown over Montreal."

"The pilot does most of the banner flying around Montreal," While reflecting over the situation, Bill Berenholc said, "All Bill Berenholc said, "And he does some for Lester's deli also, he in all, I would say that it's one of my luckiest days." ■

the kitchen, the ballroom or Lev Bukhman, a form must be filled out explaining the need for the room in order to ensure that all space is being used in the most effective manner.

"We want to be sure that our space is being used the right way," Herra-Vega said. "We don't want someone using the Ballroom for a wine and cheese when they could be having the meeting in a smaller room."

Anyone that has already booked a room in the Shatner Building will not need to refile, they will simply not be sent a bill for their time in the room. ■

Blood drive uncertain on McGill campus continued from COVER

happening on campus."

Traditionally, the debate has centered around whether blood donation is a right or a privilege.

"Human rights are tricky," said Sunar. "From Queer McGill's perspective, we have a right not to be discriminated against."

One alternative may be to hold the blood drive in a different location. Prendergast pointed out that other schools have blood drives held on other parts of campus, away from student spaces.

Queer McGill was receptive to this idea, but is still trying to change the blood agency's policy.

"As far as I know we are fine with blood drives held elsewhere on campus," said Sunar. "If we're being discriminated against in our own building, that's not good."

Sunar also pushed to distance Queer McGill from the radical group Second Cumming.

"We don't condemn or support Second Cumming. I . wouldn't say there's a huge [membership] overlap with the group."

Héma-Québec Information Officer Michel Thisdel indicated that a committee would meet soon to decide on whether to come back to McGill this year.

However, he was hesitant to comment on last year's protest.

In advance of any decision, Prendergast is organizing a town hall to be held during first semesterin which Héma-Québec will make a presentation.

“We want to invite Queer McGill and all interested student groups into this discussion and from there, engineer ways to foster a dialogue,"she said.

Despite the lack of consensus, SSMU executives are aware of the need for blood drives on campus.

"We give Héma-Québec a lot of blood," said Donny-Clark.

"It's important that they qet that blood." ■

Corrections: Last w eek's cover p h o to was im p ro p e rly credited.

Lukas B ergm ark was th e pho to g rap h er.

A lex Kitz's n am e was spelled incorrectly in th e story on frosh w eek. The Tribune apologizes fo r th e errors.

12.09.06 *The McGill Tribune • 3

CAM PUS

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World Religions Conference SSMU delays Montreal event to open discussions on handbooks post 9/11 views on faith Farid U d d in R ifai and

J ulien N aggar

Five years after the terrorist attacks of September nth, a McGill professor is hoping that he can help the religions of the world address and challenge the negative perceptions that have sprung up following the fall of the World Trade Center.

This week, Montreal's Palais de Congrès will play host to World Religions after September n: A Global Conference. The conference aims to show that religion can be a force for good and is being organized in part

by Professor Arvin Sharma of McGill's Religious Studies department. The conference will include plenary sessions, lectures, workshops, panels, worship services, discussions, art performances, meditations, symposia, cultural evenings and other activities including religious observances from many of the world's faiths.

A draft of the World Religions' Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be unveiled and opened to public discussion and debate. According to Sharma, the document that will be adopted by representatives of the world's religions will . give a religious imperative for the respect of human rights.

"If we release such a document, it shows that separate religions can work together," he said.

The .declaration is somewhat similar to the Universal Declaration

of Human Rights adopted by the world's nation-states in the 1948 UN General Assembly following the atrocities of World War II. "Feeling has grown after September 11th that world religion has acquired a negative association, mostly with violence and discord," Sharma said. "What is unfortunate is that the current perception has been one-sided."

The congress hopes to open debate about the changing role of religion in a world that has been transformed since the attacks five years ago. * In an open letter, the congress argues that"the religions of the world need to respond in a comprehensive way to the challenges posed by the events of September 11, 2001." The conference is designed in part to facilitate that response.

However, Sharma warns, "we have to be honest, religion is not without its blemishes. It has the potency of both positive and negative dimensions."

Seven-hundred delegates from 86 nations will attend the congress, representing many faiths from around the world. 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner for Human Rights Shirin Ebadi and writers Karen Armstrong and Seyyed Hossein Nasr will also be in attendance.

Dr. Sharma acknowledges the difficulty of changing deeply ingrained perceptions but insists that if anything, McGill students have an upper hand in this process.

"The answer is diversity,"Sharma said. "Diversity of religion and also a diversity of looking at religion.

We have students, sociologists, philosophers, theologians and psychologists, all of whom can widen one's options of perspectives."

Rebecca Lo, U1 Nursing, agrees that there has been a change in the world's view of religion.

"There's more awareness of differences between different cultures since 9/11," she said. "Our fundamental beliefs are not similar.

Because of the tragic event, people think more about the challenges of getting along with others."

Management student Michael Pirl is more skeptical.“The declaration of human rights should remain political," Pirl said. "This conference might not be very useful because people will still make an unconscious connection between Muslims and 9/11."

Sharma, however, believes that the conference will be beneficial to religious communities all over the world.

"The more you are exposed to pluralism," he said, "the less you are afraid of it."

More information about the conference is available online at http://w w w .worldsreligionsafter9 i i . com. ■ Special concession for McGill students. With a McGill ID, entrance fee is $20. All M cGill students are able to get a daily pass as a delegate of the congress.

CAM PUS

Mercury takes over

Executive cites poor taste as reason for re-write J o s h S tark

A recent controversy over the content of the SSMU handbook has resulted in a three week delay in its realease due to the firing of the two original editors.

Genevieve Friesen and Sara Kipp-Ferguson, the original editors for the handbook, were let go in August when the finished product was deemed unacceptable by Students' Society executives, said Vice-President University Affairs Finn Upham.

"There was material in the handbook, both pictorial and written, that was offensive,” Upham said. "Particularly in the assumptions about the reader. Not everyone at McGill is a rez-inhabiting Uo Anglophone who is comfortable with over-the-top sexuality."

However, Friesen and KippFerguson were required only to make relatively minor changes at first.

According to Friesen, a former Tribune design editor, after receiving a print at the end of July that was reviewed by executives, Upham asked that a section of the handbook be changed. The section was a four page pull-out of colouring pages that featured different sexual positions.

Despite that one section, it seemed that the handbook was acceptable. Friesen fixed the four pages, one of the more lewd sections of the sexually-toned handbook, before she left later that evening to visit family in Manitoba. KippFerguson was also away during this time, and it was not until the two editors returned a week later that

they learned of SSMU's decision to hire a new team of editors.

Upham explained that there were complications with the handbook and that Friesen and Kipp-Ferguson were no longer editors. According to VP Clubs and Services Floh Herra Vega, they have been replaced by Carly Boyce and Jenna Wakami. However, Friesen claimed that she was not given an opportunity to fix the problems.

"They didn't give us a chance and they didn't give us the credit.

We didn't find out until two days after the entire process had been restarted,"she said.

Upham acknowledged that there were mistakes made that could have been avoided.

"I think the mistakes were failures of institutional memory, bad habits from years of the executives being too hands-off and no one properly informing the editors and incoming executives of what was expected in terms of content and contact,"she said.

However, she remains confident that this decision was in the best interests of McGill students.

"The handbook in its present state is more inclusive, contains more accurate information, and is designed to inform, not to shock," Upham said.

Friesen disagreed with Upham's contention about shocking content.

"We're in Montreal, one of the most open cities in the world, and we can't talk about sex in our book?".

Barring unforeseen delays, the revised handbook will be available today. ■

Online course evaluations replace paper K elly H arris

The course evaluation process will move one step closer to transparency and accessibility this fall.

After first being explored in the fall of 2003 and pilot tested in the winter of 2004, McGill Online Evaluations will be launched campus-wide in December under the name "Mercury.”

According to an April 2006 analysis report, the goals of MOLE were to facilitate data collection, enhance communication of results to instructors and administrators, reduce costs and paper use, improve the quality of students' comments and allow all students registered in a course to evaluate that course.

Instead of filling out paper evaluations with written comments and Scantron ratings, Mercury will be the forum in which students can share their opinions about classes and teachers.

The proponents of the Mercury system hope that online evaluations will improve the course evaluation process by allowing students more time to reflect on the course and professor in private. Instructors will also be able to see comments more quickly, and departments will no longer have to buy expensive scanner

forms.

A side benefit to the online system is that it can be offered in multiple languages, although the MOLE administrators, need to be given a translated copy.

Moreimportanttosomestudents is the end result of the evaluations, which are often made difficult to access. While teachers can access online evaluations immediately after final grades have been submitted, it is not clear if students will have access to these resources when choosing classes or professors'—although this is one of the goals of the MOLE project.

MOLE has already made evaluation information more visually understandable by using colourful bar graphs. Previously, the results for instructors who consented to the release of the information were displayed in confusing columns of numbers. Instructors' employment privacy is one of the administrative issues preventing some evaluations from being published.

But even though the online evaluations will be accessible 24hours a day for an average twoweek length of time near the end of classes, it remains unclear whether

students will complete them in larger numbers.

"Most people rush through [class evaluations] in class to leave early,"said Genevieve Jenkins, U2 Physiology. "I doubt they'll take the trouble online unless they loved a class or hated.it."

According to the MOLE group's research, however, there is "No evidence of a negative bias" in the evaluations. Further, their pilot project found increases in the number of respondents, the percentage of students who commented as well as the length of those comments.

The report also addresses the two major concerns with the move to a strictly online system: lower response rates and that "the respondents may not form a representative sample of the students as only those with extreme views will take the time to respond."

Last year's trial found that the response rate toonline evaluations was lower in some classes but that there was no systematic bias between paper and online course evaluations. MOLE is hoping to address the falling response rate this fall with increased advertising as well as reminders, which will be activated when students log into Minerva. ■

This material was too hot for SSMU execs to handle. See pg. 9 for more.

4 -N ew s-12.09.06

The McGill Tribune

CAM PUS

Web site offers alternative to traditional text Ads in e-books get mixed reactions in academic community E laine R a d m a n & J ulia V a n d er h a m

Going back to school may be becoming less painful on your wallet with the introduction of free online books. Freeload Press Company is offering online versions of textbooks, workbooks and study guides in the popular PDF format at no cost. The catch? The pages also contain advertisements, making textbooks appear more like magazines and causing controversy within the academic world.

Currently, 100 titles are available for students to download in subjects including accounting, mathematics, computer applications and psychology.

Within the textbooks pages are ads for products such as Culver's Frozen Custard Butterburgers, FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Service, Pura t Vida Coffee and Total Recall Learning.

"Liberating the Textbook" is the motto of the website created in 2004. However some professors don't see it that way.

One of the most vocal critics of Freeload Press is Professor Randall Stross of San Jose State University in California. In the Aug 27,2006 edition of the New York Times he commented that the quality of the textbook decreases with the presence of advertisements. Freeload Press's response to Stross, written by Associate Professor Frank Werner of Forham University, stated that the price and quality of a textbook are two different things. He added that Freeload Press publishers have veto power over the type of advertisements.

McGill professors are divided on the subject.

"Textbooks are too expensive," History Professor Suzanne Morton said. "I don't understand why they cost the way they do. It's

not surprising why this was adopted."

However, some professors believe that the online publishing company is not beneficial for the academic community.

"I fear that online books are not a good substitute for real books,"said history profressor Peter Hoffman, "because of the way we deal with and the way we process information, but online books can have a function and are valuable because they cost nothing."

Some students are also adverse to the new boom in online publishing.

"Personally, I wouldn't use it," Cal Kufta, U3 History said. "I like using textbooks, but there is nothing wrong with students trying to budget to save some money."

According to Statistics Canada, university graduates of 2000 owed an average of $19,500 to the government. Thus the option of saving more than $1,000 per year on books has many students opting for free downloadable books.

"I think students need more free services anyway," said Christine Sinclair, U3 Philosophy and History. “Most students can ignore distractions and concentrate on their work.

I'm not offended by the ads if I'm choosing to use it. The company needs sponsors to operate their website."

Freeload Press runs its website on a sponsorship business model in which the company states, "Publications are written by proven authors and match the depth, range and length of competing textbooks."

Since its creation in 2004, instructors from over 100 U.S. colleges and universities have begun using the Web site. Over 25,000 users have signed up and 50,000 books were downloaded. Freeload Press Company plans to add more titles to the database for spring 2007.

JAMES G0T0WIEC If this technology catches on, these long lines could be a thing of the past.

The Web site is designed to be fast and easy to use. After filling out a simple registration form and agreeing to 'terms of agreement,' access is granted to the online database of books. If students already have the free Adobe Reader software, the e-book is available within about 15 minutes.

However, students cannot go onto the

site and expect specific textbooks to be there.

Some professors elect to use e-books while others do not.

McGill recommends that each student budget $1,000 per year to "books and supplies," although many students find that they pay much more than $500 a semester to the $4billion a year textbook industry. ■

N A T IO N A L

McGill number eight in counterculture Student drug activism makes for higher education in second and University of Maryland taking first place.

In previous years, the criteria for the list was very different.

Last year the ranking was of the "Top Ten Cannabis Colleges" which was based on what were believed to be the "stoniest schools."The change of focus from student usage to activism is what put McGill on the list this year according to Associate Publisher Rick Cusick.

According to Cusick, High Times, which has been publishing since 1974, is the only marijuana-themed magazine produced in the U.S. Featuring articles on such topics as how to start your own closet garden and the connection between potheads and piercings, the magazine began ranking schools four years ago.

They have received nothing but positive feedback about the list.

"People are ecstatic about activism and the fact that we're talking about it,"Cusick said.

But not everyone at McGill feels the same way about the new status of the school in the counterculture world.

"This is so ridiculous," Joshua Harris, U2 History said, "it makes us sound like a bunch of stoners when we're actually all so busy studying that we don't have time to get high."

Others see the school's student activism as a product of the city surroundings.

"I guess it makes sense. I mean, we're in the middle of Montreal where I pass about five people smoking a joint on the sidewalk on my way to school. It seems like everyone is really cool about it here," said Uo student Samantha Malonis.

McGill University Relations Officer Lisa Van Dusen declined GRAPHIC: HIGH TIMES to comment. ■

Kate S pirgen

McGill students can now brag to their friends at UBC about a new top-ten ranking, but its not one that university administrators will be talking about.

In the October issue of cannabis magazine High Times, McGill has been ranked as the number eight counterculture school in North America. This year marks the first time any Canadian school has made the list.

The rankings are based on the level of student activism

"This is so ridiculous. It m akes us sound like a bunch o f stoners w h en w e're actually all so busy studying th a t w e d o n 't have tim e to g e t high."

— Joshua Harris, U2 H istory concerning marijuana law reform. The number one position is awarded to the school with the strongest student activism.

McGill was awarded the number eight position for having the most active student drug-policy-reform group in Canada.

The first official Canadian chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy was brought about by the National Reefer Association of McGill. McGill SSDP is now working toward forming a nationwide Canada SSDP organization.

Other schools on the list include University of MissouriColumbia in third place, University of California-Santa Monica

Macleans, Playboy and now this.

12.09.06 -News -5

www.mcgilltribune.com

CAMPUS BUZZ

U p ■ ■ t 0

S h o u ld w e c o n tin u e to h o s t b lo o d d rives in th e S h a tn e r b u ild in g ?

"I don't think they should be abolished. It's not just homosexuals who are discriminated against. For example, I'm from Africa and I'm not allowed to donate blood. I'm considered a risk which I also find is discriminatory, I mean they could carry extra screening for us. They should have th e m , but it's unfortunate some gruops are considered not eligible to donate blood."

-Angela Ngaira, second year Masters in Political Science

sp eed

The oldest person in the world, Ecuadorian Maria Esther de Capovilla, died on Monday at age 116 . She was born in 1889, the same year as Adolf Hitler and Charlie Chaplin. American Elizabeth Bolden, who is 11 months younger, now holds the record. • In other Hitler news, Hitler's Cross restaurant in Mumbai will change its name and remove Nazi swastikas from the billboard and menus after complaints from the Jewish community. • Don't call P. Diddy "Diddy"in the U.K. As part of a £ 110,000 out-of-court settlement with British musician Richard "Diddy" Dearlove over the name, P. Diddy has agreed not to go just by Diddy in the U.K. • McDonald's or McCurry? A small restaurant in Kuala Lumpur named McCurry is being forced to change its name over the contention that it could be confused with American fast food restaurant McDonald's. • Pachyderms may know more Korean than you. An elephant in Seoul, South Korea has learned to speak eight words of Korean including "no,""yes,""sit,"and "lie down." • The "Interfaith Gown," a burqa-inspired hospital gown, made its debut appearance in an English hospital this week. It allows female Muslim patients to cover themselves in keeping with their religious beliefs.

"I think that if we can get the whole issue with the Second Cumming resolved and find a happy medium, I would be in support of blood drives on campus. But until we can come to some kind of compromise where we're not excluding groups, but at the same time there isn't an elevated risk of blood contamination, then it may not be worth it to have blood drives here."

-David Wiley, U3 Political Science "I support HQ coming to McGill. They might be perceived as discriminating, but at the same time I think it's very important that they come to McGill to take blood. And also I don't think they're more discriminatory to gay people than French people. I, for example, can't give my blood just because I was born in France. It might be discriminatory, but it won't stop me from giving blood if someone wants it. I don't think they should stop coming to McGill."

-Perle Nicolle, U2 Mechanical Engineering

—Sources: BBC, Yahoo News, USA Today

“I donated blood one time to the blood drive here. I think it's important and we have a lot of free time on campus. Why not do something beneficial for others?"

-Angela Dam, first year Masters in Education

C A R EER DAY 2006 N E W

R E S ID E N C E

4 th f l o o r B r o n f m a n

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Thursday Septem ber 2 1, 2006 1Qam-3pm for Faculty o f Management 1pm-3pm for Other Faculties * V a lid M c G ill ID R e q u ir e d * P r o fe s s io n a l D r e s s

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6 -N e w s -12.09.06

The McGill Tribune

CAM PUS

Wireless worries McGill's wireless effect in the classroom to a friend nearby than reading a newspaper, so the distractions are less notable to both students and As early as the nineties, McGill professors. Sterne argues that it's was at the forefront of developing a not the technology that is directly wireless network. Today that network having an effect on users, but rather provides over 2,500 wireless access it's what students want to get out of points, each covering 250 square the available technology that is more feet, and the university is in the important. process of upgrading its coverage "Its not a question of whether and launching a three-year project wireless has, a positive or negative to' better integrate users around the effect but rather it's what you want campus. from student life and how student life "This is the first phase of a new, gets organized with that [technology]," bigger and better McGill Wireless Sterne said.

Network," director of Network and According to Bernstein, NCS had Communications Services Gary anticipated some of the potential Bernstein said. "Wireless access where concerns before they began working it exists is now free for all students." towards ubiquitous wireless but added that the "I d o n 't th in k it's this big, payoff far outweighs revo lu tio n ary th in g . It's ju st p art the costs.

Bernstein said o f th e old story o f students not that NCS is involved paying a tte n tio n w hich has been in providing the and that it com p lained a b o u t sincethe Stone service, should be the job Age." of the professor to make and enforce — Professor Jonathan Sterne any rules regarding technology in the classroom.

"We provide As of Sept 1st, changes have secure, ubiquitous, good-bandwith been made to the wireless network wireless, and the policing issues are and premium tariffs, once found in going to be left up to the individual otherwise exclusive .locations such professors," Bernstein said. as professors' offices, have been "We looked at a lot of other removed, something most graduate universities and the experience students had to pay for. has been both good and bad," Butwith the increasing coverage, Bernstein said. "There is a lot of good speed and security, what social pedagogical, educational things you impact is near-ubiquitous wireless can do, but... some students will use internet having on the student body their laptops to do instant messaging and within the classroom? Is direct and checking email. access to a nearly infinite amount "Wireless Internet can be used of information beneficial to laptop­ both for good and bad, like in class carrying students? Or are they research," Ben Fombonne, Ui Political inevitably teased into talking on MSN Science and History, said, adding that messenger, betting on PartyPoker. some people are foolish enough to com and perusing the profiles of leave MSN messengers sound on, heartthrobs on Facebookl disrupting the whole class.

"I don't think it's this big, Yet there are students like Steph revolutionary thing," Jonathan Sterne, Lebhar, Ui Education, who confess Professor of Communications and Art they'd much rather use pen and History, said. "It's just part of the old paper when looking at slides to better story of students not paying attention, internalize the information. which has been complained about At the moment, students can since the Stone Age. So it's just an look to the McGill NCS website for ongoing problem that has nothing information concerning campus­ to do with wireless. It's just another wide network availability as well the tool in the ongoing struggle over progression of current and future attention." projects. ■ Sterne added that he would much rather have a student quietly —Additional reporting by Kayvon and discreetly typing messages Afshari JO SH UAH TO U YZ

Aaron Harrison, U2 Chemistry student taking advantage of the wireless internet

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Opinion

T H E H E L P L E S S R O M A N T IC

Dispatch from the Orient

O FF TH E BO ARD

Proud to be a man again B en L emieux

E

arly formsoffeminism were founded upon the notion of female equality; that women should be able to take firm control of their personal and professional lives, be equally represented in the workplace, receive the same professional courtesy and salary as men and obtain the respect they merit in the home. However, a byproduct of this movement was the scores of rabid, domineering anti-male standard bearers, who—some to this very day—view all men in our society as unyielding antagonists whose aim is to stifle the progress of intelligent and capable women in the workplace, reducing them to no more than home-bound baby-making units.

This is unfair. Justifiably, many men take offence to this particular worldview and those who adhere to it. To automatically assume that the male portion of society is hell-bent on keeping women under its thumb is more than merely ludicrous. It is insulting.

It is for this reason that I propose masculinism; not as an oppositional school of thought to juxtapose feminism, but rather to reinforce the notion that men can also be baselessly ill-thought of. Men are oft misperceived as insensitive brutes, irrationally and inexplicably obsessed with mindnumbing action films and Harley Davidson motorcycles. These men are not sensitive, kindhearted, considerate and polite towards women or charitable with their time or emotions. They do not pay attention to housework, cooking, gardening, or give two hoots about art, culture and the finer points of life. This fallacious vision of men will not stand any longer.

Foremost, masculinism stresses that men are just as able-bodied and savvy as the next broad when it comes to housework and tidiness. Just because we're men does not mean we're strangers to things like dish soap, vacuum cleaners and loads of laundry.The mere fact that many of us know how to spell "vacuum" properly should already count as a point in our favour. In the past decade, men have shown themselves increasingly disposed to ardent and assiduous house cleaning, at least as much

as women, if not more. In fact, men have been so fascinated with the finer points of cleaning that some particularly devoted male robotics designers have looked into creating a remote-controlled vacuuming prototype. How's that for a practical replacement for our Hot Wheels?

Men are just as resourceful and enlightened when it comes to other forms of cleaning. In many households, it was men who first proposed the combination of several separate loads of laundry into one in order to maximize cost and energy efficiency. Because, really, why not heap socks, undergarments and baseball caps with your whites? They all end up equally clean in the end anyway.

Mate interest and skill with cooking have also recently leaped far beyond ordering takeout and throwing it on a plate. Aside from developing their own recipes, countless stories have emerged involving men who have devoted time and energy to replicating McDonald's special Big Mac sauce, and this with a staggering rate of success. Some men have even gone above and beyond the call of duty, experimenting with exotic cuisine from around the globe, such as fettuccini alfredo and General Tao's chicken.

All too often are men deemed unable to appreciate fine art and foreign film. This i$ a fine double-standard for women to hold, as every time I've offered to take a date to see a popular, welllauded bit of Asian cinema, like Ringu or Oldboy, she immediately proposes that we see the latest SarahJessica Parker fluff piece inistead. Who's unworldly now, I ask?

Masculinism, at least thus far, should come as a rather revelatory principle for both men and women in our society. It holds that not only women can be negatively stereotyped, and that mem should not be ashamed to show their true colours around the home. Perhaps it's not men who are useless and oafish; perhaps it's women who fail to see how much we have changed, how far we have come since the faraway days when we expected dinner after hard day's work. ■

R ichard T seng RICHTSEN@GMAIL.COM

T

his column comes to you from Shanghai because I'm still on vacation. I am embedded deep in the pearl-encrusted, dragon-swarming mists of the Far East. Of course, white old Western beliefs about the yellow horde no longer Hold, new peculiarities have taken their place. "How backward a nation to attempt merging communism with capitalism?" you might think, especially if your knowledge of the land is gleaned from kung fu epics and Cultural Revolution documentaries.

How backwards are they? Well, nobody wears Mao suits anymore, and the men debate all the typical guy things like sports and cars— but not politics of course, because everybody presumably thinks the same, so discussion is meaningless. No, business and growth are the new mantra. Moreover, much of China's magnificence arises from the abundance of its labourers and their willingness to work: almost everything, from soy milk to skyscrapers, is done by hand. In this is found some sort of virtue I'm sure, although the patience to perform mind-numbingly menial tasks ad infinitum is not one I seek to cultivate.

This ability to follow instructions to a T also breeds a certain , ignorance that I'm convinced develops after a long history of unquestioning obeisance (five millennia here). When doing business, none of the merchants use common sense. Having purchased a few satisfying dresses made at the South Bund Fabric Market, my mother had measurements taken for her friends with the instructions to make the clothes of a quality just like hers. As a result, all of the dresses were made to one size: my mother's. When argument was raised, the tailor's concern was not whether we were content with the results, but that he had "done what we told him." Moreover, many Shanghai

businessmen still hold to the strategy of over-promising and under-delivering, maintaining that once they have reached an agreement—and a hefty downpayment—the buyer is bound by it.

For a country trying to become wealthy and affluent like the serviceoriented developed economies, manners sure need improving. Salespeople are lazy lugs, telling you to look harder when asked to locate items, rather than helping you themselves. Salesmen never tell you they don't have something, choosing instead to lead you around the store in the hopes you'll buy any number of somewhat similar items that are clearly not what you're looking for. If you need alterations or a tailor, always expect things to be a day late at least, and they're going to be delivered by Vespa.

It's clear the old adage of "you get what you pay for" doesn't apply here, but in some cases it's a good thing. A madeto-measure worsted wool suit costs $100 and a two-hour massage is $15, so it's not all bad. It's especially good for a starving university student who—for less than $3 a meal— has managed to put on ten pounds since arriving.

What does this say about China's future, the growth of its economy or the voice of its democracy? Well, civilization starts with the basics; it begins with two people having mutual regard for each other's satisfaction and comfort.

It means rather than viewing payment as an exchange for services rendered, one should take responsibility and see it instead as an earned reward for proudly demonstrating one's skills. It means reconciling the ability to do something with theabilitytothinkabout and improve upon what one is doing. Only when this is accomplished can every member of the billion-strong wave obtain a face and some sense of direction. ■

W E T P A IN T

Baby and Balanciaga D o m in iq u e Z ipper DOMINIQUEZIPPER@GMAIL.COM

A

s we have probably all noticed at some point, current fashions often conflict. White everyone is still flapping about flats and their newly wistful attitude to life and walking, Pam Anderson-inspired monstrosities are somehow attaching themselves to all my friends'feet. As fashion always manages to permeate every facet of life, why not procreation?

Last spring, pregnant women appeared to be popping up like crocuses out of sidewalk cracks. It wasn't just me that noticed— being in the family way had become a thing of haute couture. I can recall a friend exclaim, "I kind of want to be pregnant so I can wear all those cute clothes too."

And just like flats from last year, the pregnancy party rocked on into this year: Brangelina took it offshore, creating an elite, Swiss bank account brand of pregnancy.

But not everyone is breathing to the same Lamaze rhythm.

During a recent trip to East Africa with 37 other undergrads, I was shocked at the proportion of my fellow female students that had absolutely no plans to ever have children.The majority seemed to feel that the world was in a state of dismay too wretched to ignore by becoming preoccupied with a smaller version of themselves. The fashion of Brangelina had obviously come to clash with that of the female undergrad. And to think

that both camps are trying to save the world.

But are babies just the latest celebrity treat, like J-Brand jeans? Hardly.

White researching maternal health throughout East Africa, I had the chance to speak with many a Maasai midwife. A response I got from one particular woman struck me: When asked about abortion, an elderly woman turned to me, stared me straight in the face and slowly said, "Maasai women love children too much not to have them." I at once felt two inches tall and miles away from anything remotely maternal. I felt infinitely excluded from the mystical web of connections with the world of children that this woman seemed to draw before me and, if possible, personify.

The futility of it all wouldn't leave me: On one end of the spectrum is Denise Richards, buying designer merchandise for her little ones and posing in revealing tops just "three weeks after giving birth," white on the other end are Maasai women who regard love, need and desire for children with the same inherency as eating or breathing. Stuck blandly in the middle is an entire generation of intelligent young women who— because of the vast discrepancy between these two polar ends of the maternity and global socio-economic spectrum—are

forfeiting, often as a result of having been made completely unaware of, their own maternal desires.

Our glamourization of pregnancy has led many careeroriented women to regard motherhood as anti-feminist; the pit of domesticity and materialism into which you plummet if you fail to make it in the world. Not until the Maasai midwife's words did I pause to consider motherhood as unquestionable and acceptable: Capable of existing without eggshell blue walls, maternity wear or Brooke Shields'book on post-partum depression; without all the baggage that we feel the need to attach to it.

Furthermore, does it really make sense— if we are aiming for the sacrificial type of life—to renounce a family in order to help these Maasai communities when family is at their essence? It seems as though we're moving farther away from understanding each other, and closer to simply imposing our views On a people we purportto understand because we gave up kids for them.

Forgive me for saying this, but when it comes to understanding the essential elements of a Maasai woman's life, baby-magnet Denise Richards might fare better than many of my fellow students. ■

12.09.06 • The McGill Tribune • 9

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E D IT O R IA L

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The error of SSMU's handbook ways

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very year, the Students' Society produces a handbook, largely for freshmen students. The handbook contains all sorts of useful information about university life, including, among other things, tips on surviving frosh, good places to eat and details on the SSMU health plan.

Normally, the guide is distributed in frosh kits, but this year production was delayed and the handbooks were not ready for distribution until today. SSMU decided that the original version of the handbook— co-produced

by Sara Kipp-Ferguson and former Tribune Design Editor Genevieve Friesen—was unacceptable. Friesen and Kipp-Ferguson Were let go and SSMU executives hired new editors to make the changes they felt were necessary.

We disagree not only with this censorship, but with the manner in which it was done. While we are mindful that it may seem like we are sticking up for a former colleague, we feel that SSMU erred in a number of ways.

The decision to rework the handbook is a questionable one at best. Some people might have been offended by the content— some of the "offensive" pictures can be found elsewhere in this newspaper— but in our politically correct times it seems impossible to do anything without offending someone.

SSMU executives have said that they were concerned that the handbook's offensiveness violated SSMU's Equity Policy. However, the content was neither discriminatory nor did it constitute harassment— the only things covered by the Equity Policy.

After executives decided that the handbook was unacceptable, they made yet another mistake in firing, or at least pushing aside, Friesen and Kipp-Ferguson. Putting together the SSMU Handbook is not an easy or quick job and they had put in many hours to produce what they thought was a top-notch resource.

SSMU executives did not give them a chance to address the issues that they had with the book's content and instead hired outside editors to redo the offending sections. Friesen and Kipp-Ferguson were not even notified until the new team was hired and were not allowed any input into the changes.

To decide that you don't like someone's work and bring in someone else to make changes to it as SSMU did is discourteous and disrespectful. While it may have been within SSMU's rights to do so, that does not mean it was the right decision, or a professional one. SSMU executives should have sat down with Friesen and Kipp-Ferguson and given them an opportunity to work out the problems with the handbook.

Lastly, there is the issue of the delay that these changes caused in the handbook's publication.

Thanks to SSMU's decision to censor the content that it deemed to be inappropriate, the handbook is several weeks late. This has cost SSMU financially— it had to pay the new editors— and it has significantly reduced the handbook's usefulness.

The portions of the guide containing tips on surviving frosh have been rendered useless, and while there are plenty of other valuable things in the handbook, distribution will be much more difficult now that frosh

is over. A stack of handbooks sitting in the SSMU office doesn't do any good to anyone.

Regardless of whether some of the content was inappropriate or not, SSMU's decisions with respect

to the handbook have shown poor judgment and an appalling lack of foresight. They represent a disappointing start for the 2006-07 executive. ■

BYJAMIEGOODMAN

Paul Slachta advmgr@ssmu.mcgill.ca A d T ypsetter

O FF TH E BO ARD

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Of football and 9/11

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or many, the highlight of the TV viewing experience this weekend was the season premiere of The Simpsons or Family Guy on Fox. Both shows are usually funny, occasionally outlandish and once in a while insightful, but don't ask me to comment on them because I didn't watch either one. For others, it could have been ABC's docudrama The Path to 9/n; the show that supposedly displays the Clinton Administration in a poor light because of— among other things— its alleged failure to capture Osama bin Laden. I say supposedly because, again, I didn't watch it.

For me the highlight of the TV weekend occurred during the opening game of Sunday Night Football between the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts. It was near the beginning of NBC's coverage, during one of the first screen appearances byGiants'Head Coach Tom Coughlin.

The cameraman focused in on Coughlin and perched on his head was a hat reading "FDNY"

Fire Department of New York. Tom Coughlin was wearing a hat that remains one of the most lasting emblems of the 9/11 attacks.

Tom Coughlin is not a New Yorker. He was not born in New York City; he didn't go to university in New York City and he wasn't in New York on 9/n. His only connection to the city is that he is now the head coach of one its football teams. He wasn't in New York that day, but on Sunday night, Coughlin made a choice to stand up with the rest of the city on national television, making sure we never forget.

But for some, that's not enough. In last week's New YorkTlmes, writer Michael Brick outlined that in New York circa Sept. 11,2006 there is a clear divide among New Yorkers regarding Sept. n,200i:Those who were there at the time— deemed Survivors— and those who weren't— called Newcomers. For many of the Survivors, they see the post-9/11 New York as one the Newcomers couldn't possibly

understand. Survivors don't see ground zero as a place of pilgrimage, but instead as a glaring reminder of what has been lost. Survivors see themselves as being defined ,by that day.

As someone who saw the attacks from his high school inToronto—and would be considered a complete Newcomer— I find it difficult to accept these divisions. While the Survivors felt the attacks directly, countless others experienced 9/11 in their own way. Whether it was through their flight being rerouted to Halifax, calling a loved one in New York to check that they were alive or watching a UEFA Champions League soccer match just for a moment of normalcy, we all experienced it.

So to the Tom Coughlins of the world, I say wear your FDNY caps and sport those NYPD Tshirts. While we shall never take away from the feeling of loss suffered by Survivors, we must let them know that we are with them. On that day, we were all New Yorkers. ■

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 ail 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 • The McGill Tribune • 12.09.06

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See page 3 for an explanation of why images like this one did not appear in the 2006-07 Student Handbook. For our take on sexual positions in student publications, read the editorial on page 9.

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F EATURES

S A F E T Y , S E C U R IT Y A N D S T U D E N T R IG H T S : H O W C A U T IO U S S H O U L D W E B E IN T H E B U B B L E ?

Deadbolts and deadbeats

Home invasion on the rise in suburban Montreal S an a Y usu f

It's a common misconception that burglaries in this city occur exclusively at nighttime, when the windows are shut tight, the doors are barred and security systems are active.

In fact, recently, home invasions In Montreal during the daytime hours have become less of an anomaly, especially in the suburbs.

Who would even think twice about a 20-year-old girl asking her new, 23-year-old neighbour to borrow a cup of sugar in the mid-afternoon? In Brassard, a suburb about 15 kilometers southwest of Montreal, such an event took place in the mid-afternoon and afterwards, four men barged in, tied the resident up, and proceeded to ransack the place. It is no wonder

why Montreal's suburban residents are on edge.

Indeed, the prevalence of daytime homeinvasions does not appear to be subsiding: This 'summer, for example, a disturbing number of people were badly injured and even killed during armed burglaries. The Montreal Gazette reported that one victim, a local Laval artist, was shot to death during a home invasion while his wife and child were held hostage.

Cars, electronics, cash and jewelry; these are the key items burglars are looking for, and, thankfully, most students do not possess them in large quantities. While most recent break-ins have not occurred in downtown Montreal, it is naïve to assume that robberies are uncommon in the heart of the city. Two years ago, an out-

VLADIMIR EREMIN Police station ensures safety in the Ghetto.

Rosemount-La-Petite-Patrie Michel-Parc-Extension. ■

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• Montreal Police estimate that the West End Gang currently consists of approximately 125 to 150 members.

The group does not operate with a Mafia-like hierarchy. It is loosely connected, with captains heading different factions. The group often collaborates with the Montreal Mafia and the Hells Angels in enormous drug shipments and remains one of the most powerful and profitable criminal organizations in the country.

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•The highest provincial crime rates continue to be seen in the West.

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•The overall rate of break-ins has fallen seven per cent since 1991 and is continuing to decline. ■

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•The West End Gang is now affiliated with the mafia Cosa Nostra and Hells Angels. The three merged to form an organization called the "Consortium."

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Here are some alarming facts about Montreal and criminal activity:

•The West End Gang is one of Canada's most influential criminal groups. Active since the early 1900s, its rise to notoriety began in the 1960s, when it were known simply as the "Irish gang" and members' criminal activities were focused in the west side of Montreal. Most of the gang's earnings derived from truck hijacking, home invasions, kidnapping and armed robbery.

of-province couple staying in a downtown montreal hotel trusted their belongings to what they thought was a hotel bellhop. Instead, this man ended up stealing the couple's siiitcases and vanity packs, which were valued at over $10,000. These events occurred dangerously close to the McGill campus in broad daylight.

In fact, McGill campus is not completely immune to these crimes. In 2004, a man walked into the New Residence Hall and stole two 'laptop computers from a student's bedroom.

Nevertheless, most of Quebec's home offenses still tend to occur in the suburbs.

According to Statistics Canada, the target destinations for crime include Verdun, MercierHochelaga-Maisonneuve, Montréal-Nord,

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G e t y o u r t h r ills fro m r - / / SSMU Mini-Courses; Fun, inexpensive, non-credit courses held in the Shatner and Brown Buildings.

Check the website at ssmu.mcgiH.ca/mtni or contact us at mini@ssmu.mcgill.ca.______ B a llr o o m D a n c in g Add a new dimension to your life! Enhance your appreciation of music and awaken your dancing genes. Ballroom dancing is not only fun, it a great way to get active and meet people (no partner required!). This course focuses on the Viennese Waltz, Slow Waltz, Foxtrot, and Tango. It's a wonderful stress reliever exactly what the professor ordered.

Cost $45 Wednesdays4:30-6pm

M assage Think your loved ones love you? They’ll love you more when you finish this class; this is one skill you just have to master! Swedish Massage is one of the oldest types of oil based massage. Its origins go as far back as Egypt and are as young as the Swede who developed it. Leant the basics of this popular massage in a relaxing and fun environment. Partners recommended.

Cost: $60 Tuesdays 5-7pm

Conversational Section 4: Wednesdays 7:45-8:45pm

S p a n is h Need to brush up die Spanish skills for your next vacation to Mexico or Spain? We’ve hired an extremely experienced teacher with first hand teaching experience in Mexico who will make sure you fall in love with the Spanish Language and Culture!

Cost $45 Beginner: T uesdays 6-7:30pm Intermediate: Tuesdays 7:309pm

P ilâ te s Pilâtes is a wonderful exercise system focused on improving flexibility and strength for the entire body without building bulk.

Watch as your body becomes toned throughout the semester as you leam a series erf controlled movements engaging your body and mind.

Cost: $50 Thursdays 8:30-9:30pm

S a ls a

B r e a k d a n c in g

Everybody likes to say ‘Salsa!” Just like the music, the dance is also a wild mix of everything - emotions, tempos, spins, dips, drops, syncopations, a little Mambo here, a little Cha Cha there, perhaps a pinch of Argentine.

Cost: $45 Beginner Section 1: Tuesdays 6-7pm Beginner Section 2: Tuesdays7-8pm Beginner Section 3: Thursdays6:307:3Opm Beginner Section 4:Thursdays9:30-l 0:30pm Intermediate: Thursdays 7:30-8:30pm

This course is an introduction to the wild style of breakdance. As we leam the foundations of toprocking, footwork, and freezes, we will explore the essential elements of style rhythm and movement invention. Bring your knee pads! (Although the class is for beginners, some moves may be physically challenging.)

Cost: $45 Section 1: Wednesdays 7:30-8:3Cpm Section 2: Wednesdays 8:30-9:30pm

I n t r o t o B a r t e n d in g Think your drinks could use a bit more creativity? Be the best host around with this new found skill. During this amazing-value class, you will familiarize yourself with shaking, equipment set up, fruits and garnishes, glassware and of course preparation (and tasting!) of various classic cocktails and drinks. This is meant to be an introductory bartending course - you will not receive an official certificate for having participated.

Cost: $60 Section 1: Friday Sept 22nd, 29th: 6 -9pm Section 2: Friday Oct 13th, 20th: 6-9pm Section 3: Thursday Sept 21st, 28th: 6-9pm Section 4: Thursday Oct 5,th 12th: 6-9pm

W in e T a s tin g A p p r e c ia t io n Feel helpless when a waiter has you sample your bottle of wine at a restaurant? Here’s your chance to leant why you swirl, what to smell for, and where the best wines of the world come from.

Taught at the Masters School of Bartending, enjoy our 3 hour course taught by an experienced sommelier. And don’t worry, you’ll get to taste the wines as well. What better way to spend a Friday evening?

Cost; TBA Section 1; September 29th 69pm.

Section 2: TBA

F re n c h Want to travel to France but cannot speak the language? Or are you just having trouble getting around outside the McGill Bubble? Get a grip on all the French you need to get around in any Francophone city around the world. The beginner’s class is a complete introduction to the course, while intermediate is for students who still remember their high school French.

Cost: $45 Beginner Jrection 1: Tuesdays 6-7:30pm Beginner Section 2: Wednesdays 4:30-6pm Intermediate 1 Section 1: Tuesdays 7:45-9:15pm Intermediate I Section 2: Wednesdays 6:00-7:30pm Intermediate II: Mondays 7:15-8:45pm

F r e n c h C o n v e r s a tio n a l Do you already understand the majority of everything you hear but just want to practice speaking? Then take advantage of our French Conversation course, which has a tiny e lm size to maximize your speaking practice. Vous devez avoir une excellente compréhension orale et vous devez être capable de vous exprimez avec un minimum d'efficacité pour assister à ce cours.

Cost $50 Conversational Section 1: Mondays 5-6pm Conversational Section 2: Mondays 6-7pm Conversational Section 3: Tuesdays 5 -6pm

Yoga Kripalu Yoga calms the body and calms the mind, creating inner stillness. This hatha yoga practice tones and strengthens muscles, increases flexibility, oxygenates the blood, improves the immune response and integrates mind and body. You will leave energized yet relaxed, ready to face whatever else is going on in your life.

Cost: $45 Thursdays 4-5pm

G u it a r Have you always wanted to master this instrument but never got the chance? Even got a guitar, but private lessons were so expensive that you decided to forget about it? Our extremely popular Guitar class is the solution - here’s your chance to leam all those popular songs that you love to sing to. Get your roommate’s guitar and leam guitar at a fraction of the price of private lessons!

Cost $45 Beginner Level 1: Tuesdays 6:308pm Beginner Level 2: Wednesdays 7:30-9pm Intermediate: Mondays 8-9:30pm

Cost $45 Section 1: T uesdays 4 -5pm Section 2: T uesdays 5 -6pm

S e lf- D e fe n s e S e m in a r Walking home alone at night? Make sure you have the tools to protea yourself in any potentially dangerous situation. This course will teach you to heighten your awareness and accurately read your intuition in order to avoid violence, aggression and confrontation.

This course will also teach you to evaluate potentially dangerous situations and do what you can to avoid problems.

Cost: $30 Oaober 14th 12-4pm

L S A T P re p -C o u rs e If you want to take the LSAT but don’t want to invest over $ 1000 to prepare, consider our LSAT mini-course. For just $120 you get a 17 hour course aimed at providing you with the best possible instruction, practice, and strategies for acing the LSAT. Benefit from a small class size and actual past LSAT exams for practice!

Cost: $120 Tuesdays 5 -7pm (Tentati ve)

C o o k in g Tired of eating canned food?? In this class you will prepare Italian risottos, gnocchi, and some Tunisian dishes as well as a dessert class. Pasta dishes and meat dishes will be included in the menu.

You get to take home left-overs if there are any!!

Cost: $60 Section 1: Tuesdays 6-7:30pm; First half of semester Section 2: Tuesdays 6-7:30pm ; Second half of semester Section 3: Thursdays 07:30pm; First half of semester Section 4: Thursdays 07:30pm; Second half of semester

M a n d a r in Have you ever wondered how over rare billion people can communicate via pictures instead of letters? Take this beginners class and leam all about the Chinese language and culture! You don’t need any prior knowledge of this language to register.

Cose $45 Wednesdays 4-5:30pm

A r a b ic Don’t miss out on learning this beautifully scripted language! Our beginners class, taught by our very experienced instruaor, will teach you the basics of spoken and written Arabic. ‘Cause you never know when that too-good-to-be-true job will pop up in the Middle East!

Cost: $45 Tuesdays4:30-6pm

F la m e n c o / S p a n is h / C la s s ic a l G u it a r

C a p o e r ia

Do you melt at the sound of someone playing romantic Spanish tunes on the guitar? Or do you want people to melt while you play it for them? Get an introduction to Flamenco/Spanish/Classical Guitar in this exciting mini-course especially designed to get you playing as soon as possible using various flamenco guitar techniques along with tablature; the simplest form of written guitar music. Taught by an extremely experienced and talented instructor.

Cost: $50 Mondays 5-6:30pm

Capoeira, a martial art, is an amalgamation of fighting style, dance, rhythm of body and spirit. It has evolved within a particular historical and social context, in conjunction with varied cultural influences within the vast country of Brazil. It was created by the Brazilian people but adapted for the entire world. Capoeira is considered by many as a fight disguised as a dance and by others as a dance hidden within the fight.

Cost $50 Thursdays 5 -6:30pm

S p e e d r e a d in g

Freedom, grace and elegance through Argentinean tango. Explore a centuries old dance that has enthralled nations around the globe.

Quickly gain basic knowledge to be able to dance Argentinean tango the way it was meant to be: free of constraints and of stria boundaries. Come mix and mingle, and leam from aneasy-going professional enthusiast. No partner required; just you, your good humour, and your feet. This program promotes superior physical health for your body and mind.

Cost: $45 Tuesdays 8 -9:30pm

Run by the Harris Institute, this extremely popular speed reading course is once again being offered at McGill. This 1-day class always gets rave reviews and regularly has students improving 5 0 150% in reading speed, while also helping them improve comprehension and retention.

Cost: $55 Section 1: Octo ber 1st 9:304:30pm Section 2: October 14th 9:30-4:30pm

K ic k - b o x in g Take advantage o f our brand new kickboxing equipment and get fit in the process! This course offers a unique opportunity to be introduced to the dynamictechniques of kickboxing, to leam a practical mean of self-defense and to workout a complete regimen of physical conditioning. Footwork, kicks, flying-kicks, punches, spinning-punches, blocking and weaving techniques are all taught In addition, practical techniques from other martial arts - especially Thai-boxing and Tae Kwon Do, will be taught when necessary.

A r g e n tin e a n T a n g o

I s r a e li D a n c in g Drawing on virtually every dance form, ‘Israeli’ Dance includes Latin-style scatter dances, traditional circle dances, and incredible couples dances. From basic steps to complex sequences, this class will teach you how to dance and help you develop your own personal style.

Cost: $45 Wednesdays 0 7 :30pm

The McGill Tribune

14 • Features • 12.09.06

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire...

The horrors of off-campus housing E lizabeth P erle

It would only have taken a single spark on the wooden fire escape for an entire block in downtown Sackville, New Brunswick, to go up in flames. A primarily student-inhabited apartment building near Mount Allison, Canada's leading liberal-arts University, burned for over 24 hours on Friday, Aug 11,2006.

The building where the fire began was a popular housing choice among upper-year students because it offered low rent and close proximity to campus, but its age and condition had worried many residents for years. A graduate of Mount Allison, Adam Reid, explains: "We

all thought it was just a matter of time before something like this happened - the building was in rough shape. It was very lucky that no one got hurt."

Mount Allison University has since called for more thorough health and safety inspections of off-campus housing properties.

According , to Mallory Baxter, the school's vice-president external and a resident of the building affected, the situation could have been prevented by proper inspection and adherence to safety codes. "Students must be made aware of their landlord's responsibilities and need to take an active role in ensuring the safety and upkeep of their

A hovel to call your own

'TH ER E SHOULD NOT BE A TRADE-O FF

BETWEEN SAFETY AND AFFO RD ABILITY."

Primarily student-dominated housing is notorious for poor conditions. Students are often attracted to the lower prices, while sacrifices made in quality and safety are frequently overlooked. "There should not be a trade-off between safety and affordability," Baxter comments, emphasizing that this is a nation-wide epidemic, not an

residences,"she insists.

Last year in Montreal, when a fire alarm went off in an off-campus housing building on Avenuedes Pins in the middle of the night, tenants were shocked when no fire trucks appeared after an hour and their superintendent was nowhere to be found. As it turned out, the building had not even been connected to the fire department's system.

University students have the same rights to basic safety standards as any other tenants. The unfortunate reality, though, is that student accommodations often fail to meet even minimal safety requirements. Student housing in the McGill ghetto is no exception.

Mount Allison student housing buillding destroyed after fire.

isolated problem at universities.

"Apartments today are overcrowded.

A lot of apartments that would normally be rented to two or three people are being rented to four or five. This is a problem that has become synonymous with students in post-secondary institutions in Canada."

With the knowledge that repairs will only need to last until the new

students move in, it is not surprising that superintendents sometimes cut corners in their building maintenance and upkeep. "Students are much more destructive than other tenants," Mallory Dash, a U3 political science major observes. "I mean, what incentive is there for their landlords to invest in the conditions of apartments that will likely be poorly maintained by their inhabitants?"

Know your rights! It is illegal for your landlord to ask you for:

Some students pay over 600 dollars in rent per month for "ghetto" apartments in less-than acceptable conditions.

1. Finder's fees.

2. Key deposits.

3. Last m onth's rent at th e signing o f th e lease or at any point prior to th e first day o f th e last m onth.

4. Your passport, bank account, social insurance num ber, credit card num ber or inform ation ab o u t your nationality.

5. Post-dated cheques.

6. A rent increase m id-lease.

Well... at least it works.

Dude, where's my landlord?

, Many students face the problem of absentee landlords who have little or no involvement with their tenants outside of collecting rent. "Getting things done quickly is difficult," says Katie Crossley, a U2 sociology student whose St. Famille landlord lives off of the island. "Especially when it can take up to a week for him to get back to you in the first place, much less make the journey into the city," she adds.

With many landlords owning more than one residence, even those that live in the building can be difficult to reach in an emergency.

While McGill students often snag beautiful apartments with hardwood floors and built-in window seats, student housing in Montreal can also mean neglected buildings and missing landlords. For example, Eve, a U3 international development student, lived in a building on Milton and Durocher. Her apartment's heating broke in the middle of the winter and it was weeks before her landlord finally came in to make repairs.

Just don't mess with the fire equipment McGill residence security values students' concerns campus residence security, the students' experience in rez is the main concern. “Good A foremost concern among many firstsecurity means that you're concerned about year students in Rez is, besides getting used the students," says James Guthrie, New to the awkwardness of peeing in co-ed Residence Hall Rez Life Supervisor. New bathrooms, the safety of their living facility.

Rez, which has two 24-hour security guards Freshmen at McGill, many of whom are away patrolling the building and handling visitation from home for the first time in their lives, issues, offers a different security system from often need an extra hand at keeping threats the other McGill residences. "Security here to their safety at bay. [in New Rez] has a contract with the McGill For the administrative, staff that handles Security Department," informs Guthrie.

Upper Rez, RVC and the other McGill residences, however, have their own personal security staff that is unaffiliated with contracted security. Is this a disadvantage for those students who don't live in a hotel with a uniformed security guard? Pierre Barbarie, Assistant Manager of McGill Security Services, asserts that while "there is a distinct difference between New Rez and Upper Rez security administration," all of the residences are perfectly safe. "I wouldn't say that any residence is more vulnerable than another," VLADIMIR EREMIN adds Janice Johnson, Student Housing Office Manager.

Security patrols campus.

R achel M

elnik

The students agree. "Everywhere you go, you see a security guard,"says Iwan Davies, Uo, Mechanical Engineering student and proud Molson resident. "We're satisfied [with the security] here," adds his neighbour Gabrielle Chaillat, Uo Management. “The atmosphere is relaxed, but safe."

The balance between safety and comfort is definitely a concern that residence staff encounters, a balance that is particularly difficult to come by at an urban university such as McGill. "We live in downtown Montrea I.There's a Iways stuff [to worry a bout],” notes Johnson. "We have had problems with random strangers in the buildings. ... I'm sure we've had unsavory people sleeping in lobbies, the same thing as any downtown residence would experience." Yet while safety is the main concern, Johnson insists that the residence staff does not want to"hermetically seal" the students. "We want the students to feel comfortable,"says Johnson.

The students' level of security is judged best by, well, the students. "I haven't heard any complaints from students.That's the most

important part,"says Barbarie. "If the students aren't happy with how it [the security] works, then obviously changes can be done, and they are. Their voices are definitely heard.”

That theory translates into action. "A few years ago we changed the lighting in Douglas Hall because we found that there were some dark corners that were making people uneasy," recounts Johnson. When it comes to residence safety, the students have the final word.

While McGill security staff works to provide a great deal of assistance, student^ ultimately play the most important role ir residence safety. “We spend a lot of time educating students on making their own homes secure... [and] challenging strangers when they walk into buildings,"says Johnson.

'We're concerned with sensible stuff that students’ are going to need to take out to take into the real world," adds Johson. "Our floor fellow talked to us about fire safety an i theft," says New Rez tenant Rachel Hartmai,.

Uo, Electrical Engineering. "I definitely feel secure here.''*

12.09.06 • Features • 15

www.mcgilltribune.com

The Pa-rental units

Although most parents would consider themselves vigilant about their son or daughter's living quarters, the truth is that they rarely take even a second look at anything above the visual appeal and convenience of the location. While parents usually pay the rent, the sheer distance that often exists between them and the institution can prevent Mom and Dad from having a more active role.

"Parents need to start being more skeptical of their children's living arrangements," insists U2 economics major, Lindsay."Secondyear students are in that stage where responsibilities are being transferred out of their parent's hands, and many make the mistake of assuming that their children have a good handle on their housing arrangements. More often than not, they don't."

A day in the life of a floor fellow Jess Margolis-Pineo's job is a lot more than just handing out condoms Mold thrives in fridge on Pins.

Régie du loge...what?

Students are a particularly vulnerable group in this situation as many are first-time renters and have little knowledge of their rights as tenants. First-timers often don't know what questions to ask, or who to go to when problems arise in their living quarters. , “We spend a lot oftime educating students on howto make their own homes secure," explains Janice Johnson, McGill's Student Housing office manager. "Challenging strangers when they walk into buildings... meeting the pizza delivery person at the front instead of buzzing them up, so that they don't have to wander around the

building, you know, sensible stuff that students are going to need to take out to take into the real world."

For problems with housing, the McGill Off-Campus Housing Office is a useful resource for students. Although it is conveniently located near the corner of University and Pins, many students are not aware of its existence.

And, if a problem becomes serious enough, it seems that an even smaller number of students know to report it to the Quebec housing board, better known as Le Bureau de la Régie du Logement du Québec.

U SEFU L CO N TACTS:

Student Housing Office, McGill University.

3641 University Street. (514) 398-6010 Régie du Logement. (514) 873-2245

Last call for froshies Frosh gets a bad name in local bars M

atthew

R achel M and

elnik

Ross W alker

As hard-working McGill students endure an intense five-day long stretch of classes, assignments and meetings, the weekend eventually rolls around, offering sleepdeprived class-goers a break from the stress of everyday life.

Unlike most McGillians, Jessica Margolis-Pineo's work doesn't end on the weekends. As a floor fellow in the New Residence hall, Margolis-Pineo, U2 Cultural Studies, sacrifices her favourite weekend rituals of dining in Chinatown and watching Grey's Anatomy to keep her freshmen company.

Yet, according to MargolisPineo, the sacrifice is well worth it. The life of a floor fellow, she claims, is incredibly "fulfilling.”

off, socially cohesive style of leadership inspired her own approach to leadership.

The popular image of a drunken, lazy upper-year who is utterly incapable of leaving the safety nest of the dorm room does not exist in McGill's Rez life. Rather, being a floor fellow is a highly coveted position that is certainly not for the weak. Hundreds of bright-eyed and hopeful youths attempt to become members of the mentorship clan each year, undergoing an intense screening process filled with essays, references and interviews. the At first glance, can seem responsibility many unappealing to ex-resident students. back "I wouldn't go to living there [in New Rez] if

C ronkite

According to James, the are "already pretty sloppy when manager of Vol de Nuit on the busy they get here, they don't drink too corner of St-Laurent and Prince much at the bar. Not only do they Arthur, Frosh is the purchase less alcohol, but they are also typically pretty bad tippers." bartenders' most Bar des Pins, better known dreaded event of the year. "We hate Frosh," to those that frequent it as BDP, said James, stressfully is another popular bar inside the preparing for another McGill bubble. With its bright orange, tabletops and generally seedy night of McGill-fueled drinking. "We don't surroundings, who wouldn't want like accepting anyone to stumble through BDP during the drinking rampage that occupies with a bracelet." the first week back at school? Sami, James, who refused to provide his who also wouldn't give a last name, last name, added that only had positive things to say about St-Laurent is the most Frosh at his bar. He loves all of the vandalized street in fresh faces Frosh brings into this city Montreal, especially and insists that "it's good to meet some new people. Sometimes you AMANDA MELVIN during Frosh week.

"McGill students break meet people from far away."Sami's Froshies dance, welcome or not, at Vol. everything." Perhaps only complaint was that the Froshie's There is even a club called — surprise! the university student organizations drink selection was rather limited, as make a profit from frosh week, but, their requests generally remained — Outside the Bubble, whose sole as James bitterly suggested, they in the beer department. Perhaps if purpose lies in integrating anti-social the Froshies ordered Manhattans McGill students into the greater may be the only ones.

Evan Eichler, a Montreal culture.

Nevertheless, bartender at Lodge, many eager McGillians venture out hotspot at night only to find themselves another on Prince Arthur at local bars surrounded by—you guessed it— their fellow classmates. and St-Laurent, also Every night, local bars such as Vol de denounced the rowdy Nuit, Bar des Pins and Lodge serve as atmosphere of Frosh watering holes for McGill undergrads week. LikeVol de Nuit, who seek to get the most of their city Lodge (despite its experience without wandering too trendy hunting cabin atmosphere) mainly far from campus. caters to McGill During Frosh, McGill's premiere drinking extravaganza, these bars students. "You could see them [theFroshies] experience a higher-than-average get drunker a lot faster flow of insanely drunk students enjoying their back-to-school (and than other customers," ELIZABETH PERLE Eichler said. Yet while back-to-alcohol) freedom. Yet while New Rezers love BDP's convenient location.

Froshies get drunk froshies—and their older binge­ easily, their alcohol drinking role models— are out having and Appletinis, the staff at Vol de an alcoholic fiesta, do they ever stop tolerance and alcohol consumption to think about the impression they level do not exactly correlate. Eichler Nuit and Lodge would be more claimed that because the Froshies accomodating. ■ make on local Montrealers?

In a vibrant city like Montreal, McGill students are constantly urged to get out of the campus "bubble."

COURTESY OF MCGILL STUDENT HOUSING 2006 New Rez Floor Fellows. Margolis-Pineo, front-left.

Young New Rez students, many of whom are away from home for the first time, keep her extremely busy .Margolis-Pineo's job often feels like "emotionally draining counselling without pay," but nevertheless, she loves it. "We're there because we care," claims a comfortable and confident Margolis-Pineo. She values the connection that she is able to form with her floor as they adjust to university life.

As a responsible pseudomaternal figure, MargolisPineo takes late night condom requests and post-puke tuckins lightly. Margolis-Pineo has, in fact, already given away an entire box of condoms to these equally responsible first years. Margolis-Pineo is herself a New Rez graduate, owing her amazing freshman year experience to her own former floor fellow. His hands-

they held a rifle to my head," says Jeff Fisher, a U1 economics major. But for Margolis-Pineo, reliving the Rez life has been rewarding."! have plenty oftime for a social life," says MargolisPineo. This residence guru is only "on duty" (meaning: she is required on the premises), for four weekends out of the whole school year.

But do floor fellows miss out on the know-how of offcampus living? "I don't regret my decision," asserts MargolisPineo, "but I do kind of wish I had the experience. ... There are moments [in Rez] when you're actually reminded why you get an apartment and cook your own meals." Nevertheless, Margolis-Pineo isn't in a hurry to live outside of the college bubble. "There will be plenty of time for that when real life starts."*

\

16 • Student Living • 12.09.06

Pod people

Top 10 fashion must-haves The eighties are back and comfort is 'in'

What we are listening to

1 ) Theskinnyjean -Although some of us may have boycotted the skinny jean for a while, it's back with a vengeance this season. Every other person on campus is donning a pair.

Just keep in mind that they are tight, so the darker they are, the better.

on campus ..

colours.

9) The wide belt - A bright red or metallic belt will add colour to the dark fall fashions.

J o a n n a R eznick

/£**«

2 ) The slouchy sweater - An alternative to the McGill sweatshirt, this soft knit is both comfortable and fashionable.

3 ) The mini-skirt - paired with a pair of high boots or leggings, the mini-skirt is a fun trend, but may disappear in the cold Montreal winter.

J acqueline R o w niak

"You gotta hear this one song, it'll change your life, I swear," exclaims Natalie Portman's character Sam in the 2004 indie film Garden State. While she may have been exaggerating a bit, McGill students are taking her advice rather seriously.

Even with the live bands playing on the OAP stage, students everywhere are wandering around carrfpus with little white wires dangling from their ears. The ipod playlist is the essential aid to studying, hiking from Burnside to Stewart Bio and tuning out the high-pitched screams of girls who haven't seen each other in four months. Here is a list of songs that students (and one professor) claimed were "making their day": • Bon Jovi - Bed of Roses • Prefuse 73 - Morale Crusher •Shrek Soundtrack • Neko Case - Running out of Fools •Kylie Minogue - Love at First Sight •The Fray - How to Save a Life •Damien Marley - All Night •Keller Williams - Dear Emily •Pussycat Dolls - Buttons •Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back . Corey Hart - / Just Died in your Arms Tonight •Nelly Furtado ft. Timabaland - Promiscuous Girl •Death From Above 19 79 - Little Girl •Michael Jackson - Man in the Mirror •Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane •Gnarls Barkley -Sm iley Faces •Amanda Marshall -R id e

4 ) High boots - Boots are the 'it' shoe for fall and winter and, fortunately, they come in a variety of styles; there is no need to stick with the extreme pointy toe of last season.

Buy four pairs: flat, square-toed, wedge, and stiletto!

5 ) The dress - This is an extremely comfortable, versatile and easy piece. The dress comes in

a variety of forms this season: if you pair one with high boots or leggings, a wide belt, and a cardigan, you have a new look for fall.

10 ) Leggings - Last but not least, leggings are pretty much the hottest trend this fall. Although these spandex pants come in all different patterns, it is best to go with the traditional black. But please, wear them with a tunic, dress, or a skirt -- that covers your bum! Beware: wedgies can be an unfortunate side effect.

Write for us!

Have a burning desire to see your name immortalized in print?

Come out to a features meeting!

When: Wednesday, September 13 at 6 p.m. !

Where: The Tribune

6 ) The big bag - Big bags are still as hot as ever. Why mess with a great accessory that can hold everything?

Office -- Shatnerno Or email us: features@ mcgilltribune.com

7 ) The vest - Pair this cute and trendy look with a long-sleeved tee.

8 ) Black, brown and grey - Colour is great... but only in small doses. The basics this season are best worn in dreary shades and very dark

Everyone is welcome!

W E B S IT E O F T H E W E E K

Eavesdropping while procrastinating T erri A lderfer

As of late, many students have become extremely uncomfortable with the level of creepiness some online social networks, ahem, Facebook, have stooped to - going from knowing details about people you've never actually met in reality, to knowing the last time that person ate a meal, went to the bathroom and slept in someone else's bed.

Three words: too much information!

Staying on the intrusive side, although still less so than Facebook!s now notorious "news feeds," compulsive people-watchers and eavesdroppers whose sole purpose in life is to listen in on the juicy conversations of others can flock to a new Mecca that has arrived on the Internet. Overheard in New York takes the strenuous

work out of eavesdropping the old-fashioned way by publishing the best snippets of conversation overheard in all corners of the city each day on the Internet.

Eavesdropping since

TOMSARDO 2003, owner of www. o v e r h e a r in n e w y o r k .c o m Morgan Friedman is a selfdescribed "easily amused compulsive people watcher."

Friedman decided to share his compulsion with others by accepting dozens of entries

each day and whittling them down to about a dozen of the best to publish on his site.

Not only is Overheard in New York an exceedingly entertaining tool for procrastination, but it's also interactive; readers . can rate the submissions with a "thumbs up," a "thumbs down," or just plain "wtf?".

Some are fairly common or quirky convos, while others can be cruel, vulgar and flat out disturbing.

Take this submission, for example, overheard in Union Square: "Girl #1: 'I'm funny.'

Girl #2:'No you're not.'Girl #1: 'Yes I am. Everyone says I'm hilarious.' Girl #2: 'Of course they do. That's because you aren't pretty.'" Whoa, Girl #2 is pretty harsh.

Another features an alarmingly naïve, intoxicated girl on the train, talking about her roommate with a friend: "Kool-Aid is my most favorite

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drink in the whole world.

When she moved in, it was like great, because it was like, you love Kool-Aid too?

Awesome, we're going to get along great. But then it ended up, she tried to kill me with a steak knife.”The lesson? Don't pick roommates based on their fruit-drink preferences.

And this one, from a socalled "20-something frat boy," which is just plain wrong: "Ya know, something tells me my future wife hasn't even been born yet." That one definitely deserves a "wtf;' if not a report to the NYPD. Granted, Overheard in New York is probably one of the most direct forms of privacy invasion out there; these people have no idea their conversations are being shared with others around the world on the Internet.

Overheard in New York has the appeal of a guilty pleasure, and that's what makes it so

good.That is, until it happens to you.

Imagine if you were having a personal conversation on the metro and, later that night, everyone around the world discovered that your boyfriend had cheated on you with your best friend's mother? Of course, no one would have to know it was you, but it's still humiliating. No need to worry yet - there is no Overheard site for Montreal, although Livejournal has created an unofficial version at http-// com m unity.livejournal.com / overheardmtl.

It's only a matter of time, though, before there will be a site dedicated to uncovering the seedy, comical and unusual conversations of Montrealers. So until then, log on to catch some awesome gossip, straight from the mouths of complete strangers. ■

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A rts & Entertainment FO O D

Tea's company John Company takes it one leaf at a time B en L emieux

Though it has only been a Western commodity for the past few centuries, tea has one of the longest and most illustrious histories of any beverage. Legend cites its discovery

by Emperor Shennong of China around 2700 BCE, though early written record of the drink only stretches back to 300 CE or so. Trade routes were soon developed to ensure its speedy progress across the oceans. Great Britain, for one, adopted tea as its national drink, and colonial resistance to a tax imposed upon the beverage led to the infamous Boston Tea Party of 1773Today, you can buy it at Starbucks.

Unfortunately.

The John Company (another name referring to the East India trading company), located at 5681 Avenue du Parc, is at the forefront of what can safely be called the "tea revival movment."

"I always wanted an avenue to be different with a restaurant," explains owner Rob Wiseman. "And then I was reading aboutthetea shops becoming more and more popular in the States -and even in Montreal and I decided it would be a much more feasible idea to have a teahouse/restaurant in the near future than to have the 70 seat restaurant that I ultimately want to have. So I decided to put the two together and the John Company was born out of that."

On Feb. 13 of this year, Wiseman's five-year stint with Rogers wireless came to an end when the store he worked at closed its doors. That same evening, the 23-year-old entrepreneur began to draft a business plan with a

fresh idea in mind.

"A year ago I got into tea,” Wiseman elaborates. "I really like tasting the subtleties from one thing to another. It's very easy to get into something like this. You start tasting two or three different teas and all of a sudden you're like: 'Ouhh. The blackberry notes compared to the honey notes in this one are really great.

The smokiness in this one compared to the flatter taste in this one.' It could go on forever."

MostNorth American households have forgotten about the purity and understated wonders of tea drinking, settling for store-bought Taster's Choice or whatever mediocrity the local coffee shop is likely to serve you.

John Company's ultimate goal is to steer everyday folk towards a fresher, subtler blend. Basically, they pour hot water over the leaves and let the tea work its magic.

"If you have someone who's used to drinking packaged tea from bags, they'll be more likely than anyone to notice how much more robust these flavours are, how much fresher, because this is the correct way to drink tea,"explains John Lumar, John Company's manager and an old teenage friend of Wiseman's. "The one-off that you get if you're drinking packaged tea is what's left at the bottom of the barrel."

In the process of establishing the business, Wiseman sampled hundreds of different teas before settling upon the 55 you'll now find in the store.

"I had to sit down with somebody who had the knowledge of 100-150 different teas so that he could guide me along the path of which teas we both felt would be good sellers,

which teas had certain health benefits 1&HTua V10JX2Î that are important, because teas offer a multitude of different things for the * body, from anti-oxidents to vitamins," says Wiseman. "We have teas that help cure headaches, we have teas that help cure hangovers, we have teas that basically do it all for you."

In addition to that, Wiseman remodeled what used to be a decrepit-looking kosher butchery on Parc avenue into a pleasant, serene Mile End hangout. The John Company's look boasts a hip oldmeets-new kind of flavour, provided by giant maps of East India trade routes at the entrance juxtaposed with modern graffiti, contemporary local artwork and a classic, elegant dining room at the back. Wiseman notes that creating a comfortable space was the prime motivator in his choice of décor. "You walk into a Java U and it's all stainless steel and frosted glass," Wiseman explains. You walk in, you look around and you say, 'Am I cool enough to be hanging out in this place? Am I wearing the right clothes to be drinking an iced latte here? How many different words can I say to describe my coffee?'I'm looking to create a warm atmosphere where people can come in, hang out and feel welcome.”

Wiseman, who does double duty as the John Company's resident chef, also serves up a variety of foods, ranging from sandwich/salad dishes to delectable and unique fine cuisine experiences. For $20, customers receive a starter, a seasonal main course, dessert and choice of tea.

For a touch of class, subtlety and comfort, the John Company is a fine The John Company— a unique pocket of old-meets-new. place to spend an evening. ■

P O P R H E T O R IC

T h e m ovie is, like, alw ays b etter than th e book C rystal C h an

I

was making small talk with a co-worker this summer when my eyes latched on to the title on the spine of the book she was reading, Pride and Prejudice.

"Oh yeah," she explained, "it's this movie with Keira Knightley, and it was pretty romantic so when I saw the book version I thought I'd check it out for summer." She proceeded to flip the book around, the front of which featured a glossy picture of Keira on the English moors with her dress blowing decoratively around her. If you squinted and looked at thé fine print on the bottom, overshadowed by the huge block letters 'Focus Features', you could somewhat make out'Jane Austen.'

This episode disturbed me at first, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Would this girl have passed up The Undomestic Goddess to read Pride and Prejudice if it had not borne Keira on the cover? And why was the thought of Pride and Prejudice as light summer reading so shocking to begin with? It is a romance novel, after all.

Turns out, movie remakes of books are the best thing for the advancement of modern culture and one of the smartest economic success stories of our time. Movies repackage culture forthe masses. How else would lazy high school English teachers interest their kids in Romeo & Juliet without showing Westside Story - excuse me, I stand corrected, rather Baz Luhrmann's Romeo+Juliet'! Especially significant to education seem to be the teen versions. A variety of past examples have already proven them to be a true recipe for success. Austen

got her popular cover in Clueless, but Shakespeare has shown himself to be the most adaptable to teen movie format with such movies as to Things I Hate About You, 0 , and the newest addition She's the Man, an Amanda Bynes Twelfth Night lighter than the feather quill the Bard penned his plays with - just the way kids like'em.

The movie industry is only doing what our mothers used to do: hiding brussel sprouts in something cheesy and delicious. We can grumble and fuss from below, but we will thank them later. Not only are the books themselves being touted in the public arena due to movie versions of them, but so are whole cultural interests and movements. Movies induce huge resurgences of interest in the subject matter ofthe books.

Interest in Shakespeare, interest in Sylvia Plath. These movies provoke cultural change, cultural insight, cultural interest.

After a successful version of Pride and Prejudice, I would be surprised if there wasn't a biopic released in the nearfuture on Jane Austen with all sorts of fleshed out, heretofore unknown controversies in what was seemingly a quiet and lonely life.

Economically speaking, it takes only a simpleton to realize that the field of books-turned-movies is a profit paradise. Case in point: when I went to Chapters, the new editions of books with movie posters were always more expensive than the similar quality Penguin edition paperbacks. It's a privilege to have Keira on your book cover. Also, with most classics, the profit-makers of a movie version will never have to concern

themselves with author settlements. They are conveniently dead. Maybe a little percentage to the Jane Austen foundation to purchase rights, and you're set. And since you know how the book itself fared, you don't even have to enlist brainpower into figuring out your target audience for marketing. People love a good, old revival: the books - new and improved! Renditions of books have even shot past their book counterparts in many cases. Think Maltese Falcon or Jurassic Park.

So, the pretentious lot of us who cringe when Macfayden's, Firth's and Olivier's Darcy says "I have struggled in vain" instead of "in vain have I struggled," as God and Austen intended, just don't realize how truly crucial these seemingly second-rate versions are. Movie deals are what every good writer wants, after all. J.K. Rowling loves hers, and I'm sure Austen would have too.

A cover of a song is usually Seen as a nod of respect to the original artist, since imitation is after all the best form of flattery. So maybe a cover of a book smeared with Keira Knightley's face isn't such a bad thing after all. Books are the perfect fodder for movies; really, books are the stuff movies (and dreams) are made of. With such a never ending bank of ideas within reach of producers, who even needs books?

Maybe it's a dead art form. We should just enlist emerging authors and scoop them up to write directly for the screen, skip this middle stuff. Nobody ever has to be creative again, when one can just repackage old classics over and over.. ■

The McGill Tribune

18 • Arts & Entertainment • 12.09.06

Previews

COMPILED BY CRYSTAL CHAN

Science: Technophiles take to the road, September 16 and 17; Montreal Science Centre (333, de la Commune Street West: île Bonsecours, in the eastern part of the old port).This special exhibit is free and presented by the Montreal Science Centre. On the old port pier the innovative creations of over 200 engineering students will be presented to the public for two days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The inventions are all newly designed and built over this last year, and include a high-efficieny car, a solar-powered boat, a canoe made out of concrete, an environmentally-friendly snowmobile, an independent working robot, an amphibious all-terrain vehicle, a muscle-powered submarine, a single­ seat race car... and many, many more. A real technological treat.

Show: Et pourquoi pas?, September 18-20 and 25-27, 8 p.m.; O Patro Vys (356 Mont-Royal E.). Contortionists! This intermedium show features singers, a pianist and three contortionists. A truly unique theatre experience, the aim is "to discover ones true joy in life, our true cojors, finding inspirations in the beauty of our own bodies and surrounding melodies". If you felt shocked and slightly jealous of the amazing human pretzels on display while spying on the gym yoga class, then Et pourquoi pas? is 100 per cent guaranteed to cause your jaw to drop and give you an exhilirating urge to simultaneously giggle and mutter'gross...cool' under your breath.

Literature: Festival International de la Littérature, Septembens24; (Various venues). For those lucky enough to have mastered the French language, this festival is one of the most exciting cultural events in Montreal. In its twelfth year, the FIL is the juncture where over 200 writers and artists from various other disciplines come together in an open forum to celebrate literature. Literature will be read, discussed, and expressed through other mediums such as art and film. The venues for this year's festival include such diverse spaces as the Place des Arts, Café Esperenza, and the Cinémathèque Québécoise. Of special note is the festival's homage to two featured authors, Marguerite Duras and Gaston Miron. Visit www.festival-fil.qc.ca for more information.

Music: LAB Project #30, September 16, 9:30 p.m.; 0 Patro Vys (356 Mont-Royal E.).The LAB projects, a name that stands for Live Ambience and Beats, are a series of concerts featuring local talent that take place every month. This month's offering is the kickoff to the new season and isThe Objects and Vid Cousins. The groups have brought in external musicians forthe show, notably Stef Schneider, Bell Orchestre's poly-rhythmic drummer and also Toronto's Leon Kingstone of Synthetic Folk Flero fame. The groups cite influences such as Steve Reich, The Meters, Terry Gilliam, and Peter Cook & Dudley Moore. The shows are special for their creation of an all-encompassing experience as the music is paired with visuals mixed live with the music.

M U S IC

Where's the Schulich at?

McGill bands left to own devices: Moksa E liz a b et h P e r le

Members of the music community are positing Montreal as the next Seattle or Greenwich Village. While Toronto is well known for its festivals lined with bigname artists, such as the Virgin Music Festival, which hosted both Gnarles Barkley and The Strokes this year, the sounds that are challenging and changing the face of North America's oversaturated music industry are being produced in our own backyard.

Osheaga, for example, was a hugely successful twoday concert event that took place in Parc Jean Drapeau earlier this month and attracted a flood of international artists such as Ben Flarper, The Flaming Lips and KOs. Perhaps even more significant, though, is the POP Montreal festival that happens in October. This evènt has come to be a central forum for upcoming artists, and some are even considering it comparable to Coachella and South by Southwest in its power to predict which bands will dominate the Indie scene in the upcoming year.

It may be surprising to some that many of Canada's new, Montreal-bred artists are actually McGill alumni.This month's McGill alumni magazine, though, did not shy away from boasting the fact. In a brief article, it attached McGill degrees to members of popular bands such as The Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Sam Roberts and DJ EightTrak. What is interesting is that a bare minimum of these musicians received musical training at McGill.

In fact, many up-and-coming McGill-based musicians are not affiliated with the Schulich music school at all. "I feel like most musicians that are out there and playing in Montreal are not part of the music faculty," explains Jordan Safer, U2 Political Science and member of the McGill-based rock band Moksa. "We know several big-name bands at McGill that are not." Many students, like Safer and his band-mates, are critical of the lack of facilities available to independent musicians who want to play their instruments while maintaining a separate degree. "Practice space is also a problem," Safer adds.

"Ideally, it would be great if the faculty of music would do a better job at helping to facilitate independent bands like us, but, I guess you can kind of understand why they wouldn't be so accommodating," says Adam Jesin, the band's lead vocalist and a U3 History major, who suggests that the band's music style - far from classical or jazz oriented - would not be taken seriously by students of the faculty. "But, we would really love [McGill's] support and help," Jesin admits.

While it is arguable whether or not McGill has a strong enough support network for their independent musicians, OAP and SnoAP have certainly become valuable forums from which McGill bands can showcase their music.

"I came in the 12th grade to get a tour of McGill campus and I saw the OAP setup, a live performance on stage, and people having a good time relaxing and listening to the music. That was the second I thought: 'this is the place where I need to go.'"Jesin recounts.

"We are all about the live performance. An outdoor performance between classes in the first week of school is a great thing, we get such positive feedback from it,"Zeke Caplan, Moksa's lead guitarist and principal songwriter says with a smile. Unfortunately, Moksa's performance in last week's OAP lineup was cancelled due to rain, but, being veterans of both OAP and SnoAP, the band did not appear too discouraged.

While OAP and SnoAP provide great opportunities for McGill-based bands to practice performing, a lot of students believe that more could still be done to help foster a community among the currently scattered group of independent musicians at McGill. If not, it would at least help to promote existing, but sometimes little-known campus talent, like Moksa. As the currently famous McGill Alumni bands have proven, it is not unrealistic to assume that the current campus bands could eventually become major players in the Canadian music industry. It would be nice for McGill to be able to claim having played a real part in their success. ■

JORDON SAFER Jamming it up at last year's SnoAP.

The McGill Friends bored o f listening to your neverending rants and raves on books and movies? Are you a bu d d in g music snob? Can't stop talkin g a b o u t th a t in novative m u ltim ed iu m play you saw last Saturday?

W rite for th e Arts & E n tertain m en t section. To find o u t m ore a b o u t us and upcom ing stories, em ail: ___________ arts@ m cqilltribune.com ___________

IT WORKS! Call Paul at

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12.09.06 • Arts & Entertainment • 19

Reviews

T H E H Y D IA N P E R S P E C T IV E

How to be a hipster The definitive guide

N iki H y d e Going to University is a chance to re-invent yourself; you can finally shake off the stigmas of adolescent awkwardness and become the beautiful swan you were always meant to be. While many students adopt a new identity because they have experienced a great maturation between graduation day and the beginning of frosh, this metamorphosis is more frequently facilitated by the fact that they are now miles away from the people who knew them duFing their brace­ faced "my little ponies" phase.

The choosing of a new identity i niche presents a dilemma that is less "to be or hot to be" than it is "who to be.'Traditional choices have ; included sports star, cheerleader, ; genius or young entrepreneur. For many, however, these choices are boring, mainstream and conformist.

The ME generation favours avantgarde and edgy: We want to be

unique without having to suffer the stigma of solitude.

Thus, the hipster was born. In this identity, hyper-aware, metawhatever, po-mo sensibilities are all wrapped up in a pretty, artfully distressed, hyper-vintage package.

Following are thesimplecriteria that will allow one to transform from conformist suburbanite to edgy hipster. After this easy-tofollow transformational process you will gain a form of respect based on notoriety leading to a flock of artsy friends following your every beck and call. You will finally be able to muse, to yourself on long nights in dimly lit converted lofts that you are, in fact, so hip it hurts.

Junkie Chic When picking a style icon ask yourself: are they or were they a junkie? Sources of inspiration should be Pat Benetar, Edie Segwick and Pete Doherty. Haven't heard of them? Then aim for Hilary Duff, post-chunkster phase, or Panic at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie.

As a rule of thumb, if they have never chased the dragon, they are not hipster. Remember: nothing is hotter than the pre-rehab look.

Girls? Boys?

Switch gender associations. If you are a boy, opt for eyeliner, lip gloss and hair long enough to flop in front of your brooding, smoldering eyes. Girls: go androgynous or go home. Flatten that chest and throw away your make-up (unless it is

The Last Kiss We all make choices.

W hat’s yours?

black eyeliner which is, of course, de-rigeur for both sexes) and aim for an unflattering haircut (think Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs).

The AHRTS To be appreciated as a true hipster you must have a working knowledge of the Ahrts. No, not painting •or music as you have previously heard of them, but anything obscure and, with a bit of luck, displeasing. Questions to ask yourself: does this bore / annoy me?

As for music, aim for obscurity. Not only should the band be unsigned and have played only a handful of shows, but they should be singing in a foreign language. Extra points if the language is made up (see Sigur { Ros).

Finally, a list of Hipster Dos and Dont's - DON'T shower. Clean is for capitalists (a.k.a. the enemy). Toss that bar of soap out and revel in the aroma of your pheromones au naturel.

- DON'T smile. How are J you supposed to radiate angst, disillusionment and the "save-me": vibe that is key to your hipster identity with a giant grin on your face?Turn that smile upside down.

- DO shun brightness. Lights : are for happy people (unless they are black lights). You hate happy people. Find a dark corner and don't be afraid to kick out any emo kids you may find lurking there, because, let's face it, hipster kicks emc any day. ■

Fredric Gary Comeau. Eve Rêve. Though it is stereotypical to say of music that one does ' not like that 'it all sounds the same,' in this case the accusation proves to be true. With one monotonously mellow song following another, Comeau's baritone quickly loses its charm and becomes merely tedious. Certain songs, such as the opening track “Je ne brûlerai que pour toi" and the closing "Énticelles," are genuinely pretty and unique; the middle of the album, however, proves to be something of a musical bog of indistinct melodies and dubious instrumental arrangements. Stronger pieces, such as "Mes Légendes" and "Comme un arbre," are welcome and worthy exceptions, but they are still far from creating the rule. It is to Comeau's further discredit that in an effort to strengthen weak compositions, he resorts to utterly gratuitous instrumentation involving the Wurlifzer, melodica, ukulele, vibraphone, xylophone; autoharp, Shakuhachi and quenacho. The strange cacophony provided by these totally superfluous instruments, not to mention the equally annoying use of percussion, serves only to distract from the music,, though in this case that might be taken as a good thing. Comeau's musical style has previously been compared by reviewers to that of Leonard Cohen, but such an association can only be to Comeau's detriment. Whereas a great artist such as Cohen never relies on mere filler, Comeau rarely emerges from it. While it is beyond the capacity of this Anglophone reviewer to offer a fair appraisal of Comeau's lyrical efforts, it is up to listeners to decide whether his words can, indeed, make his musical mess worth their time.

— Ezra GI'inter Tomi Swick. Stalled Out in the Doorway.

Warner records has engaged in a rather substantial commercial push with this 25-year-old Hamiltonian, heralding him as "the next big thing to come out of Canada!" We've all heard, this "next big thing” stuff before, yet Ron Sexsmith is fading (back) into obscurity and no one cares about Daniel Powter.

For a welcome change, however, Warner is deadly accurate with its latest endorsement. From the opening notes of Stalled Out in the Doorway, Swick brings the special sauce, echoing the sounds of Tom Petty, Thom Yourke or Jeff Buckley, yet holding his own with regard to composition and lyric­ writing. The album kicks off with "Come in 2s,"a gripping, gloomy rocker with genial vocal melody lines that smack of genuine yearning, then slides into "Wait Until Morning" and "Still in the Light," captivating, bittersweet ballads with some pretty clever hooks. Swick surpasses many of his peers because the emotionality of the album so easily and credibly carries over to the audience. At worst, it is compelling soft rock radio fare, but at best, it is epic contemporary song writing. Do not miss this one.

— Ben Lemieux

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S ports FO O TBA LL

Gaiters maul Redmen Bishop's running back sets school record while running over McGill C harlie B lore

A year off may have cured many of the ills that plagued McGill's football program last season, but not quite all of them. Last year, the team's Achilles heel was an inability to stop the running game and, judging by their performance on Saturday against Bishop's, not much has changed.

Gaiters running back Jamal Lee treated a boisterous crowd of just over 1,800 on hand at a cold and rainy Coulter Stadium to a prolific performance, gaining 279 yards and two touchdowns. His rushing total broke the team's single game record for rushing yards and paced Bishop's to a 2 7-16 victory. In a game that is often won and lost in the trenches, McGill was completely outclassed by a Bishop's side that outrushed them by over 300 yards.

"We have to correct the mistakes we made defensively," said Redmen Head Coach Chuck McMann. "We're very young on defence so hopefully the guys will learn, in that they know what the level of play is. I don't think they knew what to expect."

Once more into the breach Ironically, McGill got off on the right foot in the game, picking up 80 yards on their first possession before finally stalling inside the Bishop's ten yard line and settling for a field goal. The defence followed that up by stopping Lee for a one yard loss on his first run, and when halfback Anthony Lucka intercepted a Dusty Whyte pass four plays later, the Redmen seemed to be in good shape.

But on the next play, McGill Quarterback Matt Connell gave the ball right back to the Gaiters and from that point on it was all Bishop's. Lee would cap the ensuing drive by taking a pitch and scampering six yards for his first touchdown of the afternoon.

"It was pretty rough out there," Connell said.

"We had a good first drive but from then on it was all downhill. We were getting out-schemed on offence, we got behind early and from there it was hard to play catch-up. [Bishop's] has a great running back."

Indeed it was Lee's second touchdown that would change the makeup of this match. With 5:19 left in the half and the game still within reach at 17-4 the sophomore back took a hand-off up the middle, bounced off a tackle, made a quick cut towards the right sideline and ran for daylight on his way to a 70 yard touchdown dash.

Lee had his choice of running lanes all day as the Gaiters offensive linemen—who on average

outweigh the defensive linemen of McGill by almost 50 pounds— dominated the line of scrimmage. Even fullbackTim Cronkwas quite impressive, rushing five times for 46 yards.

"My offensive-line is amazing," Lee said. "They did a great job today and they made me look good."

Late charge falls short To their credit, the Redmen didn’t roll over when the game began to get out of hand. Down 24-5 in the third quarter, Connell and company drove 77 yards to the Bishop's four yard line only to see wide receiver Charles-Antoine Sinotte drop a pass in the end-zone on third and goal.

On the ensuing drive, the McGill defence came up huge. With the Gaiters threatening deep in Redmen territory, linebacker Jean-Nicholas Carrière anticipated a screen pass, and picked off quarterback Dusty Whyte's short toss. However, he was denied the score by Jamal Lee, who stopped Carrière 95 yards later at the Bishop's 1‘1-yard line.

"It was just a reaction play, when you feel that fullback release early you think to yourself, maybe this is a little screen or hitch play," Carrière said. "I just released at the right time, grabbed it, and then [Lee] got me. I thought I was going to get my first touchdown there but I guess I'll just have to intercept another one."

The Redmen would eventually turn that play into three points. They followed that up the with a five-play, 70-yard touchdown drive punctuated by a 53-yard catch-and-run play from Connell to wide receiver Erik Galas and finished with running back Michael Samman scoring from two yards out.

But it was too little too late. While McGill managed to move the ball quite well on offence, amassing 345 yards, it was incompletions at key moments that killed drives all day. The Redmen Converted three possessions inside the Bishop's ten yard line into just six points.

“Offensively we have to make more plays," McMann said. "We moved the football but then we'd drop passes or go offside; we just didn't make the catches when we needed to."

As always there's no rest for the weary as McGill will host perennial powerhouse Laval next Saturday at Molson Stadium. The week should leave enough time to prepare an offence which requires a little fine tuning but not for a defence which remains a work in progress. ■

Jamal Lee ran over the Redmen all day.

T H IR D M A N IN

Hail to th e tru e hom e run king

I

hate this article. I hate the necessity of this debate. It disgusts me, as it disgusts many, that baseball has become a witch­ hunt; a magnet for cynics.

Baseball is a beautiful, unappreciated sport. It is exciting, deeply cerebral and rich with history. But recently, under the [ever-expanding cloud of steroid use, it is this thick history Ithat has been barraged by questions of legitimacy. Baseball |is a sport of icons and records; people like Ruth, Mays, Mantle, Gehrig, Aaron and Williams have become national heroes, setting records that have sustained interest in the game for generations.

Of all the records, none is more hallowed than the single season home run record— currently held by Barry Bonds.

When Babe Ruth smacked 60 home runs in 1927, it became the standard for a generation. Thirty-four years later, Roger Maris eclipsed the Bambino, slugging 61 long balls. Then eight years ago, Mark McGwire set a new plateau with 70 in a season; in the same year, fellow slugger Sammy Sosa also broke Maris'record by crushing 66 moon shots. Most recently, the ever-controversial Barry Bonds claimed the record in 2001 by hitting 73 homers, passing McGwire.

But since then, evidence has surfaced indicating that

Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa were all taking performance enhancing drugs while they were breaking this sacred benchmark. Although none have been convicted of steroid use by either Major League Baseball or the United States judicial system, all three players have been unquestionably deemed guilty in the court of public opinion.

This season, Ryan Howard—the Philadelphia Phillies' sophomore slugger and 2006 all-star home run derby champion— has bashed 56 home runs and has almost singlehandedly dragged the Phils to the top of the National League wild card race. With 19 games remaining in the campaign, Howard will almost certainly break the Maris record of 61 home runs. But if he does pass Maris— and knowing that Bonds, McGwire and Sosa were likely using steroids when they smashed their way past 61— should Ryan Howard be considered the true single season home run champion?

As much as I would love to award that honour to the seemingly clean and drug-free Howard, it's not possible to do so. None of Bonds, McGwire or Sosa have been convicted in any type of court except for that of public opinion; and at the same time, how does anyone know that Ryan Howard is not doping? It is quite conceivable that he has a new cutting

A a r o n S igal

edge, undetectable drug similar to the THG drug which the other three players allegedly used during their runs at thef record. Howard only appears clean.

But, with Major League Baseball's drug testing system! in place, if Howard doesn't test positive for steroids, I believes that he should be considered publicly the true home run champion, although he can never be the official record-booÉ holder of the title. Without a conviction in a court of law, Bonds holds the official record. However, when my son asl< me "who hit the most home runs in one season') I'll tell hirrlj "Barry Bonds has the record, but Ryan Howard— or Rogeij Maris— is the true home run king."

When we students partake in our favourite pastime of heavy drinking, conversation often ends up drifting to thej game of hypothetical "Would You Rather?". And essentially, this situation in baseball is a "Would You Rather?" scenario. I So, would you rather set the official home run record, yet| be known as having done it artificially, assisted by a banned performance enhancer à la Bonds? Or would you rather notjl set the "official" record, but have the public consider you the clean, true champion like Ruth, Maris and possibly Howard|j For me, there can only be one possible answer. ■

12.09.06 -The McGill Tribune • 21

S O C C E R P R E V IE W

U P O N F U R T H E R R E V IE W

Reinventing the Redmen McGill looks to recapture spirit A a r o n S igal

Sports are a transcendent element in today's turbulent society. To use a cliché, any team can win on any given day. It is not always the supremely skilled squads that capture championships; rather, spirited, passionate and hard-working often trump the talented.

It is to this philosophy that the 2006 McGill Redmen soccer team subscribes to, as they are self-avowedly not one of the more impressive teams in CIS soccer.

Second-year Head Coach Philippe Eullaffroy has taken on the mission of cultivating a new spirit and work ethic in Redmen camp. The McGill pitch will not be graced by an extraordinarily skilful team this season; however, if Eullaffroy is successful in his program, there will be a fresh dedication to soccer both within his dressing room and throughout campus.

"I played against the Redmen about 12 years ago," Eullaffroy said, referring to his time at l'Université de Quebec à Montréal. "When we played McGill, it was a very tough game because the Redmen had spirit that no one else had. Five or six years ago, they lost that spirit and became a common team. I don't want that.

We may not be the best team in the nation, but when others come to play McGill, I want them to say 'Wow, this will be tough.'"

While passion may be the objective forthe Redmen, on the field they still appear to be a fairly average squad.

Last season, McGill finished a disappointing fifth in the Quebec University Soccer League with a mediocre 7-6-1 record, missing the playoffs. As a result, the Red'n'White have set themselves very realistic goals. Beginning this year, the team will engage in a step-by-step program to eventually reach the national championship.

"The first goal this year will be to make the playoffs and hopefully win a playoff game," Eullaffroy said. "The next step would obviously be to win the provincials and then go to nationals, but we have to be realistic.

We have the skill level to be national champions, but I'm not going to go out and tell our guys that we're one of the best teams in the country."

Young but well-rounded

McGill will look to field a well-balanced, albeit

inexperienced squad on the pitch in 2006. Although Coach Eullaffroy has attempted to impart an offensive philosophy on his men— playing with a more offensively inclined 4 -4 -2 formation— the defence remains the strongest pillar of the team, coming off a .season in which they conceded only 14 goals. The midfield— anchored by leading scorer Alec Milne, captain Jean-Philippe Drouin-Bouffard and Quebec allstar James Scolefield— will be a flexible unit that will have to alternate quickly between deep slicing attacks and helping out on the defensive end. The strikers will play an even more crucial role this season as the offensive-minded attitude becomes more ingrained in the team's style of play.

"There is much more intensity this year," DrouinBouffard said. "The team looks good in preseason, the rookies are ready to perform and bring something to the team and we're a much stronger team. We're going to be much harder to beat this year."

The lack of experience is still a significant weakness for the Redmen however. Last season, 60 per cent of the team were rookies. This year, although that number is down, the squad lost six veterans and is still an overwhelmingly youthful side. In university sport, youth is not a contending team's ally.

"We lost six players from last season," Eullafroy said.

"Anytime you lose veterans, it's not good for the team.

But the seven rookies we brought in are better than the rookies from last year so we should have some more balance."

Should the Pack drop Favre?

As Marcellus Wallace said in Pulp Fiction, "Thing is Butch, right now you have ability. But painful as it may be, ability don't last". Now substitute the name Butch for Brett.

Green Bay Packers quarterback and future Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre always has had a raw talent for the game of football. But whether it's the concussions, the more evolved defensive schemes or just age, clearly his time has passed. It seems in Favre's case that while the flesh is still willing, it's the mind that is now weak.

Last year Favre led the league in interceptions with 29, 12 more then any of his colleagues. However, I'm not going to talk about Favre's legacy and how it will be affected by him hanging on and accumulating

interceptions. What troubles me more is that he's holding his team back.

The Packers are not going to challenge for the Super Bowl this year, or even next year for that matter. So why is Favre hanging on? Clearly the Pack is in the midst of a rebuilding process, a central component of which is moving from the Brett Favre era to the Aaron Rogers one, the Golden Brett's heir apparent.That process isn't going to move ahead any quicker with Favre under centre.

Brett always has been a team player. It's time he assumes that role once more and put his team's interests before his own.

-

Charlie Store

Playoffs within reach

One of the pluses for the season is that McGill finds itself competing in a fairly wide open QUSL where anything can happen over the course of a season.

"The two stronger teams are Montréal and UQAM for sure, and maybe Laval,”Eullaffroy said."So we should end up around either third or fourth and make the playoffs."

The McGill Redmen soccer team isn't the best squad in CIS or the QUSL; however, if the coaching staff has its way, they will be an exciting and passionate team. And sometimes, spirit trumps skill. ■

Is it time for Brett to hang them up?

VLADIMIR EREMIN McGill hopes to avoid missing the playoffs for a second straight year.

There are great players, and then there are pantheon players.

In every sport, there is a very select group of men that transcends the unwritten rules of the game. In football, Brett Favre is undoubtedly one of these extremely special and respected athletes. As fantastic a player he is on the field, there is one opponent that he cannot evade or defeat: age. All athletes grow older and with each year, their skills deteriorate. Certainly, Brett Favre is at the end of his career; his skills have faded enough that, often, he is more of a liability than an attribute for the Green Bay Packers.

However, he has earned the right to retire whenever his heart desires. He owes nothing to the city of Green Bay; they owe him everything. If he is not the greatest quarterback in the Pack's history— never mind in NFL history— he is at least on par with the legendary

Bart Starr. Favre led the Packers to a Super Bowl championship, back-toback Super Bowl appearances and the greatest success the franchise has experienced since the days of iconic coach Vince Lombardi. He has started every Packers game since Sept. 20,1992, for crying out loud.

Could anyone imagine the Chicago Bulls asking Michael Jordan to retire from their team? Had The Great One stayed, would the fans of the Edmonton Oilers ever have demanded Wayne Gretzky leave the team? Of course not! Brett Favre is Green Bay and the Packers are Brett Favre. Despite his struggles, Favre is still one of the top NFL quarterbacks in history; he has every rightto leave Green Bay whenever he desires. For this simple fact alone, he can do what he pleases.

—Aaron Sigal

The McGill Tribune

22 -Sports -12.09.06

P R O F IL E — M E N 'S R O W IN G

From flyers to a flying finish O'Farrell takes bronze at the 2006 World Rowing Championships

NFL Picks Oakland (+8.5) at Baltimore Houston (+13.5) at Indianapolis

H a ydar M

ahdi

While very few university students can say that they are on their country's national rowing team, even fewer can say that they have won a medal at the World Rowing Championships. However, Derek O'Farrell can lay claim to both. Over the summer, the U4 physiology student finished third in the Men's Coxed Pair at the under-23 World Rowing Championship in Eton, UK, becoming the first McGill rower to ever reach the podium at a World Championship.

What's even more remarkable is that rowing only recently became a major part of O'Farrell's life.

"I started rowing at McGill," O'Farrell said. "Before I came here, I had never really seen or heard of rowing as a sport other than on TV, so I really came in with no experience. I was just sitting on the field when I got a flyer to come try out for the rowing team. So I thought, 'Oh, why not?'".

The road to bronze Despite O'Farrell's achievements, his life has not been different from most young Canadians. Growing up in Unionville, Ontario., O'Farrell's sport of choice was hockey.

Also, like many students in Canada, O'Farrell says that he always wanted to come to McGill—though it never had anything to do with rowing. On the contrary, he has always wanted to become a doctor.

But in rowing, O'Farrell found a new passion — one that would be difficult to master. Intense training and dedication is what it has taken to make his dramatic progression in the sport.

"When I first started, I was surrounded by people who were way better than me," O'Farrell said. “I saw how dedicated they were to the sport and I really started to fit into their niche. I trained with them hard, and I just naturally progressed. When I started out as a novice, I would try to train once a day if possible and then when I decided to try out for the national team, it was more like twice a day. On the national team, you move out to Victoria to train—they train three times a day on the water.

It's like a full-time job."

Teammate and club President John Muratori concurred with O'Farrell, explaining that like any sport, only those who go the extra mile in training will succeed in the long term.

"The training program is as difficult as any other top tier sport," Muratoni said."We're up at 5:30 a.m. and train for two and a half hours. If you're serious about it, like Derek is, you also have to be committed to additional workouts and developing beyond the normal practices. Like any sport, you need to be there putting in the extra time.

That's where Derek really achieved success".

"Derek is a guy who loves the'urge'to train and loving the urge is what is needed in this sport to reach the highest levels," Muratori added.

Still, O'Farrell owes much of his advancement in rowing to McGill.

"[The McGill system] is a really, really good system," he said. "You can take someone who's never rowed or even seen a real boat before and turn them into a varsity athlete and maybe even a national team rower."

Muratoni agreed with O'Farrell's assessment, believing that O'Farrell's progress and success were greatly enhanced by McGill's rowing program.

"It's a testament to the structure,"Muratoni said."Derek started off in the novice program, basically someone who's never raced before. Really, it's a tribute to the McGill Rowing system that we can take someone who's never been in a boat and take them to the top level in the sport."

The fu tu re Considering that most rowers peak in their late 20s, O'Farrell has a pretty bright future ahead of him. Asked if he intends to carry on rowing or pursue medicine instead, O'Farrell is clearly keeping his options open.

"The passion [of being a doctor] has been a little bit deflected for now," O'Farrell said. "But I'm sure that once I decide what I'm going to do with my life I'll have the same passion that I had for rowing and I'll drive for it".

And we would all hope that O'Farrell does indeed drive for it: for McGill, for Canada and for himself. Whether he chooses a career in medicine or rowing, O'Farrell has good options on all sides. ■

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12.09.06-Spo rts-23

Sports Briefs

Last C all

c o m p il e d b y

C harlie B lore

and

A a ro n S igal

M artlets chalk up another win

STANDINGS Football

GP

w

L

PF

PA

Rugby(W)

W

L

PF

PA

P

Laval

1

0

2

25

21

McGill

1

0

55

0

3

Concordia

1

0

2

Bishop's

1

0

2

McGill

0

Sherbrooke Montreal

p

70

7

3

McGill

1

0

Sherbrooke

1

0

14

13

3

1

0

31

10

3

27

Laval

0

0

0

0

0

1

O 16

27

Ottawa

0

0

0

0

0

Bishop's

0

1

13

14

0

0

1

0 15

18

Bishop's

0

1

0

55

0

ETS

0

2

17

101

0

0

1

O 21

25

Sherbrooke

0

1

0

55

3

1

0

55

0

3

BOX SCORE

Martlets Ice Hockey— McGill vs. Quebec Avalanche; Sunday, Oh the good old hockey game! The great Canadian past­ time makes its 2006 debut at McConnell Arena with a powerhouse Martlets team taking on the Quebec Avalanche. There's nothing like an afternoon in the arena watching high quality hockey, a product these Martlets are sure to provide. Like their soccer counterparts, keep an eye out for these women on their attempt to capture the CIS title.

NCAA Football—#11 Michigan at #2 Notre Dame; Saturday, 3:30 p.m. on NBC In a mammoth clash of college football titans, old rivals Michigan Wolverines take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend. Expect a high scoring game beneath the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus as two of the NCAA's most potent offences try to top each other. The loser not only will lose bragging rights, but more importantly, will be knocked out of the race to the BCS National Championship game.

Boxing— Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Rocky Juarez, Saturday.

Barrera won their first meeting in May, but it could have gone either way. Both are free swingers with tons of power which should make for an exciting contest. The fight will be for Barrera's WBC Junior Lightweight title. If you don't watch much boxing or aren't very familiar with the division, it's by far the most entertaining and competitive in boxing right now. This one is a matter of pride; both men lost a bit of it last time, so expect a war.

Saturday Sept. 9,2006 Bishop's Gaiters 27 vs. McGill Redmen 16 Coulter Field, Lennoxville, QC Scoring Summary: First Quarter 07:11 MCGILL - Robert Eeuwes 16 yd field goal 12:02 BISHOP'S - Jamall Lee 6 yd run (Justin Conn kick) 14:38 BISHOP'S - Keith Godding 7 yd pass from Dusty Whyte (Justift Conn kick) Second Quarter 03:03 MCGILL - Robert Eeuwes rouge 07:53 BISHOP'S - Justin Conn 21 yd field goal 09:41 BISHOP'S - Jamall Lee 70 yd run (Justin Conn kick) 13:58 MCGILL - Robert Eeuwes rouge

Fourth Quarter 02:05 MCGILL - Robert Eeuwes 13 yd field goal 05:19 MCGILL - Michael Samman 2 yd run (Matt Connell 2pt. convert) 09:52 BISHOP'S - Justin Conn 40 yd field goal Score by Quarters

Who has played the most career regular season overtime points in NHL history ?

What is the record for fewest passing yards by one team in an NFL game? Denver against Oakland September 10th 1967.

What is the highest scoring match in an international soccer history?

Who holds the men's 105+ Kg snatch weightlifting record? lifted 213Kg on September 14th 2003.

Who preformed highest slam dunk of a basketball?

Answers

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McGill's rugby women got the regular season off on the right foot on Sunday, crushing Bishop's 55-0. Centre Laura Belvedere led the team with four tries, while prop Valerie Evans and fullback Julianne Zussman each scoring twice.

The game actually ended 77-0, but was called five minutes from the end of regulation on a mercy rule, the win runs the Martlet's unbeaten streak over the last nine years to 54-0-1.

Redbirds sw eep Stingers

McGill improved it's record to 2-3 by winning both ends of a double-header Sunday against Concordia. In the opener,. leftfielder Steve Hersch led the Redbirds at the plate going two for three and scoring two runs helping them to a 9-3 victory. Pitcher Anthony Carbone threw a complete game.

In the nightcap, first baseman Eric Mutter and Jon Comeau led the offence, combining for five RBIs on five hits in a 8-0 thrashing. Pitcher Ben Chrisholm threw a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits while stricking out two.

Redm en earn shutout over G ee-G ees

On Saturday, the McGill men's soccer team wound up their pre-season schedule with a 2-0 victory at Molson Stadium over Ottawa University. Striker Gareth Pugh opened the scoring in the 19th minute and also set-up Eugene Grasske's insurance marker in the 58th. The win means the team finishes the pre-season with a 3-2 record, and will open at home next Friday against Université de Sherbrooke.

Goalkeepers Olivier Boulva and Michael Faustini shared credit for the clean sheet. ♦ Redm en rugby notches an im pressive win

Third Quarter No scoring

McGill pummeled Ecole de Technologie Supérieure by a score of 70-7 Sunday in Ste. Julie. The Redmen spread the scoring around with seven different player registering tries, led by outside centre Bryce Thomassin with three. The Redmen will look to improve on their 1-0 record with a win next Sunday at Molson Stadium against Sherbrooke.

1 2 3 4 Score

BOX SCORE McGill Bishop's

3 2 011 -16 1410 0 3 -27

Friday, Sept. 9,2006 McGill Redmen 2 v. Ottawa GeeGees 0 Molson Stadium

Attendance: 1800 Quick Stats MCGILL FIRST DOWNS.................

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)..........

PASSING YDS (NET)...........

Passes Att-Comp-Int.........

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS....

Fumble Returns-Yards........

Punt Returns-Yards..........

Kickoff Returns-Yards.......

Interception Returns-Yards....

Punts (Number-Avg)..........

Fumbles-Lost................

Penalties-Yards.............

Possession Time.............

Third-Down Conversions......

10-28 309 47-25-1 58-325

BISHOP'S 25 43-335 105 11-5-2 54-440

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0-0

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Redmen Football— McGill vs. Laval; Saturday, i p.m.

Coming off a painful loss to Bishop's, the Redmen have no time to recover. Instead of licking their wounds, the team will probably have new ones ripped open by the perennially powerful Laval Rouge et Or squad. A huge upset if McGill were to win, don't expect this game to be of the thrilling variety— unless you're the Molson Stadium landscaper; he'll only have to re— grass half the field.

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Martlets Soccer— McGill vs. Sherbrooke; Friday, 6p.m.

The Quebec champion Martlets open the season in the friendly confines of Molson Stadium against Sherbrooke. In what should be a challenging game against an always fiesty Vert et Or side, McGill will have the chance to show the home fans why they are a top contender for the ultimate prize at the end of the season— the National Championship.

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Editor's note: Sack o f the Week is a new feature that will spotlight a particular athlete who has distinguished him/herselfin the area.of being a part time gifted athlete and full time jerk.

This week's winner - Kobe Bryant: I found it tremendously ironic to see Kobe come out this week and declare that the reason team USA at the lost World Basketball Championships was a lack of chemistry. It seems the Los Angeles Lakers star would have the team kept together as a unit for up to three years so that they have time to gel.

Need I remind you Kobe that you are one of the worst team players in a league that is full of prima donnas? Though he was a key cog in the Lakers dynasty of the early 2000s, he was also the source of its ultimate demise. From getting Shaquille O'Neill run out of town, to frustrating Head Coach Phil Jackson into retirement, Bryant ended Los Angeles'reign with his special brand of team chemistry.

So excuse me if I take Kobe Bryant's advice on howto build a cohesive team with a grain of salt. After all this is the same guy who last season took 35 per cent of his team's field goal attempts. Hey while your at it Kobe, got any advice for me on howto build a successful marriage? ■

MEN'S SCORING SUMMARY FIRST HALF: 1. McGill: Gareth Pugh (unassisted), 19:00 SECOND HALF: 2. McGill: Eugene Grasske (Gareth Pugh), 58:00 GOALKEEPERS: McGILL: Olivier Boulva (start, W, 2-2-0; 75:00,0 GA, shared SHO) Michael Faustini (ND; 15:00,0 GA, shared shutout) OTTAWA: Unknown (L, 90:00,2 GA, 5 saves) SHOTS ON NET BY: McGILL: 7 OTTAWA: 3

McGILL's STARTING LINEUP: GK: Olivier Boulva (75:00) DEF: Dominik Desbois (55:00) DEF: Olivier Brett DEF: Omar John DEF: Nicholas Lévesque MID: Daniel Jones (60:00) MID: Samuel Goss (50:00) MID: Shawn Amarasekera (55:00) MID: Samuel Lindauer (60:00) FOR: James Scholefield (60:00) FOR: Gareth Pugh

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