The McGill Tribune Vol. 26 Issue 8

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Cinema du Parc is reopening, ironically, just in time for Avenue du Parc to change its name. Many aspects of the theatre will remain the same: it will still be a repertory theatre, still be cheaper than.the AMC and the films will still be primarily English. There will be some changes though; hipsters will have to find something new to wallpaper their kitchens with as the new owner de­ cided not to print monthly programs.

Roland Smith, the man responsible for reopening the cinema, put an offer on the theatre before it was even widely known that it was having troubles. However, as ne­ gotiations continued Daniel Langlois, then owner, had to close. Eventually the deal came through and Smith decided to re­

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Volume 26 Issue 8 «October 24,2006

K is s m y B o u r a s s a

open as soon as possible, only 17 days after signing all of the papers. Having been pro­ fessionally involved in repertory cinema for Over 4 0 years, Smith has connections with distributors all over the world and plans to use that to his advantage. He plans to get films which have not even been released in Quebec by obtaining them straight from the producer or rights owner.

Smith is working on career retrospec­ tive screenings for Pedro Almodovar (Talk to Her, Volver), David Lynch (Eraserhead, Lo st H ighw ay), Luchino Visconti ( The Leo p ­ ard) and Federico Fellini (8 'A, La D o lce Vita).

Smith has invested in Digiscreen equipment that will allow video works to be shown as though they are 35 mm. When asked why

See REPERTORY on page 19

F a ilu r e t o a d v e r t is e G A c o n s t it u t io n a lit y q u e s t i o n e d K a te S

p ir g e n

Following the Students' Society first Regular General Assembly on Oct 5 , many complaints have been made concerning the democratic nature of McGill's GAs. Criti­ cisms centre on the issue of scant publicity and low attendance that was not represen­ tative of the general student body, as well as a lack of public awareness of the oppor­ tunity to put motions on the agenda.

According to the SSMU Constitution, GAs must be "widely publicized by the So­ ciety with all the necessary effort so that quorum is reached," and SSMU must an­ nounce the agenda for the GA in The Tri­ bune, The M cG ill D aily and Le D élit "as soon * as it is available."

"If advertisements didn't get printed, that's certainly a mistake," said SSMU Presi­ dent Aaron Donny-Clark. "It was definitely our intention to and we budgeted to ad­ vertise in all three papers. We budgeted an awful lot of money for that."

However, the agenda itself never ap­ peared in the Tribune and the full text of the motions put forth at the assembly was posted on the SSMU Web site only after they were ratified at the assembly, causing some students to question the democracy of the GA.

"They didn't publicize the event, they didn't follow their own constitution and these are some of the same people that are saying that since these motions passed they're part of SSMU policy,"said Conserva­ tive McGill Vice-President John Menzies.

Liberal McGill President Simon Bes­ sette echoed his sentiments.

"It's all about getting people informed about what they can vote on. If there is a breach of the constitutionality of the GA, it stands to reason that the motions should also be thrown out."

Donny-Clark said that SSMU would continue to "operate on the assumption that [the GA] was conducted according to the constitution," claiming that he would need to be convinced that the agenda was not published properly before consider­ ing whether the motions that were ratified were unconstitutional.

Donny-Clark stated that if members of the Society are concerned about the legiti­ macy of the GA, they are free to develop a case with Student Advocacy.

Although the letter of the constitu­ tion wasn't followed, the SSMU executive believes that the GA was constitutional in general.

SeeGAon page 3

V O LLEYB A LL MARTLETS & REDMEN R ed

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W h ite G a m e

Friday Oct 27th 6PM(W) & 8PM (M) v s . U n iv e rs ité d e M o n tr e a l

Montrealers protest the proposed rechristening of Avenue du Parc to honour Robert Bourassa.

For the Tribune's view on the serious business that is renaming streets, see Editorial on page 9.

SOCCER

MARTLETS & REDMEN Friday Oct 27th 6PM(W) & 8PM(M) vs. UQAM

FO O TB A LL LAST HOME GAME OFTHESEASON Saturday October 28th 1PM vs. Bishop’s University T k « R E D M E N ’S

M cG ill Sp o tts C o m p lo t ■1 M o [vo ta S u d i a l a

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COVER PHOTO BY LUKAS BERGMARK

CITY

R e s id e n t s d i s c u s s s e c u r it y a f t e r p a r k m u r d e r P o lic e a n d c it iz e n s t o t a k e b a c k J e a n n e -M a n c e p a r k f o r t h e c o m m u n it y -Kayvon A fshari In response to a recent fatal stabbing and a perceived decline in security in the JeanneMance Park vicinity, concerned citizens met to discuss the area's safety problems and potential solutions with police. The meeting, organized by the Jeanne-Mance Park Association, was attended by about 7 0 residents and borough representatives.

Michael Patrick Makurmana, 3 4 , was ar­ raigned at the Montreal courthouse on Sept 26 on a charge of second degree murder for stab­ bing a man in his 2 0 s in the upper body on the park's soccer field around 6 :3 0 pm on Septem­ ber. The victim died later that night in a hos­ pital. Police have not yet determined a motive behind the attack.

The murder came at a time of increased frustration among the area's residents who feel that the park is becoming a haven for gangs and drug dealers.

"There is a degradation of the park," said member of the Association of Jeanne-ManceMargeaux Ouimet. "[There is] a physical deg­

radation and degradation in terms of security.

If the park becomes a more special place and goes back to the community, then the drug dealers won't feel like they own it."

At the meeting, attendees also expressed concerns about the dangers posed by stray sy­ ringes in the grass, neighbourhood thefts, noise from park events and even a lack of basketball courts.

"We're all very empathetic towards what the citizens of the area have expressed here tonight,"said Lieutenant Guy Roberge from po­ lice station 3 8 . "People are adopting a hands-on style of involvement which is extremely impor­ tant. We're already able to plan ahead to 2 0 0 7 in terms of reacting to what has happened and taking preventive measures in the JeanneMance park and the surroundings."

Herre De Fontenay, co-founder of the Jeanne-Mance Association, found the gather­ ing productive in fostering closer lines of com­ munication between the police and the com­ munity.

"For me, the most important thing is not some specific initiative. It's the fact that we have

a broader perspective now and that is the main ence in the park already. What we don't have purpose for this meeting. The police, the citi­ is the police connection. You drive through the zens [and] the city councilors all have a better park, but you don't stop and don't get to know understanding of the concerns of the citizens, who the regulars in the park are, the people and that it's impossible to solve the problems who can tell you 'hey you should check this with only one out" solution. It's a Flowever, another " T h e p o lic e , t h e c itiz e n s [an d ] t h e milieu of so­ participant at the meet­ c i t y c o u n c i l o r s all h a v e a b e t t e r lutions." ing said that the problems The sug­ u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e c o n c e r n s o f go beyond just the police gested initia­ t h e c i t i z e n s , a n d t h a t it's i m p o s ­ force and are not prone to tives centered s i b l e t o s o l v e t h e p r o b l e m s w it h a quick fix. on a greater o n l y o n e s o l u t i o n . It's a m i l i e u o f "It seems like there police pres­ s o l u t i o n s . " are a lot of complaints and ence in the — H e r r e D e F r o n t e n a y , as citizens we're expecting area and cret .

J e a n n e - M a n c e P a r k A s s o c a t i o n [the police] to look after us ating a closer and all of the security, and connection between policemen and residents. that is a big job. I hear people saying 'well the One attendee offered an anecdote to un­ police should be out of their car', but if they're derscore the importance of policemen getting out of their car, they're not going to be able to out of their vehicles to interact with park users. cover as big of an area as they are assigned. I "The other day I noticed a mounted police would suspect that most likely [the police force] officer and it was the first time that I had ever is understaffed, but on the other hand we can't seen a mounted police officer stop to let the afford to have a policeman on every corner it's children pet the horse. We have the police pres- just not practical."*

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW— FLAVIA M UTAMUTEGA

R w a n d a n U N IC E F O f f ic e r s p e a k s o n A ID S M u t a m u t e g a c a lls f o r s t r o n g e r e d u c a t io n in n a t iv e c o u n t r y In fo rm a tio n a n d C o m m u n ica tio n O fficer o f UN ICEF R w a n d a Flavia M u ta m u te g a visited M c ­ Gill la st w eek a s th e g u e st o f UN ICEF M ontreal.

M u ta m u te g a m a n a g e s N a tio n a l C o m m ittee a n d m ed ia visits to p ro je c t sites, sp ecia lizin g in the situ ­ a tio n o f R w a n d a n children, m a k in g su re th a t the righ ts o f ch ildren a re k n o w n to th e co m m u n ity, their issues a n d h o w th e p u b lic ca n co n trib u te to m ake th eir situ a tio n better a fter the e v e n t o f H IV/ A ID S a n d g en o cid e.

How did you become involved in this line of work?

My past is a bit tricky. I have a refugee background and was supported in education.

UNICEF ensured that we had teachers to help us grow up in a very good environment of knowledge. I came to identify myself as some­ one who can help children to grow up, develop and feel like they are in current society and I was lucky enough to join UNICEF.

When you began working with the UN in Rwanda in 1 9 9 4 , you were working with children who had witnessed or participated in atrocities far beyond their years. How did you approach children who were adults in so many ways?

I believe that treating children is some­ thing that is inborn. When a child looks at you, you can see in his eyes whether he is happy, is missing something, is worried, and whether he wants a person to intervene. When I started working in Rwanda, the children I met were very vulnerable. They were living in displaced camps or living alone, and they wanted to be cared for. They were needy; they didn't smile at all. You saw in their eyes that they were wor­ ried. It reminded me of that sense of needing help, needing action, needing an initiative. So we started playing games, just talking to them, making them smile, and that was the trick. We addressed basic needs, like access to food and water, which they didn't have. Additionally, UNI­ CEF brought in the sort of social psychological support that was a very important element in bringing back the children. It was necessary to

awaken the community's sense of responsibility towards the children, especially towards the children who were separated from their parents.

The child needed to be integrated into the community, meaning in­ tegrating him in school, giving him the floor, lending him an ear, accom­ panying him in all the processes of daily life. It requires a lot of dedica­ tion.

gories.There are those children who have their parents, parents who got a chance to be educated, and then have a way of earning a living. But these parents are so preoccupied by making a living that they don't have time for their children. Even if these children have food, they miss care. Secondly, there are children who have very vulnerable parents either infected with HIV/AIDS or very poor. These parents struggle to How have the projects and get their daily bread; they don't have concerns taken by UNICEF in enough money to give to their chil­ Rwanda evolved since 1994 ? dren for schooling or medication.

From 19 9 4 to 19 9 8 , we operated Their childhood is shattered. Then an emergency program. It was re­ there is a third category of children, ally about bringing material down and these are the majority, who are to the community. But since 2 0 0 0 , heading households.These children we are on a development program; have been orphaned either because we've passed from intervention to of the genocide or because of HIV/ advocacy. We are focused on meet­ AIDS. In Rwanda, we have 10 0 9 6 4 ing the Millennium [Development] child-headed households. These Goals, among which are education children have no access to food, no expansion, HIV/AIDS prevention, and access to clothing, and very little access to information, that is, ensur­ access to education. Most of the ing that we have information tech­ time, the eldest child, who may be nology put in place to enable linking between 9 - 1 5 years old,, sacrifices with the rest of the world. UNICEF is himself for his siblings. Even though in line with government strategy education is free, he goes out to look and planning, advocating the best for jobs, just for a small amount of interest of the child, through bud­ money. These are the children that geting, law-making, arid community UNICEF targets. Even though their participation. UNICEF ensures that JULIA SCHONFELD childhood has been lost, we want they have integrated the child, not Mutamutega visits Montreal to educate on Rwanda's situation. them to be reintegrated through as an element down there, but as a what we call Catch-Up Education, a there is need to act for children, I am always partner, as a key element of development, as aprogram that allows them to complete six years willing to go. For example, in 2 0 0 2 , there was future citizen. of schooling in three years. Without education a volcanic eruption in the Democratic Republic there is no vision, with no vision, you don't of the Congo and there I was one of the first As a Rwandan, do you feel a sense of duty people to intervene. I'm ready to intervene any­ contribute to anything, you are exposed to all to continue working in your home country or where for the child, be it in Congo or Rwanda this abuse, and you can't be protected from would you consider a post elsewhere? anything. So UNICEF is very keen to bring these or Darfur or anywhere else.

The work that has been done so far in children back to school, to give them informa­ How would you characterize childhood Rwanda is wonderful. But the needs are still in Rwanda today, twelve years after the geno­ tion, for example about HIV, which is a big chal­ there. As a Rwandan, I'm proud to be able to lenge that the country faces. ■ cide? participate in identifying .thé real need of the Childhood in Rwanda is very fragile. I would child. But a child is a world citizen. So wherever — C o m p iled b y S o n y a Bell describe the children as fitting into three cate-

24.10.06 • The McGill Tribune • 3 SPEAKERS O N C A M P U S

SPEAKERS O N C A M P U S

B o u c h a r d s a y s it's t im e f o r R e t ir in g p r o f u n c o m f o r t a b le q u e s t io n s s p e a k s o n 'N a m M c G ill h o s t s c o n f e r e n c e o n Q u e b e c S a m u e l N o u m o f f re c a lls p r o d u c t iv it y a n d p la n s f o r t h e fu t u r e s t u d e n t e ffo r t s o n c o n flic t

productivity. Included were ideas such as giving students who remain in Canada after they finish their de­ For a long time McGill has been grees a break on their student loans, seen as out of touch with politics reforming our immigration system, in Quebec. The university has been shifting the taxation system from per­ viewed as a bastion of Anglos and sonal income tax toward a consump­ whether those in the community like tion tax and making Canada a leader it or not, that has been a long-held in research and development. perception in the province.

"The problem is we don't dare to The myth may have been shat­ dream big enough," he concluded. tered last week when Lucien Boucha­ McGill Principal rd delivered the closing Heather Munroe-Blum remarks at Thursday's was visibly pleased after conference entitled O ur Bouchard's closing re­ Future: A Public D ia lo g u e at marks. She said afterward Redpath Hall on Thursday. that the aims of the con­ The conference fell on the ference were well aligned anniversary of last year's re­ with McGill's. lease of the Manifesto Pour "I think it's pushing un Q uebec Lu cid e which forward McGill's mission," addressed Quebec's falling she - said. "We've got a productivity and stagnant strong role to play in our birth rates. province and what I liked Bouchard, who was about the conference was the principal thinker be­ that it wasn't about global­ hind the manifesto, spoke ization. It was more about to the conference of the MATT CAMPBELL being global, or worldlymassive debt the province Former Premier Lucien Bouchard highlighted the lower minded." is currently fostering.

Professor Richard "We have a beautiful work hours in Quebec compared to Ontario and the US. Shultz went even further country, a beautiful place, in his praise for Bouchard's speech. in Quebec work less than those in a great civilization— one of the best "It was remarkable. Firstly, it was in the world," he said. "But it's threat­ Ontario or even their neighbours to surprisingly emotional. It sounded al­ the south. ened by looming dangers ahead. most like a stump speech," he said.

Marc Bruneau, executive vicePeople don't like to be reminded of The tone of the conference was president and chief strategy officer that. Future taxpayers will be upset generally positive, even though some of Bell Canada Enterprises, spoke on when they realize they will inherit difficult questions were raised and the productivity panel. He called for this. Shouldn't we feel guilty when we a greater investment in infrastruc­ few answers were proposed. Howev­ think about this gross mortgage?" ture, and stressed that many entre­ er, one thing was clear as the end of The conference largely focused preneurs may overlook Montreal be­ the conference. As Gérald Tremblay on the problems Quebec is facing said to Shultz, "Let no one say McGill cause it is the most taxed region in and brought together some of the isn't part of Quebec." ■ most influential people in the prov­ North America.

Bruneau also presented a twelveince to discuss them. McGill played point plan for improving Quebec's host to La Presse editor André Pratt,

M att C ampbell

Pierre Fortin of UQAM, Gérald Trem­ blay of McCarthy Tétrault and many more distinguished guests sat in the audience.

There was an informal consen­ sus in the room when Bouchard said, "We must urgently raise uncomfort­ able questions. How do we resist temptations to be lulled into a false security?"

Bouchard indicated that people

G A d e m o c r a c y u n d e r f ir e A g e n d a n o t p u b li s h e d a s r e q u ir e d continued from COVER "I think that the constitutionality of all this was withheld in a minimal way," Donny-Clark said. "Whether or not the letter was upheld could be put to doubt, but I think the GA was not a secret."

SSMU Vice-President Commu­ nications and Events Gill Prendergast also said that while advertise­ ments were made on the listserv and through posters, a more thorough ex­ posure of the event would have been beneficial.

"I feel it could have defenitely been better advertised," Prendergast said. "We all pretty much took it upon ourselves to organize it since Aaron [Donny-Clark] has so much to do al­ ready."

Members of Conservative and Liberal McGill agreed that the event should have been better advertised and took it upon themselves to do so.

"We were trying to notify people of what these motions were," Menzies said. "We got together and said, 'you know, this is wrong, we need to tell people what is going on."'

SSMU executives have recog­ nized and addressed many of the complaints made by students with solutions for future GAs, but-contend that most of the student body was aware of the event before it occurred.

"The GA itself was relatively well advertised, especially with the posters that were circulated. By the time the day came around, campus was well aware of what was going on, but I certainly think we should have started earlier and should have advertised more thoroughly,"Donny-Clark said.

There have also been concerns raised about the opportunity to place items on the agenda, which SSMU ad­ mits should have been more widely advertised, although it did appear in the listserv email and in the Tribune.

SSMU blames many of the GA's shortcomings on the fact that coun­ cil was temporarily without a speaker, whose duty it is to organize and chair the GA. The responsibility then fell to Donny-Clark, according to the SSMU Constitution.

However, Menzies was not con­ vinced that the lack of a speaker to organize the event was an excuse for

its poor execution.

"You can't just have an excuse and say I'm sorry, we didn't have the time to do it properly,"' he said. "These motions were put forward. It was done improperly and it was done in an undemocratic fashion, and I just think that this is further evidence that this was undemocratic. It just seems awfully fishy."

The winter semester's assembly has been scheduled for Feb. 1 and the time has been changed from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in hopes of making it more accessible.

"I feel like we scheduled [the win­ ter GA] at a time when most people can come. It's early enough in the se­ mester that midterms shouldn't be an issue and everyone should be able to make it out," Prendergast said.

Bessette was pleased with the change in the time of the winter GA, but pushed for what he believes to be a more democratic process.

"What I would like to see ulti­ mately is every motion passed go to an e-vote. We have the technology to do that and I don't know why we aren't using it."*

Lana Ayoub After nearly forty years of teach­ ing Political Science at McGill, Profes­ sor Samuel Noumoff has decided to call it quits. But before making his exit, Noumoff hosted a public lecture Monday evening titled, A R etro sp ec­ tive o n the A nti-V ietnam W ar M o ve ­ m en t.

rial to the Pentagon," he said. "Of this, almost $2 9 0 -million was contracted through the Canadian Commercial Corporation, an arm of the Canadian government. Between 19 6 0 and 1971 Canadian universities received over $i.6-million for basic scientific re­ search from the Pentagon."

Some in the international media have suggested that the insurgency in Iraq is becoming increasingly simi­

Noumoff, who has been a vocal figure beyond the B e tw e e n 1 9 7 2 and 1 9 7 4 C anada classroom, has s o l d o v e r $ 4 1 0 - m i l l i o n in w a r m a ­ served .as McGill Senator and Fac­ t e r i a l t o t h e P e n t a g o n . O f t h i s , a l ­ ulty Representa­ m o s t $ 2 9 0 - m i l l i o n w a s c o n t r a c t e d tive to the Board th r o u g h th e C a n a d ia n C o m m e rcia l of Governors and C o rp o ra tio n , a n arm o f t h e C a n a ­ is also a recog­ nized name on is­ d i a n g o v e r n m e n t . " — Prof. S a m u e l N o u m o ff sues dealing with China and South­ east Asia's political culture. lar to the Tet Offensive during the "During the Vietnam War, three conflict in Vietnam. Noumoff didn't students and myself decided that we completely agree with the character­ should do more than just march— should use our research skills to gath­ ization.

"The parallel that has been er as much information as possible drawn in this judgment was not so on the complicity of the Canadian accurate except insofar as both pe­ government, Canadian industry and riods reflect a high level of violence.

Canadian universities in the war."

As more students joined the ef­ The Vietnam war mobilized people fort, they formed a group called Proj­ who were both against the war and for the liberation of the country as ect Anti-War. The group was partly funded by the Arts and Science Un­ well as the social and economic plan dergraduate Society, the former rep­ of the revolution. The war in Iraq has brought together people opposed resentative body for arts and science to the war, but few are partisans of students. Project Anti-War published two studies that came out of their re­ a system of social transformation as was the case in Vietnam." search. The first, called H o w to M a ke a Even though Noumoff will be Killing, identified Canadian firms that leaving his professorship at McGill, he sold products to the U.S military and still intends on remaining active in re­ universities around the world who search, and is working on a number did research for them. The second of major projects.The first focuses on study, H o w to Buy a C ountry, looked the "Beijing Consensus" as a possible at the economics of it all, analyzing alternative model of development to foreign companies and universities the "Washington Consensus." who contributed to the US was in The second project is regarding Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia over a the current state of the Phillipine rev­ five year period. olution, and the third examines the Noumoff also discussed the role Cuban Generals of Chinese heritage that Canada played in the Vietnam who participated in Fidel Castro's War, which wasn't widely known. overthrow of the Batista govern­ "Between 1972 and 19 74 Canada sold over $4 io-million in war mate­ m en t.*

SSMU IN 60 SECONDS Last Thursday's Council was short and sweet. The Salsero club, the So­ ciety of Petroleum Engineers and Students with Buduburam Youth were all approved for interim club status without debate. • Vice-President Communi­ cations and Events Gill Prendergast boasted of a $3 ,0 0 0 surplps from this year's Frosh which is considerable since Frosh usually runs an overall debt. • A new ping-pong, yes ping-pong not beer pong, table was made the newest addition to Gert's as part of the bar's ongoing makeover. • Vice-President Finance and Operations Dave Sunstrum had more good news for the SSMU bank account with the announcement of the end of the Shatner Building renovation debt.

The debt was costing $ 10 0 0 a week in interest. No word on whether this will reduce student fees, but the execs did just get a pay raise.... • SSMU has been rolling in the dough since they cashed their $i.8 75 -milllon cheque from the sale of their share of the McGill bookstore. They've decided to create an invest­ ment advisory workshop to decide how to invest the money that will include the VP Operations, the General Manager, the Comptroller, the Management Councillor, one other Councillor and 2 members at large that have finance experience of some kind. • SSMU is adding to its ranks with the addition of a secretary general for the president and a graphic and lay-out designer. • The last decision of the night was to form a yes committee for the FEUQ referen­ dum question this fall in order to promote SSMU's position that McGill should leave FEUQ and allow them to campaign. Let the politicking begin. ■

4 • News • 24.10.06

The McGill Tribune

CAM PUS

H é m a - Q u é b e c e x p la in s d o n o r r e s t r ic t io n s B lo o d a g e n c y r e a d y t o r e la x r e g u la t io n s , b u t c a n n o t m a k e p o lic y However, he stressed that Héma-Québec could not change its MSM policy because of its Héma-Québec representatives addressed status as a "manufacturer of biological products" students' concerns about their blood donation under Health Canada. It is therefore unable to policies and the future of blood drives at McGill change policy without Health Canada's express during a town hall discussion last Wednesday. consent. It is also monitored by governmental Over 4 0 students attended the event, which organizations that report to Health Canada and was held by the Students'Society.

Quebec's Minister of Health, which have both Opening presentations were made by voted unanimously against Hérha-Québec's Counselor for the Organization of Collections proposal of a relaxation in its policy.

Valmond Desrosiers, Vice-president of Medical "We are not the only players...W e know and Microbiological Affairs Dr. Gilles Delage and that at the present time there's no societal con­ VP Operations sensus, and we know that Yvan Char" H a v i n g a d i a l o g u e a n d d i s c u s ­ if we go to Health Canada bonneau. The s i o n s is f i n e , b u t b a n n i n g b l o o d it's quite clear that this floor was then would not pass," Delage opened for d r i v e s a n d p o t e n t i a l l y e n d a n ­ said. At this time we have g e r i n g p e o p l e ' s liv e s is n o t ." questions with no maneuvering space.

— D a v id P a g e , You can keep bashing on Delage fielding most of them.

C a n a d i a n H e m o p h i l i a S o c i e t y us, but we can't change During his things." initial speech, David Page, director Delage claimed of programs and public that Héma-Québec is prepared to change its affairs at the Canadian Hemophilia Society, said policy from permanent deferral of men who that his group would welcome a dialogue, al­ have had sex with men since 1977 to a one-year though the organization published a paper last deferral.

March detailing why they oppose a change in "At Héma-Québec we have advisory com­ the current MSM policy. mittees; we had one that was basically more "It's quite legitimate for gay rights groups of an expert transfusion medicine committee, to question the policy," he said. "We don't agree, which is called our Safety Advisory Committee. but people have the right to. Having a dialogue They agreed with our position and said that we and discussions is fine, but banning blood should go ahead with the process," he said. "We drives and potentially endangering people's also have a committee which is composed of lives is not.” mostly representatives from patient groups who However, Political Coordinator of Queer do receive our product...they were also in agree­ McGill Devin Alfaro doubts that Queer McGill ment, although it wasn't a unanimous vote." will initiate a dialogue with the CHS. V incci Tsui

its more liberal policy. In response, Delage stressed that Héma-Québec is not an advo­ cacy group, and while they would support changing the wait time for MSM donors to one year, they are in a difficult position.

A notable absence at the town hall meet­ ing was Second Cumming, the group that caused Héma-Québec to stop holding blood drives at McGill in the first place.

"I emailed them but didn't hear back from them," said SSMU Vice-President Communica­ tions and Events Gill Prendergast."l don't know if the interest is there anymore, or if they just didn't like the town hall form at."*

WANT TO WRITE FOR NEWS? COME TO OUR MEETINGS ON TUESDAYS AT 5 :3 0 IN THETRIBUNE OFFICE. ROOM SHATNER110 LUKAS BERGMARK

Delage explains that Health Canada is responsible for the established rules.

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Almost all the students who spoke at the town hall were current or former members of the Queer McGill executive. Alfaro asked the panel what Héma-Québec was doing to push

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SPEAKERS ON CAMPUS

SPEAKERS ON CAMPUS

N o b e l p r iz e w in n e r p a y s

D a w k in s e x p la in s

t r ib u t e t o M c G ill Robert Marcus links research to teaching

t h e h u m a n m in d Secrets of science explored

K en S un Nobel Laureate Dr. Rudolph Marcus offered students his perspec­ tive on the role and importance of re­ search at the second annual Science Undergraduate Research Conference last Friday. In his speech, which he called a tribute to McGill, Marcus il­ lustrated the fortuitous events that led to the breakthroughs in his re­ search. Though he did delve into his research, he mainly focused on how his inspiration, passion and devotion led to his success.

A native of Montreal, Marcus received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. at McGill in 1943 and 19 46 , respectively, and an honorary D. Sc. degree in 19 8 8 . Now a professor at the prominent Califor­ nia Institute of Technology, Marcus received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1992 for his contributions to elec­ tron transfers, known today as Marcus Theory.

A key part of Marcus'speech was the importance he placed on teach­ ing as a part of research and the indi­ rect impacts of his first-year students.

In fact, a question from a first-year student many years ago inspired Mar­ cus to research the electron transfer theory that led to his Nobel Prize.

"I want to stress the importance of teaching while you're doing re­ search," he said. "It all’goes back to a

student I was teaching, who asked a question during one lecture. Without that student's question. I probably wouldn't have developed the theory."

Dean of Science Martin Grant agreed with his emphasis on teach­ ing.

"I think the things he talked about are really true," he said. "Ques­ tions from students and teaching a course can be really great improve­ ments to research."

Marcus also highlighted the im­ portance of learning while doing a doctorate.

"A lot of the learning continues after you get your doctorate. We're learning all the time; in fact, I'm still learning.”

Undergraduate Research Officer Victor Chisholm said he enjoyed the speech and was very happy with the state of research at McGill.

"Marcus's speech really under­ scored the relation between teaching and research," he said. "In a research­ intensive university such as McGill, such a speech really enhances the explicit tribute to McGill. I am really thrilled to see the caliber of under­ graduate research here at McGill."

"Finding a Cure to Cystic Fibrosis," a research project by Vincent Nadeau, U3 Microbiology and Immunology, was featured in the conference, and

was awarded the second prize in the Medical Sciences category.

"His words were convincing and inspirational for me because he showed how he developed theories from a single experimental result," Nadeau said. "He convinced me how important it is to analyze all the dif­ ferent results and how every piece of data could be significant."

From the Scientific Research So­ ciety, Au Ngo, Ph. D. Chemistry, found Marcus'speech to be enlightening in its perspective on research.

"What was really well-estab­ lished in the speech was that research should be fun," Ngo said. "You can see that [Marcus] still loves research and has fun in it. He really keeps the joy and excitement in research."

When Dean Grant called to ask him to speak, Marcus quickly agreed.

"I felt an obligation to come speak at McGill, to pay tribute to the spirit that is so great here," Marcus said.

As a take-home message for his audience, he offered his advice based on life-long research experiences.

"Theories can come in different ways. They key thing is to find what you enjoy the most, then to work like the devil to try to understand it. Be flexible. Do not be wedded to one idea and have fun." ■

f McGill T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f J e w i s h S t u d ie s

BLACHER AND G LAS R O T FAMILIES MEMORIAL AWARD FO R HOLOCAUST RESEARCH

A n n ik B a b in s k i a n d M a tt C a m pb ell Renowned scientist and media figure Richard Dawkins presented McGill's 54 th annual Beatty Memorial Lecture early Saturday morning at the Mont Royal Centre. The lecture series was founded in the memory of Sir Ed­ ward Beatty, President of the Canadi­ an Pacific Railway and chancellor and chair of McGill's Board of Governors between 1920 and 1943 Dawkins, the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understand­ ing of Science at Oxford University, has been a crusader against orga­ nized religion, and has gained inter­ national notoriety for his books The Selfish Gene and more recently, The

break through the surface of a rock with their bare hands and therefore assuming that the rock is solid inside.

He said that ideas such as solidity and weight were created in order to allow people to function.

In order to support this argu­ ment, Dawkins referenced the re­ search of Austrian physicist Erwin Schrôdinger, who proved in the 1920 s that it is impossible to know for cer­ tain what will happen in any given sit­ uation, one may know only the prob­ ability with which events can occur.

He also, explored a number of other ideas beyond quantum physics.

However, the Q&A session after the lecture focussed largely on his views on organized religion and the exis­ tence of God, something he intended

G o d D elusion.

The the former was a highly popu­ " S c i e n c e h a s t a u g h t u s t h a t t h e h a r d e s t s o lid e s t , d e n s e s t r o c k lar and controversial is r e a lly a l m o s t e n t i r e l y e m p t y text which discusses evolution as based s p a c e b r o k e n o n ly b y tin y p a r ­ on genes. The lat­ t i c l e s , s o w id e ly s p a c e d t h e y ter, which was just s h o u ld n 't c o u n t . launched, deals with — Dr. R ic h a r d D a w k in s the existence of God and how we should be skeptical of reli­ not to discuss during the lecture. gion, like we are with science.

Overall, the response to the In the lecture, he addressed speech was generally positive. what he called the strangeness of Anne Hand, U3 Psychology, was science and attempted to challenge impressed by what Dawkins had to a number of widely held norms held say. in society.The Mont Royal Centre was "I enjoyed the way he presented filled to capacity with students, pro­ his ideas and tied together the dif­ fessors and Montreal residents eager ferent elements of science," she said. to hear what Dawkins had to say.

"We fill our world with con­ "His main point was [that] people's structs in order to explain phenome­ minds have evolved in such a way to na that are impossible to understand,", be practical. Science, then, is weird because it doesn't matter to us in our he said. "Science has taught us that solid things like rocks are almost en­ everyday life."

"I went to the lecture because I tirely composed of empty space. So had heard Dawkins was a very good it would seem the hardest, solidest, speaker," said U3 BASc student Tara densest rock is really almost entirely Park. "I liked it a lot better than [Mar­ empty space broken separated only garet] Somerville's [Massey] lecture. It by tiny particles, so widely spaced was fascinating, but I think the ques­ they shouldn't count."

The Oxford professor used ex­ tion and answer section was even better." ■ amples of people being unable to

stablished in 2000 by Mr. and Mrs. Josef Giasrot, survivors of the Holocaust and residents of Montreal. Open to any student at McGill University, the award is presented for excellence in research in Holocaust and related studies, and particularly on the history of the ghettos of Warsaw and Kovno [Kaunas]. Essays prepared in any course or independent research may be considered. The award is administered by the Department of Jewish Studies in cooperation with the Jewish Community Foundation. The award will be presented during the Closing Exercises of the Department of Jewish Studies in June, 2007.

The value of the Blacher and Giasrot Families Memorial Award is S1000.

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• T h e c o m p e titio n is o p e n to u n d e rg ra d u a te a n d g ra d u a te s tu d e n ts a t M c G ill U n iv e rs ity .

• S tu d e n ts m u st s u b m it 2 ty p e d c o p ie s o f t h e ir e s s a y s to g e th e r w ith f u ll c o n ta c t in fo rm a tio n .

• E s s a y s c a n b e b a se d o n p rim a ry o r s e c o n d a ry m a te ria ls a n d w o rk in a ll re la te d d is c ip lin e s w ill b e c o n s id e re d .

• E s s a y s u b m is s io n s m u st re a c h th e D e p a rtm e n t o f J e w is h S tu d ie s O ffic e , 3 4 3 8 M c T a v ish S tre e t, n o la te r th a n A p r il 1 3 , 2007.

ANNIKBABINSKI Richard Dawkins explains the role of science in challenging societal norms and answers questions about his views on the existence of God.

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A regional deputy head in Russia has accused Spain's King Juan Car­ los of "generously feeding a bear vodka mixed with honey" before killing the bear while on a trip to meet with President Vladimir Putin earlier this year. "It's not hunting, it's murder," said Sergei Starostin. A spokesman for the Spanish monarchy said that "we have no comment to make because this story is totally ridiculous and the source is sensationalist." • A rift has been caused in California over the upcoming mid-term election ballot initiative, Proposition 8 7 , which proposes raising $4 billion to fund alter­ native energy projects by taxing oil production in the state. 'Yes' and 'no' committees have spent over $100 million on their campaigns according to press reports. Backers of the proposition include Bill Clinton, Julia Roberts and Google co-founder Larry Page. The'no'committee is funded largely by oil companies including Chevron and Exxon and has the support of the state's governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger. • Michael Patrick McPhail, 26 , gets the dubious distinction of being the first person charged with the new beastiality offense in Pierce County, Washington, which took effect in June.

McPhail's wife told investigators that she found her husband on the back porch having intercourse with their four year old female pit-bull terrier. The dog was squealing and crying according to police documents. • An inde­ cent exposure charge against a women accused of disrobing in front of a fourteen year old boy while he was playing basketball has been dismissed.

Superior Court Judge Robert W. Armstrong said that the law is "gender spe­ cific". Prosecutor Alison N. Norton said that Alexis Luz Garcia, 4 0 , disrobed in front of the boy because he was making too much noise playing basketball.

The boy ran inside and told his parents'. Ms. Garcia threatened to do it every time he played basketball. ■ Sources: BBC News, thenewstribune.com, Associated Press

THE TRIBUNE WEB POLL S h o u ld S S M U e x e c s h a v e s e e n t h e ir p a y in c re a s e d f r o m $ 1 7 ,5 0 0 t o $ 2 4 ,5 0 0 p e r y e a r?

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p la g u e s M O R E r e s id e n t s Some students forced to shack up at RVC K elly H arris Bed bugs have infested a McGill residence for the past two months, forcing residents to move out of their homes for the period of fumigation.

Within days of moving into their new shared-living accommodations at 522 Avenue des Pins, several of the residents began noticing bites on their bodies.The problem apparently originated over the summer, when a tenant brought in an infested mat­ tress from the street. The bed bugs then quickly spread through the building and are now living in at least seven students' bedrooms.

McGill Residences are address­ ing the problem, but are experienc­ ing difficulties in combating the bed bugs. Initially, an exterminator was brought in twice to spot-spray the af­ fected rooms. When these attempts proved unsuccessful, the tenants of 522 Ave des Pins were transferred by McGill Residences to nearby Royal Victoria College while the entire house was more thoroughly fumi­ gated. To increase effectiveness, the students had to pack up all their be­ longings as well as vacate the resi­ dence.

Surprisingly, even this didn't solve the problem. Residence floor fellow Ross Margulies said that in­ fested clothes hampered the effec­ tiveness of the fumigation. McGill

pressed frustration with the speed of the remedy. "[They've] been very forthright about the issue...we're all just won­ dering when they're going to finally solve this fucking problem."

This situation is not new for MORE Residences, which encoun­ tered ant problems for the past two to three years at the Greenbriar apartment located at 3575 University Avenue. Similar to the experience at 522 Ave des Pins this year, the on-thespot methods used to exterminate the ants were unsuccessful in solving the systemic infestation.

Margulies acknowledged the frustrations MORE residents experi­ ence, having been one himself in 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 . However, he points to new staff being a driving force for positive change in MORE housing administration this year.

"Renovations are constant and upgrades are on their w ay.. .my only hope is that this will be the last fumigation and the situation will soon be solved. It has become a truly awful experience,"Margulies said.

This awful experience, however, hasn't yet resulted in any compensa­ tion for the affected students.

"I don't think that we're going to get a reduction for rent, even though we should because we can't even be in our own room without being bit­ ten," Battiston said. ■

Residences have since provided hun­ dreds of dollars of free laundry cards as well as individual fumigant bottles to assuage the students'discomfort.

McGill Residences was poised to launch a fourth attack on the bed bugs last weekend, and apparently planned to launder all the resident's clothes and linens as well. However, without explanation, the fumigation was cancelled,- much to the frustra­ tion and suspicion of the residents.

"I think it was a lack of organi­ zation on the Housing Office's part," said Alana Battiston.

Battiston, one of three residents whose rooms are extremely infested, has been sleeping on couches in the common room of 522 Ave des Pins for over a month. Far from just infesting their beds, the bugs have taken over their entire rooms, hiding in any crev­ ice and coming out at night. Having been severely disrupted by the situa­ tion, Battiston is not impressed with how things have been handled by McGill.

“It's unacceptable that us first years have to go through all this stress, on top of all the other things we are adjusting to this year. And the housing office is so slow that I don't even know if the problem is ever going to be solved."

Jay Brown is another resident of the infested building. While content with McGill's frankness he also ex­

IMAGES

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Engineers Without Borders members were duct taped to chairs last Tuesday and passerbys donated money to take off a piece of tape to free them. They were raising money to send Kenyan children to high school.

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THE HELPLESS ROMANTIC

Make peace, not war

SIMPLY SPOKEN

Never trust a politician M iriam M a r t z

R ic h a r d T sen g R IC H TSEN@ G M AIL.C O M

im Jong-ll has the bomb. It seems like only yesterday that the So­ viet Union collapsed and people began breathing again.Those with their ■fingers closest to the trigger could stop shaking in terror that the other guy would squeeze first. Sure, there was briefly a fear that the Russkies would set them off or some breakaway republic would lob them at us, but for the most part, North America could feel safe from having them flown over the arctic. For a time, many nations, including the United States, were cutting back on the number of nukes they had.

North Korea's development of nu­ clear technology shouldn't change this all that much. The bomb was brought to the detonation site on huge flatbed trucks and may have only fizzled to great applause. They are still years away from fitting the bomb onto a warhead and any North Korean plane capable of carrying it already raises red flags around the world. Further reports on the number of these devices possessed by the North Koreans put the range from a couple to half a dozen. Compared to the 8,500 nuclear missiles Russia still has on hand and America's 7 ,0 0 0 , this hardly seems like a weapon to turn the tide of a war.

Agreed, nobody wants anybody else to have nukes and the countries that already have them all get a major headache from this. So what should be done to get rid of North Korea's bombs and prevent Japan and South Korea from trying to get their own?

As always, there's very little the world ca n do— aside from crippling sanctions and international denuncia­ tion. We should point fingers and call Kim's regime the evilest of the axis of evil and ensure closer border checks on incoming and outgoing vehicles, all of which the UN has done. We could

K

SIM PLYSPO KEN @ H O TM AIL.C O M

oliticians are liars and anyone who tells plan to reduce greenhouse gases. It decreases you otherwise is a liar too (or maybe a the intensity of pollution if it is measured in politician). If you ever doubt that lying is terms o f corporate expenses— i.e. in terms of part o f a politician's daily work, all you need to money. According to the Liberals, an intensitydo is listen to one talk about science and you'll based plan would allow pollution to increase— realize the truth. they measure pollution in terms of space. So It can be quite amusing to watch politi­ what exactly does "intensity-based" mean from cians debate global warming:"Global warming a pollution point of view anyway? It depends exists!" "No it doesn't!" "Yes it does!" "Does not!" on how you define and measure intensity.

"Yo mama we'ars granny panties!""MOM-MY!" Kindergarten equivalent: "I'll give you a Sadly, their arguments rarely get more sandwich... a knuckle sandwich." intelligent than that. However, they do have Trash-talking is popular in politics— al­ some pretty smart ways to keep you from no­ though political scientists have tried to rebrand ticing they're lying. My favourites include: it as the academic sounding"adversarial system."

•Squirm ing and trying to step around the If you've watched any American election ads or issue at hand. listened to question period on CPAC,you know •Rew riting the dictionary. what I'm talking about. The Tories claim that •Trashing everyone who disagrees. they're the first government to do any number •Saying that they're telling the truth (I like of things that are good for the environment, this one best). while they are unable to produce facts explain­ This last one is so juicy because we all ing how their act will actually work. The Grits learned it in elementary school— not that I'm accuse the Tories of being full of "hot air," again suggesting politicians act like kindergarteners without producing facts. According to Harper's or anything... Well, yes, I am.

Parliamentary Secretary Jason Kenney, the Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Stephen Conservatives will "do far more than the Liber­ Harper announced his plan for a Clean Air Act als ever did," while Environment Minister Rona to make Canadian air cleaner, starting a new Ambrose blames all of the country's environ­ round of debate among politicians and en­ mental problems on Liberal inaction. vironmentalists on the Conservative govern­ Kindergarten equivalent: "I get the candy ment's intentions regarding the environment. cuz I was first.""First is the worst."

This past Thursday, the opposition finally got According to the Liberals and NDP, the something meaty to talk about: the Clean Air new act does not place caps on greenhouse Act itself. Let's take a look at the "academic" sci­ gases. Kenney claims that it does. Needless to ence-based debate on whether Harper's plan say, both sides will tell you that they're very sure would really make Canadian air cleaner. they're right and the other side must be lying.

When asked by a reporter why the Clean Kindergarten equivalent: "Who pulled her Air Act had no timeline and spent 10 times hair?""He did.""Did not! H e did.” more money on reducing smog than on reduc­ The bottom line is this: Don't trust people ing greenhouse gases, Harper replied that he who haven't taken a science class since high had only announced part of the plan and that school to tell you the truth about scientific is­ there might be more later on. sues. They don't have a lot going for them, so K indergarten eq u iva len t:“You stole my pen." chances are they're going to end up relying on “It's not stealing if I m ig h t give it back later." lessons they learned in kindergarten to make Harper's act includes an "intensity-based" • you believe them. ■

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ban North Koreans from coming to our countries if we have to, but we must sto p there. We can't suspend food aid or enforce sanctions, not just because doing so will not force Kim to disman­ tle his WMD program, but because it could well lead to the overthrow of his regime.

Why wouldn't we want to topple a state that flagrantly disregards its own constitution, funds detention camps where prisoners are sexually, physically and mentally tortured, forces abortions and essentially prohibits foreign journal­ ism? Simple: it would result in a huge mess nobody can or wants to clean up.

Establishing order in North Korea would be a nightmare for the US as fewer American soldiers speak Korean than they do Arabic and the MiddleEast has proved problem enough al­ ready. Besides, Koreans of both stripes are of the growing opinion that America should butt out of their affairs. Moreover, although South Koreans will never say so publicly, they aren't ready to retake North Korea: Nobody opts for significant sacrifices to their standard of living just so their brothers to the north can catch up on a half-century of missed growth opportunities. To top things'off, the only thing more belligerent than a platform-wearing egomaniacal dictator is a platform-wearing egomaniacal dictator who's tottering and knows he's going to trip. Even though people are dying under the heels of a brutal dictator­ ship, war can always make things much worse.

We still have a few years before Kim's regime can fire nuclear missiles, which gives us time to plan. Institutions should be crafted to help the North make the transition from dictatorship to democracy. Let us not prepare for war, as we have since the 1953 cease-fire, but peace and reconciliation. ■

WET PAINT

From fears to reality, no speaking required!

D o m in iq u e Z ip per D O M IN IQ U E ZIP P E R @ G M A IL.C O M

alloween has all my friends' tongues wagging about this year's outfits. Who wouldn't jum p at the chance to engage in the kind of role-playing that grants you the freedom to express your prostitute colours while maintaining all the pride and dignity of a prize male peacock? While this night of role playing with Titillating Tinkerbell, Sexy Secretary and Naughty Nurse definitely guarantees entertainment, another kind of role-playing is anything but amusing.

That would be the relationship role-play: Every day, girls throughout the land wake up and somewhere between facewashing and coffee, slip on their"chill-girl"outfit. It is the outfit that allows them to adopt the persona of the emotionally-detached, sexually-involved girl who has no qualms about her compromising position, a look for the girl who loves the sex and disregards the great emotional wall looming in front the guy she's "seeing."

For some reason unbeknownst to me, the concept of the high-maintenance girl has been firmly implanted.in our collective conscious as an inescapable fact of relationship-dom, an unnecessary evil to be evaded at all costs. Through movies and popular lore, we have been inculcated with a phobia

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of this high-maintenance girl, resulting in a world where every Tom, Dick and Harry knows full well what it's like to be with this alleged girl— even if he's never been with one. Consequently, he's convinced he just wants something casual to which he can attach a degree of importance no more significant than his fa­ vourite pasta meal, always satisfying, always there for him and never difficult. And while I appreciate a good pasta dish, I don't enjoy this ill-founded fear.

From over three years of my friends' lamentations, there seems to be a general recipe for success: At the prospect Of a relationship, Joey no longer sees Lisa, but merely Ms. High Maintenance. Lisa senses this awkwardly-rendered fear and backs-off, not wanting to "seem pushy or ruin the friendship."

However, not wanting to come across as an overt feminist, bore or tease, she continues to sleep, hang out and party with Joey, leaving her socially and sexually connected and working daily on paring down any emotional attachment she may feel.

Skip ahead to when Lisa freaks out because mcanths of donning her"chill-girl"outfit have eroded her patience and her ability to deny herself the emotional self-respect that she sees no apparent reason for declining and you reach a point where

Lisa has h a d to b eco m e high-maintenance. When she finally de­ mands something more with the fervor of a girl at the end of a week-long liquid diet standing at a McDonald's counter wait­ ing for her Big Mac, she really does seem high maintenance.

And greedy. Yet in the end, her partner's illegitimate fears legiti­ mized themselves.

Is this is a new phenomenon? After women discovered the right to equally voracious sex drives, casual sex sans promiscu­ ity associations became feminist ammo. While the success of our foremothers obviated any need for us to prove ourselves in that department, their emancipation of our bodies opened up ample opportunities for us to shroud our feelings, leading to a kind of emotional asceticism where far too many of us are far too good at subsisting on far less than what we want.

But why should we? If you say you're satisfied with an appe­ tizer because you don't want to scare off the server, no amount of pretty smiling will get you anywhere near the whole meal.

Instead, you will just go to bed hungry and all smiled out.

It looks like it's our turn to step up to the plate: your Hal­ loween costume this year? How about an Open Book— come on babe, it'll feel real good. ■

24.10.06 «The McGill Tribune • 9

T

r ib u n e

EDITORIAL

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ne would be hard pressed to find a street more representative of what Montreal is all about than Avenue du Parc. It is multicultur­ al, trendy and oozes character from every asphalty pore. Now, the municipal government wants to re­ name it after a guy who many once referred to as "the epitome of passionless politics" and "the most, hated man in Quebec."

On Wednesday, Mayor Gerald Tremblay an­ nounced that the city plans to rename Parc after the late Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa. Almost as soon as the announcement was made, the pub­ lic outcry began.

Most Montrealers, if you asked them, probably wouldn't have anything bad to say about Robert Bourassa, but they aren't likély to have anything good to say either.

Sad as it may be, history will remember Bouras­ sa for his four mandates and little else. Yes, he was responsible for the James Bay hydro project and that was an important moment in the history of Quebec. He was also the premier during the Octo­ ber Crisis but the fact that history only remembers the role of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau just goes to show the mediocrity of the former premier's ré­ sumé.

Even worse is that this move has all the mak­ ings of a political hand job. Bourassa gaveTremblay his first job in politics and while the current mayor can talk all he wants about properly recognizing the late premier, this is about hero worship and little else. Just this week, the provincial government unveiled a bronze statue of Bourassa in front of the National Assembly. In addition, there are already plans in the works to name a highway after him.

While Bourassa may be many things, he's hardly lacking recognition.

Unfortunately, it's the citizens of Montreal who end up getting the shaft. No public consul­ tation will take place on this issue except when it goes before the city and island councils on Oct. 3 0 .

With Tremblay's party holding a massive majority in both bodies and with this being a pet project of the Mayor, the result of these sessions seems a forgone conclusion.

Tremblay defended the move on the grounds that there were similar complaints when Dorches­ ter boulevard was renamed after another late pre­ mier, Réné Lévesque, but this is an awful compari­ son. First of all, Dorchester—-or Réné Lévesque, as it were— doesn't have the same character as Parc. It runs mainly through a commercial part oftown and is one of the coldest and most sterile boulevards in

O

the city. In short, no one could possibly have felt a close connection to the street.

Second, Réné Lévesque is possibly the most important figure in the history of the Quebec na­ tionalist movement. A charismatic figure, no one can dispute that Lévesque deserves every bit of recognition he has received.

Although Bourassa was a good enough politi­ cian, he was hardly the inspiring or influential figure that Lévesque was.

Meanwhile, there are significant Costs associ­ ated with this move beyond the aesthetic ones. The price of replacing the street signs alone has been estimated at around $17 ,0 0 0 . As for the costs associ­ ated with the changing of addresses for homes and businesses— including the replacement of signs and advertising— they will be borne entirely by the private sector.

The original plan made a whole heck of a lot

more sense. The Bourassa family had initially asked that Boulevard St. Joseph, the street Bourassa grew up on, be renamed in his honour. This would have spared a number of small businesses from the re­ naming costs and at least it was an avenue with which he had a personal connection, not to men­ tion the fact that there isn't the same kind of per­ sonal attachment among Montrealers to St. Joseph as there is to Parc, which has carried that name since 188 3 . But the city balked at that idea when it realized this would mean having to negotiate with the Catholic Church.

So what are we left with? One of the most be­ loved streets in our fair city is going to be renamed after a rather dry and unremarkable politician— his­ torical ties, will of the people and costs to residents and small business owners be damned— and for what? So Gerald Tremblay can pay tribute to an old friend? That's just not right. ■ by

J a m ie G

oodm an

A dvertising M anager Paul S lachta

advmgr@ssmu.mcgill.ca

OFF THE BOARD

Q uit trippin in class

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itting blissfully in my late-aftemoon 19 th-cen­ tury literature class this past Thursday, my eyes drifted across long tables occupied by fellow Lit students and noticed something'rather perplex­ ing. I suppose that many of us have grown so accus­ tomed to it here at McGill that it is almost unnoticeable at this point. McGill students love their water.

Perhaps 50 per cent, if not more, of my class­ mates had brought water bottles of all shapes, sizes and colours to class with them, ranging from the modest 3 3 0 -ml Nayatothe balls-out, guaranteed-tosurvive-a-nukular-blast (and keep your water fresh and crisp throughout) one-liter Nalgene Avenger.

McGillians will never be for want of that sweet H2 O. Herein lies my confusion: Why bring that much water to class? In normal Canadian climactic con­ ditions, the human body loses water at a rate of 2 .5 -liters per day, meaning that one would need to consume 1 0 0 -ml of water during any given class to maintain the status quo. Even in blazing desert heat of Death Valley, where temperatures can hit no°F if you dare step out of the shade, it takes approxi­ mately 24 hours before the dehydration process begins to occur.

"So why the Nalgene," I wondered. Why the gi­ gantic bottle? Then it hit me.

The near entirety of my English class is tripping

S

on ecstacy.

It makes sense. Why else would people be pumping back the water as if it was going out of style? And quite honestly, how else could so many people be fucking excited about Jane Austen? The woman's writing is about as interesting as hearing John Madden give a lecture on why he likes butter on his toast On the other hand, if you're boshing it hardcore in the sixth row, an animated, hour-long discussion about Willoughby's equestrian skills could prove as utterly engrossing and exciting as playing S up er M ario Kart on crack.

Let's be frank: Hard drugs are no strangers to McGill. This year, in fact, the Students' Society creat­ ed the Harm Reduction Centre to educate students about how to use drugs safely. Many of us non-users don't care much about drugs either way: safe or not, people are free to do whatever they want with their own bodies, but dropping the motherfucking Mudman before you step into Lit class is just plain disre­ spectful.

When you begin to speculate about Captain Ahab being possessed by a purple demon wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a bleeding fannypack, I lose my patience. It's all well and good for English Lit majors to come up with wildly idiosyncratic in­ terpretations of novels to impress their profs and

convince classmates that sticking them with a shiv in the parking lot is a really good idea, but monop­ olizing the class with a discussion of The O ld M an a n d the Sea being about class struggle while you're murfing is just plain irritating.

It's downright unfair for people to be having this much fun while students of a sensible, sober dis­ position suffer the anguish of discussing Steinbeck's more tedious œuvres. Just because we're consci­ entious objectors shouldn't make us the sacrificial lambs that bear the communal burden of classroom boredom while the rest of you rub our noses in the staleness of McGill's arcane instruction methods as you sit beside us in silent contemptuousness, pro­ gressively removing layers of clothing and proceed­ ing to run sandpaper against your nipples. I guaran­ tee, it's only a matter of time before we "doormats" are getting jacked outside the Otto Maas chemistry building by packs of impoverished E-heads jonesing for a hit before their semi-weekly ENGL 325 class.

"Give me your fucking watch, man! You don't know what Jean Toomer is like without that shit!"

Without trying to sound condescending or self-righteous, you people seriously need to leave your rave candy, soothers and Nalgene tanks at home. Some people are trying to get an education here. ■

The M c G ill T r ib u n e is an editorially au ton om ou s new spaper published by th e Students' Society o f McGill University in collaboration w ith th e Tribune Publication Society. O pinions expressed do n o t necessarN>^ represent those o f the Students'Society or McGill University Letters to th e e d ito r may be sent to letters@ m cgilltribune.com and m ust include th e c o n trib u to rs name, program and year and contact inform ation. Letters should be kept under 3 0 0 w ords and su b m itte d only to th e T rib u n e . Submissions ju d g e d by th e Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, ho m o p h o b ic or solely pro m o tio nal in nature w ill n o t be published. The■T r ib u n e reserves th e rig ht to e d it all contributions.

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10 *The McGill Tribune • 24.10.06

L e t t e r s t o t h e e d it o r

W e h a v e n 't b e e n g e t t in g m a n y le tte rs, b u t w e k n o w th a t y o u c a n 't lo v e u s th a t m u c h A ir y o u r g r ie v a n c e s !

Tell u s h o w m u c h w e su ck ! S e n d u s le tte rs o r V o x P o p u li!

T h e return o f th e A. Myers

As many McGill students discovered last year, there is ab­ solutely no accountability in the Athletics Department ("The wrong McMann for the job," 17 .10 .0 6 ). Long before the hazing scandal became public, the Redmen football team was off to a horiffic beginning to the season, losing for the first time in school history to Sherbrooke, which caused their record to fall to 0 -4 . A program with over 125 years of proud history should not have to accept such futility. It should be noted that McMann's only playoff wins during McMann's tenure came in 2001 and 2 002 when the team was made up of recruits from the Charlie Baillie era. Evidently, the Athletics Department re­ fuses to recognize that McMann is a serious detriment to Mc­ Gill football. No excuses can be made for his poor recruiting and his disastrous coaching record over survive with such a dismal record, so why is it that this man should be let off the hook?

A d a m Myers — B Sc '06

McGill Tribune Sports Edito r '0 5-0 6 A w w w , w a rm and fu zzy

C ono r G raham

Just wanted to share how much I enjoy the Features sec­ tion these days— it is truly the cream in my Tuesday morning coffee. Keep up the great work!

I e t t e r s @ m c g i l l t r i b u n e . c o m

Polygam y, not so g o o d

What kind of idiot would put a stigma on polygamy? ("I'm not a polygamist, but...,"17 .10 .0 6 )You know, despite the obvious social implications like the fact that it has been discouraged as a mainstream principle in North American society for over 6 0 0 years now— except for the Mormons, but they're only one letter away from morons. We can't forget that weensy-teensy issue of, oh I don't know, massive sexually transmitted infection outbreak? Lord knows that having many sexual partners is the last thing most people would think of as a source of increased disease prevalence in males and females aged 18 -24 . As much as it might be nice to have a partner for "when we're happy, one for when we're sad, one for when we're playful, and one for when we're mad," it's just not a safe or respectable practice these days. You know, i think Dr. Seuss put it best in his semi­ nal (no pun intended) work "Horton Hears a Whore," with "dart fish, hut fish, tart fish, slut fish, trades fish, breath fish, AIDS fish, death fish." Although you might be well-versed in polygamy, access to an online rhyming dictionary hardly makes your re­ hashing of the facts any more unique than the next person's.

— U2 M usic

Lo pam udra D as

— U3 M icrob iolog y & Im m u n o lo gy

OFF THE BOARD

Get a room, you perverts Kayvon A

fsh ar i

n extraterrestrial army of love-struck exhibitionists has taken over the Shatner building's student lounge.

Thanks to them, I can no longer sit on those comfortable blue couches to read about daily massacres in Iraq and domestic wire-tapping without being distracted by something infinitely more disturbing: Couples actively engag­ ing in PDA. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, in this case it stands not for Personal Digital Assistant but for Public Displays of Affection; a beautiful, lofty euphemism for unnec­ essary groping in plain sight. Much like lynchings and ritualis­ tic sacrifices, it has no place in civilized societies.

Are these romantics arrogantly showing off their love?

Have the damned nomads no other place to make out? Is one partner simply testing the other's commitment? Is it that the oh-so-smooth and sexy fabric on the blue couches causes an irresistible chemical attraction in the lovebirds'hearts? Or is it like peeing and sometimes you've just gotta go?

What about the innocent bystanders in this situation, the collateral damage? After prohibiting arbitrary arrest, slavery

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and inhuman treatment, couldn't the United Nations Univer­ sal Declaration of Human Rights have contained a few extra articles outlining my rights on those damned couches? Or did the drafters simply lack the foresight to anticipate the scourge on our society that these heinous transgressions would be­ come?

In the traditional voyeuristic plotline, the creep was the guy jerking off in the tree branch, peeping with his binoculars.

However, the tables have been turned: In this new setting, the weirdos have become the girls with their hands on some guy's junk and the viewers have become unwilling voyeurs with a massive car wreck in front of their eyes. They want to mind their own business and go back to reciting the Communist Manifesto by heart, but they can't avoid rubbernecking.

What is it about these acts that leaves my, eyes and mind vacillating between utter disgust and subdued interest?

As a pretty normal guy who is in touch with his mascu­ line side, I don't long for a dose of PDA in my day— nor do I ac­ tively search it out. But when it's in front of me, I can't help but fulfill some of Sigmund Freud's expectations— he would have

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certainly relished my subconscious'intrigue.This confuses me, because as much as my eyes are drawn to the lovers on the couch, I'm grossed out.

At the same time my mind is telling me that these people are societal outlaws breaking the well-established norms and rules that govern social interactions and prevent our society's slide down a moral slippery slope towards Amsterdam's red light district. I am genuinely bothered by their defiantly rude exhibitionism and something must be-done. Justice must be brought upon these lawless lovebirds for the way they inflict their boundless passion upon us every day.

Singapore has been drafting new laws to outlaw public displays of affection and in most of North America's primary and secondary school systems, rules have been established to ban canoodling on campus. Here at McGill we need a healthy reassessment of what is and is not appropriate. Let's take a page out of Singapore's book and respond to public displays of affection with public displays of abasement. Just as Singa­ poreans punish graffiti artists, we need to start delivering solid beat downs and canings. ■

Do you have what it takes to be the Tribune's next webmaster, young grasshopper?

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If you think so, e-mail seniored@mcgilltribune. com to find out more.

C ampus

SILHOUETTE

I S S A m e m b e r s d o it f o r t h e l o v e o f t h e g a m e ... and for the free Nike gear, too M aria Forti Kicking a ball around a soccer field may not seem like a world peace-building activity, but members of at least one McGill student as­ sociation would argue otherwise.

'The International Student Soccer Associ­ ation does not merely represent a sport; it em­ bodies an idea, a lifestyle and a thriving culture that transcends all national borders," reads the Philosophy section of an ISSA flier. A relatively new group at McGill, the ISSA actually origi­ nated at Concordia University. The idea was born late one night when a few friends casually watched a soccer game together. Imad Barake, U3 Finance, and the McGill Chapter President, says "[It] slowly evolved into a society of a lot of people who liked to play soccer." Eventually, tournaments found willing sponsors and the

club's membership at Concordia grew.

This year, the ISSA has expanded to McGill in hopes of spreading the'spirit'of the game to more students. Now a charitable organization that works with the United Nations Office for Drug Control, the ISSA maintains that soccer is one of the best sports through which people can come together from diverse backgrounds while also fostering personal, athletic growth.

"Soccer is capable of reaching all indi­ viduals who partake in its beauty. It's not just a game, it's an art," reads the ISSA flier. "This game... is so international that it can be used for many good things,"adds Barake. In addition to donating proceeds from tournaments and gatherings to the UNODC, the ISSA is looking to work with other charities such as Free the Children.

The organization's first McGill tournament

hit a bit of a rut. Originally called "The Asso­ ciation's Cup," the tournament was open to any society at McGill under the jurisdiction of SSMU. Plowever, due to intramural soccer finals and midterm exams, not enough associations signed up. Consequently, the tournament was renamed "Soccer Fever"and opened up to any student - not just intramural members - who wanted to form a team. The final rounds of the Soccer Fever tournament are, in fact, happen­ ing right now; they will take place this Sunday at the Catalogna Soccer Complex in Lachine from noon to 5 p.m. The ISSA hopes to hold an Association's Cup sometime in November.

Prizes for the winning teams at tournaments will include gift certificates to the sports equip­ ment store Evangelista, as well as medals.

Believe it or not, the ISSA is not just for soccer fanatics (though it is true that many

of its members fit the descriptor quite nicely).

Interested students who know nothing about the game are welcome to volunteer at tour­ naments. The perks? They receive free food, tshirts and transportation to games in return. By volunteering, McGillians could even end up on the Nike Web site. That's right, Nike sponsored an ISSA tournament in May, 2 0 0 6 and Nike's J o g a Bon ita (Portuguese for "Beautiful Game") campaign bus came to Montreal and took pictures of the tournament, which appeared on the Nike Web site. With 32 teams from the Montreal area, the tournament was a great showcase of soccer talent in the area. ■ Lo okin g to g e t in vo lved ? E-m aii issa.mcgiH@ g m a il.co m fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n o n d u b g a th ­ erings, C h a m p io n s Lea g u e g a m e screen in g s a t Gert's a n d h o w to vo lu n teer fo r th e u p co m in g to urnam ents.

CELEBRITY CHATTERBOX

S c h o l a r l y i n s i g h t w i t h Kenny Think you've got roommate problems?

E lizabeth Perle

of the bed... although I'm on the top.

Favourite TV Snack: These tw o real-life b est friends co m p ete every w eek on the h it C a n a d ia n TV series Kenny VS Spenny. N o w S p en cer "Spenny" Rice, the q u iet u n d erd o g a n d Kenny Hotz, the lo u d -m o u th ed a n d offensive villain, re­ veal their university experiences, television traum as a n d well, a little m ore than y o u will p ro b a b ly w a n t to know .

Where did you go to University?

SPENNY: I went to York.

KENNY: Ryerson.

What did you study?

SPENNY: Film and Television.

KENNY: I have my PhD in Recess.

What do you miss most about it?

SPENNY: I met some great people. I also miss some of the classes and just being in an environment where you can discuss film theory. I also got to produce and di­ rect a lot of my work. I'm doing that now, but when you are in the real world it's not quite as casual or easy to get done. '

What do you think of Montreal?

KENNY: How can you not like it? They eat smoked meat for breakfast. I've been past the [McGill] gates a few times. I love Schwartz's.

What is it like living together?

SPENNY: Kenny is a slob. He never cleans up. There are crumbs all over the kitch­ en. I worry about getting bugs. He has people over. I don't have people over. He makes too much noise.

KENNY: Well, we both sleep in the middle

SPENNY: Apples and juice. I eat pretty healthy.

KENNY: [beep] and milk.

VS Spenny

If you could challenge anyone else on the show, who would it be and what would you challenge them to?

SPENNY: Jessica Alba-to anything. I'd also like to challenge Noam Chomsky to do something really dumb, because he's like the smartest guy. Like: who could live the longest without their legs. I'd like to see what his philosophical, scientific genius would do in that competition.

KENNY: The CBC-to who could make worse programming.They'd win.

How much are you guys playing char­ acters and how much is authentic?

SPENNY: We made a decision at the be­ ginning that we would be ourselves. In other words, I wouldn't turn into a cheat­ ing scumbag, and [Kenny] wouldn't turn into a lame do-gooder. So in that sense, I really do feel like I am perhaps one of the greatest underdogs in television history.

KENNY: I really am the sweetest, nicest, gentlest lamb in the world. I'm like a cute little kitten with his claws removed. But when my dorito-munching stoners want laughs...

Worst humiliation so far?

SPENNY: I wastied upand sortofwhipped by a transvestite dominatrix.That was ex­ tremely unpleasant.

KENNY: Working with Spenny.

Have you ever had any show-ideas censored?

SPENNY: We wanted to lick a cat's [beep] for a humiliation. I'm not so sure the cat wouldn't enjoy it. But that's just me.

Any major grudges still being held over competitions?

SPENNY: Oh, I have many grudges! I feel like there was a time, maybe when Tru­ man was president, when the good guy was the one everyone got behind and wanted to win.

Times have changed, unfortunately, be­ cause it seems like everyone likes the bad guy. There is a group of people that I call "Kenny Fans." They are very sadistic and want to see Kenny crush me week after week.

KENNY: When I lose, I lose because of me and not because of Spencer. It's not even a competition. Competing against Spenny is like competing against a piece of driftwood.

Greatest Victory?

KENNY: I slept with Spencer's mother. Oh wait, it was his grandmother.

Your strategies in three words: SPENNY: Be very careful.

KENNY: Crush the weak!

A message to your fans for this up­ coming season: SPENNY: I think I am smarter, stronger and ready for anything Kenny might throw at me. I have also found a hair wax J that does a wonderful job keeping the back of my hair reasonably straight in the humid summer. « Not my Grandmother! Bitch!"

KENNY: Always pull out. ■

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EUS Theatre is holding auditions for "tend Me A Tenor*.

Oct 2 4 and 2 5 ,5 3 0 to 7:30 p m Sign-up sheets by the EU:I office in the McConnell building.

Contact Mac Clohan at (514 ) 2 86-26 19 for more info.

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< Darfur Awareness Fundraiser tonight at the Time Supper Club.

Contact Ricki Gurwitz at (514 ) 8 4 4 39 52 or rickigurwftz@hotmail.com

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

Email calendar@mcgilltribune.com for more information, or drop by the Tribune office in Shatner 1 1 0 .

F EATURES W h y 'w e d o ' Is marr iage more about dollars and less about sense?

E l iz a b e t h P e r le Think Charlotte from Sex a n d the City, Monica from Friends and Bree from D es­ p era te Flousew ives: most sitcoms have that fe­ male character - you know the one - who has had her wedding planned out since she was five and wants nothing more in life than to or­ ganize, cook, clean and have lots and lots of ba­ bies. Of course, not all of us will personally relate to these characters, but it is a safe bet that there are a significant number of McGill students that do. This is not to turn my nose down at those girls who have their Vera Wang dresses and'Tiffany's rings picked out in their minds - everyone has a right to daydream about what they want, be it weddings, dresses or Jon Stewart - but it has left me wondering about the significance of marriage to university students, and more spe­ cifically, why it should have any at all.

Most of us see marriage in the same way as the rest of North American society: it is the ultimate expression of love, commitment and adult normativity - be it heterosexual or not. It is a culturally embedded institution and this is why many of us look to it as a inevitable step in our future, adult lives. This interprétation of mar­ riage, however, is wrong. Marriage is not cultur­ al, nor is it about love. Over the past 2 0 0 years, we have romanticized this ritual and it has now b ec o m e culturally symbolic, but marriage has been and always will be, economically rooted.

Marriage rites Before we can discuss how marriage is per­ ceived or what it has been historically, we must first determine what, exactly, it is today. Some believe this to be an easy feat : after all, marriage is seen as a “fundamental,™unchanging"and "tra­ ditional" institution. It is perceived as so strong, in fact, that it managed to withstand even the thunderous force of same-sex marriage just a few years ago. Despite this common belief, the historical fact of the matter is that marriage has been subject to change; it has been subject to change, a lot. From women no longer being their husband's property, to allowing them to o w n property, to the invention of contracep­ tion, to increased access to divorce and to the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada, marriage has hardly been the stable, deeplyrooted institution most assume that it is.

"Marriage" exists in North America today as a contentious combination of an exclusively

economic history and a modern social value system. Arguably, it can be see as the embodi­ ment of three major forces: religious marriage (which has nothing to do with law), civil mar­ riage (through which the government gives you specific privileges and regulates you to a certain extent) and a real relationship (which is purely emotional and cultural). As one can imagine, entangling the religious and emotional aspects of marriage within official civil partnerships is extremely problematic.

Even more problematic than this, however, is the idea that in modern North American society, in order to provide citizens with certain eco­ nomic and parental certainties (as well as some basic rights), marriage is not only beneficial, but it is often necessary.

Untying the knot Until capitalism emerged, most marriages were conducted under religious regimes; it was during Protestant Reformation in Europe that most states took over the dominant religion's marriage laws. According to EJ. Graff in W hat is M a rria g e for?, it was when the nation-states'marriage laws began to diverge from what religious laws had been that the dramatic debates about marriage arose - for example, the debates over divorce in the 19 th and 2 0 th centuries.

In Canada, divorce was reformed in 1969 under Pierre Trudeau. What is interesting, how­ ever, is that at the same time, sodomy was also decriminalized in the country (note: it was not until 2 0 0 3 , in the extremely politically charged case of Lawrence v. Texas, that anti-sodomy laws were deemed unconstitutional in the United States). While one would think, especially con­ sidering the year, that this important Canadian legal precedent would have created a social uproar, surprisingly, the population at the time did not pay much heed to it. If you can believe it, this is because everyone in Canada was far m o re upset about the change that occurred in divorce law.

Marriage is the foundation of our society, and divorce was and continues to be, socially stigmatized. Even today, the system certainly does not encourage divorce: anyone who knows someone who has gone through it can confirm what an emotionally and financially taxing process it is.

Nuptials in the Bush Because marriage no' longer holds the same sharp economic undertone as it once did, most people no longer attach the institution to its nasty history of female oppression. Unfortu­

nately, while you can ignore it all you want, it's (as well as the "virginal," white dress and "giving sexist historical baggage will always be there. the bride away"), it is just another example of In fact, many feminists argue that marriage, in the West's unquenchable thirst for conspicuous its current form, perpetuates many of the dam­ consumption. In its essence, the wedding is a aging gender conceptions upon which it was combination of two of the most fundamental founded. In many ways, it still acts as an exten­ aspects of the North American character: love sion of this rigorous patriarchal system. and excessive spending. The extravagant, ex­ The extent to which these charges are pensive, "traditional" wedding we imagine is, in true is certainly arguable, but it is undeniable fact, a magnifying glass for some of the most that legislation with overtly sexist undertones negative values of our society. relating to marriage persists in North American According to Chrys Ingrahms in The W hite society.

W edding, there is a specific wedding culture per­ Currently, the administration of the United petuated in our media. In fact, she argues that States is pushing federally-promoted marriage this standard wedding is a white upper-class programs. According to USA Today, in 2001 "affair"that is both exclusive and discriminatory.

George Bush pledged $2 0 o-million in grants While we all know that there are many differ­ over the following five years to community and ent types of cultural wedding ceremonies, we religious groups that would promote father­ don't necessarily see them represented in our hood, marriage education and conflict resolu­ media. We see the White Wedding. This wed­ tion. In addition, his budget outlined $3 million ding has, like it or not, become a deep-seated for programs towards skill-building for fathers.

North American cultural symbol.

Furthermore, Bush encouraged states to use In fact, writer Jaclyn Geller (see: Here Com es their surplus welfare funds to provide premarital th e Bride: W om en, W eddings a n d the M arriage services and counseling.

M ystiqu e ) claims that this is the reason why so Many critics believe that the channeling many women opt for the house and husband of this enormous amount of money into such in the first place: we have all been subjected to marriage-promoting programs will divert des­ .th is lifelong, heteronormative, white wedding perately needed funds from single mothers and marketing campaign. their children.To invest in, for example, employ­ What does this mean? You need to stop ment opportunities for mothers would do more judging your wedding-obsessed friends and to make them self-sufficient. point that finger at all those god-awful wed Moreover, these "positive marriage" pro­ ding-based reality TV shows oppressing our air grams have done nothing to address the high ways, instead! I, for one, would love to see The incidence of domestic violence among low-inB a ch elo r burned. come women. According to a document pre­ pared for the U.S. House of Representatives, Down a different aisle studies show that between 15 to 25 per cent of So where does the marriage debate leave welfare clients in the United States are victims us at McGill? of domestic violence. Such programs have the "In society today there seem to be so many potential to encourage women and children to regulations on who can be married to whom maintain relationships with abusive husbands. and when: what your religion is, your sexual Gwendolyn Mink, professor of Political Sci­ preference, etc. It seems the only way to truly ence at the University of California at Santa Cruz consecrate a relationship now is to not get mar­ believes that"[the legislation is] making women ried," asserts Nicolas Cotlar, Ui Russian Studies dependent on men instead of doing other Cotlar disagrees with the idea that most stu­ things that help women support their families.” dents are looking to get married as adults, and maintains that there is an underlying cynicism Coping with TWIC: The Wedding Industrial in our generation that is moving us away from Complex institutionalized relationships.

When it comes down to it, who can re­ In the past few years, the state of "being ally say no to an extravagant party replete with married"in Canada has changed so that it could $7 ,0 0 0 rhinestone studded dresses, an adorable better fit social realities; gender and sex have Versace-clad flower girl and a groom whose nothing legally to do with marriage, implicitly features make Michelangelo's "David" look like a or explicitly. This is an enormous step in decon­ puppy caught in a wood-chipper? structing many of its discriminatory aspects, and Ignoring the blatant sexism of the wedding it is also arguably going to alter the way we, as being the "most important day in a woman's life" students, will look at marriage after graduation.

M c G ill m e n o n m a t r im o n y

"I don't thinkyou can stay in love with one person all of your life. :Î7inn her \Aed /Pririinn cinrp hirth hhnlrlc tri ip thp mnl/oc ->an /' 1 W hether o r n o t th e stereotyp e ofB rid ezilla fanta sizin g nhm a b o uitt h er w d in g rin\/ d a y sin ce birth o ld s true, the \A w o/r\m m ann n o n ly m akes 1 uirp It would require a lot of com­ J o a n n a R e z n ic k h a lf o f th e n u p tia l equation. While m o st m en m ig h t n o t o b sess over the details o f their lila c arran g em en ts o r p u rc h a se th e latest mitment and effort. Although Issue o f M od ern Bride, th ey certa in ly p o n d e r the issues b eh in d those tw o b in d in g w o rd s: "I do." Here are so m e m ale view p o in ts on marriage isn't necessarily a bad m arriage, righ t here o n ca m p u s: thing and although same sex opinmarriage is less of an issue, I b 1 N111111111111111111111111111 11 1 1 1 1 y_ "Divorce don't think I'll be jumping to get about rates seem to be soaring. It seems : "If I w ere to get married, the main reamarried anytime soon." marriage. One is: to me that institutionalizing the union effec­ ; son would be for my family. I think if you're really in love, — Brock D u m ville, tively dooms the union. Forcing two people into a le­ : they would appreciate it. And I guess gally binding, insular relationship will only make them long you might as well, be­ U2 B io m ed ica l Sciences. ; the person I was going to hang out A cause marriage is essentially 'Nx for the sense of freedom they feel they're losing. Long term is with for the rest of my life would have a tax break. On the other hand, ^ great, but keep it casual and ultimately healthy by not having to also be up for marriage."

"For if you're not, it's kind of just a mere the harrowing shackles of marriage looming overhead." me, marriage — Chris Brow n, U3 Physics. validation of societal ideals."

— J o s h u a L a v e n th a ll, U 2 A n t h r o p o lo g y .

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definitely implies chil dren, or else what is the point of being stuck with the same woman forever? I do want to get married eventually, but it's definitely not a priority."

- J e f f C o o p e r, U i P s y c h o lo g y

-C liff Casey, U2 Engineering.

"I w a n t to g e t m a rrie d ju s t so I h a v e a g re a t excuse to h a ve sex, 2 4 /7 ."

— K a te D a v ie s , U 2 H is to ry . (O ka y,

"Marriage has been getting the beat-down lately. People talk of soaring divorce rates, but I be lieve in the sanctity of marriage. To pledge your life to someone seems like the only major commitment we have now, what with people wanting their own self-sustaining lifestyle and higher levels of indepen­ dence. The importance of marriage is one thing my parents really stressed to me and I hope to pass that on to me kids. It is arguably one of the biggest decisions of your life and should be made not with haste, but with careful thought and consideration." z.

^ ////// //// //// /// //// //// //// /^ ^ ^ ^

— Todd Radons, U2 A cco u n tin g .

s o s h e is n 't a g u y , b u t s h e k in d o f s o u n d s lik e o n e , rig h t? ) ,1

24.10.06 • The McGill Tribune • 13

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Ross Walker, U2 History, acknowledges these changes; "There is not as much pressure on us to get married as there was on our parents. With all of political con­ troversy surrounding marriage right now, students are being forced - whether they like it or not - to re-define it for themselves. And, you know what, I think that a lot of us are." ■

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M a i l - o r d e r b r i d e s : g e t 'e m w h ile t h e y 'r e h o t Finding 'a special lady' online T raci J o h n so n Designer bags were last season's accessory must-have. Designer babies may be the genetically enhanced status symbol of tomorrow. Designer wives, however, are available for order today-taxes nonapplicable-as willing participants in the mail­ order bride industry.

Over 10 0 ,0 0 0 women around the world are list­ ed on the Internet as available for marriage to West­ ern -men; one site alone, A Foreign Affair, lists nearly 3 0 , 0 0 0 . And while governments find it difficult to keep exact tallies - the fact that he found his wife at The Mail-Order Bride Warehouse isn't something a husband tends to advertise - approximately 4 ,0 0 0 to 6 ,0 0 0 North American men find wives online through "international marriage brokers" each year.

A visit to Web sites with names like G oo d w ife.co m , A S p ecia l La d y and Latin Love offers insight as to why the industry is thriving.

Each Web site advertises feminine characteris­ tics of potential spouses that seem paradoxical, em­ phasizing both the "traditional values"and "exotic sex appeal" of women from Thailand, Russia, the Philip­ pines and Peru. These sites cater to men looking for the ideal wife: a submissive creature with dinner on the table at 6 p.m. sharp and a sex kitten in the bed­ room. According to a US Immigration-report, most men who seek out potential mates through IMBs have achieved an above-average level of education and are ideologically conservative.

While matches arranged through IMBs repre­ sent a tiny percentage of the millions of marriages that are recorded each year in North America, the US felt it necessary to pass the International Marriage Act in June. The controversial law regulates IMBs who profit by acting as matchmakers for their pre­ dominantly white and middle-aged male clients, re­ quiring companies to provide immigration informa­ tion to women in their native language and ordering men to fill out criminal history questionnaires. The new law does not purport to stop mail-order bride

marriages, which are legal in the US, but it does pro­ vide some protection to foreign women who often have little knowledge of the English language and few contacts in North America apart form their new husbands.

Like the US, Canada does not prohibit men from sponsoring women they meet through"international correspondence services." Immigration Canada can only determine whether a relationship looks genu­ ine or not. According to Rebecca Vernik, an assistant who works for a Westmount law firm specializing in immigration,"Immigration Canada doesn't care why you are getting married as long as you are coming to Canada to be with your partner. It is not the love police or the moral police."

Governments may be able legislate the cir­ cumstances under which their residents can enter into holy matrimony. However, whether men and women choose their mates in pursuit of love, control or simply a better standard of living is a decision that, for better or worse, cannot be decreed by law. ■

Even The Donald marries for money: look who he's trumping now, Ivana.

In the nuptial bed, diplom as are sexier than thongs Higher education increases likelihood of matrimony for women R a c h e l M eln ik There are certain qualities that one might look for in a potential spouse: attractiveness, dependability, compassion, sense of humor, loyalty and sometimes, a Master's degree?

For a younger generation of newlyweds, particularly women, a higher level of education is becoming more attractive than ever. In a society where the economy is as unstable as the per­ ception of traditional gender roles, a post-secondary diploma may be a woman's greatest asset in the marriage market.

According to Dr. Darcy Hango, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Sociology studying matrimonial trends in Ca­ nadian youth, the correlation between higher education and marriage is extremely complicated. "In the past," says Hango, "education had different effects for men and women, in terms of marriage. Essentially, an educated man had a higher like­ lihood of getting married, whereas an educated woman did not." Before the 19 6 0 s, higher education served as a detriment to women who were looking to settle down. "Women from older generations were more likely to get married if they were less educated," asserts sociology Professor Céline Le Bourdais, Canada research chair in Social Statistics and Family Change.

Today, that trend no longer holds true. "Educated women are more likely to marry," Hango states. Based on a Canadian Statistics survey called Youth in Transition, which investigates

the latest transitions in working people ages 23 and younger, a female with a post-secondary degree has a substantially great­ er chance of getting married than a woman who lacks one.

The issue, as Hango explains, ultimately comes down to the idea of the "marriage market."

"It's all about the idea of whether others perceive you as a good potential spouse. Lately, a higher education is thought of as a good thing [for women]. A post-secondary degree implies that a woman is more self-süfficient." For past genera­ tions, self-sufficiency and marriage did not necessarily form a compatible union. "Self-sufficient women did not want to settle down with the traditional gender roles [implicated in marriage]," Hango says. Often, a highly educated woman who wanted a career had to make certain familial sacrifices and vice versa. "Before, women were more likely to drop their careers to invest in domestic life," Le Bourdais insists. "This is no longer the case." With the rising popularity of stay-at-home dads and women who bring home the bacon, traditional gender roles in the realm of marriage are quickly deteriorating. "Both men and women want to be able to balance their domestic duties and their careers,"says Hango, who finds the move away from gender-exclusive responsibilities a positive trend.

This trend resonates with the changing state of our economy as well as the changing state of our attitudes. "The husband is no longer the only one who provides for the fam­

ily," says Le Bourdais. "Nowadays, men are looking for someone with a suitable income so that they can marry and provide for their family." Ideally, the more education you obtain, the more money you make and the more likely you are to financially provide for your family. "There are studies that prove that the less education you have, the less likely you are to marry," Le Bourdais says.

Yet while a female with a high level of education may be more likely to get married, she is also more likely to postpone the marriage process. "The generation of married women is getting older," maintains Le Bourdais. He notes that until the late nineties, it was assumed that women were postponing marriage because they were more financially and emotionally independent and therefore less dependent on the support a spouse provides.

But the issue is still framed by practicalities. Le Bourdais references Valerie Oppenheimer, a sociologist from the Univer­ sity of California Berkeley, who hypothesized the "career entry" theory of marriage, asserting that couples establish enduring relationships once they establish permanent jobs. "The econ­ omy is so unstable, that the likelihood of finding a good job is ! incredibly difficult," says Le Bourdais. "For this reason, couples are postponing their marriages." Although the age of dowries may be over, marriage continues to be an economicaldecision ; fora number of women. ■

S tudent L ivin g STUDENT SAVINGS

D a m n , t h a t c h ic k lo o k s lik e a c r a y o n !

How to create a stylin' Halloween costume for less than $5 M a r ia F o rti Maybe you haven't been trick-or-treating since grade eight, but what better time to bring back the old tradi­ tion than in university? Or perhaps your attendance is required at the costume party in your best friend's apartment. Whatever the reason, Halloween is all about dressing up and assuming a frightening new identity, whether that be Hilary Clinton or Santa Claus. But for university students on a tight budget, finding the perfect accessories for a Paris Hilton outfit may be a little hard to come by.

Herb are some ideas for cheap costumes that will allow you to scream trick or treat at the top of your lungs without looking like a bum (unless you want to look like a bum on purpose).

Static cling: This easy costume includes a solid colored base (i.e. matching pants and shirt) and a lot of safety pins.

Take random articles from your clothing drawer such as socks or undies and attach them to your shirt and pants. Use hair spray to form the perfect electric shock hairdo.

A bag of jelly beans: For this one you may need to take a trip to Dollarama. Purchase a bag of multi colored balloons and a massive clear or translucent garbage bag. Cut holes for your arms and legs in the garbage bag and then fill the empty space in the bag with blown up balloons. Use a ribbon to tie the bag off at your shoulders. Placing a sign that reads “Bertie Bott's Every Fla­ voured Beans" in a strategic location may help protect you from that annoying "What are you supposed to be?" question.

A crayon: Colour coordination is key for this get-up. Take a trip to Value Village or any other secondhand clothing store to make sure your pants or skirt match your top. Buy a cheap plain coloured t-shirt and stencil Crayola and the crayon colour on

FASHIONOLOGY

with a Sharpie. Cheap, coloured hair spray completes the look.

Crayon earrings are also simple to make, simply find an old pair of earring hooks, two matching crayons and some wire. Stick the wire through each crayon and wrap it around to make the hold secure. Fasten the wire to the earring hook and voila!

A pair of dice: Still have boxes lying around from the move back to Montreal? Have afriend who needs a costume too? Black tights plus black felt circles on the boxes equals an easily recog­ nizable costume.

If none of these tickle your fancy, hop on the subway to the aforementioned Value Village or browse Dollarama. The place is full of cheap costumes and even cheaper clothes. Old lady sweaters plus i 9 7 0 s-era skirts might just equal an arousing Bradybunch kind of a look. Or perhaps, a pair of retro pleather pants is precisely what you're looking for. Whatever the case, Halloween is the perfect time to find your alter ego - even if that ego is a five-cent sack of candy. ■

FOOD FORTHOUGHT

T o p 7 .5 n o n - s l u t t y f e m a l e

H o r r ib ly g o o d

H a llo w e e n c o s t u m e s Tantriguing get-ups that do not require nudity

t r ic k s fo r tre a ts!

E d P etren k o Halloween requires a delicate bal­ ancing act for many females: to dress as revealingly as is gravita­ tionally possible, yet to keep dig­ nity on the surface - and nipples below it. Fortunately, for the in­ trepid woman of the today, remark­ able costumes are only a skimmed list article away.

7 . M a n Male bashing goes great

with anything. Any male will suf­ fice, with plenty of room for per­ sonal expression - dressing like an ex-boyfriend is highly discouraged, as no amount of candy can mask that bitterness.

6 . C o n d o le e z z a R ic e All it takes is some forehead putty and a few scowl exercises. Get a date to go as Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay, with a "weapon of mass seduction" joke and consider any costume contest "Mission Accom­ plished.” Ha ha.

5 .5 . H a lf o f a tw o - p e r s o n h o r s e An

old standby, its modern day exis­ tence is strongly doubted, but it surely must exist in some corner of a failing costumery on Mont Royal.

To keep it classy, one must never be sexually attracted, or even poten­ tially attracted, to the other half.5 5 . S u s a n B. A n t h o n y All you need for this is an explanation of who the

Wormy ice cubes and alcoholic witch's brew

hell you are. Almost no one's seen the coins and they only show from the neck up anyways - be warned, someone may be a more revealing Susie B than you. The best part is that you can guilt people into buy­ ing you drinks for not knowing who this brave woman was.

Witch's Brew:

4 : T a x i c a b Materials- needed: yel­

1 (2 -liter) bottle chilled lemon-lime soft drink or ginger ale 2 cups chilled vodka, optional

low dress, electrical tape checkers and possibly a meter. While being noticeable and not revealing, you also have the option of advertising rides for cheap. This one can take you clear across Versatilitytown in five drinks flat.

3 . N u n Not a revealing costume,'

but guys will make bets as to who can get you naked. If you enjoy dis­ cipline, then you probably already thought of this, but you likely didn't think of the Mother of them all, our next entry...

Yield: 12 to 16 servings Prep Time: 2 0 minutes

Ingredients: 1 (six-ounce) package lime gelatin 2 cups boiling water 3 cups chilled pineapple juice

Pour the gelatin mix into a large bowl. Slowly stir in the boiling water. Stir at least two min­ utes, until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Stir in the pineapple juice. Let cool to room temperature. Carefully pour the drink mixture into the punch, bowl. Slowly add the chilled vodka and lemon-lime soda or ginger ale. Stir gently to mix.

Wormy Ice Cubes Ingredients: 1 cup gummy worms or other creepy crawler

candy 2 ice cube trays

2 . M o t h e r T h e re s a

Her passing only helps to make this one scary, as does her belief that suffering is proof of Christ's love. Best of all, if you're stuck at home minding the door, you get to take candy from the kids.

1 quart fruit punch

1 . T a s te fu l S lu t Sluttitude is no lon­

C on tribu ted b y Clarice Connors Witch's B rew recip e co u rtesy Semi-Homemade(r)

ger necessarily connected to the skankle-bone.

Imagination and plenty of flesh-tone "Censored" bandages can help you "go, girl," yet not go so far that you can't be home for SNL. ■

Arrange gummy worms in ice cube trays, 1 worm per cube. Fill tray with fruit punch as you would normally add water. Freeze until solid, eight hours or overnight. Place into Witches Brew minutes before serving..

Desserts, M ira m a x Books, 2 0 0 3 Ice cu b e recipe co u rtesy www.Foodnetwork. com.

24.10.06 • The McGill Tribune • 15

H O W TO ...

S h a re a co -e d w a sh ro o m 7 o ^ Taking a tinkle with your floormates o is not as frightening as it appears

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C o M P u ro by K a y v o n A fs h a r i , A d a m B e a c h , B en L em ieo x a n d R a c h e l M eln ik

R iva G o ld Sharing a semi-public washroom is a delicate and possibly dangerous endeavour. The appropri­ ate etiquette is often unclear and expectations may vary. Here is a brief guide to perfecting the art of Bathroom Communalism. Use it wisely.

5. Resist the temptation to pee in your neighbour's shampoo. For some reason, neighbours tend to be sensitive about this type of action.

6. Remember when you were five and playing pogs was cool? It's not anymore.

IO- f o p i p /a cceS t o d u m p a body. ?. / o p IO y o u r u jife i s ha/in g an a ffa ir - i o t h S p id er m an .

S- f o p io p /a c e S t o m a s tu r b a te in p u a /id .

-g-. f o p io ro a y s t o /(noua y o u r e a c o e r e t o o /f. à,. f o p IO t/lin g S t o f o u n t in fr o n t o f a h o m e le S S p e r s o n .

6- fop io anima/ species to date (if you are into that).

4- fop io reasons to get butt im­ plants.

3. fop Io questions on t/le appli­ cation for doorman at Osama Bin Laden s Ca/e Complex.

2 . fop io hilarious pranks to p/ay on the f f S . i. fop io reasons you toou/d rath­ er Ju st five in the fucking Matrix.

7 . While walking to the shower, remember to wear 1 . Fools rush in. Never enter a washroom abruptly;

make loud noises before entering to establish your presence, much like you would around a bear.That being said, establishing your presence can also be achieved by peeing on the floor.

a towel that covers any part of you that you would not show your grandparents.

8. Choose your"toi-literature"carefully. Do not enter the stall with a copy of D ia g n o sin g Herpes without expecting to be judged.

2 . Do not talk about war. While the washroom may

seem like the ideal place to share your thoughts on the Cuban Missile Crisis, it's usually best not to.

3 . Speak English or French. There is nothing more

frustrating than trying to brush your teeth while having someone speak to you in a rare Mongolian dialect.

4. Do not start gossiping about the latest floorcest incident.

9 . When someone is in a stall, do not take out your stopwatch and time them out loud. It is generally considered more polite to count in your head and hold all applause and encouragement until they exit the stall.

10. If you see a friend is sick after a night of drinking, it is not appropriate to ask them for money. Simply ask said friend for the keys to his or her room and take what you need. ■

POD PEOPLE

E d it o r s ' c h o ic e "Try,"Jo h n M a y e rT rio (James, Commander-in-chief) "Yellow Ledbetter," Pearl Ja m (Dave, Managing) "A Perfect D ay,"H oku (Traci, Managing) "S u m m ertim e,"Janis Jo p lin (Rachel, Features) "First Breath A fter Com a," Explosions in th e Sky (Liz, Features) " T h e Saddest Day," C o n ve rg e (Kayvon, News) "Alternative to L o v e ," Brendan Benson (Matt, News) "N ig h t T im e is th e R ight Tim e," C re e de nce C le a rw a te r Revival (Kate, News) "Rush," People in Planes (Ben, A&E) "Cathedrals," J u m p , Little C h ildren (Crystal, A&E) "Livin g After M id nigh t," Juda s Priest (Adam, Opinion) "W h a t d o you d o w ith a B.A. in English/lt sucks to be me," th e A ve n u e Q Sou nd track (Tiffany, Production) "Be Yourself," A udioslave (Sam, Design) "I Can't Q u it You Baby," Led Z e p p e lin (Jessie, Design) "T u p e lo Honey/'Van M o rriso n (Andrew, Design) "D a n cin g Nancies," Dave M a tth e w s Band (Terri, Copy) "N.Y.C. E ve ryth in g ,"th e RZA (Lukas, Photo) "S tonesoup,"K ing Khan and His Shrines (Lee, Photo)

Example A: why floor cest is a very, very bad idea.

"Grace, To o ,"Th e Tragically H ip (Aaron, Sports) "A M o m e n t Like This" Kelly Clarkson (Charlie, Sports)

WWW...

N o t h in g 's h o t t e r t h a n a lit t le 'A s s - le e ' S im p s o n Perez Hilton: Celebrity blogger with a bite R ic k i G u r w it z In the age of the Internet blog, where each person offers his or her opinion as the gospel truth, one famous character stands out: Perez Hilton, the self-proclaimed Queen of all media.

With two million hits daily on his gossip Web site, perezh ilto n .co m , his sassy updates on Hol­ lywood celebrities have become a top source of entertainment news. Hilton updates his blog every few minutes and surfers have become addicted to his witty and quirky commentary on the lives of the ego-laden rich and famous.

A flamboyant Latino man from Los Angeles, he is unapologetically outspoken about celebs he likes and those he doesn't - and if you're not on the good list, watch out.

With nicknames like Asslee Simpson) Mischa Farton, Kiki Drunkst and Jennifer Maniston, Hilton proves that subtlety is not his strong suit,

but it is his most powerful asset in.the compe­ tition for media coverage. With the help of his site viewers, he makes up nicknames for famous couples. Whether it's Cokate and Doperty (the drug-addicted Kate Moss and Pete Doherty) or Richie Rich (the scandalous pairing of Denise Richards and Richie Sambora), no celebrity is safe. Hilton also critiques every fashion disaster (the Olsen twins are a favourite) and shrink­ ing starlet (Nicole Richie's zombie hands). He exposes backstage secrets (restrained hints at who's on the drugs), shenanigans (who hooked up with who) and the occasional wardrobe mal­ function (Lindsay Lohan's firecrotch exposed!) proven to cause more than an upset stomach in the unsuspecting viewer. He even accuses Barbara Walters of farting. A lot.

If you're lucky enough to be loved, Hilton could be your best friend and even better pro­ moter. His famous friends include Paris Hilton,

Nicky Hilton and Jessica Simpson and he thinks Angelina Jolie is queen of the world. What is most astonishing is the influence Perez has on public perception. With more hits daily than the number of magazines US Weekly sells per week, he is quickly becoming a household name and a star in his own right. He has the power to make or break a career and celebrities know this. Some are even fighting back. Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas wrote a song condemning his mockery, while Jared Leto recently spoke out against Perez and his lack of credibility. But it seems disputing Perez's sharp wit is a losing battle.

Though his commentary is sometimes mean and blatantly offensive, this gossipmonger gets away with it because he makes unre­ pentant fun of the stars. We all know how fan­ tastically delicious it is to see a celebrity come crashing down from their pedestals. Perez

makes no apologies and love him or hate him, he provides entertainment in a medium where too much coverage is never enough. The site is even a favourite among celebrities, who love perusing the fashion malfunctions and drunk­ en debauchery of their socialite rivals, as well as getting the scoop on the latest gossip they themselves have yet to hear.

Perezhilton.com may be nothing more than a guilty pleasure, but Perez doesn't feel guilty at all - he's doing what he loves and raking it in, making the rest of us university students look foolish as we stare blankly at our study notes with boredom and contempt. So during a study break, when Fa ceb o o k has grown tiresome and you feel too much like a stalker of people in your o w n community, check out Perezhilton. co m . It promises lots of laughs, mindless enter­ tainment and absolutely no educational con­ tent whatsoever. ■

A rts & E ntertainm ent music

P o r t r a it o f a h o m e g r o w n a r t is t a s a y o u n g m a n Hamiltonian Tomi Swick livens a dreary Montreal with organic charm B en Lemieux At first glance, just prior to his Oct. 20 Mon­ treal performance alongside Stabilo, one wouldn't figure Tomi Swick for a rock star. Don't misinter­ pret, the man can definitely sing, play guitar, write a song or rock out on stage with the best of them, but he does it all with the temperate, unassuming demeanour of the small-town, gentle giant many of us may remember growing up with.

He wears a four-to-five-day beard and a perpetually gleeful air; there is a fine balance of smooth eagerness in his every gesture. Though it soars to Bucklian heights on his August debut Stalled o u t In the D o o rw a y, Swick's voice has a deep, weathered, sandpaper gruffness to it, a timbre one would expect to hear from an enthusiastic Leafs fan at a local sports bar. The knuckles on his right hand bear day-old red scabs, which, if you let your imagination drift, come from night after night of playing quarters on the tour bus or, for the particu­ larly imaginative, a recent bar fight which - thanks to his 6 '2 ” football player's frame - he undoubtedly won'.

It is a rare thing to see a man so talented wear humility on his sleeve; a man who, unlike the Bonos and Kanye Wests of the world, understands his place in life perfectly.

"We're not rocket scientists; we're not doc­ tors," explains Swick. "We don't save people's lives.

We may affect peoples' lives; I know music has af­ fected my life greatly, but you can only take that so far. You have to enjoy what you're doing, thor­ oughly."

This m o d u s o p era n d I works in perfect harmo­ ny with the music Swick is playing, both onstage and off. S ta lled o u t In th e D o o rw a y is a collection of polished melodic gems, boasting glistening rock ballads, the likes of Which we haven't heard a Canadian write or perform this side of the 21 st century. The sincerity and earnestness that sweep across all the sentimental landscapes of this album harkens back to the folk movement of the early 19 70 s, when the key to songwriting was more than just succeeding in getting airplay.

"For people who are going to see it [in con­ cert], you know that* you're only one step away from the creative process," Swick hypothesizes when asked to explicate the undying appeal and popularity of the singer/songwriter motif. "You LUKAS BERGMARK know there's no filter between you and that per­

son. I think right now, especially in a time just after an extreme pop era— Britney Spears, boy bands— people want something that's more organic, more tangible. You can feel it, you can understand it."

Coming from a musical family, Swick grew up singing in a youth choir and playing bagpipes.

At the age of eight, he developed a passion for sports, which in addition to music, were a major part of his teenage years in Hamilton, Ontario.

"I loved listening to music and trying to play

LUKAS BERGMARK music, but it was always in the background,” de­ scribes Swick, adding with a chuckle, "I was that guy who would play guitar around a fire; I always brought my guitar to school, so I'd jam, but I would never sing in front of my friends because, being an athlete, they'd bust you pretty hard."

At age 18 , a severe knee injury took him off the field for good, completely changing his direc­ tion in life. Abandoning his plan to play college ball and study anthropology, Swick began to work in construction and one day decided to audition in a local production of Jesu s C hrist S up ersta r in which he ended up playing one of the Apostles.

Gradually, Swick grew more cognizant of his vocal prowess and assumed the role of frontman in a local outfit. Several years and many gigs later, Swick ended up before a room of Warner execs, guitar in hand, and the rest is history.

Today, the 25 -year-old's live performance re­ veals an artist fully at ease with both his material and himself; he only appears to be playing before a much bigger campfire. Belting into the micro­ phone last Friday as only a happy few can, owning the stage with a rollicking sound to rival Snow Pa trol orThe Doves, Swick puts more vivacity into his set than the Toronto Argonauts collectively devote to a playoff game. No pads, no filter; just soul. ■

Swick—from the campfire to the stadium with the same frame of mind.

POP RHETORIC

John Len n o n w as a p u ssy J ohn S emley lright, before I launch into some free-wheelin' polemic against one of the most recognizable and sanctified names in the history of popular music, I am willing to grant two things. Number one: John Lennon was an eminently talented songwriter who once made up a quarter of what was probably the biggest group in the history of pop music and as such, I'll happily doff my cap. Number two: John Lennon may or may not be the walrus. With those two things in mind, let me now explain why John Lennon was, in fact, a huge pussy.

My problem rests not so much with the bespectacled limey himself, but with the entirely unwarranted cult of personality that surrounds him. With the recent release of The U.S. vs. Jo h n Lennon, a documentary I doubt I'll ever be motivated to watch, my long-nurtured resentment for John Lennon's delusional fan base has finally reached its boiling point.To my understanding, this documentary details Lennon's shift from songwriter and musician to emblematic anti-war activist during the 19 70 s and the efforts of the neo-fascist Nixon Whitehouse to stifle him.

Give me a break.

I refuse to entertain the notion of The U.S. vs. Jo h n Lennon being worthwhile for two main reasons. Firstly, the timing of its release is surely intended to capitalize on the current swell of raging anti-Republican sentiment both in the US and abroad.

A

Secondly, if John Lennon was an yw h ere n ea r a s radical as peo­ ple make him out to be (and for that matter, if the US govern­ ment was actually a baby-eating, spirit-crushing ogre that sus­ tains itself by feasting on the tears of the poor, the tired and the huddled masses), that Holden Caulfield wannabe would have been dead long before he had his way. And don't even try to tell me that Mark David Chapman is some sort of CIA patsy of Oswaldian proportions.

But forgetThe movie.The movie is stupid.The real issue at hand here is that John Lennon's post-Beatles work really was not that good. I mean, come on, "Imagine"? That song is just another piece of idyllic pinko-hippie nonsense that sounds like it was written by one of those girls in your junior high class who tries to compensate for her physical awkwardness by scribbling semi-literate poems in her Five Star notebooks. Imagine actu­ ally trying to implement your one-world government proposi­ tion, John, instead of sitting around in a burlap sack with your screechy, useless Japanese conceptual artist wife, you tool.

Ever since Lennon was killed, his image and persona have become way too canonized. Everyone knows Paul was the real genius of the Beatles, but he will probably be eternally relegat­ ed to living in the shadow of Lennon's musical legacy. Why? Be­ cause Paul didn't get shot. And I guess his face doesn't look as

good on a T-shirt.

What about musicians like Frank Zappa or Lou Reed, who wrote songs that, both lyrically and sonically, challenged the pervading ideological structure of the time? Zappa also took steps in making a legitimate impact on American politics by setting up voter registration booths at his concerts and chal­ lenging legislation at the Supreme Court level. Is such lucid pragmatism a bit to grounded in, you know, reality to warrant a documentary?

How about in "Revolution 1" when Lennon makes that wishy-washy "you can count me out (in)" statement? Make up your mind, you idiot! Lyrical ambiguities are not tantamount to cleverness! The fact is that for all his long-haired "Give Peace a Chance" romanticism, Lennon came nowhere close to tangible political significance. All films like The U.S. vs. Jo h n Lennon do is inflate his already unjustifiable posthumous placement as icon of social and political upheaval. Hell, as a revolutionary he has just about as much clout as Michael Nésmith or Peter Tork.

John Lennon was good. The Beatles were great. But his whole proto-Bono persona really brings up the bile from the back of my neck.

Well, there it is. I just shat on the memory of one of music's most legendary artists. Whatever. You know I'm right. ■

24.10.06 «The McGill Tribune • 17

Previews

NIGHTLIFE

F in e lo o k in ' f in e d in in g Supper club 35/53 is a treat onto itself J e s s ic a S h a pir o Last Saturday night I was invited to Supper Club 35/53 for a free dinner.

Free, .meaning, no money required and a restaurant dinner, implying what all university students crave after à month of living on their own: real food. Naturally, I was skeptical.

Was free dinner some sort of nightlife joke for the orange slices that garnish your drink? And since this free dinner invitation was only open to girls and only in twos, were we risking a night of a club full of salivating, desper­ ate men eyeing us from across the room? With little time to decide upon whether or not this was a good idea, I accepted the invitation, extended it to my roommate and hoped for the best.

A pleasant surprise -a n d relief-Supper Club 35/53, located at 3553 St. Laurent, is tasteful and perfectly suited for the university crowd. This restaurant-by-day and club­ by-night establishment opened four months ago and has been entertain­ ing Montrealers non-stop ever since.

Adorned with five big-screen televisions that hang from the walls like picture frames and extravagant flower ar­ rangements dispersed across every bar, Sup-

local pub. At each table and bar sit huge, pink, cushy chairs and above them dangle small pink chandeliers, creating a flirtatious atmosphere.The crisp tiles underfoot complement the sparkling tabletops and long, dreamy, cream-coloured curtains hang from the ceiling, dividing the club into separate sections. However, the club's most attractive feature is indisputably the catwalk. Situated in between the bar and a wall of mirrors, the threefoot-high platform is lit from within, even alternating colours periodically.

Though it may seem obnoxious at first, especially after a couple drinks, this element of the club is an original hit.

If the allure of a Barbie wonder­ land strikes your fancy, Hype Produc­ tions throws a party at this modish

spot every Saturday night. Luciano, one of the managers of Supper Club 35/53 notes,"Fridays and Saturdays are our busiest nights, and since we have lots of university students come here, the parties are a lot of fun." With the help of Hype Productions, you can be sure that there will be plenty of ladies on the dance floor by the time the lights turn low and that the club will be full of McGill party animals.

Hype Productions is a promo­ tions company run by three ambi­ tious McGill students - Corey Koffler, Ari Herberman and Anton Jivov.They will be throwing the upcoming Hal­ loween party at Club Opera and host many other events throughout the city. "Hype does a great job at creat­ ing a McGill scene in your typical Montreal setting,"says Allie Morse, U2 International Develop­ ment Studies.

You may know them as the flyer boys who stand in front of the Milton gates, spreading the word cm the place to be. In truth, however, these persistent young men arrange sponsors for all the parties they throw, choose venues, find DJs and organize graphic designers to help in their effort to attract students to their festivities. ■

C heck o u t www.

JESSICA SHAPIRO hypeproductions.com for per Club 3 5 /5 3 is a stylish, 3 5 / 5 3 Qffers patrons a venue to dance off th e ir dinner. trendy alternative to your m ore inform ation.

LITERATURE

D e ta ch m e n t p e rv a d e s The Law of Dreams: keep moving C a r o ly n Y a t es The L a w o f D ream s is both a dream and a nightmare. The first novel from Montreal-born Peter Beh­ rens, author of N ig ht D riving and sev­ eral screenplays, The L a w o f D ream s combines an artistic literary style with a plot that is alternatively meander­ ing and forceful, leaving the reader with a strong sense of detachment.

From its depressing beginning to its startlingly satisfying end, the story is best appreciated if you follow advice from the book itself - keep moving.

Beginning on a small farm in Ireland during the.Great Famine, Fer­ gus O'Brien travels to Britain, Wales and finally to Quebec, paralleling his move from innocence to experience.

His unpleasant struggle compels the reader forward, creating the literary equivalent of an endorphin rush at times while working more effectively than a tranquilizer dart at others.

The only member of his family to survive eviction from the farm where .he lived and worked his entire life, Fergus begins his journey with noth­ ing but himself and the hope that one day, he will marry Phoebe Car­ michael - although even this hope quickly dies. Sent first to a workhouse where he is sure he will die, he goes on to join a group of bandits, lives at a whorehouse and works on the rail­ road along the coast of North Wales before he finally turns his thoughts to

America and new possibilities.

Fergus then travels to Quebec in what is easily the dreariest part of the novel. Behrens' fascinating manipu­ lation of language takes an unfortu­ nate nap, as it becomes fairly easy for the reader to do the same. With the end in sight and only a few questions left to be answered, too much time is wasted mucking about the Atlantic while there are better things to do.

Despite several mildly interest­ ing sexual escapades, Fergus' inward journey to experi­ ence isn't a journey so much as it is a removal-from his past loves, his past life and himself. "He knew he was let­ ting go of something but he didn't know what it w a s...

You betray only yourself, you turn away from yourself."

He begins with passion and desperate longing, and - be­ cause of survival or of disap­ pointment - ends utterly removed from himself in an almost existential manner.

Despite all deficiencies in the narrative, Behrens is an enchanter, weaving webs of words that, once he finds his stride, would keep you reading even without - and at times, despite - the dark­ ly fascinating plot. Fergus moves from innocence to experience and from passion

c o m p il e d b y

C r y s t a l C han

Dance. R o m eo & Juliet, to Nov. 4 at 8 p.m.; Theatre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts (175 Ste-Catherine 0.). Les Grands Ballets Cana­ diens opens its 5 0 th season with a revival of the popular JeanChristophe Maillot adaptation of the bard's most tragic romance.

Following Prokofiev's musical rendition, this ballet is staged in a modern and abstract way that tries to bring the story closer to our time and creates new ways of approaching the traditional story with the use of innovative theatri­ cal changes. Student tickets are $2 5 . Call (514 ) 842-2112 for tickets and more information.

Music. Fiery Furnaces, Oct. 31 at 8:30 p.m.; Cabaret La Tulipe (4530 Papineau). This New York indie rock band stops by Mon­ treal next week on its Halloween tour, following the April 2 0 0 6 release of its fifth album, Bitter Tea. Apparently, the show will feature Fiery Furnaces'songs arranged in some form of a tropical influence or theme to counteract the not-so-fun weather outside the concert. The songs from their new album will be played as one medley for half an hour. Deerhoof, a noise rock band from San Fran, will open for them. Tickets are $17 . Call (514 ) 5 2 9 -5 0 0 0 for tickets and more information.

Film. Babel, opens Oct. 2 7 . The newest from 21 G ram s and A m ores Perros director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Babel can be seen

* W F - j F ™ before its release date on Oct. 22 at Imperial theatre as part of ■ n| the Festival du Nouveau Cinema.The movie follows three stories around the globe, with scenes in Morocco,Tunisia, Mexico and I Japan. Two Moroccan boys playing with a rifle set off a chain of events that features an astonishing and global ensemble cast.

Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are an American tourist couple caught up in the tragedy; Gael Garcia Bernal also stars. mm mm * r 1

K

Literature. Lu n a Allison, Oct. 25 at 9 p.m.; Casa del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent). This Montreal spoken word favourite is returning from a month-long tour. She will be performing her usual mix of soulful and vulnerable poetry with Ian Ferrier.Taqralik Partridge, Erin May and Stéphanie Bénéteau. The show comes as Allison records a mini-CD series with Ian called Urban Lullabies. Tickets are $5 . Call (514 ) 284-0122 for tickets and more information.

Music. M o n trea l Women's C horal Festival. Oct. 29 at 3 p.m.; Oscar Peterson Hall (7141 Sherbrooke 0.).Thé McGill Simply Sweetly Women's Choir is featured in the first Montreal Women's Cho­ ral Festival, which will also feature Montreal choirs Chora Carmina and Concerto Della Donna as well as The Penthelia Sing­ ers from Toronto. The concert will feature Hungarian music to commemorate the 5 0 th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising, with Mass No. 6 by Gyôrgy Orbân and works from other Hungarian composers. Alexander Cann, a McGill music faculty alumnus, is the Artistic Director of the Festival; Iwan Edwards, the conductor of the mass choir, is a former McGill Music Faculty member as well as one of the foremost choral directors in the country. Tickets are $10 , Call (514 ) 8 4 8 -4 8 4 8 for more information.

to nothingness through a distinctive lyrical language that may be the only reason to keep reading.

From misery to greater misery, the book ends in detachment. Fer­ gus abandons what little he has left, goes beyond the realm of what he once thought possible and comes to a greater understanding of the world and his place in it. One depressing event after another, the law of dreams is keep moving. ■

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The McGill Tribune

18 • Arts & Entertainment • 24.10.06

FILM

Wild Tigers

n o t ju s t a n o t h e r t e e n m o v ie Director Cam Archer comes of age in contemporary cinema Keren Tang After receiving much acclaim at the Sundance Festival for his short films, 24 -year-old Cam Archer will release his newest and first full-length feature film Wild Tigers I H ave Know n at this year's Festival du Nouveau Cinema. It is a story of finding adolescent identity, seeking a place to fit in and the longing to be loved and understood by others. Visually compelling and aurally pleasing with a range of sounds from classical music to eerie voices, Archer uses his unique style and perspective to relate a period that all of us have been through.

Despite his busy globetrotting schedule, the Tribune had the pleasure of chatting with the director - who was at Union Square in NYC - about why teenagers are more intriguing than twentysomethings, W ild Tigers and his hometown of Santa Cruz.

There are many influences, from watching great movies such as W elcom e to the D oll House, to shooting a movie [and being in­ fluenced by people such as] David Lynch and Kenneth Anger, to editing [when I would be inspired] by other experimental direc­ tors. It's not stealing ideas, but being influenced by various artists, directors, even musicians. Music is a huge inspiration for me, it always has been. Even if a song is not going to be used in the film, a certain tone can spark something.

personal perspective, either through your own stories, or those of your loved ones. This is my first full-length feature film, so it's hard not to put myself in it. Like I was telling someone else, I think sometimes there's too much of myself and it's easy to figure me out. But you want to keep your audience guessing, you know?

W h at was y o u r inspiration for W ild Tigers'! It seems to m e that it follows along th e sam e line as som e of yo u r previous

m ovie?

films such as B o b b y cru sh .

Yeah, the inspiration for this movie came from some of my shorts. I think adolescent coming-of-age movies are lacking in contemporary cinema. So we came together and made Tigers, a full-length feature film.

industry,

especially

in

It's said that one of th e reasons w h y you are interested in m aking

this

film w o rk in g alongside executive p ro d u ce r Gus Van Sant (G o o d Will

m ovies focusing on teen issues is b e ­ cause you find th e tw entysom eth ing's

H u n tin g ). Have yo u always had an interest in cinem a, particularly in

"I do n 't k n o w w h a t to d o w ith m y life" typ e of th in g boring. That's an interest­ ing statem ent.

m aking art films?

Cam Archer: My interest in cin­ ema began in high school when I wrote stories and had my friends act them out, although it wasn't really acting back then [laughs], I was very interested in it as a class and later as a process. [This interest] evolved from telling a story to making something bigger.

W h a t are som e of yo u r inspira­ tions d u rin g film m aking? Have any particular m ovie directors m ade a m ajor im pa ct on you?

Yeah, actually it was. [The artist Emily White] was a friend of mine and I asked her to write a song for the movie after telling her what the story was about.

Th is m ovie is particularly aesthetically pleasing; each fram e is like a p h o to g ra p h . Did you have a backg rou nd in p h o ­ tograp hy?

Trib u n e : You are quite accom plished for y o u r age in the film

T h e title song "W ild Tigers I have kn o w n" w as so fitting for th e film. It captures the m o o d of the film and th e m ain char­ acter's inner tu rm o il so w ell. Was it especially w ritten for the

Right, there's the question of why I don't make many movies about my own age. I guess it's because I feel closer to that age group. If you are fortysome­ thing and make movies about kids, you wouldn't feel as close. I think I've always reminisced about the time when I was in middle school and stuff.

Som e reviews claim that there is a lot of yourself portrayed in this m ovie.

NOUVEAUCINEMA.CA Teens more interesting than twentysomethings.

Is that true?

Movies tend to always come from

I did have an interest in photography before. It's all about the freezing of a moment, letting certain ones exist longer than oth­ ers so that you can see where the beauty lies. That is why I often tell the actors to "hold still". To me, that's what making movies is all about.

Are all y o u r m ovies shot in Santa Cruz?

So far, yes. It has a good mixture of nature. In the future, I would probably get away somewhere else. For an artist, it's about how to represent and put [ideas] on camera. It's important for one to understand your community.

So you are quite close to y o u r hom e, eh? Lastly, have you been to M ontreal before?

No! And I so wanted to come this tim e... especially when I'm already in New York and it's so close. ■ Wild Tigers I Have Known will be sh o w in g a t the Ex-Centris The atre (3536 St-Laurent) on Oct. 2 8 th a t 7 :2 0 p.m . Visit www.wildtigers film.com fo r m ore inform ation.

FILM

R e p e r t o r y r e s t o r a t io n B e tw e e n Dayand ParcNight program gets digital Exploring the suicide bomber's psyche makeover for reopening D ove Konda-F oley

Julia Loktev's film D ay N ight D ay N ight is a min­ imalist portrait of a young female suicide bomber's last two days. The first half is preparation and takes place in a motel in New Jersey, while the second half is the action and takes place in Times Square.

The girl's ethnicity, religion and citizenship are not given, nor is the specific reason for her determina­ tion. Loktev makes no attempt to vilify or glorify the main character, only to give an unbiased portrayal of the last actions of a girl who has decided to end her life for what she believes to be the greatest cause. The Tribune sat down with Loktev to discuss the inspirations for this unconventional film.

Trib u n e : T h e film rests heavily on th e shoul­ ders of th e m ain character. Did yo u have trouble

continued from COVER W h y was there so little dialogue?

I was just thinking that very often there's too much talking in movies, for me films are mostly about images and sounds and not about explain­ ing everything for the benefit of the audience. And the character herself is somebody who doesn't speak very much.

W h at difference does it m ake in the context o f the m ovie that this is a fem ale bom ber?

I suppose she feels more vulnerable. She looks more vulnerable. She appears more vulnerable as a woman - is she more vulnerable is a whole other question. But she has that appearance of vulnera­ bility because she is a skinny 19 -year-old girl... And it also probably changes in some ways the dynam­ ics of how the organizers relate to her.

casting her?

Julia LoktevThe most difficult part of making the film was really the casting because the girl is on screen pretty much every frame. It took me a very long time to find her. We looked everywhere... and found no one. After the auditions were over Luisa Williams sawthis flyer ona lamppost a n d ... she felt compelled to answer it and she was the right girl.

W h y keep the character's m otives and his­ to ry hidden?

To me the film was about taking this girl who has moral certainty in that moment who has this conviction and believes that what she's doing is absolutely right, no matter how wrong you think ibis. I assume my audience can plug the film into a political context of info they have around them. I don't' want to tell you what you read in the newspaper today, I want to tell this other aspect of the story from a very different per­ spective.

Loktev's m inim alism plays in stark co n tra st to the intensity o f the situ a ­ tion sh e is capturing. W hile the m ovie is quite interesting, g ettin g a cu p o f co f­ fee beforeh an d m ig h t be a g o o d thing, as the “prepara tion " h a lf o f the film is less than stim ulating. The m ovie w as

NOUVEAUCINEMA.CA A maximalist portrait of a maximal decision.

screen ed as p a rt o f the Festival du N ou­ veau Cinem a. ■

retrospectives are so important, Smith explains"that most of the time the first feature films of the director always give the per­ sonality of the man or the w o m an... later he gets more perfect and technical. Also, a man like Almodovar, his first films are... just as strong as his last ones. His first films are not available on DVD in M ontreal...so it's very important that we do a retrospective."

There will be many more international films, most of which will be shown with both English and French subtitles at dif­ ferent times. Smith acknowledges that the audience at Cinema du Parc is "primarily English," and since French repertory cinema Ex-centris already caters to the francophone market, a majority of Cinema du Parc's mov­ ies will be English.

However, English certainly does not equate to commercial. Smith wants cus­ tomers to know that they will not be see­ ing Johnny Knoxville at Cinema du Parc anytime soon: "I have nothing against com­ mercial films, but they have to be culturally demanding. They have to have artistic con­ tent and expression of ah author's view on a subject. And, you know, Jackass doesn't need my help to be popular."

Redecoration is underway, with at­ tempts aiming mostly at making the the­ atre feel less small and dark:"Downstairs we took out all the posters and we will paint it a very light beige so it's going to lookbigger."

Upstairs there will be a photo exhibition of 33 'x3 3 'shots of Québécois directors'heads. If that sounds slightly strange, apparently it's not as creepy as it sounds.

There is going to be one major change: no monthly programs.

"The program will be replaced by a very good internet site." Smith explains. "We believe its so difficult to reach people with a printed program that it's better to have a fantastic Web site."

There will be a PDF of the coming week's schedule, but probably without the kicky font. Smith's reasons for scrapping the program go beyond saving paper, if a movie does well one week, they will simply keep it on for the following week. Not easily done if the following week's program is already printed.

The three films currently scheduled for the opening week are S hortbus, 4 9 Up, and D eliver Us From Evil. Sh o rtb u s, directed by H edw ig a n d the A n g ry Inch's John Cameron Mitchell, is a film about New Yorkers'tragic and comic misadventures in a post 9-11 NYC. 4 9 Up is a British documentary about the lives of 14 people, the same people that di­ rector Michael Apted has been document­ ing every seven years for the past 42 years.

Finally, D eliver Us From Evil is a documentary about a priest who abused children 2 0 years ago in northern California and now lives in Ireland. He has decided to come forward and apologize to the children, now adults, who themselves face the camera and their pasts.

The official-re-opening of Cinema du Parc will be this Friday, Oct. 2 7 . While there are only three films scheduled for now, Smith has big plans for the coming weeks and hopes to screen a few vintage movies that audiences have not seen on the big screen in years. General admission will be $10 , tickets for students $7 , and Sundays and Mondays movie goers can score two entrances for the price of one General ad­ mission ticket. ■

www.mcgilltribune.com

24.10.06 • Arts & Entertainment • 19

FILM

Reviews

S n a k e s a n d m ic e g e t w ra p p e d u p e v e n b e tte r Burton's nightmare gets a 3-D makeover J o hn S e m l e y

and those unacquainted with the Pumpkin King's well-in­ tentioned attempt to hijack Christmas in order to chase off his Halloween malaise, a chance to witness all the in­ tricate stop-motion wizardry on the big screen. This is a first for those who came to know this twisted holiday fable through repeated viewings on videotape.

Though a university-level liberal arts education may distract you from the innocent whimsy of N ightm are (is this just some kids' movie or a more sinister tale preach­ ing the allure of Christian ideology and the subservient role we must play in order to secure the functioning of the well-oiled capitalist machine?), the 3 -D experience of this film is truly a feast for the eyes and highly recommended for the film's cult fanbase and newbie-stoners alike. And as far as the glasses go, don't worry: the advances in this technology have resulted in the development of 3 -D specs so chic that the most die-hard McGill fashionistas may want to take them home. ■

For many mildly maladjusted youth of the mid nine­ ties, The N ightm are Before C hristm as was and perhaps still remains, the definitive holiday movie. Bridging the gap between rather mild televised Halloween offerings (in the vein of It's the G reat Pum pkin, Charlie Brow n or The Simp­ sons' Treehouse o f H orror specials) and the flat-out sappy Rudolph/Frosty/Drummer Boy Christmas trinity, Tim Bur­ ton's phantasmagoric vision of the holidays done Halloween-style provided an alternative to the tired old parade of TV specials and movies.

Well, for those of you more prone to whistling one of Danny Elfman's infectiously memorable N ightm are carols than "Deck the Halls,"you're in for a treat. Tim Burton's en­ thralling visual spectacle has received a new 3 -D rerelease, courtesy of the folks at Disney Digital. Now, the allure of the 3 -D may seem irrevocably juvenile - calling to mind flimsy cardboard blue and red "glasses" and on-screen warnings to the effect of "PUT ON 3 -D GLASSES NOW!!!"

- but rest assured, The N ightm are Before Christm as in 3 -D does not resort to such sophomoric parlour tricks.

3 -D cinema technology has come a long way since the days of Ja w s 3 -D and The N ig htm are Before Christm as is the perfect film to showcase this advance. From Jack Skellington's spindly frame to the decapitated head jackin-the-boxes that burst off the screen, to more basic ef­ fects such as snowfall or fog, Halloween Town is rendered beautifully in 3 -D. Extending beyond mere hi-tech novelty, watching the enhanced N ightm are allows longtime fans to experience a modern animated classic from a whole new perspective.

Kiddie-cult classic, now in three separate dimensions.

The film's re-release also allows both veteran viewers

Escape The Fate— D ying Is Your La test Fa shion. "I don't want to come off like an asshole," remarks Escape the Fate's singer Ronnie Radke, "but we're gonna be that change in music. I have a vision." All this may sound rather promising for a prospective review of Escape the Fate's full-length debut D ying is Your La test Fashion. Yet alarm bells of apprehension should start to ring in any music lover's ears (who are aged over 14) when you're greeted with a blazing sticker on the album's front cover stating: "Escape the Fate just might be your new favourite band... For fans of:". Such a marketing slogan stirs up images of 14-year-olds skirting the racks of HMV looking to plug that gape of emotional need that their newly acquired hormones require. Subsequently, they will revel in being safely assured that upon purchase ofa particular album, they will be graced with the affections of equally hormonally unbalanced members of the opposite sex who enjoy Taking Back Sunday and From First To Last.. .because that's what it says on the front cover right? My question to any McGill student considering actually buying this record is: are you 14 years old? In all fairness, while listening to D ying is Your La test Fashion, tracks such as "Situations" and "Webs I Weave" may strike you as decent yet at the same time completely forgettable; possessing none of the brilliance that Taking Back Sunday's "Tell All Your Friends"docunhented, or the Christian-inspired hardcore of Underoath's "Define the Great Line" showed us over the summer. Similarly the album's combination of hardcore and emotional vocals coupled with "Maiden guitar rifts and leads"— as per the overblown press release— seems too predictable and tired. You'd be better off increasing your student loan by buying the new Dashboard Confessional if you want something vaguely em otional...or if you're just looking to pull the "sensitive" angle instead and get some action out of it. Either way, escape the fate of buyer's remorse and avoid this one.

— Oliver Gingell

PLAi Welcome to new and returning students!

Smoke-free environment

Don't forget your hamburger 1 and breakfast cards.*

THEATRE S in c e 1 9 6 4 B r ea k fa st and m o r e

A g h o s t p la y h a u n t s P la y e r s ' T h e a t r e The Woman in Black makes her presence known on campus L iz M c L a u g h lin

_

The Halloween season really doesn't get its due at McGill - sure, the pyramid building downtown switch­ es to orange lights and students go to parties in more creative apparel than usual, but what is there really to give students a good old-fashioned fright?

This year, McGill students who miss the haunted houses of their youth are in luck, because Players'Theatre is presenting The W om an in Black, considered the best ghost play ever written. The production, a two-man show featuring Dan Clegg (who pulls double-duty as director) and Barry O'Connell, is psychologically alarm­ ing as well as genuinely frightening.

Clegg and O'Connell appeared together last year in Players'Theatre's Equus and both agree they make a great team. O'Connell has taken part in 3 0 to 4 0 productions and denotes Clegg as one of the best directors he has worked with, thanks to his un­ yielding resolve to pursue his vision of what the play ought to appear like. Their commendable onstage chemistry serves the actors well in The W o m a n in Black-, their interactions intensify both the energy and tension of the narrative. The story - about a man working with an actor in an ef­ fort to forget a tragedy of his past - is a play about acting, or as Clegg says, "a play-within-a-play conceit."This dy­

namic makes for a personalized sense of fright - when the actors refer to "the audience," they are referring to the particular audience present on that night of the show.

The play, which is set in Lon­ don and the appropriately isolated and creepy countryside nearby, em­ ploys a funeral, foggy marshes and of course, ghosts. These are ingredients that, when combined, can give even the most courageous person a sense of foreboding. The show is based on a novel by author Susan Hill that was adapted by Stephen Mallatratt and has been very successful in London's West End.Though the novel was writ­ ten in 19 83 , the play feels like what might result if Charles Dickens had set out to write a ghost play. Arthur Kipps, the protagonist, is a solicitor assigned to attend the funeral and settle the accounts of a Mrs. Drablow, a woman who lived isolated on a par­ tial island in a blustery, marshy corner of England. A tragedy befalls him dur­ ing his stay and the play begins years later, as he tries to come to terms with the event by taking private acting les­ sons.

The actors say that above all, their aim for The W om an in Black is to frighten audiences. As they put it, the drama is above all a ghost play and if it doesn't terrify people, they have not done their job. The humorous scenes - such as when Clegg's char­

acter, who is unnamed, gives Kipps acting advice - are nothing short of hilarious, but the frightening parts are expressive and cleanly executed.

Clegg and O'Connell clearly enjoy portraying the range of colourful characters in Kipps'tale, all of whom have their own frightening personal tics. The actors'skill level alone makes this play worthwhile, but there's no shame in going just for the scary ef­ fects - after all, Halloween comes but once a year. ■ The Woman in Black is a t the Players' Theatre (34 8 0 M cTavish, 3 rd floor) from O ct. 19-21 a n d Oct. 2 6 - 2 8 a t 8 p.m ., a n d Oct. 22 a n d 2 9 a t 2 p.m . Tick­

ets are $8 fo r a d ults a n d $6 for stud en ts a n d seniors, ava ila ble by calling (5 14 ) 3 9 8 -6 8 13 .

S

tudy M in

E D IC IN E

E u r o pe

www.111edical-school.ca canadmin@medieal-school.ca

Hours:

*Sept. to end of April

Monday - Friday 7 : 0 0 a.m . to 3 : 0 0 p.m.

W eekends - 7 : uO a .m . to 4 : 0 0 p.m.

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PLACE MlLT0N...Where McGill Students and Friends Meet Daily

S portsRUGBY — REDMEN 11, BISHOP'S 3

R e d m e n c lin c h t o p s p o t w it h v ic t o r y McGill defeats Bishop's in sluggish fashion A

dam

S m it h

The Redmen went into Sunday's clash with Bishop's knowing they needed a win to lock up the top seed going in to the playoffs. On this cold, grey Sunday afternoon, they deliv­ ered.

In what turned out to be a low-scoring contest, the Redmen clinched the top spot in the QSSF Rugby Conference, defeating the Gaiters 11-3 . The win improved McGill to 7-1 on the campaign.

"The team's effort was 10 0 per cent," said Head Coach Sean McCafferty. "They really worked hard to get the win. They knew how important it was to get first place."

The Redmen came out hard in the first few minutes, driving towards the Bishop's goal line before being stopped short. After Bishop's took over possession, they marched slow­ ly but relentlessly down the field.This strong play all came to naught when the Gaiters took a penalty and McGill was able to kick clear.

The end of that drive marked a swing in momentum. McGill showed good speed and scrum half Nicolas Dodd distributed the ball well as the Redmen sliced and diced their way down the field with a mix of tough play from the forwards and good running from the backs. They were on the verge of being rewarded for their efforts when the Bishop's de­ fence came up big, stripping McGill of the ball in a ruck just shy of the goal line.

As would be the case many times in the afternoon, Bishop's was unable to kick clear and attempted to run the ball out of their end. There followed a period of slow, grinding play by both sides, largely in the mid­

dle of the Bishop's half. Much of the time was spent standing around as scrums were re-set numerous times.

The Gaiters finally managed to clear the ball in the 15th minute, but McGill quickly pounced on the lax defending to grab the initiative. Bish­ op's was unable to line up their de­ fenders properly and after taking the kick, Redmen centre Frank Hewit ran through the line, broke a tackle and sprinted free for almost 4 0 yards to score a try. The ensuing convert was a difficult one from near the touch line and McGill's fly half Matt de Graff was unable to convert it.

Gaiters w ake u p b u t can't capitalize

The time between the 2 0 th and 3 0 th minutes was the Gaiters' best

play of the game. They were largely in control of scrappy back-and-forth action through the midfield, gradu­ ally moving towards the McGill end zone until a penalty cost them pos­ session and allowed de Graff to kick clear. His big boot was a huge boon to the Redmen throughout the game, allowing them to kick for position on offence and provided an easy outlet to clear the ball from their own half.

In the 35 th minute, McGill started to increase the pace of the game and had several quick runs. Full back Adrian Thorogood broke through the Bishop's line and looked to be headed for a repeat of McGill's first try until he was brought down by a high tackle from the Gaiters' scrum half. It was a costly error for Bishop's, leading to a yellow card and ten min­ utes in the sin bin for the offender.

De Graff nicely converted the pena lty kick from 2 0 yards out to put the Red­ men up 8 -0 .

Despite playing a man down, Bishop's looked determined to

mount some kind of a comeback be­ fore halftime. Although they moved the ball well, they had to settle for a penalty goal just before the whistle, leaving the score 8 -3 in favour of the Redmen at the break.

"We never like to be overconfi­ dent," smiled Coach McCafferty. "But the win puts us in the driver's seat; we're defeinitely the team to beat."

While the Redmen will have their eye on regaining the confer­

ence title, they must overcome next week's hurdle before thinking about the league title. McGill must not look beyond Sherbrooke if the team wants a chance for revenge against Concordia. ■

M cG ill holds on for vic to ry

The second half was even more uneventful than the first. Bishop's started well, even though they were still a man short but after five minutes their enthusiasm died off and McGill took control again. De Graff missed a penalty in the 58 th, but his positional kicking continued to be strong, put­ ting the Redmen into good spots from which to attack Bishop's. Tho­ rogood and Hewitt each had several good runs and McGill stayed solidly in control for most of the next quar­ ter hour but were unable to put any points on the board.

"We haven't practiced a lot in the last week, what with the weather," explained McCafferty. "We tried a few new things and we had a few prob­ lems."

For a few minutes, McGill's in­ ability to score more points looked like it might cost them when Bishop's started to press in the last eight min­ utes. However, the Redmen were able to snuff out the Gaiters' attacks before they became very dangerous.

During injury time, Hewitt had another nice run and almost looked like he would take it in for a try, but was tackled a few yards shy of the goal line.The ball was played back to de Graff, who kicked a perfect drop goal to put the win on ice for the Red 'n'White.

McGill, who has outscored its opponents by over 2 0 points per game, will play host to Sherbrooke next week in the QSSF semi-final.

ADAMSMITH Redmen steal another line-out from an overwhelmed Bishop's side.

THIRD MAN IN

No such thing as w inning at all costs C

I n Oliver Stone's critically acclaimed football film, A n y Given Sun day, the audience is given an insider's perspective on

a professional team— the fictional Miami Sharks— who mould their game and organization around the team credo of "Whatever it takes.'This slogan is the director's commen­ tary on the evolving world of sports, as commercially and competitively driven teams search for success by any means necessary. This raises an important question: Should a pro­ fessional organization sacrifice team ethics and values in order to sign a talented player? The answer, as most obser­ vant sports fan would note, is a definite "no."

The 2 0 0 6 Toronto Argonauts serve as a perfect example of why not. During the pre-season, the team signed running back Ricky Williams, an NFL dropout who dominated college football at Texas and excelled for the Miami Dolphins. His career in the pros has been cut short, however, by several drug policy violations. Despite this, the Toronto Argonauts still pursued him for his talents and signed him to their roster, knowing the lax CFL drug policies would allow him to play unhindered. The Argos withstood a great deal of criticism for

this decision as they were accused of sacrificing their ethical standards by signing a proven and consistent drug user for jersey sales, extra publicity and a potential on-field edge.

The Argos continued their shameless talent acquisi­ tions later in the same season as they were first in line to try and acquire Albert Haynesworth, a defensive tackle for the Tennessee Titans who was suspended for five games by the NFL after maliciously stomping on an opposing player's head during a game. It appears as if the Argos were willing to look past this player's violent past to gain more talent for their team in the midst of a playoff run.

But of course when one thinks of a franchise compro­ mising team character for talent, no example screams louder than Terrell Owens. After publicly feuding with quarterback Donovan Mcnabb and Head Coach Andy Reid in Philadel­ phia, Owens signed with the Dallas Cowboys, pledging to keep quiet and focus solely on football. It took only four weeks, however, to see that promise nullified. After a disap­ pointing loss, Owens created a public spectacle filled with complaints about not receiving the ball enough and not

ory

S t e r l in g

wanting to speak to his coaches for the rest of the year. TO creates chaos in the locker room, antagonizes enemies and whines to the public, all of which overshadow the physical abilities he brings to the team.

On the other side of the coin are the dynastic New England Patriots, a franchise that has prioritized team mo­ rale and chemistry over individual talent and the arrogance which often accompanies it. The core of their championship teams—Tom Brady, Troy Brown and Teddy Bruschi— were all players bred within the organization and played for the team for years before any trophies were won. Team balance com­ bined with a perfect coaching staff headed by Bill Belichick, captured the Super Bowl title in three out of four years. The key was never compromising harmony for a star player.

Simply put, teams don't just win on the field; winning starts in the locker room. Character counts in sports despite what many organizations seem to think. Teams are a collec­ tive that is willing to sacrifice for each other and as such, eth­ ics and morality are crucial to fostering the chemistry vital to winning. ■

24.10.06 «The McGill Tribune • 21

PROFILE— CHARLINE LABONTE

SHOOTING OUT THE LIGHTS

M a r t l e t s g o l d e n in n e t Labonté continues McGill goaltending pedigree T

raci

té's decision to attend McGill, is also an as­ sistant coach for the Canadian national team. He has known Labonté since she was 14 , when she played hockey with his daughter.

"Even when I was 14 , Peter was like, 'Charlie, make sure you stay in school, make sure you get good grades and maybe you can come to McGill one day," Labonté recalled. "At the time I was like, 'yeah right,'but it actually happened."

J ohnson

Goalie Charline Labonté is no stranger to challenges. At age 16 , she joined the Acadie-Bathurst Titans, be­ coming one of the first women to play in a Canadian Hockey League match. Three years later, she played on Olympic ice for the first time, suiting up as a back up at the Salt Lake City games. Earlier this year, the Quebec native took another big step, earning the starter's job for Canada in the 2 0 0 6 Turin Winter Games and winning all three games she played in— including the gold-medal final.

The Martlet hockey player noted that her two trips to the Games were very different experiences. In her Olympic debut, Labonté served as an alternate; in Turin, she relished the role of the starter, posting two shutouts (against Russia and Finland) and was in goal for the final against Sweden.

"It-was the end of the third period, so we knew we were going to win," Labonté said, recalling a particularly memorable moment from the final. "There were 3 0 seconds left on the clock and the play was in my end in the corner. I just kept staring at the puck, staring at the clock, staring at the puck as the seconds were going down."

From Tu rin to textbooks

Fresh from Canada's victory in Turin, Labonté returned home to Quebec to prepare for her next challenge: embark­ ing on a career as a student athlete at McGill. As she trained in Calgary with the national team in preparation for the 2 0 0 2 Olympics, her peer group slogged through the last year of CEGEP. When she was tending goal in the National Women's Hockey League for the Montreal Axion, her counterparts were studying for university exams. For the first time in her life, Labonté will be one of the oldest players in the rink, instead of one of the youngest.

Athletically, the Martlet goaltender has made the transition to university splendidly, helping her. team to a 7 -2-1 record so far this season and making 26 saves in McGill's first-ever win over the pe­ rennial powerhouse Alberta Pandas. The Martlets reached another milestone this season, nabbing the number one spot in CIS women's hockey rankings for the first time in team history, with Labonté as the anchor. However, the 2 4 -year-old Physical Education major says the aca-

E m b racing a n e w role

demie side of the transition to studentathlete life has proven a bit more difficult.

'I haven't been in school for two years because I was training in Calgary," she said. "Not being around my books or really being challenged mentally for that amount of time makes it hard to get back into school."

That's not to say that classes are an afterthought for Labonté, whose decision to come to McGill was based largely on its academic reputation, as well as urgings from Martlet Head Coach Peter Smith.

"For once in my life I was looking at academics first, which is why I picked Mc­ Gill. It was a bonus that the team here is really good,"she explained.

Smith, the other force behind Labon-

Despite the fact that some of the freshmen hockey players are just 17 , the age gap between Labonté and many of her teammates doesn't seem to be an issue. The unassuming Labonté notes that after consistently being the young­ est athlete on the ice, playing for McGill gives her a chance to develop more lead­ ership skills. And while she says training with the Martlets makes her hockey and her practices better, Labonté admits that she misses playing in the Quebec Major junior League.

"I miss playing boys hockey,"she said.

"It's so fast and I really like that. You kind of have a sense of what it's like to play in the NHL and I've played with boys who are now in the NHL." Labonté, has gone almost as far as anyone can go playing women's hockey.

For her, there is just one more challenge to tackle: winning a third gold medal, but this time on home ice in Vancouver in 2010. ■

Buck-off • J | w ith the ethics A d a m H e lle r

ome people get their moral guidance from religion, parents, teachers or elected leaders...and some get theirs from Fox broadcaster Joe Buck. Not to pick exclusively on Buck, but he is the prime example of why broadcasters are not the ultimate authority on morality in sports.

Now, I happen to like Joe— there's nothing wrong with, how he calls the games. He is a great baseball and football announcer, but he has been known to catch the "I have the mic so I get to pass judgement,"virus.

During the 2 0 0 5 NFC playoffs, Minnesota Vikings'wide receiver Randy Moss caught a touchdown pass and pre­ tended to moon the fans of the rival Green Bay Packers.

Seconds later, Buck flicked on his morality switch, calling Moss' act disgusting. Buck then continued to rant, saying "it is unfortunate that we had that on our air live...that is disgusting by Randy Moss." Although he was genuinely distressed, the kicker was that Moss did not actually do anything wrong— he just mimed pulling his pants down in front of 7 2 ,0 0 0 drunk fans who hate his guts and have a laughable tradition of mooning the opposing team's bus as it lèaves Lambeau Field. Such injustice, Mr. Buck!

Just imagine "Buck-justice" enforcing petty crimes like flipping someone off in a car or putting out garbage a day early. For all I know, he regrets the whole outrage now, but the Randy Moss example can be used to formulate a set of rules that separate, or at least regulate, broadcasters and their moral compasses.

S

1) You are n o t qualified to ju d g e m orality

Joe, tell me that Moss is two steps short of a first down, not that he is two steps short of Satan for disrespecting the Lambeau faithful. Unless the Fox Sports executives base their hiring practices on who took the most ethics classes in college, lengthy forays into morality should be avoided.

Ideally, Buck would have let us know that he disagreed with what Moss did and that should have been the end of it. Even if for some reason, Fox wants their broadcasters to shape America's moral values, no one wants to hear them.

If you want a dose of morality, there is plenty of television on Sunday morning offering healing and prayer— Sunday afternoon is for football.

2) M oral issues are rarely black or w h ite

L a b o n té sto p s A m e ric a n c o u n te rp a rt.

IMAGES

Take Todd Bertuzzi. He was undoubtedly wrong, but was there any "right" in what he did? After all, Steve Moore did cold-cock his captain. Even in a seemingly blatant inci­ dent of moral transgression, the other side still has a point.

By making split-second moral decisions on the air, broad­ casters are digging themselves into a hole.There is no way broadcasters caYi make judgements that quickly and there is no way one can be a b so lu tely right. You can voice your opinion, but don't pretend that it is up there with the Ten Commandments.

3) Sports are violent, ge t used to it

Finally, morally condemning a player for injuring an­ other in the course of the action has to stop. While I'm not condoning dirty players like Albert Haynesworth, it is fundamentally wrong for broadcasters to blame athletes who play contact sports for.being aggressive. When Scott Stevens levelled his opponents, it was legal more often than not, yet he was crucified as a villain and traitor to the great game of hockey. Being mean, as far as I know, is not against the rules. Just last week, Robyn Regehr laid out Aaron Downey of the Montreal Canadiens with a Hall of Fame calibre hit. Somehow, Regehr is seen to be at fault for having the gall to do his job and hit another player. Even worse, he hit him hard! While nobody likes to see a player get injured, don't run around ripping on Regehr. Blame the rules, if anything.

T h e M c G ill R e d b ird s ce le b ra te a fte r c a p tu rin g th e C IB A N a tio n a l C h a m p io n s h ip o n th e s tre n g th o f a n o -h itte r fro m M ic h a e l T o m a s e tta . See p. 23 fo r details.

I watch sports-because I love the athletes, the compe­ tition and the excitement. I don't help prop up the ratings of a broadcast'because I want to hear the philosophical musings of an announcer who feels that it is his duty to enlighten the public from his national pulpit. To adapt a popular phrase from political theory, "m ic does not equal right". ■

The McGill Tribune

2 2 - Sports-24.10.06

HOCKEY— REDMEN 3, YALE 1

P o it r a s s t o n e s B u lld o g s a s R e d m e n w in McGill splits Ivy League road trip D an M c Q u illa n McGill may not have come out strong against Yale, but they certainly ended that way.

Falling behind 1-0 only 50 seconds into the first period, the Redmen responded well by scoring three straight goals over the last two frames to take a 3-1 victory Saturday night in front of 1,422 at the Inglas Rink in New Havèn, Connecticut.

Forward Lucas Madill scored twice on the power play, including a nifty dangle which he slid between Yale goalie Alec Richards' pads early in the second period. Eric L'Italien scored McGill's other goal to salt the game away with less than five minutes to play.

"It's awesome," Madill said. "I really enjoy coming to the States; they play a really disci­ plined and fast type of hockey."

Soaltender Mathieu Poitras turned in an ex­ ceptional performance, turning aside 29 shots, making several saves worthy of the highlight reel. In particular, Poitras robbed Yale forward Michael Karwoski on a powerplay chance late in the second by stacking the pads. After the game though, Plead Coach Martin Raymond under­ lined the team's effort as the key to victory.

“It's all about determination because teams are pretty even at this level," Raymond said.

Early hiccup doesn't throw Redmen off their game McGill didn't get off to the quick start they wanted as Robert Page ripped a shot from the point past Poitras to open the scoring less then a minute in, but a slew of Yale penalties allowed the Red 'n'White to get their legs under them

after the opening-minute blow.

The Bulldogs' parade to the penalty box continued early in the second and it finally cost them when Madill potted his first with the strong individual effort. Madill added his second later in the period when he redirected a point shot between Richards' legs for the game win­ ner.

While the win does nothing for the Red­ men in the standings, it does give the team a psychological boost, accomplishing a preseason goal of defeating an NCAA team.

Overtime heartbreak On Friday night the Redmen fell short of that goal, dropping a penalty-filled 3-2 contest in overtime at Princeton. The visitors came out on fire in the first, outshooting their opposition

13-5 in the opening period, but penalties killed McGill, as the Redmen took 11 minors, allowing

the Tigers to score a couple of power play mark­ ers— including the winner in OT. "Look at the power plays, they had two times as many,” Raymond said. "NCAA referees have a weird way of calling penalties. It was the first time I saw a linesman call hooking."

The Redmen were badly outshot on the night but Poitras stood tall in net, blocking 48 shots in a losing cause.The third-year netminder bounced back with a strong performance after allowing six goals in a loss to Ottawa earlier in the week.

McGill travels to Toronto next weekend for a two game swing.The Redmen play U o fT (2 -2 ) on Friday before taking on winless Ryerson (0 -4 ) on Saturday. ■

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1 1:

T ir e d o f w a tc h in g t h e g a m e s in t h e r a i n ?

1* W e h a v e a p ress b o x!

C o m e to ou r w r ite r s m e e tin g o n W e d n e s d a y a t 5 :0 0 p m . in t h e T r i b u n e o ffic e o r e m a il u s a t s p o r ts @ m c g illtr ib u n e . com

McGill Athletics inducts six into their Hall of Fame. From left: Julia Maughan, John Cleghorn (chariman of Hall of Fame committee). Dr. Richard Baltzan, Gordon Gow and George Athens Jr. (representing his deceased father).

LUKAS BERGMARK

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

W e w a n t a p it c h e r n o t a ...w a it d o w e ?

Pitchers pitch and hitters hit, this is a standard formula. So why does the National League force its hurlers to step into the batter's box? It's widely accepted that the ninth slot in NL batting orders— the pitcher's traditional spot— is an almost guaranteed out. Sure, every so often a pitcher will hack a bloop single to the outfield, but the vast majority of the time only a rally-murdering strikeout or pop fly ensues.

The National League requires its pitchers to take at-bats based on an antiquated rule from baseball's formative years in the early 1 9 0 0 s. Back then, players were much more rounded— Babe Ruth, the granddaddy of all sluggers, was a pitcher in the nascent years of his career in Fenway. Now we are in an era of specialization— there are closers for only the ninth inning, lefties who only throw to lefties and hitters who only hit homeruns or just for contact. As a result, the age of five-tool players is nearly at an end; only the exceptional athletes like the A-Rods, Pujolses and Willises of the world can lay claim to this title. The National League needs to realize that this is not 19 06 and pitchers don't have the ability to hit— they're too busy being worked to death on the mound.

Aside from the complete idiocy and blindness of MLB, the steroid era proved one other thing: Fans dig the long ball. People flock to stadiums to watch baseballs fly out as quickly as they walked in. Baseball needs to realize this and allow for an extra hitter in the National League. Instead of an automatic out, teams should be able to employ a DH who would be devoted exclusively to mashing home runs. Look no further than the Boston Red Sox David Ortiz, a horrible first baseman: The DH rule allows Boston to let Big Papi hit without having him as a liability in the field.

Baseball, like all sports, is entertainment and nothing entertains fans more than big hits. So, again, let the pitchers pitch and the hitters hit.

As the Fall Classic kicked off this weekend, another yearly event reared its ugly head: The debate over whether the designated hitter has a place in America's Passtime. Once again, the DH rule will be in effect when the American League représentative— the Tigers— are at home.

Why can't Major League Baseball take a firm stance on this issue once and for all?

It seems to me that such a major rule should be applied consistently throughout the league. 1can't imagine the NFC having different rules than the AFC, nor can 1envision a similar situation unfolding in the NHL or NBA. That being said, we're still left to ponder this sitatuion; to DH or not to DH, that is the question. It should be noted that until 19 79 , the DH rule did not exist. Since that time, the tried-and-true argument has been that no one goes to the ballpark to see pitchers at the plate. While this is no doubt the case, that hardly seems a valid justification. No one goes to a basketball game to see free throws, but does that mean we should make basketball a full contact sport?

The other point that is often lost in the shuffle is that there's something inherently right in forcing pitchers to step up to the dish. It would force them to practice at it and who knows, maybe one day w ell see pitchers who hit 25 home runs. After all, there was a time when middle infielders were judged purely on their defensive prowess; now they too are expected to chip in offensively. It could revolutionize the position— double threat pitchers who can get it done from the mound a n d the plate.

Now that's something people would come to the stadium to see.

— A aro n Sigal

— C harlie Blore

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www.mcgilltribune.com

24.10.06 • Sports • 23

L a st C a ll

Sports Briefs

co m p iled by C h a r lie B lo r e a n d A a ro n S ig a l

Redbirds fly aw ay w ith p e n n a n t on strength o f n o -h itte r

STANDINGS Football

W

L

P

PF

PA

R u g b y (W )

W

L

Laval

7

0

14

216

Concordia

6

1

93

Laval

5

0

12

214

102

Montreal

5

2

10 181

McGill

2

4

4

PF

PA

p

171

6

W

10

McGill

L

PF

PA

P

7

1

238

74

14

7

1

160

80

14

McGill

4

1

256

12

8

Concordia

136

Concordia

3

2

201

18

6

Bishop's

3

5

189

82

6

152

195

Ottawa

2

3

58

126

4

Sherbrooke

3

5

119

173

6

Bishop's

1

4

15

295

2

ETS

0

8

71

36 8

0

Sherbrooke

0

5

0

244

0

Sherbrooke

2

5

4

137

198

Bishop's

1

6

2

117

235

BOX SCORE

ON D ECK It was supposed to be an important game Friday, but it still will be on Tuesday. The match-up, which was rained out on the weekend, has been rescheduled and has the makings of classic. The top spot in the Quebec University Soccer League is still at stake for these teams, who are separated by just a point in the standings. The winner will be all but assured of home field advantage in the post-season.

Saturday, O c to b e r 2 1 ,2 0 0 6

H arvard C rim so n 2 vs. M cGill M artlets 0 Bright H o ckey C enter

R edm en Soccer - Laval R ouge et O r at M cG ill R e d m e n ;Tu e s day, 8 p.m., M olson Stadium

I J' 3 jj | | I

R u b g y (M )

I

SCORING SUMMARY First Period: s (no scoring) : j Penalties: HAR: C. CAHOW (INT), 2:30 PP HAR: B. McLEAN (BODY), 13:29 McG: B. PRIVEE, (CROSS) 13:29 R edm en Football - Bishop's Gaiters at M cG ill R edm en; Sat­ HAR: K. JOHNSTON (BODY), 15:37 PP urday, i p.m., M olson Stadium

This is it. After Bishop's lost this Saturday to Mount Allison, Mc| Gill need only win this contest to assure itself a spot in the ; post-season. A loss on the other hand and the Redmen could j be on the outside looking in for the second year in a row. After I the Gaiters ran all over McGill in week one, they'll have to re! j vamp everything this time around if they hope to stop runI I ning back Jamal Lee.

Second Period: ; 1. HARVARD: Julie Chiu (S. Vaillancourt, K. Vaughn), 3:57 ■ 2 . HARVARD: Katie Johnston (C. Cahow, J. Sifers), K. Vaughn), 17:35 j j

M artle t Ice Flockey - M ontreal Axio n at M cG ill M artlets; S u n ­ day, l p.m., M cC onn e ll Arena

(; The Martlets play a non-conference game against the Axion of the National Women's Hockey League. It's not often a profes­ sional team takes on a college one so make the most of this . rare opportunity. The game will be all the more special as it marks the return of Kim St. Pierre to her old stomping grounds and Charline Labonté will lock horns with her old squad. This should be a spectacular goaltender's duel between the two— j | Canada's 2 0 0 6 Olympic gold winning goalie against its 2 0 0 2 gold medal backstopper.

j 1 1 j j ( 1

Penalties: McG: V. DAVIDSON (HIGH STICK), 04:32 PP HAR: C. BASSETT (BODY), 0 4 : 4 9 PP McG: L ZANE (HOOK) 10:23 PP McG: L. ZANE (TRIP), 14:35 PP HAR: J. SIFERS (HOOK), 15:00 PP Third Period: (no scoring) Penalties: McG: C. HILL (HOOK), 08:12 PP HAR: K.FARNI (TRIP), 12:19 PP HAR: N. SLUZAS (HOLD), 15:01 PP McG: B. PRIVEE, (TRIP), 19:37 PP

N H L H o c k e y -S a n Jo s e S h a rk s a tD e tro itR e d W in g s ;W e d n e s - j day, 7 3 0 p.m ., Joe Louis A re n a ,TS N

This should be a dandy as two of the West's giants clash. Whili J J Detroit is mired around .500 right now, don't let the slow start | | fool-you— this is a team that will be near the top of the pack come season's end. The Sharks meanwhile currently sit at 6-2 I ; and are led by the big three of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau | | and Jonathan Cheechoo— all of whom are scoring over a J ; point a game.

N FL Football - Atlanta Falcons at C incinnati Bengals; S u n ­ day, 1 p.m., Paul B ro w n S tadium , FOX

I * The Falcons are coming off what may have been the game of | j the year against the Steelers, and are two weeks removed from another exciting clash with the Giants. Meanwhile the always entertaining Bengals are coming off a huge win over a surging Carolina Panthers squad. Both teams are 4-2 and need this win I badly. Whoever wins this game will make a huge statement in i their respective bids for the post season.

Saturday, O c to b e r 2 1 ,2 0 0 6 M cgill R edm en 3 vs. Yale B ulldogs 1 Ingalls Rink

SCORING SUMMARY FIRST PERIOD: 1. YALE: Robert Page (P. Brosnihan), 0:50 SECOND PERIOD: 2 . McG: Lucas Madill (unassisted) - 1:33 (PP)

THIRD PERIOD: 3 . McG: Lucas Madill (unassisted) - 2:32 (PP) 4 . McG: Eric L'Italien (M. Leclerc, G. Demers) - 15:46 .GOALTENDERS: McGill: Mathieu Poitras (W, 29 saves, iGA; 6 0 :0 0 ) Yale: Alec Richards (L, 2 0 saves, 3 GA; 5 8 :52 ) Empty-net: (1:0 8 , oGA)

GOALTENDERS: McGoill: Charline Labonte (L, 2 GA, 3 0 saves, 5 9 3 7 ) | Empty-net (oGA, 0 :23 ) | | Harvard: | Brittany Martin (W, oGA, 26 saves, SHO, 6 0 :0 0 ) | 1 PENALTIES (No./Mins.)

McG 6/12 HAR 7 /1 4 j j j :S

SA C K O F TH E W E E K This week's winner: Mike Tyson, formerly "The Baddest Man on |j the Planet."

On some-level this is probably the most sound career move Iron Mike has made since he decided to dine on Evander -Holyfield's ear. Saturday night was the first installment dfTyson's so called "World Tour.'The main event saw him take on Cory "TRex"Sanders, a former sparring partner ofTyson's.

T h e ’fight was billed as an exhibition but apparently the I j term wasn't self-explanatory enough for the few thousand fans ; who turned up, as they rained down boos on the two comSÎ batants. Evidently they were expecting a fight; instead they [J watched Sanders sport headgear throughout the contest and saw Tyson clinch his opponent whenever it looked like the "TRex" was headed for the canvas.

Iron Mike also made waves this week when he announced [ that he hopes to fight a woman at some point on his "World Tour." Didn't we all see this coming? Could Mike's career have jj avoided going down this road? Tyson's love of boxing has al­ ii ways been about two things: money and hurting people. With jj his twilight years already behind him, the ex-baddest man on ■ the planet simply can't accomplish either of those goals by [I fighting legitimate opponents.

Make no mistake, Mike Tyson is and always has been the I j closest thing to an animal that the human species has ever projj duced. He will have no qualms about beating the hell out of "never wases” like Sanders and women if necessary— hey if you j believe Robin Givens, he has experience.

Tournament MVP Michael Tomasetta tossed a no-hitter and smacked a game-winning tworun homer as the McGill Redbirds hammered Dalhousie 8 -0 to capture the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association championship on Sunday. It was the team's first-ever Canadian title and McGill's first national championship by a men's team in any sport since the soc­ cer Redmen won in 19 9 7 . McGill went 5-0 in the six-team tourney, sweeping a rare triple-header Saturday and a dou­ bleheader Sunday.

"M cGill o f th e S outh" beats M artle t hocke y team Sophomore goaltender Brittany Martin made 2 4 saves

for the shutout as NCAA eighth-ranked Harvard won a soild 2 -0 exhibition victory against McGill— the top ranked school in Canadian collegiate hockey— Saturday in Boston. McGill Goaltender (and Trib profile subject) Charline Labonté was outstanding in her own right as the Canadian national team player made 36 saves as the Crimson out shot the Martlets 3 8 -2 4 .

Costly loss for lacrosse squad

The Redmen may have cost themselves a playoff spot on Saturday, with a tough loss on home turf.The University of Western Ontario was simply too fast and too aggressive for McGill, charging to a 12-9 victory in front of a sparse and shivering homecoming crowd at Molson Stadium.

The loss was McGill's fourth in a row, dropping their re­ cord to 3-5 in conference play with only one game remain­ ing on the schedule. The Red'n'White were led by forwards Jimmy Daruwalla and Luke LaCava, each chipping in with a pair of markers and an assist.

"As the game progressed, we made the right changes and started to get the ball, keep the ball and make the right decisions," said Head Coach Timothy Murdoch.

Unfortunately it wasn't enough for them to overcome a slow start as the Mustangs jumped all over the Redmen early, racing out to a 7-3 halftime lead. Mike Carnegie led the way with four goals and two assists, while teammate Brent Yost fired home four goals of his own.

The difference between the two sides was obvious from the get-go. Both sides had their share of chances in the opening frames but while McGill failed to capitalize on theirs, Western played opportunistic lacrosse.

The Mustangs almost let the game slip away in the third quarter as McGill rallied to draw within a goal. But Western pulled away in the final 15 , outscoring the Redmen 4 -2 . McGill winds up the season against Guelph next Satur­ day needing a win,and some help to earn a birth into the postseason.

Result uncertain after M cG ill-St. F-X g a m e cancelled

McGill's fight for the postseason is now up in the after Saturday's game with St. Francis Xavier University was can­ celled for public health reasons.

According to a health advisory issued by St. F-X, health officials had identified about 35 students and staff mem­ bers who displayed symptoms consistent with a Norwalktype virus. According to the advisory, no St. F-X students, faculty or staff had been admitted to hospital.

As a precautionary measure and with the recommen­ dation of Nova Scotia Public Health Protection and Promo­ tion, St. F-X cancelled varsity athletics and all public events until further notice Although it is unlikely that the game could be re-scheduled with only two weekends left before playoffs, the Que­ bec University Football League and Atlantic University Sport have yet to announce whether St. F-X will forfeit the.game.

McGill and St. F-X both entered the weekend with identical 2-4 records and are currently in a dogfight for playoff posi­ tions in their respective leagues.

While Atlantic University Sport issued a ruling on its playoffs on Monday, the Quebec University Football League has yet to follow suit. As of now, the Redmen are tied with Sherbrooke with four points each for the fourth and final playoff berth, just two points ahead of Bishop's (1-6 ). How­ ever, the Redmen now sit a half game up on the Vert et Or, with just one game remaining.

In the AUS, all four schools will now make the playoffs with the winner of this Saturday's St. F-X-Saint Mary's clash to be awarded second place and home field advantage in the semi-final.

At press time, the QUFL has not resolved what will be done about its playoff,situation. If nothing changes, Mc­ Gill will still need to defeat Bishop's on Saturday in order to qualify’for the post-season.

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