The McGill Tribune Vol. 27 Issue 12

PAUL HENDERSON TALKS GOD AND "THE GOAL," PAGE 17

Published by the Students' Society o f McGill U niversity

Volum e 27 Issue 12 • Novem ber 2 0 ,2 0 0 7

w w w .m cgilltrib un e.co m

Kids, co lo u r yo u r ears w ith cra yo n s

L aura T indal "Anybody who really likes music likes more than just one style," said Den­ nis W. Lee, drummer and composer of the new Montreal band Kids Eat Cray­ ons. In Lee's case his musical loves were jazz and metal, a pairing that seem like they would mix about as well as pickles and peanut butter, but Kids Eat Crayons are quick to demonstrate that they're more like PB&J. "I always wanted to mix jazz and metal but didn't have the vocabulary," Lee said."I saw that they would work well together because they're very simi­ lar; they both have a jagged so u n d ... but you can also accentuate the differ­ ences by using more straight ahead jazz, swing or bebop styles, right next to heavier stuff.”

Lee moved to Montreal from Edmonton six years ago to attend the Jazz Performance program at McGill's Schulich School of Music. Three years ago he started Kids Eat Crayons with his roommate, tenor saxophone player Ben Henriques. Eventually they were joined by five more Montreal musicians, most of whom studied music at McGill as well.

See JAZZ on page 16

Students storm the streets Thousands call for increased government funding K ristin M aich Gathering at Roddick Gates this past Thursday, a group of approximately 70 McGill students marched to Square Dorchester, joining more than 2,000 rain-drenched Montreal students w ho gathered in protest of Premier Jean Charest's tuition deTreeze and demand massive government rein­ vestment in post-secondary education.

Protesters were also rallying against Bill 43, which per­ mits institutions to take measures against students' right to strike.

Midnight Kitchen volunteers were on hand at the Rod­ dick Gates to provide nourishment to students before the

march. One volunteer promoted the protest's cause, saying, "If you're getting food, you better be heard in the protest!"as he scooped food into tupperwares.

The Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudi­ ante was pushing for free education at all levels.

ASSÉ Information Secretary Marc-André Faucher said he was thrilled with the turnout, particularly in light of the uncooperative weather.

"There were a lot of people and it was really great to see [peoples'] motivation to come out,” he said. "A lot of stu­ dents came from a lot of different colleges and universities that don't usually do actions together, so it was really great

See PROTESTERS on page 4

TBACK&FIELD

BASKETMLL MARTLETS

McGill A T H I E

T I C S

M a rtle ts * T h u r s N o t ; 2 2 - IS k O O

S u n N o r. 2 5 • 1 3 k 0 0 - C a d e to n

R e d m e ti! T k u r s N o v . 2 2 - 2 0 h 0 0

REDMEN

C o n c o r d ia a

D o n a ld L o r e H a l l

T u e s d a y N o v . 2 0 v s . O t t a w a 19 kO O T r id a y N o v ; 2 3 v s . T o r o n t o 1 9 k 0 0 S a t u r d a y N o v . 2 4 v s . R y e fa o n - 1 9 k 0 0 M c C o n n e ll A re n a

Indoor: McGill Open I

S a tu rd a y N o v . 2 4 - 9 b 0 0 R e d B ie n & M a r t le t s T o m lin s o n F le td k o u se

redbtrd

SPO R T SSH O P

N ews

COVER PHOTO BY LUKAS BERGMARK

CITY

UQAM transfers debt burden to students Demonstrators clash with police during strike Lena G ayraud Students at the Université de Quebec à Mon­ treal went on strike last week to protest the hike in both tuition and student fees. This increase will cost UQAM students an extra $200 this year, while a newly proposed policy is set to raise their tuition by $50 every semester for the next five years.

During the week of the UQAM strikes, Uni­ versité Populaire à Montreal, a project coordi­ nated by various UQAM student societies, was launched. The UPAM initiative aims to promote free education and has organized a variety of ac­ tivities around Montreal. McGill's Students'Society Vice-President External Max Silverman participat­ ed with UPAM and spoke up regarding student movements in the rest of Canada to an assembly in Parc Emilie-Gamelin last Friday.

Seven students' societies at UQAM partici­ pated in last week's strike, two of which are on an unlimited strike: the Association facultaire étudi­ ante des sciences humaines and the Association facultaire des étudiants et étudiantes en arts.

Alexandre Leduc, coordination secretary for AFESH, spoke on behalf of those on strike at UQAM explaining that the main objective of the one-week strike was to attract attention, especial­ ly from the UQAM administration and the Quebec government.

"They've been talking about UQAM in the paper and on the news," Leduc said. "I think we definitely realized our objective of gaining attention."

The strike was not without drama. At Tues­ day's "bed-in" at CEGEP du Vieux Montreal, the administration called the police to expel students from the building. The police clashed with stu­ dents, resulting in scores of arrests and numerous injuries. ASSÉ regional council in Montreal coor­ dinator and GRASPé member Jessyka Boulanger, U2 biochemistry at McGill, denounced police behaviour as brutal and emphasized the bed-in demonstration's peaceable intent. "[The police] were shooting plastic bullets, using pepper spray and tear gas, and using tasers and batons on students, and they crushed one student's camera. People were scared," she said. "Since we had voted to go on strike for three days, [the bed-in] was just going to be where we organized for the picket line. It was not a question of being violent, it was an occasion for people to get more involved and network within the movement."

Boulanger said that the destruction that occurred on the CEGEP school's property that night was caused by the police, not the students, as they broke through the barricades students had erected and expelled demonstrators from the building.

"The police used all the force that they could, even to hurt people [in order to] expel them, when they're supposed to be there for security,"she said.

"That is not something we should tolerate. Stu­ dents weren't in the Vieux Montreal to [cause de­ struction]; they just wanted to sleep there so that the next morning they can be in place to strike."

Leduc said that an assembly convened yesterday in order to decide if the strike should continue. The assembly re-assessed the effective­ ness of the strike in obtaining the groups' long­ term goal of negotiating for free education. As of yesterday afternoon, UQAM public relations representative Francine Jacques indicated that two student associations had decided to return to school, while three were still in the midst of a vote.

If the strike is at an end, Leduc said that there would most certainly be another strike in the winter semester.

"If we don't continue [the strike] right now, we will restart next semester. It's not the end— it's a good start," he said.

Leduc claimed that one week of striking is not enough time to effectively negotiate.

"We have been talking daily to the unions and there have been a lot of meetings with the administration about what we think UQAM should [do to improve its] accessibility."

UQAM's recent ambitious construction projects, namely, the Pierre Dansereau science complex, have landed UQAM in a financially dire situation with a debt of $346.3-million. Political science professor Claude Corbo has proposed a seven-year plan to take control of the financial situation of the university by reducing spending in order to pay back creditors. UQAM will release a press report this morning indicating whether or not Corbo will be proposed by the Board of Ad­ ministration to be UQAM's next rector.

Corbo previously served as UQAM's rector from 1986 to 1996. On Nov.12, when attempting to walk to his class, Corbo was swarmed by pro­ testing students, three of whom were arrested.

Though he was unharmed, the incident highlight­ ed the tense atmosphere surrounding Corbo's proposed plan. "[The administration] thinks that the inap­ propriate group responsible for the aggressive behaviour towards Mr. Corbo was a small, hardheaded group of students," Jacques said. "The administration was impressed with most of the students' behaviour."

Instead of instituting Corbo's seven-year plan, Leduc believes that funding should come from the government. "[Corbo] doesn't want to fight Quebec; he just wants to fight the teachers and students in the university," Leduc said. "We think that the gov­ ernment should finance and fund us more."

When asked where the government should obtain the money to give to schools, Leduc sug­ gested accessing money the government has saved or given out, and suggested a redirection of the funds. Leduc is optimistic for potential tuition changes.

"There is enough money in Quebec; that's not the question. The question is what we want as an education system," he said. "If we continue [to protest], and still have enough force on cam­ pus, I think that maybe by next winter there will be changes."* — Additional reporting by Kristin Maich

CAMPUS

Munroe-Blum censured by Special GA motion Student strike motion fails to reach quorum, amended to call to action Ken S un A turnout o f over 600 students at Three Bares Park on Nov. 13 made the Special General Assem bly the best attended since the student strike GA in 2005. Out o f the 10 m otions discussed, seven motions passed w ith the exceptions o f one to stand against the Capital Cam ­ paign and Shatner Shrine motions.

"We passed a lot o f motions at the GA; w e had over 600 people and I'm glad those people came," said Fred Burrill, U2 French lan­ guage and literature and history.

"There w ere very serious issues on the table, things that weren't purely ideological, that w e needed to be talking about."

The student-organized group Students Organized Against Protest­ ers had brought forward motions asking for a shrine to Shatner, SSMU Council to perform "Rocketman"and to change McGill building names to StarTrek names. While, according to Burrill, SOAP may have helped bring a diverse opinion to the forum, the tone ultimately degraded into a "circus atmosphere".

"People came to the GA and left in disgust at thejevel of matu­ rity in the discussion and the type of topics we were dealing with," Burrill said. "It's positive that [SOAP mem­ bers] were there. I'd like to see them come next time, but with motions that can actually make SSMU man­ date policies that have a longer last­ ing effect beyond just a joke value.”

Despite the auspicious atten­ dance, the SGA failed to reach the 500 student quorum for this year's

student strike motion. As quorum was not established, the strike m o­ tion was am ended during a consul­ tative forum to remove a clause that required SSMU to endorse a prov­ ince-wide strike on Nov. 15. While am ending a m otion w itho u t reach­ ing quorum technically violates the by-laws placed on a regular GA, SSMU Speaker Yahel Carm on stood by his ruling, interpreting the strike motion as sim ply a part of the SGA, rather than a separate strike GA.

"My interpretation of the strike quorum was that, under the by-laws we had at the time, a strike motion was not a Strike General Assembly; it is merely a motion that calls on SSMU to go on strike," Carmon said. "[Strike quorum] is only really appli­ cable to the final vote; otherwise, it is just a regular vote. Once [the mo­ tion] was amended to just support­ ing the Day of Action, it was within the order as far as I saw."

While some attendees of the SGA called the strike motion's amendment out of order for "chang­ ing the spirit of the motion," SSMU President Jake Itzkowitz argued that removing the resolved clause was in order.

"The rule about changing the spirit is designed such that an indi­ vidual’s motion cannot be hijacked to do the opposite of what was in­ tended," Itzkowitz said."The purpose and actual policy of the motion were entirely in order. It’s a non-substan­ tive [amendment] because, at the end, it is our policy to support the demonstration anyways."

Itzkowitz, however, also as­ serted that by-laws regarding GAs

still need to be drafted to clearly define the procedures o f future GAs. According to the current by-laws, w hen quorum is not met, the GA becom es a consultative forum that can entertain procedural motions.

The by-laws do not specify w hether the strike m otion am endm ent can be considered a procedural motion.

"We currently don’t have any real rules for GAs, other than the tw o pages o f by-laws that were passed at the last Council m eet­ ing," Itzkowitz said. "Because w e had quorum for a special GA but not for a strike GA, w e can procedurally hear the motion on the strike, and

have it am ended to remove the word strike."

He added tha the biggest problem was the lack of by-laws facilitating GAs. Am ong the most contentious issues discussed at the SGA was the motion to censure McGill Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, put forward

by Uo arts student Warne Goodm an.

In addition to the censure clause, the motion also called for a formal letter of apology from M unroe-Blum to students and for SSMU to actively oppose tuition deregulation, and was passed 200 for to 148 against.

Itzkowitz, however, found the m o­

tion unnecessary and aggressive, as the resolved clauses within SSMU's powers are already consistent with SSMU policy.

"The motion only demanded that [SSMU] actively gets her to change her position on tuition, which we are already doing. It won’t change [SSMU policy]; I think it’s pretty much useless," Itzkowitz said.

"It’s always been SSMU policy to demand that the university change their policy on tuition and that the student protest policy be changed."

"Functionally, all this [mo­ tion] does is make us look like children.''*

11.20.07 «The McGill Tribune • 3

CAMPUS

Students vote yes to all referenda questions Delayed elections period may have led to low voter turnout S arah X u "We made quorum!" Elections McGill Chief Elections Officer Corey Shefman an­ nounced to students at Gert's last Wednesday afternoon. The crowd was waiting to hear the results o f the fall referendum, w hich included six questions and tw o contested positions on the First Year Com m ittee o f the Students' Society Council.

Voter turnout was only 17.2 per cent of all McGill students, or 3,375 votes.

"It was very low; it w as m uch lower than it should have been despite more publicity than usual," Shefman said.

Shefman pointed to the delayed election date, a motion approved through Council, as a potential cause. The change in election dates, w hich pushed the referenda period and FYCC elections back by one week, was done to ac­ com m odate a fee referendum for the Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students'Society.

"One of our main concerns was that [voter turnout] was lower than last year; this

is because the date got pushed back so far,” Shefman said. "With our extra efforts [turnout] was still low, as I warned Council w hen they changed the date in the first place."

All six referenda questions passed, with the SACOMSS renewal fee of $0.75 garnering the highest percentage of 'yes' votes at 85.5 per cent. The fee is the only source of funding for the organization, providing approxim ate­ ly $27,000 per year for the various projects they run.

"We are really happy for the student sup­ port," SACOMSS External Coordinator Halley Crissman. "Students care about SACOMSS and know w e provide im portant services. We were not worried about the passing of the refer­ endum; w e were however worried about not meeting quorum."

Students also supported the institution of a new qualified quorum o f two per cent of the undergraduate student body for Gen­ eral Assemblies. If the num ber of students in attendance is below quorum, but above 100, the question will be decided via online voting,

SPEAKERS ON CAMPUS

w hich has a quorum of 15 per cent.

Students also agreed to allow regular Gen­ eral Assemblies to be held before the seventh week of the semester rather than the fifth.

A one dollar per semester SSMU student fee increase to increase space for student clubs also passed, as did a motion extending SSMU executive term s to include a one month, non­ voting extension and the elimination o f a con­ stitutional flaw.

With only tw o o f the six FYCC positions contested by the students, three positions were acclaimed, including the presidential po­ sition. Two positions were elected and three were acclaim ed. 20.2 per cent o f first ye.ar stu­ dents voted, and the Vice-President Com m uni­ cations position remains unfilled.

Shefman was unconcerned by the lack of candidates in the FYCC election.

"First Year [Committee of] Council almost always has tw o positions acclaimed, although normally the president is elected and not ac­ claimed," he said.

"Providing opportunities is what the role

of the council is going to be this year," said ac­ claimed President Sean Stefanik, Uo political science. "Getting first year students involved in student events, and [giving] them incentives to go out to events—[those are] the kind of things we should focus on."

Both Stefanik and Amara Possian, Uo arts, elected to the VP External position, agreed that emphasis has to be placed on increas­ ing the involvement of off-campus students on campus.

"It's more challenging to deal with stu­ dents who live off campus and find out what their needs are," Possian said.

Stefanik also hoped for a better turnout at future FYCC events. "[First-years should] come out to all of our events. Everything we do is for first year stu­ dents and we really can't be successful without them," he said.

The other three positions on the FYCC were filled by Jonathan Verrett as VP Finance, Eleanor Xu as VP Academic and Kelly Ding as VP Internal. ■

CAUGHT ON CAMPUS

White lies behind the War on Terror Pilger speaks out on post9/11 U.S. foreign policy M arine M oulin

Last Tuesday, McGill's Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights student group hosted award-winning Australian journalist and filmmaker John Pil­ ger, who spoke about and presented his film Breaking the Silence. Pilger, who discussed the current war in Afghanistan and the role played by the United States, also denounced what he asserted were propaganda and lies spread by the U.S. government to justify the War on Terror.

"This film is about the rise of rapacious imperial power and terrorism that never speaks its name because it is our terrorism," Pilger said. "[Pilger's movie] is an opportunity: because many are unaware of what is really going on, it is a way to give them the news,"said SPHR Vice-President External Nasser Mohieddin Abukhdeir. "[The film] speaks about the human rights often forgotten.”

Pilger em phasized the double standards inside the U.S. governm ent and stated that w h ile the U.S. [administration] could not accept the civilian deaths o f Sep. 11,2001, it seem ed to accept the numerous deaths resulting from U.S. bom bings in Afghanistan. He also discussed Am erican failures in upholding the Geneva Conventions on treatm ent o f prisoners o f w ar and the alleged detainees held w ithout charge in G uantanam o Bay, Cuba.

"Amnesty International calls [Guantanamo Bay] a black hole, a violation o f the most basic hum an rights," he said.

Pilger also asserted that women's rights were forgotten in Afghanistan, w here w om en required male authorization for daily tasks and also became victim s o f war, rape and torture.

"What are the real ends to this war?" Pilger asked. "The answ er is to be found here in the United States w hen those now in power speak openly about their conquest and endless war. Afghanistan, Iraq, these [wars] they say are ju st the beginning."

Pilger pointed to Iran, North Korea and China as potential future Am eri­ can targets. He also claim ed that most terrorist organizations have had their weapons supplied by the United States. Pilger suggested that these Wars on Terror have underlying econom ic motivations, and for most Afghanis, the removal o f the Taliban from pow er has not improved their daily lives.

"Today, Afghanistan is run by a regime installed by the Americans and the pipeline [construction] deal [in Afghanistan] is going ahead," Pilger said.

Loes Knaapen, a graduate student in sociology, expressed concern about the face o f future Am erican wars, and suggested that Pilger's argu­ ments are im portant to consider.

"The information is good to hear again; w e know it is out there,"she said.

"Everyone can know about it. I am wondering: w hat [nation] is next?" ■

SARA YOUSEFNEJAD If anyone ever questions why McGill needs to raise money ever again, they should check out the girls' bathrooms in the Leacock basement. And we thought the guys' was bad!

u p■ t 0

u

South Korea boasts the first boot camp that combats the increasing cyberspace addiction affect­ ing their youth. It has recently become a serious issue as acute addiction cases have started dropping dead from exhaustion after playing video games for days on end. • People are going totally nuts for this chunk of history; a chestnut from the tree that Anne Frank gazed upon while hiding from the Nazis is up for bid on eBay. The 170-year-old tree is rotting from the inside and will be chopped down on Wednesday of this week. Bids for the chestnut have reached as high as $700 US. • The King o f Spain Juan Carlos'recent fiery outburst demand­ ing Hugo Chavez to 'shut-up'at a summit in Chile has generated a reported $2 million US in ring-tone sales.

In Venezuela, a group of students have been down­ loading the ring-tone as a form of protest. "It's some­ thing a lot of people would like to tell the president," said a 21-year old from this group. King Carlos'"shut-up” ring-tone sales are now also making a serious run at the Black-Eyed Peas "shut-up" sales. • Two glasses of

speed wine a day keeps the doctor away, according to the University of Barcelona. Drinking the recommended 'dose'of either red or white wine, improved markers of cardiac health significantly in women, while men saw similar effect upon increasing the dosage. Meanwhile a British-American team found that exposure to sun­ light could in fact decrease the effects of aging. While people may have fewer heart attacks and look young­ er, it's likely that the prevalence of liver cancer and skin disease will skyrocket. • According to the 'California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute team," there is a non-toxic compound found in cannabis that'halts cancet'The team is hopeful that cannabidiol could be an alternative to chemotherapy to prevent metasta­ sis of tumours. The authours claimed that they were not suggesting patients to smoke marijuana, only to enjoy it casually with friends on the weekend in a safe environment.

Sources: BBC News, Yahoo News, New York Times

The McGill Tribune

4 • News • 11.20.07

Protesters march for free education City slows to halt as over 2,000 rally against Charest's tuition de-freeze Continued from COVER to manifest solidarity with other schools, to see people from all over Quebec come together to bring forward their demands."

GRASPé activist Michael Freeman also thought that the rally emphasized student solidarity in spite of internal divisions within the movement. La Fédération étudiante universitaire du Qué­ bec, which will protest rising tuition separately this Thursday at Square Berri, has already been looking into a policy whereby

JESSICA DISMONT Montreal students march against the de-freeze, bringing the protest to Premier Charest's doorstep.

BYTHE NUMBERS

The Special General As­ sembly on Nov. 13 saw the highest attendance to any GA since the strike GA of 2005. Despite having over 600 students at one time, the SGA failed to reach the 500-person quorum for the student strike as more than 50 per cent of the students were in the Arts Faculty.

Fiere is a breakdown of the maximum attendance by faculty:

ARTS 379

EDUCATION 7

ENGINEERING 70

MANAGEMENT 39

SCIENCE 115

OTHERS 62

TOTAL 672 —Source: SSMU General Manager

students would pay their tuitions through a post-education income tax.

"I think that one of the major goals of the actions this week was to bring the student movement together and gain some visibility for the issue," Freeman said. “The movement was looking pretty fragmented in terms of splintering coalitions, so just coordinating student groups from all over Quebec was a step forward for us."

Natalie Chan, Uo arts legacy, attended the protest and partici­ pated in the march.

"Free education is totally possible; all we have to do is really push for it,"Chan said. "I'm a little disappointed at the [McGill] turn­ out. I find around campus that not a lot of people have even been talking about it. There's a lot of apathy."

L'Institut de recherché et d'informations socio-économiques, an independent research organization, released a study last month that indicated the provincial government would only have to in­ crease its present budget by 0.2 per cent per year for ten years in order to institute free Quebec-wide post-secondary tuition.

Faucher said that such a proposal is essentially what ASSÉ has been fighting for since 2001.

"Not only is it something that's a benefit for the society at large, but it's economically sound— the research really demonstrates that," he said."[IRIS] didn't even study the aspect of long-term benefits [of free tuition] within society. Just in the short-term, the study shows that [ASSÉ's] demands are realistic and we should continue to put them forward."

Protester Dylan Moran, Uo arts legacy, supported challenging

the de-freeze, but doesn't consider free education feasible.

"I'm more of the realistic mindset. Free education is not going to happen, but I'd like to get the tuition freeze back," Moran said.

"Also, I really want to support the Francophone students of the province because I don't feel that Anglophone students do enough of that. English students out of province seem not to really care."

Moran added that he also considered the McGill turnout at the rally to be quite weak.

"With 20,000 undergrads, we could do a lot better,” he said. "I'm sure if all 20,000 of us, on top of all the other Montreal students, came out today, we would have no problem getting the attention of the Quebec government, if not the federal government."

Faucher believes further action will likely be necessary in order to convince the government to re-freeze tuition rates.

"I don't know if the protest is going to change the government's position; [Charest] doesn't seem to be moving,"he said."Since we're not getting any feedback from the government w ell have to push forward, and if that means striking next semester, we will."

Freeman asserted that an unlimited general strike is the only way the de-freeze will be halted.

"ASSÉ is planning on launching a more vigorous campaign for an unlimited and general strike, and achieving this kind of real strike is the sort of pressure tactic that will actually win students a place at the bargaining table to talk about education policy and the search for a solution to the funding crisis that works for us,"he said."ln short, this is just the beginning."*

www.mcgilltribune.com

11.20.07 • News • 5

CAMPUS

Biomedical sciences major under review Decision may be a tough pill to swallow for arts and science students T

ho m as

Q

u a il

The most popular science major available for the Bachelor of Arts and Science degree will face a decisive vote today at the monthly Science Academic Com­ mittee meeting. A recent proposal was put forth to dissolve the bio­ medical sciences major within the B.A.&Sc. program; the committee pointed to limited recognition of the degree at a graduate level and a lack of upper-level required cours­ es as reasons for putting forward the proposal.

Science Undegraduate Society Vice-President Academic Nathan Winata claimed that the problem with the biomedical sciences pro­ gram lies more in its ambiguous administrative structure rather than its academic framework.

"When the program was creat­ ed, nobody wanted to take respon­ sibility over administrating this pro­ gram,"Winata said."Nobody wanted to take on this added burden."

The biomedical sciences pro­ gram at McGill is associated with the departments of anatomy and cell biology, biochemistry, micro­ biology and immunology, pharma­ cology and physiology. When the biomedical science program was founded over three years ago from a student initiative, the department of physiology begrudging lytook on the responsibility of the students

flocking to this new program. With 162 students now in the biomedi­ cal sciences field, the department of physiology has yet to see any additional resources.

"On top of taking care of their own students, [the department of physiology] doesn't get any extra funding, or any added man-power for taking on these biomedical students,"Winata said.

Bachelor of Arts and Science Integrative Council Vice-President Academic Nicole Fischer stated that the proposal was a coordinat­ ed effort between specific faculties and administrators.

"I've received different an­ swers but [the proposal] is most likely a combination of the [bio­ medical sciences] departments and [McGill] administration."

Members of the Science Aca­ demic Committee also felt that the biomedical sciences major was an academically weak program.

"When I spoke with the Associ­ ate Dean of Academic Affairs Laurie Hendren, who sits on the Academic Committee, she [felt] that the de­ gree does not adequately prepare you for graduate studies in science," Winata said.

Fischer felt that the com­ mittee was making a hasty de­ cision without considering suitable alternatives.

"They're getting rid of the pro­ gram without considering ways to

revise it," she said.

Winata stated that the admin­ istration has adopted an attitude of apathy regarding the program.

"Amending the program would take time and effort," he said. "The easiest way for the administration to deal with it would be just to get rid of it."

HUGEGALDONES

up and reprinted by im p e r a t if - fr a n c a is .o r g .

In “Improving bedside manner," Christine Sgherri was quoted out of context. She did not find the lecture shallow but rather thought it to be interest­ ing. The Tribune apologizes for these errors.

SNC-LAVALIN

IS THE LARGEST ENGINEERING-CONSTRUCTION FIRM IN CANADA AND ONE OF THE TOP 10 IN THE WORLD

A four-month paid summer position at a competitive student salary and a CAN $ 2 ,5 0 0 scholarship award upon completion of the work term.

THE STUDENT SELECTED FOR THE AWARD WILL ALSO BE CONSIDERED AS A CANDIDATE FOR FUTURE EMPLOYMENT.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE;

D EC EM B ER 31, 2007

APPLICATION FORMS PLEASE C O N TA C T;

♦» S JV O L A V A L IN w w w .s n c la v a lin .c o m /a w a r d

date of the B.A.&Sc. program.

This new proposal reads, "we believe that the attached proposal is still a major concentration with a lot of breadth. This proposal is by no means perfect or final; it is simply a suggestion that there is room for change within the major concen­ tration in biomedical sciences.” ■

With the potential end to the biomedical sciences program, flasks return to hips.

CLARIFICATIONS: In last week's issue of the Tribune, a Letter to the Edi­ tor suggested that Délit editor Zoé Gagnon-Paquin submitted content directly to the Web site im p e r a t if -f r a n c a is .o rg . In reality, Gagnon-Paquin released an open letter via the Internet that was later picked

Winata and Fischer are calling upon the Science Academic Com­ mittee to consider a counter-pro­ posal put together by themselves and BASiC President Julia Webster to delay the vote. The new proposal will call for the program to expand further into U2 and U3 while main­ taining the multi-disciplinary man­

Judy Pharo Student Affairs, Faculty of Engineering McDonald Building Engineering McGill University 817 Sherbrooke St. W. Tel.: 514 -398-7256 email: judy.pharo@mcgill.ca

9 McGill

TOW N H A LL Principal H eather M un roe-Blum

R ESC H ED U LED

invites McGILL STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF to a Town Hall where the following three topics, chosen by community input, w ill be discussed:

Monday November 26, 2007 4:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

■ Protecting McGill's Environment ■ Enhancing the Student Experience ■ Campaign McGill

Moot Court Faculty of Law New Chancellor Day Hall Room 100 Entrance by 3660 Peel Street

A brief question and answer period on other issues and concerns will follow.

It's our u n ive rsity ... let's ta lk about it ...

O pinion

FISH FOOD

TINTED GLASSES

Tories are soft on crime

Don't feed the seagulls

J o s h F is h e r

K a t G ib s o n

JOSHADAMFISHER@GMAIL.COM

KAPPALETTA@ HOTMAIL.COM

ho remembers being a kid at the beach feeding the seagulls? You would instantly be heralded with angry cries of"don't feed them, they're dirty and they'll swarm you!" Now take the anti­ seagull-feeding logic of your parents and apply it to the homeless, and you have yourself a tidy little picture of Ottawa mayor Larry O'Brien's attitude towards the most destitute of our society.

For those who didn't hear about "PigeonGate”, on April 19, 2007 O'Brien com­ pared the homeless to pigeons. According to the Ottawa Sun, he recommended starv­ ing them of their resources, saying, "we did that with real pigeons about 25 or 30 years ago and, lo and behold, you barely ever see a pigeon around here. You start doing that with the panhandlers— you stop giving out those toonies—and they'll stop hanging around here.”

Let's now contrast O'Brien with some other famous personalities who recently brought attention to poverty. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mia Farrow, Michael Doug­ las and Paul Martin were just some of the speakers at this month's Montreal Millen­ nium Summit, which convened to discuss Canada's progress in reaching the UN Mil­ lennium Development goals, established in 2000 by all 191 countries in the United Nations. The first of the eight goals is to "eradicate extreme poverty and hunger."

Perhaps the loftiest goal there is, this aim is unquestionably hindered by the surpris­ ingly common attitude voiced by Ottawa's illustrious mayor.

I am repeatedly astounded by the mis­ apprehensions expressed about homeless people and can only assume that these de­ structive attitudes are the product of noth­ ing more than ignorance and misinforma­ tion. According to a study conducted by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, over 60 per cent of the adult male homeless population suffers from mental illness, while only 42 per cent report past or present drug

W

abuse. The “Raise the Roof" campaign re­ ports that reasons for homelessness range from extreme family conflict to devastating accidents and injuries, alcoholism and other severe health problems. None of the studies I have read have shown a marked trend to­ wards individuals feeling "too lazy" to have a home and "choosing" to live on the street because it sounds appealing.

Now I'm not as naïve or idealistic as some who disagree with my point of view may assume. I know that when I hand over a toonie to the scruffy destitute man on the corner, the chances of it being spent on cheap booze or drugs are relatively high.

The thing is, whatever it is he spends it on is probably going to be pretty important to him and beyond that it's not really my con­ cern. My role is not as the arbiter of spend­ ing money. My charity does not come with strings. The situation is not one that means if people would just stop “supporting" these individuals, they would clean up their act, get a decent job, have beautiful healthy babies and become vital contributors to society.

It's really just not that simple.

There seem to be two fundamental categories of human thought, "us" and "the other," and while we react with vehement opposition to abuse leveled at "us," we ac­ cept or ignore it with regards to the “other."

Social advancements have typically been characterized by an expansion of those we consider to belong to the category of "us," and while it now includes different races, different gender identities and different lev­ els of physical and mental ability, it does not yet include the homeless. The only way we can effectively eradicate poverty is through a systematic change in the attitudes we have towards the homeless. Perhaps if we can expand the scope of our compas­ sion we will reach the millennium goals by 2015 and people can stop dressing up like pigeons and "roosting" on Larry O'Brien's front lawn. ■

urder is murder, whether it's state sanctioned or someone like me," Ron­ ald Smith, the Canadian on death row in the U.S. recently told CTV. He has a point.

Harper's reversal of the long-standing Cana­ dian policy to request the commutation of the death penalty of Canadians convicted in the U.S. is consistent with his general disregard for due process in the justice system, his assault on the judiciary and his soft and ineffective justice agenda.

In addition to this reversal, Harper's as­ sault on the judiciary and due process includes: (1) An election campaign speech in which he warned of Canada's liberal judiciary, which later forced Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin to take the unusual step of speaking publicly to defend the integrity of the judiciary. (2) The dismantling ofthe Court Challenges Program, which had as­ sisted Canadians in asserting their Constitution­ al rights. The idea of minority rights protected against majority rule doesn't fit with Harper's public pandering. (3) The addition of a police representative on the committee that selects our judges, giving the government a majority on those committees. (4) Tabling a bill calling for high mandatory minimum sentences, ef­ fectively removing judges' sentencing discre­ tion in some ofthe most sensitive cases.The list goes on.

Amid all this, there was a release of a shock­ ing video ofthe taser-murder of a Polish immi­ grant at the Vancouver International Airport.

Part of a rash of recent RCMP misconduct—the extent of which has not been made public be­ cause the RCMP investigates itself— it depicts four uniformed officers confronting a man who is lost and confused in an airport, but who did not pose a lethal threat, by shocking him twice with a taser gun and then wrestling him to his death. Even if state-sanctioned murder was appropriate in the case of Ronald Smith, what about in the case ofthe Polish immigrant and numerous other victims ofthe RCMP? The first bill Harper passed in the last par­ liamentary session was the Accountability Act. It is time that the RCMP is made accountable.

M

The first bill that he has passed this session, the Tackling Violent Crime Act, contains provi­ sions that will have effects counterproductive to its title, including the imposition of manda­ tory minimum sentences and raising of the age of sexual consent. Mandatory minimum sentences have the potential to turn one-time violators into life-long criminals by eliminat­ ing the judges'discretion to diagnose particu­ lar offenders on a case-by-case basis. Raising the age of consent for sexual activity will add nothing to existing legislation by way of pro­ tection against sexual predators, but may have the effects of criminalizing teenage sex and hampering the ability of teenage girls to seek medical advice.

Harper's populist approach to justice is both too narrow and too reactive. It is too nar­ row in the sense that it is limited to violent crime and excludes other matters of social jus­ tice, including protection of vulnerable groups such as the poor, children and aboriginals. It is too reactive in the sense that it focuses almost exclusively on dealing with crime after the fact, rather than focusing on the roots of crime. In ef­ fect, by failing to tackle the causes of crime pro­ actively through social programming, Harper's agenda is soft on crime. The Conservatives re­ cently ran ads attacking Liberal leader Stéphane Dion for acknowledging the difficulty of setting priorities— not an ideal sound byte .for a po­ litical leader, but certainly a reasonable view in light of Canada's diversity. I would much prefer a leader who is honest enough to acknowledge the problematic nature of agenda-setting than one who demonstrates by example his inability to set legitimate and effective priorities.

Harper should affirm Canada's opposition to all forms of state sanctioned murder, includ­ ing the reinstatement of our policy of opposing the death penalty, create a truly independent and powerful agency to oversee the RCMP and commission a full public inquiry to investigate police misconduct in this country— includ­ ing, but not limited to, taser use— and make recommendations for restoring integrity to the RCMP. ■

±40°

What are you, some kind of animal?

D a v i d L e v it z

DAVID. LEVITZ@ M AIL.M CGILL.CA

am probably one ofthe biggest pinko-tree-hugger types on theTribune staff. With that in mind, I would like to respond to "My beef with vegetariansj'thé last column by my neighbour on this page, Kat Gibson. After my rushed first reading of the article, I was honestly very offended. I thought to myself, "who is this girl who thinks it's cute to bash vegetarians and say that ani­ mals don't have imagination and should, therefore, be tortured and eaten?!" But, after steaming for an hour or so, I reread the article and found that I had been mistaken about its message.

Kat effectively wrote that, while she does eat meat, she agrees with vegetarianism and is against cruel industrial farm­ ing. However, she still sees a strong divide between the "com­ plexity" of the human intellect, imagination and emotional reg­ ister and that of a chicken. Therefore, according to her, animal rights activists should not compare animal suffering to human suffering because it weakens their argument. Fair enough.

Kat further maintained that animals have limited imagina­ tion, and that they "cannot imagine an alternative life free from abuse" or "long for something they have never known or feel that something is missing from their lives." While I cannot be sure as to whether she is right, I find this statement interest­ ing, if only because many humans I have encountered clearly

I

have no imagination either. It begs the question: what makes us human? Is a person who lacks imagination less human, of lesser value? Also, if a person were born into a factory farm, smashed together in a single cage with countless others and maybe a dead body or two, and if the person grew up this way, vvould she be able to envision a different existence? If they couldn't, would that make their suffering any less valid?

Kat argued against animal rights activists who compare factory farming with human enslavement, but this analogy is not so far off in my eyes. Perhaps it is true that these animals do not perceive their suffering in quite the same way as humans would, but why must animal suffering resemble human suffer­ ing in the first place when arguing against cruelty to animals?

For me these comparisons of human and animal suffering, whether meant to show similarities or disparities, seem almost irrelevant. Both sides ofthe argument raise the questions: Why do we place so much value on what we consider to be"human'7 And what's so great about humans? Yes, it is true that, in terms of evolution, we can make more complex tools than other spe­ cies. However, we wouldn't even have to make most of our tools and clothing if we were properly adapted to our environment like other species.

Pro and con arguments in this debate both prove that hu­ mans are, in fact, quite unimaginative. Both sides make the mis­ take of seeing other beings only in relation to themselves. This mistake is nothing new. It's called narcissism, and it's the same basic mistake behind nationalism, racism, classism, ageism, ho­ mophobia and most any form of discrimination you can name.

Unfortunately, humans continue to assert themselves as the ultimate standard of value against which everything else falls short. By this reasoning everything and everyone who differs from us is necessarily of lesser value.

Throughout history, people have made a point of distin­ guishing themselves from animals in an attempt to feel special and to justify their dominance in the food-chain. In medieval monastic art, for example, the presence of strange beasts and human-animal hybrids is not uncommon.These images served to remind monks ofthe evil desires they needed to overcome.

These negative assocations persist in today's language ("What are you, some kind of animal?"). But if humans really want to raise themselves above the 'uncivilized' animal kingdom, they should see that cruelty towards their prey and the infliction of unnecessary suffering simply because they "like the taste" are probably not the best method. ■

11.20.07 • The McGill Tribune • 7

T rtbune

EDITORIAL

From liable to viable

www.mcgilltribune.com

E d ito r - in - C h ief

Tiffany Choy editor@mcgilltribune.com M a n a g in g E d ito rs

Elizabeth Perle Kate Spirgen seniored@mcgilltribune.com P ro d u ctio n M a n a g er

Andrew Dathan Frankel production@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Kristin Maich Thomas Quail Ken Sun news@mcgilltribune.com O pin io n E d ito r

Byron Tau opinion@mcgilltribune.com F ea tu res E d ito rs

Meghna Marjadi Carolyn Yates features@mcgilltribune.com A rts & E n terta in m en t E d ito rs

Ezra Glinter John Semley arts@mcgilltribune.com S po r ts E d ito rs

Matt Chesser Aaron Sigal sports@mcgilltribune.com P ho to E d ito rs

Niki Hyde Sara Yousefnejad photo@mcgilltribune.com C o p y E d ito r

Crystal Chan copy@mcgilltribune.com O n lin e E d ito r

Femi Kassim online@mcgilltribune.com

ntarians can now enjoy full freedom of thepress. A court case last week finally put a lid on Canada's historical conflict between the media's duty to report and an individual's right to sue over potentially defamatory material. On Nov. 13, Ontario courts ruled on a case in which Otta­ wa police officer Danno Cusson sued the Ottawa Citizen and three of its reporters over a 2001 story.

Cusson and his dog had made a trip to New York in the aftermath of 9/11 to assist in rescue opera­ tions. However, allegations later surfaced that Cus­ son had misrepresented himself to the NYPD as an RCMP officer and insisted that his dog was properly trained; the Citizen dutifully reported these facts."

However, because Cusson was not a Member of Parliament, the Citizen had no absolute privilege and he was able to successfully sue for $125,000 in damages, regardless of the veracity of the original allegations.

Fortunately, in response to this case, an Ontario appeals court has declared a new defense against libel. Journalists are now protected from defama­ tion suits if the public has a legitimate interest. This means that if the media source can prove that its intentions reflected responsible journalism and can confirm that the contents of a story are true, it has a strong defence against a defamation law­ suit. Writing for the majority, Justice Robert Sharpe declared, "Democracy depends upon the free and open debate of public issues and the freedom to criticize the rich, the powerful and those, such as police officers, who exercise power and authority in our society."

Though this is a breakthrough for journalists in Canada, and an important legal precedent, it does not go far enough.The Citizen's lawyers argued that Ontario media law should be brought into line with the American standards established in the famous New York Times v. Sullivan case, requiring that the burden of actual "malice" be applied to all libel suits.

Malice is a concept that has been notoriously hard to demonstrate in court—thus the American press has served as an important check against govern­ ment power and as a guardian of the public inter­ est, without the fear of being sued for potential defamation.

In 2 0 0 3 , Rachel Ehrenfeld, an American aca­

O

demic and counterterrorism expert, published a work on the subject of terrorism. As a result of a handful of UK book purchases, suspected Saudi ter­ rorist financier Khalid bin Mahfouz was able to file a libel suit in British courts, asserting defamation. Be­ cause of the relative ease of winning libel and slan­ der in suits the UK, Ehrenfeld was ordered to pay damages and apologize. Fortunately, an American court is now in the process of reviewing the merits of the case to determine whether the judgment is enforcable in th'e U.S. Indeed, American courts would have tossed Mahfouz's original complaint out on First Amend­

reporting is fair and accurate. In other situations, however, journalists have only been able to make a defence of "qualified privilege." This means that courts have narrowly construed the right of jour­ nalists to print potentially defamatory materials, re­ gardless of the truth or falsehood of the claims.

Here in Quebec, the media is still unprotect­ ed from defamation suits, unlike in Ontario where new guidelines will allow journalists to report oh defamatory material if it is in the public interest.

The Quebec Press Act, however, does allow news­ papers to avoid lawsuits by establishing good faith with printed retractions and column space for

"The possibility exists that press outlets and publishing houses in Canada can be sued for libel, even when allegations are truthful." ment grounds, citing freedom of the press. How­ ever, because of their strong common law tradi­ tion, British and Canadian courts set a compara­ tively low bar for defamation suits, even when there is serious academic research or public interests at stake. As a result, the possibility ex­ ists that press outlets and publishing houses in Canada can be sued for libel, even when allega­ tions are truthful and have serious scholarly or journalistic merit.

Traditional common law in Canada has only recognized absolute freedom of the press when reporting on Parliament, provincial assemblies and judicial proceedings. In short, plaintiffs have no standing to sue for libel in such situations if the

defamed individuals to rebut charges. Ultimately, though, the Press Act does not protect journalists from defamation suits and thus unduly restricts the freedom of the press in the province and hampers robust debate about public issues.

At the very least, the guidelines carved out by the Ontario Court of Appeals should be­ come a national standard—one that finally gives the Canadian press the latitude they need to report on contentious issues of national inter­ est. It's high time that Canada caught up with other countries such as Australia, the United States and Britain in supporting the free flow of information and enforcing a strong tradition of journalistic freedom.*

D esig n E d ito rs

Samantha Chang Conor Graham design@mcgilltribune.com

OFF THE BOARD

For the Gouda the economy

A d v er tisin g M a n a g er

Paul Slachta advmgr@ssmu.mcgill.ca A d v er tisin g T y p es e t t er

Traci Johnson P u b lish er

Chad Ronalds C o n tributo rs

Kathryn Amey, Samay Bhachech, Lukas Bergmark, Charlie Cheng, Jessica, Dismont, Josh Fisher, Lindsay Frank, Fluge Galdones, Lena Gayraud, Michelle Geesaman, Emily Gennis, Kat Gibson, Jamie Goodman, David Levitz, Janet McMullen, Marine Moulin, Nebjosa Petrovic, Clare Pidsley, William Robinson, Adam Scotti, Sushmita Shivkumar, Laura Tindal, Danielle Trabsky, Ali Withers, Sarah Xu, Vladmir Zivkovic T ribu n e O ffic es

Editorial Shatner University Centre

Suite no, 3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3 A 1X9 T: 514398.6789 E: info@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Brown Student Building

Suite 1200,3600 McTavish Montreal, QC H3 A 1Y2 T: 514.398.6806 F: 514.398.7490

B yron T au

he Dairy Farmers of Canada have a T.V. ad that asks, “What if, one morning, the dairy farmers just didn't get up?"The commercial suggests that the result would be a national crisis in the form of catastrophic shortages of milk, yogurt and cheese, before concluding,"Canadian dairy: here for good."

However, a recent Montreal Gazette editorial notes that Canadian dairy farmers would be bet­ ter off sleeping in. Their public sophistry has led to trade polices designed to protect their industry from foreign competition to the magnitude of tariff barriers as high as 300 per cent on imported dairy products. These high trade barriers cost Canadian consumers $4.2-billion in higher prices, all to pro­ tect the mythos of the Canadian farmer—whose operation is so inefficient that costs are 250 per cent higher in Canada than abroad, and whose trade group has essentially conned the public into subsidizing such waste.

Farm policy is not the only economic error that voters make. In his 2007 book The M y th o f th e R a tio n a l Voter, economist Bryan Caplan argues that voter ignorance and paranoia manifests itself in four specific economic misapprehensions: an anti-mar­ ket bias that fears open competition, an anti-foreign bias that fears overseas competition, a “make-work" bias that fears greater efficiency at the expense of jobs and a pessimistic bias that sees constant eco­ nomic peril lurking around every corner.

T

Where do these popular misconceptions come from and why do they persist? Few serious economists doubt the benefits of the new, global­ ized 21st century economy. Comparative advan­ tage—the idea that free trade benefits all state actors involved— is essentially a mathematically demonstrable concept (albeit with a few notable exceptions). In the United States, liberal Demo­ cratic economists and stalwart Republican ones are in near unanimous agreement on the benefits of free trade. Republican partisan Alan Greenspan had nothing but praise for Bill Clinton's economic team in a recent TV appearance and Clinton's liberal economic advisors constantly cautioned against the protectionist policies demanded by important Democratic constituents like unions.

Yet voters in the United States, Canada and Europe—where capitalism and free exchange have brought an unparalleled standard of living and un­ precedented levels of economic development—all continue to fear that open exchange will bring economic ruin and continue to support backward polices that close borders and "protect" jobs from foreign competition.

Canadians would see lower prices in the su­ permarket if dairy tariffs were repealed, yet many voters intrinsically accept the argument that subsi­ dies and tariffs mean lower prices and guaranteed supply, when the opposite is true.

Likewise, when it comes to losing jobs abroad,

or buying "foreign" products, consumers are just as likely to commit basic economic errors in judgment.

"No one loses sleep over the trade balance between California and Nevada, or me and iTunes,”writes Ca­ plan."[We] only commit the balance of trade fallacy when other countries enter the picture." This dis­ trust of foreign trade, coupled with the pessimistic nature of voters means that populist demagoguery about protecting domestic jobs and industries from foreign competition ends up as law and policy.

The market is sometimes a cruel mistress and global trade certainly has its winners and losers, but the modern welfare state was designed to offer a social safety net to those unable to contribute pro­ ductively. However, 2Y' century voters have gone beyond asking for temporary state protection from the ups and downs of the market. Rather, they ex­ pect that the state will protect their industries from unsavoury foreign competition and ensure that no jobs are outsourced overseas, by demanding a combination of tariffs and domestic subsidies.

These policies, however, are ultimately stifling and backwards and end up costing the taxpayer, the consumer and the employer much more than open borders; never mind their inherent wastefulness and inefficiency.

Its high time that we let sleeping farmers lie and get our dairy products elsewhere. And it's also time for voters to wake up and smell the free-market coffee. ■

The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society of McGill University in collaboration with the Tribune Publication Society. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the _ Students'Society or McGill University. Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor's name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by theTribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions.

Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

8 • The McGill Tribune • 11.20.07

Letters to the editor Improving bedside manners

In reading the article "Improving bedside manner” (13.11.07), I by Carolyn Yates, I was mortified to read how my words had been misinterpreted. I was reluctant to comment on the lecture when I first approached for exactly this reason, and now regret having I done so. While I am sure there was no ill will on Ms. Yates's part, 1 there definitely was misunderstanding. If in the interests of balance I a critical view was required, I am dismayed that it was my com­ ments that were used as such. To begin with, I never said I thought 1 the lecture was "shallow" On the contrary, I believe the first thing I I said was that I thought the lecture was wonderful, or some equally positive adjective. I did say I thought it strange that the idea of nar­ rative medicine was being presented as something new (if indeed I it is—perhaps this is my own misunderstanding), because I feel it I is self-evident that listening to a patient's story is part of the key to the patient. I meant this, not as a criticism of Dr. Charon's work, but rather as alt's about time'kind of comment, as in it's about time we hear from a doctor who not only listens, but teaches their students the importance of good listening skills. I mentioned that I came to the lecture after my eye caught the title: Art and the Art of Medicine on the McGill Web site, and that both as ar graduate of Fine Arts and as a patient, this sounded very interesting to me. Even if some frustrated "patient" experience came through in my voice, this is 1 the spirit of what I said. In closing, I would like to apologize to Dr. Charon for the comments which appeared in The McGill Tribune, which in no way reflect my opinion of her heartfelt and important : work. I have nothing but admiration for Dr. Charon for taking the . lead in advocating a return to the art of the art of medicine, using both narrative and listening strategies to strengthen the doctor, patient relationship. I would also like to apologize to Ms. Yates for I having agreed to attempt a lucid interpretation on the magnitude of Dr. Charon's lecture, when in truth, I felt unprepared to do so. I hope that there is sufficient space in your next issue to correct the misunderstanding. Sincerely, —Christine Sgherri Student Affairs Cooridinator, Schulich School of Music Tribune should butt out of democratic process

Upon opening last week's edition of theTribune ("Get out and vote now"i3.ii.07), I was somewhat troubled to see that theTribune I decided to take an editorial stance on the motions to be discussed j at the Special General Assembly. I do believe that it is appropriate for a newspaper to take a stance on a general issue, such as going on strike or lobbying for a student-parent status. However, given the nature of general assemblies, taking a position on specific mo­ tions is ill-conceived. First, the substance of motions is not set in stone. They can be amended, and in the case of the Special General Assembly some of the motions were significantly changed. Tak­ I ing a stance on a given motion ahead of time denies this reality.

Moreover, the idea behind a general assembly is to get the general membership of an organization to come out and debate the issues, propose amendments and come to a decision which is amenable to as many people as possible. It is not simply a referendum where one comes to vote in person, it is a dynamic forum where members can actively participate. I encourage the editorial board to recog­ nize this distinction and in the future refrain from taking a direct stance on specific motions.

—Devin Alfaro Arts Rep to SSMU U3 sociology &urban systems

I

Animal abolitionists fight exploitation

Nov. 6 opinion article "My beef with vegetarians." (06.11.07) Humans and nonhumans share similar interests in living, avoiding pain and suffering, and not being the property of others. Since we all share these same interests, it is unethical to not respect them and to con­ tinue to exploit nonhumans for human purposes.The fundamental issue here is not whether a pig is treated "ethically”, but that the only reason a pig exists today is to be exploited for her meat. Nonhumans are slaves of humans. We share many mental characteristics with nonhumans as a result of evolution and McGill researchers proved the fact that mice feel empathy for one another.This shows that the emotions and fear you limit to humans undoubtedly exist in non­ humans as well. While we do have separate interests, we share fun­ damental ones that make it unethical to support the exploitation of nonhumans whether for purposes of their being food, clothing, en­ tertainment, or product testers. I encourage you to visit an exhibit currently on display until the end of this month in the McLennan Library entitled Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach by Prof.

Gary L. Francione presented by McGill Animal Liberties.

—Emma Chait Ui anthropology Reader might have Ben a bit hasty

Following up on Megan Kennedy's and Lucas Kilravey's angry responses to the responses of those angered by Ben Lemieux's column (how post-modern...) "("Letters to the Editor," 13.11.07), I would like to propose a truce. I admit it, my first letter was a little bit righteous. But I think the issue at hand deserves to be treated with more maturity. I was disappointed to see that neither Kennedy nor Kilravey addressed the original offense, and decided instead to get angry at those who were offended. I was also saddened to see that Mr. Kilravey, in an attempt to fight bigotry and hatred, is perpetrating exactly that. While he is right that there is hatred stemming from Québécois nationalist websites, to call modern Quebec society (or a part it) "neo-fascist" is itself a way of imposing another, more powerful taboo—that of political correctness. Per­ haps Mr.Kilravey should monitor Don Cherry, Diane Francis and Jan Wong, who for some reason are allowed to be openly spiteful and dismissive towards Quebec. Can you name anyone on French CBC (or at La Presse or LActualité) who spews racist views openly? The truth is, there is bigotry on both sides of the fence, and we should try and deal with it rather than clothe ourselves in moral superiority.

I think we should all meet and talk about it over a beer —we could all learn something. But I think Ben Lemieux should be the one to initiate this. After all, he's the one who screwed up in the first place.

—JoëlThibert Master of Urban Planning, 07', B.A., 04' A reality check for Conservatives

Tim Mak's opinion article on charity displays a typical Conser­ vative lack of insight into the realities of modern Canadian society ("Compassion Incf13.11.07). Privatized social assistance in some areas may be applicable but in general it lacks scope. Private charities are better suited for small homogenous communities. Canadians are a mobile diverse society who living in more than one city, changing jobs and life-styles.Therefore we need expansive standardized cov­ erage which voluntary community based organizations might be unable to provide. Voluntarism and community programs (while admirable) are better suited for small, pre-modern communities, not advanced and dynamic urban societies. No wonder conserva­ tives can't break into Canada's largest cities.

—James Young U3 political science and economics

Redmen on the war path over "Last Call" preview

I was personally angered and insulted by the “promotion" of the Men's Volleyball game in last week's Last Call (13.11.07). I would like to ask Aaron Sigal and Matt Chesser: what was the point of advising fans not to attend the game? Did you need a little ego boost by bashing our team? If either of you hadloothered to do any research you would have learned that that the one set we won came in our last game, in which we also lost one set 3i-29.The Redmen Volleyball team is a young team building for the future and we would appreciate some support or at the very least not to be mocked and derided. If you are unable to do that, then we will be more than happy to promote our games, as those who have actu­ ally watched the team and know its members, know that we are far from uninspiring and that the hardwork and dedication we, and all j j other sports teams at McGill, put in is worth respecting.

—Ed O'Dwyer jj; Libero Redmen Volleyball Charity is not a blood sport

Can someone please explain to me why Timothy Mak thinks donating to non-profit organizations is a blood sport ("Compas­ sion Inc. 11/13/07)? Why can't the private and public sectors work in conjunction with one and other to support worthy causes in society? Mr. Mak grounds much of his argument in the notion that "privately-funded non-profit organizations have the advantage of constantly being in competition with one another." Is this really the case? I'm pretty sure the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation couldn't care less what the books look like down at Tree Canada. He goes on to claim that while privately funded NPO's have to prove their results on the ground to maintain a stream of donations, publicly funded ones don't. In reality, there are a plethora of non-profit or­ ganizations which rely on public funds to survive and if they fail to show results, that funding can be cut and shuffled off to another j§ cause - take Participaction, for example, which was-practically shut down by Liberal funding cuts, only to be brought back under the Conservatives. Perhaps most perplexing of all, though, is Mr. Mak's view that people won't volunteer or donate if they believe the gov­ ernment is aiready involved in aiding the cause. "The prevalence of a sense of community and individual responsibility is declining all over our country and social spending is to blame." How can this be stated as a fact? Mr. Mak seems to believe the private and public secwtor are locked in some bitter life and death struggle to see who j j gets the right to give. Support from the private and public sectors aren't mutually exclusive. United Way is one of the largest non-prof­ it organizations in North America and it relies on both government partnerships and community support. I can see Mr. Mak working: straining to apply the basic principles of classical economics to an industry it was never meant to cover. What he is really trying to do here is take the argument that privately funded institutions are more efficient than publicly funded ones, and apply that to chari­ table organizations.That may work for hospitals, but it doesn't work for charities. The reason privately funded institutions are more ef­ ficient is that they end up being run for profit, unleashing a variety of cost-cutting and profit maximization practices that increase effi­ ciency. The very title, non-profit organization, completely precludes them from engaging in this type of organizational behaviour. Sure, charities want to limit costs to be able to get as much as possible done with their limited resources. But that's just as true of publicly funded NPO's as it is for private ones.

—Charlie Blore f j Alumnus, political science and economics FormerTribune sports editor

Don't just switch to "happy meat", Kat! This is a response to the

PARRY & THRUST

Chitty Chitty Bang-Bang vs. The Love Boat C onor G raham and J ohn S emley John turns the key: Cars have four wheels. How many wheels do

boatshave?That'sright,none.Doyouhatewheels,Conor?lsthatyour prerogative? What about the rich, storied history of the wheel, from its Sumerian origins to the introduction of spokes and Journey's "Wheel in the Sky"? Newsflash, John Q. Pleasure-craft: wheels are better than no wheels. Why do you think wheels were invented? Do you not think the latest invention is the best inven­ tion? You obviously hate the American autoworker.

Conor hoists the mainsail: Listen John, I'm not disputing the

wonderment that is wheel, but this argument is about cars. Cars have wheels, but they are a single component of what constitutes one of those dirty hobo tractors. A boat, on the other hand, can have o n ly one component: the hull. It's true that most boats have motors or sails or velvet futons on which to make sea babies, but that's just gravy.The hull is what really makes a boat. Oh shit, I'm in the middle of nowhere, possibly in some water, what single thing do I want? Is it a wheel, so I can marvel at it while some creature, possibly a shark, gnaws my junk off? No. It's a boat. The HMS fuckyou-ând-your-combustimobile.

John speeds up: Guess where there are no sharks? Roads. And

speaking of roads, those crafty Japanese have developed a sing­ ing roadIThat's right. A road that sings! Don't ask me how it works, I'm not a scientist. All I know is that when you drive on this road, it sings. You can probably even back up and go forward again really

fast and do some sick DJ Spooky shit. If you want to hitch your boat up to my car, I can take you for a drive down the singing road. But you'll have to sit in your dinghy. I'll be up front in my car, which is unsinkable.

Conor fires a broadside: Hey, that shark thing was hypothetical;

we all know they aren't real. Sharks were created by dolphins to create the illusion of heroics when they protect swimmers from 'the denizens of the deep.' Also, we've all seen YouTube video, that road only works if you're travelling at a sad 24 knots (that's 45 km/h, by the way). Everyone knows that speed = virility, but apparently, the Japanese, those sandal-wearing goldfish tenders, don't like to move fast. Also, I'd like to point out the discrepancy in nautical (that means concerning sailors and navigation, by the way) and highway laws. If it floats, you can probably take it out to international waters and shoot some manatees, but if a car tries to be three lanes wide and shaped like a wedge of cheese, it'll get pulled over by Johnny Law before you can blink.

John shifts into high gear: Keep rollin', rollin', rollin', w h a tl Remem­

ber that scene in Fa st Tim es where Phoebe Cates is skinny-dipping and Judge Rheinhold is pulling his goalie while wearing a pirate costume? What song is playing, Captain Nemo? Yeah. “Moving in Stereo"by the Cars. Fuck they had some good tunes."She's my best friend's girl, she's my best friend's girl, but she used to be.. .mine.

She's so fi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yiiiine." Or how's about "Let the Good Times

Roll"? That song is so true, man. What were you talking about? Oh yeah, fuck boats.

Conor goes M ia m i Vice: Bullshit, you just proved the best thing about boats: they aren't for the common man. There are lots of greasy chunks of Americana loaded with car refer­ ences because the automobile has gone from a luxury item to something so common-place that even I might some­ day own one. The boat is still a true status symbol. The fact is that there are just too many traffic rules for land vehicles.

Sure there are 'luxury' cars, but do they have a tennis court, butler and your own wax statue of James Earl Jones? Both Bill Gates and Warren Buffett own boats and they're billionaires. And that white trash confederate going out to gigger some crawdads in his swamp? He's the richest of them all.

John refuses to drive 55 -."Here in m y car, I feel sa fe st o f all, I ca n lock all m y doors, It's th e on ly w a y to live, In c a rs/ Here in m y car, I ca n on ly receive, I ca n listen to y o u , It keeps m e sta b le for days, In cars." What

do you listen to when you're sucking your sweetheart's face in the rumble seat of your dad's sloop, Conor? "Don't Pay the Ferryman"

by Chris deBurgh on HAM radio? You're fucking ridiculous.

Conor drops anchor: First of all, it's CB radio now, jackass. 10-4?

Percentage of earth covered by water: 70.8 per cent. Percentage covered by land: your mom. Checkmate. ■

-------------Student L iving h ea lth

H ib ernatio n is for b ears, not for h u m an s Some little things to add to the day in order to avoid SADness M eghna M arjadi

the sun can help your mood.

Keep your house happy: The sun rises

The sun currently sets at around 430 p.m., which means that by the time most of us leave classes daylight is gone. While for many the winter brings only a little lethargy and a crav­ ing for hot chocolate, for others it brings de­ pression, oversleeping and social withdrawal.

Those who have seemingly more intense 'winter blues'may be experiencing a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder. Among the symptoms previously mentioned, SAD is also associated with a weakened immune system during the winter, anxiety and overeating. In the winter there is less light; light quantity af­ fects melanonin which affects seratonin; high seratonin causes happy feelings and low sera­ tonin causes sad feelings. Since SAD depends on light quanity, the treatment includes vari­ ous methods of increasing light exposure. Ac­ cording to the SAD Association of England, the onset of SAD occurs between the ages of 18 and 30, which means that your college years are the prime time for these problems to begin manifesting themselves. Below are some ways to keep your mood bright and sunny during even the darkest months of the year.

Brave the weather: The days are short and cold and once the temperature drops most of us spend unhealthy amounts of time strategizing our walks in order to spend minimal time outside. The easiest way to avoid feeling the winter blues is to stop hi­ bernating and get outside. Even a short 10 minute walk or lounging on a bench in

at about 7:00 a.m. each morning during the winter and sets between 430 and 5:00 p.m.

Instead of using artificial light during this time, try to use natural light. Open the blinds early in the morning and tr.y to keep windows free of obstacles to let the best light into your house.

Try to sit near a window in the library, or in class, although the latter is barely ever possible given McGill's aversion to putting windows in classrooms.

Follow your routine: One of the most debilitating symptoms of SAD is unexplain­ able, fatigue and the urge to curl up in a ball and avoid leaving the house. Fight this! Keep going to the gym if you usually do, or start exercising a bit if you didn't before. Exercise is constantly praised for its benefits in quelling mood disorders and it releases endorphins.

If the trip to the gym still seems daunting try doing something at home like jumping rope or yog'a.

Stay calm: This is much easier said than done when finals are right around the corner.

Stress can make winter blues worse and cause you to burrow into your down comforter in front of the television and eat ice cream until the sun comes back. Try to take deep breaths, plan out your day and talk to people if you're feeling blue. This will help you keep yourself from falling into depression.

Keep going out: Yes, it's freezing and it seems stupid to wear nice clothes under your Eskimo coat and furry hat, but keeping social

is important. The more you avoid social situ­ ations because they involve leaving hiberna­ tion, the more you burrow into your own world. Friends will keep you up when you are dragging yourself down.

Get help: Remember, SAD can become a very serious mood disorder. If you feel your

winter blues are no longer manageable, see a professional. The McGill Counselling ser­ vice has walk-in hours from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. A counsellor may rec­ ommend treatment with light boxes, which dispatch bright light and have been proven successful, or certain antidepressants. ■

P. WINBERG

Winter blues bringing you down? Don't hibernate, bundle up and get outdoors!

University of Ottawa

G rad u ate stud ies in public and international affairs

It starts here.

Created in 2007, the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs is one of a kind: • An innovative program w here public policy and international affairs com e together • Cutting-edge research and high quality teaching by world class scholars and on-site practitioners bringing exceptional experience • The only bilingual program o f its kind w here you may study in either of Canada's tw o official languages • Located in the heart of the national capital, an ideal place for theory and practice to com e together in preparation for a career in public and international affairs.

nm u Ottawa L’Université canadienne Canada’s university

For information on programs and admission: www.socialsciences.uOttawa.ca/api | 613-562-5689

10 • Student Living • 11.20.07

HOW TO

Spice up your hot cocoa Warm drinks will make you warm all over, if not a little bloated Peppermint: Candy-cane flavoured hot chocolate adds some winter cheer to the drink. Add a few drops of peppermint oil to your hot chocolate or chop up some mint leaves and add them to the mix. Put a candy cane ip your mug for decoration.

Peanut butter: If you like Reese's, this one is for you. Add a tablespoon of peanut butter to cocoa powder, sugar and a little bit of milk. Heat the mixture on the stove top for a short time and then add the remainder of the milk. Stir and enjoy.

White hot chocolate: This one is a little more complicated.

Finely chop about one and a half ounces of white chocolate.Heat up a cup of milk until it's bubbling a little bit on the edges but not boiling. Immediately pour the hot milk over the white chocolate. Mix everything with a whisk. Sprinkle some cinna­ mon on top for decoration.

Orange: You can easily whip up the drinkable version of those chocolate balls shaped like oranges then this one is for you. Add orange to the cocoa powder and pour hot milk over the mixture.

M e g h n a M arjadi

With temperatures dropping,'Christmas decorations in every store and snow on the horizon, it's no surprise that hot cocoa is once again taking its place as a favourite winter drink. Though plain old cocoa never seems to get boring, here are some ways to change up this winter standard. You may just whip up a new favourite.

Real chocolate: Instead of turning to packaged hot cocoa, use two ounces of unsweetened chocolate. Heat up the milk, until bubbles form on the edges, almost but not quite to a boil.

Then whisk in the chocolate, which should be finely chopped.

Brown sugar: Replace white sugar with brown to sweeten the cocoa little bit more and get a slightly different taste.

Spicy:,The Aztecs pioneered this one and although it sounds strange, it can be quite tasty and warming. Add a little bit of cay­ enne pepper to your hot chocolate. The amount you add is de­ pendent on your tolerance but. a pinch is a good place to start.

Coffee: If you need that extra kick there's nothing wrong with adding a little coffee to your drink. Make a cup of hot chocolate and then add a cup of coffee. Add sugar to taste.

Fluffy fun: Add marshmallows or whipped cream to make a mug of chocolate elixir more exciting. It will remind you of all those cups of hot chocolate Mom made after you came home from sledding.

Liquor: If cutting and chopping minute amounts of choco­ late or plant extracts isn't for you, let the alcohol conglomerates do it! You can buy sweet liquors in almost any flavour and there's always that added bonus of getting a wee Christmas buzz. If regular mint is starting to bore you, a mix of Creme de Men­ the and Goldschlager mimicks the world's best Christmas mint.

Grand Marnier, Kahlua, and a drop of Chambord are the old standards, but if you're looking for something special, try the famous chocolate eggnog. Add some whipping cream and some white rum or brandy, and then a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger for the finishing touch.

POD PEOPLE

I w ant money!

Three

Songs for Campaign Mcgill

Unbeatable Prices!

Despite protest from those opposed to an education funded by private donors, it seems as if the Campaign is mov­ ing forward undaunted. Here are some tunes to help keep the mercury in that fundraising thermometer rising!

One low monthly fixed price keeps life simple!

Unlimited Calling

Call Anywhere in Canada for

lndudes Canada & USA

C a ll 5 1 4 4 4 8 9 2 0 5 Sign-up online at www.worldline.ca soy "The McGill Tribune" when asked!

$

>

9

per mthfiat rate

$ JL 1

0

.

9

5

r t b t t n e call

& the

Crowns

5

^

per mthflat rate

in partnership with

T

Thompson Free Money— Patti Smith Dinero—Joe King Carrasco

Unlimited Calling

Call the World

(Everybody Wanna Get Rich) Rite Away—Dr. John Bankrupt on Selling—Modest Mouse Blood Money— Eyehategod Cash Down Never Never—Richard

mmm

lui iisiim it tw

*DSL free long distance and dial up accounts only available in certain cities in Ontario & Quebec. * Call the World does not include all international countries, call or visit website for complete list. *A $10 annual fee applies -Check website for complete terms & conditions.

Easy Money— King Crimson Pay Your Rates—The Fall C.R.E.A.M.—Wu-Tang Clan Money For Nothing— Dire Straits Up For Sale—The (International) Noise

Conspiracy Dancing For Money—Talking Heads God's Away on Business—Tom Waits Gimme Some Money—Spinal Tap Sixteen Tons—Tennessee Ernie Ford — C o m p ile d b y J o h n Sem ley.

F

EA T U R ES

A

PIL L

F D R

E V E R Y

IL L ?

The

ambiguity of the pharmaceutical industry if you want to weigh the balance it's probably going to be more negative than good,"says Cohen-Kohler.

C a r o l y n Y ates

Most of us pop a pill on a daily basis and whether for chronic pain or a headache, we normally don't think any­ thing else of it. However, everything from the pill you're tak­ ing to the reasons you're taking it might be influenced by someone else. The patient-doctor-drug-company link has become a complex issue due to the nature of advertising laws, prescribing habits and methods of drug education.

"There are techniques that pharmaceutical manufac­ turers [use] to influence behaviour,” says University of Vic­ toria drug policy researcher Alan Cassels. Everything from "the way they set the research questions [to] funding] the clinical trials. When those trials are done, they use them to do presentations and to otherwise influence the physicians." While Cassels suggests that the actions of pharmaceutical companies fall off the radar of legislation or regulatory purviews, the extent to which this is a reality is a contentious subject.

DTCAs are the champions

Direct-to-consum er advertising (DTCA) involves advertising prescriptiononly drugs directly to the patients-turnedconsumers. Illegal in Canada, but thriving in the U.S., the pharmaceutical industry spends over $4-billion a year on DTCA—an amount that has been growing since it first took off in 1996.

While companies are restricted in terms of the content of their ads, that doesn't prevent Canadians from seeing the ads in imported American media.

"There are different laws in the United States that apply and it's far more liberal," explains Profes­ sor Jillian Clare Cohen-Kohler, of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. "It's a funny situa­ tion where even though our own laws and regulations don't permit as much advertising as we see, we're still get­ ting it through television and other mediums which can transcend borders."

Canadian companies have managed to subvert the law by running "disease awareness"ads, which never actu­ ally explain what the drug does, but which usually entice the patient-consumer with the phrase "talk to your doctor."

One example is the 2003 Viagra commercial which fea­ tures the following series of images: A shining sun, a pas­ ture of green grass, a clear, blue sky, white-washed houses standing neatly in a row and very, very happy men jump­ ing around ecstatically— even orgasmically—to Queen's "We are the Champions." The phrase "talk to your doctor" appears in small letters at the bottom of the screen, al­ though the T.V. does not explicitly name the product. The ambiguity of drug advertising strikes again.

While informing patients about prescriptions that are available to them is not necessarily harmful, some academ­ ics insist that there can be such a thing as too much in­ formation— particularly when it negatively impacts other aspects of medical care.

"That's the problem— people are getting bombard­ ed with information that they may not necessarily need.

On the other hand, some direct-to-consumer advertising might be beneficial. I don't want to say all of it's bad, but

HUGEGALDONES

Whose interests might these bottles represent?

And now, a word from our sponsors...

"When doctors are being lobbied, so to speak, by the pharmaceutical industry, they do tend to prescribe their drugs more, as studies have documented in recent years" ,says Cohen-Kohler. "They can be influenced by the phar­ maceutical industry in a variety of ways— if they're going to conferences sponsored by the industry, even if they have pens from the industry, or more obviously if they have lunches sponsored by the industry."

Presently, the pharmaceutical industry is involved in physician and drug rep education. However, the educa­ tors are often under the payroll of the company. Fur­ thermore, drug company influence compromises independent advice, which then compromises patient benefits.

"It's up to the doctor, to [each] individual practitioner, to counsel the patient appropri­ ately. There's lots of reasons why people d o need pills, notto say that people shouldn't be taking pills, but they need to be tak­ ing the right pill at the right time for the right condition,"says Cohen-Kohler.

Currently, no legislation regulates whether or not doctors can accept gifts from drug companies and proper regula­ tion of such actions remains to be seen.

"The main thing that c o u l d be regu­ lated is the need for transparency. Physi­ cians need to know that when an expert is speaking about a drug, that he's on the payroll of the company," says Cassels. n recent years, pharmaceutical companies have fallen under heavy criticism for their close links to doctors.

However, some argue that these links are over-valued and that to see doctors as accesories of the pharmaceutical companies is to incorrectly undermine their ability to treat and diagnose patients or, ultimately, to do their job.

Doctors are "free to make individual treatment de­ cisions based on their clinical judgment informed by evidence-based guidelines [from pharmaceutical compa­ nies]," says a spokesperson for the pharmaceutical com­ pany Amgen, Ashleigh Koss, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times Oct. 23,2007.

MICHELLE GLEESEMAN

There seems to be a pill to fix every imperfection.

Doctors, patients and patient-societies: the lovetriangle that knows no law

"Amgen has been working closely [...] to ensure that the information contained in the approved labelling for [erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, a medication] ac­ curately reflects the current state of knowledge of these important products and to develop a comprehensive and feasible clinical study program to complement our existing pharmacovigilance program," said Roger Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president of Research and Develop­ ment at Amgen, in a press release dated Nov. 8, 2007. "In the current label revisions, we have endeavored to include as much information as possible so physicians and their patients can make informed treatment decisions."

Professional associations and patient groups are cre­ ated to raise awareness and knowledge about their re­ spective diseases. They also provide support to victims or those who may be supporting victims and, more importantly, give advice to patients. This advice, however, can sometimes be affected by ex­ ternal factors such as material gifts. "[It] isn't controversial— in my world, it's pretty well-known— that the bulk of these patient groups receive some of their funding from drug companies," Cassels says.

All drug companies are linked to a professional association or patient group and the groups themselves may be linked to other interests.

"It's not just the drug companies.

The Osteoporosis Foundation gets a lot of money from the Dairy Foundation, because they think it's a feel-good message that women need to drink lots of milk to prevent osteoporo­ sis. Dairy companies want to make sure that mes sage gets prominence, even though it's controversial.

There are some physicians that say people with osteopo­ rosis should not drink dairy, [but] that message will never get through, because they're getting money from dairy lobbies,"Cassels says.

Companies, such as Amgen, assert that informed decision-making should be at the focus of prescrib­ ing habits and insist that they are vigilant about providing information.

Along with the barrage of external influences, the patients themselves are also playing an increasingly important role in prescription practices.

"The average American is exposed to ten drug ads per day on T.V. ten times a day. Some­ body in a very slick looking, highly produced, emotive advertisement is telling you that you have restless legs, you might have depression, you might have early signs of Alzheimer's," Cassels says.

"The sheer volume of this advertising is not mak­ ing people healthier. In fact, people probably distrust their own health and feel like they need a pill to be a better person."

The idea that there is a pill for ev­ erything is an easy one and plays into a modern cultural need for instant, quickfix solutions.

"People are being conditioned to think that they need a pill for everything. [...] It's not so simple that we just pop pills, although the industry would like us to pop pills because then they sell their product, so we have to be very careful," Cohen-Kohler says.

As pills become specifically consumer products, the focus is drawn away from health.

It's all about the flow of information; between drug companies, doctors and patients, the question is not so much where the information is coming from, but the effect it has on those who know about it. ■

Keep on popping those pills

Campus

I FOOD FORTHOUGHT

'Freaky Friday7fossils

Fishy dishes

Redpath musuem club spreads the word

Real Omega 3

SILHOUETTE

J

a n et

M

c

M

u llen

L

If you've ever been the slightest bit curious as to what goes on behind the daunting wooden doors of the Redpath Museum, the student-run Redpath Museum Club might just have the answer. One of the most his­ torically rich museums in Canada, the Redpath Museum is an integral part of the McGill campus and, as of recent­ ly, the basis of one of the most involved organizations on campus.

The Redpath Museum Club was founded in 2005 by Donald Fowler, a student with an ambition to integrate the museum into student life. In just two years, the club has grown to 100 active members involved in multiple ongoing projects. The ultimate goal of the organization is to raise student awareness about this unrecognized re­ source that is both."part of our school and our heritage," says Deborah Flayek, U3 anthropology and social studies of medicine, who is an active member of the club.

All of the activities and projects are conducted based on the club's goal to spread appreciation for the museum. Currently, members of the Redpath Museum Club give guided tours to the public on Sunday after­ noons, participate in a book club and organize lecture series and workshops, such as their popular "Freaky Fri­ days," during which McGill professors discuss popular science myths.

In addition to ongoing activities, the club is cur­ rently involved in developing an audio guide system for the museum to enhance the interactive experience for visitors. To make the audio guides as student-friendly as possible, the Redpath Museum Club is eagerly seeking creative input and suggestions from all students.

Not only is the Redpath Museum Club involved with promoting awareness among McGill students, they also draw in Montreal elementary school students. Periodical­ ly, members of the club visit elementary schools around the city, with the aid of a "big box full of cool stuff," says Flayek.The members explain the items in the box, teach­ ing the kids about the museum in hopes of generating

I I I |

in d s a y

F

ran k

Good, fresh fish is easy to cook and good for you, so there's no excuse to avoid eating it. Salmon in particular is often touted as a "wonder food"for its abundance of nutrients, especially omega-3 fatty acids. Wild salmon has a higher nutrient content than farmed and you're better off buying frozen wild salmon than poor quality fresh filets. But how to judge quality? For one thing, fresh fish should never smell 'fishy'. Look for an orange to red color, a slight sheen and avoid fish that exposes ragged cut edges. For those with time and inclination, a fish market on Roy, off of St. Laurent, has many selections of fresh and sushi-grade fish.

I

Ingredients

.

7 lb sa lm o n ,

7 c lo v e garlic, m in c e d 3 tb sp s o y s a u c e 3 2/3 (2 tsp) tb sp b ro w n s u g a r

7 tb sp le m o n ju ic e 2 tb sp o liv e o il

I

I 1.

2.

3.

| ’ SARA YOUSEFNEJAD

This scary friend is showcased at Redpath museum. excitement about the collections.

The Redpath Museum Club, while being one of the few science-based clubs on campus, is open to students from any faculty, according to club President Amberene Chunara, U2 microbiology and immunology.

The museum itself can be a great inspiration for papers and projects in all courses, in addition to serving its purpose as a resource for information pertinent to spe­ cific courses such as anthropology and evolution. "[Members] can be part of shaping the museum itself, which is a rare opportunity because, most of the time, museums are set in stone, or you need a Ph.D. to be able to be part of the process," explains Hayek.

Chunara agrees, adding that being a part of this club has been an "eye­ opening experience." ■

■

l

I

Season salmon filets with lemon pepper. In a small bowl, combine garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice and olive oil. If marinade is too thick or if you desire a more subtle flavour, stir in 1 tbsp water.

Pour marinade over salmon in a ziplock bag. Marinade for at least 4 hours.

Preheat over to 400°F. Wrap each salmon filet into separate foil packet, folding up the ends but leaving a little space open at the top. Bake for 15 min. or until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Serves 4. *To make a sauce: pour excess marinade (or make up a separate batch) into a saucepan; heat and thicken with a couple teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of water. Pour over salmon and serve with rice.

V Arts

Pop Montreal: The Most Serene Re­ BetweèSjjhe Beats: Jàfiy Blacl public and Young Galaxy from Arts Featurëfflook for ouTflAst f ^tofyrCbfajng sobrt! &Crafts News

P o d c a s t in g

Special General Assembly: SSMU Council singing "Rocket Man" and jp É É ÎI Du dings named after Star Trek chafâcters...this is one G.A. you Ctûffî W * ! » miss!

Get TVMcGill downloaded right into your !T<in駧îttd Check out alFtfeÉ$etails at www tvmcgill.com

p a t h M u s e u m c lu b a n d th e m u s e u m

Sports

http://redpathmuseumclub.wordpress.com

ftedmenvs. Stingers: % % F {h e McG i i l l i w y kick soml^Concordia ass at the Bell Centre.

TVM's annual film festival is coming next semester, so getthose cameras rolling! email vpexternal@tvmcgill. com for more info!

or

Film Festival

e -m a il

re d p a th m u s e u m c !u b @

g m a il.c o m . A d m is s io n to th e m u s e u m is free fo r stu d e n ts. T h e n e x t Frea ky SARA YOUSEFNEJAD

They're hiding dead bodies on campus!

< a

z

LU <

F rid a y w o r k s h o p is e n title d ‘T h e B e a st o f B e a u ty ' a n d is h a p p e n in g N ov. 23 fro m 4 :0 0 -6 :3 0 p.m .

T h u rsd a y

W ed n esd ay

T uesd ay

M W 1 V n F rid a y

Sunday

S a tu rd a y

Understanding Stigma: HIV/AIDS in South Asia Tuesday, Nov 20, S30-7:oop.m„ Moot Court, Chancellor Day Hall law building (3644 Peel).

There will be refreshments following the panel.

1 9

2 0 i

21

2 2

2 3

2 4

2 6

2 7

2 8

2 9

3 0

31

.. 2 5

u

l/)

D CL < u

|

P in ch o f le m o n p e p p e r

itself, visit th e d u b 's b lo g a t

M onday

|

c u t in to 4 f le ts (preferably w ith skin rem o ved )

To learn m o r e a b o u t th e R e d ­

oc

|

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 T ribune office in Shatner 110.

1

I |

i .

I J

“ A rts & E ntertainment FILM

Finally, a film festival that isn't boring Daryl Gold talks butt plugs, booze and all that jism D

a n ie l l e

T

rabsky

Have you ever used a highlighter to reach orgasm? It seems that these magical pens are not only useful for studying, but can also penetrate any orifice for pleasure. One must be careful, however, when employing such an object as a sexual toy. According to a young woman interviewed in Kat-I's S e x T oy Stories, using highlighters for sexual gratification can be quite dangerous, especially because when the highlighter is finally removed, the cap will most likely be stuck inside.

S e x Toy S to ries is a short confessional film about sexual escapades with toys which will be one among many featured in the 2007 line up of Darryl's Hard Liquor and Porn Film Fes­ tival. Running for the fourth year in Montreal, the festival promises to be entertaining, kinky and wildly delicious, celebrating and ridiculing

Darryl Gold, the genius behind the festi­ val, came up with the idea when he organized a Halloween party seven years ago. Bored with the monotonous party scene in Toronto, Gold wanted to hold a gathering that "people would actually want to go to."To spice things up, he instructed his friends to bring clips from their favourite porn film. While drinking delec­ table cocktails, Gold and his friends gathered to watch the clips. As it turned out, one of his friends had taken the instructions a little fur­ ther and had composed a short porn parody titled P a in t J o b .

Delighted by such creativity, Gold thought that DIY porn "is what we should all be doing." The following year he ex­ panded on this idea and began running a festival in Toronto dedicated to short films about sex. Now in its seventh year, the fes­ tival has dramatically grown in popularity.

COURTESY INGRID HAMILTON

A particularly a-peel-ing scene from a 2007 entry.

and hopes that the festival will continue to expand globally.

This year, Gold is particularly looking for­ ward tothe Montreal festival,especially because "we're doing the 69 hour film challenge."While there remains the regular line up of short films that will be screened, Gold is also opening the floor to anyone who wants to create a spoof on sex.

"My criteria is that the film needs to be funny, entertaining, under four minutes and not boring,” he said, adding that he is not in­ terested in hardcore porn because "people would get bored after five minutes." Rather, Gold is hoping for films that have some sort of "emotional impact."

In preparation for the contest, Gold and his collaborators will release a list often items to get the challenge started. Filmmakers must incorporate at least three of the ten items in their film. Last year, the items included phrases such as "I'm going to stick this baby Jesus up your ass," which cropped up in a conversation between Gold and friend a week before he devised the list. Other items that have been included are whipped cream, two people in a shower and sexy boots.

"Well either get great stuff or unplayable crap," Gold said, admitting that he has no idea how the challenge will turn out. With the rise of new media, private filmmaking has become more accessible and mainstream and he feels that the effects of this can be both positive and negative.Somepeople"reallyshouldn'tbegiven such access," he said, recalling'a bizarre entry he received last year of a giant burrito that ate Salt Lake City.

In keeping with previous years, the fes­ tival will maintain its fun and flirtatious dress code of'Pornstar Casual.'

"Pornstar Casual allows people to dress up and feel like a pornstar." Gold said. While no nudes have yet to show up to the event, Gold explained that there have been some "almost naked" costumes, such as one man at the Toronto festival this year who wore

COURTESY INGRID HAMILTON

The dude behind all the depravity: Gold. nothing but a cowboy hat and an elephanthead-thong. Gold also recalls a group of women who shoved giant wigs down their pants so that they appeared to have exces­ sive amounts of pubic hair sprawling out of their underwear.

According to producer Jill Rosenberg, the festival is a way to "learn about sex and what other people are doing in the bedroom." All the featured films parody sexual experiences from multiple subject positions. Films to look out for include A b o u t T o w n , a description of a house with a twist and S e e S a w , a pseudo hor­ ror short animated with Lego. The festival will also feature a 3D film O u r H o r n y m o o n by Gold and Rosenberg. ■ D arryl's H a r d L iq u o r a n d P o rn Film F estiv a l 6 9 h o u r c h a lle n g e la u n c h e s N ov. 21 a t 6 :0 0 p.m . a n d s c r e e n in g s s t a r t N ov. 24 a t 9 :0 0 p .m . A ll e v e n ts a r e a t th e S o c ie t y fo r A rts a n d T e c h n o lo g y (1195

www.sat. qc.ca o r www.hardliquorandporn.com.

S t-L a u re n t). F o r m o r e in fo rm a tio n visit

POP RHETORIC

Will write for increased DVD K

You can't look, read or watch anything pertaining to the entertainment industry these days without constantly being reminded of the Writers Guild of America strike that is currently taking its toll on New York City and LA. I don’t know about you, but other than knowing that Ellen DeGeneres made the con­ troversial decision to cross the picket line, and that (sadly) I will not be seeing any new late night TV in the foreseeable future, I really didn't think about what this strike means for us Canadians.

I mean, there was a new episode of G ossip Girl on CTVTuesday night and Peter Petrelli had a few more shirtless scenes in H e­ roes this week.

Although right now the strike seems as though it doesn't affect us, prominent figures in Canadian television production warn that this strike may have substantial effects for us viewers.

And sooner than we realize.

On Oct. 31 the contracts were up for the WGA, and the writers brought to the bargaining table their dissatisfaction with the measly amount of royalties they receive from DVD sales. Currently, writers receive only four cents for every dollar spent on a DVD. They are requesting an increase so that they receive double what they are now entitled to. Yes, eight cents is all they are asking. And with the onslaught of the Internet downloading boom, writers are understandably demanding a slice of that pie as well. They are asking for the same eight-cent share of the ad dollars earned from online streaming and to be paid for both that and digital content. This would include any of

the fancy stuff on iPods and cell phones.

Julia Roberts may get paid $25-million dollars a movie, but who is writing the wit coming out of Erin Brockovich's mouth or creating the rich fiction behind the runaway bride? The writers and other production staff are getting paid next to nothing and most people download illegally by validating it to themselves on the basis that Julia already makes enough money. So what's a $20 DVD compared to her multi-million dollar empire? But we need to think about the little man in NBC's conglomerate, not the Jeff Zuckers of the company. Many shows have been firing their staff due to lack of production, especially at the NBC network. One recent article in the Los Angeles Times quoted a key grip from The O ffice as saying that as many as 106 pro­ duction staff have gotten the boot from NBC while the WGA strike continues.

Canadian writers seem to be showing solidarity with their U.S. counterparts, saying that the Internet and, more generally, all new forms of media, are markets that need to be closely watched by Canada as well. This is a bigger issue than just the writing; it reaches to the root of intellectual property law issues for the artists behind the media we enjoy without recogniz­ ing the real talent behind the scenes. We are still seeing new episodes of our favourite American dramas and soap operas because the stoi^ lines are written so far in advance that until January or February, at the earliest, we shouldn't be feeling the effect. Sitcoms, however, are normally not written as far in ad­

ath ryn

A

m ey

vance and may run out of new content before the end of 2007.

So television stations, including CTV, are now pushing new development of shows since the strikers show no sign of slowing down. And without American writers, you know what that means—game shows and reality shows. Welcome to The Hills everyone. NBC, ABC and other prominent chan­ nels have all began to rush game show development, bring­ ing forward some completely unoriginal and entirely ridicu­ lous ideas. Every single one of them has something to do with contestants strapping themselves to lie detectors and being quizzed on their personal lives, wagering on others exposing themselves, to dangerous stunts or watching D-list celebrities make a final attempt to reinvigorate their flat-lining careers.

And most of these are even based on formats developed by other countries. Clearly, the WGA writers are the intellect behind these conglomerates and without them, ABC is re­ duced to ripping off inane ideas from our neighbours across the pond.

And just as a side note for any loyal late night TV junkies, David "Deep Pockets" Letterman has recently announced his plans to pay his staff out of his own funds for the rest of the year while the Writers' Strike continues. However, on Friday it was reported that the producers and hosts of late night talk shows are currently in talks about going back on the air as soon as possible without having to pay any staff out of pocket. Not everyone is as generous as Dave. ■

14 • Arts & Entertainment • 11.20.07

The McGill Tribune

FILM

Hollywood's take on the epic poem Techno wizardry casts a hex on Beowulf SUSHM ITA S h IVKUMAR

How do you translate one of the first works in English—an epic poem, no less— into a major Hollywood film? Doing it in CGI and 3D is apparently the answer. Opening this weekend is Robert Zemeckis's B e o w u lf, Hollywood's version of the epic Anglo-Saxon poem, starring Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie and Ray Winstone.

WORSTPREVIEWS.COM

vealing too much about the movie, all the requisite Hollywood intrigues, shocking twists and gratuitous nudity are present. The characters are reduced to clichés as well: the wise and virtu­ ous queen whom Beowulf falls in love with, the evil seductress (Jolie), the deformed but pitiable monster and the pathetic king whom the titular hero must succeed.

The newest addition to Hollywood and possibly the one that will seduce the movie-making apparatus with the remorse­ less insistence of Grendel's mother is CGI technology. Computer generated imagery is used here to create a film in which all the characters look like they have been painted into a strange and fantastic world yet pop out at you in 3D. If you thought 3D involved paper-glasses with one red eye and one green one, think again. Paramount now hands out plastic 3D glasses that resemble sunglasses, and the IMAX theatre places you smack dab in the middle of all the action. It is impossible to not be entertained when arrows fly right at your eye, or a rat scurries towards you. Although, there is a certain glassiness in the actors' eyes, CGI has permitted the filmmakers to mould their charac­ ters in ways that allowed Jolie to shed the excess pounds of her three month pregnancy and appear on screen as characteristi­ cally smoking hot.

Although impressive, and probably a landmark for film-

Hopkins as Hrothgar the horrible.

The film begins much like the Old English epic, in a sixth century Danish mead-hall full of drunken, raucous merriment led by the great King Hrothgar (Hopkins). All this excitement, however, rouses a neighboring monster, Grendel. After the Danes are ravaged by his first attack, the Swedish hero Beowulf (Winstone) arrives on the scene, preceded by his gargantuan reputation, and vows to slay the beast.

It is at this point that the film begins to take great license with the narrative. The writers have taken the original story and turned it on its ear in typical blockbuster fashion. Without re­

WORSTPREVIEWS.COM

W0RSTPREVIEWS.COM

Rayngelina chewing the scenery in B e o w u lf. making, CGI and 3D are not enough to save the actual movie.

Anthony Hopkins, who is known for his restrained, yet power­ ful performances, gives what can only be called a very amateur portrayal of King Hrothgar. While this may be due to the chal­ lenges of shooting in live action and then being tinkered with, this stilted quality extends to all the others as well. Winstone's exaggerated posturing as Beowulf is the only performance that seems feasibly congruent with the story. Not much is required from Jolie's demon except to look quite naked and wicked which she does well, all while in a pair of devilish stilettos.

"What we need is a hero," says King Hrothgar in the open­ ing scenes of Beowulf. What this movie actually needed was a stronger interpretation of the original epic, better acting and a little less pandering to all of Hollywood's stereotypes. However powerful, CGI is not hero enough. ■ Beowulf is in th ea tre s n o w . C h e c k www.cinema-montreal.com fo r sh o w tlm e s . O r g o to th e library a n d re a d th e p o e m , y o u illiterates.

Angelina with a tail? The tabloids will have a field day!

FILM

Preview s 88S8SS838888S| MaHOBl W -r .. <SjÏ/ Sgg£ ,£H>S6j£j4■-. 888^88888888| | jffigjgHgjjjgS.

£g g H ,.

Film Festival. Image+Nation. Until Nov. 25. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Montreal's celebrated international LGBT film festival presents a vast array of fictional and documentary works by filmmakers from around the globe. Visit w w w .im a g e -n a tio n .o rg for more info.

Guts and gory Hatchet hacks at horror renaissance J ohn S emley

Dance. Roxanne Butterfly. Nov. 20,22 and 23 at 8:30 p.m.; Kola Note (5240 Parc).

A protégé of tap legend Dr. Jimmy Slyde, France's Roxanne Butterfly will be performing as part of the year-long Nuits d'Afrique festival programming. Tick­ ets are available from w w w .a d m is s io n .c o m .

Music. Simon Finn. Nov. 24 at 9:00 p.m.; Casa del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent). Since the reissue of his obscure 1969 debut, P ass T h e D ista n ce, psychedelic folk singer Simon Finn has steadily been building a base of fans devoted to his dark and mysterious music. While the British born songwriter has made a living over the years doing everything from teaching karate to organic farming, 2005's M a g ic M o m e n ts and 2007's A c c id e n ta l Life see the Montreal-based singer back in full strength. Tickets are $12 at the door.

Books. Guy Gavriel Kay. Nov. 26; Omni Hotel (1050 Sherbrooke W.) This veteran Canadian fantasy writer's credits include 10 novels, including his recent book Ysabel. Kay is also the recipient of numerous awards and is the co-editor of J.R.R.Tolkein's T h eSilm a rillion . Tickets are $27from Paragraphe Bookstore, (514) 845-5811.

TOO CLEVER FOR YOUR OWN GOOD? WRITE FOR A&E, SMART ASS. MEETINGS MONDAYS, 5:30 IN GERT'S

CKDT Radio

9 0

There has been somewhat of a renaissance in hor­ ror filmmaking in the past few years. Disillusioned by the doldrums of PG-13 and Japanese remake horror films, a handful of enterprising filmmakers have worked to take the genre back to its bloodiest, goriest, pretty-girl-in-awet-tank-top-screaming-for-help-iest roots. But like any­ thing inventive, the initially promising works of so-called "Splat Pack" directors like Eli Roth, James Wan and Rob Zombie has become dull, uninteresting and too aware of their own aesthetic to remain worthwhile. Zombie's hasty H a llo w e e n remake was a debacle; H o s te lII was the original but with babes instead of bros; and S a w , now at its fourth annual instalment, has already surpassed J a s o n G o e s to H ell level irrelevance. Originality is overrated anyways.

Writer-director Adam Green's H a tc h e t takes no par­ ticular stabs at inventiveness. Proudly and fittingly pub­ licized as "Old School American Horror," H a t c h e t is a film whose influences are moored in the slasher films of the late 70s and 80s. Ignoring the stylishness of the Splat Pack and sickly sweet ironic cheekiness that seems to have dominated any horror film since S c r e a m , Green's film situ­ ates itself sincerely amongst the classics: Bob Clark's B la ck C h ristm a s, Steve Miner's Frid a y th e 13th P a rt II and Wes Craven's N ig h tm a re o n E lm Street.

In keeping with its slice-and-dice predecessors, H a t c h e t steers clear of narrative intricacy entirely: A group oftourists (constituting a smorgasbord of dispensable so-

. 3 fm

Ahuuu G e n e r a l M e s t i n s T ue s . November 27, 2007

6-1 Opm @ Thomson House 3650 McTa?isb ALL KEMBEES Of CEUT &TTESDAHCE IS SAK0AT8ET is m :

51114 S 1041

ub

h w

. c e e t . ca

C0LLIDE.COM

A group oftourists prepare to get murdered.

cial rejects) makes the moronic decision to take a haunt­ ed Louisiana swamp tour, wind up stranded and end up getting stalked and slaughtered one-by-one by a killer whose history belongs to backwater legend. It's simple, it's stupid and it's fun as hell. And that's not intended as some stale "it's so bad it's good!" sentiment. H a tc h e t is good. It's great. It's the sort of brutally sadistic horror film that made you love brutally sadistic horror films in the first place. Forget grimy torture chamber ambience or terse psychological horror (yawn). How about a fuck­ ing belt sander to the face? How about a sympathetic old lady getting her fat head ripped in half, Jack?

"Starring" that guy from G ra n d m a 's Boy, one of the girls from B uffy and that heavyset Wilfrid Brimley lookalike who was in O ffice S p a c e , P a lin d ro m e s and just about every S ta r Trek TV series, Hatchet may lack the box-office draw to put adequate asses in multiplex seats, but it more than compensates with plenty of spilled blood, miles of strewn intestines and equally ample amounts of cha­ risma. And performances by Robert Englund (N ig h tm a re o n E lm S t r e e t s Freddie Krueger), Tony Todd (C a n d y m a n ) and Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees in F rid a y th e 13th P a rt VII through J a s o n X) as deformed backwater killer Victor Crowley make H a t c h e t feel as if it is truly a piece of horror genre lore, not merely a H o u s e o f to o o C o rp s e s - style index of influences.

In keeping with the simple "stay out of the swamp" style horror, Green plays off our most primal fear: the unknown. H a t c h e t exists in that long-begotten horror universe where ghosts haunt the woods, people just disappear and the sober warnings of eccentric fisher­ men hold uncanny amounts of currency. In re-examining such standard tropes, Greene successfully avoids the the­ matic ostentation of his more lauded horror contempo­ raries. (Please Eli, H o ste l is as much about Abu Ghraib as H ellra iser is about antiquing). H a tc h e t doesn't just evoke the slasher flicks of 20-or-so years ago, it is truly at home amongst them. And sure, these movies are dumb, proba­ bly misogynist, absolutely masochistic and almost wholly morally bankrupt in every sense of the term, but they're also a lot more fun than most of the other torture porn crap released these days. ■ Hatchet p la y s a t C in e m a d u P a rc (3575 P arc) e v e ry n ig h t Spiral, is a lso

a t 9:30 p .m . u ntil Nov. 21. G o s e e it. Green's latest, p la y in g fo r o n e n ig h t o n ly : N ov. 22 a t 9:30 p.m .

11.20.07 • The McGill Tribune • 15

www.mcgilltribune.com

R eview s

TELEVISION

Galactica is back with

R

a z o r

See what all the frakking fuss is about B yron T au

sus's struggle for survival at all costs. Meanwhile, in a nod to fans of the original 1978 series,'original'Cylon models and spacecraft that appeared in the 1978 television series play a crucial role in the plot.

Meanwhile, the original cast of the Sci-Fi network television series all give strong performances in the other plotline. Edward James Olmos reprises his role as Admiral Adama, and the unique and complex relationship with his son (played by Jamie Bamber) is explored even further, while Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck plays an excellent foil to Shaw (played by Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen). Mary Mc­ Donnell also reprises her role as President Laura Roslin, al­ beit briefly.

All the usual subtextual elements that make the series such a joy are present—meditations on fragility of power, examinations on the nature of leadership, the interplay between choice and fate, and commentary on gender roles and sexual relations all figure prominently into the film without ever seeming heavy-handed or ex­ hausted. The only noticeable loss is the lack of the duplicitous yet-complex Gaius Baltar (played by James Callis) from the cast. But fans can take solace in the fact that Gaius will no doubt return in full force in season four.

R a zo r is pure escapist joy for both fans of the series and casual viewers alike. It was a risky move for series creators to introduce entirely new cast members and to tell a complicated back-story, buttheireffort and skill paid off in this remark­ ably well-made, well-acted, and well-directed TV movie. ■

Battlestar G a la ctica has become a bona-fide pop cul­ ture phenomena, Cylon having entered our vocabulary alongside such classic sci-fi terminology as "Borg,"and “Luke, I am your father"—which is quite a feat, considering the original 1978 version was cancelled because of low-ratings and tepid reviews.

Since the Ronald D. Moore re-imagined version pre­ miered in 2003, G a la ctica now spans a television mini-series and three full seasons on the American Sci-Fi network and the Space Network in Canada. At the conclusion of the last season, however; the producers of the show announced that the G a la ctica would not return until January 2008, with the exception of a two-hour television special entitled Razor, which debuts on November 24th. Luckily for fans of the se­ ries, R a zo r does not disappoint. Designed both to tide fans over until the start of the fourth sea­ son in January, and to set the stage for the series'final denouement, the movie is a powerful return-to-form, especially for G a la ctica deprived fans left in the dark by a bizarre and mysterious season three cliffhanger.

R a zo r brilliantly weaves to­ gether two storylines—telling the back story of the ill-fated battlestar Pegasus at the time of the original Cylon attack (events depicted in the original Battlestar mini-series), as well as a plotline that takes place between the second and third sea­ sons of the show. Using a series of flashbacks, the movie follows the exploits of the cold, ruthless Admiral Helena Cain as portrayed brilliantly

by Michelle Forbes and her young, Razor airs Nov. 24 a t ambitious protégée Karen Shaw. o n th e S p a c e netw ork, The movie centres around Cain's SCIFI.COM b e relea sed o n D V D descent into vengeful ruthlessness 4,2 0 0 7 . and the harrowing tale of the Pega­ This is what the DVD cover looks like.

9:0 0 p.m . and on

will D ec.

FOOD

The cult of Wing Fa Chinese food north of the pagoda E mily G ennis

crispy noodles are a personal favourite. Salty pieces of meat and vegetables are dispersed through the crunchy, chewy fried noodles. The crispy beef is another crowd pleaser.

Strips of crunchy beef are so tender on the inside that they seem to have been soaking in their savory sauce for days.

But Wing Fa's triumphs are not limited to its crispy dishes. The"imperial chicken"has a clear, viscous sauce that has been known to inspire shameless plate-licking among ..........................................ie one writing this review).

Meat dishes are clearly Wing Fa's pride and joy, but the restaurant also has more than a few satisfying vegetable options in its repertoire. The eggplant is (of course) fried and soaked in another of the restaurant's wonderful sauces. The assorted vegetable dish is also a good bet, because it features the mouth­ watering sauce that also appears on the "imperial chicken".

Despite the healthy selec­ tion of vegetables (which are all fried to perfection) Wing Fa's patrons tend to leave the res­ taurant in a significantly rounder state than when they entered.

But the complementary plate of fresh fruit and cookies at the end pf the meal helps to re­ fresh the body a bit. It's homey touches like this which make Wing Fa an excellent Chinese dining experience. ■

There's something about Wing Fa that inspires intense devotion among its die-hard patrons (of which there are few). The great Chinese cuisine, friendly service, and cozy atmosphere all play a role, but the best way to describe the restaurant is this: it's got great vibes.

People don't go to Wing Fa for a quick meal. They go to enjoy a long, relaxing evening. Tht prepared Szechuan and Pekinese dishes, served out in generous helpings. They go because Wing Fa is nothing if not consistent, and they are virtually guaranteed to have a fantastic dinner. And last but not least, they go for the free cookies.

One of the oddest things about Wing Fa is that, despite the great food and comfy atmo­ sphere, it's almost always empty.

But as it turns out, a restaurant's service is extremely efficient when there are no other custom­ ers to distract the wait staff. Din­ ers barely have to glance up at their idle waiter before he comes rushing over to fulfill their every request.

And once their food arrives, most people are too busy chew­ ing to communicate at all apart from giving their companions a thumbs-up.

Newcomers to Wing Fa should peruse the menu with SARAYOUSEFNEJAD one suggestion in mind: if it has "crispy" in the name, get it. The Behind its plain exterior lies Szechuan secrets,

W ing Parc.

C all

reservations.

Fa

is

at

(514)282-3938

3474 for

Coheed and Cambria. N o W orld F o r T o m o r­ row . Even though I stopped listening to emo around the same time I found out what emo meant, I've always nurtured a soft spot for Co and Ca. Maybe it was the overextended, progrock song structure, Claudio Sanchez's teen­ age Geddy Lee vocals or the charmingly geeky sci-fi themea album concepts, but something about the wounds this band bore always seemed fresh. The sequel to 2005's F ro m Fea r T h ro u g h th e Eyes o f M a d n e s s , Coheed's latest concludes their five-part metal-lite space opera. Thankfully, the band is not so consumed with the concept album ethos that they abandon musicianship al­ together and resultantly, there's some decent stuff on this record. Songs like "Feathers,""On The Brink" and "The End Complete" offer enough deft guitar work and spacey synthesizers to bear repeated listening. But clocking in at a paltry fewer than four minutes, the album's requisite power-ballad, "The Road and the Damned,”seems less like the moment of pointed narrative triumph it's supposed to be and more like some derisory dashboard confessional. And while musical allusions to previous tunes like "The Crowing" and "Blood Red Summer" and the resolution of the tale of hopeless cosmic lovers Coheed and Cambria are bound to amuse those who have more intently followed the band's output, those not conversant in all the heady space-rock argot are bound to leave this album be­ mused. It's an okay record, but in terms of concept albums, it's less O p era tio n : M in d c r im e II and more B a t O u t o f H ell III. —John Semley Lee Mellor. G h o s t To w n H eart. 25 years young and quickly gaining the potential to be one of Montreal's great alt-country songwriters, Mellor's G h o s t T o w n H e a rt reflects the Anglo born Canadian's experiences of modern change in the suburbs across North America.

Mellor tackles subjects such as death, rebirth, human hunger, faith and love. Dylan, Earle and Young influences can clearly be heard throughout Mellor's songwriting. The album opens up with the uplifting "Liberty Street", followed by the catchy bittersweet "The Great­ est Killer in a Small Town" which is most likely to be the breakthrough song that could bring Mellor into the public eye. Other strong tracks include "Girl on the Highway" reminiscent of Young's Harvest-era works and the raw upbeat "Jessie Hynes". Audiences who don't listen to folk or country won't be convinced, but those who can appreciate the old fashioned spirit of Americana music should definitely give it a try.

—Charlie Cheng Strata. Stra ta P resen ts th e E n d o f th e World. Th is album offers twelve tracks of various styles and various ideas, thus presenting something for everyone (although perhaps not every­ thing to someone). The writing is dedicated to rhythm and as such creates a very fluid listening experience. As a result, however, the rhymes are lacklustre and seem to have been added simply for rhyming's sake.The thoughts portrayed offer a plethora of philosophies, all of which are rather elementary as the songs deal with staying young, dedicating one's life to one's lover, fighting the war and selling out to the man. There are nuggets of nerdy lyrics which can interest those who are into "XKCD” comics and Thread­ less t-shirts such as, "there are constants like gravity, heartbreak and shame."Their sound offers a noticeable dichotomy as certain songs keep a Death Cab feel while others resemble Billy Talent or My Chemical Romance. Fans of their previ­ ous album will notice a lot of change as their style has become more diverse and perhaps a' little softer. As a result Strata gives the impression that they want to be played on the radio. Occasionally enjoyable, but often bland, Stra ta P resen ts th e E n d o f th e W orld holds some nice tracks such as"Stay Young"and "Cocaine" which should be looked into.

—William Robinson The Hives. Th e B la ck a n d W hite A lb u m . Hav­ ing shed the more unpolished punky lean­ ings of Veni Vedi Vicious altogether, The B la ck a n d W h ite A lb u m sees The Hives striv­ ing to perfect their lively brand of garage rock revivalism. "Tick Tick Boom" proves a strong start to the album and the energy continues through "Well All Right!') with its infectious repeating shouts of “all right!" which beg dance floor sing-along. But the album is far from The Hives opus. Vocalist Pelle Almqvist is timidly melodic jon "Won't Be Long," the instrumental "A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors" is entirely unexciting and "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." sounds something like an uncomfortable fu­ sion of the disco-funk of the Stones'"Emotional Rescue" and a-Jane's Addic­ tion song. But the record ends fairly strong, with the tight rocker "You Dress Up For Armageddon" and the bouncy spookiness of "Puppet On A String." There's a few good singles here, but as a whole, Th e B la ck a n d W h ite A lb u m lacks co­ hesion, sounding at times more like an ad hoc assemblage of three-and-a-half minute tunes of varying value. Oh well. It's not like The Hives are your new favou­ rite band anymore, anyways.

—John Semley

16 • Arts & Entertainment • 11.20.07

The McGill Tribune

BOOKS

Roddy. Doyle's. Doldrums.

Jazz goes metal

Paula Spencer's fantastically banal voyage

Kids Eat Crayons melds genres, melts faces

ing soup and learning how to use the Internet. By the end C l a r e P id s l e y of P aula S p e n c e r the only thing keeping the reader from What. Is the effect. Of a book. Written. Like this? Read­ clinical depression is the euphoric realisation that this is ing through Paula Spencer, a novel with fragmented and thankfully not their life. laconic sentence structure, numbs the mind and causes a From an author known for his rib-tickling and insight­ temporary disability to think in more than short, monoto­ ful prose-fiction, the comedy in Paula Spencer is awkward nous sentences. In other words, it could be the equivalent and cringe-worthy. Perhaps we are supposed to see Paula of receiving a minor head injury. Irish author Roddy Doyle as the recovering victim who, despite her harrowing cir­ has a repertoire of eight previous novels including P a d d y cumstances, still manages to crack a joke. Unfortunately, C larke H a H a H a, which won the Booker Prize in 1993, but nicknaming John Paul, her son, "Popey", qualifies as such. this recent effort fails to live up to his lofty reputation.

One mildly amusing moment stems from Paula's concerns Paula Spencer is the sequel to Doyle's 1996 novel, The with money mingled with her macabre preoccupation W o m a n W h o W alked In to D o o rs which with death. After noticing that she has stars the same heroine, Paula—al­ more than enough food in the fridge to though Doyle has switched the nar­ last the week, she fantasizes about leaving some of it to her children in her will: "To rative vice of this novel to the third person from the first. In the previous my loving daughter, Leanne, I also leave book, the protagonist was driven to a waffle." alcoholism by her abusive father and Interwoven with references to con­ husband, and the novel culminated in temporary national events, such as Kylie Paula throwing her husband out using Minogue's breast cancer, the novel at­ the conventional housewife's trusty fry­ tempts to tackle important issues of ing pan. Fortunately you don't have to cultural relevance. It tries to take on too have read this previous work to under­ much, however, commenting on a range stand and follow the sequel. In fact, not of complex issues such as euthanasia, al­ having read it is preferable; anyone with coholism, heroin addiction, infidelity and the expectations of a similarly fast mov­ even murder, both in dialogue and plot ing and emotionally violent plot line using pithy and to-the-point diction. Un­ will be sourly disappointed. fortunately the terse style of the novel is The novel trudges through a linear not complex-enough to handle any of narrative from the protagonist's 48th to these issues in sufficient depth and the ef­ AMAZON.CA 49th birthday, as she struggles throughfect is almost to trivialize them. Although mid-life as a recovering alcoholic. The Our hero shops by sunset. the novel may speak volumes to other first half of the book focusses on her unsatisfactory rela­ middle-aged recovering alcoholics, those who don't fit tionship with her grown-up children and the second half into this niche can only hope P au la S p e n c e r avoids making branches out to include a closer account of the dynamics any lasting impression that may tarnish the name of such between her and two of her sisters. Doyle takes the reader a well-respected Irish author. ■ on a mundane bus journey through the trials and tribula­ tions of Paula's day-to-day life, such as going shopping (a Paula Spencer is n o w a v a ila b le in p a p e rb a c k . Doyle's scene compellingly depicted on the book's cover), mak­ latest, The Deportees, is n o w a v a ila b le in h ardco ver.

Continued from COVER "I thought it was going to be hard to find other musicians to put to­ gether a band like this,"said Lee, "but it was actually really easy.”

With their debut K ids E a t C ra y o n s Is F o r Lov ers, featuring jazz keyboard, a horn section, and electric guitar overlaid with metalcore yells and indierock chants, the band's sound is perfect for the listener who finds metal too angry and jazz too boring. Kids Eat Crayons play music that taps right into the vein of the Montreal music scene.

"Montreal is such a great city for jazz," said Lee, whose appreciation for the post-bop jazz of Steve Lacy and Wayne Shorter can be heard in his music. "There are so many great jazz bars and festivals. There's also a good underground metal scene with so many unknown bands." Kids Eat Cray­ ons unite these scenes in their music. Thick, dirty guitar chords common in hardcore styles are blended with rich, jazz piano chords to make the harmonies clear and layered, while Steve Reid on alto sax and Henriques on tenor breathe fresh life into the songs.

The album is more than just a composite of various influences, however.

"Even though the opening may be jazz and the chorus may be metal, the songs are cohesive," Lee said, although the diversity means that each song on the album sounds nothing like the one before. While their distinct sound may link popular genres, the band is bringing some original ideas to the table. Kids E a t C ra y o n s Is F o r L o v ers includes songs such as "Masturba­ tion Day Parade" and "Conversations with a Firstling," the latter inspired by the Biblical story of Jacob and Esau.

"It's kind of about that bible story where the two brothers are out in a field and one of them sells his birthright to the other for a bowl of red stew," said Lee. "It's kind of funny actually... There's some sexual imagery in there, but I'm not trying to make a point.”

But a point has been made. Kids Eat Crayons have shown that there's new music in Montreal that doesn't sound like the same old indie-pop fluff. Onstage, lead singer Jean-Philippe Major sways his hips like a Bossa Nova jazz singer and bangs his head like a heavy metal god, all in one song. Both titles are deserved. ■ To c h e c k o u t Kids E a t C ra y o n s, a n d fo r in fo o n u p c o m in g sh o w s , c h e c k out

www.myspace.com/kidseatcrayons.

A FREE, FULL-DAY LEADERSHIP SUMMIT FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS

Leadership Life! fo r

SATURDAY, JANUARY 19,2008 For more information or to pick up an application: First-Year Office, Suite 2100, Brown Student Services Building or call 514-398-6913.

---

first-year st outside of and r

ip skills

, Montreal, organizations

Registration is open to all first-year students on a first-come, first-served basis.

Find us on Facebook and invite your friends to register. Search Events for “Leadership for Life!”

SPONSORED BY: Mary H. Brown Endowment Fund

9 McGill A n c illa ry S e rv ic e s A division of University Services

\* w

McGill

Food and Dining Services Service de restauration

SOCIAL EQUITY & DIVERSITY EDUCATION OFFICE

Ç? McGill v* ,/

R e s id e n c e s F o o d a n d D in in g S e rv ic e »

McGill

Association

S ports

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW— PAUL HENDERSON

Henderson and life after 1972

Talking hockey, religion and Playboy with a Canadian icon C h a n c e s are, if you're C a n a d ia n , y o u a lrea d y k n o w w h o P a u l H e n d e rso n is. A n ico n s in ce th e 1972 S u m m it Series a g a in st th e S o v ie t R e d A rm y team ,

we talk a lot about being role models and those type of things. I simply tell my story: my hockey story and, obviously, the story of my faith.

H e n d e rso n h a s g a in e d folk-hero sta tu s in C a n a d i­ a n h isto ry th a n k s to his last-m in u te, se ries-w inn in g g o a l— a d efin in g m o m e n t fo r a n e ntire gen era tio n .

N o w a d e v o u t C hristain w h o d ra w s o n his experi­ e n c e to sp e a k a b o u t faith, th e C a n a d ia n h o ck e y le g e n d m e t w ith th e Tribune to d iscu ss his spiritual rebirth, an d, o f cou rse, th o se fateful d a y s in 1972.

What brings you to McGill? What was the gist of your lecture?

Well I came because I work for Campus for Christ. I run the leader impact group, where my ministry has been to the business and profes­ sional world. I started with three men back in 1985, and now we're up to almost 800 men that meet weekly. We talk a lot about being fathers, husbands and a lot about the legacy we're going to leave. It's fairly easy to be successful, but it's a bit more difficult to live a life of significance—

Was there anything in particular that drew you to the more spiritual life you lead now?

I got to a place, at 29, where I had every­ thing I wanted but I was unhappy. I hated [the owner of theToronto Maple Leafs] Harold Ballard and I had some issues with my dad. And then when you're ticked off you start drinking, and then you drink a few more and you feel better.

But then you wake up the next day and you re­ alize that drinking isn't the answer. That's when a guy came along and really encouraged me to take a look at the spiritual dimension of life.

So I spent two years looking at Christianity and I realized that it was the basis for the peace and contentment I was searching for. So I've been a Christian since March 12,1975 and it's impacted everything I've done since then. I understand the feelings of people with no interest though, because that's how I was. Like when I was look­ ing into Christianity I used to put my Bible inside my Playboy, because I didn't want the guys on my hockey team to know I was reading the Bible.

They'd say,“Oh, Hendy's just reading his Playboy" because that was pretty standard fare.

Obviously because of your game winning goal in the 1972 Summit Series you're one of the best known players in Canadian hockey history. What has that meant to you and has it been a burden in any respects?

Well, no not really, [it hasn't been a burden].

I had to make a choice: either run from this or embrace it. And my wife and I decided to em­ brace it, and it's been a terrific ride. If your parents were here they would probably tell me exactly where they were and what they were doing at the time I scored the goal, and I get new stories about that all the time. We came together as Ca­ nadians and we won as a team. That's the thing that's so memorable for me: as a team and as a country it was win-win. The only losers were the lush Russians and Communism.

ADAM SCOTTI

H enderson lectures students about faith.

THIRD MAN IN

Do you find it odd that a sporting event would have such a lasting impact on so

many lives?

We were in Russia for the goal and we had been booed out of Canada when we left, so we had no idea that the country had gone nuts.

We knew the 3,000 Canadians in attendance in Russia had gone crazy, but it wasn't until we got home that we realized what had happened.

My neighbour gave me the paper from that day and it wasn't the Toronto Sun; it was the "Hender Sun." And so I've been riding that one goal for 35 years. The irritating thing for me is that I scored seven goals in that series and six of them were nice goals.The only ugly one I got was that last one and we've been looking at that garbage goal ever since.

Have you enjoyed the spotlight that comes with the goal?

Oh I love the spotlight. I know in hindsight I didn't handle it very well at first. I think that was the thing that finally woke me up, I mean now I had fame. Right after I came back I went golfing with one of my buddies at my country club and he said, "Henderson you're sickening. I mean, look at you, you've got everything. You're the toast of the bloody country." And the WHA had just come along and offered me a five year contract at double the money I had been mak­ ing. "Look at the marriage you've got. Look at your kids. You’re the luckiest S.O.B. there is.” And I sat there and thought about what he had said.

He was right. Then I started to wonder: If I'm the luckiest guy in the world why am I not enjoying my life more? That's what really was frustrating, when you set your sights on something, achieve that goal and then are still unhappy.

The Tribune's readership is mostly uni­ versity students but we've all heard about the goal through stories from our parents or DVDs. Why does the Summit Series and your goal resonate with those of us who never even saw it and only know it through secondary sources?

Well, a 13-year old kid phoned me— I get phone calls and e-mails all the time because kids are doing projects on me—and he says, "Paul, I have no idea what this Series meant but I was doing this project and my dad started to talk

about it. He got up and talked about when you scored the goal and my dad started to cry." And then he said, "I have never seen my dad start to cry in my whole life but he started when he told me about that goal you scored. Tell me, I don't understand it: what causes this?" I replied, "Well son, I really don't have an answer for you except that we as Canadians just felt that these Russians were trying to dominate the world and we fi­ nally stood up and we stopped them."

It was the mystique in '72.The Cold War was on and they were trying to take over the world.

We didn't know anything about them and so they come out here and it was like "Holy crap!" with this Kharlamov and Yakusev. The skill was just unnerving. And then, of course, we got down behind and Phil Esposito gave that speech—we never saw that speech for ten years and none of us knew that he gave it. I think the Canadian people then said, "Wow, we really need to get behind these guys" and so they eventually did.

But when we left Toronto [for Moscow], nobody came to the airport— I mean our families didn't even want to talk to us.

What was the feeling in the room like?

Obviously we all know about the great ten­ sion but what was really happening behind the scenes?

The problem was that we played during the summertime and we had 35 guys—the best in the world—but you cannot keep 35 guys happy when only 18 play the game. And we were with guys who we hated and played against all the time. So you just don't put a bunch of people together and call it a team. When we finally got to Russia, we knew who was going to play and we finally got down to the basic team and so we started to gel and make a game plan. There was also, obviously, the tremendous fear of los­ ing too. But after it was all over, Phil said that if we could play them in another eight games, the Russians would never win another game. Now, that's a little strong for me. I think we would beat them, but there is no way on God's green earth that we'd ever beat them for eight straight games. ■ — C o m p ile d b y M a tt C h esser a n d A a ro n Sig a l

An offensive display of hypocrisy A aron S igal

K that Bills game sealed it. This is the team that all of us sports fans have been waiting for:The New England Pa­ triots, the future 2007 Super Bowl champions. They are the Sports Messiah, our Christs in blue, cutoff sleeved hoodies.

After languishing for years in athletics'Valley of the Shadow of Death— Dead Ball and Dead Puck eras had crushed our will to watch and cheer—God supplied us His coldest beer, His spici­ est chicken wings, His crispest and largest LCD plasma screen and His laziest chair, and said, "Enjoy the Patriots for they are good." And they are good.

But while the greatest football team ever assembled daz­ zles us with a steamrolling offence and a predatory defence, we, led by the unholy pundits of the sports media, reject this gift. With a bitchiness and high-pitched whine usually reserved for only the most appalling of political blunders, analysts and non-Patriot fans—especially those from New York, San Diego, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Miami, Washington and Indianapolis—we have harangued and lectured the Patriots's uber-genius head coach, Bill Belichick, for his unsportsmanlike behaviour in running up scores against already-demolished opponents. Surely, Sunday night's gorgeous 56-10 manhan­ dling of Buffalo in Orchard Park will do nothing to assuage the Patriot detractors as, with an already insurmountable 35-7 lead in the third quarter, Belichick and quarterbackTom Brady elect­ ed to throw on fourth down from the Buffalo three-yard line for their sixth touchdown of the evening. The Patriots would also add one more offensive score later in the fourth quar­ ter before finally benching their stud passer and his panoply

O

of weapons.

As Randy Moss piled up his four pre-halftime touch­ downs—seemingly motivated by Dallas WR Terrell Owens' earlier four-TD, full-game performance—you could already hear the Monday morning quarterbacks gearing up for their 15 minutes of anti-Patriot stardom. The Pats have amassed a 10-0 record and look certain to match the 1972 Miami Dolphins in the pantheon of undefeated teams. They have obliterated fellow NFL squads, winning by an astonishing average mar­ gin of 25.4 points. Such complete dominance as well as a total disregard for sports'"unwritten code"and antiquated notion of integrity have analysts and commentators in a frenzy, unleash­ ing diatribes against the Patriot machine.

Nevermind that these pundits fundamentally base their arguments on an archaic and obsolete virtue of integrity in sports, this past week alone we watched in apathy as base­ ball's all-time home run king was federally indicted for perjury for using performance enhancing drugs at the same time that the MLB's best player, after upstaging the World Series, con­ templated resigning with the Yankees for a $25-million raise to a $275-million total. Haven't these same sporting journal­ ists and "experts" decried the declining attractiveness of North American sports for the last decade? They screamed for of­ fence as baseball suffered through its pre-McGwire/Sosa Dead Ball Era. They constantly criticize basketball and the NBA for its lack of flash as defensive juggernauts like San Antonio and Detroit's Pistons have won titles and stifled any Showtimeesque flow and creativity. Hockey's decline and subsequent

unpopularity in the U.S. has long been blamed on its pre­ lockout "Dead Puck" period, in which goal scoring was heavily down and that Devilish trap saw its renaissance as a surefire formula for Stanley Cup success. Even soccer, hugely popular everywhere in the world except for Canada and America, has always been lambasted for its low, low scoring. In all these situations, pundits howled for offence as the saviour for these floundering sports.

Yet now, as we witness the magnificence of Belichick, Brady, Moss and even Wes Welker— not to mention their high scoring defence—journalists and commentators have turnedcoat on their cries for razzle-dazzle action. The Pats' quarter­ back seems destined to smash Peyton Manning's three-year old record for touchdown passes in a season and his primary target, Moss,' already with 16 TD receptions, will break Jerry Rice's single-season touchdown mark of 22. This team will probably go undefeated and win their fourth title in six years in a salary-cap era when one championship is considered a monumental feat, and, still, analysts hypocritically harp on sportsmanship and respect.

Good for the Patriots. Clearly on a “Fuck you" mission after having their past successes questioned during the Cameragate affair, the Pats are giving us what we asked for—fun and excitement. If the NFL teams on the field are so distraught from embarrassment, then they should prepare harder, get more fired up, and actually stop Brady and Co. instead of cry­ ing. As for the fans and experts, for once, they should just pull up a chair and enjoy the show. ■

www.mcgilltribune.com

11.20.07 -Sports» 18

VOLLEYBALL— MARTLETS 3, MONTREAL 2

Martlets power their w ay to upset victory McGill outlasts Montreal in a marathon five set match V

l a d im ir

Z

iv k o v ic

In a battle of two Quebec conference volleyball powerhous­ es, the seventh-seeded McGill Martlets edged out the fourthranked University of Montreal Carabins 3-2 in a five set thriller at the McGill Sports Complex on Friday night.

All-Canadian power hitter JenniferThomson had 20 kills and 17 digs to lead the Martlets to victory in a marathon-game that took two hours and 15 minutes to complete. The win was only the second time in the last 14 matches that McGill defeated their cross-town rival.

"If we play together as a team, as one unit, we can beat any team in the country—and I think we showed that tonight," McGill Head Coach Rachele Beliveau said. "We are a finesse team—we are not a strong hitting team like Montreal. We are more of a tac­ tical team in that we try to develop a lot of thinking on the court.

We were able to utilize that and I think that was the key factor to our win tonight."

While the Martlets had the early momentum in the first set, they never led by more than a couple of points, as the teams exchanged rallies back and forth until the first tie of the set came at 20-20. The Martlets'first year setter AmelieTrottier-Picard had a crucial ace to give the Red 'n'White a 22-20 lead, before McGill won two of the last three points to take the first set 25-22.

The Carabins, however, came out firing on all cylinders in

the second set, using their strength and size to their advantage.

Led by the fierce striking of third year Laetitia Tchoualack, who finished with a game-high 25 kills, they completely dominated the set cruising to a 25-11 win.

Although the Martlets regrouped and played far better in the initial minutes of the third set, grabbing a quick 6-1 lead, the Carabins stormed back to win the next four points. With the teams tied at 23, two great rallies ensued, with McGill winning both, the latter of which finished on a great tip play by Thomson to win the set 25-23.

"We knew we needed to keep up the high energy during the game," said fourth year middle Rebecca Gomez, who fin­ ished with five kills and six digs. "Our defence was the key factor in the fifth set though. We have been practicing defence a lot lately, especially in the last two weeks, and it really paid off for us tonight."

The fourth set continued the see-saw pace of the match, before the Carabins broke away, winning five of the last seven points to take the set 25-19 and send the contest to a decisive fifth set.

Behind the strong hitting ofThomson and Kelsey Irwin, who claimed 16 kills in the match, and solid team defense, the Martlets jumped to an early 8-4 lead in the fifth set. The teams split the next four points, before fifth year setter Valerie Savard, who led the Martlets with a team high 37 assists, hit a perfect ball down the line to give the home side an 11-8 lead and the momentum

they needed. The Martlets dominated from then on, winning four of the final five points, the last of which on a great block to take the set 15-9 and the match 3-2.

"The game went well, just the way we wanted it," said middle blocker Gillian Johnson. "We needed this win. They're ranked fourth in Canada, so we needed to win so that we know we can beat them. Everyone came together as a team today— it was beautiful" On Saturday after­ noon the Martlets defeat­ ed the Sherbrooke Vert et Or, winning in straight sets (25-19,25-20,26-24) and im­ proving their record to 4-2, while overtaking the Vert et Or for first place in the tight Quebec conference.

The Martlets next play in New Brunswick at the ADAMSCOTTI Moncton Invitational Tour­ The power of spandex! nament this weekend. ■

FANTASY PICKS

3480 McTavish (514) 398-3459

G e rt s B a r now h a s M cG ill W ire le ss !

TMPI GERTS

It's getting down to crunch time. In most fantasy leagues, you only have a couple weeks to go before the playoffs, meaning that if you’re sitting one or two games back, smart decisions this week are crucial. You have to take risks, and if that means dropping an injured star, you just have to bite the bullet, if your trade deadline has not passed, make a swap and don't worry about playoff victories because winning now to get into the dance is the key. On to the picks, with the focus on quarterbacks this week:

Take it to the bank

P IZZA S L IC E S Cheese Pepperoni All Dressed Vegetarian Spinach Chicken (Grain-fed)

1.50 1.75

M A N A K IS H

2 .0 0

Zaatar

1.50

Zaatar & Cheese Laham Baagine Cheese Fatayer

2.25 1.75 2.25

Spinach Fatayer Spinach & Cheese Fatayer Cheese Feta Cheese Sujok Kefta

2.00 2.25 3.00 3.00 2.50 3.50

Chicken (Grain-fed)

3.75

Shawarma Extra vegetables

3.50 0.75

2 .0 0

2.25 2.25

- Full Pizzas Available -

H O R S D 'O E U V R E Chicken (Grain-fed) Falafel Ay ran

2.50 2.00

Backlawa 1.50 Fresh Juice 3.50 Salads 1.25 per 100 grams

Where is your taking you?

QB Matt Schaub— Houston: If you give up 275 yards and a TD to Kyle Boiler and the Raven$-—as the Browns did last week-—your secondary is just bad. And with’Schaub picking up where he left off before his injury, expect him to exploit the brutal Cleveland defence and enjoy a huge game with at least 300 yards and two scores.

Sit him Ben Roethlisberger— Pittsburgh: I know this seems like a dubious pick, but the Dolphins suck even more at stopping the run than they do the pass. Since Pittsburgh will probably have this game wrapped-up in about to minutes, all Big Ben will be doing is handing the ball off to R8s Willie Parker and Najeh Davenport all game long.

Surprise, surprise J.P. Losman— Buffalo: As I'm writing this, out of the corner of my eye I see Losman getting sacked by the Patriots' Adalius Thomas during Sunday night's game, but I'm telling myself that everyone gets a free pass when they're playing New England. The Bills are facing Jacksonville this week, a team near the bottom of the league in defending passes over twenty yards. Since long bombs are the only play Buffalo can score with, it's a perfect match for Losman and his favourite target, WR Lee Evans.

— S a m a y B h ach ech

Someone like you could have a seriously successful future in business and we think you should know it. Your first 2 years in university might just qualify you for an undergraduate degree at Canad a's best business school. Check it out at iveyhba.com. Then give us a call.

Rich***) Iï*y Srh-jof ■ »«

■■

.

1 9 - Spo rts-11.20.07

L

The McGill Tribune

Sp o rts Briefs

C

ast

a ll

COMPILED BY MATT CHESSER AND AARON SlGAL

Queen's fails to "Kill McGill"

LW Shawn Shewchuk scored a goal and added three as­ sists when visiting McGill routed Queen's 6-2 before 622 fans at the Kingston Memorial Centre on Saturday.

It was the fifth straight win for the Redmen after a slow start to the season and their eighth consecutive victory over Queen's. It also marked McGill's 24th win in the last 26 con­ frontations of a long-standing rivalry that dates back to 1895.

McGill has dominated the series with a 101-50-2 record.

Sam Bloom added a pair of goals and one assist and G Mathieu Poitras stopped 23 shots for the victory. Other marks­ men for the Redmen included winger Vincent Lambert, and defencemen Yan Turcotte and Ben Gazdic.

McGill improved to 6-3-1 and sits third in the OUA Far East with 13 points, one behind Concordia (7-4-0) with a game in hand. Queen's, which shares first place with RMC in the Mid-East Division, dropped to 6-5-2.

STANDINGS Hockey (W)

GP

W

L

OTL

p

Hockey (M)

GP w

L

OTL

P

McGill

7

7

0

0

14

UQTR

12

8

3

1

17

Carleton

8

5

0

6

Concordia

12

8

4

0

16

3

Ottawa

6

2

3

1

5

Ottawa

12

7

5

0

14

Concordia

7

2

5

0

4

McGill

10

6

3

1

13

Carleton

11.

4

6

1

9

V o lle y b all (W)

W

L

Sherbrooke

4

2

Montreal

4

2

McGill

4

2

Laval

0

6

*

GW

GL

14

6

8

14

9

8

12

12

8

5

18

0

P

PROFILE— MARTLETS HOCKEY

Smith gets top w om en's post

Martlets sweep the Maritimes

F Vanessa Davidson and F Caroline Hill each scored a hat-trick and added an assist as first-ranked McGill demol­ ished Dalhousie 9-0 in Halifax on Sunday.

Back-up netminder Catherine Herron made 18 saves for the shutout and F Alyssa Cecere also had a four-point effort, including one goal, in the victory.

The win completed a three-game sweep of Nova Scotia teams for the Martlets and marked the team's 13th consecu­ tive win—12 of them by shutout—against Canadian univer­ sity opponents. McGill has outscored CIS teams by a lopsided 65-1 margin to date.

McGill defeated a powerhouse St.F-X side and Saint Mary's by identical 4-0 scores on Friday and Saturday, re­ spectively. G Charline Labonté posted a shutout in both games and has allowed only one goal in 720 minutes against Canadian teams.

Leads Team Canada to gold in first tournament M att C hesser

McGill has a lot to offer a female hockey player looking at prospective universities. It boasts a beautiful downtown campus, high academic standards, a chance to play with an Olympic gold medal-winning goaltender and a Martlets team that is arguably the best in the nation. But Peter Smith's summer promotion might have given the ladies in Red 'n'White the best recruiting pitch of all: a chance to play for Team Canada's head coach.

Smith, entering his ninth season at the helm of the Martlet program, was appointed head coach of the Canadian national women's hockey team in June of this year, after previously serving as an assistant coach with the national side since 2005. In his first tournament as head coach Smith led Canada to a gold medal at the Four Nations Cup two weeks ago in Sweden.

"I'm really proud to be given the chance to coach at this level," Smith said. "I've had an association with Hockey Canada for five years now, in various capacities, and I've enjoyed my time in the program tremendously. It's a real thrill to be recognized like this."

Smith took over the position from Melody Davidson, who stepped down from coaching to focus on her duties as national team general manager. He admits that it will be challenging to follow in the footsteps of Davidson, who had tremendous success in her three years behind the bench, but the 54-year-old Quebec native is hardly lacking in credentials.

Quick rise to the pinnacle

Smith's ascent to the top of the women's coaching ranks has been dizzying. He started coaching girls'hockey only 15 years ago, organizing a women's AA team on the West Island—which he led to regional championship gold in 1997 and 1998. Since being ap­

pointed head coach at McGill in 1999, Smith has steered the team to six national championship appearances in the past seven years, including a silver medal finish last season. He has also captured Quebec coach of the year honours three times, and was named CIS coach of the year in 2003.

"Canada's a nation of 30-million hockey coaches, so I've ac­ cepted the fact that I'm going to get second guessed as I go along,"Smith said. "Especially since I'm taking over a program that has had such a rich tradition of winning at the international level.

The bar has been set high and I hope to live up to those stan­ dards."

The university also stands to benefit from Smith's new posi­ tion, getting exposure at the national level and gaining a recruit­ ing edge in women's hockey. "[Peter's promotion] gives our entire department a level of respect that hopefully we can take advantage of" said McGill Ath­ letic Director Drew Love. "Any time you have a coach reach that level it lends credibility to your program. We're very proud of Peter and we thank him for the exposure he's lent to McGill."

Rugby Redmen get five All-Star berths

The recently-crowned league champion McGill Redmen rugby team earned five berths on the 15-man conference AllStar squad announced by the QSSF last week.

Alistair Crow, Kyle Buckley, Caleb Balloch, Adrian Thorogood and Jonathan McIntosh were all honoured by the league's selection committee with a place on the AllConference team.

Crow, a fly-half candidate for the Canadian squad com­ peting at the 2008 world under-20 championships, led the Quebec conference with 8 8 points on 25 conversions, seven tries and one drop-kick goal. Finishing second in the QSSF scoring-race was Buckley, who notched 70 points and a league-high 14 tries.

Balloch, a co-captain who plays on the back row, was the team's second-leading try scorer with eight scores on the season.

A full time job

Over the summer Smith also took over duties as the Kerr Women's Hockey Coaching Chair at McGill.The endowed position was created earlier this year when alumni David and Sheryl Kerr donated si-million to the Martlets hockey program. "[Being the Kerr Women's Hockey Coaching Chair] has re­ lieved me of some of the other duties I had here at the Athletics Department as a facilities coordinator," Smith said. "It allows me to focus solely on hockey, and more importantly, it means there will be a full-time women's hockey coach long after Peter Smith is gone." ■

ON DECK Men's Basketball— Concordia Stingers at McGill Redmen; Friday 8 p.m. at Love Competition Hall

The promising Redmen play host to third-ranked Concordia in their homeopener on Friday night—a game that can be used as a yard-stick for McGill's potential this season.The Red'n'White already pulled off a big victory in their first game against the Laval Rouge et Or—the team that knocked the Red­ men out of last year's playoffs—but the Stingers are considered by some to be the best team in Canada, having beat the Illinois Fighting lllini in their pre-season Canadian tour. If McGill can pull off the upset, or at least keep the game close, it will be a huge step forward for a program that has struggled in recent years. These Redmen look good, so stop by the game before you go to get your "drink on” Women's Hockey—Ottawa Gee Gees at McGill Martlets; Saturday 2 p.m. at McConnell Arena The Martlets have proved to be the most dominant team in any CIS sport so far this season/out-scoring their opponents 41-1 in regular season action.

They are the New England Patriots of women's ice hockey. The Gee Gees are the only team to score against the Martlets this season, but they will be hard-pressed to stay within spitting distance of McGill on Saturday. We can't say it any more emphatically than this: if you haven't been to see G Charline Labonté and the star-studded squad that skates in front of her, then you're missing out on something historic.

Men's Hockey—Ryerson Rams at McGill Redmen; Saturday 7 p.m. at Me- f Connell Arena It's a double-dose of university hockey at McConnell Arena on Saturday, and while the men aren't as dominant as their female counterparts, they have won five straight games after a lacklustre start to the season. The Rams, meanwhile, have struggled in the OUA Mid-East division, posting a 2-5-3 re­ cord to start the season, but have at least been competitive in a number of close losses—playing in five games decided by a one goal margin. McGill will rely on continued strong play from G Mathieu Poitras, who has a .916 save percentage, and LW Shawn Shewchuk, who leads the team with 14 points.

Who is that guy who wrote that HMB tries to "steamroll the fundamental human rights of the students of McGill"?

Please write for sports.

If you're also prone to using over-the-top sports lingo in everyday conversation, then contact us and get a story at sports@mcgilltribune.com.

floor Fellow, Don, MORE Fellow1 2

0

0

8

-

2

0

0

9

A re you thinking about th e n e xt academ ic y e a r y e t?

I f you like people and you a re in te re ste d in a challenging and rewarding stu d e n t leadership position, why not apply to be a Floor Fellow, Don or M O RE Fellow a t M cGill Residences? W atch fo r our ads in th is newspaper in Ja n u a ry inviting applications fo r th e 2 0 0 8 -2 0 0 9 academ ic year.

(0

O O PH G O

0

0

ATTENTION GRADS 2008

4

3

C

P

1

3

Better get your photo taken to be included in Old McGill 2008.

T h is is the only campus-wideyearbook T ake the good tim es along!

$25.00 gets you a photo sitting

Jostens is an official supplier of graduation rings to McGill University Available at HF Photo Studio

$48.00 txs. inc. gets you a cam pus yearbook

3

LISTED BELOW ARE THE DATES FOR THE FACULTY PHOTO SESSIONS

Arts Faculty.................... Open for booking appointments Phys Ed & Kinesiology............. Nov. 1 to 24 at HF Photo MBA.................................. Now until Dec. 8 at HF Photo Anatomy & Cell Biology....Nov. 19 to Dec. 1 at HF Photo Biology......................... Month of December at HF Photo Management........... ........Now until Dec. 21 at HF Photo

PHOTO APPOINTMENTS (514) 499-9999 2057 Stanley Street

CM