The McGill Tribune Vol. 27 Issue 13

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Published by the Students' Society o f McGill University

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Volum e 27 Issue 13 • N ovem ber 27, 2007

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Kicked o u t o f CFS D e -fr e e z e p r o te s t h e a ts th e s tr e e ts P ro s p e c tiv e m e m b e r­ sh ip n o t e x te n d e d K

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By a vote from member universities at the Annual General Meeting last week, the Students'Society of McGill University lost prospective membership in the Canadian Federation of Students.

On Wednesday, Nov. 21, a motion put forward by the National Executive to extend SSMU's prospective membership term to ac­ commodate the February CFS referendum was voted down by member universities. Consequently, the prospective membership, which expired Nov. 16, leaves SSMU with no federal representation and unable to hold a CFS-monitored referendum in February.

Three university students' societies heavily criticized SSMU's actions: the Post-Graduate Students'Society of McGill University, the Concordia Student Union and the Dawson College Student Union. PGSS President Amy Cox, who spoke at the AGM, asserted that SSMU has undermined the student movement and also in­ terfered with DCSU internal issues while at CFS-Quebec.

"The representatives of SSMU have undermined all those three core elements; they were working in bad faith," Cox said. "They undermined democracy by interfering in [DCSU's] internal organization."

According to the CFSby-laws book I, a potential member uni­ versity can join the national and provincial organizations through a 12-month long prospective membership. During this time a student-wide referendum must be run by an oversight commit­ tee comprised of two members from the local society, and two CFS-appointed representatives. The referendum for SSMU, which would originally have taken place during the fall election period, was delayed by the recommendation of the CFS National Execu­ tive in order to accommodate the ongoing court battle in CFS-Q. Back in September, unresolved disputes over CFS-Q lead­ ership and representation led to frozen assets and the organi­ zation's paralysis in court, which will remain unresolved until early December.

Former CFS-Q Deputy Speaker Mahdi Altalibi, currently a Ui arts student at McGill, had been elected to his position as a Daw­ son College student in the summer of 2007. His elected position was challenged bytheCSUand PGSS, which eventually led to CFSQ's paralysis in court. Altalibi asserted that these accusations were illegitimate, and rather aimed to undermine SSMU initiatives.

"At first, [CSU] had no problems, but once they found out that we actually had a plan, that's when the CSU expressed their unhappiness with the plan," Altalibi said.

While SSMU Vice-President External Max Silverman main­ tained that there was nothing in the CFS by-laws that required SSMU to delay the CFS referendum, the question was postponed in good faith, though only under the condition that a writ­ ten agreement was drafted to bind CFS to hold a referendum in February.

"CFS toid us that we couldn't hold the referendum as long See CFS on page 4

Freezing stu d e n ts brave th e w eath er to rally ag ain st th e tuition d e freeze, aim ing to spark a conversation w ith Charest.

R ev isitin g S h a k e s p e a r e 's siste r s M cG ill p re se n ts th e B ard 's s h re w d e s t c o m e d y C

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Shrew ThingsIHateAboutYou

Friday Nov. 30 - 191)00

McGill ATHLe TICS

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Not a lot of things created 400 years ago can boast consis­ tent quality in the face of their incredible longevity. Shakespeare's theatre famously stands out as the fairest example of artwork that has been approached from a million angles and still proves itself open to original interpretation and fresh appeal. is one of the playwright's early comedic works that in recent times has lent itself to adaptations in musicals, film— remember ?—opera and television From a fear of exhausting Shakespeare's source material, some outlandish performances have risked overlooking or mis­ interpreting the playwright's intention, but McGill University's Department of English Drama and Theatre Program has brought this play back to its roots and in so doing, paid homage to Shake­

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speare's truly innovative and near inexhaustible genius. Using the play's original form and script, though injecting it with fresh style and imaginative characterisation, the company has pulled off an impressive production to which the Bard himself would be proud to put his name. is a comedy of wit that juxtaposes the stories of the sisters Bianca (Jacquelin Blakey) and Katharina (Rosa Gaia Saunders), the former of whom is forbidden by their father to marry before the latter. The love of Bianca for Lucentio (Alex Gravenstein) recalls the sickly-sweet mode of fairy tales, and is hindered only by the humourous pestering of alternative suitors who present themselves at the exacting behest of Bianca's father Baptista (Mitchell Clohan).

TheTamingoftheShrew

See AMBIGUITY on page 12

HOCKEY REDMEN Wednesday Nov. 28 - I9h00 Concordia McConnell Arena

BASKETBALL Friday Nov. 30 Martlets* lShOO Redman* 20b00 Laval McGill Sports Centre

C O V ER P H O T O B Y K E L L Y S C H U S TE R

N ew s CITY

S t u d e n t c o a litio n w illin g t o n e g o t ia t e f e e s U n ited S tu d e n ts o f Q u é b e c co n so lid a te in an ap p e al to th e g o v e rn m e n t T homas Q uail Students from all over Quebec came to­ gether last Thursday to protest Jean Charest's recent tuition de-freeze and to demand wider debate regarding province-wide accessible education. In spite of sub-zero temperatures and a biting wind, chants and drum beats kept the energy high for the duration of the snowy afternoon.

Led by the United Students of Québec Co­ alition, comprised of La Fédération Étudiante Universitaire du Québec, La Fédération Étudi­ ante Collégiale du Québec, the Canadian Fed­ eration of Students and independent schools, the'Day of Action' had been in the making since the coalition's conception in June. Anglophone spokesperson for the coalition and President of the Concordia Students' Society Angelica Novoa was impressed with the turnout.

"There is a great mix of CEGEP and Uni­ versity students," she said. "These students are informed and know exactly what the issues are.

They are here to make a statement regarding the decision made in June."

Along with schools from Montreal, bus­ loads of students from Rimouski, Chicoutimi, Trois-Rivières and Sherbrooke also took part in the rally.

Tension was high as the students anx­ iously awaited the start of the rally and a push­ ing match near the media scrum was quickly diffused by security.

The march began at approximately 3:00 p.m. at Square Berri with people eager to raise their concerns about education in the province.

"Let's go and march!" Novoa said to the crowd, as over 2,000 protesters started

down Maisonneuve.

The procession was kept under control by police and a group of orange-vested volun­ teers. A sound system near the front of the pa­ rade blared a mixture of top-49 hits and French pop. A drum circle at the back of the rally kept the protesters'spirits high as the parade snaked through the city.

"We all have a desire to change the de­ cision and we don't want to sit back and do nothing," said Rosemount CEGEP student Stephanie Côté.

As the rally approached the downtown core, a smaller group of free-education advo­ cates broke through the linked chain of volun­ teers and were attempting to convince people to protest with them at the front.

"We're here for free education," said Daw­ son College student Fehr Marouf. "Dawson students voted to be here for free education.

[The Coalition has] their music loud so that the students marching cannot hear our shouting.

They have people blocking the way so people can't join us. They don't want their students associating with the students demanding free education."

Throughout the rally, protesters spilled onto streets that were not cordoned off for the procession, and police were quick to contain the crowd. But at no point did the protest be­ come unruly or out of control.

The parade wrapped up in front of Rod­ dick Gates just outside the offices of Jean Charest.There was once again an appeal to Charest to listen to the demands of the coalition. • "Here we stand united. It is our responsibilitiy to tell the government that we are strong and we will not accept these increases," Novoa stated.

K E L L Y S C H U S TE R

P rotesters brave th e w eath er to d em an d an o p en d ialogue w ith th e provincial govern m en t a b o u t public funding of post-secondary institutions.

Unlike l'Association pour une Solidarité this day of action was virutally non-existent.

Syndicale Étudiante, the coalition lead by FEUQ "We felt it was divisive to not have ev­ is very willing to negotiate with the govern­ eryone work towards one, single, Quebec­ ment. In early November, FEUQ stated that they wide day of action," said Max Silverman, SSMU understood the urgency of a major public de­ VP External.

Anglophone spokesperson and interna­ bate on the future of university education and called for a parliamentary commission to be tional affairs coordinator for FEUQ Katherine held responsible for accessibility, funding and Boushel hoped that the protest would spark further conversation between student organi­ management in post-secondary education While the previous protest on Nov. 15 was zations and the government. endorsed by the. Students' Society of McGill, "Although we are in constant dialogue SSMU Legislative Council voted not to support with the government, there really is no will on the Nov. 22 day of action; McGill presence at their side for direct negotiation,"she said. ■

CAM PUS

T o w n H a ll s k i m s o v e r i s s u e s M u n ro e -B lu m fa ils to im p re ss a tte n d e e s K

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McGill's latest'Town Hall took place last night in Chancellor Day Hall, after a near two-week postpone­ ment. Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, supported by Deputy Provost Morton Mendelson, fielded questions from the McGill community, focussing specifically on the topics of protecting the environment, enhancing the student experience and Campaign McGill.

In the first portion of the event, designated to en­ vironmental issues, Kelly Ebbels, Coordinating News Editor of the McGill Daily, asked if the university was planning to put in place a firm sustainability policy, which "students and staff have expressed a sincere in­ terest in implementing." She added that such a policy would be a positive first step for McGill to become a leader in sustainable practices, as Munroe-Blum had asserted at the outset of the meeting.

"Saying that having a policy is simple, but [imple­ menting] it isn't—just look at Kyoto," Munroe-Blum re­ sponded. "When you look at where things breakdown, policies are a small step in support of good practices.

At the end of the day, that's what it really comes down to in making the environment better than it is."

Another focal point of the evening was the Cam­ paign McGill, when Munroe-Blum announced that the university is nearly halfway to its $750-million goal.

Trevor Fraser, U4 East Asian religion and English literature, posited that sustainability is presented as a theme of the campaign, but that sustainability "has to be something that is practiced by Campaign McGill, not just something it funnels money towards." "[The campaign has] received gifts from Shell, Imperial Oil and Petro-Canada," he argued. "These are companies that are, for example, contributing to [en­ vironmental degradation]; Campaign McGill is giving these companies a good name. [McGill has] rejected some offers, which I think is great. But there needs to

be an open standard. It needs to be democratic."

Munroe-Blum, however, denied that the Cam­ paign ever claimed to be sustainability-driven in the first place.

“In fact, it would be a mistake if it were," she said.

"The priorities under the Campaign that focus on the environment are very much academically driven— fo­ cussed on the environment faculty, for example."

Brendan Rahman, U3 economics and urban sys­ tems; suggested that the university increase its trans­ parency with regard to costs.

"I think a lot of people would be happier to sup­ port [tuition] re-regulation and Campaign McGill— which essentially raise the much needed money for McGill— if the costs are made much more explicit."

Some students, however, expressed concern about the way in which the town hall was facilitated by Munroe-Blum.

"I purposely didn't ask a question because I didn't think it would be answered anyway. [Munroe-Blum and Mendelson] choose the topics beforehand because they know they can deflect everything," Fraser said.

Audience member Erin Towsley, U2 architecture, shared Fraser's concerns about Munroe-Blum's disposi­ tion throughout the evening.

"I was a little disappointed in the manner that Heather Munroe-Blum addressed some of the speak­ ers that posed questions. I felt that she was perhaps was unnecessarily curt,"she said.

Towsley also suggested that student involvement in theTown Hall was insufficient, and this was reflected in the evening's low turnout.

"I'm a little disappointed at the attendance," she said. "But I think that's partly due to [stu­ dent] apathy towards the administration, which [is] in turn partly due to students' feelings that M A T T PAR K the administration is apathetic towards the M unroe-Blum fields q u estio n s from th e au dience d esp ite low tu rn o u t. student body." ■

27.11.07 • The McGill Tribune • 3 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW— M ADELEINE ALBRIG HT

N ew s Briefs

A lb r ig h t o n t h e

Anti-consumerism campaign kicks off holiday season In an effort to highlight the materialistic nature of nature of North American society, last Friday was Buy Nothing Day; it also marked the offi­ cial start of the consumption-heavy holiday season. Led by New Democratic Party McGill and Greening McGill, students took part in the day's informal protest of consumer culture with a variety of activities on campus. The aim of the event was to raise awareness and engage people in a discussion of negative consumer habits. The date of the protest also coincided with the official start of the Christmas shopping season in the United States.

"Buy Nothing Day is a good opportunity to raise questions about the way mainstream media may affect our perspectives about consumerism," said David Koch, NDP McGill member.

Traditionally, this annual eventtakes placeonthe Fridayfollowing American-ThanksgivinginNorthAmericaandtakesplaceontheSaturdayintemationally.The event not only challenges people to alter their consumerist habits for one day, but also hopes to foster lasting change in consumption patterns on a larger scale.

On Thursday, NDP McGill was in the Leacock Building broadcasting Buy Nothing Day videos. These "uncommericals" are available through Adbusters, a non-profit anti-consumerist magazine based out of Vancouver.

NDP McGill was visible at the cross intersection on campus Friday, hand­ ing out treats donated by Midnight Kitchen and hot drinks to people with reusable mugs. Greening McGill also organized anti-consumerist Christmas carols which were sung to the shopping masses in downtown malls down­ town on Friday.

Heloise Apesteguy-Reux, Law t student, who participated in past Buy Nothing Days, found the concept to be a good way for consumers to pay more attention to what they purchase.

"Even if people do not participate, [Buy Nothing Day] is a good idea be­ cause people have to ask themselves, 'can I participate in Buy Nothing Day?' and 'what do I have to do to participate?'" Apesteguy-Reux said. "It makes people ask themselves what they are buying throughout their day."

W e ste r n F ron t M a d e le in e A lb rig h t sp e a k s a b o u t h e r lo n g a n d d iv e rs e c a re e r in p o litic s FormerUnitedStatesSecretaryofStateDr.MadeleineAl­ brightspokeonTuesdayinMontrealfortheinauguralPeterBrojdeLeadershipLectureon“BusinessandthePoor".Albright, the firstfemaleSecretaryofState,significantlyDuringhertermin 2000,Albrightbecamethehighest-levelWesternleadertomeet withChairmanofNorthKoreaKimJong-ll.Amongstheraccom­ plishmentsasSecretaryofState,AlbrightinfluencedAmerican policyintheBalkansandsignificantlychangedNATO'spolicies to“nodiminution,nodiscriminationandnoduplicationl’Wesat downwithhertodiscussherinspirations,motivationsandpostSecretarycareer.

As you became more involved in politics, what eventually inspired you to establish a career in politics?

I became involved in politics when I was very young; I came to the United States when I was n and I loved the idea of Harry Truman and politics and the Democratic Party. It's been a lifelong activity; in different ways, I think I have done everything there is to do in politics, from licking stamps to doing campaigns and raising money to working in the White House.

Prominent issues in the university media have often en­ tailed student protests. In general, how should students challenge the government on issues that matter to them, such that they can be heard?

It is always important to state one's views in a respect­ ful way and it is important to be clear about what you believe in. [One must] be willing to have discussions with the other side and be open to suggestions. I very much ap­ plaud student activism, but it has to be done in a way that is constructive. Any administration or management or gov­ ernment wants to hear from the constituents, but it must be done in a way to allow conversation and dialogue about the issue.

You became the first female Secretary of State and with that, you became the third most powerful person in America. How did you overcome the gender barriers in a historically male-dominated field, and how did you gar­ ner the respect of the public and the people you worked with?

First of all, it [respect] doesn't come automatically.

There are always people who have doubts about whether you should do the job. But the only way to make it happen is through very hard work. When people doubted whether

I could do something or not, I just worked harder to prove that I could. It wasn't easy; there are people, both male and female, who either supported me or didn't and I can hon­ estly say that it came from working very hard.

Looking back on the challenges that you have had to overcome, can you pinpoint a time in your ca­ reer after which everything was relatively easy and smooth sailing?

It never was smooth sailing. It was constantly being challenged and in many ways, I actually thought that once I was Secretary of State, people would just accept that. They didn't, because they may have disagreed with my policies, or they might have wanted the job. In many ways, I thought of this as a motivation, because [it inspired me to] keep on working.

What about gender dynamics today?

More than half the population in the United States and in the world are women. The question is whether any soci­ ety can afford not to use the talent of half its people. I think it's important to get women into politics and especially if they are qualified. I happen to think that Senator Clinton would be a very good president. It's very interesting in that the U.S. thinks that we have to be first at everything, but there are plenty of countries that have women lead­ ers, [for example] the Chancellor of Germany, the President of Chile, or Argentina. It's important for a country to use its best talent.

After your term as Secretary of State, there had been some rumors that you might run for office in your na­ tive Czech Republic. What is the story behind this?

What have you been involved in since the end of your term?

I never was running. What happened was Czech Re­ public President Vaclav Havel thought that I should be Presi­ dent but I knew that it was never going to happen because I loved being an American. I find myself now in different roles: first of all, I teach. I have a business. I am on a number of international commissions, and I use the voice that I have developed as Secretary of State to make a difference in a variety of ways internationally. There is a to do, probably more than one person really can do, but I'm out there.

lot

—CompiledbyKenSun

—AlisonWithers

Organic Night Students gathered last Friday evening in the Shatner Ballroom to ingest a free dinner along with information about organic clubs on campus at Or­ ganic Night, an event organized by Organic Campus. Gorilla Composting was present at the event to provide students with tips on minimizing waste and information about its activities around campus, and several speakers talked beforehand about the advantages of organic living.

One student speaker, Ben Speigel, U2 English, worked as a professional chef at an organic farm in Ontario last summer, and is doing cooking work­ shops on how to best use the produce purchased from Organic Campus.

Marie-Christine Beaulieu, U2 finance and Organic Campus volunteer, said that the evening's turnout far surpassed the group's expectations.

"We were expecting at least 100 [students to come], and we have served over 200 at least,"she said."We are really proud to have attracted such a group of people.”

Organic Campus provides organic food every Tuesday from 2 to 6 p.m. in the 'organic corner'on the second floor of Shatner, or, weather providing, right outside the building's steps. Students may place orders for produce and bread and pick up their order the following week. Payment is based on basket size.

"There's definitely an advantage to having organic campus here for stu­ dents," Beaulieu added."If you go to normal supermarkets that carry organic vegetables you necessarily have to pay a price premium, whereas if you [shop] through organic campus, all baskets are offered at cost."

In the fall, vegetables are provided by Farm True Food Ecostere just in­ side the Ontario border and transported directly from that farm to Organic Campus at McGill. In preparation for the winter months, the club is in the process of selecting a new, non-local produce supplier.

—MeghnaMarjadiandKristinMatch

A N D R E W D ATH AN FR AN K EL

A lbright:"The q uestion is w h eth e r any society can afford n o t to use th e ta le n t of half its p eo p le."

Clubs get the axe A handful of clubs affiliated with the Students' Society of McGill Uni­ versity have been shown the door for disorganization and a lack of leader­ ship within their executive. Presented as one of the main topics in a report

by Vice-President of Clubs and Services Marcelle Kosman to council in its last session, Kosman stated in the report that "dozens of clubs, both full and interim status, as well as three services, have not updated their Exec con­ tact lists. Some have turned in their postering agreements, showing us that they are active. For those that have turned in nothing, however, we're giving them the axe."

SSMU President Jake Itzkowitz explained that although these clubs may seem inactive, many of these organizations are fully functional within McGill.

"It's hard to keep track of clubs that are not entirely on the ball. I think only about half of .our clubs have the correct paperwork into us," Itzkowitz said.

One of the clubs that was axed was the McGill Mature and Re-entry Stu­ dent's Association. The association "facilitates the integration of mature and re-entry students into the traditional spectrum of academic life and gives its members the opportunity to socialize with other students with similar interests and concerns." According to the report, the MRSA lounge in the basement of the arts building will subsequently be lost if the association fails to submit an application for an interim club status next semester. The report states that "if the clubs have an office (only three of the delinquents do), they will lose it and another club will move into it."

However, according to Itzkowitz, "clubs getting the'axe'will not really be thejarocess that will be undertaken... Nobody's going be tossed out of an office without at least a full investigation by the VP" Kosman was unavailable for comment.

—ThomasQuail

4 -N e w s -27.11.07

The McGill Tribune

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This kid must have watched way too many Christmas cartoons and tried to learn from them. While sneaking in past curfew usually would in­ volve backdoors or windows, a Detroit teen resorted to using the chimney.

Unfortunately, he ended up stuck in the shaft and had to be rescued by firefighters and police officers. • A 14-month-old New York City toddler crawled out of a third-story window last weekend and suffered a precipi­ tous 20-foot drop—without breaking a bone. Why does physical aptitude so often favour the intellectually feeble? • A Michigan man accidentally shot and killed his neighbour's cow last week, after mistaking it for a coy­ ote. The man will be facing charges for attempting to kill coyotes outside the hunting season and for fatally shooting the cow. At least he didn't con­ fuse a man for the bird he was hunting bird, as U.S. Vice-President Richard Cheney did. • Italian Anna Ciriani was banned from teaching for being a porn star, according to reports last Thursday. Ciriani's colourful extracurricu­ lar activities, which has earned her the title of "porno-prof" from the local media, were brought out into the open when secondary students from her school covered washrooms with downloaded photos of her, which were deemed "not compatible with educational activity," according to the over­ seeing school board. • An anonymous Italian citizen has bid $3.8-million U.S. last Friday to purchase the town of Albert, Texas. The town, currently unpopulated, consists of a tavern, dance-hall, tractor shed and three-bedroom house. Perhaps the "porno-prof" bought the town as her getaway and will use it to start a new Vegas in the desert!

—

Sources:Yahoo!News,Reuters

® M c G ill

CFS c a lls t h e w h o le t h in g o f f S tu d e n ts ' S o c ie ty b o o te d fro m F e d e ra tio n C ontinued from COVER as CFS-Q was paralyzed. We checked in the by-laws and there was nothing obliging them to wait for CFS-Q, but they insisted that they weren't comfortable going ahead with the referen­ dum while CFS-Q was paralyzed,"Silverman said.

With a delayed referendum, SSMU required for the pro­ spective membership to be extended into February; without this extension, SSMU's prospective membership in CFSwould end in mid-November.

According to both Cox and PGSSVP External Roland Nassim, hostilities towards SSMU, specifically Silverman, stemmed from a breakdown in what had been a positive relationship over the summer regarding CFS-Q-related problems and a general divergence in goals and interests.

"We've had a very good relationship with [Silverman] last year and with [former President Aaron Donny-Clark] over the CFS-Q issue; CFS-Q itself has a lot of problems and we need to work together to find a solution,” Nassim said. "We came to the conclusion that we were on the same page on a lot of the issues. When we started undergoing steps to fix CFS-Q, what came about was another reality where SSMU is trying to mo­ nopolize [CFS-Q] to their own personal benefits, and that was going to hurt a lot of our own interests."

Silverman, however, believes that SSMU did everything in its power to support the PGSS and their initiatives at CFS-Q. “The one political thing that we tried to do the entire summer at CFS-Q was launch a campaign for massive tuition reinvestment,” Silverman said. "We did everything possible

along the way to make PGSS feel included in CFS-Q." Altalibi believed that challenges to the chair and deputy chair elections were also motivated by PGSS'general dissatis­ faction with the SSMU's initiative to campaign against the tu­ ition defreeze; however, he believes that PGSS'claims of SSMU dominating the CFS-Q were unfounded.

"The one thing that [PGSSrepresentatives] weren't happy about was the campaign against the defreeze,"he said.'lt's not like one school can dominate; each school has one vote, each school has the right to bring up their issues that matter to them. PGSS did not bring [their issues] forward to CFS-Q.” Despite all allegations of wrongdoing on the part of Sil­ verman from the PGSS, Silverman emphasized that the deci­ sion at the AGM broke a legally-binding contract between SSMU and CFS and deprives McGill students of a voice.

"They've broken legal contractual obligations,"Silverman said. "Regardless of the accusations against us, they chose to deny our students the choice to vote in a referendum that they have been promising for the last 12 months."

"The assembly voted us down, essentially cancelling our membership and kicking us out without having a referen­ dum," he added.

Silverman is not optimistic about resuming efforts to re­ join the CSF. "After the AGM, I'm of the mind that every aspect of our 12-month prospective membership has been a lie and every­ thing we've ever been told from the CFS has been a lie," Sil­ verman said. "[If there is to be a CFS referendum,] I personally would be voting no." ■

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3480 McTavish

G e ft* Bar now has McGill Wireless!

S y s te m s ( c lic k e r s )

A s s o c ia tio n

Needa PtekMa-Up? December ExamCoffee Breaks!

Come enjoy co m p lim en tary s n a c k s and r e f r e s h m e n ts a t th e follow ing locations:

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

December 10th December 11th December 12th December 13th December 14th

McLennan Library Lobby: 10:30am—12:30pm McConnell Eng. Lobby: 11:00—1:00pm McLennan Library Lobby: 10:30am—12:30pm Strathcona Music Lobby: 10:30am—12:30pm McLennan Library Lobby: 10:00am—1:00pm

The M cB illA lum niA sso c ia tio n w ish e s y o u g o o d lu c k o n y o u r exa m s!

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KEN W ILL SING A W A G N E R IA N AR IA IN G ERM AN A N D CHINESE!

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TUESDAY, NO V. 27, 5:30 P.M., RO O M 110, SHATNER

M arine M oulin

C A U G H T O N CAM PUS

Imprisoned for six years in an Iranian jail for expos­ ing human rights abuses committed by a fundamentalist regime, Iranian investigative journalist Akbar Ganji spoke to a crowd in Moot Court as the first of many lectures in his cross-Canada tour, entitled "Iran, human rights and the nuclear question: What are the connections?"

Ganji, who has been writing pro-democracy articles for years, was imprisoned in Evin Prison in Tehran after attending a conference in Berlin that had been marked as "anti-lslamic." While initial charges were overturned, Ganji was eventually indicted on charges of past articles he had penned. In 2005, while on an 80-day hunger strike in Evin, Ganji wrote two open letters to the free people of the world and smuggled them out of prison; these letters were subsequently spread widely throughout the world.

Member of Parliament and Secretary of State Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity Jason Kenney, who introduced Ganji's lecture, expressed his admiration for Ganji's work.

"It is hard to imagine the mental and physical pain that was inflicted upon [Ganji] during those six years," Kenney said.

Kenney also argued that Ganji's opinion represented the "voice of the majority of the Iran population."

"The [lecture] talked about a peaceful solution, and gave recognition [to] someone's courage,"said Airina Ro­ drigues, Law 4 student.

Ganji began the speech with a frank discussion about the relationship between Iran and the United States. He asserted that the Iranian people feel that "the MATT PARK U.S. is only interested in mastering the oil industry," and that "unfortunately, they see the United States as one­ sided in foreign policy: they defend Israel.”

O rganic Cam pus volunteers dish o u t organic treats to hungry participants.

According to Ganji, the high tensions, present be­ tween the United States and Iran could ultimately result in American military intervention in the country. Ganji suggested that such a drastic act might be taken for two main reasons, stemming from Iran's participation in Iraq and its antipathy towards Israel, respectively.

"The first [reason] is because of the [American] army soldiers dying in Iraq from Iran-imported weapons, the second [reason] is that if Iran built nuclear weapons it wili use it against Israel."

On the subject of weaponry, Ganji made the con­ tentious suggestion that Iran is looking to acquire legal weapons in order to employ them against Israel, the closest non-NATO ally of the United States in the Middle East. Moreover, he claimed that Russia and China, as well as other Western countries, are currently racing to sell such weapons to Iran.

"We should establish a Palestinian state in peace > with Israel. I really want human rights to flourish in the region, and this is the prerequisite,” Ganji said.

Irwin Cotier, Minister of Justice, Attorney General of Canada and McGill Law Professor, concluded the session by emphasizing a need to have "less talk about military options and more talk about human rights" in Iran. "[Ganji's] courage and bravery underline the fight for human rights,"Cotier said.

Recipient of the John Humphrey Freedom Award 2007 from the Rights & Democracy Institution, Ganji is recognized for his outspoken dissent against the regime and his efforts to promote human rights in Iran.

Ganji will continue his tour to Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver, before his final destination of Ottawa, where he will officially receive the award on Dec. 4.

"The conference was informative," Rodrigues said.

"It's good to give attention to a topic not [examined] enough by the media." ■

University of Ottawa

G rad uate stu d ies in public and international affairs

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h e r e .

C r e a t e d in 2 0 0 7 , t h e G r a d u a t e S c h o o l o f P u b lic a n d In t e r n a t io n a l A f f a ir s is o n e o f a k in d : •

A n in n o v a t iv e p r o g r a m w h e r e p u b lic p o lic y a n d i n t e r n a t io n a l a ffa ir s c o m e t o g e t h e r

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C u t t in g - e d g e re s e a r c h a n d h ig h q u a li t y t e a c h in g b y w o r l d c la s s s c h o la r s a n d o n - s it e p r a c t it io n e r s b r i n g i n g e x c e p t io n a l e x p e r ie n c e

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T h e o n ly b ilin g u a l p r o g r a m o f its k in d w h e r e y o u m a y s t u d y in e it h e r o f C a n a d a 's t w o o f f ic ia l la n g u a g e s

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L o c a te d in t h e h e a r t o f t h e n a t io n a l c a p it a l, a n id e a l p la c e f o r t h e o r y a n d p r a c t ic e t o c o m e t o g e t h e r in p r e p a r a t io n f o r a c a r e e r in p u b li c a n d in t e r n a t i o n a l a ffa ir s .

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O p in io n YO U H A D A N O PTIO N , SIR

JU M B O SHRIMP

P roperty e q u a ls r e sp o n sib ility

Be all th a t y o u can B(+)

T imothy M ak T imothy.mak @mailmcgill .ca

J. F. Kostuck JFKOSTUCK@GMAIL.COM

odern environmentalists have largely fo­ cussed upon state intervention as a tool to preserve the environment. However, there are alternative approaches that avoid regu­ lation and simultaneously prevent the degrada­ tion of nature. Most free-market policy proposals regarding the environment tend to emphasize the importance of property rights. These rights are broadly categorized into the right to use and enjoy one's property, the right to earn income from this property and the right to transfer one's property to others. Property rights make such ownership meaningful.

Any effective environmental policy must start with respect for these basic property rights. First, a direct consequence of the right to use and enjoy one's property is the corollary that one cannot pre­ vent another from doing the same. As a result, the application of property rights would prevent pol­ luters from discharging waste into a river, as this would prevent property owners downstream from the right to enjoy their land. If firms polluted the river, legal action could then be taken.

Secondly, ownership makes individuals re­ sponsible stewards of their property. Consider how you would treat your apartment or dwelling if you owned it, as opposed to if you rented it. The own­ ership of a good provides an incentive to ensure that the use of the good is sustainable. Owning something entices you to avoid an instant pillag­ ing of your property for short-term happiness or a quick profit, instead encouraging you to maintain that property in order to ensure long-term and sustained utility.

One of the great economic lessons of mod­ ern history is that communal property owner­ ship leads to environmental disaster. In fact, the former USSR was responsible for an astoundingly egregious environmental record. If no one owns something, everyone can and there is an incen­ tive to use as much of that good as possible before competitors get to it.

M

E very year in late November I start An excellent example of the envi­ ronmental implications precipitated by a lack of property rights application is BC's salmon fishery. In the last century, over-fishing has plagued BC's salmon fishery, as fishermen have tried to hoard as much of the fish as they could.

But recently, fishermen have been given stronger property rights in the form of individual transfer­ able quotas. ITQs give each fishing vessel a cer­ tain amount offish to catch based on the Ministry of Fisheries' total allowable catch. These property rights have been instrumental in stopping the 'race for fish' and increasing the sustainability of the Pacific fishery.

Property rights encourage fishermen to'grow' fish by conserving stocks or by increasing the pro­ ductivity offish habitats. They also allow fishermen to be confident that they will reap the rewards of the actions they take to preserve or improve stocks and force fishermen to be responsible for any risks that they take. The application of property rights to fisheries shows that it is not necessaryto ban fishing in order to save fish. Rather, using property rights al­ lows fishermen to simultaneously do right and also do well.

It is not by accident that this column is littered with references to incentives. Scarcity exists and as a result people are forced to make decisions based on limited resources. These decisions are moti­ vated by incentives. People will do what is rational, and property rights encourage people to make ra­ tional decisions that will protect the environment.

At first glance, the idea that the best policy solu­ tion does not include explicit action by the state seems counter-intuitive. But it is clear that using property rights can allow for minimal regulation while ensuring that the environment is protected.

I am not suggesting that property rights will solve all environmental problems, but they are certainly applicable to a large variety of environmental con­ flicts. When considering environmental policy, it is imperative to keep in mind property rights. ■

to develop the same symptoms: fatigue, boredom and the com­ plete inability to start assignments any earlier than the night (or morning) be­ fore they're due. As a result, I've pulled off some pretty incredible feats. Give me an eight hour hard deadline and a pot of coffee and you'll have yourself a ten page paper on just about anything.

I relish in starting things at the last min­ ute, not only because it tests my mental and physical endurance, but because starting things late means I get to do other, non-work-related things before­ hand like sleep, play racquetball or, you know, sleep.

As time ticks by and my deadline approaches, I find myself doing the only math Arts students are capable of: essay math. If I have 2,000 words left and four hours to write, that means 500 words an hour, or eight words a minute—totally doable. Factor in a 42-minute episode of and that still only means ten words per minute—again, totally do­ able. External influences continue to get added into the equation until my essay math gets so complex that I begin to think I just might pass my GREs. Five more minutes wasted thinking about my future (or lack thereof) and I hit the equal sign, to arrive at the inevitable, yet always shocking realization that I'm screwed.

This lights a fire under my ass, and my fingers fly until I launch into a dead sprint in order to make it to the Arts Porter's office before 5 p.m.

On the walk home, realizing that I've once again left the house in pajama pants and mismatched shoes, I make myself a solemn vow: to start my next

TheO.C.

paper early, go to classes the day things are due and to get myself off vampire time and sleep when it's dark out, for once. Profs can't seriously be oblivious to this blatant procrastination—so why do we do it? Starting a paper at mid­ night means we can catch the newest episode of but sure­ ly not even Charlie Sheen is so riveting as to halt intellectual progress.

I'd love to be able to share some groundbreaking and insightful psy­ chological explanation, but hey, I'm a theatre major for a reason. All I know is that procrastination is the name of game, and this year I'm aiming to go pro. Last week, in an effort to avoid writ­ ing my own term paper, I actually wrote my younger sister's ninth grade English essay instead. The topic? "Discuss mad­ ness in Clearly, her teacher was also watching last night.

I took the topic and went to town, regurgitating everything I've retained from three years of university-level Shakespeare courses. Satisfied with my work and certain that I would shock Mrs. Brock-Teaching-Certificate into catato­ nia with the sheer awesomeness of my paper, I sent it back to my sister, who was just grateful that she no longer had to read the Sparknotes. With that ego boost under my belt, I proceeded to write my own paper in record time.

Now, this would be all good and well if my sister hadn't called me yester­ day with her English grade. My paper, my literary masterpiece of a high school paper, got a B+. Enraged, perplexed and five other SAT adjectives though I was, the bigger picture shone through: This really doesn't bode well for finals. ■

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hat do Danny Glover, Iran Air, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) and Vladimir Putin have in . common?They're all beneficiaries ofVenezuelan Presi­ dent Hugo Chavez's oil money.

It's no secret that as the fourth largest oil exporter to the United States, Châvez is using the roughly $i-billion USD in profits per month of the state-owned oil company to fund pet "anti-imperialist” projects all over the world. It's no secret, either, that as oil prices rise and Venezuela sits on 90 per cent of the world's heavy tar oil reserves, Chavez will have growing amounts of money at his disposal to counter what he sees as the hege­ monic influence of Western governments.

Though famous for his boasting and provocative diatribes against imperialism, particularly those against George W. Bush (to whom he refers as Satan), it is not the media attention that Chavez garners that should attract the attention of European, American and Canadian governments. Chavez is not the first leader to score political popularity by declaring his intentions to underscore Western foreign policy. He is, however, the first with the petro-money to back up his rhetoric (though Iranian Presi­ dent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ranks a close second).

Chavez's influence poses a significant threat to Euro­ pean, Canadian and American interests. In an attempt to un­ dermine UN sanctions against Iran and Syria, Chavez has set

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out to increase economic ties between both countries and Venezuela. And if that weren't enough, Chavez has increased diplomatic ties with North Korea, yet another Venezuelan ally subjected to UN sanctions, whose only embassy in Latin America has been relocated to Caracas. Add that to the meet­ ings of military delegations between the two countries—a seeming conformation of a long suspected oil-for-arms deal between Caracas and Pyongyang—and it's safe to say that Chavez has significantly muddied up the waters for the entire international community.

Chavez's rhetoric is surely big, as are his plans to counter what he sees as the imperialist efforts of the international com­ munity to isolate Syrian, Iran and North Korea. Yet, to pose the question bluntly, is he worth worrying about? The short answer is: yes.Though Chavez's investments cannot significantly deflect the economic burden of UN sanctions, nor will his efforts curtail foreign policy initiatives supported by a significant number of Western governments, his enthusiasm for all things anti-Ameri­ can will continue to make European, American and Canadian foreign policy increasingly difficult. Chavez's willingness to fund anti-Western governments and pet-projects all over the world already illustrates this point: from his support of the leftists Evo Morales in Bolivia to Rafael Correa in Ecuador; from Banco del Sur, his counterweight to the imperialist World Bankand the IMF,

to his resistance to free trade agreements in the Americas.

It's worth noting that it is not only European, American and Canadian interests that Chavez jeopardizes. Under Chavez, Venezuela has become one of the world’s most aggressive arms buyers. Analysts predict that if oil prices remain above $50 USD a barrel—they're currently topping $80 USD —Chavez will have spent more than $3o-billion on arms deals between 2005 and 2012. Chavez's neighbors, Colombia especially, have not taken the Venezuelan arms buildup lightly. Take into account that Venezuelan-bought arms have reportedly found their way into the hands of the FARC and intercontinental diplomacy in South America gets even messier.

As it stands, much of Chavez's oil money remains unaccounted for. With poverty and unemployment levels nearly the same in Venezuela as when Chavez came into office, it's safe to say that the bulk of the government's money isn't used for the social programs that Chavez so publicly champions. It can only be assumed that the money is being put to use outsourcing Chavez's anti-American agenda, from projects as benign as the $20-million Danny Glover received for two movie productions, to the more.insidious anti-imperial projects. As long as there's a market willing to overlook his agenda in exchange for oil, Chavez's rhetoric and his chequebook, it seems, will remain far from empty. ■

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27.11.07 • The McGill Tribune • 7

T

r ib u n e

EDITORIAL

T he lo w d o w n on d o w n lo a d s

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s if the October crackdown on European hosted members-only music-sharing community Oink.cd didn't make enough of a dent in the integrity of Internet file-sharing, on Novem­ ber 8 th the Canadian Recording Industry Association threatened action against the company rent­ ing servers to BitTorrent tracker De­ monoid. This action resulted in the

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unable to provide comprehensive legislative solutions to solve these digital dilemmas.

The sheer number of music and video files circulating online are a testament to the sheer popularity of illegal file-sharing and the gen­ eral collapse of old industry busi­ ness models. Downloading is now a nearly ubiquitous activity and no amount of legislation is going to

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Matt Chesser Aaron Sigal sports@mcgilltribune.com P hoto E ditors

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C ontributors

Geoffrey Antsey, Andrew Burt, Kathryn Dingle, Lindsey Frank, Jessica Dismont, Jamie Goodman, Jacob Kantor,Tash Kassam, J.F. Kostuck, Matt Park, Kelly Schuster, Adam Scotti, Laura Tindal, Danielle Trabsky, Alison Withers

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Editorial Shatner University Centre Suite 110,3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 1X9 T: 514.398.6789 E: info@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Brown Student Building Suite 1200,3600 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 1Y2 T: 514.398.6806 F: 514398.7490

"In short, legislation alone, especially legisla­ tion that treats two-bit music fans and small­ time domain administrators as dangerous criminals, cannot solve the dilemmas posed by modern technology." shutdown of the site. Luckily, unlike the INTERPOL shutdown of Oink (who were probably upset at the fact that their album leaked— ha!), there's a whiff of pragmatism in the Mountie's approach—as they note, they will not follow INTERPOL'S lead in tracking down and punishing individual users.

However, the crackdown on both Oink and Demonoid are symp­ tomatic of a larger problem—the muddled non-policy that govern­ ments across Europe and North America have been using to control the digital sphere, vainly struggling under the misguided apprehension that they can criminalize piracy and other digital ownership problems out of existence.

Such ineptitude is the result of the lack of materiality and owner­ ship characteristic of the decentral­ ized, anarchic world of the Internet.

Between file sharing, privacy rules, intellectual property laws and the failure of so-called net-neutral­ ity bills, governments have shown time and time again that they are

stop that. Government regulators and overzealous public prosecutors may have limited success in shut­ ting down larger databases and trackers like Oink or Demonoid, but ultimately new services arise in their place. The reality is that torrents and other downloaded media are in such high demand that as soon as the government is able to shut one index site down, a new one emerges up within days. The music and video files in question still exist and the widespread desire to share music will not die—Torrent tracker shutdowns and shoddy legislation aside.

Legal downloading alternatives like iTunes are still mired in old no­ tions about property and intellec­ tual ownership, with digital rights restrictions built into the file. As technology advances, ways to sub­ vert it progress just as quickly. At this rate it is impossible for legislation to keep up with the technology, and companies must now turn to other solutions. Radiohead's recent exper­ iment in releasing their

album— offering potential consum­ ers the chance to pay whatever they wanted— showcased this new devaluation of music. Out of 1.2 mil­ lion downloads, only 38 per cent of consumers paid anything at all. With the rise of pervasive file sharing, it is clear that music has lost its much value to the consumer.

One of the best solutions is sim­ ply to stop relying on technology and legislation and instead exploit consumers' jaziness and impatience for a profit. Many networks have al­ ready toyed with the idea of making full episodes available on their Web sites with commercials included to offset some of the costs, why not put the same files on their sites for download? Torrents are fairly wide­ spread, but it's very rare to get a download speed that will match a dedicated server like the ones used by various networks. If the average person can download a commer­

cial free show in three hours, and a version with commercials in forty minutes, they will choose the latter.

Once the commercials are part of the downloaded file, you can fairly easily create proprietary formats that lack the ability to fast-forward and would force the viewer to watch the ads.

In short, legislation alone, espe­ cially legislation that treats two-bit music fans and small-time domain administrators as dangerous crimi­ nals, cannot solve the dilemmas posed by modern technology. We are witnessing the death of intellec­ tual property and the rise of entirely new modes of communication, dis­ tribution and retail of digital intangi­ bles like music, movies and books— and nation-states should abandon old notions of control, ownership and distribution in favour of com­ prehensive new solutions that rec­ ognize that an ever-changing digital landscape is here to stay.*

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OFF THE BOARD

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Lawand Orderrecently launched a serious bid for the

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Republican presidential nomination; a few months later Comedy Central's star pundit Ste­ phen Colbert lined up sponsorship money from Doritos and launched his own bid, only to have it prematurely ended by the South Carolina Demo­ cratic committee. Well, the increasingly blurry line between government and professional entertain­ ment took another turn for the worse last week as prosecutors brought charges in federal court against baseball slugger Barry Bonds for alleged steroid use, and a federal grand jury obligingly handed down an indictment.

In April 2005, as that year's baseball season began, the House Government Reform Com­ mittee launched an investigation of steroid use in the major leagues, citing increased concerns over the honesty of the game, and fears over the welfare of student-athletes, who increasingly believe that they must consider performance­ enhancing drugs if they want to make it into the big leagues.

As a result, the pressing matter of the integri­ ty of America's national pastime and the honesty of its sports leagues tied up an entire Congres­ sional committee for months on end. In fact, the

eminent former Senator George Mitchell came out of retirement to head up an MLB investigation into alleged steroid use in the past decade—and his report is widely expected next month.

The public debate over Barry Bonds has thus far focused on whether his home run record would and should stand in the wake of such alle­ gations— but few have commented on the vastly inappropriate role that government and federal prosecutors have played in this whole quagmire that is steroid use.

Major League Baseball Players Association should not have needed the threat of Congres­ sional action to change their policies on perfor­ mance-enhancing drugs, nor should federal pros­ ecutors be the ones to enforce the ban on steroid use— indeed, it's the MLB that stands to lose the most if the honesty of the game is tainted. Prior to the scandal involving the nutrition company BALCO and the deaths of several players, suspen­ sions over suspected or actual steroid use were rare. However, in light of these developments, the league altered its rules, applying a zero-tolerance policy and doling out suspensions that range from ten games to several years.

In the United States, anabolic steroids are classified as a controlled substance—and pos­

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session of such substances without a prescrip­ tion is indeed a federal crime. However, these substances were only criminalized in the wake of Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson's tainted vic­ tory in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. In fact, during the Congressional debate on the legal status of steroids, the American Medical Association, the Food and Drug Administration and several other non-partisan scientific organizations all opposed criminalization. However, Congress acted anyway, legislating substances all to uphold the integrity of professional sporting leagues—acting to use the powers of government to regulate the hon­ esty and behaviour of adult athletes playing on privately owned teams and leagues.

Such government involvement in the activi­ ties of private organizations is highly undesirable.

Fans and players alike benefit from an honest game, however it should certainly not be within the purview of federal prosecutors to enforce such honesty on private leagues, nor should it be within the realm of Congressional action to crimi­ nalize and investigate substance abuse within those leagues. Anabolic steroids are a disgrace to baseball, but more importantly, their criminaliza­ tion is a disgrace to Congress, the legal system and the American taxpayer. ■

The M c G ill T rib u n e is an editorially autonom ous newspaper published by the Students' Society o f McGill University in collaboration with the Tribune Publication Society. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those o f 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 T rib u n e . Submissions judged by theTribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, hom ophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The T rib u n e 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 M c G ill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

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E v e r y b o d y lo v e s k u n g fu M a ste rs o f a rts b o th fin e a n d m a rtia l K athryn D ingle Fusing together philosophy and martial arts, the McGill Gong Fu (the correct pronunciation of Kung Fu) Club teaches self defence and encourages its members to use gong fu les­ sons in every day life. "[Gong fu] is an activity where you dedicate your­ self to self-improvement and learn philosophies and ways of life that can be very inspiring," says Travis Joern, U3 East Asian studies. Joern founded the club last year and is the current president.

Gong Fu literally means "time-skill" and as such the club not only focuses on martial arts, but on all time-culti­ vated skills that require dedication and intent, such as art and music. Achievement of this goal is supported by the club's studio, Nexus, located on St-Paul Street in the Old Port.

Every month, local martial arts masters run seminars at Nexus to introduce members to the different types of gong fu and connect them with schools in the Montreal area. Rather than focusing on one particular area, the dub aims to help students find the style of martial arts that is right for them. "What we're doing is giving [students] a forum to taste a little bit of every martial art—philosophy and tech­ nique. .. It's a chance to try them all, then choose the one you like the most," says Peter Lavoie, U3 East Asian studies and geography.

"There's a lot we can use this space for... We're very open to members' suggestions about how we can use this space and the different kinds of events that we could run here,"says Joern, who hopes it will become a cultural centre for the community.

The club is also looking to host a monthly art night and gallery show, which would give student artists the chance to bridge the gap with the Montreal community and break into the exclusive downtown art scene.

Another aspect of the club is its charity work. It is cur­ rently in collaboration with the charity LOVE (Leave Out Vio­

lence) to create an outreach program for local youth.

"We could use martial etiquette, ethics and philosophy to teach kids howto be leaders,"Joern explains. "The program would give kids the opportunity to learn about Gong Fu and members the chance to use their martial arts knowledge to make a difference in the community."

C O U R T E S Y O F T H E M C G IL L G O N G FU C LUB

Doing the"M a-B u" stance in th e Australian alps.

Both Joern and Lavoie are optimistic about the club's future and maintain that there has been a growing interest in gong fu among McGill students since the club began.

"It's always been something I've been interested in, but the opportunity was never really available for me before.

This would be the chance to start in a fun environment and meet new people who share my interests,"says club member Brenna Comacchio, Uo Management. ■

MEETINGS ARE M O N D A Y S , 5:30, IN GERT'S. THE FIRST M EETING OF SECOND SEMESTER W ILL BE JAN . 7.

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News Caftfor submiss Special General Assembly: SSMU Three pj|ge s c rip ts !

Council singing "Rocket Man" and turnecPfmo short filmS McGill buildings named after Star ^jvBocgHh^m for'details Trek characters...this is one G.A. you Jr’ TlÉ don't want to miss!

Upcoming Keep your eyes ateloi|: Features Cooking Whtie Ç%nk 1 Can In A Box: TVMcGill's recycling McGill D ailv\< M B ft (ntiative parodies SNL's "Dick in a Box*..,Not to be missed!

Film Festival TVMcGill's annual film festival, Fokus, Mockumentary: is coming next semester, start those Theodore Zangger’s fortress cameras rolling. For more info email vpexternal@tvmcgill.com of ineptitude.

Written by Duncan Links.

Formoreinformationonthedub.youcancontactoneofthe exec,members,jointheMcGillGongFuFacebookgroup,orvisit www.montrealdragons.com. N oexperienceneeded.

L e tte r s t o t h e e d it o r Trib needs a check-up As a community, we are proud of the work we do to create the medicines that im­ prove and save lives. We also take pride in the ethical, patient-focused relationships we fos­ ter with our health-care partners.

These relationships are governed by Can­ ada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Compa­ nies (Rx&D)'s strict, mandatory and transpar­ ent Code of Conduct. Our Code explicitly for­ bids our member companies to provide gifts or inducements of any kind to health-care professionals in order to promote prescribing of a specific product. Furthermore, the pro­ fessional medical associations also have strict codes of conduct for their members.

Clinical trials also have clear guidelines that must be adhered to before a new medi­ cine is submitted to Health Canada for ap­ proval. All researchers, including those at Mc­ Gill research centres, must follow the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) guidelines and the

Declaration of Helsinki which details ethi­ cal principles for medical research involving human subjects.

It takes up to 15 years of research and de­ velopment and testing for efficacy and safety before a new medicine is approved by Health Canada for patient use.

Direct to Consumer Advertising (DTCA) is basically prohibited in Canada under the Food and Drugs Act but we believe there is a need for the right information for both health-care .professionals and patients.

Through discussions with various gov­ ernments and health-care professionals, the innovative pharmaceutical industry has al­ ways been a strong advocate for partnerships on the optimal use of medicines. Our Associ­ ation's Knowledge is the best medicine pro­ gram has been distributed to more than three million Canadians to date. Since its inception in 1994, the program has noted there is not a pill for every ill and that a healthy lifestyle can

prevent disease.

However, when medical intervention is required, we believe that patients in consulta­ tion with their physician should have access to information they need to manage their health. The best treatments should be avail­ able to treat their illness or disease.

Our community continues to work with patients, governments, and health-care providers to ensure best health outcomes possible for patients. After all, patients do come first.

Sincerely, — Russell Williams President, Rx&D (Canada's ResearchBased Pharmaceutical Companies) Tau fracks up on homoeroticism I have to admit, I was REALLY excited to see the Trib write an article about the Battlestar Galactica television movie"Razor,''("Galactica is back with Razor" 20.11.07). That is, until

I saw Mr. Tau's egregious error and equally egregious omission. First, the mistake. Mr.Tau called the new character "Karen" Shaw. Now, I'm sure Mr.Tau was as busy drooling over Ms. Shaw as the rest of us (god she's hot!) but by the end of the show, even I managed to stop drooling long enough to catch her name, which is Kendra. Also, I think Mr. Tau missed one of the most important parts of the movie: the serious sexual tension between Starbuck and Kendra, and the clear need for them to have hate-sex that went unfulfilled. OK, so maybe this was only important to those of us with a slight BSG obsession, but still, the homoerotic tension should not go unnoticed.

In closing, now that I've revealed my lovely geekdom and BSG fandom to the readership of the Tribune, I'm going to go hide in my apartment and wait for the final season to start.

— Kathleen Burdo, U1 arts

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Im p r e ss y o u r fr ie n d s a n d b e f u d d le y o u r p r o f T h e a rt o f m a k in g sh it u p a n d p re te n d in g y o u k n o w e v e ry th in g Byron Tau Bullshit has a certain elusive quality—to paraphrase Su­ preme Court Justice Potter Stuart, it's difficult to define, but you know it when you see it. It's even spawned serious scho­ lastic analysis, as Princeton philosophy professor H.G. Frank­ furt even wrote an 8 o-page treatise analysing the phenom­ ena of bullshit.

"One of the most salient features of our culture," he sug­ gests, "is that there is so much bullshit."Bullshit is everywhere.

From fictitious lab data to stammering your way through con­ ferences without doing the readings, student work habits fol­ low the basic laws of market economics—taking the path of least resistance while maximizing individual advantage.

One bullshit strategy is generalizing.The standard rule of bullshit is to cast the broadest possible net, taking the posed question from the specific to the very general. And if that fails, just change the subject. Another commonly employed

and talking points until his interrogator simply gave up and moved on.

The best example of political bullshit run amock actually comes from a Saturday Night Live sketch. In a parody debate, the elder George Bush runs out of things to say and resorts to continually summing up his campaign's theme: "Let's stay on course, a thousand points of light," before quickly closing with, "Well, unfortunately, I guess my time is up," before Peter Jen­ nings gently reminds him, "Mr. Vice-President, you still have a minute-twenty.” One of the ironies of bullshit is that despite our best efforts to the contrary, even the inexperienced eye can spot bullshit a mile away. What often starts as an attempt to save face usually ends up causing us far more embarrass­ ment as we splutter and stumble on, knowing that we are hopelessly lost and over our heads. Then again, Frankfurt's little book on bullshit ends with a bullshit conclusion: "Sincerity itself is bullshit." If that's not bullshit, I don't know what is. ■

bullshit defence is the sentence deconstruction, turning the very minute details into crucial points. When having failed to complete the required readings, often the best strategy is to read the first (and preferably longest) sentence that one can find quickly, yet delicately, before deconstructing every word, without any respect for context or background— this way, one can draw sweeping social and political conclusions, drawing extensively on Marxist and feminist critical theory and again, attempt to save face, but usually falling flat.

If you want to learn how to bullshit, you have to learn from the masters. Students are amateur bullshitters compared with politicians, the undisputed kings. Watching any political press conference is an exercise in pure bullshit.

The first rule of media handling is to answer the question that you wish was asked, instead of the one that was actu­ ally asked. The U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley impressively displayed this on Asked the same question three times, Hadley resorted to banal platitudes

really

MeetthePress.

FO O D F O R T H O U G H T

Coco-pump soup!

Mixing sugar 'n' spice L indsay Frank Examsare coming up fast and as more time starts being devoted to cram­ ming, fridge interiors may start to resemble a rather barren northern wasteland.

Don't reach for the takeout menu just yet, though; this easy soup requires very little prep time and uses fairly common ingredients that may already be lurking somewhere in your pantry. For a sweeter soup, use the molasses as directed, however if you prefer a spicier taste, leave it out and increase the curry powder 1 to two or even three teaspoons.

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Ingredients: i tbsp olive oil j cup very finely chopped onion 1clove garlic, minced I 2 tbsp all-purpose flour i tsp curry powder . 2 tsp ground cinnamon ‘ atsp ground nutmeg 2 cups chicken broth 1398mL can pumpkin puree (about 2 cups) 1tbsp honey I 13981T1L can coconut milk (about 2cups) Molasses (optional)

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■ 27 e n g in e e r in g a n d d e s ig n p ro g ra m s in c lu d in g e le c tric a l, co m p u te r, a e ro s p a c e a n d b io m e d ic a l e n g in e e rin g ■ 19 p u b l i c a f f a i r s p ro g r a m s in c lu d in g in te r n a tio n a l a ff a irs , p u b lic a d m in is tr a tio n , jo u r n a lis m a n d p o litic a l scien ce

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Steps: In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat; add onion and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, until onion is softened.

Turn heat down to low; stir in flour, curry powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cook for about n minutes.

Slowly stir in chicken broth, whisking mixture until smooth. Add pump­ kin, honey and coconut milk. Season with salt and black pepper, if desired.

Cookfons minutes over low heat, stirring as needed. Soup is best prepared to this point, then refrigerated overnight to allow flavours to blend.

Reheat soup and drizzle portions with molasses to serve. Makes 8 serv­ ings.I

Recipe adapted from Anne Lindsay's

The Facu lty of G radu ate Studies & Research

■ 29 a r t s a n d s o c ia l s c i e n c e s p ro g ra m s in c lu d in g p u b lic h is to ry , b e h a v io u ra l n e u ro s c ie n c e , m u sic a n d c u ltu re , a n d lin g u is tic s ■ MBA a n d P h D in M a n a g e m e n t p ro g ra m s B enefit fro m o u r c o n v e n ie n t lo c a tio n in th e h e a r t of C a n a d a 's c a p ita l, th e o p tio n to s tu d y fu ll- o r p a rt-tim e , a n d o v e r $24.5M in fin a n c ia l s u p p o rt.

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The “BearLair" presents Thurs, Nov. 29,7 p.m. -10 p.m., 185 Van Horne

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GoodnightDesdemona, GoodMornigJuliet Shakespearein Nov. 29th - Dec. 2nd

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Players'Theatre Presents: In the spirit of Tom Stoppard's this play revisits and revises two tragedies with wit and humour!

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A Conversation with Denise Savoie, MP for Victoria NDP Post Secondary Education Critic Thurs. Nov. 29,4 p.m. at Gert's.

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3rd Floor, Shatner Call 398-6813 for reservations 8

W a n t t o a d v e rtis e in th e C a m p u s C a le n d a r? F or ju s t a to o n ie y o u c a n a d v e rtis e y o u r e v e n t u p t o t w o w e e k s in a d v a n c e .

E m a il c a le n d a r@ m c g illtrib u n e .c o m fo r m o re in fo r m a tio n , o r d r o p b y th e o ffic e in S h a tn e r 110.

Tribune

9

A rts &

E n t e r t a in m e n t

THEATRE

S h a tte r in g S h a k e s p e a r e 's g la s s c e ilin g P la y e rs' T h e a tre p ro d u c tio n re v isits E liz a b e th a n w o m e n Elizabeth Perle "I wish I was dead!" screamed a lovestricken Juliet to the packed audience of Players'Theatre last Thursday evening in Fans of the classic Shakespeare plays who may have been disappointed in their tragic, and ultimately morbid, ends will be happy to know that in this modern departure from the text both Desde­ mona and Juliet actually make it all the way to the closing acts.

The dynamic performance of the six per­ son cast, combined with a sparse, brightly co­ loured set and one unforgettable make-out scene produces an eccentric, feminist treat­ ment of Shakespeare and a unique journey into the subconscious mind.

Desdemona(GoodMorningJuliet).

Goodnight

Written in 1988 by Anne-Marie Macdonald, the Canadian script follows a bumbling English assistant professor at Queen's University, Con­ stance Ledbelly (Anna Trowbridge), who has become convinced that two of Shakespeare's and many classic tragedies, were meant to be comedies. Their tragic nature is due to the author's omission of one archetypal element: a wise fooi. In a fantastical plot twist, Constance finds herself transported into both works, where she discovers both the truth of her theory and manages to save the lives of two of Shakespeare's most doomed fe­ male figures. With Constance's presence in the plays, the two classic tragedies become chaot­ ic and confused— both sexually and literarily.

“It's a socially constructive script, it's an ar­ tistically engaging script and it's funny,"said di­

Juliet,

Othello

RomeoAnd

JE S S IC A D IS M O N T

Amazon versus Academic: D esdem ona (Alexandra Ordolis) seizes pow er in Othello.

rector Nikki Shaffeeullah. "I think it's more than suited to the audience demographic and it speaks to themes and issues that are very rele­ vant: hierarchy in academia, trying to find your own identity in the university world, issues of hierarchy and equity with gender, professional relationships and love."

The script's contention—that Shake­ speare's women have been mistakenly per­ ceived by audiences as submissive and pow­ erless—is supported by captivating and pas­ sionate performances by Alexandra Ordolis as Desdemona and Allison Hess as Juliet. "[Juliet] is one dimensional. She has only two goals: Death and sex. It's awesome to play because you get to focus on those two things more than anything else," said Hess. Juliet's young, over-sexualized character is contrasted with that of Desdemona, who is likened to a wise Amazbn warrior, not obsessed with ro­ manticized visions of love and death but with notions of power and dignity.

"Desdemona is a strong, fierce woman," explained Ordolis. "It's really fun to play [her] as an actor, and it's also great to be able to [play more than one role], especially when the roles are so different. I think in this play [doing this] really works and makes it more funny in many cases."

Ordolis pointed to the fact that the small cast—with the exception of Constance, who is in every scene— plays more than one role each; for example, Ordolis also plays Mercutio, Dan Ruppel portrays a Queen's professor, Othello and Tybalt, and Phil Chen is Romeo, lago and, in some of the more humorous, gendre-bending moments of the play, Juliet's ma­ ternal Nurse.

The female performances are so strong, however, that the displays of acting offered by the three male actors in the work seem all but drowned out. Chen's portrayal of a cartoonishly evil lago and Ruppel playing what seemed to be a Baz Luhrmann-influenced Tybalt are particularly unsuccessful.

Though, at times, Shakespeare's words fall flat onstage due to poor execution of iambic

JE S S IC A D IS M O N T

EHelpless victim or fearless heroine? pentameter on the part of the cast, the script itself provides for a witty—and subversive— comedy, chock full of puns, irony and slap­ stick humour. While it fails to reach heights of Stoppard-like brilliance, proves a worthwhile and entertaining romp through two of Shake­ speare's most beloved plays.

"The whole driving concept behind the play is that the audience has complete agency.

Constance is, in a way, an audience herself, and we are an audience to Constance. It is very much the extrapolation of the same idea," said Shaffeeullah. "This play fulfills, as far as I am concerned, every reason why someone should put on a piece of theatre at all." ■

(GoodmorningJuliet)

GoodnightDesdemona

Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morn­ ing Juliet) Tickets are $6 .

runs until Dec. 2. Formoreinfo, call (5t4)518-5737.

POP RHETORIC

W h y it m a t t e r s t h a t T h e B o s s is c o m in g t o t o w n J o h n S emley

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Last Tuesday, Gillette Entertainment Group announced that Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band would be stopping in Montreal this March as part of the extended tour to promote their latest release, Well, big deal, right?

Montreal, so we're told, is practically dripping with great live music. Hell, you can't swing a cat around this town without hitting a Divan Orange, Sala Rossa, Club Lambi, Metropolis, Saintes or Club Soda, all great venues which play host to a menagerie of up and coming and well-established bands and artists, whose distinctive sounds and sensibilities fittingly represent this city's diverse cultural fabric. Aren't big arena rock shows a relic? Cooked up by promoters to appeal only to those domesticated enough to a) afford tickets or b) be interested in overly-promoted world tours by the likes of the Rolling Stones, Roger Waters or the Police? What do we stand to gain by paying the inflated ticket price to see Springsteen and his band? Well, for those of us who learned more from a three-minute record, than we ever learned in school, so much. Everything.

To dilettantes who have come to know The Boss mostly through the pounding rhythm of "Glory Days" set to the final scenes of the last Michael J. Fox episode of listen up.

Sure his perfected pop hooks and blue jeans badass persona may seem markers of bygone days of naïve Americana, but such an understanding betrays The Boss in comprehending

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only one element of the loaded paradox that is Springsteen.

Like Roy Orbison, the Beatles and Shondells, the E-Street Band's Jersey Shore sound and the densely layered, Spector-esque production of an album like assume the pinnacle of popular music form. So musically taut and abetted by steadily affecting lyrics about things as Ameri­ can as rumble seats, high school sweethearts and dead­ end jobs, Springsteen stands as the heartland apotheosis (to hijack a phrase from Bangs). And has anyone, save the most reclusive closed-door Coltrane impersonators, ever gone through the passionate motions of an air sax solo for any song other than "Born to Run"? Is there another tune that seems equally sincere as a rollicking mid-album singalong and plaintive live show torch song as "No Surrender"?

Has any one song ever made you feel so hard as "Streets of Philadelphia"?

Like the really great American singer-songwriters— amongst whom I will safely count Dylan, Paul Simon, Tom Petty and perhaps more hazardously include Lou Reed and Tom Waits—Springsteen speaks to the complex relations which constitute the American character. Where Dylan's trademark opaqueness spoke to the general haziness of the twentieth-century, Springsteen is almost suspiciously transparent: full-bloodedly decrying the national trauma of Vietnam to a martial backbeat, all the while never letting us

BorntoRun,

forget that this is what it means to be Born in the U.S.A. While Lou Reed finds truth and beauty perversely incarnated in the track marks of an ailing junkie or the languishing death rattle of a loveless prostitute, The Boss finds it in more common places: under a canopy of stars, the backseats of parked cars and in the annihilating sensation existence that overtakes you when you rocket down the blacktop, provisionally eman­ cipated by the depthless pitch of tarmac and night sky.

And though he's gotten older and the newalbum sounds a lot like the E-Street Band going through the motions (which is certainly far from objectionable), and while the music press may struggle feebly to name the New Springsteen (Tom Gabel,Ted Leo, Win Butler, whoever), the fact remains that the Boss is a singular entity, a part of the American fabric which at the same time confirms and undermines the sincerity of the stars 'n' stripes. As for the concert, well come on. Threeplus hours of rock music sung with enough emotion to bring Lady Liberty herself to her knees? A guy in a white t-shirt and jeans kicking off every song with a bellowing "ONE, TWO, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!"? Steven VanZandt's rock 'n' roll gypsy stage presence? And the prospect of that"Rosalita"en­ core looming just beyond the horizon of plausibility? There's something that seems important about a Springsteen show.

Something that however interned by the mausoleum of clas­ sic rock radio, still reeks recognizably of authenticity. ■

27.11.07 • The McGill Tribune • 11 THEATRE

FILM

L et f r e e d o m s tin g Ib se n a n d M ille r o n d e m o c ra c y

H u n g r y fo r H u n g a r y A n a u s e u tin g fa m ily d ra m a

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As the character Dr. Thomas Stockmannn chillingly claims, "I am in revolt against the age-old lie that the majority is always right," an unfathomable sitence echoes through the theatre. The question that Henrik Ibsen asked in 1882, to be adapted by Arthur Miller in 1940 and depicted by Ric Reid in this production of still haunts society today. The thought is controversial—shocking in its rejection of democratic values which are accepted as universally desirable, while still un­ derstandable, as issues of minority opinion and marginalisation continue to prevail.

Telling the tale of a small town whose residents refuse to believe their doctor's insis­ tent claims that their water supply has been poisoned, the Segal Theatre production of forces the viewers into an uncomfortable Brechtian intimacy with the stage, as the townspeople are planted through­ out the audience. Theatregoers are vulnerable in their proximity—there is no fourth wall here, and it is an act of will to not be swept up with the anger of the people and shout "Enemy!" with them. Objectively, the audience cannot help but believe and pity Dr. Stockmannn and yet it is all too easy to be turned against him amongst a crowd charged with such passion and fear.

Director Miles Potter toys with ideas of public and private space converging in his ren­ dition of The effective settings fluctuate between communal town meetings and the intimacies of the house­ hold, sharply juxtaposing the pathetic misery that Stockmann portrays to his family with the anger and conviction he displays to the town.

Potter sustains this double-vision throughout the production, in the dichotomous values of Dr. Stockmannn and his brother, the mayor, and in the constant struggle between public inter­ est and self-preservation.

From the unexpected assertiveness of the 1950s women such as Mrs Stockmann (Margot Dionne) and her daughter (Jessica Hill) to the leftist newspaper editor Hovstad (Marcel Jeannin) who abandons his dreams of revolution for the sake of survival, self-preservation is a crucial theme in the production. The pragmatism of Mrs Stockmann claiming "Without power, what good is the truth?" resonates throughout the disheartening message of the play. Further­ more, the audience is left in a sort of turmoil

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A bow tie a day keeps th e poison away. as to how to react to newspaper editor Hovs­ tad—his Leftist idealism is met with admiration, which only makes the pain of his betrayal all the more acute. This is portrayed as an unsettling warning, that even the most trusted individu­ als can be distorted with power and turn toxic with hostility.

The passionate depiction of Dr Stockmann

by Reid is only heightened by the intense per­ formance of William Vickers as his brother and antagonist. Stockmann can be read a simple man, yet numerous revivals of have revealed that Ibsen's characters are rarely as simple as one presumes. Furthermore, Vickers escalates the role of the mayor to border upon depravity and Potter's direction makes no effort to conceal the moralising elements of the play, as everyone except Stockmann and his family are cast into the depths of moral inadequacy. is an unnerving play, reflecting the elitist beliefs of Ibsen and the isolation of the human condition which Miller continuously plays upon.The production is paced rather uneasily, from the measured introduction to the town and the Stockmann family, to the sudden climax which cannot be seen as a cathartic conclusion at all. But per­ haps this is the point: the abrupt ending may reflect the lack of an answer to the demonstrat­ ed concern that democracy is little more than a farce. While An offers quality entertainment laced with questions and doubt, it provides no happy ending and imparts no optimism, instead leaving the audience to pity Stockmann as he realises "you are fighting for the truth, and that's why you're alone. And that makes you strong. We're the strongest people in the world...and the strong must learn to be lonely." ■

ADoll'sHouse

AnEnemyofthePeople

Few movies are as successful as in causing viewers to recoil from the people around them, but director Gyôrgy Pâlfi achieves this by emphasizing just how disgusting the human body can be. The film opens with a mas­ turbating man ejaculating fire—a scene that sets the mood for this surreally grotesque film; one that displays the human body at its most base, animalistic and fleshy.

Written by Palfi and his wife Zsofia Ruttkay, is the Hungarian director's second feature film after 2002's Based on the surrealistic short stories of Hungarian poet Lajos Parti Nagy, the film tells the story of the three generations of one gross and unfortunate family and their visceral desires. Yet the carnivalesque vulgarity which Palfi uses to depict these hun­ gers often distracts from the movie's latent clev­ erness. Darkly comedic scenes with ingenious art direction, such as when a fairy tale pop-up book transforms into a real set, are overshadowed by perverse sexual scenarios, including an unset­ tling swerve into pedophilia.

The film premiered at Cannes last year and won Best Film at the 37th Hungarian filmweek, and is now making its way into the North Ameri­ can market. Set in communist Hungary, the first story is that of Morosgovanyi (Csaba Czene), a lecherous officer's servant who masturbates constantly in scenes that make the audience feel as dirty as his fingernails. The hypersexual tendencies of the character finally culminate into a blending of sex with his boss's wife and a slaughtered pig, mixing pornography, bestiality

Taxidermia

Hukkle.

and necrophilia into one thick goulash of meat and repulsion.

Pigs and penises remain constant images in this movie.The second story features Kalman, the son of the officer's servant, born with a pig's tail.

He grows up to become a grossly obese compet­ itive eater, allowing a mix of scenes rife with wet vomiting and sequences of over-eating which may themselves induce vomiting. But Kalman's story is the only one with any tender human emotion, as shown in the comedic honeymoon scenes full of pale, jiggling fat on the beach.

The final tale is that of Lajos (Marc Bischoff of and fame), a taxidermist who uncannily resembles a cadaver.

It is in this section that the legacy of the family culminates in ways both twisted and bizarre, and the human body is exposed as nothing but a slab of meat.

Although cats eat people and cocks peck penises, is still a well directed movie, with intriguing art direction and talented ac­ tors—Csaba Czene is almost too convincing as Morosgovanyi. Yet the unpleasant visual content renders the film unpalatable to most people, tak­ ing any successful aspects of the film down into the mud with it. There is a strong cohesiveness among the stories, although in a dark and dis­ turbing way.The Jabba-the-Hut-like Kalman calls his son a "carcass-stuffer," and this is exactly how all three men are displayed in unfor­ tunately much too literally in most cases.»

Run, Lola, Run

Goodbye, Lenin

Taxidermia

Taxidermia,

Taxidermia isplayingatCinem aduParc(3575 Parc) until Nov. 30. Check www.cinemaduparc. com forshow timesandtickets.

EnemyofthePeople

An Enemy of the People runsuntilD ec.9at TheLeanorandAlvinSegalTheatre(5170Côte-SteCatherine).Forticketscall(514)739-7944 .

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Ever since the Super Bowl ad phe­ nomenon, advertisers .have been figur­ ing out that effective commercials don't necessarily hinge on product informa­ tion, but rather on their capacity to enter­ tain. There's a lot of choice these days in what we watch and if something doesn't catch our interest right away, chances are we will stop paying attention. So when an ad gives us numbers and figures on car insurance we will probably ignore it, but if we are given a funny-talking gecko, hell, we may even remember the company's name. This short attention span has forced the advertisement industry to make ads increasingly clever and engrossing in order to capture our attention— making the best ads seem more like skits or short films than sales pitches.

So when considering Cinema Du Parc's showing of the 124 best ads of the 2007 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, don't

think you are being treated to over an hour of the normal junk you see between TV shows. These ads were made to entertain and the majority of them do just that. That isn't to say, however, that this is an hour and a half of Super Bowl-calibre commercials.

There are some ads here that will have you longing for the next, but that's to be expected as different ads will invariably cater to different tastes. Some viewers may really dig the inspirational sportswear ads, while others won't really care about what Nike has to say about personal fitness and would rather see another silly beer Commercial. Luckily, if you are stuck in a commercial you aren't enjoying, it's not for very long.

Less fortunate, however, is that the screening is organized in such a way such that commercials from the same campaign are played one after the other, killing punch lines with repetition. There is a collection of Volkswagen ads, for example, that show realistic looking car accidents that occur while the drivers are in casual conversation. The point of the ads is to surprise the viewer with a frighteningly depicted accident that comes out of the blue, but watching four of these ads in row gets rid of the sur­

prise and hence the effectiveness.Though not all of the.campaigns suffer like this, when they do it's frus­ trating and drags the presentation into monotony.

Still, for the most part the collection is humour­ ous and enjoyable. There are some really funny ads in here that range from the very clever to the hilari­ ously immature. Fans of absurd humor will especial­ ly find a lot to like, with bizarre scenarios involving banana hands, noodle mining, and a strange choice for the'saddest picture in the world,'to name a few.

The more serious stuff can be entertaining as well, with some of it being very well done and visually im­ pressive. It will be the funny ads that stick with you most, however.

On the whole, the award winners turn out to be a nice mix of styles and genres. There are some slow downs, but for the most part these commercials will make you think, crack a smile and wish more ads were like them. ■

TheCannesLions:2007InternationalAdvertising FilmFestival screens nightlyat CinemaduParc(3575 pare). Checkwww.cinemaduparc.com forshowtimes andtickets.

12

• Arts & Entertainment • 2 7 . 11.07

P review s Lecture. Miriam Toews. Nov. 30 at 730 p.m.; Concordia University, J.A. de Sève Theatre (1400 de Maisonneuve W.) The Governor General Award-winning au­ thor of A speaks as part of the Writers Read at Concordia series. Admission is free.

ComplicatedKindness

A m ib ig u ity a m o u r T h e m a tic u n w ie ld in e s s ta m e d in

Music. Xavier Caféine. Nov. 30 at 8:30 p.m.; Club Soda (1225 St-Laurent). This Quebec native unleashes his catchy punk-pop tunes from his latest album, Visit for tickets.

Gisele.

C ontinued from COVER

www.ticketpro.ca

Elsewhere, the relationship between Katharina and Petruchio (Zak Rose) must overcome a different kind of op­ position. Katharina's feisty independence clashes violently with Petruchio's headstrong masculinity and both charac­ ters must compromise their assertive nature to find a com­ fortable balance in marriage.

Tackling is no minor directo­ rial feat. "It's long been a truism in theatre that performing Shakespeare's comedies is like swimming upstream,"direc­ tor and McGill professor Patrick Neilson explained, speaking to the struggle of catering Shakespeare's comedy to con­ temporary sensibilities. For the performance of Katharina's final soliloquy, which has been the subject of much debate as to its its anti-feminist message, Neilson and assistant director Jessica B. Hill were careful about their approach.

While Neilson reads the lines with a gentle irony, he's cau­ tious about the playwright's exact intention.

"This was a play that intrigued me because of the last speech. I mean, whatthe hell doyou do with that?"he said, f you havea production in which that istoo patently answered then it's less interesting. You'vegot to leave a certain amount of ambiguity".

Regardless of such challenges, however, the superb quality of actors and actresses in the play drive the energy and playfulness of the performance.

"It's very rewarding to work with [this cast],'' Neilson said. As confirmed by the long list of cast and crew con­ tributing to the play, each aspect of the production has been passionately worked on, and McGill's is marked by this multitude of talents. ■

Music.The Johnny Cash Tribute Show. Dec. 1at 9:30 p.m.; L'Hémisphère Gauche (221 Beaubien E.). Elvis isn't the only dead crooner to have impersonators. Now, with a fake June Carter as well! Tickets are $10 at the door.

TheTamingoftheShrew

Dance. Staccato Rivière. Nov. 29-Dec. 1 and Dec. 4-Dec. 8 at 8:00 p.m.; La Cha­ pelle (3700 St-Dominique). Dance-Cité presents the work of choreographer Emmanuel Jouthe. For tickets call (514 ) 843-7738.

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Petruchio (Zak Rose) g ets glib on w om en's lib!

TheTamingof

The Taming of the Shrew runsfromN ov.29-Decsat 8:00p.m.;MoyseHall (ArtsBuilding). Call (su)398-6070for ticketsandmoreinfo.

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www.dem etrius.ca ft*

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R e o p e n in g t h e fr id g e d o o r S tu d e n t a rt e x h ib it n o w on d is p la y

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SSS école de musique Schulich

N e w Course for Winter 2008 Register now! —Limited Enrollment M U TH 475 (Sec. 001): Philosophy and Aesthetics o f Music Production M ondays a n d W ednesdays 3 :0 0 - 4 :0 0 p .m . in R o o m C 201 S tr a th c o n a M u sic B u ild in g

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The student-run Fridge Door Gallery opened its doors again last Tuesday with a new exhibition titled Much like the first exhibition last March, the AUS lounge has been transformed into a modish space with sophisticated photographs and canvas paint­ ings hanging on its walls.

Whilst eating cheese and sipping wine at the open­ ing of the event, organizer Fiona Wright explained that this semester there was an "open call for submissions."

"We received a large number or pieces but could not include all of them." she said. The themed artworks include Kendra Sinclair's "Clint,"a large pop art portrait of Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry and Chloe Ellingson's"Nets," "Lobster Traps" and "Untitled," a series of photographs taken on the west coast of Newfoundland. Other notable pieces to look for are Sasha Plotnikova's “Evolution" and

Land(e)scapes.

Claudia Gucciardi's"Anne on the Wall."

Thanks to the Fridge Door family, students have an opportunity to exhibit their work in a public space. While the event is run by seven Art History students, it is not exclusive to that department and students from all facul­ ties are welcome to submit pieces. According to Fridge Door committee member Marina La Verghetto, start­ ing next semester, "the gallery will occupy a permanent space in Leacock to house its collections and exhibitions" which will provide students the ongoing possibility of exhibiting work.

Coinciding with the opening of was the launch of the new issue of the art history journal, The journal welcomes pieces, either photo­ graphs or stories, that are related to art. ■

Land(e)scape

CANVAS.

Land(s)scapes w illbeexhibitedintheAUSlounge(Lea­ cockBasement)untilDec. 77.

* S tyles a n d im p a c t o f le a d in g r e c o r d p r o d u c e r s a n d e n g in e e rs * S o u n d e x a m p le s f r o m se m in a l p ie c e s b y th e B e a tle s, S tee ly D a n , B lu e O y s te r C u lt, M a d o n n a , F le e tw o o d M a c, th e S ex P isto ls , etc. * A lc h e m y o f in te r a c tio n b e tw e e n r e c o r d in g te c h n o lo g y , a r t, a n d th e a rtis ts r e s p o n s ib le f o r its c r e a tio n

Instructors:

D aniel J. Levitin J a m e s M c G ill P r o f e s s o r & B e ll C h a ir A u th o r o f th e b e s t-s e lle r “ T h is Is Y o u r B ra in o n M u s ic ” a n d P r o d u c e r o f B lu e O y s te r C u lt, S te v ie W o n d e r

Sandy Pearlman D is tin g u is h e d V is itin g S c h o la r & D e a n ’s C h a ir in M u sic , S c h u lic h S c h o o l o f M u s ic P r o d u c e r o f B lu e O y s te r C u lt, T h e C la sh , T h e D ic ta to r s ; M a n a g e r o f B a lc k S a b b a th

S A R A Y O U S E F N E JA D

Putting th e "Art" back in Arts U n d ergraduate Society: th e Fridge Door Gallery.

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HOCKEY— REDMEN 3, TORONTO 2

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semi-finals, upsetting the heavily favoured Red 'n'White squad.

But thanks to 31 saves from Poitras and power play goals from three different players, the Redmen earned some measure of payback with a 3-2 victory over the Blues at McConnell Arena.

C hesser

For goaltender Mathieu Poitras and the McGill Redmen, Friday night's game against the Toronto Varsity Blues was all about revenge.

"Coach (Martin Raymond) mentioned last year's playoff se­ ries to us before the game,”said Poitras."It was our goal to come out and show them that we're the better team, and get them back for ending our season. That was our motivation."

Toronto ended McGill's playoff hopes last year with a sur­ prising sweep ofthe Ontario University Athletics East Conference

Solid goalte n d in g keeps streak g oing

The victory extended McGill's winning streak to seven games,, their longest stretch of undefeated hockey since 2005 .

Poitras, who was making his eighth straight start after an injury to fellow netminder Jean-Michel Filiatrault, made a number of phenomenal saves in a third period in which Toronto fired 16 shots at his net. He improved his record this season to 8-2-0 and now holds the McGill record for career victories, with a lifetime mark of 70 -29-6 in a Redmen jersey.

"Goaltending is the key to winning championships," said Rayitiond. "We've been fortunate enough to get some su­ perb play from Mathieu over the last stretch of games and it's been one of the main reasons why we've been winning hockey games.”

Another big reason for the recent success ofthe Redmen (9 -3-1 ) has been the efficiency of their power play. Friday night was the fourth consecutive game with at least three man advan­ tage goals for McGill, and 20 ofthe Red 'n'White's 42 goals this season have come with an opposing player in the box.

The Redmen. were 3-of-9 with the man advantage against the Blues, including the game-winning slap shot from acting captain Steven Pearce. Pearce, who has'the "C" while David Urquart nurses a broken hand, fired a low slapper from the blueline that beat Toronto goaltender. Andrew Martin through the fivehole at the midway point ofthe second period.

"It was a tough puck-moving game for us tonight," said Pearce. "It wasn't our best effort but it's good to come out and grind out a win in a tough game. We would like to play a bit bet­ ter five-on-five, but our power play is clicking so well right now it's tough to complain."

Special teams abound

McGill's power play didn't play a mistake-free game, how­ ever, as the team's second unit gave up the first goal ofthe game just as a Toronto penalty expired. Redmen forward Marko Kovacevic, playing the point on the power play, misplayed a one-onone rush, allowing Blues forward Anthony Pallotta to fire a low shot at Poitras and then collect his own rebound and beat the McGill keeper over his left shoulder to open the scoring.

The Redmen would tie the game just over two minutes

ADAMSCOTTI Will Sam Bloom pass or shoot? Only he knows...

ADAMSCOTTI G Mathieu Poitras falls on the puck but has some help protecting his crease. later on a power play goal by Guillaume Demers. The third-year winger corralled a big rebound off of an Eric L'Italien shot and easily slid the puck into the wide-open net. Sam Bloom would complete the first period scoring with under two minutes re­ maining, firing a hard snap shot that deflected off the stick of a Blues defender in front ofthe net.

Toronto would notch a man-advantage goal of their own to start the second period and set the stage for Pearce's gamewinner. Mark Heatley, brother of NHL star Dany, beat a screened Poitras with a one-timer to tie the game at 2 -2 .

The Redmen continued their impressive play on Satur­ day with a 4-2 win over the Ryerson Rams at McConnell Arena.

The victory improved their winning streak to eight games and marked the.i2 th straight time that McGill has defeated Ryerson.

Centre Simon Courselles had a goal and two assists, and Poi­ tras made 29 saves to lead the way for the Red 'n'White. Shawn Shewchuk also notched four assists in the game to improve his point scoring streak to eight games and move into fifth in the OUA scoring race.

Next up for McGill is a Wednesday night tilt with the Con­ cordia Stingers (9-4 -1 ) at McConnell Arena. Currently the cross­ town rivals are tied for second place in the OUA Far East, two points behind the UQTR Patriotes. In their only meeting so far this season, the exhibition Corey Cup game at the Bell Centre, the two teams combined forno penalty minutes in a wild game that McGill won 3-1 . ■

THIRD MAN IN

S a y in g n o t o T .O .

I f this past Grey Cup week has shown us Canadians any­

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thing, it's that there won't be need for speculation or conjecture any longer: the NFL, should it ever expand to Toronto, would simply crush the CFL into oblivion. It's a zerosum game and the CFL, despite its on-field excitement and emphasis on offence, doesn't have the financial firepower to fend off any NFL infiltration, especially into its biggest and most vital market.

The lead up to the Grey Cup is usually a period in which the CFL exalts the health of football in the Great White North, pats itself nauseatingly on the back and, requisitely, hypothesizes about the possibilities of three-down pigskin expanding to Halifax and back to Ottawa (for a third time).

This year, however, Mark Cohon, the new CFL commissioner in his first Grey Cup "State of the League" news conference, found himself completely monopolized by the eternal NFLin-Toronto dilemma rather than questions addressing the CFL's spotlight game. In explaining the league's newfound acknowledgement of such an obvious challenge to its exis­ tence, Cohon basically stated what everyone already knows: if Toronto ever received an NFL team, the league would be terminally threatened by the American sports behemoth.

This is not exactly a shocking revelation. Toronto, despite years of crippling apathy towards both the CFL and its own Argonauts franchise, is still one of the cornerstones of the league. Without the involvement of the country's population and financial centre, the CFL would simply wither away.

Cohon's fatalistic prophecy comes on the heels of rev­ elations emanating from Buffalo, New York—home of the

Bills, Toronto's adopted NFL side—suggesting Ralph Wil­ son, the ancient owner ofthe franchise, will sell the team to the highest bidder upon his death. In addition, earlier this season, Wilson successfully lobbied the other 31 NFL own­ ers and dictatorial Commissioner Roger Goodell to hold five regular season Bills games in Toronto in order to expand his reach into the lucrative and populous Greater Toronto Area as Western New York's limited market fiscally bleeds dry under a strained economy. These developments, coupled with a strong Canadian dollar and rumoured interest from Toronto sports moguls, such as the chairman of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, the owner of the Blue Jays and the ownership team behind the Argonauts, has sent the CFL into a frenzy with some even calling for a CFL preemptive investment in any NFL endeavour in Canada so as to protect the league's viability.

Despite the ominous outlookforthe CFL with the seem­ ingly perfect circumstances for NFL expansion into Canada's financial heart and Toronto's strong track record with hosting NFL exhibition games working against the Canadian league, the thought of the Toronto Bills remains what it has always been: a pipe dream. Really, Cohon's concern is completely moot; Torontonians won't be seeing the NFL in the near fu­ ture except on TV and for their five allotted matches. Toronto and the GTA region are clearly a viable NFL market with ap­ proximately 5.5 million residents and a high concentration of wealth and corporate presence, but, last I checked, Los Angeles—the second biggest market in America—was still without a team. Should a franchise ever open up in the NFL

for relocation, it would surely be headed to Disneyland with its 14 million people and massive amounts of cash. Even if LA wasn't at the front ofthe line (but it obviously is), then Mexi­ co City and its population of 19 million would seem next on the NFL's wish list after having proved more than capable of filling stadiums for football in a 2005 regular season trial run match. Las Vegas, America's fastest growing city, and San An­ tonio in football-crazy Texas also lack NFL teams and would seemingly leapfrog Canada for any available franchises.

Not only do population, money, and merchandising op­ portunity precludeToronto from joining the football power­ house, but advertising, the (legal, non-gambling related) key to the NFL's immense success in America, ultimately destroys any Torontonian hopes for the Bills making their home at the Rogers Centre. As any loyal Canadian NFL fan knows from any non-satellite Super Bowl experience, Canadian regula­ tory laws prevent the vast majority of non-Canadian com­ mercials to be broadcast over our xenophobic airwaves. You think American networks like CBS, NBC or ESPN, who pay bil­ lions for plush NFL TV contracts, will have their advertising revenues slashed because of games in Toronto? Wouldn't these corporations that wield huge , power over Goodell demand that the NFL and any commercials relocate to LaLa Land rather than be stopped at the border by Canada's media police?

Mark Cohon and his CFL cronies need to stop worrying about a highly improbable four-down infiltration, while,To­ rontonian Bills fans, in the immortal words of Journey: "Don't stop believing, hold on to that feeling." ■

1 4 - S p o rts-27.11.07

F R O M T H E C H E A P SE A T S

T h ro w b a c k B lo w b a c k W h y t e a m s ' g lo r y y e a r s M att S egal

his past Sunday, Saskatchewan won the 95thGrey Cup. I find two things shocking about the preceding sentence: One, that there is a professional sports franchise of some kind in Saskatchewan; Two, the Grey Cup has been around for 95 years! The trophy itself is even older: the Earl Grey himself (while not busy making delicious tea) donated the Cup in 1909 . The game wasn't played during World War I, with Canadian football fans losing four years of rouges and backward passes— lest their sacrifice be in vain, the good guys won the War. A grand tradition indeed, and it only took a brief channelflipping moment last Sunday to be quickly reminded of the glorious past of the three-down game.

Although the NFL has never really considered the CFL direct competition to their multi-billion dollar enterprise, the folks tossing around the ol' pigskin to our south are never ones to be outdone. This year marks the 75thanniversary of some of the NFL's oldest teams. Despite the fact that there aren't many fans left from 1933 (the year the forward pass arrived in professional American football), in honour of this occasion, the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles have donned some of the most hideous uniforms I have ever seen. Both colour and live television were still years away, so maybe that's how those teams got away with it. Just because there were no Depression-era sports fashionistas doesn't make it right.

Yes, the real question here is twofold. Why do teams and leagues insist on reliving their histories? Am I, as a fan, supposed to care?

Well, I don't know if I'm supposed to care, but I certainly don't.

These NFL and CFL milestones—and I use that word charitably— are just tiny examples from this season of professional sports. Every year another team has its 50th anniversary, 65th year in its stadium or a commemoration of some past memorable season. To what end?

Allow me to illustrate with this colourful example from the Rogers Centre this past summer: PA Announcer:'Let's give a round of applause to Alan Ashby and Ernie Whitt, teammates from the 1977 Blue Jays who will throw out the first pitch in recognition of the 30th anniversary of Major League Baseball in Toronto!"

Me: [Yawn.]

So, if that doesn’t get your juices flowing, check out what's coming to a big league park near you in 2008 : The ioo,hanniversary of the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."Yippee! According to MLB.com, a 46 -chapter book will be released on Opening Day, which includes "a bio on [Jack] Norworth as well as Albert Von Tilzer, who co-wrote the song; the more than 500 artists who have recorded the song; the more than 1,500 times it has been used in movies or TV; and how the song became linked to the seventh-inning stretch." Move over, FHarry Potter! Somehow, I can't imagine people camping out in front of their city's ballpark next April for this literary masterpiece.

The preposterous thing about these commemorations is that no one in the target demographic remembers the good old days.

Must I remind the leagues that as an 18-29 year old male, I am squarely positioned at the centre of their sports marketing universe!? In fact, in most cases, even the tycoons scooping up all the luxury boxes are too young to remember these ancient events. So why bother? Does it really drum up attendance, sales or publicity?

I simply refuse to believe that nostalgia sells. It may even be counterproductive—just look at the PGA Tour. The glorification of "tradition" is what repelled so many young people away from golf for so many years, garnering it a well-earned reputation as a sport for stuffy old Caucasians. Ironically, it was this very same "tradition" that would have prevented the man responsible for bringing golf to a younger market, Tiger Woods, from playing on the Tour.

Sure, people my age may go out and buy the throwback jersey, but we would have done that without the halftime ceremonies and speech from the 1941 team captain. And while it's true that fans love giveaways of any kind, a Donovan McNabb bobblehead is just as appreciated as a 1933 commemorative mini-helmet. If the NFL really wants to engage older fans, Pacman Jones can do his community service hours at a retirement home. Even Montreal Canadiens fans— whom a casual observer might think are all 104 years old considering their tendency to cite those 24 Stanley Cups as if they were around to see them all -must admit that they would rather skip right to that night's game than listen to Dickie Moore talk about one in 1956 first.

Sorry Digger, but I'm more concerned with games of which I don’t know the outcome yet.

If a marketing director is reading this, do me a favour and leave the all-time greats in the stands. If Johnny Bower wants to get near the ice, he can strap on his goalie pads. Actually, the way things are going for the Leafs in goal, that may not be such a bad idea—what­ ever it takes to avoid sitting through the inevitable 50 -year anniversary of Toronto's last Stanley Cup. ■

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BASKETBALL— CONCORDIA 81, REDMEN 62

S tin g e r s d o w n

R edm en

f o r 2 1 st s t r a i g h t t i m e McGill c a n ' t u p s e t t h i ratdone- rpoint, a n k e d C o n c o rd ia went on a run to cut the deficit to 9-0

J acob K anter 13 points early in the fourth quarter as the Redmen With a very solid preseason campaign and a win turned to a more aggressive defensive scheme to in their season opening tilt at Laval fostering high try and force Concordia's guards into momentum­ hopes, the McGill Redmen cagers may have entered changing turnovers. their home opener against the third-ranked Concor­ "We set up a full-court press, and it disrupted dia Stingers with a bit of a swollen head. After falling their offence so they turned it over a bit," said for­ ward Pawel Herra. "It got us some easy baskets, and 8 1-6 2 on Thursday— McGill's 21 st consecutive loss to their cross-town rivals— the Redmen ego was surely we started playing better, with more intensity." deflated backdown to size.

While McGill's point guard tandem of Victor Fourth-year guard Moustafa El Zanaty scored a Mansure and Samuel Goulet chipped in with 11 and game-high 19 points for McGill, who evened their nine points, respectively, the Redmen effort was Quebec conference record at 1-1 despite playing severely hampered by an atypical outing from the without the services of starting forward Yannick team's dominating lynchpin, Sean Anthony, who Chouinard and point guard Nickolas Pronovost. El only managed seven points. The Stingers, however, Zanaty made three-of-seven three-pointers, and all were led by their best player, forward Sebastien Mar­ eight of his free throws. Despite the shooter's hard tin, who posted an impressive line with 18 points and work, the rest of the Redmen came out with a horri­ 7 rebounds. bly flat effort, epitomized by Concordia's 45-28 domi­ Statistical domination nance on the glass.

In addition to outrebounding the Red 'n'White, "I thought the guys played hard but they didn't go after it," McGill Assistant Coach Denburk Reid Concordia won the shooting battle as McGill's for­ said. "That intensity was lacking. I think we were too wards struggled, hitting on only 39 per cent of their tight and too tense. We didn't play free. We've got to field goals and 31 per cent of their shots from three learn how to play up to our capabilities in big games. point land. The Stingers sizzled on the other hand, There was a lot of hype about this game, and I think boasting a 52 per cent rate, and knocking down eight treys on 16 shots from behind the arc. Despite the it might have gotten to the guys." overwhelming statistical discrepancy between the two squads, however, the Redmen remain confident Stingers pull away The Redmen tried to assert themselves in the moving forward in the still nascent regular season.

"It's still early in the season,"Thornhill said. "We first half, and with only four minutes remaining in the second quarter the score was tied at 30 -30 . Over the play Concordia another few times, we play each next eight minutes, however, Concordia, displaying team four times— it's a long season. This is just one its richer depth of talent, went on a demoralizing 24 - game, we just have to get back on the horse."

McGill did jump back into the winning column 4 run to put the game out of reach.

"In the last couple of minutes of the [first] half, later last week, clowning the Bishop's Gaiters 95-83 in we kind of stopped communicating on defence, and Lennoxville on Saturday as El Zanaty again displayed we gave up some easy baskets," said shooting guard flashes of brilliance, posting 22 points and propelling Matt Thornhill. "In the second half, we missed a few the Redmen to overcome an 18 -point deficit.The Red shots here and there, they pulled away, and we tried 'n'White, now 2-1 on the season and tied for first in the QSSF, look to further build on their solid start as coming back, but things just weren’t working."

Although the Stinger lead extended to as much they host the Laval Rouge et Or, a team they beat 86as 26 at various points during the second half, McGill, 83 in an overtime season opener, on Friday. ■

IMAGES— MARTLETS HOCKEY

ADAMSCOTTI Although close, F Caroline Hill didn't manage to beat Carleton's Valerie Charbonneau on this shot, Sunday.

Her teammates were more successful, however, putting five markers past the goalie in a 5-0 win.

ARE YOU A LEAFS FAN NEEDING TO VENT? OR A SENS FAN NEEDING TO GLOAT? OR A HABS FAN NEEDING TO REHASH CUP WINS FROM THE 1930S? THEN START WRITING FOR SPORTS. EMAILUSATSPORTS@MCGILLTRIBUNE.COMORDROPBYOUROFFICEATSHATNER110.

27.11.07-S p o rts-15

The McGill Tribune

Last C all

COMPILED BY MATT CHESSER AND AARON SlGAL

Sports Briefs

ON D ECK Women's Basketball— Laval Rouge et Or at McGill Martlets; Friday 6 p.m. at Love C om petition Hall

The Martlets have had a rough start to their season, posting one win in their first three games, and things won't get any easier on Friday night against Laval. The Rouge et Or, a pe­ rennial powerhouse in women's bas­ ketball, are 4-0 to start the year and look poised to continue their domi­ nance of the Quebec conference.

If McGill hopes to finish this year with a winning record for the first time since the mid-90 S, they need a strong showing on Friday to build some early momentum.

M artlets remain undefeated w ith w in over Ravens

McGill runs away w ith best-ever hom e-track perform ance

Vanessa Davidson had four points and Charline Labonté tied a McGill ca­ reer shutout record as first-ranked McGill skated to a 5-0 victory over the Carleton Ravens in women's university hockey at McConnell Arena on Sunday.

It was the 15 th straight win for the Martlets over Canadian university opponents this season and marked McGill's 22 ndconsecutive conquest over Carleton, improving their lifetime record versus the Ravens to 34 -0-1 with 21 shutouts.Martlets head coach Peter Smith, who picked up his 200 th career victory in Saturday's 5-3 at Ottawa, now owns a 201 -101-27 record behind the McGill bench.

Labonté made 16 saves to earn her 12 thgoose-egg in 14 starts this season and 26 thin a McGill jersey, matching the career total posted by former Martlet netminder Kim St-Pierre, who racked up 26 shutouts in 100 career contests.

Labonté also improved her career totals to 50-6-3 in a McGill jersey, surpass­ ing St-Pierre's school record for victories. St-Pierre posted a 48-39-12 mark in five seasons with the Martlets.

The victory over Carleton came one day after the Martlets defeated the Ottawa Gee-Gees 5-3 on Saturday afternoon in Ottawa.

Zaria Stoffman came away with gold and silver medal-performances for McGill at the first track and field competition of the 2007-08 indoor season, the McGill Open, held at Tomlinson Fieldhouse on Saturday.

In what was the team's best-ever performance at their own season­ opening meet, McGill athletes came away with a combined total of three golds, four silvers and five bronzes.

Stoffman won the women's high jump with a distance of 1.60 metres and finished second in the 60 m hurdles with a time of 930 seconds.The only other member of the Martlets to win gold was Heather McCurdy who leaped 10 .90 m in the triple jump, while Esther Usborne garnered a silver medal in the pole vaultjumping 3.20 metres. Arianna Gianakos; Danielle Sharpe, Stepha­ nie Harris and the 4 x200 metre relay team all captured bronze medals for the Martlets.

On the men's side, freshman Dong Liu captured the high jump with a distance of 1.75 metres, and Blair Bateson and Miguel Mangalindon earned silver medals in the 600 m and long jump, respectively.

Men's Basketball— Laval Rouge et Or at McGill Redmen; Friday 8 p.m. at Love C om petition Hall

Currently locked in a four-way tie for first place in the Quebec confer­ ence, the Redmen (2 -1) welcome the Rouge et Or (2 -2 ) for what should be an extremely entertaining game.

Both teams are averaging over 80 points per game.so far this season, so get ready for a run-and-gun shoot­ out. Guard Moustafa El Zanaty is car­ rying the Redmen so far this year, av­ eraging 21 points per game, but the team will need some improved play from other veterans if they hope to bounce back from last week's loss to Concordia.

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NHL hockey— New York Rangers at O ttaw a Senators; Saturday 2 p.m. at Scotiabank Place, CBC

I J I I !

Two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference meet on Saturday in the early match of CBC's triple-header.

The Rangers are a torrid 7-2-1 in their last ten games, after a slow start to the season, and the Senators are still the league's most exciting team to watch, so this one is a no-brainer for game of the week honours. Peel yourself out of bed and shake off your hangover kids, because watching the league's best line take on the NHL's best goaltender will be worth it.

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