The McGill Tribune Vol. 28 Issue 25

M&M'S: ADDICTION OR THERAPHY? PAGES 12 & 13

blished by the Students' Society o f McGill University

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Volume 28 Issue 25 • March 24,2009

Martlets golden for second consecutive year

W inn ing streak at 54 gam es J acob K anter

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ie McGill Marlets celebrate on the ice after capturing their second straight CIS National Championship on inday night. They defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks 3-1 in the gold medal game.

Elections McGill staff quits

designations come after March 5 censure T heo M eyer Elections McGill's four employees resigned en asse on Thursday, in response to a censure by the udents' Society's Legislative Council two weeks ago. actions McGill Chief Electoral Officer Nicole Gileadi rlivered Elections McGill's report on the SSMU elec­ t s period at Council before tendering the résigna­ i s , effective immediately.

Law Councillor Alexandre Shee had previously pro­ ved a motion calling for Gileadi's resignation during >uncil's March 5 meeting.Though Council did not pass lee's motion, the body did pass a motion censuring ections McGill later that night in confidential session.

At the time, Elections McGill was about to open adince polling for SSMU's winter elections. The organi­

zation, which operates independently but is funded by SSMU, is responsible for overseeing all SSMU elections and referenda periods.

"Obviously we disagreed with Council's decision to censure us, and we felt that this was significant enough that we needed to show, symbolically, our disagree­ ment, and the fact that obviously we felt that Council acted in a completely unprofessional way,"Gileadi said.

According to Gileadi, the censure was completely unexpected, and undermined Elections McGill's ability to fulfill its mandate.

"The way Elections McGill functions is based on [SSMU's] confidence in it, and the minute Council de­ cided to censure Elections McGill, it really compromised See TURNER on Page 2

It took the McGill Martlets 112 years to win their first national cham­ pionship. It took them just one year to win another.

The Martlets solidified their status as the country's top team when they defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks 3-1 on Sunday night to win the 2009 CIS Women's Ice Hockey Championship in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

McGill was ranked first all year long, and didn't lose a single game to a Canadian school. They'll begin next season on a 54-game winning streak against CIS teams.

‘This was just as exciting as last year," said McGill Head Coach Peter Smith. "Last year was exciting because it was our first time around, and this year was exciting because it was the first time we've repeated."

The Martlets' path to this year's championship mirrored last year's, as they faced the same three teams and the same three goaltenders, in the same order at Nationals.

"The experience of last year helped us for this year, but I'm not sure that playing those specific teams again helped, because their teams are different this year,"said Smith. "We were well-prepared going in because we had game footage of them. I don't think it would have mattered, no matter which team we would play."

The Martlets'first line of Vanessa Davidson, CIS Rookie of the Year Marie-Andree Leclerc-Auger, and Ann-Sophie Bettez—who made the tournament all-star team—combined to score 15 of McGill's 21 points scored by forwards. But Smith was quick to highlight the importance of the rest of the team as well.

"They get a lot of points, but they get the lion's share of the time on the power play as well," said Smith. "I wouldn't say that they carry us. The other lines are incredible in terms of creating opportunities, pushing the pace, and wearing out the other team."

McGill's defence also stole the show in Antigonish, as McGill's top blueliners—Cathy Chartrand and Catherine Ward—were both named to the tournament all-star team, and Ward was named tournament MVP. Martlets goaltender Charline Labonté didn't match her perfor­ mance from last year, when she stopped all 55 shots she faced in Ot­ tawa. But her .935 save percentage and three goals allowed were good enough to earn her a spot on the all-star team as well.

Gold medal glory

The Golden Hawks had stormed through their first two games, de­ feating the Ottawa Gee Gees and the Moncton Blue Eagles by a com­ bined score of 11-4, but Laurier's high-octane offence ran into a brick wall against the defending champions. Laurier took 42 shots against the Gee Gees and 41 against the Blue Eagles, but could only muster 12 against the Martlets' stout defence.

"We're a puck possession team, we're not a dump and chase kind of team," said Smith. "We don't trap. There were a couple of flurries in our zone when they got a couple of shots on net but, other than that, we did a pretty good job."

See McGILL on Page 17

Congratulations to the McGill Martlets 2009 CIS Canadian Women's Hockey Champions

McGill ATHLETICS & RECREATION

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. FXATHLET

Turner and Gileadi remain on good terms

Councillor Chen proposes olive branch motion at Thursday's Council

Continued from COVER

the way we function," she said. "We felt it was only appropriate to tender our resignations. It was a decision that we took as a team, and we felt it needed to be done."

Elections McGill employs four members of SSMU to carry out its mandate. Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Mallika Swaminathan, Elections Co-ordinator Sean Stefanik, and Elec­ tions Co-ordinator Sophie MacIntyre all resigned along with Gileadi.

After Gileadi announced the resignation, councillors de­ bated whether or not they should approve Elections McGill's report. But because not approving the report would have invalidated the results of the elections, Council voted to ap­ prove the report with the exception of a clause listing Elec­ tions McGill's achievements.

Councillor Hanchu Chen, an Arts representative to SSMU, then proposed a motion mandating the SSMU Executive to issue a statement on the matter. The motion passed, and re­ quires the Executive's statement to stand by Council's censure while calling for reconciliation.

According to SSMU President KayTurner, however, it's un­ likely Council and Elections McGill will be able to resolve their differences.

"I'm not surprised that Elections McGill was incredibly upset about [the censure], and I'm not surprised that they re­ signed as a result," Turner said. "Because essentially what we were saying was, 'You haven't done a good enough job, and we really want everyone to know that.'"

Chen was surprised by the resignation. Though he sup­ ported the original censure, Chen said that he proposed Thursday's motion because he felt SSMU needed to take at least part of the blame for Elections McGill's resignation.

"I thought their resignation was unprofessional, bad for both Elections McGill and SSMU, and I thought that we need­ ed to clarify—or at least rectify—the situation in some way," Chen said.

Senate Caucus Representative Barbara Dourley was one of two councillors who voted against Chen's motion, saying

ADAMSC Clockwise from top left: Students' Society President Kay Turner, former Elections McGill Chief Electoral Officer Nic Gileadi, and Law Representative Alexandre Shee.

that she felt there were systemic problems with Council's re­ lationship with Elections McGill. A similar mass resignation of Elections McGill personnel occurred two years ago during con­ troversy surrounding a case brought to SSMU's Judicial Board.

Both Turner and Chen rejected the idea that systemic problems existed, however.

"The way in which we're structured vis-a-vis Elections McGill is always going to be an awkward dynamic, but inher­ ently it has to be an awkward dynamic, because they're sup­ posed to be an independent electoral body,"Turner said.

According to Gileadi, many of the problems listed in the censure were caused by general student apathy rather than

incompetence by Elections McGill.

"It's easy to say that we're not advertising enough or encouraging people to run, but at the end of the day, if : dents don't want to get involved as candidates and as vot there's really only so much that Elections can do," she said.

Though SSMU elections are over for the year, elections organizations like the Law Students'Association and the Ni ing Undergraduate Society have yet to take place. These e tions depend upon Elections McGill's online voting syst With the entire Elections McGill staff gone, Turner is currei co-ordinating the elections. Despite the resignation, b Turner and Gileadi expressed mutual respect for each othe

CAMPUS

Construction projects resume on campus Work on tunnels near Milton Gates will wrap up in mid-November S teven H offer Several deferred construction projects on lower cam­ pus have recently resumed, as warmer weather has permit­ ted contractors to return to a regular working schedule.

Among the major projects are the replacement of 100-yearold service tunnels between the James Administration and McConnell Engineering Buildings, similar work between the Leacock Building and McTavish Street, and renovations to Burnside Hall and Molson Stadium.

Although the projects are necessary for stabilizing the university infrastructure, they have become an inconve­ nience for students navigating lower campus. One campus tour guide stated that minimal information about the con­ struction has been provided to guides, and that the McGill Welcome Centre told guides to avoid the area between Daw­ son Hall and McConnell Engineering—effectively reducing the duration of campus tours by 20 minutes—to minimize visibility of the construction.

"I really do think that area should still be on the tour be­ cause we usually go by there and talk about residence, the ghetto, James Administration, and the engineering build­ ings," said the tour guide, who wished to remain anony­ mous.

Robert Stanley, project director for McGill Facilities De­ velopment, acknowledged that large-scale projects impose inconveniences upon a functioning campus.

"The university is in a situation where we are ... for the first time in a very long time we now have a significant injec­ tion of funds from Quebec to tackle accumulated deferred maintenance projects,"Stanley said. "So we are mobilizing to do those projects but, in the process of doing those projects, we are sympathetic to the fact that there is only so much we can force upon the university [in] any one period of time."

To alleviate the inconvenience, many of the projects have been scheduled for the summer months when traffic

on campus is significantly decreased.

The University Safety Office, the University Planning Office, Facilities Operations, and the Office of Sustainability are among the various administrative groups involved in the development plans. McGill Sustainability Director Den­ nis Fortune explained that although his office only became involved in many of the projects after their original concep­ tion, several green initiatives have been put in place to divert materials from landfills, utilize recycled materials, and avoid soil contamination.

Although the federal government allocated additional funding for educational infrastructure last January, McGill has not yet been notified how much money it will receive. As a result, the university has been unable to put those funds toward the current projects being financed by both McGill and Quebec.

The renovations between McConnell Engineering and James Administration are part of a $12 million project to replace a series of decaying tunnels that carry high pressure steam lines for heating, electrical supply, and central water for air conditioning. The project has been further com­ plicated by the need to maintain the functioning of these services while completing the construction during the aca­ demic year. Following structural completion, expected in July, McGill Facilities Development will begin to "re-green" the space across from the Milton Gates. This plan includes the replanting of several donated legacy trees which were temporarily relocated at the start of construction. The Facili­ ties Development office expects the project to be fully com­ pleted by mid-November.

Construction between Leacock and McTavish Street involves the replacement of a second, smaller service tun­ nel, while renovations to Burnside Hall will introduce a new fire safety sprinkler and air ventilator to the building. Both of those projects are expected to be completed in early May.

TYLEF Multiple scenes of campus contstruction as warm weath hits McGill.

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24.03.09 • The McGill Tribune • 3

lMPUS

icGill's Couillard in the clear

.obbyist commissioner finds no wrongdoing B ernard R udny A government investigation has concluded that are was no illegal lobbying of Dr. Philippe Couillard, former Quebec health minister and current McGill se­ ar fellow in health law, by the health care investment i that now employs him.

In a report delivered to the province's National Asibly last Tuesday, Quebec Lobbyists Commissioner [idré Côté said that there had been no illegal lobbyactivity involving Couillard. Côté first announced inquiry into Persistence Capital Partners, an invest­ i t group with private health care interests, in JanuCouillard accepted a partnership with PCP in Au1st 2008, two months after resigning as the province's faith minister.

Côté originally suspected that PCP had illegally abied Couillard during a series of meetings and hone conversations with the health minister before he t office. Under the Lobbying Transparency and Ethics |:t, any person or organization lobbying government ficials must register beforehand.

Côté's inquiry determined that Couillard and PCP hly discussed the minister's future employment, and lat their conversations didn't influence the new régu­ lions. However, critics from the PQ argue that Couilrd's links to PCP still constitute a conflict of interest, py such conflict would fall outside the scope of Côté's vestigation.

"The lobbyists commissioner is not mandated with faluating Couillard's conduct in this matter, or with etermining if he was putting himself in a situation |at may have entailed elements of conflict of interest conflict of roles [concerning private health clinics]," |àté said in his report to the National Assembly.

During his tenure, Couillard helped introduce a se­ ts of regulations and fee schedules for private health

clinics. Members of the Parti Québécois alleged that Couillard had been improperly influenced by his future employer, which invests in private clinics.

Stuart Elman, a managing partner with PCP who was named in Côté's inquiry, refused to comment.

On January 8, one day before Côté publicized his investigation, McGill announced Couillard's appoint­ ment to the McGill research group on health and law, which focusses on "interdisciplinary teaching and re­ search in health, law, and public policy."

At a Students' Society Council meeting later that month, McGill Principal Heather Munroe-Blum defend­ ed Couillard's appointment on general grounds. How­ ever, she refused to discuss the lobbying inquiry in any detail.

Some students, including SSMU VP University Af­ fairs Nadya Wilkinson, were disappointed with the McGill administration's refusal to address concerns over potential wrongdoing or conflicts of interest on Couil­ lard's part.

"I had two reactions to the administration's re­ sponse," Wilkinson said. "One was [that] I very much appreciated their respect for academic freedom, and their diligence in making sure that Couillard wasn't slan­ dered. On the other hand, I was frankly disappointed that their first reaction was quite defensive. ... I think that the administration is often quick to jump to con­ clusions that someone is being slandered, rather than addressing the real concerns that students are raising about that individual."

McGill Dean of Law Nicholas Kasirer declined to comment directly on the Lobbyists Commissioner's re­ port, but said that he was fully satisfied with Couillard's work at McGill, and hoped that the report would help combat any "misperception of impropriety" pertaining to Couillard. ■

M c G ill The D epartm en t of East A sian Studies and the D epartm en t of Political Scien ce are proud to present

DECOUPLED FROM HISTORY: NORTH KOREA, THE NUCLEAR PROBLEM AND THE U.S. Professor Bruce Ctimings University of Chicago Wednesday April 1,2009 4:30 — 6:00 p m L E A C O C K 232 8 5 5 Sherbrooke St. West Public Lecture: Admission is free Reception will follow

Informations IVoi. |»m i iu m iA s . (514) 398*4994 Department of East Asian Studies ( i 14) 398-6? 42 This presentation is m«te possible by a grant from the Beatty Memorial Lectures Com m ittee

N ew s B rief SSMU and PGSS agree to tentative MoA

The Students' Society Legislative Council ap­ proved the terms of a new Memorandum of Agree­ ment with the Post-Graduate Students' Society last | Thursday, capping three years of protracted negotia­ tions.

According to SSMU President Kay Turner, under the new agreement, PGSS will pay $4,000 annually for full access to SSMU's clubs and services. In exchange, SSMU must provide PGSS with a copy of the annual budget, a non-voting spot on the clubs and services committee, and relevant data on graduate student participation in SSMU clubs and services.

Before it's finalized, however, PGSS Council must ratify the terms of the MoA. According to PGSS Vice President Finance Eric Pollanen, the terms of the deal will be brought to PGSS Council before the end of the school year.

"It seems that we're reasonably close to a deal," he said. "I think everybody will be happy that this agree­ ment will be concluded."

SSMU's MoA with PGSS expired on May 31, 2006.

Under the old MoA's terms, PGSS paid $16,000 for full access to SSMU's clubs and services. After the deal ex­ pired, however, relations between the two societies turned sour. Last January, former PGSS President Amy Cox informed SSMU that PGSS wouldn't be renewing their agreement with the society, and that they were

discontinuing negotiations. In response, SSMU Coun­ cil proposed a motion to ban graduate students from SSMU clubs and services.

According to Pollanen, one of the main reasons PGSS considered discontinuing its association with SSMU was because they were concerned that their money wasn't benefiting graduate students.

"Are there graduate students participating in [these clubs] or not?" Pollanen said. "If there are no graduate students participating in these clubs, then it would be very awkward for us [as an executive] ... we need to service graduate students."

According to Turner, repairing strained relations between the societies was a top priority of her admin­ istration coming into this year.

"I knew [PGSS President] Ashley Burgoyne from last year's executive," she said. "We needed to negoti­ ate this [MoA], it's important."

Most of the negotiating work. Turner said, was completed back in September.

"We weren't really negotiating from a position of strength," she said. "They were very aware of the fact that we have absolutely no idea how many graduate students use our clubs and services, nor are we able to effectively stop graduate students from using our clubs and services."

JULIUS CAESAR March 25-28 & April 2-4, 2009 7:30pm $5 Students/Seniors, $10 Adults

Moyse Hall Theatre Arts Bldg, McGill University, 853 Sherbrooke St. W T ick ets/In fo : 5 1 4 .3 9 8 .6 0 7 0 www.mcgill.ca/english/moyse

— Thomas Quail

PHOTOS BY VALERIAN MAZATAUD AND HOLLY STEWART

lome 2013, visitors to St. Joseph's Oratory in Côte-des-Neiges will be able to look out over the city from a new observation centre above the Basilica's dome. St. Joseph's, the largest :hurch in Canada, sits on the western slopes of Mount Royal. The new observation centre will offer panoramic views of the city, the mountain, and Laurentians to the north.

The McGill Tribune

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N ew s B rief AUS Election Results: Karina Gould acclaimed as new president

The Arts Undergraduate Society election turnout dropped by nearly 30 per cent this year, as an acclamation in the presidential portfolio for Karina Gould headlined AUS election results.

This year's election drew 850 voters, compared to last year's recordhigh voter turnout of approximately 1,200 students. Current AUS President Nick Wolf attributed the low turnout to student apathy from this year's lacklustre Students' Society elections.

"This year's SSMU elections were more boring than last year's," Wolf said. "And student interest, or lack thereof, trickles down to the Arts elec­ tions. I'm not surprised to see Arts executive acclamations and lower voter turnout hand-in-hand with SSMU acclamations and less voter participa­ tion."

Gould's acclamation as president—the highest profile executive posi­ tion—may have also negatively affected the voter turnout.

In one of the contested election races, Laura D'Angelo won the VP in­ ternal portfolio with 57.9 per cent of the vote, defeating first-year student Taylor Rusnak. Throughout the campaign period, D'Angelo emphasized her experience with the portfolio, having served on Fine Arts Council and the organizing committee for Nuit Blanche.

"I'm so pumped for next year," said D'Angelo. "I think [the executive] is going to be a really great team .... Collectively, we have a lot of experi­ ence."

Maia Frieser captured the VP communications portfolio by winning 51.1 per cent of the vote against francophone candidate Louis-Michel Gau­ thier in the tightest race of the election. Gauthier emphasized his bilin­ gualism throughout the campaign period, claiming that electing a fran­ cophone student would send a positive message to students who were disgruntled with the AUS's poor translations of Listserv emails and other announcements. Frieser countered, successfully, that she could ensure proper translation of English documents into French by hiring competent translators, and that language should not be a deciding issue in the race.

In other AUS portfolios, incumbent VP Academic Claudette Van Zyl was re-elected with 52.2 per cent of ballots cast, a margin of victory of 94 votes over opponent Byeong Chang. Riley Dalys-Fine also won the VP events portfolio with 63.6 per cent of the vote. In a mild upset, AUS out­ sider Shehreyar Jamshed edged out Maya Kaczorowski for AUS VP finance, with 46 per cent of the vote to Kaczorowski's 41 per cent. VP External Marco Garofalo was acclaimed, as were Arts Representatives to SSMU Julia Huggett, David Whiteside, and Joël Pedneault.

Applications for editor positions on the Tribune's 2009-2010 Editorial Board are due on Friday, March 27th at 5 p.m. Email editor@mcgilltribune.com for details.The following positions are open to any student: Managing Editor (2) Production Manager News Editor (3) Opinion Editor Features Editor (2) Arts & Entertainment Editor (2) Sports Editor (2) Photo Editor (2) Copy Editor Online Editor Design Editor (3)

— Trip Yang & Matt Chesser SUS Election Results: President Issar wins re-election unopposed

The results of the Science Undergraduate Society election were an­ nounced on Monday night, with both close finishes and acclamations in the faculty election. SUS voter turnout increased this year to 696 students, despite an acclamation in the presidential portfolio. Current SUS President Neil Issar ran unopposed, and will begin his second term this September.

In the closest race of the election season, Estee Fagen won the VP in­ ternal portfolio by only nine votes, beating out Varun Jain by capturing 46.3 per cent of the vote to his 45 per cent.

"I was surprised it was this close," Fagen said. "I thought I was the un­ derdog, but I ran a strong campaign. I promoted myself well with class an­ nouncements and posters, and I ran on a strong platform. I believe my de­ termination and motivation allowed me to win."

Incumbent VP Academic Ayman Ashraf secured a second year with 57 per cent of the popular vote and a margin of victory of 150 votes over Timo­ thy Mak. "I am very excited to be serving as VP academic for a second year," Ashraf said. "The trend of incumbents being re-elected is a very real one and for good reason. Incumbents have had more exposure to the voting students and do not face as steep a learning curve."

Competition was particularly stiff in the races for Science representa­ tives to SSMU. Joshua Abaki, Annie Ma, and Gloria To came out victorious in a competitive pool of seven candidates. In the VP external position, Dara Djafarian won with 62.93 per cent of the vote, while Jordan Doherty and Kristen Raffensperger were acclaimed as VP finance and VP communica­ tions, respectively.

— Trip Yang & Matt Chesser

u p ■ ■ t 0

speed walk in with your taxes, walk out with your money

Being a centenarian doesn't give you free rein to hide pot in your home, according to the Nigerian government. Nigeria's drug enforce­ ment agency placed Sulaimon Adebayo, 114, under arrest on Saturday after finding 100 bags of marijuana behind his house. Adebayo denied the charges. Chinyere Obijuru, the agency's director in Adebayo's home state of Ogun, insisted the elderly man posed a threat to Nigerian soci­ ety. Imagine what could have happened if this drug had not been seized.

Imagine the lives that would have been destroyed by this illicit drug," she said. While Nigeria may have crippling political and human rights prob­ lems, it's comforting to know their centenarian drug dealers are under control.

-Source: AFP

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24.03.09 • The McGill Tribune • 5

CAMPUS

McGill physician selected as astronaut finalist David Saint-Jacques m ay becom e one o f tw o new Canadians in space In a bid for two astronaut jobs 5,391 Canadians handed in applications to the Canadian Space Agency. Dr. David SaintJacques, 39, is one o f the 16 finalists to have been chosen from those thousands o f applications. Saint-Jacques, a clinical lecturer at McGill University, also works as a physician a t the medical clin­ ic in Puvirnituq, an Inuit community in northern Quebec. If he is chosen for one o f the two positions this May, Saint-Jacques will be the fourth McGill graduate, after Julie Payette, Robert Thirsk, and Dafydd Williams, to jo in the International Space Agency.

We've been tested on anything you can test someone on.

We've been tested physically, for athleticism, toughness both on land and underwater. Mentally, we've been tested for our ability to do teamwork under stressful environments, in the form of firefighting or in simulations of sinking ships and crashing helicopters. We've been tested psychologically, and we've been tested on flight simulators. And we've been tested medically, of course.

Congratulations, Dr. Saint-Jacques, for being selected as one of the 16 finalists. What led you to apply in the first place?

There doesn't exist a 'typical'day of testing, as they've all been different. We only do things once. This week, we're at the Na­ tional Defence Research Center, where we're meeting with doctors of different specialties. They are examining us as we go through a battery of tests and blood tests, as well as imaging, MRIs, and CT scans. The last round of tests was at the Damage Control Division Facility, a military institution in Halifax. There, they train crewmen for emergency procedures onboard ships.

That was fairly gruelling—doing the drills and learning tasks only once before having to perform them live.

What does a typical day of testing consist of?

It's always been a dream since I was a young boy, but one that I put aside when I reached that age where I reasoned that [this dream] was probably too far out to really contemplate. I de­ cided I would flourish in some other ways. However, when this opportunity arose, I didn't hesitate for a second.

To what do you attribute your success in making it this far?

The selection committee has done a good job at making sure that [the candidates] don't know what they're looking for, and we still don't know exactly what the criteria are. Obviously, I can see things that all the candidates have in common: we're all adventurous people, people who are technically compe­ tent, and people who are ready to be patient and to bite the bullet to get what we want.

What can you say about your experiences in the selection process and in the testing?

It has been an eye-opener of all sorts. I have had the opportu­ nity to meet truly fantastic people. [Testing] has been going on for 10 months now, and the people I've encountered, both the candidates and the people who work at the Canadian Space Program, are all of the highest caliber. My experience has been—well, it's been long. It's a big test of your patience.

ASC-CSA.GC.CA What is space medicine?

My understanding of it is that it is essentially a provision of medical services for the astronauts up in orbit. Of course, as­ tronauts are already healthy people. But still, medical prob­ lems can arise in orbit. The other astronauts must be able to If you were to be selected, what would happen next? respond to that. They carry basic medical kits and they have If I had that luck, then whoever is selected will join the 2009 as­ help from the ground over the radio, so there is already an ef­ tronaut class in Houston. Every few years, there is a new class fort made to ensure that any basic emergency can be dealt in Houston. A few years would be spent in Houston for gen­ with up in space. Yet all the disease processes are different, eral astronaut training and to receive certification. After that and so are the risks you take in space. It's an ongoing work begins the w ait for assignment on a mission, during which and now that we're entering an age of long-term missions, the astronauts, when they're not preparing for a mission, work in requirements for health care are evolving. the space program to help other astronauts prepare for their There is one interesting side of that for me: basically, the ob­ flig h t under different capacities, such as an engineer, manager, stacles faced in the provision of health care in space are, in a or doctor. way, similar to those that exist for people living in remote loca­ tions on earth. Having worked as a physician in a remote Inuit How would your job relate to your previous career as a community in northern Quebec, I recognize firsthand that this doctor? is an important field of study, and I'm positive that anything I don't know if it's possible or if I'm simply imagining, but I developed for space application could potentially [improve] would like to contribute to the growing field of space medi­ health care for people living in remote areas. cine.

— Compiled by Kayan Hui

"Caps off to 'fun guy'Ron Mann, who delivers another wildly entertaining, mind-expanding him."

-Jennie Punter, Film Critic

fTjnrniOTraFmTMTnmi^ BOOKfCONFIDENTIAL1

/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME— BUT YOU COULD BE.

Editor-in-Chief applications for the 2009-10 academic year are due tomorrow. If you would like to apply for the position, please drop off a portfolio that includes a cover letter detailing your interest, a CV, and three relevant writing or design samples at the SSMU Office front desk (Brown Building, Suite 1200) to the attention of VP Clubs and Services Samantha Cook. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, March 25 at 5 p.m. Late applications will not be accepted.

This position is open to all members of the Society. However, prefer­ ence will be given to candidates with Tribune-related experience. If you have any questions about the application process, or what the position entails, please contact editor@mcgilltribune.com.

<________________________________________________________>

Mary H. Brown Fund 2009 Call for Proposals This endowment provides a total of about $20,000 annually for the creation and early support of innovative, on-campus projects that benefit McGill students’ physical and psychological well-being, and related initiatives. Proposals from faculty, students and staff are all welcome. Extensions of existing projects are also eligible for one renewal. The application deadline is scheduled for noon on Wednesday, April 15, 2009.

Application is by letter to the Dean of Students who administers the program in conjunction with the Provost and the Director of Bequests and Planned Gifts.

For application guidelines, suggestions for preparing a successful application, and examples of projects submitted by previous recipients visit http://www.mcgill.ca/deanofsttidents/tnarvbrown,'Please contact Meghan McCulloch at 398-1731 or meehan. mcculloch/dimcaili.ca for additional information.

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O pinion HISTORIA ME ABSOLVERA

YOU HAD AN OPTION, SIR

K eep G e o rg e G a llo w a y o u t o f m y c o u n try

M ass arrests a n d th e M o n treal p o lice

T imothy M ak TIMOTHY.MAK@MAILMCGILL.CA

M ax S ilverman MAXWELL.SILVERMAN@MAIL.MCGILL.CA

ast week, Canadian border officials denied British Member of Parliament George Gal­ loway entry into Canada. Galloway is an unabashed Taliban enthusiast, an ardent sup­ porter of Hezbollah (which he claims "has never been a terrorist organization"), and a provider of financial support to Hamas. He was about to embark on a Canadian tour of sorts, hopping from city to city and boosting the forces of antiSemitism, violence, and hatred along the way.

The last time he was in Canada, Galloway told his audience,"I am here to glorify the Lebanese resistance, Hezbollah. I am here to glorify the leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah."

A man who provides comfort to Canada's enemies at a time when these very enemies are killing our soldiers shouldn't be allowed to put a single toe on Canadian soil. As such, I applaud Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney's decision not to provide Gallo­ way a waiver to enter Canada.

Of course, there are some groups that are protesting Kenney's decision. Political power­ houses like the "Toronto Coalition to Stop the War" are calling for the terrorist sympathizer to be granted entry into Canada. The popular Listserv Marxmail.org claims that the Harper government is attempting to silence dissent.

And the New Democratic Party, which is al­ ways quick to spout the views of an insignifi­ cant and misguided segment of their constitu­ ency, claimed in a press release that Kenney's decision represented a "bunker mentality."

According to the NDP, denying entrance to Galloway means that "Canadians interested in hearing international experts deliver anti-war messages will now have to leave the country to do so."

Luckily for Kenney, anytime you see these types of groups up in arms, you can safely as­ sume you're doing the right thing.

The most obvious rebuttal to the actions of the Canadian government would be to say— as the NDP has—that Galloway's freedom of speech is being abridged. Suddenly the Marx­ ists, anti-war imperialists, and democratic so­

L

cialists will all be invoking Voltaire. Others will Cite H.L. Mencken, apologetically but emphati­ cally suggesting that "the trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels"—as the Tribune's editorial board did three weeks ago, when defending Armenian Genocide denier Tiirkkaya Ataov's right to speak on campus.

I applauded the Tribune's editorial stance on Ataov's lecture. The distinction to be made here is between the right to speak freely and the right to enter a country to do it. I fully sup­ port Galloway's freedom to say whatever he pleases, to whomever he pleases. As unpleas­ ant as his views are, he has the right to express them. What he lacks, however, is the right to enter my country to do these things. At the risk of offending the "No One is Illegal" fan club, I'd like to point out that admitting Galloway into Canada is, in fact, illegal.

Galloway has boasted about offering Hamas "corporeal and financial support"— essentially bragging about breaking his own country's anti-terrorism laws. The British MP should be disqualified from entry into Canada on the grounds of Section 34 of Canada's Immi­ gration and Refugee Protection Act, since he'll probably try to "instigate the subversion by force" of a government, which is forbidden by the act. It's quite possible (or even likely) that Galloway will rally support for the Taliban to overthrow the democratically elected govern­ ment of Afghanistan, which Canadian soldiers are currently fighting to protect.

If Galloway must spew his putrid thoughts, he can do so elsewhere. His diatribes can be posted on YouTube, and his hatred expressed in increasingly self-righteous tones—just not in my country. And certainly not while Hamas and Hezbollah are on Canada's list of terror­ ist organizations for advocating violence as a means of change, and terror as a means of retaining power. Galloway will find receptive governments in Iran, North Korea, Syria, the Palestinian territories, and Libya. I suggest he takes his speaking tour elsewhere. ■

/ / “ ■ “ his isn't my scene ... I'm an acI countant."That was the reaction I of a man in his thirties, one of 221 people arrested at last week's annual March Against Police Brutality. He was one of several people who had nothing to do with the demonstration, but were arrested in the police's frenzy to break-up and beat-down a demonstration against those very same tactics. However, the in­ justice of his arrest is no worse than that the 220 others who were brutalized, de­ tained, and kept on city buses for hours while the police re-established their con­ trol of the streets of downtown Montreal.

No one deserved to face the sheer brutal­ ity exhibited by the Montreal police last Sunday.

Mass arrests are illegal, immoral, and undemocratic. In my view, they fall into the category of state-committed crimes banned under international law called "collective punishment."

Mass arrests have also landed the Montreal police in hot water before.

In 2006 they were criticized by the UN Human Rights Commission for this tac­ tic. In 2007, the Quebec Superior Court authorized a class-action lawsuit against the Montreal police on the part of the hundreds of people who were indiscrimi­ nately arrested during a protest in 2002.

To gain authorization to pursue a class-action lawsuit, the courts must have reason to believe that such a case has merit—in this case, that the police violat­ ed the protestors' right to assemble and speak their minds. This class-action law­ suit is the first such case against a western police force.

But I'm not one for demonization. I don't think that Montreal's police are par­ ticularly bad people, or that there are "bad seeds" influencing the whole direction of the force. I'd imagine the average police officer is just a person trying to make a

living, and most likely with a misguide desire to serve their community. But non of this takes away from the very troublin nature of Montreal's police, which is—; always—the result of their history.

Urban police forces were invented i the first half of the 19th century in urba England and the United States. In Enc land, they were based on the need for permanent presence to control the Iris and emerging working-class, but withoi the imposition of a permanent army pre: ence. In America, police forces modelle themselves on the private armies an strike-breakers that had previously kef order in America's industrial towns. Fror the very beginning, the role of police i our society has been clear: protecting th interests of the state by enforcing its v sion of what a law-abiding and peacefi society should look like.

Then, in the 1990s, Montreal—fo lowing the example of many Americai cities—overhauled the entire structure 0 their police force. Supposedly a respons to two blatantly racist murders by th police in 1987 and 1991, these reforms re moved accountability measures, empow ered individual officers to act with mor impunity, ghettoized communities, ant reduced the city's liability for its officer actions. All this under the guise of "profes sionalization"of the force, which must b read as the privatization and neo-liberal ization of its structure.

Since that time, this "professional ized" police department has murderet another handful of innocent members o visible minorities and continued to terror ize the marginalized and poor in our soci ety through displays of cruelty like we sav last Sunday.

No wonder, then, that a popular say ing among the marginalized youth of thi city is that there are police everywhere but justice nowhere. ■

FRESH HELL

Sometimes Vice isn't so nice Z oe D aniels ZKDANIELS@GMAIL.COM 've associated Vice magazine with Montreal ever since I candid. Two things about Vice bother me, though.

In most of its writing, Vice espouses a "This is me, so fuck picked up their Guide to University the first time I visited McGill. I think that's a fair association, given the number of you" attitude. The magazine's style is largely conversational, McGill students who wear American Apparel. Vice is known for and the articles reflect the writer's personality as much as the tackling topics that outrage liberals and conservatives alike. It subject matter.This is obvious in my least favorite column, Skihas published articles on Thai sex workers, white power, and a nema. Purportedly devoted to reviewing porn flicks, it's better religion of ravers. The magazine is proud to be politically incor­ described as a transcription of the internal monologues of that rect, and its writers publish in the same street pidgin they use guy outside the bar you don't want to talk to.

In a recent Skinema column, Chris Nierakto wrote about to talk to their friends.

Like its articles, peoples' opinions of Vice run the gam­ interviewing a porn star with his dog (the bulk of the article ut—some treat it as a lifestyle Bible, while others consider it is a tangent about dog owner etiquette), and instead of tran­ a self-important bastardization of irony. For founders Gavin scribing the interview, he caps off the column by congratulat­ Mclnnes, Shane Smith, and Suroosh Alvi, it's a dream come ing himself for insulting her.

Skinema disappoints me. It's a minimum word count true. For American Apparel magnate Dov Charney, whose ad­ vertisements regularly grace the magazine's back cover, it's wank job that wastes so much potential. Yet Vice keeps print­ the world's largest cash cow. And for me, it's food for thought. ing the column unapologetically—"This is Chris Nierakto, so fuck you." But it's a problem when people with uninformed I generally enjoy reading Vice. The articles are always pleasant, albeit weird, surprises. I've flipped through reviews points of view adopt this attitude. To be able to say "this is me" of street gangs, a story about a stylist who makes animals out with any gravitas, you have to have gone through a measure of hair, and a photo essay about an albino Chinese woman. of self-reflection and evaluation. In other words, you have to The magazine's "DOs and DONTs"are also legendary, if not for know who "me" is. When adopted by someone living an unex­ the images then for the caustic wit with which the writers eval­ amined life, an uncompromising attitude becomes a shield for uate their rivals' outfits, while the interviews are endearingly jerkish behavior.

I

Vice's existence is an exercise in free speech. The maga zine's management has defended homophobic, sexist, anc generally offensive articles by appealing to ideals of free speech, or passing them off as satire. Although I believe thaï Wee should be free to publish whatever it wants, I questior whether its writers sometimes cross the line from intelligent satire to irresponsible claptrap. Therein lies the basic danger of Wee's brand of satire: it relies on a mutual understanding between the author and the audience.

Vice writers are classic envelope-pushers, and their bold­ ness is valuable. But while their articles are written from a sa­ tirical point of view, there's nothing to stop them from being used to support the very ideas they're trying to critique. Prop­ agating offensive language or ideas (even in a comic context) plays on readers'ingrained prejudices, and these can't be erad­ icated if they're continually being reinforced.

In claiming to poke fun at concepts which have only re­ cently been accepted into the cultural mainstream, Wee under­ mines social progress under the guise of liberalism. According to Vice, in the future we'll all call each other chinks, sluts, and fags with the same affection we call each other dude, girl, and honey.

Somehow, I doubt that. ■

24.03.09 • The McGill Tribune • 7

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A ll q u ie t o n th e p o lic e b r u ta lity fro n t t's polite to call ahead. Someone should tell that to the Collective Op­ posed to Police Brutality—the group whose 13th annual March Against Police Brutality was Montreal's most violent protest since, well, the 12th annual March Against Police Brutality.

Of course, the blame for the events of March 15 doesn't fall solely on the Collective's shoulders. Without the dangerous combination of instiga­ tors and over-zealous police officers, there wouldn't have been any broken windows or tear gas in downtown Montreal.

For a critique of the police's actions and some historical context, you can shift your gaze to the left and read Max Silverman's column. However, like many Montrealers, we've become increasingly sceptical of the Collec­ tive's motives—and in particular, their refusal to inform the Montreal Police of their protest route ahead of time.

According to the police, of the roughly 1,500 protests in Montreal, the March Against Police Brutality is the only one which doesn't register its route in advance.That means the police are unable to close streets to traffic, or inform store owners of what to expect. In short, it increases the likelihood of conflict, injury, and property destruction.

The Collective points out that they aren't legally bound to provide ad­ vance notice of their protest route, which is true. But their refusal is easily (and understandably) construed as a sign of bad faith. If an annual protest regularly turns violent, as the March Against Police Brutality does, organiz­ ers should do everything they can to ensure a safe march. Otherwise, they give the impression that they're spoiling for a fight.

A March 15 press release stated the Collective's case for keeping their route secret: "The fact is that our collective could not take the risk of trusting the [Montreal Police] with information that would facilitate a mass arrest or brutal dispersal of the march."

Unfortunately, this argument doesn't hold water. The police depart­ ment has no shortage of automobiles, radios, riot gear, or helicopters. As could be seen during the march, keeping the protest route secret doesn't present much of a challenge to an organized and well-equipped police force.

In the same press release, the Collective expresses their"[sincere] hope that the media will take the time to seriously discuss the critical issues we have attempted to communicate to the general population today." Yet by failing to prevent violence and clashes with the police, the Collective turns their march into a media sensation. Everyone remembers the fighting in the streets, but no one remembers the issues—which is a shame, because we really should be talking about police brutality in Montreal.

Maybe next year. ■

I

c-------------------------------^ CORRECTION In last week's article"Financial failures and unfulfilled promises for the 2010 Olympics," the Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Orga­ nizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was incorrectly printed as Jeff Furlong, rather than John Furlong.

V_______________________ _______________________ ✓

M ajorities, pluralities, and SSM U referenda

I

f 53.6 per cent of voters don't cast their ballots in favour of some­ thing, should it still be approved? The Students' Society's Judicial Board may soon be pondering that question, as several students are challenging some of the society's March 12 referenda results.

The result in question is a proposal to increase the fee levied by the Quebec Public Interest Research Group McGill. Of the 3,631 stu­ dents who participated in this year's election, 1,754 cast ballots in fa­ vour of the increase— which amounts to 48.3 per cent of the vote. The remaining voters were divided between 46.4 per cent who opposed the increase, and 5.3 per cent who spoiled their ballots.

The results hinge on that last group— the 194 voters who didn't select either the "yes" or "no" option during online voting. After some election-night drama, SSMU and Elections McGill decided that spoiled ballots would be ignored when calculating vote totals, leaving QPIRG w ith a slim m ajority o f the unspoiled ballots.

According to article 20.2 of SSMU's Constitution, "referenda shall be passed by simple majority," and some students are arguing that QPIRG's victory violates that clause. To them, winning with 48.3 per cent of the vote suspiciously resembles victory by plurality.

If the plaintiffs'case is heard by the Judicial Board (in effect, SSMU's supreme court), the resulting ruling w ill likely contain three key ele­ ments: a judgem ent on the QPIRG results, a clarification o f what (if any­ thing) spoiled ballots count for, and a recommendation that SSMU fix its referenda process.

At first glance, it's easy to thinkthat students who spoil their ballots are just too lazy to select an option. But that interpretation falls apart under further scrutiny: spoil rates vary significantly from question to question. For example, the question on General Assembly reform had a 20.6 per cent spoil rate. Were those students uninterested, confused, or purposefully abstaining? There's no way to tell under SSMU's current system of spoiled ballots.

This case may seem trivial. After all, fewer than 200 ballots were spoiled. But what if another 2,000 students had spoiled their ballots?

Or another 10 ,000? The current system treats all of those situations identically: only the "yes" and "no" totals are considered, even if they're outnumbered by spoiled ballots. That may not technically qualify as a plurality system, but the resemblance is problematic.

That same concern applies to the QPIRG referendum result: even if it's deemed valid by the Judicial Board, letting a m inority o f voters pass a motion does little to inspire confidence in SSMU's democratic process.

The onus w ill fall on SSMU Council to repair the referendum pro­ cess. When the Society used paper ballots, referenda included a "no opinion"option for purposeful abstentions— a solution that could eas­ ily be integrated into the current online voting system. Alternatively, SSMU could keep the current system, but they need to clearly explain that spoiled ballots don't count for quorum, or anything else.

Whatever approach Council chooses, they need to clarify what a "simple majority" actually is, so students can know that their votes do (or don't) count. ■

OFF THE BOARD

Chad Ronalds

H e a d in g d o w n h ill w it h o u t a h e lm e t Kyle C C ontributors

Dami Adesegha, Zoe Daniels, Pamela Fillion, Arielle Frank, Steven Hoffer, Kayan Hui,Timoty Mak, Valerian Mazataud, Joshua Rosenblatt, Jon Rubenstein, Marie iæther Houge, Brahna Siegelberg, /lax Silverman, Matthew Star, Holly Stewart, Ryan Taylor, Trip Yang, Tyler Ye T ribune O ffices

Editorial Shatner University Centre Suite 110,3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3 A 1 X9 T: 514.398.6789 E: info@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Brown Student Building Suite 1200,3600 McTavish Montreal, QC H3 A 1 Y2 T: 514.398.6835 F: 514 -3 9 8 .7 4 9 0

he Quebec government is currently cam­ paigning for a law that would make it man­ datory for all skiers to wear helmets. Al­ though ski resorts already strongly recommend that skiers wear helmets, this would be the first law in Canada to enforce their use.

Many skiers choose to wear helmets al­ ready. The Montreal Gazette reported that 63.9 per cent of all skiers, and 90 per cent of children under 12, wore helmets last year. But other ski­ ers consider this proposal to be an infringement of their personal freedom, and the ski industry fears that the law would decrease their busi­ ness.

It's important to ask where we should draw the line between personal responsibility and government intervention. Like many parents, my mother told me that if I wasn't going to wear a helmet, she wasn't going to take me skiing. I reluctantly strapped on a shiny blue hand-medown every time I hit the slopes. As I got older, I decided that I'd had enough of the heavy and awkward helmet, and I haven't worn it since.

T

In doing so, I understand the risk I am taking whenever I go skiing: if I get injured, it's my own fault. Even if somebody crashes into me at 100 kilometres per hour and I end up in the hospital, it's still my fault for not wearing a helmet.

Taking that risk is a personal decision, and it's important to keep in mind that by skiing without a helmet, the only person you're en­ dangering is yourself. That's what makes this case different than the law requiring all passen­ gers of a vehicle to wear seatbelts. If you aren't wearing a seatbelt and get into a high-speed ac­ cident, it's possible that you'll collide with other passengers, which clearly causes more harm than if you'd been fastened down. But if I acci­ dentally run into someone after a tight corner on skis, strapping a helmet on my head won't hurt them any more or less.

This also makes the proposed law different from bans on public smoking. While smoking was long deemed a "personal choice" that only harmed the smoker, the discovery of the dan­ gers of second-hand smoke disproved this no­

arpen ter

tion. People who compare the two are ignoring the difference between issues of personal safety and public health.

Although the ski helmet legislation was drafted with good intentions, just as the laws requiring people to wear helmets while riding a bicycle or motorcycle were, people shouldn't be forced to take on safety measures that only exist to protect themselves.The main argument for the regulation of helmets is from physi­ cians who recognize that most deaths and in­ juries that occur while skier could be lessened or avoided if the victim was wearing a helmet.

While I fully support ski resorts promoting the use of helmets—especially for young children— individuals should still be free to take their safe­ ty into their own hands.

After all, if this law passes, what's next— mandatory helmets for other potentially dan­ gerous activities like skateboarding and rugby?

As safe as it would be, there's no need for the government to remake the sporting world in Nerf's image. ■

he McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society of McGill University in collaboration with the Tribune Publication Society. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those >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 100 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published The Tribune reserves the “ight to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its taff. Please recycle this newspaper.

W 1 • •> - » ■>' ' *-•_* «PuV.t 1 1 •> .t

8 • The McGill Tribune • 24.03.09 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >

Letters to the editor The Middle East isn't so simple

Re: "Dispelling Middle Eastern Myths" (17.03.09) Rarely has objectivity characterised the discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian issue on campus. Both sides promote their own "myths."

Sarah' Ghabrial's argument is no exception, and is flawed in several places due to its own selectivity.

First, the notion that the defeat of the Gaza motion at the General Assembly elimi­ nated the possibility for discussion on cam­ pus is ridiculous. Was the GA a good forum for sober debate? Probably not, given that many people had no desire to be there. What is stop­ ping the relevant student groups from orga­ nizing a moderated discussion that will be civil and academic in nature? You cannot draw a sweeping conclusion about public discourse from such a biased sample.

Second, it is correct that Israel should be judged alongside other democracies. However, other countries should be judged by the same standards. Such analysis reveals that there are many countries with worse or comparable re­ cords on human rights, including some Arab nations. The "rules of the game" have to apply to every country, not just democracies.

Third, "the difficulties faced by Israel in es­ tablishing diplomatic ties with countries of the region" are likely also due to the fact that these countries have tried to invade and destroy Is­

DO YOU WANT THE BEST JOB ON CAMPUS?

rael three times in the last 60 years. This is a two-way process, and neither side has yet to come to the negotiation in good faith.

Fourth, Israel withdrew from Gaza several years ago. Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist and stands in open war against the Jewish state. Yes, the blockade and vio­ lence are extremely devastating and unfortu­ nate. But the omission of all the above facts detracts from the legitimacy of Ghabrial's ar­ gument.

—Jacob Fox, U2 economics Stewart didn't make it personal

Re:"Stewart versus Cramer" (17.03.09) Though I appreciate the effort, did James Gilman watch the "debate?" Stewart went out of his way to make it clear that he wasn't there to personally eviscerate Cramer (although he did that nicely). He was there to critique the entire network and the type of financial jour­ nalism that CNBC and its ilk have perpetuated as legitimate.

Did Gilman miss Stewart's line paraphras­ ing Carly Simon, where he attacked Cramer for doing exactly what Gilman is doing—assum­ ing his argument was against him personally rather than the values he personified? Whether he succeded in getting that across is a matter of debate, but that he tried to do so is certainly not.

—Alex Silver, Ü2 psychology

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A N N O T i r F M F N T ; ___________________________________

The ‘’Association des étudiants et étudiantes en Sciences Infirmières de l’Université McGill” established in 1994 and also known in English as the Nursing Undergraduate Society o f McGill University, asks to the ‘ ’Registraire des enterprises du Québec” the permission for dissolution o f the company. After which, this organisation will no longer be a corporation. This dissolution is as a result of

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VOX POPULI

It's tim e to sp e a k o u t a g a in s t fear on c a m p u s A ndrew P earce ANDREW.PEARCE@MCGILL.CA

I

am going to come right out and say it: I am a cow­ ard. I am so passive-aggressive and concerned with pleasing all who I meet that I have been si­ lenced. I have always been quiet, more of a listener than a talker. But I have always wanted to speak up.

I'm not sure if it was a lack of courage, or just a fear of being told I was wrong, but now I can no longer stay silent.

On March 18 I had the "privilege" (the quotation marks will be understood in due time) of going to a panel entitled "The Morality of the IDF," organized by Efrat Shemesh of the the Jewish Law Students'Asso­ ciation. As someone who is sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinian people and has attended many of the events of Israeli Apartheid Week, I knew I would be in the minority at such a discussion.

However, I didn't think I would be the only voice from the other side. And unfortunately, due to my passive ways, I wasn't even a voice—merely a pres­ ence, shaking my head in frustration and gazing at the floor while the three young soldiers explained how their first year in the Israeli Defense Force was "fun."

I know what you are thinking, especially those of you who unflinchingly support Israel regardless of the illegality and immorality of many of its poli­ cies: "Why didn't you speak up? The moderator even challenged those who oppose IDF tactics to speak up! You should have asked a question!"The answer is that I was intimidated. I am intimidated speaking in front of crowds to begin with and, being amongst a group of people who I vehemently disagree with, the intimidation was immeasurable.

Moreover, from the beginning of this panel, I knew something was amiss. The "moderator" an­ nounced (twice, mind you) that no cameras or audio recording devices were allowed. She also told us that these three soldiers were still in the IDF, so they couldn't answer any political questions—thereby eliminating virtually all of my potential questions.

What follows are two questions I should have asked

(even though it's quite possible they wouldn't have been able to answer them).

"I am a pacifist. I cannot condone military action anywhere—freedom cannot be forced by the barrel of a gun. Therefore, I would like to know if you think serving in the IDF will bring about a peaceful solu­ tion to this conflict. Also, one of you described your first year in the IDF as 'fun.'What was fun about it?"

"One of you spoke about the biased nature of the Western media in covering the recent humani­ tarian crisis in Gaza. I yvould like to know what you think of the Israeli government's policy of not allow­ ing foreign journalists into a war zone. How can you say on the one hand that you support free speech, while at the same time condoning a direct attempt to limit the amount of objective information coming from the ground?"

Lastly, I would like to question the purpose of such a panel. In my opinion, it was supposed to serve as a rebuttal to Israeli Apartheid Week as well as to the talk the night before by a former IDF sol­ dier-turned-activist. But a proper rebuttal needs to take place front of those from all sides of the debate.

Much of this can be blamed on poor publicity. There were a few posters put up in the McGill Faculty of Law but, aside from that, there was no publicity.

Contrast this with Israeli Apartheid Week, where everyone was encouraged and welcome to attend all the events and each one was well publicized, much to the chagrin of Hillel and other pro-Israel groups.

In closing, I would like to encourage those from all sides who feel too intimidated or afraid to speak up to attend events you know you will disagree with and speak up. Speak up for what you believe is right, speak up for human rights, and speak up for freedom of speech on university campuses. But don't speak up for me— I think I'm finally ready to start doing that myself. ■ Andrew Pearce is a McGill alumnus and research technician.

tudent

RAVEL

L iving

eace, love, and granola ust out your Birk's in Berkeley, CA C arolyn G régoire Along the San Andreas fault, nestled between the Berkehills and the San Francisco bay, is a city that was once at the ntre of the 60s counterculture movement and is now a hippie clave within a thriving metropolis. Though the city is a haven r tree-huggers, granola-lovers, and radical leftists, Berkeley's arm, character, and natural beauty offer something for everye. No trip to Northern California is complete without at least 'ay in the home of the Free Speech Movement, the place that ck Kerouac wrote of seeking spiritual transcendence in The arma Bums, and a city which still stands as an epicenter of hemian culture.

Located east of San Francisco and just over the Bay Bridge, rkeley is easily accessible by car, the BART (Bay Area Rapid ansit) train, or bus. For a memorable meal, stop at the neargendary Chez Panisse. The restaurant's philosophy of providg "ecologically sound" dining is right at home in Berkeley, hich is one of the greenest cities in the U.S. Owned by Unirsity of California at Berkeley alumna and international food ru Alice Waters, Chez Panisse provides a unique culinary exrience which places emphasis on locally grown, seasonal, ornic ingredients. The restaurant works with local farmers and nchers to assure that only high quality ingredients are used the making of each dish. However, quality doesn't come eap—be prepared to make reservations in advance and pay wards of $60 per person for the fixed-price dinner menu, hich consists of three to four courses. For a more affordable tion, try the café upstairs which features a more moderately riced à la carte lunch and a dinner menu that changes daily ased on the offerings of the local farmers'markets.

For great shopping, casual dining, and people-watching,

head to Telegraph Avenue—once a hippie centre, and still a bustling pedestrian street which runs south from the beauti­ ful UC Berkeley campus all the way to the neighbouring city of Oakland. Expect to see a good amount of tie dye and hemp products, smoke shops, and independent bookstores nestled between chains like American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, and Ben and Jerry's. Then go on a self-guided walking tour around the campus of the oldest and most prestigious school in the UC system—just make sure you're not wearing a Stanford sweat­ shirt, or dirty looks and snide comments will inevitably ensue.

Afterwards, head over to the grassy lawns of People's Park, a public park created by political activists in the 60s.

Just west of campus, Shattuck Avenue offers more trendy shops, cafés, and restaurants. Café Gratitude is a popular lunch spot on Shattuck, and another decidedly Berkeley-eque din­ ing experience. It offers delicious sustainable, organic vegetar­ ian fare in a casual environment. In addition to entrees with names such as "I Am Graceful" (Indian Biryani bowl) and "I Am Sensational" (buckwheat pizza with hemp seed pesto), the res­ taurant also offers organic wine, beer, and cocktails as well as all-natural wheatgrass and algae "elixirs." In the evening, catch a concert at UC Berkeley's Greek Theatre or take a drive up to Mt. Diablo, a lookout point that offers stunning views of the Berkeley cityscape and the surrounding bay.

Berkeley natives seem to have taken to heart the advice of local beat poet and Zen Buddhist Gary Snyder when he sug­ gested, "Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take respon­ sibility from there." The lure of Berkeley lies in the spirit of the 60s—the city is still as ripe with free thinking and environmen­ tal and social activism as it was in the midst of the Vietnam War. From the lush greenery of the campus to wheatgrass shots at local eco-friendly cafés, Berkeley is the place to go for a real taste of Northern California culture. ■

Campus Calendar McGill Drama Festival When: March 24 - April 4,8 p.m.

Where: Players Theater, Third floor Shatner The McGill Drama Festival is an annual celebra­ tion of student-artists, featuring entirely original student-produced one-act plays, nightly musical acts by talented musicians, and one night performances from McGill's many theatre initiatives. Visit www.ssmu. mcgill.ca/players for more information.

Organic Campus Film Screening When: March 31,7 p.m.

Where: Organic Corner, Second floor Shatner Organic Campus will be screening the film The Real \ D irt on Farmer John. Their famous sweet potato-cinna­ mon bread and tea will be served, and following the I film there will be a raffle to benefit sustainable agricul-1 . ture. The event and food are free.

Film Series Screening: The D iv in g B ell a n d th e B u tte rfly

When: Tuesday, April 7,2009,7 p.m.

Where: Moyse Hall, in the Arts Building The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a 2007 film based on a memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby. The film depicts Bauby's life after suffering a massive stroke at the age of 42, which left him with a condi­ tion known as locked-in syndrome. The film will be followed by a panel discussion. Tickets are $10 each ($5 for students). Call 514-398-2298 for reservations.

Advertise your McGill event in campus calendar. Send the name, date, location, and other info to features@mcgilltribune.com.

Im p o rta n t N o tic e fo r S tu d e n ts w ith S tu d e n t L o a n s Are you graduating or taking more than six months off from school?

A v is im p o rta n t a u x é tu d ia n ts q u i o n t un p rê t d ’é tu d e s Tu termines tes études ou tu les interromps pendant plus de six mois ?

If you are not returning to full-time studies this fall, you will need to contact us to discuss repayment options:

Si tu ne retournes pas aux études à temps plein l’automne prochain, tu dois communiquer avec nous afin de discuter des options de remboursement.

• Call the National Student Loans Service Centre at 1-888-815-4514 (TTY for the hearing impaired: 1-888-815-4556).

If you think you might have trouble paying back your integrated student loan, there are programs available to help you stay on track.

Ask about the repayment options available to you. For example, the new Repayment Assistance Plan will ensure the federal portion of your payments will never be higher than what you can reasonably afford.

Visit the Spotlight On section of CanLearn.ca for details.

• Appelle le Centre de services national de prêts aux étudiants, au 1-888-815-4514 (téléimprimeur pour malentendants : 1-888-815-4556).

Si tu crois que tu pourrais avoir de la difficulté à rembourser ton prêt d’études intégré, des programmes s’offrent à toi afin de t’aider à maintenir le cap.

Renseigne-toi au sujet des possibilités de remboursement qui te sont proposées. Dans le cadre du nouveau Programme d’aide au remboursement (PAR), par exemple, tu seras assuré que la fraction fédérale de tes versements ne dépassera jamais un montant raisonnablement abordable pour toi.

Pour plus de détails, visite la section En vedette du site cibletudes.ca.

mon GUERILLAS TO GOVtRtl T h e re m a rk a b le tra n s fo rm a tio n o f Nepa A fte r waging a IO~year civil war, N epal’s M aoist rebels have come in from the cold, winning a major electoral victory last year. Y et a ye ar on, the situation in Nepal remains as precarious as ever as a variety o f challenges threaten to undo the progress th at’s been made in the lo n g -su fferin g H im alayan nation.

J ames G ilman It's one of the most extraordinary political transitions in recent history: a civil war ended, a monarchy abolished, and a communist rebel insurgency brought into the political mainstream and democratically elevated to power—and it all happened in the span of two years.

April 10, of this year will mark the one-year anniversary of a historic election in the South Asian nation of Nepal, in which members of an interim parliament and a Constituent Assembly tasked with writing a new constitution for Nepal were chosen. In a remarkable outcome, the Communist Party of Nepal, the party of the former Maoist rebels who fought the central government in Nepal's 10-year civil war, won the largest bloc of seats and was able to form a new government after a lengthy period of political squabbling. Soon after the election last May, Ne­ pal's 240-year-old monarchy was abolished and the country became the world's newest republic.

Nepal's transition has been far from easy, however, as a slew of political, economic, and social challenges have created obstacles to the country's political transformation. The country is still far from peace and prosperity, or even from a permanent political solution. Many fear political bick­ ering and a failure to improve the lives of Nepal's 29.5 million people could derail this fragile progress.

The civil war begins

For most of Nepal's history, the country was a monar­ chy. The founder of modern Nepal, King Prithvi Narayan Shah, united a number of small states of the Himala­ yan foothills and established the Kingdom of Nepal in 1768, with its capital at Kathmandu. The Shah dynasty ruled Nepal continuously until May 2008, although the monarchs were reduced to figure­ heads during a period of rule by an aristocratic dynasty from 1846 until 1953 The first democratic election in Ne­ pal's history occurred in 1959It was won by the Nepal Congress Party, a demo­

cratic-socialist party modelled on its Indian counterpart which remains one of til biggest political parties in Nepal. But democracy didn't last long; the king decid^ democracy wasn't working in Nepal and reinstated authoritarian rule. The ne truly democratic vote was not held until 1991, following a series of pro-democral street demonstrations known as Jana Andolan, or the People's Movement. The| were again won by Congress, but the next three years were filled with econon crisis, civil strife, and protests. The Congress government was defeated, and, ir result that foreshadowed the current situation, a communist government can to power through the polls—one of the first democratically elected commun^ governments in the world, and the first in Asia.

However, the communist government lasted only nine months before Ic ing a no-confidence vote in 1995. That same year, the Maoists began their inst rection in rural and underdeveloped areas of Nepal, beginning a civil war whid would last more than a decade, claim almost 13,000 lives, and displace more th^ 100,000 people.

The Maoists began the war with a co-ordinated attack on police statiorj and government offices in remote areas of Nepal. During the war they gaine the support of many residents of these underdeveloped areas and came to col trol many of them. Along with the deaths and displacement other human righl abuses such as torture and kidnapping were widespread and perpetrated by bof the Maoist People's Liberation Army and the Royal Nepal Army. According to tff United Nations, no one has yet been brought to justice for crimes committed di ing the war.

The Maoists—led by their reclusive leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who wJ known during the civil war only by his nom de guerre Prachanda (the herd one)—were fighting to overthrow the monarchy and what they saw as Nepal feudal system and replace it with a "People's Republic."

Yet as the insurgency continued to simmer, events in Kathmandu, far froi the epicentre of the conflict, would shake Nepal to the core, and dramatical change the course of Nepali history.

A historic peace deal

Late in the evening on Friday June 1,2001, Crown Prince Dipendra shot an killed nine members of Nepal's royal family, including his father and mother, Kin Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, before shooting himself during a family gatherin

24.03.09 • The McGill Tribune • 11

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PHOTOS BY: MARIE SAETHER HOUGE &JAMES GILMAN

a o is ts

3t the royal palace in Kathmandu. It is believed Dipendra committed the royal massacre be:ause his parents wouldn't allow him to marry the woman he loved. The nation was sent into îourning, and Birendra's brother Gyanendra was proclaimed king. Yet to this day, conspiracy theories are popular in Nepal, and many believe Gyanendra, who was out of town the night )fthe massacre, planned the murder of his brother so that he could assume the throne.

Gyanendra's reign was marred by an intensification of the civil war, increased repres­ sion, and the plummeting of the monarchy's popularity. The Maoists stepped up their anti|government efforts, and Gyanendra responded with even more repressive tactics.

In 2005, the king dismissed the entire government, took absolute power, and declared a Istate of emergency. Civil liberties and press freedom were severely curtailed, politicians and lopponents of the king were jailed, and the RNA stepped up its campaign against the Maolists. The following year, massive street protests known as Jana Andolan II forced the king to Iback down, lift the state of emergency, and reinstate parliament. With this, popular support Ifor the monarchy had all but disappeared, and the restored government stripped the king of |almost all of his power.

The new government, a coalition of seven of the biggest parties in Nepal, also entered linto negotiations with the Maoists in an attempt to bring an end to the civil war. The two [sides held talks and came to an agreement that the rebels should be brought into the politi­ cal mainstream. In November 2006 the Maoists and the Nepali government signed a peace deal, bringing the civil war to an end, the rebels into parliament, and their weapons under UN supervision. The country's rapid political transformation continued in April 2007 when the I Maoists joined an interim government and preparations were made for the CA assembly.

Yet not everything went smoothly from then on, as the election—originally scheduled I for May 2007 had to be postponed twice, including once when the Maoists quit the govern­ ment demanding the abolition of the monarchy right away. The Maoists came back into the fold when they were assured by the rest of the government that the king would abdicate the throne after the election was held. With that out of the way, Nepalis went to the polls on April 110, 2008 in the next historic step in their country's transformation.

A Maoist-led government The results of the election shocked the world and many within Nepal as well. The Mao­ ists, who many experts were predicting would suffer a humiliating defeat, came out on top, winning the largest share of seats—almost twice the number of their nearest rival, Con­ gress.

"The Maoist victory in April 2008's CA elections was a surprise not only to many outside observers, it was [surprising] even to insiders too," said Yagya Prasad Adhikari, a professor of political science at Kathmandu'sTribhuvan University.

The reasons for the Maoist victory were many and complicated, but most analysts agree that although voter intimidation played a minor role in the results, the election was reason­ ably free and fair, and the main reason for the Maoist victory was a deep dissatisfaction with the established political parties and a desire to see the end of the monarchy.

"The people of Nepal have justified our action—call it the civil war or people's war— through the constituent assembly verdict," Pranchanda told the BBC's Nepali service.

In May 2008, the constituent assembly voted 560-4 to abolish the monarchy and declare Nepal a republic.

"Becoming a republic was good for the country," says Kashinath Bhattarai, a member of the Maoist Party. "But now with [Prime Minister] Pushpa Komal Dahal Prachanda becoming a republic isn't it. There's a need to announce a'People's Republic,'which would be very good for the people."

After four months of political squabbling a new coalition government led by the Mao­ ists was finally formed, with Prachanda as Nepal's prime minister. Yet seven months after tak­ ing power, the Maoists are presiding over a country wracked by problems, and it's unclear to most Nepalis whether or not there's been any tangible progress since then.

"I think [the situation] has deteriorated since the election,”said Manish Thapa, a visiting fellow at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, the regional co-ordinator of the South Asian Regional Co-operation Academic Network. "Be­ fore the election all the political parties were in a co-operative game. Their objective was writing a constitution, going through this constituent assembly election process, and getting rid of the monarchy from Nepal."

Challenges ahead On top of this, one of the biggest clashes taking place is over the drafting of a new per­ manent constitution. The Maoists have declared that they want to see Nepal adopt a consti­ tution modelled on that of the People's Republic of China.

The country has also seen an explosion in ethnic division, bringing endless strikes, pro­ tests, and unrest as various groups take to the streets to demand greater autonomy, better living conditions, and even independence.

Nepal is ethnically, religiously, and linguistically a very diverse nation, with 103 recog­ nized ethnic groups within a population less than 30 million. Dealing with the ethnic griev­ ances—particularly those of the historically marginalized lowland Madhesi people who are culturally and linguistically similar to their neighbours in northern India—has become one of the major challenges facing the Maoist government.

But perhaps the biggest problem facing Nepal today is the continued suffering and lack of economic opportunity for the majority of its people. Many observers are sceptical of the Maoist economic agenda.

"Economic growth indicators are dismal,” said Surendra R. Devkota, who teaches eco­ nomics at the State University of New York. "The Nepal National Bank says that inflation was at 14.4 per cent during the first six months of [the] current fiscal year. You can imagine the av­ erage life style in such conditions. Prime Minister Puspha K Dahal, a.k.a. Comrade Prachanda, seems nothing more than an average Joe—a typical third world politician."

Despite their many problems, many Nepalis remain optimistic over the future of their country.

"I'm hopeful that the country will have a good future and that there will be no more pain for Nepal and the for the people of Nepal," said Bhattarai.

Although this optimism has been challenged since the election, the historic transition of the last few years has provided a sense of hope for Nepal's long-suffering residents.

"I believe in the courage and far-sightedness of the Nepalese people," added Adhikari.

"Moreover, I believe the leaders of our political parties might be unsuccessful but the thirst for democracy of the Nepalese people... will never die out.”*

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S am antha C hang With spring and exams just around the corner, having both a reason to celebrate and a reason to stress can add up to one thing: a reason to eat comfort food.

Whether you think of it as something traditionally pre­ pared and sentimental, or as something that has a lot of sugar or carbs, comfort food evokes—as the name would suggest—a psychologically comfortable and pleasurable state. In particu­ lar situations, people tend to crave specific foods which will bring psychologi­ cal comfort.

Ben and Jerry's: Cheaper than therapy

The key to understanding the psychological aspect of comfort foods lies in differentiating between nutrition and nurturing. When food is used to seek comfort and pleasure, it becomes an expression of nurturing rather than a form of nutrition.

"We absolutely know that many people use food for other things than just nourishment," says Wendy Shah, a Calgarybased dietician and co-founder of Craving Change Inc., a pro­ gram created to help emotional eaters identify and change their personal eating triggers and patterns. "It's a way to cope with stress, it's a way to reward yourself for doing a good job, it's a way of distracting yourself when you should be studying ... there are all these different reasons that we're eating, and one of the most common relationships people have with A v o id in g M itie i/& S S E a tin g food is to use it for comfort, or to nurture themselves."

The relationships people have with comfort food When foods are sitting out, we tend to "graze" and eat tend to be personal and are often influenced by the them more frequently. When we have to get them from the surrounding environments and conditioned associa­ cupboard, we eat them less often, but we eat larger servings tions. A 2006 study led by Dr. Brian Wansink, director (or handfuls). of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab at Cornell Univer­ sity, showed that feelings evoked by comfort food The farther we have to walk, the less we eat. Office secretaries are the driving factor towards consumption of a ate twice as many chocolate kisses (nine versus four) when these specific meal. These evoked feelings and condi­ kisses were placed on their desk than when they were placed six tioned associations may exist between food and feet away. They were also more likely to lose track of how many they specific people, such as the connection found in had eaten. eating a parent's favourite meal, or between food and important events, such as the meal your We should make overeating more trouble than it's worth by mother fed you when you were sick. There may keeping snacks out of sight or arm's reach, or covering leftover food be an association between food and a feeling that in foil rather than clear plastic wrap and pushing it to the back of a person may wish to recapture, such as being re­ the refrigerator. warded with chocolate for receiving good grades in school. Sometimes, there may simply be the desire Put the serving bowl back by the stove. Smaller plates. for a specific taste or smell.

Taller, skinnier glasses. That's what we want to go for.

Besides these social affective contexts, stud­ ies have also shown a connection between food and — Adapted from Mindless Eating, by Dr. Brian Wansink mood.

"We eat when we're happy, we eat when we're sad, we eat when we're bored. ... It's not just that people eat when they're feeling down, we tend to associate food with celebra­ tions and rewarding ourselves and happiness," says Shah.

While comfort food is most often associated with negative moods, people are drawn to food whether they are happy or unhappy.

Wansink, currently on leave from Cornell University after receiving a presidential appointment as the executive director of USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, agrees.

"People tend to use food to maintain a good mood, or to re­ gain a good mood if they're in a bad mood. They use different foods to do this," he says. "Now what we've found is if they're in a positive mood, they'll tend to eat things that are more meal-related, and there's generally more nutrient depth, like hamburgers, pasta, or soup and vegetables. But when you're in negative moods, they tend to be more caloric and conve­ nient snack foods."

Wansink believes that those who are unhappy have a short-term focus: they want an instant mood booster. While we eat both when we are happy and sad, those in a sad frame of mind tend to consume more hedonic, high-calorie foods.

In addition, "'stressed' and 'unhappy' and 'lonely' [people] all answer the same way. And when you're lonely, you can eat a lot more when you're stressed," says Wansink.

Snack food plays with pleasure receptors

While psychological studies show that stress and sad­ ness lead to cravings for more caloric and convenient snack foods based on associations with positive memories, there is evidence that comfort foods have a scientific connection to mood as well.

"If you look at the types of food people tend to eat, they all have one of three things in them," says Wansink. "They have salt, they have sugar, [or] they have fat. And all of those don't have any psychological effects on people."

Typically, comfort foods high in sugar, fat, or salt effect neurotransmitters such as endorphins, serotonin, and dop­ amine.

A recent study at Princeton demonstrated that when hungry rats consumed large amounts of sugar, their brains re­ leased a surge of dopamine. After a prolonged period of time, the rats' brains began to show fewer dopamine receptors and more opioid receptors, a change similar to the brain structure of rats on cocaine and heroine.

2 4 .0 3 .0 9 -T h e McGill Tribune • 13

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and p r o s c u / i t t o - a m a d a /i m a d e . in /h ea/< ^ n „ A da m S cotti

This recipe is a combination of my evil grandmother who called me a bastard at my own grandfather's funeral and the wonderful Chef At Home from the Food Network—take the good with the bad, as it were. And the result? LEGEN—wait for it—DARY. While they can be both served separate­ ly, the pure awesomeness simply doubles when put together, and with a bottle of dry white wine—a wild threesome.

P Accord­ ing to Elizabeth Somer and Nancy Snyderman's book, Food & Mood, "the mere touch of sugar on the tongue pro­ duces an immediate endorphin rush." This im­ mediate rush is then bolstered by the lingering effects created by serotonin, the neurotransmit­ ter crucial to regulating moods.

As the body regulates blood sugar, con­ suming large amounts of refined sugar causes the pancreas to release insulin. In turn, the in­ sulin causes a quick spike in the levels of trypto­ phan, the large amino acid responsible for man­ ufacturing serotonin. The corresponding spike in serotonin creates a feeling of well-being and relaxation. However, refined sugars and high glycémie index starches, which are rapidly con­ verted to sugar, cause a rapid spike and crash in blood sugar levels, thus begetting a feedback loop as low blood sugar levels increase crav­ ings.

Besides the production of these neu­ rotransmitters, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco discovered that chron­ ic stress stimulates hormones which prompt rats to undertake pleasure-seeking behaviours, such as consuming sucrose and lard. In a press release issued by UCSF, the study's co-author, Dr. Norman Pecoraro, suggested that there seemed to be a feedback loop involving abdominal fat, energy-rich food, and pleasure centres in the brain, while "stress hormones increase the sa­ lience of rewards."

Other strategies for stress

All this spells bad news for stressed out stu­ dents heading into final paper and exam season.

Not only are we psychologically conditioned to

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seek comfort food, there is also physiological evidence that the type of high calorie comfort food we seek is potentially addictive.

"What 1 like to say about eating is, it's quick, it's very convenient, there's almost always food around, it's legal, it's fairly inexpensive," states Shah. "So it tends to be what we think of first, or what we've learned to do to calm ourselves, to reward ourselves, and so it's a matter of finding other ways to do that than using food."

To change the way you have cravings, you really need to increase your self awareness of eating triggers.

"One of the biggest questions you should askyourself when you're about to eat something is,'Am I physically hungry?"'suggests Shah."Be­ cause really the only way that food is going to satisfy you is if you are physically hungry." If you are not physically hungry, determine why you want to eat. If the reason is procrastination or distraction, find something else to do.

Another easy strategy is to make yourself wait: delay gratification.

"If you're craving something and you're just about to go grab that bag of chips or cookies, just tell yourself you can eat them but you have to wait three minutes first," says Shah. "If after three minutes you still want to eat it, then go ahead. But sometimes that little bit of delay just gives you enough time for that craving to sort of go down a little bit, it's not so strong, gives you a few more minutes to talk yourself out of it." ■

• ijarofpesto • i chicken breast per person • 2 slices of prosciutto per chicken breast Instructions

1 1 1

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1. Preheat over to 375 degrees F. 2. Cut chicken length wise and scoop in two teaspoons of pesto per breast, spreading it out evenly.

3 . Wrap each breast with the two slices of prosciutto, placing them seamdown on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

4 - Place sheet in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes.

5 . Share and enjoy.

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M i /O n e .S e . r i s o t t o Ingredients

7 cups water with 3 chicken broth cubes dissolved in it 2 small onions, diced 1/2 cup dry white wine Freshly grated Parmesan cheese 2 cups Arborio rice (do not rinse) 5 tablespoons butter, cut into bits Instructions

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2.

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4.

Saute onions with half your butter until golden.

Stir in arborio rice with rest of butter.

Add wine and equal amount of chicken broth.

Cook on medium heat continually stirring. When rice begins to dry up, add more broth in 3/4 cup increments. Repeat until done.

5. Taste after about 20 minutes, when ready, the rice will be tender and creamy, but still a little firm.

6 . Remember: in the last five minutes, stir in the Parmesan.

If you would like to make your rice yellow, in a separate cup, stir in 11/2 cups of broth and a pinch of saffron and mix well. When the rice is a third of the way being done, mix in saffron broth. ■

PHOTOS BY ADAMSCOTTI.

A rts & E ntertainment m u s ic

Constantly reaching new musical heights Toronto's 10-year veterans Constantines embark on trans-Canada tour Kyle C arpenter From Toronto's Kensington Market to Prince Edward Island, Constantines have seen it all. Originally formed in Guelph, Ontario where the band members shared a house together, Constantines now consider themselves a Toron­ to band (although lead singer Bryan Webb currently lives in Montreal). The rest of the group will join him here this Thursday, in support of Winnipeg indie veterans The Weakerthans.

Though their sound is hard to classify, Constantines have been compared to bands like The Clash and The Re­ placements, both of whom Webb cites as major influences on their music. However, there is an apparent balance be­ tween Constantines' powerful rock'n' roll capabilities and their quieter, more intimate moments. This balance is a product of the contrasting styles of music that they listen to.

"When I'm travelling, I tend to rotate to more senti­ mental musicTim Hardin, Little Wings... But I still love Bad Brains, Minor Threat," says Webb. "Even some of my favou­ rite punk rock bands had their sentimental side, Johnny Thunders [for example]. You need a little romance." Not only is their ability to bring the energy level up and down important for their music, it's about keeping it interesting for the band as well. "I couldn't imagine it being all loud or all soft all the time," says Webb. "I think it's all just kind of organic. We've been a band for about 10 years now, I don't think we would have stayed as excited about it as we have if it was just kind of one dynamic."

Their latest album, 2008's Kensington Heights, is a tes­ tament to the band's ability to effortlessly switch stylistic gears. Highlights of Kensington Heights include the infec­ tious, driving track"Trans Canada/'which garners multiple listenings, and the quieter'Time Can Be Overcome," which sounds like a song that Kings of Leon wish they wrote.

Surprisingly, the intricate songs come from a song writ­ ing process that is simple, to say the least. "We don't have any kind of system for writing songs," says Webb. "We often just get together and bash out a part, and it turns into two parts, and so on and we have a structure of a song musi­ cally that we like. And I'll try to bring some voice into that .. .We try to fit some kind of an idea to what we've come up with musically together."

new version worth checking out. It may seem like an unexpected song choice for a Constantines makeover, but that may be because the idea itself came together by chance.

"We were in Hamburg, Germany. We were in the middle of a really long, cold, European tour, and this mix CD arrived from a friend and that was the first song on it I think. It was nice, kind of sentimental, shameless­ ly romantic. At that point we thought it would be funny if we [did] a weird duet version of that song. Right then, we wanted to do it with Feist, but it was one of those things that came up and we didn't think about it for a while," says Webb. Luckily, the idea resurfaced when the band returned to Toronto and Feist happened to be in town."It was amazing of Leslie to give us some of her time and support, she's very generous. More peo­ ple have heard our name through that [song]," Webb explains.

Recordings aside, Constantines truly step into their element at their live shows. "The best way to experience music is live. I think it's kind of how it was meant to be. [The] biggest draw to make you do that is the social connection, the little communities that you build for one night" says Webb. The band emphasizes that a strong connection with the audience is one of the things that drives their performance. "All of a sud­ den for one night, there's a group of people in a room and they're all responding to the same thing that's being created in that one space," says Webb. "[On] a record, you can try to do the same thing, or a similar thing. But I just find making records very clinical and difficult to feel the songs."

When fans can expect a new full-length album is still up in the air, although the band has recorded a new EP of rearranged old material. "It's just seven songs, but they're kind of stripped down, mellow, weird, surfy ver­ sions of our old songs," says Webb. The EP is downloadonly, and fans can access it online when they buy the album at a show during the tour. While that may satisfy some fans, the experience of seeing Constantines live is unparalled in their recordings.

"For the most part, I think playing live is where we are at our best," says Webb. Given the hype surround­ ing their upcoming show, Constantines'fans agree. ■

Recently, the band collaborated w ith fellow Canuck Feist to cover The Bee Gees"Tslands in the Stream." A sense of humour and the lack of Kenny Rogers alone make the

Constantines are playing on March 26 at Le National luck is not a problem for Constantines.

(1220 St. Catherine E.)

ABOVE: MYSPACE.COM, BELOW: DUSTIN RABIN You should see them break mirrors! An energetic crowd shows that bad

POP RHETORIC

Real women aren't in V ogue B r a h n a S ie g e l b e r g

eal women have curves. At least they do once a year, in Vogue's annual "Shape Issue." For 12 years, the iconic fashion magazine has moved away from its usual waifish cover models by devoting one full issue to what is, in my opinion, one of the most implic­ itly offensive labels to recently come into vogue—"real" women.

On the March cover for this year's "Shape Issue" is a conspicuously conservatively-clad Beyoncé, next to other headlines which include "Fashion For Every Fig­ ure" and "Weight Obsession: Conquering Diet Demons."

With the onset of campaigns like Dove's, which fea­ ture "real" women—that is women who are only slightly more zaftig than the usual ultra-thin models—it seems the media are finally making an effort to stop promot­ ing entirely unrealistic notions of female beauty.

Yet between Beyoncé's more moderate get-up and the distinctly un-sexy, thick, white bra and underwear set donned by the women in Dove ads, efforts to display "real"women aren't attempts to portray them as equally sexually appealing, but rather as women who fail to up­ hold to what society has come to accept as the ideal for

R

;* • ’ f W .»

feminine beauty. The "real" woman category is one that only reinforces a sense o f otherness, and maintains that there is indeed a very tangible ideal o f beauty — one that that these women simply have not met.

Robed in a loose, royal blue gown, there is some­ thing decidedly cautious about Beyoncé's attire. Unlike her last magazine cover, in which the singer was ironi­ cally praised for having shed her famous curves in order to pose for a very sexed-up Sports Illustrated cover, she is pictured here gracefully— hands on hips, hair pulled back in an elegant ponytail.

In a vain attem pt by Vogue— one o f the central perpetrators in perpetuating unrealistic and unhealthy conceptions o f female beauty— to give credence to women above a size zero, the magazine features not any "real" women that look like someone I know, but rather, a silky-smooth skinned, highly toned, reknowned pop star. Size zero or not, there is little realism to be found in this image.

Furthermore, Vogue can't even fully commit to (God forbid) promoting the idea that it's okay to not weigh 25 per cent less than what is considered healthy for one's

height. Next to Beyoncé are the headlines of the other featured articles: "Weight Obsession", as if magazines like Vogue aren't responsible for this "obsession," and "Nip/Tuck: Designing a Perfect Body"(no comment nec­ essary). Vogue promoting full figures is about as believ­ able asTyra Banks denouncing the fashion industry's fix­ ation on weight, while simultaneously hosting a show about modeling that exclusively features long-legged and tiny-waisted girls.

In the entertainment world audiences have em­ braced flabby, funny men like Jack Black, Will Farrell, and Seth Rogen. But the objects of these Joe Schmoes' affection are still Barbie dolls like Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Katherine Heigl. Whereas Hollywood's leading men have come a long ways away from the Cary Grants, Clark Gable, and Marlon Brandos of earlier eras, expectations for women have gone tragically from Rubinesque to malnourished, and "real" women have become a eu­ phemism for those who oppose the apparent object of male fantasy—one that the industry itself has instilled in their imaginations. •

24.03.09 • The McGill Tribune • 15

w w .m cgilltribune.com

BOOKS

cGill's Home and Highly effective tips for the underachiever ative Land ochelaga exhibit explores he roots of Montreal

Self-help bo ok prom otes hard w ork and effort as th e key to success (duh) J oshua R osenblatt

P amela F illion Last Thursday, Hochelaga Revisted was launched at the Montreal Arts Interculurels (MAI) for its six-day run which ends on March 25. Curated by Ryan Rice, the how includes the work of Jason Baerg, Lori Blondeau, Martin Loft, Cathy Mattes, adia Myre, and Ariel Lightningchild Smith.

Rice is a Mohawk from Kahnawake who is also an artist, art critic, the director of he Aboriginal Curatorial Collective, and co-founder of a First Nation artists'collecive named Nation to Nation.

Rice conceived of Hochelaga Revisited as a response to the history of First Naions in Montreal, and an exhibition called Hochelaga by Robert Houle in 1992. The xhibition presents works that explore the marginalization and lack of recognition aced by this community. Before colonization, the island of Montreal was a village amed Hochelaga, where the St. Lawrence Iroquois resided before their dislocation o surrounding areas. Indeed, McGill is on the land that once was called Hochelaga.

Paying testament to this fact, the Hochelaga Rock, established by Parks Canaa, stands by the Roddick Gates. The Hochelaga Rock attests to the findings in i860 y workmen working near Burnside and Metcalfe of artefacts identifying McGill as art of Mohawk territory. At the time, then-principal Sir John William Dawson, a re­ nowned geologist, took this as evidence that McGill stands on the land of the village hat Jacques Cartier"discovered"in 1535: an Iroquoian village named Hochelaga.

The six works presented vary in medium and speak about Montreal as a "site f conquest, negotiation, manoeuvre, manipulation, and discourse," according to Robert Houle. Martin Loft's work dates from 1986 and consists of 12 photographs of urban aboriginals at the Na­ tive Friendship Centre of Montreal. Jason Baerg's piece is a painting en­ titled Flourish, in which the colours red and yellow predominate. Baerg depicts the island of lÜMtek; Montreal and a smaller representation of Ho­ chelaga in conjunction AKIMBO.COM with rays that represent Myre's film challenges the idea of true patriot love. colonization. Ariel Light­ ningchild Smith's film is a strong piece on colonization. Her video includes a soundtrack commentary jux­ taposed with images of a cellophane wrapped face, the use of eggs to illustrate as­ similation and genocide policies, and links to the similar pressures of colonization faced by the Irish. Lori Blondeau, who was present at the March 19 launch, presented a piece that at first seems to be a painting but at second glance is a photograph of a tattoo depicting an aboriginal Woman. Next was a Cathy Mattes piece based on the game of Twister; here, the spots are represented as parts of her journey in Montreal.

Nadia Myre's short film depicts people simultaneously drawing and erasing "Home And" and "Native Land."

The exhibition is close to campus and well worth the short walk to MAI. This Wednesday at 6 p.m. there will be a screening of a documentary entitled Qallunaja tu t (Urban Inuk). After the artwork is taken down, the project continues on Thurs­ day, April 2 at 6 p.m. with a roundtable on First Nations representation in Montreal which will be facilitated by the exhibition curator Ryan Rice and will feature Sherry Farrell Racette (professor in the department of art history at Concordia University), Skawennati Tricia Fragnito (artist and curator), Ida Labillois Montour (former direc­ tor of the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal), and Ernest Webb (producer, writer, director). ■ The MAI (3680 Jeanne Mance) is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 72 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission is free. For more information, check out www.m-a-i.qc.ca.

tiwtpm."****#:

Lyman Maclnnis, a former senior partner with international accounting firms and an executive coach, has made his career out of advising people on how to succeed in their careers. For the better part of 50 years, he's motivated executives, entre­ preneurs, entertainers, athletes, and students to reach their highest potential. In his latest book, How to Succeed in Anything by Really Trying, Macln­ nis shares a lifetime of lessons on building your own success in business and in life.

The title of the book doesn't leave much to the imagination, but that's precisely Maclnnis' point.

The basic message of the book, which Maclnnis continually drums into the reader's head, is that if you don't intend to try, then don't expect to suc­ ceed. Over the course of the book's 30 or so short chapters, Maclnnis demonstrates how with knowl­ edge, skills, hard work, and the right attitude, suc­ cess is within reach.

Chapter by chapter, Maclnnis dishes out ad­ vice on such topics as goal setting, leadership, net­ working, negotiation, conflict resolution, and pub­ lic speaking. All chapters conclude with a point-by­ point summary and a "To-do list," in which the au­ thor basically reiterates the major learning points of the chapter. While many readers may find this recap useful, it can also be a little redundant.

Chapters are named according to the particu­ lar idea or tip on which they focus, such as"Whatever you are, be a good one," and, "Know what you're talking about."Though Maclnnis certainly seems to know what he is talking about, and the book as a whole is good read, it's not as inspiring as he seems to have intended.

No one expects Maclnnis to reinvent the wheel.

As with any self-help book, much, though not all.

jst,

HOW TO SUCCEED

REALLY TRYING

L Y M A N

M A C I

N K I S

of How to Succeed in Anything by Really Trying is ei­ ther common sense or, at the very least, common knowledge. Maclnnis does manage, however, to throw in some valuable tidbits of information here and there.

The real problem with the book lies not with the content itself, but rather with its delivery. Although both thorough and accessible, it lacks some of the key ingredients of a truly captivating read, and as a result is rather dry in places. Every now and then, Maclnnis infuses the book with a little humour, but his efforts are mostly futile. Most of his jokes, like the one about having a full sock drawer and know­ ing when to keep your mouth shut, just didn't quite succeed—perhaps he wasn't really trying. The real question is whether readers will bother digging into the book to get to the good stuff buried deep within. ■

ANNUAL GENE1IAL MEETING Monday April 6, 2009 at 6pm Items to be presented ••• ...reports from the outgoing board, Rad Frosh Coordinators, School Schmool editorial board, and Summer Stipend recipients ...a review by all of our working groups of what they've accomplished in the last year ...audited financial statements

Elections for the Board of Directors... there ' s

MORE TO BEING AN EDITOR THAN TOURING EUROPE AND WRITING INDIE ROCK HITS LIKE "MUNICH".

...nomination forms for the board of directors are available at the QPIRG offices and must be submitted to Chief Electoral Officer's mailbox at QPIRG by N O O N , April 6,

2009 ...only McGill student members are eligible to vote or run for office

A pply t o be a n A rts & E n t e r t a in m e n t E d ito r . S e n d three w r itin g SAMPLES,

CV,

AND COVER LETTER TO EDITOR@MCGILLTRIBUNE.COM

P.S. IF YOU DIDN'T GET THE EDITORS' JOKE, MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T APPLY TO BE ONE.

Snacks and light refreshments will be served

The McGill Tribune

16 • Arts & Entertainm ent • 24.03.09

FILM

CD R ev iew s The Decemberists.

The H a za rd s o f Love.

The Decemberists'fifth LP is replete with the flairs and flourishes one would expect from frontman Colin Meloy—lush instrumenta­ tion, colourful characters, and some words you've probably never heard of (this time, "mistle" and “corn crake"). But with The Haz­ ards o f Love, Meloy throws a new wrench into the mix.

The 17 tracks are less like songs than they are mile-markers along the road of the story's plot. Each song bleeds seamlessly into the next, and the characters—for the first time on a Decemberists album— are all interconnected. William, a shapeshifting fawn, impregnates Margaret (Becky Stark) in a magical forest, and they fall in (hazardous) love. The forest queen (Shara Worden) and the Rake—one of Meloy's darkest characters— try to put an end to their relationship. And that's barely a fraction of what you need to know.

Meloy generously shares the mic w ith his newfound co-stars— Worden's haunting honey-laden vocals, in particular, steal the show. The songs range from sweet ("Isn't It a Lovely Night") to bitter ("The Rake's Song"), and the arrangements branch out in a decidedly heavier direction.

Long-time fans may be taken aback by the use of distortion, and that there are no songs that invite the listener to sing along, like past songs "O Valencia!" and "16 Military Wives.'This may thwart any hopes for a single hit, but the album isn't about individual songs. They're as beautiful as they've ever been, but Meloy has also built a majestic, sweeping world from scratch, and all the pieces matter equally.

Once you begin to untangle the story and piece the musical and lyrical themes together, the album's depth and meaning increase exponentially.

Enjoyment should follow suit.

—Jacob Kanter

Short and sweet films

Cinem a du Parc presents Jutra nom inees D ami A desegha Cinema du Parc is currently showing the Jutra nom­ inees for best animated short films and best live action short films. The Jutra is an annual award which recog­ nizes filmmaking in Quebec, and covers all the conven­ tional categories including best actor, best actress, and best film. It is named after Claude Jutra, the renowned Québécois filmmaker who acted and directed in films like A Chairy Tale and Wow. There are a total of eight nominated films being shown at Cinema du Parc, each ranging in length between five and 25 minutes.

The nominees for the best animated short films are Les Anges Dechets, Rosa Rosa, Drux Flux, and The Neck­ tie. Through the use o f different forms o f animation, sounds, and visual effects, the filmmakers are able to clearly convey the underlying message in these excep­ tional films.

The most memorable is The Necktie, directed by Jean-Francoise Levesque. It tells the story o f Valentin, a middle-aged man who works at a dead-end jo b doing menial, inconsequential tasks. He is in a perpetual struggle against the depressing drudgery o f his daily work, but manages to remain relatively happy for some time. Eventually, he gets fed up w ith his work and is able to find the courage to change through the unlikely in­ strument o f an accordion. As a result, he begins to lead his life unaffected by the pressures o f social convention

and the chains o f blind ambition.

The nominees for the best live action short films are Next Floor, Les Réfugiés, La Battue, and Mon Nom est Victor Gazon. Though different from the animated films, the live action films are also very creative in the ways they communicate the underlying messages in theii films. Through their use of cinematography and differ­ ent acting styles, each movie is able to uniquely present its case in a poignant way.

One to watch out for is Next Floor, directed by Den­ nis Villenueve. Centred around an extremely luxurious dinner, classical music plays in the background, and there are dignified-looking guests, fancy silverware, and m ultiple waiters serving the dinner guests. In short, every indulgence imaginable materializes at this dinner.

However, because of the extent of its luxuriousness and the avarice of its participants, the environment where the dinner takes place is unable to sustain it. The char­ acters are able to ignore the environmental limits for some time, but eventually it becomes too big a problem to ignore and must be reckoned with. |

The presentation lasts for 97 minutes, and anyone interested in (or curious about) short films should check it out. However, Anglophones be warned: five of the eight films are in French, and the other three have no sound. So while it's still worthwhile, be sure to bring a friend who understands French to help you follow along. ■

MUSIC

MUSIC

No more sad love songs Indie music 101 Doiron releases optimistic new album R yan T aylor Julie Doiron seems to be in a good place right now. Her new album, / Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, sees her shedding some of the more melancholy elements o f her previous work in exchange for songs about happiness and the simple joys o f life.

"I'm not really a sad person at all, but songs always came out sad because that was the only tim e I could let those things out,"explains Doiron.

"It was very therapeutic to w rite sad songs where I was trying to figure out how to be a real human being. Now I feel really good, I feel like I've figured out that there are w onderful people all around me and I'm feeling really positive and grateful for all o f the things around me."

This change has come only recently in Doiron's career, which has spanned almost 20 years and seen her win a Juno and a Polaris Music Prize nomination. "I've actually learned how to have fun playing music. That happened a couple years ago. I learned howto relax and just have fun," says Doiron. "It used to be frustrating because it felt like people weren't paying attention or 'get­ ting it' and [I doubted] whether anyone would want to see or hear anything I had to say. I started to get frustrated because I would tour all of the time and always come home broke. I started to ask myself if it was worth it."

Her new album gives every indication that it was. In I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, Doiron appears centred, expressing an optimism not seen on previous releases. Songs like "Living the Life of Dreams" and "It's Always Nice to Come Home" burst with contentment, and the final track "Glad to Be Alive,"celebrates life's little plea­ sures. A good mixture of electronic, hard-rocking ("Spill Yer Lungs" in particular), and acoustic songs keeps the album sounding fresh, while minimal production nicely complements the songs. The only real weakness is the album's brief running time of just over 30 minutes, leaving the listener wanting more.

Doiron is eagerly anticipating her CD release show at II Motore this Saturday. “ I haven't done a

proper Montreal show since Pop Montreal," says Doiron."I just like playing, and it's fun to do when you're in your town. Often I find hometown shows are harder, but because a lot of people don't even realize I live there it's not really like a hometown show for me. Playing Montreal is fun since there always seems to be a really good crowd."

Performing live isn't always an easy task for Doiron. Her songs, new and old, share intimate details about her life, and reliving these painful moments from her past w ith her audience can be difficult. "I used to be really afraid o f it ... I used to get a little frustrated that I would let those things out and then have to sing about it. Some­ times it's hard singing about really intense things when you're feeling really happy, then I realized they're just songs and I think they're good songs so I can sing them w ithout getting too upset dur-

In-Flight Safety kicks off twomonth Discover Indie festival A rielle F rank Jon Weisz, a fourth-year management student at McGill, leads a double life. By day he studies entrepreneurship and marketing, and by night he's the founder and creative director of Indie Montreal.

No stranger to the local music scene, Weisz began his career as a party promoter in high school and continued doing it through CEGEP. "Party promotion sucks ... I decided that I didn't want to do that because it's a really shitty job," says Weisz. "You're dealing with a lot of shitty people, a lot of sketchy people."

Deciding that party promoting wasn't for him, Weisz sought out something more fulfilling. Noticing the gap between promoters pushing esoteric,"indie"music, and pro­ moters of popular, mainstream artists, in 2008 Weisz founded Indie Montreal, a music promotions company. When he started doing shows with his musician friends, his busi­ ness really began to take off.

"I can't offer $10,000 guarantees to touring artists, so Indie Montreal can only grow so much, but people seem to be down with what I do," says Weisz.

Weisz explains that Indie Montreal targets two main demographics. "Montreal artsy hipsters like the Mile Enders [and] students who like the idea of indie music but don't re­ ally know much about indie music.They decide that when they hear from someone that a great band is playing ... they decide they want to go see it.The whole concept of indie music seems really attractive right now because of what is going on in the music indus­ try," says Weisz. "It's not really about the music as much as it is about the indie image."

Keeping this in mind, Weisz developed the idea of Discover Indie, a two-month­ long music festival. "[It] brings in really top indie bands from Canada and the States who have found really great niche markets, like indie markets, and are really well recognized in indie circles but haven't yet found a really big mainstream draw or following," says Weisz. "In layman's term, bands that would play Sala Rossa instead of Metropolis."

Weisz took a visionary approach when developing Discover Indie, which features a new show every Thursday from March 26 until May 29.

SUBPOP.COM Things are looking up for Julie Doiron. ing a concert. Sometimes you get upset anyway remembering why you wrote them. For the most part I don't regret it."

For now, Doiron is happy where she is. "I feel really good about this new record and I want to see it to its full potential. I'm really excited to play and excited to be back on tour." ■

"The idea behind Discover Indie is essentially to take bands that are really great and [that] people like, and to showcase them to a more mainstream attending audience than would otherwise probably hear them. We're talking about bands that make a lot of money off of what they do, they make a lot of money off of certain types of fan bases— not off of mainstream fan bases," says Weisz.

Discover Indie's inaugural show this Thursday features Halifax band In-Flight Safety, a catchy four-person pop-rock group who recently won three East Coast Music Awards.

Weisz is finding it hard to reconcile his vision for the festival with the actual outcome of Discover Indie, and he's run into unforeseen problems such as last-minute bookings and a lack of corporate sponsorship.

"Ideally, I'd like the first show or the first two shows to be Crystal Castles, or some huge band that could easily sell a 2,000 person venue, and then use that to promote the rest of the festival," says Weisz.

With limited time and financial backing, Weisz has managed to organize and assem­ ble a noteworthy and impressive list of bands to play Discover Indie. Weisz has turned his intuitive business skills, passion for music, and drive for success into something vi­ able and tangible. Students with an interest in indie and artsy hipsters alike should be sure to check out Weisz's hard work realized at Club Lambi on March 26. ■

S ports

HOCKEY— MARTLETS 3, LAURIER 1

McGill glides through Nationals once again

Perfect season culm inates in second-straight national cham pionship Continued from COVER

The two teams spent the first 10 minutes feeling each other out, as the Martlets adjusted to the speed and skating of the Golden Hawks.

"They're probably the best skating team that we've played all year," said Smith. "I didn't think we were as good as we could have been in the first 10 minutes or so. We turned the puck over a lot, we missed some passes.... We settled in after that, though."

It didn't take long for McGill to dent the scoreboard once they settled in. In the 11th minute, Ward hit Davidson with a pass near centre ice, and she quickly shoveled the puck to Bettez at Laurier's blue line. With only defender Kate Psota between her and Golden Hawks netminder Liz Knox, Bettez faked to the right, swung the puck around to the left, and lift­ ed a shot on a tough angle over Knox's left shoulder.

Knox only had to make six saves in the first stanza, but she faced significantly more pressure in the second. The Martlets fired 16 shots at Knox in the second period—McGill's highest single-period total in the tournament.

The Martlets got lucky six minutes into the second, as Laurier's Stephanie Crarey and Lauren Barch collided in the left corner behind Knox. Crarey fell to the ice, and when Barch hes­ itated to check on her teammate, Martlets forward Rebecca Martindale took advantage of the wide open space to Knox's right, and sent a centering pass that found Alessandra LindKenny on the other side of the goal. The second-year forward slapped the puck past Knox for her second point of the tour­ nament, and extended the Martlets' lead to 2-0.

Last year's tournament MVP Cathy Chartrand nearly made the score 3-0 when she caught a loose puck while leaving the penalty box with just over a minute remaining, but Knox stoned her to keep Laurier's hopes alive heading to the third.

The Golden Hawks came out of the locker room with a sense of urgency, as the pace of play quickened along with their opportunities and penalties. Laurier got six shots on net in the third—equaling their number of shots in the first two periods combined—and took five penalties in the period, compared to only four in the first two.

One of those penalties—a tripping call on forward Heath­ er Fortuna in the 11th minute—came back to bite them, as the Martlets'first line enforced their will once more. A shot from the point by Chartrand was redirected to the boards, where Leclerc-Auger eventually emerged with the puck. The CIS rookie of the year deked her way back towards the goal, and eventually slid it past Knox to make the score 3-0.

The Golden Hawks made things interesting less than a minute after Leclerc-Auger's goal when Barch beat Labonté on

a two-on-one with Andrea Ironside. But the Martlet defence clamped down after that, and rode out the final 10 minutes to capture their second consecutive championship.

A scare from the Bisons

After letting in six of the 39 shots she faced against last year's Martlets, Bisons netminder Stacey Corfield repeatedly frustrated the defending champs in McGill's first game in Antigonish on Thursday, turning away 36 of 38 McGill shots after letting in six goals in 39 shots last year. For the first time all year, McGill was scoreless deep into the second period.

"I would have been nervous if we were playing poorly or if we weren't creating chances," said Smith. "As the game was going along, I thought that all the opportunities that we had were eventually going to pay off—and eventually, they did."

The Martlets had their chances, but wouldn't break through until the 17th minute of the second, when Bettez streaked down the left side on a breakaway and found LeclercAuger right in front of the net. Corfield dove to her left to turn away the freshman forward's quick shot, but couldn't control the rebound. Ward pounced on the loose puck and deposited it to score the Martlets'first goal of the tournament.

McGill's defence was less aggressive in the third period, which gave Manitoba a number of scoring opportunities. With five minutes remaining in the game, defender Brenna Leary sent a slap shot on Labonté from the point, and forward Sarah Stebeleski snuck in from Labonté's left side, sent the rebound over her shoulder, and sent the Martlets to their first overtime game this season.

Only 18 seconds into the first overtime, the Bisons' Chel­ sea Braun was penalized for hooking, and the Martlets made sure to not squander their fifth power play of the game. Bettez took a long pass from Ward near the Bisons' blue line, skated down to the corner to wait for help, and found Davidson who one-timed the game-winner right in front of the net.

Dispatching the hosts

McGill's second game, played on Saturday night, proved to be far more relaxed than the first, as the Martets over­ whelmed the host St. Francis Xavier X-Women 5-1—the same result of the game the two teams played on November 21 at Macdonald Campus.

McGill got off to a slow start last year against St. FX, before eventually winning 3-0. The Red 'n'White got off to a better start this time around, as forward Vanessa Davidson lifted the puck over goaltender Katie Harvieux following a long scram­ ble in front of the net, only two minutes into the game.

ADAMSCOTTI Forwards Rebecca Martindale (left) and Jordanna Peroff anchored McGill's second line during the tournament.

"We had a great start this year [against St. FX], we did a good job getting going," said Smith. "[The X-Women] don't have the same team speed or the same depth that we have.

We did a good job in that game, we had lots of opportunities, and with a 5-1 win, everybody said, 'Well, that's more where we need to be.'We had a good all-around team effort in that game."

Jordanna Peroff added a goal on a breakaway 10 minutes later, and Cathy Chartrand scored midway through the second period to register her only goal of the tournament after being named tournament MVP last year.

St. FX forward Erin Brophy got the hosts on the board at the 13-minute mark of the second period after redirecting a long shot from defender Marilynn Hay, but that was as close as the X-Women would get, as Bettez and Leclerc-Auger put the game away with goals in the third period.

Looking to the future

Next season will be somewhat of a test for the Martlets, as Smith, Ward, and Labonté will miss significant time due to their commitments to the Canadian National Team. Ward and captain Chantal Gauvin are both graduating, bringing the total number of open roster spots to three. But with a strong core returning, the Martlets should easily reach nationals for the eighth-straight year next season. ■

THIRD MAN IN

O ld d o g s c a n le a r n n e w t r ic k s **

C

harles Barkley argued throughout his career that ath­ letes shouldn't be thought of as role models. After all, when children admire athletes, they're looking up to someone that they likely can't become. "Not many people can be like we are," Barkley said. Instead, he believed that kids should look up to doctors and teachers—those with professional careers that are attainable through hard-work and dedication—so that they don't have their dreams bro­ ken somewhere down the line when their athletic ability fails them.

But the issue of athletes as role models—a consistent hot-button topic in the sports world—isn't that simple. Ath­ letes perform on the world's biggest stage, and their visibil­ ity ensures that they must set an example for the millions of kids who look up to them. Children all over the world have posters of LeBron James, Sidney Crosby, and LaDainian Tomlinson taped to their waits, and in 20 years, a poster of one of those kids will be taped to the walls of millions of others. And that's why Sir Charles's argument has fallen on deaf ears—kids are always going to look up to star athletes, and that's not going to change.

Michael Vick was one of those athletes: a larger-thanlife figure with unparalleled talent. His jersey was consis­

tently at, or near, the top of the list of best-selling National Football League jerseys, he attracted thousands of new fans to Atlanta's Georgia Dome, and he revolutionized the quarterback position.That is, he would have revolutionized the position had he not been caught up in the investiga­ tion into Bad Newz Kennelz and found guilty of organizing a dogfighting ring in December 2007. Vick has spent the last 13 months in jail and is suspended indefinitely from the NFL. He's going to be released this summer—between June and August depending on his behaviour and other legal issues—and his public image will have to be built up again.

But in order for him to begin that process, the NFL must first allow him back into their locker rooms. Should he be allowed to play again in the NFL? The easy answer to that question is a defiant "no."The sadistic and shocking details o f Vick's behaviour while running a dogfighting ring, such as executing dogs that performed poorly in fights, are sick­ ening. The simple solution to this debate is that the NFL should not reinstate a player who funded a dogfighting ring on his own property.

But, like Barkley's assessment o f the role model situa­ tion, the issue isn't that simple. While it's true that reinstat­ ing Vick would impose a large, dark cloud o f bad public­

J on R ubenstein

ity over the league, Vick deserves a chance to prove to the world that he's changed. With millions watching him every Sunday, he w ould be able to show it to everyone who once trusted and idolized him that bad people are capable of changing.

The NFL would also benefit if Vick were welcomed back, despite the aforementioned cloud hanging over his head.

Vick's return would be a ratings bonanza for the league, and his status would be the talk o f the sports world for quite some time. Despite an inevitable backlash from animal rights groups, the league could easily brand itself as a land o f opportunity and second chances, should his reformation prove to be legitimate.

But, most importantly, Vick needs to be reinstated so that he can redeem himself in the eyes o f the fans that he lost. Vick's arrest crushed the hearts o f thousands o f young athletes who looked up to him as a role model. Thousands o f posters were ripped from walls, and thousands o f jerseys have been hanging in closets for over a year. Vick can pro­ vide hope to those kids who once dreamed, "I wish to be­ come the next Michael Vick," and teach them that athletes are both fallible, and capable o f change. The NFL must af­ ford him that opportunity. ■

The McGill Tribune

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PROFILE— MEN'S CURLING

McGill looks to sweep away the competition Oldest curling club in N. America hosts national tournam ent this week J acob K anter The history of curling in Quebec is long and storied, from the creation of the Royal Montreal Curling Club—the oldest active athletic club in North America—to the recent success of Marie-France Larouche on the national stage. The history of the current McGill men's curling team may be decidedly shorter, but Coach Kevin Alladin's team will look to change that this week when they compete in the Canadian Univer­ sity Curling Championships, held this year in Montreal, for the third time in as many years.

The team was founded in 2007 as a side project for sev­ eral curlers at McGill who competed individually with their own club teams outside of the university.

"The guys wanted to get together and form the McGill varsity team to go to the university championships at the end of March," said Alladin, who graduated from McGill in 2002 and became involved with junior curling as a coach soon after. "It was really an initiative that started from the students themselves. They've been working really hard, not only when we work at practices, but when they're outside playing for their own teams. If you think about it, it's almost an all-star team of McGill curlers that are interested in play­ ing at [the national] level."

Two curlers remain from the inaugural team that went to the 2007 National Championship in Winnipeg. Bryce Durafourt, a U3 microbiology and immunology student, will throw second this year, and Robert Phillion, U2 environment studies, will throw third. Since the team's lead—Matthew An­ gélus—and skip—Patrick Cawley—will both be competing in their first Nationals, Durafourt and Phillion's experience will be vital.

"We only won one game at Nationals in 2007, so I guess we were disappointed," said Durafourt, who, along with Phil­ lion, won bronze at the Quebec Provincials last year. "But we practiced more for last year [when nationals were held in

Guelph, Ontario], We had a bit of a rough start, but then we got better as we went along and won three of our games, which got us a spot in the tie-breaker. We lost in the tie­ breaker, but our experience was really great."

Change comes to Canadian university curling

The Canadian university curling landscape has changed dramatically since the team's first year in 2007.

"It used to be that the tournament was open to any uni­ versity across the country, provided that the players main­ tained a certain level of academic [success]," said Alladin.

"Last year in Guelph, the tournament attracted over 30 men's and 27 women's teams. ... When the Canadian Curling As­ sociation got involved with the actual running of the cham­ pionship—last year was their first look at it—they proposed more of a national formula, like the one they use for all curl­ ing championships."

This year, to reach Nationals, each school must organize a playdown—an event to determine who will represent the province. But university curling in Quebec isn't as popular as it is in the western provinces and, as a result, no one from the province stepped up to challenge Alladin's team. So instead of facing off against another Quebec university for a spot at the National Championship Tournament, McGill was able to compete against high quality competition with a spot at Na­ tionals already guaranteed.

"We entered the regional [championship tournament], just to practice [for nationals]," said Durafourt. "The competi­ tion was pretty tough, but we won a couple of games. So we think that, especially with having home ice advantage, it should be good this year."

Home ice means more to the team than just playing in Montreal. One of their round robin matches—against the University of Manitoba on Friday at 9 a.m.—will be played at the Montreal West Curling Club, where the team practices every Monday night. Practices, which should resume follow­ ing the week after Nationals, are open to any McGill student

who wants to learn how to curl, and admission to the club is free for the first three sessions. The team also held a "Learn to Curl" night this past Saturday, which helped to cover a portion of the cost of the entry fee for Nationals and new uniforms.

McGill's four other matches—Wednesday at noon against Wilfrid Laurier University, Wednesday at 9 p.m. against the University of Calgary, Thursday at 1 p.m. against the University of Prince Edward Island, and Friday at 9 p.m. against St. Francis Xavier University—will be played at the Royal Montreal Curling Club. Should McGill finish in the toptwo of their group, they'll play in the semifinal on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the RMCC, and should they win that match, they'll play for the gold medal on Sunday at 2 p.m.

With home ice advantage and four years of experience at Nationals between Durafourt and Phillion, the team be­ lieves that they could bring home a medal in addition to their new uniforms and brooms.

"We've been working towards this since last April," said Alladin. "The guys like playing with each other, and we see things very similarly. We have the nucleus of something spe­ cial."»

MATTHEWSTARR Angelus, Phillion, Durafourt, and Cawley at home on the ice.

S P E C IA L A D V E R T IS E M E N T

MORE THAN A ROOMMATE By: Diego Santiago

Living with one person is not easy, imagine sharing an apartment with four strangers.

Although first thoughts might send you running for the hills, the fact is most students will opt for communal living over a semester of solitude any day. Roommates are part of the universi­ ty experience and the relationships you build now will last a lifetime.

515 Ste Catherine West has been matching students since their opening in August 2008.

Boasting a 98% success rate, they have solved the equation that makes the roommate process work.

Property manager, Dino Santelli, explains the formula to effective roommate matching.

1. Take money out of the equation: 65% of roommates squabble over sharing costs. Fights over who consumes more heat and how much hot water a roomie's girlfriend

uses are commonplace. At 515 Ste Catherine West, each tenant has an individual lease and all utilities are covered in the cost of his or her rent.

2. Size does matter: Although your roommate might say he is ok with you having the big room and bay window, deep down he secretly resents you for it.

Finding an apartment with 4 or 5 bedrooms of equal size is a challenge. The rooms in the 515 Student Loft Apartments are all generally all the same size.

3. Cabin Fever: Most conventional apartments do away with one's sense of privacy and confines the room­ mate to his or her bedroom for detachment. In the Winter months, when the weather outside drops, the condition worsens as the will to leave the apartment diminishes.

515 Ste Catherine West offer all tenants the possibility of temporary escape from their roommates by providing numerous on site amenities such as

a large comfortable lounge with fireplace, cine­ ma room with projection screen and surround sound, cardio and weight rooms, music rooms and a game room with pool tables, foosball tables and video games. During exam time, the study rooms are an appreciated space for quiet study.

Enjoy a great apartment and many amenities all under one roof.

4. Asking all the right questions: Com patibility is not a game of chance.

Choosing the right roommates for our residents is an enjoyable process of learning the likes and dislikes, habits and behaviors of residents and matching them with other residents with whom we feel they will be most compatible.

With over 400 residents in our building, we have a huge pool of friendly roommates from which to choose.

Any students interested in finding roommates and moving into 515 Ste Catherine West, please visit www.montreal-roommates.com or call 514-844-0999 to schedule a tour.

BRAND NEW & R O O M STUDENT LOFTS 4

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24.03.09 • Sports • 19

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OBITUARY— ADRIANO TASSONE

Tassone dies in tragic accident

? McGill T H E D E P A R T M E N T O F J E W IS H S T U D IE S

Defensive back from Montreal was 23 years old

C a ll f o r S u b m is s io n s :

M att C hesser McGill Redmen football player Adriano Tassone died in a car accident early Wednesday morning near his home in the borough of St. Laurent. The Ü3 commerce student was 23 years old.

A visitation for Tassone was held on Sunday at the Côte-des-Neiges Fu­ neral Centre. A funeral service at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral and a short service at Molson Stadium were held on Monday morning. Tassone will be interred at the Notre Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery.

"He was absolutely amazing,"said McGill guard Jordan Knowles."The vis­ itation [on Sunday] had line-ups out the door all day, up to three hour waits at some points. The funeral home said they've never seen anything like it."

At the funeral service, the Redmen announced an award that will be handed out to a McGill football player every year in Tassone's honour. They also read a copy of the speech Tassone had made at an awards banquet two weeks earlier—a speech that explored Tassone's feelings on his impending graduation—which struck an eerily appropriate tone in the new setting.

A tragic loss

Shortly after 3 a.m. on March 18, Tassone lost control of his car and hit a fire hydrant on the north side of Henri-Bourassa Boulevard in St. Laurent. His car then flipped over and crashed into a electrical pole. According to police, Tassone wasn't wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

An autopsy to help determine the reason Tassone lost control of his car was conducted by the Montreal coroner's office earlier this week, the results of which will likely be released sometime in April.

Tassone, who spent four years w ith the Redmen after joining the team in

2005, was a defensive back who played in 12 games w ith McGill, recording 10 solo tackles, four assisted tackles, and a pass knockdown.

BLACHER AND GLASROT FAMILIES MEMORIAL AWARD FOR HOLOCAUST RESEARCH Established in 2000 by Mr. and Mrs. Josef Glasrot, survivors of the Holocaust and residents of Montreal. Open to any student at McGill University, the award is presented for excellence in research in Holocaust and related studies, and particularly on the history of the ghettos of Warsaw and Kovno [Kaunas], Essays prepared in any course or independent research may be considered. The award is administered by the Department of Jewish Studies in cooperation with the Jewish Community Foundation. The award will be presented during the Closing Exercises of the Department of Jewish Studies in May, 2009. The value of the Blacher and Glasrot Families Memorial Award is $1000.

• • • •

The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students at McGill University.

Students must submit 2 typed copies of their essays together with full contact information.

Essays can be based on primary or secondary materials and work in all related disciplines will be considered.

Essay submissions must reach the Department of Jewish Studies Office, 3438 McTavish Street, no later than April 10, 2009.

"From an athletic perspective, he was one of the fastest guys on the team," said McGill Football Head Coach Sonny Wolfe. "He was a hard-working guy, and had a sense of pride in everything he did. He wasn't the best player on our team, but he was probably as good a teammate as anyone, and was one of the most popular players on our team. He cared about his team, he cared about his teammates, and he cared about making each day a little bit brighter."

Multiple hamstring injuries prevented Tassone from reaching his full po­ tential with the Redmen, and caused him to miss much of his third-year on the team. According to Wolfe, tightness and difficulty with the muscle limited Tassone's practice time in his final year with the squad, which in turn allowed him to appear in only five of McGill's eight games.

•'••/:-:

"He was a better athlete than his playing time w ould indicate,"said Wolfe.

"He just had some issues in his last couple o f years w ith hamstring pulls and tightness in the muscle, so we had to be very careful about what we let him do."

Tassone was a standout multi-sport athlete at Loyola High School and a member of the school's student government. He represented Quebec as a member of the under-19 provincial rugby team, but chose to play football in CÉGEP for the John Abbott Islanders, where he made the league All-Star team as a cornerback.

"While you're coaching someone you don't look at them in the same light as you might otherwise," said Wolfe. "I recognized how popular Adriano was with his teammates. But then yesterday when I went to the visitation with my wife, oh my goodness, there was just a throng of people outside. I thought there must have been six or seven visitations going on, but they were all there for Adriano. It was incredible. I've been to a number of funerals and I've never seen anything like it. He was a special kid."

A donation in Adriano's name can be made to the charity Right to Play (www.righttoplay.com/adrianotassone). ■

and your world m atters Day one. It’s not just about work. It’s about the chance to make a difference to the wider community, to connect with a diverse range of people and places around the world. Bring your passion and interests and we’ll help find a way for you to contribute to the things that m atter to you. From your very first day, we’re committed to helping you achieve your potential. So, whether your career lies in assurance, tax, transaction or advisory services, shouldn’t your day one be at Ernst & Young?

What's next for your future?

Visit ey.com/us/eyinsight and our Facebook page.

ill Ernst &Young ADAMSCOTTI Tassone (number 19) played in 12 games over four seasons with McGill.

Quality In Everything I'Ve Do

McGill Drama Festival 2009

Exploding shredders, vomit'art', and a dismantled water cooler are just some things that will dirty the stage as Players'celebrates all things artistic with five student-written and produced one-act plays, blended with performances from bands and other theatre companies (March 24 - 28; March 30 - April 3 at 8 p.m.; April 4 at 4 p.m.) Ssmu.mcgill.ca/players/mcgilldramafestival.