The McGill Tribune Vol. 28 Issue 27

April 7, 2009

The post-Katrina New Orleans tourists don't see ,

restoration ? !

0 CANDTRHESBEONBEO N E S L IV E ?

S HEARTHE

Yl

O

ÏE

1

g WORD OE THE LORD !

BONESLIVE?

J t CAN

SHALLLIVE-LAND KNOWTHAT I A AMTHELORD! SO R P ROPHESIED. D

? JTHESE BON5 V f

IE

I

JH A L

ifter four years, the poorer neighbourhoods of New Orleans are still in disrepair. Some Canadians are realizing the only way to help is to see it for themselves. See pages 14 & 15.

SSMU joins lobby group Breweries bid for Votingstructureupsets councillors SSMU beer Contract Boréalemaybereplaced C rystal C han

The Students' Society's Legislative Council aassed a motion last Thursday to join the Table de Concertation, a lobbying collective of Que­ bec university students'societies.

After leaving the Quebec Federation of University Students (FEUQ) in 2006 and being denied permanent membership in the Cana­ dian Federation of Students in 2007, McGill has operated without formal ties to any provincial or national student lobby groups.

Vice-President External Devin Alfaro main­ tained that for SSMU to "carry more weight" when representing McGill students provincially, it was necessary to join the TDC. "We've been trying to get our voices heard about issues like governance and ancillary fees, and it's been very difficult," he said.

TDC members include SSMU, the Univer­ sity of Sherbrooke Organization of Masters, Di­ ploma, and Doctorate Students (REMDUS), and the University of Laval Confederation of Student Associations (CADEUL). In addition, the Laval University Graduate Students' Association (AELIES) and several students' associations from the University of Quebec at Montreal are waiting for

student mandates.

TDC is currently negotiating official recog­ nition and baseline operating grants with the Ministry of Education. According to Alfaro and next year's Vice-President External Sebastian Ronderos-Morgan, negotiations have been pro­ ductive.

Some SSMU councillors voiced concerns about the new collective at last Thursday's Coun­ cil meeting. "What if [TDC] just transformed into any other large student representative body?" said Law Councillor Alexandre Shee.

Alfaro pointed out that, unlike student or­ ganizations such as the FEUQ, the TDC doesn't levy student fees, and SSMU will have a direct say in the organization's policy. The TDC, he ex­ plained, will cut bureaucratic red tape associ­ ated with other large representative bodies.

Shee also raised concerns with the TDC's voting structure. As it stands, societies with up to 2,000 members receive one vote, societies with 2,001 to 10,000 members get two votes, and those with more than 10,000 members get three votes. Shee called this voting structure "random."

Citing UQAM as an example, Shee explained that See SSMU on Page 2

S t u d e n t

S

u m

$ 9 9 . 0 0

McGill ATHLETICS & RECREATION

m

e r

M

e m

( p l u s

B ernard R udny

beers from McAuslan are still available at Gert's.

Promotional funding and materials are also factors in the choice of brewery. Along with offers of clothing and paraphernalia, SSMU asked the beer suppliers to include proposals for helping SSMU secure alcohol permits and host events.

"Picking a company is really about bal­ ance," Webster said. "The larger companies have a lot of money that they can spend on promotions ... whereas the smaller compa­ nies may not have all those resources, but may be really good with on-campus sup­ port."

SSMU's new contract may not be the only change to the campus beer supply.

Although the Engineering Undergraduate Society signed on to SSMU's beer contract and used its outdoor liquor licenses in re­ cent years, the engineers plan to negotiate

The bidding war for the Students' So­ ciety's next beer contract has begun, with seven breweries expressing interest in sup­ plying beer for campus events.

Boréale, Molson, Labatt's, Sleeman's, McAuslan, Unibroue, and Bierbrier have all submitted bids to SSMU. The new contract will have a three-year term, and the successful bidder will supply more than 400 kegs and 4,000 cases of beer each year. That gives the contract a total value of roughly $400,000, along with the exclusive rights to provide beer for events like Frosh, SnoAP, and Four Floors.

According to SSMU Vice-President In­ ternal Julia Webster, exclusivity is a factor in the negotiations. During Molson's time as SSMU's beer supplier, only their products were served on campus. However, Boréale's current contract only grants them exclusiv­ See SEVEN on Page 2 ity for SSMU's outdoor events. For example,

b e r s h i p

f o r

t a x e s )

redbtrd

SPO RTS SH O P

T-shirts startin g a t $12 I n clu d es a c c e s s

to

t h e F itn es s C e n tr e a n d

Y o u -G o F it n e s s c l a s s e s

th ru

f r e e

P a y-A s-

M ay a n d J u n e

N

COVER PHOTOS BYTIM DEAN ANDARNDELL LEBLAN

ew s

CAMPUS

CAMPUS

SSMU turns to TDC Seven companies submit bidi Threesocieties onboard VPInternal toleadselection process

Continued from COVER

"they represent less people, but in the general terms, UQAM will have more Continued from COVER votes than McGill or Laval." Under the current structure, McGill receives three their own beer contract this year. That means that a According to Webster, sustainability, service, co votes. Since UQAM is represented by faculty associations with around 3,000 and promotional considerations will all have to be fa members each, each faculty waiting to join would receive two votes each. If different brewery could be supplying the beer for next year's Blues Pubs and Open Air Pub. tored into next year's decision, and there is no perfe voting together, their four votes would receive greater weight than SSMU's, "We're not going to be doing a global contract compromise. which has a population 19,000 students.

"You're not always going to please everyone,"We According to Alfaro, the TDC considered several voting structures be­ with SSMU," said EUS President Lesley Wake. "We're just exploring our options, to try and look at all the differ­ ster said."The decision comes down to who will be ab fore deciding on the current one. TheTDC's point system model is different ent companies, to find out who's going to be the best to serve students the best, and serve them in the me from the one school-one vote system employed by The Canadian Federation fit for us." sustainable and ethical way." ■ of Students and the system employed by the FEUQ, which gives schools a Wake explained that the EUS has been dissatisfied percentage of votes closely proportional to their number of student mem­ with Boréale's service. bers— both of which the TDC initially considered.

"We've really been having pretty bad service re­ "We came to a conclusion which was a kind of a happy medium," Alfaro cently," she said. "It's been a lot of trouble just trying to said. "We wanted it to be an organization where even the smaller associa­ get in contact with them ... It just hasn't been a great tions could feel like they had a voice that's considered, and they're not just relationship, especially in the past couple of years." steamrolled over."

Marco Dufour, the director of major accounts for By-laws will be created at the TDC's first general meeting later this Boréale, said that he wasn't aware of any problems month, and the organization will be up and running by September. Shee with the breweries'service. According to Dufour, Boré­ felt the level of accountability to SSMU would have been higher if SSMU's ale has always had an excellent relationship with SSMU TDC membership was ratified after seeing the finalized by-laws, rather than and McGill's faculty associations. before.

SSMU will be discussing the beer contract offers Responding to the concern that the TDC voting structure creates the with the faculty associations in the coming weeks.Their possibility of a UQAM block that could control elections, Alfaro explained recommendations will then be submitted to SSMU that "because what we've been trying to set up with this organization is one Legislative Council and reviewed by the Financial Eth­ that's based on coming together to achieve consensus ... you have to adopt ics Review Committee before a contract is signed. a position which is maybe not your first choice but is one with which every­ Sustainability is also a factor in the choice of brew­ one can live with." ery, as SSMU has asked the bidders to submit proposed With the collective likely to be fielding diverse issues from its members environmental initiatives along with their bids. Accord­ — it is comprised of societies both Francophone and Anglophone, graduate ing to Webster, Boréale is a strong contender in this and undergraduate, and coming from all over Quebec— councillors were area. Among other things, the Blainville-based brewery also concerned that the TDC has no set policy for deciding which issues to uses green packaging, solar and geothermal energy, put funding and resources behind. and has converted its vehicle fleet to hybrids.

According to Alfaro, although "a lot of the times, an organization will "We brew our beer with half as much water as have issues that are specific to it and there's a concern ... In practice, it hasn't before," Dufour said. "So everything that is brewed been particularly divisive because there's an understanding that we'll work

by Boréale, instead of taking six portions of water, re­ ~ , , ADAMSCOT on this issue that's really important to you and next time around, when we quires only three portions of water now for one bottle Come September, not only will Toby not be aroun< come to the table with something that isn't quite as important to everyone Boréale might not be back at McGill either. of beer." else we can work on that too." ■

CAMPUS

Death sentence upheld for ex-Concordian Harpercalled upontointervenedirectlywithSaudi KingAbdullah T ori C rawford Despite recommendations to the contrary from Saudi Arabia's Supreme Judicial Council, one of the kingdom's lower courts upheld the death sentence ruling for a former Concor­ dia student last week.

Mohamed Kohail and his younger brother Sultan— both Canadian citizens living in Saudi Arabia— as well as Jordanian citizen Homanna Essat, were convicted in the January 2007 death of Munzer Al-Hiraki following a schoolyard brawl. While Mohamed was sentenced to public beheading, Sultan origi­ nally received one year in prison as well as 200 lashes, since he was a minor at the time of the incident. However, a new trial is now underway in which he will be tried as an adult and may face the same punishment as his brother.

After Mohamed's sentence was upheld by the Appeals Court last November, the Supreme Judicial Council then re­ ferred it back to the Jidda General Court, who made the same decision last week. Dan McTeague, a Liberal MP who has been involved with the case for some time now, noted that the deci­ sion doesn't mark substantial progress in any direction.

"This decision was made only a few days after the Su­ preme Council had indicated that they wanted the lower court to revisit a whole host of issues, so it gives the impression that last week's announcement was really much ado about noth­ ing, given that the lower court had decided that it wasn't going to consider any of the Superior Court's suggestions," McTeague said.

The case will now return to the Supreme Judicial Coun­ cil, where the decision will be made whether to either concur with the Jidda General Court's findings, or to once again refer the decision back to a lower court. However, Aubrey Harris,

who works for Amnesty International's campaign to abolish the death penalty, noted that a third possibility might exist for the Kohails.

"Under Saudi law, [the family of the victim] could forgive Mr. Kohail and Mr. Essat," Harris said. "They can pardon the offender. That's usually done in exchange for blood money, which is quite a lot of money usually. At the moment, from the evidence we have seen in the Arab news, the family of the victim has been approached by several people asking them to forgive the Kohails and Mr. Essat."

The exact circumstances surrounding Al-Hiraki's death re­ main controversial. A brawl erupted at Sultan's school in Saudi Arabia after Al-Hiraki accused Sultan of insulting his female cousin. Mohamed entered the fight to defend his brother. The Kohails maintain that Al-Haraki's death was accidental, while the prosecution has asserted that he died due to a savage beating inflicted by the two brothers.

An autopsy revealed, however, that Al-Haraki's death was ultimately caused by a heart attack in combination with bleeding above the bladder, not by a blow to the head. This information had led many, including McTeague, to question the fairness of the Kohails'trials.

"This is a very troubling situation," he said. "One wonders when a correct and proper, and fair, equitable review of the facts will be made, because if it's going to continue to be the same judge or judges on the same court, who have now four times refuted their desire to uphold the death sentence, then I guess we're going to wind up, with the family, in a never-end­ ing judicial quagmire," McTeague said.

Harris also emphasized the ambiguity surrounding the Saudi courts' decisions, and believes that the Canadian gov­ ernment should press for an explanation.

"We hope the Canadian government brings all the effoi it can in approaching the Saudi authorities in asking for mor clarification on what these rulings were," he said. "We haven seen anything yet in terms of specific court findings. Ther were legal arguments being put forward under the court sy; tern in Saudi Arabia that we don't exactly understand."

According to McTeague, the most viable solution for enc ing what has already been a long, drawn-out process wouh be for Prime Minister Steven Harper to intervene directly wit Saudi King Abdullah.

"He has had two opportunities now to discuss this, botl in Lima, Peru, at the G20 summit last November, and again jus four days ago in London," McTeague said. "Whether he's don that or not remains to be seen, since they're very tight lippei about these things. But I have raised it with him personally, a well as with every one of his foreign ministers. We now have ti use every diplomatic method and every political method avail able to remind the Saudis that they know that this is a sharr and to continue to press for [Mohamed Kohail's] release."

Rodney Moore, spokesperson for the Canadian Depart ment of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, maintaine< that his department continues to provide support and assis tance for the Kohail family, as they have been doing since thi arrests.

"We are deeply disappointed in reports that a Saudi cour has upheld its decision to sentence Mohamed Kohail to death he said. "[Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon] has re quested that his officials review the Saudi court decision wher it is issued. Canada continues to express its concern for a fai and transparent review of the verdict and sentence... Canad; will continue to pursue all avenues to assist Mr. Kohail and hi: younger brother Sultan." ■

www.mcgilltribune.com

07.04.09 • The McGill Tribune • 3

CAMPUS

Price tag of new superhospitals ballooning McGill and UofM'sconstruction projects estimatedtocost $4.7 billion M att C hesser Skyrocketing costs and construction delays on Montreal's I two new superhospitals have incited further controversy over a project that has been beset with difficulties since its concepI tion.

The Quebec Liberal Party announced on March 30 that I construction on the future buildings of the McGill University Health Centre and the University of Montreal's Hospital Cen| tre (CHUM) will cost at least $1.6 billion more than projections made by former Health Minister Philippe Couillard in 2006.

I The total cost of the project has ballooned to $4.7 billion, from I an initial estimate of $2.6 billion.

"We cannot avoid these cost increases," said Benoit Labonté, the mayor of the borough of Ville-Marie and the leader of Montreal's municipal opposition party. "If we go back in his­ tory, these [hospitals] were first planned back in 1996-97, so it's normal that a project that will last over 20 years will have diffi­ culties planning exact final costs and accounting for inflation.

We have to be very careful about controlling the costs, but it's not surprising that the price has changed."

The target completion date for the CHUM superhospital, which will be built on the site of the current St. Luc Hospital, has been pushed back by five years to December 2018. The MUHC is scheduled to begin construction in early 2010, and be operational by 2013.

Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc claimed that the cost increases and delays to the CHUM project were caused by an expansion in the planned size of the hospital. The government has also set aside a $6so-million fund to account for inflation and unforeseen "risks."

"The important message today is that, as a responsible government, we want ... to give the costs before construc­

tion for the sake of transparency," Bolduc told the Montreal Gazette.

The projected cost of the two hospitals doesn't include tens of millions of dollars that have been spent on research and consultants'fees.

Quebec Auditor General Renaud Lachance released a report last Wednesday criticizing both the MUHC and CHUM for "not being in conformity with sound management" prac­ tices and ignoring spending limits. Arthur Porter, director of the MUHC, responded by claiming that"industry-specific infla­ tion" was solely responsible for the $700 million increase in the MUHC budget.

The mega-hospital construction projects have been fraught with difficulties since the initial planning stage. Crit­ ics, including the Société St. Jean-Baptiste, have questioned the pertinence of building two large teaching hospitals, and questioned whether language politics have played a role in the approval of the primarily-Francophone CHUM project as a response to the Anglophone MUHC proposal "I don't buy the argument that language politics played a role in the approval of the CHUM project," said Labonté.The economic reality is that Montreal is the only city in Canada to have two medicine faculties within its boundaries. So creating just one superhospital would have meant a de-facto integra­ tion of the two faculties, which would make no sense."

The hospitals will be partly financed through public-pri­ vate partnerships. A private company will build the new por­ tions of the hospitals and maintain them for 30 years, while leasing them back to the provincial government.

The MUHC will use PPP financing to build a new campus at the former Glen Railyards, straddling the Notre Dame de Grâce and Westmount neighbourhoods The Mountain cam­ pus, the home of Montreal General Hospital, will receive major renovations but remain in its current location, as will the Mon-

FLICKR.COM McGill's Royal Victoria Hospital plans to shut down when the new superhospital at the former Glen Railyards opens in 2013. treal Neurological Institute. Several current hospital facilities, including the Royal Victoria Hospital, will be closed when the Glen Campus opens.

"The [construction] project will improve the care we can provide to our patients and their families," Dianne Fagan, man­ ager of communications for the MUHC redevelopment project in an email to the Tribune. "It will be a truly healing environ­ ment, balancing high-tech equipment with a human scale ... [where] research and teaching will be fully integrated into clinical care.... Montrealers as a whole will benefit from the economic and social benefits of a world-class academic health centre." ■

BRAND NEW 4 & 5 R O O M S T U D E N T LO FTS www.515stecatherine.com S P E C IA L A D V E R T IS E M E N T M O RE THAN A RO O M M ATE B y : D iego S a n t ia g o L iving w ith o n e p e rs o n is n o t e a sy * im a g in e s h a r in g a n a p a r tm e n t w ith fo ur s t r a n g e r s , A lth o u g h f ir s t th o u g h ts m ig h t s e n d y o u ru n n in g fo r t h e h ilts, t h e fa c t Is m o s t s tu d e n ts will o p t fo r c o m m u n a l liv in g o v e r a s e m e s t e r o f s o litu d e a n y d a y , ff o a m m a te s a r e p a r t of th e u n iv e rs i­ t y e x p e r ie n c e a n d t h e re la tio n s h ip s y o u b uild m m w ill l a s t a f f c t » ? » , 5 1 5 S t e C a th e r in e W est: h a s b e e n m a tc h in g s tu d e n ts s in c e t h e ir o p e n in g in A u g u s t 2 0 0 8 .

B o a stin g a 9 6 % s u c c e s s r a te , th e y h a v e so lv e d th e e q u a tio n t h a t m a k e s th e ro o m m a te p ro c e s s w o rk .

P r o p e r ty m a n a g e r . D in s S a n t e lli, e x p la m s th e fo rm u la bo e ff e c tiv e ro o m m a te m a tc h in g .

1 . T a k e m o n e y o u t o f t h e e q u a t io n : £ 5 % of ro o m m a te s s q u a b b le o v e r s h a r in g c o s ts . F ig h ts o v e r w h o c o n s u m e s m o re h e a t a n d h o w m u ch h o t w a te r a ro o m ie 's g ir f t ie o d

u s e s a r e c o m m o n p la c e . A t 5 1 5 S t e C a th e r in e W e st, e a c h t e n a n t h a s a n in d iv id u al l e a s e a n d a ll u h k b e s a r e c o v e r e d in th e c o s t o f h is o r h e r re n t, 2 . S iz e d o e s m a tte r : A lth o u g h y o u r r o o m m a te m ig h t s a y h e is o k w ith yo u h a v in g t h e b ig ro o m a n d b a y w in d o w , d e e p d o w n h e s e c r e t ly r e s e n t s y o u fo r it. f in d in g a n a p a r tm e n t w ith 4 o r 5 b e d ro o m s o f e q u a l s iz e is a c h a lle n g e . T h e ro o m s in t h e 5 1 5 S tu d e n t Loft A p a rtm e n ts a r e alt g e n e r a lly a ll t h e s a m e s iz e , 3. Cabin Fever?

M ost c o n v e n tio n a l a p a r tm e n ts «te a w a y w ith o n e 's s e n s e o f p riv a c y a n d c o n fin e s t h e ro o m ­ m a t e to h is o r h e r b e d ro o m fo r d e ta c h m e n t. In th e W in te r m o n th s, w h e n t h e w e a th e r o u ts id e d ro p s , th e co n d itio n w o rs e n s a s t h e w il to le a v e t h e a p a r tm e n t d im in is h e s , 515 S te C M h e rin e W e s t o ffe r a il t e n a n t s t h e p o ss ib ility o f te m p o ra r y e s c a p e fro m t h e ir ro o m m a te s by p ro v id in g n u m e ro u s o n s it e a m e n it ie s s u c h a s

a l a r g e c o m fo rta b le lo u n g e w ith f ire p la c e , c in e ­ m a ro o m w ith p ro je c tio n s c r e e n a n d su rro u n d so u n d , cards© a n d w e ig h t ro o m s, m u sic ro o m s a n d a g a m e ro o m w ith p o d t a b le s , foosfealt ta b le s a n d v id e o g a m e s . D uring e x a m tim e , t h e s tu d y ro o m s a r e a n ap p re c ia te d : s p a c e f o q u ie t s tu d y .

E n jo y a p e a t a p a r tm e n t a n d m a n y a m e n it ie s a l u n d e r o n e roof.

4 . A s k in g a l l t h e r i g h t q u e s t i o n s : C o m p a tib ility is n o t a g a m e o f c h a n c e .

C h o o sin g t h e r ig h t ro o m rn a te s f o o u r r e s id e n ts is a n e n jo y a b le p ro c e s s o f te a m in g fo e lik e s a n d d is lik e s , h a b its a n d b e h a v io rs of r e s id e n ts a n d m a tc h in g th e m w ith o th e r r e s id e n ts w ith w h o m w e f e d th e y will f o m o s t c o m p a tib le .

W ith o v e r 4 0 0 r e s id e n t s in o u r b u ild in g , w e h a v e a h u g e pool o f frie n d ly ro o m m a te s fro m w h ich to c h o o se , A n y s t u d e n ts in t e r e s te d in fin d in g ro o m m a te s a n d m o v in g in to 5 1 5 S t e C a th e r in e W est, p te a s e v isit www.nTcfored-rocwTM Tnate5.com o r c a ll 5 1 4 - 8 4 4 - 0 9 9 9 to s c h e d u le a tour.

The McGill Tribune

4 • News • 07.04.09

CAMPUS

Alleged profiling victim Charkaoui speaks out Moroccan-bornCanadian resident railsagainst thosewhoarrestedhim V aleria S tephens Moroccan-born Canadian resident Adil Charkaoui visited McGill on April 1to speak about the difficult, ongoing ordeal of living under a security certificate in a speech presented by the Refugee Research Project.

Charkaoui's case has received extensive media attention since his arrest in May 2003. Though open to the public, the conference was small and attended, in large part, by people connected to the Refugee Research Program and other human rights advocacy organizations.

The Refugee Research Project sponsors bi-monthly talks on a variety of issues, from cultural stories to current human rights violations. Charkaoui's case is of interest to them be­ cause of the effect security certificates have on people seeking refuge in Canada. A security certificate may end in deporta­ tion, even in the face of a known risk of torture or death in the home country. Though Charkaoui is not a refugee, he, too, faces deportation and prosecution if he were to return to his country of citizenship. He is also the only Montreal resident under a certificate.

Mary Foster, a member of Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui, opened the talk by explaining security certificates.

Intended as a means of easily deporting undesirable visitors to Canada, security certificates also grant police the power to arrest and detain. Unlike a regular arrest, a security certificate allows for indefinite detention without charge if the subject of the certificate is deemed a risk to national security.

Due to their violation of sections nine, seven, and 10 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, and thanks to protests focussed around Charkaoui's case, among others, se­ curity certificates were declared unconstitutional in 2007.

Foster then referred to the Canadian Security Intelligence

Service as a "shadow organization," arguing that not many Ca­ nadians were aware of its existence. CSIS actively recruits on university campuses, via the same means as a private com­ pany, and has a website like all other major government or­ ganizations.

In his address, Charkaoui claimed he was a victim of profiling, falling under suspicion because he was middleclass, educated, married, and Muslim. The points system that Canada uses to profile security threats actively favours mar­ riage and a high level of education. Charkaoui said that this, combined with the number of Muslims in the world who may potentially come to Canada, makes a profiling system using these characteristics likely to create a danger of massively inef­ ficient bureaucratic bottlenecks.

After the presence of car starters and sneakers in his lug­ gage alerted Moroccan customs agents to a potential irregu­ larity, Charkaoui has experienced problems when travelling.

After being cleared in Morocco, he was detained at the Ken­ nedy Airport in New York City on another trip. This was prior to the stricter reforms after 9/11, which he believes helped him return to Canada.

After spending some more time in Canada, Charkaoui began the process of applying for Canadian citizenship. At that point, he was issued a security certificate and deemed a threat to national security. He spent several months in jail and more time under a highly restrictive house arrest after various support groups rallied to raise his $50,000 bail. Once the legal process in Canada concludes, he will then have to deal with a standing warrant in Morocco. Despite this, Charkaoui believes that Morocco will waive the potential death penalty, should he be found guilty.

In the mean time, Charkaoui has experienced a general relaxation of restrictions. He is now able to leave his home unescorted, and leave the city if he gives prior notice. No evi-

CITIZEN.NFB.CA Moroccan-born Canadian resident Adil Charkaoui spoke about profiling and security certificates last week. dence has been found to support allegations of Charkaoui's terrorist connections in Canada.This puts him in a better posi tion than the five other people currently under house arrest in Ontario, and Charkaoui remains hopeful.

"I've got two wonderful lawyers and I'm lucky to be in Quebec," he said.

With his story concluded, Foster spoke a second time, stat ing that, "I admire Adil and the kind of dignity he has brought to this struggle."This will be further tested as Charkaoui con tests the remaining restrictions of his security certificate and the charges that await him in Morocco. ■

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Sitting down with SSMU's outgoing president Turner reflects onfouryears ofinvolvement withtheStudents' Society After four years on the Students' Society Legislative Coun­ cil and two years as a SSM U executive, April 30 , 2009 marks the end o f President Kay Turner's career in the Shatner building. She recently sat down with the Tribune, for a candid exit interview, discussing everything from SSMU's future as an organization, to the resignation o f former vice-president finance a n d operations Tobias Silverstein.

Looking back on your presidential term, how did it go?

Was it a success?

I'm really happy with how this year has worked out. Ob­ viously, there were some bumps along the way— our VP finance did resign— but I really think we held it togeth­ er this year, and I think we had a lot of positive outputs.

No year is going to be perfect, but in terms of sustain­ ability and the nursery, I'm happy with how things went.

What was your greatest accomplishment as SSMU presi­ dent?

The thing I'm most proud of this year is the work I did with [SSMU's] environment commissioner in terms of setting plans for sustainability at SSMU. It's really important, for me, that SSMU is a leader on campus, and in Canada, in terms of sus­ tainability. This year saw a lot of goal-setting and benchmark­ ing that [SSMU] can build upon in the future.

The resignation of former VP finance and operations To­ bias Silverstein was a significant turning point in your presidential term. Did you expect the resignation? And, in retrospect, was the resignation handled appropriately?

We handled the resignation in the best way that we could.

Anytime you have a situation like that, it's going to be messy.

But I think that we handled it well. The recommendation of the Executive to not institute a new VP finance was the right choice.

Did I expect it? It depends on your time frame. Obviously, when he was elected, I didn't think [Silverstein] would resign.

But I don't think it was a secret that things were not working

out particularly well before he resigned. So, when he made the decision to resign, I wasn't surprised.

This is your fourth year on SSMU Legislative Council. What did you think of the quality of Council this year?

I'm going to be honest— and this is certainly not a comment on any particular councillor, I think we had some very strong individual councillors— but I don't think this was a strong year for Council. Seventy per cent of the time, decisions that were made in the debate were great.

But, as a whole, 1don't think Council was strong this year. We had chronic problems with attendance and engagement.

And again, that's not a comment on the councillors that were there, because the councillors that attended were great. But this is certainly one of the weaker years.

What will SSMU President-elect Ivan Neilson's greatest challenge be next year?

The number one challenge— certainly something that we've been dealing with this year— is student apathy. This year, of all the years I've been here, has been the worst in terms of student engagement. ... Nevertheless, next year's executive is going to be good.There are strong personalities on it, and I think they're going to be great. But it's possible that this year was just a blip and, for whatever reason, people didn't want to be involved. If it keeps going in the way that it has been, though, [student apathy] will be a huge challenge for [Neilson] next year.

How do you combat this problem?

We've struggled with that problem all year. And, what's inter­ esting: we aren't doing anything substantially different from past years. [SSMU's] Listserv has been great and our new web­ site is up and running. I feel like there have been a number of high-profile events that have happened this year, that, in past years, would have brought more people in. But, for whatever reason, [students] are not interested in engaging.

It's tough: is it the institution that's a problem? Is it because

ADAMSCOTTI SSMU is not keeping up with what students want? Or is that students, themselves, are simply not interested in being en gaged? I think some of the criticism is unfair when people place all the blame on SSMU. If you look at our generation, for the most part, we're politically apathetic. How do you reach out to people that aren't interested in being engaged?

You've been on Council for four years and a SSMU execu­ tive for two years. Are you sad to say good-bye to the Shatner building?

I'm ready to go. I'm really happy with my time that I've had here, both personally and in terms of what I've seen the in­ stitution do in the four years that I've been involved. But I'm ready to go. ... If nothing else, there's one thing that I've learned from my time at SSMU: you can't expect institutions run by students to be perfect.

— Com piled by Thom as Quail

www.mcgilltribune.com

07.04.09 • The McGill Tribune • 5

NEWS ANALYSIS

Discussing the G20 with McGill professors Meetingofworldleaders inLondon lastweekdraws mixedreviews I. E. B rown The leaders of the top 19 industrial nations and the Europe­ an Union gathered for the second time in six months last week, amid mounting global economic turmoil. The G20 summit, held in London, aimed to increase confidence in the financial sector, and the leaders discussed new strategies for the regulation of the global financial market.

G20 member countries include Canada, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and Japan as well as emerging economies like Mexico, Indonesia, and South Africa.

The summit addressed several specific weaknesses in the global economy: underwriting standards, the lack of systematic risks oversight, the lack of oversight of unregulated pools, and the weak performance of credit rating agencies, to name a few. To combat these problems, four working groups were created to generate solutions: regulation and transparency, reinforcing in­ ternational co-operation, reforming the International Monetary Fund, and issues concerning the World Bank.

The G20 sought to avoid the protectionist tendencies that exacerbated the Great Depression of the 1930s. Instead, the G20 summit has attempted to determine regulatory policies that will maintain the level of trade between countries.

"I think tougher and more co-ordinated financial regula­ tion is the key to prevent future events [like the global economic downturn," said Francisco Alvarez-Cuadrado, a McGill professor who specializes in theoretical macroeconomics and economic growth. "Nonetheless, the devil would be in the details, and ini­ tially the U.S. and Europe might have large disagreements on what is the ideal degree of regulation."

Co-ordinated regulations would allow countries to enhance trade with a smoother, more cohesive playing field. If there were standardized regulations, financial institutions wouldn't be able to seek out loopholes like the tax havens provided by countries

like Monaco, the Bahamas, and Luxembourg. Jagdish Handa, a McGill professor who specializes in monetary economics and macroeconomic theory, agreed that an increase in common regulation would be beneficial.

"It is a good idea to have similar regulatory policies across the board," Handa said. "It would be effective to have a global integrated economy."

One proposed method of increasing international regula­ tion involved the creation of supervisory colleges that would oversee financial institutions and increase transparency.

"The greater communication and the better the flow, the more it will benefit all countries across the board and lead to greater competition, lower prices, and more output," Handa said.

McGill economics professor Markus Poschke, who special­ izes in macroeconomics and growth theory, said that the sum­ mit had limited success in effecting these reforms.

"Overall, I think that the most important task right now is to get financial intermediation to work better again," he said. "It does not seem that the meeting had concrete results in this di­ mension."

The attending leaders did find something they could agree upon, though. The leaders expressed their firm support for the IMF, the organization that oversees the global financial system.

In addition to an implied budget increase, the IMF will now be able to rely less on donation, and more on independent sources of income.

"If there's going to be a common approach to economic problems, then letting one country— like the U.S.— dominate will make the little countries feel left out," Handa said. "The IMF is the only global finance institution that might be trusted by more countries to act on a global interest."

The leaders present at the G20 summit pledged an addi­ tional $1.1 trillion dollars to support the IMF. ■

THANKYOU! THE TRIBUNE NEWS SECTION WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE SECTION THIS YEAR WE COULDNT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU. WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO CONGRATULATE TORI CRAWFORD, STEVEN HOFFER, AND TRIP YANG ON BEING SELECTED AS NEWS EDITORS FOR THE 2009-10 YEAR. THANKS FOR A GREAT YEAR, AND GOOD LUCK INTHE FALL! JAMES GILMAN &THEO MEYER

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH CREATIVE WRITING PRIZES AND AWARDS

The M O N A AD ILM AN PRIZE IN PO ETRY, estimated value $700~or estimated value $350 for two students, is open to undergraduate o r graduate students registered in the F acu lty of A rts for the best poem or group of poems relating to ecological or environmental concerns.

The C L A R K LEW IS M EM O R IA L PRIZE, estimated value $450, is open to m ajor or h on ou rs students in the Departm ent o f English.

The prize is awarded annually or from time to time for original plays staged in the course of the academic year.

The C H E S T E R M A C N A G H T E N PR IZES IN CR EA TIVE WRITING (two prizes, one of estimated value $700 and another of estimated value $400) are open to undergraduate stud en ts o f the U n iversity for the best piece of creative writing in English, i.e. a story, a play, a poem, an essay, etc. Printed compositions are ineligible if they have been published before April 14, 2009.

The P E T E R S O N M EM O R IA L PRIZE, estimated value $2,000, is open to undergraduate or graduate stud en ts registered in a degree program in the Departm ent of E n g lish with distinction in English Literature (C G P A 3.30 o r above) who has also shown creative literary ability.

The LIO N EL S H A PIR O A W A R D S FO R CR EA TIVE WRITING, three prizes of estimated value $1,500 each, to be distributed if possible among the genres of poetry, fiction, screen writing and playwrighting. Each prize is to be awarded on the recommendation of the Department of English to students in the final year o f the B.A. co u rse who have demonstrated outstanding talent. (A note from your academic adviser verifying you will have completed your program requirements and the minimum credits required by the Faculty of Arts M U ST accompany your submission.)

These com p e tition s are restricted to stud en ts w ho have not p re vio u sly won the F irst Prize.

Forms to be completed are available in the Department of English General Office, Arts 155. Subm issions must be IN TRIPLICATE. Deadline for submissions: Tuesday, April 14, 2009.

The McGill Tribune

6 • News • 07.04.09

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

A conversation with Harvard's Steven Pinker McGill alumnus discusses Gert's, psychology, and his bestselling books T heo M eyer Aside from his mane of iron grey hair, Steven Pinker ap­ peared every bit the clean-cut professor. Seated in his ninthfloor office, the 54-year-old Harvard psychology professor wore a three-button grey suit when I sat down with him for an interview last week. It was only halfway through our talk, when he crossed his left leg over his right, that I looked down and noticed his snakeskin cowboy boots. It seemed fitting that Pinker's sartorial sense echoed his intellectual manner— traditionally rigorous, but with a sense of mischief.

One of the world's leading cognitive psychologists, Pink­ er has made quite a name for himself since graduating from McGill University more than three decades ago. He has taught at Harvard, Stanford, and the Massachusetts Institute of Tech­ nology, published several bestselling books on the mind, is a frequent contributor to publications such as The New York Times, and, perhaps most impressively, has been grilled twice

by Stephen Colbert on his faux-news program, The Colbert Report. It's somewhat comforting to know, then, that this in­ tellectual rock star's formative years were spent in discussion with friends over "bad sandwiches" in the Stewart Biology Building.

Growing up an Anglo-Montrealer Like a number of McGill students, Pinker grew up in Mon­ treal's Anglophone Jewish community.

"I grew up in the suburbs in Montreal West, although in the portion that was adjacent to Côte Saint-Luc," he said. "So I had one foot in the Anglophone WASP community that was represented in Montreal West, and another foot in the Jewish community which dominated Côte Saint-Luc." Pinker was part of the last generation of unilingual Anglo-Montrealers born before the Quiet Revolution. Though he was just five years old when Jean Lesage was elected Quebec's premier in 1960, Pinker was shaped by the cultural upheaval in Montreal during the late 60s.

"When I grew up, there was an awful lot of racism against Francophone Québécois," he said. "My friends and the com­ munity would tell insulting jokes about Québécois, kind of like the Polish jokes and black jokes that were being told else­ where. There was an enormous amount of condescension and prejudice."

The turmoil of the Quiet Revolution resulted in the exo­ dus of much of Pinker's generation of Anglophones from Montreal— indeed, Pinker's high school reunion was held in Toronto.

Pinker was a bit of a radical in his teenage years, and for a time considered himself an anarchist. At the time, a close friend of Pinker's convinced him that people in a natural state would spontaneously co-operate for the greater good. The police, his friend said, caused more violence than they pre­ vented. Pinker's romantic ideal of anarchism was then put to the test during the 1969 Montreal police strike, which he later described in his book The Blank Slate.

"All hell broke loose," Pinker said. "There were riots, loot­ ing, vandalism, and even one homicide, all in the space of sev­ eral hours. And so my parents won that argument, and ever since then I've not been an anarchist. I appreciate the role of

democratic government, and a monopoly on violence in the hands of a democratic authority."

A hippie education at Dawson College Pinker went on to attend Dawson College after high school in 1971, just two years after the institution of the CEGEP system in Quebec.

"There was a lot of 60s hippie stuff," recalled Pinker. "There were courses that resembled nothing in a traditional academ­ ic curriculum, in which faculty would just draw far-flung con­ nections: this idea from existentialism reminded them of that idea from Marxism, which then brought in Freud, which was related to the postmodernists. And professors would bring together this mélange of ideas, which I quickly began to find unsatisfying because the connections were so tenuous and undisciplined."

Partly because of Dawson's radical teaching style, Pinker began to gravitate towards the college's psychology de­ partment. He said that the debates raging in the 1970s over what type of government and society Canada should have— debates Pinker believes were rooted in questions of human nature— also affected the decision.

"These debates were in the air, and I took a number of courses at Dawson that approached human nature from dif­ ferent vantage points: sociology, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, English literature," he said. "Psychology seemed to me to have the best combination of eternal, cosmic questions about human nature with rigorous testability and precision."

Seminars and coffee shop discussions at McGill After graduating from Dawson, and already on track to­ wards a career in psychology, Pinker continued on to McGill.

"It was kind of a default choice, to be honest," he said with a laugh. "I got a great education there, but honestly I did not go through the [extensive selection] process that many Amer­ icans go through."

Professor Al Bregman, a psychologist of auditory percep­ tion who remains an emeritus professor today, was Pinker's greatest intellectual influence at McGill. Pinker fondly de­ scribed both working in Bregman's lab and taking an advanced seminar in cognition with the professor, in which Bregman fas­ cinated Pinker with his deep analysis of ideas.

"He looked at ideas from Piaget, from Chomsky, from artificial intelligence, from the empiricist and rationalist phi­ losophers, and he would dig out the abstract commonalities, connect the historical influences, probe strengths and weak­ nesses in a way that I found quite exhilarating," Pinker said.

When asked, Pinker admitted to being a pretty serious student, never even indulging in a beer during his time at McGill, despite frequently hanging out in Gert's.

"I think I had my first beer in graduate school," he said. "I know, it sounds kind of pathetic. I mean, I wasn't a recluse. I had a very intense social life— dancing and eating out— but there was not a lot of alcohol."

Pinker extended his belief that our peers affect our devel­ opment more than our parents to his experiences at McGill, where he said his friends perhaps influenced him the most.

"I was part of a group of intellectually intense fellow stu­ dents, where we would continue to argue issues from courses, or that any of us had read about, over coffee in all those won­ derful Hungarian coffeehouses that no longer exist in down­ town Montreal," he said. "And we would challenge each other and egg each other on."

Pinker said he and his coffeehouse friends, with whom he also shared the Stewart Biology Building's bad sandwiches, playfully referred to themselves as the "Gang of Four." Besides Pinker, the group included Brian Leber, now a professor of biochemistry at McMaster University in Hamilton; Vincenzo Dinicola, now a Montreal psychiatrist; and Fabio Idrobo, a psy­ chology professor who teaches at Boston University, just a few miles from Pinker's office at Harvard.

"We would be constantly talking psychology, philosophy, biology," said Pinker. "In that regard, it kind of reminds me of the atmosphere at the City College in New York in the 30s and 40s, which [was] the crucible for the New York intellectuals. ... I feel like my intellectual influence came from the grungy cafeterias and Hungarian coffee shops of downtown Montreal during those years."

A series of bestsellers

ARIK SCHWARTZ McGill alumnus Steven Pinker speaking on campus.

Pinker graduated from McGill in 1976 and went on to Har­ vard, where he completed a PhD in experimental psychology in 1979. Aside from its world-class reputation, Pinker said he was drawn to Harvard by a kind of romantic fascination with the school. It was at Harvard that the "cognitive revolution" in psychology had taken place in the 50s and 60s, a movement that had inspired Pinker to pursue a career in understanding

ARIK SCHWARTZ Harvard's Steven Pinker at McGill's Science Undergraduate Research Conference last October. the mind.

After bouncing between universities for a period, Pinker settled at MIT, where he focussed on understanding the psy­ chology of language. After writing two dense academic vol­ umes during thei98os, Pinker published The Language Instinct in 1994, his first work for a wider audience.

"I had read popular science in other fields and was excited by it, such as Stephen Jay Gould's writing in evolutionary bi­ ology, Freeman Dyson on physics, Lewis Thomas in medicine and biology," he said. "And I thought that no one had done that for language and cognition."

The Language Instinct accomplished exactly what Pinker had hoped, garnering glowing reviews and impressive sales.

A string of successful works intended for a popular audience followed, each an interdisciplinary feast combining Pinker's interest in psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics.

Pinker's most recent book, The Stuff o f Thought: Lan­ guage as a Window into Hum an Nature, ties together many of his ideas on language and the mind. In the book, published in 2007, Pinker argues that humans follow certain semantic rules— logical, not arbitrary, rules—without realizing that they are doing so.These hidden rules, manifested in subtle parts of speech like irregular verbs, help to explain how children man age to understand the complexities of English grammar with­ out endless trial and error.

The Stuff o f Thought is strikingly interdisciplinary, rooted as much in linguistics as it is in cognitive psychology. When asked if this may be the result of those coffeehouse discus­ sions at McGill, Pinker said he'd like to think so. Academic divi­ sions are somewhat artificial anyway, he argued.

"An academic discipline is a sociological, historical, cul­ tural institution that grew up because of various accidents of history the same way that the QWERTY keyboard on the type writer became standardized," Pinker said. "It doesn't necessar­ ily correspond to the optimal way of dividing up the scholarly labour in understanding some phenomenon."

An ambitious future Pinker's current project may be his most ambitious yet.

His new book asks why human society has become less vio­ lent over time, and looks for answers in the mind.

"The question for a psychologist is, given that presum ably human nature has not changed over the centuries, how is it we've been able to become less violent?" Pinker asked. "And by that I mean that homicide rates have gone down over the last 600 or 700 years in any area in the world in which they can be measured over that many centuries, that warfare has plum­ meted since the end of the Second World War, and that annual deaths in warfare are maybe at an all-time low."

Pinker suggested that a number of factors may be con­ tributing to this decline, rooting his arguments in the politi­ cal philosophy of his hero Thomas Hobbes, the 17th century Englishman who theorized that only a "leviathan," or powerful government, could maintain peace and order.

"I think that as we've become more cosmopolitan and lit­ erate and educated, our sense of empathy has expanded, and so we're less apt to demonize people who are not like us and to imagine the world from their point of view," he said.

Attempting to explain as broad and complex a series of events as the global reduction in violence over several cen­ turies is certainly ambitious, but it's simply the next step for Pinker. And if his previous works are any guide, the book will be relentlessly interdisciplinary, thoroughly erudite, and mixed with the mischievous intellectual curiosity that has de­ fined Pinker's work since his days at McGill. ■

www.mcgilltribune.com

07.04.09 - The McGill Tribune • 7

SSMU Report Cards

After the Tribune gave Kay Turner a C- for her tenure as vice-president internal last year, we weren't optimistic about the prospect of a Turner presidency.

But, Turner has outperformed the Tribune's every expectation. She has managed to hold the SSMU Executive together despite the resignation of VP Finance and Operations Tobias Silverstein, picking up many of his responsi­ bilities herself. Turner also helped to temper potentially explosive issues such as Choose Life's con­ troversial club status application, and the divisive Gaza motion at the winter General Assembly.

While Turner has done a good job overall, there were larg­ er problems with SSMU that she could have handled better. The GA reform motion put forward by the Executive during the winter election period was misleading.

It was presented as simply chang-

ing the regulations controlling GAs from the SSMU constitution to the by-laws, making them easi­ er to modify in the future. But the motion also removed the quali­ fied quorum requirement for GAs, making it easier for a small minor­ ity of students to dominate GAs. Turner also has maintained good relations with former Elec­ tions McGill Chief Electoral Office Nicole Gileadi, but she failed to work well enough with Elections McGill before Council censured the organization, setting off a petty feud. Though Turner has admitted that Elections McGill's mass resignation didn't surprise her, she did little to stop it.

Despite this failure, we think that Turner's presidency was an overall success. The Tribune hopes Ivan Neilson will continue her tradition of consensus-based leadership.

Julia Webster, VP Internal: A;■■■■ h tm

à * u

Nadya Wilkinson, VP university Affairs: A

As part of last year's SSMU election coverage, the Tribune published a cautiously optimistic en­ dorsement of Nadya Wilkinson. At the time, we said that Wilkinson, though warm, polite, and brimming with enthusiasm, lacked legitimate political experi­ ence. According to the endorsement, Wilkinson's credentials— two years with the McGill Sustainabil­ ity Project— were inadequate, and that she would struggle navigating McGill's bureaucratic channels.

Hindsight being what it is, the Tribune admits its mistake and applauds Wilkinson's successful term as VP university affairs.

Wilkinson has been a tireless advocate for stu­ dents this year. Back in October, she helped publi­ cize the administration's regulations banning travel in specific countries. For months, Wilkinson led the charge against the regulations. Though the travel directive was ultimately instituted, the Tribune ap­

plauds Wilkinson's efforts.

Wilkinson spoke out against Bill 107— a grow­ ing concern threatening SSMU's seat on the Board of Governors. She also lobbied against axing classes of 10 people or less and reducing TA-student ratio, in the administration's most recent budgetary roll­ backs.

Wilkinson checked her ego at the door this year, unlike VP university affair from years past. She worked hard and fought realistic battles. She was charming, articulate, and intelligent. And ultimately, her hard work paid off.

Hopefully, Vice-President-elect University Af­ fairs Rebecca Dooley will work closely with Wilkinson during SSMU's transition period. If she's anything like Wilkinson this year, the university affairs portfolio is in good hands.

Samantha Cook, VP Clubs and Services:

After a strong first semester, VP Clubs and Ser­ vices Samantha Cook seemed to run out of steam in the new year. Granted, part of her slowdown could be attributed to the nature of the portfolio— most of the workload is concentrated in the fall semester— but Cook seemed to lose interest in the large-scale aspects of the job as the year progressed.

Cook handles the day-to-day aspects of the job quite well, and is approachable for both clubs and services, but she didn't accomplish much of note in the second semester. Aside from working with the McGill Outdoors Club to secure the purchase of their house in Prévost from McGill, and helping with the transfer of SSMU's indoor and outdoor parking to the university, Cook's accomplishments have been minimal.

We would have liked to see some tangible prog­ ress on a large-scale issue— like Cook's campaign promise to create a better system for club websites— in the last four months. The Tribune would also have liked to see Cook keep more regular office hours, since students cannot access the SSMU office after 5 p.m.

That being said, we were impressed that Cook picked up administrative duties for Gert's from the defunct VP finance portfolio. Although she wasn't as vocal as we would have liked during the Choose Life debate, she handled the club's application maturely.

Overall, Cook did a solid job with the portfolio, but we wish she had shown more initiative towards the end of the year.

<«

Although her portfolio has quieted down considerably this semester, Vice-President Internal Julia Webster has done an excel­ lent job, performing her duties well and contributing as a strong and vocal member of the execu­ tive.

SnowAP, one of the winter semester's bigger events, was well-run. It's bound to lose money in its current form, but Webster co-ordinated this year's event ef­ ficiently and effectively.

Webster has been working hard on getting the SSMU website up and running in both English and French, and improving the business model of Flaven Books.

In addition, she is working closely with next year's VP Internal Alex Brown to ensure a smooth transi­ tion, and helping Brown with the subtleties of the job.

Perhaps Webster's last hur­ dle left to clear is negotiating SSMU's new beer contract. Web­ ster (along with President Kay Turner) was mandated by SSMU Council last Thursday to negoti­ ate a new agreement. SSMU has received proposals from seven different companies, and it's im­ portant that Webster strikes the best deal for SSMU. When the current semester is considered alongside the last one, Webster has had a great year.

SSMU events (with the exception of February's Four Floors) have been successful. She has been a reasoned but forceful voice on Council, and has been a dedicat­ ed and hardworking member of the Executive. Webster will defi­ nitely be a difficult act to follow next year.

Devin Alfaro, VP External Affairs: D Rather than a voice for McGill students, VP Ex­ ternal Devin Alfaro has been SSMU's political mime.

His greatest achievement of the year has been laying the groundwork for theTable de Concertation, a new association of Quebec students' societies, and for that we applaud him. Unfortunately, the TDC's proposed by-laws are a raw deal for McGill students: SSMU members are severely under-represented in the voting structure (see our editorial, "McGill gets theTDC shaft,"on Page 9 for more details).

And that's Alfaro's greatest achievement. Be­ cause SSMU hasn't had any external representation for the past year, a big part of the external portfolio is to lobby the provincial and federal governments— something Alfaro has failed to do effectively. In his recent lobbying trip to Quebec City, Alfaro didn't even meet with any representatives of the govern­ ing Liberal party. Instead, he had an unproductive meeting with the Parti Québécois, and spent most of his time with Amir Khadir— the Québec Solidaire party's first (and only) MNA. If that's any indication of

SSMU's lobbying strategy, we're not optimistic about Alfaro's meeting with Education Minister Michelle Courchesne later this month.

Things have been just as bad on campus in the external portfolio. The "Reclaim Your Campus" cam­ paign Alfaro launched in September had already fizzled out by winter, failing to unite campus groups after agreeing on an unrealistic set of goals. In terms of tangible results, the outreach campaign to the Milton-Parc community was equally underwhelm­ ing.

Alfaro didn't pick up any duties from the finance and operations portfolio when Tobias Silverstein resigned, hasn't been a particularly strong voice on SSMU Council, and doesn't seem engaged in other aspects of his portfolio— like the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations' lawsuit against SSMU. The position of VP external demands political savvy: something the otherwise intelligent and articulate Alfaro seems to lack.

SSMU Legislative Council: B SSMU Legislative Council got most things right this year, but exhausted themselves debating trivialities, and didn't spend enough time on issues that mattered to students. At its bi-weekly meeting, Council was also marred by chronic attendance problems, stalling debate as Speaker Jordan Owens struggled to maintain quorum. Nevertheless, theTribune applauds the councillors who did contribute to healthy campus discourse: Law Representa­ tive Alexandre Shee, Arts Representative Hanchu Chen, Clubs and Services Representative Jose Diaz, and Clubs and Services Representative Alex Brown, to name a few.

Awarding full-club status to Choose Life was Council's greatest success this year. De­ bate on the issue was heated, but it never boiled over.TheTribune applauds the Clubs and Services Committee for recommending interim and full club status for Choose Life— an

integral step in the process. Ultimately, however, it was Council that made the right deci­ sion.

Council's censure of Elections McGill, on the other hand, was handled poorly. The Tri­ bune acknowledges that Elections McGill should have been reprimanded. However, by merely censuring Elections McGill, Council failed to address the problem or attempt to remedy it. At the very least, a Councillor should have sat down with Elections McGill CEO Nicole Gileadi and communicated Council's concerns.

Like all years, though, Council had its ups and downs. The Tribune would like to thank Council for putting up with us giggling and whispering in the gallery— we thoroughly en­ joyed all of it.

O p in io n HISTORIA ME ABSOLVERA

YOU HAD AN OPTION, SIR

The birds, the bees, and the neo-liberals

More government isn't always a bad thing T imothy M ak

M ax S ilverman

TIMOTHY.MAK@MAIL.MCGILL.CA

MAXWELL.SILVERMAN@MAIL.MCGILL.CA

ver the past two years, I've been writing columns in the Tribune about reducing the size and scope of government, re­ moving trade barriers, and rethinking whether restrictive regulations are necessary. My inten­ tion was to increase the diversity of opinions on campus, which is why I stayed away from ad­ dressing solutions that come from the perceived consensus at McGill, which is usually liberal. I've argued for lower taxes, less government, and fewer regulations. I have described governments as coercive, patronizing, and inefficient. And, of course, I still hold all these things to be true.

But where's the limit? Is government bad only up to a point, after which it becomes ef­ fective and useful? That view is too simplistic, but I do believe that government can do some things, and do them well. Our generation faces dire economic circumstances, a rigid political system, and an apathetic society. How do con­ servative principles play into these problems?

It's certainly fair to say that cutting government spending and decreasing taxes isn't the solution to every problem. In the midst of financial melt­ downs and political disinterest, stoic inaction is callous at best.

For example. I've long been frustrated with some small-c conservative approaches to cli­ mate change. I'm no scientist, but those who are agree almost universally that climate change is real. Some conservatives will point to private property rights as a solution to existing envi­ ronmental problems. Although private property rights can provide redress if someone dumps a barrel of carcinogenic chemicals in your back­ yard, they're far less useful when dealing with externalities. With greenhouse gas emissions, it's much harder to track what property is dam­ aged, and who is responsible for what portion of the damage.

Other conservatives recognize the prob­ lem with the solutions they propose: too small a blanket is being used to cover too large a bed.

They may recognize that the traditional prescrip­ tion of "less government" doesn't address prob­ lems that can only be solved by government. In this case, a common reaction is to deny that the problem exists at all.

To be relevant to our generation, conser­

O

vatives will have to concede that some govern­ ment is necessary. Radicalism can exist in both liberal and conservative schools of thought, and it's not particularly productive in either. Strict adherence to dogmatic libertarianism— where less government is always better— will lead us nowhere. To appeal to our generation, conser­ vatives need to directly address the concerns of people under 30, including the problem of cli­ mate change.

Grover Norquist famously said that he'd like to shrink government "down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub." I still believe that this should be the case, but I don't think we should reject every single solution involving government.

I'm also concerned by the sense of entitle­ ment some conservatives have about their vot­ ing base. I'm currently working in Washington, D.C., where I recently heard a woman say that there's no sense in appealing to young voters.

"After all," she said, "they'll come to us even­ tually when they get married, move to the sub­ urbs, and buy a house."

Yet our generation will likely be marrying later, living in more urban environments, and possibly renting until later in our lives. Demo­ graphics are changing, and it's no longer in­ evitable that people become conservative after they turn 30. If conservatives are to remain fully relevant, we must add detail to our dogmas, and be flexible enough in governance to consider some solutions that involve government.

Conservatism will persist into the future, and it will maintain much of its appeal. The Ca­ nadian government currently has over $700 billion in debt, and this figure is rising quickly.

Last year, Canadians worked from January 1 to June 14 to pay off the tax bill imposed on them by government. Clearly, traditional conservative solutions are still relevant.

As I bid farewell to the pages of theTribune, I still wish for more freedom and choice for all Canadians, young and old, rich and poor. And I finish my time here at McGill and the Tribune convinced that incentives matter, individuals need to be more responsible, "the facts of life are conservative," and we all need to have more options, sir. ■

omeone recently told me that interna­ tional bee populations are on the de­ cline. It's expected that bees who per­ form the vital act of pollination— a key part of the old "birds and bees" story— will soon be extinct. Following this event, agriculture is expected to enter a tailspin that will result in the greatest food crisis humanity has ever faced. Combine that with the now-uncon­ trollable progress of global warming— and associated disasters such as new epidem­ ics— and the future looks grim.

So why do I bother? What's the point of building a better society if something as in­ nocuous as the decline of the honey indus­ try is going to cause humankind's downfall?

It's particularly easy to think this way, because the neo-liberal revolution is at its peak right now. Policies that were dismissed as counter-intuitive, backwards, cruel, and illogical are now the gospel. A report by the Spence Commission— which includes some of the world's foremost economists and policy-makers— declared that the ultra-lais­ sez-faire approach of neo-liberal capitalism won't deliver the goods. Yet our teachers, our media, and our government keep ped­ dling the same ideas that got us into this recession mess to begin with.

How do they do it? Neo-liberalism has created a new discourse and set of expecta­ tions. "Professionalization" is the tune of the day, be it in police forces, social services, and even (or especially) universities.This"professionalization" is usually combined with an effort to improve "efficiency."

Efficiency, in this context, means re­ moving checks and balances, thus giving the newly "professionalized" workers free reign. The result is a lack of connection to the workplace, a lack of accountability to the consumer, and a decline in service.

Of course, if this were the only result, we (the consumers, the people, or whatever you want to call the victims of this insidious revolution) probably wouldn't take it. But this "professionalization" is bundled with superficial improvements and an Orwellian discourse on how this will improve service,

S

access, and efficiency.

You can't find a professional librarian at McGill because they're overworked, but you can check find their doubles online in Sec­ ond Life. You can't hold a protest on campus to stand up for yourself, but you can attend a town hall with no decision-making pow­ ers hosted by Principal Heather MunroeBlum. You can't even begin to navigate the red tape of the McGill administration, but you can enter a contest to write about it.

And you can't find anyone to help you plan your degree, but you can download the new course calendar in PDF format.

McGill will cease to be an academic in­ stitution in the historical understanding of the term if we continue in the direction laid out by the university's senior administration.

McGill is becoming a highly-efficient and very-professional degree mill. Interdisciplin­ ary programs, academic services, and any student involvement beyond the textbook have been under attack since Munroe-Blum arrived at McGill. Her administration has shown that it doesn't value undergraduate education.

From an efficiency-seeking perspec­ tive, this makes sense: there's no money to be made from undergraduates when tuition is regulated. It's graduate students, postdoc­ toral students, and academics who bring in federal grant money and the opportunity for partnerships with private firms. Yet under­ graduates still buy McGill sweaters, frame their McGill degrees, and generally refuse to engage in any sort of struggle to improve conditions at the unviersity.

In the face of a precarious future, hu­ manity needs to work together. The hyper­ individualism and decline in social action that characterize neo-liberal societies will only bring us ruin. This approach hasn't been able to solve the smallest of challenges or improve lives on the local level, let alone face a global disaster.

It would be tragic if humanity were wiped off the face of the Earth, simply be­ cause we couldn't even get our shit togeth­ er to deal with the honey bees. ■

FRESH HELL

Zoe has an epiphany at the post office Z oe D aniels ZKDANIELS@GMAIL.COM

here are many people in the world who you're better than in some respect. Other people may be slower than you, worse at cooking, or bad at telling stories. Sometimes, I get mad that other people don't live up to a standard I have in mind. I forget that they're probably good at things I'm terrible at— like surfing and chemistry. I've rolled my eyes at people who take a long time to order at Tim Horton's. I've honked at out-of-town drivers. I've whined when I'm on a team with the slow kid. You probably have, too— like many McGill students, I can be nitpicky, competitive, and bossy. And as charming as we are, these traits aren't necessarily positive.

It all started when I was a kid. I went to parent-teacher conferences religiously. I loved to be in the room when the teacher told my parents that I was smart and co-operative— another adult corroborating what I already knew. Before start­ ing third grade, I read the list of my 23 classmates and burst into tears. I lamented to my father that I was "in a class with 21 idiots'."

At third grade parent-teacher conferences, I was surprised to learn that, although I was smart, I was also lazy and had a bad attitude. Obviously, my teacher didn't understand that I

T

was superior to the rest of my class. I cried through dinner and pouted through school the next day. I like to think that those tendencies have dissipated over the intervening years, but they recently flared up.

A few days ago, l was at a post office in Chicago. The post office is a cross-section of humanity, staffed by a specific slice of it. Both tellers were blue-collar women: a Korean immigrant inexplicably named Juanita, and a black woman with a weave just like Andy Warhol's. Neither of them spoke prescriptively proper English. Both wore, in my opinion, too much makeup. I could also smell the customer at the teller window from across the room, and her hair was matted into a single dreadlock that hung down her back like a beaver tail.

As we waited for her to stammer answers to routine ques­ tions in broken English, the woman in front of me turned and quietly said, "I always think I hate my job, but then I come to the post office." After a pang of "Sing it, sister," something oc­ curred to me: although 40 hours a week here would be hellish, it's not like no one was trying. Both tellers and customers were doing their best to explain their needs and get them attended to— proper English be damned.

This gave me a whole new perspective on the situation.

For once, instead of being annoyed, I was fascinated by how resourceful people are. When confronted with a language barrier, we use signals or pictures instead of words. When someone reeks, we can plug our noses from the inside (well, some of us can). We can use shoeboxes to send packages and home-made postcards. How delightful to see the ways people cover their faults.

I would certainly not be interested in coming to the post office every day, but my trip made me think twice about judg­ ing other people by my standards. Just observing people is a lot more fun than comparing them to myself— and not just because I hate to lose. I ended my visit to the post office by eavesdropping on a conversation between the Andy Warhol teller and a Korean customer: "They raised the price of packages. That'll be $109 " "What?!?"

"April fool's—just kidding. I had to get somebody. It's $41.95" I got a chuckle out of that, so I think it's about time my superiority complex took an extended vacation. ■

www.mcgilltribune.com

07.04.09 «The McGill Tribune • 9

EDITORIALS www.mcgilltribune.com

Editor-in-Chief Matt Chesser editor@mcgilltribune.com

Managing Editors Crystal Chan Thomas Quail seniored@mcgilltribune.com

Production Manager Samantha Chang production@mcgilltribune.com

News Editors James Gilman Theo Meyer news@mcgilltribune.com

Opinion Editor Bernard Rudny opinion@mcgilltribune.com

Features Editors Meghna Marjadi Carolyn Yates features@mcgilltribune.com

Arts & Entertainment Editors Kyle Carpenter Carolyn Grégoire arts@mcgilltribune.com

Sports Editor Jacob Kanter sports@mcgilltribune.com

Photo Editor Adam Scotti photo@mcgilltribune.com

Online Editor Kaylea Howarth online@mcgilltribune.com

Design Editors Femi Kassim Janet McMullen design@mcgilltribune.com

McGill gets the TDC shaft Afghan democracy ll students are equal, but some are more equal than others. That's the basic principle behind the voting system for the Table de Concertation, a new association of which the Students' Society will soon be a founding member.

McGill students have been lacking provincial political representation since SSMU's falling outs with the Quebec Fed­ eration of University Students (FEUQ) in 2006, and the Canadian Federation of Students in 2007. To remedy that, SSMU is founding a new provincial association along with students' societies from the University of Laval and the University of Sherbrooke. Societies from the University of Quebec at Montreal should also be on board soon. The TDC would be more streamlined than larger organizations like FEUQ or the CFS, while still allowing its members to lobby the government in a concerted manner.

There's a lotto like about theTDC. For one thing, students wouldn't be footing the bill: the organization could fund itself through government grants. Also, as a provincial organization without a perma­ nent staff, theTDC is less likely to become bloated or bureaucratic. SSMU has been unable to effectively lobby the provincial government on its own, and the TDC pro­ vides the best way to go about that un­ pleasant, but necessary, task.

Unfortunately SSMU would be a po­ litical pauper under the proposed TDC by-laws. Rather than allot votes propor­ tionally to the number of students each society represents, the TDC by-laws use a Byzantine allocation system: societies with 2,000 members or less get a single vote; those with 2,001 to 10,000 members get two votes; and those with more than 10,000 members get three votes.

Here's the catch: UQAM students in different faculties are represented by

A

Advertising Manager Matt Ward

E ric W eiss

cpm@ssmu.mcgill.ca

Contributors David Benson, I.E. Brown, Zoe Daniels, Niki Hyde, John Kelsey, Shannon Kimball, Adam Laidlaw, Kailan Leung, Adam Levine, Timothy Mak, Valerian Mazataud, Therese Schireson, Arik Schwartz, Brahna Siegelberg, Max Silverman, Ada Sonnenfeld, Valeria Stephens, Ethan Steward, Holly Stewart, Renée Sutton, Eric Weiss, Jason Willems

Tribune Offices Editorial Shatner University Centre Suite 110,3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 1X9 T: 514398.6789 E: info@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Brown Student Building Suite 1200, 3600 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 1Y2 T: 514.398.6835 F: 514.398.7490

W

It's hard living the lonesome life

Copy Editor

Publisher

inston Churchill quipped that "democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." That's worth bearing in mind when evaluating recent events in Afghanistan.

This past week, a proposed law to regulate Shia marital re­ lations sparked outrage in the international community— and rightly so. The legislation was unapologeticaliy misogynistic: it robbed women of (among other things) their sexual auton­ omy, freedom of movement, and custody rights. However, in response to concerted diplomatic pressure, Afghan President Hamid Karzai withdrew the legislation on Saturday.

But, amidst all the justified criticism of the Afghan legis­ lation, a troubling suggestion emerged: that Canada should withdraw its military and financial support for the government of Afghanistan. This suggestion isn't entirely surprising— some people have become increasingly critical of Canada's role in Af­ ghanistan in recent years— but it's profoundly misguided.

For those people who have forgotten about Karzai's pre­ decessors, a brief recap of life under the Taliban may be worth­ while: all women (not just Shi'ites) were barred from leaving their homes. Or standing on their balconies. Or having jobs. Or speaking in public. Or choosing whom they would marry. And the list goes on.

The situation of women in Afghanistan is still very trou­ bling— there's no denying that. But that Afghan women have civil rights at all is among the country's most remarkable achieve­ ments in the past decade. Women are currently guaranteed one quarter of the seats in Afghanistan's elected parliament, and in the 2005 elections they won 28 per cent of the seats.

By withdrawing its support, Canada would be doing far more harm in Afghanistan than the proposed legislation ever could. We would be throwing a young, poor, and war-torn de­ mocracy to the wolves. The liberalization of Afghanistan is a slow process, and it's likely that the Afghan government (and people) will stumble again on the road to democracy. But that's precisely when we should be giving them a helping hand— and not the cold shoulder.

Last week's proposed legislation probably violated the UN Declaration of Human Rights, but future Afghan legislation may be perfectly legal, and equally offensive to Canadian sensibili­ ties. Ultimately, Canada's support for democracy in Afghanistan can't be contingent on the types of laws the country adopts. Our disagreements should be resolved diplomatically, as is the norm for democratic states, rather than by threatening the Afghan government's very existence. ■

FOOT IN MOUTH

Tori Crawford

Chad Ronalds

different students' societies. With 20,000 members, SSMU would have three votes, while the two UQAM societies that are considering membership— representing a total of 6,600 students— would have four votes. That gives UQAM students roughly quadruple the voting power of McGill undergraduates, and makes it easy for them to start a voting bloc.

SSMU Vice-President External Devin Alfaro has defended this unusual ar­ rangement by dismissing concerns about a UQAM voting bloc, and saying that TDC is "based on coming together to achieve consensus." Incoming VP Extrenal Sebas­ tian Ronderos-Morgan seems to agree.

But wishful thinking won't make this problem go away. People will always vote in their own interest— that's the nature of politics. And it's not clear that the other TDC members will have SSMU's best in­ terests at heart.

McGill has many out-of-province and international students, for example, while most UQAM and Laval students are Quebeckers. When it comes to issues like differential tuition, there's every reason to believe that SSMU and the other TDC members will have conflicting interests.

It's unclear whether SSMU would be ob­ ligated to support lobbying efforts that aren't in its interests, especially in the presence of a potential voting bloc.

It's important that McGill undergrad­ uates have effective external representa­ tion, and that's why theTribune supports the TDC in principle. But if SSMU is going to join a lobbying association, it should ensure that McGill students aren't get­ ting a raw deal. Proportional representa­ tion is the most fair and democratic way to allot votes. If the other TDC members aren't willing to agree to it, SSMU should think twice about whose interests the or­ ganization is really going to serve. ■

ERIC.WEISS@MAIL.MCGILL.CA

really didn't want to write this column. It's bitter, pathetic, melodramatic, and selfindulgent. It also makes my life seem like a bad emo song. But I've written this column a thousand times in my head, and I have nobody left to impress by not sharing my thoughts. This Thursday, I'll turn 23. I'll celebrate my birthday by toasting the conclusion of my fifth and final year as a McGill undergraduate. I'll also celebrate my 23rd year of being alone.

That's not entirely fair, because I'm not en­ tirely alone. I have many close friends and family members who have been there for me through­ out my life, and I'm more grateful for them than I am for anything else that I have. But there's a difference between being loved and having a lover, and living 23 years without intimacy has given me a rather detached perspective on ro­ mance.

There's a contradiction between the ideol­ ogy of equal rights and the process of human courtship. Having sex is fundamentally intru­ sive: it collapses the physical and psychological space between two people. There's a fine line between an invitation and an invasion, which makes it easy (and dangerous) to misread ro­ mantic cues. Making a move without an invita­ tion is a violation of personal freedom. In the best cases, it leads to awkwardness and hurt feelings. In more severe cases, it's rightfully

I

called sexual harassment.

I have a tendency to envision worst-case romantic scenarios, so I've never felt comfort­ able being an invader. Ironically, the willingness to violate personal boundaries is a prerequisite for intimacy. You have to get noticed before you can get laid. The men who get noticed are the ones who are self-confident (or self-absorbed) enough to insert themselves into social situa­ tions and impose themselves as lovers. That's why women will look for Mr. Right but go home with some asshole. Most people are familiar with the slogan "no means no." I seem to be the only person foolish enough to listen. It'd be more ac­ curate to say "no means try harder."

Nice guys really do finish last. And quite frankly, it makes me question my values. All my life I've tried to be a decent person. Yet I'm still stuck in the batter's box while Kevin Federline lives out the pubescent fairy tale of an entire generation. With domestic abuse still as much of a problem as ever, I'm increasingly curious about why restraint is so repulsive.

I've been patient, but I'm frustrated— it doesn't seem fair. I'm not the best looking guy on the planet, but I'm certainly not the worst.

Every woman I've ever pursued has asked that we remain friends.The general consensus is that I'd make a good boyfriend. I'd love to know what the criteria for that are, though, because nobody

ever wants to be my girlfriend. A guy can only accumulate so many "friends" before he starts to feel like he has something contagious.

I hope this column isn't mistaken for bitter­ ness towards any individual. I deal well with re­ jection and I appreciate honesty. I'd rather some­ one openly turn me down than string me along, and I don't want to force anyone into anything.

But I'm beginning to realize that the consider­ ation that makes me a "nice guy" also prevents me from having someone to share my life with.

The pattern wears on me. I've still never been on something that could properly be called a date.

I'm not depressed— I like life far too much.

But I am sad. When I first arrived at McGill (a Play­ b o y -e n d o rse d party school), I thought it was im­ possible to survive five years without stumbling into some kind of relationship. Now, I know ex­ actly how something like The 40-Year-Old Virgin could happen. I'm still looking. It's possible this column will no longer be accurate by the time you read it. But, based on past experience, I'm not optimistic. On Thursday, I'll wake up, roll over, and there still won't be anyone there to wish me a happy birthday.

So thanks for reading my self-indulgent musings. I wish all of the returning and incom­ ing students the best of luck in the future. May you all be able to share the experiences that I enjoyed alone. ■

The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students'Society of McGill University in collaboration with theTribune Publication Society. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Students'Society or McGill University. Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor's name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to theTribune. Submissions judged by theTribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. TheTribune reserves the right to edit all contributions: Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

10 - The McGill Tribune • 07.04.09

Letters to the editor Be responsible when reforming McGill residences I spent four years living and work­ ing in the McGill residence system: one as a first year student, and three more as a member of the Floor Fellow team in Gardner Hall (2003-2006). These years were incredibly formative for me and the innumerable students I worked with. The skills I gained are put to use every day in my current job in a com­ munity organization.

In my work, I have seen the same principle demonstrated over and over again: treating young adults like chil­ dren brings rebellion and disaster, while treating them like adults provides im­ mense opportunities for growth, learn­ ing, and rising to the many challenges that independant living has to offer.

The flexibility of "one rule: respect" as a disciplinary system allows the staff in residences to treat each other and the students they serve like individuals, in­ stead of cases.

Leaving room for open discus­ sion about alcohol, drugs, food, coping

mechanisms, mental health, sex, etc., fosters an environment of dialogue and harm reduction, where people feel safe seeking help if something goes wrong.

The fact that my students had nothing to hide from me, and nothing to fear, literally saved lives in Gardner Hall during the years I worked there.

Watching students gain skills in taking care of themselves (and each other) in a supportive, rather than a restrictive, environment was an experience that cemented the goals and approach of the residence system for me. Please treat incoming staff and students like humans with hearts and brains, not like potential liabilities.They deserve better.

We deserve better.

I urge the McGill administration to see the current team of academic staff and building directors as an indispens­ able resource, and to take a close look at the incredibly progressive, responsi­ ble, and responsive manner that McGill residences have been run over the last number of years. Changes to the system should be made in careful consultation

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >

The Tribune thanks you

Genocide denial is just plain wrong Re: "Letters to the editor: A com­ pletely disinterested critique of the Tribune's heavily biased journalism," 31.03.09 I was at first stunned and am now upset after reading Ergun Kirikovali's let­ ter in the last issue of theTribune, where he characterizes denial of the Armenian Genocide— during which over one mil­ lion Armenians were murdered— as simply an "unpopular view." Kirikovali then goes on to state that charges of genocide waged against the Armenian population by the Ottoman Empire are

political and cannot be supported by historical evidence.

As a McGill student, I am ashamed to have such an "unpopular view" ex­ pressed by a member of my academic community. There is undeniable evi­ dence that the genocide of Armenians took place. I cannot even begin to ad­ dress the horrors that the Armenians were subjected to. Yehuda Bauer, a Jew­ ish historian and scholar of the Holo­ caust, said that the Armenian Genocide "is the closest parallel to the Holocaust" and mainly differs only in motivation.

I refer the reader, and especially Kirikovali, to chapter 10 of Robert Fisk's book The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest o f the M iddle East for a concise summary of the Armenian Genocide including historical background and in­ terviews with survivors.

As H. Jackson Brown, Jr. said, "The greatest ignorance is to reject some­ thing you know nothing about."

— Nasser Mohieddin Abukhdeir Fourth-year PhD, chemical engineering

SUMMER WORK $15.05 base appt.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- \

CORRECTIONS

• Flexible PT/FT positions available • Apply now, start after finals • Customer sales/service • No experience necessary • Conditions apply • All majors welcome

In last week's article, "University of Winni­ peg bans bottled water," University of Winnipeg Students'Association President Vijay Iyer's name was incorrectly listed as Vinay Iyer.

Also, in the article "Activist Weeks discusses poverty in Africa," Mathew Cherian's name was incorrectly listed as Mathew Cherlan.

The Tribune extends a huge thanks to all of our contributors from the 200809 year. If we missed your name in this list, we're very sorry, but we've really ap­ preciated you taking the time to write stories.

Ada Sonnenfeld, Adam Laidlaw, Adam Levine, Adrian Taylor, Alan Boileau, Alana Levine, Alex Eidman, Alexandra Swann, Alice Walker, Alison Bailey, Amélie Gouin, Amrita Kumar-Ratta, Andrew Miller, Andrew Seo, Andrew Sullivan, Andy Yu, Arielle Frank, Arik Schwartz, Ariq EmtenanAustin del Rio, Bean Brenner, Bianca Van Bavel, Brahna Siegelberg, Brittany Paterson, Byron Tau, Cara Wilson, Carly Orleach, Charles Garfinkle, Christie Lee, Cleve Higgins, Danai Reynolds, Daniel Otis Smith, Danielle Cherkas, David Benson, Diane Salema, Elizabeth Perle, Emma CabreraAragon, Emma Quail, Eric Weiss, Greg Osadec, Harpreet Grewal, Haruki Nakagawa, Holly Stewart, Huge Galdones, I.E. Brown, Jake Heller, Jana Goodbaum, Jason Wil­ lems, Johanu Botha, John Kelsey, Jon Rubenstein, Joshua Rosenblatt, Julie Beau­ champ, Justin Margolis, Kailan Leung, Katherine Stavro, Kayan Hui, Laura Daniels, Lauren Diamond, Leanne Kilroy, Lena Gayraud, Leona Teixeira, Lukas Samuelson, Madeleine Werker, Marie Houge, Margot Bishop, Marshneill Abraham, Max Silverman, Meaghan Davis, Michael Dean, Michael Tau, Mohammed Miraly, Nadia Ali, Nadim Roberts, Nancy Pham, Nasser Al-Shawwa, Nasser Mohieddin Abukhdeir, Nate Vanderweerd, Niki Hyde, Oluwadamini Adesegha, Oubai El Kerdi, Pamela Fillion, Pamela Lee, Rachel Abs, Renee Sutton, Ricky Kreitner, Riva Gold, RJ Kelford, Ryan Taylor, Sabrina Roan, Sam Greenwood, Sam Hunter, Samuel Mickelson, Sara McCulloch, Sarah Babbage, Sarah Flatto, Sarah Ghabrial, Sarah Xu, Sean Wood, Shannon Kimball, Shea Sinnott, Sheila Giffen, Shilpa Sitram, Sophia Scott, Stephanie Gutnik, Stephanie Macintosh, Steven Beirness, Steven Hoffer, Tasmia Sher, Timothy Mak, Trip Yang, Tyler Ye, Valeria Stephens, Valerian Mazataud, Vicky Tobianah, Vincci Tsui, Will Jennings, William Robinson, Zoe Daniels, Zoe Kichler, Zoë Miller-Vedam

CALL

514-939-8800

www.workforstudents.corn S____________________________________________)

FINALLY!

UNLIMITED Canada long distance - Cell and home include*

A gigantic thank-you to Chad Ronalds, for letting us turn the print deadline into "more of a meta-physical concept", and still getting the paper onto stands.

Lastly, much gratitude goes to Matt Ward, the advertising manager for the Tribune who has done a great job in difficult economic circumstances. We appre­ ciate all the hard work he put into the job this year.

$

3

. 9

5

/month FLAT RATE !*

$13.95 BELIEVE IT !

Canada + 50 countries

We couldn't have done it without you, thanks again to everyone!

V__________________________ ___ __________________________ f

with the people who know the system best: those who work in it now.

There is a huge community of cur­ rent and former staff who have wisdom to share as the university looks into mak­ ing changes to this system. Please know that we are not inflexible nor opposed to change, but we care deeply about the values that make McGill residence what it is, and we will defend them fiercely.

— Carly Boyce, BA 2006, BSW 2008

'

EDITOR'S NOTE A special thanks to Eric, Max, Riva, RJ,Tim, and Zoe from your persnickety, but eternally grateful, editor.

You've been a great slate of columnists, and it's been a pleas­ ure editing your work this year. May you continue to be in­ sightful, funny, and judicious in your use of adjectives.

— Bernard

s________________________________________________________J

or pay as you go with 1 0 - 1 1 - 2 9 5 from 2 C a minute from any Bell landline

T ribunecall inpartnershipwith / fh m rldliiw

C a ll N o w 5 1 4 4 4 8 9 2 0 5 O r see: w w w .w o r ld lin e .c a Say "The Me Gill Tribune" when asked!

* $10 annual network fee applies to flat rate plans

S t u d e n t L iv in g FOOD GURU

food guru

The perfect spring cupcake Pretty, pastel, anddeceptivelyeasytomake C arolyn G régoire & A dam L evine These simple, adorable cupcakes are the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of spring. They're beautiful to look at— and feature a delicious and surprisingly complex combination of flavours. The cupcakes are very light as well— an airy white almond cake is stuffed with a heavenly raspberry cream and topped with a dusting of chopped pistachio. The light gold of the cake topped with pink cream and green pistachios creates a lovely colour combination.

You can use a boxed cake mix (we favour Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Cake Mix: Extra Moist— it calls for egg whites only, which results in a super light angel food-like cake). We then added a generous tablespoon of almond extract— a flavour element that's essential for this recipe. After the cup­ cakes cooled, we stuffed their centres with a whipped cream blended with chopped fresh raspberries. This beautiful, ma­ genta-coloured cream is frosting's cooler, more sophisticated cousin— delicious, light, and burst­ ing with flavour.

Topping the cakes with chopped pis­ tachios offers a coloured and tex­ tural counterpoint, as well as one last exciting element of flavour.

ingredients • • • • •

1 box of white cake mix 1 tbsp. almond extract a Fresh chopped raspberries 1 cup whipping cream Finely chopped pistachios

Directions

T erese Schireson

1. Bake the cupcakes as directed on the box or from your own recipe, making sure to add the almond extract. Allow the cupcakes to cool before stuffing.

2. Whip one cup of whipping cream with a whisk or mixer until it is stiff and fluffy. Using a large spoon or spatula, fold the chopped raspberries into the cream until it is pink throughout. Next, spoon the mixture (in batches) into a Ziploc bag. Twist the exterior end to squeeze the cream into one corner.Take a scissor and cut a small piece of the bag off of this corner— you've just made your own piping bag.

3. To stuff the cakes, use a knife to cut a small X all the way down into the centre of each cupcake. You can use the handle of the knife to make a hole into which you'll pump the raspberry cream.

4. Place the open end of the piping bag into the cavity and squeeze (from the back of the bag), filling the cupcake and leaving a rounded dollop of cream on top.

5. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and enjoy. ■

LOCAL EATS

How to dump Dominos Saygoodbyetomass-produced pizza S hannon K imball Watching students buy groceries is like watching the food pyramid crumble: the average university student diet consists of Kraft Dinner, coffee, beer, and frozen pizza. This last item disturbs me the most, because frozen and delivery pizzas that taste like their cardboard packaging do not do the dish jus­ tice. Chain companies that sell two pizzas for the price of one are making up in quantity what they lack in quality, and the ingredients are far from fresh. Real pizzas made with freshly sliced mozzarella, seasonal vegetables, and authentic tomato sauce passed down through the generations are rarely seen on campus or in grocery stores, but they're all over Montreal.

A traditional pizzeria, minus the checkered table cloths, may even be date appropriate. Here are two very different pizzerias that are a short walk from campus and will make you boycott the frozen pizza aisle.

Prato: 3891 St. Laurent; 514-285-1616 Prato is a cross between a bistro and a pizzeria. Floor to ceiling windows with views of bustling St. Laurent meet pizza the Sicilians might actually be proud of. The exposed brick on the walls extends to a pizza oven that is bigger than most Upper Rez rooms. There's less of a student crowd at Prato, which makes it a perfect escape for a date.

Atmosphere aside, Prato has mastered the thin, crispy crust with a chewy centre. A pizza crust shouldn't crunch and flake like a cracker, nor should it have to be chewed to the point that it has no flavour, and Prato has found the balance.

The traditional margherita pizza, dressed in mozzarella, toma­ to sauce, sliced tomatoes, and fresh basil is simple enough to satisfy any palette. Other specialties include the Pizza Fausto, with tissue-thin prosciutto, basil, goat cheese, and garlic. The more adventurous should try the tomato-free Pizza Bianca, which is dressed in a cream sauce, mozzarella, bacon, and rosemary. A list of two dozen additional toppings is available, including sundried tomatoes, red peppers, Italian sausage, and, of course, extra cheese. Diners can watch their pizza cook work in the brick oven. And to emphasize its freshness, each pizza is directly brought from the oven to the table while on a steaming cookie sheet. The accompanying charcoal aroma is unique to the brick oven and can't be found in a frozen

Not your mama's brownies Chocolatewithakick Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, and with the sunshine finally emerging, everything could use a little spicing up. Why not give your baked goods a kick? Next time you're craving some brownies, skip the predictable box mix and try these home-made, subtly-spicy brownies instead. The secret lies in the chili powder: though the combination of chocolate and chili is common in Mexican dishes, it's rarely attempted up north. So next time you're in the mood for baking, add a little excitement to your routine with these zesty treats. Enjoy them after a barbeque with friends, or as an energizing boost with your morning coffee.

Ingredients

• • • • • • • • • •

1 stick unsalted butter, chopped % cup sugar 1 % cups semisweet chocolate chips 2 large eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup flour 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 tbsp. chili powder 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon Directions

pizza. Prato's combination of fresh ingredients, simplicity, and elegance makes you wonder how anyone ever thought pizza could be reproduced in a microwave.

Amelio's: 201 Milton; 514-845-8396 When it comes to convenience and satiety, Amelio's de­ livers— literally. If you live outside the ghetto, or are drowning in textbooks and term papers, Amelio's ultra-filling pizzas will come to the rescue. Delivery or takeout may be faster options on most nights, as the dining room is small and a line forms quickly. Anyone lucky enough to nab a seat will be charmed by the soft lighting and cozy feel of this partially underground pizzeria. Their pizzas are hearty, to say the least, with at least an inch of dough below the mound of cheese and toppings.

A well stacked pie will cost between $10-15 per person, and includes salad and steaming bread. Their famous white pizza, with five cheeses and a cream sauce, will make your arteries cringe but your stomach say yes. It's not humanly possible to eat more than a few slices of an Amelio's pizza, so one pie is an investment for future meals. For a quick, carbohydrate-filled meal, Amelio's is a casual and inexpensive option right in the McGill Ghetto. ■

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 inch by nine inch baking dish.

2. Mix the butter, sugar, and chocolate chips together in a medium-sized, microwave-safe bowl and microwave for one minute or until soft. Stir the mixture until smooth. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

3. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, chili powder, and cinna­ mon in a large mixing bowl.

4. Add the chocolate mixture and mix by hand until smooth.

5. Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes insert toothpick and bake for a few minutes longer if toothpick does not come out dry.

6. Optional topping: mix 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 tea­ spoon chili powder and sprinkle over brownies prior to cutting into squares. Enjoy! ■

Campus Calendar Soulstice a Cappella Concert When: April 9,7:30 p.m.

Where: Birks Building Join Soulstice a Cappella at Birks Chapel on Thursday, April 9th. They'll be poking fun at every­ one's favourite internet phenomena and perform­ ing their usual brand of gorgeous and fun a cap­ pella music. Tickets are $7 for students and seniors and $9 for adults and they will be available at the door.

--------------------- — —- s s m ; ■ ■■ i- • ‘ __________________:____ G et a h ead start in S ep tem b er!

A d vertise y o u r M cG ill e v e n t in cam pus calendar. Send th e n am e, d a te , location, and o th e r info to fe a tu re s @ m c g illtrib u n e .c o m .

SHANNONKIMBALL

A

Y e a r in

P h o to s

www.mcgilltrioune.com

07.04.09 PHOTOS BYVALERIANMAZATAUD, NIKI HYDE, JASONWILLEMS, HOLLYSTEWART, JOHNKELSEYANDADAMSCOTTI

i

FE A T U R E S

C arolyn Y ates Ask anyone who's been to New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina— real New Orleans, past the French Quarter and Bourbon Street— and the one thing that's brought up over and over is the people. How kind they were. How thank­ ful. How— and this is the most surprising, after everything they've been through— happy. It's been over three and a half years since the waters that covered the city receded, and the rebuilding has hardly started, but residents and volun­ teers alike are working towards Louis Armstrong's wonderful world.

New Orleans is a city that should have been a lake and, when Katrina passed east of it on August 29,2005 it became one. Built along the banks of the Mississippi River at an aver­ age of 1.9 metres below sea level, the city is kept dry by a series of levees, both natural (on which the city was origi­ nally built) and man-made, which have enabled expansion in areas that would otherwise be underwater. The levees were built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and their failure and the resultant flooding of 80 per cent of the city has been called, in the words of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the worst engineering catastrophe in U.S. history.

Vancouver volunteers reached out first The volunteer effort to relieve the devastation of Katrina began shortly after. RCMP from Vancouver were some of the first to arrive, something that New Orleanians have not for­ gotten.

"They thank you," says Megan Schieck, a University of Windsor science student who spent a week in New Orleans volunteering for Habitat for Humanity last February. "They told us, '[Canadians] were the first people to come to our rescue. Your helicopters from Vancouver were the first.'That blows my mind— that Vancouver, the opposite side of the continent, brought the first helicopters."

Schieck went to New Orleans as part of a group of 27 Windsor students and staff members for a Habitat for Hu­ manity program.They travelled by bus and stayed in Habitat's Camp Hope, which is currently housed in a middle school.

The week she was there, it housed roughly 600 volunteers on bunk beds in old classrooms.

"You just reach a certain point when you realize that this thing that happened was really terrible; I can never go near it again and avoid having to deal with it, or I can do something about it," says Schieck.

Arndell LeBlanc, a first year journalism student at Con­ cordia who was taking time off from school when he went to New Orleans in December of 2007, was similarly inspired.

"I saw a photo of New Orleans that a Canadian took two years [after Katrina], and the photo was of a sign that said, 'Shame on you tourists, driving by without stopping.' And within two weeks ... I found a way to get there."

LeBlanc went down with the intention of creating a doc­ umentary. His plan was to live on the street— something he's done before— and go home to Ottawa before Christmas, but he stayed longer. The first time he cancelled his flight, it was because he had been hired by Relief Spark, an organization that supplies a SWAT team of volunteers to other organiza­ tions that need help. The second time he cancelled his flight home, it was to run the organization. While most of the re­ building effort's attention revolves around houses, Relief Spark helps with everything from building animal shelters to changing light bulbs.

"There's still people there who are not only trying to fix Katrina. People are trying to fix day-to-day life,"says LeBlanc.

Simply rebuilding destroyed houses is complicated by the fact that many are in different stages of decay: some can be gutted and rebuilt, which is far cheaper than building from scratch; some are waiting to be torn down, and others are completely gone.

"We saw houses in St. Bernard [Parish], and at first I thought they were parking spots, because they were flat and cement. We realized later that they were foundations" says Schieck. In some areas, wooden houses were built within 40 feet of the levee, and weren't secured to their foundations— when they even had any. When the levee broke, the houses were washed away.

Two of the areas most affected by Katrina were St. Ber­ nard Parish and the Lower Ninth Ward. Both areas are near levees that broke; both areas have a significant number of the population below the poverty line (in St. Bernard, 18.9 per cent live below the poverty line; in the Lower Ninth, the

07.04.09 • The McGill Tribune • 15

numbers are closer to 36.9 per cent) and both areas have yet to be rebuilt.

The problem with tourism Many visitors to New Orleans don't see this devasta­ tion— walking through the French Quarter or along Bourbon Street, there's no reason to. The main tourist areas were built on higher ground and therefore saw less flood damage and were repaired, rebuilt, and reopened on September 26, less than a month after Katrina. In contrast, the first house in the Lower Ninth was gutted that December.

"This is a poor area," says LeBlanc. "All the rich people in New Orleans? They already have their houses back."

Schieck and the rest of her group were assigned to two lots in St. Bernard Parish. When they arrived, the houses were little more than foundations set several feet above the ground and a cinderblock levee break facing the direction of the levee, where any flooding would be coming from.

By the end of the week, the volunteers— working with an­ other group of mostly high school students from Ohio— had framed up the interior and exterior of both houses.

"There is nothing more awe-inspiring than putting up a house," Schieck says fondly.

But while their efforts were realized, LeBlanc, who worked with volunteers as part of Relief Spark, is sceptical about how much visitors can do.

"They think, 'Why don't we just rebuild this block of houses?'The fact is that when there are people displaced all across the United States, families that have been separated ... just rebuilding the house is not that easy."

LeBlanc is also critical of how much many volunteers ac­ tually do, noting that many volunteered for a day or two and spent the rest of their trip visiting tourist areas— when they volunteered at all.

"They're just there to have a good time."

As for those who were actually helping? "[New Orleanians] would come and shake your hand and say, 'Thank you, you're doing a good job,"' says LeBlanc. "But there's also the flip side: some people, usually the wealthy, don't like the volunteers coming because they think, 'What­ ever, the poor people are gone.'"

Even in the short time he was there, LeBlanc saw change, but it was slow in coming.

"Brad Pitt put up his fake houses [made from tarps] right when I got there," says LeBlanc, not bothering to hide his dis­ taste. "But the second I left, Holmes on Hom es went down and really started something, so there was the positivity of that."

Food banks, clothing distribution operating out of commu­ nity centres, and even having a washing machine that can clean donated clothes are all steps in the right direction. But, "it's in slow, slow stages."

Scheick agrees.

"Nobody knows that New Orleans is still in ruins.... It's important to remember that just because we fixed up histor­ ically relevant parts of the city, there's a lot left to be done."

A new New Orleans Schieck, a first-time visitor to the city, found the experi­ ence strange.

"It's like someone has taken a very average city and put weird things in it. You see the sky, you see the bridge, you see the grass, you see the ducks paddling by— and then there's half a car."

Even that's an improvement. Katrina killed everything:

Bottom left: The pink tents set up by Brad Pitt's Make it Right foundation. Centre: Relief Spark volunteers unload supplies. Bottom right: A boat sits where the flood waters left it in 2005. The clean-up effort is far from finished. grass, ducks, ponds, and all. Restoring the city's gardens and vegetation has been the subject of more than a few lifestyle sections and is one more part of restoring the city itself.

Sandy Howe, a Residence Life Co-ordinator at Windsor and the organizer of both the most recent New Orleans vol­ unteer group and a similar group two years ago, has seen the city in various states of development.

"When we went the first time, it was 18 months after Ka­ trina, and it was completely devastated still. You could hardly tell that work had been done," Howe recalls. "But when we went back this time ... some of the businesses were starting to recover— they were cleaning up or the store was open— and houses had been knocked down that were in ruins the last time."

But even after all the work that's been completed, and the additional work still in progress, New Orleans isn't the city it once was.

"Everybody has an opinion, but the fact is, you don't re­ ally know anything until you get there," says LeBlanc, "and even when you get there, there are so many sides to this coin that it's not even black or white, it's just an ugly, ugly shade of grey, like the waters that covered New Orleans." ■

"I t 's lik e s o m e o n e h a s t a k e n A VERY AVERAGE CITY AND PUT WEIRD THINGS IN IT. YOU SEE THE SKY, YOU SEE THE BRIDGE, YOU SEE THE GRASS, YOU SEE THE DUCKS PADDLING BY— AND THEN THERE'S HALF A CAR."

PHOTOS COURTESYARNDELLLEBLANCANDRELIEFSPARK

A r ts &

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

ART

All they were saying was give peace a chance YokoOnotalks art and action at MMFA's Imagine exhibit opening C arolyn G régoire Forty years ago, John Lennon and Yoko Ono staged a week-long bed-in for peace, donning pajamas and chanting “Give Peace a Chance" in Suite 1742 of Montreal's Queen Eliza­ beth Hotel. As Lennon and Ono explained their feelings about the Vietnam War to the global media, their hotel bedroom became a forum for spreading their message of hope, peace, and love. Lennon chronicled the experience in the lyrics of the famous Beatles song "The Ballad of John and Yoko": "The new­ speople said 'Say, what're you doing in bed?' I said, 'we're only trying to get us some peace'."The bed-in was only the begin­ ning of the famous couple's enduring quest for universal love and tolerance.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the bed-in, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is presenting an exhibit com­ memorating the peaceful pair and their efforts towards estab­ lishing universal peace. Im agine: The Ballad o f John & Yoko re­ traces the fascinating lives of these cultural icons and interna­ tional peace activists but, more importantly, strives to renew their timeless message.

Their remarkable journey epitomizes Ono's famous state­ ment, "A dream you dream alone is a dream. A dream you dream together is reality." From imagining a better world to engaging in global peace projects, Lennon and Ono have in­ spired millions around the world and continue to inspire peo­ ple to this day with their message of hope.

At 75 years old, Ono remains a highly influential and ac­ tive member of the contemporary art world. Though often thought of simply as Lennon's muse and famous widow, Ono has been an important figure in the Fluxus and conceptual art movements, creating numerous innovative and experi­ mental works in visual, cinematic, musical, and performance mediums. Ono has always promoted peace in her works, from those in the 1966 exhibition at London's Indica Gallery where she first met John Lennon, to her contemporary works, which are still exhibited throughout the world.

Ono, who lent many works to the museum in order to make the exhibit possible, spoke about art, peace, and action during a press conference at the museum to launch Imagine.

Emphasizing that the world is an oasis, a place of great beauty which we have a responsibility to protect through peaceful ac­ tions, Ono explained: "It is very important that we take action to make sure that we create a world that is peaceful."

A soundscape of Lennon's music guides visitors through

the galleries of the exhibit as it progresses chronologically, beginning with photographs of Lennon and Ono's childhoods and culminating in the Im agine Peace room, which Ono cre­ ated specifically for the exhibit. Listening to the classic, unfor­ gettable songs which played such a fundamental role in the motion for peace— from "Power to the People" to "Imagine"— perfectly supplements the already rich aesthetic experience.

The exhibit highlights the work that has served to estab­ lish Ono as an avant-garde artist in her own right. Ono's White Chess Set (1966) is a monochromatic chess set, table, and chairs, which Ono described as a "chess set for playing as long as you remember where all your pieces are." Her famous performance work, Cut Piece, was also projected onto a-wall.

In The Bed-In (t969) gallery, visitors are greeted by Len­ non and Ono's empowering chant, "Give Peace A Chance," which was originally recorded in their Montreal hotel room.

On display are one of Lennon's guitars, handwritten lyrics to "Give Peace A Chance," black and white photographs of the event, and original signs from their initial Amsterdam bedin, which read "Bed Peace" and "Hair Peace." The exhibit then continues through rooms which include Im agine (1971), Som e Time in N ew York City (1971-1972), and War is Over! If You Want It. The Im agine Peace room is particularly memorable, with walls covered in various regional and world maps, stamped with the words "imagine peace" and "imagine la paix." A long row of Ono's iconic white chess tables, accompanied by white chairs with the words "play with trust" written on them crosses the center of the room.

The final room features a cluster of small trees, in the middle of which stands a Peace Library filled with books about different regions of the world and global cultures. The books will be donated to school libraries in underprivileged Montre­ al neighborhoods after the duration of the exhibit. The room also features a "wish tree" in which Ono invites visitors to write their wish for the world on a small piece of paper and hang it on the tree as a part of her enduring commitment of spread­ ing world peace. Walking through this room and joining Ono's message for peace while the ethereally beautiful piano melo­ dy of Lennon's "Love is Real" plays in the background can be a powerful and moving experience.

Echoing the sentiments Lennon expressed in the lyrics of "Imagine," the classic song in which he envisioned a "brother­ hood of man" and a day when "the world will be as one," Ono explained that the call for peace is as essential today as it was 40 years ago, and that dreams can become reality through the

collective action of people who engage their imaginations in the name of peace.

"The most important thing is imagining,"said Ono."lmagining is reality." ■ Imagine: The Peace Ballad of John & Yoko is on display at the M ontreal M useum o f Fine Arts (1380 Sherbrooke St. W.) until June 2i. Adm ission is free.

MMFA.QC.CA Who needs coffee? Lennon and Ono wake up and smell the flowers.

POP RHETORIC

Bigger than The Beatles t's been 49 years since The Beatles formed in Liv­ erpool, 47 since The Rolling Stones played their first show, and 42 since The Who recorded M y G e n ­ era tion . Finally, in 2009 a band has emerged that not only parallels the talent of these legendary artists, but in my opinion, greatly exceeds it. I am talking, of course, about the Jonas Brothers.

The Jonas Brothers are made up of Joe (who doesn't look a n yth in g like an effeminate John Stamos), Kevin, and Nick Jonas. These three gifted young musicians embody just what the music world needs these days: a fresh, morally conscious approach to the tiresome and outdated rock'n'roll genre.They've sworn to abstain from sex until marriage— which is why they all wear ballin' silver purity rings on their right ring fingers— and to keep their distance from horrible, mind-corrupting substances like drugs and alcohol.

Unlike other contemporary "musicians,"the Jonas Brothers write songs by young people, for young people. This means they ignore boring, complex real-

I

life subjects and write only about what it feels like to be a teenager. Another area of the Jonas Brothers' expertise is putting imaginary girls in their place by using the second person. Just look at these sizzlin' lyrics from "Burnin' Up"— "I'm hot, you're cold. You go around like you know who I am, but you don't." Oh snap! Somebody get some aloe vera for that burn!

Can't get enough Jonas Brothers? I know I can't.

Then why not check out their blockbuster hit Jo n a s B roth ers: The 3D C o n c e rt E x p e rie n ce ? Finally, all of the glory of a Jonas Brothers concert in three whole dimensions! Yowza! Unfortunately, bands like the Satan-worshipping group KISS (AKA Knights In Sa­ tan's Service) have been trying to fool the world into thinking they came up with the same idea 11 years ago. Shame on you, KISS. The Jonas Brothers love to spread their music to the world in any way they cân. This means they've been popping up on TV shows like D a n cin g with the Stars and A m erica n Idol. While some may call this a shameless and inexplicable promotional gimmick, I

K y le C arpenter

call it an evening of fun for the whole family. And if that's not enough— as if you could ever get sick of them— the band is starring in its own Disney comedy series this fall, entitled J.O .N .A .S! Make sure to clear your schedule, or at least have your TiVo ready, be­ cause this promises to be the breakout hit of the year.

Watch out Tony Soprano, the Jonas Brothers are right behind you!

Last but not least, the Jonas Brothers are excep­ tional innovators. Who else would think to sell not just CDs, but autographed CD covers alone for $20?

Genius. And if an album cover isn't enough for you, why not go with the signed poster for a modest $50?

I personally cannot think of a better way to start my day than to look at my giant poster of the Jonas Broth­ ers dressed up like adults while "Don't Take My Heart and Put It On a Shelf" plays softly in the background.

The Beatles once claimed to be bigger than Jesus, and in 2009, the Jonas Brothers have finally shown the world that they are bigger than The Beatles. Diet Coke and Baby Bottle Pops all around! ■

07.04.09 • The McGill Tribune • 17

www.mcgilltribune.com

FILM

Discussing ethics on Fifth Avenue W alking and talking w ith contem porary philosophers in Exam ined Life C arolyn G régoire Outside of luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, philosopher Peter Singer— author of the well-known essay "Famine, Affluence, and Morality"— explains his theories of distributive justice and the ethical implications of wealth and poverty. Singer is one of eight contemporary thinkers featured in Exam ined Life, a docu­ mentary that explores unquestioned assumptions engrained in the Western psyche, and reminds us that great ideas can emerge from everyday life.

Directed by Astra Taylor, the film is structured around 10 minute-long "walks" with philosophers through places that are particularly meaningful to them, ranging from an airport terminal to Central Park. While on a walk through a sunny city park, one of the philosophers, Avital Ronell, introduces the Heideggerian notion of paths that lead nowhere to explain that it's the journey that matters.

Gliding along a moving sidewalk in a major international airport, suitcase in hand, Anthony Appiah discusses his theory of "cosmopolitanism"— being a citizen of the cosm os in the Greek sense, or the world as a whole— in the context of glo­ balization and modernity. He explains how in one trip to an airport we confront more people than a member of a primi­ tive civilization would have in a lifetime. University of Chicago professor of political philosophy and ethics Martha Nussbaum walks along the shores of Lake Ontario discussing Aristotle's theory of justice and the social contract, while Michael Hardt talks revolution from a rowboat in the Central Park pond.

Slavoj Zizek, the subject of Taylor's documentary Zizek! which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2005 , also makes an appearance. Zizek discusses his theory of the "ideology of ecology" at a garbage dump. Surrounded by waste, he explains that just as true love is not idealistic but sees perfection in someone even with all of their flaws, we must love the world and see perfection in all of its imperfection.

From the backseat of a car, American philosopher and civil rights activist Cornel West emphasizes philosophy as a way of dealing with our finite situation as human beings.

West's humour livens up the film, particularly in his discus­ sion of aesthetic pleasure— he explains that sometimes he'll be reading Ruskin or Melville and will just need to throw the book against the wall because he feels so alive. He compares philosophy to Romantic poetry, Beethoven's sonatas, and the blues to emphasize how invigo­ rating philosophical inquiry can be.

Exam ined Life promises to be a highly enjoyable and intel­ lectually stimulating experience for philosophy buffs or the nat­ urally inquisitive. However, an hour and a half of continuous philosophical discourse clearly doesn't comprise the ideal movie night for everyone. While the film succeeds in its con­ cept— bringing philosophical theories from academic ivory towers to the real world— it's not particularly well-made and loses momentum towards the end. The music is ill-chosen and at times distracting, while the flat cinematographic style cer­ tainly doesn't enhance the overall experience. Those without a strong interest in philosophical inquiry may be hard-pressed to sit through this film without dozing off.

Exam ined Life succeeds in its endeavor to disprove the common misgiving that philosophy is so tied up in abstrac­

tions, circular reasoning, and lofty theorems that it is essen­ tially inapplicable to the real world. Taking a cinematic walk with these contemporary philosophers substantiates Plato's famous dictum "the unexamined life is not worth living," em­ phasizing that self-examination and the search for meaning extends far beyond the domain of academic philosophy. ■ Examined Life is currently playing at Cinem a du Parc. Check ou t w w w .cinem aduparc.com for further inform ation a n d showtimes.

» M c G ill

FILM

A film that drifts aim lessly

TH E D E PA R TM EN T OF JE W IS H STU D IE S

Satoshi's Adrift in Tokyo is a post-m odern journey o f absurd encounters

Call fo r S ubm issions: B L A C H E R A N D G L A S R O T F A M IL IE S M E M O R IA L A W A R D F O R H O L O C A U S T R E S E A R C H

B rahna S iegelberg Adrift in Tokyo — a Japanese film by acclaimed

director Miki Satoshi— is, as the title simply puts it, about two men aimlessly wandering about in Tokyo.

Yet unlike most films of this nature, this film contains no romantic catharses, no life lessons, and no particu­ lar plotline.

The film opens with Takemura (played by Japa­ nese heartthrob Joe Odagiri), who, in his eighth year of college, has run up a debt of over 80 0,0 00 yen.

Minutes later, brutal debt-collector Fukuhura (Tomokazu Miura)— who sports a mullet that rivals Billy Rae Cyrus— comes busting into the apartment, stuffs a sock in Takemura's mouth, and tells him that he has 72 hours to repay his debt. After Takemura desper­ ately looks around town for fast ways to make cash, Fukuhura makes him a better offer: accompany him on walks around Tokyo, and he'll give him the money to pay off his debt.

This already strange turn of events only gets stranger as the two men drift about Tokyo experienc­ ing one quirky encounter after the next. Case in point: they pass by an old watchmaker, when Fukuhura asks how he stays in business, the old man whips out ka­ rate moves and the two men begin to fight. They then pass a group of men who are stroking their crotches while saying "It feels so good." In another instance, the two men start doing Tai Chi, and later discuss what it must be like to be a Pygmy Hippo.

Fukuhura soon reveals the reason for his walk: he's killed his wife and is going to turn himself into the police— but not before he takes a trip down memory

lane. Meanwhile, Takemura, who was abandoned as a child, has no interest in a reminder of the fact that he has few memories to relive. In one poignant moment however, he comes across the first girl he kissed, and recalls a heartwrenching story in which he made her a fake Lacoste shirt— since he couldn't afford a real one— by pasting the iconic alligator onto an old shirt.

However, when she opens the gift, to his humiliation, the alligator pops off.

What's refreshing about this film is that none of these moments are looked upon as particularly strange. Takemura seems to care little that Fukuhura has murdered his wife or that he was stuffing socks in his mouth only a few days earlier, absurd encounters are met with no reaction, and nothing is really accom­ plished by the end.

However, despite its lack of momentum or pro­ gression, Adrift in Tokyo's true genius lies precisely in its post-modern unwillingness to adhere to any popu­ lar form or convention. It examines the frustration of trying to close a door that keeps on opening, or of pressing down a coffee dispenser that gurgles but dispenses no more coffee.

With a brilliant cast— Odagiri channels the wild­ haired, wide-eyed innocence of Johnny Depp's Edward Scissorhands while Miura captures the nonchalance of the guy who doesn't take crap from anyone— the film subtly forces the audience to examine the idio­ syncrasies and nuances of everyday life— if only we slow down to take a look.»

Adrift in Tokyo opens April 10 a t the A M C Forum 22 (2373 St. Catherine W).

E s t a b lis h e d in 2 0 0 0 b y Mr. a n d M rs. J o s e f G la s r o t , s u r v iv o r s o f th e H o lo c a u s t a n d r e s id e n t s o f M o n tre a l. O p e n to a n y s tu d e n t a t M c G ill U n iv e rsity , th e a w a rd

is p r e s e n te d for

e x c e lle n c e in r e s e a r c h in H o lo c a u s t a n d re la te d s t u d ie s , a n d p a rtic u la rly o n th e h isto ry o f th e g h e tto s o f W a r s a w a n d K o v n o [ K a u n a s ] , E s s a y s p r e p a re d in a n y c o u r s e o r in d e p e n d e n t r e s e a r c h m a y b e c o n s id e r e d . T h e a w a rd is a d m in is te re d b y th e D e p a r tm e n t o f J e w is h S t u d ie s in c o o p e ra tio n w ith th e J e w is h C o m m u n ity F o u n d a tio n . T h e a w a rd will b e p r e s e n t e d d u rin g th e C lo s in g E x e r c i s e s o f th e D e p a r tm e n t of J e w is h S t u d ie s in M ay, 2 0 0 9 . T h e v a lu e o f th e B la c h e r a n d G la s r o t F a m ilie s M e m o ria l A w a rd is $ 1 0 0 0 .

•

T h e co m p e titio n is o p e n to u n d e r g r a d u a te a n d

•

S t u d e n t s m u s t su b m it 2 ty p e d c o p ie s o f th eir

g r a d u a te s t u d e n t s a t M c G ill U n iv e rsity . e s s a y s to g e th e r w ith full c o n t a c t in fo rm atio n .

•

E s s a y s c a n b e b a s e d o n p rim a ry o r s e c o n d a r y m a te r ia ls a n d w o rk in all re la te d d is c ip lin e s will b e c o n s id e r e d .

•

E s s a y s u b m is s io n s m u s t r e a c h th e D e p a r tm e n t o f J e w is h S t u d ie s O ffic e , 3 4 3 8 M c T a v is h S tr e e t, no la te r th a n A pril 1 0 , 2 0 0 9 .

18 • Arts & Entertainment • 07.04.09

The McGill Tribune

MUSIC

West Mississauga kid is heating things up F o rm e r

D e a th K yle C

F ro m

A b o v e

1 9 7 9

s in g e r

S e b a s t ie n

Two musicians meet in East Toronto and form a band called Death From Above 19 7 9 . They release only one fulllength album, but tour the world from the U.S. to England to Tokyo, garnering an unexpected cult following. After only five years, they break up on bitter terms. Jesse F. Keeler drops his bass, picks up a gold hockey mask, and forms electro duo MSTRKRFT with DFA 1979 producer Al-P. His former bandmate Sebastian Grainger takes his time to create a new band and produce his first solo album, Sebastien Grainger a n d The M o un ­ tains, which was released last November.

"This is my first record, and essentially it's the record I've always wanted to make,"says Grainger."Obviously, all that will go out the window [with] the next record I make because that one will be the best I've ever made."

Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains is made up of Grainger singing and playing guitar alongside former Illumi­ nati bassist Nick Sewell, Germans drummer Leon Taheny, and keyboard/synth player Andrew Scott, formerly of The Meligrove Band. Though The Mountains are a group of seasoned musicians, Grainger opted to play almost all of the instru­ ments on the album himself. "It's kind of the way I've operated for a long time,"says Grainger. "I mean, Death From Above is a collaboration, but before that my recording experience is kind of limited to doing my own stuff."

s o lo

to flail around, I mean I'm really enjoying being able to play guitar right now. It's a real fun journey from the first show we played to last night's show," he says.

Grainger is also no stranger to cameos and guest col­ laborations. He played drums on k-os's hit "Sunday Morning and contributed vocals to "Let's Make Out" by electro group Does It Offend You, Yeah? Most recently, he collaborated with French electro artist DatA. The result, "Rapture," is an electro dance song with strong vocals and a delightfully 8 0 s ring to it.

"We did another one after that. I don't know when it's going to be released. To me, it's a far better track,"says Grainger of DatA. "He challenged me more and I challenged him more, and it re ally felt more like a collaboration than the first one."

So what makes the upcoming track"One In a Million"bet ter than "Rapture"? "It's hotter," says Grainger, without a trace of sarcasm. "It's hotter and I worked harder on it."

In 2007 , Grainger started a food blog to share recipes with friends and mildly puzzled fans. "I was really bored and it was winter, and I felt like I wanted to communicate with people in a way that wasn't unspecific." Eat M y Dish — Sebastien's Recipes hasn't been very active over the past few months, but being a full-time musician makes it hard to find the time to keep it up. "I started working on the record quite a bit and I kind of stopped even cooking meals, so the blog died down," Grainger jokes.

"I'll probably return to it eventually, but for the time being I'm not that interested in talking about the food I'm eating. I had bacon and eggs today and it was incredible." ■

Grainger originally intended to record the album in the span of a couple weeks with a full band, but he quickly dropped this idea once he actually started recording. "Once I got in the studio, I realized that I was going to need a lot more time personally with the songs to work on the arrangements, work on the parts, work on the performances," says Grainger.

"I find it personally far more rewarding because I'm a bit of a narcissist. To be able to play four or five instruments and then sit back and listen to it, I kind of get off on that."

DFA 1979 fans be forewarned: the album is not about pick­ ing up where he left off. Instead, the record contains a variety of sounds, poppy and unquestionably rock 'n' roll at the same time. There's no shortage of variety, either. Grainger explores his sentimental side on tracks like the piano-driven "Love Is Not A Contest" while adding generous amounts of synth into songs like "Renegade Silence" and "Love Can Be So Mean," which creates more of a dance feel. The addictive choruses of "Who Do We Care for?" and "I Hate My Friends" will have you singing along after the first listen.

The live dynamic has certainly changed for Grainger, who sang from behind his drum set in DFA 19 7 9 . However, he's had no reservations about leaving the kit live. "Even going into Death From Above, I didn't ever intend on playing drums. I just did it because it was far easier than trying to explain what we wanted to someone else." Grainger has taken his new role at centre stage as an opportunity to improve his guitar skills, and to have a bit more fun playing live. "I far prefer being able

a r pen ter

G r a in g e r g o e s

RESTAURANTS

FILM

Cool digs, hot toasty buns

Siding with the enemy

B u n s

b e a ts

b e s t d ru n k

p o u t in e

a n d

m u n c h ie s

$ 2

o n

c h o w

m e in

fo r

S t. L a u re n t

A

B ern ard R u d n y

Hangover cures are for fools. Any doctor will tell you that prevention is the best medicine, and there's no better way to avoid a hangover than chasing your drinks with a hamburger. Unless, of course, you live in Montreal. Don't get me wrong— I love this city. Nowhere else can I get smoked meat, poutine, or hit on by a homeless person at 3 a.m. But, for whatever reason, Quebeckers insist on butchering some fast food staples. Exhibit A? Pizza. Exhibit B? Hamburgers.

The hamburgers served in Montreal aren't terrible. But, with precious few exceptions (La Paryse being the most no­ table), most restaurants treat them as an afterthought, with predictably underwhelming results.

That's why Buns Hamburger House caught my eye.Their first location opened near Concordia last September, and a second appeared at St. Laurent between Pine and Prince Ar­ thur last month. The Buns menu only has four items: a ham­ burger ($4 ), a double hamburger ($6), grilled potatoes ($2 ), and soft drinks ($i).Tax is included in all of the prices— a nice touch if you're a few drinks into the evening, and counting change suddenly seems harder than differential equations.

Buns is best visited after a few drinks. If you're sober, the restaurant doesn't make a great first impression. Their decor can only be described as a yuppie kitchen gone wrong, with faux granite floor tiles, Ikea furniture, and cheesy photos of Times Square and Piccadilly Circus on the walls. Phil Collins was also blaring on the stereo when I arrived, which didn't help. I've never criticized a burger joint for its soundtrack before— and I'm used to eating at Alberta truck stops— but listening to "True Colours" changed my mind. Phil was still going when my burger arrived, but we'd moved on to the better part of his discography (thank God for "Sussudio").

And while the music disappointed, the hamburgers didn't.

The patties at Buns are true quarter-pounders, well-seasoned and cooked on an actual grill. That's a big step up from the griddle-fried slithers of beef that are the norm in Quebec (I'm looking at you. La Belle Province).

The burgers are topped with your choice of tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.

Cheese is also offered at no extra cost, and it's mozzarella cut from a block— not the processed stuff. As for the restaurant's namesake, the bread around each patty is freshly toasted and seedless.

Buns's buns also obey the Bernard Rudny Hamburger Slippage Prevention Formula: Bun Diameter = 1.2 x Patty Di­

c o n te m p o ra ry

o f F ilm

N o ir in

w o rk

T h e

K i lle r

R en ée S u tto n

TOP: HOLLY STEWART, BOTTOM: ADA SONNENFELD ameter (and to think my high-school math teacher said I'd never amount to anything). Why does this matter? Because to keep the goods in the middle from slipping out, a ham­ burger bun needs to overhang the patty by about a fifth. Any more, and there's too much bread in the equation. Any less, and mustard will drip out of the sides when you squeeze the bun.

Finer touches like the bun size show that a lot of care goes into the hamburgers at Buns. If only the same was true of their grilled potatoes, which aren't half as appetizing as they sound. The portions are big— especially for $2 — but the potato wedges are floppy and sloppy. You'll need a fork to eat them, which is contrary to the entire spirit of going for burg­ ers, and the wedges themselves are either undercooked or charred. Unless you like your spuds with third-degree burns, save your money.

Similarly, while soft drinks are fine, a true burger joint also serves milkshakes— a feature which Buns is decidedly lacking. Along with their decision to forsake fries, this results in an unbalanced menu. Getting a hamburger at Buns is like listening to Paul McCartney with Wings: the star of the show is great, but he's accompanied by a severe letdown. Nev­ ertheless, you owe it to yourself to try Buns. It's one of the better hangover-prevention options available and, with an improved menu, they could become a prime daytime burger joint. ■

You have to hand it to French Cinema— it rarely fails to pres­ ent warped stories in surprisingly cool ways. Cédric Anger's debut feature The Killer (Le Tueur) is an eerie and intriguing psychologi­ cal thriller that keeps you thinking and analyzing while still re­ maining scary for the viewer as the action unfolds.

The film explores the disturbing and brief relationship be­ tween two very bizarre characters: Leo Zimmerman (Gilbert Melki), who lives a suspiciously ideal life as a successful entrepre­ neur, loving husband, and caring father, while Dimitri Kopas (Gré­ goire Colin), is a dark and threatening man hired to put an end to Zimmerman's life. Consumed by feelings of fear, anxiety, and paranoia, Zimmerman makes the bold choice of confronting the man he is most afraid of. All the while, Kopas shows a surprisingly sympathetic side, and grants his victim a few extra days to live so he may tie up loose ends. The relationship between the victim and assassin is morbidly interesting, particularly because of how the uncertainties of death affect them differently.

As opposed to using the "unexpected twist" tactic, the film's storyline very fluidly reveals its different sides. Because the likely conclusion is revealed from the beginning, the focus is really on how these last few days unfold. Although Kopas represents a type of Grim Reaper character and is more obviously evil, it becomes clear that both men are deeply flawed. The divide between good and evil is not actually so distinct as it initially seems— in fact, it forces the viewer to question which man is the true villain.

Even with the disturbing plot, the film is visually captivating to the point where even the most deranged of characters can seem very cool and alluring. Styled in a way that calls to mind the Film Noir genre, the conflicting aspects of the plot are beautifully emphasized through high contrast cinematography. The power­ ful imagery of dark Parisian streets is particularly effective in re­ flecting the dark mood of the story.

Though the actions and dialogue are complex, they build up and intertwine flawlessly, making it easy to see things from com­ pletely different perspectives. The Killer ultimately questions what it means to be a good person or lead a good life. Oftentimes, what lies behind perfection is fear and terror. ■ The Killer was ju s t released on DVD.

07.04.09 • The McGill Tribune • 19

www.mcgilltribune.com

Reviews

MUSIC

Too fast to slow down L o s C a m p e s in o s ! s p e e d R yan T aylor The thought of releasing a new album less than a year after its predecessor would be a daunting task for any band, but Los Campesinos! aren't your average band. They released We Are Beautiful, We Are D oom ed just seven months after their well-received debut Hold On Now, Youngster...

"As soon as we finish a record we want to record another one. We're in a situation where we realize how lucky we are and how we're not going to be able to be in a band forever so we want to do as much as we can in whatever amount of time we have. A lot of bands really pace how quickly they release things," says singer and lyricist Gareth Campesino! (all members of the band share the unifying last name). "I think a lot of bands would've thought, 'We can hold on to these songs and flesh it out a bit and release it in 18 months time,' but that kind of feels like a dishonest way of doing it. The way we write, we feel that we're constantly improving as a band and as musicians, and if we didn't release something as soon as we wrote it, it would seem stale to us six months down the line."

True to form, the band recently entered the studio between the two legs of their North American tour to begin recording the follow-up to Doom ed. "\Ne're about seven or eight tracks through the next album," says Ga­ reth. "The stuff that we're writing now is the most ambi­ tious stuff we've ever written and it's going to be very, very difficult to pull it off with just seven of us. We're ei­ ther going to have to bring in extra bodies or learn how to use computers. If anybody ever had to come into this group of seven it would be a horrible thing. It'll prob­ ably be the latter."

The band is again working with John Goodmanson, who also produced Doom ed. "He's so easygoing and knows where we're coming from musically," says Gareth. "We don't always know how to realize the sound that we want to get whereas he can point us in the right direction. Especially on this record,Tom and I have been working more closely with him and as a result the song­ writing and the songs are going to be stronger than ever."

Los Campesinos! brought their fiery brand of pop

u p

a t S a la

Brasstronaut. O ld W orld L ies EP. After their initial for­

R o ssa

rock to La Sala Rossa last Tuesday. Having played both sides of the pond, the band prefers the more receptive North American crowds. "[The audiences] seem more prepared to be involved and to enjoy themselves," says Gareth. "In the UK there always seems to be an element of people waiting to be impressed and more worried about going home and writing about how awful they thought the gig was on the Internet than actually en­ joying it whilst they're there."

Opening with the rousing "Ways to Make It Through the Wall," the 55 -minute set featured a good balance from both records, including hits "Death to Los Campesinos!", "My Year in Lists," and "You! Me! Dancing!"

The build-up into the latter was fantastic, finally break­ ing into the biggest dance party of the evening. Gareth was in top form, no doubt due to his second day of self-induced sobriety, passionately singing his heartfelt lyrics and playing added percussion to embellish the songs. Unfortunately, violinist Harriet was almost inau­ dible for the entire show, depriving the audience of the beautiful violin lines from the records.

Closing with the anthemic "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks," the band successfully kept the energy level up for the entire concert and the audience showed their appreciation by bringing them back for an encore in which Gareth and guitarists Tom and Neil played in the middle of the crowd.

Though their success has been beyond anything they ever imagined, the band still has some unfulfilled goals. "I would like to meet Lauren Devern, be a pan­ elist on the TV show 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks' and play in a celebrity soccer tournament. Other than that, I think we've done everything," laughs Gareth. "The one thing we'd love to do more than anything is curate the All Tomorrow's Parties festival, where they get bands to choose the other bands that play for the weekend.

It would be incredible if we ever got to the situation where it was justifiable to allow us to choose all of our favourite bands to play at a festival. That's a long way off. [For now, we need to] just keep working at being as productive as we have been up to now and to keep releasing music that we ourselves enjoy and not com­ promise that for anything else. Just to continue being a band and keep pushing ourselves."*

MUSIC

From outback to onstage A u s t r a lia n

d u o

T h e

P re se ts

A rielle F rank The Presets should give Kanye West a lesson or two about how to effectively use a vocoder device. The electric pop duo hailing from Australia, played in Mon­ treal at the Just For laughs Theatre Sunday night as part of the third leg of their worldwide, two-month tour.

No strangers to the stage, The Presets have been touring on and off for almost four years. In 2007 , their global success was cemented when they opened for Daft Punk at their farewell arena tour in 2007 . Shortly after, their album Apocalypso debuted at the number one spot on iTunes.

The Just for Laughs Theatre was completely packed on Sunday night, albeit mostly with die-hard Australian fans. Kim Moyes, wearing a black T-shirt, took to the keyboard while the show stealer and lead vocalist Ju­ lian Hamilton assumed his position centre stage at the microphone in a white, fitted blazer.

"Are you doing okay tonight?" Hamilton called out to the audience, one of whom responded by throwing an Australian flag on stage. The Presets opened with, "Talk Like That," a new track off of Apocalypso. Moyes remained stationary and planted at his keyboard, while Hamilton fed off of the crowd's exuberant energy. As he bounced around the flashing stage, sometimes facing Moyes and other times venturing out to the very edge, he often evoked the hollow, baritone voice of Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode.

Yet it would be unfair to draw comparisons be­ tween The Presets and Depeche Mode and merely leave

h it M o n t r e a l

it at that. Clearly, Gahan has influenced Hamilton's sing­ ing style, but he has artistically evolved and updated the Depeche Mode formula through the introduction of such elements as eletronic drum kits, electronically generated effects, and his sporadic use of the vocoder.

Although Hamilton and Moyes are the only mem­ bers of the band, their live arrangement creates a much fuller, expanded sound. Moyes was often switching be­ tween a keyboard, xylophone, and synthesizer. Mean­ while, Hamilton had a keyboard set of his own along with the controls to the electronic effects. Moyes and Hamilton seamlessly transitioned from instrument to instrument like a well-oiled music-making machine.

The diverse crowd, ranging from 40 -something Quebecers in leather to young, fresh-faced Australian girls, couldn't get enough of what The Presets were giv­ ing. The crowd reached a frenzied state as they pulsed to the final song, "My People." A single red light lit Ham­ ilton's face from below as he crooned to the crowd in a deep baritone, "I'm here with all of my people, locked down in all of my people." As the song came to a close and Moyes and Hamilton left the stage, the audience began chanting The Presets's name. The stage stood empty for a couple of minutes while the audience waited in bated breath for The Presets to give them the encore they so desired. Finally, Moyes and Hamilton ap­ peared once more proving they really are all about their fans.

Thanks to The Presets, Montrealers now know that Australia is capable of producing more gifted musicians than The Wiggles. ■

mation in 2005 , Vancouverbased Brasstronaut contin­ ues to piece together songs that lovers of different genres of music can really appreci­ ate. This four-piece group has a sound that demonstrates great musical talent without being pretentious. In fact, part of Brasstronaut's appeal is in the familiar qualities of their tunes, which they com­ bine with their innovative sounds.

Old World Lies has definitely been released at the perfect time. For one thing, they managed to circumvent the once popular emo scene, which in many ways gave some talented bands a bad image. Brasstro­ naut is perhaps a bit mellow, but the lyrics and instrumentals are still creative and complex enough to grab your attention. Their songs have something of an alternative pop sound, reminiscent of bands like Mod­ est Mouse or Arcade Fire, but what makes these guys different is their use of trumpet and piano which adds a distinctly soulful, jazzy edge.

Their songs also tend to have a slight roughness to them, enough to remind us of what an instrument actually sounds like on its own. This album is absolutely worth a listen for anyone looking for tunes that are a little more genuine.

— Renée Sutton

S ports TRIBUNE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

The year's top athletes, by skate and by stroke As a M artlet skates into the sunset, a Redman dives into the record books M att C hesser

J acob K anter Get a McGill Martlets women's hockey team stat sheet, close your eyes, and drop your finger somewhere on the page. There's a pretty good chance the player you landed on deserves to win the McGill Tribune Fe­ male Athlete of the Year award. Goaltender Charline Labonté, who won the award for the past two years, allowed only 40 goals in 37 games, but had 12 fewer shutouts this year (14 ) than last year (2 6 ). CIS rookie of the year Marie-Andre Leclerc-Auger led the team with 94 points, but Ann-Sophie Bettez was only eight points behind her in five fewer games, and fourth-year forward Vanessa Da­ vidson finished only two points behind Bet­ tez. Defender Cathy Chartrand recorded an impressive 47 points, but so did fellow blueliner Catherine Ward. You'll need more than a stat sheet to pick the Female Athlete of the Year in 2 0 0 9 .

On the other hand, if you've seen a Mar­ Ward, seen here accepting her award as a tlets game this year, the choice becomes a first-team QSSF all-star, is one of Canada's lot clearer. Compared to the rest of the QSSF, and even her own teammates at times, Cath­ most talented young blueliners. erine Ward— who holds the McGill records for most career goals (34 ), assists (10 4 ) and points (138 ) as a defender— was simply on a higher level than those around her this season. The s'6" rearguard was nearly impossible to knock down, always made the right pass, and routinely skated through the opposition forecheck with alarming ease. At least once per game, often late in the third period, Ward would gather the puck in her own end and embark on a Bobby Orr-esque rush, skating through all five op­ position players on her way to the goal. She may not have always scored after reaching the net, but Ward usually made something good happen (she finished with seven goals and 38 assists). Case in point: on February 7 , with the Martlets leading Concordia 5-0 five minutes into the third period, Ward grabbed a loose puck near centre ice on a power-play and proceeded to head towards Stingers netminder Audrey Doyon-Lessard. Three Stingers fell to their knees, trying to pry the puck away from her stick as she maneuvered around them. But their efforts were to no avail— Ward reached Doyon-Lessard, made a quick pass to Bettez, and it was 6-0 by the time the fallen Stingers got to their feet.

Though witnessing her silky-smooth skating with your own eyes is the only way to truly do Ward justice, the stats backed up her performance this year. She led all CIS defenders with an average of 1.6 points per game in league play, captured a spot on the CIS first team All-Star sqaud, and was named tournament MVP at the 2009 Nationals, even though she recorded only three points in three games. She's also one of the youngest members of Team Canada currently playing at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship Tourna­ ment in Hameenlinna, Finland. As the second-youngest defender and only current represen­ tative of a CIS school (other than Labonté) on Team Canada, there's a reason Ward will play in the 2010 Olympic Games: she might just be the most exciting defender in all of women's hockey. And for that reason, she's the Tribune's Female Athlete of the Year. ■

It's rare for the Tribune to recognize a rookie with its Ath­ lete of the Year award, but fresh­ man McGill swimmer Steven Bielby lapped the field of nominees this year, making it impossible to ignore his accomplishments.

In February, Bielby became the first male swimmer in McGill history to win three individual gold medals at the CIS National Championships in Vancouver, but what made his medal haul so impressive was the way in which he won his races. The firstyear phenom decimated three Quebec university records in the three-day competition, and won each of his events by an absurdly large margin. In the grueling i 5 oo-metre freestyle, Bielby best­ ed the second place finisher by a staggering seven seconds, and knocked just over five seconds off Andre Theoret's 15 -year-old Quebec university record. In the 40 0 -metre individual medley, ADAMSCOTTI the Montreal native finished over half a lane ahead of the second- Bielby, a freshman, has McGill buzzing with excitement. place swimmer, eclipsing the Que­ bec record by nearly seven seconds. And in the 400 -metre freestyle Bielby shaved three sec­ onds off of the previous provincial record. It was a dominating performance unlike that put in by any other McGill athlete this year.

Like all great athletes, the 19 -year-old electrical engineering freshman is incredibly driv­ en. In addition to a difficult course load, Bielby has nine two-hour practices per week— four that start at 5:30 a.m. in the morning, and five on weekday evenings— as well as dry-land training sessions every Tuesday and Thursday. His aspirations also go beyond competing at the collegiate level. Bielby has an Olympic dream, one he hopes to see fulfilled by the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. At the 2008 Canadian Olympic Qualifying Trials, the Mon trealer placed fifth in the 150 0 -metre freestyle and seventh in the 400 -metre freestyle, but he will have to shave several seconds off of his personal best times if he hopes to swim for Team Canada.

Following his gold medal haul in Vancouver, Bielby was named the CIS Rookie of the Year— an award that capped an impressive rookie season that included honours as Quebec Swimmer of the Year, Quebec Rookie Swimmer of the Year, CIS All-Canadian, and the Stu­ art Forbes Trophy as McGill Male Athlete of the Year, awarded last Thursday night. And now, Bielby can add to his already crowded mantelpiece the least coveted accolade of them all: Tribune Male Athlete of the Year. ■

A th le te s o f th e Year: H o n o u ra b le M e n tio n Charline Labonté— Goaltender, Martlets Hockey

If Labonté hadn't won the Tribune's Female Athlete of the Year award for the past two years, there's a pretty good chance she'd have won it this year. But, as noted above, her effectiveness dropped off slightly this season (in her defence, it would be practically impossible to replicate last year's performance) and she was rarely challenged playing behind the imposing Martlets'defence. At the same time, a 35 -2 -0 record with 14 shutouts, a .947 save percentage, and a 1.06 goals against average is nothing to be ashamed of.

Kevin Desfossés— Goaltender, Redmen Hockey

Heading into their game against the UOIT Ridgebacks on January 10 , the Redmen had a 7 -7 -1 record in the OUA Eastern Conference, in the thick of a battle for fourth place in their division. Enter Kevin Desfossés, who had been with the IHL's Port Huron Icehawks after turning down an offer to come to McGill in the summer. The Redmen won 11 of their next 13 games to close the regular season— Desfossés started seven of them— and Head Coach Martin Raymond rode his new netminder into the playoffs. Desfossés accu­ mulated an impressive 6 -2 record and a .939 save percent­ age en route to Nationals in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where the Redmen ultimately fell short of their first CIS title. But

if Desfossés hadn't burst onto the scene in January, Ray­ mond's squad likely wouldn't have been playing in Thun­ der Bay in the first place.

Ben Fax— Starting Pitcher, Redbirds Baseball

In his last year as a Redbird, Fax went 19 innings in the regular season without giving up an earned run. Bat­ ters had a .228 average against him, and he issued a mere seven walks. He was lit up in the Red bird s’first tournament game— a 9 -0 loss— against the University of New Bruns­ wick. But he rebounded two days later, pitching a complete game to lead the Redbirds to a 3 -2 win over the Northern Division champion Laflèche Dragons, allowing McGill to continue playing. The Redbirds eventually lost to UNB 5-3 in the championship game six hours after they had beaten the Dragons. But if it weren't for Fax's heroics, they would have been watching from the stands.

Lukas LaCava— Attackman, Redmen Lacrosse

All-Canadian Attackman LaCava had quite a year, scor­ ing 24 goals and 32 points in 13 games overall— third on the Redmen behind Nick Moreau (42 ) and Matt Jankowski (34 )— but saved his best for the playoffs in the Baggataway Cup. LaCava was the difference in McGill's 13 -9 semifinal

win over Brock University, scoring three goals and netting two assists to propel the Redmen to the final against the Guelph Gryphons. He turned in another mammoth perfor­ mance in the final, but the Redmen fell short, losing 14 -9 .

His nine goals at the Baggataway Cup led all players, and he was named Canada's Most Outstanding Attackman at the end of the season. His performance, along with those of Moreau and Jankowski, went a long way to securing McGill's best-ever finish at Nationals, and recognition for the men's lacrosse squad as the McGill club-level Team of the Year.

Jennifer Thomson— Power Hitter, Martlets Volleyball

Thomson, the Martlets' lone fourth-year player, was named an All-Canadian for the fourth consecutive year this past season. The versatile power hitter was seventh in the QSSF with 3.7 points per game, fourth in the country with 4-7 digs per game, and 14 th in the country with 3.37 kills per game. She was also invited to tryout for the national beach volleyball team in December. Though the Martlets' season ended with a sweep at the hands of Laval in a Que­ bec semifinal matchup, she was still named as a QSSF firstteam all-star.

— Ja cob Kanter

22 • Sports • 07.04.09

The McGill Tribune

Splendid semester for Redmen and Martlets M e n 's , w o m e n 's

h o c k e y

te a m s

REDMEN BASKETBALL After a promising start, the 20 0 8 -0 9 McGill Redmen men's basketball season proved to be just as disappointing as the previous year's. Coming into the season, Head Coach Craig Norman stressed the im­ portance of teamwork, commitment, and i resilience, all of which had been fortified by intense team workouts during the sum­ mer. Like the numbers in the win column, though, each of these three principles pe­ tered out over the course of the year.

McGill looked downright scary in pre­ season play, mixing an intense, swarming brand of defense with good communica­ tion and reliable three-point shooting. The team lost a close contest to a Kansas Jay[hawks squad featuring two potential NBA draft picks, and picked up an impressive win a day later against the Virginia Cava­ liers. Wins over Toronto, Western Ontario, and Ottawa garnered the Redmen a spot in the CIS top-10 national rankings, and the j spirits of players and fans alike were high entering conference play. Unfortunately, the Redmen couldn't keep it up: they opened the QSSF season with a 10 3 -9 1 vic­ to ry over Bishop's, but lost their next five league games, placing the squad in a hole it could never dig its way out of.

McGill limped into the postseason as j a fourth-seed, only to lose by 17 points to cross-town rival Concordia in their QSSF semifinal. Considering the talent on dis­ play early in the year, another first round exit was a disappointment. McGill was

I

MARTLETS BASKETBALL

le a d B-

once again led by forward Sean Anthony and guard Moustafa El-Zanaty, both of whom are graduating this year. Anthony averaged 15.8 points per game to go along with 7.7 boards, while El-Zanaty led the conference in scoring at 23.8 points a con­ test, but somehow failed to win a spot on the QSSF first team All-Star squad.

The lack of a true post presence hurt the Redmen throughout the season, as the squad was forced to live and die by the jump shot. Forward Michael White made significant strides in his offensive game this year, and will be asked to shoul­ der much of the scoring load next season, along with guard Matt Thornhill. Another highlight this season was the court savvy and passing ability shown by 6 's" fresh­ man Nick Nishikawa, who will play a much larger role next year.

While the Redmen may have under­ achieved this season, the departure of El Zanaty, Anthony, and forward Erik Galas will hopefully allow other players to devel­ op and thrive. Norman has a sizeable task ahead of him, but with a solid recruiting class and another grueling summer regi­ men, the Redmen have a chance to quiet the doubters next year.

Final record: 16 -17 (5 -1 1 ) MVP: Moustafa El-Zanaty Player to Watch: Nick Nishikawa — Kailan Leung j

C

Head Coach Ryan Thorne didn't stand idly by after a miserable 2 -14 conference season last year, in which the Martlets missed the I playoffs for the first time since 2003 . By recruiting forwards Anneth

Him-Lazarenko and Elise Lepine, Thorne secured the post presence and rebounding that his squad lacked last year. But a lack of depth ; and a crushing injury kept McGill out of the postseason for a second ; straight year.

It took the Martlets some time to gel early in the season, and j they lost six straight conference games after winning their season- 1 opener against Bishop's. But McGill finally turned the corner in Janu- !

I ary, winning four of five games to improve their conference record ? to 5 -7 . Thorne's squad looked to be a lock for the playoffs, but HimLazarenko suffered a torn ACL on January 31 at UQAM, and though ; the Martlets won that game, they lost their last four contests with-f out their star rookie. Concordia ended the Martlets'season on FebSruary 21 in what was effectively a contest for the rights to face Laval j j on the road in the first round of the playoffs.

The Martlets were at their best when Him-Lazarenko would ! carve out space in the post, grabbing offensive boards and getting I putbacks. Point guard Nathifa Weekes finished the season as Que- j) j bee's seventh-leading scorer, averaged 2.25 steals a game, and was named the Quebec conference defensive player of the year. McGill's success often depended on Weekes's ability to distribute the ball to Î Him-Lazarenko and guard Stephanie Bergeron. Bergeron provided the Martlets with reliable long-range scoring, and frequently frus­ trated the opposition late in games by hitting a dagger three. Lep­ ine, a versatile forward who averaged 8.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while hitting 16 threes, was named to the QSSF second all-star team.

Weekes, Him-Lazarenko, Bergeron, and Lepine needed to be at their best for the Martlets to win consistently, as the Martlet bench f was fairly shallow. Thorne believes that help is on the way this sum- j mer in the form of a strong recruiting class, but next year's success ) hinges on whether or not Him-Lazarenko will be healthy. She should j have enough time to heal, but her effectiveness will likely take a J hit, as ACL injuries often have lingering effects. If Him-Lazarenko can regain her all-star form next year, and if Thorne's new freshmen provide the depth that's been lacking, McGill should finally end its two-year playoff drought, as the entire Martlets roster will return for next season. j Final record: 8 -2 0 (5 -1 1 ) MVP: Nathifa Weekes J Player to Watch: Anneth Him-Lazarenko — Jacob Kan ter f

M c G ill A t h le t ic s

to

s o lid

3 .1 4

G P A

REDMEN HOCKEY

A

The Redmen began the season unbur­ dened by the weight of expectations. Despite making Nationals in two out of the previous three seasons, Head Coach Martin Raymond's squad wasn't expected to seriously challenge for the OUA Far East division title, much less a national championship, because of the losses to graduation they had sustained from the pre­ vious season's team. Among those gone were three of Raymond's top four scorers, his best defenceman, and the goaltending tandem of Mathieu Poitras and Jean-Michel Filiatrault that had arguably been the best in the county for the previous three years. In their place were 14 rookies— not usually a recipe for success in the competitive OUA. The low expectations were reinforced early on, as the inexperienced squad lost their first five games. But beginning with a 4-2 win over the RMC Paladins, the Redmen embarked on one of the most improbable turnarounds in the 133 -year history of McGill hockey. The Red 'n' White won 18 of their next 23 regular season games to finish with the second-best record in the OUA Eastern Conference behind perennial powerhouse UQTR. The team then bowled through Ottawa, Toronto, and UQTR in the playoffs to qualify for Nationals. Although the Redmen lost a hard-fought Queen's Cup Championship game 2 -1 to the Western Mus­ tangs, and were drastically outplayed in their first game at Nationals, losing 4 -1 to St. Mary's— effectively eliminating them from the gold medal game— the surprising success of Raymond's young squad makes them worthy

MARTLETS HOCKEY

A+

After amassing a 37 -4 -0 record and winning McGill’s firstever women's national championship in 2008 , the Martlets replaced the monkey on their backs with a target that every CIS team aimed for throughout the season. Head Coach Peter Smith returned every important player for McGill's champion­ ship defence, and added another piece to the puzzle with CIS rookie of the year Marie-Andre Leclerc-Auger. The result was a 4 0 -2 -0 record and a second-straight national championship for the Martlets.

Smith constructed one of the most dominant forces in Ca­ nadian collegiate athletics history by ensuring that his team didn't have a weakness. Charline Labonté moonlighted as the goalkeeper for the Canadian women's national team while win­ ning 35 games for the Martlets. Although she took a slight step back from last year, allowing 40 goals against after letting in 33 shots in 2007 -0 8 , she was still named to the CIS first team AllStar squad. The top defensive duo of Catherine Ward and Cathy Chartrand— both of whom joined Labonté as CIS All-Stars— made sure their goaltender's job stayed relatively stress-free by keeping the puck out of the McGill zone and applying pres­ sure in the offensive end. The forwards, led by Leclerc-Auger, Vanessa Davidson, and QSSF MVP Ann-Sophie Bettez, often cemented the game's outcome by the end of the first period.

Smith's top line combined for 264 points in 42 games— which is 54 more points than the combined rosters of Ottawa, Con­ cordia, and Carleton scored in 52 league games.

McGill will likely continue to make their divisional oppo­ nents' lives a living hell next season, despite the departures of Ward, Labonté, defender and captain Chantal Gauvin, and back-up goalie Kalie Townsend. Smith will also miss much of the season, as he'll join Ward and Labonté with the Cana­ dian National Team development program in Calgary, where they'll be training for the 2 0 10 Olympics. But assistant coaches Amey Doyle and Stewart McCarthey are more than capable of running the team. An eighth-straight trip to the CIS National ChampionshipTournament should be in order for McGill, as no one in Quebec will be able to challenge the mighty Martlets. A third consecutive national championship is a definite possibil­ ity, but netminder Gabrielle Smith— or whichever rookie Smith brings in— will have to step up for McGill to have a shot.

—Jacob Kan ter

Final record: 27 -15 -2 (18 -8 -2 ) MVP: Alexandre Picard-Hooper Player to Watch: Marc-Andre Dorion — M att Chesser

MARTLETS VOLLEYBALL

B

The Martlets narrowly missed out on 1 a Nationals berth this season, but with the

j other teams in the ultra-competitive QSSF los­ ing several starters to graduation, the future looks bright. The Red 'n'White won't lose a sin­ gle player, and their eight freshmen and three j sophomores will return ready to challenge for I a spot at nationals.

The Martlets finished the regular season ranked 11 th in the nation, after posting a 13-8 i record to finish third in the QSSF— two points | behind their opponents in the conference 1 semifinal, the Laval Rouge et Or The winner of the Laval-McGill showdown would advance to both the QSSF final, and, more importantly, earn an automatic spot at nationals in New Brunswick. After pushing the Rouge et Or to the limit in a 3 -2 loss that lasted an incredible i two and a half hours, the Martlets couldn't fend off Laval's attack two days later, and Laval swept the series with a 3-1 win.

Four-time All-Canadian power-hitter Jen­ nifer Thompson once again led McGill with a strong all-around season, averaging 3.7 points per game. Her effort was augmented by the powerful play of Kelsey Irwin (who finished | ninth in the conference in points), the preci­ sion setting of Amélie Trottier-Picard (who finished third in Quebec with 7.81 assists per game), and the agility of second-year libéro j Sarah Howell.

The Martlets have been on the cusp of Nationals for the past two years, and their : prospects for breaking through next year look j j promising. If Head Coach Rachele Beliveau J can add a versatile backcourt player and > I some depth in the front row during the off- ; season, the Martlets may be able to overcome the heartwrenching playoff defeats of the last I two years.

I

Final record: 4 0 -2 -0 (18 -0 -0 ) MVP: Catherine Ward Player to Watch: Marie-Andre Leclerc-Auger

of an A. One of the biggest reasons for McGill's turnaround was the play of rookie goaltender Kevin Desfossés, who joined the team in December. Desfossés posted a solid .919 save percentage in seven regular season games, but saved his best work for the OUA playoffs, where he had a 6 -2 record and a superb .939 save percentage. Three other rookies also fea­ tured prominently in McGill's surprise season: diminutive centre Alexandre Picard-Hooper, who led the team with 36 points; gritty wing­ er Francis Verrault-Paul, who finished third in team scoring while racking up a team-leading 123 penalty minutes; and smooth-skating de­ fenceman Marc-Andre Dorion, who led all Red­ men defenders with 16 points.

Even after introducing 14 new faces to the roster this season, the Redmen will see signifi­ cant turnover in personnel again next year. Co­ captains Ken Morin— arguably the team's best defenceman— and Eric L'Italien will graduate this year. The Redmen also expect to lose twothirds of their top line: Sam Bloom and Marko Kovacevic, both of whom led the team with 14 goals apiece. But if Raymond has proved anything this season, it's that he is a master re­ cruiter. Don't be surprised to see the Redmen challenge for a third-straight Nationals berth next year.

Final record: 2 0 -16 (13 -8 ) MVP: Jennifer Thompson Player to Watch: Amélie,Tottier-Picard — M att Chesser

07.04.09 • Sports • 21

www.mcgilltribune.com

TRIBUNE ROOKIES OF THE YEAR

Presenting, eig_ht fabulous freshmen athletes li M c G i l l A t h l e t i c s ^ yy o o u u tt h

m o v e m e n t w a s

J acob K anter Adam Gordon— Centre Fielder, Redbirds Baseball

Coach Ernie D'Alessandro's club surprised a lot of people this past October when they surged into the final game of the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association National Cham­ pionship Tournament. Adam Gordon kept the Redbirds afloat in the regular season, leading them in hits (16 ), doubles (five), home runs (one), total bases (26 ), and OBP (1 .0 4 1 ). In addition to making a spectacular diving catch and accounting for two runs in the first inning of the championship game, he was named to the all-tournament team along with fellow fresh­ man Casey Aurebach. Gordon's versatility— he also pitched four and two-thirds scoreless innings in the regular season— ensures that he'll be a major part of the Redbirds in the years to come.

Alexandra Morin-Boucher— Forward, Martlets Soccer Katherine Green— Defender, Martlets Soccer

Morin-Boucher, Head Coach Marc Mounicot's star re­ cruit, led both the Martlets— along with Magalie Kolker— and Quebec rookies with six goals in 13 games, even though a leg injury hampered her effectiveness throughout the season.

Morin-Boucher and Kolker formed a formidable front-line for the 9 -4-1 Martlets, who put 34 shots past opposing goalies.

On the other side of the field, Katherine Green was a standout fullback for the Martlets, who allowed only 10 goals in 14 games. Green's skill and athleticism consistently frustrat­ ed opposing attackers, and for her efforts she was named QSSF rookie of the year. Though Mounicot is losing his top forward (Kolker) and midfielder (Vanessa-Salasky), Morin-Boucher and Green have the talent to lead the new wave of Martlets past the QSSF semifinals, where they've stalled the past two years.

Michael Stein— Forward, Redmen Soccer Yohann Capolungo— Midfielder, Redmen Soccer

Much like Morin-Boucher's contribution to the Martlets, Michael Stein provided the Redmen with some much-needed offence, particularly when fellow forward James Scholefield

in

f u ll f o r c e

d u r in g

2 0 0 8 -2 0 0 9

went down with a sports hernia injury early in the conference season. Stein matched Scholefield's output of four goals in QSSF play, good for fourth in the conference.

While it was Stein's job to put the ball in the back of the net, it was Capolungo's job to get it to him. Before joining the Redmen this year, the flashy midfielder from Vallan, France, was a reserve on AJ Auxerre, a French Ligue 1 team. Along with fellow midfielder Sami Obaïd, Capolungo aggressively went after the ball and ruled the middle of the pitch for the surpris­ ing Redmen, who finished 7 -1 -4 , and ended the season ranked seventh in the nation before falling to Laval in a Quebec semi­ final.

Alexandre Picard-Hooper— Forward, Redmen Hockey

After losing several important pieces from last year's squad that reached Nationals, expectations were somewhat tempered for Head Coach Martin Raymond's Redmen. But the OUA East Coach of the Year thrust centre Alexandre PicardHooper onto the team's first line with veterans Sam Bloom and Marko Kovacevic this season, and the rookie responded with a team-leading 36 points en route to winning OUA East Rookie of the Year and a spot as a second-team all-star. Picard-Hooper's speed and precision passing jump-started McGill when the first line was on the ice, and he should be a major player under Raymond's tutelage in the years to come.

Anneth Him-Lazarenko— Forward, Martlets Basketball

The Martlets relied heavily on Anneth Him-Lazarenko this season, and it showed when they choked away a playoff spot to Concordia after the s'io" rookie forward went down with a season-ending ACL injury with four games remaining in the regular season. Him-Lazarenko, who was named to the CIS all­ rookie team despite her shortened season, led the Martlets in scoring and rebounding, and averaged 1.5 steals per game. A strong presence in the post and a 43-8 per cent three-point shooter, Him-Lazarenko's versatility was perhaps her greatest asset, and the Martlets'fate next year depends on whether her knee heals over the summer.

ADAMSCOTTI Marie-Andre Leclerc-Auger— Forward, Martlets Hockey

The CIS Rookie of the Year can't possibly be overlooked on this list, even though her fellow Martlets are well-represented in other areas of the sports section this week. Marie-Andre Leclerc-Auger led the national champions with 94 points over­ all and 46 points in the conference season— a new single-sea­ son Quebec rookie record. She tied Vanessa Davidson for the team lead with three hat-tricks, and led the team with seven game-winning goals. If Head Coach Peter Smith can land a rookie who's half as efficient as Leclerc-Auger next season, the Martlets will coast through the Quebec conference again. ■

Rem em ber w h ere you w ere w hen...

The Redmen won?

..........

On January 18 , 2002 , the McGill men's volleyball team won a 3 -2 road decision over Sherbrooke at the Pavilion Univestrie. Nearly seven years later, the Redmen recorded a 3-1 win in the same venue on January 9 , to end a streak of 85 -straight losses to Quebec schools. The losing streak was the longest in Quebec volleyball history.

The Redmen couldn't keep their momentum going, however, and fol­ lowed up that win with a four-game losing streak to Quebec schools. They finished the season 4 -14 , with two wins over Memorial and one over UNB. Despite their record, two Redmen— setter Ryan Brant and power hitter Matthew Mosseler— were named second-team all-stars.

The Martlets won?

Four months before the men's volleyball team snapped their losing streak, the field hockey team ended a streak of their own. With a 1-0 win over the Queen's Golden Gaels, the Martlets recorded their first victory in 36 tries, a streak of futility dating back nearly three years. It was the team's lone win this season, but the program made significant strides this season nonetheless. Goaltender Shauna Kearns and midfielder Camille St. Cyr were named second-team all-stars, and co-coaches Jean-PierreTurpain and Lau­ rent Fayen received QUA Coach of the Year honours.

McGill filled the stadium and Jamall Lee went off?

Decades from now, historians won't remember McGill's "Fill the Stadi­ um" for the 6,000 screaming fans that packed Molson Stadium on Septem­ ber 19 ; they'll remember Bishop's running back Jamall Lee's heroic effort.

The Gaiter's senior running back romped over the Redmen's pathetic de­ fence for 391 rushing yards—just four shy of the single-game CIS record— and four touchdowns en route to a 45-21 win.

— Jacob Kanter

xŸr^ f' l:>.~ Ttf? ' \\ ' - 1 f i t

D ay one and thfe jo u rn e y ’s ju s t b egun Day one rt*s what you've been waiting for. when your career starts to take shape w th awwrrf-wmnrsç training and support. Whtfi your

Thank you to everyone who helped out the sports section this year.

More specifically: Thank you writers for writing and for making my job a lot easier on the weekends.

Thank you Matt for being the de facto second sports editor and for making my job a lot easier on the weekends.

Thank you Sam Chang and Adam Scotti for designing my section andcftr making my life a lot easier on Mondays.

Thank you yül/ftr reading, for your support, and for making my job worthwhile this year.

W h a t's n e x t fo r y o u r fu t u re ?

Visit t f .cswi/cÿfeanwrs n H

B

t

www.mcgilltribune.com

The year that was in McGill Athletics

07.04.09 • Sports • 23

F IT N E S S & R E C R E A T IO N CLA SSES SPRIN G 2009

MAY 4 - JU N E 21

COURSE

DAY & TIM E

COST

WKS

Member/Non-member

AQUATICS Adults Learn To Swim (Level 1 Beginner) Swim Fit

Tuesday Saturday Tues & Thurs

18:30-19:25 11:00-11:55 18:30-19:25

30.12/43.41 30.12/43.41 44.30/70.88

6 6 6

Wednesday Monday Monday

18:00-18:55 18:00-18:55 19:00-20:25

23.92/37.21 23.92/37.21 31.90/45.18

6 6 6

Mon & Wed Tues & Thurs Monday Wednesday Mon & Wed Tues & Thurs

17:30-18:40 17:30-18:25 18:00-19:25 18:00-19:25 17:00-17:55 17:00-17:55

42.53/69.11 23.92/50.71 23.92/37.21 23.92/37.21 33.66/60.25 37.21/63.79

6 6 6 6 6 6

Tuesday Wednesday Monday

17:30-18:25 18:00-18:55 19:00-20:10

31.01/44.30 31.01/44.30 39.87/53.16

6 6 6

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Tues & Thurs Saturday Sunday

17:30-18:40 18:00-19:55 17:30-18:40 18:45-19:55 10:00-11:55 10:00-11:55

39.87/53.16 63.79/77.08 39.87/53.16 79.74/106.32 63.79/77.08 63.79/77.08

6 6 6 6 6 6

Tuesday & Friday Tues & Thurs Tues & Thurs Mon & Wed

17:30-19:30 17:00-20:00 18:00-19:25 19:00-20:30 19:00-20:30

53.16/79.74

6

31.90/58.48 31.90/58.48 31.90/58.48

6 6 6

McGill

(Cardio-Respiratory Endurance)

DANCE Belly Dancing Latin Social Dance Hatha Yoga I Kick, Punch, Jive & Jam Pilâtes Power Yoga Spin | SPORTS Squash Tennis (All Levels)

MARTIAL ARTS Aikido Kickboxing Shaolin Tae Kwon Do OUTDOOR PURSUITS Equestrian (Transportation Required) Hiking

Saturday Sunday

Rock Climbing STAFF FITNESS Aqua Fitness Badminton Belly Dancing Body Design - Adv Body Design - Intro

Mon & Wed Mon & Wed Mon &Fri Tues & Thurs Tues & Thurs

Pilâtes - Intro Pilâtes - Advanced Power Yoga Lite Recess Spin Tai Chi Tennis

R e g is t r a t io n

o p e n s A p r il 2 0 , 2 0 0 9 in

Tues & Thurs Mon & Wed Tues & Thurs Tues & Thurs Mon & Wed Tues & Thurs Mon & Wed Mon & Wed Tues & Thurs Mon & Wed Tues & Thurs

13:30-15:30 13:30-15:30

141.76/150.62 141.76/150.62

6 6

All Day

46.96/49,62

1 1 1 1 1 1

All Day

70.88/79.74

12:15-13:00 12:30-13:15 12:15-13:00 12:15-13:00 13:00-13:45 12:15-13:00 13:00-13:45 13:00-13:45 12:00-12:45 12:15-13:00 12:15-13:00 12:00-12:45 12:15-13:00 13:00-13:45 13:00-13:45 12:30-13:15

$13.29

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

-

t h e S p o r t s C o m p le x 0 8 h 3 0

2 0 h 00

T h r o u g h t h e s p r i n g a n d s u m m e r m o n t h s , M c G il l s t u d e n t s m u s t p u r c h a s e a m e m b e r s h i p in o r d e r t o g a i n a c c e s s t o t h e S p o r t s C o m p l e x . S p e c i a l s t u d e n t r a t e s a r e in e f f e c t f o r a ll t h o s e w h o w e r e

r e g is te r e d t h r o u g h

th e 2009

w in t e r se m e ste r.

S U

M

F U

L L

M

E R

S P R I N M

E M

M c G ill S t u d e n t s

G

&

B E R S H

I P

$99*

M A Y S P E C IA L F O R S T U D E N T S $ 3 4

* In c lu d e s f r e e a c c e s s to

P A Y -A S -Y O U -G O

c la s s e s t h r o u g h

TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA

Latin Salsa (New) Fitness Walking Hatha Yoga l Hatha Yoga II

A TH LETIC S & REC REA TIO N 2009 SPRING SESSION

fitn e s s

M ay & Ju n e

• N o n-m em bers registered in courses may use th e facility o nly d u rin g th e ir d esign ated class tim es.

• Most classes begin the w eek o f M ay 4 and run through w eek o f June 8, 2009.

• P a y-A s-Y o u -G o classes beg in M ay 4 an d run until June 18, 2009.

• Classes w ill not be held M ay 18, 2009.

A ll p r ic e s lis t e d d o n o t in c lu d e G S T & Q S T

COURSE

CO ST

DAY & TIM E

FITNESS & WELLNESS (Pay-As-You-Go) SPIN Monday ABS, BACK & BOOTIE Monday BODY DESIGN Tues & Thurs STEP Wednesday BOOT CAMP Wednesday RETRO CARDIO Tues & Thurs POWER YOGA Thursday ONE ON ONE Fitness Appraisal (Private) by appointment by appointment Personal Training (Private) Personal Training (Semi-Private) by appointment Squash (Private) by appointment Squash (Semi-Private) by appointment Swim (Private) by appointment by appointment Swim (Semi-Private) by appointment Tennis (Private) by appointment Tennis (Semi-Private)

18:00-18:55 17:30-18:25 18:00-18:55 17:00-17:55 17:30-18:25 17h00-17h55 18:00-18:55

WKS

2.22

44.30/48.73 44.30/48.73 30.12/34.55 2 6 .5 7 /3 1.0 0 35.44/44.30 17.72/22.15 2 3 .9 2 /3 2 .7 8 2 6 .5 7 /3 1.0 0 35.4 4 /4 4 .30

IN F O : 5 14 -3 9 8 -7 0 0 0 o r w w w .m c g ill.c a / a th le tic s

1.25hrs 1 hr 1 hr 45 min 45 min 1/2 hr 1 /1 hr 1 hr

1 hr