The McGill Tribune Vol. 29 Issue 18

OLYMPIC PREVIEW, PAGES 18 & 19

THE MONARCH MIGRATION, PAGES 10 & 11

sMCGlLL

T r ib u n e www.mcgilltribtine.com

Published by the Students’ Society of McGill University

Vol. 29 Issue 18 • 2 Fe

L evel II varsity team s face d ram atic fu n d in g cuts in 2010-11

Level I team s set to receive additional $15,801 TORI CRAWFORD News Editor

With a proposed 67 per cent funding cut for the upcoming year, McGill Athletics’ Level II teams will face some drastic changes in the near future.

Funding for McGill varsity teams is based on a three-level tiered system. The 2010-11 McGill Athletics and Recreation budget pro­ posal, released last week, would cut Level II funding by $147,871, making the total amount $73,163, compared to $221,034 last year.

Level I teams, which include football, hockey, basketball, soccer, swimming and women’s volleyball, receive a total of over $850,000 of financial support and are set to receive an additional $15,801 in the proposed

budget. The Level II teams are cross country, track, rugby, badminton, rowing and men’s volleyball. The budget for Level III teams, also known as intercollegiate clubs, which consists of all other athletic teams, is set to double next year to $60,000.

Tom Fabian, the president of the Varsity Council and a member of the volleyball team expressed concern about what these funding cuts would mean for the Level II teams.

“Take the volleyball team, for example,” he said. “Our operating budget is about w hat’s left for all the Level II teams next year. So it would be impossible for us to be in our league, let alone go to two tournaments each year.”

Drew Love, director of athletics at McGill, explained that M cGill’s sports model is based on prioritizing funding for Level I teams in order to help them be successful.

“We have always taken the approach that we fund our Level I sports in order to give them

the opportunity to be competitive, and depend­ ing on how much funding we have available after we do that, we would then find a way to divide the remaining money up among the Level II teams,” he said.

Love added that this did not necessar­ ily mean that these Level II teams would be forced to drop down to Level III. “The pot of money for Level II teams is decreasing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that those teams won’t exist,” he said. “But it means that some of them will be competing with less support from the Athletics depart­ ment than they’ve had the last few years.”

In addition to the $125,000 Athletics will lose due to the Overhead Recovery F ee—a new charge that redirects a percentage of Ath­ letics revenues to the central admnistration— the proposed budget includes significant cuts in contributions to Athletics from Student Life and Learning. Deputy Provost (Student Life

and Learning) Morton Mendelson explained that these are part of cuts made across the board in his departments due to the univer­ sity’s difficult financial situation.

“The budget situation in the university is very serious. We do not have the money to do what we want to do ... so it’s a matter of weighing priorities,” Mendelson said. “In the end we had to make the choice that the univer­ sity cannot contribute to athletics to the same extent it has in the past.”

While Fabian said he understood the dif­ ficult situation facing Athletics, he questioned whether many of these Level II teams would be able to survive.

“I respect what they’re doing, but for many teams, if their funds are being cut, it’s a nice way of saying your program is cut,” he said. “Many teams can’t operate without it.”

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CAMPUS

Post-Graduate Students’ Society holds second-annual Green Month Sim eone calls event a “w onderful success ” KYLA MANDEL Contributor

The Post-Graduate Students’ Society recently wrapped up its second-annual Green Month. The PGSS environmental committee spearheaded the series of events, which were held throughout the month of January.

“Green Month is a month that is dedicated to everything that is sustainable and focussed on environmental issues,” said Cynthia Nei, environment commissioner for the PGSS. She added that although this year’s Green Month was similar to last year’s, the event featured different speakers and new events.

While attendance was below last year’s level, co-organizer Chris Wrobel believed that the events were “more satisfactory for the au­ dience compared to last year.”

“A lot of the presenters have involved the audience in their presentations. It has been more interactive,” Worbel said. He cited an intimate discussion on “Going Green at Mac­ Donald Campus,” presented by Emily McGill,

vice-president communications of the Mac­ donald Campus Students’ Society.

In addition, the nature photography con­ test had an excellent turnout. The winners re­ ceived ecological products provided by local Montreal companies. The photos that didn’t win were entered into a silent auction, the pro­ ceeds of which were donated to Haiti relief projects.

“This year’s focus was on including more talks and presentations by students, specifi­ cally undergraduates,” said Wrobel. Jonathan Glencross, a member of the McGill Food Sys­ tems Project and co-founder of the McGill Sustainability Fund, offered a talk titled “Farm to Plate: Unpacking M cGill’s Food Sourcing.”

Glencross’s presentation was followed by a meal prepared by Happy Belly, made from lo­ cally grown products.

According to Wrobel, the events were well-received and stimulated conversation and new ideas. During the discussion at Macdon­ ald campus, “we were shooting ideas off each other and among the crowd,” Wrobel said.

Such ideas included asking why the uni­ versity falls behind in sustainability compared to Concordia, or why Macdonald campus is

not being used to its fullest potential.

One suggestion Wrobel gave to improve M cGill’s sustainability is to have younger pro­ fessors on the Environmental Committee at McGill.

“They’re the ones with the fresh ideas, the more progressive, more open-minded [ideas],” he said.

Another event that received a strong turn­ out was a green-cleaning workshop. Students were able to learn how to make their own liq­ uid laundry soap, all-purpose paste cleaner, and window and mirror cleaner.

According to Nei, about 15 people signed up for this workshop, which was equal to last year’s attendance. However, Wrobel pointed out that every event has its challenges.

“You always think you advertise enough,” Wrobel said. “We had some problems with maybe getting the word out. Next year we re­ ally have to find a way to get more grad stu­ dents to come out. ... [But] we did get a lot of undergrads, a lot of people [from] outside.”

Daniel Simeone, PGSS president, was satisfied with the event overall.

“A theme month on environmental issues can help to raise awareness in a broader way,”

HOLLY STEWART

Save energy. Wear a parka. he said. “In my view, [Green Month] was a wonderful success. Lots of people have had fun and also had an opportunity to learn more about our environment.”

Funds to be cut Continued from COVER Neilson expressed particular concern with the loss of a $65,000 contribution towards playoff expenses from Student Life and Learning.

“Overall, I ’m pretty disappointed with some of the money that’s being pulled out, es­ pecially for playoff expenses,” Neilson said.

“It’s important that McGill show a commit­ ment to Athletics. Obviously we understand that the university is in a very difficult financial position ... but it’s unfortunate that so many of the cuts will affect students so directly.”

Love, however, was confident that this loss of financial support would not prevent qualifying McGill teams from attending im­ portant playoff competitions.

“We’re going to have to find funds from other parts of the budget in order to support the playoff funding,” he said. “Certainly we wouldn’t ask a team that was heading off to a provincial or national championship to have to fund their own way to that championship.”

As for decisions regarding possible changes in the level classification of teams, Love said no decisions will xbe made until teams’ seasons are complete, and will be based on various criteria.

“The decision would be made by the ad­ ministration,” he said, “and there are a number of issues that are looked at, including popu­ larity, feeder systems, interest within both the McGill and the Montreal communities, suc­ cess, and competitiveness.”

Fabian, for his part, said he hopes that any decision-making process should be made clear to all athletes.

“This needs to be done based on the right criteria, and it needs to be transparent, he said. “Right now we don’t want to worry anyone. At the end of the season, everyone will know w hat’s happening. Now it’s just the waiting game.”

2 February 2010 • 3

Curiosity Delivers.

CAMPUS

McGill Model United Nations conference celebrates twenty years 1,400 university delegates debate international issues TRIP YANG Contributor

This past week, McGill hosted the 20th annual McGill Model United Nations confer­ ence, a series of simulations where delegates debate and draft proposals to deal with past, present, and future international issues. The four-day event opened with Canadian Mem­ ber of Parliament and McGill alumnus Justin Trudeau’s keynote address, in which he en­ couraged students to be politically involved.

McMUN, the largest mock UN event hosted by a Canadian university, attracted 1,400 delegates from over 80 schools across

Canada and the United States. Working with a budget of under $100,000, Secretary-General Sarah Quinn was confident that this year’s sec­ retariat and 250 McGill student-staff members upheld M cMUN’s tradition of holding highprofile conferences.

“McMUN looks big budget and that’s the result of our secretariat working day and night to make this conference a success,” said Quinn. “We’re keeping it together with string and personality.”

Trudeau, like past keynote speakers—in­ cluding former UN Deputy Secretary-General and McGill Law Professor Payam Akhavan, and Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jor­ d an -e n g ag ed the audience during M cMUN’s opening ceremonies.

“We were definitely lucky to book Jus­

tin Trudeau,” said Quinn. “Trudeau was very charismatic and his speech was well-received.

H e’s a captivating and high-profile speaker.”

This year’s conference featured 26 com­ mittees, ranging from mainstays like the Unit­ ed Nations Security Council to novel ideas such as the Paris Peace Talks 1919 commit­ tee, which challenged delegates to rewrite the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.

“We wanted to mix in historical topics as well as have committees that reflect modem problems,” said Molly Krishtalka, undersecre­ tary-general, committee affairs. “We also in­ troduced future scenarios, such as the Olympic Selection Committee 2020, where delegates decide which city hosts the 2020 Olympics.”

By the end of the weekend, committees had completed drafting their resolutions—

five- to 10-page documents that provide plau­ sible solutions to proposed situations.

Registration was open to all Canadian and US schools with model UN clubs, although there were exceptions, including the Universi­ ty of M ontreal’s political science and law stu­ dent unions. Quinn explained that Model UN events are popular on American campuses.

She pointed to delegates from Michigan State, Georgetown, and the US Military Academy at West Point as being particularly notable.

Katie Amey, director of public relations, believes students learn invaluable skills at Model UN events, “such as improving their abilities for public speaking, expressing view­ points clearly, cooperating and compromising, and critical thinking. Model UN can be for ev­ eryone.”

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

McMUN keynote speaker Justin Trudeau talks politics and more Justin Trudeau, the Liberal MP for the northern Montreal riding o f Papineau, served as the keynote speaker at the McGill Model United Nations conference on Thursday.

Trudeau, the son o f the late prime minister, sat down with the Tribune to discuss his under­ graduate days at McGill, prorogation, and his life outside o f politics.

Tell me a bit about your time at McGill.

Why did you choose to study in English rather than in French?

Because I ’d done my high school and CEGEP at [Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf in Outre­ mont], so it was all French up until then. I de­ cided that switching it up would be appropri­ ate. Having done my seven years at Brébeuf, all French, I was looking forward to three years in downtown Montreal speaking English.

Did it live up to your expectations?

It did ... It’s a real challenge for Montre­ alers going to McGill, because everyone does all the Frosh exercises, everyone’s meeting friends from all around, and Montrealers are just like, ‘Oh, we know everyone in Montre­ al.’

You mentioned being involved in the McGill Debating Union. What other activi­ ties did you pursue at McGill?

As a first-year, it was debating. After that, I got more and more involved in SACOMSS, the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Stu­ dents’ Society, which I hear is still going on.

I was one of the early male members of SA­ COMSS. We defined the outreach program ... At the tim e—it was the early 90s—people were not totally open about a lot of the conver­ sations that Dr. Phil and Oprah have opened up.

Were there any professors who stood out for you at McGill?

I studied English literature, and I took one of the courses that everybody wants to take: this voice and speech course taught by Steve Lecky. ... You couldn’t get into this course except by auditioning, and there were all these great McGill thespians in the course. I’d

grown up reciting poetry and giving speeches, but I wasn’t much of an actor. [So I told him], ‘The thing is, I can’t act, but I can deliver a speech.’ And so that was something that we worked on instead.

You led a fairly quiet life after gradu­ ating from McGill, spending several years as a teacher in Vancouver. What led you to enter federal politics?

I ’d always said to myself I ’d stay away from politics until I was much older, until I had been able to demonstrate my worth—by writ­ ing a book, by starting a company, by doing something that people would say, ‘Okay, h e’s actually bringing something to the table other than just being a Trudeau.’ That’s why I ’d al­ ways pushed off politics.

[After the leadership convention in 2006], I realized that there was a way for me to dem­ onstrate my worth and still be a young person

going into politics. I had to pick the toughest riding I possibly could, to pick a nomination that I ’d have to fight against strong local Lib­ erals to earn, which I did in Papineau, and then an election against a star Bloc MP to try and win the riding. I set the bar as high as I pos­ sibly could, gave myself as tough a challenge as I could.

What have you accomplished since en­ tering Parliament?

One of the first things was that I brought forward a private member’s motion on a na­ tional youth service.... We need to look at how we encourage young Canadians to serve their country, serve their communities, serve their provinces, serve overseas. I put this forward.

The Bloc and the Conservatives both voted against it, but I felt very good about bringing forward the issue of young people and empow­ erment in Parliament.

Do you think prorogation is an issue that’s likely to spark an election this spring?

I don't think prorogation is an issue that is likely to spark an election. The Liberal Party is certainly not interested in an election right now. Canadians have been very, very clear that they’re not interested in an election.

W hat’s interesting and illustrative about prorogation is what it demonstrates about Ste­ phen H arper.... The Reform Party was created out of a grassroots [movement], a respect for individual MPs and respect for the institutions of Parliament. Stephen Harper has completely flipped all that on its head, and all the princi­ ples of openness, transparency, accountability that he once stood for—democratic responsi­ bility—are now sort of punch lines to a joke about him.

—Compiled by Theo Meyer

mcgilltribune.com

4 • 2 February 2010

NEWS ANALYSIS

As more students opt out, campus groups face budget shortfalls Q PIRG an d R adio C K U T fa c e especially high opt-out num bers JAMES GILMAN Managing Editor

Last Thursday concluded the Winter 2010 student fee opt-out period, which had begun two weeks earlier on January 14, and the cur­ rent academic year has seen the highest level of opt-outs ever.

Each semester students have a two-week window during which they can, through the online Minerva service, opt out of several fees that support the Students’ Society and facul­ ty association groups and funds, as well as a pair of independent student groups: the Que­ bec Public Interest Research Group-McGill (QPIRG) and Radio CKUT. The opt-out system has existed in its current form since 2007, when SSMU and the McGill Student Accounts Office took the system online—although SSMU had wanted the system to be on their website rather than Minerva.

The percentage of students opting out of SSMU fees, which was only 0.83 per cent in Winter 2007, spiked upward to 6.45 per cent in the fall of that year, when the online system debuted.

Although opt-out rates have been lower

in winter semesters than in fall semesters, there has been a steady year-to-year increase since 2007. The average number of opt-edits increased to 9.76 per cent for the Fall 2008 se­ mester, and then to 11.19 per cent in Fall 2009.

For the current semester, the average was 10.11 per cent, versus 7.7 per cent in Winter 2009.

Although the trends in opt-out numbers are clear, the factors driving them are not.

“Opt-outs have gone up every year since they were instituted in 2006,” said SSMU Vice-President Clubs and Services Sarah Olle.

“I would attribute much of this to increased awareness of the ability to opt out, and also the aggressive campaigning of certain opt-out groups.”

Chief among these groups is the “QPIRG: Opt-Out!” group, which maintains a Facebook group and a website, and, as its name suggests, encourages students to opt out of QPIRG’s $3.75-per-semester fee.

“QPIRG: Opt-Out!” doesn’t target SSMU groups, but many, including Olle, believe that such groups have the effect of drawing people’s attention to the opt-out process as a whole.

“Many people argue that people should have the right to opt out of a fee that they would not like to pay for, which makes perfect sense, and I think is totally logical,” Olle said.

Because opt-out numbers are fairly con­ sistent across the board, however, Olle be­

lieves that students are most likely blanket opting out of all fees. To support this theory, she pointed to the number of opt outs across the seven SSMU fees—including a fee for the Tribune—which were put online in 2007. De­ spite the fact that these fees ranged from $0.50 (for the Tribune) to $8.50 (for the SSMU Li­ brary Fund), the number of students opting out has remained consistent across all of them.

“I think that as years go on people become increasingly aware about that capacity, that you can opt-out,” said Louise Bums, CKUT sales manager.

With rising and somewhat unpredictable numbers of students opting out, groups and funds that rely on these fees are finding it more and more difficult to plan their finances.

Groups under SSMU, or one of the fac­ ulty associations, such as the Arts Undergradu­ ate Society, have the added security of these parent organizations to fall back on. Because QPIRG and CKUT are independent groups, however, they have no such safety net.

On top of this, QPIRG and CKUT have to deal with opt-out numbers that tend to be higher than those for SSMU fees.

CKUT saw 12.43 per cent of undergradu­ ates opt out of its fee during the recent opt-out period, and 14.13 per cent opt out last Septem­ ber. Though QPIRG did not release their num­ bers, Bums said that QPIRG and CKUT’s stats

are generally very similar.

Though CKUT is not projected to ran a deficit this year, the radio station has done so for the two previous years, part of which is attibutable to opt outs. Because of the persistent deficits, CKUT is considering cutting one paid staff position.

QPIRG, which, in 1988, was the first McGill group to institute an opt-outable fee has also felt the pinch due to increasing optouts. The organization faces the added dif­ ficulty of combating the “QPIRG: Opt-Out!” campaign.

“I think the thing that is the most infuriat­ ing for me is the claim of the opt-out QPIRG campaign that things are being done on the sly [at QPIRG], whereas I think it’s fairly accurate to say that QPIRG has always been an open and democratically accessible organization,” said Fred Burrill, a board member of QPIRG. For Olle, as well as QPIRG and CKUT organizers, the most important thing students can do is to inform themselves about the fees they’re opting out of before they do so.

“I would really hope that students would want to support the activities of their fellow students, even if it’s not something that they personally partake in,” Olle said “I think it’s really important that we keep campus life alive, and it’s only through this funding that w e’re able to do so.”

SPEAKER ON CAMPUS

CAMPUS

Hébert talks Canadian politics

Toilet seats causing irritation

Toronto Star colum nist assesses changes in the p o litica l terrain

R esearch suggests skin condition is m aking a com eback

THEO MEYER News Editor

In 2003, Stephen Harper, then the leader of the Canadian Alliance, and Peter MacKay, the Progressive Conservatives’ leader, shook hands to celebrate the merger of their two right-leaning parties. That handshake, political commentator Chantal Hébert argues, changed the Canadian political landscape more than any other event of the decade.

Hébert, a political columnist for the To­ ronto Star as well as a contributor to Le Devoir, delivered the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada’s annual J.R. Mallory Lecture at the Faculty Club last Wednesday night.

Richard Schultz, the McGill political sci­ entist who introduced Hébert, compared her columns to those of famed Canadian journalists such as Graham Fraser and André Laurendeau, praising the role of such commentators.

“A healthy democracy requires a healthy media sector,” he said. “What is most impor­ tant to a healthy media sector, I’d argue, is that small cadre of journalists known as political columnists.”

In her lecture, titled “The Shifting Cana­ dian Political Landscape,” Hébert described the ways in which the four major federal par­ ties have attempted to reposition themselves over the past decade.

According to Hébert, while Progressive Conservative leaders such as Brian Mulroney relied on winning ridings in Alberta and Que­ bec to form governments, the rise of the Bloc

Québécois has forced Harper to focus his en­ ergy on winning in the rest of English Canada. “[The prime minister] wants the party to be solid in Ontario, British Columbia, and Al­ berta,” Hébert said. “Within ten years, due to demographics and seat redistribution, it will be possible in this country to craft majority gov­ ernments without Quebec.”

The Liberals, meanwhile, have been in disarray for far longer than the four years they have been out of power, Hébert argued. Since Pierre Trudeau’s retirement in 1984, the Lib­ erals have faced a united conservative in five elections, four of which they have lost. The only exception, in 2004, occurred while Harper was still rebuilding the Conservative Party after the merger. Even then, Paul Martin’s Liberals only managed to win a minority government.

Shifts have also taken place in the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois since the handshake between Harper and Mac­ Kay, Hébert said. Jack Layton’s NDP has been far more willing to engage with other parties than under previous leaders, though Layton has failed to force major concessions from the Harper government.

The Bloc, meanwhile, has pursued Que­ bec sovereignty with far less vigour than it did in the 1990s. It has become, Hébert said, a “party of sovereigntists” rather than a party actively seeking sovereignty.

In the current political landscape, Hébert said near the end of her lecture, the NDP wants to occupy the strategic position of the Liberals, while the Liberal want to be the Conservatives.

The prime minister’s Conservatives, for their part, want a majority government. Everybody wants to be somebody else, she said.

LAUREN HUDAK Contributor

Research led by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center confirms that diagnoses of “poop” dermatitis, formally known as allergic/ irritant contact dermatitis, has recently made a comeback in pediatricians’ offices worldwide.

This skin condition is characterized by skin irritations found on the buttocks and upperthigh regions and is caused by substances found within the toilet seat.

“In the past this is something that we observed more frequently when sanitary seat covers were not available and people used wooden seats in their bathrooms. Some indi­ viduals are allergic to the essential oils and wooden lacquers that one could find in the seat,” said M cGill’s Ivan Litvinov, the lead researcher.

Since the majority of bathroom facilities have converted to plastic seat covers, public facilities have become safer.

“I think public toilets are pretty safe,” said Bernard Cohen, director of pediatric der­ matology at the Children’s Hospital at John Hopkins. “This was more of a problem here in the sixties, but with the new interest in exotic woods and paints and lacquers, this condition has resurfaced.”

The study also included research from Dr. Paramoo Sugathan, a dermatologist at Baby Memorial Hospital, Calicut, Kerala, India.

Although India has experienced more cases of contact irritant dermatitis, the increase in cases

is not necessarily correlated with the quality of life in the country. The warm climate is one factor that induces the reaction due to the in­ crease in heat and rubbing, said Litvinov.

“In a number of countries, where for cultural or other reasons individuals prefer wooden over plastic seats, the prevalence of this condition is higher,” he said. “Wooden toi­ let seats contain a higher number of potential allergens.”

Additionally, Litvinov said that only a small percentage of the population will react to toilet seat covers, because contact irritant dermatitis cannot be spread.

“Your genetics determine what you will be allergic to —it’s all about the interaction of your genetics with the environment,” Lit­ vinov. “Your genetics predispose you to cer­ tain conditions. For example, when you are 6 ’5”, you are predisposed to play basketball.

One to two per cent of the population, based on their genetics, may be susceptible to the al lergic/contact dermatitis. But if you are never exposed to that environment, you will not see the effects.”

Pediatricians are the target audience for the study. According to Litvinov, the intention of the study was not to warn the public about a particular condition, but rather to alert pe­ diatricians about a rare condition that is easily remedied if spotted.

“I think we are seeing more of this prob­ lem, but the main issue is recognition, which we hope our paper will do,” Cohen said. “The problem is often long-term because people fail to think of it, but it goes away when recog­ nized and protective measures are taken.”

2 February 2010 • 5

Curiosity Delivers.

CAMPUS

M cG ill student group organizes to raise funding for W ikipedia Students Supporting Wikipedia receives interim club status NICK FRID Contributor

Students Supporting Wikipedia, a new McGill club, officially received its interim club status on January 21. The group aims to raise money for the Wikipedia Foundation, and offer contributions to the popular webbased encyclopaedia.

The young club currently consists of five executives and eight official members. To pro­ mote supporting Wikipedia, the club hopes to hold a party at a nightclub, a Wikipedia in­ spired trivia event, bake sales, and a charity poker tournament with prizes.

“It kind of sells itself,” said Dillon

Beaulne, a club executive. “One of our ideas is to put a donation box in the library and just write, ‘If you used Wikipedia today, put in a quarter. With that selling point during exam time or essay writing time in McClennan or Schulich, it’s going to get filled up because people use it.”

However, the executive members admit that the need to donate to Wikipedia is not at first glance an absolute necessity.

Sarah Olle, the Students’ Society vicepresident clubs and services, agreed that Wiki­ pedia does not at first appear as a vital founda­ tion to support, but added that it is something students make use of.

“I would say Wikipedia is used very often

by McGill students and that it is good to raise awareness of the fact that Wikipedia does re­ quire funding,” said Olle.

U o f T p ro f discusses A ID S CH R ISTIE L E E Contributor

Despite the heavy snowfall outside, stu­ dents and professors showed up last Friday to hear Antoinette Handley discuss how the AIDS epidemic has shaped the moral and po­ litical economy in South Africa.

Handley, a political scientist at the Uni­ versity of Toronto, is well-known for her re­ search on the subject.

She opened her presentation by quoting the American political scientist Charles Tilly: “War makes the state, and the state makes war.” She encouraged her audience to think of the AIDS epidemic not just in terms of the government’s response to the disease, but also as a key influence on the South African state.

Using the idea of the body politic, Handley argued that the way a virus moves through society is analogous to the way it moves through the body.

“Like the viruses in our body,” she said, “the epidemic maps onto and traces and feeds off the susceptible contours, cleavages, and pathways in a particular political economy.”

In South Africa, Handley argued, the ra­ cial divisions of poverty and the prevalence of labour migration provided such pathways for the epidemic to spread.

Handley also addressed some of the complications facing both the South African government and the private sector in enact­ ing health care policies for AIDS victims, and how these complications have shaped the rela­ tionships between businesses and the govern­ ment.

While many have pointed to “neoliberal” policies as the number one villain of the un­ derdeveloped health care system in South Af­ rica, Handley argued the country’s polarized society is actually at the heart of the health care system’s problems.

Bom and raised in South Africa, Handley spent her university years in the prov­

“We put [the application] aside and then we reviewed about four more applications, and in the course of reviewing those applications, we used Wikipedia about six times to look up things in the applications.”

“One of our ideas is to put a donation box in the library and just write, ‘If you used Wikipedia today, put in a quarter.’”

—Dillon Beaulne, club executive

The club does not plan on taking their mission to a level beyond fundraising support.

They believe Wikipedia is great for quick background knowledge and help, but realize it is not an official source.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM

SPEAKER ON CAMPUS

Calls on South African citizens to shape health care policies

The club is seeking to create an atmo­ sphere of gratitude and represent the McGill student body as appreciative of the free knowl­ edge that Wikipedia supplies. The group hopes to express McGill's thanks to Wikipedia for remaining true to their purpose. The website has remained simple and easy to use, and has not opted to be subsidized by advertising, still functioning on only donations.

The group believes they will capitalize on a “second look” effect once awareness of the club rises on campus. Olle reflected on a situ­ ation where this exact situation occurred dur­ ing discussions with the Clubs and Services Committee on whether to grant the group club status.

“There was some disagreement over what the added value would be and whether this was something SSMU should support,” said Olle.

ince of KwaZulu-Natal during the eighties, a time when the area was embroiled in conflict.

Though Apartheid has since ended, many of those tensions still exist.

“Proper debates over the pros and cons of AIDS drugs are often overshadowed by the polarized forces in South African politics,” Handley said. She also emphasized the role of citizens in the shaping of South African health policies.

“There is very little organized and con­ certed demand for the provision of health care, with the exception of the Treatment Action campaign,” she said. “AIDS is not at the top of the list of what people want given the myriad of challenges that people face, including the accessibility to jobs.”

One of Handley’s main interests lies in what she sees as the disparity between the ways by which we conceptualize the epidemic and what the reality is in South Africa.

“It is not that democracy has failed. De­ mocracy has succeeded on many levels, it is only that people don’t see AIDS as the most important issue out there,” she said.

Amongst those who attended the lecture, Sandra Aigbinode, a m aster’s political science student, said that the session cleared up a num­ ber of things for her.

“I have read Professor’s Handley’s paper on the topic before,” she said. “But I was hesi­ tant about the role of denialism in shaping the actions of the South African government, so I’m glad I came to meet with and talk to her in person.”

Through her research, Handley hopes that people will see the AIDS epidemic in South Africa differently and emphasized the poten­ tial of the corporate sector and the state to act in the broader interest.

“Instead of seeing it as merely a social tragedy,” she said, “we should see it as a driv­ ing force behind state-business relationship and the implications this has on the average African citizen.”

Leadership Skills Development Workshops

Leadership

McGill

Leadership Training Program First-Year Office

If you are a student involved in campus activities as an executive, organizer or event planner, you qualify for the Leadership Training Program’s FREE Skills Development Workshops.

D e v e l o p a nd bui l d your leadership skills. Attend a minimum of five workshops throughout 09/ 10 academic year and receive a certificate of completion.

This February, check out...

Troubleshooting Communication Breakdowns Wednesday, February 3, 5:30-7:30pm (Macdonald Campus) Thursday, February 11, 5:30-7:30pm (Downtown Campus) Become a better communicator and le a d e r by making the m essages you send and receive clearer. You’ll see the difference it makes in your volunteer positions and in your career!

Knowing, Being, Doing: Improving Your Leadership Tuesday, February 16, 5:30-7:30pm (Downtown Campus) A participatory workshop to explore the foundations of being a g re at lea d e r: knowing oneself, being principled and inclusive and doing or acting. Explore the relational leadership model through dialogue and action. Be p re p a re d to delve more d eep ly into your own personal journey.

Registration now available via Minerva!

To access the site, go to our website at:

www.mcgill.ca / firstyear/leadertraining / For more info, drop by the First-Year Office in the Brown Building, Suite 2100, or call 514-398-6913 P.S. If space allows, these workshops are open to all students who are interested in leadership!

6 * 2 February 2010

M ID D L E -C L A SS GUILT

“Social organization, fo r all its clumsi­ ness and evil, has accomplished far more and embodies more good than 1 do, fo r at least it sometimes gives justice. I am a mess, and talk about justice. I owe the powers that created me a human life. And where is it! Where is that human life which is my only excuse for surviv­ ing!” - Saul Bellow, Herzog I live in the Global North. I own four or five pairs of sneakers despite having only one pair of feet. I keep my room warm enough in the winter months so that I ’m comfortable lounging in cut-off shorts and a T-shirt. I’ve never had to worry about life’s essentials. The problems I do have, or claim to have, are ob­ viously minor. Repulsively fortunate, I take pretty much everything for granted.

In this story, I can only be the villain. Even worse, I rarely ever think of this as my posi­ tion in the world. It’s always in the back of my mind, rarely the front. This, too, is despicable.

For if I were to constantly think of myself as abundantly lucky and hence unworthy...

It’s not clear to me where the syllogism goes from there. If I were always thinking about how I have it better than others, I’d do what? I ’d major in International Development Studies? I ’d become homeless on purpose? I’d refuse an opportunity to study French in Paris, on the principle that there are many people in the world without such opportunities, as a good friend of mine recently considered doing? I ’d smile less?

Middle-class guilt begins with the notion that there is something fundamentally inau­ thentic about being bom with more money and less melanin than the average Homo sa­ piens. My ancestors were the conquerors, the oppressors, the immoral—the antithesis of the postmodern hero. My life is not real life, only a stolen, coddled version thereof.

(Let’s momentarily forget I’m Jewish, forget I wouldn’t have been welcome at this

R EADY TO M A K E NICE

I know a lot of things.

Not that I’m trying to be immodest. I mean, I am immodest: I spend most of my Facebook hours stalking myself and am the star of most of my favourite conversations. But in this case, I’m really not being self-indulgent.

After two and a half years of university edu­ cation and campus media, not to mention a lifetime of reading the news, I know a ton of facts.

I know, for instance, about the United States. I know its current events—how it’s an oppressive liberator with a socialist conserva­

O p in io n

mcgilltribune.com

didn’t exist then doesn’t change the fact that people practiced misogyny.

university until a half century ago, forget the suffering of my ancestors who survived cen­ turies of exiles, inquisitions, persecution, massacres, pogroms, and holocausts. Today’s young Western Jew is supposed to feel this guilt nonetheless.)

7 haven’t really earned this—a. soft but omnipresent qualifier of everything I do, ev­ erything I experience, everything I am. It hardly abates when I settle into my soft pillow at night; rather, it grows louder.

Yet I know that I’ve done nothing wrong.

Besides some misplaced jests, some unretumed e-mails, that one kid I punched in the chin when I was 12, absolutely none of the misery in the world is my fault. So why do I constantly feel as if it all is?

O f course, there’s that “complicity with the system” business. I buy coffee without checking if it’s Fair Trade certified. I didn’t skip final exams to fly to Copenhagen and pro­ test for action against climate change. Every­ day I benefit at the expense o f others.

I don’t deny this empirical fact. But you can’t tell people that by taking the next breath, by eating dinner tonight, by waking up in the morning, by being at McGill, by studying French in Paris, by merely subsisting, they are “complicit with the system.” It’s cruel not to give people credit for their good intentions.

If we want to live 20 years hence among perennially unhappy people who write off as illegitimate their entire realm of experience just because they never survived real hardship, people who claim no individuality or personhood for themselves, only the unique, rotten way in which they were malignly “socialized” by the system, then let’s change nothing.

Otherwise, let’s not waste our lives in the unproductive mire of self-contempt—the worst kind of self-indulgence. Middle-class guilt, while posing as worldly and profound, is really only the false (and psychologically unbearable) notion that your woeful, half-informed lifelong mea culpa will set the world straight, and make it easier for a billion people to starve everyday. I ’m quite fed up with this notion, and also with the insinuation of “apa­ thy” or, worse, malevolence on the part of those unwilling to posture themselves in such a self-serving fashion.

Middle-class guilt is hardly an effective means of ameliorating suffering—it’s only easy.

I woke up, uncertain and lost, to a stac­ cato burst of screams. I lay in bed for a few more seconds, staring into the darkness, and my heartbeat picked up as the screams rose in pitch.

I didn’t want to move. I wanted to go back to sleep and pretend I hadn’t heard anything.

Shivering, I stumbled out of bed, pulled at the blinds, and opened my window. The screams had stopped.

Three burly men walked under my win­ dow on the third floor. The one standing in the middle was zipping up his pants. His friend chuckled and said, “I wish I had a turn,” be­ fore they disappeared into the dark shroud of an alleyway.

I ’m afraid that one day I’m going to see one of these men again, having a good laugh with his friends, and a feeling of powerless­ ness will overwhelm m e—the feeling that shook me that night. Doubly terrified: not only because I couldn’t help that helpless woman but because I could be that helpless woman, any night, any day now.

This thing that happened months ago res­ urrected the thoughts and feelings that had ini­ tially pushed me toward feminism. But it also reminded me of the frustrating dialogue that we continue to engage in regarding feminist ideology.

Last week, for example, an acquaintance argued that it was anachronistic to call any­ one who had lived before 1970 a misogynist.

He was objecting to the fact that I was apply­ ing that term to someone who had lived in an era that hadn’t been suffused with the type of thought we have today.

I don’t care what kind of theoretical hoops anyone jumps through: we can’t burden the term “misogyny” with this nuance. Doing so would risk dismissing the brutality of the psychological and physical violence com­ mitted against women. Just because the term

tive imperialist unpatriotic president. And I know its history—all about how it gallantly defeated the evils o f communism through its faith in the world-raping travesty of capital­ ism.

And if you think that’s impressive, just w ait—that’s not all I know.

I know for a fact that colonialism, capi­ talism, socialism, liberalism, neo-liberalism, fascism, Marxism, and all their theoretical brethren are really, really bad things. I think it would be easier to pin down why they’re so awful if their definitions didn’t change all the time, but one of the other things I know is that it’s more important to understand whether things are good or bad than to know what they actually are. Right?

Well, maybe the only thing I really know is that I don’t know much.

But I do think a lot.

I think that Ferris Bueller was probably the best political theorist of our time, when he suggested that he didn’t “condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Ism’s in my opinion

are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself.” Plus, his twist and shout scene is pretty much the best in movie history except for the food fight in Hook : “you’re doing it Peter; you’re using your imagination.”

Maybe we can take a lesson from Ferris and Peter, and start using our imaginations to look a bit deeper, to consider more than the theoretical framework that makes for a fash­ ionable explanation of the world’s troubles.

People were beating each other over the head, stealing each other’s things, and generally ex­ ploiting each other long before they invented formal structures to help them do it. And in terms of economic determinism, maybe when the world experiences an unregulated capital­ ist society, or an unadulterated communist one, w e’ll actually know what the two systems are like. Until then, invoking either as the cause or panacea of global suffering just seems a little too easy.

It seems that a more poignant explanation for the world’s ills is a simple case of people

BE H O N E ST , TH EN BE R IG H T

In retrospect, I think (though I can’t be sure) that my “friend” was prioritizing de­ veloping an argument that was accurate over reflecting on the relevance of that argument in his life: a theoretical, but not personal ap­ proach. We shouldn’t mistake theory, a tool humans use to make sense of the world, for the world itself. Attempts to be “accurate” or “precise” require us to transform experiences, such as the one I began this article with, into organized arguments that reach greedily after resolution and finality.

Why else argue that we live in a post­ feminist society? To end the debate. To claim that misogyny doesn’t exist anymore. And if I listen to my friend from last week, it’s as if misogyny, in his terms, only existed between 1970 and 2000. This excludes and dismisses the personal, the visceral, the everyday, the ongoing experiences of so many around the world.

My approach to feminism doesn’t require anyone to identify as feminist. It just requires that people be honest. That they ask them­ selves if they feel the society we live in treats and has treated all of its members equally and fairly.

I want to close by sharing something from the past—an account of the rape and torture that Michele de Cuneo, a shipmate who ac­ companied Christopher Columbus to the New World, inflicted on an enslaved female native.

Please be warned that de Cuneo’s description is triggering and painful:

When I was in the boat, I took a beautiful Cannibal girl and the admiral gave her to me.

Having her in my room and she being naked as is their custom, I began to want to amuse myself with her. Since I wanted to have my way with her and she was not willing, she worked me over so badly with her nails that I wished I had never begun. To get to the end o f the story, seeing how things were going, I got a rope and tied her up so tightly that she made unheard o f cries which you wouldn’t have believed. At the end, we got along so well that, let me tell you, it seemed she had studied at a school for whores.

Misogyny happened in the past, and mi­ sogyny happens today. We don’t need to argue about theory to know that to be true.

not being very nice to each other. And in my experience, a lot of people purportedly try­ ing to fix those problems aren’t very nice to each other either. My interactions with selfproclaimed activists on campus, with notable exceptions, have often involved name-calling, angry polemics, negativity, and very little time spent actually helping people. And call me naïve, but it feels like trying to change the world by being mean about things is just going to create a new world in which people are, well, still mean.

So we can go ahead, and imagine a world with no religion, countries, or anything differ­ ent between us, and we can devote a lot of time to being against things and tearing them down.

Or maybe, as we try to make the world a bet­ ter place, we can start with people in our own community; with a smile and some laughter and a ‘Hey, how are you?’ Maybe that won’t make all those nasty ‘isms’ go away, but it’s probably worth a try. I mean, hey—what’s the worst that could happen?

Curiosity Delivers.

2 February 2010 » 7

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sMCGlLL,

T r ib u n e

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----------- — — Next year's projected budget for McGill Athletics (see cover story), which includes a 67 per cent funding cut for Level II varsity sports, is a sign that the first round of funding cuts have begun at McGill, as the university at­ tempts to reduce a projected $ 14-million deficit within the next year.

To recover a small portion of the defi­ cit, McGill will recoup at least an additional $285,000 from the Athletics department through funding cuts and the new Overhead Recovery Fee. This will be reflected in the Athletics budget largely through a $147,871 decrease in funding for Level II teams. This cut will likely require several varsity teams to fold, or to ask their athletes to pay for more of the costs of travel, uniforms, and tournaments.

Unfortunately for Level II teams, athletic opportunity has to be proportionate to interest and success. The list of Level I teams at McGill correlates fairly well with the amount of fan interest, alumni donations, and national-level victories that they generate. Most Canadian and American universities focus the vast ma­

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Viewers of x-rated films should be able to appreciate the pornographic prowess of men and women of all shapes and sizes as they please, free from fear of censorship. It seems, to me at least, that this is the objective of porn. But members of the Australian Clas­ sification Board, however, disagree. Much to the indignation of the pom industry, quite a few feminists, and a whole lot of angry Aussies on Internet forums, the Board has allegedly imposed a ban on depictions of female ejacu­ lation and small-breasted women in all adult films and publications.

According to the Australian Sex Party— the political faction that promotes tolerance of freedom of sexual speech and expression— formerly x-rated depictions of female ejacu­ lation are now being censored. A recent ASP press release alleges that the Australian Clas­ sification Board is beginning to “refuse classi­ fication” of films featuring female orgasms ac­ companied by ejaculatory fluid, and such films

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Byron can’t let go.

versity. Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@mcgilltribune.

Re: “A disingenuous debate” by Max Sil­ verman (26.1.10)

com and must include the contributor’s name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or sole­ ly promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions o f the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

it o r ia l

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Cuts to Level II athletics are a sign of things to come

PHOTO EDITORS

ONLINE EDITOR

Ed

Max Silverman is woefully misinformed as to the terms of the debate over health care here in the United States—as are most Cana­ dians. While it might feel good to sneer about the American system of government being be­ holden to “corporate interests” (especially in the wake of the Citizens United case), can we all adopt a little nuance here and recognize that

jority of their varsity funding on six to 10 “toplevel” teams, and if McGill Athletics wants to build a successful varsity athletic program, then they can’t afford to do things differently. While w e’re sympathetic to the many student-athletes affected by these cuts, under the circumstances the Tribune feels that McGill Athletics made the right decision.

Ideally, we would like to see a clear sepa­ ration between “elite” and Level II teams.

There are some programs currently in Level I, such as women’s basketball, with little history o f success and almost no hope of competing at the national level. McGill Athletics should move them and other underachieving teams down a level, and redistribute the savings.

Much more troubling than the hardships facing some varsity teams is that the cuts to Athletics recover less than three per cent of the $ 14-million projected deficit facing the univer­ sity this year. McGill is required by the provin­ cial government to have a balanced budget by 2011, so these cuts are just the start of a long process of budget slashing.

We are extremely worried that these cuts will adversely affect the quality of education at McGill, as well as the calibre of student life and student services. If we want to maintain the campus culture that we enjoy, we have to be willing to pay for it. M cGill’s ancillary fees are already the highest in Quebec, so the only solu­ tion is to increase the cost of tuition.

It’s time to stop living in a dream world.

If the provincial government is unwilling to increase their investment in universities they must allow them to raise tuition. Students should never face American-style tuition costs, but moderate increases to Quebec-resident and out-of-province tuition wouldn’t reduce acces­ sibility, and would stop McGill from potential­ ly having to make substantial cuts in areas like athletics, food services, and health services.

If w e’re ever going to get the university that we want, w e’re going to have to be willing to pay for it. Otherwise we better be prepared for cuts that are much more substantial than the ones made to the Athletics program this week.

will be confiscated by customs officials.

The depictions are allegedly being “re­ fused classification” based on one of two premises. The first is that female ejaculate is a “form of urination,” which is banned in the Classification Guidelines under the- label of golden showers. The even less valid—and more offensive—second premise is that fe­ male ejaculation is simply “abhorrent.”

First of all, classifying female ejaculate as urine is just plain misinformed. Numerous scientific studies have shown that yes, women can and do ejaculate when they orgasm, and no, the ejaculatory fluid is not the same thing as urine. Female ejaculation—a topic of his­ torical controversy and speculation—is, in 2010, no longer a matter of debate. Second, the claim that images of womanly fluids should be banned simply because they’re “disgusting” is archaic and silly for obvious reasons, and doesn’t deserve to be justified with much of any response. I’ll instead turn my attention instead to the second, even more laughable restriction.

The ASP also claims that the Board will be assigning refused classification to all porno­ graphic depictions of small-breasted women.

According to the ASP, the logic behind this decision is that small-breasted women look like children, and therefore that pornography featuring women with smaller-than-typical pom star breast proportions promotes pedo­ philia because these women appear underage.

That’s right—A-cup pom stars may soon find themselves banished from pornographic films in Australia because they resemble children a little too closely for comfort. This is clearly problematic for individuals of either gender who appreciate a small rack—the logical ex­ tension of the argument is that those who fan­ tasize about hot flat-chested women like Kiera Knightly and Kate Hudson are creepy and pédophilie, and that the boyfriends, lovers, and husbands of smaller women are compa­ rable to child molesters. What the alleged ban refuses to acknowledge is that A -cups—and, for that matter, breasts of all sizes—are sexy in their own right, and not because they may incidentally have a Lolita-esque appeal. Not to mention that if looking underage is what the Board is so concerned about, perhaps a ban on Brazilian waxes is also in order.

Women with small boobs are discriminat­ ed against enough already—A-cups make less money as bartenders and have little chance of ever getting hired at Hooters—and they de­ serve the right to be pom stars if they choose.

Australia’s inane censorship guidelines are a throwback to the Victorian era, when women who enjoyed sex were considered responsible for the moral degeneration of society. Arbi­ trary discrimination against small boobs and female fluids deprives both men and women of pleasure for no good reason. I thought Aus­ tralia was a nation of deported outlaws and criminals, not prudes.

corporations have a spectrum of competing in­ terests, not all of which align in perfect lockstep unison?

The truth about the health care debate is that the insurance companies and HMOs were relatively cooperative early in the debate over health care reform. Why? Because the proposed reforms would have brought 20 to 30 million new subscribers onto their rolls, and made gov­ ernment money available to some of them to make sure they could afford insurance. It rep­ resented potential profit and market expansion.

They only revolted publicly when it became clear that the so-called “individual mandate”— that people purchase insurance or face fines— was in danger of being stripped from the bill.

And it was the “American Right’s” hissy fit over the individual mandate being “com­

pulsory” or “socialism” that made that provi­ sion endangered in the first place. In short, the “American Right” and the insurance companies came down on opposite sides of the issue—if the bill passed without an individual mandate, then insurance companies would be unable to force healthy patients to buy insurance, yet they would be unable to keep expensive pa­ tients with pre-existing conditions from signing up—a disastrous public policy option. You tend to write an interesting column, Max, but try not to lapse into unsophisticated sophistry about a complicated political system that you only half understand.

—Byron C. Tau B.A. 2008 Former McGill Tribune Opinion Editor Letters continued on page 8

mcgilltribune.com

8 * 2 February 2010 Continued from page 7 Remembering nuances.

Re: “Letter to the Editor: Gaza Remem­ brance Week” (26.1.10) Jamal Daoud rightly notes that the one year anniversary of the Israeli operation in Gaza has passed. I would like to see McGill remember this anniversary by remembering the purpose of this operation: to eliminate the terrorist threat stemming from within Israel’s borders. The Canadian government supported Israel during this campaign and supported her decision to protect its citizens, something Hamas refuses to do. After years of countless rocket attacks, after pulling out of Gaza in 2005, Israel refused to be taken advantage of. Perhaps Hamas refuses to take care of its citizens, and therefore refuses to distribute the resources Israel gives to the popu­ lation in Gaza.

It’s very easy to see this situation in black and white. It’s much more difficult to under­ stand the complexity of this protracted conflict in the Middle East. We cannot blindly state one side is correct or not. However, we can ask our­ selves what we would have expected our gov­ ernments to do, had we been subject to attack day after day. We can try and learn from the situation, rather than attempting to judge such a complex matter.

—Vicky Tobianah U3 Political Science and English Literature Opting out of Brendan’s column.

Re: “Opting out o f QPIRG” by Brendan Steven (26.1.10) If the groups conducting the QPIRG: Opt Out campaign would like to stay atop their high horses, they should request that students be able to opt out of funding their activities as

well. My student fees support many opportuni­ ties of which I do not take advantage (e.g. the McGill Gym), some which do not particularly apply to me (e.g. the National Society of Black Engineers), and some which pursue activities which I find wasteful and detrimental (these shall remain nameless). But I support all of these willingly—they’re part of our campus culture, encouraging a diversity of opinion on today’s important issues. QPIRG McGill has fostered many groups in their naissance, includ­ ing Queer McGill, the McGill Food Systems Project, SACOMSS, the Plate Club, Greening McGill, Campus Crops, Tapthirst, KANATA, the Indyclass Collective (Designing your own class? Far too dangerous to the conservative mindset.), and the McGill Global AIDS Coali­ tion, among others. (Full disclosure: I’m a for­ mer member of Greening McGill.)

As to Steven’s criticism of those “others”: what is so abhorrent about opposing security certificates, which assume detainees guilty until proven innocent, allow evidence produced under torture, and blinds the defence by deny­ ing them access to evidence? About exploring anti-capitalism? About promoting discussion of the meaning of “terrorism” and the conditions that create it? You’re welcome to attend QPIRG Board of Directors meetings. Speak with your SSMU or PGSS reps on the Board. Engage in a civil debate. But please stop attempting to bully and suppress a group of your fellow students.

Give up one gourmet coffee and hand over your $3.75 to QPIRG—to a diversity of voices on campus, to an innovative organization that con­ tinues to bring passionate people together, to an organization that McGill would be much more stodgy and conservative without.

—Maggie Knight U2 Environment & Economics

Elections McGill is NOW accepting nominations kits for the upcoming elections!

Period lasts until March 1st, 2010

Commentary B enjam in H eller

COM M UNICATION BREAKDOW N It’s amazing that in this advanced age we have yet to master the simple skill of communi­ cation. Communication is an ability that doesn’t rely on individual capabilities, but on the coop­ eration of the group, and on trust. Like paper money, words carry with them a meaning and value that is entirely derived from our trust that other people mean what we do when they say any given word. Lies and word manipulation are therefore not only crimes against the victim of such slander, they also damage language it­ self, and thus communication in general.

Unfortunately, there is a troubling move­ ment away from truthful communication in the developed world. This movement has no direct political affiliation, though it has been ubiquitous in the American right in the last few months, and reflects an alarming shortsighted­ ness.

Consider the Tea Party movement: with a game of word-association, the new right slan­ ders policies with labels and terms that are often contradictory (socialist and Nazi in that same sentence) and nearly always inapplicable to the situation. FOXNews personality Glenn Beck recently aired a documentary on “progressives” that contained misquotes and misrepresenta­ tions that were repulsively ubiquitous. MSN­ BC’s Keith Olbermann, who (for some reason) some look to as a counter to the conservative bias on FOXNews, delivers similar factual distortions—most recently in a series of vague

accusations against Senator-elect Scott Brown.

The cynicism that this represents is saddening— for either Olbermann and Beck feel that their viewers won’t be swayed by factual evidence, or they think that their ratings will increase with bold and inflammatory statements.

However the trouble is far worse than that.

By not trusting the people, these talking heads, politicians, and religious fundamentalists un­ dermine trust and truth. The argument is no lon­ ger about being right—it’s about shouting the loudest. We can no longer rely on some news networks for “reliable” information, and must therefore sift through the rubbish-heap of dis­ tortions and lies to find what happened.

This is not a world where the validity of ideas determines their success anymore. Maybe it never was. But what possible loss could incur from developing into a society where ideas are judged by their merit, not by how vehemently they are debated. This development can only come through education. The more educated a people, the harder they are to deceive. That is why we have an obligation to educate our­ selves—why school is not just about the diplo­ ma. In order to make a better world, we have to understand this world as it is, without the dis­ tortions that we have been forced to endure.

Education is no longer a privilege of the upper class, it is a responsibility of all people.

And as such, we cannot extort payment from people seeking to fulfill that responsibility. Ed­ ucation must be free, it must be of high quality, and it must be accessible to all people, out of respect for society, and for the truth. To this end, I support the motion of the McGill University Socialist Society for free, quality, accessible education for all, which will be presented at the SSMU General Assembly on Feb. 10. To en­ able the betterment of our future and mankind, I ask you to support this measure.

Call For Nom inations! > SSMU Executive Positions > Student Senators > Submit a Referendum Question!

Get a your Referendum Petition Kit, SSMU Executive Nomination Kit or Student Senator Nomination Kit online at:

elections^

Electionsmcgill.ca Kits Due: March 1st, 2010 elections(a)ssmu.mcgill.ca Office: 405 Shatner

Telephone: 514-398-6474

St u d e n t l iv in g

Curiosity Delivers.

2 February 2010 • 9

FOOD GURU

HOW TO

Get absolutely anything delivered Sweet potato cauliflower soup H ow to be even lazier than you already are in the w inter MADELEINE CUMMINGS Contributor

Now that subzero temperatures and snow­ storms have returned to Montreal, you may be feeling a little reluctant to leave your room.

The following services will deliver right to your doorstep, whether you’re sick, hungover, or just a typical lazy student.

Scenario: It’s 3 a.m., and you want fettuccini alfredo.

Company: Chef On Call Call: (514) 844-2044 Chef on Call is a gourmet delivery service started by students at McGill and Concordia.

Located on Sherbrooke near Avenue du Parc, they deliver primarily to students living in the McGill ghetto. With a new and improved win­ ter menu and fairly reasonable prices, Chef On Call will satisfy even your most sophisticated late-night cravings. Choose from soups, sal­ ads, pastas, gourmet poutines, burgers, wraps, and more. Best of all, they’re open Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. —ideal munching hours.

Scenario: It’s Sunday, and you haven’t done laundry in three weeks.

Company: Nettoyeurs Express Call: (514) 937-7377 Nettoyeurs Express offers a Fluff N ’ Fold service. This means they will wash, dry, and fold all of your laundry for a rate of $1.28 per

^

TNC’s “The Secretaries” TNC Theatre at Morrice Hall 8:00 pm-10:00 pm

Come watch this hilarious and horrify­ ing comedy directed by The Five Lesbian

pound. Yes, you could do the job yourself, but when was the last time your clothes were prop­ erly folded? Regular service takes between 48 and 72 hours, but there are faster, pricier op­ tions available. They offer free delivery and a 15 per cent student discount before taxes.

Scenario: It’s dinnertime, and you want In­ dian, Thai, Italian, or Chinese.

Company: A La Carte Express Call: (514) 933-7000 A La Carte Express is not your normal restaurant take-out. With over 80 restaurant menus at your disposal, you can easily order a variety of food from more than one Mon­ treal restaurant at a time. You can even place a group order. The only downside? Delivery time is not guaranteed, so your order might take longer than the typical 45 minutes to ar­ rive. Visit alce.dtsc.net to browse menus or to order online.

Scenario: It’s snowing and icy, and you have absolutely no groceries to speak of.

Company: IGA Visit: http://magasin.iga.net IGA Online Grocery lets you purchase groceries online. Orders include everything available on the store’s physical shelf space, and the staff are usually good about calling to double-check any substitutions. There is a minimum order of $35, and be prepared to pay $10 fee for processing and delivery. Check your schedule before ordering, as a precise delivery time is not given.

Warm up the M ontreal w inter with a cream y a n d hearty soup FRANCESCA FERENCZI Contributor

There’s cold, and then there’s Montreal cold: a rare breed of winter where the cold not only numbs your body, but your mind.

Soup is the perfect dinner to come home to after a mind-numbingly chilly walk. It’s hot, filling, and rich in flavor and texture. Although it’s easy to buy soup in a can, throw it in a pot, and heat it up, homemade soup is almost as easy, usually heartier, and always more flavor­ ful. When it comes to soup, the possibilities are endless, but if you’re looking for some­ thing a little bit different, this Indian-spiced sweet potato and cauliflower soup should be right up your alley.

This soup’s rich flavour comes from garam masala, turmeric, ginger, and cumin.

Don’t let the spices deter you—they can eas­ ily be found at your supermarket. The rest of the ingredients are straightforward: onion, some stock, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower.

Coconut milk adds a hint of tropical nuttiness, and also makes the soup creamy without being heavy. It’s just the thing to take your mind off the cold and onto your stomach.

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Ingredients 2 Tbsp. canola oil 1 large onion, diced 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds 1 Tbsp. Garam Masala 1 Tsp. ground turmeric 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 4 cups stock, chicken or vegetable 1 large cauliflower, chopped 1 can coconut milk, regular or light salt and fresh ground black pepper Directions Heat heavy cooking pot over mediumhigh heat. Add the oil and saute the on­ ions until soft.

Add ginger, cumin seeds, garam masala, and turmeric. Cook for two minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes. Stir to coat. Add the stock, bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Cover and cook for 10 min­ utes.

Add cauliflower and simmer covered until both the cauliflower and sweet po­ tatoes are tender (about another 10 min­ utes).

Add the coconut milk and puree until smooth. I used an immersion blender, but you can do it with a blender in batches.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot.

Brothers about a murderous cult of SlimFast drinking, high-heel wearing, lingerieloving secretaries who induct the new girl, Patty, into their office rituals. Reserve tick­ ets by calling 514-398-6600 or emailing tnctheatre@gmail.com.

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mcgilltribune.com

10 • 2 February 2010

Follow the butte A monarch migratior By: Carolyn Yates Monarch butterflies are currently at their lowest population on record, according to recent data from the World Wildlife Fund Mexico.

The current colony size is 1.92 hectares, down from the previous low of 2.19 hectares in 2004 and far down from the recorded high of 21.6 hectares in 1995. Problematic popu­ lation dynamics, damage to their native habi­ tat across the United States and Canada, and damage to overwintering sites have all had dramatically negative effects on the butter­ flies’ population.

The monarch population census is con­ ducted by measuring the total area each colony covers. There are reasonably accurate popula­ tion measurements going back 16 years, and in that time, the population has declined rap­ idly. The average size of the population over the last 16 years has been 7.44 hectares.

“What’s a bit ominous is that the last six years have been below average,” says Lincoln Brower, a renowned monarch expert and pro­ fessor at Sweet Briar College in Virginia.

Additionally, the migratory phenome­ non—in which up to 60 million butterflies mi­ grate from southern Canada and the northern United States to overwintering sites in Mexico each fall, and head back north in the spring— could be at risk, experts say.

The main factor in this year’s decline is likely the weather, with extreme conditions

facing the monarchs along the entirety of their migration path.

Drought in Texas last spring reduced milkweed growth—the only plant monarchs will lay their eggs on. The bad weather con­ tinued to impact them on the journey north, with colder-than-usual temperatures impeding progress. The monarchs’ rate of development is very temperature-sensitive; in a warm sum­ mer, they might produce four generations, while in a colder summer they might produce only two. The cumulative effect would have slowed them down considerably, Brower says.

The ability of the population to recover is uncertain. According to experts with the WWF, a smaller population now doesn’t nec­ essarily mean a smaller population next sum­ mer; the population could recover given the right weather conditions.

“It’s not to say don’t worry, these fluc­ tuations happen naturally—because they do,” says Steven Price, the senior director of conservation science and practice with WWF Canada, a conservation and advocacy group. “[But] hopefully we haven’t lost so much win­ ter habitat that one time when they go down they go down below a level where they can’t recover.”

There are large non-migratory monarch populations in the Caribbean, southern Mex­ ico, and Australia, as well as other parts of Canada and the U.S., making species extinc­ tion unlikely, experts say. However, the migra­ tory pattern—which is unique, as monarchs

are the only example of long-distance insect migration—is at risk.

“Its migratory behavior for an inver­ tebrate, for an insect, is a truly incredible phenomenon,” says Christopher Buddie, an associate professor in McGill’s Department of Natural Resource Sciences. “It’s not the same individuals that fly north as those that fly south, so it’s an incredible aspect of biol­ ogy and natural history. It’s fairly unique, and I think that warrants it attention.”

Monarchs leave Canada and the northern parts of the United States in the fall and mi­ grate almost 2,500 kilometres to central Mexi­ co, where they spend the winter in colonies in high-altitude fir forests. The ones that survive the winter fly to Texas in late February and March, producing a new generation whose offspring eventually make it back to Canada.

The migration pattern was only discov­ ered in the 1970s through the efforts of Fred Urquhart, a professor in the Zoology Depart­ ment at the University of Toronto. Urquhart, working with his wife, Nora, and several vol­ unteers, tagged thousands of monarchs with tiny adhesive “Send to Zoology University Toronto Canada” labels, and tracked the loca­ tions from which people mailed the dead but­ terflies.

“The ones that fly back to the same places in Mexico have never been there before. No one has a clue how they get to the same trees every year,” says Brower.

While weather can impact the popula­ tion on a year-by-year basis, more generally,

monarchs have been suffering from a loss of habitat.

In their overwinter home in central Mexi­ co, deforestation has contributed to population decline. The trees provide shelter for the but­ terflies, keeping them from getting too warm or too cold. The trees also provide protection from storms, such as one in 2002 that spread across the Tropic of Cancer and killed 80 per cent of the colonies’ population.

“If there’s too much illegal logging or too many holes cut in the blanket cover or too many forest fires that can now escape up these degraded and destroyed tracks in the for­ est, we may well degrade that wintering home up to the point where not many monarchs can survive a cold blast,” says Price.

Saving the overwintering areas is impor­ tant not just for preserving the monarchs and the migratory phenomenon, but also because the colonies attract a large number of tourists in the winter months.

“It’s a phenomenon that’s incredible,” says Buddie. “It’s beautiful, it’s magical, so that habitat has to be conserved.”

In 2007, Mexican President Felipe Calde­ ron pledged $4.6-million US towards adver­ tising for the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, which covers a 50,000-hectare area in which there are many monarch colonies.

The initiative was initially meant to curb illegal logging by bringing tourism money into an otherwise poor area. In the first year of the program, the WWF reported a 48 per cent drop in illegal logging.

follow @mcgilllribune on Ttuilier!

Cariosity Delivers.

flies: under threat Along the rest of the migratory path, generically engineered crops have also nega­ tively impacted monarch habitat. Milkweed, commonly found in and adjacent to agricul­ tural fields, is the only food that monarch cat­ erpillars can eat, and the only plants females will lay their eggs on.

A study in 2000 showed that agricul­ tural habitats were very important for the monarch population, because of the presence of milkweed in agricultural fields. However, genetically modified crops such as soybeans and com that are resistant to post-emergence herbicides have meant that milkweed in those fields has been all but eliminated.

“The use of [genetically modified] crops has meant that there’s less milkweed in agri­ cultural fields,” says Karen Oberhauser, a pro­ fessor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota.

“At the current level of loss of habitat, the individual monarch’s ability to reproduce on average is down by 20 per cent,” says Brower.

Outside of an agricultural context, milk­ weed is still considered a weed, but by re­ ducing pesticide and herbicide use, there’s a greater chance of preserving the monarch.

Experts have been encouraging farmers and garden owners to plant milkweed to help the species.

And there are other factors, such as cli­ mate change, whose full effects have not yet been felt. It has the potential to impact the

overwintering grounds, the migratory routes, and whether the flowers monarchs feed off when they head south—primarily asters and goldenrod—are in bloom.

“Nobody knows what the hell’s going to happen with climate change,” says Brower.

The result is that the future of the mon­ arch is somewhat uncertain. It is also of little ecological significance, say experts. Monarchs are an emblematic species, and are usually the only butterfly the average North American knows. However, monarchs are generalist pol­ linators, which means that no specific flower depends on them for its survival. In addition, as far as researchers know, monarchs don’t play a role in controlling the milkweed popu­ lation in the same way that other herbivores play important roles in controlling the spread of their primary source of food.

The result is that monarchs seem rela­ tively unimportant.

“Some species play more of a keystone role in ecosystems, and monarchs aren’t one of them,” says Oberhauser. “[But] do we only conserve things that play what we would con­ sider important roles, or is just their existence value enough? There is not an easy answer to that question. If we pull monarchs out of the system, we wouldn’t really notice—except monarchs would be gone, and that’s impor­ tant.”

R e s e a r c h is a t t h e r o o t o f in n o v a tio n a n d p r o g r e s s .

Meet som e of McGill's top researchers and see the breadth of research and career opportunities for students at McGill. See research displays from all 11 Faculties: Agriculture & Environmental Sciences, Arts, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Music, Religious Studies, and Science.

T h u rs d a y , F e b ru a ry 4 1 0 a .m . - 6 p .m .

Redpath Hall, 3461 McTavish, Main Campus Information: Lorraine Torpy (514) 398-3992 or lorraine.torpy@mcgill.ca

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McGill

12 • 2 February 2010

WANT TO WRITE FORUS? MIXEN VIXEN

Demystifying dépanneur wine A stu d e n t’s guide to choosing the best o f the w orst

EMAIL FEATURES® MCGILLTRIBUNE.COMFOR MORE INFORMATION.

JAIME SHEDLETSKY Contributor

When it’s 10:59 p.m. on a Friday night, the SAQ is long closed, the pre-drink just started, and that bottle of vodka you thought was in the freezer is actually in the recycling bin empty, dépanneur wine is always there to save you from what otherwise would have been a dry night. While the best you can hope for with a $10 bottle from the comer store is usually a delayed gag reflex, there are still a few ways to minimize the damage.

Unpalatable dep wine is largely the re­ sult of Quebec regulations that stipulate that deps can only sell non-vintage wines bottled in Quebec that don’t state the variety of grapes used to make them. Without these regulations, any producer could sell wine, effectively sev­ ering the SAQ’s monopoly.

For white wine, a safe bet is Wallaroo, an Australian wine charmingly named after the native Australian wallaby and kangaroo.

It has fine lemon and grapefruit aromas, with a crisp acidic taste, and should definitely be served chilled (the aftertaste resulting from warm wine is a bit rough on the throat). The white Yellowtail (also Australian) is similar, also citrusy, but with mild honeydew flavors complemented by a gentle oak scent. The pal­ ate is a bit softer and fresher, with a more bal­ anced acidity.

I have yet to find a red wine I like for less than $15—but if you must, Chapman House Bin 35 is a popular selection. It reeks of al­ cohol but the taste is surprisingly fmity and sweet, similar to Port. It’s the perfect accent to a night on the couch with some friends, or a BYOB dinner. Plaza Del Rocco, a red Ar­ gentinean wine, has berry, plum, and spice fla-

J U L IA W E B S T E R

vors and aromas that create a relatively soft, smooth taste that is easy to drink.

Beware of the boxed wine trend, which is prominent at the more avant-garde, posh deps (like Greene’s Superette at the comer of Durocher and Milton). While the boxed wine movement is still somewhat taboo here in Canada, it is institutionalized elsewhere— such as in Australia, where you can buy a fourlitre box of wine for $12 AUD. I would advise against boxed and any other non-bottled forms of wine unless you think peculiar ingredients like fish eggs enhance the taste of the already questionable dep wine. A votre santé!

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Curiosity Delivers.

A&E

2 February 2010 • 13

THEATRE

The Rake’s Progress shows no sympathy for the devil L a st w e e k ’s O pera M cG ill show united sym phony an d opera BIANCA VAN BAVEL Contributor

Opera McGill’s production of Igor Stra­ vinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, an opera based on a series of ISth century satirical etchings

by William Hogarth, combined intricate cos­ tumes and sets with raw musical talent—and the result was enough to convert any doubting opera-goer into a full-fledged fan.

Directed by David Lefkowich, the opera depicted young Tom Rakewell’s descent from shallowness and recklessness to despair and corruption when he unknowingly befriends the devil. In the beginning, Rakewell (played

by Frank Mutya) was a daydreamer smit­ ten with Anne Trulove (Véronique Coutu).

The two seemed hopelessly in love, but were weighed down by Trulove’s father’s disap­ proval of Rakewell’s laziness. The arrival of stranger Nick Shadow (Philippe Sly) spun the story in a new direction when he unexpectedly informed Rakewell of his recent inheritance

and suggested a trip to London to claim it. As the lovers parted ways, Shadow led Rakewell into an adventurous life of brothels, squander­ ing money, and discovering the tragic neglect of true love.

Stravinsky is known for paying tribute to musical masterminds like Bach and Tchaik­ ovsky, and in The Rake’s Progress he paid par­ ticular homage to Mozart. The acclaimed con­ ductor and composer Julian Wachner brought his international experience to the theatre as the Principal Conductor of Opera McGill, and led the McGill Symphony Orchestra in a per­ formance that paralleled the rising and falling action of the story, underscoring moments of both comedy and tragedy with music.

While the opera’s first few scenes were meant to contain little action, the lack of en­ ergy distanced the audience from the story, making it difficult to lose yourself in the expe­ rience. Fortunately, the energy level increased as the show went on, engaging the audience more and more with each scene.

Sly stole the show with an outstanding performance in his portrayal of Shadow, who leads Rakewell through his heroic downfall.

Shadow acted as a puppet master, constantly convincing Tom to plunge deeper into im­ moral descent. A standout scene in act two involved Shadow toying with Rakewell’s opportunity for freedom in the song “Never Was I Saner,” to which both the audience and Tom fell victim. Coutu captured Trulove’s in­ nocence and virtue in song, with her beautiful rendition of “No Word From Tom,” one of the opera’s famous solos.

The extent of Shadow’s influence over Rakewell was portrayed through the two char­ acter’s duets, the most impressive being the scene when Shadow convinced Rakewell to wager his soul in a game of cards. The stunning final scene featured chorus members dressed as psychiatric patients, with eerie lighting and disturbing choreography. The dark story had a hint of optimism—that beauty lies in the final realization of what truly matters, regardless of how long it takes to get there.

Overall it was a combination of musical talent and staged ability that, regardless of the extent of your previous opera experience, could not go unappreciated. Although there were occasional moments of voice clash—

The opera may have dealt with dark, ominous themes, but the costumes and music still brought comedy into the mix.

detectable during songs in which the lead vocalists were set to harmonize in unison— leaving some drowned out by others in both sound and articulation, overall there were few weaknesses in the vocal performances. The performance made tasteful use of humour and wit through costume design and choreo­ graphic accents, best seen in the entertaining brothel scene. The costumes were intricate and beautiful, while the characters came alive through the collective group dynamics of back and forth momentum. The clever integration of set mobility and adaptions of a variety of basic backgrounds provided a feeling of pro­ gression from one scene to the next. Precise lighting techniques are exemplified in scenes like the eerie depiction of the psychiatric hos­ pital, making use of back lighting and reveal­ ing silhouettes of fidgety patients to perfect the mood.

Stravinsky created a graphic tale of mo­ rality, with delightful comedic relief and trag­ edy set in parallel from start to finish, and the Opera McGill production held true to his vi­ sion.

A D A M SCO TTI

Pop lÿietoric FIST-PUM PING IQS AWAY A phenomenon has appeared in the media, spreading from the shores of Sea­ side Heights, encroaching slowly upon our values, sneaking into our living rooms as we turn on the TV, and preparing to qui­ etly kill us in our sleep. It is MTV’s new hit reality series Jersey Shore. From ab­ surd counterintuitive statements of fash­ ion, lifestyle, and society to portrayals of ethnic stereotypes, gender discrimination, and fist-pumping idiots, The Shore has somehow managed to grab everyone’s at­ tention. In the span of mere weeks, viewership skyrocketed, breaking 4.8 million for the show’s finale and topping any previous viewership for an MTV reality show.

The issue is not what has become of MTV—the standards of any network that gave the world The Real World and Teen Mom are questionable. The issue is, what has become of the viewers who have taken this show under their wing and turned it

into a part of their daily lives?

I don’t watch Jersey Shore. After mere minutes of watching it, I refused to subject myself to any more mind-numbing stupidity—and unlike multitudes of closet viewers, I’ve stuck to my word. Regardless of how hysterical the show’s ideologies may be (truthfully I find them pathetic), I was unable to find humour in that twisted world. Our ability to find Jersey Shore re­ motely entertaining just emphasizes that we all have way too much time on our hands.

Reality show viewing usually begins with word-of-mouth, and because so-andso said something is decent, we suddenly must tune in if we want to take part in to­ morrow’s conversation. When it comes to Jersey Shore, I can only assume that the en­ joyment viewers are getting from watching it only comes from its role as a gossip topic.

All I hear are people at the library talking about Snooki, and laughing when anybody uses the word “situation” in a sentence.

We young impressionable intellects would still have things to talk about without these shows, but somehow Jersey Shore has

taken over daily life. People don't seem to realize that there are enough relatable realworld events to talk about without having to spin the convesation towards trashy TV. It was only a matter of time before the on-screen Jersey drama filtered into peo­ ple’s reference frames. Theme parties paro­ dying the beloved Guidos and Guidettes are everywhere—never mind that parody­ ing these characters is mostly composed of wearing revealing clothing and getting very drunk, very fast—which often isn’t far off from many people’s average Friday night. Catch phrases from the show almost immediately become common slang, meant to mock the idiocy of the characters but merely making the users sound dumb.

Why have we all become so obsessed with fake reality and fame? With so much dwelling on the absurdity of the show it­ self, people have forgotten the utter embar­ rassment that lies in simply watching it.

Maybe it’s not what’s wrong with Jersey Shore after all; maybe the problem lies in what we have come to accept as decent en­ tertainment for a lack of anything else bet­

ter to do.

So let’s put away the bottles of gel, wipe off those fake tans, and crawl back into the “real world.” Because as much as it hurts to see these crazy people adored on TV for their sheer ignorance, MTV will continue to make shows like this as long as we continue to sit in front of a screen encouraging them. Regardless of how fake or real “reality TV” has become, it’s disturbing how it’s become a part of our culture and our daily lives. I’m okay with skipping the latest slow-mo replay of some girl getting punched at a seedy bar, and a week from now everyone else will be too.

It’s only a matter of time before the next overnight success reflects a new set of praised mannerisms and gimmicks, so next time, let’s be a little more careful who we give this power to. I don’t want the gym, tanning, and laundry to take over my life anymore than they already have.

—Bianca Van Bavel A&E Contributor

]

14 • 2 February 2010

mcgilltribune.com

FILM

Do as the Romans do and stay away from When in Rome R om -com fa lls harder than the ancient em pire GRACE GLOWICKI Contributor

Having endured recent atrocities commit­ ted in the rom-com genre (The Proposal, Leap Year) audiences deserve a watchable flick.

Unfortunately, When In Rome—which opened in theatres on Friday—is another dreadful dud. Anyone who has seen the trailer or gaudy bumblebee-yellow movie poster already pre­ dicted this, but for the well-being of everyone else, it’s worth restating.

The plot revolves around Beth (Kristen Bell), a curator at the Guggenheim who is both beautiful and an independent career woman— the genre’s favourite version of feminism.

Fed up with her busy yet man-free life, Beth travels to her sister’s wedding in Rome with her own agenda to find love. Apparently this twenty-something bombshell, with a job that treats PhDs like high school diplomas, can’t land a man ... right!

On the wedding night, feeling single and

sorry for herself, Beth downs a bottle of wine and spitefully snatches five coins from “The Fountain of Love.” Strange magical powers then make the original coin owners instantly fall in love with her. Beth’s suitors include a sausage salesman (Danny DeVito), a street magician (Jon Heder), a male model (Dax Shepard), and an Italian painter (Will Arnett).

Then there’s Nick (Josh Duhamel), an ultra­ hunk sports reporter with whom Beth feels a genuine connection. But is he just under the spell of the fountain or could he truly love her?

When in Rome attempts to mask its dis­ mal script by bombarding its audience with excessive cameos. Anjelica Huston, Kristen Schaal, Kate Micucci, Alexis Dziena, Efren Ramirez, and Shaquille O ’Neil are meaninglessly injected into the film at unexpected mo­ ments and then disappear with no further men­ tion. Shaq, for example, shows up at a party, gets mad at Nick for spelling his name wrong, and then disappears, all in under 10 seconds.

The film doesn’t even try to tap into the talent of its many hilarious actors, and instead pro­ duces unmemorable characters (I have never

C E L E B R I T Y W O N D E R .C O M

Josh Duhamel and Kristen Bell could have had good chemistry, if the writers hadn’t mixed magic, clichés, and unnecessary cameos. seen more wasteful use of Angelica Huston or Will Arnett), lifeless jokes, and a sorry excuse for romance.

Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel could have been great in a different romantic comedy, but unfortunately they got stuck with this one.

Any chemistry between these two is crushed by their preposterous lines: “I never want to see you in pain,” “I got hit by lightning,” and

Co u ld

be

Go o d

%

“You don’t love me, you’re just under a spell” come to mind as particular buzz-killers.

When in Rome is not worth the admis­ sion fee, nor the 90 minutes of your life. In­ stead watch Roman Holiday, the 1953 Wil­ liam Wyler film starring the oh-so-endearing Audrey Hepburn and swoon-worthy Gregory Peck. It will remind you that romantic com­ edies can be lovely.

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F e b r u a r y 2 -8

Joey Stylez: The Blackstar The question of whether music can be ob­ jectively good or bad has plagued musicians and critics alike for decades. Joey Stylez’s debut album, The Blackstar, has finally an­ swered it. His music is absolutely the worst combination of sound I’ve ever heard, and for me, he’s redefined the concept of bad music.

The screeching of his voice combined with his attempts to combine electro and alternative make his songs both painful and headacheinducing.

Listening to his tracks is an excellent way to feel your own brain cells dying rapidly.

Highlights of the under-worked album include rhyming words with themselves and using grunts to stay on beat, such as in the chorus of the song “Sugar Cane.” Most unnerving are Stylez’s lyrics, as they lack the wit to le­ gitimize their offensive nature. Beyond being underdeveloped, most are simply nonsensical.

For instance, in “Gorgeous Gangster,” Stylez sings, “Drugs in my pocket / money in my pocket / she gets me high call her bottle rocket / kitty go purr / staring in the mirror cause’ I’m feelin’ myself.” Such stunning lyrics super­ imposed over poorly-constructed songs make this album a disgrace to the music industry.

With a last name including “style” in it, you might expect Stylez to have some of it himself. Instead, his album features enough atrocious hip-hop, rap, alternative and pop to piss off fans of each of these genres.

— Sam Jessula

Basia Bulat: Heart o f My Own It’s clear from the opening track of Heart o f My Own, the follow-up to her Polaris-nom­ inated debut Oh My Darling, that Basia Bulat isn’t content with her previous success—she’s trying to soar to new heights.

As a singer whose music too often gets the “sweet” label (which it undoubtedly is), it’s refreshing to hear her really going for it.

Bulat doesn’t hold back on songs like “Go On” and “Gold Rush,” filling them with big strings and thundering percussion. The idea that she isn’t afraid to write a title track that’s as moving as it is haunting is a testament to her confidence as a songwriter.

Bulat handles gentler songs with equal finesse, breaking a few hearts with her voice on “Sugar and Spice” and calmly closing the album with “If It Rains.” Album highlight “Run” sits somewhere in between, success­ fully combining the best elements of both to form Bulat’s catchiest song to date. Don’t be surprised to see some of these songs in an up­ coming episode of Grey’s Anatomy (though that may just be wishful thinking).

There are some missteps, however. “If Only You” is a little too country to fit in with the rest of the songs, and the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. Those expecting a revolutionary folk album should also look elsewhere; but while it may not be the most original release, Heart o f My Own is far from a sophomore slump.

— Ryan Taylor

Friday. Art. En Forme.

The McGill Undergraduate Cancer Research Fund is hosting a celebration of the human body and the arts, entitled “En Forme.” The event will feature a collec­ tion of artwork by Montreal artists on the theme of a “cancer-free tomorrow,” as well as a range of musical performanc­ es by Char McGee, Kristian Montano, Solstice A Capella, and DJs Root and Meyerson. Proceeds go towards funding cancer research at the Goodman Cancer Research Centre. @ Studio 10 King.

Friday. Music. Attack in Black.

Attack in Black are one of the few underappreciated yet dependably solid rock n’ roll bands that the music world could always use more of. Sharing a label (Dine Alone Records) with repu­ table Canadian acts like Alexisonfire, City & Colour, Moneen, and Bedouin Soundclash, this is a rare opportunity to see them in such a small venue. @ The Green Room.

Saturday. Music. Eclipse.

You’re probably never going to see Pink Floyd live. Eclipse: The Pink Floyd Story, a group of Quebec musicians who cover Pink Floyd’s career highlight performances live (laser show and all), might be the next best thing. While it sounds like the kind of show you might stumble upon at a dive bar, the very fact that they’re playing Metropolis and charging $28 all but completely legiti­ mizes the performance. @ Metropolis.

J o in o u r p h o to g ra p h e rs in c o v e rin g n e w s , arts , s tu d e n t livin g a n d s p o rts .

Email photo@mcgilltribune.com tor details.

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2 February 2010 • 15

Curiosity Delivers.

THEATRE

Women do it solo in The Vagina Monologues V-D ay production brings attention to sexual violation ALEX KNOLL Contributor

Seeing The Vagina Monologues can be a bit intimidating—but it’s precisely that hesita­ tion that the show is trying to counteract. The Monologues was created as an attempt to re­ claim female sexuality by making “vagina”— both the word and the body part—less taboo.

Writer Eve Ensler wanted people to see Mono­ logues and say to themselves, “I didn’t know we could talk about this. I guess we can.”

This year, director Jessica Kostuck se­ lected eight actresses from the 75 girls who auditioned to perform the monologues. With each new monologue, we witness the actress­ es transition into different roles. Each story sounds genuine, as if the actresses had experi­ enced them personally, and each brings some­ thing unique to the table.

The monologues cover a range of top­ ics that are positive, negative, and just plain funny. The most memorable monologue is one in which a woman tries to convince the audi­ ence that the word “cunt” shouldn’t be a term that people are ashamed to use. She exempli­ fies this point by turning the monologue into an interactive stomping-and-clapping-filled sing-a-long of “We Will Rock You,” in which the words of the chorus are replaced with re­ peated cheers of “cunt!” Another standout monologue is the one told by a dominatrix sex worker (played by Emily Murphy) who strives to pleasure women. Her monologue ends with a bang as she imitates all the women she has slept with, giving a firsthand report of their different moans. When asked after the show where she practiced her plethora of moans, Murphy’s answer was short and sweet: “My floor-mates put up with a lot.”

While the Monologues was initially cre­ ated to simply “celebrate the vagina,” it has since changed to a movement to stop violence

N O T IN T O SPORTS?

BORED BY POLITICS?

This monologue ends the play with the effec­ tive line meant to be imprinted in every wom­ an’s brain: “No one can take anything from you if you don’t give it to them.”

The advertisements for The Vagina Monologues guarantee that no one will ever look at a woman’s body, or think of sex, in quite the same way again. In my opinion, the Monologues didn’t resonate quite as strongly as the tagline suggests. It was definitely en­ gaging, funny at times, and included a nice va­ riety of stories that showed off the actresses’ talent. However, I would not go so far as to say it completely changed my perspective on sexuality. That being said, it was very enter­ taining and it is something that both women and men should experience seeing.

and injustice against women. The Monologues served as an inspiration to found V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women. However, this seems to detract from the original motive of the Monologues. The play is helpful in spreading awareness sur­ rounding violence towards women, but I think the Monologues would be more enjoyable if they stuck to stories which, as advertised, “celebrate the vagina.” Instead, the play some­ times comes across as preachy—condemning men and heterosexual relationships through the negative portrayal of male roles greatly outnumbering the positive ones in the script.

This makes the play less appealing to men, limiting the audience that the play’s original message of female sexual empowerment can reach. Nonetheless, the monologues concern­ ing sexual violence and abuse are still very powerful. The final monologue is told from the point of view of a girl who was abducted and forced to work as a sex slave for over two years, eventually escaping with her new child.

The Vagina Monologues run Friday Feb­ ruary 5 to Sunday February 7 in Leacock 132.

Shows start at 8 p.m. and tickets are $12 for students.

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16*2 February 2010

mcgilltribune.com

MUSIC

THEATRE

The Luyas are breaking all the rules

The miracle in print

U p-and-com ing M ontreal band is no longer ju s t a side pro ject RYAN TAYLOR Contributor

The Luyas are on cop watch. At least that’s what lead singer/guitarist Jessie Stein says as she attempts to drive and talk to me on the phone at the same time—an illegal activ­ ity. Add in the fact that it’s snowing, and I start to get worried that this interview could be haz­ ardously cut short—which would be a tragedy for one of Montreal’s most promising bands, especially one with so much on the horizon.

The Luyas started out with Stein, of the SS Cardiacs and Miracle Fortress, joining up with Pietro Amato and Stefan Schneider, both of Bell Orchestre, on french horn and drums respectively. In addition to vocals and guitar, Stein also plays one of only three moodswingers in the world: a custom-built zither-like instrument that has become a unique Luyas trademark. With these tools at hand, they re­ leased 2007’s Faker Death.

Now four years, one album, appearances at Pop Montreal and NXNE, and one soon-tobe released album later, what could once be considered a side-project is now a full-time commitment for everyone involved.

“It’s definitely all of our priority and

our main project right now,” says Schneider.

“We’re really excited to put out this album in the next few months and just to give ‘er hard as a band.”

Their upcoming self-titled release sees the band becoming a more cohesive unit than they were on Faker Death, and this is expect­ ed to come through in a tighter sound.

“On this album we’re a band,” says Amato. “Faker Death is kind of Jessie’s songs and Stef and I are off doing our own thing. It’s really interesting how [on that record] every­ thing intertwines and ends up working in the end, but it does definitely feel like this record is more of a band working together with more of a unified vision ... The next record that’s coming out sounds unlike anything you’ve ever heard.”

And what does “nothing you’ve ever heard” sound like?

“You’re not supposed to describe sound, you’re supposed to listen to it,” says Stein.

Fair enough.

As cryptic as they may be, The Luyas do divulge that the new record features lots of keyboards and string arrangements by Owen Pallett, of Final Fantasy fame. It’s this new in­ strumentation that resulted in the addition of new members Mathieu Charbonneau on keys and Sarah Neufeld of Arcade Fire on violin.

“We wanted to fill out the sound a bit

D avid Sherm an brings the lives o f copy editors to the stage CAROLYN YATES Managing Editor

S ID R G U E L P H /F L IC K R

Lead singer/guitarist Jessie Stein hasn’t yet mastered playing the tuba. to make it sound a little bit more like on the record,” says Amato. “It ended up sounding nothing like it. Our live show is pretty differ­ ent than the record, but [the addition] was just so the sound wouldn’t feel as bare as it did before.”

The Luyas play II Motore on February 6, with Shapes and Sizes.

The Daily Miracle is the second play from former Montreal Gazette copy editor David Sherman. Sherman began writing in 2004, when he was a playwright-in-resi­ dence at the Centaur Theatre by day and a copy editor by night. The play departs from the traditional fictional focus on investiga­ tive reporters to take a look at life behind the editing desk. “[Copy editors] do a very difficult job ... and I don’t think enough is really said about what they bring to the task,” says Sherman.

The Daily Miracle takes place in real­ time, after the early edition of the paper has been sent to the presses, but before the final copy has been drafted. The audience sits overlooking the stage, which is set up as a slightly disheveled newsroom from which coffee has been recently outlawed. It’s the night of a winter storm, and tensions are al­ ready high between the night editor, the mar­ ginally alcoholic and certainly cynical Ben­ jamin (played by Howard Rosenstein), the three copy editors, and a meandering janitor.

Roland (Jean-Guy Bouchard) is a phi­ losophizing former typographer-tumed-janitor, who succeeds in annoying the audience almost as much as he annoys the denizens of the newsroom. It’s difficult to say whether his rambling tirades are the result of the writing, the acting, or both. Either way, the result is an excessive, wince-inducing performance.

However, strong preformances from Ellen David (from CBC’s 18 to Life) as Eliz­ abeth, who is balancing a breaking story with a child who has swine flu, fedora-wearing Arthur Holden as Marty, a recently returned editor, and Sheena Gazé-Deslandes, as copy editor and would-be television anchor Car­ rie, are more than redeeming.

Although the script is charming and witty with timely references—in one case, to the iPad, which was released the day be­ fore—the production would have benefited from a few more days of practice.

Non-newspaper people might also find much of the play incomprehensibe, as it’s laden with industry jargon and references which might not make sense to the casual viewer. As a result, the play lacks the widerange appeal to attract a more general audi­ ence. But for those with a stake in the indus­ try, the play is a chilling picture of things to come.

The Daily Miracle is billed as a longsong for the newspaper industry, but it could just as well be an obituary. From the messy desks to the foreboding scent of wasabi waft­ ing out of the executive boardroom, the un­ anticipated and frankly ominous conclusion is more than disheartening. But despite this, Sherman maintains that there is a future for the newspaper industry.

The Daily Miracle is playing at the Bain St. Michel, 5300 St. Dominique, until Feb­ ruary 14. For more information, visit www. infmitheatre.com or call (514) 987-1774.

Sp o r t s

Curiosity Delivers.

2 February 2010 • 17

REDMEN BASKETBALL—MCGILL 65, CONCORDIA 67

Concordia hits buzzer-beater, defeating Redmen in see-saw affair Laroche buries 15-foot ju m p e r w ith seconds left, capping win THOMAS QUAIL Editor-in-Chief

The McGill Redmen men’s basketball team’s 67-65 loss to the Concordia Stingers on Saturday had it all: lead changes, mental lapses, great defence, and a dramatic game­ winning shot.

After a dismal second quarter—in which the Redmen scored a measly two points— McGill slowly clawed their way back to lead by four in the final minutes. Concordia’s Evens Laroche, though, sealed McGill’s fate, burying a 15-foot jumper with 1.4 seconds left to play.

“We dug a hole in the second quarter,” said McGill Head Coach Craig Norman. “I told my guys, ‘You dig a hole like that, it’s hard to come out of.’”

The first quarter was uncharacteristical­ ly frenetic: McGill and Concordia appeared scattered and confused on offence, yet played strong, energetic defence. First-year Redmen point guard Olivier Bouchard—an impressive, undersized leader with bulldog-like intensity and grit—picked apart the Stingers’ full-court press, picking up three points and a steal in the first frame, while fourth-year Redmen guard Pawel Herra came off the bench to pot six points.

The Stingers, then, took charge, playing shutdown defence in the second quarter. The Redmen repeatedly turned the ball over, and committed needless fouls, while Concordia outscored McGill 19-2 in the frame. Norman applauded the Stingers’ second-quarter perfor­ mance, saying that “Concordia took over the game.” “[Concordia] defended great—they were active, they were hedging on the ball screens,” Norman said.

JOHN K ELSEY

The Redmen fell behind by 13 points in the second quarter on Saturday, but clawed their way back, pulling even with a few minutes left.

But after halftime, the Redmen refo­ cussed, defending well and attacking the lane.

Bouchard, who scored another five points in the third frame, was again a vocal presence on the court and scored two key baskets down the stretch, reducing the Concordia lead to five points.

“Bouchard was tremendous,” Norman said. “He got us back in the game.”

With three minutes left in the fourth quar­ ter, Winn Clark, a first-year Redmen guard, hit a strong layup, putting McGill up by four.

They were over the hump, Norman said: “I thought we were in good shape to win.”

But then Laroche, Concordia’s standout forward, came alive. After Herra put McGill up by two with 45 seconds left, Laroche worked the post, nabbing a quick basket. The

Redmen then turned the ball over on their next possession, and, with no timeouts remaining, the ball ended up in Laroche’s hands.

“We wanted him to get the ball,” said Concordia Head Coach John Dore.

With 10 seconds left, Concordia cleared the lane for Laroche. He faked right, blowing past his defender before exploding straight upwards, and releasing a beautiful 15-foot jumper that silenced the near-capacity crowd at Love Competition Hall.

“We showed a lot of character to come back and win the game,” Dore said. “We set a couple of things up in the end, it worked, and Evens scored four points down the stretch— everything went according to plan. If only it could always work that way.”

Norman acknowledged that his team was

fatigued mentally, but “not physically,” add­ ing that four of McGill’s last five games have come down to the last possession.

“You’re not going to win all those close games,” he said. “There are some lessons to be learned from the loss. ... We’re going to have to watch some film. We have Concordia next week—we just have to go to war and battle on. »» The loss snapped the Redmen’s threegame winning streak, nudging them a game below .500. On Friday, the Redmen dispatched Bishop’s 81-78—Herra led the charge with 22 points off the bench. Their next game is away against Concordia on February 5.

T I I I lll) M A N IN TIGER, ELIN, AND SEX REHAB So it looks like Tiger has decided to do something about his errant wood, and it’s not what most people would have expected.

In late December, the most recognizable ath­ lete in the world checked into a sex rehabili­ tation clinic in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Pre­ dictably, this news led to some backlash in the national tabloids, but if Tiger and those around him feel that he has a problem—and judging by recent events, this seems like­ ly -th e n it’s good to see that he’s actually doing something about it. Good for him: Tiger finally recognized that he needs to get his marriage and personal life back together before returning to golf.

Mississippi Sex Rehab also happens to be a good public relations move for Tiger, and will at least quiet the rumors that he is living with a mistress on a yacht. Tiger is ostensibly taking the first steps to fixing what he so dramatically broke apart and that’s commendable. Another good move in the wake of a serious misstep: donating a reported three million dollars to Haiti relief efforts.

But, man, what a ride this has been for Tiger. This recent catastrophe has been a long time in the making—the telltale signs of a failing marriage have been there for years. Remember when Tiger won the 2005 Masters? Or the 2008 US Open? Check out his celebrations on YouTube—the lack of visible affection between him and his wife, Elin Nordegren is telling. I’d like to say that

I called him out on his infidelity just from seeing the “Tiger Pat”, but I didn’t. My mom did.

Going to sex rehab could change Ti­ ger’s personality for the better, but it’s defi­ nitely going to hurt his game. Ever since he was a teenager, Tiger’s been constantly told that he is golf’s version of Jesus Christ, and a complete failure if he doesn’t crush every­ thing in his path. It’s easy to see how this sort of egomania would translate from the sporting to the romantic sphere of Tiger’s life. If he’s told that his sexual instincts are misguided, it will be interesting to see what effect that has on his (pretty much identi­ cal) golf instincts. Michael Jordan had gam­ bling, Théo Fleury had alcohol and cocaine, and Tiger has cocktail waitresses and pom stars. Checking into sex rehab, I’m sure he’s

scared he’ll lose his edge.

2010 will be a big year for Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, even if, or when, Tiger comes back. It’s no secret that many on the Tour, especially those two, hate his guts for one reason or another. Mickelson will finally have a psychological advantage over Tiger. Ditto for Garcia, who dealt with his own heartbreak last season when his fian­ cée dumped him in March. Imagine Tiger on the 72nd tee at Augusta this year, tied with Mickelson, with the green jacket on the line.

They’ll make eye contact, and Lefty will flash his awful, irritating grin, that seems to say: I used to be terrified of you, but not any­ more. Tiger won’t have a chance.

—Gabe Pulver Contributor

18*2 February 2010

BOBSLEIGH

OLYMPIC

While Jamaica will not be participating in bobsleigh next week, there’s no need to fret, as this will remain one of the most exciting events at the Olympics, The biggest stars in the sport will be out at the Whistler Sliding Centre to compete in the four-man, two-man, and twowoman events. Canada will be represented by two men’s crews, led by Lyndon Rush and Pierre Lueders, and two women’s crews, pilot­ ed by Kaillie Humphries and Hellen Upperton.

As always, the Games will feature elite crews from Germany and Switzerland, the world’s top sliding nations. André Lange of Germany will be looking to add another gold medal to his collection, after winning three in Salt Lake City and Turin. Also joining the field is reign­ ing World Cup champion Steven Holcomb of the USA, who will try to win his first Olympic medal in Vancouver. Canada’s top medal hope should be the two-woman team of Humphries and Heather Moyse.

The newest event in Vancouver could perhaps be the most exciting. The field is pretty wide open, with plenty of emotional storylines. Multiple Canadian women have come out of the woodwork this year, and have a great chance at more than one medal. Mother of two Ophélie David is a pioneer in the sport, and will likely retire after this year. Ameri­ can Daron Rahlves switched over to ski cross from Alpine skiing recently, and discovered a late-career resurgence. Finally, Canadian Chris Del-Bosco has battled drug and alcohol problems for years, but is now both sober and a strong favourite.

Athletes to watch: Jesse Lumsden. The Edmonton Eskimos running back joins the ev­ er-growing fraternity of multi-sport athletes, and will serve as Pierre Lueders’ brakeman on both the two-man and four-man crews.

Athletes to watch: Stan Hayer and Kelsey Serwa. Hayer is a longtime vet who could surprise, while Serwa—who was a longshot to make the team last year—is now ranked third in the world.

Predictions: Men’s two-man: Gold: Beat Hefti, SUI Silver: Ivo Rtiegg, SUI Bronze: Andre Langé, GER Two-woman: Gold: Cathleen Martini, GER Silver: Sandra Kiraisis, GER Bronze: Kaillie Humphries, CAN

SKI CROSS MOGULS

Predictions: Women: Gold: Ophélie David, FRA Silver: Ashleigh Mclvor, CAN Bronze: Julia Murray, CAN Men: Golde: Michael Schmid, SUI Silver: Chris Del Bosco, CAN Bronze: Andreas Matt, AUT

McGill student Jennifer Heil is—bar none—the best female mogulist in the world.

She’s won the last four Freestyle Skiing World Cup events, and rides a tidal wave of momen­ tum into the 2010 Olympics. If she doesn’t bring home gold on the first night of competi­ tion, it would be a shocking disappointment.

Alex Bilodeau, who shares a coach with Heil, had a disappointing season, but expect him to rise to the occasion. Dale Begg-Smith, a Ca­ nadian competing for Australia, will likely be both a champion and a source of national frus­ tration in Vancouver.

Athletes to watch: Jennifer Heil and Alex Bilodeau. The two Canadians will at­ tempt to jump-start the Olympics with gold medals early on in the competition.

Predictions: Men: Gold: Dale Begg-Smith, AUS Silver: Guilbaut Colas, FRA Bronze: Alexandre Bilodeau, CAN Women: Gold: Jennifer Heil, CAN Silver: Aiko Uemura, JPN Bronze: Heather McPhie, USA

SKELETON Remember the name Melissa Hollings­ worth: you’ll be hearing a lot about her this month. The Alberta native finished third in Turin, but is the consensus favourite to win gold in Vancouver. Canada has more than one medal threat in this event as well—Amy Gough has slid her way onto the team by post­ ing strong times at World Cup events. For the men, Canadians Jeff Pain and Jon Montgom­ ery are the medal hopefuls.

Athletes to watch: Jeff Pain and Melissa Hollingsworth. Pain is looking to improve on a silver-medal finish in 2006, while Hol­ lingsworth dominated the skeleton circuit this year—she’ll be disappointed with anything less than a gold medal.

Predictions: Women: Gold: Mellisa Hollingsworth, CAN Silver: Shelley Rudman, GBR Bronze: Katie Uhlaender, USA Men: Gold: Martins Dukurs, LAT Silver: Jeff Pain, CAN Bronze: Jon Montgomery, CAN

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2 February 2010 • 19

PREVIEW

%ho°cmkenvs

COMPILED BY: GABE POLVER, SEAN WOOD, JOHN HUI, SHAW N STENHOUSE, ADAM SADINSKY

M EN 'S H O CK EY SPEED SKATING The fastest human-powered sport in the world will offer plenty of excitement for the fans in Vancouver. In the “short-track” events—where skaters race against each other on a track about the size of a hockey rink— South Korea will attempt to repeat their domi­ nating performance in Turin, where they won six out of eight possible gold medals. Montre­ aler and 1000m world record holder Charles Hamelin will try to hold them off in the men’s 500m, 1,000m, and 1,500m. 2007 Dancing with the Stars champ Apolo Ohno needs one more medal to become the most decorated athlete in short-track history.

In long-track speed skating—where the athletes post individual times on a 400m oval—23-year-old Dutchman Sven Kramer will try to continue his reign over the 5,000m and 10,000m. Watch out for American Shani Davis in the shorter events, who is the worldrecord holder at the 1,000m and 1,500m. Sas­ katchewan sprinter Jeremy Wotherspoon will

VA N CO U VER L Y M P IC S ?

try to crown his brilliant career with the gold medal he has sought since Nagano. Calgary’s Cindy Klassen, who won five medals in Turin, is one of several Canadian women who will try to overcome stiff competition from Ger­ many’s Jenny Wolf and the Czech Republic’s Martina Sablikova.

Athletes to watch: Tyson Heung—he skates for Germany. Heung received his B.Ed. from McGill in 2005.

Predictions: Men’s short-track 1,000m: Gold: Lee Ho-Suk, KOR Silver: Charles Hamelin, CAN Bronze: Apolo Ohno, USA Women’s long-track 500m: Gold: Jenny Wolf, GER Silver: Wang Beixing, CHN Bronze: Lee-Sang Hwa, KOR

PJ O C

A

For many Canadians, anything less than a gold medal in the Olympic men’s hockey event is unacceptable. Four years ago in Turin, the Russians stunned an entire nation when they blanked Canada 2-0, preventing the Ca­ nucks from advancing to the semi-finals. The 2010 edition of the Winter Games is nothing less than a chance at redemption for the tour­ nament favourites.

Mike Babcock, a 1987 McGill grad and current coach of the Detroit Red Wings, has the pieces he needs to win Olympic gold.

Canada is deepest down the middle, but the defence is also mobile, fixing what manage­ ment thought was Canada’s Achilles heel in Turin. As always, Canada is backstopped by three world-class goaltenders—headed by the legendary Martin Brodeur.

Athletes to watch: Joe Thornton. Pegged by many as an underachiever in high-stake games, he must play well if he wishes to si­ lence his critics.

Predictions: Gold: CAN Silver: SWE Bronze: RUS

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Athletes to watch: Catherine Ward, who graduated last year as the highest scoring de­ fender in Martlets history, will make her first appearance with the Canadian Olympic team this year. The 22-year-old Montrealer was part of the senior team that took home silver in 2009, recording four assists in five games.

Predictions: Gold: CAN Silver: USA Bronze: SWE

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IE GAMES TRIBUNE!

Olympic gold is Canada’s to lose in Van­ couver. After winning easily in Salt Lake City and Turin, Canada will be relying on experi­ ence to guide them to the top of the podium once again. Canadian legends Kim St. Pierre and Hayley Wickenheiser are back, along with superstar McGill goaltender Charline Labonté, but the team will be without veteran Dan­ ielle Goyette for the first time since the 1998 Games.

The road to the championship, however, will not be a walk in the park—Team USA will be good competition for the Canadians this year. After the 2006 Olympics, Canada won gold at the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships, but had to settle for silver in the same tournament for two consecutive years, falling to the United States both times.

Kim Martin—named best goaltender at the 2006 Olympics—and her Swedish squad will attempt to upset both Canada and the United States, while Finland hopes that they can build on their third place finish at the 2009 IIHF Tournament.

Ste. Catherine

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