The McGill Tribune Vol. 29 Issue 19

OSCAR PREVIEW, PAGES 14 & 15

GENERAL ASSEMBLY EDITORIAL, PAGE 9

MCGILL Published by the Students’ Society of McGill University

TRIBUNE www.mcgilltribune.com

Vol. 29 Issue 19 < \

Law S tu d en ts’ A ssociation con sid ers cu ttin g ties to SSM U LSA com m ittee w ill exam ine relationship with SS M U THEO MEYER News Editor

The Law Students’ Association Council recently voted to establish a committee that will evaluate its relationship with the Students’ Society, opening the door to the possibility that the LSA will disaffiliate from SSMU. The motion, put forward by LSA Presi­ dent Alexandre Shee, requires the new fiveperson committee make suggestions as to how its relationship with SSMU can be improved.

Like other undergraduates, law students are currently represented by both their faculty association, the LSA, and by their representa­ tive on SSMU Council. As such, they pay fees to support their membership in SSMU. Unlike other undergraduates, however, law students also pay fees to the Post-Gradu­ ate Students’ Society. According to Shee, the fact that law students pay two separate fees was a major reason for his decision to push for the committee.

See SHEE on page 2 A new committee established by the Law Students’Association will examine the organization’s relations with SSMU.

ADAM SOÔTTI

W ith H 1N 1 cases d ecreasin g, M cG ill rem oves the red button H and-sanitizing units to be rem oved as w ell CAROLYN YATES Managing Editor

In response to a decreasing number of reported H1N1 cases, McGill is ending pan­ demic-related activities prompted by H1N1 influenza.

The decision followed the announcement from the Quebec Ministry of Education. Rec­ reation and Sports, which stated that pandem­ ic-related activities can now be discontinued.

“H1N1 at this point seems to have died down, and we’re not seeing much flu,” said Dr.

Pierre-Paul Tellier, director of McGill Student Health Services.

As a result, absentee reporting has re­ turned to normal, and the online self-reporting system has been removed.

The first incidence of H1N1 declared through the self-reporting system occurred in mid-November. The system was in place for roughly three months, and served as a mecha­ nism for side’students to report symptoms of H1N1 to the Student Affairs Office or Gradu­ ate and Postdoctoral Studies Office. After self-reporting, students had the equivalent of a doctor’s note for nine days, without putting pressure on McGill Student Health Services or the clinical system in Montreal.

Reported cases peaked in early Novem­ ber. Over 2,000 students used the online sys­ tem to report symptoms of H1N1 during the three months that the system was operational.

Other universities have also begun to re­ move online absentee reporting systems for symptoms of H 1N1.

“In the new year, we looked at [the num­ ber of reports] and ... we ended up going back to our regular reporting,” said Lori Lewis, a spokesperson for the University of Windsor.

“We were surprised and very satisfied that our numbers weren’t higher,” Lewis said. “We didn’t have nearly as many faculty or students out as we thought we might.”

Temporary installations, such as hand

sanitizers near entrances and exits, will also be removed.

“Hand sanitizers should not be consid­ ered replacements for hand-washing, and mul­ tiple locations for hand-washing are available throughout all our buildings on all our floors,” said Jim Nicell, associate vice-principal uni­ versity services.

If the entire McGill population used hand sanitizer once a day when entering and exit­ ing buildings, maintaining the units would cost approximately $200,000 a year. Addition­ ally, evaporative alcohol from the sanitizer can negatively impact air quality, and production and transportation of the sanitizer is not enviSee UNIVERSITY on page 3

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Shee criticizes SSM U as “d iscon n ected and too cen tra lized ” Continued from COVER “The decision is about who we’re paying these fees to,” Shee said. “Where is the centre of our social life? It’s not Gert’s, it’s Thomp­ son House.”

In an interview with the Tribune, Shee levelled broader criticisms at SSMU as well.

He described the organization as largely ir­ relevant to most law students and complained that the SSMU executives rarely visited the Faculty of Law. “What we have right now is a SSMU that is disconnected and too centralized,” he said.

Shee also urged other faculty associa­ tions, such as the Arts Undergraduate Society, to re-examine their relationships with SSMU. Not all law students agree with Shee, however. Max Reed, a third-year law student, described the decision to establish the com­ mittee as “a really poor idea” that most law students had not pushed for.

“This is sort of coming out of thin air,” Reed said. “There has been no discussion about this at the Law Faculty whatsoever.”

Reed, who is also a former SSMU vicepresident university affairs, said he is a mem­ ber of several SSMU clubs and does not want to see the LSA cut its ties to SSMU. “I can’t think of anything that SSMU isn’t doing to represent the needs of the Law Fac­ ulty,” he said.

According to Reed, the LSA also may not legally be able to separate itself from SSMU, at least not financially. Under a provincial law titled the Act Respecting the Accreditation and Financing of Student Associations, undergrad­ uates are required to pay fees to support their university’s accredited student association. At McGill, that association is SSMU. “Even if the LSA were to formally dis­ affiliate as some sort of protest, the law—or at my reading of it—says that LSA members

would still pay their fees to SSMU,” Reed said.

In addition to his larger criticisms, Shee cited SSMU’s declining contributions to fund­ ing the LSA’s clubs as another reason that he moved to establish the committee. The fund­ ing, Shee said, is less than a third of the amount the LSA received just a few years ago.

According to SSMU President Ivan Neilson, however, the fact that the LSA receives any club funding is something of an anomaly.

The LSA has floated the idea of leaving SSMU before, he said, and “exhorted” the club fund­ ing as a kind of pay-off.

“The only reason that this agreement ever came into existence was because the LSA has threatened similar tactics in the past,” Neilson said.

Though the $3,000 per annum the LSA currently receives is lower than past amounts, the money saved has been redirected into the

more general Campus Life Fund.

“Any club formed by law students, be­ cause they are members of SSMU, has a right to club funding, and Campus Life funding,” Neilson said.

As for Shee’s criticisms of SSMU, Neil­ son expressed disappointment that Shee had not worked through established channels or brought his concerns directly to the SSMU executive.

“I think we have a good model here, and I think that it’s really up to the individual stu­ dent leaders to step up to the plate and make it what they want it to be,” Neilson said. “If they have criticisms, if they have changes that they want to see, it’s up to them to either bring it to Council, bring it to a General Assembly, or bring it to referendum.”

C AM PU S

Understanding W ednesday’s General Assembly motions STEVEN HOFFER News Editor

Undergraduate students will gather to­ morrow beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the Shatner cafeteria to participate in the Winter General Assembly. With seven new motions on the table there is a wide variety o f SSMU policy to be decided.

Motion Re: The Defense of Human Rights, Social Justice, and Environmental Protec­ tion Put forward by Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, this motion has emerged as perhaps the most controversial Genderal As­ sembly motion. Should it pass, the Students’ Society would be mandated to “issue a state­ ment reaffirming its commitment to human rights,” expand the Financial Ethics Review Committee, allow for instituting a Corporate Social Responsibility committee, and have ei­ ther active committee investigate McGill Uni­ versity’s investments.

The motion has drawn attention mainly due to the two non-debatable, non-amendable “whereas” clauses that mention the conflict in the Middle East.

“The main concern was to make sure that McGill has an ethical and moral way of handling business and that they don’t invest in any companies that don’t support human rights or in any way infringe upon anyone’s human rights,” said Samer Sefian, SPHR vicepresident internal.

Sefian added that he was not surprised by the opposition garnered by the motion.

“Some people will believe that we are putting Israel aside and just targeting Israel, which is not true at all. I think it came out like this because either they have not read the full motion, which I doubt anybody did, or they are just thinking of it in a different way.”

The motion doesn’t specify any direct ac­ tion to condemn Israel, though opponents to the motion believe that it has been written in a similar spirit to last year’s motion to condemn

Israel for the bombing of educational institu­ tions in Gaza.

“A lot of last year’s motion was about not wanting the campus to be polarized and we have the same position—we have no inter­ est in seeing this campus as being divided on ideological lines,” said Mookie Kideckel, Hillel McGill President and Tribune Columnist.

“But in a way, we almost see this resolution as more underhanded than last year because last year some actually asked McGill students to take an ideological position—this one does so in a really sly, covert way.”

Motion Re: Discriminatory Groups In the aftermath of this year’s chapter in the Choose Life saga, a motion has been put forward to ban any pro-life group from becom­ ing an official SSMU club.

If passed, the motion would amend the SSMU equity policy to include the follow­ ing statement: “The SSMU further resolves to condemn any group, student association or or­ ganization whose goals and methods compro­ mise the safety and health of any person or en­ gage in acts of discrimination such as but not limited to pro-life groups; the SSMU will not grant full or interim status to any such group.”

Natalie Fohl, president of the suspended Choose Life club, said that the motion is a pre­ emptive attempt to disallow Choose Life from being reinstated with full club status.

“It is very unfortunate to hear, coming from a group of students, that they would ba­ sically like to stifle dialogue on a legitimate topic by deeming the topic, or at least one per­ spective on it, illegitimate,” Fohl said. “I think that’s really against the spirit of what a univer­ sity campus is supposed to foster, which is to question everything and open dialogue.”

Motion Re: Self-funded Tuition Model As the University struggles to close a $14 million dollar deficit, the administration has announced that it will instate a self-funded tuition model for the Master’s of Business Adminstration program, a move which will create

a flat tuition rate of $29,500 per student in the 2010-2011 academic year.

The motion seeks to establish a formal policy against self-funded tuition models and mandates SSMU to lobby against the selffunded tuition model on the university, pro­ vincial, and federal levels.

Motion Re: SSMU for Free Quality Acces­ sible Education Staying with tuition issues, the motion for Free Quality Accessible Education seeks to require SSMU to lobby for ultimately elimi­ nating university tuition and student debt and also to “reinvest in education to maintain the quality and accessibility.”

Motion Re: Ancillary Fees Ancillary Fees are another issue with strong ties to the McGill deficit. With the Que­ bec Ministry of Education’s current cap of $ 15 per student per semester set to expire on 2011, this motion seeks to mandate SSMU to oppose any future increases in ancillary fees unless passed by referendum.

Motion Re: Tar Sands Should it pass, this motion would man­ date SSMU to condemn the industrial devel­ opment of the Alberta Tar Sands, examine in­ vestments of over $15,000 for ties to the Tar Sands industry, create a sub-committee of the FERC to research investment ties that McGill may have to the Tar Sands, and redefine the criteria for what is considered involvement with the Tar Sands.

Motion Re: Restoration of $5 Bill ATM Machines If passed this motion will require SSMU to negotiate with the McGill administration to reinstate the availability of five dollar bills in ATM machines on campus.

GA Reform Although tomorrow’s G A will go ahead under the current rules, the possibility for re­

form has again been brought up. At last Thurs­ day’s SSMU Council meeting, a motion was passed that will create a council-initiated ref­ erendum question to be put to students in the Winter Referendum period.

The referendum question, signed by SSMU President Ivan Neilson, VP Clubs and Services Sarah Olle, VP University Affairs Re­ becca Dooley, and Councillor David Marshall, would amend the constitution to make it more difficult for GAs to set policy on issues exter­ nal to the Society.

“The spirit behind the question was to sort of redefine the GAs so we get all the re­ ally positive elements of direct democracy, and leave out some of the confusion, and the messy, more problematic motions which tend to come up and which don’t really have any­ thing relating to SSMU,” said Neilson.

Currently, Article 28.1 of the SSMU Con­ stitution reads: “A General Assembly may es­ tablish, amend or rescind any policy of the so­ ciety except” and lists the constitution, mem­ bership fees or other financial matters of the society, and the composition of the society’s staff. The amendment would add to this list “policies on matters external to the Society’s regular activities.”

The amendment would also insert a new section, 28.2, which would read: “exception­ ally, a policy on a matter external to the So­ ciety’s regular activities may be adopted at a General Assembly if the following conditions are satisfied,” and lists as the conditions: 500 members of the society are present, two thirds of the General Assembly votes in favour of de­ bating the resolution, and the resolution passes with a simple majority.

Students will be able to vote on the ques­ tion in the referendum period in early March.

The campaign period begins on March 2, and regularly polling takes place from March 9-11.

—Additional reporting by James Gilman

Curiosity Delivers.

9 February 2010 • 3

University spent approximately $200,000 to manage the pandemic Continued from COVER ronmentally sustainable.

Installation costs $1.50 per unit, and the effectiveness of the system is dubious.

“Public health officials never came out with a recommendation for the use of hand sanitizers, except in hospitals, which is appro­ priate,” Nicell said.

McGill spent approximately $200,000 on pandemic preparedness, which included mate­ rials, supplies, equipment rentals, additional personnel, and a rough estimate of the efforts of the coordinators.

“About $100,000 [of that] was specific costs that were incremental on top of every­ thing else we do around here that were not budgeted for,” said Nicell.

However, Nicell hopes that the experi­ ence will prove to be useful. Identifying key decision makers and collecting contingency plans from across the university will play a key role in McGill’s future preparedness. “[We] will continue towards a more ro­ bust approach to contingency planning in the future,” Nicell said. “It’s been a fabulous learning experience for everyone.”

However, Tellier said that in the future he hopes to take a more proactive approach.

“We did a lot of things that were right,” Tellier said. “Unfortunately the problem was we were reacting instead of being proactive and I think we could have been a little more proactive as a university.

“We are keeping notes on how things

A McGill student avec la grippe. were put into place, and there will be a report so that hopefully these plans will be available in the future. How useful that will be is hard to say. If we have another pandemic in two or three years, these plans and whatever we put in place will just need a little bit of tweaking.”

One approaching health concern is the

LORRAINE CHEUNG

seasonal flu. While vaccinations are typically done in the fall to prepare for late fall and winter flu waves, seasonal flu vaccinations are only now in progress.

Transmitted primarily through airborne bodily fluids, the best defence against seasonal flu is the vaccination, proper coughing and

sneezing etiquette, and hand washing.

“At this point, we are not seeing the sea­ sonal flu,” said Tellier. “[But] these past few years in Quebec [it] has usually started at the end of January, beginning of February, even into March, so we may see it ramp up again in the next few weeks.”

Current incidents of H1N1 are reported at a rate of a few per week; which is similar to rates reported by other educational institu­ tions. While McGill has stopped its specific H1N1 absentee monitoring, it will continue to be alert for spikes in HINI cases.

“We don’t react just when our popula­ tion is impacted,” Nicell said. “When public health officials announce a third wave is on its way, reactivate your pandemic preparedness plans—and they’re ultimately the decision­ making body—then we will do so.”

Nicell added that he was also surprised how effectively many students implemented some of the university’s suggestions.

“One thing I’m totally shocked about in this process is how we’ve changed peo­ ple’s behaviour. You see [coughing into your elbow] all the time. I never thought we could change the way people cough and sneeze,” said Nicell.

H1N1 vaccinations continue to be avail­ able through local CLSC clinics. Vaccinations for the seasonal flu are now available through Student Health Services.

E D U C A TIO N

Q ueen’s may join other universities in banning bottled water W ater A ccess G roup also looks to fix w ater fo u n ta in s SEAN WOOD Contributor

At Queen’s University, the Water Access Group, a group of students and professors interested in promoting public water and dis­ couraging the use of bottled water, has com­ pleted a study of the school’s water fountains.

The group found that 84 of 151 fountains were broken or dirty, and only 24 had goose­ neck spouts for refilling water bottles, which prompted them to write an open letter to Dan­ iel Woolf, the university’s principal. The letter advocates repairing the fountains as well as cutting back on bottled water sales on campus.

WAG’s ultimate goal is to phase out bottledwater sales on campus.

“We’re encouraging students to under­ stand the implications of their purchase of bottled water, whether that’s from a social jus­ tice perspective or ... just in terms of cost,” said Claire Nelischer, the sustainability co­ ordinator for Queen’s Alma Mater Society and a member of WAG. Should they succeed. Queen’s would be­ come the fourth university in Canada to ban bottled water on campus, joining the Uni­ versity of Winnipeg, Memorial University in Newfoundland, and Brandon University in Manitoba.

Montague said that such bans are easy, ef­

fective, and ethical, and criticized commercial water distributors.

“Commodifying a basic human right and selling it for more than a gallon of gasoline, it’s ridiculous,” said Stephen Montague, president of the Brandon University Students’ Union.

Commercial water distributors, however, argue that water is chemically safest when bottled. As well, according to a press release on its website, the International Bottled Water Association has collaborated with relief agen­ cies to provide bottled water to those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.

Nonetheless, students across Canada ap­ pear to support bottle bans. Students’ Society President Ivan Neilson said that universities could help set good examples for society.

“We can show some leadership in that area,” Neilson said. “I think it’s a great initia­ tive.”

While SSMU has banned bottled water in the Shatner Building, the prospects for a campus-wide ban are less promising. “[The university] is very hesitant to enter into commitments like [this],” Neilson said.

Other university administrations have been more responsive to their student unions.

Montague said that negotiations with the ad­ ministration at Brandon were easy after a bottled-water ban motion was approved by the Students’ Union.

“Within a month, we had the signed Water Pledge,” he said. “Our administration [was] fantastic to work with. They saw the

LOGAN SMITH

Banning bottled water has become a common trend across university campuses. value in the proposal and they were fantastic partners.”

Nelischer argued, however, that bottledwater bans are not always so simple.

“It’s very context-specific,” she said.

“We’ve looked to the other universities to see what they’re doing as an example, but even the awareness campaigns and student movements don’t necessarily apply to the situation that we’re in here.”

The University of Winnipeg, for instance, was not in an exclusive contract with a bev­

erage provider when it decided to ban bottled water. Queen’s, however, has an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola, making it difficult for groups like the WAG to make changes.

Queen’s contract with Coca-Cola expires in August, and the WAG hopes to either per­ suade the university not to renew it or to in­ sert a clause banning bottled water in the new contract.

“It’s very time sensitive, what we’re doing right now,” Nelischer said.

mcgilltribune.com

4 * 9 February 2010

C IT Y

In Kahnawake, eviction notices force non-Aboriginals off the land F ederal law gives bands control over reserve residency MATT ESSERT Contributor

In response to a growing number of com­ plaints by residents of the Kahnawake reserva­ tion on the South Shore, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake has served eviction notices to all non-native people living illegally on the reserve.

In accordance with Canadian law, the fed­ eral government grants land reserves to native bands, who are then in charge of deciding their own residence laws. The Mohawk Council has established laws that exclude non-natives from living on their lands, said Joe Delaronde, a spokesperson for the council.

“Reservation implies land reserved for native people,” he said. “We’re responding to what the community itself has said.”

According to Delaronde, similar situa­ tions have occurred several times over the past 30 years. A growing number of non-Aboriginal residents periodically begin to take a toll on the community and must be dealt with.

“Every once in a while it gets to a point where action has to be taken,” he said.

Delaronde added that the reservation is relatively small and the community cannot af­ ford to allow non-Aboriginals to live on their already-scarce land. The reservation, which borders the south bank of the St. Lawrence, is home to about 7,500 Mohawks.

“We’re squeezed on all sides,” he said.

“So the community has made a stand on sev­ eral occasions.”

Christa Scholtz, a McGill political sci­ entist who specializes in Aboriginal politics, echoed this sentiment on the scarcity of avail­ able land on a reservation.

“Reserves, generally speaking, are not big places, and in many communities there are

resource constraints,” Scholtz said. “So part of it is, ‘What we’ve got, we don’t have a lot of, and it should be for our use.’ So there is an in­ centive in some communities to draw the line between ‘who we are and who we are not’ in allocating those resources.”

Although the law may be clear-cut, not everyone is pleased with the band council’s course of action.

“I am very distressed,” said Tracey Deer, a Mohawk resident of Kahnawake and a film­ maker whose films include several documen­ taries dealing with Aboriginal people’s issues, including Club Native and Mohawk Girl. “I don’t think this is the direction my community should take. I know a lot of people are hurting because of this. It makes me really ashamed that we are doing this to each other.”

Deer acknowledged that there are several non-natives living on the Kahnawake reserve, but she doesn’t see them as a threat to the Ab­ original way of life. The reservation, she said,

SPE A K E R O N C A M P U S

Penguins CEO addresses M anagement students Saw yer discusses challenges o f m anaging an N H L fra n ch ise NICK FRID Contributor

Ken Sawyer, CEO of the Pittsburgh Pen­ guins, spoke to an enthusiastic audience in the third-floor lounge of the Bronfman building last Friday as part of the Faculty of Manage­ ment’s CEO Speaker Series.

Within the last decade, the Penguins have propelled themselves from bankruptcy to the Stanley Cup. Sawyer began his talk by explain­ ing how although there are some strategies for running an NHL franchise, the essential ele­ ments are the same as any other business.

One area that Sawyer highlighted was the differences of the economic structure of an NHL franchise, including salary caps, sponsor revenues, and local TV contracts.

When Sawyer assumed his position with the team as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 1999, the Penguins were in dire financial straits. However, he then pulled his Stanley Cup ring out of his pocket, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and success.

Sawyer also recounted some interesting anecdotes for McGill students to remember after graduation, encouraging the audience to take initiative. For those hopeful of a career in hockey management, Sawyer recommended to “start elsewhere, and make your mark else­ where.”

Sawyer pointed to the franchise’s im­ provements and how he was able to contribute to saving hockey in Pittsburgh as his greatest successes. On top of that, Sawyer expressed great pride in the ongoing construction of the new Consol Energy Center, the arena the Pen­ guins will call home at the start of the 20102011 season.

When asked about the recent trade of Ilya Kovalchuk to division rivals New Jersey, Saw­ yer assured the audience that his team is still in a solid position.

ANNE CLAIRE CAMPS

Sawyer answers students’ questions about both business and hockey last Friday.

“We like the team we have right now, and it’s the team we won the Cup with last year, but sure, we’ll look at major transactions,” he said. “But it won’t make us do something that will disrupt our team on a huge level.”

Sawyer also argued that education is a life-long process, and cited his formal educa­ tion in math, instead of business, as a prime example.

Kerry Jones, U1 Management, was im­ pressed with Sawyer’s lecture, particularly how he combined aspects of both business and hockey.

“Sawyer was very well-spoken and ar­ ticulate. What Sawyer said today about the business aspect was very helpful and what he said about the operational and management side of hockey was very interesting,” Jones said. “It was really interesting to understand that hockey is not just a game, but there is also

a business side.”

The CEO Speaker Series will bring in other corporate leaders this semester, includ­ ing National Bank CEO Louis Vachon and Sir Richard Branson.

The Series aims to supply McGill stu­ dents with the opportunity to learn from ex­ ecutives and leaders in the corporate world.

The series takes a unique approach to the tra­ ditional guest lecture format, beginning each event with a casual question-and-answer ses­ sion led by an MBA student. Following this interview, the floor is opened up to students in the audience.

“The idea is for the students to get a sense of a senior leader’s view of the world. What is leadership?” said Professor Karl Moore.

“Also, it’s about their careers. How did you get started, how did your career unfold, and if you were 20 years old, what would you do?”

is often misunderstood as something native people use to hold onto their traditions, when there in fact are several other factors linking native people to their identities.

“I think we have a misguided sense that our strength and our identity is tied to a reserve that doesn’t have white people on it,” Deer said. “But really that has no bearing whatso­ ever on our strength as a people, as a unique cultural people. That strength comes from our language, our culture, our history, and our sense of community, which right now is right out the window because of this action being taken.”

Despite protests, Delaronde said that the Mohawk Council has no choice but to carry out the evictions.

“We’re messing with people’s lives here, and we know that,” Delaronde said. “But the fact is the law is the law and we have to re­ spect it.”

N ew s

in

Br ie f

Researchers make breathrough in fight against malaria Scientists have recently found a new way to attack malaria, a parasitic disease that kills more than a million people every year.

Although the parasite has been growing in­ creasingly resistant to traditional anti-malarial drugs, a multidisciplinary team of researchers including John Dalton, a professor at Sha In­ stitute of Parasitology, have discovered two key enzymes that help the parasite survive inside humans.

The enzymes help the parasites digest proteins inside red blood cells, fuelling the spread of the disease. The researchers in the study uncovered the three-dimensional struc­ ture of these enzymes, which may assist in the development of drugs to inhibit the enzymes.

In theory, the malaria parasites could then be starved to death.

Malaria has only one copy of each of the two enzymes that destroy red blood cells.

Other parasites usually have several copies of similar enzymes, and if one of them is dis­ abled, the parasites simply switch to another.

But the researchers have shown that in ma­ larial parasites, if either of the two digestive enzymes is knocked out the parasite cannot survive. He and his colleagues also have dem­ onstrated some of the specific drugs that can inhibit the function o f these enzymes.

Scientists believe that if everything goes well they will be able to start testing the drugs on humans in three to five years. The research­ ers have published their data on the structures of the enzymes, along with information about possible drugs, in a public database, which other scientists can use independently to work on developing effective drugs.

"Anyone who has experience with drug design would know how important the struc­ ture of two potential targets is,” Dalton said.

“We have been very keen on giving every­ thing to the public database. We did not want to hold them to ourselves."

—Shajahan

9 February 2010 • 5

Curiosity Delivers.

E D U C A T IO N

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Students failing language exams M e r ep o r t g o o d fo r n ew spa per?

U niversities concerned about grow ing gram m ar problem s

M E C O M E T O NEWS M E E T IN G .

Every Mo n d a y at 5:30 in the T ribune O ffice

SARAH CRAMER C ontributor

The University of Waterloo is one of the few institutions in Canada to administer a lan­ guage proficiency exam as a degree require­ ment. Although the university has used the test since 1976, students’ writing problems just ap­ pear to be getting worse.

“What we do know is that our pass rate is declining,” said Ann Barrett, managing direc­ tor of the English language proficiency exam at Waterloo. She noted that 30 per cent of stu­ dents now fail the test.

The proficiency exam isn’t designed to trick or fool students. Barrett says one of their goals is to be transparent. It is a simple essay question, where evaluators are looking for proper grammar, organization, and develop­ ment. They want to see if students understand a standard essay format, present their thesis, and defend it effectively.

What makes a proficiency test in writ­ ing so important is the correlation between failing the test and doing poorly in university courses.

“Students that fail our exams are at risk because they won’t understand what the in­ structors are saying or what is in their text­ books,” Barnett said. “If a student is struggling with the basics of language, they will have difficulty with what they are being taught and what is expected of them.”

What becomes puzzling then is how stu­ dents who earn strong enough marks at the CEGEP and high school level to be accepted to university can barely form a sentence.

“It puzzles us when we see students get 90s in high school and yet can’t pass this exam,” Barrett said. “We don’t understand the disconnect and it is frustrating.”

Sue Laver, of the McGill English and French Language Centre, said McGill students also struggle with prose composition.

“I have had a handful of students who are functionally illiterate in writing,” Laver said. “It is actually shocking that such students would make it all the way to a prestigious uni­ versity like McGill.”

It is unclear, however, why students’ writ­ ing abilities are declining. Some critics point to the advent of social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook. Joel Postman, author of SocialCorp: Social Media Goes Corporate who has taught Fortune 500 companies how to use social networking, argues that students no longer distinguish between communication with friends, professors, and even potential employers.

“If you cover your legal document with emoticons, with ‘lois’ and T8rs,’ a contract could be invalidated,” Postman said. “What would happen if you used smiley faces and ‘cuz’ in a medical procedure? It is simply error in judgement, and it’s jarring and offensive for many people.”

Laver, however, believes that many sec­ ondary schools do an inadequate job of pre­ paring students for the rigors of university writing.

“The problem is that they aren’t well pre­

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pared before they get here. If it is not taught or not taught long enough, they are in for a rude awakening,” Laver said. “And that leaves us to pick up the pieces.”

Though McGill doesn’t require language proficiency exams to enter or graduate from the university, Laver believes that McGill should develop an entry assessment to com­ bat students’ declining writing abilities. The English and French Language Center does offer a for-credit course in academic English called EAPR 250: Research Essay and Rheto­ ric every semester. Because resources to help students are spread out, however, it can be dif­ ficult for students to improve their writing.

“Writing issues cannot be figured out by professors that are not experts in teaching aca­ demic writing, or even in simple tutorials or workshops,” Laver said. “So I think everyone should take an academic writing course with those that are specialized in this field, without exception. They have nothing to lose.”

McGill has recognized this problem and is currently engaged in serious discussions about a potential writing center for students.

“The ball is rolling,” Laver said, “and it’s moving in the right direction.”

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AN OFFENSIVE MOTION “SSMU further resolves to condemn any group, student association, or organization whose goals and methods compromise the safe­ ty and health o f any person or engage in acts of discrimination such as, but not limited to, pro­ life groups; SSMU will not grant full or interim club status to any such group." —Motion Re: Discriminatory Groups.

Tomorrow, at the Students’ Society Winter General Assembly, students will have an oppor­ tunity to vote on freedom of speech. Very rarely in our lives do we get such an opportunity, as most of us are fortunate to come from liberal democratic countries—where our right to stand up and speak our minds is held dear.

But on Wednesday, a motion will be pre­ sented at the GA entitled “Discriminatory Groups” that threatens those very rights. This motion makes some wild claims. It claims that denying a woman access to abortions is “an act of discrimination.” On the grounds that pro­ life groups are therefore “discriminatory,” it seeks to alter SSMU’s equity policy to include a clause that would prevent SSMU from grant­ ing full or interim club status to any pro-life group. The motion also claims that Choose Life utilized coercive tactics at the now-infamous “Echoes of the Holocaust” event.

This entire motion offends me.

The claim that pro-life groups are fun­ damentally discriminatory is absurd. It has no rational justification. I make this statement as a person who is fundamentally pro-choice. But that doesn’t prevent me from understanding the sincere arguments of the pro-life side of the de­ bate. How is the belief that a fetus is a child dis­ criminatory? Whether life begins at conception is both a scientific and a spiritual question, not a question of sexism.

Furthermore, the notion that Choose Life

THE SHOCK DOCTRINE IN HAITI Irony’s a funny thing. And whether it’s a minority-elected government preaching de­ mocracy to the global south or an Americaneducated, torture-supporting opposition leader speaking about returning Canada to its place of soft-power prominence in the world, Cana­ dian politics is ripe with irony.

But sometimes irony is too tragic and enraging to be amusing—as it was when I watched our Haitian-born governor general address the tragic calamity that has befallen Haiti. Her words, as always, were touching and beautiful. But the irony of her speaking about rebuilding Haiti for its people was just too much for me to handle.

For you see, the governor general—in addition to being the representative of our government’s colonial roots—is the Head of

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utilized “coercive” tactics at its “Echoes of the Holocaust” event is obscene. The event was open to anyone who wanted to attend. If you felt insulted by the notion of an academic com­ parison of genocide to abortion, then you didn’t have to go. “Echoes of the Holocaust” was not the first time a group has invoked the Nazi genocide: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals launched a “Holocaust on your Plate” campaign in 2003, in which they compared factory farms to concentration camps. While I disagree with their message with every fibre of my being, it’s PETA’s right to make the com­ parison, just as it was Jose Ruba’s right to do so at “Echoes of the Holocaust.” No one hired a political correctness police force to shout him down. No one has the right to shut him up.

In fact, the only people “coercing” anyone at that presentation were the protesters who in­ terrupted Ruba by singing and yelling for two hours, silencing debate and denying their fel­ low students a forum for their opinions.

Canada has a wonderful legal document called the Canadian Charter of Rights and Free­ doms. That document ensures four fundamental freedoms—the four most significant freedoms a human being can exercise.

The first is freedom of conscience and re­ ligion. Those against abortion are free to hold that moral belief, as they are free to practice any faith that opposes abortion.

The second is freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression. Those opposed to abortion have the right to think that abortions are wrong, and they have the right to tell people that they think so.

The third is freedom of peaceful assembly, and the fourth is freedom of association. Those against abortion have the right to create an or­ ganization based on that belief, and no one has the right to stop them.

With the stroke of a pen this resolution promises to suffocate the fundamental free­ doms of any pro-life student who comes to this school. Think I’m being a hack for quoting the constitution? This seems like one of the rare oc­ casions where it is incredibly appropriate.

I strongly encourage anyone who loves their fundamental freedoms to come to the GA and vote no to this resolution. It offends the very rights its authors are trying to protect.

Although I’ve played team sports since I was old enough to don a pinny, I’m usually quite awkward in locker rooms.

Part of it has to do with my upbringing.

My family was never a particularly naked one—we didn’t do a lot of topless sunbathing in the backyard or play nude family Monopo­ ly—so nakedness has always startled me. No matter what the context, nakedness, for me, is always a surprise because it makes the familiar seem so alien. Part of that comes from the way I look at peoples’ faces; I usually divide and analyze them when we talk. I notice earlobe size, unshaven under-chin spots, and eyebrow shape. I think things like “Hey, your nose looks like a whale’s tail.” You can imagine how in­ vasive this is when people drop trou.

Luckily, locker rooms are not an exces­ sively naked locale (contrary to what every cheerleader movie ever made would have you believe). Preteen and teen girls have an elabo­ rate system of tricks to stay clothed for as long as possible—we’ve seen enough Frontline ep­ isodes to know that perverts with cameras lurk around every comer. Until a few days ago, I couldn’t recall the last time I saw a fully naked woman in a locker room. And I rather enjoyed that state of existence.

Unfortunately, I was recently forced to bone up on my naketiquette, after an unfortu­ nate encounter at the gym. I have a really light course load this semester, so I go to the gym a lot. I’ve never rented a locker but I have my own lock, which I put in my bag with my gym clothes. It’s not incredibly convenient, but I’m not willing to pay for a locker. Unfortunately, there is a group of gym rats that keep their locks on the day-use lockers for weeks on end.

(No one works out that long, notwithstanding the blonde girl seemingly always on the El-

State, and therefore of the head of the Cana­ dian Armed Forces. The same Armed Forces that have now twice invaded Haiti, aided in the removal of its democratically elected leaders from power, helped install an unpopular pup­ pet ruler, and opened Haiti’s fragile populist economy to pillaging by massive corporations, whether in sweatshops or sugar fields.

Of course, such invasions were couched in humanitarian terms. We, the Canadian public, were told that Aristide—the repeatedly elected populist leader of the country—was becoming a “thug.” Moreover, due to both its origins as a country of freed slaves and its recent decision to pursue a path of development in the interest of its own people rather than foreign corpora­ tions, Haiti, we are told, should be considered a “failed state” in need of Western salvation.

Never mind the economic growth experienced under Aristide and never mind the billions of dollars in reparations still outstanding to the Haitian population from its former slave-driv­ ing colonial overlords.

In other words, without saying so, the message to the public was clear: a country of black people cannot be trusted to choose their own leaders, choose their own priorities, and decide their own futures. And the Canadian media’s response to the horrific earthquake has

echoed this mentality. Just like in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the media coverage on the ground has followed a racist dichotomy: black thuggery and white heroism—be it aid work­ ers or soldiers. Never mind that aid workers have been involved in profiteering off Haiti’s poverty for decades, nor that international armed forces have been accused of massacres.

And never mind the countless (black) Haitian grassroots organizations that have been sys­ tematically excluded from Western financ­ ing. If our media are to be believed—which is never a great idea—we are left with the notion that the “White Man’s Burden” is alive and calling our names.

Of course, there’s a great profit to be made in tragedy, particularly when the interests of multinational corporate giants align with skewed, racialized liberal concern for “those poor people.” In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the city of New Orleans underwent a radical privatization of most of its services, from security forces to formerly-public social housing. Following the Southeast Asian tsu­ nami, massive expanses of traditional fishing coast were handed over to large hotel chains as a part of the “rebuilding” and aid effort. This is what author Naomi Klein has called the “Shock Doctrine” —the newest phase of cor­

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Fresh Hell Z o e D a n ie ls

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I NEVER KNEW D

liptical of Life.) I went last week and the only open locker was at the far end of a bay, nestled in a crook between the row and the wall mir­ ror. Luckily, it was late morning and there was a lull in activity when I locked away my cloth­ ing.

The gym usually gets busy at lunchtime, so I was happy to find the locker room rela­ tively quiet when I returned from my work­ out. Turns out, the place wasn’t totally empty, though—at the locker next to mine was a sole sentry blocking any claim I had on my clothes: a sexagenarian standing butt-naked on a towel.

Having never encountered this situation, I had three instincts: a) to pretend I was really in­ terested in something else until she left on her own, b) to ask her nicely if she wouldn’t mind moving so I could get my bag, or c) to reflect on the distribution of her freckles. I chose a coward’s combination of the first two options and stood at the end of the row staring mean­ ingfully at the region a foot above her shoul­ ders and fake coughing futilely for attention.

Eventually, I left to inspect the water fountain. When I came back, she was wear­ ing tights and a bra. Then I did another lap around the toilets. Pants. Progress. Thinking that she was close to dressed, I made eye con­ tact, but only accidentally. I moved closer, try­ ing to reestablish contact without breaking the personal-space bubble that her nakedness had increased tenfold. She glared at me as if she had caught me stealing.

Finally, as she was knotting her scarf, I caught her glance in the mirror. Without a word she moved aside. I was able to do the bra-double-up-and-switch and be on my way quickly, but by then I was late for class. Obvi­ ously, this wasn’t the worst locker room inter­ action ever, but what bugs me is that it was a completely preventable one. I entreat you, if you’re one of the girls who bogarts the chang­ ing room lockers for weeks on end, take your fucking gym clothes home with you once in a while. I want to know what it’s like to have the luxury of a locker that is non-nude-adjacent and doesn’t make me feel awkward.

porate capitalism, where disaster and calamity are milked for profit to their fullest extent.

So far, privatization, wage freezes, and a return to a submissive and dependent economy have been the precondition for Western aid in the wake of the Haitian earthquake. Before any doctor was sent from the United States to the impoverished and devastated country, 8,000 U.S. Marines were deployed to secure American strategic interests. These Marines have already been accused of prioritizing cor­ porate plunderers over aid organization such as Doctors Without Borders in their control of the country’s airport. Just like Canada’s repeated military interventions in Haiti, rightwing economic policy has been conflated with democracy and aid in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Haiti was the first black nation in the world to free itself from the crippling shackles of colonialism. It is a nation with a history of strength in the face of adversity and indepen­ dence in the face of calls for submission. In the wake of the devastating earthquake, people on the ground need our support and solidarity.

They do not, however, need our neo-colonial yoke strapped over them under the guise of humanitarianism.

Curiosity Delivers.

9 February 2010 • 7

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u'wu’.mcgill tribune.com E D IT O R -IN -C H IE F Thom as Q uail editor@ m cgilltribune.com M A N A G IN G E D IT O R S Jam es G ilm an jgilm an@ m cgilltribune.com C arolyn Yates cyates@ m cgilltribune.com P R O D U C T IO N M A N A G E R A dam Scotti ascotti@ m cgilltribune.com N E W S E D IT O R S Tori Craw ford Steven H offer Theo M eyer new s@ m cgilltribune.com O P IN IO N E D IT O R M att C hesser opinion@ m cgilltribune.com F E A T U R E S E D IT O R S Shannon K im ball Brahna Siegelberg features@ m cgilltribune.com A R T S & E N T E R T A IN M E N T E D IT O R S Ky.le Carpenter Laura Tindal arts@ m cgilltribune.com S P O R T S E D IT O R Kailan- Leung sports@ m cgilltribune.com P H O T O E D IT O R S A lice W alker Julia W ebster photo@ m cgilltribune.com D E S IG N E D IT O R S A lison Bailey Zoe B rew ster design@ m cgilltribune.com C O P Y E D IT O R C arolyn G régoire O N L IN E E D IT O R A lexandr C artasiov online@ m cgilltribune.com A D V E R T IS IN G M A N A G E R Dallas Bentley cpm @ ssm u.m cgill.ca P U B L IS H E R C had Ronalds

E D I T O R IA L Be it resolved: that SSMU abolish the General Assembly If there’s one thing the Students’ Society’s biannual General Assembly does a good job of, it’s helping to discredit—on both an intellec­ tual and a practical level—direct democracy, or at least the twisted, substandard version we will once again be exposed to tomorrow afternoon.

Every year, twice a year, a GA rolls around, and usually one of two things happens.

Either a series of “unexciting” motions—often related to internal SSMU issues—fail to attract quorum, or one or two controversial motions— usually dealing with external issues—attract partisans from two sides of an issue, and the GA descends into chaos (see: Winter 2009).

Nothing productive happens in either case.

At SSMU’s Winter 2010 GA, students will again be asked to vote on a number of divisive, pointless, and/or poorly-written motions, along with a couple of worthwhile proposals that can only hope for a quorum-level vote by piggy­ backing on the others.

Chief among the motions that should never have seen the light of day is one that seeks to ban “discriminatory” groups from SSMU—specifically pro-life clubs. This re­ action to the Choose Life scandal serves only to misrepresent the sincere—and legitimate— frustration felt by much of the student body following the “Echoes of the Holocaust” event, by going much too far in the other direction.

Sadly, it seems the irony of imposing a blanket ban on an ethical and political position under the guise of protecting the (apparently help­ less) student body from discrimination is lost on the authors of this motion. Indeed, an affir­ mative vote tomorrow on the “Discriminatory Groups” motion would see a new clause pre­ venting SSMU from granting club status to any group “whose goals and methods compromise the safety and health of any person or engage in acts of discrimination such as but not limited to pro-life groups” inserted directly after an exist­ ing clause stating that “no student organization should have the effect of limiting dialogue on

these legitimate topics provided that such dis­ cussion is conducted in a respectful and noncoercive manner.”

In the words of John Stuart Mill, “We can never be sure that the opinion we are endea­ vouring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still.”

A second GA motion that has generated a great deal of controversy is the “Motion re: the Defense of Human Rights, Social Justice, and Environmental Protection,” which would reaffirm SSMU’s commitment to these ideals, and establish a Corporate Social Responsibil­ ity Committee or expand the Financial Eth­ ics Review Committee, to act as an advisory board that would vet companies “with which McGill University conducts business.” While no one could possibly oppose commitment to these ideals, this motion is problematic in a couple of ways. First, the motion would “reaf­ firm” commitment to something that needs no reaffirmation, as SSMU is already mandated to demonstrate leadership in matters of human rights, social justice, and environmental protec­ tion. Additionally, the proposal that a SSMU committee act as an ethical advisory body to the McGill administration is so unrealistic as to be laughable. The likelihood of McGill accept­ ing either FERC or CSR as such a body is very low. In fact, McGill has a body that is supposed to review community-initiated complaints about investments—the Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility. And so, we’re left wondering just what the purpose of this motion is exactly, as it will not lead to any substantive changes.

Instead, the motion has sparked a con­ troversy because it singles out, in two lengthy whereas clauses, organizations that profit from the allegedly illegal occupation of Palestinian territories. Some see this is as another “Israel motion,” in the spirit of the 2009 Gaza motion.

Clearly, the Israel-Palestine conflict is im­ portant to students, and discussion and debate

on the subject is both necessary and healthy.

Unfortunately, judging by the quality of debate we’ve seen at the GA in the past, this is not the place to have it. As debate is likely to de­ volve into a yelling match again, it’s probably best to have this discussion in another venue, where a slightly higher standard of intellectual discourse can be guaranteed.

Motions such as these help highlight why we believe the GA is a fundamentally broken institution, based on a well-meaning, but thor­ oughly failed, attempt to increase the demo­ cratic character of the Society.

The “direct democracy” we see on display at GAs is of the least representative type possi­ ble. Self-selected minorities seize the opportu­ nity to dictate SSMU policy, or to put forward symbolic motions on external issues that serve only to divide the Society without achieving anything.

And so, as we’ve said before, the best thing to do at this point is to abolish the GA. It’s become more damaging than productive, and is failing to serve its purpose.

If SSMU will not get rid of the GA, per­ haps another series of reforms will produce some constructive change. The many (failed) attempts at reform over the past few years have shown that this is no easy task, and suggest that not only is there no easy fix to the problem, but that the problem is the institution itself.

Nonetheless, reform may still be able to address some of the GA’s flaws. A set of re­ forms put forward by SSMU President Ivan Neilson, which will be put to students in the winter referendum, would amend the constitu­ tion to make it harder to set policy on issues external to the Society at GAs. While this is not, and is not meant as, a radical overhaul, it might help send the message that GAs are not the place for debating divisive external issues.

Yet, even so, the only solution that would truly solve this problem is getting rid of the GA, once and for all.

PSYCH 213: Cognition is like most 200level psychology courses: it’s straightforward, chock-full of interesting studies that explain human behaviour, and it’s in Leacock 132. But unlike most large science classes, it’s not re­ corded.

Among the many redundant questions posted on WebCT, there have been well over 100 requests to record Cognition lectures—in addition to dozens of emails and in-class ap­ peals about the same subject. They’ve ranged from simple inquiries to insults to the depart­ ment. For a small fee, the Psychology Students’ Association offers note-taking club transcripts of the class, but even direct transcripts haven’t placated some students.

The Science and Society office began recording lectures for its World of Chemistry courses partly because their exams focus heav­ ily on details, and accompanying textbooks aren’t usually available or appropriate. Since

then, the practice of recording lectures has spread to dozens of lower-level science courses and even some arts courses. While that tech­ nology can be beneficial at times, it has spoiled some students to the point of insult.

When the projector broke in the middle of a lecture, a few students next to me said that the professor is obviously technology illiterate, and that’s probably why she doesn’t record the classes—because she can’t. I don’t think that this is true. Classes aren’t recorded because, despite size limitations, the professor would like to engage students in the material.

Lectures recordings are a great resource, but they are not a substitute for going to class.

They can be very useful for first-years when homesickness, a full course load, and new so­ cial environs combine in the worst of ways, but they aren’t necessary for academic success.

In a class that examines attention and memory, students should make practical use of the material. As one student so aptly put it on the WebCT discussion board, her decision in­ volved “something about passive listening and active listening.”

Students who claim they will attend class and then watch the lecture later to take notes are likely to spend less time in class paying at­ tention and more time on Facebook, typing fu­ riously on their BlackBerrys, sleeping, or some combination thereof. While many psychologi­ cal studies have shown that humans can divide

their attention equally between two tasks, this process requires formal training. Furthermore, lecture recordings are usually not posted until the day following the lecture, making a missed lecture easily forgettable. And as many stud­ ies have shown, cramming is one of the least effective forms of studying, so watching 10 lectures two days before a final exam is not nearly as effective as going to class throughout the semester.

Academics have never been so easily ac­ cessible. WebCT provides an easy—though occasionally precarious—interface for access­ ing course materials, organizing study groups, and contacting instructors. Any student who has to miss class on a particular day—a pri­ mary argument for recording the lectures—can request notes from fellow students on WebCT. JSTOR and other electronic library services have greatly simplified the research process.

Most science textbooks even have an interac­ tive website, allowing you to learn the basics of the material without much effort. While it may seem trivial, typing a question into Google re­ ally can solve a lot of ambiguities. Studying has never been so easy.

And as one student said on the discussion board, “Have you heard how quiet Leacock 132 is? I think it’s fantastic. I’m glad this class isn’t recorded ... I find it refreshing and moti­ vating.” Your job—and most aspects of your life—won’t be recorded, so start taking notes.

CONTRIBUTORS A n n e C la ire C a m p s, S arah C ram er, Z o e D an ie ls, Jam a l D ao u d , M a tt E ssert, F ra n c e sc a F eren cz i, P am e la F illio n , A lis s a F in g o ld , N ic k F rid , G race G lo w ick i, A lex H a m ilto n , M o o k ie K id ec k el, A le x K n o ll, A d am L e v in e, H atty L iu , Iain M a c d o n a ld , S arah O lle , C o o k P o o , A d a m S ad in sk y , J a im e S ch ed letsk y , S h aja h an , M ax S ilv e rm a n , L o g a n S m ith . B re n d a n S tev en , H o lly S tew art, A d am W iner, S ean W ood

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8 * 9 February 2010

Commentary A dam W iner

W H Y G AZA REM EM BRANCE W E E K M ISSES T H E P O IN T From February 1-7, the McGill chapter of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights staged Gaza Remembrance Week to mark the one-year anniversary of the bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier in January, SPHR organized a “Pub­ lic Commemoration of the Gaza Massacre” in downtown Montreal. And the ever-controversial Israeli Apartheid Week is just around the comer. However, rather than empower McGill students to effect change in a troubled region of the globe, these events serve to stifle dialogue and promote a simple analysis of a nuanced conflict.

To understand the Israeli-Palestinian con­ flict is no easy task. The conflict encompasses thousands of years of history and the dreams of millions. Journeying through the turbulent past of the Holy Land, one sees the clash of religious aspirations, political ideologies, and competing desires for a national homeland. In the last century, the region has seen large-scale warfare, massive migration, constantly shift­ ing borders, and a rapidly changing political climate. Such a complex and inconstant situ­ ation obviously does not lend itself to easy, convenient analysis.

SPHR, through its displays and speak­ ers, attempts to boil down the entire conflict to the simplest possible point. SPHR’s display in the Redpath Library highlights the findings of the Goldstone Report, commissioned by the UN to ascertain responsibility for human rights abuses during Operation Cast Lead— Israel’s three-week conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The Goldstone Report, faulted by many for an anti-Israel bias, accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes; Judge Goldstone himself was displeased when the UN Human Rights Com­ mittee took only Israel to task for its role in the conflict. SPHR’s display quotes selectively from the Goldstone Report, failing to acknowl­ edge any of its findings against Hamas. It uses the Report as a starting point from which to

Bianca Van babbles.

Re: “Pop Rhetoric: Fist-pumping IQs away” by Bianca Van Bavel (02.02.10) Dear Bianca Van Bavel, I’m writing in response to your article on Jersey Shore, MTV’s newest reality show. You seem to be upset that, as “young impressionable intellec­ tuals,” we (speaking on behalf of non-closet Shore fans) have decided to spend some of our free time being entertained. Everybody needs a bit of comic relief here and there, and when you spend your days in lectures learning about genocide in this place, and war in that place, the absurdity of Jersey Shore provides a bit of a break. Maybe it’s just not your sense of hu­ mour, but most people have gotten a kick out

demonize Israel and undermine its legitimacy as a state.

No intellectually honest person would dispute that thousands of innocent civilians have perished in Gaza, or that Gaza’s popula­ tion continues to suffer. The essential question that the speakers and displays organized by SPHR fail to ask is, “Why?” Why might Israel have chosen to attack Gaza? Could Hamas bear some responsibility? One is not encouraged to place the Gaza tragedy in a wider histori­ cal and political context, but rather to blame Israel—the easy target—and move on. SPHR frequently uses this strategy—the most recent example being a motion that will be presented tomorrow at SSMU’s Winter General Assem­ bly entitled “The Defence of Human Rights, Social Justice and Environmental Protection,” which isolates Israel as a violator of human rights deserving of our condemnation. SPHR misappropriates the cause of human rights in order to further its political agenda. These tac­ tics represent a serious affront to the critical thinking abilities of McGill students. When all the answers are cut and dried, when everyone is divided neatly into “pro” this or “anti” that, where is there place for dialogue on campus?

How can those who are emotionally invested in this conflict, or at least concerned as global citizens, move forward towards a more posi­ tive solution?

My endeavour here is not to defend one side or the other. I’m simply saying that SPHR’s methodology of tackling big prob­ lems with snappy slogans and narrow posi­ tions is not healthy. By no means should you, a globally conscious university student, ignore the plight of those in Gaza. Its residents have suffered terribly. But before you arrive at any conclusions as to who is to blame, and what is to be done, do your homework. Purporting to be an expert on Middle East politics because you know one side’s take on one issue is like calling yourself an expert in Shakespearean literature after reading one monologue from Hamlet. It’s intellectually dishonest. Instead, seek out numerous perspectives. Do your re­ search and put issues like this in appropriate context. Help foster a campus atmosphere where dialogue and discussion are the rule, and polarizing polemic the exception.

Adam Winer is a UO Arts Legacy student.

of it. Were people upset with our parents when they laughed at Monty Python? I’m certainly not saying that John Cleese and Pauly D would be ‘bros,’ but they do share a tendency to be called ridiculous in the eyes of their respec­ tive viewers. Who knows, some people were probably frustrated in just the same way they are today.

I guess all I’m trying to say is that it’s entertainment. I laugh when I hear the words “The Situation” not because I’m praising a repectable figure in pop culture, but because it evokes the memory of something that I found hilarious. It’s just a show, and it will pass soon enough, but until that time comes, let us laugh together without judgment.

—Peter Coolican Dr. Cornett’s favourite play? Monty Python’s Spamalot.

The singular noun “transparency” can mean many things. The quality of being clear and transparent is the most important. But this

There are few parts of the legislative pro­ cess as controversial as the “rider.”

Riders are unrelated provisos typically at­ tached to bills that are politically impossible to veto or postpone, usually in order to pass unpopular legislation that would not get ap­ proval by itself. The idea is that politicians would rather pass the bulk of the bill than de­ feat the rider. This is how, for instance, a 2003 anti-drug proliferation law was tacked onto the US bill that created the AMBER Alert system for missing children. Effectively, riders help eager legislators bypass democratic checks and balances.

This week at the Winter General As­ sembly, SSMU has some legislation coming through, and one of the motions is loaded with a rider: the one entitled, “Resolution for the Defence of Human Rights, Social Justice, and Environmental Protection.”

The “be it resolved” clauses of this motion are probably commendable, while not ground­ breaking: they reaffirm SSMU’s commitment to “human rights, social justice, and environ­ mental protection,” and call for an expansion in the role of SSMU’s ethical investment over­ sight body so that they can also act in an ad­ visory capacity to the McGill administration (supposing the administation is interested).

Then there’s the preamble. The preamble is composed of “whereas” clauses that are supposed to provide justification for the reso­ lution, and accepting the resolution means af­ firming the preamble too. However, the where­ as clauses cannot be debated or amended at a GA. And this preamble, in listing examples of potentially unethical investments, contains a brief mention of Burma—followed by two extensive paragraphs on the Palestinian Terri­ tories. No other zones of human tragedy are listed.

The problem, then, is that in its non-debatable, un-amendable clauses that have noth­ ing to do with the actual action in the resolu­

tion, this motion accomplishes something far beyond the defence of human rights, social justice, and environmental protection.

First, the motion unfairly singles out Isra­ el. (Full disclosure: I am the President of Hillel McGill.) Like all suffering, that of the Palestin­ ians is deplorable. But demonizing Israel with no allowance for nuance, such as legitimate se­ curity concerns, or as if it is the worst or only global offender, is unfair. An equitable use of examples would list exhaustively or not at all.

Second, it attempts to link singling out Is­ rael with supporting human rights and to create a stigma around defending the state.

Third, it asks McGill students to vote neg­ atively about Israel in an indirect, roundabout, and non-debatable way.

And fourth, it associates Israel with di­ vestment. Campaigns to direct boycotts, di­ vestment, and sanctions against Israel have appeared on campuses across North America.

This could potentially sow seeds for such a movement to fester at McGill later down the road.

I am willing to accept that the intentions behind this resolution are benign. The result, though, is that in the guise of moral imperative comes a convoluted excuse to bring up one group’s political agenda at the GA. Moreover, it effectively gets SSMU to accept a political position, but—by doing so through palatable “be it resolved” clauses and un-amendable “whereas” clauses—avoids actually asking students at McGill for their permission. And I understand that the preamble merely outlines “facts,” but a fact is never simply objective—it is shrouded in context and narrative.

When you vote on this motion tomorrow at 5 p.m. in the Shatner Cafeteria, think about whether you want GAs to be used as forums for political groups on campus to air their worldly grievances, or as opportunities to make impor­ tant policy decisions for SSMU. And even if it’s the former, think about whether you want 600 students, speaking for thousands more, to adopt a position because of a resolution that slyly brings a narrow political agenda to the floor, or whether you want honest and inclu­ sive motions that ask the students of McGill to make policy directly affecting the conduct of the Students’ Society.

Mookie Kideckel is a U2 History student, the President of Hillel McGill, and a Tribune columnist. You can reach him at mkideckel@ mcgilltribune.com.

quality depends on the material’s capacity for allowing electromagnetic radiation to be trans­ mitted. Materials that allow transmission in the range of human visibility are called transpar­ ent. The material’s chemical composition and its absorption centers ultimately decide wheth­ er or not radiation in the range of visible light will pass through. The quality of translucency also allows visible light to pass through but only diffusely. Opacity prevents the transmis­ sion of electromagnetic radiation, especially in the range of human visibility, allowing it to be reflected, scattered or absorbed.

While the explanations above refer to the field of optics, the word “transparency” is also used to fight linguistic opacity. Advocates of linguistic transparency urge the avoidance of terms that deliberately mislead and misguide the public. The well-known “collateral dam­ age” to describe the slaughter of innocent ci­ vilians and “illegal combatants” to circumvent Geneva Conventions concerning the protection of prisoners of war are a few cases in point.

Classic cases of obfuscation were found in the Soviet media. The daily newspaper Isvestia (“report,” “news” in Russian) was the official voice of the Soviet Government, while Pravda (“truth” in Russian) was the mouthpiece of the Communist Party. No one challenged these newspapers during the Soviet period. Never­ theless, jokes about the opacity of these publi­ cations were common.

Transparency of our media in the form of freedom of speech needs our protection. The myth that there is no imminent danger to it in a democracy should be challenged through occasional testing of our level of tolerance towards controversial or unpopular ideas.

One such idea relates to Obomsawin’s recent documentary on former McGill professor Nor­ man Cornett. If our claims on transparency are justified then we will encourage a viewing of this documentary within our own campus, fol­ lowed by a discussion with the filmmakers.

—Anait Keuchguerian U2 Theology

Commentary M ookie K ideckel

W H AT DO YO U W ANT FROM YO U R G A ?

Curiosity Delivers.

Commentary Jamal Daoud

H U M A N R IG H T S A N D T H E G A At Wednesday’s Students’ Society Win­ ter General Assembly a motion entitled “The Defence of Human Rights, Social Justice, and Environmental Protection” will be presented.

The core of this motion reiterates SSMU’s longstanding commitment to human rights.

In addition, it calls for the expansion of the Financial Ethics Review Committee mandate, or the creation of a Corporate Social Respon­ sibility Committee, in order to investigate any investments in corporations that operate out­ side international law and profit from human rights violations. (Full disclosure: I am the vice-president information and research for the McGill chapter of Soliarity for Palestinian Human Rights, the organization that authored this motion.)

As an example, the motion cites SSMU’s condemnation of PepsiCo in 1996, because of the company’s association with the Burmese military regime. The motion also refers to the investigation of McGill’s financial associations with parties that engage in unethical practices in regions that include, but are not limited to, the occupied Palestinian territories.

To an average mindset free from dis­ crimination—one that values universal human rights principles—this motion appears to be one that every McGill student should whole­ heartedly endorse. However, a sizable percent­ age of the student body at McGill has decided to turn this important and ethical motion into a matter of controversy. They claim that the motion unfairly singles out the occupied Pal­ estinian territories, thus serving as a criticism of the State of Israel—whose name was not

Commentary Chaotic Insurrection, Tadamon! & Greening McGill

O P T -O U T M IS IN F O R M A T IO N Re: “Opting out o f QPIRG” by Brendan Steven (26.01.10) In his article “Opting out of QPIRG,” Brendan Steven claims that “controversial groups” should go directly to students for their funding, instead of receiving it through the McGill chapter of the Quebec Public In­ terest Research Group. However, a fee levy, like a referendum, is a form of direct democ­ racy. McGill students vote to renew QPIRG’s funding, and thus the support of its numerous working groups, through a referendum every five years. Furthermore, students can choose to opt-out of the fee. QPIRG has passed three referenda votes in the last three years, re-affirming support for its work on campus.

Students support a wide variety of organi­ zations that they cannot opt-out of, regardless of whether they take advantage of the services or agree with their mandates. We believe that QPIRG McGill’s working groups contribute to campus life in a variety of valuable ways: they strengthen ties between the McGill cam­ pus and the wider Montreal community, foster debate about society and political life, and én­

9 February 2010 » 9

oncé mentioned in the motion.

Although it may be pointless to respond to this absurd claim, I feel compelled to address the issue in the hope of fostering a healthy en­ vironment on campus that is understanding of human rights issues. The critics of this motion have argued that unless one protests (presum­ ably simultaneously) all the world’s injustices, one’s protest against any particular injustice is discriminatory. Therefore, this logic concludes that any matter of human rights violations, in­ cluding the one in the occupied Palestinian territories, should not be addressed unless we simultaneously address all other injustices.

This is unreasonable.

It’s important to consider an example such as the human rights violations incurred by the Palestinians in the occupied territories when drafting a motion that would reaffirm SSMU’s commitment to social justice. The occupation of Palestine is the longest occupa­ tion in modem times, and is a gross violation of international law and human rights—in de­ fiance of all elements of the United Nations and almost all international law-making bod­ ies. So it comes as no surprise that financial profit from this outright violation of human rights should be in the spotlight.

It disturbs me that some students on cam­ pus have decided to corrupt the meaning and true motive of this motion. Should we not pro­ test the atrocities of Darfur unless we do so in unison with the Rwandan massacres, Tibetan occupation, Tamil oppression, and others?

This motion does not discount these violations by not addressing them individually, rather it uses the occupied Palestinian territories to cast a light on worldwide atrocities as a whole.

I encourage the McGill student body to read the aforementioned motion online at ssmu.mcgill.ca/ga and attend the GA this Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Shatner cafeteria.

Jamal Daoud is a PhD candidate in bio­ medical engineering and the VP information and research for the McGill chapter o f SPHR.

courage a broader understanding of the role of education.

Tadamon’s work in supporting the grow­ ing international movement for Boycott, Di­ vestment, and Sanctions to end Israeli Apart­ heid comes in response to a call issued by over 170 Palestinian civil society organizations in 2005. While Steven attempts to dismiss the characterization of Israel as an apartheid state as “a parallel [with South African Apartheid] that is inappropriate at best,” we would like to point out the growing global consensus that Israel is indeed an Apartheid state. From South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, to South African law professor and UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur John Dugard, in­ creasing numbers of people recognize Israel’s policies of separate roads in the West Bank for Jewish and Palestinian citizens, colourcoded identification cards based on ethnoracial designations, checkpoints throughout the West Bank, the brutal blockade of Gaza, and the discrimination in jobs, housing, prop­ erty ownership, and other aspects of life faced

by Palestinians within Israel as elements of a complex system of Apartheid. As Archbishop Tutu stated in 2002, “I’ve been very deeply distressed in my visit to the Holy Land; it re­ minded me so much of what happened to us black people in South Africa. I have seen the humiliation of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks, suffering like us when young white police officers prevented us from mov­ ing about.”

The Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble is

Commentary Sarah Olle T H E G A F O R D U M M IE S Tomorrow’s Students’ Society Win­ ter General Assembly is an opportunity for McGill undergraduate students to decide what we believe in and what policies SSMU should abide by. The GA is a venue to propose posi­ tions, in the form of resolutions, for our com­ munity to debate and decide on together. The rules of procedure can be used to ensure a con­ structive GA—if you know how to use them, that is.

The best advice that I can give in prepa­ ration for the GA is to get familiar with the basics of Robert’s Rules of Order (www.robertsrules.org). This will ensure that you will be able to follow what is happening and em­ power you with the technical knowledge to effectively carry out what you want. During the GA, a quick list of procedural rules will be listed on your placard for your reference.

If you have a question about a procedural rule or are confused about what is happening, you may ask the Speaker for clarification.

Debate Procedure At the GA, debate switches between pro and con speakers, who are lined up at the pro and con microphones. Debate will normally continue until there are no more speakers left.

Here are a few common procedural motions that affect how debate is carried out: 1. Motion to Limit Debate: This is used to limit the time of debate. You can limit the total time allotted for debate on a resolution, or cap the number of speakers for each side.

This motion requires a two-thirds majority to pass.

not an anarchist drumming group. We are an open-membership marching band that sup­ ports community struggles by playing music in the streets, at rallies, demos, community dinners, and radical artistic events. As Steven claims, we do organize according to anarchist principles. Anarchism is a widely misunder­ stood and incorrectly used word. For instance, we do not advocate random, wanton destruc­ tion or violence. We do, however, make deci­ sions on a consensus basis, operate in a nonhierarchical fashion, and support the struggles of real people in diverse communities. Our decision to organize according to anarchist principles is based on the idea that humans are capable of building a fully democratic soci­ ety that is accountable to all of its members, not just an elite few or a tyrannical majority.

Through our music, we work to resist oppres­ sion and reclaim our communities—to bring music, joy, and spontaneity to public spaces.

This may seem “fringe” to some, but to others it is more and more necessary in a climate of increasing conservatism.

QPIRG working groups operate on the basis of solid analysis and real world struggles.

The allegation that these groups are “misguid­ ed” is founded on an assumption that the cur­ rent political system addresses the concerns of all its citizens. The movements for the aboli­ tion of slavery, women’s suffrage, civil rights, and LGBT rights all began as controversial, “fringe” struggles for human rights. Disrupt­ ing the status quo and calling into question injustice is an important part of university life, and we are proud participants in this struggle.

2. Motion to Extend Debate: The in­ verse of the previous motion. This motion can reverse or adjust a previous Motion to Limit Debate. This also requires a two-thirds major­ ity to pass.

3. Move the Previous Question: This motion ends all debate and calls for an imme­ diate vote on the resolution. This also requires a two-thirds majority to pass.

Resolution Procedure Here are various ways to approach a reso­ lution: 1. Debate and vote: In this approach, a resolution will be debated as written. The as­ sembly will then vote on whether to adopt it as policy. A resolution requires a simple ma­ jority (more than 50 per cent of votes) to be adopted.

2. Amend a resolution: Amending a res­ olution can strengthen or weaken support for a resolution. You can delete a part that you don’t like, or add a word, sentence, or entire clause in order to develop a resolution more clearly.

You can only amend the resolved clauses; whereas clauses are not amendable. Amend­ ments require a simple majority to pass.

3. Defeat a resolution: A resolution can be defeated before it is voted upon through several different motions. These motions in­ clude Motion to Postpone Indefinitely, Motion to Refer to Committee, and Motion to Post­ pone to a Certain Time. These motions each require a simple majority to pass.

I hope you can use the information given here to help you accomplish your policy goals at the GA. If you have any questions about parliamentary procedure or about the GA, please don’t hesitate to email the Speaker at speaker@ssmu.mcgill.ca. See you at the GA! Sarah Olle is the SSMU vice-president clubs and services. You can contact her at cs@ ssmu.mcgill.ca.

WHEREAS: THE TRIBUNE IS AWESOME. WHEREAS: OPINION IS THE BEST SECTION IN THE TRIBUNE. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT: YOU SHOULD SEND A GUEST COMMENTARY PIECE OF BETWEEN 500 AND 700 WORDS TO OPINION@ MCGILLTRIBUNE.COM

C o r r e c t io n The article “Redmen raze Stingers behind raucous Carnival crowd” (19.01.10) was mis­ takenly credited to Adam Sadinsky. In fact, that article was written by John Hui. In the article “Senate meets for first time in 2010,” (26.01.10) the Tribune incorrectly reported that a survey of the shuttle service between the MacDonald and Downtown campuses was conducted by the MacDonald Campus Students’ Society. In fact, the survey of the inter-campus shuttle system was con­ ducted by the MacDonald Campus Graduate Students’ Society.

10 « 9 February 2010

St u d e n t Liv in g

mcgilltribune.com

FOOD GURU

The ultimate double chocolate cookies Freeze this dough fo r gooey cookies a t a m o m e n t’s notice FRAN CESCA FER EN C Z I C ontributor

The only thing better than cookies are freshly baked cookies, and while it’s easy to bake store-bought, ready-to-bake dough, it’s not difficult to make on your own.

These chocolate sable cookies are the perfect remedy for a stressful day of classes.

Buttery and rich and studded with bits of soft­ ened dark chocolate, these cookies are the ul­ timate treat. Besides being incredibly easy to make, the dough freezes perfectly. Form the dough you plan to freeze into a cookie-sized log so you can slice and bake it directly with­ out waiting for it to thaw; hot, gooey cookies are never more than a few minutes away.

• • • • • •

1.

2.

3.

Double Chocolate Cookies

• • •

Ingredients 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda

4.

1 stick plus 3 tbsp. (or 11 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 tsp. sea salt 1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini bittersweet chocolate chips

5.

in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Working with a thin sharp knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them—just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.

Directions Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda to­ gether.

Beat the butter in a bowl until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla extract and beat for two minutes.

Pour in the flour, mixing just until the flour disappears into the dough. For the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate piec­ es and mix.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half.

Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches

PILLSBURY

RESTAU RAN T REVIEW

Om: a taste of Tibet W arm up with traditional Tibetan cuisine C A R O L Y N G R E G O IR E Copy Editor

The prospect of a big, steaming bowl of noodle soup was what originally drew me to Om Tibetan restaurant on St. Laurent—a friend of mine boasted that he had found the best bowl of soup in the city. Initially scepti­ cal, I finally tried it for myself and have many times since gone back for more. Hands down the most delicious soup I’ve ever had, Om’s thenthuk—a hearty concoction traditionally made to keep Tibetan nomads warm during long Himalayan winters—is perfect for a cold February night. A delightfully spiced, hearty broth with juicy chicken or beef, bok choy, and thick squares of homemade pasta, the thenthuk arrives in a huge bowl containing at least three servings—and you’ll have leftovers the next day.

Om serves authentic Tibetan and Indian food at reasonable prices in a zen-like, am­ bient setting. Befitting of a restaurant named after an Indian prayer chant and symbol of peace, harmony and bliss, Om immediately makes its visitors feel relaxed and welcome.

Crimson walls, photos of the Dalai Lama, colourful Tibetan prayer flags and photos of the Tibetan countryside adorn the walls, ush­ ering you from the busyness of St. Laurent into a serene dining enclave. Since I’m lucky enough to live just a block away, I’ve been to Om many times. I always try to bring a group of friends so we can sample as many dishes as possible. The service is friendly and always fast, but chances are you’ll want to linger.

A traditional Tibetan specialty on the menu is the momos, doughy Himalayan dim

6.

sum-style dumplings. The soft dough (tsampsa) is made from barley flour, a Tibetan staple, and filled with a meat, potato, or cheese mix­ ture. A traditional delicacy in Tibet and popu­ lar Nepalese street food, they’re a must-try if you truly want to get the Tibetan culinary experience. If dumplings aren’t your ideal ap­ petizer, try the pakoras—a delicious plate of assorted veggies fried in a homemade batter that’s perfect for sharing. Om also has the best butter chicken I’ve had in Montreal (with the notable exception of Le Taj on Stanley). The chicken is perfectly cooked and never over­ done, the sauce-to-chicken ratio is perfect, and the sauce itself has a wonderfully unique blend of spices and herbs that sets it apart from other varieties. There’s also a delicious butter tofu dish on the menu for vegetarians. That being said, I recommend you try some of the Tibetan items on the menu that can’t be found at solely Indian restaurants.

No matter how full you are, don’t leave without trying the Tibetan sweet bread. Remi­ niscent of funnel cake, it’s a fried, doughy, sweet mound that’s somewhere between a din­ ner roll and a donut. Though intended as a side dish, it also makes a great desert when accom­ panied by a cup of Tibetan butter tea (po cha).

Dessert is the only part of the experience that left something to be desired. The Dha—sweet rice with yogurt—is little more than a slightly sweet bowl of rice with raisins.

So, next time it’s cold, snowy, and you’re looking for some distinctive and delectable Ti­ betan cuisine and a super-serene atmosphere, just say Om. Om Address: 4382 St .Laurent Phone Number: (514) 287-3553

Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about one inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes. They won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cook­ ies cool.

Enjoy!

BAKERY-QUALITY BREAD A harmless ice-breaker had sud­ denly gotten kind of awkward.

I was on a first-year residence council and I had tossed out the idea that we go around the circle and each list our name, our hometown, and our favourite food. But when we got to my friend Sarah, everything went a bit astray.

“Bread. I love when a good loaf of bread has a really crunchy, hard brown crust that gives way to a soft, tender, melt-in-your-mouth cen­ ter...” Sarah gazed dreamily off into the dis­ tance, thinking of rustic French boules, fresh out of the oven. It was very reminiscent of the When Harry Met Sally pie scene. Neverthe­ less, I understood: the perfect slice of bread can be heaven.

Baking and eating bread has served as the cornerstone of numerous cultural practices for thousands of years. The ritual of bringing yeast to life, hand-kneeding dough, patiently letting it rise, and finally baking it and sharing it seems almost instinctual.

Baking bread can appear daunting to a lot of home cooks, but it’s much easier than it seems. I’ve baked challah and flat breads for years, but I recently found the ideal bread rec­ ipe: very little effort and prep-time with that exact food-passion inducing result. Best of all, the recipe only calls for flour, water, yeast, salt, and honey, which makes my goal of bak­ ing it every weekend as a way to relax seem like a delight instead of a challenge.

Mix one and a half tablespoons of ac­ tive dry yeast and a tablespoon of honey into three cups of warm (not hot—you’ll kill the yeast) water. Walk away for 15 minutes. When you return, the yeast should have produced a fair amount of bubbles and foam at the top. If there is no foam, this means your yeast was dead (you might have killed it with boilinghot water), so start over with new yeast.

Add one and a half tablespoons of salt, and slowly incorporate six and a half cups of flour—I use five and a half cups of all­ purpose flour and one cup of whole-wheat flour. The resulting dough will be sticky and won’t form a ball, but don’t worry.

Cover it, and allow it to rise for two hours in a warm and preferably humid spot, such as the laundry room with a dryer running.

With floured hands and a floured cutting board, divide the dough into two loaves. Roll each into round balls. Let them rest on the board for 40 minutes. Before baking, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Three tricks for bakery-quality bread 1.

2.

3.

While you’re pre-heating the oven, place a roasting pan on the lowest rack of the oven. Also leave your baking sheet in the oven as it pre-heats.

For an artistic look, just before you place the loaves on the hot baking sheet, use a sharp knife to cut a few shallow stripes across the top of the loaf.

When you put the bread in the oven, pour one cup of hot water into the pre-heated roasting pan at the bottom of the oven.

Shut the oven door, and do not open it for 30 minutes. The steam trapped in the oven will create a crunchy, hard brown crust with a soft, tender, melt-in-yourmouth centre—and an experience worth dreaming about.

Curiosity Delivers.

9 February 2010 • 11

SPO TLIG H T

STANDing tall against genocide BRAHNA SIEGELBERG Features Editor

Since 2003, a reported 400,000 mur­ ders have taken place in Darfur, Sudan, at the hands of the state-sponsored militia, the Janjaweed, and their campaign of ethnic cleansing.

While the main violence has ended—there are few villages left to bum —the atrocity has displaced over 2.5 million Darfuris, who are now in refugee camps in western Sudan and neighbouring Chad. While the United States government has rightfully described the con­ flict as genocide, the UN has yet to recognize it as such.

Organizations like STAND (Student’s Taking Action Now: Darfur)—a student-led anti-genocide coalition founded in 2005 — have come together in the name of advocacy and activism on behalf of Darfur. Most recent­ ly, STAND has initiated a campaign called Stand for the Dead, which asks individuals to stand for the life of Darfuri victims of geno­ cide by wearing a T-shirt with one deceased person’s name across their chest. To kick off the campaign, STAND has launched a 10-city film tour premiering Darfur.

FAME PHOTOS

Billy Zane, one of the stars of Darfur, on location in South Africa.

Directed and produced by Uwe Boll and Chris Roland, Darfur is a fictionalized ac­ count of six Western journalists who visit a small Darfuri village in order to obtain evi­ dence of genocide in the region. Along with a Nigerian representative from the African Union, the journalists discover mass graves and encounter a village in which children hide in fear of being recruited to the Janjaweed and women are often raped. When the journalists learn that the Janjaweed are heading towards the village, they are suddenly faced with the impossible decision to either leave Sudan and report their findings to the world, or risk their own lives in hopes of averting the massacre.

An attempt to better describe a film that is so rooted in its almost unbearably graphic imagery would be futile. Most of the film’s action revolves around the utterly gruesome massacre of the villagers who the audience re­ cently came to know; women are raped, men are shot, and children are herded into burning huts. In order to convey a sense of documen­ tary realism, the film is shot like a home vid­ eo—the camera often landing awkwardly on various parts of the actors—which contributes to the feeling of nausea one experiences upon watching Darfur.

The film is undoubtedly problematic in many respects. Firstly, the conflict was por­ trayed as one that can be neatly divided be­ tween Arab-Darfuris and black Darfuris. This clear binary was further underscored by the choice of background music, which shifted between classical African tribal music and Ar­ abic melodies. The reality is somewhat more complex, with members of different tribes en­ gaging in both sides of the conflict. It is also difficult to ignore the aspects of Hollywood sensationalism—the dramatic addition of white heroism was unnecessary, and the ren­ dering of atrocity in artistic means presented its own set of problems. Furthermore, the issue of appropriation of voice is insurmountable.

However, if the film’s ultimate aim is to promote awareness about the barbarity that has ensued, then it effectively does so. Boll prefaces the film with the disclaimer that it is meant as an artistic representation. Moreover, many of the Darfuris in the movie are actual

Y fa u y k fe

survivors of the genocide. “The Sudanese people play themselves,” says Boll. “For ex­ ample, women who were raped and now have AIDS as a result are playing that as actors.” In this sense then, the Darfuri victims are being given the unique opportunity to share their ex­ perience and to spread their message.

Moreover, Boll wanted to focus more on the ways in which people living free from such horrifying realities in the west, will react and respond. While at the beginning of the film, the journalists are full of middle class ennui, by the end they question their ability to go back to their normal lives in light of having witnessed such unfathomable cruelty.

The members of STAND chapters at McGill and at other universities across Canada are similarly committed to raising awareness and promoting political activism. “When you watch the film you want to kill those people just like the reporters did in the film,” said Menachem Freedman, a representative from STAND Concordia. “But the desire for more violence isn’t the correct response. Right now, it’s not about violence but justice.”

The scale of the violence has decreased, but now there is the issue of the millions of Darfuris who have been displaced from their homes and are living in inhumane conditions, a Sudanese president who refuses to admit to his abominable crimes, and an international community that has yet to give the issue the attention and the credence it deserves.

The closing line of the film—“that we haven’t stopped genocide means that we haven’t learned from the past”—is the mes­ sage that STAND and other activist groups are ultimately trying to convey. Going into Darfur to help fight the Janjaweed is not within the realm of viable action. However, recogniz­ ing that genocide is a human reality that very much continues to take place and participating in political advocacy in order to ensure that the rest of the world recognizes it too is a start.

To find out more about the Stand For the Dead campaign, visit www.standforthedead. com.

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\ s le n fin c g

$ )a y

“I think people are very cynical these days, and see it as a very com­ mercial holiday. I think you can make it more than that if you want to. I have a crazy idea: I’ve told the person I’ve been seeing that I wanted to build an igloo, so we’re probably going to have dinner in the igloo.”

“I’m a lot more pro-Valentine’s Day when I’m not sad and alone. When I am, I like to avoid the holiday, or spend it alone wallowing and eating poutine. This year I’m getting out of town, so that’s [going to] work out great for me.”

“It’s kinda chill. People put too much emphasis on it, so when it comes around the expectation never lives up. So if you don’t think about it too much, it’s cool. And I like chocolate. It’s all about the chocolate. But Hallmark is evil.”

C A W US--® t i A L E r â n ê f Rh m rm r&

^

^

“I think it’s a waste of time. I nor­ mally play hockey instead of doing any­ thing else.”

9

Chinese Night Market Pepsi Forum 6-10 p.m.

The McGill Chinese Students’ Society and other McGill and Con­ cordia clubs are putting on an au­ thentic Chinese Night Market to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Tickets are $8, which includes a soft drink and a game card.

12

Fair Trade Fridays Porter’s Office in FDA 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Engineers Without Borders will be selling fair trade coffee from Montreal’s Santropol, as well as baked goods and chocolate every Friday this semester.

15

Fit @ M cGill’s Nutrition and Fitness Fair FDA Lobby and McCon­ nell Engineering Hallway 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Fit @ McGill presents an op­ portunity to learn about healthy eating, exercise, and McGill clubs that promote healthy lifestyles. At­ tendees can meet Health Services’ Dr. T. as he promotes healthy habits on campus. Free food will be pro­ vided.

“I love it. It’s my favorite holiday ... a bit expensive though. I love it because I’m a lover.”

PH O TO S B Y JU L IA W EB S TER

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12*9 February 2010

G IZM O S A N D G A D G E TS

Internet protocol, proxy servers, and possible prison time Why C anadian TV -lovers suffer IA IN M A C D O N A LD C ontributor

When the Internet was invented in the mid-nineties, it presented numerous new chal­ lenges to the engineering and computer sci­ ence world. Never before had so many people been connected through so many links simul­ taneously. Today, approximately 100 terabytes of information are transferred on the Internet every second, and transmission can be com­ plicated to understand.

The Internet is a massive inter-connection of different computers. Each website is stored on a server (or multiple servers) somewhere in the world, which in turn connects to an Inter­ net service provider—servers are never linked directly to personal computers. This means

that when you type “www.facebook.com” into a browser, there’s no direct link between your computer and the facebook.com server.

Instead, messages are sent through dozens of other computers before arriving at the appro­ priate machine.

When you are using the Internet, your computer is not transmitting all of the infor­ mation at once. Instead, it sends out packets, which are small chunks of data with a desti­ nation, source, encryption scheme, and the actual data. These packets are sent from your ISP out into the Internet to numerous servers.

Every time a server receives a packet, it looks at the address on it and either stops and reads it if the packet is for that machine, or sends it on through its connection. This continues until the message reaches the desired location.

To avoid duplicate names, each com­ puter is assigned an Internet protocol address.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM L e a d e rs h ip S k ills D ev e lo p m e n t W o rk s h o p s

Leadership J -M c G ill L e a d e r s h ip T r a in in g P r o g r a m F ir s t-Y e a r O f f ic e

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.

Develop and build your leadership skills. Attend a minimum of five workshops throughout 09/1 0 academic year and receive a certificate of completion.

Take the time to invest in yourself and register for...

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 great leader: knowing oneself, being principled and inclusive and doing or acting. Explore the relational leadership model through dialogue and action. Be prepared to delve more deeply into your own personal journey.

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Wednesday, February 17, 5:30-7:30 pm (Macdonald Campus) Wednesday, March 3, 5:30-7:30pm (Downtown Campus) Having difficulty within your team? This workshop will help you better understand and diagnose team dynamic challenges, and provide useful tools and language on resolving team-based conflicts.

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!

This IP address is unique to the machine, and serves as the identifier for all communications between the computer and the Internet.

IP addresses are generally assigned based on geographic location, which is why many services are able to identify the loca­ tion of your computer when you connect to their server. Some servers selectively block people from certain geographic regions, or ban users based on their IP address because they don’t want these people to use their ser­ vice. A classic example is when you want to view a television show or movie on a foreign website, such as NBC, CBS, or Hulu. These companies broadcast their shows and media to viewers for free because of the revenue they make from advertisements. Unfortunately, the rate paid for advertising is based on viewership only in the network’s home country, so they block foreign IP addresses, which don’t

acquire revenue. This gets complicated when you want to watch the most recent episode of House, but don’t want to pay three dollars on iTunes (or watch on a pirate website, where the quality is almost sure to be terrible).

Proxy servers act as a middleman to ac­ cessing these services: proxy servers are ma­ chines in a different part of the world that access websites on your behalf, and send the results back to you. When you connect to a proxy server (a Google search will reveal a list of such services), the proxy server forwards your message to the destination website, with a different return address. This fools the web­ site into thinking it’s talking to someone else.

The proxy server then sends the results back to you, without the discriminatory website knowing. Keep in mind that this process may violate the terms of agreement of certain sites, so approach with caution.

CASH A N D CAREERS

How to snag an Arts internship The A IO is here to help in these troubled econom ic tim es H A T T Y L IU C ontributor

Internships make many bold promises.

But whether it’s hands-on involvement, expo­ sure to the field, or networking and learning alongside seasoned professionals, internships’ selling points all centre on giving participants an experience comparable to a full-fledged job. And like real jobs, internships can be dif­ ficult to come by.

Blame the economy, or the ever-increas­ ing importance companies and graduate pro­ grams place on relevant and practical expe­ rience. Either way, the internship game has become as competitive as career placement and degree planning, with students requiring similar advising.

Enter the Arts Internship Office, the larg­ est of the many faculty internship offices on campus. When not maintaining an extensive database of available internships for brows­ ing and offering its own subset of internships for upper-year students, the office acts as an advising body for students in each stage of the internship-seeking process: narrowing the search, polishing applications, and training ac­ cepted interns. Unfortunately, not all students understand the process of applying for an in­ ternship.

“Many students come in to see us just as they’re getting into the process of finding an internship. We help them start from scratch: crafting a learning objective, finding organiza­ tions that best fit their needs and that they can contribute to,” says Anne Turner, Arts Intern­ ship manager.

The program also works with Career Planning Services, reviewing cover letters and CVs and making improvements when neces­ sary. The AIO also keeps in close contact with other internship offices, departments, and fac­

ulties.

“Working with [other faculties’ intern­ ship offices] helps us highlight internship op­ portunities on campus as a whole. Addition­ ally, most of the internships [the AIO] directly administers come from individual departments and professors, who have connections all over the world,” says Turner.

The AIO’s pre-departure workshops largely come in two varieties. Health and safety sessions invite a nurse and a representa­ tive from the Department of Foreign Affairs to brief students going overseas. Afterwards stu­ dents meet with professors and peers in groups according to the countries they will visit.

The other training focus is a two-part series. The Preparedness Workshop equips students to deal with professional and cultural differences they may experience in their new working environment, under the guidance of a guest facilitator. The same facilitator checks up with students to receive feedback after the internship is completed.

Because most Arts internships are unpaid, the Arts Internship Office also provides Arts Internship Awards—grants to alleviate travel and living expenses for qualifying students.

The application deadline for the 2010 Arts Internship Awards is March 22.

The AIO recognizes that their databases are limited and students will invariably find internships on their own. Nonetheless, they assure students that their services are not at odds with individual efforts.

“Students often think we can only help with internships set up by our own office, but we help in many ways—put students in touch with someone else in the country, inform them of the country’s political situation, help them obtain credit and awards,” says Turner. “Even students who don’t have a good idea of where they want to look can get on the right track after coming to see us.”

Curiosity Delivers.

9 February 2010 • 13

Choosing your future apartment By: Jaime Shedletsky Good Signs

Bad Signs

Safety: Windows and doors can be se­ curely closed and locked. Aside from the landlord, only you and your roommates have copies of the key. There is a working smoke alarm.

Safety: The door and windows do not lock properly. Your unit backs onto a dark alley, but the windows are not protected by bars. There is no smoke alarm, or it has not been tested to assure it works.

Tenants: Other students are living in the building.

Tenants: Your landlord is your downstairs neighbour and the baby upstairs screams.

Superintendant/Landlord: One or both live either in or nearby the apartment building, and are available in case of emergencies.

Superintendant/Landlord: Neither lives in or close to the apartment. Your landlord has not provided you with any emergency contact information. You share no common languages, making communication an effort in interpre­ tive sign language and gestures.

Laundry: Laundry facilities are inside your unit, or easily accessible at minimal cost.

Laundry: Facilities are available, but there are not enough machines to meet the de­ mand and they are constantly out of order.

Signing the lease: It is normal for the land­ lord to request references for a credit check or a co-signer (e.g. a parent) for students without a steady income.

Signing the lease: The landlord asks for a deposit outside of the first month’s rent, a key deposit, postdated cheques, or credit card, passport, bank account, and SIN numbers.

Rent: Expect your monthly rent to in­ crease every 12 months.

Subletting: Your landlord should enable subleasing. If you are going to be away for the summer, or plan to go on exchange, it’s a good idea to sublet your place.

Rent: The landlord raises the rent mid­ lease or terminates the lease before it expires (i.e. if she kicks you out, that is a problem).

Subletting: The landlord forbids a tenant to sublease without a valid reason.

Maintenance: The landlord plans to re­ pair any problems you have found with the place, and assures you that they will maintain the dwelling throughout your lease. Be fore­ warned that any repairs needed as a result of the tenant are not under the responsibility of the landlord.

Maintenance: Your landlord has made no indication that he/she intends to fix any identi­ fied problems with the apartment. Note: holes in walls, funky-smelling gas stove, and frost in the freezer are not good signs.

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14 • 9 February 2010

A&E

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FILM

Oscars 2010: The shoo-ins, the underdogs, and the buzz-worthy A b r ie f look a t nom inees to w atch before M arch 7 K Y L E C AR PEN TER & L A U R A T IN D A L A & E Editors

You've got 26 days until the Academy Awards, so here's the buzz and predictions you need to know so you can decide which films to catch up on in the weeks leading up to the Oscars.

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BEST PICTURE

This year the Academy has selected 10 motion pictures as candidates for Best Picture, instead of the usual five. The move was made to allow for more diversity in the biggest Oscar category, making more room for small, inde­ pendent films to be considered alongside the blockbusters. This year’s list of nominees definitely includes a wide range of films, from the accessible, heart-warming, Sandra Bull­ ock vehicle The Blind Side, to the low-budget, mildly-pedophilic British film An Education.

Avatar is in the lead, and is expected to pull a Titantic and not only break box-office records but also pull in a myriad of Oscar stat­ ues. But other big names are in the running for this category, including alien Apartheid film District 9 and Tarantino’s Nazi slaughter-fest, Inglourious Basterds. Despite the big names, the movies Avatar has to be wary of are small productions: the tense tale of an American bomb squad unit in Iraq in The Hurt Locker, the depressing plight of an overweight, preg­ nant, illiterate black teenager in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push ' by Sapphire, and the coming-of-age film An Education all deserve Best Picture this year. Avatar may have had h A pifVB

ALTFG.COM. SCHEMAMAG.CA, ENTERTAINMENTWALLPAPER.COM

From veterans to newcomers, Jeff Bridges, A n Education, and Meryl Streep all look poised to take the big prizes. the effects, excitement, and enjoyment factor, but the writing wasn’t enough to get it into the Best Screenplay category (The Blind Side was the only other Best Picture not nominated for Best Screenplay), and An Education looks like it might just follow in Crash's footsteps and unexpectedly take this year’s prize.

edy A Serious Man, up for Best Picture)—in which he plays a gay British professor strug­ gling to overcome the death of his partner— he won’t be able to stand against Bridges and Clooney. Bridges’ performance as a fading country music star is headed for the win.

mands every shot, even when sitting across the table from Brad Pitt. He’s already won a mini-Oscar (Golden Globe), and a mini Gold­ en Globe (Screen Actor’s Award), so an Oscar is the next logical step.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

This year, a trio of seasoned vet­ erans head up the best actor category: George Clooney (Up in the Air), Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), and Morgan Freeman (Invictus) are nominated alongside Colin Firth (A Single Man) and the relatively unknown Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker).

While there’s been a lot of talk about Firth’s performance in his Mad Men-erti film (not to be confused with the Coen brothers black com­

This should be a no-brainer.

There is only one man whose per­ formance overshadowed his entire (highly anticipated) movie. Christoph Waltz, a.k.a Hans Landa, “The Jew Hunter” from Tarantino’s spell-check-worthy hit In­ glourious Basterds knows how to the steal the show. From the first scene, in which he both intimidates and entrances the audience— not to mention seamlessly switches between speaking French, German, and English— while drinking a glass of milk, Waltz com­

Best Actress always seems like it might go in any direction. Meryl Streep may be the best actress of our time, and with 16 Oscar nominations but only two wins, the Academy may decide her dead-on Julia Child is deserving of a re­ ward. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe impressed in Precious, while Helen Mirren has been praised for her role as Leo Tolstoy’s wife in The Last Station. Somehow, Sandra Bullock made it into the running for her Southern ac­ cent and blonde hair in The Blind Side, in which she broadens her outlook on life by ta-

Pop Iffietoric R.I.P. MTV The Buggies need to come out with a new one-hit wonder: “Internet Killed the Video Star.”

This is the sad but true fate that our music age has come to. Remember when VH1 only played new music videos? How about MTV? Or MuchMusic? For the lat­ ter, you may be thinking, “but MuchMusic still plays music videos.” Really? Turn on your television right now. The only chance you have of seeing a music video is if you happen to catch MuchOnDemand, which currently only plays a collection of top 10 countdown crap. What you’re more likely to find is a popular teen show about rich kids who love to gossip.

Everyone loves music videos. Many nostalgic memories from my childhood revolve around them—from my first expo­ sure to sex in Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs,” to the beginning of my (very healthy) ob­ session with Christopher Walken sparked by his bizarre appearance in Fatboy Slim’s

“Weapon of Choice.” Half the fun of dis­ covering new bands and songs back in the day was by dissecting their video premier on TV. Just think of all the cool/crazy/inspiring/unique/weird videos that you’ve seen, and what that did for the artist’s popu­ larity. A music video was nearly as impor­ tant as sound in defining a band. Today, the videos that are being made definitely aren’t appreciated nearly as much as they were when they were played on TV. At its conception, MTV—standing for Music Television, lest we forget—was a sister channel to VH1, and both were created simply to play music videos, and showcase both mainstream and indie art­ ists. Then owned by CHUM, MuchMusic was created as a Canadian equivalent to MTV. Since then, all three channels have, in unison, made completely pathetic 180s from their original purpose.

What’s to blame for this downward spiral of music television? The Internet, of course. The Internet has taken over music television. I know the progression makes sense—it’s much easier to go to YouTube and search for whatever music videos

you want to see—but what’s the incentive for artists to create cool/crazy/inspiring/ unique/weird videos there’s no gurantee that they will be seen by anyone? The truth is, there isn’t much incentive anymore, which is precisely why there just aren’t as many amazing videos being made (with a few exceptions, of course).

Of course, some videos get spread virally by word of mouth, but this just doesn’t happen as much as it used to. The truth is, the Internet has shoved music television into dark comers; dark comers that resort to not-even-real reality shows that appeal almost exclusively to tweens to get light.

But can we really blame this on the Inter­ net’s power to give us and future genera­ tions access to whatever we want? Yes. Obviously, it was the networks’ de­ cision to revamp the music channels, but this was done out of necessity. Media has switched to the Internet, and therefore de­ mand for music television has declined.

But wait, doesn’t this point fingers at us? Did we kill the video star? Maybe our society just needs a wake-up call: if we stop spending so much time watching viral

videos and start paying more attention to what musicians have to offer, we’ll go back to the good ole’ days where it was actually worth it for them to show what they could come up with.

The recently launched TV channel Aux (currently only playing on Rogers Cable), is on my side. Aux is programmed to show­ case music videos by new and emerging artists in a wide variety of genres. I think a revelation of music-video comeback is in order; it’s just a matter of us all screw­ ing the Internet and watching channels like Aux. Then, maybe, we can snowball our­ selves back into a music era reminiscent of the nineties where music videos were actu­ ally appreciated. Because who doesn’t love the nineties?

This may seem a little improbable, if not impossible, but I can dream. Plus, if it weren't for Ricky Martin on MuchMusic, who knows when I would have first seen people “banging” in a closet?

— Alex Knoll A & E Contributor

9 February 2010 • 15

Curiosity Delivers.

Oscar preview continued....

-king in a teen from a broken home and turn­ ing him into a football star. Another newcom­ er, An Education's Carey Mulligan, is also up for the prize, but veteran Streep seems likeli­ est to win this year.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

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The two jet-setting actresses (Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick) « iy » from George Clooney’s Up In The Air are pitted against each other as nominees, alongside “sad turtle” Maggie Gyllenhaal for her role alongside Jeff Bridges in the country-music romance Crazy Heart.

But the spotlight is on last year’s winner Pe­ nelope Cruz for her role as Daniel Day-Lewis’ busty, passionate mistress in the musical Nine, as well as on TV actress and talk-show host Mo’Nique for her role as the cruel, abusive mother in Precious. Mo’Nique’s performance was both powerful and unexpected, and is the one that will most likely bring home the Oscar this year. ot

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ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

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It was a good year for animated films, with Coraline, Fantastic Mr. rgfjB Fox, and Up all making it into the running for Animated Fe ature Film.

Disney’s racially-conscious, back-to-2D The Princess and the Frog is up, as is The Secret o f Kells, an Irish indie cartoon about a boy who grows up with monks and discovers his talent for illustration. All of the nominees this year are worthwhile, but considering Up is nominated for a Best Picture Oscar that it’s not going to win, there’s a good chance Pixar will be taking home another Best Animated award.

DIRECTING

Canadian content is taking over in this category, with Ontarian James Cameron (Avatar) and Montrealer Jason Reitman (Up in the Air) both nominated this year. Yet what people are really

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excited about is Cameron running against his ex-wife, director Kathryn Bigelow {The Hurt Locker), for the award. Considering Cameron is on his fifth wife, the excitement should be directed not towards Bigelow’s marital his­ tory, but to the fact that if she wins, Bigelow would be the first woman to win this award.

The Hurt Locker definitely deserves the prize, and it’s worth your time—one view is enough to see why Bigelow will be making history in March.

ART DIRECTION/CINEMATOGRA­ P H Y /FILM EDIT1NG/VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar has got these awards in the bag. No matter what you think about James Cameron, the writing, or colo­ nialism, you have to admit Avatar created an experience never before seen. The effects, art direction, and filming are so beautifully done that you almost forget it’s all CGI. Add in the 3D, and you’ve got the future of filmmaking.

The other nominees don’t stand a chance.

ORIGINAL SONG

There’s no nice way to say it, but lame songs that are largely un-enjoyable outside of their films almost al­ ways win in the Best Original Song category. Case in point: two Randy Newman songs from The Princess and the Frog are nominated. And one of them will probably win.

Also nominated is “Loin de Paname,” which won’t win because it’s not in English and it’s from a movie that nobody has seen {Paris 36).

“The Weary Kind” from Crazy Heart is also competing, and despite being a great song that’s preferable to a Disney win, it would be an out-of-character choice for the Academy.

Acoustic songs tend to be drowned out by big, overproduced show tunes at the Oscars—just ask Elliott Smith in 1998 or Bruce Spring­ steen in 1995. “Take It All” from Nine—the movie that had Oscars written all over it (until it came out)—could pull off a win, as judges seem to like big, jazzy throwbacks, such as in Nine’s older sibling, Chicago.

ACESHOWBIZ.COM, ALTFG.COM, GEMINISIXTY6.W0RDPRESS, DAILYSKEW.COM

Clockwise from top left: The Hurt Locker, Avatar, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’by Sapphire, and Up.

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16*9 February 2010

FILM

Everybody’s a terrorist in From Paris With Love Travolta is action flic k ’s only redeem ing quality G R A C E G L O W IC K I C ontributor

Pierre Morel’s new film From Paris With Love is exceptionally tasteless. Admittedly, ac­ tion movies are meant to be vile concoctions of guns, cars, drugs, and racial/sexual stereo­ types, but From Paris With Love is so strik­ ingly problematic that it cannot be considered a harmless testosterone-fuelled fantasy. Pay­ ing homage to the 1963 film From Russia With Love, it parasitically links itself to the brilliant James Bond films which, though riddled with their own problems, have always been vigor­ ously entertaining.

The lacklustre plot is familiar. James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is the personal aid to the American ambassador in France, and is armed with good looks, a gorgeous French girlfriend, and a perfectly cut suit. On the side, he runs small jobs for the CIA in hopes of eventually becoming an agent. They part­ ner him up with bad boy special agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta), who’s been sent to Paris

to derail a terrorist attack. Wax drags Reece on a killing spree of bad guys, chasing Chinese cocaine lords followed by Pakistani terrorists.

The duo also discovers photographs of Reece covering the walls of a terrorist den—as it turns out, Reece’s lovely girlfriend is a suicide bomber using him to gain access to the embas­ sy, where she shows up with a bomb strapped to her torso.

The most noticeable flaw is the film’s ruthless racial stereotyping. The bad guys in the first half of the film are Chinese cocaine lords. After shooting about 30 of them, Reece asks Wax how many are left, to which he re­ sponds, “According to the last census? About a billion.” From Paris With Love not only perpe­ trates the stereotype of the Asian drug ring, but also resorts to cheap jokes about it. However, these thugs are only an obstacle to get to the real bad guys who are, of course, the Pakistani terrorists. The film upholds the paranoid men­ tality that any Middle Eastern person could be a suicide bomber, no matter how innocent they may appear. This is most disturbingly exem­ plified when an enjoyable dinner party is inter­ rupted by Wax abruptly shooting a gorgeous female guest in the head. Reece’s girlfriend

shouts, “Just because she’s Pakistani doesn’t mean she’s a terrorist!” But every on-screen Pakistani in the film is, in fact, a terrorist.

From start to finish, the film has a whop­ ping total of four female characters. The un­ inspiring roster includes: two beautiful and brainwashed terrorists, one prostitute, and one bitchy middle-aged politician. Reece, along with the rest of us, is forced to learn valuable lessons: love is false, women are evil, and all Milddle Easterners are terrorists.

Travolta’s performance is the only re­ deeming aspect of the film. Almost unrecog­ nizable-wearing a goatee, chains and an im­ pressive amount of bulk—Travolta is able to shed his celebrity identity, effortlessly donning the persona of a rule-breaking tough guy who. snorts, shoots, and screws his way through a film which would have completely (instead of mostly) flopped without his powerful onscreen presence.

From Paris With Love predictably ends in the buddy movie/Casablanca fashion: two guys, no girls, airplanes, and a flirty conversa­ tion about being partners. We cannot help but think of the line, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” which makes the

Beach House: Teen Dream Since 2004, Beach House has been the leader of the dream-pop scene with slow, simple pop melodies layered over lush soundscapes to create achingly beautiful songs of love and longing. Vocalist Victoria Legrand and guitarist/keyboardist Alex Scally have crafted a winning sound that is completely their own, and with Teen Dream it seems they’ve truly perfected it. The third album from the Baltimore duo—whose sound has al­ ternately been described as indie pop, baroque pop, electronic and experimental—can only be described as dreamy.

The first track “Zebra” is easily the most memorable on the album. Legrand’s sultry, breathy vocals draw you in, while her for­ mal training in opera subtly shines through.

Legrand’s voice is simply mesmerizing again on lo-fi track “Silver Soul,” while the more upbeat “Norway” has a strong driving rhythm with an infectious melody and poetic lyrics. “ 10 Mile Stereo” is another standout track which manages to capture a feeling of adoles­ cent angst (“This push and pull is the force of a wave of time / In the heat of the night, we would cry, you are not mine.”) This powerful album will leave you nostalgic for your first love and the carefree summers of your youth.

It’s Beach House’s best album to date, and ar­ guably one of the best albums of 2010 so far.

O K Go: O f the Blue Colour o f the Sky You may know OK Go from their infa­ mous viral videos on YouTube—including the treadmill dance routine in “Here it Goes Again”—from their previous album Oh No. Of the Blue Colour o f the Sky.is the latest album from the unique digital rock band.

The album starts out with a Prince-like track, appropriately titled “WTF?” OTBCOTS is a departure from their first two albums, with a funkier, dancier sound. The album’s tunes lack catchiness, but this is part of the attrac­ tion. Like Vampire Weekend, they pull off pop songs without falling into the dreaded main­ stream, Top-40-type category.

The upbeat feel of the album is shown in songs “This Too Shall Pass” and “White Knuckles,” which show traces of Mika and Daft Punk, respectively. The more melancholy feel of the album is shown in “Skyscrapers,” “Last Leaf,” and “While You Were Asleep,” all of which show heartfelt lyrics, such as, “If you should be the last autumn leaf hanging from the tree / I’ll still be here waiting on the breeze to bring you down to me.”

Overall, OTBCOTS is an eclectic mix of different styles, stemming from a variety of influences from Prince to MGMT. It’s a fun album with surprising surges of energy, as well as refreshing displays of softness.

ACESHOWBIZ.COM

Danny Zuko wouldn’t approve of Travolta’s new look. film’s last pathetic appropriation of something far greater than itself.

From Paris With Love is now playing at AMC Forum 22.

C D REVIEWS

Line Spectra: Maps & Directions Line Spectra has finally released their first studio album. For the past couple years, you may have noticed this all-girl trio playing at staple venues around Montreal and even a few shows at OAP. These ladies wield their instru­ ments with a fancy, sparkle and a twist. They have a wide-range of influences, from Met­ ric to U2, Jimmy Eat World to Blondie, and The Clash to Dashboard Confessional. While these ladies are sweethearts, don’t mistake them for “just another girl band.” That being said, Montreal’s Diana Lalla (guitar & bass), Vanessa Morelli (vocals), and Kathy Perrilini (percussion) create a smooth and engaging type of rock throughout their debut Maps & Directions. Many of the band’s better-known tracks are unfortunately not on the album but this shouldn’t deter fans, since Maps & Direc­ tions is still strong. Some of the best songs on the album are “Darts,” “Elevators,” and “Old Charms.” This band is just getting stronger and their sound is getting sharper. Line Spec­ tra are on the rise and catching the wave along their journey is the best part.

—Pamela Fillion

Yeasayer: Odd Blood If the African- and Middle Eastern-tinged flavour of Yeasayer’s 2007 debut All Hour Cymbals impressed you, get ready to be trans­ ported by their sophomore effort, Odd Blood.

Yeasayer leaves the tribal aesthetic behind for an electronic vibe, with distorted vocals, synth, and pounding bass lines. It’s an ambi­ tious switch-up, but the Brooklyn-based trio pull it off without looking like they’re trying too hard. They channel a bizarre mix of genres while maintaining a cohesive sound that fans will recognize from their first album.

The overall feeling of Odd Blood is hard to pin down. It touches on themes of love and relationships which are without a doubt more upbeat than All Hour Cymbals’ morose, nearapocalyptic feel. The album blurs the lines be­ tween genres in a way that is reminiscent of a number of bands, but it doesn’t remind you too much of any one in particular. On “I Re­ member," the melodies could be straight from an Animal Collective song, while the open­ ing drum beat in “Mondegreen” sounds like it’s been pulled straight from a MSTRKRFT track. The album’s two singles (“Ambling Alp” and “O.N.E.”) are both heady and uplift­ ing, garnished with Yeasayer’s whimsical lyr­ ics. Although Yeasayer may still have a ways to go before establishing themselves, they’ve shown us that they’re not predictable.

—Alex Knoll

—Carolyn Grégoire

—Alex Hamilton

Sp o r t s

Curiosity Delivers.

9 February 2010 • 17

R ED M E N V O L L E Y B A L L - M C G ILL 0, M O N TREAL 3

Carabins carve up Redmen in three sets to spoil seniors’ night M osseler, Fabian, O ’D w yer honoured fo r their contributions K A IL A N LE U N G Sports Editor

A straight-set loss to the visiting Montre­ al Carabins wasn’t the result the McGill men’s volleyball team had hoped for, but for the team and the fans, Friday night’s match was about far more than a small shift in the standings.

It was about sacrifice, determination, growth, and an increasingly optimistic future.

Graduating seniors Tom Fabian, Ed O ’Dwyer, and Matthew Mosseler were hon­ oured before the start of the match for their sizeable contributions to a program that wal­ lowed in mediocrity for many years, but has become increasingly competitive and success­ ful in recent seasons. Redmen Head Coach Simon Berleur—in his fifth season with the team—was quick to recognize the collective impact his graduating players have had on McGill’s men’s volleyball program.

“This is a group who came in four years ago, when we did not have the momentum that we have now, [and] really helped bring this team to another level,” he said. “Before, we had a tough time [just] to play against the [other team’s] bench, and now we compete with the starters. The next step for us is to bring in new recruits, and start a new genera­ tion.”

On Friday, Montreal proved too big and too strong for the undersized Redmen to han­ dle, consistently breaking through McGill’s block and forcing the home squad to send back freeball after freeball. Freshman middle Pierre-Yves Brennan and junior power-hit­ ter Mark Hodge led the team with 11 points apiece, but perhaps more telling than any of

ADAM SCOTTI

The Redmen volleyball program has been on the rise in recent years, but McGill couldn’t best Montreal on Friday night. the individual performances in the match was the passion and camaraderie exhibited by the Redmen on the court.

“Last time we played [Montreal], we beat them, but I guess it just wasn’t our night,” said Mosseler. “We started off with a lot of emo­ tion, and that sort of decreased near the end.

We need to work on maintaining that emotion throughout the whole game. [But] throughout the season we definitely improved—you could see the improvement from last year. This year was one of [the few] times we’ve ever beaten Montreal, a definite improvement for the pro­ gram.”

While McGill’s record in conference play has been far from stellar this year, the team has been able to compete consistently with many of the better teams in the country. The Redmen beat the teams they were expected to beat, and were even able to pull a few upsets, most no­ tably a straight-set victory last weekend on the road against the Carabins. O’Dwyer, an all­

conference libero who has provided invalu­ able leadership this season, commented on the significance of the team’s steady improvement from year to year.

“Tonight wasn’t about the three guys who are graduating—it was about the future of the team, and we’ve come a long ways from where we used to be,” he said. “We used to never be competitive against very many teams, and now we’re pushing some of the best teams in the country. That’s where I want to see the program. I hope that if I come back in four years, the program will be even further along than it is now.”

It’s a safe bet to assume that O ’Dwyer’s wish will be granted. All signs are certainly pointing towards a highly successful program in the near future.

“We have to make sure we recruit three guys of the same quality,” said Berleur.

“That’s the goal for us right now, to have the same competitive team or even better on the

court, and potentially have a better [final] ob­ jective for the future.”

Filling the shoes left empty by Fabian, Mossier, and O’Dwyer will be a difficult task for McGill’s coaching staff, but as the team has improved, so has the quality of recruiting.

McGill boasts a plethora of gifted young play­ ers at all positions, and pieces necessary to make the Redmen contenders are continuing to fall into place.

“With the guys Simon is recruiting and with Simon as our coach, if we get the right support from the athletics department the sky’s the limit for us,” said O ’Dwyer. “There’s no reason we can’t be competitive in our league and try to get to Nationals. It’s all about the will to win; we’ve got the right pieces in place, and hopefully the future will be bright for us.”

TIIIU ) 1

WILD ‘N OUT Things are not going well in Min­ nesota. Three summers ago, Minnesotans watched as their once-beloved Kevin Garnett celebrated his first NBA title as a member of the Boston Celtics. Two weeks ago, they watched in horror as Brett Favre threw an interception late in the fourth to halt the Vikings’ march to their first Super Bowl since 1976. In the NHL, the Min­ nesota Wild are the epitome of mediocrity, currently wallowing in 11th place in the competitive Western Conference.

However, the Timberwolves lost Gar­ nett thanks to poor management, and the Vikings lost out on a trip to Miami because of a quarterback known for throwing picks.

But much of the Wild’s struggles have been totally out of their control, which is why they take the biggest slice of my sympathy.

Why do I feel this way? It all comes down

to the unfair system the NHL uses to rank its teams in the standings.

Beginning in the 1999-2000 season, the NHL decided to start giving points to teams who lost in overtime. The league justified this move by claiming that teams who held their opponents to a tie at the end of regulation deserved some compensation.

So instead of two points being available in every game (two for a win, one each for a tie), there became three available in games that went to an extra frame (two for the win, one for the loss). The system ulti­ mately rewards teams for losing games, and allows clubs with a knack for losing in OT to leapfrog teams with the same amount of wins in the standings.

A week ago, the Wild had 58 points and were looking up at the Detroit Red Wings, who with 64 points held the con­ ference’s eighth and final playoff spot. 11 years ago, one might have assumed that the Wings had won three more games than the Wild. But because of the current rank­

ing system, this is not so. As of press time, Minnesota has actually won two more games than Detroit, but the Red Wings have six more overtime losses than the Wild.

Instead of contemplating who should be sent packing at the trade deadline or how the Twins’ new baseball stadium is going to look, Wild fans should be experiencing the thrill of the playoff hunt. Every morning when they look at the sports page, Minne­ sotans find three teams ahead of theirs, all of whom have fewer wins.

If hockey were truly about winning games, Minnesota would be challenging for the playoffs. Strangely, though, the NHL wants to reward teams for getting close to winning. In 2005-2006, the Edmonton Oilers won one less game than the Vancou­ ver Canucks, but lost five more times in overtime. That was the difference between making the playoffs and missing out. The Oilers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals as the eighth seed, and came within one game of winning it all. Had the

NHL not rewarded Edmonton for coming close to winning games, a different Western team would have played in the finals, and the record book might be very different than it is today.

Of course, overtime and shootouts are exciting, and the NHL knows this. But with five minutes left in a tied game, there is no real incentive anymore for a team to go all-out to win. Playing aggressively could very well lèad to an odd-man rush the other way, and cost a team the extra point it would have earned by taking the game to overtime. The extra overtime point forces teams to play for overtime and gives fans an exciting product, but only in exchange for a truly competitive game. This fan, for one, would rather see teams play to win, not to tie. The NHL needs to realize that close is only good in horseshoes, and that justice needs to be served in the standings. The Wild should be in the playoff race, not the draft lottery.

—Adam Sadinsky

mcgilltribune.com

18*9 February 2010 i M ARTLET B A S K E T B A L L - M C G ILL 70, U Q A M 69

Martlets hold on for wild win over hot-shooting Citadins B ibeau com es up huge with last-second shot to seal victory K A IL A N LE U N G Sports Editor

What do Shakespeare and the McGill women’s basketball team have in common? In most cases, not very much. But at this point in the year, “all’s well that ends well” is becom­ ing an increasingly useful descriptor for the way the Martlets’ season has progressed. After a mediocre start to conference play, the Mar­ tlets have picked up their play as of late, and continued their recent surge with a wild 70-69 victory over the visiting UQAM Citadins at Love Competition Hall on Saturday night.

McGill came out of the gates on fire, connecting on a bevy of outside shots to take a 16-10 lead after the first quarter. The hot shooting continued for the Martlets, who pushed their lead to 15 midway through the second period. However, things began to un­ ravel for the home squad after intermission, as McGill failed to sustain their offensive mo­ mentum, and UQAM began to connect from downtown. The Citadins took a five-point lead with less than five minutes left in regulation, but the Martlets refused to fold. “[Head Coach Ryan Thorne] wanted us to just grind it out,” said fifth-year guard Stephanie Bergeron, who was honoured along with fellow seniors Nathifa Weekes and Caro­ line Hebert following the game. “They were hitting some big threes. That’s basically it. It comes down [to] a battle of the boards, and who wants it more. [Coach] had confidence in us the whole time. We felt that, and we let our momentum carry us through.”

In the dying moments of the game, how­ ever, momentum appeared to be heavily on the visitors’ side. After a pair of free-throws by first-year forward Helene Bibeau put McGill

up by one, UQAM’s Michelle Auger-Bellemare sunk a jumper from the wing with 36 seconds to go. After turning the ball over un­ derneath their own basket, the Martlets were forced to foul, but a Citadin player stepped out of bounds on the ensuing possession to give the ball right back to the home squad, set­ ting up the dramatic finish. With time running down, the Martlets gave the ball to Bibeau at the top of the key, who drove left before pulling up from 10 feet and connecting on a contested jumper. The shot capped a highly entertaining game, and gave McGill a muchneeded lift in the standings.

“It’s definitely a big win. It was a big boost,” said Bergeron. “We jumped into sec­ ond place with that win so we’re really happy.

Helene Bibeau came up big for us [...] and down the stretch we were disciplined with our defence and our rebounding. Everybody came

together when we needed them the most.”

For the Martlets, every contest now has the feel of a must-win game, as the team scrambles for a higher seed before playoffs begin in March. Bergeron recognized that the team still has a lot to improve upon if they wish to be contenders in a month’s time.

“We have a hard time closing out games—we’ll lose by a couple of points or we’ll go into overtime and lose, and that gets you down,” she said. “When you win a game like this, it’s really a confidence booster. [But] we’ve got to take care of the basketball, and be more disciplined on offence. Our key is Anneth [Him-Lazarenko]. We need to really get her the ball and she just has to do her thing, find the shooters when she’s double-teamed, and we just have to knock down shots.”

Him-Lazarenko—whose stellar freshman campaign was cut short last year after a devas­

tating ACL injury—has returned this season to carry the offensive load for the Martlets. She doubled up with 17 points and 12 rebounds on Saturday, while Weekes and freshman MarieEve Martin chipped in with 13 and 14 points, respectively. Playing in her last home game, Weekes was pleased with her squad’s resil­ ience, and expressed satisfaction as to the fu­ ture of the program.

“I think [Martlet basketball] is headed in the right direction,” she said. “We’ve got a bunch of good recruits and rookies, and the future is bright.”

McGill takes some time off before hitting the road for a date with the first-placed Laval Rouge et Or on February 12. The Martlets play their final game of the regular season against the Citadins at UQAM on February 27.

R E D M E N B A S K E T B A L L - M C G ILL 93, U Q A M 63

Bouchard leads the way as Redmen demolish helpless Citadins F reshm en shine on seniors ’ night in blow out win K A IL A N LE U N G Sports Editor

On a night dedicated to the departing se­ niors of the Redmen basketball team, McGill’s talented youth movement almost stole the show. Freshman point guard Olivier Bouchard put up 16 points and five assists to lead the Redmen to an impressive 93-63 drubbing of first-placed UQAM on Saturday night at Love Competition Hall.

Bouchard, who played his CEGEP ball at College Montmorency, looked to push the tempo of the game from the start. The diminu­ tive guard wreaked havoc on the Citadins’ perimeter defence with his quickness, con­ sistently getting to the rim and finding open shooters on the wings. The Redmen led 19-18 at the end of the first quarter, and came out with even greater intensity to start the second period.

An early free-throw by fourth-year for­

ward Jesse Woods and a jumper by fellow se­ nior Matthew Thornhill marked the beginning of the end for the visiting side. The Redmen caught fire from the outside midway through the period, but also continued to pound the ball into the post and get to the charity stripe.

McGill’s offensive scheme—coupled with sti­ fling zone defence and a commitment to re­ bounding—proved a deadly combination for the Citadins, who struggled to manufacture points all game long.

The offensive onslaught continued in the second half, with McGill’s lead ballooning to a whopping 43 points with seven minutes re­ maining in the final stanza. A series of UQAM threes near the end of the game made the final score slightly more respectable, but the mar­ gin of victory for McGill was still the largest in team history over the Citadins.

Thornhill finished with 15 points to go along with four steals, while forward Michael White chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds. While McGill’s veterans provided their usual steady play, it was the Redmen rookies who shined the brightest. Winn Clark

HOLLY STEWART

Forward Michael White and the Redmen dominated U Q AM on both ends of the floor. flashed the court-savvy, hustle, and shooting touch that made him a highly sought-after re­ cruit by a number of NCAA Division 1 pro­ grams. Clark finished the game with 11 points and four assists, while 6-foot-6 swingman Nic Langley showcased his athleticism and touch on both ends of the floor en route to nine points.

With the departures of Thornhill, Woods, and senior guard Pawel Herra, the Redmen

will be a decidedly young squad next season.

However, Head Coach Craig Norman’s new­ est recruits have proven themselves to be a competitive and capable group, and the future is bright for the program. For now, though, the Redmen turn their sights towards the final three games of the regular season, hitting the road on February 12 to take on the Laval Rouge et Or. QSSF playoff action begins on March 4.

9 February 2010 • 19

Curiosity Delivers.

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General Assembly

Winter 2010

February 10th , 5:00pm - Shatner Cafeteria (2nd floor) Come out and raise your voice on issues that affect you!

Please bring McGill ID New Motions to be discussed include (in no particular order): Resolution re: Discriminatory groups BE IT RESOLVED THAT section 4 of the SSMU's Equity Policy be amended to include, after the sentence "No student organization should have the effect of limiting dialogue on these legitimate topics provided that such discussion is conducted in a respectful and non-coercive manner," the following paragraph: "The SSMU further resolves to condemn any group, student association or organization whose goals and methods compromise the safety and health of any person or engage in acts of discrimination, such as, but not limited to, pro-life groups; the SSMU will not grant full or interim club status to any such group."

Resolution re: Tar Sands BE IT RESOLVED THAT the SSMU condemn the environmental and social destruction currently underway in Alberta in the context of the Tar Sands industrial development and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT all investments currently held by the SSMU in excess of a price of $15,000 be submitted to a review process by the Financial Ethics Review Committee for ties with the Tar Sands industry that: "...the [Financial Ethics Review] Committee shall review and submit its recommendations on any proposed business transactions of the Society of a value greater than $15,000 (with the exception of personnel contracts)."

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the SSMU strike a subcommittee of the Financial Ethics Research Committee to investigate ties that McGill University may have with the Tar Sands industrial development of Alberta (for instance in the form of research collaboration or through stock ownership).

Resolution re: Restoration of $5 ATM Machines on Campus BE IT RESOLVED THAT the SSMU negotiate with the McGill Administration to restore the form er policy of withdrawing $5 bills from the ATM machines around campus.

Resolution re: The Defense of Human Rights, Social Justice, and Environmental Protection BE IT RESOLVED THAT the SSMU issue a statement reaffirming its commitment to human rights, social justice, and environmental protection, and its intention to take the necessary steps to demonstrate its leadership in these areas within the next academic year.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the SSMU moves to expand the mandate of the FERC to also act as an advisory board to McGill University with respect to the ethical practices of corporations with which McGill University conducts business, w hether presently or in the future.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT if the expansion of the FERC's mandate is not feasible, the SSMU commissions the creation of a Corporate Social Responsibility committee, hereby known as the CSR Committee, which will investigate the ethical practices of corporations with which McGill University conducts business, w hether presently or in the future.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the FERC or the CSR Committee will thoroughly investigate McGill University's involvement with companies on the basis of negative ethnical practices, and will, on behalf of the students of McGill University, call upon the administration of McGill University to divest from companies that do not meet specified criteria for ethical investment as determined by the FERC or the CSR Committee.

Resolution re: Free Quality Accessible Education BE IT RESOLVED THAT the SSMU commit itself to fighting for free, quality, accessible education through mobilizing McGill students and through uniting with other students in Quebec and Canada in order to pressure the government to reduce and eventually eliminate tuition, forgive student debt, and reinvest in education to maintain the quality and accessibility; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the SSMU provide the necessary services to student parents, working students, etc. in order to ensure the continued accessibility of education at McGill, including but not limited to free quality daycare and greater emergency bursaries for students with financial needs; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the SSMU support the effort to better the working conditions for students who work on campus, including through supporting organizations doing such work, such as the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) and the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM).

Resolution re: Ancillary fees BE IT RESOLVED THAT the SSMU oppose any future increases in mandatory ancillary fees required of students by McGill University, unless such increases have been duly approved by majority vote of a referendum open to all members of the Society; and let this hold regardless of whether or not said fee increase would exceed the current limit of $15 per sem ester per student set by the government of Quebec on such increases, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the SSMU oppose any future legislation that would allow for the ancillary fees billed to students by McGill University to increase beyond the current limit set by the government of Quebec and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the SSMU lobby the government of Quebec to either maintain or lower the maximum dollar amount per sem ester per student, by which McGill University may increase mandatory ancillary fees.

Resolution re: Self-funded tuition model BE IT RESOLVED THAT the SSMU take a formal policy against the self-funded tuition program model to guide its lobbying on the University, Provincial, and Federal level.

For full text or more information, please see www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/ga