The McGill Tribune Vol. 29 Issue 5

WHAT TO SEE AT POP MONTREAL, PAGES 14 & 15

REDBIRDS’ WINGS CLIPPED, PAGE 18

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Published by the Students' Society of McGill University

Vol. 29 Issue 5 «Tuesday, September 29. 2009

B etan cou rt discusses years as hostage in Colombian jungle ANDREW MILLER Contributor

ADAM SCOTTI

Ingrid Betancourt discusses the prospects for human rights reform in Columbia for a large crowd at Palais des Congrès Friday night.

On September 25 at the Palais des Con­ grès de Montréal, Ingrid Betancourt—best known for her six years as a hostage of the terrorist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Co­ lombia (FARC)—spoke with Francois Bugingo, president of Reporters Without Borders Canada, and Anne-Marie Dussault, host of TV Radio-Canada, about the prospects for human rights reform in Colombia.

Betancourt, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is a former Colombian senator and presiden­ tial candidate who took a public stand against the leftist FARC and government corruption.

On February 23, 2002, during her presiden­ tial campaign, FARC kidnapped Betancourt.

Six years later, she was rescued along with 14 other hostages in a daring raid by Colombian intelligence and military officials posing as Red Cross representatives.

As the lights brightened and the audience murmured with excitement, Betancourt ap­ proached the stage to talk about her six year ordeal in the jungles of Colombia.

The moment she first knew she was cap­ tured was agonizing, she explained. Betan­ court recalled that when the FARC took her, See READJUSTMENT on PAGE 5

QPIRG members protest first Choose Life event of the school year No major problems arise TORI CRAWFORD News Editor

At the first Choose Life event of the year, members and guests of the pro-life club were confronted with protesters from the McGill branch of the Quebec Public Interest Research Group. The event, which took place last Thurs­ day in the Shatner Building's Lev Bukhman room, featured speakers who discussed the dif­ ficulties they had experienced after receiving

abortions.

Prior to the event, QPIRG members hold­ ing protest signs stood in the lobby next to the table staffed by Choose Life. When the event began, the protesters moved upstairs and stood silently inside the Lev Bukhman room as the presentations took place.

Natalie Fohl, president of Choose Life, said the goal of the event was to inform people of what Choose Life sees as the potential nega­ tive consequences of abortion.

“This is a program that reaches out to those who have been involved in abortion,

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whether they’ve had one or not, reaching out to them and saying, ‘It’s okay, we understand.

There’s help if you need it,”’ she said. “[The potential consequences] are not highly adver­ tised to say the least, but we think it’s really important in terms of empowering people to make important decisions about abortion.”

However, QPIRG protestors argued that Choose Life’s message could be damaging to many women on campus.

“We’re trying to make a presence at Choose Life events, so we can support women who are around for these events, and let them

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know that we’re not trying to guilt-trip them into feeling awful about whatever has hap­ pened to them,” said Keira Page, a QPIRG member who attended the protest.

Fohl acknowledged that Choose Life is accustomed to criticism, but maintained that the event was not intended to oppress anyone.

“We are trying to show as a club with this event that we really do care about women, and we also do believe that abortion hurts women,” said Fohl. “We think that’s something that needs to be shared.”

See OLLE on PAGE 2

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2 • Tuesday, September 29, 2009

News SCIENCE

CAMPUS

New neuroscience grad program Report projects dementia increase Program integrates various departments IBRAHIM AZAR Contributor

The McGill graduate program in neuroscience has changed its name to the Inte­ grated Program in Neuroscience this fall. The change, however, represents much more than just a name.

Until now, neuroscience researchers worked on similar subjects, though scattered throughout different departments. The IPN will consolidate all neuroscience researchers in all departments and all McGill-affiliated hospitals into one department.

“Future progress in neuroscience will in­ creasingly require interaction between diverse disciplines and areas of research specializa­ tion,” said David Ragsdale, associate director of the IPN. “Traditional departmental bound­ aries fail to capture the multidisciplinary na­ ture of modem neuroscience research.”

The new department brings together professors from cell biology, systems biol­ ogy, computer science, physics, philosophy, dentistry, psychology, engineering, and many other areas of specialization. In total, the IPN employs more than 160 principal investigators and has around 280 master’s and PhD candi­ dates, making it the largest graduate program in the Faculty of Medicine and one of the larg­ est neuroscience graduate programs in North America.

Joe Makkerh, administrator of the IPN, said the goal is for the IPN to become a worldrenowned neuroscience program for graduate students, attracting top candidates to McGill.

“For decades, McGill has had a wealth of researchers in neuroscience that is difficult to match anywhere else in the world,” said Mak­ kerh. “Unfortunately, until the IPN, McGill was not taking advantage of this treasure trove buried in its own backyard."

Students enrolled in the program will

benefit from many new advantages, including a broader choice of graduate courses. Makkerh believes this will help create better scientists.

“From their first day. rubbing shoulders with fellow neuroscience students who are not in the same discipline will be a relatively nor­ mal occurrence,” said Makkerh. “As the pro­ gram achieves these goals, we hope the quality of the applicants to the program will increase relative to competing universities elsewhere.”

Furthermore, starting in September 2010, the IPN will debut a new rotation program where selected graduate students will be able to sample up to four labs in their first year be­ fore picking the lab and the subject that inter­ ests them the most.

The new program was officially launched at an inaugural retreat on September 17 and 18 at the Mont-Royal Centre, which featured a talk by Brenda Milner, a recent winner of the prestigious international Balzan Prize.

The retreat also included a round robin event called Scientific Speed Dating, which, according to Makkerh, was the surprise hit of the retreat. Each participant spent ten minutes chatting about his or her research interest with a student from another lab or another depart­ ment. At the end of the conversation, each student moved to another station for another scientific conversation.

Both nights of the retreat of were capped by parties organized by the Graduate Student Association of Neuroscience. “It was a great way to start the new academic year, introduce new students to the preexisting ones, and begin establishing relationships with our peers in other institutes and departments around the city,” said Margaret Labban, president of the GSAN. While the retreat planners had 480 seats ready for the event, attendance was around 520. Given the success of this year’s retreat, Makkerh has decided to make the retreat an annual event.

In preparation for the event, Vice-Presi­ dent Clubs and Services Sarah Olle met with members of both groups to specify what would be allowed in terms of protesting. In addition, Olle worked with the head of security for the Shatner Building to develop a plan in case things got out of hand.

However, following the event Olle said that there were no major problems and was happy with the way both groups handled the situation.

“I think it went as smoothly as it could have been,” said Olle. “I think both Choose Life and the people who came to protest the event acted respectfully, calmly, and profes­ sionally, which I very much appreciated.”

Fohl explained that she was not surprised by the presence of protestors at the event.

“We’re getting used to it. With the Si­ lent No More campaign, whenever they do a university event there are counter-protesters,”

MOLLY GOMOLIN Contributor

According to the World Alzheimer Re­ port, released by Alzheimer’s Disease Interna­ tional, more than 35 million people worldwide will have dementia by 2010. The report indi­ cates a 10 per cent increase since 2005 over previous global dementia pervasiveness.

National Vital Statistics Reports, a 2007 project on death and leading causes of death revealed Alzheimer’s disease to be the sixth­ leading cause of death in the United States.

Patricia Wilkinson, manager of media and government relations for ADI, explained Alzheimer’s fatality as the progressive de­ struction of brain cells resulting in the system­ atic shutdown of the brain. Although the report was based on research completed in the U.S., it is representative of the general prevalence of Alzheimer’s worldwide.

Wilkinson emphasized that the disease no longer carries the same stigma that it did in the past, and is now recognized as an illness that necessitates great care and treatment.

“More people are aware of Alzheimer’s and are therefore seeking a diagnosis,” said Wilkinson.

Dr. Remi Quirion, associate dean of the McGill Faculty of Medicine, attributed the high prevalence of the disease to our aging population.

“As we live longer and the life expectancy increases, so do diseases of aging, such as de­ mentia. The main risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is still age,” said Quirion.

said Fohl. “They are certainly welcome to our event, to come hear the presentation and to share their opinion as well. There have been no problems so far, just dialogue, which we think is really great.”

In addition to this specific Choose Life event, Page said that the QPIRG demonstra­ tors were also there to protest the very exis­ tence of the club at McGill.

“Ideally, Choose Life wouldn’t be funded by students at McGill, but the issue is also a larger one,” said Page. “This is a fundamental right that women have, and it’s not something that is appropriate to be trying to take away from people.”

The next Choose Life event will take place on October 6, when Jose Ruba from the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform will give a public presentation. Page maintained that QPIRG will continue to demonstrate at any Choose Life events where it is possible to do so.

The disease is found primarily in people aged 60 and over. Genetics and lifestyle fac­ tors can also play a role in determining wheth­ er someone develops Alzheimer’s.

“Environmental factors, obesity, lack of exercise, and heart disease can add together to develop the disease,” said Wilkinson.

As of now, there is no way to prevent de­ mentia. However, there are measures that can reduce the chances of developing the illness.

Diet and physical and mental exercise can play important roles in strengthening the body and protecting it from dementia, according to Wilkinson.

Normal blood pressure values along with well-controlled cholesterol levels can help to avert the disease, explained Quirion. Wilkin­ son also emphasized the importance of healthy eating, particularly a Mediterranean-style diet which includes a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids which have been proven to help the brain.

Wilkinson explained that being “socially active and engaged” and continuing to chal­ lenge oneself are vital to maintaining an ac­ tive and healthy mind. Wearing protective head gear from a young age when bike riding or playing other intense sports is essential to preventing head injury, which has been shown to contribute to dementia as well.

As of now, Canada lacks a national strate­ gy for dealing with Alzheimer’s. Organizations such as Alzheimer’s Disease International are advocating for the government to implement a national strategy on how to treat the disease, making it a national priority.

CAMPUS

McGill to take part in Project Hero Becomes second Quebec school to join initiative

Olle praises behaviour of groups Continued from COVER

ADI advocates national strategy for Canada

JAMES GILMAN Managing Editor

McGill will take part in Project Hero, be­ coming the second Quebec university to an­ nounce its participation in the scholarship pro­ gram, which provides free tuition for the chil­ dren of Canadian military killed while serving in an active mission since 2002.

“We felt this was a small way in which we could show our support to individuals who are making a supreme sacrifice for the country, and a sacrifice that seriously and profoundly impacts their families,” said Morton Mendel­ son, deputy provost (student life and learning).

“So that was the spirit in which we’re doing this.”

Since Canada’s involvement in Afghani­ stan began in 2002, 131 Canadian soldiers have been killed during the mission.

Project Hero is the initiative of Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Reed and Retired General and former Chief of the Defence Staff Rick Hillier, and was first adopted by Memo­ rial University, the University of Ottawa, the University of Windsor, and the University of

Calgary.

Concordia signed up for the project in July, becoming the first Quebec university to do so.

Eligible students will receive tuition for an undergraduate program of up to four years.

In order to meet the eligibility require­ ments for the tuition exemption, students must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident under the age of 26, and be a dependent of a member of the Canadian Forces killed while on active duty.

Students will have to gain admission to McGill, and maintain satisfactory academic standing as a full-time student to be eligible.

“We’re talking about individuals who are accepted to the university,” said Mendelson.

"This is not a free pass for admission to the university, it is financial aid provided to stu­ dents who are duly admitted and then qualify for the scholarship.”

Yet, according to Mendelson, the hope is that Project Hero doesn’t have to provide for too many students.

“I hope and pray that there will not be a lot of people who can apply for this, because that would reflect the number of individuals who are impacted by deaths in the Canadian armed forces,” he said.

Curiosity Delivers

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 • 3

EDUCATION

Prevalence of mental illness on the rise among university students Stress o f being away from home could be a factor SARAH CRAMER Contributor

University students are being diagnosed with mental health issues at an increasing rate, claims new research conducted on North American students. Among the most common mental illnesses are anxiety and mood disor­ ders, such as depression, which double a stu­ dent’s likeliness to drop out of school.

A university setting can contribute to the development of mental illness, accord­ ing to McGill Mental Health Service Clinical Director Dr. Robert Franck. It’s often a stu­ dent’s first time away from home, when they leave behind their support structures and the network of friends and family on which they once relied. Franck claims that illnesses can also be accentuated during frosh week, when students sometimes begin to rely on dangerous strategies throughout their academic year. In addition, Franck said the emphasis universities place on outcome-based learning can cause in­ tense levels of stress.

“Students push to do well because they want to go to medical school or law school, and this increases pressure,” said Franck.

According to Dr. Perry Adler of the de­ partment of family medicine at McGill, the lifestyle the student experienced before uni­ versity can also have a profound impact. Ex­ cessive self-esteem building by parents at

a young age can poorly prepare students for competitive university academics.

Another element of parenting that can disrupt a student’s future is the notion of “hov­ ering,” explained Adler.

“Parents hover over their kids like a he­ licopter,” said Adler, who pointed to parents who often do their children’s work for them as an example. “They are trying to make sure that they are doing everything possible to prepare them for life.”

But, according to Adler, this type of par­ enting does more harm than good. Students are sent to university lacking knowledge of how to study and prepare alone. This equation can lead a student to develop anxiety and stress re­ lated illnesses, ultimately leading to failure.

Adler believes that the economic down­ turn and the faltering job market have also in­ creased psychological stress.

“In the past, getting a university degree was enough, and getting a job wasn’t much of a struggle,” said Adler. “But now we are seeing people getting MBAs who are being turfed.”

Franck, however, believes the increase in diagnoses does not necessarily mean more people are being affected. Instead, he said improved mental health services are identify­ ing more cases than in the past because more students are reporting their health issues. He acknowledges that there may be an increase, but it has to be looked at as relative to growth in services, which can then provide a more ac­ curate snapshot of the state of mental health.

McGill Mental Health Services offers a

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“full-service model,” meaning that students can have all their needs met, including crisis management and short-term therapy sessions.

Franck claimed that McGill’s model is unique among North American universities.

Another aspect of McGill’s services is student led initiatives. Programs such as the Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students Society and Queer Line offer a more studentcentred approach.

“If a fellow student is giving you a real­ ity check, you can identity on a peer basis. We can give out fliers and act as informational ex­ perts, but what is going to hit home is often the students themselves that reach out for each other,” said Franck.

Franck also credits floor fellows for their role as “front line facilitators.” Part of their two-week orientation involves presentations by psychologists from the Mental Health Cen­ ter, who advise floor fellows about what issues they may face in residences and how to deal with them.

Alex Bite, a floor fellow at Molson Hall, said they have been well equipped with infor­ mation regarding mental illness.

“We try to build a community of people and build a family, so that people will be able to eventually be comfortable enough that they can readily rely on each other,” she said.

Bite also explained for her to perform her role effectively, it’s important that she get to know her students personally.

“If something changes in their moods, their attitudes, then I can see that as a sign,”

JEFF ST. AUBIN

Students often face intense levels of stress. she said.

Whether increased mental illness in uni­ versity students is due to a rise in resources or another reason, students at McGill are wellequipped for dealing with their issues, even outside the university premises.

“Montreal is blessed to have such an array of services available. If you need help and you do the legwork, you can get the help you need,” said Adler.

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4 • Tuesday, September 29, 2009

SPEAKER ON CAMPUS

Jeff Rubin warns of imminent rise in oil prices to triple digits Talk part o f “ Working Outside the B ox”series SEAN WOOD Contributor

Jeff Rubin, aformerBay Street economist, spoke Thursday on why he believes imminent triple-digit oil prices are going to reverse the tides of globalization. The talk stemmed from his new book, Why Your World is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller.

Rubin’s main point was that the upcoming irreversibly high oil prices will make transpor­ tation extremely expensive and render a global economy impossible. The result, he argued, will be the re-emergence of local economies.

“In a world of triple-digit oil prices, there’s no avocado salad in Toronto and Mon­ treal during the winter, because the cost of flying in the avocados is going to make that avocado salad more expensive than a steak sandwich,” he said.

Rubin offered several explanations as to why oil prices will soon rise significantly.

First, he said that today’s most important oil sources, like the Athabasca Oil Sands in north­ eastern Alberta, are far more expensive to use than prior supplies. Another problem, he said, is that prices in oil-producing countries like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela allow unhindered

consumption. Finally, cheap cars in India and China, such as the $2,200 Tata Nano, are add­ ing to the existing explosion in world oil de­ mand that undermines consumer cutbacks on oil use in the United States and Canada.

“Every person who gets a Tata gets a straw to start sucking at a world gasoline supply that has not grown in the last four years. The more that they suck, the less that we suck, and what we do suck and slurp up costs us increasingly more,” said Rubin.

For these three reasons, Rubin argued, oil will soon be scarce and priced incredibly high. Contrary to mainstream opinion, Rubin also claimed that oil prices, and not sub-prime mortgages, caused the current global reces­ sion.

Rubin argued that governments, particu­ larly that of the United States, have failed to recognize both the imminence of price rises and the true cause of the recession. These mis­ understandings, he believes, are reflected in current policy and compound the problems we will face as a result of high oil prices. For ex­ ample, Rubin stated that the auto industry bail­ out was a major mistake because the price of gasoline will soon render auto travel obsolete, and that the money should have been spent to improve public transportation.

“Why have we spent billions of dollars investing in our past instead of our future?” he

LEADERSHIP TRAIN IN G PRO G R A M

HOLLY STEWART

asked.

According to Rubin, we will likely face an energy crisis. Despite his grim predictions, Rubin not only offered a solution, but offered one that will occur as the result of natural eco­ nomic forces rather that our own conscious effort. As oil becomes extraordinarily expen­ sive, we will be forced to focus on our local economies.

Rubin said that going local will result in many positive changes, such as the return of farming and manufacturing jobs.

“I believe that the very economic forces that paved over our farmland for suburban sprawl and that gutted our manufacturing sec-

CITY

Car-Free Day a huge success Seventh annual event closes downtown streets MARIA FLORES Contributor

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Diversity Amongst Students Tuesday, October 6, 5:30-7:30p m (dow ntow n campus) W h a t does it mean to tru ly be a w a re o f d ive rsity issues? Is your club, service or o rg a n iz a tio n being as inclusive as it can be? Come id e n tify ways to m ake your o rg a n iz a tio n m ore welcom ing.

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tor and sent them 10,000 miles away to China, [that] those very same economic forces will bring those jobs back,” he said.

Audience members were impressed with Rubin's speaking skills.

“I thought it was an impressive speak­ ing performance,” said Christopher Manfredi, dean of the faculty of arts. “He had the audi­ ence’s attention, bringing some interesting is­ sues that will cause people to think.”

The talk was part of the Faculty of Arts’ Speaker Series: Working Outside the Box, which brings back McGill graduates who have pursued unconventional careers. Rubin re­ ceived his master’s degree in economics from

Montreal’s seventh annual Car-Free Day was organized by the Metropolitan Transport Agency (AMT) last Tuesday. Vehicle traffic was blocked on the main downtown streets, where activities such as inline skating, skate­ boarding, and a free outdoor concert took place throughout the day.

“It’s an awareness day, and the main goal is to make people realize that it is possible to go to work without a car, using public tran­ sit and alternate forms of transportation. It’s also a day to promote collective transport in a festive atmosphere in downtown Montreal,” said Charles Durivage, AMT public relations representative.

The event began in Europe in 1999 as a way to reduce pollution and has since grown to include 1,300 cities around the world. Mon­ treal currently closes down the largest area out of all the cities that participate.

“We noticed a decrease in participation [compared to last year] due to the rain, but as soon as the rain stopped at around 11:30 we noticed that lots of people came in and partici­ pated in the events,” said Durivage. “It was a real success, like every year.”

According to Joël Gauthier, president and chief executive officer of the AMT, people have become increasingly aware of the vari­ ous ways they can help the environment.

During Car-Free Day, air quality in the perimeter improved as nitrogen oxides were reduced by 70 per cent compared to air out­ side the area.

“This means that Montreal is a city that really wants to get involved in the promotion of public transport, and [that] it is a city with

a great willingness to engage in environmental issues,” said Durivage.

McGill has participated in Car-Free Day since 2004, holding the event independently of the city but on the same day. The goal behind the event is to reinforce the university’s com­ mitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as to highlight the importance of envi­ ronmental policy.

“This is the fifth year McGill has partici­ pated in Car-Free-Day activities,” said Kath­ leen Ng, environmental officer at McGill. “The positive response received from our commu­ nity and the emissions reductions measured by the City are in themselves rewarding."

McGill’s Office of Sustainability arranged the closing of lower campus to traffic by pro­ viding extremely limited parking and keeping vehicular circulation to a minimum.

In addition, Greening McGill, a student run environmental group, and the Post-Grad­ uate Student Society coordinated student ta­ bling and activities on campus such as a fair trade cafe.

“Originally, [Car-Free Day] was also about lobbying the administration for a car-free campus, but they have this coming through in the plans slowly,” said Warren Huard, a mas­ ter’s student in classics and co-ordinator of Greening McGill. “I think it will be next year that lower campus will be car-free.”

In comparison to last year, the number of student groups who participated in the event increased, and many new activities took place. Huard said that the responses within the McGill community were positive and recog­ nized the increased support of McGill’s ad­ ministration.

“Over the years the [administration] has become more accommodating; this year they had Food Services out and security,” he said.

“They are becoming more cooperative over­ time for sure.”

Curiosity Delivers

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 • 5

CAMPUS

Global Food Security Conference to focus on financial turmoil Student groups to participate in event STEVEN HOFFER News Editor

Following positive reviews from last year’s inaugural event, McGill will host the second-annual Global Food Security Confer­ ence from October 5 to 7. The upcoming con­ ference, which will host speakers from a wide range of fields, will be conducted under the theme of “Impacts of Global Financial Tur­ moil on Food Security.”

Last fall, organizers were focussed mainly on the prevalence of the food crisis. Flowever, as the world’s attention shifted to the financial crisis, the hunger issue was not only overshad­ owed, but also re-contextualized.

“The financial crisis came along after the food crisis, which put a further damp­ ened effect on the food crisis,” said Chandra Madramootoo, dean of the faculty of agricul­ ture and environmental sciences. “So that is why this year the theme revolves around how the global financial crisis has made the impact of the food crisis even worse.”

Madramootoo identified two main effects of the financial downturn on the food crisis.

First, as the economy drove into a worldwide recession, the price of food rose, increasing

the number of impoverished people. As a re­ sult, these people are not able to buy the proper amount of food to achieve minimal nutritional standards. Secondly, Madramootoo points to a lack of funding for agricultural infrastructure.

“There has been a decline in investments in agriculture over the past 25 to 30 years and as a result of that decline countries were not boosting their food production capabilities de­ spite the continued population growth,” said Madramootoo, who also noted that the finan­ cial crisis has led to even less agricultural in­ vestment.

In addition to the underlying focus on the effects of the global recession, other confer­ ence topics include necessary investments for agricultural development, and the effects of climate change and biofuels on food security.

Don Smith, chair of the department of plant science, will be organizing the segment on biofuels in addition to chairing the panel on climate change. Having participated in last year’s conference, Smith has a strong un­ derstanding of the potential in such a unique gathering.

“We want to look at different areas from around the world, bringing in people from Brazil, the United States, China, and Russia,” said Smith. “We want to get a sense globally of what different jurisdictions are looking to­ wards in terms of potential biofuel utilization

Readjustment process difficult Continued from COVER the leader of the group that captured her put her into a separate car, and told her that she would be safe with him. Only then did she re­ alize that she would survive, but only as a hos­ tage. Throughout her experience, faith played a critical role in her survival.

“God was my strength later in the jungle, but early on, it was just a relationship of con­ venience,” said Betancourt. She also recalled her anger at God for not saving her father, who had died soon after her kidnapping. She thought it was God’s fault, but then realized that her father’s death had saved him from fur­ ther suffering.

Michel Venne, director of the Institut du Nouveau Monde, the group that arranged the event, said that although Betancourt willingly accepted the invitation to speak, her security was key to her participation and she is still under the protection of France.

Venne added that he hoped that the con­ ference would instill two ideas into audience members. First, to be happy that you live in a democracy, even though it is flawed, and secondly, to never forget the others who are still trapped in the jungle and never forget how terrible it is to be kidnapped. Venne also em­ phasized that although Betancourt is an icon to some, she is really just a woman who stood up and struggled for fundamental values.

When in the jungle, she said an epiphany hit her: “If God exists, it’s for something good; maybe I can’t understand now, but maybe someday I will.”

and how they are going to achieve this not only without interfering with global food pro­ duction but really, how they are going to use this to help global food production.”

Smith and Madramootoo both empha­ sized the unique dynamic available given the

“We want to look at different areas from around the world, bringing in people from Brazil, the United States, China, and Russia,” — Don Smith, chair of the department of plant science

structure of this conference, which draws on a range of academics, industry officials, gov­ ernment representatives, large businesses, and students alike. “[The conference] really does bring to­ gether key players from around the world in this area of thinking and it does so at a time when we really need to be looking at this,” said Smith. “It brings together not just gov­ ernment representatives, but people from all sectors and I don't think that happens very often.”

One criticism that arose from last year’s

conference was that students had very few chances to interact with the speakers. To facil­ itate communication this year, Madramootoo and the conference organizers have instituted a student networking reception to provide the opportunity for students to interact with speakers.

In addition to greater student participa­ tion, select student groups are taking a ac­ tive role in this year’s conference. Engineers Without Borders (EWB) will host a table at the conference aimed at promoting both the organization and its projects fighting the food crisis. The group will also compile video of conference speakers engaged in discussion and broadcast it through the EWB national of­ fice.

“We do have a big focus on food security and agriculture, even though our scope is quite broad,” said Aline Bennett, EWB vice-presi­ dent member education, and current junior fellow. “In Canada, our programs are really about social change and creating awareness, but food security is one thing that our chapter at MacDonald campus has really taken hold of.”

To register for the McGill Conference on Global Food and Security, visit www.mcgill. ca/globalfoodsecurity.

The Faculty of Arts presents

Betancourt briefly addressed the contro­ versial allegations that she treated her fellow hostages poorly, saying that she would clarify the issue in her own book and that she had not as of yet read any of the allegations.

As for forgiveness, Betancourt believes it is a necessary process.

“If you keep resentment and vengeance, you make yourself sad, and you hold on to the past versus letting it go,” she said. While she admitted that she was a victim of terrorism’s hatred, she emphasized that she had endured and prevailed.

Although her readjustment process was difficult, Betancourt is currently “obsessed” with freeing the hostages who are still in the jungle and feels guilty that she is free while they are not. She also said that the FARC must know that “we hate them, we don’t need them, and we are disgusted by them.”

As for her interest in one day becoming the president of Colombia, Betancourt was much more ambiguous.

“I’m putting a cross on that now. If it’s meant to happen, God will make it happen,” she said.

After she left with a barrage of journal­ ists, photographers, and onlookers following her, an audience member. Miriam from Co­ lombia, spoke warmly of Betancourt.

“I never thought she would survive, but I am so happy that she lived,” she said. “[The FARC] has supposedly embraced the Commu­ nist ideology, but really it’s just using that for drugs, arms, and power.”

A McDonald-Currie Lecture

Problematology as a New Vision of Philosophy: The Enigmatic in Art, Literature and Science Michel Meyer Professor of Philosophy The Universities of Brussels and Mons Brussels, Belgium M ichel M eyer is a m ajor fig u re in the fie ld o f European Philosophy. H e h as pu blished over 20 singleauthored books and has edited 12 others. His book On Problem atology is considered by many to b e a decisive breakthrough in the philosophy o f reasoning and cognition. His most recent m ajor book, Principia R hetorica, was released in Paris in October 2008. P rofessor M eyer is also editor o f the Revue Internationale de Philosophie, President o f the E uropean Centre f o r Argumentation Study , and Book-Series Editor o/“ L 'In terrog atio n philosophique" at Presses Universitaires de France.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009 6:00 p.m.

Reception to follow

Stephen Leacock Building Room 232 855 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal QC For more information contact the Département de langue et littérature fran çaises Tel: (514) 398-6881 Email: marc.angenot@mcgill.ca

? McGill mm

6 • Tuesday, September 29, 2009

GANGSTER POLITICS Montreal’s streets in the mid-1990s were a very different place. Rival biker gangs were in an all-out war. More people per capita were killed in the 1990s motorcycle wars in Mon­ treal than were killed during similar gang clashes—think Bloods vs. Crips—in the Unit­ ed States during the same period.

If you’ve ever studied the Montreal gang wars or seen any of the documentaries about them, you’ll have noticed the most fascinat­ ing thing about the history of these wars is that the winner is always a small group of people who end up controlling the vast majority of the wealth, and the lion’s share of the power. In the Montreal gang wars, it was The Mafia (Capital T, Capital M), who controlled the majority of the illicit economy in this city both before and after the gang wars. They were above the lowlevel drug deals and petty crime that motor­ cycle gangs traded in. It didn’t matter which gang won—life would be marginally better for that gang, identically crappy for the average person caught in the middle, and just as profit­ able for the Mafia bosses at the top.

I can’t help but use this thought to intro­ duce my thoughts on the potential upcoming federal election. No matter who wins, it won’t be the average Canadian who benefits.

To be clear: I hate Stephen Harper. I think his agenda is dangerous and aggressive and I support any and all actions to stop him in his tracks.

But, that said, there has never been a personality in federal politics that makes my blood boil like Michael Ignatieff does. And I’ve met Stockwell Day. Everyone knows the usual accusations against Ignatieff. That he’s “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” for having supported the criminal in­ vasion of Iraq as well as the use of torture in the so-called War Against Terrorism. That he’s “not really Canadian” because he spent the majority of his professional life as an Ameri­

Fresh Hell Zoe Daniels

zdaniels@mcgilltribune.com FUCK YO U ’ R E BAD GRAMMAR I’m one of those people who gets annoyed when other people mix up homonyms. You’re and your. Their, there, and they’re. Pare, pair, and pear. So it figures that the patois of the Internet and text-message culture enrages me. Sure, the registers of discourse have been blurred with the advent of the Internet, but I don’t think that makes it okay for me to sign an email to my boss *:.2()E DaNiE15Z.:* Unfortunately for most, my annoyance comes with a slew of pithy comments and judgment directed at the offending party. 1 judge people to be dumber, less careful, and less articulate, even when their faults are

O

p i n i o n

can academic at an American institution. But those accusations don’t really bother me, as most Liberals supported the War on Iraq at its beginning, and I don’t really see much dif­ ference between mainstream Canadian and American academia.

What bothers me is that—more than other Liberals—I have no idea what makes Ignatieff any different than Harper, except that Harper’s platform tells us how he’s going to mess up our system while Ignatieff hides behind notso-witty one-liners.

In good faith I actually ask: what issue should we elect Ignatieff over?

The economy? No—the Liberal Party car­ ried Harper’s government through the attacks on our economy that brought the recession spi­ raling upon us. When funding for employment insurance—the first genuine proposal to help Canadians struggling with the economy— was put forward, Ignatieff chose politics over people. He tried to force an election for selfish political reasons, forcing the NDP and Bloc to support the government's proposal.

The environment? Yes, Harper chose do­ nuts over our future when he decided to ap­ pear at a Tim Hortons instead of the United Nations General Assembly last week. But how can a party that oversaw massive increases in greenhouse gas productions while their star environmentalist Stéphane Dion was environ­ ment minister, be trusted to do any better? Ig­ natieff has already made it clear that he sees the environment and the economy as opposing demands, a backwards mentality for anyone trying to make environmental progress in the 21 st century.

The unjust and unwinnable occupation of Afghanistan? Nope. Ignatieff has made it clear that in his mind, military strategies are still Canada’s main tool in the war in Afghanistan.

So it seems we’re stuck in a financial sinkhole, pouring money into a war that both American and Canadian military brass are now implying is completely unwinnable—a greater ‘quag­ mire’ than even Iraq.

Yet, soon enough, Canadians will go to the polls and either keep Harper in place or replace him with Ignatieff. But, just like in the gang wars of Montreal, it doesn’t really matter who comes out on top between the two. Those who have reaped the benefits of the disastrous course the Liberals and Conservatives have had us on will continue to profit.

On a hot August Sunday, my Grandma and I sat around her breakfast table exchang­ ing sections of the newspaper. After sharing our thoughts on the week’s Modem Love col­ umn, she handed me Parade Magazine, an al­ most facetiously lowbrow national magazine inserted into all the worst Sunday newspapers around the United States.

There was a story in the magazine by Bill O’Reilly, host of The O ’Reilly Factor on Fox News, titled “What President Obama Can Teach America’s Kids.” Shocked, I began reading. In the article O’Reilly cited five spe­ cific lessons young students could draw from Obama’s life: forgiveness, respect, persis­ tence, hard work, and, most importantly, that “In America, anything is possible.”

Parade ’s editor, Janice Kaplan, anticipat­ ed the obvious questions by asking O'Reilly, “Why did you write the article? Given your audience and what your fans expect of you, why write something supporting Obama?”

O’Reilly, to his immense credit, answered: “I don't agree with all of Obama’s policies. But I admire what he’s done as a person. I came from poor circumstances and I’m impressed by how he lifted himself up ... We should take positive examples wherever we find them.”

Can any warm-blooded mammal with the slightest knowledge of O’Reilly’s inflam­ matory past claim to be wholly unmoved by that sentiment? Moreover, can anyone imag­ ine O’Reilly’s comments instead coming from Glenn Beck or Sarah Palin or any of the other crazies who have discovered the secret to suc­ cess in the Internet Age: that she who shouts loudest garners the most attention?

On the September 16 O ’Reilly Factor, the host was interviewing a conservative pol­ icy analyst regarding the ongoing U.S. health care debate. They were specifically discussing the tenability of the public option, heretofore lauded on the left and detested on the right.

“just” on the Internet. Practically everyone I know responds to my grammatical correc­ tions by saying, “What’s the big deal? It’s just Facebook/a blog post/MSN!” When I persist, I'm sure they feel talked down to. I understand that, but the big deal is that it’s not “just” any of those things.

Given the enormous amount of that time we, as a society, spend on the Internet, it’s ri­ diculous to think that the online persona you project is unimportant. Facebook is not “just” for communicating with your friends—it’s for displaying yourself to anyone that bothers to look. Friends of friends, parents, teachers, employers, and anyone who can use Google all have access to that single version of you.

Given the amount of time and thought most people put into their appearance on a daily basis, I can’t understand why they neglect to do the same to their online personas. If you untag unflattering pictures of yourself, then you should at least try to spell correctly. It’s the same principle: you want to control your image. You think ho one cares? I care. I spend an embarrassing amount of time online and a

slightly smaller but equally important amount of time judging what I find.

Whether or not people choose to mani­ cure their online selves, I want them to take responsibility for their choice. I find that de­ flecting my grammatical suggestions by argu­ ing that the fault belongs to the casualness of the medium just makes me angrier and more willing to nitpick. It’s not Facebook’s fault that you can’t spell or punctuate.

The same argument applies for anything you use to show who you are. Which brand of laptop you have, which parties you go to, and what kind of clothes you wear—it all matters.

I’ve heard people say, “It doesn’t matter what I wear, it’s just clothes.” It’s never just clothing.

Clothes, like proper grammar and recognition of homophony, are indexical signs that point to something else. They’re not “just” sterling silver ball earrings, they’re Tiffany’s. Don’t let any WASP tell you otherwise. The signs you use to represent yourself are there even if you’re not consciously choosing them. Make them your responsibility. Put out an accurate message and don’t cop out when someone calls

Pinata Ricky Kreitner

B IL L O ’ R E IL L Y , A NEW HOPE

mcgilltribune.com

Interrupting his guest (old habits die hard), O’Reilly declared: “I want, not personally for me, but for working Americans, to have an option, that if they don't like their health in­ surance, if it’s too expensive, if they can’t af­ ford it, if the government can cobble together a cheaper insurance policy that gives the same benefits, I see that as a plus for the folks.”

That is essentially indistinguishable from the position of the Senate’s Democrats. Again, one attempts in vain to imagine Beck or Palin admitting the same.

Last week, O’Reilly was again in the news regarding a speech he gave to a rightwing gathering in Washington at the annual Values Voters Summit hosted by the evangeli­ cal Family Research Council. He was the only speaker who barred the media from cover­ ing his oration. Inevitably, however, footage leaked, and now any Internet user can watch O’Reilly deliver standard right-wing invective against abortion doctors and liberal bias in the media.

Some may point to this speech as evi­ dence that O’Reilly is still the same O’Reilly, and that nothing has changed. But I think a more plausible interpretation is that he knew he could not go to an ultra conservative sum­ mit and deliver anything but what was ex­ pected of him. Given this necessity, he did not want footage of his speech to reach a broader audience and destroy his attempt at the stylis­ tic transformation that I’ve tried to document above.

Even Jon Stewart, who affectionately calls his frequent nemesis “Papa Bear," told his audience, “He’s actually the most reason­ able person at that event. [Audience boos.]

Yeah? Guess what? Deal with it.”

The lines in the sand of American politics are being redrawn. The rationalists are begin­ ning to align themselves against the hysteric extremists of both parties. This can only be a positive development—as Glenn Beck and Moveon.org deserve no company if not each other.

Bill O’Reilly has glimpsed the future of the ultraconservative movement in the U.S. It terrifies him, and he wants no part of it. No­ body should be too surprised if he begins to distance himself more visibly from the likes of Beck and the rest of the intellectual vacuum that is the American right. That’s change even I can believe in.

you on it. If someone tells you your Malcom X t-shirt is ridiculous because you’re a 20-yearold upper middle class Asian, you don’t have to say, “It’s laundry day.” Say, “I respect his convictions,” and get into an argument about it. It’s much more productive, and much more fun for everyone—especially if it means I’m able to tell my friends that I saw an Asian kid in a Malcom X t-shirt beat the crap out of that redhead with the Rocky Horror face.

This is a plea—as my columns so often are—for change. I’m judging the fuck out of you, so if you don’t want to cry when you hear what I think, pay some attention to what you’re giving me to work with. Stop trying to blame the medium when I correct your grammar. Just be like, “Yeah, thanks, I totally spelled that wrong, but I’m fixing it right now.” Alterna­ tively, engage me in an argument and show me just how wrong I am for doubting your judge­ ment. At least then your friends can tell every­ one about that time you decked the four-eyed girl for talking smack about “you’re english skillz.”

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 • 7

Curiosity Delivers

------------ — M c G ill ^ T

E D I T O R IA L ------------

r ib u n e

Charkaoui: innocent until proven guilty

www.mcgilltribime.com E D IT O R -IN -C H IE F Thomas Quail editor@mcgilltribune.com

The balance between civil liberties and national security has always been difficult to strike. Go too far in one direction and fear mongering trumps due process, too far the other way and Canadian citizens are put at risk.

The case of Moroccan-born Canadian resident Adil Charkaoui is one example of the challenges of dealing with suspected terrorists. Arrested in 2003 on suspicion of being an Al-Qaeda sleeper agent, Charkaoui spent two years in prison and an additional four years under strict bail conditions—in­ cluding the requirement that he wear a GPStracking bracelet at all times, and remain in Montreal unless given permission to go elsewhere in Canada.

These restrictions on Charkaoui’s civil rights were imposed due to a security certifi­ cate sought by the Canadian Security Intel­ ligence Service, and signed by the Canadian immigration and public services ministers.

MANAGING E D IT O R S James Gilman jgilman@mcgilltribune.com Carolyn Yates cyates@mcgilltribune.com PR O D U CTIO N M A N AGER Adam Scotti ascotti@mcgilltribune.com N EW S E D IT O R S Tori Crawford Steven Hoffer Trip Yang news@mcgilltribune.com OPIN ION E D IT O R Matt Chesser opinion@mcgilltribune.com F E A T U R E S E D IT O R S Shannon Kimball Brahna Siegelberg features@mcgilltribune.com A R T S & EN T ERT A IN M EN T E D IT O R S Kyle Carpenter Laura Tindal arts@mcgilltribune.com S P O R T S E D IT O R S Kailan Leung Jon Rubenstein sports@mcgilltribune.com

Commentary

PH O TO E D IT O R S Alice Walker Julia Webster photo@mcgilltribune.com

Josh Tal & Ariel Resnikoff

D ESIG N E D IT O R S Alison Bailey Zoe Brewster design@mcgilltribune.com

IN D EFEN C E O F CULT STUDIES

C O P Y E D IT O R Carolyn Grégoire

Re: “ Pinata Diplmacy: James M cG ill— Turning in my grave ” by Ricky Kreitner

O N LIN E E D IT O R Alexandr Cartasiov online@mcgilltribune.com

Pop Quiz: What do civil engineering, Thucydides, Aristotle and the 18th century novel have in common?

Answer: They make up Ricky Kreitner’s all-encompassing definition of a “serious edu­ cation.” Kreitner’s baseless polemic against the cultural studies department in last week’s Tribune displays a superb ignorance and an obviously very shallow and ill-researched un­ derstanding of one of McGill’s most promi­ nent programs, and subsequently a powerful and respected force within contemporary aca­ demia. Bravo, Ricky! But before we become belligerent, let’s get down to business.

Firstly, it’s poignant that Kreitner chooses to use the voice of James McGill in his idiotic rant, ironically delegitimizing himself from the get-go.

If Kreitner wants to preach “why things

A D V ER T ISIN G M A N AGER Dallas Bentley cpm@ssmu.mcgill.ca P U B L ISH E R Chad Ronalds

CONTRIBUTORS Ibrahim Azar, Julie Beaucham p, Cristophe Boyer, Sarah Cramer, Zoe D aniels, Oubai El Kerdi, Francesca Ferenczi, M aria Flores, Natalie Fohl, G race G low icki, M olly G om olin, Jana Goodbaum, Sam Katzman, John Kelsey, W alker Kitchens, Zoe Kichler, Ricky Kreitner.

Andrew M iller, Emma Quail, Ariel R esnikoff, Max Silverm an, Holly Stewart, Je ff St. Aubin. M R Stine, Josh Tal. Ryan Taylor, Indu Vashist, Sean Wood, Sarah W oolf

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Margolis (22.09.09)

necessarily represent those of the Students' Society or McGill Uni­ versity. Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@mcgilltribune. com and must include the contributor's name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune

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I was really annoyed when reading Jus­ tin Margolis’ piece entitled "Time to Learn French.” Yes, Quebec is an institutionally unilingual French province. Yes, people living here should expect French to be a part of their everyday lives and fully integrate themselves into the French culture. That bus driver didn’t have to answer Muhammad Ahmad Munir’s question in English, but she still should have.

Security certificates allow the government to impose restrictions on suspected terrorists while seeking their deportation.

Charkaoui has publicly expressed his innocence since the day of his arrest, and has slowly chipped away at the provisions of the security certificate and CSIS’s case against him. He won a Supreme Court case in February 2007 that required the Canadian government to create a new class of defence lawyers for suspected terrorists, and then another Supreme Court case that ordered CSIS to stop destroying its tapes and notes related to terrorism investigations. He suc­ cessfully railed against the circumstantial evidence submitted by CSIS —suspicious friendships and a trip to the Middle East in the late 90s—and testimony secured from other alleged terrorists who had been waterboarded by U.S. interrogators.

Finally after a six-year odyssey, Judge Danièle Tremblay-Lamer ruled last week

that all restrictions on Charkaoui must be lifted after CSIS pulled some of their re­ maining evidence, fearing that disclosure could damage confidential sources and on­ going investigations.

The Tribune commends TremblayLamer for her decision. Six years was long enough. While we can’t say with any con­ fidence that Charkaoui is completely inno­ cent, he deserves to be treated as such unless some form of convincing evidence can be brought against him. Circumstantial proof and information obtained during the torture of other suspected terrorists does not meet the burden of proof needed in our society.

While it’s necessary that CSIS oper­ ate in the shadows, our legal system must work in the light. If the evidence compiled

by CSIS doesn’t hold up to scrutiny in a courtroom, then Charkaoui deserves to be a free man.

are the way they are,” let’s remember that James McGill was a money hungry, fur-trad­ ing slave owner who took advantage of the indigenous First Nations of Quebec to gamer money in order to bequeath his kind-hearted philanthropy. Standing on the shoulders of this giant was perhaps not the best idea.

Kreitner seems to have been blinded by the admittedly extravagant fashion stylings common to cultural studies, and consequently fails to look past course titles in his “biting” criticism. He simply ignores the idea that there could be anything of value within the art forms produced in our present culture. We live in a convoluted time as our lives are inundated on a daily basis with images, sounds, and texts that shape who we are and convince us of who we should become. To navigate through this bot­ tomless information glut is not an easy feat, and the writers, filmmakers, and artists who produce today are very much imbued in the traditions of the past, while they build upon these traditions to produce complex critiques on this elaborate century. To analyze and in­ terpret these art forms and the enormous body of critical knowledge surrounding them is not only of “enduring value,” but also necessary in navigating the mystified society we live in. To claim that the underpinnings of “true educa­ tion” can only be found in Greek philosophy or foundational historical texts is dangerously close-minded and leaves Kreitner engaging

in a game of name-dropping as proof for an indeterminate definition of the educational skills necessary to give back to world. At one starting point in cultural studies we can look at Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer’s anal­ ysis of, and reaction to, the culture of fascism they witnessed in Nazi Germany. Is that not relevant to us today? Is that too relativist for you? We won’t stoop to the level of spewing more names, but for anyone who does even a preliminary amount of research on cultural studies and its rich and intricate roots, it be­ comes immediately obvious how many bril­ liant minds have contributed (and continue to contribute) to the everlasting analytic perspec­ tive that cultural studies garners.

Kreitner is guilty of a misguided, self-ab­ sorbed, bombastic patronization of a field he most certainly does not understand. We’ve got our eyes on you, you fucker. Let’s see if your little column portrays anything of “enduring value” in the Trib issues to come, because so far buddy, it sounds like a bullshit tabloid you would find in the check-out line of a super­ market. It is easy to laugh at your uninformed diatribe, but from a cultural studies perspec­ tive, it’s truly sadder than it is funny. And so we pray for you Ricky. And so we pray.

I have worked nine years serving the public, and if there’s one thing I know it’s that good customer service is important for any business or organization. If you speak a little Spanish and your customer from Guatemala would un­ derstand you better, then speak Spanish. Same goes for any other language. You don’t have to. of course, but it’s the right thing to do. You accommodate the client whenever possible, not the other way around. Had the situation been in Toronto and a driver refused to answer in French even though he easily could have, I would be just as appalled. If she knew how to say the time in English and just decided not to because she didn’t feel like it, I would fire her on the spot if I were her boss. I expect much more from city employees.

—Stephanie Lemieux Public Relations Management I

In response to Justin Margolis’ article about French Quebec, I would like to remind him and everyone else that Anglophones out­ side Quebec stopped trying to learn French after bills 62 and 101 were passed. It’s a slap in the face that, after Canada was declared bi­ lingual, Quebec decided to become French.

Why should the rest of Canada learn French when Quebec decided they would not learn English? I don’t blame the rest of Canada for not speaking French, I blame the hardline sep­ aratists for not giving them a reason to. Why should the rest of Canada learn French when Quebec keeps saying it wants to separate?

Seems like a waste of time to me.

—Stephen David U2 Mining Engineering

Josh Tal is a U3 Cultural Studies and Psy­ chology student. Ariel Resnikoff is a U2 Eng­ lish Literature and Jewish Studies student.

mcgilltribune.com

8 • Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Commentary Sarah Woolf CHOOSE CHOICE Much has been said about the “Choose Life debate,” and simultaneously, not much has been said at all. To recap, in March 2009 the Students’ Society’s Legislative Council granted full club status to the anti-choice ad­ vocacy group Choose Life. There are many McGill community members who have vo­ cally criticized this decision. While I cannot speak for the entire pro-choice community, I’m going to attempt to explain why many of us feel that Choose Life doesn’t belong on McGill’s campus.

Throughout this debate, many advocates of Choose Life have based their defence of the club upon a misguided conflation of two en­ tirely separate things: club status and freedom of speech.

To clarify, denying club status is not tantamount to stifling discussion on campus, as so many people have argued. Students are encouraged to gather and discuss impor­ tant, often divisive, issues on campus, but it’s wrong to claim that one requires club status to do so.

Club status, however, is required for indi­ viduals to pursue formal goals. This is a cru­ cial distinction to make: students have opin­ ions, but clubs have goals. With our offer of “club status,” SSMU not only granted Choose Life space under our umbrella of protection, but also the opportunity to apply for monetary support that comes from the SSMU fees that all students pay. Full club status is an implicit endorsement of the pursuit of Choose Life’s goal: to convince young women that abortions are morally wrong and that they should not have an abortion if they become pregnant. A common response to my assertion that clubs are about goals, not opinions, is that universi­ ties can and do endorse multiple and compet­ ing goals. I would agree. The difference, how­ ever, is that SSMU’s Liberal, Conservative and New Democratic political parties (for in­ stance) do not, as their goal and mandate, tar­ get a historically and systemically oppressed minority group—young women.

Let’s not mince words about the impact anti-abortion advocacy can have on women.

Telling a woman what to do with her body is oppressive. Furthermore, this oppression

Commentary Natalie Fohl CHOOSE

l if e ’s

RAISON

d’

ÊTRE

When we’re talking about abortion, what does the right to choose mean? The common mantra is that a woman should have the right to choose what happens in and to her body. But portraying abortion this way is dishonest, and ignores the salient truth that when a woman chooses abortion she is not only exercising control over her own body, but over another’s as well. This right is the right to choose to end the life of another human being.

Many will say that the unborn child, though human, is not a person with value like you and I. What this amounts to is age dis­ crimination. Denying personhood based on size, level of development, degree of depen­ dency, or environment is as arbitrary as doing

takes place in her very own community. Yes, McGill is a university, but it is also 'work' and ‘home’ for many of us. How many readers can imagine going to their place of work— let alone their home—only to be assailed by images of fetuses saying, “I like to hear my Mommy’s voice!” These images—the ones used by Choose Life during one of three events they had to host in order to achieve full-club status—are designed and worded to induce guilt. Student union support of anti­ abortion clubs is inappropriate; termination or non-termination is a private decision to be decided by the woman affected, not by public (or club) opinion.

While I would argue that anti-abortion groups have no place in publicly funded post­ secondary institutions, the approval of Choose Life was an especially hypocritical moment for SSMU given two past decisions. First, the club is antithetical to SSMU’s pioneering at­ titude toward women’s reproductive freedom, established in 1968, when we sponsored the first birth control handbook on university cam­ puses. Sponsorship of Choose Life is a retro­ grade step. Second, in 2006, SSMU banned blood drives in our building because they dis­ criminated against a specific group of students (in this case, gay men), thus contravening our constitution. Choose Life is similarly op­ pressive to a campus group, but unlike blood drives, Choose Life doesn’t even objectively benefit our community.

This leads me to the larger problem.

Why, especially considering SSMU’s previ­ ously progressive attitudes toward preventing oppression on campus, has the oppression of women at McGill been ignored? Moreover, why is this oppression open to debate and interpretation? Throughout the national dis­ course on anti-abortion campus groups, there has been an unsettling rhetoric espoused by the “defenders of free speech,” that those of us who oppose these groups simply don’t like what we hear. Dismissively discounting op­ pression as merely “unsavoury” is not a solu­ tion; it only leads to the unsettling conclusion that sexism—in this case, the calling of op­ pression by any other name—is somehow an “acceptable ” thing to hear.

Free speech is protected in Canada, but there are limitations—namely, that one per­ son’s speech does not infringe upon another person’s freedom. Bluntly, freedom from op­ pression trumps freedom of speech every time. It behooves both our university and our student union to take an active stance in fight­ ing the oppression of all minority groups.

At its most basic, “the right to choose” means respect and bodily sovereignty: each individual person defines and makes deci­ sions for their own body. These decisions are made according to their own understanding of their body, morality, and reality. Furthermore, the appropriate context for these decisions is a personal and community framework, as op­ posed to a moral or legal code.

As historians note, fertility management was once an independent and communitybased practice. It became legislated and re­ stricted in European societies and colonies as part of specific projects of power and profit. In the 19th century, with the Industrial Revolu­ tion, the continuing expansion of colonialism, and the entrenchment of capitalism, there was a need for more workers and soldiers than ever before. The production of goods and the main­ tenance of empire was dependent on the (re) production of bodies to make those goods and uphold that empire.

In Canada prior to Confederation, the ma­ jority of recorded recipients of abortions and practitioners were upper class white women.

Abortion was criminalized in 1869, in the same era as immigration restriction and forced sterilization of Indigenous women. All of these policies were part of prime minister John A. Macdonald’s declared vision of Canada as “a white man’s country.” It wasn’t about morals or rights; it was about the power to control the population.

Resistance began immediately. In 1879, the Crown indicted Dr. Emily Stowe for dis­ tributing abortifacients. In 1936, social worker Dorothea Palmer was arrested and charged for offering birth control information. In 1968, after practicing family medicine for 20 years in the east end of Montreal, Henry Morgentaler saw a real and tangible need for safe abor­ tions, and began to offer them.

On Valentine’s Day 1970, the Abortion Caravan (started by a feminist group in B.C.) sent a letter to the government of Canada stat­ ing: “We consider the government of Canada to be in a state of war with the women of Can­ ada. If steps are not taken to implement our demands ... we will be forced to respond by declaring war on the Canadian government.

so based on race, gender, or religion.

Choose Life exists to speak on behalf of this second human life, a person that cannot yet speak for him or herself.

Some pro-choice advocates who recog­ nize what abortion does to an unborn human being nonetheless believe that a woman must be able to choose the fate of this child as part of her exercise of bodily autonomy. Unfor­ tunately, as a result of this, the reality of the choice to abort is neither recognized nor ad­ vertised. I’m sure some believe that it is not necessary, and that it in fact may hurt women who have had abortions.

Last week, Choose Life hosted the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, where guests who have personally experienced abortion shared their stories. A message they all empha­ sized was that the euphemisms surrounding abortion (“choice,” “products of conception,” “clump of cells”) did not help them make their decision or deal with the consequences after­ ward. The truth, they said, was what led them to true healing by allowing them to come to

terms with the choice they knew they had made and the pain that they were experiencing as a result. While I recognize that they don’t repre­ sent every post-abortive individual, I hope we can agree that being honest about abortion and its potential consequences is far more empow­ ering for women in terms of allowing them to make fully informed decisions.

Choose Life exists to lend a different, and equally important, perspective to the debate surrounding abortion.

I think most people in the pro-choice movement will agree that no woman should ever feel like abortion is her only option, as that means she has no real choice at all. But I suspect the fact that we have so shrouded abortion in euphemisms has encouraged peo­ ple to see it as somewhat trivial for women.

And this, I’m afraid, has contributed to a cul­ ture where there is no real support for women to choose life or to express her feelings about a past abortion. Practical resources for parents are clearly lacking, but perhaps more telling is the lack of neutral support from friends, fam­

Commentary M R Stine & Indu Vashist A HISTORY O F CHOICE

We are angry, furious women and we demand our right to human dignity.”

Women travelled from Vancouver to Ot­ tawa, gathering numbers as they went. The Caravan reached Ottawa on Mother’s Day and delivered coffins full of bloodied imple­ ments used to induce abortions at home to the Prime Minister’s house. As a finale, 35 women chained themselves to the parliamentary gal­ lery in the House of Commons, closing Parlia­ ment for the first time in Canadian history.

The work of the feminist movement and Morgentaler’s legal battles led to the 1988 Su­ preme Court decision to decriminalize abor­ tion. Chief Justice Brian Dickson wrote that restricting reproductive autonomy is a “pro­ found interference with a woman’s body and thus an infringement of security of the per­ son.”

However, no law or precedent that guar­ anteed access to abortion was passed and le­ gally, abortion access remains in a vacuum.

On the ground, access to safe, free abortions is still at best uneven and at worst non-existent.

Abortion clinics exist in some cities, but rarely in rural settings. To this date, patients and pro­ viders remain under threat of intimidation, ha­ rassment, and violence.

The debate around abortion has remained in the legal, political, and institutional realm.

Consistently there have been attempts to es­ tablish legislation that would give rights to the fetus. This is a step towards the recriminaliza­ tion of abortion, and symptomatic of contin­ ued sexism in Canadian law and medical prac­ tice. Politicians have been presenting bills that on the surface are about other issues; however, these bills are being pushed by an anti-choice lobby that is invested in chipping away at ex­ isting legislation.

Originally, criminalization of abortion was not about morality, it was about establish­ ing male European dominance. Abortion was decriminalized because women were dying in large numbers from botched self-abortions.

The Abortion Caravan and Henry Morgentaler were responding to the reality that abortions are a difficult but necessary part of life and family. Today there is a need to re-orient the discussion to address the legislative vacuum and towards legalization and increasing access to abortion.

Indu Vashist is co-cordinator o f QPIRG McGill. MR Stine is aabortion clinic worker and counselor who helped initiate the Mont­ real-based reproductive autonomy campaign.

ily, and the community for a woman to choose life in the face of an unexpected pregnancy.

Choose Life exists to connect pregnant, parenting, and post-abortive individuals to the support that they need.

I can understand (though I disagree with) the belief that forbidding abortion is oppres­ sive to women. Just as it’s essential for prochoicers to recognize what the choice of abor­ tion entails, it’s equally necessary for pro-lif­ ers to recognize that carrying an unexpected pregnancy to term is far from trivial.

Choose Life has no power to stop women from choosing abortion. What we do have is a dissenting perspective, and the ability and desire to introduce this perspective into public discussion, in the interest of promoting respect for all human life.

Natalie Fohl is the founder and president o f Choose Life, a pro-life club within the Stu­ dent’s Society. Feel free to contact her with your thoughts and/or questions at natalie. fohl@mail.mcgill.ca.

Student Living

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Ripeness right from the tree Apple picking is closer than you think SHANNON KIMBALL Features Editor

Farmer’s markets always have the best produce, but why not do the picking yourself?

October brings most apple varieties into the peak of their ripeness, so now is the perfect time to abandon the city for an afternoon of apple picking. Whether you’re partial to crumbles, pies, applesauce, or just plain juicy apples straight from the tree, your apple-pick­ ing adventure awaits just half an hour from Montreal.

Pommes-en-Train, a service offered by Agence Métropolitaine de Transport, provides transportation to an orchard just thirty minutes

Apple Guide Sweet: Empire, Spartan, Fuji, Red Delicious Tart: McIntosh, Lobo, Jersey Mac, Paula Red, Cortland, Granny Smith Baking: Baking apples should be tart and firm, so that they break down properly under high heat. Cortland, Empire, and

must, baking) needs. Aisles of trees are clearly labelled by variety, and the ripest apples sur­ round the tree branches, but have not yet hit the ground. Find a ladder or climb to the top of an old apple tree for the ripest and most colourful apples.

The quaint orchard offers not only ap­ ples, but also apple products such as cider, apple butter, candy, and pastries—all cheap because of the surrounding orchard. With such an abundance of apples and apple prod­ ucts, it’s easy to overestimate your apple eat­ ing abilities. But apples are past their prime in November, and by the time exams hit you will be back to grocery store varieties, picked long before they’re ripe. Store your pickings sepa­ rately in cool place to increase longevity.

If you have access to a car, there are doz­ ens more orchards worth exploring before all of the apples fall. Hemmingford, Mont St-Hilaire, and Sherbrooke all have large orchards, and are less likely to be crowded than those immediately outside of Montreal.

For apple fanatics, www.lapommeduquebec.com offers many resources on apple pick­ ing and eating, as well as the varieties avail­ able in Quebec.

outside of Montreal. Board the train at Cen­ tral Station on René-Lévesque and Mansfield Street and arrive at Deux-Montagnes, where you will wind your way via school bus through the Laurentian hills and St. Joseph-du-Lac. The sprawling apple orchard is neatly jux­ taposed with views of St. Joseph’s Oratory on the horizon. Round trip transportation, with an included five-pound bag of apples, costs just under $30. Additional 10-pound sacks cost only eight dollars, and are far juicer than any­ thing in a supermarket.

Some like to load apples with butter and sugar and bake them into their pastry of choice, but in the fall they are best enjoyed straight from the tree. With varieties such as McIntosh, Empire, Spartan, Jersey Mac, Lobo, and Cortland, the orchard at St. Joseph-duLac will fill all of your munching (and, if you

Granny Smith are among the best variet­ ies in Quebec.

Munching: People tend to be very picky with their apples, so no recommen­ dation will suffice. As long as the fruit is ripe, it can satisfy any palette, although favourite eating varieties are the Cortland and McIntosh in Quebec, and Red Deli­ cious and Japanese Fuji from the store.

Pommes-en-Train

514-287-7866 SHANNON KIM BA LL

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FOOD GURU

Apple buttermilk bread pudding

Sudoku 7

FRANCHESCA FERENCZI Contributor

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3 With the rich smell that swirls around the kitchen as they bake, apples are deli­ cious either as a snack or as an ingredient for sweet and savoury dishes. Over time, I have tried to replace the standard crumbles and cobblers with equally easy and tasty op­ tions.

This apple buttermilk bread pudding is easy to make, uses up leftovers, and is versatile. Like baked French toast, it can be served as a dessert, but is also great (if not better) warmed up for breakfast the next day. Scoop a heaping spoonful into a bowl, drizzle with some maple syrup, and warm in the microwave. There is no better way to start your day, and no matter how cold it gets in the coming weeks, this comforting dish will keep you feeling cozy and warm.

For pudding: 1/2 loaf stale bread, cut into 1” cubes 4 eggs 2 3/4 c. buttermilk (or whole milk) 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. vanilla 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar For apple mixture: 4 large apples (peeled, cored and diced 2 Tbsp. butter 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon

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For Topping: 3 tbsp. brown sugar 1/4 c. chopped pecans

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and butter a 9 x 9” baking dish.

Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, va­ nilla, cinnamon, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the bread, mixing well to ensure proper absorption.

Cover bread mixture and let sit in the refrigerator while you prepare the ap­ ples.

In a pan over medium heat, melt the butter and sugar. Add the apples and cinnamon and cook, stirring occasion­ ally until soft. Set aside to cool.

Take your bread mixture out of the fridge and add half of the cooled ap­ ples. Pour this mixture into the baking dish.

Top the mixture with the remaining apples and cover with foil. Place in the oven for 40 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for another 30 minutes, until puffy and golden.

Take the pudding out of the oven and sprinkle the pecans and brown sugar on top. Turn on the broiler. Put the pud­ ding back in the oven for two to four minutes, until the pecans are toasty and the sugar has caramelized.

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by Carolyn Grégoire After nearly 25 years of suffering from debilitating cluster headaches—commonly referred to as “suicide headaches” because of their length and intensity—Bob Wold was faced with a difficult—and unusual—decision: get brain surgery or take a tab of LSD. Six years ago, his clusters became nearly unbearable. Wold was scheduled for several surgeries when he learned that acid, though controversial, was a known cure for clusters.

After a year of research, he decided to give LSD a try, and took a small dose—roughly a quarter of what is used for recreational pur­ poses.

“When I took it, basically the only thing that I felt was that it took the pain away al­ most immediately, within half an hour,” says Wold. “It was something completely different from any other medication I had tried—it just totally cleared my head. I felt a little bit of a buzz for about four or five hours, but I didn’t see elephants or anything like that—no hallu­ cinations at all.”

Taking at most two or three doses a year at the beginning of a headache cycle, Wold has found profound relief—unhindered by the drug’s other effects—from using small amounts of the consciousness-expanding tryptamine. Driven by his own success with LSD treatment, Wold founded ClusterBusters, a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to researching the use of psychedelic sub­ stances to treat cluster headaches. The group is now funding research by Dr. John Halpern at Havard’s McLean Hospital, who has been administering modified LSD molecules to headache patients.

ClusterBusters is part of a global move­ ment of progressive scientists and research­ ers who have set out to harness the positive therapeutic benefits of psychedelic drugs.

While Wold’s organization focuses on clusterheadache treatment, research funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Research (MAPS) is pioneering a whole new

branch of psychotherapy which uses psyche­ delics to treat mental ailments such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-trau­ matic stress disorder. After a 40-year hiatus, the doors of psychedelic research are finally being reopened.

The psychedelic renaissance On September 26, 2008, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ap­ proved research using LSD-assisted psycho­ therapy for end-of-life anxiety in terminally ill patients. With FDA approval, data from clini­ cal trials currently taking place in Switzerland is now accepted and used in the United States.

The first legal dose of LSD in nearly four de­ cades was administered by Swiss doctor Peter Glasser last May in a study funded by MAPS. The decision marks a milestone in the campaign for the legalization of psychother­ apy, as LSD is the latest psychedelic drug to be approved for research purposes on human subjects. Research involving less potent psy­ chedelics, such as MDMA (also known as ec­ stasy), ketamine, and psilocybin—the halluci­ nogen found in magic mushrooms—has been underway for years.

“We’ve been able to overcome the stigma associated with LSD and get back to research.”

—Randolph Hechen “This is the first study with human sub­ jects using LSD in more than 35 years, since they shut down all the research with LSD and human subjects in the 1960s,” says Randolph Hencken, Director of Communications for MAPS. “The most remarkable thing about this trial is that we’ve been able to overcome the stigma associated with LSD and get back to re­

search ... We say that we’re in a ‘psychedelicresearch renaissance’ because there are more studies using psychedelics on human subjects now than there have been in 40 years.”

So far, the results of the studies in Swit­ zerland and at Harvard have been positive, and the number of studies on psychedelic substances is multiplying. Two Vancouver psychologists, backed by MAPS, received an exemption from Canadian narcotics laws to administer MDMA to PTSD patients. Re­ search on the effects of LSD on the brain is also underway at the University of California, Berkeley and the California Pacific Medical Center.

“We’re doing this research for serious ill­ nesses—obsessive compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and a lot of other things—and seeing really good results,” says Wold. “Some people are willing to put their name, their reputation, and their profession on the line to research this stuff and I think that it’s finally doing some good.”

Harnessing the therapeutic and healing power of LSD was the lifelong dream of Dr. Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who syn­ thesized the chemical in 1943. Though Hof­ mann died last April at the age of 102, he was able to witness the roots of a psychotherapy revolution in his last years.

Hofmann’s problem child Hofmann synthesized the chemical com­ pound lysergic acid diethylamide from the ergot fungus, a grain fungus that grows on rye. Soon after, on a day that acid enthusi­ asts would forever after refer to as “Bicycle Day,” Hofmann purposely ingested the sizable amount of 250 micrograms of LSD (a thresh­ old dose is 20 micrograms, making it the most potent drug in existence), and as he hiked home, he began to experience intense shifts in perception and a profoundly altered state of consciousness.

“What stimulated Hofmann was to see whether or not you could harness the energy of naturally occurring lysergic acid. So he came up with a very close derivative, which is lysergic acid diethylamide,” says Joseph Schwarcz, a professor in the Chemistry De­ partment at McGill who lectures on the his­ torical development of LSD in the World of Drugs course.

Over the course of his lifetime, Hof­ mann took hundreds of doses of LSD, and was well aware of both its benefits and dangers. In his autobiographic ac­ count LSD: My Problem Child , Hofmann chronicles the drug’s degradation from researched chemical with enormous healing po­ tential, to the oft-abused recreational drug and counterculture emblem that it became in the 1960s. Hofmann advo­ cated therapeutic and psy­ chiatric use of the chemical that made him “aware of the wonder of creation,” and he was deeply troubled by its rampant mis­ use. When LSD was declared a Schedule I drug and prohibited in mid-60s, it was driven from psychotherapy research labs to the black market.

Thirty-six years in the dark The lack of medical research since the 1960s is mainly due to the drug’s illegality.

“People, governments, scientists all be­ came scared to do research with psychedelics ... All the research started going underground at that point. Drug prohibition and fear were the big roadblocks,” says Hencken.

Wold agrees that the difficulty of finding Schedule I researchers who can work with a

emenf: ) Clinical Research Schedule I substance has been a major hin­ drance to research. In addition, both Wold and Hencken cite the stigma against LSD as a result of its recreational abuse as a main ob­ stacle in securing funding and public support for psychotherapy research.

“Alot of researchers and doctors just don’t want to be associated with it at all because of the fact that it’s illegal, and a lot of people are reluctant to donate money for funding because they don’t want to be seen as donating money ,. to work with illegal drugs,” says Wold. \ “It’s been a long, slow road.”

As the most potent and ar­ guably the most misunderstood psychedelic drug, LSD has, to its detriment, long been associated with the youth movement, rebellion, and counterculture.

Acid’s return as a focus of psy­ chotherapy research after a four-decade adjournment is part of a broader cultural current of 60s nostalgia, which has taken the forms of remarket­ ing The Beatles, Gap’s wildly suc­ cessful 1969 Jeans ad campaign, and the fortieth anniversary of Woodstock.

The veil of fear and mystery that has sur­ rounded LSD since the 60s is, it seems, begin­ ning to lift.

“LSD has made pretty big advances over the past five or 10 years just because people are trying to get this research going again and showing that it does work. Everyone’s start­ ing out really small with whatever funding they can find in different areas and showing the positive results with it is what’s helping us turn a corner,” says Wold.

From the black market to the medical market It will likely be years before LSD re­ search enters the mainstream and is legalized for use in therapeutic treatment. According to Hencken, another generation will likely pass before LSD becomes completely acceptable in society.

“I really don’t see it being available by prescription for years and years and years,” says Wold. “What I see happening with LSD and psilocybin is that hopefully you’ll be able to go get it prescribed in a hospital or at a clin­ ic, not over the counter at a pharmacy.”

ClusterBusters and MAPS are endeav­ oring to make LSD legal as an alternative to antidepressants which tend to cover up pain or anxiety and create dependence. But many sci­ entists, including Schwarcz, question whether LSD would provide positive benefits that can't be obtained from other drugs with a similar chemical structure.

“LSD is what is called a serotonin psy­ chedelic because the chemical structure is so similar to that of serotonin. And there’s a lot known about serotonin and serotonin mim­ ics,” says Schwarcz. “I don’t know where LSD would fit in there or why there would be a need to look at this when there are so many other serotonin mimics.”

Hencken and Wold, however, argue that LSD and antidepressants that mimic sero­ tonin are on the same pages of very different books.

“There’s nothing that’s legal on the mar­ ket that compares to LSD.” says Hencken.

“What we have are sedatives; we have things that mellow people out or numb them so they don’t feel anxiety. But we don’t have anything that allows them to explore the issues that have caused them that anxiety in the first place.”

Another significant discrepancy is that while antidepressants must be taken on a

daily basis, psychotherapeutic use of LSD would require that the drug be administered only a handful of times. Wold finds that while a couple of doses is sufficient to end an ex­ cruciating months-long cycle of headaches in only a week or two, he believes that this may be another obstacle in the way of LSD’s legal status.

“Pharmaceutical companies really aren’t interested in funding this kind of work be­ cause they can’t sell a pill for someone to take four times a day for the rest of their life when [instead] you can take two doses a year and you’re all done,” says Wold.

Although concerns regarding regulation and control of the substance are cited by those opposed to its illegality, regulated use of LSD may drive the drug out of the black market and into the medical market.

“Having LSD available from a trained psychiatrist or psychologist or MD is a much better situation than we have currently. In the U.S., 600,000 people try LSD for the first time each year, and rarely in a circumstance that’s guided,” says Hencken. “We would rather see a situation where people could go and use these powerful medicines in a safe situation under the care of somebody who’s been trained ...

These drugs are more dangerous unregulated than they would be regulated.”

Schwarcz agrees that there are safe and dangerous ways to use drugs, but that drugs are not safe or dangerous in and of themselves, so appropriate regulations should therefore be designed.

“If it’s significantly better than what ex­ ists, you can design proper regulations and proper control. But from what I’ve seen, that isn’t the case,” says Schwarcz. “My guess would be the benefits are not going to out­ weigh the risks, and that it’s not going to sup­ plant anything that’s out there.”

Barbara Davis,* U3 English literature and history, took acid for the first time the way

that most young people do—as a party drug.

But after extensively researching the drug, she discovered that it could benefit her therapeuti­ cally.

“The third time I took LSD, I went through a massive phase of research actually looking into the therapeutic uses, reading stuff

by Albert Hofmann and Timothy Leary. When I took it after that, I literally confronted all the demons from my previous life and I was able to accept that it was okay,” says Davis.

“It was really a huge deal. I’m bipolar, and after that, for a week, I felt entirely cured. I wasn’t having any mood swings—I accepted everything.”

For Davis, the greatest benefit of using the drug as a form of self-medication is the lasting sense of self-acceptance, which per­ sisted well beyond the week after her trip.

Though she obtained the drug illegally and took it without psychiatric guidance, her use of LSD to treat bipolar disorder gave her relief that antidepressants like Prozac and anti-anxi­ ety medication like Valium never provided.

“LSD is special because it makes me re­ evaluate the world and see how beautiful the world is and how it can be free of all of its boundaries,” she says. “That really affected me and my general outlook.”

If psychedelic research continues with the success it so far has, those suffering from anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and a slew of other mental ailments may find similar results to Davis, but in a regulated—and most importantly, legal—clinical setting.

“What we have on the market now are band-aids,” says Hencken. “And what we’re developing with psychotherapy is actual psy­ cho-spiritual surgery.” *Name has been changed.

mcgilltribune.com

12 • Tuesday, September 29, 2009

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DATING FOR DOUCHEBAGS

A weekend in Burlington, VT On the town, on the terrace Heading south for hiking and ice cream ZOE KICHLER & JANA GOODBAUM Contributors

If you want to get away from the fast -paced hustle and bustle of Montreal, the per­ fect destination is only two hours away by car or bus. Burlington, Vermont—which pro­ duced both the cult sensation Phish and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream—is the perfect place for a weekend getaway.

The drive to Burlington will take you through rural Quebec and Vermont, a spectac­ ular sight with the autumn foliage. When you get to Burlington, start with a visit to the Uni­ versity of Vermont campus, a sprawling area filled with intricate architecture. Next, head to the Church Street Market Place, the social and cultural centre of Burlington for students and residents. This four-block area includes over 100 shops and restaurants that cater to every taste. Local Vermont artists, clothing, antique books, and fresh chocolate are all on the same block.

Outside the city. Lake Champlain, which borders the Adirondack Mountains, offers af­ ternoons of biking, hiking, canoeing or sail­ ing. Visit the Eco Lake Aquarium and Science Center for a history of Lake Champlain’s shore line—home to one of the world’s oldest coral reefs—and learn about the hundreds of species of fish and plants that live in it. You can also see the remnants of an old shipwreck and ponder the existence of Champ, a mythi­ cal lake monster.

Learn how to tell time the old-fashioned way at the Burlington Earth Clock, a 43-footwide sundial at Oakledge Park made of slabs

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of local granite. When you’re there, walk over to the other side of the park and become the king of the castle at the studio-sized tree top house suspended on nine trees.

The most delicious part of the trip is just twenty minutes south of the city. For only three dollars, you can go on a Ben and Jerry’s factory tour and learn the company’s history, watch ice cream being made, and test out the latest exotic flavors. You can also visit the Ben and Jerry’s graveyard, and pay tribute to fla­ vours like Coffee Toffee Crunch which are no longer on the market.

Where to stay The Radisson Hotel Burlington has a very central location, with picture perfect views of the lake. For a quainter feel, stay at one of the numerous bed and breakfasts in the town, in­ cluding the Lang House or the Willard Street Inn. Where to eat For brunch or breakfast for dinner, try the Penny Cluse Cafe, which serves all-day breakfast. Five Spice Cafe, an Asian-fusion restaurant, features a mix of Chinese, Viet­ namese and Thai dishes, all suitable for lunch or dinner. For dinner, try Smokejacks, whose menu is based on local fruits and vegetables, and rotates depending on the season. Pick up sandwiches and cookies at The Vermont Sand­ wich Company to bring along on your hike or your trip home.

Cozy outdoor dining before it gets too cold BRAHNA SIEGELBERG

on drinking only cheap dépanneur wine.

Features Editor

As the fall season approaches, the days of short shorts and tank tops are slowly be­ coming a distant memory, while the frighten­ ing realization that winter is around the comer grows ever more vivid.

However, while fall is undoubtedly ac­ companied by a sense of sudden wardrobe displacement—nobody knows whether they should be wearing a t-shirt or a sweater, san­ dals or boots, jacket or no jacket—fall is also the start of a beautiful and rapidly shifting landscape with crisping foliage of warm reds, browns, and golds.

What better way to take advantage of this French city than with a candlelight dinner on the terrace of a gourmet-yet-still-affordable restaurant? Terraces combine city views, great food, and a chance to get cozy with your date when it starts to get chilly. Here is a list of some great options that suit every taste. Best of all, all of these places conduct a happy hour from five to seven if you’re looking to grab an early-yet-still-romantic dinner and take ad­ vantage of fabulous drink specials.

Blanc Rouge Bistro Modern 4727 St-Denis St. Located on Saint-Denis in the Plateau, this Italian restaurant offers a youthful and lively atmosphere that is ideal for a first date.

The menu offers a wide selection of homemade pastas, the prices are reasonable, and best of all, there is a BYOW policy, which means that it’s perfect for us frugal college students intent

Reservoir 9 Ave Duluth East If you’re interested less in a slow, candle­ light dinner, and more in a light, chill, beer­ sipping terrace date, then Reservoir is the per­ fect option. Located on Duluth in the Plateau, Reservoir offers a vast selection of beers, deli­ cious crepes, and affordable salads, sandwich­ es, and entrees. And if you’re unlucky enough to be bored with the conversation, the terrace is prime for people watching.

Devi 1450 Crescent St. Right in the downtown area on hopping Crescent Street, this restaurant offers mouth­ watering Indian cuisine, while the plush cush­ ion chairs and exotic music complete the au­ thentic Indian atmosphere. Equipped with an outdoor terrace and a fantastic wine list, this restaurant is an excellent choice for a cozy and romantic fall date.

Isensi 15 Belanger St. This grill-and-seafood-themed restaurant in the heart of little Italy offers creamy seafood risotto, al dente ravioli, delicious entrees, and rich deserts. The service is super-friendly, and the place provides a smaller atmosphere great for enjoying a quiter, more intimate dinner.

LOCAL

R iver surfing on the Saint Law ren ce, no wetsuit provided BRAHNA SIEGELBERG Features Editor

Surfer dudes, bikini babes, and killer waves are not images that usually come to mind when you think of autumn in Montreal.

However, Montreal’s St. Lawrence River is actually home to quite a thriving surfer cul­ ture. While exchanging the waves of Maui for those of Montreal isn't exactly an even trade, as long as you’re stuck in Canada you might as well make the most of it.

The Habitat 67 standing wave in the Lachine Rapids in Montreal, named for the Habi­ tat 67 housing complex across the street, has become the destination for Montreal’s newest, and most surprising, sport. Not to be confused with ocean surfing, river surfing is an increas­ ingly popular form of surfing that is being practiced in places like Germany, New Zea­ land and the Midwest United States.

While paddling out and floating in the Saint Lawrence river waiting to catch the per­ fect wave sounds like a recipe for hypotherm­ ia, river surfing actually involves a standing wave—a wave caused by a large amount of water constricted by flowing over underwater

boulders. A river surfer can catch this wave and have the feeling of traveling fast over water, without even moving. It’s a great way to practice standing up on a board, or doing tricks for whenever you do go on that tropical vacation.

As the first official river-surfing school in the world, 2Imagine—founded by Olympic whitewater kayaker Corran Addison—offers a surfing opportunity to any courageous soul willing to fall and make mistakes. 2Imagine teaches you both the techniques and the safety knowledge of how to swim the current and control the specially designed river surfboard.

Lessons are about $200 for two days, but you can do it with a group and board, life jacket, and helmet rentals are all included. The only prerequisites are being a competent swim­ mer and the having the courage to fall into the choppy waves—hence the helmet.

And while autumn does not seem like the ideal time for surfing—particularly in a city that expects snow in October—the water is actually warmest in fall and waves are at their peak. Whether you're already an expert surfer, or a first-timer looking to learn, do not discount the possibility of doing so in Mon­

treal. But you might want to trade that bikini for a wetsuit.

Where: Imagine Surf Shops, 01320 Charlevoix, 514-504-5522

Cost: 2Imagine recommends a two-day course, $199, for the full leam-to-surf experi­ ence, but it also offers two-hour and one-day classes, for $69 and $99, respectively. Lessons are available through October.

646IN DUSTRIES

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 • 13

Curiosity Delivers

Green Drinks Montreal 5-7 p.m.

Thomson House, 3650 McTavish The PGSS environment committee presents a talk by the McGill Food Systems Project about the origin and decision mak­ ing behind the food used in McGill's cafeterias, along with pos­ sible improvements. Mix at 5 p.m., talk at 6 p.m. All welcome.

Manhattan GMAT Info Session 6-7 p.m.

Bronfman Building, Rm. 599 Thinking about pursuing ah M BA ? The workshop will cover important information about the GMAT, and the benefit of taking the test while still in university. The workshop will also provide application planning and free food.

D is c o v e r

g r a d u a t e s t u d i e s at the University of Ottawa this fa ll

Third World Debt: Who owes whom?

5:30-8:30 p.m.

Shatner, Lev Bukhman Room Come to an interactive presentation on events and decisions that led to third-world debt and the North-South divide, as well as solutions and possibilities to get involved. Free snacks included.

I 3

Open house

No To Governance Bills 38 and 44, Yes to University Autonomy and Internal Democracy: Demonstration 12:30 p.m.

Emilie-Gamelin Park (outside Berri-UQAM Metro)

Tuesday, October 20,2009

V-Day McGill Auditions 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

cam pus. Spaces are limited, so reserve

Free shuttle to and from the uOttawa your spot today!

Shatner, B-29

Do you enjoy ranting about vaginas? VDAY McGill is seek­ ing passionate performers for the February 2010 production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues.” Sign up at the Drama

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14 • Tuesday, September 29, 2009

A&E

mcgilltribune.com

POP PREVIEW

A new type of Poet Laureate

Cadence Weapon samples the best o f every genre KYLE CARPENTER A&E Editor

Rollie Pemberton is a rapper. Rollie Pemberton is also Edmonton’s Poet Laure­ ate. Surprised? You should be. At 23, Pem­ b erton-b etter known by his stage name Ca­ dence Weapon—is a bit of a wunderkind. In 2006, his debut album B reaking K ay fabe was short-listed for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize. Next Saturday, he’s making his fourth appearance at Pop Montreal, headlining the Upperclass Recordings showcase at Le Divan Orange.

Pemberton will serve a two-year term as Poet Laureate, a position that’s more than a title. “It’s kind o f like being town crier,” says Pemberton. “I ’m expected to go to different city events and perform poems, but the poems have to be related to Edmonton in some way.

So far I ’ve done a poem about the transit sys­ tem. I recently did a poem that was kind of relating to the homeless situation and the hous­ ing situation in general.”

When people like Bob Dylan and Leon­ ard Cohen started blurring the lines between poetry and music in the 1960s, it paved the way for artists like Pemberton to be recog­

nized as more than songwriters. However, what does being recognized as a poet mean for an artist? “It’s really helped from a credibil­ ity standpoint,” says Pemberton, “It’s hard for people to think of me just making some bleeps and bloops and rhyming over top of it when I ’m getting serious provincial and national ac­ colades about the things I ’m creating.”

Pemberton’s style stands out in the hiphop crowd, flirting with rap, dance, and even a cappella. There is an emphasis on clever lyrics and atypical beats, which he partly attributes to the influence o f musicians like Lou Reed, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Dan Bejar, and beat poets like Jack Kerouac, Allan Ginsberg, and Ezra Pound. “The kind o f music I make is not just rap or not one kind o f music, it’s kind of an open-ended concept. I like to think of it as hybrid music. It’s just me putting together different ideas, and it never has to be a certain thing. I'm not the kind o f person that’s like, ‘Oh yeah it’s rap, so it has to sound a certain way,”’ says Pemberton.

His most recent release—Separation Anx­ iety— is a compilation primarily made up of remixes, which is very different from his two full-length albums. “I wanted it to be more of an electronic music kind of thing, and I wanted it to be a showcase for that side o f my person­ ality, because a lot of people don't realize that I make my own beats ... people just assume

BILLIONS.COM

Cadence Weapon: Rapper, poet, and Easter enthusiast? that whoever’s DJing for me must be doing it.

I wanted to make that really stand out.”

Pemberton is working on his third album, which again promises to be a departure from his earlier work. In this case, he’s cutting back on the rap and adding more singing and live instruments, with a 60s and 70s pop influence.

“I feel like it would be redundant for me to put out another dance music-related record at this point. And also I want to get people used to the fact that this how I ’m going to be. I ’m never going to put out the same record twice, and I want people to think o f me as someone like Beck, who every time he puts out a record people just expect whatever.”

Maybe it’s his chameleon-like ability to change his sound at will that allows him to pick and choose the best aspects o f each genre he touches. No matter where it comes from, there is little debate over the fact that Cadence Weapon is one o f the most exciting young artists out there today for Edmonton, the rest of Canada, and beyond. “I never want to be someone who repeats themself. I always want to create something that is engaging and chal­ lenging, and in order to do that I have to chal­ lenge people’s perceptions o f what they think my music is.”

C aden ce Weapon is playing L e Divan Or­ an ge on O ctober 3 a t 1 a.m.

POP PREVIEW

Dinosaur Bones dig up big sound for Pop Montreal Buzz follows new indie band from T.O. LAURA TINDAL A& E Editor

It’s always a good sign when an album produced by the man you’re recording with wins the Polaris Music Prize. That’s exactly what happened to Toronto indie act Dinosaur Bones as they finished up recording with Jon Drew, who worked with 2009 Polaris winners Fucked Up. “We were actually listening to the awards live streaming on Jon’s iPhone, and taking a break when they won it, and we had a big cel­ ebration,” says vocalist and guitarist Ben Fox. “We caught it all on film too, so it might end up on YouTube.”

Dinosaur Bones is made up of Toronto­ nians Fox, Joel Clifton, Branko Scekic, Dave Wickland, and Lucas Fredette. The band is currently recording their first full-length album in Toronto, perfecting their new wave slowdance sound and taking their time to make sure they do it right.

“W e’re working with Jon Drew, who’s a seriously accomplished producer, and we’re in really good hands so I think it’s gonna turn out great,” Fox says of the album, which should

be coming out by the end o f the winter, though the band isn’t in any rush. “We’re really happy with how it’s going so far.”

Fox got the group together just over a year and a half ago, and since then they’ve been playing their dark brand of guitar indie rock. Their haunting melodies and energetic live shows have grabbed the attention of lis­ teners, bloggers, and the Canadian music in­ dustry. and the band has built the cred to play gigs like Pop Montreal this year.

“I ’m super excited about it. I ’ve heard great things,” Fox says o f Pop Montreal. “A lot o f friends of ours in other bands have had wicked experiences, so we’re very excited about it.”

Fox is also excited to return to Montreal, a city he lived in—and loved—for two years while attending Concordia for English litera­ ture.

Unfortunately, bandmate Joel Clifton is heartbroken that co-dino-branded band Dino­ saur Jr, an act he was really looking forward to, has cancelled their Pop appearance this year. There are others to make up for them, though.

“We're looking forward to seeing Hollerado, ‘cause they’re wicked,” says Fox. “We’ve become good friends with them, so it’s always great to see them.”

They’re a little bit young to be fossils.

Definitely a band to keep an ear on— if the buzz is right, once their album is released Jon Drew may have more prize winners on his hands.

BLURASIS AT FLICKR.COM

D inosaur B ones is playing 11 M otore on O ctober 1 at 8 p.m.

Curiosity Delivers

Tuesda^i^ e£tem ber29J_2009_2-i15

FILM POP

For the love of a good guitar Doc brings together some real guitar heroes LAURA TINDAL A& E Editor

The stars o f the Davis Guggenheim’s (An Inconvenient Truth) newest documentary leave A1 Gore in the dust. The films focusses on Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), The Edge (U2), and Jack White (The White Stripes), united through their talent on the electric guitar.

It Might G et Loud, though, is not so much a documentary about the electric guitar as it is a documentary about the musicians’ careers, which happen to centre on electric guitars.

Juxtaposing The Edge’s use of effects, echoes, and complicated sound machines with White’s belief in stripped down blues techniques shows there are no rules to becoming a guitar god. Meanwhile, Page’s start as a baby-faced teenage skiffle player contrasts with U 2’s mu­ sical breakthrough in response to the violence in Ireland in the 1980s. It’s fascinating to see how these musicians started playing—their inspirations and early hurdles—but it is even

more exciting to hear about their creative pro­ cesses and see just how intimate their relation­ ship with music is.

The film is structured around a meet-up at a soundstage where these three legends talk shop, broken up by intimate, at-home inter­ views, live concert footage, and even hand drawn cartoons, through which we learn about each musician and their music.

The film is entirely worthwhile just to see three of the best guitarists o f their genera­ tions playing together in improvised jam ses­ sions, with each bringing something entirely different to the table. That said, if you don’t idolize the music o f any of these artists, the true enjoyment of the film may be lost on you.

Guggenheim made this film as a love letter to the guitar and a tribute to three of the men that best embody its magic.

When they interact, Page plays the learned but supportive elder to the two youngsters, who eagerly try to impress him with their music— and they do just that. The Edge brims with pas­ sion for his guitar and his technical alterations.

There’s a great scene where he first plays the echoing, heart-thumping rift to “Elevation,”

then unplugs his sound effects and plays the chords without any technical additions, result­ ing in hilariously dull strumming.

White stays guarded in front of the cam­ era, only starting to open up when he gets ex­ cited describing his idea for the red, white, and black colour aesthetic o f The White Stripes, which disguised them as a cartoon band and allowed them to get away with making offkilter music. He gets dreamy talking about the early blues that influence all his music, and at one point he writes a song on the spot. It isn’t half bad.

Like the film equivalent o f rock posters on a bedroom wall, Guggenheim’s documentary shows the world his favourite bands and why they’re as cool as they are. After seeing this film, you can go back to these artists’ .music with a whole new appreciation for what they are aiming to do and how these songs came into being, which makes the film worth seeing in itself.

It Might Get Loud p lay s a s p art o f Film Pop, S eptem ber 30, 7 p.m . at Cinem a du P arc.

COULD BE GOOD

POP MONTREAL EDITION W ednesday

Amy Millian. Singing for Canadian supergroups Stars and Broken Social Scene isn’t enough for this songstress— she plays her folk-country sound solo on her new album M asters o f the B urial. @ Ukrainian Federation, 10 p.m.

Matt & Kim. These hipster favourites are sure to sell out their show and get the crowd dancing to their simple, up-tempo dancebeats. The show to see on Wednes­ day night. @ Club Lambi, 12 a.m.

; T hursday

Fever Ray. What do you get when you mix a macabre M .I.A. with Euryth­ mies? Find out this Thursday. @ Metropo­ lis, 9:30 p.m.

Silver Starling. This Canadian indie rock super group features Marcus Paquin (Stars) and Marika Anthony-Shaw (Ar­ cade Fire). @ II Motore, 11 p.m.

F riday

Duchess Says. The Montreal dance or “moog rock” five-piece are out to prove their popularity. @ Le National, 9:30 p.m.

The Edge, Jack White, and Jimmy Page give each other guitar lessons. Like they need them.

Sufjan Stevens. The immensely tal­ ented and undeniably offbeat musician is the most sought-after ticket o f the festival. @ Just for Laughs Cabaret, 9:45 p.m.

FILM POP

Museum Pieces. Halifax’s self-de­ scribed “Progressive/Celtic/Rock” artists make up in musicianship what they lack in flash. @ Cagibi, 9:00 p.m.

The littlest of the Lil’ rappers

Film looks at nine-yearold P-Star's rise to fame EMMA QUAIL Contributor

P-Star Rising is a documentary about the rise of young Puerto Rican hip-hop star Pris­ cilla Star Diaz, otherwise known as P-Star.

Gabriel Noble began filming P-Star when the girl was nine years old and just entering the world of hip-hop in New York City. Noble filmed the Diaz family for four years, captur­ ing the evolution of P-Star and her growth as a young rap artist, as well as the impact o f suc­ cess on her family.

P-Star lives in a temporary housing facil­ ity in Harlem with her father Jesse and older sister Soulsky. In the 1980s, Jesse was a suc­ cessful rapper and producer; he lived the life of a star and hung out with beautiful women and famous rap artists. However, his heyday

in the music industry came to an end when he had children with a drug addict, was caught dealing cocaine, and went to prison. When he was released, Jesse secured custody o f the girls, and started to coach his musical daugh­ ter. Pricilla started to rap and MC at under­ ground clubs, while Jesse used her talent to vicariously live out his unfulfilled dreams and obtain a source of income for the family.

The idea o f a nine-year-old female rap­ per exploded in the music industry and P-Star quickly rose to fame. She signed with Hunc Records and began performing around the country. Soulsky was somewhat left in the dust, did poorly in school, and looked for ac­ ceptance in a gospel church. Moving from one studio to the next and constantly surrounded by people three times her age, P-Star struggled to keep up with her home-school work, though she didn’t seem bothered that she lives an ab­ normal life with no friends of her own age.

In order to unobtrusively blend in with the family and P-Star’s lifestyle, Noble films and

directs alone. This style of filming provides an authentic feel, as the camera shots are some­ times blurred and shaky. There is no commen­ tary throughout the documentary, allowing for objective interpretation. This technique works well because it allows the viewer to imagine the Diaz family in their natural state.

Despite the interesting filming style, P-Star Rising doesn’t delve too deeply into moral dilemmas or provoke much reflection.

Essentially it’s just the story of the Diaz fam­ ily drama, with little to offer for discussion or further thought. Although P-Star Rising is not revolutionary or complex, it is a touching story about the ups and downs o f Priscilla Di­ az’s unusual life as a nine-year-old in the New York hip-hop scene.

Saturday

Rah Rah. This is what Pop Montreal is all about: Canadian indie rock, exactly as it should be. @ Bar St. Laurent, 11 p.m.

The Daredevil Christopher Wright.

Pop rock with an emphasis on instrumen­ tation. Sufjan should watch his back. @ Le Milieu, 11 p.m.

Mark Berube and The Patriotic Few. A combo that’s part folk, part jazz, part indie, and completely worthwhile. @ L’Astral, 11:30 p.m.

Sunday

P-Star Rising play s a s p a rt o f Film Pop, O ctober 4, 3 p.m . a t Cinem a du Parc.

The Hoof & The Heel. Think a catchy combo o f The Strokes and Stars, with more electronic effects. @ II Motore, 8:30 p.m.

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mcgilltribune.com

16 • Tuesday, September 29, 2009

i FILM

FILM

Sex, drugs, and hippies

Love can survive the undead

Zombies run this town

Martin takes Woodstock GRACE GLOWICKI

LUKAS SAMUELSON

Contributor

Contributor

Taking W oodstock is far from earth shak­ ing. It will never be considered one o f Ang Lee's masterpieces alongside Crouching Tiger, Hidden D ragon and B rokeb ack Mountain. But sometimes we have to put down our pitchforks and simply appreciate an enjoyable film.

Based on Elliot Tiber’s book Taking W oodstock: A True Story o f a Riot, a Concert, and a L ife, the film is focussed more on the character of Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin, P ap er H eart) than on the festival itself. Elliot comes home from the big city to help his finan­ cially troubled and overly miserable parents, played by Imelda Staunton (H arry P otter and the Order o f the P hoenix) and Henry Good­ man (The D am ned United). In an attempt to save the family’s faltering motel, he contacts Woodstock Ventures, who desperately need a new venue for their festival. Elliot offers them the motel as a promotion base, and Max (Eu­ gene Levy, A m erican P ie), a nearby farmer in Bethel, N.Y., rents out his farm for the concert grounds. All o f a sudden the festival gears are turning, people and their money start arriving, and, slowly but surely, all the characters be­ come infused with the festival’s mentality of peace, love, and liberation.

The film’s main charm is its understated humour. Perhaps the most comical aspect is Earthlight Players, the hippie theatre troupe who live in the family’s barn. They’re con­ stantly in the background doing interpretive dances, scavenging for food, and taking off their clothes. The hilarity culminates in their presentation of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters,” which degenerates into a nude assault on their audience.

Demetri Martin perfectly conveys Elliot as somebody left on the sidelines of life. His brilliantly-timed delivery and flat-footed run makes him ever so endearing. More impres­ sive, however, is Imelda Staunton’s perfor­ mance. She nails the miserable old mother

In zombie-filled, post-apocalyptic Amer­ ica, two survivors with radically different sur­ vival strategies (play it safe vs. kill ’em all) meet up serendipitously and agree to stick together as they journey west. The plot thick­ ens when they encounter two con artist sisters who reluctantly end up joining forces with them. The film is governed by a set of rules for survival, which include everything from checking the backseat of your car to making sure each zombie is actually dead (a.k.a. “the double tap”).

The film’s protagonist, Columbus, is played by Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland), aptly described as a poor man’s Michael Cera.

Despite his uncanny similarity to Cera’s sig­ nature persona, he does a wonderful job of portraying the neurotic and dweeby “unlikely hero” who, motivated by love interest Emma Stone (S u perbad), finally finds it in himself to break his cardinal rule of survival: “Don’t be a hero.”

While the storyline may be one-dimen­ sional, Z om bielan d is undeniably satisfying and well put together. You want zombie killing violence? Done. The film has plenty of moan­ ing undead ghouls getting dispatched in a va­ riety of gory and awesome ways. The humour comes and goes at exactly the right moments and manages to not be clichéd or overly campy.

Although Z om bielan d successfully incorpo­ rates elements o f a zombie apocalypse movie into its comedic plot, there are very few mo­ ments of tense, believable terror. The zombies are coolly dispatched by zombie-killer extraor­ dinaire Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and at no time does any character seem to be in real danger of becoming zombie fodder. Nitpick­ ing aside, this movie was clearly intended to be a comedy first and a zombie movie second, which only works because of the quirky cast.

Also, director Ruben Fleischer thoughtfully includes details to please the realism-craving

BOSTON.COM

Who needs to good looks to get girls when you’ve got acid? character, and also pulls off a mean high-onbrownies scene. Unfortunately the film did not use Emile Hirsch’s talent in the character of Billy, which fell disappointingly flat.

There are a few beautiful shots (amongst some fairly bland ones), which display Lee’s aesthetic talent. He breaks up the narrative with split-screen shots which were initially dizzying, but soon became skillfully crafted.

When Elliot finds himself taking LSD with a hippie couple, Lee’s “acid-vision” of the fes­ tival pit as an ocean is positively hypnotic.

Most memorable is when Lee takes us through the procession o f people walking towards the festival grounds. It feels as if we are floating down a river, passing all the people and all the mentalities that were headed for Woodstock: anti-war protestors, documentary filmmakers, feminists, lovers, drug users, and life-livers.

Set to a scintillating guitar riff, we too feel the magnitude o f an event that was about far more than music.

Although about 10 minutes too long— and ending with a cheesy late-night conver­ sation between Elliot and his father— Taking W oodstock is an enjoyable film, offering us a glimpse at what this legendary festival did to the average people caught up in it.

P IT’S GOOD TO BE FUCKED UP I ’ll be the first to tell you that I was sur­ prised Fucked Up—a hardcore punk band with a swear word in its name—won the 2009 Polaris Music Prize. It wasn't because I was rooting for another artist or thought any­ one was more deserving (Fucked Up was my personal choice), but mostly because, even though the Polaris has gone to unexpected underdogs every year, I didn’t think they’d award it to screaming over singing.

Every one of the albums on the Polaris short list should be considered the Best Ca­ nadian Album o f the Year, but Fucked Up’s The Chemistry o f Comm on L ife is the album that deserved and needed to win. Why? B e­ cause Fucked Up takes hardcore to places it’s never been before, redefining an entire genre and doing so without reservations. Who else could, or even would, write six-minute-plus punk songs, open with an ethereal flute solo,

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throw in two spacey instrumental interludes, and tackle profound “meaning-of-life” ques­ tions that actually have gravitas in the span o f 52 minutes? The Chemistry o f Common L ife proved that hardcore punk can have a brain and still kick your ass—and for that fearlessness and innovation it deserves rec­ ognition. More on why it was needed later.

I can see why people are shocked and unhappy with their win: Fucked Up is a scary band. Not only is their music raw, loud, fast, and vocally abrasive—a very acquired taste—but their lead singer Damian weighs 300 pounds, performs with his shirt off, and is known to smash beer bottles over his head and bleed on stage. This is without men­ tioning their chaotic and frantic live shows that often end in physical damage or police mandate. One only need look at their quickly-becoming-legendary MTV bathroom performance for a good—and awesome— example. To many, it seems Fucked Up is hardly the kind o f band worthy o f winning

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such a prestigious and respected prize, along with $20,000.

But wait, aren’t they using the $20,000 to record a benefit album to raise awareness about the hundreds o f missing Aboriginal women in Canada? And didn’t Damian pres­ ent Greg Gutfield, the Fox News commen­ tator who mocked Canadian involvement in Afghanistan earlier this year, with a Calgary military legion t-shirt on national American television? And didn’t they already record a benefit Christmas record and put on a show that brought in over $6,000 for a Toronto charity that helps mentally disabled women?

Canadians outside of the punk scene may not be aware, but Fucked Up are class acts through and through, and though the Polaris isn’t a personality contest, it’s nice to see a band made up of quality people get rewarded for quality music.

So why was Fucked Up’s win needed?

Well, with Harper’s cuts to arts funding and reluctance to fund “controversial” artists

WARRENREPORT.COM

B.Y.O.W.: Bring your own weapons. zombie survival enthusiasts like the survivors ransacking an abandoned grocery store and trashing a Native American tourist trap for the hell o f it—elements that were completely unnecessary, but added to the illusion that the world was endng and the characters could do whatever they pleased.

The romantic subplot was decent, and Emma and Jesse actually had a spark of con­ vincing onscreen chemistry. Perhaps the “boy meets girl, boy saves girl from zombies, girl falls for boy” story is a little mushy and pre­ dictable, but it worked. Throw in Woody Harrelson’s character Tallahassee having a hid­ den soft side that slowly reveals itself over the course o f the movie, and this film has just enough character development meat to cover its zombie-killing bones, making Z om bieland completely worthwhile.

RYAN TAYLOR (remember the Holy Fuck funding debacle solely because o f their name?) and the fact that Nickelback sweeps the Junos, it’s not just this band’s name that’s fucked up in the Canadian music industry. Choosing Fucked Up is essentially giving the music industry the middle finger by rewarding progressive and challenging music in an era o f emulation and auto-tune. Through the ever-increasing worldwide credibility o f the Polaris Music Prize, this win might also wake up the col­ lective consciousness to the fact that not all Canadian “indie” music is a group of mopey white guys with guitars. Fucked Up push people outside o f their musical comfort zone and their win redefines the perceived concept of Canadian music both internationally and here at home—meek and reserved we are not.

So thank you Fucked Up and thank you Polaris for getting Canadian music right and giving us a kick in the ass that’s never sound­ ed so good.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 • 17

Curiosity Delivers

P O P P R E V IE W

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Sports

18 •Tuesday, September 29, 2009

mcgilltribune.com

REDBIRD BASEBALL - CONCORDIA 11, M CGILL 1

Stingers too sharp as Redbirds give away game in the sixth inning Mental lapses, poor defending hurts McGill

tom o f the sixth. With the bases loaded, Car­ bone fielded a routine grounder only to throw

SAM KATZMAN & WALKER KITCHENS

A subpar outing by the bullpen and the defence was exacerbated by an offence that failed to provide adequate run support. Con­ cordia pitcher Alexandre Gagnon was electric, throwing a complete game and allowing only

Contributors

After watching Redbird reliever Jake Gallinger walk in Concordia's eighth run in the bottom o f the sixth inning, Redbird Head Coach Ernie D ’Alessandro was in no mood to address the media.

“Not tonight guys,” said D'Alessandro when asked to comment on M cG ill’s disap­ pointing performance.

Questionable officiating and a late-game meltdown doomed the Redbirds on Thursday, as they allowed cross-town rival Concordia to rack up eight runs in the bottom o f the sixth en route to a demoralizing 11-1 loss.

“The score [didn’t] reflect the game,” said Ted Davis, a third-year outfielder and first baseman. “It was a close game until the sixth inning.”

McGill matched the first-place Stingers early in the ballgame, as starting pitcher David Haberman gave up only three earned runs in the first five innings. However, sloppy execu­ tion on the part of the McGill bullpen late in the game was all Concordia needed to embark on their sixth-inning scoring spree.

Relievers Anthony Carbone and Gall­ inger recorded only two outs while giving up seven earned runs on only one hit. Both pitch­ ers had trouble locating any o f their pitches, as they combined to walk seven batters and hit another in just two thirds of an inning.

“In the sixth inning, our pitchers ended up having a hard time finding the strike zone,” Davis said.

The bullpen was only part of the prob­ lem, though, as the Redbird defence looked shaky throughout the game. O f the five errors committed by the defence, none was costlier than a throwing error by Carbone in the bot­

it over catcher Michael Kolodny’s head.

six hits. For each of the first three innings, McGill was only able to generate one hit, and the Stingers were quick to pick off the lone

“W e got screwed on the call in the fifth inning. ... We would have ended up with a few more runs.”

—Ted Davis, Redbird outfielder and first baseman

Redbird runner.

“We can’t keep leaving too many runners on base,” Davis said. “We also can’t get down on ourselves when we’re behind.”

Haberman looked shaky early on, giving up a triple to start the game, but the New Jersey product ended the first inning giving up only one run. He continued his strong play from the end of the first inning, getting through the next three without giving up a run.

Feeding off Haberman’s solid effort, the offence scored their only run in the fifth in­ ning. Third baseman Channing Arndt led off the inning with a base hit and quickly stole second. Davis took advantage o f the rare run­ ner in scoring position, doubling off the fence in right to cash in Arndt and tie the score at

1-1.

Later in the fifth, with the score still at 1-1 and Kolodny on second base, fourth-year shortstop Alex Day hit a single to right field.

Kolodny attempted to score from second only to be called out at the plate. Though the ball got to the plate first, Kolodny clearly slid in

T HEAD SHOT HAZARDS A player skates into the opposing team’s

h ir d

completely unnecessary, and Okposo was lucky to escape without a serious injury. If anything, Phaneuf’s hit has made one thing clear: the NHL is long overdue for getting

ADAM SCOTTI

The Redbirds are looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Concordia. under the tag. His efforts were in vain, though, as the home plate umpire upheld the conten­ tious call.

“We got screwed on the call in the fifth inning,” Davis said. “We would have ended up with a few more runs.”

The missed call swung the momentum of the game, as the Stingers put up two runs in the bottom half of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead.

But M cGill’s faults were much more damag­ ing than the missed call, as they couldn’t mus­ ter any offence in the sixth and gave the game away with sloppy play later in the inning.

Despite the drubbing. Davis maintained that with a few changes of approach, the Red­

M

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birds can and will succeed.

“We’ve got a good team,” he said. “I f we can keep the bats going and if our pitchers can find [the strike zone], we can do really well.”

Despite being humbled by Concordia on Thursday, the Redbirds rebounded on Friday by trampling over John Abbot College, 14-9.

Arndt knocked in two runs and scored two more himself, while second baseman Max Tierno added three RBIs. The Redbirds take the field again on Sep­ tember 29 when they face John Abbot College once more, and get a chance to exact revenge against Concordia on October 1 at Trudeau Park.

JULIE BEAUCHAMP

suggest otherwise. Head shots were only first discussed seriously last year at a gen­ eral managers’ reunion, under the umbrella question o f whether fighting still has a place

of this. The NHL Players’ Association has suggested adding head shots as an offence to the rulebook, and letting referees make the appropriate calls. 1 can only hope that the

zone with the puck. He takes a brutal hit and

rid o f this type o f unnecessary violence.

in the NHL. If GMs truly cared about the

NHL would also hand out heavier punish­

falls to the ice. The teams converge and a brawl ensues. Meanwhile, the injured player remains motionless before being taken off the ice on a stretcher. Welcome to the new NHL, where scenes like this have become increasingly common in the post-lockout era.

This is exactly what happened on Sep­ tember 17 during a NHL preseason game between the Calgary Flames and the New York Islanders, when Dion Phaneuf floored

These headshots are uncalled for, par­ ticularly considering that they often happen when a player is no longer in possession of the puck. They destroy the spirit o f the game, and yet the league too often tolerates them. Any hit that targets a player’s head should be harshly condemned.

There is no denying that head shots can be extremely damaging, as highlighted by Randy Jones’ hit from behind against Pa­ trice Bergeron in October 2007. Bergeron

safety of their players, they would realize that the issue o f head shots, not fighting, is what needs to be seriously addressed.

The NHL does not take the issue of head shots seriously, as evidenced by the laughable suspensions handed out to the guilty players. So far, the most severe pun­ ishment the NHL has handed down has been the 20-game suspension imposed on Steve Downie for a hit on Dean McAmmond dur­ ing a preseason game between the Philadel­

ments when necessary.

I am not advocating an end to hits in hockey. Hockey can remain an intense and exciting sport with plenty of powerful clean hits, but nasty head shots only damage the game’s worldwide reputation.

Colin Campbell, the NHL executive vice-president and director of hockey op­ erations, has expressed his own concerns re­ garding head shots, and the NHL has issued multiple statements saying it will be tougher

Kyle Okposo with a devastating hit.

suffered a grade-three concussion and a bro­

phia Flyers and Ottawa Senators. However,

on hits to the head. These words, though,

Phaneuf wasn’t punished for the bru­ tal takedown, but Okposo’s teammate Pas­ cal Morency was suspended five games for jumping off the bench to fight Phaneuf.

Ironic, isn’t it? The hit by Phaneuf was

ken nose. He was out for the remainder of the season, while Jones was slapped with a two-game suspension. Fair?

Although the NHL claims to be taking head shots seriously, the league’s actions

the NHL is inconsistent with its punish­ ments; head shots occur far too often, and the League doesn’t give the same treatment to its star players as it does to others—the

have yet to translate into concrete action.

Perhaps Gary Bettman, the NHL’s commis­ sioner, should take off his rose-coloured lenses and start paying attention to this ur­ gent issue.

Dion Phaneuf case being a prime example

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 » 19

Curiosity^elivers

REDMEN LACROSSE - M CGILL 15, TORONTO 6

LaCava dominant as McGill runs roughshod over Varsity Blues Talent on display as Redmen toy with Toronto CHRISTOPHE BOYER Contributor

Freshman Matt Jankowski tallied three goals and five assists and All-Canadian at­ tacker Lukas LaCava added four markers as the Redmen lacrosse team decimated the University o f Toronto Varsity Blues, 15-6 at

sloppy for the better part o f the afternoon. Red­ men Head Coach Tim Murdoch was pleased with the outcome of Saturday’s game, and be­ lieves that his squad is well-positioned for a successful season.

“We had an opportunity to play the entire roster today, which was great,” he said. “ [We] got up seven [to] nothing, and [even though] we had a couple lacklustre quarters, we fin­ ished strong and are now tied for second place in the [Canadian University Field Lacrosse

Forbes Field on Saturday. McGill controlled the tempo o f the entire match, jumping out to a 7-0 lead early on, much to the delight of the McGill lacrosse alumni in attendance.

Despite the rough start for the Varsity

Association] East. It’s great to pick up a nine-

Blues, the visitors managed to rebound in the

er deep run in the playoffs. The Redmen came up one game short of a national championship last season, falling to Guelph in the title game, and Murdoch's squad is hell-bent on avenging the loss this year. The Redmen will face their first real test of the season on Thursday night when they travel to Lennoxville to take on the Bishop’s Gaiters. McGill will have to raise their level of play considerably in preparation for their next match, which will undoubtedly prove a much tougher test than the team’s past

second quarter with a couple of goals off the sticks of attackers James Forbes and Mikael Chullen. For the second time in less than a week, though, the Redmen proved too strong for Toronto. McGill, who defeated the Varsity Blues handily in Toronto a week ago, clearly knew what to expect and made sure to take care o f business.

“We knew they weren’t a very strong team after playing them last week,” said LaCava.

The Weston. Connecticut native show­ cased his trademark speed, and combined with Jankowski to make the visitors look downright

goal win.”

Over the past few years McGill has be­ come a perennial powerhouse in the CIS, and enters this season as a favourite to make anoth­

two blowout victories.

LaCava, for one, realizes that consistency will be key to the team’s success this year.

JOHN KELSEY

McGill was one step ahead of Toronto from start to finish, cruising to a 15-6 win.

“We always play down to [the level] of bad teams and play up to [the level of] bet­ ter teams,” he said. “That’s been our biggest

have to take care o f business closer to home.

Murdoch, though, is well aware that playing the Gaiters on their home turf won’t be a walk

problem [so far].”

McGill will look to match Bishop’s inten­ sity on Thursday and come up with their first big road win of the 2009 season. The Redmen

in the part.

“Bishop’s is really scrappy,” he said. “[They] upset Trent, and Trent has not been defeated on their own field for three seasons.

We’re expecting a real dogfight down in Len­ noxville. It’s always tough down there, [and] we’ve never beaten them there [before], so we’re all getting up for the game.”

boast arguably the most talented collection of players since the school entered the CUFLA in 2002. Anything short o f a championship will be a disappointment this season, but before the Redmen start thinking about Nationals, they’ll

REDMEN RUGBY - M CGILL 69, BISH O P’S 0

Davis leads demolition as Redmen rugby shuts out Gaiters Bishop’s proves no tough test fo r McGill THOMAS QUAIL Editor-in-Chief

They ran, tackled, and rucked like cham­ pions. And from the opening kick, the McGill men’s rugby team dominated play on all fronts, outpacing Bishop’s from start to finish.

Playing in front o f a lively crowd at Molson Stadium, the Redmen—for the second time in two weeks—trounced the Gaiters 69-0. McGill Head Coach Sean McCaffrey was pleased with his team’s effort.

“It went well,” he said. “We’re asking for perfection, so we’re still looking for better.

With a little more work, we’ll get there.”

Winger Michael Davis—last year’s Most

kept us in it, and held the line.”

McGill fullback Alastair Crow—return­ ing from an injury last year—was in top form, notching the home squad’s first try of the match five minutes in. Fly-half Mathieu Sidoti received a clean pass from off the lineout, and burst through a gap in the Bishop’s defence.

The Gaiters’ defence recovered, but not before Sidoti flicked the ball neatly on to the charg­ ing Crow.

Five minutes later, the Redmen stole a lineout in Bishop’s end and spun the ball wide.

The Gaiters were caught out of position and Davis, after receiving the ball on the left wing, turned on the jets and accelerated into Bish­ op’s in-goal area.

A few tries later, flanker Jacob Chai was yellow-carded following a diving tackle. Even with a man down, the Redmen continued to attack, defend, and capitalize on the visiting

team’s mistakes.

“It’s tough to be awake for a drubbing when the team’s defence isn’t very solid,” said McCaffrey.

At halftime, the Gaiters were down 31-0.

But they came storming out o f the gate after intermission, scrumming well, forcing turn­ overs, and securing a clean ball for their scrum half. Nevertheless, once the ball was secured, the Gaiters’ backline had neither the skill nor the speed to do anything with it.

McCaffrey noted that the Redmen strug­ gled to maintain focus in the second half because o f their sizeable lead. He also ex­ plained that key substitutions and injuries led to Bishop’s pack overwhelming the Redmen forwards.

By the end of the match, though, the Gai­ ters had run out of steam, and the Redmen took

Valuable Player—led the Redmen charge, running strongly for four tries. He applauded M cGill’s forwards for controlling the tempo o f play, and for providing clean ball all game

full advantage by scoring four tries in the last 15 minutes. Still, McCaffrey was not com­ pletely satisfied with all aspects of the game, specifically the number of penalties assessed

long.

“Everyone did their jo b,” said Davis.

“The forwards were really hooking up with the backs. It was a great showing.”

Bishop’s only real chance came in the 25th minute, after a spate o f Redmen penal­ ties allowed the Gaiters to pin down the home team in their own end. Nevertheless, M cGill’s forwards held the line and kept the ball out o f M cGill’s in-goal area. Bishop’s eventually

to McGill.

“We need to reduce the mental mistakes,” he said. “We have a young team with a lot of strong players. We’ve had a great start to the

committed a turnover, and McGill was able to clear the ball.

“Bishop’s were close to scoring in the first half,” Davis said. “But our forwards definitely

JOHN KELSEY

Redmen rugby outpaced Bishop’s on Saturday, decimating the Gaiters 69-0 at Molson Stadium. The Redmen (3-0) play their next home game against Concordia on Saturday.

season.”

Roderick Mackenzie, an undersized firstyear lock, was the game’s standout forward, scoring a first-half try and rucking well. He also sacrificed his body on a few occasions in the first half, rising up to claim balls in the air.

The Redmen are now undefeated,in regu­ lar season play at 3-0. They take to the pitch again on October 4, when they host perennial rival Concordia at Molson Stadium.

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