The McGill Tribune Vol. 30 Issue 21

MCGILL’S MINORITIES PAGE 3

Published by the Tribune Publication Society Volume No. 30 Issue No. 21

CHI-TOWN, PAGE n

Biel by bags two more gold medals Concerns raised over Athletics promotions Coors After Party was poorly attended

By Matt Essert N e w s E d ito r

Steven Bielby, who won his fifth and sixth gold medals at the CIS Championships this weekend, has now won more golds at nationals than any McGill swimmer in history. See story page 20. (Adam Scotti / McGill Tribune)

Despite strong attendance num­ bers at numerous McGill athletic events this year, some students have recently expressed concerns about McGill Athletics and Recreation’s promotion strategies. They are pri­ marily concerned with Athletics’ promotion of the events surrounding the actual games and with its efforts to work with student groups in pro­ moting events.

Students’ Society VP Internal Tom Fabian—who has been heav­ ily involved in promoting athletic events at McGill as the former presi­ dent of the Varsity Council, Athlet­ ics representative at SSMU Council, and co-creator of Red Thunder— said he has been concerned about this for several years. In talking with different coaches, Fabian said that the teams are frustrated as well.

“I’ve talked to numerous peo­ ple about this—on how [Athletics] goes about promoting—and it’s very frustrating,” he said.

Emilie Leonard, Athletics rep­ resentative to SSMU, said the main problem is a lack of communication between McGill and students. She said that although the promotional employees work full-time, they still might be “out of touch with how to connect with the average student.”

“I think they have some good ideas, but there’s the potential for so many better ideas within the student population,” Leonard said. “And when they do have these ideas, just asking one or two people how to carry them out would make them so much better.”

However, Jill Barker, manager of marketing and communications at McGill Athletics and Recreation, said her department has actually been pleased with the attendance numbers at most sporting events. Men’s and women’s basketball attendance has jumped 76 per cent from last year, and Redmen football had twice as many attendees as last year.

“We actually think that we’re doing a pretty good job of promot­ ing the games,” Barker said. “Pack the House, Fill the Stadium, and Fill the Arena have all been very suc­ cessful events.”

Barker also said that Athlet­ ics has actively tried to work with students and student groups to plan events. For example, they have in­ creased their use of social media— Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube— in promotions to try to create a “total fan atmosphere from door to door.”

“We’d be silly if we didn’t work through students, and we do it all the time,” she said.

Both Fabian and Leonard, See “FABIAN” on page 2

Five fee-based questions to go to referendum this semester CEO McNeill concerned about reaching quorum for non-controversial clubs and services proposals 8y Maria fierai N e w s E d ito r

The winter 2011 referendum period is set to start on March 4 at 9 p.m. There are five referendum ques­ tions this semester, none of which have caused significant controversy.

They are mostly related to student

clubs and services at McGill.

“I’m pretty optimistic about [the referendum period],” said Tais McNeill, Elections McGill’s chief electoral officer. “At the moment, there aren’t any conflicting cam­ paign teams, so I’m pretty hopeful that, referendum-wise, it’s going to be a fairly quiet and mostly positive

campaign.”

McNeill said he had some con­ cerns that, because most of the issues are generally uncontroversial, the elections will not be able to achieve quorum, which was a problem last year.

Three of the five referendum questions were initiated by the Stu­

dents ’Society Council, the first being the renewal of SSMU’s Ambassador Fee, which provides financial assis­ tance to student groups who wish to host or participate in academic competitions and conferences. The question also proposes raising the opt-outable fee—which is currently too depleted to give out any more

funds this semester—from $1.25 to $2 per semester.

The second question seeks to renew SSMU’s Referral Services Fee, a $1.75 opt-outable fee that al­ lows SSMU to fund Nightline, Queer McGill, and the Union for Gender Empowerment. The final CouncilSee “SEVERAL” on page 2

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N ews Several questions seek fee hikes

Fabian cites problems

Continued from COVER

initiated question proposes a $1 in­ crease in the Midnight Kitchen fee, to $2.25 per semester, in order to im­ prove the services of the student-run vegan food collective.

“Our servings have gone up by a pretty big margin this year, and this year when all the Arch Café rallies were happening we provided food,” said Beth Austerberry, a Midnight Kitchen collective member. “So we just have increased needs. As we grow, there are more logistical re­ quirements, so we have more hired positions.”

According to Austerberry, the funding would also allow MK to cater for groups whose mandates are anti-oppressive or encourage stu­ dent empowerment. The collective already has a hold on the Shatner Building’s room 302, which will be turned into a community space.

The student-initiated referen­ dum question regarding the renewal and increase of the TVMcGill fee proposes an opt-outable fee increase of 10 cents per credit to every stu­ dent of the downtown campus.

According to TVMcGill Presi­ dent Carter Li, the media outlet has experienced significant growth over the past year, and the fee increase will allow them to further expand their services to meet students’ de­ mands.

Continued from COVER

“It’s kind of like a snowball effect—now that we have improved our services [with the passage of a fee increase last year] people are re­ ally wanting to use them,” Li said.

“So I think the main goal is just try to provide what the demand is. We feel like this would really help us [to expand] our ability to be a service for the students.”

The second student-initiated question proposes the creation of a fee for the McGill International Stu­ dent Network. Currently, the orga­ nization receives no funding of any kind, and the proposed opt-outable fee of 50 cents per semester is de­ signed to help MISN expand its ser­ vices, which help international and exchange students integrate into life in Montreal.

“They’ve been one of the ser­ vices that have been self-funded,” said Anushay Khan, SSMU vicepresident clubs and services. “They often make their own revenues through the trips that they have, so it’s an interesting fee because they don’t necessarily require it [to] break even, but it will of course help expand their activities.”

A sixth question proposing a new format for the General Assem­ bly was not approved, since more than 30 per cent of the petition’s signatures were from Arts students,

which is against the rules for sub­ mitting a referendum question.

In addition to online voting, there will be polling stations open every day during the voting period in busy buildings, such as Leacock, Bronfman, and the Stewart Biology building.

“We are actually really hopeful about the poll stations because we are having them every day, all day long, and they’re all across campus,” McNeill said. “We really think that it will help drive turnout, and people can vote in the same poll for refer­ endums [that they use] for the actual elections of the executive team.”

In an attempt to increase stu­ dent participation, referendum ques­ tions and SSMU executive elections will take place on the same ballot this year. McNeill hopes that the as­ sociation of the two voting periods will drive more interest and aid the referendum questions in reaching quorum.

“There weren ’t any [referendum questions] that [had] particular diffi­ culty [going] through,” McNeil said.

“All the teams that we are working on were really, really great to work with, they were all really helpful and accommodating, the campaigning doesn’t seem like it’s going to be ex­ tremely controversial.”

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however, pointed to the Coors Light After Party which followed the in­ augural Pack the House basketball games on February 4 as one of the problematic events. The party was very poorly attended and considered by some involved to be a bust.

“There were a few issues that came up [with the Coors Light After Party],” Fabian said. “There have been certain student groups that have tried to do parties like this, but have been turned down, and then [Athletics] come up with this.”

Barker explained that Molson, McGill Athletics’s sponsor, pro­ posed the party, and that it wasn’t a typical event for the department.

She added that the party was actu­ ally promoted as heavily as the Pack the House event itself and that “we were surprised when we packed the house but the house just left after the game.”

According to Leonard, a num­ ber of the issues stemming from the party could have been addressed had more students been consulted during the planning and promotional pro­ cess of the event.

“You can’t try something out like that without putting all your effort into it and without trying to make it as good as it can be,” she said. “And the fact that they only started promoting two weeks before­ hand—I found out at an advisory board meeting a month before it was supposed to happen, or three weeks, and I couldn’t believe it. This should have been talked about in January.”

In addition, both Fabian and Leonard said that they were con­ cerned that Athletics spent nearly $5,000 on the Coors Light event when it did not attract many stu­ dents.

“They’re not connected as much as the students, so when they try to promote events, they don’t re­ ally know how to make it hip, or the ‘in’ thing to do,” Fabian said. “They think it's the ‘in’ thing to do, but they come off as your mom trying to pro­ mote an event.”

Barker, for her part, said Athlet­ ics is always trying new initiatives to create a better fan experience, but that they will not necessarily all be resoundingly successful.

“We broke even on the money spent [on the Coors Light After

1

Party],” Barker said. “We don’t have a great venue to host that kind of stuff. We really didn't know how it would go or not go, but we took a chance.”

Another Athletics-hosted event that failed to attract significant turn­ out was the Martlet’s hockey “Code Red” game, held on February 19— the first Saturday of Reading Week.

As with some previous events, Athletics created a Facebook event page, but seemed unable to generate any serious buzz for the event—nine people were listed on the event page as “attending,” 15 as “maybe attend­ ing,” 72 as “not attending,” and 293 as “awaiting reply.”

“It was just a regular turnout,” said Jordanna Peroff, a forward on the team. “Parents were there, [but] I didn’t notice anyone’s friends there—I’m assuming they were [away] on Reading Week.”

Fabian suggested part of the solution for creating better events in the future might be as simple as working “more closely with Red Thunder and other student groups.”

“I understand that there’s diffi­ culties with regards to the culture at McGill,” he said. “Not everybody’s into it, but you have to try new things.”

Leonard said she has also been working to get different students groups under the same umbrella so they can more readily work together with Athletics.

“I think the people higher up should wake up to this group of stu­ dents who are ready to promote and ready to help out, and that we all need to work together and discuss good ideas,” she said.

While there have been strong improvements in overall attendance numbers, Barker acknowledged there is more work that could be done, but noted that this is no simple task at McGill.

“On a Tuesday night during midterms, you could offer a free car and you wouldn't get people out to a game,” Barker said. “So we have to be very respectful of what people’s job is at McGill; it is to be successful in school as well. So we know that sometimes it’s just difficult to get students out.”

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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

E D U C A T IO N

Applying to grad school? Revised CRE debuts in August Extensive changes to the GRE to include on-screen calculator, new interface, longer writing time

By Mookie Kideckel M a n a g in g E d ito r

The Graduate Record Examina­ tion (GRE) is about to undergo major alterations, but people disagree on what they might mean.

The changes will affect a large number of students looking to attend university beyond the undergraduate level. Most academic graduate pro­ grams in the United States currently require applicants to submit GRE scores, as do a handful of other pro­ grams, including some at McGill.

Additionally, an increasing number of MBA programs accept the GRE as an alternative to the GMAT. Until now, the GRE has been a more difficult version of the SAT, a standardized test required for most American undergraduate programs.

It has been scored on a scale between 600 and 800 and has included three sections: verbal, quantitative, and analytic writing. The verbal section asked students to answer some read­ ing comprehension questions and to

show their grasp of vocabulary by choosing antonyms and analogies from a multiple-choice list. Quanti­ tative questions required test-takers to answer high-school-level math questions. Lastly, the analytical writ­ ing portion—the only non-multiple choice part of the test—tested writ­ ing and reasoning ability through two short essays.

The revised GRE will differ considerably. In changes that Educa­ tional Testing Services—the organi­ zation that administrates the GRE— advertises as “test-taker friendly,” the analogies, antonyms, and mental arithmetic are gone. Instead, the new format will ask test-takers to define words in context, feature a new on­ screen calculator, and allow students to skip questions and come back to them later. It will also change the scoring scale, switching to a system of one-point increments between 130 and 170, and the whole test will be roughly an hour longer.

Tom Ewing, director of press relations for ETS, said that ETS

“wanted to make improvements to the test so that it depended less on memorization and more on mea­ suring the test-takers’ reasoning abilities. A lot of that is by the fact that questions like analogies and antonyms are being removed from the test in favour of more scenariobased real life sort of questions.”

Lee Weiss, director of gradu­ ate programs at Kaplan Test Prep, painted a less rosy picture of the test revisions. While noting that changes like the new calculator and an im­ proved interface will benefit testtakers, he claimed that “all in all, we would definitely say that it’s a tougher test.”

Using a free sample test made available by ETS, along with infor­ mation from conferencing with ETS, students and Kaplan-associated experts have agreed that the test is harder, Weiss said. He highlighted in particular the test’s new length— roughly four hours—and the change from strictly multiple-choice verbal and quantitative sections to ones

where students may have to sup­ ply their answers or choose mul­ tiple ones. In this new format, Weiss predicted that some students would have to study more than they did previously.

Ewing denied that the test will be tougher and claimed that students involved in ETS’s testing “seemed to like” the new design. He also noted that, being in the industry of test preparation, depicting the test as more complicated was a good business strategy for Kaplan. Weiss declined to comment on ETS’s rea­ soning for portraying the test as they did. Of course, a successful and re­ spected GRE is also good for ETS’s business.

Regardless of disagreements on some aspects of the revisions, Ewing and Weiss both noted some important information: the new test will be un­ veiled in August 2011, and students who write the test before the end of September will receive 50 per cent off their registration fees, but due to the volume of test-takers necessary

for ETS to generate accurate per­ centiles, no test-takers will receive their scores until mid-November.

Students who need scores for No­ vember deadlines, then, or ones who may want to take the test more than once, are advised to take the current test instead. Students looking to get a taste of the new test can try it out on ETS’ site or at kaplanpracticetest. com or princetonreview.com.

Here at McGill, it’s not clear how the changes will affect admis­ sions procedures. Every department has its own way of dealing with the test. Giovanna LoCascio, Graduate Program Coordinator at the Depart­ ment of Psychology, explained that, for psychology, at least, the GRE is considered as part of the whole ap­ plication package and there are no cutoffs or minimum scores. The ad­ missions committee has not consid­ ered the new changes yet.

E X C L U S IV E IN T E R V IE W

Morton Mendelson discusses diversity and discrimination

Survey finds Americans, as well as gay, Muslim, and Jewish students report higher levels of discrimination Two weeks ago, Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Morton Mendelson presented to the Univer­ sity Senate the findings of the Diver­ sity Survey conducted over the past year and a half that was designed to find out more about the composition of McGill’s student body.

The survey, to which more than 2,000 students responded, reported, among other things, that McGill students are more likely to have at least one parent who attended uni­ versity and that students’ parents are more likely to pay their tuition than at other Canadian universities.

The survey also broke down the stu­ dents’ religious beliefs (39 per cent Christian, 8 per cent Jewish, 4 per cent Muslim, and 41 per cent non­ religious) and the levels of discrimi­ nation faced by different groups of students. The Tribune recently sat down with Mendelson to discuss the report’s finding and the administra­ tion ’s response.

Which parts of the survey’s findings surprised you most?

I can’t say I was surprised, but I was a little concerned by the re­ sponses regarding discrimination, and that there was reason to conclude that McGill is not as welcoming as it might be to all of our students. That was a bit of a concern. Those results weren’t a surprise but they were something of a disappointment.

Here’s one thing that was a bit of surprise: In some areas, there really was a lack of awareness of services offered at McGill, both by McGill’s Student Services and by student associations. We’ve shared the information, but we’re going to be analyzing the data further so that [Student Services] can better reach groups of students who may not be aware of the services that they offer.

In your remarks to the Stu­ dents’ Society Council, you noted that, on the basis of national ori­ gin, the group thât reported the most discrimination was Ameri­ cans. Can you elaborate?

The group that had the highest level of perceived discrimination was American students. Whenever I present this to anyone at McGill, it seems that people smile. And I think they smile because they say, “Oh, well, Canadians are critical of Americans and so . . . ” But the smil­ ing is an indication of the problem, because we wouldn’t smile at dis­ crimination against other groups, I hope.

We also asked about sexual orientation, and not surprisingly, students who self-identify as homo­ sexual and bisexual perceive expe­ riencing a lot more discrimination than other groups.

How is the administration planning to remedy this?

I’m happy to answer that ques­ tion, but we should also ask, “What can we all do?” There were two as­ pects of discrimination reported by the survey: discrimination by McGill employees and discrimination by fellow students. Students were, not surprisingly, experiencing more dis­ crimination by students, in most cat­ egories, than by employees, presum­ ably because they spend more time with students and because there are just far more students around.

What we’re hoping to do is, in the first instance, follow up on the survey to better understand what it is that students are experiencing.

This survey, as a whole, was to get a broad-stroke picture of the diversity of our students, or lack thereof in some cases. It wasn’t designed as a survey on discrimination. There are a lot of different aspects of discrimi­ nation that we really need to follow up on. We also need to have some general consciousness-raising in the university, for employees and for students. I think we need to have a “Be Respectful” campaign of some sort, which would be a terrific proj­ ect for the university and students to partner on.

The survey also found that McGill students, on the whole, are significantly more economi­ cally privileged than students at the average Canadian university.

Mendelson talked about the Diversity Survey at SSMU Council on Februrary 17. (Matt Essert/McGill Tribune)

How will McGill move forward on this?

We’ve been working on that. A number of years ago, we introduced an entrance bursary so that students can know about the financial aid that they will receive before they actu­ ally have to make a decision about whether or not they would accept an offer of admission. The Principal’s Task Force on Diversity, Excellence, and Community Engagement has a number of suggestions on increasing pipelines of students from underrep­ resented groups, including groups with low socioeconomic back­ grounds. That’s another area where we have to do some work. We’re focusing on two primary areas: in­

creasing financial aid and supporting students from more diverse back­ grounds. It’s not enough to provide money for someone to attend uni­ versity; students who are the first in their families to attend universities are in a somewhat foreign territory, and they can’t rely on family support in the way that people whose parents have been to university can. There are certain kinds of support we need to provide to ensure that people who come here from underrepresented groups are made to feel welcome and can succeed.

— Compiled by Theo Meyer. Inter­ view has been edited and condensed.

Curiosity Delivers, www.mcgilltribune.com

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SPEAKER O N C A M P U S

C IT Y

Schwarcz debunks psychics in lecture

“Bad News Brown” murdered

McGill prof encourages skepticism

Local rapper Paul Frappier shot in St. Henri; culprit unknown

By Richard Ramcharan___________ C o n trib u to r

By Sean Wood_________________ N ew s E d ito r

Joe Schwarcz can fill a room, even over reading week. Last Thurs­ day, McGill’s renowned science educator gave a talk titled “Science and the Paranormal” to a near-ca­ pacity crowd in Leacock 232.

The talk was sponsored in part by the McGill Freethought Associa­ tion, a club that encourages skepti­ cism about, among other things, religion. Schwarcz’s talk, therefore, was mostly interested in showing the scientific explanations behind things called “paranormal.”

“The world of the paranormal is all about... people making obser­ vations and making the wrong con­ clusion,” he said.

Schwarcz pointed to UFOs as one pxampie.

“Isn’t it bizarre in this day and age, when everyone is walking around with digital cameras, taking billions of pictures of everything, somehow nobody is there to take a proper picture of a flying saucer?”

Schwarcz said. “Every picture looks like it was taken by a camera made in the 1930s being held by someone with Parkinson’s disease.”

In the discussion after the lec­ ture, one woman said she had. seen UFOs on two occasions, and gave a detailed account of each. A number of audience members laughed and rolled their eyes during her stories.

Schwarcz’s answer was more scien­ tific.

“We can’t really say anything about it because we were not there,” he said.

Schwarcz said he has kept track of how public psychic predictions correspond to what really happens to “see how inaccurate psychics are.”

He showed one page of a 1993 news magazine predicting that Bill and Hillary Clinton would divorce, which has not yet happened.

“If ever there was a reason for a couple to split up, [they’ve had it],” he said.

Nor did Paula Abdul elope with Arsenio Hall, Martina Navratilova have John McEnroe’s baby, or Don­ ald Trump have a fling with Barbara Walters, all of which were on the same page.

While the incorrectness of these predictions is harmless, other psy­ chics and paranormal personalities use their gifts to profit from people’s emotions, Schwarcz said. Psychic Sylvia Browne, whom Schwarcz called the “worst” of these, charges $800 for a 30-minute telephone in­ terview that has to be booked two

years in advance.

“She is a con artist fully aware of what she is doing,” he said.

Browne predicts serious things to people in distress, which, accord­ ing to Schwarcz, is a form of emo­ tional abuse. For instance, she tells parents what has “happened” to a child who has disappeared.

Another instance of mass fraud is psychic surgery—the “supernatu­ ral” removal of a tumor without an incision.

“That’s not entertainment, that’s horrific fraud,” he said. “This is done usually by uneducated Filip­ pino [or South American] peasants who prey upon the desperate.”

Telekinetic master Uri Geller was also on the chopping block.

“If Geller really had that abil­ ity to bend metal with the power of the mind, there surely must be some better purpose to which that talent can be put than tormenting cutlery,” Schwarcz said.

The reason there are so many “paranormal” events, he said, is be­ cause there is “not enough critical thinking, not enough education.”

In the discussion period fol­ lowing the lecture, Schwarcz and audience members discussed ways to make people more skeptical.

Though Schwarcz didn’t openly link his message to skepticism about religion, many audience members did. They targeted proponents of creationism and intelligent design in particular.

“Teaching critical thinking ob­ viously applies to more than just strictly what he talked about,” said Warren Huard, a Master’s student in Classics and president of the MFA. “It was very interesting to see some of the tricks that mediums and magicians use. But I think also it illuminated well how people will see things the way they want to see them, and how people can get de­ ceived,” said Tim Skene, a member of the Centre for Inquiry, which co­ sponsored the talk with the MFA and McGill’s Office for Science and Society, of which Schwarcz is the director.

“We thought it was important to have someone talking about how things that seem very inexplicable aren’t,” he added.

Though Schwarcz’s talk was an argument for a more scientific worldview, he left a little room for mystery, refusing to explain the sci­ ence behind the numerous magic tricks he performed.

“There is an explanation,” he said after stiffening a rope, “which hopefully you will never find out.”

On February 12, Montreal lost one of its greatest hip-hop artists.

Paul “Bad News Brown” Frappier was found murdered in Little Bur­ gundy, near the Lachine Canal at the intersection of William and Rich­ mond Streets.

Frappier, 33, was found by po­ lice close to midnight with visible gunshot wounds. The Montreal Po­ lice Department was not at liberty to say how many bullets were used in the incident but did reveal that Frap­ pier sustained injuries to the head.

Frappier, originally from Haiti, was adopted by Montreal parents and grew up in St. Henri. With his signature use of the harmonica, he started his music career busking in the streets and metros of Montreal.

From there he took his career to the studio, where he recorded al­ bums and proved his lyrical skills.

His 2009 album Born 2 Sin helped put him on the map and brought rec­ ognition to not only himself, but to the Montreal hip-hop scene as well.

Brown travelled the world

boosting his career and even opened for artists such as Snoop Dogg and Kanye West. He was also involved in the upcoming film Bumrush, which is based on the rise of a Mon­ treal street gang.

According to those close to him, there was no logical reason for his murder. His father, Pierre Frappi­ er, and his manager, Henry-Francois Gelot, both expressed shock and confusion over what took place.

Despite minor setbacks in his personal life, Frappier rose beyond them and went on to mentor troubled youth across Montreal. As part of one of his tours, he spoke to young people at Shawbridge, a detention centre for youth operated by Bat­ shaw Youth Services. Steve Black­ ett, an employee at Shawbridge, reminisced about hearing some of the members saying they wanted to be like Frappier. “They were pretty into it,” he said.

According to The Gazette re­ ported that the shooting took place within walking distance of Frappier’s home in St. Henri after he left his girlfriend’s house to meet with someone.

So far no suspects have been taken into custody, and as of Thurs­ day there were “no new develop­ ments,” according to Anie Lemieux of the Montreal Police Department.

The police, too, seemed per­ plexed about why he was killed, as his previous run-ins with police were “nothing major,” Lemieux said.

Frappier’s funeral took place on February 21, at St. Zotique Church in St. Henri. The two-hour service was packed and guests heard words from those closest to him, as well as heartfelt musical renditions in his honour.

“He’s not a bad guy, but to be in that business you are going to be surrounded by that element,” said an acquaintance of Frappier who also lived in the St. Henri neighbour­ hood. “It’s possible that someone wasn’t too happy for him and want ed to pull him down.”

When asked about if any of Frappier’s associates were involved in crime, Lemieux said the police had “no information on that” and was quick to add that this type of information was “not something we would release to media.”

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There is a point you reach in the middle of the winter when you realize that Montreal is not actually fit for human habitation. Usually it happens when you’re walking back from campus late at night. The wind is blowing, and even that pair of long underwear you’ve got under­ neath your jeans isn’t enough to stop the cold from reaching through to your flesh. As your eyelashes freeze together, you curse yourself for not having chosen UBC. But during the winter, people often have to contend with more than just the cold. Getting through the day is not always as simple as having that extra helping of carbs in the morning, like stacking the pro­ verbial logs on the fire to keep your body warm. Especially after two to three months of overcast weather, long hours of darkness, and forced hibernation inside your apartment or the library, it’s probably normal to be feeling a little under the weather.

But if you’re feeling more de­ pressed than usual by the lingering winter weather, it’s possible that you’re also suffering from seasonal affective disorder (aptly abbreviated as SAD). Up to three per cent of Canadians suffer from SAD to the extent that it will affect their day-today life, despite not having pre-ex­ isting mental health problems. For those already suffering from some mental condition, 11 per cent will also develop symptoms of SAD. The problem presented by a disorder like SAD is the tendency to dismiss it as an exaggeration.

Almost everyone gets the blues in late January and February (usually

Commentary Jacob Kanter

Why Palin won’t run Sarah Palin undoubtedly has an idea of the types of things a poten­ tial president should be doing, and what one should avoid. Palin’s be­ haviour is undignified and un-presidential, whether she is attacking her former political aides or starring in a reality TV show. Indeed, ever since Palin entered the national spotlight in 2008, her behaviour has seemed

around the end of Carnival). It’s a condition that people often deal with by self-prescribing medication (whether of the legal or illegal va­ riety), so it tends to be particularly hard to tell whether your inability to get out of bed is the result of depres­ sion or just a hangover.

SAD’s symptoms manifest in a number of ways: a desire to avoid socializing, a persistent bad mood, depression, fatigue, oversleeping, and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms generally start to appear as daylight hours decrease in late autumn, and reach their peak by mid-January.

While having all this informa­ tion is useful, most people probably won’t have to worry about being directly affected by SAD. However, knowing that winter is a real strug­ gle for some people is definitely a way to gain perspective on the situa­ tion. Everyone has difficulty staying cheerful and motivated throughout the winter. But while we complain about icy sidewalks and chilly apart­ ments, it’s important to remember that some people are having prob­ lems just climbing out of bed in the morning. In fact, some people have this problem year round.

So as McGill dives into mid­ term season, try not to get too down on yourself. Head outside and take advantage of the wet, snowballquality powder, the longer hours of daylight and the coming spring.

Don’t sulk through the remaining weeks of sleet and slush. Focus on the good things that you’ve got here. After all, you could be living in Kingston, Ontario.

Despite the average snowfall of about seven feet and the millions of dollars spent to clear and remove it from the city, the average low of -13 degrees Celsius and the thousands of winter jackets bought every year by residents trying to keep warm, Montreal could be worse. We’re not living at the North Pole, although it might feel that way sometimes. It won’t be winter here forever.

who will seek the presidency.

Palin has shunned any experi­ ences that would make her a stron­ ger candidate in the future. Despite specifically accusing Barack Obama of being a spotlight-seeking celeb in 2008, this is exactly what Palin has gleefully become. She is pleased to be a household name and face, with the media hanging on her every Tweet. Understandably, she prefers this to seeking a demanding job that she isn’t capable of performing. In­ stead, Palin snipes at Obama from the sidelines, makes speeches where the speaking fee and conservative adulation she receives are equally high, and writes books whose intel­ lectual content make Garfield com­ ics look like Dostoyevsky.

Crucially. it £ Palin’s constant

Too cool for school

It’s no secret that our campus isn’t always a cheery oasis of bus­ tling students whistling as they work. We rarely move from class­ room to cafeteria with a hop, skip, and a “Howdy, partner.” Ours is a place where acrimony rules the student council, academic competi­ tion trumps academic enrichment, and moderate politics means sitting on the fence. Calls for a friendlier, common-sensical dialogue are often described as dangerous depoliticiza­ tion. Meanwhile, the lack of a tra­ ditionally strong conservative voice on campus has lead to a new publi­ cation plastering our hallways with posters that smell more of American-style nationalism than the gen­ erally more down-to-earth Canadian patriotism.

All this leads to an atmosphere that has often been termed “cold.”

While I have yet to meet a fellow McGillian who I thought to be an outright jerk-face, we cannot deny the lingering, unfriendly vibe that can too regularly be the sum of our parts.

A good way to start changing things is not by simply dropping committee-speak phrases like “con­ flict resolution,” “open dialogue,” or my personal favourite: “facilitating discussion.” The best way to effect actual change is simply by chilling out. Relax. Your peers, like you, are only students trying to make this place better in a way they see fit. They, like you, constantly see things in a way that makes sense within their pre-existing worldview.

There is no reason to freak out when someone else doesn’t see a situation

as you do. This isn’t new, and won’t change after university. Get used to it.

I am not suggesting that our councillors, editors, club leaders, etc. all drink chamomile tea and munch oatmeal cookies together, leaving their respective agendas behind. But I am suggesting that it’s quite possible to add “liking, getting along,” and, yes, even “jok­ ing” with the other side to each and every agenda. I am willing to bet every A on my transcript that each of our public figures—from a news­ paper’s copy editor to the Students’ Society’s president—will have a certain amount of respect, and per­ haps awe, for the historical leaders Ghandi and Mandela. Far from pull­ ing these names out of a hat, I see the relevance of their tactics when­ ever I look at public leadership of any kind. Yet far too often we revere these sorts of figures as vague ideas but cast aside the way they handled their opposition when it comes to our own.

As a campus opinion writer I have the privilege of being ideal­ istic. 1 realize the nitty-gritty dy­ namics found within the higher ups of public debate makes this sort of rhetoric seem out of touch. Never­ theless, I urge everyone to remember those models who were able to defy opposition with much skill, without letting the discourse dwindle down to bitter, unproductive, and yes, ohso-cold words.

McGill is a fine school, but its continued greatness will depend not just on its research output and global prestige, but also on the environment its students are themselves able to create. Is it one in which an outsider can feel welcome? In which he or she can share ideas with confidence, comfort, and even ... wait for i t ... a smile? It should be.

As students, we’ve chosen to attend McGill in order to enrich our own experience and understanding, and bearing a “cold” demeanor is no way to begin.

2012-tease-a-thon that permits her explain what her honest chances are. to enjoy such celebrity in the first In 2010, anywhere from 52 per cent place. It’s to her enormous advan­ to 71 per cent of Americans viewed tage to continually capitalize on the Palin as presently unqualified to media and public fascination that serve as president. The consultant comes from her will-she-won’t-she would also hint that the remedy to dance. It’s unlikely millions would this perception lies more in gaining tune in to her show or buy her books executive experience than in gaining if they didn’t fancy themselves Twitter followers. Sadly, Palin’s om­ glimpsing a potential president, nipresence drives a wedge between rather than a washed-up beauty pag­ sections of the country as she rel­ eant contestant/failed govemor/los- ishes her role as the ultimate divider, ing vice-presidential candidate who slicing the United States into the likes to hear herself talk. As long as “Real America,” and everyone else.

Furthermore, the traditional Re­ Palin continues to tease, she’s win­ ning more money, power, and fame. publican establishment’s underlying Palin probably knows she can­ opposition to her candidacy should not win. Even if she does not person­ give Palin pause. While many top ally believe this, any political strat­ Republicans are polite when asked to egist with an ounce of credibility comment on Palin, a growing numPalin jnevitaÿ^qpjjsjjlts vyiJJ have to Jjer ar£ l£S£ reserved. It shouldn’t b^i

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taken lightly that Barbara Bush sug­ gested Palin “stay in Alaska.”

It’s unlikely Palin is delusional enough to believe she can win in 2012. In the absence of any serious governing experience or accomplish­ ments, Palin is essentially famous for doing nothing, finding herself in the worthy company of Paris Hilton, the cast of Jersey Shore, and that guy on YouTube who can fart out of his ear.

Of course, there is the off-chance that Palin truly is illogical and hopes to soon launch a presidential bid. If this is the case, don’t be surprised if you see Barack Obama fist pumping on the White House lawn.

Jacob Kanter is a U2 political science and history student. He can be reached at jacob.kanter@hotmail.com, p MaMubf,

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-------- — --------------E d i t o r i a l ---------------------Tube top and make-up no excuse for rape The rights of women in Canada suffered a serious setback last week when a Manitoba judge allowed a convicted rapist to walk free, argu­ ing that the signals supposedly emit­ ted by the female victim confused the assailant. Justice Robert Dewar noted that the woman had worn high heels and a tube top—without a bra—as evidence that the assailant, Kenneth Rhodes, shouldn’t be held exclusively accountable for the at­ tack that occurred in the woods five years ago. “Sex,” the judge averred, “was in the air.”

The victim was with a friend when she met Rhodes at a bar and later agreed to accompany him alone into the nearby woods. She consent­ ed when kissed by Rhodes, but re­ buffed him when he repeatedly tried to escalate things. Rhodes then raped the woman, telling her it would only hurt for a short while.

Justice Dewar, while convict­ ing Rhodes of rape, gave him an ab­ surdly lenient two-year conditional sentence, which allows him to avoid prison, continue to live and workin his community. He will also be placed on the national sex-offender registry. To top it all off, Justice Dewar ordered the rapist to write a letter of apology to his victim.

There are few words in Cana­ dian English strong enough to de­ scribe how perverse and discredited the judge’s argument is. It’s enough to let his putrescent words speak for themselves. Dewar called it a case of “inconsiderate behavior.” He cited the victim’s tube top, heavy make­ up, and willingness to swim with Rhodes in a nearby lake—though she had not brought a bathing suit— as evidence that the victim and her friend “made their intentions public­ ly known that they wanted to party.”

He calls Rhodes “a clumsy Don Juan.” The atmosphere created “in­ viting circumstances.” In short, the victim got what she asked for.

While we are not privy to the exact proceedings of either the crime itself or the trial, it’s enough merely to consider the supposed evidence of such “inviting circumstances” the justice himself invoked in order to understand that he is partially excusing the rapist from responsi­ bility for his heinous actions. This is merely a latter-day manifestation of a long-held and convenient myth that scantily-clad women are essen­ tially asking to be raped—that they in some way had it coming. The en­ dorsement of this myth—which we at the Tribune mistakenly believed had already been exposed to all as the lie that it is—by a sitting Canadi­ an justice is a shame to this country.

This is not an innocuous belief, but

could also lead to serious, practical harm, by providing would-be rapists with a ready-made excuse for their violence, and a precedent to which they can appeal. In a bizarre and of­ fensive twist of logic, Dewar’s argu­ ment makes victims accomplices in their own victimization.

There is no such thing as “mitigating circumstances” when it comes to rape. In the U.S. last month Republicans in the House of Repre­ sentatives sought (unsuccessfully) to redefine rape by dividing it between cases of “forcible rape” and all other instances. Dewar and these Ameri­ can legislators ignore the basic fact that all rape is forcible. Tube tops, skinny-dipping, kisses, and “height­ ened expectations” don’t enter into it. We thought this lesson had been learned years ago and are angered at seeing it ignored—and by a sitting justice no less.

Commentary

would supposedly interfere with his responsibility as SSMU president to protect the integrity of SSMU. As the story goes, the alleged conflict arose when Newburgh travelled to other universities in North America and England seemingly representing SSMU to other student unions.

From what I have grasped, Newburgh made every effort to clearly distinguish between his comments as a Jobbook spokesper­ son and his comments as SSMU president. As Newburgh stated in an interview with the Daily, he “was not representing the SSMU in an of­ ficial capacity [during these meet­ ings]. And that should have been clear. And was made clear.” He ap­ pears to have sincerely attempted to make this distinction. Unfortunately, Newburgh cannot control the per­ ceptions that other universities had of him. He is not to blame because they misinterpreted his intentions; that isn’t a fair burden to place on anyone. In fact, we are lucky enough to have a SSMU president who was astute enough to recognize the po­ tential for a conflict of interest, and adjust the circumstances according­ ly. Newburgh did this in two ways.

First, he negotiated a potential deal that would actually align the inter­ ests of SSMU and Jobbook. Second, he abstained from any Executive Committee votes on the matter.

As part of Newburgh’s in­ volvement with Jobbook, he negoti­ ated with Jean de Brabant, the site’s founder, a potential deal whereby SSMU, should it choose to partner with Jobbook, would be entitled to one share for every McGill student that registered. To me, this seems as if he used his role as spokesperson for Jobbook to benefit SSMU, not the other way around, as certain pundits would have you believe. Therefore, any decision Newburgh made to ben­ efit Jobbook would benefit SSMU as well. As far as I am concerned, that doesn’t qualify as a conflict of inter­ est. But to even further safeguard the interests of SSMU, and remove any airs of impropriety, Newburgh abstained from all Executive Com­ mittee votes related to Jobbook. In fact, Newburgh told the Prince Ar­ thur Herald that he “abstained from voting, disclosed [his] potential con­ flict to the chair, and deferred to an alternate chair” during the Execu­ tive Committee meeting where the matter was eventually disclosed.

For the above reasons, I commend Newburgh for having taken every possible action to remove potential conflicts of interest.

I won’t argue that Newburgh handled the Jobbook situation per­ fectly, and I think he would agree.

He has himself admitted that it was a lapse in judgment to sign the

confidentiality agreement with de Brabant before consulting with the Executive Committee, and I’d be inclined to agree. However, there’s no use in lamenting what could or should have been done. To me, the most important indicator of New­ burgh’s maturity in this matter will be how he handles this delicate and exasperating situation. He did his utmost to prevent any conflict of in­ terest, and worked to turn the situa­ tion to the benefit of SSMU. To me, that’s called making the best of a complex situation. He’s done won­ derful things for McGill undergrad­ uate students, and we should let him continue to do so.

I’ll end this opinion piece by clearly stating that this is my personal opinion, not that of the Management Undergraduate Society. Judging by the backlash against Newburgh for his involvement with Jobbook, it seems some students have difficulty with the distinction between an invidual and his official capacity. And unfortunately for Newburgh and us, it has resulted in gross overreactions against a well-intentioned and in­ credibly accomplished SSMU presi­ dent. It is time to move on.

Mike Conrad is a U4 student in Finance and Engineering and is VPAcademic of the MUS. Fie can be reached at michael.conrad@mail. mcgill.ca.

Mike Conrad

A d vertisin g Manager Dallas Bentley cpm@ssmu.mcgill.ca P ublisher Chad Ronalds

Time to move on from Jobbook-gate

Contributors M ajd A1 K hadi, Johanu B otha, M ike C onrad, M onika F abian, A lex H am ilton, Lillian Jordy, Jac o b K anter, H aruki N akagaw a, R ichard R am charan, A dam Scotti, D aniel S orger

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I’m certain most of you have recently heard rumblings about a certain “Jobbook-gate,” which has been tearing SSMU internal rela­ tions asunder. I would like to ex­ press my ardent support for Zach Newburgh. I believe that the calls for his resignation are completely unwarranted and overdramatic. It seems as if the crux of the matter is a perceived conflict of interest be­ tween Newburgh’s role as SSMU president and his role as a spokes­ person for Jobbook.com. I fail to see the reasoning behind this claim, and would instead argue that Newburgh took particular care to avoid any conflict of interest.

A conflict of interest, as I under­ stand it, is when a person’s involve­ ment in one endeavour could com­ promise motivations or decisions in another. In the context of this spe­ cific issue, the supposed conflict is that Newburgh’s role with Jobbook

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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Dear Vicky, When I woke up on Tuesday and decided to read the Tribune, I had the misfortune of coming across your piece, “Democracy is not a right,” in which you admitted that you were originally against the Egyptian protests on the basis that they would “wreak havoc” in the region. Correct me if I’m wrong, but was that gulp a thinly-veiled

way of saying that you were wor­ ried about Israel’s security? It’s not always about Israel, you know. Ac­ cording to your logic, it’s acceptable to subjugate hundreds of millions of people for the sake of “stability.”

How would you feel if someone told you that Jews (or any other group, for that matter) were not entitled to the right of self-determination and/ or a nation state because it would lead to instability throughout the Middle East?

I’m not trying to be provoca­ tive or controversial here. I’m sim­ ply flipping the mirror to provide an analogy.

You then went on to declare that the key catalyst behind the Egyptian Revolution was food. Really? Just food?

I am sure many protesters were poor and could not afford to prop­

erly feed themselves and their fami­ lies. However, it beats me how you failed to recognize that the real de­ mands were for democracy, an end to oppression, poverty, inequality, etc. One of the slogans chanted by protesters was: “We can go hungry but live free.” As much as I hate to regurgitate, I feel obliged to inform you that educated, tech-savvy people formed the bulk of protesters. Man­ ual labourers, lawyers, Christians, Muslims, children, and retirees— everyone protested. This was not a “food” revolution. It was a muchdelayed demand for dignity.

The scariest part of your article is your view that democracy is not right for Middle Easterners based on the ongoing Afghan and Iraqi expe­ riences. First, Afghanistan is not an Arab country (and most would argue that it is not a part of the Middle

RE: “Democracy is not a right” As a committed supporter of the Jewish state, Tobianah decid­ ed to “analyze” the causes of the Egyptian revolution from her own perspective. This of course entails overlooking the real causes of the revolution and looking for another factor that would reduce the mean­ ingful value of this respectable up­ rising. The plight of the Egyptians doesn’t appear to concern Tobianah.

Mubarak’s actions can all be forgiv­ en and rightfully justified, because

Mubarak gives “stability” to the re­ gion.

The educated middle class that took to the streets for 18 days demanding freedom of expression, an end to political corruption, and a government that represents them appears to mean nothing to Tobia­ nah. Even worse, she sums all these complex demands up as “they want food.”

However, the views of Tobia­ nah and others who look down on the citizens of Egypt and view them as passive, aberrant, underdeveloped, and inferior people that don’t de­ serve democracy have been proven wrong. Through democracy Egypt will return to its rightful owners, the people. This means that whatever foreign policy Egypt will decide to

adopt in the near future towards its neighbouring states will inevitably reflect the views of the Egyptian population as a whole. That very idea scares Tobianah. This is why she feels obligated to say that de­ mocracy isn’t the right fit for Egypt.

But after all, this is not her decision to make. The people of Egypt have a right to choose their own leaders.

They have a right to be sovereign in their own nation. The views of others will not be imposed on them anymore.

I feel sorry for Tobianah be­ cause while Egyptians have now been freed from this oppressive re­ gime, she is still a slave for her po­ litical beliefs.

Ihab Kandil U2 Physiology

RE: “Democracy is not a right” According to her recent opin­ ion piece, McGill Tribune columnist Vicky Tobianah doesn’t think the events of the past few weeks indi­ cate that Egyptians “want” democ­ racy. Which begs the question, what exactly do Egyptians have to do to show that they “want” democracy?

Do they need to do an interpretive dance in Tahrir Square? Do they have to rename the Pyramid of Giza, “Freedom Polyhedron”? Is there some kind of international “desire democracy” smoke signal they have failed to send? I would have thought that 18 days of pro-democracy pro­ tests, an ousted dictator, and a couple

hundred martyrs for the cause would be sufficient proof that Egyptians “want” democracy. But apparently I am mistaken. Egyptians aren’t really calling for democracy when they call for democracy. They’re calling for lower food prices and an end to corruption. They only value democ­ racy as an instrumental means to those ends.

The problem with this thesis is that democracy is pretty much only valued instrumentally, period. Par­ liament buildings, political ads, men in suits yelling at each other—these familiar trappings of democracy have very little intrinsic value in and of themselves. Political systems are merely instrumental mechanisms for distributing power and resources fairly. It is only because democracy is unparalleled in this regard that it is held in such high esteem.

The fact that the Egyptian pro­ testers have been making material

demands of their government is not a sign of backwardness; rather, it is a sign of civic engagement. Of course it may seem bizarre to privileged Westerners like ourselves that Egyp­ tians view things like food prices as political concerns. But just because Egyptians are calling for food and we are calling for healthcare, does not mean they value or deserve de­ mocracy any less then we in North America do.

Tobianah notes near the end of her article that Egypt’s demo­ cratic transition is still in its in­ fancy and may well be hijacked by the military. This is true. But let’s not kid ourselves into thinking that the emergence of a new dictator in Egypt would be some kind of phony tragedy. The people of Egypt de­ serve democracy. They have already proven that.

Victoria Bonar U0 Political Science

Commentary Majd Al Khaldi

Egyptian Revolution wasn’t about food

East), and so a comparison must be avoided. Second, in both cases “de­ mocracies” were imposed by out­ siders based on the Western-liberal model. That does not sound like a successful formula to me. Third, de­ mocracies do not emerge overnight.

Britain took over 700 years to get to where it is today. Fourth, democracy is a right that all humans are entitled to—courtesy of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. You add insult to injury by claiming that what the protesters want is not de­ mocracy, but an end to corruption.

It’s amazing how you know what the Egyptian people want better than they do. Have you communicated with even one protester? On what basis do you assume that the Muslim Brotherhood would simply revert to corruption if it comes to power?

What is your basis for deciding who

democracy is right for?

While you admit that your in­ tent is not to be judgmental, your entire piece seems to be just that. As wary as I am of using the R word, the undertone in your writing seems to border on being racist.

In the future, I would highly recommend running drafts of your “Perspectives” by people with vary­ ing points of view. That way, you could have avoided writing the one Op-Ed that has provoked the larg­ est number of negative comments on the Tribune’s website. You owe the McGill community, Egyptians, and all oppressed people around the world an apology for the nonsense you wrote.

Majd Al Khaldi is a U3 Hon­ ours Political Science & Economics student, and can be reached at majd* alkhadi@mail.mcgill.ca.

RE: “Democracy is not a right” As an Egyptian student at McGill, I respectfully disagree with Vicky Tobianah’s opinion. I lived in Egypt for the first 18 years of my life and I hope I can provide a clearer explanation of the events that have so recently taken place there. In my opinion, food is definitely not the reason Egyptians started this revo­ lution and they are not seeking de­ mocracy only to increase their liv­ ing standards. I won’t disagree with what Tobianah said about poverty and relatively low life standards, but I assure you that what’s behind the January 25 revolution is greater and far more complicated than simple hunger.

Globalization and the Internet have allowed millions of people in Egypt to see the world around them.

We see presidents and politicians across the world campaign for years trying to convince their citizens to vote for them and trust them. They honestly believe they can help solve the problems of their nation. Natu­ rally, we Egyptians started wonder­ ing why we don’t get a say in choos­ ing our leaders, why our leaders don’t even try to impress or help us.

Hosni Mubarak had been imposed on us for over 30 years.

Doesn’t the fact that during this long period of time our problems still haven’t been solved show that he is inadequate? Yet we have been powerless to do anything about it until now.

Unfortunately I’ve been at

McGill throughout this historic event and couldn’t be involved, but I have friends and relatives that were in Tahrir square every single day and I am positive that none of them had any financial difficulties whatsoever. This revolution was fu­ elled by Egyptians from every social class who were seeking universal human rights, freedom and a gov­ ernment that finally answers to its people. The Tunisian people showed us the path; they proved that change is possible and we followed. No one can guarantee that this revolution will achieve everything Egyptians have dreamed of, but I know that it has changed us as a nation. For the first time, the Egyptian people were united and calling for basic human rights and elections that are more than a show to ensure military aid.

Egyptians now care more for the fu­ ture of their country then for mere short term security and food. We fi­ nally feel that we have the power to improve our country. If democracy wasn’t a right as Tobianah’s argued, then nations wouldn’t have sought it so consistently throughout history and Middle Eastern countries such as Libya, Iran, Algeria, and Yemen wouldn’t have recently attempted revolutions similar to the Tunisian and Egyptians ones.

Finally, I would like to leave with a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. that President Barack Obama used in his speech after Mubarak’s resignation on February 11 : “There is something in the soul that cries out for freedom.” And this is the real reason why Egyptians started a revolution and fought for 18 days to overthrow their government and get rid of the tyrant that was Mubarak.

Amr Emad U2 Electrical Engineering

Join the fray! Do it today! Here’s the way: opinion@mcgilltribune.com

S tudent L iving G IZ M O S & G ADG ETS

H O W TO

Montre-apps

High Five!

Getting around with your smartphone

Step one: Find a friend

By lain Macdonald P ro d u c tio n M a n a g e r

It can be hard to sift through the millions of applications available for your smartphone. There are apps for reading and writing and arithmetics, apps for games and gags, and man­ aging your green. Since it can be overwhelming to sift through them on your own, here are some of the top apps for Montrealers.

STM Mobile Having ridden the bus exactly one time in the past four years, I can’t stress enough how important it is to know when the bus is coming.

After all, time spent waiting out­ side for the bus is time spent getting frostbite. This app tells you when the next bus is scheduled to arrive at your stop, so you can run outside just in time to catch it. At $0.99, it does cost a bit of money; but it’s bet­ ter than freezing outside waiting for the bus.

RestoMontreal Montreal has some great res­ taurants, you just need to know how to find them. RestoMontreal is a restaurant guide website for all of Montreal, and their free mobile app is great for diners on the move looking for an alternative to eating at Frite Alors! again.

Bixou Lite In the depths of winter, it’s hard to remember a time when Bixis roamed the streets of Montreal. That day will soon return, and when it does, be prepared with Bixou Lite, a free app that tells you the number of remaining bikes at nearby docks.

Never get caught empty-docked again.

Clubber Montreal Montreal has one of the greatest nightlife scenes in the world. Club­ ber Montreal helps you keep track

of all the bars and clubs in the city through an easy-to-use app. Club­ ber Montreal will show you nearby bars, help you manage your favou­ rite spots, and pre-order bottle ser­ vice if you’re feeling fancy. The app is free, so with the money you save downloading it, you can buy another round.

Old Montreal Guide Montreal is named after the iconic mountain in the centre of town, Mount Royal. That’s about as much as this McGill student knows about the town’s history. Check out this free app for more details, spe­ cifically on touring Old Montreal.

If you haven’t been to this part of the city-yet, now’s a good time to go, and this app will help show you around.

Montreal Museums For the more cultured among us, this app provides a guide to the museums of Montreal. If you’re looking to visit a museum other than the McCord during your time in the city, this free app is what you need.

Taxi Quebec Most cabs have their phone numbers written somewhere on the cab, but this can be a real catch-22 when you’re looking to hail one.

This free app contains a listing of all the (registered) taxi services in Que­ bec, as well as their phone numbers. île Sans Fil In my four years at McGill, I haven’t yet figured out what a “sans fil” is, but I did have one on my burger once, and it was all right. This free app finds wi-fi hotspots around town for you, so you can pick a good place to plop down your laptop and get to glisser-ing, or surfing for you Anglophones.

For a more complete list, check out montreal.com/mobile_apps

By Matt Essert N e w s E d ito r

For some reason, the highfive has lost a lot of the popularity it once held. I don’t know why this is, since high-fiving is totally awe­ some. It’s like saying hi to someone and them saying it back to you and you’re so excited to see each other that you embrace a bit (but just with your hands because you don’t re­ ally want to hug because they might have bed bugs) and make a noise to signify your excitement. Also, by high-fiving instead of shaking hands, you’re showing society that you’re still young and cool, unlike those suit-wearing fat cats who are always shaking hands and trading oil futures. On top of this, there are many ace variations of the high-five.

You can high-five, low-five, etc. But because the high-five has lost some of its cachet, you may not exactly remember how to do it—so here are some instructions: First, you need to decide wheth­ er the situation or the partner is wor­ thy of a high-five. I think one rea­ son the high-five went out of style was that it was overused and people became tired of it. Although you should feel comfortable high-fiving often, you need to realize there are certain situations that merit the highfive and others that do not.

There are four basic situations where a high-five might be appli­ cable: saying hello, saying goodbye, congratulating someone on some­ thing awesome that they did; and when something awesome happens that directly affects both parties.

Greeting someone with a high-five is a pretty ace move. You immedi­ ately show them that you’re still hip, and it starts off your time together with a bang, literally. (Note: that was a joke and if I had said it in per­ son, we would have high-fived. I’ll return to this in a minute). However, high-fives are tricky greetings be­

cause if you throw your arms back to ready yourself, someone might think you’re going in for a hug. This can be either good or bad, depend­ ing on the person. The last thing you want is for your potential high-five partner to think you’re overestimat­ ing the friendship and conclude that you’re a weirdo.

Saying goodbye with a highfive is a lot like saying hello with one, but you do it when you’re part­ ing ways. It’s an especially good move if you’ve just had a sweet hangout sesh and want to commem­ orate your time together with some hand-to-hand action. But you should probably avoid going for a high-five if you’ve just had any type of emo­ tional hangout sesh, like breaking up with someone or talking about your feelings. A high-five will just come off as ironic—a move reserved for hipsters.

Third, you can high-five to congratulate someone on something awesome they did. Some examples include passing a test, telling a good joke, or making a great stew. Highfiving when a third-party does some­ thing great is not cool. For example, if you were to see a dude at a bar get to first base with a girl, you wouldn’t turn to your friend and say: “That guy is doing great, let’s high-five now.” But if your friend was the one with the girl, you could go up to him and say, “Great job man, let’s high-

five now,” and then you would highfive because your friend is the one doing something great. Similarly, if you were the one getting some ac­ tion, you should be prepared to get a high-five from your friend. You need to be ready because you don’t want to ever leave anybody hanging. This brings up to a common problem: leaving someone hanging. Don’t do it, man. Don’t do it.

Last, there’s the high-five situ­ ation when something awesome happens that directly affects both parties. An example of this would be getting a free pizza. Because both parties are directly affected, you could share a high-five to show your excitement. If the awesome thing only affects one party a highfive might be a possibility, but it will often be uncalled for. A slap on the back or a pat on the ass may very well be more appropriate.

At this point, you should have a better understanding of when to high-five. Now let’s turn to a dis­ cussion of how to do it. 1. Find a friend. 2. Assess the situation and make sure a high-five is appropriate.

3. Raise your hand and cock it back with your elbow pointing towards your partner and your hand ready near your head. 4. In a swift motion, smack your hand into your partner’s hand. 5. Smile at your partner and nod in agreement that you just did something awesome.

(Alice Walker/McGill Tribune)

The McGill Tribune Literature Week 1) W rite a sto ry th a t’s le s s th a n 100 w o r d s , o r 2) W rite a s to ry th a t’s lo n g e r th a n 1,000 w o rd s .

The best stories win be published in the March 22,2011 issue. Runners-up will be published online at mcgUltribune.com. Send your submis­ sions to editor@mcgilitribune.com before March 17, 8011, at 11:59 p.m. Late entries will not be accepted. See online for details. :V

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

titre r By Rob Welch_________________ C o n trib u to r

Cider-making is an old and noble tradition. You too can follow in the footsteps of Norman artisans and perform the nuanced ritual of turning fresh-picked fruit into alco­ hol. Or if you’re like me, you can cut a whole bunch of comers. Sim­ pler even than using a kit to make beer, this lazy student recipe retains the fundamentals of cider-making and delivers a surprisingly good homemade hard cider.

To start you’ll need some basic equipment. Lucky for you, Montreal is home to one of Cana­ da’s best home brewing stores, La Chope à Barrock at Villeneuve and St. Dominique. Most important is a container: either a giant glass bottle called a carboy ($28 for 23L) or a fermenting pail and lid ($20 for 23L). You’ll also need a plug and water lock to seal the container ($3), some tubing for siphoning ($3), and a handful of consumables: some no-rinse sanitizer powder ($5), 1kg

! of dextrose (a kind of sugar, $5), and a packet of champagne yeast ($1). The investment in all the ma­ terials will pay off if you make lots of cider.

The only other thing you need now is a lot of juice. Pick up 20L of the cheapest apple juice you can find. Any kind will work: pasteur­ ized, clear, cloudy, artisanal, super­ market, whatever, so long as it does not contain the preservative potas­ sium sorbate.

With the supplies in hand, you’re ready to go: 1) Follow the directions on the sanitizer powder to sterilize the container, the plug, and water lock.

2) Pour the juice in the con­ tainer. While you’re doing this, mix in the dextrose: pour in half a bottle of juice, add some dextrose to the juice bottle, shake to dissolve it, and then pour in the rest of the bottle. Save one cup of dextrose.

3) Sprinkle in the champagne yeast.

4) Fill the water lock and use the plug and water lock to seal the

container.

5) Wait. Over the next few days cider should start bubbling and begin to foam on the top. This is when the magic happens. The yeast is fermenting sugar into al­ cohol. Generation after generation of yeast will grow, feast on these sugars, and die for the glory of your booze. After about three weeks the bubbles will slow to a few per min­ ute and a layer of dead yeast will form on the bottom. This means the yeast is almost done and you’re al­ most ready to drink.

6) Use the sanitizer powder to sterilize the siphon and some ves­ sels for storing the cider. Use what­ ever you want—plastic jugs or pop bottles are fine. For a professional touch, you could go to Chope à Barrock and buy a bottling press ($20) and bottle caps ( 1000 for $5) to use empty beer bottles.

7) Siphon the cider from the big container into your bottles, leaving behind the dead yeast.

8) Boil four cups of water and dissolve your remaining cup of

(greenroadfarm.com)

dextrose. Divide the sugar water ready to drink. Over the next few I between your bottles. The yeast weeks it will become even more ■ will ferment last bit of sugar to car­ carbonated.

Cheers! bonate your cider.

9) Seal the bottles. The cider is

TRAVEL

Chicago by the El train The Windy City in a day

By Shannon Kimball Features E d ito r

The Windy City used to be best known for three prominent residents: A1 Capone, Oprah and Michael Jor­ dan. Many Chicagoans were content with their reputation for gang vio­ lence and the occasional successful sports franchise, but in the early 2000s, Mayor Richard Daley decid­ ed the city needed a change of face.

The Obama campaign and the failed 2016 Olympic bid resulted in a mas­ sive overhaul of the city’s tourist destinations and transportation sys­ tems. The city is most accessible by train, known as the “El,” and tourists can visit the best of the North, South, and West sides all in one day.

Start: Red Line, Belmont

See: North Halsted, a neigh­ bourhood that never sleeps, is home to Boys’ Town. Sporty visitors should walk to Wrigley Field, where millions of Chicagoans get their hearts broken by the cursed Cubs every year.

Do: Browse the thrift stores on Belmont.

Eat: For over sixty years, Ann Sather’s on Belmont and Clark has been serving cinnamon rolls big enough to feed Jay Cutler. They’re even more delicious a la mode.

Red Line, Fullerton

See: L. Frank Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in Lincoln

Park’s residential park, now known as Oz Park. Today the city honours the classic novel with Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Dorothy and Toto sculptures.

Do: Hop in a paddle boat at the Lincoln Park Zoo and catch a view of some flamingos and the John Hancock building.

Eat: R. J. Grunts has been serv­ ing burgers, shakes, and rock ‘n’ roll to the stars for decades. While defi­ nitely touristy, their cookie dough milkshakes can’t be beat. For take­ out, head to the original Potbelly Sandwich Works on Lincoln Avenue for the meat lover’s “wreck” and an ice cream sandwich.

Brown Line (Loop), Sedg­ wick

The newly completed Modem Wing is a work of art in itself, and is the perfect size for an afternoon visit.

Do: Snap a photo in front of the Cloud Gate, also known as the “Bean,” which reflects the city’s di­ verse architecture.

Eat: Mrs. Field’s chocolate chip cookies on Randolph are filled with butter, chocolate, and more butter and chocolate. It’s impossible fivbuy less than a dozen. Gourmands look­ ing to splurge should head to the Loop’s Frontera Grill, Japonais, or Tru, End: Green Line, 63rd and Cottage Grove:

See: University of Chicago students have named the institu­ tion “Where Fun Goes to Die,” but

a pleasant place to grab some cof­ fee, walk around, and learn about the Manhattan Project. Researchers conducted the first man-made nucle­ ar reaction underneath what is now the Regenstein Library.

Do: See how close you can get to Barack Obama’s Hyde Park home on 50,h and Greenwood. See how many Hyde Parkers you can talk to before hearing about the fact that Obama still owns a house in Hyde Park.

Eat: Grab a sandwich from the Medici bakery and walk to the Point on East 57th Street to watch the sun­ set.

Other Worthy Stops:

China Town (Red Line, 21st and Cermack), the Hispanic Pilsen neigh­

See: John Belushi, Stephen Colbert, and Tina Fey started their comedy careers on the Second City stage. Chicago’s best comedy club is still serving cheap jokes and cheaper drinks seven nights a week.

Do: Walk over to North Avenue Beach for a game of beach volley­ ball and a view of the skyline.

Eat: The Green City Market just south of the zoo brings local organic produce and baked goods to the city twice a week, and attracts the best local chefs.

Purple Line, Randolph and Wabash

See: The Art Institute of Chi­ cago has always attracted tourists.

The El train tracks in downtown Chicago (Amelia Baitey/McCill Tribune)

borhood (Pink Line, 18th Street), and anywhere on the lakefront.

Things not to do:

- Swim in Lake Michigan.

Newly elected mayor Rahm Em­ manuel lost a finger after swimming in the lake with a wounded hand and contracting gangrene.

- Eat deep dish pizza at Gior­ dano’s. The restaurant is filled to the brim with tourists. Edwardo’s or Pizza Capri offer deep dish as well as traditional thin crust.

- Eat in Viagra triangle, the tri­ angular intersection with a slew of steakhouses, and creepy rich men looking to pick up women at 11 a.m.

But then again, if you’re a woman under 25 looking to get some, this might be a good hangout spot.

Meet with Faculty representatives. Explore the campus.

Get answers to your questions.

Gain a real sense of what graduate studies at uOttawa is like.

r

Winter 2011 Referendum Period Voting for the Fall Referendum will open on March 4 and close on March 10

Polling Stations will operate at the following locations: Friday, March 4: McConnell Hallway 9:00am-5:00pm Friday, March 4: Shatner Lobby 2:00pm-5:00pm Monday, March 7: Leacock Hallway 8:00am - 5:00pm Tuesday, March 8: Bronfman Lobby 9:00am-5:00pm Wednesday, March 9, Stewart Bio North 8:00am-l:00pm Wednesday, March 9: Leacock Hallway 8:00am-5:00pm Thursday, March 10: Shatner Lobby 9:00am-5:00pm For more information on polling stations and the referendum questions go to ssmu.mcgill.ca/elections

e le c tio n s

If you have any questions please contact Elections McGill at

elections@ssmu.mcgill.ca

A & E MUSIC

Vancouver band proves that some fans prefer blondes Yukon Blonde embarks on national tour to promote self-titiled album

By Brahna Siegelberg A & E E d ito r

The CBC called them “one of the 10 Canadian bands destined to break in 2010.” Chart called them “the best of the 2010 Canadian Music Week festival.” Now, Yukon Blonde is gracing stages all over Canada on a cross-country tour, and if the Vancouver band's infectious pop-rock melodies haven’t caught up to you yet, they’re bound to soon enough.

Although the band started out in 2005 as a quintet called Alphababy, it wasn’t until they changed their name to Yukon Blonde and downsized to a trio in 2008 that they began to gamer recognition in the Canadian music scene.

“How we got the new name is actually the worst story ever,” jokes Jeff Innés, vocalist and guitarist.

“Our old bass player used to work at a coffee shop, and one time he found a grey hair on the counter and told his boss, who said, ‘I’m not grey, I’m Yukon Blonde.’”

Last year, the trio—Innés, Brendan Scott (guitar, vocals), and Graham Jones (drums, vocal)— released their self-titled LP, an en­ joyable array of songs with unfor­ gettable hooks, harmonies, catchy guitar riffs, and a 60s rock flair. The album even earned the band a cov­ eted place on the prestigious Polaris Music Prize long list.

But it’s Yukon Blonde’s reptua-

Graham Jones, Brendan Scott, and Jeff Innés show off their eclectic style, (beyondrobson.com)

tion for rousing live shows that has helped bring them into public con­ sciousness. Performing in different venues enables the band’s music to continually evolve and take on new meaning.

“I used to hate being on to u rbeing gone for months at a time and moving to a new place every night,” Innés says. “But now, we all love it.

We prefer it. Every town’s different, and brings its own personality to the show.”

Their current tour began with a string of venues from Vancouver

to Winnipeg opening for Montreal’s Plants and Animals. This week, the band will be headlining the East Coast leg of the tour, which includes a stop in Montreal, along with To­ ronto band the Paint Movement.

“Being on tour is kind of like going to a new school,” Innés says.

“You get put into a room with people you’ve never seen in your life, and you have to make new friends. But last night we partied until five in the morning with Plants and Animals, which was pretty unforgettable.”

Unlike recording in a studio,

live performances also come with the advantage of being able to inter­ act with and get instantaneous feed­ back from the fans.

“I have found that the meaning of the music changes as we go to different places,” Innés says. “I feel like I forgot what the original mean­ ings of songs were, because people share what their interpretations are, and even when people start to sing a certain lyric, we often start to sing that lyric instead.”

Aside from the obvious reasons to enjoy being on tour—the all-night

partying, the diehard fans, and the opportunity for sightseeing—Yukon Blonde feels that they can grow mu­ sically by listening to and perform­ ing alongside other musicians. Just listening to Plants and Animals on tour, Innés says, has given Yukon Blonde new musical inspiration.

Critics have tossed the band into a multitude of genres, including folk rock, indie rock, pop, and retro, and many have compared them to artists ranging from T-Rex to David Bowie to Fleetwood Mac to the Shins. But Innés is embracing one label in par­ ticular.

“We keep getting called "jangle rock,”’ he says, “which is sort of fit­ ting because jangle pop was an 80s revival—that was like the Byrds and R.E.M., so I guess that kind of works for us.”

So what’s next for the band?

Mostly, Yukon Blonde just hopes to keep making and playing music for as long as they possibly can.

“I think the main thing that keeps us together is the music,” Innés says. “Just playing songs in the van, or figuring out songs together helps a lot. Partying every night doesn’t help—it just makes you crazier. The most important thing is to keep play­ ing songs, keep writing songs, and just be totally good to each other.”

Yukon Blonde plays with the Paint Movement at II Motore on Thursday, March 3.

P o p lÿ ie to r ic Forgettable (and unforgettable) O scar m o m e n ts

Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences puts on the ultimate Hollywood production. Everyone is on their best behaviour, wearing their silki­ est tuxedoes and fluffiest dresses to attend the world’s most recognized film awards show. Every joke and every move is staged to put on the most memorable show ... at least until the next one.

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards featured well-deserved praise for Natalie Portman and Colin Firth, a questionable host duo of Anne Hathaway and James Franco, the unforgivable omission of Leon­ ardo DiCaprio for his performance in Inception, a standing ovation for

Billy Crystal, an awkward perfor­ mance from Celine Dion, an even more awkward performance from Gwyneth Paltrow, a touching tribute to Lena Home by Halle Berry, and the recognized technical perfection of both Inception and The Social Network.

Steven Spielberg crowned The King’s Speech with the Oscar for Best Picture, topping off the already well-awarded movie with the ulti­ mate prize, giving it the little logo that will make your regular DVD into an all-time classic.

Natalie Portman’s acceptance speech for Actress in a leading role made me want to give her another award just for being so humble and sweet, especially when she remi­ nisced about her first movie role as a teen in Luc Besson’s Léon. Her haunting and moving performance in Black Swan was deserving of the

award. British actor Colin Firth also won Best acting honours for The King’s Speech.

But the Oscars aren’t just a red carpet and the award for Best Picture; they also deconstruct the filmmak­ ing process. From pre-production to the screenplay, from costumes and makeup to special effects, and from cinematography to editing, the Oscars praise every working hand in the film industry and honour the lesser-known professions in cinema.

The Social Network and Incep­ tion were two major highlights of this year’s must-see movies. Both were innovative, bright, deep, and fantastically well-portrayed by their respective actors, and most im­ portantly were rewarded for their technical achievements. The Social Network won for Editing and Best Oirignal Score, and Inception took home the prize for visual effects and

sound editing and mixing.

That said, these mostly tech­ nical recognitions might not be enough to tame Inception fans’ in­ comprehension and anger. Viewers were disappointed by the exclusion of DiCaprio from the category of Actor in a Leading Role, and, most importantly, the scandalous leaving out of Christopher Nolan from the nominees for Best Directing.

The Hathaway-Franco host­ ing duo was another questionable decision by the Academy this year.

Both are young and sexy, but their lack of chemistry with each other and the audience made it clear that they are definitely not up to par with hosting legend Billy Crystal, who made a cameo at the ceremony and was thanked with a standing ovation from a nostalgic and grateful crowd.

The attempt to rejuvenate the Oscars ceremony by injecting Hath­

away and Franco was more obvious than the actual Botox in Billy Crys­ tal’s cheeks, though. This is under­ standable considering the need to increase ratings for the telecast, but Hathaway tried too hard to compen­ sate for Franco’s nonchalance, to the point that it looked like he wished he wasn’t there anymore.

From a Canadian, and Québé­ cois persepctive, in particular, it is a shame that Incendies, an outstanding film, did not win the award for For­ eign Language Film. With any luck, next year’s show won’t get caught up in trying to appeal to a certain demographic and will stick to giving out well-deserved awards to inter­ esting filmmakers.

—Lea Choukroun

14

Curiosity Delivers - mcgilltribune.com

MUSIC

Do you want to be a rock & roll star?

Indie rockers The Sheepdogs aim to win coveted Rolling Stone contest

By Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite A & E E d ito r

When talking about the best and brightest of Canadian indie music, Saskatoon rock outfit the Sheepdogs may not be at the top of your list. The band, who has been touring and recording for over five years, has quietly risen in popularity and recently caught the attention of Rolling Stone magazine’s “Do You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star?” contest, in which 16 artists were chosen from a pool of over 1,500 contestants for a March Madnessstyle competition.

“They literally phoned me one day and said we’vé chosen you for this contest,” says bassist Ryan Gullen. “A lot of people don’t realize that we didn’t apply for this.”

The Rolling Stone contest win­ ner will be the first unsigned band to appear on the cover of the magazine, as well as the first cover artist chosen by the public. Following four rounds of Internet voting, the winners will be signed to Atlantic Records, and make their television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Online

voting for the first round of nomina­ tions ends March 2.

“If we do move on [in this com­ petition], the opportunity for us is great,” Gullen says. “It will definite­ ly raise our profile in the U.S., and it’s daunting to try and break into the U.S. market.”

In the wake of the huge success of Canadian bands in the U.S., par­ ticularly the recent awarding of the Album of the Year Grammy to Mon­ treal’s Arcade Fire, the Sheepdogs are optimistic about their chances of winning over more fans to Canadian music. “There are so many success­ ful bands [in Canada] that have no opportunity to go the States,” Gullen says. “It can be hard for Canadian music to break out of Canada.”

Despite hopes of bringing their explosive live shows and 70s-style rock south of the border, the Sheep­ dogs have also faced their share of negative press. “Online, someone from Pittsburgh said, ‘How can a band from Saskatoon be any good?”’

Gullen says. “And people comment­ ed back defending us and defending Canadian music, even people who weren’t Canadian themselves.”

Despite commentary from some skeptics, the band has received posi­ tive publicity and approval from the public. “There’s a great music scene in Saskatoon,” Gullen says. “The scene there has helped us develop our live shows, and we’ve gotten a lot of support from people,” at fes­ tivals like South by Southwest, Ca­ nadian Music Week, and POP Mon­ treal. The band has also received positive attention for their third in­ dependent release, 2010’s Learn and Bum, which reached number 21 on the national Earshot Top 200 list.

Touring with Canadian heavy­ weights the Sadies has also inspired the Sheepdogs to keep things inter­ esting on the road. “[The Sadies] are definitely a band we model ourselves after,” Gullen says. “They’re a hard­ working Canadian band that plays good live shows and doesn’t really play mainstream music.” The Sadies were forced to leave the road after guitarist Dallas Good broke his leg, but Gullen is confident that the tour will be successful when it resumes in June.

While the band waits for voters to decide whether they will move

The Saskatoon foursome enjoy a summer’s day. (shannonheather.com)

on to the next round of competition, they are continuing to tour, bringing their energetic live show on the road.

“We want to be a really engaging band,” Gullen says. “We don’t want to put out good records but play me­ diocre shows.”

The band is hoping to gain sup­ port from Canadians as they move up in the competition, and bring Cana­ dian music to a new market. “We’re

always fleshing things out, making it more interesting for us and the audi­ ence,” Gullen says. “We’re hoping that [for this contest], Canada will get behind us and support Canadian music.”

The Sheepdogs play L ’Escogriffe on March 6 at 9 p.m.

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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

CD Reviews

Bright Eyes: The People’s Key

It’s hard to listen to a Bright Eyes album without comparing it to what many reviewers and fans call their best, I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning—the folk half of a 20042005 double release. The band has continued to embrace a folk sound in the six years since the release of I’m Wide Awake, but The People’s Key combines frontman Conor Oberst’s warbling vocals and guitar with more digitized and pop ele­ ments that take the album in a very different direction than the band’s recent releases.

Those unfamiliar with Oberst, either in Bright Eyes or as a solo performer, may be turned off by his singing style, which, along with his introspective and political lyrics, has often been compared to Bob Dylan. Like Dylan, Oberst’s voice works best when accompanied by acoustic guitar and twangy strings, and on The People’s Key, Oberst’s foray back into more rock and elec­ tronic music becomes tedious.

On the album, Oberst continues to express his opinions about con­ temporary social and political issues (“Haile Selassie”) alongside more personal tracks like “Approximate Sunlight,” but the album’s overall feeling is one of detachment and emptiness. Considering that Oberst rarely holds back, the impersonal quality of The People’s Key leaves something to be desired. Especially for those who know Oberst’s work, The People’s Key marks a shift in Bright Eyes’s sound away from the Americana that made Oberst a main­ stay of indie rock, and the results are far from satisfying.

—Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite

Adele: 21

Radiohead: The King of Limbs

British soul singer Adele’s sec­ ond album, 21, is conscious of its status as a make-or-break sophomore record. But while 2008’s 19 was an album full of heart-wrenching confessions of love and regret, 21 doesn’t wear its heart on its sleeve in quite the same way. The songs are still romantic and full of emo­ tion, but the messages get drowned out in orchestral swells that detract from, rather than add, to the inten­ sity of the lyrics and Adele’s fantas­ tic voice.

Adele’s signature swelling vo­ cals and heartbreak-filled lyrics are present throughout, particularly on the singles “Rumour Has It” and “Rolling in the Deep.” These two are also the most upbeat and soul­ ful tracks on the album, leaving no doubt that Adele is here to stay.

More stripped-down tracks, includ­ ing “One and Only” and “Take it All,” are fairly forgettable, proving that a voice alone isn’t enough to carry a mediocre song, no matter how powerful that voice is.

Overall, 21 is an acceptable sec­ ond record that seems to be aiming for the same success of the first, if not more. Adele’s voice is beautiful and her lyrics speak to the emotional extremes of romantic relationships, but the overproduced arrangements leaves the album devoid of the raw­ ness that drew fans to Adele in the first place, and in the end creates an entirely harmless and, at times, bor­ ing sophomore attempt.

—Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite

Radiohead announced the relese of their eighth studio album on February 18, only four days after announcing it on their website and jolting its fanbase with excitement.

In contrast to the slick and easy boldness of 2007’s In Rain­ bows, The King of Limbs brings a raw sound to the listener. Just as the album artist Stanley Donwood de­ scribes the images on the cover as the “strange, multi-limbed creatures ... of the forest,” the record’s eight tracks meld into a complex, myste­ rious beast that doesn’t reveal itself easily.

The opening track, “Bloom,” could put you in a drugged trance, with an eerie piano loop and a dis­ torted syncopated drum under Thom Yorke’s cryptic moaning. The com­ pulsive beat-driving “Lotus Flower” has been the album’s most popular song, with a pre-released music video featuring Yorke dancing hys­ terically. A guidebook to his sup­ posedly symbolic dance moves on Radiohead’s official website also shows the continuation of Radio­ head’s cult following. In “Codex,” Yorke’s tragic lyrics on the inno­ cence of nature sit on top of beauti­ fully muffled piano. The final track, “Separator,” likely gets its name from the enigmatic splitting and overlapping tracks of Yorke’s vocals surrounded by thick reverb.

This introspective album pul­ sates with visceral energy rooted in an environmentally conscious mes­ sage, blending the unearthly beauty of songs like “Sail to the Moon” with the edge of others like “15 Step” into a self-contained master­ piece that may be Radiohead’s most mature work yet.

—Lilian Jordy

MARCH 2-9 Bedbugs The Freestanding Room 4324 St. Laurent Blvd (3rd floor) March 3,4 and 5 at 8 p.m.

The Concordia Association of Students in English presents an original play about the least welcome bedmates. After moving into a new apartment, a young couple discovers they must confront two bedbugs, one of whom seems to have his own agenda. Tickets: $10/$8. Contact: 438-881-6753 or case.president@asfa.ca Fourth Annual Nuit Blanche Shatner SSMU Building March 4 at 9 p.m.to March 5 at 3 a.m.

In conjunction with AUS, the Fine Arts Council is holding the Fourth Annual Nuit Blanche Event on March 4th in the Shatner Building. This year’s lineup will include all kinds of performances, crafts, galleries, arts, and sales.

Memento mori/ Bone Again Group exhbition Bevan Ramsay- Jersey Girls Art Mûr 15826 St-Hubert Vernissage: March 12 from 3-5 p.m.

This major group show questions the popularity and recurrent theme of skulls and bones in contemporary art from eighteen Cana­ dian and international artists. The exhibit also presents Jersey Girls, the MFA graduate exhibition of Bevan Ramsay, featuring four lifesized dinosaur skeleton sculptures painted with period decorative motifs of high western culture.

P rincipal H e a th e r M unroe-B lum invites M c G ill students, fa c u lty a n d staff to an o p e n forum to discuss the reco m m en d a tio n s o f the P rin c ip a l's Task Force on Diversity,

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Martlets lose in 2OT; Redmen close it out in regulation Martlets showcase offence, Redmen defence; both games come down to final possessions

By Sam Hunter S p o rts E d ito r

Martlets close strong, fall short

The Martlets’ wings failed to feed Anneth Him-Lazarenko down the stretch, and it came back to bite them as the UQAM Citadins rallied to upset number-one-seed McGill 89-88 in double overtime.

Him-Lazarenko leads the Que­ bec conference both in scoring, with a 15.6 points-per-game average, and field goal percentage, at 54.1 per cent. Still, throughout the game she got the ball on the block infrequent­ ly, and three of her six made baskets were off offensive rebounds. She finished with game with 14 points on 66.7 per cent shooting.

Shouldering the scoring load in crunch time were guards Natalie La­ rocque and Marie-Eve Martin with 11 and 18 points respectively.

Helene Bibeau was well on her way to a big game, with 16 points in only 17 minutes of playing time, be­ fore going down with what appeared to be an ankle injury with 1:13 to go in the third quarter. “[It was a] small sprain, she’s fine,” said Head Coach Ryan Thome.

“She thinks [she’ll be back for the first game of the playoffs]. I haven’t really spoken to everyone yet so I’m

not 100 per cent sure, but we think so.”

Her presence might have made the difference in a game that, despite looking like a mismatch on paper (the Martlets came into the game with a 13-2 record, while UQAM was 8-6), featured the two teams currently ranked first and second in the Quebec conference playing as if they were battling for the top spot.

McGill built a nice lead in the first, finishing the quarter up 21-13, but the Citadins stormed back in the second, tying the game at 26 apiece.

The game was tight from there, as every McGill run was answered by sharp shooting from UQAM. In overtime, UQAM built a five-point lead but Martin, who hit a buzzer-beating three-point winner at Laval on January 28, converted a four-point play with 1:30 re­ maining to pull McGill within one.

UQAM answered with a jumper but Françoise Charest sent the game to double overtime with a clutch threepointer.

In double OT, McGill centre Valerie L’Ecuyer fought to keep her team in the game, scoring the Martlets’ first four points, but the Citadins pulled away with incredible shooting from Karine Boudrias, who nailed consecutive three-pointers,

one from well beyond the arc.

The Martlets showed champi­ onship mettle by rallying yet again, as Martin scored two three-pointers in the final 11 seconds, which, along with a bricked free throw by the Citadins, cut the Martlet deficit to a single point. With a second to go however, the Martlets weren’t able to defend the inbounds pass and the Citadins escaped with the victory.

Next, McGill will advance to face Laval in the Quebec semi-final game. The Martlets will need to find a better balance of inside and outside scoring against a long Laval front­ line that includes Marie-Michelle Génois, the third most prolific re­ bounder in the CIS, who’s averaging 10.6 boards per game.

The game will be held at Love Competition Hall on March 2 at 7 p.m.

McGill’s own White Knight

2011 ’s seniors’ night might as well have been called “Michael White Night,” as the graduating fifth-year forward set the tone on both ends of the floor throughout a defensive, grind-it-out 64-61 McGill win over the visiting UQAM Cita­ dins.

White finished with 11 points on five of seven shooting from the field, a three-pointer, and seven re­

bounds (three offensive). Fellow se­ nior Kyle Bernard scored six points and had Redmen game-highs in offensive boards (four) and assists (two).

“When you have seniors you’ve got to rely on [them], especially down the stretch in games,” Head Coach David DeAveiro said. “When we needed a big shot today, Michael hit a big shot, when we needed a big rebound, Michael got a big rebound.

He was just doing what seniors are supposed to do but I’m glad he did it tonight in his last home game.”

Of the Redmen, only Winn Clark, who scored five points and brought some much needed hustle off the bench, and Tristan RenaudTremblay, who scored 15 with a variety of smooth spin moves in the post, joined White in shooting over 50 per cent. The team as a whole was mired in a shooting slump, hit­ ting 35.4 per cent for the game.

Both teams’ offences were par­ ticularly anaemic in the first half, shooting a combined 10 for 35 and registering 45 total points. McGjll led 23-22 heading into the third quarter.

The Citadins were able to gain a five-point lead in the third but Simon Bibeau hit a late jumper to bring the Redmen within three (39-42) head­

ing into the final stanza.

In the fourth, McGill was able to start scoring with more of their customary regularity and opened up a five-point lead with 12 seconds remaining off of two clutch freethrows by Karim Sy-Morissette.

However Sy-Morissette, a de­ fensive leader, made a mistake on the ensuing possession that nearly proved costly. With less than 10 seconds on the clock, UQAM’s Thi­ erry Justin induced Sy-Morissette to leave his feet with a pump-fake, created contact for the foul, and managed to chuck in an ugly threepointer for the potential four-pointplay. Justin hit the free throw to cut the McGill lead to one.

After a McGill timeout, the Redmen avoided a five-count on the inbound pass by getting the ball to big man Renaud-Tremblay, who had his defender sealed. RenaudTremblay, whose size gives him an advantage in catching inbounds passes, has improved his accuracy from the line as of late. He’s shoot­ ing 66.7 per cent on the season, but 80 percent over the last three games.

He iced the game by hitting both free throws for the final margin.

McGill plays next at Laval on March 1 at 7 p.m. in the Quebec Semifinal.

THIRD MAN IN C a rm e lo A p p le

Some sports’ trade deadlines arrive with a ton of hype and cover­ age, but rarely a trade that’s actually interesting, *cough* NHL *cough*.

The NBA trade deadline is not one of those lame ducks, and 2011 was no exception. In fact, the 2011 dead­ line was one of the craziest in recent memory, with 14 trades involving 17 draft picks and 49 players, ranging from the Carmelos and Derons of the world all the way down to the Luke Harangodys. I’d love to go through every one of them, but that would require a lot more space than I have.

I’ll take the space I do have to break down the deal that shuffled the deck at the centre of the universe: New York City.

After all the Melo-drama, the New York Knicks finally got their man, acquiring Carmelo Anthony along with Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Balkman, Anthony Carter, and Shelden Williams from the Denver Nuggets, and Corey Brewer from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In return, the Nuggets got Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Galinari, Timofey Mozgov, Kostas Koufas, the Knicks’ 2014 first-round pick, second-round picks in 2012 and 2013 (both originally belong­ ing to the Warriors) and $3 million in cash. As part of the deal, the Tim­ berwolves picked up Eddy Curry’s expiring contract and Anthony Ran­ dolph from the Knicks, the Nuggets’ 2015 second-round pick and $3 mil­ lion.

After wading through the de­ tails of that monster deal, what does it all mean? It means that the Knicks will be starting two of the best play­ ers in the league, in their prime, for at least the next five years or so.

I read a lot of articles from various sports media outlets lead­ ing up to and following the trade about how Carmelo wasn’t worth the price, how he was just a volume shooter who couldn’t, and wouldn’t, play defence. That’s bogus. Carmelo Anthony is not the best scorer in the league. Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Dwyane Wade are all averaging more points per game and all shoot a higher per­ centage from the field. But Carmelo

Anthony is the most versatile scorer in the league. Carmelo Anthony is faster than you, and if he’s not, then he’s stronger than you. He’s proba­ bly stronger and faster than you. He can play with his back to the basket and he can kill you from the out­ side. He can get to the line, where he shoots better than 80 per cent. When you need a bucket, say, I don’t know, sometime in May or June, Carmelo can get it for you any way you want it. That kind of skill set is rare and invaluable.

Is Carmelo Anthony a terrific defender? No. He doesn’t have the mentality to lock down his guy, pos­ session after possession, game after game. But he has shown himself to be more than capable when he wants to be, just ask Kobe Bryant. When the Knicks play the big games, Car­ melo will show up on both ends of the court. Throw in the fact that he’s a New Yorker who wants to play in the Garden more than anywhere else and it’s a slam dunk. If you can get Carmelo Anthony, you do it.

Yes, the price was steep, but it was worth it, and let’s not forget that Carmelo didn’t arrive in the Big Apple alone. Flying in with him,

somehow under the radar, is a for­ mer Finals MVP, Chauncey Billups, who is definitely an upgrade at the point-guard position over Raymond Felton.

It’s not all doom and gloom in Denver, either, and I think, given the circumstances, the Nuggets came out of this in pretty good shape. They avoided getting Leboned, Boshed, or whatever you want to call it, by getting the most they could for their departing superstar. Along with draft picks, the Nuggets got a couple of nice young players in Danilo Gali­ nari and Wilson Chandler, a promis­ ing big man in Timofey Mozgov and either a really good backup guard, or a good trade chip in Raymond Fel­ ton. They’ll have to make a decision on whether to resign Chandler after the season, but the rest are signed for at least one more. Remember, these guys made up the majority of a start­ ing lineup that had already begun New York’s resurgence and they’ve started well in Denver, beating the East-leading Celtics in their post­ trade home opener.

Nuggets fans should feel good about where they’re at. Kenyon Mar­ tin’s $16 million salary comes off

the books after this season, meaning they should be able to re-sign any­ one they want to keep among their list of expiring contracts (Martin, J.R. Smith, Wilson Chandler, and Aaron Afflalo). As part of the An­ thony deal, they have a $17 million trade exception they can use to sign a marquee free agent if and when they choose.

It would be rude not to men­ tion what the Timberwolves got out of the deal but, to be honest, no one really cares. It is kind of funny that one team has now accumulated Eddy Curry, Darko Milicic, and Michael Beasley. Funnier still is that team’s GM is David Kahn (widely regarded as the worst in the league). Unfor­ tunately, Minnesota is hopelessly irrelevant, their fans can only count the days until Kevin Love inevitably leaves, and don’t even have the com­ fort of knowing that Clippers fans understand their pain. They once did, but now they have the immea­ surable pleasure of watching Blake Griffin on a regular basis, so they don’t care anymore.

—Haruki Nakagawa

Curiosity Delivers, www.mcgilltribune.com

1 MARTLETS HOCKEY

REDMEN HOCKEY

Lakers swept

Martlets clip Ravens in semis

OUA East final set: Redmen-Patriotes

Deep McGill team is poised for a run at national gold

By Walker Kitchens S p o rts E d ito r

The second ranked Redmen kept on rolling during the break as they advanced to the OUA East final by sweeping the Ottawa Gee Gees and Nipissing Lakers in consecutive series.

On Saturday, at McConnell Arena, the Redmen ended the Lak­ ers’ playoff dreams with a 6-4 vic­ tory. McGill cruised to a 1-0 lead in the first period as they outshot Nipissing 12-6. They exploded for four goals in the later half of the second period to take a 5-1 lead into the third. Nipissing responded with three consecutive goals to open the final period. But with four minutes remaining Simon Marcotte-Legare scored his third goal of the playoffs to double the Redmen lead and ex­ tinguish any hopes the Lakers had for a comeback.

“We had good performances from a lot of different guys in the first four games,” said Head Coach Kelly Nobes. “[We were] real effec­ tive on the forecheck, in the comers and along the boards.”

The victory came three days after McGill travelled to North Bay to capture the first game of the se­ ries 4-1. McGill was outshot 32-31 for the game and entered the third period trailing 1-0. They remained composed, however, as Maxime Langelier-Parent scored the first two goals of the third period to give the Redmen their first lead at 2-1. A min­ ute after Langelier-Parent’s second goal, CIS scoring champion Alex Picard-Hooper found the back of the net to double the McGill lead.

The Redmen victory against Nipissing came on the heels of a

sweep against the Ottawa Gee Gees in the first round. That series started slow for the Redmen as they found themselves trailing 1-0 midway through the third period at home in game one. However, sniper Francis Verreault-Paul was able to tie the game with 13 minutes to go. With less than three minutes left Chris­ tophe Longpre-Poirier scored the game winner. The Redmen scram­ bled to close the game as they took two penalties and were reduced to three skaters. With the pulled goalie, Ottawa had a six on three advantage but weren’t able to find a way to score.

With one win already under their belts, the Redmen cruised to a 10-5 victory in the second game against Ottawa. McGill put the game out of reach quickly as they jumped out to 6-0 first period lead and were a dominant five for seven on the power play. Andrew Wright, Francis Verreault-Paul, Guillaume Doucet, and Simon Marcotte-Légaré all scored twice for the Redmen.

McGill now advances to the OUA East final against the eighth ranked UQTR Patriotes, who de­ feated Carleton in three games in the other East semifinal. The winner earns a berth in the OUA Queen’s Cup final and gets a spot in the up­ coming CIS Championship.

With the victories, McGill ex­ tended their perfect record at Mc­ Connell Arena to 18-0, which bodes well for the Redmen, who have home ice advantage in their upcoming se­ ries. The series will begin Wednes­ day at 7 p.m. in McConnell Arena.

The second game will be played at UQTR on Friday night. If the series is tied, the tiebreaker will be played back at McGill on Sunday night.

The M cG ill Edition Women’s volleyball

A crushing defeat to Sher­ brooke in the Quebec bronze medal match ended McGill’s bid to win a wild card and qualify for the CIS championship this year.

Despite posting a perfect four and zero record against the Vert et Or in regular season play, the

9

Martlets were swept out of the playoffs.

“Our team played really shaky in the first game, which is really important one,” said Head Coach Rachele Beliveau. “If we win that one game then we would probably have been OK in the second one.”

The team’s veterans were the

By Monika Fabian C o n trib u to r

Playoff recap

The Martlets won the Quebec Student Sports Federation semi-final series, a best-of-three contest, against the Carleton Ravens last week. The Martlets, however, didn’t need all three games against the Ravens: on February 23 Gillian Ferrari, former defender for the national team, put a quick end to game one to earn a 1-0 victory. In game two, more members of the squad (Katia Clement-Heydra, Lisa Zane, Chelsea Saunders and Alessandra Lind-Kenney) contrib­ uted on the scoresheet in a dominant 4-0 win. As a result, the Martlets are heading into the QSSF final against the University of Montreal Carabins at McConnell Arena on March 3, and at Montreal on March 4. After this last QSSF hurdle, they’re hop­ ing to head to the CIS nationals to reclaim the gold.

The team also clinched a win­ ning streak of 100 consecutive games against Quebec University Hockey League opponents the Fri­ day before last against Montreal. In addition, two players, Ann-Sophie Bettez and Carly Hill, scored the winning goals to help Canada snag the 2011 Winter Universiade Gold Medal in Turkey in early Febru­ ary. Although these achievements in themselves are phenomenal, the team is far too busy with their eye on CIS gold to spend time patting themselves on the back.

The Martlets won gold two years in a row before last season, when Alberta sniped the title, with McGill’s all-star goalie Charline Labonte away at the Olympics in Vancouver. The girls are determined

ones who folded in the heat of the moment, while younger players exceeded expectations.

“When you’re younger there’s less pressure, when you’re gradu­ ating it’s your last chance,” said Beliveau. “It shouldn’t be like that, you should be agressive and intense but it was the opposite this year. [The vets] were hesitant and that creates doubt, which is no good for volleyball.”

Rookie Genevieve Plante was probably the player-of-the-series, recording a game-high 21 kills in game two and 16 in game one, which was also a game-high mark she shared with graduating senior Kelsey Irwin.

Plante, along with the vast majority of the Martlets’ core, is young, so next season brings re­

to win gold in Waterloo, Ontario at nationals this year.

Most athletes can attest that any successful team has its roots in its coaching staff. Head Coach Peter Smith has been a significant factor in the success of the Martlets. Smith has coached women’s hockey na­ tional teams at the last two Olympics, and has coached the McGill Martlet squad since 1999. Being named CIS Coach of the Year and QSSF Coach of the Year on numerous occasions, he and assistant coaches Amy Doyle, Shauna Denis and Stewart McCarthey are all integral to the team’s consistent success.

This confluence of talent and a history of excellence makes the Martlets unlike any other team at McGill.

“I think when you have success over a period of time there are very high expectations,” said Smith. “So I think sometimes your successes as you go along aren’t appreciated as much. But, you know, there are no victims here.”

Accolades aside, what further sets the team apart from others at McGill is that they break the age-old prejudice that only male sports en­ gage fans enough to come out and watch them. Smith hopes for a big outporing of support before the team heads to Waterloo for CIS champi­ onships, “I think it makes a difference for the players,” said Smith.

treal and Quebec, but across the na­ tion, and internationally as well.

The McGill women’s hockey program was the first of its kind in North America when it began in 1896, only 12 years after women were first allowed to study at McGill.

While the women’s team wasn’t al-, ways nationally acclaimed, the ar­ rival of Kim St-Pierre (two time CIS All Canadian, CIS Player of the Year in 2002-2003, CIS Champion­ ship MVP 1999-2000, Team Canada Olympian 2002, 2006, 2010) jumpstarted the program. Since her ar­ rival, amazing athletes have consis­ tently joined the highly competitive squad. One such player is Melodie Daoust, a nationally sought-after hockey star, who just signed a letter of intent to play with McGill next season. With her years of experi­ ence playing in the intense national development program, she still says she was “impressed by [the Martlets] team chemistry and how hard they pushed themselves at practice.”

There will be a bus from McGill’s Currie Gym leaving for the University of Montreal at 6 p.m. on March 4 for fans hoping to catch one last glimpse of the team before Na­ tionals. Seats can be reserved on the Red Thunder website: ssmu.mcgill. ca/redthunder (not accessible on Firefox).

Full disclosure: Monika Fabian is the president of Red Thunder.

Additional reporting by Sam Hunter.

History

With a roster of exception­ ally hard-working, successful, and dedicated hockey stars, the Martlets squad is a team that warrants watch­ ing. The girls have represented McGill University not only in Mon­

newed promise of success.

CIS Swim Championships in Calgary

Despite contending with 3,500 feet of altitude and the dis­ comfort of a prairie winter, McGill swimmers performed well at the CIS championships held in Cal­ gary over the weekend.

Led by two gold medals from Steven Bielby, the Redmen and Martlets fell into the middle of the pack, with the men finishing 11th and the women 14th.

Rookie Pierre-Alexandre Renaud and third-year Matthew Khatchadourian were the next best McGill performers on the men’s side, both finishing eighth in the 200m butterfly and the 50m breast­ stroke respectively.

For the women, Maxime Charron, Sophie Ovemey-Ragan, Leanne Roach, and Myriam Do­ nato all finished in the top-16, but no Martlets made the final (top eight).

“The level of effort was phe­ nomenal,” said Head Coach Peter Carpenter. “The meet was difficult in that [it] was held at 3„500 feet, so that did pose some issues.”

The lack of oxygen at altitude affected the times, so it’s difficult to compare this meet with others of the year.

“It’s hard to say how we did vis-a-vis the other teams,” said Carpenter. “I can definitely say that more often than not our athletes moved up in the rankings than they moved down. By that standard we did well.”

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

2

0

SWI MMI NG

In the wake of big win, Bielby sets sights on FISU games Quebec Swimmer of the Year now holds all-time McGill record for golds at national championships

By Sam Hunter S p o rts E d ito r

It was quite a weekend for the reigning Quebec Swimmer of the Year.

McGill’s Steven Bielby kicked it off by travelling to frigid Calgary to compete in the CIS championships. There, he qualified for two events at the 2011 World University Games in Shenzhen, China by winning two gold medals, one each in the 200 and 400 metre Individual Medley (IM). The two golds raise his ca­ reer total to six, a McGill record.

Bielby took the hardware and ran, catching a flight straight out of Calgary to Vancouver, connect­ ing from there to Sydney, Austra­ lia, where the third-year electrical Engineering major will spend the next semester, studying, and train­ ing at the University of Sydney.

In August, Bielby will make the shorter jump to Shenzhen to rep­ resent both Canada and McGill on the world stage. The summer’s event could be a precursor of things to come, as Bielby’s looks towards London in 2012.

O rigin story

Bielby broke onto the uni­ versity swimming scene back in 2009, when, in his freshman year at McGill, he won three gold medals at the year-end CIS championships.

Since then, he hasn’t looked back, winning a gold, two silvers, and a bronze in 2010, and following that up with this past weekend’s double gold performance.

Though his results haven’t varied much, Bielby and his CIS competition have undergone drastic changes in the past three years.

The tim es they are a-ch a n g in ’

In a 2009 interview with the Tribune, Bielby said of the CIS

championships, “My main focus was on just one of the events, the 1500-metre freestyle ... which I would say is my best event.”

This year, Head Coach Peter Carpenter said Bielby directed his energies primarily towards the two events he won. He didn’t even compete in the 1500m free­ style because it was right after the 200m IM and also partly because the presence of 2008 Olympic 1500m freestyle bronze medal­ list Ryan Cochrane represented a serious hit to Bielby’s chances of winning the event.

The two faced off in the 400m freestyle, which Cochrane won. But Bielby got his revenge in the 400m IM, beating out Co­ chrane by almost six seconds and finishing nearly a full four sec­ onds ahead of second-place David Dimitrov of the University of Cal­ gary. The bronze marked the only event Cochrane competed in that he didn’t win.

“To be honest, the 400 IM, I have no problem saying, was probably the greatest swim of [Bielby’s] life,” said Carpenter.

“It’s not a best time but given the situation and the circumstances, that was probably the best swim he ever put together. And the fact that he won the race by four sec­ onds shows total dominance.”

The “circumstances” to which Carpenter refer are, in ad­ dition to a pressure-packed cham­ pionship-setting, 3500 feet of al­ titude and the accompanying lack of oxygen—a significant problem for one of the single most taxing aerobic sports. Despite this chal­ lenge, swimmers were setting re­ cord or near-record CIS paces.

“I think that really what we’re seeing, more than individual suc­ cesses or failures, is the level of

Bielby beat out Olympic medalist Ryan Cochrane to win the 400 IM. (Adam Scotti / McGill Tribune)

the CIS championships is going up significantly every year,” said Carpenter. “It seems like more and more kids are staying in Canada which is definitely something that we’re striving for.”

Despite the uptick in compet­ itiveness, Bielby’s time in the 400 IM at CIS championships peaked in 2009 at 4:11.42. He regressed to 4:14.72 in 2010, and then won his latest gold with a time of 4:13.60.

T he num bers

For the average sports fah, swimming is a sport either known not at all, or for its three celeb­ rities: Michael Phelps, of the bazillion gold medals and 10,000 calorie per day diet, Ian Thorpe

(the Thorpedo), and the infamous Speedo LZR Racer Suit.

If you don’t remember, the LZR was at the centre of a broil­ ing controversy in Beijing when swimmers wearing the suit demol­ ished the record books.

Looking at Bielby’s times over the three-year span, it would be easy to disregard his progress.

At first glance it appears that 2009 was a high watermark, maybe a fluke. But, consider the fact that 2009 was the last year the LZRs were permitted for competition and the numbers starts to make a lot more sense.

Some of Bielby’s other num­ bers are more difficult to under­

stand, however.

“He is very ... well yes, very short,” said Carpenter. “He’s 5’8”, which is incredibly short in the world of swimming. It’s almost comical. For the 200 IM walkout last night, you watch him walk out and he’s in the middle lane and you see one guy who’s 6’2”, one guy who’s 6’6”, one guy who’s 6’1”, Steven at 5’8” and then an­ other guy who’s 6’ and another guy who’s maybe 5’11”. It’s very funny to watch.”

Carpenter, along with the rest of McGill, and maybe Team Canada, has good reason to laugh, knowing that Bielby has some pretty good weekends in sight.

Quebec Track Cham pionships McGill finished second overall in the women’s events but the team was overshadowed by the individ­ ual success of second-year physiol­ ogy major Sarah McCuaig, who led the way with four gold medals.

Two individually, in the 1000m and 1500m, and two as part of a relay team, in the 4x400m and 4x800m.

“She had a terrific meet,” said Head Coach Dennis Barrett. “She looked really strong in the 1500m, which she ran on Saturday, and then came back really well, ran a 4x800 that night and then looked unbeat­ able again in the 1000m on Sunday.

Four golds ... pretty sweet.”

Louisa Lobigs, an exchange student from Australia, won the gold in the 3000m, while master’s student Stephanie Harris silvered in the weight-throw.

The men finished third out of five teams. Medical student Maxime Beaumont-Courteau won gold in the pole vault for the Redmen and Eric Ellemo rounded out McGill’s gold-total with a win in the 300m.

The team will travel to the University of Sherbrooke for CIS championships from March 10-12.