Vol 36 issue 23

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Want to get it on while studying? We tell you where to do it. Monday, March 29, 2010

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Volume 36, Issue 23

The Jaws of the University of Toronto Mississauga matt: d’you see my photos? the last 2 years have been grand. alain: just write. i love utm and i love the medium michael: masterweb that ahrch. sulyn: hey guys you sure you spelt that correctly? thanks medium-ites andrew: thanks for the memories

Deer slaughtered on Five Minute Walk

Photo courtesy Mary Taneka

This man is wanted in relation to the UTM deer slaughter. If you have any information regarding this tragedy, please contact the Deer Hotline at (905) 828 5379.

ALAIN LATOUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Last Sunday, campus police found the remains of a deer lying on the Five Minute Walk. The stag, which the Mississauga zoo once tagged as “Rutherford,” was missing chunks of flesh from its flanks. Police believe Rutherford was slaughtered for its meat, and that the person(s) responsible for the murder fled the location to avoid capture when a student happened upon the scene. Following a police investigation, a residence student produced a picture of an adult male wielding a santoku knife as he stalked a deer in the UTM woodlot. Mary Takeda, a fourth-year Scatology major, said

she did not hand the picture to the police because she thought it was a harmless prank. “I was standing at the window of my room at OPH when I saw him,” said Takeda, who took the picture last Monday. “He looked very creepy and had a big knife, so I got my camera and snapped a pic, but it didn’t occur to me that he actually wanted to kill the deer.” Police have asked The Medium to release the picture, hoping that someone on campus will recognize the as-of-yet unidentified male. At the beginning of the semester, police received an anonymous letter addressing the high expense and low availability of food at UTM. “I will have no choice but to do what it takes for me to eat,” wrote the author(s). “And beware: I’m not alone. I know others feel as desperate as I do. Some of us have

hunting experience and some of us don’t. But it doesn’t matter. We can only afford so much chicken and so many hotdogs.” Constable Ness of the UTM campus police said they initially disregarded the letter. But when the squirrel population at UTM diminished rapidly over the last few weeks, investigators began suspecting that the letter wasn’t a prank after all. “We took a few preliminary steps,” said Constable Ness, but he refused to provide more information on what those steps were. Constable Ness also said that the campus police will double their efforts to investigate the letter and the anonymous man after they discovered Rutherford’s remains. They have begun questioning members of the Facebook group “Deer Hunters of UTM,” and the

one hunter-gatherer student at UTM, Grubh Chefanana, a native of Ladonia. Biology Professor William Cody denies the police did enough to prevent Rutherford’s murder. “Deer have been roaming around the woodlot and the Five Minute Walk far much more frequently the last four or five days,” said Professor Cody, who also runs the National Deer Foundation. “It’s obvious that someone has be en baiting them.” Professor Cody said he doubted students would hunt deer because they can’t afford food at UTM. “They may want to sell the meet to local restaurants instead,” said the Professor. “And the antlers can fetch quite a sum of money as well. If this is what I think it is, I’m actually afraid for my life. I certainly don’t want to fight the UTM

Deer Butchers.” If you have any information or believe you might have seen the anonymous man, please contact the Deer Hotline at (905) 828-5379.

DY-ing for DY PAGE 3 Harry Potter science PAGE 5 Social smoking PAGE 9 RAWC the summer away PAGE 11

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www.mediumonline.ca


2 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, MARCH

29, 2010

NEWS STRONGER, ELECTIONS The joke’s on you—we mean about the cover. The rest of the paper is for real. Good luck with exams!

UTSU picks Stronger Together

UTMAC elections: Blackout or Blueprint2? STEFANIE MAROTTA

votestrongertogether.ca

KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

On March 16-18, students at both UTM and St. George voted to elect the student union that represents over 40,000 U o f T students. Although results were close, Stronger Together has won all five executive positions for UTSU, including Adam Awad as President, Danielle Sandhu as VP Equity, Zexi Wang as VP External, Rolli Adenmosun for VP Internal and Maria Pilar Galvez as VP University Affairs. Stronger Together’s goal for next year is to work in unison with the student body at both UTM and St. George campuses in order to achieve more for less. The platform for Stronger

Together highlights a series of goals and issues that the team plans to address. Among issues that the team plans to work on include eliminating the flat fees tuition structure, in which students pay a set tuition amount even if they take three or four courses instead of five. Stronger Together’s platform also states that the team will be fighting to create online textbooks using Blackboard, creating a fund for clubs to be used for student events, and working with TTC to attain discount tickets for students. Stronger Together also advocates that it will work to fight racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia and all forms of discrimin a t i o n o n c a m pus as well as in classroom resources. The team’s platform also states

its focus on sustainability and creating a greener and more ecofriendly campus with an expansion of the BikeShare (also available at UTM) and training clubs about greener options. More local, organic and vegetarian food options are also in the works, as well as banning water bottles and installing more water fountains. With roughly 10% of St. George students travelling between the downtown campus and the UTM campus, Stronger Together’s platform states that they will work toward an easier and cheaper transfer between campuses. Stronger Together will fight the increase of parking and food fees at the UTM campus and work towards creating more tri-campus events. For more information on UTSU, visit UTSU.ca

The UTM Athletics Council campaign period began last Monday. This year, Blueprint2, Team Blackout and an independent VP Administration candidate are vying for positions. Blueprint2 launched their campaign last Monday at 12:01 a.m. with a Facebook group and flooded the Meeting Place with blue and red balloons to attract the attention of voters. Reiterating the platform points of last year’s Blueprint slate to increase school spirit, increase athlete recognition and enhance communication, Blueprint2 promises to continue to improve and expand upon these initiatives. The candidates hope to bring progression and victory to campus athletics if elected as next year’s UTMAC. Collectively, the candidates of Blueprint2 claim experience in UTM athletics, UTMAC events, UTMSU affairs and involvement in various clubs. Team Blackout promises to seek student input to guide allocation of finances, an increase of on and offcampus events and to promote community through athletics. The candidates insist that they have an effective plan and enough experience to take on their respective positions on UTMAC. As a team, Blackout has experience in UTMSU and UTMAC programs. Independent VP Administration candidate Kasim Baluch also wants to promote student involvement and diversity of events. The third-year student was approached by Team Blackout, but made the decision to campaign solo as a personal goal. Baluch has participated in a multitude of campus sporting events and teams and advocates for increased involvement and events.

The All Candidates debate was held in the Blind Duck Pub last Tuesday to give students the opportunity to address the candidates. Candidates answered questions regarding their plans to increase student and athlete involvement, promote school spirit and build awareness of athletic programs and opportunities. One of the questions brought up concerned pick-up games in the RAWC. Participants called “next” to enter the floor; however, often times female athletes were neglected. The candidates expressed the need to implement an organized system or authority figure to ensure the games are fair. Each slate announced their slogan for the coming academic year if elected. Blueprint2 chose “We bleed blue,” inspired by Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” Blackout chose “D-Up,” and Baluch announced “Be true, so be blue.” “The campaign period has been running smoothly. It’s great to see so many interested candidates,” reported this year’s Chief Returning Officer Dhananjai Kohli. “All candidates have been working hard on promoting themselves and the platform that they stand for, and so far everyone has been playing fair. I was very pleased with the crowd participation [at the debate].” In contrast to last year’s contested UTMAC elections, the executives of the present council decided to conduct voting online. Kohli has been in contact with the administration to initiate the new process. Candidate profiles and platforms are available on posters around campus and on Facebook. Students will have the opportunity to cast their vote online at voting.utoronto.ca from 12:01 a.m. on March 30 through to 11:59 p.m. on March 31.

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MONDAY, MARCH

29, 2010 THE MEDIUM 3

FIRE AT UTM

DY-ing for DY at UTM

NEWS

New credit option for UTSU KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI

The U of T Scarborough campus recently passed the option of the credit/no credit application to courses. UTSC students at can now have the option of taking a course without it affecting their GPAs and without the added pressures of doing well in it. The UTSC administration believes that this option allows students to take more risks and experiment with their learning technique, as it will encourage them to take courses outside their program of study. With this new policy, when taking a course, students are required to attain a minimum of 60% as their final mark to pass a class and receive a course credit. Failure to achieve a final mark of 60% will not be counted as a failure on the student’s transcript, and will not affect their cumulative GPA score. The credit/no credit option must be chosen by a student before the final day of course enrollment. Once chosen, the

option is irreversible. A course chosen as a non-credit course cannot be used to fulfill program requirements. Furthermore, professors are not told which students are taking their course for credit and which are not. This allows students to work without worrying about a bias from professors or TAs in terms of grading. Currently, the credit/no credit option is limited to one credit per year. Executives for the Arts and Science Students’ Union are working to push for two course equivalents for the no credit option. “It took a little while for students to grasp a couple of its features, that they couldn’t switch back if they were getting 51 per cent or 90 per cent, and that they shouldn’t be using this to avoid a nonstellar mark in one of their hard programrequirement courses,” said Assistant Dean of the Arts and Science Faculty Glenn Loney in an interview with The Varsity last week. The St. George campus carried the credit/no credit option over in 2008 for Arts and Science students, but UTM has yet to follow suit.

UTM will burn for nature

Edward Cai/ The Medium

Canadian artist DY performed at the Blind Duck on Thursday night. DY performed his song “Passenger,” featuring Danny Fernandes. Following the performance, DY stayed for a meeting and greet with students and a photo opportunity.

Management class donates to Heifer International NADA HAMOD

Last Tuesday, Professor Ann Armstrong asked her Organizational Design (MGT363) students to bring $2. At the start of the lecture, Armstrong explained that she needed the $2 to run an exercise that would simulate the dynamics of power, politics and conflict within real organizations through a pretend organization formed by the students—the “Toonie Organization.” Armstrong gave a brief discussion of the simulation rules, which pertained to organizational structure, role-assigning and communication. Three students would hold upper management positions, four would hold middle management positions and the remaining 25 would hold the positions of workers. The upper management’s role was to establish an organizational goal and realize it. They could communicate with both the middle and lower organization groups freely. The middle management’s role was to support upper management in achieving their goal and managing the workers—they could communicate with the lower group freely, but needed permission to

speak with upper management. The workers’ role was to perform the tasks assigned to them by management—they could only communicate with middle management and could choose to revolt and not perform tasks if they did not want to. Armstrong contributed $20 to the pooled money, divided the totaled $74 amongst the two management groups respective to their power, and allowed the “Toonie Organization” to begin its simulation exercise. Halfway through the two-hour lecture, brainstorming and sharing of ideas amongst the two management groups yielded an unexpected strategic goal: to raise additional funds and use all proceeds towards a cause that would make a difference. The MGT363 Toonie Organization collectively selected Heifer International as the charity through which to make a donation. (Heifer International aims to end hunger and poverty by giving donors the opportunity to buy livestock that will help feed and support families). With this goal in mind, the students began to relax the rigid rules that their positions once forced them to adhere to. This allowed them to increase communication,

cooperation and efficiency. They organized themselves into small groups and explained their class simulation exercise and the strategic goal they hoped to achieve to friends, students and even their former professors in the South Building’s Hall and Meeting Place. The Toonie Organization had expected to raise no more than an additional $10 in the limited time they had left, but the results was highly unexpected—they more than doubled their wealth, raising $84 in less than 30 minutes. The students decided to make a $160 donation of a goat and two flocks of chicken through Heifer International. The exercise, meant to facilitate the learning of the dynamics of power politics and conflict in an organization to business students, ended instead with a move that helped combat hunger and poverty. None of the MGT363 students or Professor Armstrong could have foreseen such an outcome. Not only were the course concepts demonstrated in a fresh way, but the students’ active involvement in the exercise took the class to another level, bringing philanthropic acts of business even to the level of a class simulation.

This spring, UTM will conduct a prescribed burn of a small parcel of land in its northeast section. The event, which will take a maximum of 50 minutes, will occur between March 20 and April 30, weather permitting. Shrubs and small trees currently invade the 1.3-hectare flat savannah habitat. According to Professor Nick Collins of the Department of Biology and co-chair of the UTM/Evergreen Naturalization Steering Committee, a prescribed burn is the most effective way to encourage the growth of native grassland plants, remove nonnative species and restore the meadowland character of the area. “This prescribed burn is part of a professionally prepared long-term management plan designed to preserve and enhance part of UTM’s grassland habitat, which is an important resource for our teaching and research activities,” said Professor Collins. “Without active management, this area will continue to develop into a shrubland dominated by nonnative invasive plant species.” A prescribed burn is a deliberately set

and carefully controlled low fire that consumes dried leaves, some seeds and small stems without harming larger trees. Professor Collins called it “a well-recognized, established method of managing the preservation and enhancement of certain ecosystems” that is used “scores of times each year in Canada.” Professional firefighters will carry out the procedure according to established standards. The plans have been thoroughly reviewed by Mississauga Fire Department officials. Natural and manmade firebreaks will surround the burn site. A professional fire boss will initiate the prescribed burn only after determining that both the combustibility of the fuel and the current weather are within prescribed limits. The burn may be postponed if the weather conditions vary significantly from predictions. After the burn, the site will be monitored continuously until the professional fire boss declares the fire out. Regular operations of the University will not be affected.

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4 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, MARCH

OPINION THIS IS IT

29, 2010

Letters to the Editor

A sales pitch ALAIN LATOUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Like many of you, I’m graduating in June. This is therefore the last editorial I’ll ever write for The Medium. Knowing this, I’m tempted to write with a vengeance and to touch on many topics. I’m tempted, for example, to introduce next year’s terrific team, to reminisce about my experience at our newspaper, to thank the countless people who contributed to The Medium this year, and to reflect on what it’s been like to work in what many would consider a dying industry. But I can’t do a decent job if I focus on so many different issues—not in the space of one column, and not unless I want to bore you to death. So, after much consideration, I decided to make my last editorial a sales pitch for The Medium. Before I do that, however, I do have to thank Amir, Michael, Su Lyn, Andrew, Saaliha, Matt, Heather, and Romano, among many others, for helping make us a better paper, one that saw twice the amount of online hits than in the previous year. I also have to wish Saaliha Malik, my successor, the best of luck, and to publicly state my faith that both the new team and her will do an amazing job. Working as Editor-in-Chief of this newspaper has been one of the most fruitful experiences of my life. Ali Kasim, previous EIC, wrote in his last editorial that he had learned more on the job than he ever did as a student at UTM. I won’t go as far, but I will say this: in the one year that I worked as EIC, I learned what I would’ve needed two years to learn at UTM. There are many reasons for this, but I can best sum it up with the following old saying: “Tell someone how to do something and they'll forget. Show them, and they may not remember. Involve them, and they'll understand.” UTM has no journalism program, so other than a handful of Professional Writing professors, we have no one to tell or show us how to make a newspaper. This leaves us with no choice but to get involved and to understand. We come to the office every day, and since we don’t have anyone to teach us, we simply sit down and do it. We don’t do a perfect job—far from it. We pay for our mistakes dearly, more so than in any university course—every time we make one, an

upwards of 5,000 readers notice, be it a misquote or typo splashed across the cover page. But far from discouraging us, this limitation encourages us. In the process of working (and making mistakes), we learn about interviewing and writing and editing. We learn about time management and about Robert's rules of order. We learn about ourselves and our fellow students and our profs. More to the point, we learn about UTM, the one thing we all have in common, and the one thing we will all remember for our entire lives. Look at this issue alone. Reading it, you will learn about an interesting experiment that involves a toonie and wellmeaning management students, about UTM’s soon-to-happen prescribed burn and about the best secret on-campus locations to hook up. You will learn about all this and more, but you won’t learn as much as the students who wrote and edited these stories—these students had to go out, meet the person they profiled face to face and visit new locations. They had to think and focus. They had to get involved. They had to understand. Many UTM students seem to think its hard to work for us. Stefanie Marotta, former assistant news editor, told me last week that in her first year, she stood in the main floor of the Student Centre, twisting her hands and eyeing our office upstairs with apprehension. She eventually knocked on our office door, but I wonder how many other lost the nerve and left. Yet it’s not hard to work for us. Almost all UTM students have publishable writing skills. And they all have skills that they can improve, with our help and their own perseverance. So please take a deep breath, go up the stairs and knock on our door. I promise you this: if you ever wanted to do it, but end up not, you will regret it. As I find myself nearing the end of my days at UTM, I know I will miss many things. I will miss this dusty office, and the friends that I made, and the late night Psychology classes and the CCIT labs and the anticipation of reading a story aloud in a PWC class. But most of all, I will miss not doing the things that I always wanted to do, like enrolling in the debate club or going to the Olympic weightlifting seminars. Even if joining The Medium does not rank high on your personal list of things to do at UTM, you can bet your bottom dollar that working for our newspaper will allow you add new things to that list.

RESULTS OF THE MEDIUM ELECTIONS Editor in Chief: Saaliha Malik News Editor: Katherine Luczynski A & E Editor: Nives Hajdin Features Editor: Mr. Amir Ahmed Sports Editor: William Robertson Photo Editor: Edward Cai

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Medium will hold its Annual General Meeting on March 31 at 5 p.m. in the Board Room at the Student Centre.The goal of the AGM is to discuss The Medium’s financial statements and the auditor’s report thereon, as well as appointing auditors for next year and authorizing the Board of Directors to fix the remuneration of the auditors. The last auditors’ report for The Medium will be available for review by students during the editors’ office hours as of today. All students who have paid their levy for this year for The Medium are welcome to come to the AGM.

Post-campaign glee Dear Editor, I am glad that our student newspaper covered the elections in last week’s edition. However, it is important for us to reflect on the immense student turnout for the spring 2010 elections. This is symbolic of the excitement and enthusiasm that plagued our campaign from day one. Over 30% of all eligible voters cast their ballot in this year's election, a turnout unprecedented in UTM Student unions history, and in fact the highest turnout of any election, not only in the GTA, but in the province of Ontario. I would like to thank not only the students that cast their ballot in this historic election, but also all the candidates. This election would have not culminated the amount of interest, participation and commentary if we did not have all these diverse and committed candidates running for the executive and board of directors positions. I believe that students deserve a discussion on the issues.Team Students United is committed to such a conversation. We all believe that as university students and future community and professional leaders, we have the responsibility to strive away from the distractions and focus on the solutions. So what does this election mean to us? It means that students care about their student union and most importantly about the issues that each one of you have brought to the center of the campaign. Students are looking at the platform and basically saying, “This is what I want my student union to do.” But that should only be the first step. I ran with a team that is called Students United. There is a cheer that is used by students and labor, that goes, “The students/workers united, will never be defeated.” And that speaks to what we believe in. We believe that when students unite, we can get anything we want. Imagine 3,000 students telling Food Services that Chartwells needs to deliver on more food services, or they should lose their monopoly. Imagine 3,000 students going to Erindale College Council and demanding lower parking/residence/meal plan fees. And why

should we be limited by the platform we ran on? And why should we limit ourselves to 3,000 voices? To vote is an avenue for students to indicate their interest on the issues they care about. But voting is not the end, but the beginning of the process; it is very important for every student to participate in their student union. What I'm trying to say is that there is strength in numbers. United, we can get stuff done. And how do we decide what needs to be done? Together. We want to make sure that students are consulted on everything the union does. In fact, we want the union to do what you, the students tell us to do. Because a students union is nothing without the students. The students union is here to serve you. Our team garnered the most votes because of your support (and there was clearly a lot of support). But we can`t do this alone. Join us in the next 12 months, and united we can tackle the issues that affect us all. In student solidarity, Vickita Bhatt PS – In last week’s issue of The Medium, there was no mention of the breakdown of the votes, so I thought I would include it here. President Vickita Bhatt 1638 (elected) Henry Ssali 1142 VP Internal Marc Bressler 814 Gilbert Cassar 1707 (elected ) Sunil Shah 256 VP UA and Academics Nabeel Jafri 999 Grace Yuen 1776 (elected ) VP External Stefanie Marotta 1010 Munib Sajjad 1759 (elected) VP Equity Kumari Giles 1838 (elected) Amreet Kaur 923 VP Part Time Ali Karim 17 Marium Chowdhary 29 (elected)

In Solidarity, Vickita Bhatt

This all needs to end As you all know, the UTMSU elections ended about two weeks ago. The results? Well, Students United (yellow) won by a large margin. As for the demerit points, well, I think we all saw that accurate graph (do you sense the sarcasm?) on the front page of last week’s paper. In simple terms: Students United exercised their right to appeal points and none of the group members are facing disqualification any longer. Now, is that a problem? It’s important to note that the demerit points are given without hearing from the accused individual, therefore an appeal is an opportunity to “get rid of points” if the accusation is not true. What I found most interesting was the amount of complaints that were filed. While Students United focused on outreaching to students, UTM Renew found it necessary to pinpoint every “infraction” made by Student United. If Students United had filed as many complaints as UTM Renew, that graph would have looked a lot different. The demerit points for both teams would have probably been the same. However, during the campaigning period, Students United had different priorities. In the end, the unofficial election results reflect the efforts of the teams. If UTMRenew had spent as much time campaigning as they did complaining,

maybe the results would have been different. After multiple meetings, discussions, and notes on Facebook, I’m sure we’re all tired of it all. These elections have gone too far and if you take a look at this UTM student’s response to a friend’s status, I think you would agree. Is it really necessary to call the newly elected unofficial president of UTMSU “the scum of the earth?” Comments like “I actually think I found a piece of you in the bottom of my garbage can with a piece of gum stuck to you” are absolutely disgusting. We are all adults who attend the University of Toronto and this is a downgrade to the U of T name. Immature and useless comments like these are an indication that the elections have gone too far. What has Vickita Bhatt done to deserve this? Absolutely nothing. Students United ran a clean campaign and in the end, they deserved the win. The students have spoken.

Shereen Abdou

www.mediumonline.ca MEDIUM II PUBLICATIONS 3359 Mississauga Road, Room 200, Student Centre, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6 Phone: 905.828.5260 Fax: 905.828.5402 Advertising: 905.828.5379 EDITOR IN CHIEF Alain Latour editor@mediumonline.ca NEWS EDITOR Saaliha Malik news@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Katherine Luczynski A&E EDITOR Michael Di Leo arts@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT A&E EDITORS Nives Hajdin Colleen Munro FEATURES EDITOR Amir Ahmed features@mediumonline.ca SPORTS EDITOR Andrew Tysiak sports@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS Sarah Malagerio Bruno William Robertson COPY EDITOR Su Lyn Liew PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Matthew Filipowich photos@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Edward Cai COMPOSITE EDITOR Matthew Filipowich WEBMASTER Matthew Filipowich DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Heather Friesen BUSINESS MANAGER Romano Bergic BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chris Cauchi, Paul Donaghue, Ali Kasim, Kristian Jurlewicz, Aly Khan Madhavji, Paola Savasta, Phoebe Leung. COMPLAINTS Comments, concerns or com plaints about The Medium’s con tent should be directed to the Editor in Chief who can be locat ed at the email address above. COPYRIGHT All content printed in The Medium is the sole property of its creators, and cannot be used without written consent. DISCLAIMER Opinions expressed in the pages of The Medium are exclusively of the author and do not neces sarily reflect those of The Medium. Additionally, the opin ions expressed in advertise ments appearing in The Medium are those of advertisers and not of The Medium. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor will be edit ed for spelling, grammar, style and coherence. Letters will not exceed 1,000 words in print. Letters that incite hatred, vio lence or letters that are racist, homophobic, sexist or libelous will not be published. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters must be sub mitted before Friday to be con sidered for publication.


MONDAY,MARCH

29, 2010 THE MEDIUM 5

Michael Di Leo, Editor | arts@mediumonline.ca

Stuck in between Sheridan student showcases artwork

NIVES HAJDIN ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

NICOLE SCHLOSSER

Every year in late March, students find themselves in a transition. With the end of school nearing, they have assignments to finish, exams to study for, jobs to find and new schools to apply to. This makes for a very hectic time, especially for graduating students.Yet Alysha Woolner, a graduating student in Sheridan and UTM’s Art and Art History program, found the time to do all that, and then some. Artist at night and curator by day, Woolner curated Between Shapes, a show of her prints, video, sculptures and sound works from the past year. Those who are familiar with Woolner’s previous works (from plaster casts of wax bananas to what could best be described as tapestries of text) will be surprised. Using the open area of Annie Smith Centre at Sheridan College, Woolner exhibits her engaging works in a well-planned and organized manner. Between Shapes revolves around transitions through various physical and mental states—specifically sleep and the process of falling into it. Alysha investigates the unconscious of the dreaming/thought experience, asking viewers to recall their own fragmented memories. She also investigates her existence in relation to those around her. She incorporates themes of conversation, physical wandering and the longing for a personal sense of where one is “meant to be” in the world.

Matthew Filipowich/The Medium

Artist and student Alysha Woolner presents Between Shapes. Alysha creates work about and with her body in hopes of connecting people at a very basic level. Stuffed Pseudonym is a giant plushy of Alysha, slouched in a corner of the gallery space. To the right of this piece are prints of Alysha and Alysha Pseudo. Untitled, another work pertaining to sleep and states of consciences, is a 2:29-minute video loop of Alysha wrestling to fall asleep. The bed, a place of rest, shelter and intimacy, becomes a

Thank you! We here at The Medium would like to thank all those who contributed to the A&E section this year: Greg Fiorini Kjartan Hewitt Amir Ahmed Patricia Figueredo Saaliha Malik Gordon Freeman Paola Savasta Adam Erb Adrian Klisz Alain Latour Reina Shishkura Paul Castrodale Su Lyn Liew Maya Shahid Emily Davidson

Ayman Saab James Murray Rose Mustard Trae Rmc Melissa Horn Nisha Stephens Stefanie Marotta Iman Mohammed Mary Dytyniak David Esposto Lysan Sequeira Katherina Sehl Matthew Filipowich John Spagnolo Nicole Schlosser

And a very special thanks to the Assistant A&E Editors, Nives Hajdin and Colleen Munro.

Harry Potter and the Ontario Science Centre

type of stage, turning viewers into voyeurs of a place where she feels protected. Another work worth mentioning is the simple yet beautiful digital prints of trees. Following a very specific colour scheme and framed with delicate wood frames, these works are probably the most traditional in the show, but manage to find their place amongst other work. Between Shapes runs until March 30.

While many of us often wish Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was an actual academic institution we could transfer to, we unfortunately have to settle for J.K. Rowling’s meticulous descriptions of the Gryffindor Common Room or glorious views of the lavishly decorated Great Hall in the film adaptations. That will no longer be the case in less than two weeks time. Harry Potter: The Exhibition will be unveiled at the Ontario Science Centre on April 9, and fans will finally be able to step into the magical world of Harry Potter and experience just how painful a bludger really feels if dropped on your foot. Although the Science Centre’s exhibition will be much more modest than the lavish Harry Potter theme park opening at Disneyworld on June 18, it is the only Canadian stop on the anticipated five-year world tour, which so far includes just Toronto, Boston and Chicago. The exhibition will primarily include a display of props used in the films such as the Marauder’s Map in addition to a wide array of costumes, and will also feature a few set constructions, including the aforementioned Gryffindor Common Room and Great Hall, as well as Hagrid’s Hut. Perhaps the exhibition’s only downfall prior to its opening is the time control on admission—somewhere

oraclespeak.wordpress.com photo

Daniel Radcliffe wants you to visit the Science Centre. from a mere half an hour to an hour— in which visitors are quickly ushered through the variously-themed areas in order to make room for the next batch of Muggles. Another disappointment is the ban on photography, as well as the fairly steep ticket price of $27.50 (thankfully general access to the Science Centre is also included), but this won’t matter to the fans that have been waiting years for a corporeal Hogwarts experience. Visit www.ontariosciencecentre.ca or call 416-696-1000 to pre-order tickets. The exhibition runs from April 9 to August 22, so make sure to visit before it disapparates for good.

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Interested in writing for the A&E section next year?

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Email the editor at arts@mediumonline.ca

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6 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, MARCH

29, 2010

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT JAPANIMATION

Happy birthday, Mr. Kurosawa AMIR AHMED FEATURES EDITOR

Anyone who made a Google search in the past few days will have n o ti c e d t h a t o n M a r c h 2 3 , t h e Internet giant changed its standard cover image to a black and white display featuring a Japanese man wearing glasses and a driving cap. If you clicked on the image, the information that popped up informed you that the temporary logo was there to celebrate Akira Kurosawa’s hundredth birthday. But who is this man, and why should we care? Akira Kurosawa is known as one of the most influential directors in modern cinema history. He worked from 1943 to 1993, producing classics as diverse as the metaphysical Rashomon to the famous adventure film Seven Samurai. He explored the use of multiple cameras and frame wipes—staple techniques of today’s cinema—and had an obsession for realism that bordered on criminal negligence. In Throne of Blood, a feudal Japanese remake of Macbeth, Kurosawa insisted that real arrows be shot at his starring actor to evoke a realistic reaction, and in his 1985 film Ran, he burned an entire castle set to the ground, since a constructed ruin just wouldn’t be the same. Kurosawa’s cinematography and d e di c a t i o n f o r r e a l i s t i c a c t i n g deserves ovation to be sure, but his techniques aren’t the only reason he’s famous today. Have you heard of the Magnificent Seven? A Fistful

outnow.ch photo

Scene from Seven Samurai—Kurosawa’s masterpiece. of Dollars? Or perhaps a little film called Star Wars? They all drew f r o m K u r o sa w a ’ s f i l m s — i n t h i s case, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and the Hidden Fortress respectively. Kurosawa and his movies form an epicenter of cinema history—drawing from Shakespeare, American westerns and traditional Japanese theatre, and churning out classics that, in turn, became and continue to become the basis for new landmarks of commercial and critical success.

Even so, why should we watch the r e r u n s o f Rash omon a n d Seven Samurai on OMNI at midnight? If Kurosawa is so engrained into modern cinema, can’t we just appreciate his works by watching, say, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and leave it at that? Not so, and this explanation of his (arguably) most famous film, Seven Samurai, will show why. Seven Samur ai t a k e s p l a c e i n 1500’s Japan, in a state of nationwide warfare and political instabili-

ty. The men at the top are losing power and the scum from the bott o m a r e r i si n g u p t o s n a t c h i t . Bandits ride across the land, stealing rice from peasants and brawling with each other for control over territory. The movie opens on a desolate plain. A gang of bandits ponder raiding a village for food and decide that they will ransack it once the barley is harvested. A villager overhears this and runs back to tell his town of the impending invasion. The villagers decide to hire master-

less samurai to defend them, and their journey and the ensuing conflict of those seven samurai against the horde of bandits has everything you ever need to see. It has brawls, romance, even an exploration of m o r a l i t y a n d v i c t i m h oo d . B u t what’s important, and what makes it different from modern films, is that Seven Samurai doesn’t talk down to the audience. Let me clarify. When I watched Avatar, I saw a simplistic metaphor f o r c o l o ni z a t i on a n d a v a g u e attempt to endorse a lame spirituality around nature. When I watched the new Star Wars movies, I saw the Jedi go from Buddhist Monks crossed with medieval Knights to action heroes spouting pithy wit. When I watched Twilight… I didn’t w a t c h Twilight , a n d g o o d l u c k proving otherwise. What I didn’t see were movies where the characters are just as uncertain about their paths as the audience is. I didn’t see movies that left the audience to fill in the gaps with their own interpretations. I didn’t see movies unafraid of their audience’s IQ. I’m not saying that special effects are bad. I’m not saying that action scenes are bad either. Neither am I saying that Kurosawa’s movies spout truth, but his movies do accomplish something better with the magic of optics and with skilled actors than just make them explode each other. Kurosawa believed that movies can entertain and engage viewers, and that’s why you should watch his films. Plus, you know, swordfights and samurai. That’s awesome.

Weird Wide Web Taking a look at some of the most popular Flash cartoons from our day

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NIVES HAJDIN ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

In recent years, Flash web cartoons have become an extremely popular source of entertainment. Circulated with the same impact as many of YouTube’s viral videos, online flash animation is commonly known for its seemingly innocent nature and its bizarre, creepy and sometimes disturbing content. Yet the peculiarity of these cartoons is what makes them so intriguing, as does their hilarity, wit and general randomness. The immensely popular Happy Tree Friends started off as an internet phenomenon in 1999 before it became a television show seven years later (although the TV version only lasted a few months). The show surrounds a group of cute and furry critters who kill each other in extremely violent and graphic ways, and a disclaimer exists to discourage children from watching the misleading TV-14 program. Nevertheless, the show’s original internet format has maintained its viewership for over ten years and begs the question if web cartoons should ever cross over into the realm of television. Amy Winfrey’s Making Fiends is another online animation-turnedsubpar TV counterpart. The plot revolves around a naive, light-hearted girl named Charlotte, who is constantly in danger of being killed by Vendetta, a hilariously wicked girl

kenny.hugi.is photo

Salad Fingers with his finger puppet friends. with a Bulgarian accent who conjures up evil fiends. Much less violent than Happy Tree Friends (yet much more sinister and gloomy), Making Fiends is an ingeniously crafted cartoon that relies solely on the distinct voices of its creator and three other individuals. It features simplistic, yet purposely amateur character depictions (such as colours bleeding over the outlined edges of Charlotte’s dress or Vendetta’s pigtails). When Making Fiends was developed for television in 2008, the rawness of the cartoon was replaced by an overly stylized smoothness that detracted quite substantially from the modesty of the original. One cartoon that never left the

comfort of its URL is Salad Fingers, but that’s probably because it is too incredibly creepy to be diffused on television. Salad Fingers is classified as a “psychological horror” cartoon, in which the eponymous character reveals the pleasure he gets from experiencing the texture of various items, including rusty spoons. Although there seems to be a clear distinction between violent, ominous and unsettling cartoons, and that some are indeed funny while others are pathetic, they all share the ability to draw in a crowd of people around a computer screen and make us wonder just how weird we are for liking these shows. But that’s okay. You’re not alone.


MONDAY, MARCH

JAPANAMUSIC

Student art/centre

29, 2010 THE MEDIUM 7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Time for a change The Changeling might be the introduction you need to Japanese fiction AMIR AHMED FEATURES EDITOR

Matthew Filipowich/The Medium

Digression hangs in the Student Centre. GORDON FREEMAN

Next time you’re on your way down to the Blind Duck from the second floor of the Student Centre, take a look above your head—you might find some student art. Digression, created by Breann Ritchie, a Sheridan College student, hangs above the second floor walkway and is composed of waxcovered cheese cloths, hung from

the ceiling by fishing line. According to Ritchie, the pi ece represents the “progression of thought from its pure state to a more saturated one,” where the progression is shown through the changing colour spectrum. To students though, the piece represents a change from the ordinary. “It’s nice to have some culture on these walls, it brightens up your day,” said Sarah Chiu, a third-year UTM student.

The next few months are going to be great for English readers of Japanese fiction. Yoko Ogawa’s Hotel Iris is finally coming out in English, Miyuki Miyabe’s The Sleeping Dragon is coming out in April and Norton is rereleasing an old collection of Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s short fiction under the name The Beautiful and the Grotesque. Since I ordered all these through Amazon, and Amazon loves to keep tabs on its customers, I’ve received a few emails about other upcoming releases in Japanese fiction. That’s how I found out about Kenzaburo Oe’s The Changeling. I’d never read Oe before— I prefer novels about murder, psychological torment or poop jokes to the deep and literary—and while The Changeling wasn’t really for me, it may be for you. Kenzaburo Oe may be the most wellknown Japanese author in North America. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1994 and has a literary

history that stretches to 1958, when he won the Akutagawa Prize—the most prestigious literary award for new novelists in Japan. He’s met Mao Zedong and Jean-Paul Sartre, and has covered numerous themes in his writing, from childhood to war to sexuality. He’s given talks and published essays along with his significant literary output. All in all, he’s an intellectual giant. The Changeling was originally written in 2000 and has only just been released in an English translation. It tells the story of aged author Kogito Choko and his friend Goro Hanawa. One night, listening to a taped monologue by Goro, Kogito hears, “I’m going to head over to the Other Side now,” followed by a thud—the sound of a body hitting the pavement. The taped monologue is the first of many that Goro has left Kogito, and Kogito spends an unhealthy amount of time listening to the remaining Goro monologues on his oversized headphones, nicknamed “Tagame” for the water beetles they resemble. He stays up in his study, even interjecting his own comments to the recorded messages to

create a simulated conversation. It’s a pretty messed-up situation for the supernatural and psychological implications it brings up. This weird necromancy bothers his wife and son, who can hear him talking at night, and eventually Goro suggests via the monologues that Kogito take a trip to Berlin. On the other side of the world, Kogito ponders his past, his friendships and his art. I’m sure that there’s something ingenious to The Changeling, but I don’t have the tools to dissect it right now. Fans of high literature won’t be disappointed, and if you’re an English major who enjoys reading the likes of Ondaatje and Vassanji, then you’ll probably find plenty to like in the sweeping themes and grand scope the novel takes on. On the other hand, if the ending semester has burned you out, if thinking straight is challenge enough without needing to grasp big ideas, or if, like me, you need a string of zombies, murders or ghosts to keep your attention, then you may fare better waiting a while to recover before tackling The Changeling.

Albums in review

We checked out some great summer albums for when school’s over—enjoy responsibly

COLLEEN MUNRO ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright is often praised for his theatrical voice and lavishly arranged songs. But on his latest album, All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu, the music is noticeably stripped down. Just him and a piano, with Wainwright expertly balancing English and French language songs. Perhaps best known for his take on the Leonard Cohen classic, “Hallelujah,” which appeared on the Shrek soundtrack, Wainwright has also released five solo albums of original material, starting with his 1998 self-titled debut. But while the relative simplicity of All Days Are Nights feels a bit strange compared to his meticulously orchestrated past work, it still exhibits Wainwright’ s fantas tic voice. With the pounding piano behind him on “Who Are You New York?” his voice soars as he reaches the higher notes. Other songs, like “Martha” (about his sister, Martha Wainwright, who has an impressive music career of her own), are more subdued, but even with the limited range of the song, Wainwright still gives an impressive vocal performance. The album’s most dynamic song,

All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu

Congratulations

Rufus Wainwright

MGMT

[Decca]

[Sony/Columbia]

“The Dream,” feels closer to the energetic romps that can be found on some of his previous albums, such as 2003’s Want One. It’s the one track on the album that really stands above the rest from the start. Overall, All Days Are Nights is a much more mature work from Wainwright, and though it’s nice to see him evolve musically, the album does lack some of the great pop sensibility that his previous work put forth. The ever-swirling piano gets a bit tiresome and, in a way, his sound is too big to have only the one instrument as his accompaniment for an entire album. His usual, edgier pop style is traded here for songs that sometimes flirt with the “easy listening” label, a classification that does his voice a disservice. Despite a sometimes underwhelming style, All Days Are Night is certainly a strong effort from Wainwright. Its intimacy works well to display Wainwright’s impressive voice, and the emotional sting of his music is as strong as ever. The album’s closing track, “Zebulon,” is a wistful tale about love. Along with a couple of the album’s other tracks, it’s one of Wainwright’s strongest songs to date. At times it meanders slightly, but All Days Are Nights is a personal album that’ll likely please fans of Wainwright’s style.

COLLEEN MUNRO ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

From college friends to unlikely hit-makers, Andrew Van Wyngarden and Ben Goldwasser of MGMT have had a strange, swift career trajectory. Their debut album, 2008’s Oracular Spectacular, spawned three increasingly massive singles (“Electric Feel,” “Time to Pretend” and “Kids”) and appeared on Rolling Stone’s “Best Albums of the Decade” list. Even fashion label Gucci joined the fan club, paying homage to the duo’s psychedelic fashion choices in a menswear show. Their songs popped up on shows like 90210 and Gossip Girl, and now this unlikely success story starts a new chapter with the release of their second full-length album, Congratulations. The official release date is April 13, but after the album leaked online, the band streamed the album for free on their website, whoismgmt.com. Those looking for catchy singles are likely to be disappointed by this decidedly experimental album. There’s nothing as immediate as “Time to Pretend” to be found here. In its place, listeners get the 12-minute freak-out, “Siberian Breaks.” While it’s admirable that the band didn’t strive to write “Kids II,” a lot of the lighthearted fun that Oracular Spectacular offered seems to have been lost in the transition. Putting aside MGMT’s past work and

accepting Congratulations as a self-contained album, it must be said that it certainly offers delectable song choices. The album’s first single, “Flash Delirium,” is the kind of scrappy, up-tempo gem that fans of MGMT will love. It’s full of bold keyboards and echo-ey vocals, and hearing it descend (or ascend) into madness as the track progresses is one of the album’s more exciting moments. The self-titled closing track provides another highlight. It’s the most conventionally tuneful song to be found on Congratulations, and the acoustic simplicity feels refreshing. The melody shines through and it’s an unexpected note for the album to end on. The anomaly of the last track aside, the songs on Congratulations all seem to meld into one extended jam session. However, the sense of atmosphere on Congratulations is well-defined. For such a young band, MGMT seems to have a very clear vision of where they want their music to go. While Oracular Spectacular got by thanks to a handful of tracks that a wide variety of listeners could enjoy, Congratulations will likely be a far more divisive record. Some listeners won’t find anything to like among the album’s nine trippy tracks, while others will bask in its psychedelic guitars and dreamy keyboards. Though perhaps not a totally successful effort, this oddball batch of songs will likely get people talking, and MGMT will probably continue to be admired for their strange, but (sometimes) beautiful approach to pop music.

Down The Way Angus & Julia Stone

[EMI] IMAN MOHAMMED

March 30 marks the release of Angus and Julia Stone’s second album, Down the Way. It’s been three years since the Aussie sibling duo released their debut album, A Book Like This, in 2007. For fans of the debut album’s tracks, “Just a Boy,” “Stranger,” and “A Book Like This,” Down the Way offers more. The melancholic lyrics and simple sound of the new single “And the Boys” makes it hard not to sing along. “Black Crow’s” drumbeat will keep your feet tapping and Angus’s breathy vocals will keep you yearning for more. The album’s opener, “Hold On,” sung in Julia’s soft and half-whispered voice and accompanied with Angus’s voice to outline the chorus, marks the distinction between A Book Like This and Down the Way. The duo experiments with compilations of piano and violin, which introduces variations in tempo and style. At the same time, the siblings preserve their lyrical methodology— always simple, always longing and always beautiful. I’m just glad we still get some harmonica in “Hush.”


8 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, MARCH

29, 2010

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

How to spend your summer vacation As a high school teacher once said, just because you’re a loser doesn’t mean you can’t be a successful one. Follow these tips to waste your time in the best way possible AMIR AHMED FEATURES EDITOR Summer is around the corner, and if you have your life on track, you know exactly what you’re going to do. Maybe you’ll travel, take a few extra courses or get a job. No matter which option you take, you’ll enrich your life with experience, academics or with sweet cash. But for the rest of us, those with neither the money nor the initiative to do any of the above, the summer will be a long, boring train of oversleeping, overeating and general self-loathing. But fear not. Just because you’re about to spend four months doing nothing except live in only the most literal sense of the term, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it right. There’s always something to fill your days with, and these five hobbies will leave you with four months wasted and no discernable talents whatsoever. Video games When I was thirteen, I spent my entire summer vacation in my basement playing Morrowind. To this day I have no regrets; it was the most perfect game I’ve ever played. While Morrowind’s now outdated graphics will turn off gamers, new titles like Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age, or the old MMORPG standard World of Warcraft can place you in an immersive world that beats your regular reality by a long shot. I’ll take living vicariously through a

vision shows on the internet, for free and without commercials? When I found out, and after I bought every piece of spyware software imaginable to keep the feds from finding out about my crimes, I immediately started systematically committing to memory every episode of every show that I knew. The wonderful thing about anime as opposed to regular Western cartoons is that many of them just don’t end. This is not hyperbole; you could reasonably expect to hook yourself up to a constant stream of Bleach, only stopping to eat and weep about your situation, and still only get through one quarter of the current episodes available. Also, you’ll learn Japanese phrases no one ever uses, even in Japan. Dattebayo! Strange food Durian: it’s like licking custard off an onion in a Yankee’s Stadium washroom. ripped dwarven version of myself to living as an underpaid English student any day. Obscure movies Do you know what game Death and the Swiss Knight play in Bergman’s The Seventh Seal? Do you know how many ghosts teach Jackie Chan martial arts in Spiritual Kung Fu? Do you know why the last man in Abbas Kiarostami’s A Taste of Cherry never committed suicide? Well, maybe that’s why you aren’t happy with your life. A few obscure movies will

not only fill your head with inane trivia, it will fill the hole in your chest where your hopes and dreams used to be. Plus they’re great for conversations. Who doesn’t want to hear a discourse on Bhutani cinema from 2000-2010? Khyentse Norbu easily dominates that category, by the way. Books nobody reads The Western Canon encompasses a huge, huge field of literature, and even though we talk about Moby Dick and The Odyssey constantly—

mdsubis.sarawak.gov.my

well I do at least—how many of these great classics have you actually read? If you read just one classic a week, you’ll be acquainted with over thirty two works of literature by the end of the summer. Considering that the average Canadian reads twothirds of a book per year, this will probably give you superpowers. Plus, you’ll get all the tedium of being an English major with none of the pesky financial rewards. Anime Did you know that you can find tele-

Whatever doesn’t kill you may kill you socially. Examples? Durian, the dangerous and odourific fruit, Casu Marzu, the toxic cheese, and Kopi Lawak, coffee beans fed to a civet (an African-Asian mammal sort of like a weasel) and collected once it comes out the other end. While your friends visit the tropics, you can explore the realm of nightmares and chew on it. There is so much freaky, strange, barely edible sustenance out there that by the end of the summer, you will be able to safely say that you have gone to hell and back. Not that anyone will want to be near you, I mean, you ate weasel poo. What’s wrong with you?

UTM’s naughty places MARIANA COMITO

Ever feel like the university life get s a b i t t o o b o r i n g ? N o wo n der—there aren’t many places on campus where students can hook up. Or so it seems. To help you spice up your routine, here are some of the best secret locations to have a little fun with your significant other—at your own risk. Rez students can thank us later. Those who have their own place— well, perhaps a little danger is what you need to take your life from frump to fabulous. The CCIT Elev ator It takes forever to open, so this is the place for quick misdemeanors. Don’t take your clothes off, though—you won’t have time to put them back on. It’s still an elevator, not a hotel. A R andom Clas sroom Beside the door of each classroom, a sheet of paper indicates

the time and day when there are no designated classes in the room. Pick a free time and get down to some private studying. Close the door if it’s during the day, and try not to be too loud. If it’s nighttime, leave the door open; everyone’s probably at home already. A word of advice—the one-seated chairs are a bit uncomfortable, so pick a room with a table for comfort. The Dean’ s Lou nge I don’t recommend hooking up in this room during the day. It’s too popular. The entire North Building, however, is deserted at night. With the big, comfy couches in the Dean’s Lounge, you may want to make this room a top pick for your nightly hookups. The Bathr oom Whether it’s the men’s or women’s washroom, hooking up in the bathroom is one of those things everyone should try before they d i e , r i g h t a l o n g w i t h s k y d iv i n g

The best place to hook up, but you have to work here. and visiting Paris. That’s why there’s a making-out-in-a-washroom scene in every movie, or at least the good ones, so this is your chance to make this fantasy a reality.

The Lib rary This is the riskiest place of all, in between the stacks of books in the library. Try the more private fourth floor. We saw a couple making out right in front of us a

few days ago, so remember to be polite. If someone comes to the stacks to find a book, take a breather. I would save this place for the nighttime; it’s more likely that you won’t get caught.


MONDAY, MARCH

29, 2010 THE MEDIUM 9

GOOD SMOKE FEATURES

Pizza on campus

Smoking and social networking MARIANA COMITO

Nonsmokers probably don’t think smoking can bring positive social opportunities. Smokers, on the other hand, might be inclined to see what others would likely call their “disgusting habit” as a unique form of social networking. Smoking is bad for your health and those around you. No question about it. But this habit can open doors to new levels of bonding. Take for example the Friends The Blind Duck’s pizza beats the pizza specialists Pizza Pizza. episode where Rachel takes up olathe.lib.ks.us smoking so she can chat with her SAALIHA MALIK You can also get their vegetarian superior on a more personal level NEWS EDITOR pizza or pepperoni for an extra buck. outside of the office. The pizza is made for one, but can Similar situations can be seen in easily be shared among friends as an universities, bars, clubs, coffee The Blind Duck changed their menu appetizer. shops and other public spaces. last year, and among new additions is I would warn you that sometimes When someone is outside having a the new of introduction of pizza. when you get to the register that cigarette break, an opportunity to When I tried the pizza, I was pleas- they’ve run out of pizza but, that’s not socialize with a complete stranger antly surprised by the generous quan- surprising because it’s on such high seems promising. Standing together tity, six small slices and a fountain demand. Pizza Pizza, on the other in silence can be awkward, so begindrink for $5.99. hand, may always have pizza ready, ning a conversation with another The flavour of the pizza is far better but it can sometimes be disappointing smoker becomes natural. than what’s offered at Pizza Pizza. because their pizza can be stale and “I meet a lot of great people when With just the right amount of cheese taste like it has been out all day. I take my smoking breaks. In fact, I and sauce on their dough, the Blind The Blind Duck staff is always kind have made some long-lasting Duck pizza is made to satisfy any and courteous to its customers. friendships,” says Angela Barranca. hungry student. The sauce is an Although sometimes a bit slow it’s Whether talking about the weathauthentic Italian tasting tomato sauce, always fresh and I can’t think of any er or the reason you decided to hit and accompanied by fresh mozzarella, other place on campus that serves the downtown clubbing district, it’s absolutely delicious. better tasting food. smoking creates opportunities to

Matthew Fillipowich/The Medium

make new friends and acquaintances. Also, many nonsmokers sometimes become occasional or social smokers while enjoying a night out with friends. As for the opposite sex, isn’t a casual opening like, “Do you have an extra smoke?” a great conversation starter? Undoubtedly, smoking is a health

concern for many people, but for others, it allows for conversations that take place effortlessly. If you are attempting to kick this old habit, try engaging in a healthier habit such as joining a gym. This will still allow you to socialize with others—just in a healthier circumstance.

Help recognize teaching, research and staff service excellence at U of T Mississauga Submit a nomination and have an outstanding faculty, teaching assistant and/or staff member recognized for their excellence. The winner in each category will be recognized at a reception convened by the Vice-President and Principal in the fall and will receive a special award plaque. Nominations from groups and individuals are invited for four awards:

Amir would like to thank everyone who wrote for the Features section this year. He loves them all thiiiis much. BRENDEN MERNAGH DERIC VARCOE ANAM ALI ZACK ZERALDO ALAIN LATOUR MARY DYTYNIAK SU LYN LIEW RAISA PALHA EMILY ACHESON MICHAEL DI LEO USMAN MURTAZA OVAIS SHAH JULIE WAINWRIGHT

IOANA GHEORGHIU SAALIHA MALIK TRISTAN MCINTOSH NADINE NESBITT MARIANA COMITO KJARTAN HEWITT IFY EBOH KIM BIRCH SANDRA AWAD NORA EMAD STEVE TANTIFFANY CHEN ASHWIN KAPADIYA

Teaching Excellence Award for Faculty Teaching Excellence Award for Teaching Assistants Research Excellence Award Staff Service Award Nominations from students are encouraged.

To nominate an outstanding faculty member, teaching assistant, and/or staff go to http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/council/ and click on Excellence Awards, where you will find important information on how to assemble a nomination package. Deadline for submissions: Friday, May 21, 2010


10 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2010

FEATURES POETIC MAHJONG

A crash course in mahjong SU LYN LIEW AND AMIR AHMED Mahjong, a game originating in China, is similar to the Western card game rummy. There are now many different versions of mahjong, but the most common rule set (and the one the authors are most familiar with) is the Hong Kong, or Cantonese, mahjong style. Four players, each with thirteen tiles, take turns collecting and discarding tiles. The ultimate goal of the game is to construct a complete hand of fourteen, consisting of various combinations of tiles. Mahjong’s many rules, tiles and variations can look complicated, but if our friends (whom we taught one night, and who started beating us within the hour) are any indication, you should be able to pick it up in a flash. The key to mahjong is recognizing the tiles and the combinations you can make. The tiles can be broken down into four suites, where there are four sets of each suit. The suites include circles, bamboo, characters, and the honour tiles (further divided into wind directions and red, green, and white dragons). A winning hand consists of a combination of four melds and a pair. Melds are combinations of three tiles, and can be completed in two ways. You can combine three of the same tile (such as three north wind tiles), or make a meld from three consecutive numbers of the same suit (such as the three, four and five of bamboo). The melds can be made by drawing tiles

Creative Corner

Incarnations LUCY ZEMLJIC

I found it hard to believe the river; your feet, like fish, were steady in the rush of the waters. Sleek bodied koi quiver under their red orange scales as they brush against your skin. The paper shiver of the leaves seems far off. But still the hush of morning hangs, heavy, above your head; it was true, then, what the river had said. The fragrance of jasmine and lemon tea Matthew Fillipowich/The Medium

from the mahjong walls, or by stealing an opponent’s discarded tile. Stealing is fun—you get to yell out “pung” for the same tile melds, and “sheung” for the consecutive melds. The pairs can consist of any pair of tiles. The first player to complete a hand of fourteen tiles made entirely of the four pungs or chows and a pair, wins the round. Many players assign points to different winning hands, depending on how difficult they are to construct. Mahjong can undoubtedly be a gambling game, but it is often played

in social contexts in many parts of Asia, where players vie against each other in a game of skill, luck and calculation, while socializing, gossip and gripe about life. Mahjong has since become popular in the West, creating region-specific variations. You don’t need to be an old lady or a hardcore gambler to play mahjong. It’s a rewarding game of skill and chance that can make you look multicultural and sophisticated. Grab some friends, some tea and a mahjong set from chinatown and get ready for a long, long night.

seems to mix with the breeze which rolled across the hills and somehow brought you to me. The rustic, indifferent baskets were glossed with rainwater forgotten by the tree under which you surmised the first frost of the winter, many months ago. Now, instead of snow, spring blossoms on your brow. Your voice from that time also was slow and sad, like the brushstrokes on the delicate blue china. It took me eons to understand

March Madness

the delicate incarnations that, through the ages, would turn me into the sand or the koi fish, and would even turn you into springtime. You look at me with eyes like moons, silent in a porcelain sky.

Sky and Sea LUCY ZEMLJIC

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In the night, when everything dreams, The sails on the ships seem to slumber, And the wind from the ocean seems to gather The last of the daylight and the sorrow in your Eyes, and scatters them both away into shadow; It is then that I look for you, my eyes like Sad nets, that cast themselves over the earth To find your laughter. Come this way, So that I may soon find you, and cast my Soul into the ocean of your body.

U of T Bookstore

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For we have lost even that darkness, which

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Sometimes rose from the silence

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On nights when we lived and died between The colours of the sky and the sea.


MONDAY, MARCH

29, 2010 THE MEDIUM 11

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

UTM athlete profile: Erin Doane The second year Art and Art History major has won four championships with UTM intramurals SARAH MALAGERIO BRUNO ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Erin Doane, a 19-year-old Art and Art History student at UTM and MVP award recipient for women’s division 2 soccer, is living proof that a solid athletic background lends itself to opportunities and initiatives in post-secondary life. Brampton-born Doane worried that he r a c a d e m i c p e r f o r m a n c e would suffer during her first year at UTM, but sports was such an important part of her life that she couldn’t think of giving them up. “I’m glad I didn’t [give up] because games and practices gave me something to look forward to in the crush of essays and projects,” said Doane. Doane aims to become a teacher after graduation, but isn’t set on the idea. She wants to explore other opportunities. In high school, Doane attended Fletcher’s Meadow Secondary School and beat out her toughest competition, her twin sister Devon, to win Senior Female Athlete of the Year. “I have always been committed to playing sports, so in my first year of university, I told myself I would at least try out for a sports

team, no matter how intimidating it might be,” said Doane. “I looked up the tryout times on the school website and ended up trying out for women’s flag football as well as women’s outdoor soccer. I made both teams in the fall as well as both women’s indoor tri-campus and division 2 soccer teams.” Doane made the easy transition from life as a high school studentathlete to that of a university student-athlete with the ability to choose teams that fit her schedule. She said her division 2 team was very “cavalier” and not as severe as the tri-campus team, which enabled her miss some games if she needed to finish school work. Doane finds that the bonds made between athletes in intramural programs are much stronger than bonds made in the classroom. In total, Doane, who is only into her second university year, has won four intramural championships. As a member of the division 1 women’s intramural outdoor soccer team, Doane came away with two championship trophies in back-to-back seasons. Her women’s division 2 indoor soccer team took first place in their league, and Doane took home the MVP award

Summer opportunities at the RAWC Basketball leagues and umpiring jobs are just some of the options for UTM students SARAH MALAGERIO BRUNO ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

athletic memory, Doane said, “It was the finals for my flag football team. We were ahead for most of the game, and then near the end of the final half the other team scores and ties it up. At that point, it looked like we’d have to play over-

time. The last play was called; we were defending, and the opposite team had the ball. The quarterback on the other team threw the ball to her teammate, but I swooped in for an interception and pushed my way through, to the end zone.”

THE MEDIUM NEEDS A DISTRIBUTION MANAGER AND A COPY EDITOR. (The copy editor is responsible for copy editing grammar and style in all articles.)

Projo.com

Umpiring is one of the many jobs available for UTM students this summer.

Softball - The RAWC also offers a summer Campus Rec intramural softball league. Information can be found at http://www1.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3phys ed/campusRecSball.php

year, as the North Field is under construction. RAWC suggests the Campus Green may serve as the makeshift field; if so, the program will run Monday through Friday from 12 to 1 p.m.

Basketball - The very popular men's and women's summer basketball league, open to students, non students and community members alike, will run again this summer. The league is very competitive as players are comprised of both UTM students and alumni. More information at http://www1.erin.utoron to.ca/~w3physed/slBasketball.php

Jobs - Both the league and tournaments need student umpires, officials, convenors and commissioners. Interested students should contact Jack Krist in the Program Office or at Tel. (905) 5694607.

Soccer – The casual rec pick-up soccer program will attempt to relocate this

for her stellar play. Her most surprising accomplishment, however, was winning the championship with the flag football team, a memory she cherishes deeply. When asked about her favourite

(The distribution manger is responsible for the paper’s distribution at UTM and at St.George every Monday morning. )

Though you might be taking it easy this summer, the RAWC continues to run stellar athletic programs and initiatives for summer 2010. Tournaments - Campus Rec Tournaments are open to all students and summer fee-paying members. Tournaments run every other Friday from 12 to 1 p.m. An updated tournament schedule will be available soon. For more information, check out http:// www1.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3physed/ca mpusRecTourna.php

Sarah Malagerio Bruno/The Medium

Left: Doane playing with the division 1 women’s outdoor soccer team in 2009. Right: Doane (top right) posing with the division 1 women’s outdoor soccer team after winning the champi onship this fall.

For students continuing their studies in the summer months, RAWC memberships are free. A RAWC summer membership can be acquired for a nominal fee to accommodate students who are not enrolled in summer programs.

DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? EMAIL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ALAIN LATOUR AT EDITOR@MEDIUMONLINE.CA


12 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2010

SPORTS

HOCKEY AND SOCCER

The next Leafs captain? Assistant Sports Editor William Robertson discusses which Maple Leaf player is worthy of donning the ‘C’ next season

Let the riots begin Do the World Cup and fan violence go hand in hand? MARIANA COMITO

WILLIAM ROBERTSON ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Now that the regular season is coming to a close for the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have many voids to fill in the off-season. One such void is the lack of a Captain to lead the team. With such a young team, who after Mats Sundin is worthy of donning the “C”? The most logical choice would be Tomas Kaberle. He is the longest serving Leaf and most of the fans in Toronto love him. Questions remain, however, of whether he will stay after July 1. These questions will put a halt on giving him the captaincy. Also, it has been said Kaberle is too shy and quiet in the dressing room to lead the team and handle a position with the most media coverage. Around the league, the captaincy has been given to the best player on the team. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin both wear the “C” for their respective teams. If the Leafs follow this trend, the Captain would have to be Phil Kessel. But Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke will likely balk at giving the sniper the pressure of handling the media along with high expectations on the ice. To protect Kessel from the pressure, Burke will simply let him do what he does best: score. During the 2008 Entry Draft, Toronto traded their seventh pick overall along with two conditional picks to get the fifth pick overall from the Islanders. GM Cliff Fletcher did this simply to draft Luke Schenn. Schenn was quickly named the future face of the franchise and made the opening day line-up. “[Schenn] is a great young player and I expect him to be a great leader for this franchise for a long time,” said Burke to TSN when Schenn arrived. Burke also refused to trade him for anyone, as he believes in Schenn’s leadership ability on and off the ice. Schenn, however, is not quite ready to make the step to become the true face of Leaf nation. He is still only twenty years old and has had his fair share of strug-

faceoff.com

The Maple Leafs have been captain free since Mats Sundin’s departure after the 2007 2008 season. gles in his sophomore year. Clearly, taking Captaincy is a tough step to make, even for a leader like Schenn. François Beauchemin is also a candidate for the important position. He is a solid defenceman and a veteran in the NHL. He will be thirty next season and has been an alternate captain for the Leafs throughout the year and was also one in Anaheim behind Scott Neidermayer. He would be a logical choice to lead the team as he is a proven leader and has played under tremendous pressure, winning the Stanley Cup in Anaheim. When Beauchemin signed with Toronto, Burke called him “a rock solid, steady defender that will add character to our team.” But Beauchemin needs to be more vocal on and off the ice to become the Leafs captain. The Leafs need a captain who is not only vocal, but also capable of standing up for his team-mates and showing them he is a leader. The easiest and most

logical choice, then, is newly acquired Dion Phaneuf. In his first game as a Leaf, he got into a fight in the first period after standing up for a teammate. Phaneuf can handle the Toronto media and makes his voice heard on the ice and in the dressing room. He has all the makings to be a great captain in Toronto and had a great mentor in former teammate Jarome Iginla. Phaneuf is physical when he needs to be; he can change the pace of a game with a big hit and is not afraid to get into a fight if his team needs a boost. His dominant characteristics make him not only a great leader, but a respected person around the league. Phaneuf also has a tremendous slap shot from the blueline and a high defensive IQ, making few mistakes when handling the puck or when the opposing team is supplying the harshest of offensive pressure. Phaneuf is what the Toronto Maple Leafs need as a leader and should be named the Captain sooner than later.

As the 2010 FIFA World Cup quickly approaches, fans are excited to cheer for their preferred countries. Around the world, however, police officers and government politicians might be somewhat apprehensive for the riots that sometimes accompany the World Cup. The destructive behavior of fans during soccer matches has prompted the world to classify them as Football Hooligans, a violent association consisting of angry and violent soccer fans. Those who classify themselves as Football Hooligans have been linked to supremacism politics, meaning they reject the concept of social equality and believe that certain groups or individuals are superior to others. From fistfights to shouting, many people have been injured during these brawls. Some have been killed. The first recorded instance of a riot took place in the 1880s in England, when Preston North End and Aston Villa played a friendly match. Both teams were attacked with sticks and one player was beaten so harshly that he lost consciousness. Similarly, during the 1998 World Cup, several people were injured when Mexican football fans rioted after Mexico lost to Germany. A riot broke out, resulting in the death of one man. Hoping to discourage riots, authorities charge people who lead brawls and attacks on players, teams or referees. In 1998, for example, a German fan was arrested for attempted murder and served five years in jail. In June 2006, police detained over 300 people in Dortmund during the violent clashes that followed Germany’s victory over Poland. In Toronto, when certain national teams win, police take measures. These include closing down St. Clair Street, which is close to Little Italy, when the Italian team plays an

mirrorfootball.co.uk

Senegalese soccer player Salif Daio (left) was a victim of fan violence in 2008. important game. To keep the crowd under control, police officers fill the street, demanding cooperation from fans. These measures, however, are not always met with success. As fans sit on their cars, stand out of their sunroofs waving their flags proudly and even drink on the streets, police may find it hard to control what ensues after an important game. One wonders if officers need to enforce harsher rules. Following Senegal's elimination from the World Cup, Stoke City midfielder and Senegal native Salif Diao said he was terrified after finding himself caught up in a crowd. Diao described his ordeal as terrifying, claiming that he was trapped in the changing rooms as angry fans invaded the stadium. "The frustration was too much to handle for a lot of [the rioters,]” said Diao to The Stoke Sentinel. With the 2010 FIFA World Cup beginning in two months, can we expect more riots, or have fans changed their violent ways?

Professional athletes: justly paid? ANILA QASIM

In the wake of the 2010 Olympic Games, in which decorated Olympians collected anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 per medal, one wonders whether professional athletes deserve such an income. It is true that athletes are an asset to a society. They are a source of entertainment, a source of regional and national pride. The question arises, however, whether these entertainers can be given salaries larger than those given to individuals who invest in our future. According to Adam van Koeverden, two-time Olympic medalist in sprint kayaking, the fund the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has established shows that “the COC is recognizing that burden [the burden athletes carry when competing in the Olympics], and what an incredible asset more Olympic medals will be for our communities and for Canada.” Indeed, athletes sacrifice their bodies and spend whole lives dedicated to their sport, training to be at the top of their game. Surely, the $2.2 million dollars per year an NBA player receives takes into account their toils. But compared to those men and women who have given up their lives

for freedom and those who continue to endanger their lives for Canada, can the scrapes, bruises and sprains of the average basketball player be considered physical sacrifice? Can self sacrifice in the name of a game be equated to the self sacrifice made for a nation? It has been argued that one earns a salary in his profession proportional to the value of his work. An MLB player makes a reported $1.74 million dollars a year, while neurosurgeons earn around $800,000. By allowing professional MLB players to garner more monies than neurosurgeons, are we suggesting that a baseball player’s job is more valuable to our society than a neurosurgeon’s? Teachers, who foster the growth of our youth, are crucial in the establishment of our tomorrow; however, they are considerably underpaid when compared with athletes. Lawyers and police officers who help maintain our society are paid less than men and women who skate after pucks and run bases as a career. Are we to say then, that entertainment is more important that our future? Societal value, however, is not determined by monetary worth. Some of the most valuable things in our lives are not associated with money. Love, faith, family, even the air we breathe, don’t have a dollar

ing of merchandise, game tickets and the successes of advertisements. By watching professional sports on TV and in stadiums, purchasing items affiliated with athletes and various teams, we are unconsciously contributing to the already sky high earnings of professional athletes. Nowadays, sports are highly commercialised and have taken on a more business-like organisation. Trillions of dollars are generated by sporting events. The athletes’ cuts, the seven figure pay cheques, are thus justified. These incomes, however, become less acceptable when athletes fall from grace in the public eye. weblogs.cltv.com

New York Yankees third basemen Alex Rodriguez will make $27,000,000 this season. value despite their pivotal role in our day to day lives. In contrast, things such as diamonds and caviar, though associated with luxury and high monetary worth, do not hold much significance in the greater scheme of things. In the determination of income, the economy and the means by which the salary is generated are significant. In the case of a professional athlete, the income is not only generated by the owner of the team, but is in part the money collected through the sell-

Use and abuse of steroids and other drugs and scandals such tarnish the name of sports across the board. It is undeniable that athletes are role models. They motivate individuals to stay active and believe in the strength in ones’ self and in numbers. The apparent shift in professional athletes’ motivations in sports is disheartening. It seems as though the sport isn’t played for a love of the game, but more with a love of fame and fortune. Are the million-dollar pay cheques of big shot athletes today justified? I say nay. Bring back the likes of Maurice Richard and Babe Ruth, and I’ll reconsider.

Message from the Sports Editor I am graduating this year and will not be returning for the Sports Editor position. My experience at The Medium has been a lot of fun and has given me tons of memories. I would like to thank the following writers and photographers for their contributions to the sports section (in no particular order): Sarah Malagerio Bruno William Robertson Mariana Comito Anila Qasim Michael Di Leo Hai Bao Alain Latour Keith Shankar

Matthew Filipowich Edward Cai Brandon Fifield Jack Krist Omar Jbaihi Anna Bediones Christopher Sa’d Dave Esposto


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