Vol 37 issue 13

Issue 13 Volume 37

2 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY,

JANUARY 24, 2011

Katherine Luczynski, Editor | news@mediumonline.ca

Student group asks UTSU tough questions U of T’s Student Political Action Comittee booed at General Assembly at St. George campus

U of T ’ s G e n e r a l As se m b l y w a s held on January 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Multifaith Centre. The UTSU-sponsored assembly was meant as a platform for students to have their voices heard.

Students attempting to raise concerns at the General Assembly were greeted by shouting from UTSU supporters with little intervention from the chair.

The Student Political Action Comittee, StudentPAC, promised to raise the concerns of students who are not able to speak themselves. The committee’s Facebook page states, “We want to know how you would make U of T a better place. We’re listening, and we are working to make our student union listen too.”

“We went to the General Assembly in good faith to talk and engage with UTSU,” said Brett Chang, a StudentPAC representative, in a press release to U of T. “Instead we got shouted down for raising issues they didn’t want to discuss. It’s no wonder that ordinary students don’t feel welcome at UTSU events and don’t get

more involved in student government—it’s a very hostile environment.”

“We will continue to talk about the issues that matter to ordinary students,” continued Chang. “And when UTSU is ready to open its doors to ordinary students, we’ll try to talk with them about these issues too.”

Chang stated that StudentPAC attempted to ask how UTSU provides real tuition relief, increases clubs’ funding, and improves campus social events, but instead of receiving support, they were quieted by UTSU and its supporters.

“We are going to the General

“We will continue to talk about the issues that matter to ordinary students. And when UTSU is ready to open its doors to ordinary students, we’ll try to talk with them about these issues too.”

—Brett Chang Assembly to ask the questions that students ask themselves all the time,” said Chang in a press release to U of T in the days leading up to the General Assembly. “Why have

mediacoop.ca the salaries of UTSU executives gone up even though tuition increases year after year? Why can’t we have a decent homecoming?

Why do our clubs receive next to no funding even though UTSU has thousands of dollars to spend on failed protests?”

The Governing Council consists of 50 seats of which only eight are reserved for students. A 16-percent student representation does not allow for student concerns to be heard or dealt with.

“StudentPAC is run by students for students, and we want this assembly to be about students,” said Chang. “This meeting is being promoted as the U of T General Assembly, not a political protest. It should be about the concerns shared by ordinary U of T students. That’s what StudentPAC intends to make it about.”

In days leading up to the General Assembly, organizers claimed they received no support from the

UTSU. However, StudentPAC disputed this fact in a press release to the university. They stated that the minutes from the last UTSU meeting, regarding the “Save Our University” campaign, showed that UTSU has assisted with the organization of the General Assembly, that UTSU VP External Zexi Wang endorsed the Assembly at a UTSU Board of Directors meeting, and is listed as a supporter and organizer of the assembly in last week’s issue of The Varsity.

Student services propose fee increases KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI NEWS EDITOR

In late November, December, and January, UTMSU and UTSU participated in the Quality Service to Students council to shape operating plans and budgets.

Voting at QSS won’t happen for several weeks, and will be held in late February to allow the student governments to make their final decisions.

The current proposed changes are as follows.

The Career Centre, which has seen a 25% increase in résumé critiques, a 36% increase in one-onone appointments, and a 39% increase in student fair attendance from the 2008-09 school year to the current school year, is looking to increase their fees from $53.69 to $56.30 for full-time students (4.9% increase).

The Department of Physical Education proposed no increase to their fees for the 2011-12 school year. The fees will remain at $161.21 for full-time students and $32.04 for part-time students.

The Family Care Office, which

has assisted 77 UTM community members this past year, including seven students, 20 staff members, 48 faculty members, and two departments, is looking to increase their fees by 3% in the coming school year. Fees currently stand at $7.92 and are proposed to increase to $8.16 for full-time students for the school year and from $4.08 to $8.16 for the summer.

The Health Services Fee is proposed to increase by 1.8% in the 2011-12. The fee currently stands at $28.15 for full-time students for the school year and is proposed to increase to $28.67. The summer fee is currently %5.63 and is set to increase to $5.73.

The Student Services Fee currently stands at $125.58 and is proposed to increase in the 2011-12 school year to $131.01. Included in the Student Services Fee are the UTM Shuttle Service (proposed increase from $39.43 to $41.16), the Career Centre (proposed fee changes stated above), Child Care Support (proposed fee changes stated above as Family Care Office fee), Handbook and Communications (fees proposed to remain at $0.48), space costs for student societies (proposed fee increase from $21.27 to $22.07),

Alcohol Education and Monitoring (proposed fee to remain at $0.60), Family Care (proposed fee to remain at $0.60), and International Centre (proposed fee increase from $2.13 to $2.18).

Other proposed fee changes include the UTM summer shuttle service fee, which is proposed to increase from $3.94 to $4.12.

Changes to the service include an addition of one Saturday trip to and from the St. George campus and an addition of a Sheridan bus for evening classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Also included is the addition of the summer UPass, whose fee was passed at $86.50. Also included is the raised UPass fee of $131.50.

A Q&A session was held on January 21 for students to ask questions about the proposed fees. The UTM Grads Students' Union, Residence Council, UTM Athletics Council and UTMSU have a seat on QSS and will be voting.

UTMSU president Vickita Bhatt said that UTMSU will not vote on any fees “until we have discussed it at our Ministries, Commission, and Board. We want to get as much student feedback before making a decision.”

Quality Service to Students Fee Adjustments for 2011-2012 Full-Time Students

Old

Student Services Fee UTM Shuttle Career Centre Child Care Support Handbook & Comm Student Societies Space Alcohol Ed. & Monitoring Family Care International Students Dept of Physical Education Health Services Fee

$125.58 $39.43 $53.69 $7.92 $0.48 $21.27 $0.60 $0.06 $2.13 $161.21 $28.15

New

$131.01 $41.16 $56.30 $8.16 $0.48 $22.07 $0.60 $0.06 $2.18 $161.21 $28.67

Financial documents & presentations www.mediumonline.ca

MONDAY, JANUARY

24, 2011 THE MEDIUM 3

NEWS

Smokers encouraged to butt out for Weedless Wednesday LARISSA HO ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Farhan Lodhi

Kirran Shoaib remained positive throughout her treatment.

Many mourn Kirran Shoaib KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI NEWS EDITOR

UTM students and faculty as well as Kirran Shoaib’s friends and family gathered in the Mist Theatre on January 20 from 12 to 1 p.m. to remember a cherished member of the UTM community.

Kirran Shoaib, a commerce student with high distinction, was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 17. She lost the long battle with the disease on January 12 at the age of 20. Two weeks before Kirran passed away, her father, Mr. Shoaib Alam, lost a battle to brain cancer.

The memorial service for Kirran began with opening statements from Ruqayyah Ahdab, the president of the UTM Muslim Students’ Association.

“Kirran was a dear friend and an honoured student,” said Ahdab.

The opening was followed by a prayer from the Quran.

Deep Saini, vice president and principal of UTM, offered his condolences to Kirran Shoaib’s family and friends and offered words of comfort.

“We have gathered here today to remember a member of our family who left us too early and left us too young,” said Saini.

Though Saini had never met Kirran himself, he looked around the room and said, “She was much loved and admired by family and friends. My deepest sympathies go out to Kirran’s family, to

her friends, and to those who knew her well.”

Saini admitted that he understands the family’s grief as he lost his older brother to colon cancer at the same age.

“Today we remember a bright young lady who wanted to build a future for herself,” said Saini. He concluded by offering counselling support to those who need to deal with grief.

Professor Lee Baily, who teaches economics at UTM and who taught Kirran Shoaib in her first year, spoke on behalf of all of Kirran’s professors in attendance. He remarked on Kirran’s comments in class. “They were short and smart and we all know that comments usually aren’t either short or smart.”

Last January, Kirran Shoaib and her teammates Jeremy Cruz and Albert Hsu competed in and won the annual competition held by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

The competition tested teamwork, leadership, organizational ability, and time management.

Shoaib and her team won first place against 35 teams from 19 different universities. They took home $3,000 plus another $1,500 for the school’s accounting club.

In his speech, Bailey read out a reference letter he wrote to Shoaib last March. He highlighted her skills—“one of the top 20 students in a class of 1,500” and “an active participant at the TA office”.

“Kirran fits the commerce program perfectly: bright and tactful,” said Bailey.

He spoke highly of Shoaib and stated

she never finished the course as she had to defer her already-deferred exam due to treatment. Even without writing the exam, Kirran passed the course.

“We’re really lucky to have students here and it really bugs me to lose even one of them,” concluded Bailey.

Gilbert Cassar, UTMSU VP Internal, applauded Kirran for her leadership skills. “She was not only a frosh leader, but a leader at UTM.” Shoaib’s younger sister came forward to say a few words about her sister.

“Kirran was my sister, but also my friend. If I were to describe her in one word it would be ‘amazing’. The last thing she told me before she left was that she was proud of me and that’s the reason I stand here today.”

Kirran’s close friend, a UTM student, spoke about her high regard for Kirran.

“She kept smiling in the hospital and when we weren’t smiling she would crack a joke to make us all laugh. The friends I have today, I met because of Kirran. I love her and I will miss her for the rest of my life.”

A moment of silence was followed by a prayer from a Muslim chaplain.

“Kirran was never a victim or a patient. She was exactly who she wanted to be,” said Cassar.

Shoaib and her father left behind her mother and five children, all under 20.

Donations were collected for the Shoaib family from boxes at the entrance and exit of the Mist Theatre. Those who wish to donate can do so online by emailing the UTM MSA at executives@utmmsa.ca.

UTM’s Health and Safety Board and Leave the Pack Behind jointly held an event on Wednesday January 19. The “Move Your Butt, Please” campaign, which is a current smoking initiative already implemented on campus, is part of National Non-Smoking Week.

Leave the Pack behind is “a tobacco control initiative that focusses on postsecondary students across Ontario. This program relies on a peer-based model that creates programming that specifically appeals to individuals in the age range of 18-24,” explained Sandrina Ntamwemezi, Leave the Pack Behind’s campus program coordinator.

According to their website, leavethepackbehind.org, Leave the Pack Behind “encourages occasional and regular smokers to quit, protects non-smokers from secondhand smoke, and supports students in ways that help prevent them from taking up tobacco use at all.”

Ntamwemezi explained that smokers were encouraged on January 19 to respect the space of non-smokers and smoke at least nine metres away from designated smoke-free areas on campus.

Nine-metre markers were marked outside campus entrances.

“The entrances designated as nonsmoking are important to maintain, because people who work, learn, and even visit this campus are entitled to be able to enter and exit buildings without being exposed to cigarette smoke,” said Ntamwemezi. “Not only is it hazardous to their health, it is also important to consider those who have respiratory conditions that can be aggravated by inhaling cigarette smoke.”

Volunteers were on hand to ask smokers to smoke at the ninemetre marks.

“There were some individuals who were reluctant to move, or who were not happy about moving. That is to be expected when it's been as cold as it has lately,” continued Ntamwemezi. “Most people will move, even if it's not to the full nine meters, but it does make a difference. It is not simply to bully smokers. There are many places on campus that individuals can smoke; it's important to remind individuals that these designated non-smoking entrances are

not for them.”

Designated non-smoking areas on campus include entrances at the North Building, the front and side entrances at the Davis Building, as well as all entrances in the CCT Building, the library, the Kaneff Building, the Student Centre, and the Oscar Peterson Hall and Erindale Hall entrances. However, this year’s event was held only at the Davis Building, North Building, CCT Building, and library entrances.

“The event was quite successful in that we managed to interact with a number of smokers as well as raise awareness among non-smokers to the ‘Move Your Butt, Please’ campaign,” said Ntamwemezi. “Many, including smokers themselves, have expressed that there is great value in having such a program in place on campus. Many nonsmokers are glad to hear the initiative exists to protect their decision not to smoke, which sometimes gets lost in all the tobacco control messaging. So I would say that the event was definitely a success.”

Leave the Pack Behind’s upcoming events include their contest, called “wouldurather…”, which opens on January 24. The registration for it has already begun.

“Quit smoking, cut back on smoking, cut out smoking and drinking, or stay smoke-free for your chance to win a slew of great prizes!” states the website.

There are four main prizes to be won from the Leave the Pack Behind main office.

Each prize is associated with one of the contest categories. The main category is called “Quit for Good”. It requires that smokers quit smoking for the duration of the contest. The winner will receive $1,000. The “Keep the Count” category, which requires smokers to reduce how much they smoke by 50%, has a cash prize of $500. The “Party Without the Smoke” category, which requires that smokers not drink and smoke at the same time, is also for social smokers looking to quit. The prize for this is $250. Finally, the last category, called “Don’t Start and Win”, is for nonsmokers and ex-smokers who are looking to stay smoke-free. The prize is $100.

Leave the Pack Behind can be found at the UTM Health and Counselling Centre in room 1123 in the Davis Building or online at leavethepackbehind.org.

Christian Unity Association talent show a hit CLIFF LEE

Jonathan Pike

Students speak about what God means to them.

Christian Unity Association hosted its annual talent show on January 20 as part of Christian Unity Week at UTM. Doors opened at 7 p.m. The Christian Unity Band played different Christian songs throughout the event.

Performers came prepared with instruments, poetry, play scripts, and short messages they wanted to share with the attendees.

“Christian Unity Week at UTM aspires to bring together Christians from all nations, backgrounds, and languages, hoping to unite them for the one purpose of sharing the good news of Christianity with other UTM students,” said Jonathan Wahab, president of CUA. “The talent show would be said by many to be the most anticipated event of the year for Christian Unity event-goers.”

“We believe every individual is unique,” continued Wahab. “Whether it be people that can sing a song, perform a skit, recite a poem, play an instrument, lick their elbows, juggle ‘devil’ sticks, or anything at

all, we hope that this be an opportunity for people to come and offer a bit of themselves. We also hope that students that come out will have their questions about Christianity answered.”

The Christian Unity Band started the night off with Christian songs of worship.

The band’s vision and hope is that Christians from all different clubs on campus come out and unite in voice and fellowship.

Tarak George, the emcee of the talent show, came up first on the list of performers.

“I was asked by my friend why I believe in God and all I told him was ‘Come to the talent show, I’ll show you why.’ So here I am—this is the reason that I believe in what I believe,” said George, who played an electric guitar solo accompanied by a video presentation of the beauty of nature.

Performances that followed consisted of violin solos, acoustic songs, rap, poetry recitals, and skits. Most of the performances included messages of what Christianity means to them and personal testimonies about life experiences.

The night ended with free pizza.

“We give out free pizza every month at

our events because we believe that God has blessed us with funding and we hope to cater not only to the students spiritually, but physically too—at the same time hoping to have a chance to get to know the students more personally,” said Wahab when asked about the pizza charity.

The talent show is only one of the many events CUA hosted during the week. The Christian Unity band performed on Monday and Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Blind Duck. Christian volunteers gave out 1,200 free bibles and tons of free Christian-themed books on campus throughout the week, while free hot chocolate and Starbucks coffee were handed out outside the Student Centre.

“We hope to not only share a spiritual fulfillment with the students, but also keep them physically warm—with hot drinks!—amidst the cold and crazy weather this week,” said Wahab.

CUA holds monthly events on the last Thursday of every month during the school year. All are welcome to attend.

For more information about CUA or other Christian clubs on campus, students are asked to e-mail Jonathan Wahab at jwahab@gmail.com.

4 THE MEDIUM

NEWS

MONDAY,

JANUARY 24, 2011

ASX returns to U of T LARISSA HO ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Edward Cai/ The Medium

Hundreds of students attend the fair in search of summer employment.

Job fair gives hope to unemployed CLIFF LEE

The Summer Job Fair was held on January 12 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. All students from UTM were invited to attend, including recent graduates of the past two years.

“The Summer Job Fair has been the best-attended fair through the years. It has only been 10 minutes and already 100 students have entered our compounds,” said Claire Westgate, coordinator for Events & Employer Services at the Career Centre. “We hold surveys out to the students and the employers after every fair.

Students have consistently given positive feedback in regards to the fair, and employers really like UTM students in their recruitment. Compared to other campuses, these employers commented that they much prefer to come to UTM for these fairs. They say students from UTM are professional, and that the programs and courses at UTM are amazing, preparing students well for the tasks they need to perform.”

The Career Centre had 58 employers registered for the fair.

There were tour agencies, camp recruitment programs, marketing companies, painting associations, and many other fields of summer work that students could engage in.

Recruiters at booths continually gave out flyers, brochures, name cards, and gifts to those passing by.

Some of the more interesting associations seen at the fair were the Peel Regional Police, Canada Border Service Agency, Ontario Place Corporation, and even some well-known fashion retailers: Danier Leather Inc. and Town Shoes.

“We have registered with the Summer Job Fair at UTM for a few years now and we find it to be really well-organised. There’s a good turnout and traffic of students,” said Allie Lebold, store manager at Dixie Outlet Mall’s Danier Leather Inc. “We like students at UTM because they are well-educated and always prove to be good employees for our stores.”

The store manager of the Square One’s Town Shoes said, “We want to give students an opportunity to work

at the best retail store! When we come out to the fair, we get to meet different people with different personalities that we hope to employ at our stores to better our services and employment range. We have been to the fair before and we hope to participate in the coming years too.”

Boards, placed at the entrance of the fair, held guides for students to approach organizations in regards to their field of interest or programs they were in.

“I’ve come hoping to find a job that is research- and science-oriented, but there does not seem to be too many organisations that meet my needs.

Even though I’m slightly disappointed by that, I don’t regret that I’ve gotten to meet different people, establish connections and networking, and gain insights about other organisations that I may want employment with,” said Andrea Shim, a double major in biology and chemistry.

The Summer Job Fair was a success with a turnout of hundreds of students. To access further information about jobs are asked to log onto the Career Centre website.

1 in 7 students drop out STEFANIE MAROTTA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

The second semester is well underway.

With midterms nipping at your heels, are you thinking of dropping out? Statistics show that 1 in 7 post-secondary students drop out before graduation, and that 15 percent will drop out before the end of first year. Anxiety, stress, fear, and debt can influence whether a student decides to continue with their chosen path of study or drop the ball and run. Post-secondary institutions are keen on identifying the factors that contribute to student dropout and the ways these issues can be remedied.

In 2007, Seneca College launched the first Canadian research program to identify the importance of institution-provided support services in student success. Seneca invited first-year students to meet with a coordinator. In these academic sessions, students received information about courses, study tips, career planning, and senior tutoring. The Foundations for Success report deems that the key to dropout prevention is to encourage students to use the available support services.

First year is often the toughest of an undergraduate’s academic career. Students need to reinvent their study strategies and step up to an increased workload.

Counselling services assist students in their transition from secondary school to university or college. Students should consult these services before deciding to drop out and leave their degree behind.

At UTM, students benefit from various

free services that cover a diverse array of issues. For essay and study tutoring, the Academic Skills Centre is found in the library. For career counselling and planning, the Career Centre welcomes students in the Davis Building. For assistance with physical and mental health, the Health and Counselling Centre offers medical and psychiatric care.

Specific to first-year students, UTM provides the genONE program. Students that choose to enrol in the program have access to workgroups with other first-year students in their program, mentorship from a

Statistics show that 1 in 7 post secondary students drop out before graduation, and that 15 percent will drop out before the end of first year.

Peer Academic Leader, and facilitated study groups. The purpose of the program is to help students fully understand the programs they’ve chosen and to make the most of their academic experience in the following years.

“It’s very hard, at 17, to realize what those programs mean and what it means to study within an academic discipline and whether you’re actually going to like it or not,” said Tanya Lewis, the director of aca-

demic success and accessibility services at the University of Toronto. “Going to university is often the first time young people step out on their own and there’s that kind of rush and thrill of independence that makes it really difficult for students to ask for help.”

Unfortunately, not only first-year students fall victim to the temptation to drop out. Financial issues and program dissatisfaction can even lead senior students to consider ditching their post-secondary education.

Matt Zgomba, a fifth-year CCT major, was set to graduate until he was informed that he is short a certain credit required for his program. Since CCT is a deregulated program, Zgomba pays the full amount of his pricey tuition regardless of the number of courses he is enrolled in.

“Summer school tuition for deregulated programs is completely overblown,” Zgomba said. “I had thoughts of dropping out solely because of the charges, with only 1.0 credit left to take in summer school.”

Cassandra Faranda, a third-year history major, toyed with the idea of dropping out after her second year. Unsure about her program, Faranda applied and was accepted to a different school but ultimately chose to finish her degree at UTM. “I wanted to drop out and go to culinary school, which is my passion. I decided I should finish my degree at UTM because I felt like I was giving up. I would have wasted two years,” Faranda commented.

“History doesn’t have anything to do with culinary, but I enjoy the program. And after I graduate, I always have the option of becoming a teacher.”

The U of T Astronomy and Space Exploration Society (ASX) will be holding their eighth annual “Expanding Canada’s Frontiers” symposium, titled “Unraveling the Universe”, on Friday, January 28, at Convocation Hall. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the event will begin at 7, with a reception to follow at 10.

“Unraveling the Universe” refers to the recent technological advancements, such as the Large Hadron Collider, which have made it possible for some of the biggest mysteries of the universe to be revealed.

According to their website, asxsociety.org, “The quest to understand the universe has been an endeavour of humans for centuries. In recent years, scientific research and discoveries in the astrophysics and particle physics arena have been increasing in numbers and gaining much popularity. Recognizing this, ASX is pleased to present a lineup of prominent speakers giving talks relating to ‘unraveling the universe’. The topics feature phenomena relating all the way from quarks to quasars—from the latest particle physics research at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), galaxy clusters, and gravitational lensing, to supernovae, dark energy, and black holes.

This event aims to educate the public on some of the projects in space exploration, and encourage students and the public to get informed and involved in the exciting discoveries of the space industry. In the past, the symposium has featured famous astronauts, numerous top researchers, and leaders in the space industry.”

The annual “Expanding Canada’s Frontiers” symposiums are ASX signature events, and the biggest astronomy symposium in Canada. It has featured such well-renowned speakers as Chris Hadfield (a Canadian astronaut), Anousheh Ansari (the first female private space explorer), Dr. Peter Schultz (NASA LCROSS), and Dr. Bob Richards (Odyssey Moon; ISU Co-Founder).

Last year, more than 1,000 attended the event, which boasted four guest speakers. Guests included Dr. Firouz Naderi, associate director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Schultz, a co-investigator on NASA’s Lunar Crater Observing and Sensing Satellite mission, which searched for water on the moon in 2009.

This year, the symposium welcomes the University of California at Berkeley’s Dr. Alexei Vladimir Filippenko, one of the world’s foremost researchers on supernovae; Dr. Michel Lefebvre, founder of the Canadian ATLAS collaboration project and recent chair of the Subatomic Physics Grant Selection Committee of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; and Dr. Gilbert Holder, the Canada Research Chair in Cosmological Astrophysics and associate professor of physics at McGill University. Their biographies can be found on the ASX website a asx.sa.utoronto.ca/symposium.

Run by students and alumni of U of T, the ASX is a non-profit organization

“The quest to understand the universe has been an endeavour of humans for centuries.”

— asx.sa.utoronto.ca /symposium

started in 2003. Since then it’s expanded to over 2,400 members. Their mission is “to educate, excite, and inspire students and the general public about astronomy and space exploration.” Their events regularly attract more than 1,500 attendees per year.

The organization is currently looking for volunteers for the symposium. Those interested in participating can email space.society@utoronto.ca with “symposium volunteering” in the subject line.

The ASX is also looking for “StarTalks Speakers” who have “educational, exciting, and inspiring ideas and activities” to give a 10-minute talk to an audience at the symposium. The application form is available on the website and should be emailed back to startalks@asxsociety.org.

Admission is free for students from any university who pre-register and have valid student I.D. Students can register to attend the symposium at asx2011symposium.eventbrite.com.

There is a $20 early bird special for non-students, and admission is $25 at the door. To guarantee seating, the ASX encourages interested attendees to obtain tickets in advance. For tickets, visit asxsociety.org/symposium.

OBITUARY Kursa, Adrian Suddenly, on January 7, 2011, in his 21st year.

Loving son of Andrew Kursa and Iwona Dawidczyk Kursa.

Cherished brother of Paulina Kursa. Beloved grandson of his grandmother in Poland. He will be dearly missed by his many close friends, including the Dziedzic family.

Adrian was a graduate of Notre Dame Secondary School in Burlington, and was attending the University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus.

Funeral Mass will be Celebrated at St. Gabriel’s Roman Catholic Church, 2261 Parkway Drive, Burlington, on Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 10 a.m.

Interment at Burlington Memorial Gardens. If desired, donations in Adrian’s memory would be appreciated by the family. canadianobituaries.com

MONDAY, JANUARY

Gay-straight alliance ban lifted STEFANIE MAROTTA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

On January 18, the Halton Catholic District School Board voted to strike down a ban on gay-straight alliances in schools. After criticism from media and various action groups, the board’s Policy Development Committee recommended the ban be overturned.

The ban, along with policy amendments to adjust curriculum on healthy sexuality, had been passed in a board meeting on November 2, 2010. Board members agreed that gay-straight alliance groups promote unhealthy tendencies and an unacceptable lifestyle.

Earlier in the year, the Assembly of the Catholic Bishops of Ontario, the organization that makes recommendations based on religious doctrine to Catholic school boards in Ontario, advised the HCDSB that gay-straight alliance groups enforce selfidentification and violate the privacy of homosexual students.

“I’ve never been to a GSA,” said board trustee Jane Michael. “They force people to be labelled as gay, and that could be detrimental to those people at that school.”

The ACBO argues that to allow gaystraight alliance groups would be to encourage a sexual orientation that is “pre-

STEFANIE MAROTTA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Torontonians have had a lot to say about the city budget for the coming year.

Mayor Rob Ford held four consultation meetings last week to hear the opinions of citizens and interest groups. Popular concerns included decreased funding for police services, library closures, increased fees for recreational programs, and fare hikes in public transit.

The 2011 budget was released two weeks ago and various cuts to services were announced. Benefitting from a large surplus inherited from the Miller government, Ford, in accordance with his election promise, froze property taxes. None of the surplus will be put toward debt reduction or reserves.

He rescinded the $60 vehicle registration tax and proposed a 10¢ increase in TTC fares. This would require an extra $5 from students for a monthly Metropass.

In addition to fare hikes, 48 late-night and weekend bus routes will be cancelled so that financial resources can be reallocated to busier routes. The routes to be cancelled are those with less than 12 passengers an hour.

mature”. Catholic school board policies permit romantic relationships between heterosexual couples as they allow students to develop toward healthy marriages. In contrast, secondary school students are considered too young to pursue homo sexual relationships.

“The church teachings teach our children to accept everyone, whether they’re gay or lesbian, poor, black, white, whatever,” said Nancy Kirby, president of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association. “But the church teaching also says that we don’t condone the actions of gays and lesbians.” Quite the conundrum.

Sarah Kelly, a master’s of teaching student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, started a Facebook group, “Fight the Halton Catholic Board’s ban on Gay Straight Alliances”. In two weeks, the online petition has generated 3,000 signatures.

“In particular, when it comes to matters of faith and morality, the aforementioned denominational rights accorded to Catholic schools in Ontario would supersede Ministry of Education proposed curriculum content,” said Lou Piovesan, the general secretary of the ACBO. “Accordingly, if some content (related to faith and morality matters) is indeed determined to be at variance with those principles, it would not be endorsed for use in

Catholic schools.”

This is the second time this year that Catholic doctrine has conflicted with policies of equity and safety in Ontario schools.

Last year, Catholic schools boards warned that providing the free HPV vaccine would promote promiscuity.

“That’s the rights of the Catholic schools,” said Alice Anne LeMay, the board chair. “We have denominational rights and our rights say we will not do anything against magisterial of the Catholic Church.”

After nearly two weeks of public scrutiny and media attention, the ban was overturned in a vote of 6-2. The board meeting was attended by many who opposed the ban, including members of the Canadian Civil Liberties Union.

“As a new trustee, I must represent the big picture, which means all students must be able to attend school without fear,” said trustee John Mark Rowe.

Jane Michael, a new trustee, one of the two that voted against lifting the ban, argued that Catholic doctrine takes precedence over homosexual lifestyle.

The HCDSB insists that trustees will always act in the best interest of the students. On the HCDSB website, officials commented in a press release that, despite the ban, Catholic schools in the Halton region uphold values that promote safety and acceptance of all students.

These routes, while ridership is low at certain times, provide neighbourhood residents with public transit that is within walking distance of their homes. The last time service cuts were made in the ’90s, ridership declined.

“Why should we be scared to admit that there might need to be some cuts?” said councillor Josh Matlow. “As long as you can support why you decided to make that cut, why it made sense, why it is better to do things differently—do it!”

With ridership expected to increase to record-breaking numbers, the TTC claimed that they require an additional $24 million to budget for service improvements such as more station managers and route supervisors. This was supposed to be provided by the TTC fare hike until the motion was suddenly cut from the commission meeting agenda as city managers promised to find $16 million.

Details of where this money will come from have yet to be announced. The remaining $8 million will have to be provided by the TTC from fare revenue.

Some city councillors have accused Ford of proposing the fare hike and then terminating it the next day as a manoeuvre to boost his reputation.

The Toronto Environmental Alliance

has denounced the motion to cancel bus routes as a move backwards for the city in its approach toward climate change, calling the service cuts unnecessary.

“The mayor’s budget will lead to increases in smog and greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging people to drive instead of take transit and it will result in more road congestion,” said Jamie Kirkpatrick of the TEA. At consultation meetings, citizens insisted that they would be in favour of tax increases if it meant improved services. More than 90 individuals spoke at the meetings on Wednesday—but will their opinions and suggestions be considered? Ford continued to defend his decision to freeze taxes in favour of service cuts.

“I am listening,” Ford said. “I’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty, more than any previous government has, to go out and listen to the people, and not make them come downtown for two days.”

Committee member Frank Di Giorgio commented that the chances of suggestions from citizens affecting the budget are low. He insisted that finances had been planned carefully and that, while minor changes are possible, the city will move forward with the current budget.

Campus Police weekly summary January 13 to 20, 2011

January 13, 11:25 Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of personal belongings from the Athletic Centre.

January 13, 13:20 Driving Offences Campus Police investigated a speeding vehicle on campus.

January 14, 10:55 Driving Offences Campus Police cautioned a male driver for driving carelessly on campus.

January 14, 14:55 Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of personal belongings from the Athletic Centre.

January 14, 18:46 Trespass to Property Act Campus Police charged two males with trespassing for skateboarding in the CCT garage.

January 14, 19:00 Theft Under $5,000

Campus Police investigated the theft of a wallet from the Library.

January 17, 12:57 Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of a laptop from the Davis Building.

January 18, 16:10 Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of a wallet from the CCT Building.

January 18, 16:28 Mischief Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated mischief in the Library.

January 19, 14:15 Theft Under $5000 Campus Police investigated the theft of personal identification from the Davis Building.

January 19, 15:15 Parking-Related A vehicle was towed off campus due to unpaid fines.

January 19, 16:50

Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of a wallet from the Athletic Centre.

January 19, 16:50 Harassment Campus Police investigated a male who was harassing a female student. The male was cautioned about his behaviour.

January 19, 18:34 Medical Call Campus Police and ECSpeRT members assisted a student who injured his shoulder.

January 20, 16:50 Personal Safety Concern Campus Police investigated a personal safety concern a female had with her university student account.

24, 2011 THE MEDIUM 5

NEWS

eTextbooks offer cheaper alternative for pricey text books coursesmart.com offers textbooks in online format, sometimes up to 60% cheaper than hard copies KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI NEWS EDITOR

A new and cheaper alternative to buying textbooks is now available.

CourseSmart, an online catalogue, offers students the opportunity to buy textbooks viewable on laptops, iPads, iPhones, and other technologies at as low as 40% of the price of the hard copy texts.

With over 90% of textbooks currently in use available online, CourseSmart is the world’s largest provider of digital course books. “iPads and new tech gadgets were big gifts this holiday season. According to a recent Mashable poll, iPads dominated holiday gifts in 2010,” says Nicole Bassaleh, assistant account executive at AMP Agency. “Digital course materials are expected to gain in popularity amongst smart, savvy, time-conscientious students who want to do well and do more in 2011.”

Students don’t have to wait in line or search through bookstores for cheaper deals; eTextbooks are always available, as CourseSmart offers all its textbooks all the time.

Free apps are also offered for iPhone and iPad users who wish to use these to view their digital course materials.

Purchasing eTextbooks through CourseSmart is as easy as searching for the title of the required text and choosing to either download or view it online. Downloading the eText requires downloading the CourseSmart reader software that

allows you to view the text. Once the software and eText are downloaded, you’re ready to read.

Viewing eTexts online allows for the texts to be read immediately. After creating a CourseSmart account, the texts are added to “My Bookshelf” and are available anytime.

CourseSmart eTexts can be highlighted, written on, copied and

“Digital books are a game changer for college students.”

—Nicole Bassaleh pasted, printed, etc. The texts have the same format and pagination as the hard copy text. eTextbooks can be refunded within 14 days of purchase if 20 pages or less have been viewed.

CourseSmart offers eTexts ranging from agriculture to criminal justice to economics to medicine to speech pathology.

“Digital books are a game-changer for college students. The ‘old school’ options for course materials, including used and rental textbooks, with a wide range of pricing, unreliable availability, uncertainty with bookstore buyback, and potentially long wait times or associated shipping costs, are not the only options for tech- and budget-savvy students at colleges and universities across the country,” says Bassaleh.

Students can browse the online catalogue at coursesmart.com.

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January 20, 16:53 Personal Safety Concern Campus Police investigated a personal safety concern a female staff member had with her email account.

business.humber.ca

MONDAY, JANUARY

24, 2011 THE MEDIUM 6

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

wikimedia.org

GTA drivers: the road tolls for thee RASHEED CLARKE

At 8:35 a.m. inside a Markham broadcasting studio, Lisa Morales pulls a hanging microphone down to her mouth and announces a traffic report for one of the several GTA radio stations she sends updates to.

“If you’re heading eastbound on the Gardiner, it’s a heavy drive from Kipling all the way through to Dufferin. Southbound on the 404-Parkway: jammed up from Finch down to Wynford, all due to normal volume.”

Just another weekday morning.

Last March, the Toronto Board of Trade released a report on the city’s prosperity, which included a global survey of transit and congestion in 19 major cities. Toronto finished last in transit.

According to the report, Torontonians spend an average of 80 minutes commuting, round trip,

whether by car or public transit.

Commuters in London, New York, and Los Angeles all spend less time in transit.

“I’ve noticed in the past four years that traffic has gotten noticeably worse, and that has to do with overcrowding and overpopulation,” says Morales.

In fact, average weekday vehicle traffic in Toronto has steadily grown over the past two decades.

The Toronto Community Foundation’s “Vital Signs 2010” report revealed that personal vehicle travel in the city grew by 106 percent between 1986 and 2006. During that same period, new road construction in the Toronto region increased by 56 percent.

The average peak traffic speed was reduced by 17 percent between 2001 and 2006 because of increased congestion.

In addition, Vital Signs 2010 indicated between 1986 and 2006, public

transit infrastructure grew by 18 percent, while demand increased by 45 percent.

The Toronto Board of Trade estimates that Toronto’s gnarled traffic costs Canada over $5 billion a year, and threatens the city’s longterm viability.

So what to do?

Richard Soberman, an engineering consultant at Trimap Communications, says there are several approaches to dealing with congestion.

“One is to build more roads.

Another is to modify the demand for road capacity through various incentive schemes, such as high occupancy vehicle lanes and parking or road pricing. A third is to make transit, walking, and cycling more desirable alternatives to the use of automobiles.”

Soberman adds, “Experience has generally shown that in urbanized areas, attempting to build our way out of congestion through expansion of

the road system simply does not work.”

If a new, 20-lane-wide 401 is unlikely, can upgrades to public transit offer a solution?

In the Toronto Board of Trade’s global survey of transit and congestion, Barcelona ranked first of the 19 cities surveyed, with an average round trip commute time of 48 minutes.

Barcelona’s metropolitan population of approximately 5.5 million nearly matches that of the GTA, which stands at 5.6 million, according to the 2006 Census. What are the Catalans doing that we’re not?

Much of Barcelona’s transit success comes from their metro system, made up of 11 lines, which by 2012 will operate on 157 kilometres of track and include 209 stations. Compare that to Toronto’s three subway and one Rapid Transit lines, which run on 68 kilometres of track and contain 69 subway stations and five RT stops.

In 2007, the City of Toronto

announced plans for “Transit City”, an integrated network of Light Rail Transit services that would provide enhanced coverage throughout the city. The Transit City plan would see LRT as a surface operation, travelling within protected centre lanes, like those on the Spadina and the new St. Clair West streetcar lines.

The project has stalled amongst funding and planning disputes.

According to Soberman, “The government of Canada has and continues to provide limited funding for public transit through a variety of infrastructure programs. In general, these programs involve application-based funding delivered under specially designated criteria and guidelines. Application-based funding means that those providing the funds have the final say in determining whether the investment is worthwhile.”

tolls continued on page 7

Positive writing makes me mad Businesses want to make you happy.

Happy people, to put it bluntly, spend more and question less. There’s nothing wrong with that goal at all: it’s just sensible practice. I do wish though that Big Business could try harder to make me happy, rather than use positive writing to try and wrench my brain into contentment.

Positive writing means omitting negative phrases and sentence structures, and replacing them with positive outcomes or tones. It’s a common tool in business writing today, and part of that process known as branding—the strategy whereby businesses get consumers to trust them enough with their money. Google “positive writing” and you get find nothing but positive results: advocates insist that it motivates readers and engenders faster action. Perdue OWL’s website says of positive writing: “A positive emphasis will persuade the reader and create goodwill. In contrast, negative words may generate resistance and other unfavourable reactions.”

Perdue and other sites all offer the same guidelines on positive writing: don’t say “don’t”; instead of words like “problems”, use “challenges”; instead

of phrases like “We’ll fail if we don’t work”, say “We must work to succeed.” Say what can be done instead of what cannot.

Lynn Gaertner-Johnston, a writing trainer and a blogger advocating positive writing, suggests that “Before you characterize him as stubborn, are you certain you don’t mean persistent or tenacious? And is she narrow-minded or highly focussed? Is he a loner or an independent thinker? Are her plans wildly optimistic or exciting—or both?” In other posts, she outlines quick fixes for corporate emails, praising the words “delighted”, “thank you”, and “sincerely”.

In other words, the positive writer takes normal writing and normal communication, and covers it with bubble wrap, afraid of pricking their readers on unfriendly adjectives.

Positive writing advocates like the writers at Perdue claim that positive writing will create positive emotions that benefit the recipient. However, this might be off the mark. John Cloud’s article “Yes, I suck: self-help through negative thinking” published in the July 2009 issue of Time, reveals a study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The study revealed that undeserved praise can make people feel worse. Cloud cites other studies that show, trying to make people feel good about themselves or their situation will usually end up having the opposite effect. In short: if you

try to make someone happy, it won’t work.

Its actual effectiveness aside, positive writing has other flaws—and Maxis Software’s “Spore” forum showed me that firsthand.

Spore is a life-simulation game developped by Maxis, and it simulates life in a big way: the player begins the game controlling a single-celled organism, and ends with that cell’s thousands-of-years-evolved offspring traversing the depths of space. While searching through a FAQ entry on the Spore forums, I found a question that read: “Will my civilization be able to live in trees or underwater?”

Maxis’ reply went something like: “Spore’s revolutionary in-game editor and peer-supported content will enable players to explore the surface of their own planet.”

Maybe it was just me, but I felt that the reply was verbose—it took approximately 20 words to say what one (“no”) would do. The answer seemed to pave over the question and replace it with a piece of Maxis propaganda.

Worst of all, it seemed like Maxis was hiding something—and as a business, that didn’t seem like great branding. In that moment, Maxis wasn’t the fun, indie group that brought me SimEarth and SimCity when I was in grade five; they were a company trying to sell me something. A better answer might have been, “No; your species living in

trees would require an additional programming layer that we’d have to spend three years perfecting. We’d rather get you the game now.” Even assuming that positive writing can deliver what it promises, it still can seem unnatural, stilted, and dishonest.

Jason Fried of Inc.com, in his article “Why is business writing so awful?” (a title Perdue writers might have a problem with), writes that “Years of language dilution by lawyers, marketers, executives, and HR departments have turned the powerful, descriptive sentence into an empty vessel optimized for buzzwords, jargon, and vapid expressions.” He argues that the practices encouraged in business writing harm the business itself, and the writers who are forced to use it.

Andre Lau, a McMaster grad, has worked in communications and marketing with small not-for-profit organizations and some larger companies.

His evaluation is telling. “The style of writing in the larger corporations was usually very strict. I had to adhere to tight branding guidelines that were already long established. Also, because a large amount of the writing that I did was for recruitment purposes, it affected the voice we used in our pieces. I feel like some of the pieces we wrote were false advertising, which I do not agree with. Writing for the smaller non-profit was very different. It was a student-run program, so we were allowed more creative freedom in

terms of the angles we wanted to take when putting out a story.”

In any case, positive writing doesn’t seem to be going out of fashion in the business world. However, writers in the communications field who can’t master a sugar-sweet tone, or are frustrated with the quality of writing expected of them, may have more free reign in the startup and non-profit sectors.

prosportstickers.com

The business world according to positive writing.

MONDAY, JANUARY

The Ontario government has dedicated $8.15 billion to Transit City over the next decade. However, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford announced on December 1 that he would follow through on his campaign promise to scrap all Transit City LRT lines.

Ford plans to ask the province to redirect its Transit City funding to extensions of the Sheppard and Bloor-Danforth Subway lines east to Scarborough Town Centre. In his announcement, Ford declared, “The war on the car is over.”

But is it really?

Not so, says V.F. Hurdle, who teaches traffic engineering at U of T. “Toll roads have worked in quite a lot of places, although it’s not that simple to carry off,” says Hurdle.

“The technology needed to monitor the traffic is typically very expensive.”

In those places where toll roads have worked, the word “toll” has been replaced with the term “congestion fee”. Congestion fees involve assigning a price to a road based on the demand for using that road. The goal is to reduce congestion by discouraging traffic from entering designated zones.

In 2003, London, England

introduced a congestion fee for motorists entering the city centre. A fee of £8 (about $12) is imposed on each vehicle entering the Congestion Charge Zone on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. The system runs on automatic licence plate number recognition, similar to that of the 407.

When the fee was first implemented, vehicular traffic in London’s city centre fell by 30 percent, and had levelled out to a total 21 percent reduction by 2006. Elsewhere, congestion pricing led to a 45 percent reduction in Singapore’s traffic, and a 15 percent drop in Stockholm.

Critics of congestion fees contend that the fees prevent those with low incomes from driving in the city.

London has deflected some of this criticism by channelling all the net revenues from congestion fees back into public transportation. Between 2006 and 2007, London directed $241 million to public transit from congestion fees.

In addition to generating revenue, congestion fees can have other positive spinoffs.

“Making roads more expensive obviously has some impact on automobile use and, over the longer term, should contribute to managing urban sprawl by encouraging individuals to

FEATURES

Oldfield at UTM

Tolls and traffic in the GTA continued from page 6

24, 2011 THE MEDIUM 7

make housing choices that result in shorter commuting distances,” says Soberman.

This past September, the United States National Center for Policy Analysis released a report that named congestion pricing as one of the best solutions for gridlock.

“In a time of tight budgets and increased road demand, traditional methods of funding, such as gas taxes, do not reduce congestion, nor does it meet the need for new road construction and ongoing maintenance,” said H. Sterling Burnett, NCPA senior fellow and coauthor of the report, on the other hand.

As Toronto’s morning rush winds down, Morales turns away from the traffic cameras and leans back in her chair.

“Are tolls on existing roads going to save time? I have my doubts. They would have to be really expensive to get people out of their cars,” s ays Morales.

For now, there is one good thing about Toronto’s gridlock, at least to Morales.

“If I didn’t have much to talk about, I’d be pretty bored at work. I feel kind of guilty about it, but other people’s bad commutes make my day at work more interesting.”

Alex Pomorski, Terry Chung, Cinar Gursel, and Tao Wang It’s 3.5 hectares in size, and older than UTM. It was the beach of a glacial lake and is now our campus’s largest lab. Fortuitously, it’s largely been left alone for at least 80 years.

It’s Oldfield—you may not have heard of it before, but UTM and its students are lucky to have to it.

Oakfield is a field bordering the Credit River and surrounded by forest on one side and a football field on the other. There’s no formal entrance, no crosswalk, and no lights to get you across to it either.

Walk through it yourself and you might stumble across someone’s research. It’s been used for research

by UTM going back to at least the late 1970s.

Oldfield is a technical term for abandoned farmland. Back in the mid-1800s, the forest that stood where Oldfield is today was cleared and used for pasture or for a hayfield or for both. It and UTM were part of the Schreiber (as in Schreiber Residence) family land holding. Our Oldfield was abandoned around the 1930s. When that happened, the surrounding forests moved back in. The result of all this has been the creation of what is both

UTM’s largest science lab and something really beautiful.

Oldfield is home to singing insects, like field crickets, not found anywhere else in the immediate area. Researchers at UTM have used crickets from Oldfield to study sexual selection. Actually, all sorts of research has come out of Oldfield.

PhD theses have come out of Oldfield and so have Research Opportunity Program projects helping UTM undergrads decide if a career of academic research is right for them. If you’re interested in trying out research one day then keep Oldfield in mind, but that isn’t the only thing noteworthy about it.

There are nature trails bordering Oldfield and going through it. If you need to get away from everyday life then you could do worse than to go for a walk along UTM’s natural trail and taking a stop at Oldfield. Keep on a lookout for jumping mice, shrews, white-footed mice, and voles. According to a mammal-trapping ROP project completed by a UTM student earlier this year, you can find them along the forest edge.

The vegetation around the forest edge is also very palatable for deer, so keep a look out for them too. Just try not to trample on anyone’s research while you’re there.

Why, Wendy! What big thighs you have!

Food sizes at the popular chain are getting bigger and bigger—Stats Canada says so are its customers ADAM ERB

In 2004, one man was brave enough to plow through a one-month binge of high-calorie protein, high-sugar soft drinks, and a cavalcade of low-nutrient hamburgers. Morgan Spurlock, a 41-year-old West Virginian, went on a 31-day McDonald’s binge in a film that made audiences laugh, feel disgust, and (admittedly) develop a hankering for some golden arches in the movie “Super Size Me”. Ever since the release of this movie, fast-food restaurants like Wendy’s have done away with their extra-large sizes. Until now.

Wendy’s is one of the major fastfood chains in Canada. They used to celebrate their “Biggie” and “Great Biggie” sizes, which only cost about 30¢ more—who could resist that?

As msnbc.com reported in mid2006, Wendy’s decided to eliminate their “Biggie” option and cut down on trans-fatty cooking oils in order to cut calorie consumption for their patrons.

What was also reported was that their sizes were shifting because of this decision: the large is now the medium, the medium is now the small, and the large has been replaced with a 42ounce trucker-sized beverage which barely fits in your hands. So, beneath the surface, Wendy’s is still serving up the “Biggie” portions, they’re just changing the name to make it seem like they’re cutting-edge and healthy.

According to Statistics Canada, the number of obese children has risen by about 30,000 and the number of obese adults has risen about 600,000 in 2009 since 2007. The figures on your right break down each category of Canadians and their rates of obesity since 2003 and 2007.

Wendy’s elimination of their “Biggie” size was not globally advertised and did not receive much attention until their workers were told to ask “Would you like a small, medium, or large combo?”

In 2006, they removed “Biggie”

labels from all their drink and fry containers, but didn’t actually change the sizes at all; on the contrary, their sizes actually became bigger under the guise of cutting back their sizes.

The former 32-ounce “Biggie” beverage shifted to their standard medium. The former 42-ounce “Great Biggie” beverage is now the comically large size. The former 5.6-ounce “Biggie” fries is now a medium, and the former 6.7-ounce “Great Biggie” is now the large. So, supposedly Wendy’s customers can now feel better about themselves knowing that the multi-national food chain is cutting back its sizes and eliminating the extra large sizes—but they’re really not; no wonder they never advertised this new

My body shudders, but I’m not cold.

I start seeing little green circles floating in the air.

This can’t be good. frame of mind.

But hope is not lost. Much like the other fast-food chains, Wendy’s also came out with its own line of healthy selections, including their new range of salads! But wait, there’s more!

According to their online nutrition calculator, their range of salads contains the same amount of calories as their ½-lb. double with cheese hamburgers.

Now, the consumer is left with three decisions: eat a salad, eat a hamburger, or stop eating fast food altogether—it’s surprising how many Canadians will never reach for the latter option.

This brave reporter went into the Burlington Wendy’s located on Fairview Street (right beside the Burlington Mall) and ordered the biggest thing on the menu to shed some light on just how big these sizes really are.

1:14 p.m. I walk up to the front counter and order a Triple Baconator

and ask for the large combo. I’ve had a bad experience with their bacon before where it came out all white and rubbery, so the server made sure that the bacon was crispy and not made of rubber this time; apparently you have to ask for the good bacon when you order at Wendy’s. I sit down at the table. The food takes up the entire tray. I start eating.

1:22 p.m. I am halfway through the meal and I feel fine. No notable changes except for my elevated mood; what do they put into these burgers that make me so damn happy to eat them?

1:26 p.m. I’m starting to feel a big flush and I feel like utter shit. I’m a third done my burger and have barely dented the fries and drink.

1:32 p.m. I am done the burger.

The fries are almost done and I’m about halfway through my large Fruitopia. I begin to lose my breath and sweat heavily.

1:37 p.m. I have devoured the rest of the fries. I have a piercing headache and my hands tremble. My body shudders, but I’m not cold. I start seeing little green circles floating in the air. This can’t be good.

1:49 p.m. I gulp down the rest of the Fruitopia and feel like I am going to die. My body quakes with twitches, my head sweats with tears of fatigue, and my stomach is kicking the sides of my body—it must be angry at me. I start to feel lethargic and stagger home where I sleep for the next six hours, only to wake up and have the same pounding headache and sweats.

I didn’t eat anything else that day.

The shocking truth behind this experience is that some people do go into fast-food restaurants and order the biggest things on the menu because their bodies have long since adapted to the ever-expansive menus.

Health Canada recommends that the average healthy Canadian should only consume 2,000 calories per day in order to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Well, in my one meal, I acquired nearly 2,200 calories.

http://ketchuptomyfries.blogspot.com

Mmmm. Appetizing.

statcan.gc.ca

Obesity rates in Canada have steadily risen over the past decade.

8 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, JANUARY

FEATURES

24, 2011

Science Corner

The link between coffee and heart attacks MÉLANIE MONETTE SINDREY

A study from the University of Toronto led by Dr. M.C. Cornelis brings us new information about the link between coffee consumption and the risk of heart attack.

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, this study concerns itself, first, with a genetic distinction. A gene sequence determines production of the caffeine metabolizer CPYIA2 enzyme.

Some people simply produce more and some produce less. Those with more CYP1A2 enzyme digest caffeine faster than those with less; the amount can be found out by testing a person’s DNA. The researchers chose 2,057,000 participants from Costa Rica and compensated for age, sex, and risk factors (e.g., smoking and diet). A questionnaire surveyed how much coffee participants drank daily between 1994 and 2004.

The researchers divided the data

into four groups: participants who drank less than one cup per day; one cup; two to three cups; and four or more cups per day. Participants who drank less than one cup per day during the decade in question composed the control group.

Cornelis and his team found that participants in all groups who had more CYP1A2 did not show a significantly higher risk of heart attack than the control group. And for those who drank only one cup of coffee per day, neither genetic distinction resulted in a higher risk of heart attack. The two groups that consumed the most coffee and who had less caffeine-digesting enzyme had significantly higher rates of non-fatal heart attacks.

The results clearly show that the less CPY1A2 enzyme you produce and the more coffee you drink, the more you are at risk of heart attack.

For those of us without the good fortune of DNA testing, it’s ultimately a question of gambling with your genetics and lifestyle choices.

New DNA screening test can gauge risk of genetic diseases RASHEED CLARKE

If my parents knew before I was conceived that I would someday develop a chronic disease, would they still have had me? I wonder. I would have been spared the challenges of living with ulcerative colitis—diarrhea, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, and weight loss.

But then, I wouldn’t be here now.

The fact is, my parents did not know my chances of developping ulcerative colitis, a disease hypothesized to be heritable. They likely had never even heard of ulcerative colitis—no one in my family had had the disease until I came along.

Without that knowledge, the thought of not having me may never have crossed their minds.

However, couples looking to start a family may soon be able to screen themselves for diseases that they could pass on to their children. News of the new screening procedure, which will begin trial use this fall in the U.S., was presented in a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

After a sample of blood, hair, or skin is provided, the test scans a potential parent’s genome for rare recessive disease genes that can hide in their DNA. We all carry two copies of almost all of our genes, one each from our mother and father. In the case of genetic illnesses, recessive genes from both the mother and father need to be present before the illness will develop. Parents with the same recessive disease genes run a one in four risk of passing the illness to their offspring.

The pre-conception carrier test is capable of screening several hundred DNA samples simultaneously for over 500 recessively inherited diseases.

Stephen Kingsome, lead author of the study and chief science officer at the U.S. National Center for Genome Resources, estimates that

the cost of a single screening test would be around $500.

“On average, you or I or anybody in a North American population has two to three catastrophic disease mutations in their genome,” said Kingsmore. “If you are starting to have a family, this is the type of information you might want to know.”

“Currently, in Canada only a few genetic illnesses are commonly screened for in couples prior to conception.”

Inherited childhood diseases are still uncommon in the general populace, but combined they account for roughly 20% of all infant deaths and 10% of all pediatric hospitalizations. Over the last few decades, over 1,000 genes involved in these diseases have been identified.

A l th o u g h t h e study’s authors acknowledge that their data are preliminary, they note the apparently random distribution of two to three mutations in the general population as evidence that preconception screening should be made available for everyone.

Currently, in Canada only a few g e n e t i c i l l n e s s es a re commo nly screened for in couples prior to conception, and even then only for targetted high-risk populations.

These include cystic fibrosis in northern European populations and Tay-Sachs disease in Ashkenazi Jewish populations.

Testing of the screening technology will begin at Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy Hospital over the next several months.

I don’t think my parents regret having me, at least not too much.

But if a genetic screening test was available to them, and if they had an extra $500 kicking around, they may have been better prepared for my eventual diagnosis. Or maybe their adopted, colitis-free child would have written this article.

muslimmedianetwork.com

“Aflockalypse” EMILY ACHESON ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

On New Year’s Eve, residents of Beebe, Arkansas prepared for the usual yearly celebrations. Friends gathered, concerts blared, and fireworks ignited. The next day, 5,000 blackbird carcasses littered the ground.

“It’s kind of a freak event,” said Greg Butcher, director of the National Audobon Society, a bird conservation organization. “You just don’t see these kinds of mass deaths very frequently at all.”

Not only did red-winged blackbirds, starlings, and grackles fall to the ground on New Year’s Eve in Arkansas, but another 450 were found dead around the same time in Louisiana. Scientists blamed New Year’s fireworks. They believe the loud noises in the sky sent the birds into flight, disoriented them, and sent them careening into power lines and each other.

The next day, tens of thousands of dead fish washed up along the shores of the Arkansas River just 100 miles from the site where the blackbird carcasses lay. Fish carcasses now number over 100,000. Over 95% of the fish were drum fish, leading scientists to believe the cause of death was a species-related disease.

While scientists reassured Arkansas that these events were coincidental, reports began flooding news stations of mass animal dieoffs around the globe.

On January 5, residents of Faenza, Italy were greeted by thousands of turtle dove corpses lining the parks and streets. Residents say the birds “hung from trees like Christmas balls”.

Wildlife experts found blue stains on the birds’ beaks, hinting that the cause of death may have been poison or hypoxia. Hypoxia, a lack of oxygen, may have occurred if the birds were swept high into the sky by a sudden storm. Scientists now say the deaths were caused by massive indigestion.

In late December, dead penguins, petrels, and other seabirds washed up on the shores of New Zealand.

Nearly 500 were recorded along shorelines in Brazil. The cause of death was starvation, believed to be due to the environmental cycles of La Nina.

Recent record-breaking floods in Australia may be the reason for up to 7,000 dead fish of over 11 different species dying in the flooded regions. Flourishing microor

ganisms in the water are blamed for reducing water oxygen levels.

Enjoy tilapia? You may not be eating it for a while. In the last week of December, over 150 tons of tilapia died in 41 separate aquaculture farms in Vietnam. Low oxygen levels are blamed for these as well.

A few of these mass animal deaths left us without answers, such as the hundreds of dead snapper fish that floated to shore in New Zealand. The fish were fat and healthy.

Brazil suffered a similar loss, though not on aquaculture farms.

Over 100 tons of dead sardines and small catfish washed up on the shores of Paranagua, Brazil.

Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, witnessed more dead fish, mostly juveniles.

Dawn Stoltzfuz, director of communications for the Maryland Department of Environment, expressed her concern. “We are seeing small/juvenile menhaden, croaker, [and] spot fish dead, in very large fish kills,” she said. “The numbers are estimated in the hundreds of the thousands at this point.”

Hundreds of dead starfish in Charleston, South Carolina.

Thousands of gizzard shad fish in Chicago. Over 40,000 velvet crabs, lobsters, starfish, anemone, and sponges on United Kingdom beaches. Hundreds of shad fish in Sarnia, Ontario. All these events occurred between December and January.

Scientists attribute their cause as cold weather.

The recent cold snap has enveloped nearly all of the United States with snow. Many sensitive aquatic creatures are used to feeding close to the shorelines in warm waters. But this year, these animals have received as big a shock about the weather as southern US residents. Often, these organisms cannot adapt fast enough to the sudden drop in temperature; they become stressed and die from freezing.

Fish deaths caused by low oxygen levels, such as the mass tilapia deaths, may be attributed to humans overstuffing their aquaculture farms with fish.

The dead penguins and other seabirds may be starving because La Nina, an ocean-atmospheric cycle coupled with El Niño that alters weather systems, has been the worst

recorded since 1975. The change in weather systems has caused small fish, the prey for penguins and other seabirds, to move elsewhere. The seabirds starve.

And the turtle doves in Fuenza, Italy? Zoo officials say the birds’ indigestion was caused by the doves gorging themselves on sunflower seeds from a nearby sunflower oil factory.

But are scientists sure? Or are they hiding something to keep the public from panicking? A few of these mass animal deaths left us without answers, such as the hundreds of dead snapper fish that floated to shore in New Zealand.

The fish were fat and healthy.

Steve Wohlberg, a controversial Seventh-Day Adventist and author of multiple books on the end of the world, believes these mass animal deaths are no coincidence.

“Personally, I definitely do believe we’re in the End of Days,” Wohlberg told New York Daily News about the mass animal deaths, “and I believe there is a lot of evidence of that.”

Some Biblical quotations are being interpreted as eerie predictions about Judgment Day. One passage, Zephaniah 1:3, says, “I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea.”

Theories continue to flood Internet websites and forums explaining the mass animal deaths.

Ideas range from an impending apocalypse (or, in the case of the dying birds, “aflockalypse”) to the BP oil spill and global warming, from secret governmental war experiments to magnetic polar shifts, from simple coincidences to the return of Jesus Christ.

Others write that it’s a media attention grabber. The bird deaths in Arkansas on New Year’s Eve earned media coverage. The fear of the unexplained grabbed people around the world, and reports flooded news stations in a matter of hours.

This, on top of the reawakened Mayan prediction of the end of the world in 2012 (recently made into the movie 2012, starring John Cusack), led people to report anything they noticed.

Biologists say that though these mass deaths are rare, they are not unusual.

“I wouldn’t say it happens all the time,” said Carol Meteyer, veterinary pathologist for a division of the US Geological Service, about the recent bird deaths. “I’ve been here 20 years. You see them occur once in 10 years, but they happen.”

MONDAY, JANUARY

A TRIBUTE TO ADRIAN KURSA

A TRIBUTE TO KIRRAN SHOAIB

09/14/1990—01/07/2011

06/15/1990—01/12/2011

You were somebody who everyone needed to meet. You made everyone smile no matter what their mood was. In simple words, you were a great man who will never be forgotten.

—Grant Kennedy Miss you already, buddy. I have no one to eat cookies with or anyone to try to attack me with a dead lobster. Work will never be the same without you. R.I.P. —Nikki Moore

Adrian, you were taken away from us way too early. It’s going to hurt not having you around, something I think none of us will ever heal from. You were such a great friend, I love you so much.

I promise you will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, my friend.

Only the good die young.

—Hailey Sofia

No more jager nights, no more UFC fights, no more trips to Niagara, no group excursion to Las Vegas. We’ll miss you and we’ll continue on with your memory. R.I.P Adrian.

—Philip Vatistas

I know you’ll be watchng over us. It was so hard to see you today. I was thinking you were going to pop up and throw some fish at me or something. McDonald’s trips will never be the same without you. I know that you’re in a better place now but I can’t believe you left so young and unexpected. We will meet again soon.

—Kelly Thompson

You were a great guy to share classes with and a great guy in general. You will be missed, my friend!

—Kyle Banks

Hey, buddy, missing you down here. Just wish you were here to spend some good times with. We had the best times hanging out, just even talking. I miss you but I know one day I will see you again. Just missing you, I know you’re watching over us now.

—Brandon Hayward

24, 2011 THE MEDIUM 9

OPINION

www.mediumonline.ca

Ernest Hemingway once wrote, “Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.” This quote embodies everything that my beloved friend, Kirran Shoaib, believed, felt, and lived for. She fought a war that each person on this earth fears to encounter and unfor tunately lost. Many assume that as time draws closer, a person gets weaker, as the sickness grows; a person dwindles into depression and heartache. However, this was not the case for her. Kirran fought this hardship silently, only to make sounds of happiness, enjoyment, and hope. Around family and friends, she was always known as the giggly girl, smiling at every opportunity.

Her chubby cheeks and contagious smile brought bliss to every person surrounded in her loving and gleeful atmosphere. Along with her warm and affectionate personality, Kirran was also a flourishing student in her year at UTM, with titles such as “win ner of the annual Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario competition”. Kirran Shoaib was a true star and role model for all.

My favourite memory was watching her rummage through my closet, trying on multiple dresses as she found the perfect one.

As I look back, I realize that we don’t recognize the most signifi cant moments of our lives while they are happening. Kirran was a significant part of my life and always will be. I love and miss you.

Rest in peace.

—Bushra Alam

When I first met Kirran, she quickly became one of the most important people in my life. She put a smile on everyone’s face, no matter what was happening. She kept smiling even when she was in the hospital; when we weren’t smiling, she would crack a joke that would make us laugh. Just the fact she was here, it was enough.

Half of the most important people in my life today are people I met because of Kirran. I jumped into new friendships for her and these are the friendships that have helped me over the past few weeks. Every friend I made because of her helps me keep her memory alive. We are together because of her and we will never forget her.

There are certain things, certain feelings, and certain emotions that words just fail to describe. There are gaps in language, unde finable things, and those tend to be the most important and per sonally meaningful. I love her and I will miss her every single day of my life. I’ll always think of her, smile, and be happy for the time we had her with us. As unthinkable as it is, life and the world will carry on without her, but the world will be diminished by this loss.

—Zena Chaudhry

3359 Mississauga Road, Room 200, Student Centre, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6 Phone: 905.828.5260 EDITOR IN CHIEF Saaliha Malik editor@mediumonline.ca NEWS EDITOR Katherine Luczynski news@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT NEWS Larissa Ho ASSISTANT NEWS Stefanie Marotta A&E EDITOR Nives Hajdin arts@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT A&E Colleen Munro FEATURES EDITOR Amir Ahmed features@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT FEATURES Mariana Comito ASSISTANT FEATURES Emily Acheson SPORTS EDITOR William Robertson sports@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT SPORTS Michelle Duklas Chris Callahan COPY EDITOR Luke Sawczak PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Edward Cai photos@mediumonline.ca DESIGN EDITOR Brent Hartford WEBMASTER Gary Li DISTRIBUTION Sandes Samararatne Waleed Malik BOARD OF DIRECTORS Marc Bressler, Paul Donoghue, Yasmeen Husain, , Michael Di Leo, Sarsour Mansour, Mariano Comito, Matthew Filipowich C OM PL A IN TS

I want to thank the UTM community for being there for the Shoaib family to remember the life of our dear friend.

Even though Kirran was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 17, it never stopped her from achieving what she set her mind to. Her determination to live life to the fullest inspired those around her to strive for more, rather than settle.

Being a UTMSU orientation leader is no easy task—it takes a toll on you both physically and mentally. However, that did not stop Kirran from wanting to experience guiding first year stu dents as a mentor. Your fellow leaders and froshies will forever cherish you, Kirran, as one of the most energetic and responsible leaders. Her strength never wavered; she was not only a leader during orientation week but a leader at UTM. Kirran was not just a dreamer but someone who achieved what she wanted. Aside from all the prizes and experience, Kirran touched everyone she met. She made a mark on those that had only spoken to her once. Kirran always defined the role that cancer played in her life.

She was never a victim or a patient; she was exactly who she wanted to be. That is what I have learnt from her.

We cannot always control what happens to us during our lives but we can control how we let it affect us.

Remembrance is a golden chain death tries to break, but all in vain.

To have, to love, and then to part is the greatest sorrow of one’s heart.

The years may wipe out many things but some they wipe out never, like memories of those happy times when we were all together. (author unknown) With love and respect, Vickita Bhatt

It took me a while to get these words on paper, maybe because it’s finally accepting that Kirran is not here anymore. I met Kirran last year and we instantly connected. We began planning our breaks together, taking a million pictures (she LOVED her cam era), and somehow became really close in the time we spent with each other. I think the best quality about her was even if you knew her five years ago or five minutes ago, you felt her positive energy and it was so easy to be her friend. I feel proud when friends say we were similar in personalities. Whenever I was worried, she always had the right words to comfort me. Kirran was a true optimist and a sweetheart. In her last days, Kirran promised all her girlfriends that when she would get better, she would take everyone out. I admire the hope that she had till her last moments and dream of becoming as positive as her.

Kirran, I miss you, and there isn’t one day that I don’t hope I’ll run into you in the UTM hallways.

—Nida Khan Kirran Shoaib. This name will be stuck in my heart forever.

January 12, 2011 was one of the hardest days in my life. I worked alongside Kirran throughout the year as she was the manager of corporate relations under the UCS External team.

She was a great friend and a model individual. Optimism and joy were the basis of every word Kirran spoke. I only wish I could possess even a fraction of her strength and ability to touch peo ple’s hearts. Kirran was able to conquer mountains while never letting her smile falter. Her potential was limitless and she was a star in the making. I am grateful to meet such a positive individ ual that has changed my life and made me a better person.

“If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I’d walk right up to Heaven and bring you home again.”

—Farhan Lodhi

Comments, concerns or com plaints about The Medium ’s content should be directed to the Editor in Chief who can be located at the email address above.

C OP YR I GH T All content printed in The Medium is the sole property of its creators, and cannot be us ed with out written c on sent.

D IS CL A IM ER Opinions expressed in the pages of The Medium are exclusively of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Medium.

Additionally, the opinions expressed in advertisements appearing in The Medium are those of advertisers and not of The Medium.

L ET TE R S TO TH E E DI TO R Letters to the editor will be edited for spelling, grammar, style, and coherence. Letters will not exceed 500 words in print. Letters that incite hatred or violence, and let ters that are racist, homopho bic, sexist or libelous, will not be published. Anonymous let ters will not be published.

Letters must be e mailed to the Editor by Friday at 5 p.m.

10 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2011

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

Stop being a creeper (for ladies) MARIANA COMITO FEATURES EDITOR Ladies, I’ve decided to write this article in order to help you with your obsessive creeping problems (not that you are a creeper—but just in case).

After talking to many people, I have at last figured out the definition of a creeper.

Well, everyone agreed that a creeper, male or female, is someone who stalks you and is constantly seeking your whereabouts and knowing things about you that you have not personally shared with them. There are many ways to be considered a creeper; here’s some forms of creeping I advise you not to do.

Facebook stalking This is not cool! We all know that Facebook is the devil, and when people are constantly uploading pictures and updating statuses, it lets 500 of your friends know every little detail about you. But this does not mean you’re allowed to creep people’s profiles. A slight glance through the profile is fine. However, being a private investigator is not your occupation. You are not allowed to stalk people, OR their friends, OR their friends’ friends! If you spend more than 10 minutes on a person’s profile, I’m afraid you have Facebookalitosis (a common disease found in people who believe Internet stalking is fun and healthy).

Call privacy You call once with your number and he doesn’t answer. So you decide

Wordpress

It’s just not worth it being a creeper. to call again within two minutes, but this time blocking your number.

Clever. Unfortunately, he probably won’t answer—he knows it’s you.

And if he does answer, what are you going to say? If you tell him you just called two seconds ago with your number, you’ll look like the ultimate creeper. So what’s the point? Just call once—if he wants to talk he will call back. Guaranteed.

BBM stalking

Many people say that Blackberry Messenger is just as bad as Facebook.

If you update your status, but you don’t reply to someone’s message, it’s obvious you’re ignoring them.

Constantly waiting for the letter “D” above the checkmark to turn to an “R” makes you a creeper. On the other side, don’t bombard the person with messages like “I know you read my message; it shows that you have”, because if you do, they might get a restraining order—just saying.

Taking a drive Stop lying to yourself. You and I both know you’re not simply taking a drive to clear your mind. If you end up anywhere remotely close to his house, you have indeed become psychopathic, and (worse?) creepy. I’m sorry, but it’s true. You shouldn’t be checking whether his car is in the driveway, or whether he’s “really” at his friend’s house. I would probably say that this kind of creeping is worse

than Facebookalitosis, call privacy, and BBM stalking. If you take the alltoo-coincidental drive, congratulations—you’re a major creeper!

Stay tuned for The Medium’s advice on how not to be a creeper—for guys!

Memorization tips for students JENNIFER EWEN

Everyone is different, including when it comes to learning and memorization. The world can be split into three learning styles: visual learners (65% of the population), auditory learners (30%), and kinesthetic learners (5%). Visual learners need to see things in order to understand them, e.g. via written notes, pictures, and diagrams; auditory learners need to hear things, e.g. via lectures or as a song; kinesthetic learners need to have physical movement with practice. Do you know which category you belong to?

Think of your past lectures. Did you pay attention but not take notes?

(Ahem…auditory.) Did you take precise notes of practically every word the prof said? (Yep, you’re visual.) Or did you chew gum or click your pen or tap your foot in a beat to the monotone rhythm of your prof? (Last one—kinesthetic.)

So let’s start with some memorization tips for visual learners. You need to see information in order to memorize it. Easy—take all your lecture notes and rewrite the main facts. This activity will help force

the material into your brain, so you’ll practically have it memorized by the time you finish writing.

Anothe, more fun idea would be to create mental images for the facts you’re memorizing, then put those images together into a mental movie. This would be good for subjects like history or English, because it’s easier to picture scenes based on people rather than math formulas.

For auditory learners: you tend to remember things when they’ve been said out loud. Maybe you’re lucky enough to have a friend who’s willing to read all your notes out loud to you (multiple times) or you can do it for yourself. One option is to use a tape recorder (do those still exist? There’s probably a smartphone app for that) and record yourself reading out your notes/the textbook and then listen to it. If you have a song stuck inside your head, re-word it with whatever you’re trying to memorize then sing it out loud. Make sure you don’t burst into song in the middle of your exam, though. That usually doesn’t get you an A. Kinesthetic learners need physical activity to memorize things. One suggestion: imagine actions that

relate to what you’re memorizing.

You can act them out while you’re studying (once again, keep still during the exam). You could also bring your notes to the gym and get on a treadmill. Work out while you read over the notes, combining movement with memorization. Not only will your brain get oxygenated, making the information stay put, but time will go faster so you’ll be off the treadmill before you know it, while having studied for longer than you would sitting at the library.

(This tip is helpful for anyone; exercising is good for more than just losing that holiday weight.)

Some memorization tips apply to all of us: psychologists have said that environment makes a big difference to quality of memorization.

Exams are held in quiet rooms, so you should study in a quiet space.

Listening to music with lyrics isn’t helpful because the words are a distraction to what you’re trying to study. Either replace the lyrics or cut out the music all together. If you’re really desperate, listen to classical music (all right, all right, stop whining). Music without lyrics, like piano sonatas, provides good background noise and little distrac-

tion while studying. So take these tips into consideration when

midterms roll around, and hopefully you’ll find one that works!

moviewiseguys.com

A tape recorder might work better, but what the heck.

MONDAY, JANUARY

24, 2011 THE MEDIUM 11

LIFESTYLE

YouTube and the fame monster CHRYSTAL COLQUHOUN

Have you ever browsed YouTube and come across a video that seemed so bizarre, so ridiculous, so disturbing, that you wondered what the author of the video was thinking?

Though it’s not the only avenue to fame, YouTube has produced more than a few “celebrities”.

Two YouTubers with celebrity status are Charice Pempengo and Justin Bieber. Pempengo, after posting videos of herself singing, was named the “most talented girl in the world”

by Oprah. Bieber’s mother posted videos of him singing in 2007, which led to a bidding war between Usher and Justin Timberlake (Usher won).

He was signed on to Island Records in 2008.

Does this mean you have to have to know how to sing or be a heartthrob for teenage girls? Not necessarily. There are plenty of other ways to become famous on YouTube. One of those ways is through the YouTube Partner Program.

Let’s say you’ve created a successful YouTube channel. Your channel contains popular videos, produces original content, and attracts a steady stream of subscribers. Where do you go from here? YouTube allows you to upgrade your title of “regular guy or girl that posts YouTube videos” to “YouTube partner”. The YouTube Partner Program promotes prominent YouTube users and allows them to earn money based on the popularity of their videos and the kind of audience they attract. YouTube does not disclose the full requirements to be accepted as a YouTube partner, but the basic sare as follows: you must produce regular videos that contain original content or content you have permission to use (for example, any audio and images you feature in your video). You must also have an AdSense account, by which you will earn revenue through advertisements on your YouTube channel and videos. Some online sources suggest that you also need over 2,000 subscribers, and at least 1,000 views on each video you create.

The official perks of being a partner include posting videos of unlimited length—regular YouTube users cannot post videos that exceed 15 minutes—and complete access to tools that better analyze your audience and their interests. Unofficially, there’s also the potential to earn loads of money and become famous.

Popular YouTubers (ever heard of Shane Dawson or Michelle Phan?) supposedly earn six-figure sums annually through ad revenue, for

example by featuring beauty products in their videos.

What’s the science behind fame?

Why do talent-seeking conventions like the International Modeling and Talent Association cost upwards of $3,000 to enter—and why are people willing to pay so much for a shot at celebrity status? Why are TV shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent successful year after year after year? Why are young YouTube partners well-liked by millions of people around the world?

In 1956, psychologists Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl published an article on what they called the formation of “parasocial relationships” between TV show characters and their viewers. According to Horton and Wohl, watching a person or character over a period of time creates the illusion of a face-to-face relationship with them. This is one of the reasons reality TV shows average millions of viewers an episode.

Modern psychology also suggests that we project our needs on others and when we find someone that does something we’ve always wanted to do—such as become an actor, influence millions of people, or turn a passion into a career—we relate to them and feel happy watching them.

This happiness, psychologist Jaak Panksepp writes, is the result of opiods, chemicals produced in the brain that produce the feeling of pleasure.

Panksepp suggest that opioids are produced when we form or perceive social interactions with others. This pleasure feeling can become addictive, to the point of wanting to engage in a social activity (for example, watching a TV show or a celebrity) in order to obtain that feeling of contentment.

As for why some people are willing to do almost anything to gain recognition, adolescent psychologist David Elkind suggested that this behaviour is most common in adolescents, when the need for belonging is high. He also suggested that adolescents are more likely to believe that their chance at fame is greater than the average adult’s. And with the large number of young YouTube personalities and celebrities, it’s not hard to imagine that kind of future for yourself.

Fame isn’t for everyone. We’ve all heard complaints about the loss of privacy and the constant pressure associated with celebrity status.

Maybe you’d prefer a quiet, low-key life. However, if you’re looking for a way to gain recognition, explore your talents, or form social relationships on a large scale, upload a few videos to YouTube. Surprising things can happen.

blogspot.com

There are so much more dignified ways to become famous.

Students assessing students NAZIFA ISLAM

Ever wondered why most people you meet seem to know exactly what’s wrong with everyone else? The stressed undergraduate becomes “the dude suffering from hypertension and stress disorder”, the nervous pencil-tapper becomes “the girl with ADD”. The list continues as people continue to psychologically profile others. Whether it’s consciously or unconsciously, people seem to have a habit of assessing others and their psychological states, and how this “psycho-profiling” plays out at UTM is something definitely worth looking at. You might be being profiled at this very moment as the “nerdy reader” as you browse through The Medium…

So to test if and how psychological profiling works at UTM, I asked an anonymous and random sample of 20 people (around CCIT and North) the following questions. Please note that not all answers have been displayed.

If you were a manager at a retail store, and an employee constantly worried about germs and washed their hands every 10 minutes, how would you treat them?

Student 1: I wouldn’t say anything; it’s good to be clean, right?

Student 2: I’d treat them by making them handle dusty/dirty stuff so they get over it.

Student 3: I would tell them that everything is clean and to stop worry-

ing about it. If they didn’t stop I would fire them.

Student 4: I would tell him/her to see a doctor… it sounds OCD-ish to me.

If your roommate was extremely down and stayed in bed for two days and after a breakup, how would you treat them? What advice would you give them?

Student 1: [I’d] tell my roommate to get out of bed and maybe go out somewhere to cheer up.

Student 2: I’d probably try to cheer them up, but if that didn’t work, call their mom or family.

Student 3: I would think that they’re depressed so I’d try and watch over them in case they want to do something like suicide.

Student 4: I wouldn’t really worry too much about because breakups are like that and they’d get over it eventually.

If you met someone in a line at the coffee-shop and they began to tell you earnestly that the coffee you just bought is crawling with ants, when you can see that there are none, what would you do?

Student 1: I would say that they’re crazy. And I would run away.

Student 2: I don’t talk to creepy people.

Student 3: I’m not sure; I would tell them to go to a doctor.

Student 4: I would know that they had schizophrenia, so I would suggest that they see a psychiatrist.

From the mixed responses above,

we can see that the students of UTM are quite likely to profile some people with distinct mental disorders right away and not others that are seen as “common adolescent behaviour”. In the first hypothetical case, one person was able to identify that it involved a person suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Most of the students failed to identify the second hypothetical case correctly as symptoms of depression; instead, they thought it was fairly standard for a youth to stay in bed for two days after a breakup.

As a side thought, how does that reflect on our student population’s mental health in general? Returning to the survey, in the third hypothetical case, the first answer was likely the most expected— “they’re crazy”, and most of the responses did not disappoint. However, the last two students were more knowledgeable (I had likely asked a psychology major) and instead of profiling the schizophrenic symptoms as “crazy”, they recognized the condition and made the correct suggestion: see a doctor or trained professional.

The students’ answers do not exactly show if and how all UTM students give each other psychological profiles, because it would be impossible for us to analyze every student and their opinions individually.

However, what this short survey does portray is that many students at UTM seem to think they know which screw is loose in their fellow students’ brains.

Are you the next shopaholic?

MARIANA COMITO ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

During the Christmas break, thousands of people squeezed into shopping malls and shopped until they dropped for the perfect holiday gift.

With the extra holiday hours, stores were filled with everyone from young to old. Even though places were extra-busy due to the holiday season, shopping malls continue to be bombarded with people all year round.

Many people can relate to the movie Shopaholic, in which Isla Fisher plays a young woman addict-

ed to shopping. Some people can’t admit that they have a shopping addiction, but the first step is admitting to the illness. And that’s why I’m writing this article—to help you save a little more money (after all, we’re starving students) and to give you the power to say “no” the next time you walk by a lovely pair of designer shoes (that you don’t need!).

Do you have to buy at least one thing when you go shopping? If you can’t find anything to buy do you get anxious? Do you buy things that you don’t need and that just end up collecting dust? Do you get a sick thrill when you first open the doors to a

mall? If you answered “yes” to all of these questions, you’re an addict!

Now that you have accepted that you’re a shopaholic, you can now do something about it. Get a detox. Do not under any circumstances go into a mall. Cut up your credit cards, and hide your debit card. If you somehow find yourself at a mall, try to bring a friend with you, so they can stop you from relapsing into a shopaholic.

Remember that if you continue to shop until you drop, you will only end up with piles of bills, and a taxman/stalker ringing off your phone.

So get out of debt now—stop shopping and get into rehab! Yes, you!

thefashionistas.org

Real shopaholics don’t get movie deals. Just debt. Lots of debt.

12 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2011

LIFESTYLE

Creative Corner

The Family KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI NEWS EDITOR I look down at my diamondencrusted Kenneth Cole watch.

The long silver hand nears the 7 as the short hand hovers between 10 and 11.

“Shit! It’s 10:35 already?” I mutter under my breath. I grab my black backpack off the shoestrewn brown mat in my front hallway. I snatch my blue Ellen travel mug off the kitchen counter and jet out the front door.

Today is Tuesday and my only class of the day, Writing About Place, starts at 11 a.m. It takes me five minutes to drive to school and fifteen to find a parking spot in lot 4 or 8, the only two lots I have a pass for.

I storm down the stairs of my condo a n d r u n d o w n th e g r e e n carpeted hallway past my superintendent’s apartment, past the elevators, past the blue recycling bins. I w alk across the parking lot to the last row of cars.

Two years ago I bought the last parking space available at my condo, in between two huge

trucks. Today, a green Toyota Camry is parked in the space beside my black Toyota Echo instead of the usual silver Toyota pickup truck.

I fumble to get my keys out of my pocket. I approach my car and see a woman and two kids sitting in the green car.

I walk up to the passenger side of my car. The back door of the Toyota Camry is open and a little girl with thin brown hair sits curled up in the seat. Her pink ruffled dress puffs atop her legs and just barely covers a pair of black Converse. The little girl cries.

Maybe they got kicked out of their house?

I pull out my Blackberry.

“Baby, there’s a car full of people parked beside me. So weird,” I BBM my girlfriend, Emily. We BBM throughout the day. Emily BBMs me when she gets to work in the morning and I BBM Emily before my classes. We BBM when something weird happens.

“Close your door,” the woman says from the front seat. The little girl sits up and slams the back door shut. I open my passenger

door and shove my backpack on the seat and drop my Ellen mug in the cup holder. I walk around the car, get into the driver’s seat, and drive to school. *** After class I hop in my car in the UTM parking lot and drive home. It’s 1:15 p.m. and I’m ready for lunch. I have articles due by Thursday and an analysis due tomorrow for my Native North American Literature class, a class I didn’t want to take, but needed to graduate. I haven’t done the readings the last two weeks.

“The woman in the front seat continues to stare straight ahead. I grab my shoes and walk back toward the lit up windows of my brown building.”

I drive into my parking lot and s e e t h e g r ee n T o y o t a C a m r y i n the same spot. This time the passenger door is open. A little boy sitting in the front seat leans

over and slams the door shut. I park my car and steal a glance at the people in the Camry.

The car looks packed with boxes, clothes, and a puffy pink comforter in the back seat beside the little girl in the p uffy p ink dress. The woman sits in the driver’s seat. Dry tear tracks cover her pale cheeks. She pulls a thick brown sweater tight around her frail body. Her light brown hair lies in a heap atop her head. The woman pulls a tissue from a blue-striped tissue box that sits on the dashboard. She blows her nose and wipes her eyes.

I get out of my car, grab my backpack from the passenger’s seat and look at the family in the car. The kids and the woman all look straight ahead. They don’t make eye contact with me.

I walk across the parki ng lo t and into my building. *** After a few hours of working on assignments and articles for The Medium, UTM’s campus paper, I decide to pick out my outfit for the next day. I realize my black pumps, the shoes I want to wear, are in my trunk. I

grab my car keys and walk across the parking lot to my car.

It’s nearly midnight and the parking lot is dark, illuminated only by a few street lights. I walk toward my car and see the Toyota Camry still parked beside my Echo. The two kids are sleeping. The boy sits turned toward the passenger door window in the front seat and the girl, now wearing a blue fuzzy sweater over her puffy pink dress, lies in the back seat.

The woman in the front seat continues to stare straight ahead. I grab my shoes and walk back toward the lit up windows of my brown building.

“They’re still there!” I BBM Emily. The check marked “D” for “delivered” turns to an “R” for “read” and Emily types a message back. “Maybe they’re ghosts!

Haha.” I hate ghosts. “Oh, I hope not. But seriously, I hope they’re okay. They didn’t look like they wanted help,” I BBM back. *** The next morning I leave my condo to go to school. The green Camry is gone. The parking space next to my car is empty.

Writing

Conclusion, part one

HEATHER MARTIN

CHRISTINE LAW

Pen stabs paper.

And so this is my conclusion (of many).

Repeatedly, remorseless.

Love is very strange.

As the words form furiously

It knows exactly how to pry open your heart, and to do with it whatever it pleases.

Love does not always bring weightless moments, and six string ballads.

the ink flows as a heart pounds, beating ever faster, ever louder.

Love can bring fear storms of wretched heartaches.

Tension mounts, the air builds pressure, pushing

It is a tool to remind us that we are still, only human.

eardrums popping hand scrawling

We are still, only as strong as our weakest moments.

Words...

We are still, continuously ruled by our instinctual selfishness.

Until the muse breaks. Blocks form.

Blind folded by love, we are left exposed; defenceless.

Thoughts trickle out like scattered

With love, one has no other choice but to feel.

water drops Grasping at one last phrase or just something to hold onto.

Forcing out each letter, until there’s nothing Left.

In the January 10, 2011 issue of The Medium, the author Creative Corner poem I Rejoice was not given; its author is Gael Jacquin.

Do you want your poetry and prose to appear in The Medium? Email Amir at features@mediumonline.ca!

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Black magic women Theatre Erindale’ s Witches and Bitches fails to conjure an emotional response

“Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble!” the veiled hags famously chant in the opening moments of Witches and Bitches, Theatre Erindale’s latest production.

Directed by Kelly Straughan and both compiled and adapted by Patrick Young, the play features an assemblage of the most menacing female antagonists from Tudor-Stuart drama. The work is inspired primarily by Thomas Middleton’s The Witch, Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus and Macbeth (which Middleton revised to include scenes of Hecate and the Three Witches as they originally appeared in The Witch, and it’s this version which has risen to popularity), John Webster’s The White Devil, the Jacobean tragedy The Witch of Edmonton by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, and John Ford, and finally, Middleton and Dekker’s The Roaring Girl.

Although it’s an intriguing concept that was worth exploring, the combined plots just didn’t translate effectively as a collective performance. Most of the situations are without much context, so for those who are unfamiliar with Shakespearean, Middletonian, and Jacobean drama, it’s hard to see exactly what each woman’s motive is in

carrying out her sinister deeds.

Although each role was carefully compiled to showcase each villainess at her most wicked, without more of the original play to serve as a backdrop for the women’s behaviours, the performances become even further isolated from the assembled plot. The greatest sense of cohesion comes at the end, when each woman discovers that the evil Shaitan (Julian Munds), the demon leader of the witches’ coven, has had a hand in foiling each of their schemes.

Nevertheless, each female role was acted with great conviction, passion, and villainy, which greatly enhanced the overall performance. In addition to playing the great female villains like Lady Macbeth (Stacey Arseneau), Tamora, Queen of the Goths (Hallie Seline), Mother Sawyer (Tiffany Feler), Beatrice-Joanna (Tasha Potter), Livia (Stacey Gawrylash), Vittoria Corombona (Kathryn Alexandre), and Moll Cutpurse (Nora Williams), each actress also took on a number of other roles as they all appeared in each other’s tales. Furthermore, these smaller roles were mostly male, and although less convincing, the actresses were able to convey relationships in which the men are subordinated into weaker positions at the hands of the powerful women who are really running the show. The play swiftly transitions between plots, yet there is always a return to the main scene of conjuring and chanting, with Shaitan loosely in the role of Hecate.

Munds’ performance, as the sole male actor, showed the potential to convincingly portray the devil in his various guises, but he lacked his usual

The witches’ coven, led by the demonic Shaitan (Munds). stage charisma and at times looked rather uncomfortable in these roles. He was able to captivate the audience with his ominous speech and really come alive on a few occasions; however, he appeared not fully invested in some of the characters he was trying to embody.

The effort the cast put in was evident from the beginning, but despite the mostly passionate performances, these emotions didn’t engage and resonate with the audience. It felt as though the characters were simply dropped into

the plot and because there was no character development, it was difficult to identify with any of them or to feel anything for them and their predicaments.

As a result, while the performances worked well as standalone pieces, the play was not as strong as a collective adaption.

However, the lyricality of the witches’ chanting and their recurring song were entertaining elements that greatly set the eerie mood, and the song in particular was catchy enough to be

Jim Smagata

hummed by audience members during the intermission. The set design effectively captured the supernatural world of the witches, while Brian Kenny’s lighting was a key theatrical element, as was the metronome-style recorded drum of Adam Cresswell.

If there is moral that you can walk away with from this play, it’s to never piss off a woman—end of story.

Witches and Bitches runs until January 29 at Theatre Erindale. Visit theatreerindale.com for tickets.

Scoundrels run amok

Music, comedy, and conmen in Hart House’s latest production NIVES HAJDIN A&E EDITOR

Things are starting to heat up at Hart House these cold winter days as Jeremy Hutton’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: The Musical reels the audience into the heart of the exotic French Riviera, featuring a stage tossed with glitter, palm trees, and luscious curtains. Based on the 1988

film starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin, Hutton’s adaptation isn’t too concerned with establishing a plot up front; rather, it launches straight into an exuberant song and dance overture, which sets up the equally elaborate entrance of Laurence (Neil Silcox), a dapper prince and con artist known for wooing the ladies out of their riches.

The debonair conman hosts fanciful parties at his grand summer

Daniel DiMarco

Laurence (Silcox) has his hands full with Jolene (Russell).

villa, yet he gets more than he bargained for when he meets and invites Freddy (Evan Dowling) to his lavish home. Freddy is another charismatic con artist, yet he is unrefined in speech and etiquette, and though Laurence would never consider Freddy a youthful reminder of himself, the English aristocrat agrees to teach the frumpy American how to be smooth and alluring.

However, Laurence soon realizes there is no reforming Freddy, and the two soon find themselves in a bet to see who will be the first to charm and con a woman out of $50,000. The loser must leave the French coast and is only permitted to work in a few desolate parts of the world, including Mississauga, according to Laurence (he really is a snooty one).

The rest of the performance more or less follows the hijinks and predicaments both men find themselves in as a result of their deceitful sweet-talking. But the real focus is on the musical side of things. With a whopping 24-song program over the course of two acts, the musical numbers seem almost separate from the main plot, as if the dialogue

between songs is only included to string them together. Nevertheless, choreographer Ashleigh Powell’s sequences are quite entertaining, especially those like “Giving Them What They Want”, in which the entire ensemble comes together in a Hollywood Golden Age routine, and “Ruffhousin’ with Shuffhausen”, in which Laurence, disguised as psychiatrist Dr. Emile Shuffhausen, puts Freddy through some rigorous “treatment”.

There are a number of other colourful characters, including a wealthy heiress from Oklahoma (Lea Russell) and a corrupt yet charming French police officer and confidant to Laurence (Cameron Johnson).

Russell delights as an excitable and bubbly southern belle and plays the part quite well. Johnson’s impeccably tuned French accent and suave delivery of much of Scoundrels’ clever dialogue won him major laughs from the audience, and although he doesn’t occupy a lead role, he stands out as one of the musical’s strongest and most endearing characters.

But the stars of the show are Silcox and Downing, who comple-

ment each other greatly onstage; scenes such as the introduction of Ruprecht are particularly amusing and present their great chemistry.

Just as Laurence mesmerizes his guests with a snap of his fingers, so too Silcox entrances the audience as he masterfully conveys the regality and pomp of a high-brow millionaire. Dowling also wins great favour for his daring and risqué antics, at times reminsicent of Animal House, and shows that roug-and-tough is more fun than prim-and-proper.

Both actors showcase their comedic strengths, great voices, and overall ability to convey two entirely opposing personas while still playing off each other perfectly.

Although the musical could have used more of the original narrative at its core, the performances were bursting with energy and grandeur typical of the Roaring Twenties.

David Yazbek’s music and lyrics whisk you away into a fantasy world of glitz and glamour—after all, he’s just giving us what we want.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: The Musical runs until Saturday, January 29 at Hart House. Visit uofttix.ca for tickets and show times.

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Clash of the Clubs

Concert review: PS I Love You, Two Door Cinema Club, and Tokyo Police Club JULIA GRABOWSKA

The stage was set as the youth piled into the warmth and dimness of the Kool Haus last Saturday night. The Two Door Cinema Club logo was set at the back with two round cat eyes relentlessly staring at the crowd.

They eyes stared still as the bodies shuffled around with anticipation.

Placed precisely in the centre was nothing but a drum set and a microphone stand—a simple set for a simple band that call themselves PS I Love You. Finally, two figures came on stage unannounced and nonchalantly. One prepared himself with a beer at the drum set as the other, with a guitar in hand, adjusted the mic stand. It seemed like not many knew who

these guys were; nevertheless, everybody wanted to hear some music. The two turned out to be a noise-pop band from Kingston, Ontario. Right off the bat, PS I Love You surprised the crowd with their roaring sound. The music was fabulously guitar-based with the front man clearly having some serious talent on the instrument. Vocally, the lyrics seemed typical for a garageband sound and were limited with screams and vulgarism. The relatively good music was the main attraction, due to the fact that some people were not too thrilled with the vocals. The duo played songs from their LP, starting the night with “Meet Me at the Muster Station”, which speaks about anger and frustration towards the social world being dependant on technology more than ever. Another

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memorable tune, entitled “2012”, unavoidably caught everyone’s attention. It was clear to see that the crowd accepted the band with open minds, but they were still getting restless as they eagerly awaited the two sets of “Clubs” to hit the stage.

The next band had a very warm welcome from the mob of indie rockers that filled the crowd. Two Door Cinema Club, originally from Ireland, finally took the stage with the upbeat electric music everyone was waiting for. The band began with “Cigarettes in the Theatre”, which was the perfect first tune to get everybody pumped up for the next few hours. The lead vocalist, Alex Trimble, sounded amazing live, and very similar to the record itself. The vocals sounded almost flawless among the rush of guitars, drums, and synth. The literal jumping and dancing on the stage by Trimble and bassist Kevin Baird infused a lively atmosphere throughout the venue. In the middle of the set, Two Door performed a couple of their more recent songs, including “Handshake” and “Kids”. Two Door struck the crowd with thrilling indie rock that essentially left people wanting more or asking where they could get more. As the set ended, the energy emitted from the stage invigorated the crowd.

The whole performance of songs spat dashing melodies and did not leave a single person leaning against the wall.

The final intermission passed and the stage crew prepared for the

Future of the book?

COLLEEN MUNRO ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

From the earliest cave paintings to text messaging and everything between, the way that we share stories and communicate has evolved greatly over time. And now the latest trend in storytelling seems to be the e-reader.

These devices allow readers to potentially download thousands of books in electronic text format onto one small gadget. The same basic concept of the novel is there—you’re just reading the text on a screen, rather than printed on a page. But even though the content is the same, it seems like the way in which we read our books is causing plenty of debate among bookworms and technology pundits alike. One common complaint with e-readers is that they don’t provide the kind of personal connection that some people experience with a book. Arbitrarily flipping pages, making

notes in the margins, and proudly displaying your book collections to the outside world are luxuries that e-readers don’t provide. However, many fans of the new technology champion its convenience and portability.

While some consumers are still dubious, plenty seem to be embracing the rapidly evolving technology. E-readers such as Amazon’s Kindle served as popular holiday gifts this past year (an estimated 7,000,000+ Kindles were sold in 2010), and The Kobo software website crashed shortly after Christmas with the flood of new customers.

That said, basic e-readers do face an uphill battle, thanks to the success of multi-functional tablets such as the iPad. Some e-readers offer game applications (and three of Amazon’s five best-selling products for e-readers are apps), while tablets offer many other features to entice buyers. But regardless of whether or not there is a market for a device that only offers e-reading func-

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tions, technology-savvy readers will still need to buy e-books for whichever gadget they use. Accordingly, the sales of ebooks are also on the rise. Publishers Weekly reports that sales of e-books rose nearly 130% in November 2010, and a total of approximately 165% throughout 2010.

Because e-reading is a fairly new phenomenon, those increases are from a relatively low starting point, but Publishers Weekly also reports that the total sales of e-books are equivalent to about 10% of print book sales. In 2008, e-books only accounted for 0.5% of total book sales. As well, 2010 saw James Patterson become the first author to sell 1,000,000 e-books, while Stieg Larsson (author of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its two sequels) sold 1,000,000 Kindle e-books alone. And with this gradual shift, traditional book sales are predictably dropping. In 2010, hardcover sales fell 6.1%, while massmarket paperbacks (or “pocket” paperbacks) sales dropped off by 14%. The sales of larger paperback formats had held steadier, but then took a sharp 19% dip in November.

Sales numbers seem to suggest that ereading is here to stay. Most libraries offer electronic borrowing programs, and many periodicals, such as the New York Times, now sell their publications in e-reader format. As well, in the United States, both Amazon and Barnes & Noble (who sell the Nook e-reader) recently began offering two-week loans on certain e-books (decided by the publisher) to users of their products.

Does this new way of consuming books mean the end of paperbacks, or even physical books in general? It’s hard to say. But it certainly does seem to suggest a drastic shift in how we read. Like the iPod did for music, readers can now instantly access hundreds of books at their fingertips. But do we really need to be able to flip between, say, Dickens and Snooki in a matter of seconds?

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much-anticipated headlining band.

Just like the opening act, Tokyo Police Club is made up entirely of Canadians, specifically from Newmarket, Ontario. As the red lights dimmed the stage, the band appeared and began the instrumental intro to “Favourite Colour”. The crowd could not help but applaud when Dave Monk’s voice was heard and the bright lights finally revealed the faces of Tokyo Police Club. The songs from their second album, Champion, were a delight to watch and hear, and heads were peeking over heads in an attempt not to miss a sight or a sound. When hits such as “Wait Up (Boots of Danger)” and “Bambi” were performed, the lyrics had an echo as the crowd sang along to every line they knew. The overall musical performance was vigorously entertaining, and was definitely

worth the long wait. Tokyo Police Club saved an old song for last, when they performed “Your English Is Good”, off their debut album. The song marked the beginning of the indie rock band’s fame in 2008, and was now the closing performance of the show.

Things couldn’t have gotten any better—but surprisingly, they did.

For a final encore, Two Door Cinema Club returned onstage to join Tokyo Police Club for a cover of “Last Night” by The Strokes, as both front men took turns singing the verses and chorus. It was a memorable way to end the show with such a famous tune, and the final words that Monk shared with fans were simply, “Thanks, Toronto. We’ll see you soon.” Yet again, all that was left was an empty stage and a crowd with the feeling of anticipation for “soon”.

Chopin at the ROM JENNIFER EWEN

In honour of the 200 years since his birth in 1810, the Royal Ontario Museum dedicated an exhibit to the life of Fryderyk Chopin, the Polish virtuoso pianist and composer. The exhibit features a purple room with white writing organized into the parts of Chopin’s life, while Chopin’s music plays quietly to complete the ambience. The first section is an introduction about Chopin’s family, written in English, Polish, and French. The rest of the information is offered in only English and French, laid out side-by-side for easy reading. The entire setup is very easy to follow and understand, but the information seems to just gloss over his life. It’s good for someone who knows little about Chopin’s life, but those who are very familiar with his work and fame may be disappointed by the lack of detail.

The exhibit essentially goes through his story, complete with photographs and, sitting nearby, two pianos—but they’re only the same models, not the ones he actually played. The first is a Pleyel grand piano, Chopin’s favourite, which he owned in 1839; Pleyel supplied him with pianos for most of his career. The second is a Broadway upright piano, like the one Chopin played during his time in London, England. Details of his life included the places Chopin lived in, from his birthplace in Poland to his stays in Vienna, Paris, and London in order to promote his career. Although he died in Paris and is buried there, his request that his heart be buried in his homeland of Poland was hon-

oured. These little details were included in informative paragraphs with the photographs and artifacts, although there was no mention of which illness caused the debilitating episodes from which he suffered or why he died at the of age 39.

The exhibit also features a display box with four handwritten compositions showing what his original scores actually looked like; one of them is sloppy—and i t’s suppos e dly an edite d dr af t.

Chopin also “double-spaced” his music, leaving an empty line between the grand staffs (the two staffs used for piano scores). There is also the option to listen to each of these pieces, which provide the background music for the entire exhibit.

In addition to Chopin, the exhibit features many letters and photographs of other composers of his era (Mendelssohn, Liszt, and Rossini), along with letters from well-known Romantic era musicians and artists he knew in his life. There is also information about the Romantic Age, with artifacts such as goblets and plates, as well as pictures showing the men’s clothing fashions at the time.

Fryderyk Chopin and the Romantic Piano is an exhibit that anyone can appreciate, even those who haven’t heard of Chopin.

Although the exhibit is interesting, alone it’s not worth the $24 admission price. Of course, university students can also go to the ROM for free on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and for a small surcharge it’s worthwhile to see the Chopin display along with other exhibits (dinosaurs, anyone?). The exhibit is open until March 27, so visit the ROM and appreciate the life of a great pianist.

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Two strikes—you’re out Hollywood was unsettled by Gervais’ dry British humour, but he’s not crying himself to sleep ANDREA AMBROGI

Ricky Gervais is a comedic assassin who seldom misses his mark. After last year’s wonderful performance as host of the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association invited him back to host again this year. Unlike last year, however, the HFPA wasn’t very pleased with his hosting this time around.

“I enjoyed the Globes more this year. I think I had better gags.

More along the lines of the Mel Gibson one last year,” Ricky wrote on his blog. “Obviously the rumour t h at t h e o r g a n i z e r s s t o p p e d m e going out onstage for an hour is rubbish. I did every link I was scheduled to do. The reason why the gaps were uneven is because when I got the rundown I was allowed to choose who I presented to. I obviously chose the spots that I had the best gags for. They couldn't move around the order but I could move around however I wanted.”

Ricky was, is, and will continue to be a no-nonsense kind of guy; he’s not a yes-man. He calls things as he sees them and that’s what makes him so brilliant. He sincerely didn’t care about what people thought of his shtick on stage. He

said his jokes, got his reactions, and carried on with the air of a true comedian. After the show, several celebrities—including the likes of Christian Bale, Jim Parsons, Al Pacino, Heather Morris, and Billy Bush—agreed that he’s a fearless c o m e d i c g e n i u s t h a t t he y t h o r oughly enjoyed. Even during the show, the camera caught an excellent shot of the legendary Robert De Niro having a hearty laugh at one of Gervais’s remarks.

Most celebrities, however, seemed to be forcing smiles and laughs throughout the night whenever they were in front of the camera. It’s safe to say that those who did not enjoy his bits were just being sore losers. Is it too much to ask to not take yourself so seriously for one evening? Robert Downey Jr. was a class act when Gervais introduced him as being most famous for his stays at the Betty Ford Clinic and L.A. County Jail, as he took the joke in stride and then went on to deliver his own hilariously rude speech (and zing Gervais in the process).

Even Robert De Niro, while accepting his Cecille B. Demille Award, made numerous cracks that bordered on offensive but were made in complete jest. It’s nice to see that the greats still have a sense of humour. One of the best things in life is to be able to laugh and not take yourself too seriously all the time. Hollywood elite or not, just

roll with the punches. It’s one night with alcohol, fabulous clothing, and a room full of the richest and most famous folks in town—is taking a jab at your own expense too much to ask? But Gervais wasn’t just blowing smoke, as all of his remarks had elements of truth.

“Ricky will not be invited back to host the show next year, for sure,” said a member of the HFPA, adding that Gervais’s “relentlessly mean” routine could have even larger consequences. “Any movie he makes he can forget about getting nominated. He humiliated the organization last night and went too far with several celebrities whose representatives have already called to complain.” Really? Not only is the HFPA outing their bias when nominating films, but they’re making themselves seem like petty children who really can’t take a joke. Relax, please! If anything they should be thanking him, as the ratings went up 5% this year compared to those from last year’s broadcast.

Despite all the controversy, Ricky is still a brilliant comedian.

Although some people would be crying themselves to sleep every night with all the backlash, he probably isn’t. He did exactly what he said he would do and the majority of viewers, if not many celebrities themselves, probably loved every second of it. Rock on, Ricky, rock on!

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Albums in review The King is Dead — The Decemberists

Thank You, Happy Birthday — Cage the Elephant

LUCY ZEMLJIC

COLLEEN MUNRO ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

After the overwhelming rock-opera grandeur of their 2009 album The Hazards of Love, indie rock band The Decemberists left fans wondering just where they would go next. Frontman Colin Meloy’s epic yarns were greeted with mixed reviews, and it seemed that a change was inevitable. That’s exactly what fans received when the Portland band’s new album, The King Is Dead, burst onto the scene last Tuesday.

Although the album isn’t another over-the-top oeuvre, it’s definitely a step in a new direction for the band.

While their last album was praised by some and panned by others, this new collection of 10 songs across 40 minutes has garnered acclaim from the public—although not without some doubts over its new style. The album’s sound has crossed over into the realm of American roots—some might say it’s a little bit country—but Meloy’s lyrics remain ornate and elegant.

Working with their third major label, Capitol Records, their sixth album was actually recorded in a barn east of Portland, Oregon. This influence is apparent at first listen, as acoustic guitar and harmonica are present from the very start. The opening harmonica chords of the first song, “Don’t Carry It All”, set the tone for the woodsy, acoustic feel of the entire album. Even the cover art—a simple but elegant photograph of large, black pine trees on a bright yellow background—seems to exude the folksy, woodsy feel present in each song. The entire album seems to transport us back into Mark Twain’s Americana of old. The fourth track, “Rox in the Box”, interweaves a shuffling violin and har-

Kentucky quintet Cage the Elephant made a splash in 2009 with their breakthrough single, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”, a quirky little song with roots in everything from folk to funk. Now on their new follow-up album, Thank You, Happy Birthday, Cage the Elephant have clearly evolved their sound. But while they sound more polished on this album, the band has obviously also been heavily influenced by a few other rock acts— most notably, The Pixies.

As far as influences go, a young band could do a lot worse than look up to The Pixies. Many successful acts have had that same reference point. For example, Kurt Cobain admitted in interviews that many of Nirvana’s songs were based on The Pixies’ “soft/loud” song structure (where low-key verses would build to an explosive, “loud” chorus).

But we’re talking about more than a few punchy choruses and surf-rock bass lines here. The Pixies’ influence is obvious on most tracks on Thank You, Happy Birthday, and two of the songs here (“Around My Head” and “Aberdeen”) sound like they’re straight off The Pixies’ own sophomore album, 1989’s Doolittle. Lead singer Matthew Shultz even morphs his usually reedy tone to match the primal snarl of The Pixies’ singer, Black Francis, on several occasions.

As well as The Pixies, shades of the Violent Femmes, The White Stripes, The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys, and several other alt-rock acts can be heard across the album.

To be fair, though, Cage the Elephant does attempt to mix styles. From the hazy dance-rock of the opening track, “Always Something”, to the acoustic balladry of

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monica with fiddle and banjo to create a true out-of-this-century experience.

“January Hymn”, with its complex fingerpicking acoustics and harmony guitar strums, has Colin chiming out a gentle, folksy lament over lost love.

Every song seems to be nestled in the lush countryside, as with sixth track “Down by the Water”, which mixes Meloy’s mournful musings with fast-paced folksy rhythm and mournful female backup vocals. “June Hymn”, arguably Meloy’s most lyrically beautiful song to date, has the front man singing strongly over rhythm guitar, with lyrics that make it clear that his songwriting abilities have only grown richer: “Pegging clothing on the line, / training jasmine, how divine / and up the arbor to your door / and more; / Standing on the landing with the war / you shouldered all the night before”.

While some may criticize the album’s lack of complexity of conflict and character—which was in fact present throughout The Hazards of Love—it’s obvious that this time, simplicity is key. These charming ballads definitely make up for any lost complexity, and show that The Decemberists can indeed return to the good old-fashioned subtle beauty of simple folk rock. ★★★★

“Rubber Ball”, Thank You, Happy Birthday explores a wide range of genres.

But that experimentalism doesn’t always work. Some sneering tracks lose the band’s sense of fun, like “Indy Kidz”, which begins to feel tiresome somewhere around the second verse. Not every style that they attempt suits them, and the band’s constant genre-hopping gives the album a slightly choppy, frantic feel at times. So if some tracks are too derivative and others too experimental and unfocussed, what does this album get right? A lot, actually. Though garage-rock offerings such as “2024” may be conventional, they succeed because they highlight the band’s obvious exuberance. Similarly, “Aberdeen” is full of gleeful energy, and the massive chorus showcases the band’s knack for melody.

And the lead single, “Shake Me Down”, may be the album’s high-water mark. It manages to combine all of the

band’s influences into one song to create something that actually sounds fairly fresh. And though the song switches gears several times throughout, the mix of styles never feels manic. It’s like a synopsis of everything the band seems to want to accomplish. If they could channel all their ideas like they do in this song into a whole album, they could create an even more impressive and cohesive collection of songs.

These obvious comparisons to other artists may annoy some listeners, but I found that Cage the Elephant uses these alt-rock checkpoints to craft themselves an effective new sound. At least half the album’s songs are very good, and the band proves that they know how to write a hook. The album would benefit from more focus and consistency, but in terms of sheer enjoyment, Thank You, Happy Birthday is a surprisingly strong effort from this young band. ★★★½

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A new year for literature

Taking a look at the most anticipated books of 2011 LUCY ZEMLJIC

Who would have thought that 2010 would be such a literary hit?

The past year has been an eventful one for booklovers of all kinds.

With the release of the late Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, lovers of the crime drama genre were finally able to devour the last book of his bestselling Millennium Trilogy series.

Fans of Jonathan Franzen celebrated the release of his muchanticipated novel, Freedom, while

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Johanna Skibsrud, an unlikely candidate from small-town Nova Scotia, rocked the literary world with her Giller Prize-winning novel The Sentimentalists, which became an overnight sensation.

With the past year’s literary achievements still fresh in our minds, will 2011 prove to be another great year for booklovers around the world? The new year’s just begun, but publishers are already leaking information about upcoming literary releases for 2011, and the forecast sounds promising.

Since Kurt Vonnegut’s death in 2007, two collections of the literary genius’ writing have been published posthumously: Armageddon in Retrospect and Look at the Birdie. By the end of the month there will be three, with While Mortals Sleep due for release on January 25. This collection gathers 16 previously unpublished short stories written by a very young Vonnegut. In its introduction, Dave Eggers calls the writer “a hippie Mark Twain”. If that doesn’t entice readers to pick up the new collection, then surely the promise of new insight into the creative mind of a literary genius will spark readers’ anticipation.

Award-winning Canadian

author and journalist Timothy Taylor will be releasing his highly anticipated third novel, The Blue Light Project. This novel combines the interwoven stories of an Olympic gold medalist, a reclusive street artist, and a washed-up journalist, to create a gripping narrative that will be sure to please (March 1 through Knopf Canada).

The 24-year-old T é a O b r e h t , the youngest writer on The New Yorker’s “20 Under 40” list of writers to watch, is already receiving praise for her novel The Tiger’s Wife. The book chronicles the story of a young doctor working at

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a remote Balkan orphanage who investigates the strange circumstances surrounding her grandfather’s recent death. Will Obreht’s first novel live up to the hype surrounding the budding novelist?

Fans of the late David Foster Wallace will see the publication of the post-modern master’s final work, The Pale King, which is perhaps the year’s most anticipated novel. Carefully assembled by Wallace’s editor Michael Pietsch from an unfinished novel, the work focusses on a man, aptly named David Foster Wallace, who goes to work at the IRS Regional Examination Center in Peoria, Illinois (April 15 through Little, Brown and Company).

To finish off the list, acclaimed Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje, author of the Booker Prize-winning The English Patient, will be releasing a new novel this year, according to his publisher, McClelland & Stewart. Ondaatje’s sixth novel , The Cat’s Table, is already receiving praise; M&S publisher Ellen Seligman wrote, “[It is] perhaps Ondaatje’s most thrilling and moving novel to date.

I am completely blown away by Michael Ondaatje’s stunning and original new novel.” Robin Robertson of Jonathan Cape, who

will publish the book in the UK, described it as “the best thing Ondaatje has done”. The novel will be published on August 30, leaving book enthusiasts in suspense for a while, but it promises to be worth the wait.

Well, 2011 certainly seems to be a promising year in literature that will be sure to delight and inspire.

Will this year be an even greater literary success than the past year?

Only time will tell, as readers devour and review the plethora of new works from emerging novelists and acclaimed award-winning authors alike.

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MONDAY, JANUARY

10, 2011 THE MEDIUM 17

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

You always hurt the ones you love ADRIANA FLORIDIA

A devastatingly honest and realistic portrayal of a decaying marriage, Blue Valentine hits you where it hurts. It profoundly analyzes the relationship between Dean (Ryan Goslin g) and Cindy (M i c h e l l e Williams), jumping back and forth from the past where they meet and fall in love to the present, after they have been married for six years and sparks aren’t flying anymore. The problem at its core is that Dean and Cindy see different things for their life and for each other. Cindy wants Dean to reach his full potential, to do something with his life, but Dean is content with being a housepainter, and even happier just to be a good husband and father. For Cindy, that isn’t enough anymore, and the love that they once shared is only apparent in their passionate arguments, disagreements, and mutual love for their daughter.

A project that has taken director and writer Derek Cianfrance about 12 years to complete, Blue Valentine ventures deeply into the most romantic and unbearable moments a couple must face. What makes the film such a successful depiction of

love and family is that it comes from a real place. Cianfrance, Gosling, and Williams are all children of divorced parents, and so all of their personal experiences with this subject matter are deeply woven into the film. Also, since the script for the film had been written and rewritten about 66 times, when it came time to shoot, both lead actors improvised much of their performances, which gives the film an extremely authentic feel. Even the direction is spot on, and such brilliance is found in the little details.

The transitions between time periods always have the most appropriate timing, and what is most astonishing is how well Williams and Gosling know their characters. They are able to play them at two different ages, only six years apart, and though the audience doesn’t see what exactly takes place in those six years, the growth and the changes in their characters is so believable that it’s easy to fill in the gaps on your own. On that note, these performances are two of the most brilliant, resonating and unforgettable performances that anyone will ever see on film.

Gosling and Williams deserve all the praise in the world for truly making this film what it is, because

their sole devotion and understanding of Dean and Cindy could not have been portrayed as effectively by anyone else. The chemistry that they share is so strong that it’s hard to believe that what is demonstrated on film is fiction, that we aren’t watching real life.

Blue Valentine is among the most powerful, effective, and heartbreaking films that you will likely ever see. Every single aspect of the film is done to perfection, and the mood that it creates is impossible to escape. Even the soundtrack, composed mostly by the indie band Grizzly Bear, suits the film beautifully. It creates an atmosphere that’s extremely moving and profound, and so painstakingly real that you hope it will never become your reality. Even though it it has a depressing subject, the film must be seen because it’s a landmark in modern filmmaking. This is a movie that people will be going back to for years, because it’s a lesson on how to beautifully execute such a dire subject, yet in a way that still makes for an amazing experience. This is a film that will leave a true mark on you, and will be hard to shake even days or weeks later. The lesson it provides is not only for filmmaking, but for life. ★★★★½

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Facing The Dilemma JENNIFER EWEN

“How long does it take to know someone?” is the opening line of The Dilemma, which stars Vince Vaughn and Kevin James as two best friends from college, now with their own small business and each with a woman far too good-looking for either of them. The Dilemma is advertised in commercials as a comedy about what to do when a guy finds out his best friend’s wife is cheating on him. Although that seems to be the main premise of the movie, it actually has a lot of other life themes: How much do we really know about people? What does it mean to know someone?

Ronnie (Vaughn) is an outgoing, middle-aged bachelor who’s finally in a serious relationship with his girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly).

His best friend Nick (James) is in a seemingly terrific marriage with

Geneva (Wi no na Ryder). The movie begins with plenty of background about each of the characters, as Ronnie reveals that he is considering whether to propose to Beth, but wants it to be the “best proposal in the history of time”—or something along those lines. While this romantic plot starts spreading out, there is a subplot surrounding Ronnie and Nick’s business, in which they are working on an important deal with Chrysler to make a hybrid car that sounds and looks like a muscle car. Queen Latifah plays the role of a funny, enthusiastic executive at Chrysler who likes the idea and is assigned to keep track of Ronnie and Nick’s progress on this new hybrid.

The plot finally gets rolling when Ronnie sees Geneva with another man (Channing Tatum as a tattooed badass with a sensitive side), and both the laughs and the seriousness really take off from there.

Basically, we learn from the movie

the steps one man must take to tell his best friend the harsh truth that his wife is cheating on him. Step one: Ronnie tries to tell Nick but just can’t force the words out of his mouth. Step two: call someone (Ronnie’s sister) for advice. This leads to another issue, but still leaves Nick in the dark. So we move on to step three: confront the wife and more or less make her tell Nick the truth so Ronnie doesn’t have to be the messenger (because the messenger always gets blamed). But no one should mess with a woman who’s got an agenda, and thus starts the question of how well Ronnie really knows his best friend. These steps turn into stalking, photography, physical violence (more like physical comedy), and ultimately ends up in a final scenario where honesty is definitely the best policy.

The Dilemma delivers a lot of laughs and moments of “Oh my God!” astonishment, along with serious aspects that are actually

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believable. There’s a lot more to this movie than the trailer reveals, and it may take you by surprise. However, it’s not all perfect. In the middle it drags a little, with some fairly boring conversations between characters. But these don’t last too long and quickly got more interesting as the situation turns a little more bizarre. This film is perfect for a

night out with friends, but is also a good date-night type of movie for couples out to have a laugh. It’s also appropriate enough to see with your family—but leave out the really young siblings. Overall, expect to laugh and feel good walking out of the theatre, with the kind of feeling a happy ending is always sure to give you. ★★★½

18 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, JANUARY

24, 2011

William Robertson , Editor | sports@mediumonline.ca

Joey Votto reaches elite status in MLB CHRIS CALLAHAN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Last week, the Cincinnati Reds gave Joey Votto a new contract, paying him $38 million for the next three years. This story was just another reminder to Canadian baseball fans that Votto has made it big in Major League Baseball.

Votto was always determined to become a professional baseball player. This became clear to coaches at Richview Collegiate Institute in his hometown of Etobicoke when Votto would spend at least two hours in the indoor batting cage almost every day. As a sign that Votto possessed confidence in addition to commitment, he began using a wooden bat in high school.

This meant he was willing to sacrifice short-term gains with the more difficult bat in an effort to get a leg up on his future competition in the minor leagues. The move didn’t hurt Votto’s draft stock, with the Cincinnati Reds selecting him in the second round of the 2002 draft.

From there Votto began a fiveyear journey through the minor leagues. In 2003, in class A of the Reds’ farm system, he had an impressive batting average of .317 in his first 70 games but with just six home runs he still had a lot of work to do. Hitting for contact and

getting on base simply wasn’t good enough for Votto to become the slugger and future clean-up hitter that the Reds’ scouts envisioned.

Upon being promoted to the high A level later that year, Votto struggled mightily for the final 60 games of the 2003 season, hitting just .231 with only one home run. After that rough end to the 2003 season, Votto bounced back with a .301 batting average, 19 homers, and 92 RBIs in 2004. From that point on, Votto dominated the minor leagues, hitting for both power and contact. After two seasons in 2006 and 2007 in AA and AAA where Votto hit nearly .300 and for more than 20 home runs, it became clear that he had proven enough at the minor league level.

Votto’s first season in Cincinnati mirrored the start to his minor league career, as his power numbers were all that held him back from becoming a star. To be clear, Votto had a tremendous first season for a young first baseman. In 2008, his first significant exposure to the league, he hit .297 with an on-base percentage plus slugging (OPS) of .874 to go along with his 24 home runs and 84 RBIs. Votto’s power numbers were virtually identical the following year with 25 home runs and 84 RBIs, but his batting average rose to .322 and OPS to .981. Votto missed 31 games due to

a battle with depression following the loss of his father that season, meaning his jump to elite status in OPS and batting average would have taken place alongside a considerable boost in the power department.

In 2010, Votto took his place among the best hitters in the league, officially reaching the superstar status he had dedicated himself to achieving since his days in the indoor batting cage at Richview. His power numbers were finally there, as he belted 37 home runs and 113 RBIs. What made his season truly astounding was his consistency across the board, with 16 stolen bases, a batting average of .324, and an OPS just over .1000.

Joey Votto was the complete package, and as a result, that year, he was awarded the National League’s Most Valuable Player award.

Votto’s success on the field has not been the only thing to win him over with the fans. His openness about his battle with depression after his father died shows an honesty that we aren’t used to seeing from professional athletes. Still, sports fans will always remain results-oriented at their core. As such, it’s a breath of fresh air to finally see a Canadian, and not one from British Columbia, dominating America’s favourite pastime in every possible way.

NBA trade deadline scenarios MICHAEL SKRZYNIAK After Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov came out and told his team to stop bothering, the talks between Carmelo Anthony and the New Jersey Nets are officially dead.

I’m going to discuss other players that will likely see themselves move on, and possible landing spots for these athletes.

Andre Iguodala. His time is up in Philadelphia. It doesn’t seem like Iggy is meshing well with the coaching staff and the direction the team is going. The 76ers drafted Evan Turner this year and with the team’s abysmal record, Philly will likely try to ship him out. Iggy is not washed up whatsoever; he provides some great highlights and might be the missing contender. I could see him going to the Knicks or the Nets. Both teams wanted Anthony and both failed. Iguodala would be the next-best for either team. Like Anthony, he’s explosive—not as great of a jump-shooter, but he plays better defence.

Iguodala will also command less of the back then Anthony would. I could see the Nets shipping a couple of their five first-round picks in the next five years for this guy.

Tayshaun Prince. Prince will likely be gone, for the same reasons. Tayshaun’s time has come up in Detroit. Prince has an NBA ring

to his name and was part of the Pistons’ run in the early 2000s, which saw them as the top team in the East for a couple years. Prince is an outstanding man-on-man defender with a reputation for being able to guard the opposing team’s best player. One team that I believe would benefit greatly from Prince’s services is the Oklahoma City Thunder. I love Prince in OKC, because if they’re going to get to the NBA finals they have to go through LA—and Kobe Bryant.

No one on the Thunder can match up one-on-one with Kobe Bryant, but it changes with Prince. He’s a vet who can help the young guys develop as they get older and better, and he’d definitely benefit from a winning atmosphere.

Richard Hamilton. Another D e t r o i t P i s t o n on t he list her e.

Detroit has to start over and can do this by getting rid of their heart a n d s o u l , R i p Hami lto n. He’s a crafty vet who has the respect of players and coaches across the league for his heart and tenacity.

The Baby Bulls are a team that I can see grabbing Hamilton, for the same reasons as OKC. They’re a young team on the cusp of something special. The Bulls don’t have a guard at the shooting guard position and they lack a great veteran presence (I discount Boozer as a vet because he’s still under 30 and

hasn’t really accomplished much). I love Rip in Chicago—it’s a change of scenery and he’d be a great mentor on the court to Derrick Rose.

Make it happen, Chicago!

As for our hometown Raptors, I don’t see them being big players at the trade deadline. If we are going to get rid of anyone it should be Jose Calderon. I think his time is up in Toronto. It’s time to give Jarryd Bayless the reigns as the starting point guard. Calderon can’t play defence and I’m personally tired of Bryan Colangelo’s European movement. It’s not working and it’s time to shake things up. We need a true small forward that can slash and get to the basket, and we need to grab another big man in the draft this year to fill the centre spot.

Bargnani should be playing PF, à la Dirk Nowitski. Ed Davis has shown flashes of potential, but he’s very raw and will need another couple years to develop into a true NBA player. I can’t wait to see what happens at this year’s deadline with so many teams believing they’re in the running. Regardless of what happens, the East seems to run through Boston and Miami while the West is owned by the Lakers and Spurs. This season should be yet another exciting finish to what has been a season of surprises already.

Crosby speaks out on headshots MICHELLE DUKLAS ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Sidney Crosby has finally decided to take a stand against the NHL and their leniency on the headshot rule.

It took two hits against him for him to speak out, both of which occurred late in the second periods of two separate games. The first was a blindside hit on January 1 by Washington leftwinger David Steckel during the Winter Classic. Four days later, on January 5, in an 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Crosby was hit by defenceman Victor Hedman. The hit was enough to sideline Crosby for two weeks and counting with a concussion.

The NHL reviewed both hits on Crosby and determined that no fines or suspensions were to be given to either Steckel or Hedman.

Although Crosby’s concussion is considered mild, concussions in general aren’t something to be taken lightly.

Initially, Crosby was supposed to return after a week of rest, but two weeks have already gone by and he is still having headaches and is unable to return to training or practice.

Crosby spoke to the media last week, suggesting that the intent of the hitter shouldn’t matter when determining penalties. He argued that high-sticking penalties are given without considera-

tion of intent and that the same standard should be set for headshots. He also questioned the value of the National Hockey League’s headshot rules. In Crosby’s view, the league isn’t focussing enough on enforcing the rules already in place for preventing headshots.

Last season, the NHL introduced Rule 48, which was supposed to prevent blindside and lateral hits to the head by penalizing the player with a five-minute major and an automatic game misconduct as well as possible supplementary disciplinary action as deemed appropriate by the NHL. Despite this new rule, 33 concussions have been reported in the NHL so far this season and referees seem hesitant to penalize players.

Rumours circulated quickly after Crosby’s injury that he would miss the All-Star game out of protest about unfair treatment by the NHL, but Crosby quickly denied those rumours.

He said that if he does end up missing the All-Star game it will be because of his injury, not because he didn’t want to be there. It is unlikely he will participate, because he has to be symptomfree for at least a week before he can be cleared to play.

This is the first concussion the 23year-old Crosby has suffered in his professional career. Hopefully, it will be his last—the NHL is suffering both on and off the ice without their superstar.

Reimer stands tall in Toronto MICHELLE DUKLAS ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR The 22-year-old started six games for the Leafs and was 4-2-0. He let in only 14 goals on 208 shots on net.

He had a .933 save percentage and 2.26 goals against average. This is compared to Gustavsson’s .896 save percentage and 3.13 GAA and Giguère’s .894 and 2.80 GAA. Reimer was sent down to the Marlies after losing 5-1 against the Phoenix Coyotes. This demotion might seem harsh but Reimer obviously knew that he hadn’t been called up to play long-term for the Leafs this season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs already have two solid goaltenders in Jonas Gustavsson and Jean-Sebastien Giguère, not to mention the hefty paycheques that each of them demand. Neither could be sent down to the Marlies without risk. This is because they have to clear waivers in order to re-enter the roster, and it’s likely another team would pick either player up, especially considering they could do so at half the price.

Drafted 99th overall by the Leafs in 2006, Reimer started his first NHL game on January 1, 2011

against the Ottawa Senators, where he enjoyed a 5-1 win. He earned a second straight start, where he made 31 saves against a strong Bruins team and was awarded the second star of the night, but ended up with a 2-1 loss. Gustavsson played the next game against the St. Louis Blues. Reimer then played his third start against Atlanta in a game that saw nine Toronto goals. In the fourth game he started, Reimer made 30 saves to help the Leafs to a 3-2 win over the L.A. Kings. Reimer was given the first star in the next game he played, against the San Jose Sharks, where he made 40 saves and Toronto won 4-2. By that point, the Leafs were going to start him—until he lost, which happened in the next game he played against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Reimer can be proud of the effort he put forth while he filled in for Giguère. He did extremely well despite the large media distraction and impressed the Leafs’ management. It shouldn’t be long before he plays in the NHL for good. Whether or not it will be as a starter or backup for the Leafs or for another team remains to be seen. Either way, when Reimer was needed, he delivered.

MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2011 THE MEDIUM 19

SPORTS

The anatomy of an upset CHRIS CALLAHAN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR In the days leading up to the AFC Divisional round playoff game between the New York Jets and New England Patriots, an enormous amount of hype meant this game was must-watch television for any sports fan.

Hype notwithstanding, this didn’t look like that intriguing of a matchup and almost all neutral fans and experts conceded that it was the Patriots’ game to lose. After all, the Patriots had crushed the Jets 45-3 just five weeks before. How much could have possibly changed in that short amount of time? The answer was that a lot had changed, as the Jets got revenge by defeating the Patriots 28-21 in a game where the Jets took the lead in the second quarter and never looked back.

For the next few weeks, the talk surrounding this game will focus on its meaning for the future balance of power in the AFC. But the game itself is just as worthy of a discussion.

The Jets have had one of the

league’s best defences for two straight seasons. Even with that in mind, given that they looked overmatched in their last game against the Patriots and that the Patriots scored the most points in the league, expectations were low for the Jets’ defence. In the end, that was the main cause of this massive upset.

They held the mighty Patriots to a meager 21 points, and they visibly agitated Tom Brady, who was forced to settle for underneath passes the entire game.

All of this took place without a heavy dose of the exotic blitzes we’re used to seeing from Rex Ryan. The Jets’ defensive line simply manhandled the Patriots’ offensive line and the result was two sacks from an unusual suspect, Shaun Ellis, who only totalled 4.5 sacks in the regular season. The Jets were able to disrupt the Patriots’ offence with a cautious gameplan. A lot of credit should go to Ryan for not letting the game’s magnitude force bold and unnecessary moves and for doing precisely what the Patriots weren’t prepared for, by playing it safe.

The Jets also did far more than expected on offence. Sanchez looked erratic with his accuracy early in the game, but after a David Harris 58yard interception return shifted the momentum, he appeared to become more confident. Sanchez was able to make a few big plays down the field and capitalized in Patriots territory with three touchdown passes. The running game wasn’t electrifying but it was consistent, with Shonn Greene and LaDanian Tomlinson combining for 27 carries and 119 yards. For a team built around a tough defence, the Jets’ offence had a field day against a sub-par Patriots defence…

The same sub-par defence that was able to force Sanchez into three interceptions last game!

Football fans, prepare yourselves for questions such as “Have the Patriots lost it?” and “Are the Jets now the cream of the AFC crop?” But these questions are far too speculative to justify a definite answer yet.

What’s clear is that the immediate result of this game still has yet to sink in for many. In fact, I’m not sure I fully believe it yet.

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Mark Sanchez was able to beat Tom Brady, arguably the best QB in the league, last week in New England.

NFL final four Draft-eligible players show MICHAEL SKRZYNIAK There is something a little bit strange about the final four teams left standing in the NFL. The Jets, Steelers, Packers, and Bears all have quarterbacks under 30, and three of these teams play a 3-4 defence while the Bears play a Cover 2.

Most teams in the NFL stick to the popular 4-3 but more and more teams are using the 3-4. The 3-4 is strongest when the team has a great Nose Tackle that can dominate the interior run game and is most successful when the linebackers can apply pressure to the quarterback but also drop back and play pass coverage. The Cover 2 is a little more complex; the two safeties on the field play further back in the secondary than usual, allowing the corners to have more freedom defending the run and short pass. Cover 2 relies heavily on pressure on the QB and covering the big play.

Think of them as a “bend but not break” defence. Both styles of defences have their weaknesses, but these teams have fortunately been able to find their way to the big dance.

What might be more surprising about these four teams is that Ben Roethlisberger, who was born in 1982, is the veteran of the remaining quarterbacks. Chicago’s Jay Cutler, who is a year younger, had never started a playoff game since his senior year in high school; Mark Sanchez, a second-year quarterback out of USC, is already going to his second AFC title game.

Sanchez gets ripped on a lot for his poor rookie season statistics, which improved drastically this year; also, Sanchez is not taken seriously because smart marks (including myself) have said that Sanchez has been blessed with a great defence and a great run game. Sanchez is now tied for first—yes, I said first—in

NFL history, with four playoff road wins. Whether or not you’re a Sanchezhater, you have to be impressed by that.

Matt Ryan has no playoff wins, and neither do Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, or Tony Romo. Not bad at all.

The most intriguing of the four quarterbacks left playing this season is the new “A-Rod”, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers has also set records this postseason. In his first three playoff games—including last year’s Wild Card Bonanza vs. the Cardinals and the first two games of this postseason—Rodgers had 10 touchdown passes as well as the highest QB rating in playoff history. It might be only three games, but it’s very remarkable nonetheless. Rodgers made the numberone seed, Atlanta, look like a CFL defence, completing 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and also chalked up a rushing touchdown for fun. I see big things coming for A-Rod in years to come.

Think about this: he’s doing this without his starting tight end, JerMichael Finley, who was poised to have a breakout year, and without the services of running back Ryan Grant, who only ran for 1,200 yards last year. Absolutely frightening stats!

There seems to be a change of the guard in the NFL. Last year, the veteran QBs were in the spotlight, as Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, and Drew Brees were all in this position last year; now they’re all at home watching the young guns take over. This NFL season has been a wacky one, for lack of a better term, and the playoffs are no different.

The Jets and Packers were the lowest seeds in their respective conferences and are now the probable teams to play in the Super Bowl.

But... what do we know? Even the Seahawks won a playoff game... Football fans rejoice!

their skills in Toronto The Canadian Hockey League had their annual Top Prospects game this past Wednesday in Toronto at the ACC. The purpose of this game is to showcase the top draft-eligible players in the CHL. They all go through rigorous physical tests in front of coaches and scouts of the NHL, who want to take a good hard look at the players’ strengths and weaknesses before the entry draft.

This year’s draft class does not have a clear-cut overall number-one like Taylor Hall or Sidney Crosby.

Rather, the number-one selection will depend on what team gains the number-one pick. The mid-season draft rankings have been released, but after witnessing the Home Hardware CHL Top Prospects game, these rankings may have shifted.

Throughout the game, it appeared as though the players were not taking it as seriously as earlier years, and just looked to go out and have a leisurely skate. However, a secondperiod fight ignited both teams to play it as seriously as a league game because scouts were watching closely up in the press box to see who would climb up the rankings.

After the game, I expect the draft to go a little something like this (with room for movement within the top five).

SPORTS BIZ with 91.9 CFRE RADIO Friday at 4pm

MIKEY SKRIZ featuring WILL ROBERTSON

1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Red Deer Rebels)

4. Sean Couturier (Drummondville Voltigeurs)

Nugent-Hopkins was named player of the game as he tallied two assists and had a strong defensive game as well. Although he was cut from the World Junior roster in early December, don’t take that as a sign that he won’t be in the top five in the draft. Scouts say he needs to fill out his body, but he’s a fast and creative player that has exceptional vision on the ice. He’s nothing but upside to any NHL team.

Couturier had a solid performance at the World Juniors and moved up the draft rankings. He is solid on the boards and almost immovable on the puck when it’s in his possession. He makes everyone around him look better with his vision of the ice; he can create scoring chances from nothing. The Top Prospects game was a step back for Couturier, though, as he was nearly invisible on the ice.

2. Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener Rangers)

5. Ryan Strome (Niagara IceDogs)

Landeskog did not play in the Prospects game because of an ankle injury that sidelined him from the World Junior tournament as well.

However, he’s proven he can do everything, which earned him the captaincy of the Rangers in the OHL. He blocks shots, fights when needed, and scores—which has many people labelling him as the next Mike Richards.

3. Adam Larsson (Skelleftea) During the World Juniors, it was coming-out party of sorts for Larsson.

He continually got stronger and stronger as the tournament went on and was the Swedes’ best player in the tournament. Scouts argue he could be the number-one pick simply because lower-seeded teams need a big defenceman, and this could be him.

Strome is a solid player from head to toe. In light of his lacrosse background, he’s excellent in a shootout, which is perfect for the new NHL. He is fourth in OHL scoring and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

These rankings are obviously subject to change and they all depend on what teams draft in what position, but certainly expect to see these five players in the top 10. They are extremely talented and have proven that they deserve to play under an NHL team’s logo sooner rather than later.

If you want to check out these players and the most talented teams in the CHL, catch the Memorial Cup in May, which takes place at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga.

The Memorial Cup guarantees to be an exciting one with this new talent.

MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2011 THE MEDIUM 20

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