Vol 37 issue 17

Monday, March 21, 2011 Volume 37, Issue 17

UTMSU All candidates debate Style and Profyle Fashion Show Profile on Professor Jeff Graham International Women's Week NBA playoff preview

Will Gilbert Cassar put UTM Students First?

2 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY,MARCH

21, 2011

Katherine Luczynski, Editor | news@mediumonline.ca

Low turnout at All Candidates Forum STEFANIE MAROTTA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

The UTMSU All Candidates Forum was held last Thursday in the Student Centre.

The debate took place in the Board Room while students celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in the Blind Duck Pub below.

The All Candidates Forum gives students the opportunity to pose important questions to executive candidates.

The state UTM Students First and the independent candidate Thomas Kristan responded to questions about their campaign platforms, as well as concerns regarding low participation in this year’s elections.

The slate UTM Students First, dressed in yellow t-shirts, promoted topics such as transparency, lobbying the administration, and equity. The slate, led

by Gilbert Cassar, presidential candidate and current VP Internal, want to negotiate a Student Centre expansion with the administration, increase club funding, introduce a 1.0 drop credit, and lobby for a bottled water free campus.

Kristan, the independent VP University Affairs candidate, discussed his desire to make UTMSU more accountable, encourage environmental efforts, increase accessibility on campus, and efficiently approach negotiations with the administration. As a past member of the Erindale College Council, UTMSU Board of Directors, and founder of the Accessibility Committee, Kristan believes that he possesses the experience and qualifications to be a UTMSU executive.

Kristan, the opponent of Dan Dicenzo from Students First, admits that he hasn’t been as involved in UTMSU in the past year as his opponent. Regardless, he feels that his passion for student issues and his past commitment to matters concerning campus accessibility make him the ideal candidate for VP University Affairs.

Kristan wants to foster a good relationship with the administration to pursue student interests.

“I can’t say that I’ve done as much as my opponent has,” Kristan said. “But with regards to the year before when I was involved in the student union, I took steps to increase accessibility, because I myself am an accessibility student and I felt the union needed more representa-

tion. I also worked on various campaigns and fundraising for different groups.

Should I get elected, I’ll focus my efforts on UTM.” Dan Dicenzo, the VP UA candidate on Students First, also discussed efforts to lobby the administration for longer library hours, implement the 1.0 drop credit, and continue the bottled water free campaign.

“We want to get students involved in it, aware of it, and have students voice their opinions,” said Dicenzo. “We’re working for the students to make their experience at UTM better. I believe that this team can achieve these goals.”

The majority of questions were received by e-mail and read to the candidates, the first regarding available study space on campus. Cassar explained that the union would take the necessary steps to lobby the administration to provide more study space. He said that this includes striking a committee with the administration and, if necessary, creating a petition to demonstrate student solidarity. Negan Alim, VP Internal candidate, emphasized longer library hours and providing study areas in an expanded Student Centre.

When asked about the lack of negotiation undertaken this year regarding the student centre expansion, Cassar insisted that student surveys have been completed and that UTMSU has provided the administration with necessary documentation. Cassar also stated that UTMSU will meet with the planning committee in the near future. This planning committee, which was put on hold in 2009 when negotiations between UTMSU and the administration failed, cannot be re-struck until a space proposal is submitted to the administration. The current UTMSU submitted an expansion report to the administration at the beginning of March, but it lacked a space proposal.

Negotiations originally failed because an agreement was not reached on food services. The university wanted Chartwells, the company that provides food vendors at UTM, to have a monopoly in the expanded Student Centre. As a compromise, Cassar wants to propose an expansion of the student-run Blind Duck Pub to provide greater food diversity for students.

“We will never put core, fundamental student issues on hold,” Cassar said, referring to the failed negotiations of the

Delphino Cassar

Students First has been called the incumbent slate for the support they get from the current UTMSU president. past. “An example is the U-Pass.

Mississauga Transit was not eager to continue the program, and it took serious lobbying efforts with the city. There will be no compromising when it comes to core student interests, and that’s a promise.”

The incoming executives will have to take the project to the Erindale College Council. This year, UTMSU attempted to utilize the student members of the ECC to pursue a campaign against parking fee increases. Cassar expressed his desire not only to stress responsibility among student representative on the ECC, but to reform the council’s structure. Students First want to achieve an even balance between student, faculty, and administrative representatives on the council to increase student presence.

Kristan also stressed the importance of student representation on the ECC, emphasizing the necessity of educating elected ECC members of the issues and their responsibilities.

“It’s important that members make an informed decision,” Kristan said. “We also have to make sure that there is greater cooperation between the students elected to ECC and the student union.

We need to work together to best represent students. It would be a good idea to hold a meeting with UTMSU and all the ECC members.”

In particular, Alim’s platform includes increased transparency by posting biweekly financial statements online. An

important resource to hold UTMSU accountable is the monthly Board of Directors package, which includes meeting minutes from the various committees that discuss student services, events, and budget. This year, board meeting minutes from September through to February were not posted online until one week before the election period.

When asked for an explanation, Cassar said that even though he isn’t sure of the details, he knows that there have been problems with the UTMSU website.

According to Cassar, the web designer has been preoccupied with personal matters and couldn’t address the issues with the website to post minutes regularly.

“Transparency is very important,” Alim said. “I will ensure that the website is running smoothly so there are no future problems.”

Kristan proposed bringing in a temporary web designer to rectify the issue in a timely manner.

Candidates were asked to respond to the criticisms surrounding student union elections. UTMSU elections, much like those of other student unions, have been criticized as unfair and biased, deterring opposition candidates. Students First, dubbed by critics as the incumbent slate, includes two current executives: VP Internal Gilbert Cassar and VP External Munib Sajjad. Both Cassar and Vickita Bhatt, the current president, sat as members of the Elections and Referenda Committee, the body responsible for

enforcing election rules and procedures.

Cassar, who was involved in the hiring of the Chief Returning Officer, recently left the ERC to run as a presidential candidate. Bhatt also dropped out of the ERC to support Students First. The two vacant positions were filled by Marium Chowdhury, VP Part-time, and Grayce Yuen, VP University Affairs, who has worked closely with Dicenzo as his associate.

“Every candidate in the elections, whether they run on a team or independently, is held accountable by students. I don’t think that students are being less investigative because there’s a team running,” Cassar said. “It was responsible of myself and the president to step down from the ERC.” Kristan expressed his own concerns with the electoral system, pointing out the advantages of running as a team.

“It’s up to the students to run for election,” Kristan said. “On the other hand, I do think there are flaws in the system, because while students are free to run independently, it slants the vote in favour of teams. I would like to see the team system abolished, so that way it’s based on the individual candidates that are running. When someone is attached to a team, they gain the recognition attached to it.”

Polling stations open this week.

Students can vote on March 22–24 in the North Building, CCIT, and the Davis Building.

Course Enrolment Date Changes For candidate statements and results of the UTMSU elections, students are asked to visit The Medium website at mediumonline.ca !

• Students with 14.0 credits or more will enrol on April 5; • Students with 9.0–13.5 credits will enrol on May 2; • Students with 4.0–8.5 credits will enrol on June 13; and • Students with 3.5 credits or less will enrol on July 6.

For more information visit utm.utoronto.ca/change

MONDAY, MARCH

UTM aids in Japan crisis

Last week’s devastation in Japan left an estimated 10,000 people dead and another 10,000 missing.

On March 11 a magnitude 8.9 earthquake hit the northeast coast of Japan and caused a tsunami that carried with it buildings, cars, and boats.

Several of Japan’s cities have been wiped out. Millions of people are left without electricity, water, and transportation.

The disaster also damaged a nuclear power plant, which remains in crisis.

Three reactors have had partial meltdowns and the pools used to store spent nuclear fuel are dry and could heat up and spew radiation. Low levels of radiation have been detected south of the plant, about 220 km away.

Survivors are currently eating instant noodles, bread, and fruit.

“We could be living like this for a long time, so all we can do is stay in good spirits,” said Kouetsu Sasaki, a 60-year-old city hall worker, in an interview with The Toronto Star.

“People here aren’t angry or frustrated yet. ... But it’s a big question mark whether we can keep living like this for weeks or months. I try to concentrate on what I need to do this morning, this day, and not think about how long it might last.”

Students at UTM have been collecting funds through the Red Cross. All proceeds are going to the Japan relief fund. Students also turned to origami, which they sold. All proceeds were given to the Red Cross.

The Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Relief coalition will be holding events from March 21 to 25, including a vigil on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the MIST theatre. Students

will continue to sell paper cranes in the CCT building, Davis Building, and Student Centre between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. All donations will be matched dollar for dollar by the UTMSU.

By March 17, the Canadian Red Cross donated $7.7 million (all from individual or corporate donations) to Japan’s relief fund.

“I want to thank Canadians deeply,” Kaoru Ishikawa, Japan’s ambassador to Canada, told The Winnipeg Free Press. “We are so grateful.”

The earthquake has also shifted the axis of the Earth by 25 centimetres, which could change time.

“Ten inches sounds like quite a lot when you hold a ruler in front of you.

But if you think of it in terms of the Earth as a whole, it’s absolutely tiny; it’s minute,” U of T geology professor Andrew Miall told The Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s going to make minute changes to the length of a day.

It could make very, very tiny changes to the tilt of the Earth, which affects the seasons, but these effects are so small, it’d take very precise satellite navigation to pick it up.”

According to NASA, the redistribution of the Earth’s mass would cause the planet’s rotation to increase in speed of about 1.8 microseconds (millionths of a second).

“The one certainty is that there will be more earthquakes in this region, and probably another one as big as this,” said Dr. David Jepsen, a Geoscience Australia senior seismologist, in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.

Three aftershocks have already been recorded, two on Tuesday and one on Wednesday. Their magnitudes were 6.0, 6.0, and 6.2.

Donations to help in the relief efforts can be made through the Japanese Red Cross, Unicef, Save the Children, or International Medical Corps through Google Crisis Response. Donations can also be made to the Canadian Red Cross.

“It could’ve been you” CHRYSTAL COLQUHOUN

On March 10, Peer Health Educators set up a booth in The Meeting Place in the Davis Building, demonstrating the effects of drinking and driving.

This annual event, “It Could’ve Been You”, was hosted in collaboration with ECSpeRT (Erindale College Special Response Team) and Lifeline.

Starting at 9:30 a.m., students headed to the ECSpeRT office to get “made up”. Students spent the day with simulated burns, bruises, and other injuries to raise awareness and to remind others of potential consequences of drinking-related vehicle accidents.

“We’re students. We’re going to go out, we’re going to party, and we’re going to drink. It’s inevitable, we can’t avoid it. We can’t tell people not to drink, so we tell them that if you’re going to do it, do it safely,” said Stephanie Falcone, leader of the Drugs and Alcohol Team at Peer Health Educators. “Our booth informs others how to drink responsibly. We give tips on how to detect the difference between alcohol poisoning and intoxication, and how to put someone in the recovery position.”

Participating students approached their peers, assured students that their injuries were realistic but not real, and directed them to the event booth.

From there, Peer Health Educators engaged students with interactive games and giveaways, dispelled common myths about alcohol, and pro-

vided simple suggestions to help students drink responsibly.

“We’re just promoting harmreducing approaches. Don’t bring debit or credit cards to the bar. You kind of want to bring cash, so you impose a limit on your spending,” said Peer Health Educator Taylor Smith-Fall. Other tips included eating a light meal before drinking, as alcohol takes only five minutes to reach the brain on an empty stomach, or alternating between water and alcohol when playing drinking games.

Previous events from the Drugs and Alcohol Team at Peer Health Educators included a taxi campaign to raise awareness of #TAXI (#8294), a number that students can use to connect to available taxis in the area after a night of drinking and partying.

“Just to have students tell us what to do because they have some experience or know people with these experiences, I can relate more. What they do is really relevant. It’s not just information they’re throwing at you,” said Selasie Ametorwo, second-year psychology major.

For more information on health topics, students can visit the UTM Health and Counselling Centre— DV/SB1123, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 a.m. to 5 p.m.—or check out the HCC website at utm.utoronto.ca/health. For more tips on alcohol harm reduction or information on Peer Health Educators and future events, students can visit the Peer Health Educators office in DV/SB 1114E or contact Chad Jankowski at c.jankowski@utoronto.ca.

21, 2011 THE MEDIUM 3

NEWS

Women celebrate at the Blind Duck Edward Cai/The Medium

Booths include sexual education, self defence, and baked goods.

LARISSA HO ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

On Tuesday, March 8, a collaborative effort from the Women and Gender Studies Program, the U of T Status of Women Office, UTMSU, UTM Campus Police, OUT@UTM, the UTM Women’s Centre, and the Women and Gender Studies Action Group resulted in the celebration of International Women’s Day at UTM in the Student Centre’s Blind Duck Pub and Presentation Room, between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m.

“International Women’s Day was declared by the United Nations as a day to commemorate and celebrate the milestones marked by women’s achievements around the world, especially in the advancement of equality, justice, and peace,” said Kumari Giles, UTMSU VP Equity.

“This year, International Women’s

Day celebrated 100 years of work, from the suffragist movement in the United States to seeking justice for women around the world. The purpose of the UTM International Women’s Day event was to create an environment where we could talk about past and present women’s issues, but also take the opportunity to celebrate the achievement of the women’s movement.”

Tables set up by clubs and community organizations presented topics from sexual health to international justice. At 3:30 p.m., there was a special guest appearance from the RAGING ASIAN WOMEN Taiko Drummers, who “performed with strength and resilience over the maledominated soccer fans, who cheered through the later part of the day’s events,” said Giles. “In addition, we had performances by Milo de Milo and Chase, who brought queer and transgender visibility to the celebration. We also had the dean of acade-

mics, Amy Mullin, and vice president and principal Deep Saini, speak on the importance of International Women’s Day.” The UTM Campus Police also presented women’s self-defence demos during the afternoon.

“The event had a celebratory tone but also a tone of remembrance and acknowledgement of work that had been done and continues to be done.

The WGS Student of the Year was awarded to Jennifer Lasachuk, who has exemplified feminist work in her involvement on campus and in the community,” said Giles. “It is important to have this day to take a moment to recognize and celebrate how far society has come in women’s equality and justice. However, we celebrate with the hope that International Women’s Day will one day commemorate past movements that have created a society in which women’s rights and justice have been achieved.”

A bottled water free campus STEFANIE MAROTTA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Instead of rummaging in pockets for change and lining up at vending machines, students will soon fill reusable bottles at new and improved drinking fountains—virtually for free. The Ministry of Environment celebrated the second annual Bottled Water Free Day on March 10. Bottled water was removed from vendors on campus for the week to promote the use of reusable bottles.

In partnership with the university administration, 1,300 free reusable bottles were distributed and over 1,500 student surveys were completed to work towards a bottled water free campus. Interested students attended an information booth set up by the Ministry of Environment in the Student Centre.

Rahul Mehta, a student and environmentalist, conducted taste tests to actively demonstrate the misconceptions of tap water to students.

Four samples from four reusable bottles were provided and students were asked to identify which reusable bottle contained tap water.

Each student guessed a different bottle, all insisting that their choice must be tap water. After discussing their options and describing the taste of the different samples of water, Mehta unveiled the answer— all bottles had been filled from the

same tap.

“There’s a stigma against water fountains, so we want to market the use of reusable bottles and spread awareness that they’re much better for you and the environment,” said

“If we can reduce our dependence on bottled water, we can help the environment and live healthier lives.”

—Deep Saini

Dan Dicenzo, a second year biophysics student. “We’re trying to get the administration to install these fountains, especially in high-traffic areas on campus. It’s one of the best ways to promote the use of reusable bottles and make it more convenient for students.”

Dicenzo has spoken with Bill McFadden, Director of Hospitality and Retail Services at UTM, about outfitting campus with improved water fountains. These new fountains are not only equipped with drinking spouts, but also a station to refill bottles, similar to water dispensers found on refrigerator doors.

Each fountain costs $2,200, according to Dicenzo. In the long term, this

will cost the university less money than it does to contract, power, and maintain vending machines Each time plastic is recycled, it goes through a process called “downcycling”. The molecules of the plastic break down and produce poorer quality plastic, causing chemicals to seep into the water.

“Even though we live in a country where there is so much fresh water available to us, we have to learn to be stewards of our water and conserve it and manage it well so that future generations don’t have to deal with this issue of contaminated water,” Mehta said. “Corrupt bottled water companies sell us back our own water.”

Ten universities in Canada have become bottled water free, adding more fountains and decreasing the accessibility and sale of bottled water. As a symbol of the administration’s commitment to the campaign, vice president and principal Deep Saini signed the pledge to ditch bottled water in favour of reusable bottles.

“It is incumbent upon us as a society to reduce our human footprint on this planet,” said Saini. “If we can reduce our dependence on bottled water, we can help the environment and live healthier lives. As a former environment dean, I wholeheartedly support this initiative.”

The campaign is sponsored by the Canadian Federation of Students in partnership with the Polaris Institute.

4 THE MEDIUM

NEWS

MONDAY, MARCH

21, 2011

Event notice: Take Your Place in Positive Space An event sponsored by the LGBTQ community at UTM The Positive Space committee invites members of the UTM community to a special event on Wednesday, March 23, from 3 to 5 p.m.

Take in the ambience of a transformed Spigel Hall as you hear welcoming remarks by vice president and principal Deep Saini and VP Academic and dean Amy Mullin. Meet and mingle with staff, faculty, and students. Treat your palate to a range of gourmet treats, including a cheese sampler, market fresh fruit, smoked Atlantic salmon, baked brie with candied pecans, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, and much more!

Special guest speaker: Enjoy an informal talk by award winning author and professor of criminology Mariana Valverde!

Mark your calendars now!

RSVP requested by Friday, March 18.

Reach our convenient RSVP registration at tinyurl.com/takeyourplace

Thank you to all the writers who contributed to the news section this year!

A big congratulations to next year’s News Editor, Stefanie Marotta.

Raneem Meknas

Principal Saini discusses the Charter for Compassion with Ruqayyah Ahdab, president of MSA.

MSA discusses Islam awareness LARISSA HO ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Between Tuesday, March 8 and Friday, March 11, the UTM Muslim Students’ Association hosted Islam Awareness Week at UTM, an event that gives Muslims on campus the opportunity to engage with their fellow students in discussion about Islam, life, and faith.

Everyone was welcome to attend.

“Islam Awareness Week is an annual forum that engages the UTM community in conversation on faith and serves to answer any questions people may have about Islam,” said Ruqayyah Ahdab, president of the UTM MSA. Booths and displays offering reading material and welcome discussion were set in the CCT Atrium for each day of IAW, and each evening a free lecture from a guest lecturer offered information about topics under the theme of the week. This year’s unique theme was “Compassion: The Essence of Humanity”.

“We sincerely believe that compassion is the stepping stone that enriches our interaction and allows us to come togeth-

er as one humanity, despite our diversity in appearance and beliefs. No one can deny the call to return to compassion, faith-member or not. It is a powerful and fundamental step to changing the world,” said Ahdab. “This IAW, we inaugurated a student-drafted ‘Charter for Compassion’ in order to raise awareness about the actions and traits that we as the human race should rekindle, and reinforce a basis for compassion. This charter was signed in an array of languages by students from all around UTM, administration members, the principal, and the dean. The charter is going to be framed in the Principal’s Office as a reminder of the commitment we undertook.”

On Tuesday, the lecture entitled “A Beginner’s Guide to Islam” was held in Kaneff 137 at 6:30 p.m. The following night, the lecture was held in the Davis Building, room 2072, and was called, “Models of Compassion for Our Time.”

On Thursday, “One God. One Message.

One Humanity” was the title of the lecture held at 7 p.m. in the same room.

“As one of the largest clubs on campus, we take pride in the hard work we do over the year for our members,” said

Ahdab. “However, we also value stepping out of our comfort zone and reaching out to our entire campus in events like IAW, since this gives any person on campus the chance to approach Muslims on campus and learn about Islam. To clarify our stance this year, we put up signs that said: ‘We are not here to convert or argue or disparage. We welcome everyone in the spirit of mutual acceptance and respect.

Islam Awareness Week is a safe and open space for the exchange of questions and ideas.’ ” On Thursday, March 17, said Ahdab, the MSA hosted a world-renowned speaker and direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad. His spoke on the legal principles of Islamic governance, which, said Ahdab, “is particularly poignant in light of the revolutionary movements spreading across the Middle East.” Everyone was invited to attend and admission was free.

The UTM MSA will wrap up the year with a farewell dinner after exams are finished.

Anyone with concerns, questions, or comments is welcome to email the UTM MSA at executives@utmmsa.com.

Campus Police weekly summaries March 10 to March 16, 2011

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICAT ES Financial Planning Global Business Management Human Resources Management International Development International Marketing Marketing Management Public Administration

March 10, 9:45 a.m.

Fire Call Mississauga Fire Department and Campus Police responded to a false fire alarm in Oscar Peterson Hall.

March 10, 10:30 a.m.

Theft under $5,000 A student was investigated for making unauthorized phone calls overseas from a university office phone.

March 10, 6:45 p.m.

Medical Call Campus Police and ECSpeRT responded to an injured female in the gymnasium.

The female student was transported to hospital by Campus Police for further treatment.

March 11, 10:10 a.m.

Theft under $5,000 A female student reported the theft of her jacket from classroom 1080 in the CCT Building. The jacket had other valuables inside the pockets. Theft occurred during a term test.

March 11, 11:20 a.m.

Medical Call Campus Police and ECSpeRT responded to a female student having difficulty breathing due to hyperventilating. The female was calmed down and did not require any further medical assistance.

March 11, 12:12 p.m.

Vehicle Tow Campus Police assisted Mississauga Parking Control in towing a vehicle from the CCT Garage, P1 level, for having unpaid parking tickets.

business.humber.ca

March 11, 6:30 p.m.

Medical Call Campus Police and ECSpeRT responded to a male student complaining of chest

pains. The male student was transported to hospital by EMS. March 12, 3:50 p.m.

Trespass to Property Act Campus Police investigated a male from another university for attempting to gain entry in the RAWC with a University of Toronto student card belonging to someone else. The male was banned from entering the RAWC. March 14, 2:19 p.m.

Trespass to Property Act Campus Police charged two males under the Trespass to Property Act, who were fraudulently trying to gain access to the RAWC. March 14, 2:19 p.m.

Trespass to Property Act Campus Police cautioned two females after they fraudulently tried to gain entry in the RAWC. Both females were banned from the RAWC. March 14, 4:24 p.m.

Theft under $5,000 A male student attended the Campus Police Office and confessed to several thefts in the library. The male was charged with three counts of theft under $5,000.

March 14, 8:50 p.m.

Medical Call An ECSpeRT member advised Campus Police that they had attended to an injured female in residence. The female did not require any further medical treatment.

March 15, 1:25 a.m.

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act Campus Police responded to Oscar Peterson Hall after receiving a report that marijuana could be smelled in the area.

Campus Police did not find anyone in the area smoking marijuana.

March 15, 2011 11:51 a.m.

Harassment A female attended the Campus Police Office and reported that she was being harassed by an unknown male on the FiveMinute Walk near the Student Centre.

March 15, 12:46 p.m.

Vehicle Tow Campus Police assisted Mississauga Parking Control in towing a vehicle from campus. The vehicle had a fraudulent payand-display permit.

March 15, 3:00 p.m.

Trespass to Property Act Campus Police investigated an unauthorized flyer that was posted around campus.

The flyer was advertising a hip-hop artist.

March 15, 6:14 p.m.

Trespass to Property Act Campus Police cautioned a male for fraudulently entering the RAWC. March 15, 6:41 p.m.

Personal Safety Concern A male student reported a suspicious male near the Mist Theatre in the CCT Building.

March 16, 1:55 a.m.

Personal Safety Concern Campus Police responded to a report of a possible argument taking place near Schreiberwood. Campus Police attended the area; no one was seen or heard arguing.

March 16, 11:35 p.m.

Medical Call Campus Police responded an ill female in residence. The female was transported to hospital by EMS. March 16, 2:18 p.m.

Trespass to Property Act Campus Police charged a male non-community member under the Trespass to Property Act for soliciting on campus.

MONDAY, MARCH

21, 2011

THE MEDIUM 5

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

All about avoiding procrastination MANSOUR MELKOUMIAN A few weeks ago I had lunch with a friend of mine at Deluxe Noodles. We were talking about assignments when he mentioned he had a few essays due soon.

“When’s your due date?” I asked.

“Well, one was due tomorrow,” he answered nonchalantly. “Hey, pass the soy sauce.”

Procrastination is a common problem for students and pretty much everyone who works with a computer.

No, I don’t care how much you like your MoleSkine, it’s still a problem.

With exams around the corner, I thought I’d write about a hugely complicated topic in an incredibly small article. Maybe you’ll learn just enough to help you prepare for your next exam.

Like drug addiction and irrational fears, the first step to stop procrastinting is to identify that your procrastination is a problem. If you’ve spent 15 hours watching Pokémon reruns when you should be reading Walter Benjamin’s discourses on semiotics,

ipantalla.com

I’ll fix the hole eventually... then you’re probably procrastinating.

Other signs include filling your day with meaningless little tasks like delinting your wallet, and spending your time imagining how good things will be once you finish your task.

One of the major sources of procrastination is that people who work with knowledge-based tasks like writing essays or reports don’t see a

reward for their efforts. This is because our brains are still wired for hunting and gathering. Killing a mammoth has a very immediate and very visible reward of being able to eat for a week. In school, though, the only short-term effect of finishing an essay is a headache. This, incidentally, is why procrastinators always kick into high gear when a due date

approaches: in situations like that, you do see an immediate reward (not failing a class).

Procrastination experts recommend setting up a clear goal system to help wrap your brain around the task.

Make a deal with yourself to eat a bar of chocolate when you finish your task, or use anti-procrastination software like writeordie.com to keep you

focussed on finishing.

Another source of procrastination is the vastness of the task. For this, breaking down a big task into tiny ones might help you get some perspective on it, and get rid of your fear of doing it.

The final and possibly most valuable anti-procrastination exercise is to just churn something out without caring about quality, resolving to edit it later. Most procrastinators are actually perfectionists who are afraid of not measuring up to the standards their mission requires. Conquering your fear of not getting a task done, or just ploughing through it regardless of whether you do a good job, will help you gradually get over your fear.

All in all, procrastination and getting things done is a constant struggle. Until a day comes when we develop Vulcan-like self control, we will need to fight with our baser natures to be productive members of society.

Also, keep in mind that the fact that I am writing this at 8 p.m. on a Sunday night does not make my evaluations any less valuable.

Easy advice for avoiding bad first dates MARIANA COMITO ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR Every first date can get a little awkward, especially when you really like the person. Perhaps you had a fantastic first date over the weekend, or maybe it was a complete nightmare. Here are some tips to turn that frown upside down on a first date:

http://picasaweb.google.com

This is one of the more unfortunate dates.

Don’t constantly be on your phone No one likes a person who is glued to his or her cell phone. You have to show that you’re interested, so unless you’re pretending to get an “emergency phone call”, put the cell

phone away. If you’re date is constantly on the phone, then politely say you’re not into “ménage-àtrois”—the third person being a sexy little BlackBerry or iPhone.

because the only wind your date should be feeling is the light breeze coming from the car window.

Don’t talk about your exes This is the worst possible thing you can do! Dwelling on your exes shows that you’re not quite over the breakup. If you’re talking about your ex, just how often are you thinking about them?

Know your limit If you are slurring your words then you might slur the first date right into the ground. If you know you are a cheap drunk, stick with just one drink. It is not classy or gentlemanly when you are falling down and making a fool of yourself. So try to stay slightly sober.

No passing wind of any kind I know you just had those spicy burritos from Taco Bell, but what were you thinking? Now you must suffer,

Turn-offs Hangovers, bad breath, messy hair, corny jokes, and (sorry) just plain old boring!

How to escape if you’re tied up in a chair HEATHER MARTIN

You find yourself tied to a chair in an empty apartment, your assailant having left you there to starve or be devoured by local housecats.

Whatever will you do? First, don’t panic! You need to remember this helpful article that you had the good fortune to read. Follow the instructions below, and your escape will be relatively painless and quicker than 007’s!

The first thing you must remember when someone is tying you up is to make yourself as big as possible.

Puff up your chest, stick out your belly (if you have one), and flex every muscle possible. Once you are alone, you can “deflate” yourself, relax your body, and suck your gut back in.

Your assailant will have compensated with too much rope, leaving you crucial wiggle room. When your captor is tying your wrists, be sure to make fists and hold them together side by

side—not palm to palm. This also lends you much more room to slide your hands free. Watch out for rope burn.

Once your hands are free and the bonds around your torso are loose, the rest is easy. Simply slip your limbs out and lift the coiled rope over your head. Done!

Unless… what if you forgot to heed the previous advice and your captor tied your wrists and legs really tight—like, digging into your skin, cutting off circulation, tight? No need to worry, Mr. Bond, you aren’t beaten yet!

If your bonds are too tight (not that your captor cares if you’re comfortable) there is another mode of escape. Toes! Yes, toes. And hopping.

Not to be vague and leave you tied there all confused, I’ll elaborate.

Place your toes, or whatever part of your foot that is free, on the floor and push. You may only move a couple inches at a time, so combine it with as much of a hop as you can

manage. Push and hop your way to the kitchen (assuming you’ve been carelessly left nearby), or wherever scissors are kept.

Position yourself parallel to the drawers. Lean over and grasp the knob or handle with your teeth. Now is not the time to be germophobic!

Pull it open. Spot the scissors. Grab another nearby utensil, such as a whisk, with your teeth, and hook its handle through the loop on the scissors. Gently lift them up and drop them into your lap. Now, lean forward and grasp the scissors with your teeth, swivel around, and let them fall into your bound hands. Be very careful not to cut yourself! Use your fingertips to operate the scissors and cut the cord that connects your hands to your feet. The rope around your feet will loosen and you can wiggle out.

Even though your hands are still tied around your back, you’re free of the chair and can successfully make your escape! James would be proud.

parco.ca

Oh, it’s on.

6 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, MARCH

LIFESTYLE

21, 2011

How to “enjoy” an all-nighter without caffeine JENNIFER EWEN

It’s 4 a.m: you’re staring down at the textbook, and words are blurring together. Suddenly your head is down on your book, using the pages as a pillow. It’s not always a test, though. Sometimes it’s a paper you didn’t bother starting, either purposefully or accidentally-on-purpose. Whatever the case, both scenarios call for an all-nighter.

Swallowing gallons of coffee or energy drinks isn’t good for your health, though, and there are actually ways to stay awake all night without resorting to caffeine.

If you’re planning on pulling an all-nighter, don’t eat a huge dinner filled with carbs (like pizza or a burger and fries) because those will just make you even more tired as the night goes on. Eat protein, like meat or fish, along with vegetables. Steer clear of junk food, though feel free to nibble on fruit or nuts. Apples are really good to eat when you’re tired

because the fructose provides energy without a crash and chewing keeps you awake. Ice chips also work if you want to chew and the coldness will wake you up, or you could even chew gum just to keep your jaw moving. Also, drink cold water throughout the whole night. Not only will the coldness snap you awake, it may also make you need to use the bathroom, which will force you to get up and walk to the toilet.

As you’re studying or writing a paper, make sure to get up at least every hour and walk around. Do something else for 10 minutes, whether it be watching a video online, checking Facebook to see if anyone else is awake, or simply walking in circles around your room. Making yourself move will help give you another boost of energy to work through the next 50 minutes or so until you get up again.

You could even read standing up. If you get too comfortable, you will probably fall asleep.

If moving around isn’t working,

combine it with something else. Go to the bathroom and wash your face with freezing cold water. If you have enough time, take a cold shower (that will definitely wake you up!). A good time to take the shower would be before going to your class to make sure you’re wide awake for when you actually write the exam.

When you feel completely desperate and nothing else is working, take a fast nap. Make sure to set a loud alarm or get someone to wake you up after fifteen or twenty minutes. If you don’t want to risk sleeping, try lying on your back on the floor and put your feet up on a chair for about 10 minutes (once again, set an alarm just in case!) and focus on your breathing. This form of relaxation makes all the difference when you just need to keep going for a couple more hours.

Staying up all night with a friend can be useful because you can keep each other awake—as long as you actually study. In the worst-case scenario, you could have something

with sugar, like chocolate or candy, to give you a boost. But the danger with that is there will be a crash within a couple hours, so only do that at the very end of your night.

The best thing would be to sleep for a couple hours before your class to let the information you’ve been

The world’s most Googled How do you know if someone or something is popular? You could browse the newspapers to see if they’ve made headlines, you might check out the magazine stands to see if it’s on the cover, you could even poll a random sample. But all of that requires relinquishing your temporary home on the couch. So why not check out the world’s most-Googled list to see exactly how popular your favourite artist, TV show host, or hairdresser Facebook: At #10 is the ever-faithful social networking site that promises to rid you of your afternoon boredom by allowing you to stalk your ex or by pressing “Like” on every single one of the photos your friends post.

Gamezer: A site where one can indulge in countless free games and revel in the bliss of mindless games of billiards, chess, checkers, and more. It just sounds so beautiful, doesn’t it?

Twitter: Tweet. Tweet. Tweeeet.

Whether it’s updating their own Twitter or checking out what celebrities are up to, people worldwide seem to be hooked on this social network.

grasshoppergrrl.files.wordpress.com

Good luck indeed.

Katy Perry: The uber-sweet California Gurl is living the teenage dream as she sits on her #7 spot on the most Googled list. How should she celebrate? I suggest fireworks— pun intended.

Myxer: Another one that confounded yours truly. Turns out it’s a site where you can download everything from apps to songs to wallpapers. A very cool feature: you can make your own ringtones!

Friv: What’s “friv”? My reaction exactly… turns out that friv is a website where you can play “only the very best free online games”. From Mario Super to Tetris, it really is all there.

Nicki Minaj: The hip-hop singerwent from obscurity to stardom overnight.

The real question is whether she’s on the most-Googled list because of her sudden catapult into extreme fame, or because of the multi-coloured hair...

Hey there, everyone. I’m graduating this year and am relinquishing my position as Features Editor. My two years at The Medium have been incredible; I love my job, I love this paper, and I love this campus. Without getting any sappier, I’d like to thank everyone who submitted contributions to the section this year, and wish the best for my succes sor, Mariana. May death come swiftly to her enemies.

DERIC VARCOE MARIANA COMITO GORDON FREEMAN ZACK ZERALDO IOANA GHEORGHIU CHRIS ALI SARVGHADI EMILY ACHESON LYSAN SEQUEIRA NIVES HAJDIN LUKE SAWCZAK

SANA HAQ LEAH EDWARDS SANDRA AWAD TUBA RIZVI YARA MATAR SERKAN YILIDRIM NAZIFA ISLAM ASHLEY NGUYEN KYLA PARRISH NOVY WAROUW

LARISSA HO KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI URJA MEHTA ADAM ERB JENNIFER EWEN HEATHER MARTIN CRYSTAL COLQUHOUN MELANIE MONETTE SINDREY RASHEED CLARKE ALEX TKACHUK

studying get stuck in your brain So if you’re worried about that caffeine fix come finals, try a few of these tips and give your body a break. Or try and make sure you start studying ahead of time so you don’t have to resort to staying up all night! Either way, good luck!

Justin Bieber: Who would’ve thought that the lovable Biebs, who swept through Canada, would be the most Googled artist throughout the whole world?! Seems like Bieber fever has no intention of subsiding. iPad: Is this a surprise? Not really; every time Apple releases a new gadget (the newest iPod, the iPhone, etc.), almost every techie will check it out, if not buy it for themselves. So the iPad, released in 2010, is no shocker..

Chatroulette: This website calls itself “a tool to meet new people”: all you need is a webcam and a microphone and you’ve got yourself some cyberfriends.

really is? The chart below shows the fastest-growing queries worldwide, and while some of what made it on the list will be what you already expected, some are sure to surprise you. Also included is a little bit of information about each query that I collected from (you guessed it) searching it on Google.

MONDAY, MARCH

21, 2011

THE MEDIUM 7

LIFESTYLE

Creative Corner

How to win an election: lessons from Canadian politics BRIAN MILLS

Politics is a question of who we are as a society, and where we want to go.

The role of a politician is widely perceived as a higher calling, attracting individuals willing to forego selfish personal interests in serving the greater good. Of course, to hold public office in a democratic state, one must win the election, which entails having the right strategy to ensure victory.

Such a strategy can be dissected into six easy steps that transcend national boundaries.

First, on the campaign trail, the aspiring politician cannot dwell on such tedious distractions as actual policy detail. As former Canadian prime minister Kim Campbell infamously stated during the 1993 federal election, “An election is no time to discuss serious issues.” This created a huge backlash among her political opponents and the media, who interpreted her claim as saying that Canadian voters were either too lazy or too ignorant (or, ideally, both) to comprehend real issues. Therefore, politicians must instead simplify complex issues, creating media-friendly sound bites for the consumption of apathetic voters and laid-back reporters in no hurry to fully investigate a story. Answering every question indirectly with vague responses, promising things like change, focussing on the issues, and helping working families, will ensure that little to no accidental alienation occurs. A perfect instance of this occurred in the Canadian 1993 federal campaign. Campbell’s opponent, Jean Chrétien, pledged to eliminate all new taxes that the Tories had introduced while still cutting the deficit and investing more in social programs.

Obviously, this was not feasible, but by making all these promises to keep voters in all walks of life happy, the Liberals succeeded in building a broad base of voter support and winning a strong majority government. It is all in the message, after all, and politics is perception.

Second, it is decidedly ill-advised to annoy, anger, or otherwise upset your own voting base, much less constituencies you seek to make inroads with. Bob Rae’s experience as premiere of Ontario serves as excellent example of this lesson. When the NDP won the 1990 Ontario election, Rae was faced with a looming economic recession. He attempted to curtail the soaring deficit by creating “Rae Days”—mandatory unpaid holidays for public servants. This enraged the unions who constituted Rae’s strongest support base in the previous election. Rae attempted to explain the necessity of adopting these measures, but after a long, hard day’s work, the last thing fatigued, irritable, stressed citizens need to hear is a political aspirant on TV, outlining the reasons why their lives are only going to become more miserable. Naturally, Rae is now one of the more infamous politicians in Canadian public life. It is so much easier to tell voters exactly what they want to hear, especially in person, with their friendly neighbourhood politician. Hugging babies also helps.

The public will directly correlate your ability to approach and feel comfortable around children with your ability to develop sensible policies.

Third, the aspiring politician must always uphold the highest standards in dignity, class, and sensitivity, especially towards society’s marginalized communities. When an opponent makes a politically incorrect remark, it is customary for one to display

feigned indignation and mock seriousness, berating them for being so insensitive to the diverse needs of an inclusive society. When Toronto mayor Rob Ford made the statement that Asians “work like dogs”, he was castigated for perpetuating stereotypes and making a rude inference about the entire demographic. So, in the event that your opponent makes a verbal gaffe, you must seize the opportunity to cast doubt on their competence, not only as a leader, but as a human being. Politicians are not allowed to make mistakes, particularly during election time.

Should all else fail, vilifying your opponent is a trick that is almost guaranteed to work for the campaign.

Fourth, no campaign could ever succeed without the loyal devotion of its prominent financial backers. This

class of under-represented citizens must be rewarded for their strenuous efforts by receiving the juiciest posts in an incoming government.

Patronage is just a term, after all, and quite malleable to the circumstance. For instance, patronage was one of the defining issues of the 1984 Canadian federal election. The new Liberal prime minster, John Turner, approved last-minute patronage appointments made by his immediate predecessor, Pierre Trudeau, which created a large public backlash just in time for the election. His Tory opponent, Brian Mulroney, slammed him for this, promising a cleaner administration in the event that his party won office. However, after returning the Tories to power, many in the party were eager for patronage posts of their own, and the need to reward people for their political loyalty overrode Mulroney’s previous campaign comment. Mulroney made just as many patronage appointments as Turner had, but that didn’t

stop him from winning another majority at the next election.

Fifth, and most of all, the aspiring politician must never, ever, ever, under any imaginable circumstance, endorse a tax hike. Ever. Remember the strange case of Bush senior, who pledged during the 1988 presidential election that voters could be assured that he would not even consider raising taxes during his presidency, stating “read my lips: no new taxes”. But after taking office, he signed into law one of the largest tax increases in American history.

Whether you were hearing-impaired or not. Sure enough, he went on to lose the next election by a whopping margin. Far more impolite language could be read on the lips of American voters.

Finally, should all else fail, vilifying your opponent is a trick that is almost guaranteed to work for the campaign. It may of course be misconstrued as “dirty politics”, but practitioners must assure themselves and the public that their

actions are in the best interests of the nation. This rings especially true given the cataclysm that would befall the nation should one’s opponent somehow win. In the recent Toronto mayoral contest, George Smitherman portrayed himself as the “anybody but Ford” candidate, encouraging voters to support him simply because he is not Rob Ford.

He maintained that if Ford won the election, a catastrophe would befall the city of Toronto, far worse than the likes of SARS or spoiled Alberta beef. This has made Smitherman go from a distant second place in the polls to being statistically tied with Ford. Thus, giving your opponent a catchy label such as liar, flip-flopper, Communist, or any combination of these, may very well stick over the course of a campaign and wreak havoc on the opposition.

In closing, if the political aspirant follows these six easy steps, a bright future in the political world is all but assured. This truly is democracy at its finest. May God bless it.

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MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2011

THE MEDIUM 8

OPINION

A message from your newly elected editorial team: Hi there, My name is Mariana Comito I am currently a fourth-year student taking the “five-year program” at UTM. This fall I am honoured to announce that I will be the Features Editor for The Medium. I have been writing for The Medium for two years, and this year I had the opportunity to be Assistant Editor and a member of the Board of Directors. I encourage all stu-

EDITORIAL Writing my last editorial for The Medium reminds me of my first time writing an article for The Medium two years ago. I was so fixated on trying to make it perfect that it took me about six hours to write a short story on an issue with residence students applying for spots at OPH. It’s now my last time writing in The Medium as Editor-in-Chief. I don’t want to write about the UTMSU elections, which I covered as the News Editor last year. Instead, I’d like to take time to thank everyone who has sent me letters this year, both the good and the bad. It’s because of you that we have tried different story ideas, added new sections, changed up the look of our paper, and printed another magazine.

It’s been such an enriching experience working at the newspaper these last two years. It may not be for everyone, but it has taught me so much and given me the opportunity to explore a creative side of writing that I never got a chance to do in class. It has been a tough year but a great one, and some people might think that I do this on my own. The truth is The Medium could never be printed without the support of those who have dedicated their time to put together the paper. Not everyone gets to see what happens behind the scenes at a newspaper, but as soon as we print an issue we’re at work on the next. Stories must be in by Thursday, and all day Sunday is spent doing layout and final editing.

I have heard from a lot of you who have shared your thoughts on many stories we’ve published. Some students still refer to us as “haters” for publishing anything about UTMSU. But there are others, those of you who comment on our website and leave me messages saying that you liked a certain piece in the creative corner, or learned a lot from one of my editorials.

The Medium isn’t here to shine a negative light on anyone, even the student union. If I was able to help even one person understand the campus dynamics, or read one article that made them question something, then I did my job. I wanted to make people critically think about issues going on around campus.

In my editorials, I obviously took a stance on matters, and sometimes it might have seemed unfair—but I hope that it helped you develop your own strong and fact-based opinions. I learned the importance of being strong and speaking your mind, not from being an executive member at UTMSU, but from being an editor at The Medium. My arguments required me to build on facts and back up my statements with honesty, something I would advise everyone to start doing.

As I am graduating this year, I wanted to thank a few people who have helped me over the past few years at UTM by transitioning into new roles, teaching me the value of work both inside and outside the classroom, and for always having an open-door policy. Paul Donoghue, Mark Overton, and professor Joan Simalchik: I will always keep your advice and words of encouragement in mind through the next chapter in my life.

Thank you to my team this year, best of luck to those of you graduating, to the volunteers we’ve always been able to rely on, and the readers who sometimes pick up The Medium.

Saaliha Malik

Yours,

The Medium is hiring!

We are currently seeking to fill the following part time positions: Copy editor Composite/Design Editor Webmaster Distribution Manager Advertising Coordinator Advertising Assistant Business Manager Please send your cover letter and résumé to editor@mediumonline.ca by April 30, 2011.

Interviews will take place in May. Job descriptions will be posted on mediumonline.ca

I’m super excited to be next year’s News Editor at The Medium. I really like two things: a good story and food. If you’re ever interested, come by the office next year (upstairs in the Student Centre, above the UTMSU office) and we’ll swap stories and lunches.

Maybe a cool article will come of it. Maybe you’ll consume a day’s worth of calories. Either way, it’ll be fun times. I encourage anyone with access to good pineapple buns to come share them with me—this year’s Features Editor hogs them for himself.

I’m finishing up my third year in political science, professional writing and communication, and Italian. I've been the Assistant News Editor at The Medium for two years, a copy-editor for the Mindwaves journal, and the Events Coordinator at the UTM Dear readers, I am very excited to be the incoming Editor-in-Chief of The Medium. For the past four years I have been involved with the paper as a volunteer contributor, editor, and, most recently, Director of the Board.

Through this time I have witnessed the visual and editorial transformation of the newspaper, and I hope to continue that trend.

Much of the progress The Medium has made during this time can be attributed to the hard work and dedication Saaliha and the team of editors put in this past year. In addition to Dear Editor-in-Chief, As your new Sports Editor, I wanted to take this chance to introduce myself to my fellow students. I’m a third-year political science specialist and have been the Assistant Sports Editor for the past year. I’m completely obsessed with sports, I dislike long walks in general but particularly on the beach, and I’ve been afraid of spiders since I was seven years old.

I have a surplus of time and a shortage of sports buddies on campus. If I go any further this will start to look like a pathetic Craigslist ad in search of a companion.

I just want to say that we are looking for some new sports writers and I’m willing to help you guys out along the way. I promise, it’s a far more relaxed environ-

dents to write for The Medium and contribute to the Features section. I hope to make Features fun, entertaining, and relatable.

I look forward to your opinions on the topics you would like to read and your ideas for improvement for the section. I am approachable and easygoing, so please come with your ideas and enthusiasm and write for Features.

Sincerely, Mariana Comito

Women’s Centre, so I’m knowledgeable about campus and, sadly, I’m here more than anyone ever should be. I’m interested in the university and I think students should be aware of matters regarding both the administration and UTMSU. I’d like to thank the News Editors I’ve worked with, Saaliha and Kasia, for letting me cover some sweet topics. I want to give a big waddup to my homedogs and future editorial team, Mariana, Chris, Nives, Michael, and Edward. Also, I want to thank the other Assistant News Editor, and my friend, Larissa Ho. Yours truly, Stefanie Marotta P . S . W r i t e f o r N ew s ! I p r o m i s e there will be some cool topics.

the new look and strong coverage, they introduced new sections to the newspaper and collectively released the second issue of the magazine last month.

I look forward to building on these accomplishments with the new team of talented editors—Stefanie, Nives, Mariana, Chris, and Edward—and working closely with the students on campus to deliver the best newspaper possible. As always, we want to know what you think, so don’t hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely, Michael Di Leo ment at The Medium than you might think. Don’t be afraid to come by the office or send me an email if you are interested in writing for the Sports section.

I’d like to thank William Robertson for being a great Sports Editor this year; I have learned a lot from him. I’d also like to thank Stefanie Marotta, the new News Editor, who recently upgraded me from half to full friend, and for easing my social anxiety in rooms with unfamiliar faces with her calming presence. I’m excited to be the Sports Editor next year and look forward to receiving input from the students on how to improve the section.

Go team go, Chris Callahan

www.mediumonline.ca 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 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 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 used with out written con 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

The Medium editorial team for 2011 2012 Editor in Chief—Michael Di Leo News Editor—Stefanie Marotta Features Editor—Mariana Comito Arts Editor—Nives Hajdin Sports Editor—Chris Callahan Photo Editor—Edward Cai

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.

MONDAY, MARCH

21, 2011 THE MEDIUM 9

Nives Hajdin, Editor | arts@mediumonline.ca

Drama students take a bow Theatre Erindale closes the season with Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale

Jim Smagata

As the school year comes to an end, so does another season of student theatre on campus.

Theatre Erindale’s 2010/11 “Coming of Age” season wrapped up last weekend with a performance of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale under the experienced direction of Mimi Mekler.

The plot focusses on Leontes, King of Sicilia (Paolo Santalucia), who becomes fixated on the idea that his wife Hermione (Hannah Drew) is having an affair with Polixenes, King of Bohemia (Philip Stonhouse). His paranoia drives him to extreme measures and he orders Camillo (Matthew Gin) to murder Polixenes, but Camillo instead warns Polixenes of the vendetta against him, and the two flee Sicilia for Bohemia.

Meanwhile, Leontes has Hermione arrested and put on trial for her supposed adultery, and while in jail she gives birth to a baby girl whom Leontes believes to be the bastard child of Hermione and Polixenes. In order to settle the

rumours flying around, two lords, Cleomenes (Eitan Shalmon) and Dion (Julio Ospina), seek the word of the god Apollo for the final verdict. Apollo confirms Hermione’s innocence and that the child is indeed the daughter of Leontes, but he defies the oracle and convinces himself it is all untrue. In his crazed state, Leontes attempts to kill the child, but upon much pleading from fellow counsellors like Antigonus (A da m C re s s w ell) and his wife Paulina (Kristen Zaza), he declares that the child be abandoned in the mountains instead. Hermione tries to reason with Leontes in a very moving speech, but he simply shuns her and everyone is led to believe that she dies in prison.

Antigonus flees with the child to the shores of Bohemia, but he is soon ambushed by ferocious bears and must leave the child hidden, as he is ultimately attacked and killed. The morose and sinister mood then shifts quite drastically as the action moves to the lands of Bohemia, inhabited by happy-golucky shepherds and shepherdesses. One such old shepherd (Cameron Laurie) stumbles upon the child and raises her as his own, alongside his clown of a son (Jake Maric). Great dramatic irony ensues as Perdita (Alison Blair), the long-lost princess of

Sicilia, lives a rural life among the Bohemians, and many characters of the past return to put the pieces together in an attempt to unite the t wo ki ngd oms . In a n ot h er wis e fairly predictable plot, the unexpected, supernatural twist at the end allowed a number of actors and actresses to showcase the full range of their talents.

The play began on a somewhat static note, as much of the action was on a more psychological level that required the audience to follow Leontes’ frazzled thought processes. Paolo Santalucia gave a very strong performance as a king tormented by jealousy and paranoia, and he greatly charted the deterioration of Leontes as he loses both his wife and son, but redeems himself by embracing the daughter he cast off so long ago.

Hannah Drew’s portrayal of the emotionally abused Hermione was particularly compelling, as she perfectly conveyed the heartbreak Hermione feels as a result of her husband’s unfounded persecution.

Alison Blair gave a quaint performance as the couple’s young son, Mamillius, but she stood out to a greater degree as Perdita, whose royal heritage is unknown to her for countless years. Adam Cresswell and Kristen Zaza both put a lot of emotion into their characters, with whom the audience was able to connect, while

Matthew Gin greatly conveyed the scheming yet heartfelt nature of Camillo, who ends up helping out and plotting against the same people at various points in the play. Philip Stonhouse was equally enjoyable as the King of Bohemia, and he worked well to convey the centrality of his character to both plots.

However, the three standout performances belonged to Cameron Laurie, Jake Maric, and Andrew Soutter, whose jovial characters managed to invoke a new energy into the second half of the play. Laurie’s charisma emerged in his portrayal of the old shepherd and he had a great dynamic with Jake Maric, who played his oblivious and excitable clown of a son. Maric’s performance was incredibly refreshing, and it was evident that he was greatly enjoying himself onstage.

Soutter gave another endearing performance as the charming pickpocket, and together with Maric, they provided the greatest source of laughter throughout the entire second half. Despite the somewhat less exciting Sicilian plotline, all of the actors and actresses played their parts exceptionally well.The shift to Bohemia allowed for some entertaining music by Christopher Dawes and John Dowland, great choreography in Sarah Jane

Burton’s folk-ish dance sequences, and beautiful costume design by Joanne Massingham.

Although The Winter’s Tale is not one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays—in fact, it pales in comparison to Othello, as Leontes’ self-fashioned paranoia is much less captivating than Iago’s sly hell-raising—the true highlight was the strength of the entire ensemble’s performance.

The great talent of the third-year cast was apparent throughout the entire season, and although the graduating students have graced the Theatre Erindale stage for their final time, there is no doubt that their flair for the stage will take them even farther in years to come. Under the dedicated guidance of Theatre Erindale and the drama program faculty members, these actors and actresses were able to “come of age” both onstage and off.

Interested in reviewing next season’s shows at Theatre Erindale?

Contact arts@mediumonline.ca

10 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, MARCH

21, 2011

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Yellow Face addresses race

Hart House’s last performance of the year targets racial profiling in a satirical way ADRIANA FLORIDIA

David Henry Hwang’s semi-autobiographical, semi-fictional play Yellow Face asks a lot of raciallycharged questions, but in a very comical way. It places the playwright himself in the middle of a controversy regarding his accidental casting of a white man in an Asian role for his play, Face Value (an actual play of Hwang’s that flopped back in 1993). The play discusses the issues of racial profiling, stereotypes, and whether the race or cultural identity of a person is really all that important. Is it discriminatory to disregard race? But then again, is it discriminatory to acknowledge race and to let that affect the way a person is treated?

These questions and more are at the heart of Yellow Face, which knows how to deal with a serious subject yet still be enjoyable and lighthearted at the same time.

Hart House’s production of the play is successful in many ways. One standout was the exceptional acting by all seven players, many of whom had the challenge of taking on multiple roles at once. The material, which was deeply satirical, yet sometimes serious, could have been very hard to manage, but the cast

did well with what they had and delivered it to a very enthusiastic audience. Though some jokes seemed to fall flat, for every dull moment there was a successful one.

However, the contrast between the funny moments and serious ones seemed somewhat abrupt towards the end of the play. It seemed to forget that it was a comedy, and the tone changed drastically. This was a little difficult to adjust to, but furthered the deeper statement that the play was trying to get at: racism is no laughing matter.

The lead, Ben Wong, made a very likeable character out of the playwright Hwang, despite the protagonist’s lack of good judgment and the way he contradicts his own beliefs; he starts out in protest of casting a white man for the leading Asian role in Miss Saigon, yet then makes the same choice for his own play and tries to cover up the error. The supporting actors were all very strong and managed to give depth to the multiple characters they took on. At times it was confusing to have so few people take on many roles, but as the flow of the show continued it became easier to grasp who each person was playing throughout the performance. The role of the announcer, though simple and not too involved, was made interesting

by Carl Swanson, who did the best

he could with so little material.

Kristoffer Pedlar who played Marcus—the white man who is suddenly mistaken as an Asian both in the theatre and in his personal life— was the standout of the cast, as he did an excellent job of creating a character who is unsure of his own racial identity while also striving to find somewhere that he feels accepted. The way that his character and David Henry Hwang’s father (one of the characters played wonderfully by David Fujino) mirrored each other was also a wonderful undertone to the play.

They are two men who are lost between finding a new place to belong while attempting to remain true to their inherent culture.

On a more technical note, the setup of the stage was exceptional.

The stage was used in a way that made it versatile for many different scenarios, and as simple as it was, it made each scene feel authentic as it transported the audience to the various settings seamlessly.

The references to real-life events and people helped the understanding and grounding of the story. Partially based on a true story, the message felt that much closer to home, as things like racial profiling still occur in our modern society. The questions the play asks are difficult but important, and as of

Will O’Hare/The Varsity

Marcus (Pedlar) might not be Asian, but should his talent be eclipsed by his ethnicity? today we still don’t have an answer.

Should race matter? It’s a big question, and it beckons many different opinions, but hopefully we can arrive at an answer sooner rather than later. Yellow Face is a

smart, satirical, and eye-opening play that helps us to better understand the problems that are still going on in the world today regarding race in the entertainment business, but more importantly, in life.

Blackwood Gallery hosts graduate art exhibition

Edward Cai/The Medium

COLLEEN MUNRO ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

There is talent all over UTM, but it’s possible to find it conveniently \concentrated in one space at the Blackwood Gallery this month during the graduate exhibition.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of UTM’s Art & Art History program with Sheridan College, and 31 graduating students from the program are displaying their hard work in the campus gallery during March and April.

The celebration started on March 9, with the opening reception for the first half of the exhibition (which runs until March 20). The artists on display include Katherine Adams, Andrea Beiko, Emily van Dop, Laura Evans, Derek Friesen, Brent Hartford, Denise Juckers, Sebastian Koever, Christopher Lengyell, Ann Liao, Curtis Maclean, Emily Mahon, Patti Meris, Katy Montica, Catherine Red, Paola Savasta, and Natilee Zulerons.

This diverse group of artists uses a variety of mediums. From oil paints to silk-screening to video presenta-

tions, each piece stands out. The exhibition’s mission is to “reflect students’ individual interests, as well as their actions within and reactions to a shifting and indefinable world”. And with very different viewpoints and styles on display, the show certainly accomplishes that goal.

Emily van Dop’s ambitious multimedia display shows off her spin on the pointillism technique (“dots” of colour combined to form a larger picture). As well as her large, eye-catching wall installation, she also offers a glimpse into the creation process with a short time-lapse video

to accompany.

With all of the different styles on display, the exhibit still feels very well-balanced. The pieces range from very large to relatively small in scale, and as a group, they easily fill the Blackwood Gallery. But the layout prevents the space from becoming overcrowded, and each piece is given its proper space to stand out.

And while this first group of artists provides an eclectic exhibition on their own, there is even more to come. The second part of the exhibition will run from March 23 to April 3. The opening reception for the sec-

ond exhibition will be held on March 23 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Blackwood Gallery. The second group of graduates includes Smriti Bhasin, Victoria Borg, Karalyn Darosa, Weijia Feng, Jennifer Giang, Catherine Jeon, Ravneet Karir, Sara Moreno, Shirley Mpagi, Hannah Murray, Breann Ritchie, Karyn Semple, Adam Snowball, and Sarah Waterfield.

The Blackwood Gallery is open 12–3 p.m. on weekends, and 12–5 p.m. on weekdays (12-9 p.m. on Wednesdays). For more information, visit blackwoodgallery.ca.

MONDAY, MARCH

21, 2011THE MEDIUM 11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Camilo Diez, Michael Belanger, and Norris Yacoub host ed the annual Style and Profyle charity fashion and dance show in support of the Dream Foundation.

Students displayed the different types of love and lust of this year’s theme, from surviving as a single lady to get ting married and living happily ever after, and show cased fashion from various retailers, including Banana Republic and Sirens.

“I was inspired by The Beatles Love Cirque Du Soleil show in Las Vegas. Love is such a broad concept that touches everyone,” said Cheyenne Thannikkotu, president of Style and Profyle. In accordance with the theme, models wore a wide range of clothes, showcasing club wear, what to wear on a date, and even bridal gowns and suits.

After two months of rehearsing, the show ran smoothly and was very entertaining. Many mem bers of the audience could be heard cheering on their friends and family members as they rocked the runway. “The show was great! There was never a dull moment, and you could tell that they put a lot of effort into organizing it,” said audience member Kevin Raja. Diez, Belanger, and Yacoub were hilariously entertaining throughout the evening, and at one point they challenged each other to a pick up line competition to see who could pick up the most ladies. Diez was even brave enough to wear a belly dancing costume and prance around on stage showing off his skills.The second act of the night spiced things up with a sexy Latin samba dance choreographed by Emily Podgorzec, followed by a tribute to Bollywood choreographed by Cindy Almeida. Alyssa Seli and Alan Resendes choreo graphed an amazing mash up of dubstep, hip hop, and breakdancing entitled “Not a Man’s World” that got the crowd pumped up. Other perfor mances that stood out included the traditional belly dancing scene with costumes designed by Thannikkotu, reggae dancing, a unique piece by GG Squad, and a lyrical piece choreographed by Diana Pandya. The show ended with four cou ples modelling bridal gowns and suits, a fitting end to a lovely evening. All proceeds from the fashion and dance show will be donated to the Dream Foundation to help educate children in developing nations.

Article Lysan Sequeira

Photography Edward Cai

12 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, MARCH

21, 2011

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Albums in review

Angles —The Strokes

ELIZABETH LUONG DO

JULIA GRABOWSKA

There aren’t many words adequate to describe the intense anticipation that fans of The Strokes have felt for the past few years. When news broke out in late 2010 that The Strokes were back in the studio and soon to be on tour once again, anticipation rose to its ultimate high. But now, the time has finally come to have a listen to the fourth studio album by The Strokes. Entitled Angles, the album leaked all across the Internet about a week prior to its set release date, although the tangible record will be available in stores on Tuesday, March 22.

Not only is Machu Picchu an ancient fortress city in Peru, it is also the title of the opening track on Angles. The song has an ’80s surf feel, and Julian Casablancas’ classic vocals welcome back the world. The first song, along with the album’s first single, “Under Cover of Darkness”, give us the distinctive catchy melodies for which The Strokes are known. The band does not stray very far from what they knew in 2006 with First Impressions of Earth, and they had no reason to do so after such an overwhelmingly positive response from fans.

Oddly enough, a couple of tunes from The Strokes’ fourth record sound similar to some of Casablancas’ solo work on his debut album, Phrazes for the

★ ★ ★ ★½ Mind Bokeh—Bibio ★ ★ ★ Mind Bokeh is the third album released

by Bibio, aka Stephen Wilkinson, and his second on Warp Records.

Wilkinson has transformed his vintage, folky 2006 sound into a mix of various genres, proving his true mixing talent.

Bibio, well known for experimentally crafting liquefying, face-melting beats does not shy away from this talent in Mind Bokeh. Although some uneasy fans may feel as though the change in genres from song to song is too inconsistent for an album to flow well, Bibio manages to get the right rhythm going as he segues from song to song; they somehow meld better and

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Young. “Games” has the funky keyboard-driven sound that “11th Dimension” also plays. As well, “Two Kinds of Happiness” closely shadows “Left & Right in the Dark” musically during the ambitious riffed chorus.

The band manages to slow down the pace in a few songs on the record, in a deep and reflective way. For instance, “Call Me Back” offers a slow and intimate pondering with frontman Casablancas’ soft lyrical performance. “Life Is Simple in the Moonlight” was prereleased with “Under Cover of Darkness” and performed on Saturday Night Live a few weeks

ago. It wraps up the album well with a mixed feeling of smooth, simple notes and threatening lyrics that conclude, “Don’t try to stop us, get out of the way.”

It is safe to say that Angles was the Ritalin we all needed to calm our anxiety. The album offers us a dose of The Strokes under a little less rough-and-rowdy mentality than their previous albums. The band has returned with a load of positive feedback with this longawaited album, but the wait isn’t truly over. After all, now all we can do is click “repeat” and wait for Canadian tour dates to be announced…

Goodbye Lullaby—Avril Lavigne JENNIFER EWEN

Avril Lavigne has been on the music scene since 2002 with the release of her first album, Let Go, and became known as a grungy, skater-girl-type songwriter. Since then, she has released Under My Skin and The Best Damn Thing, in which she changed her sound to poppy, upbeat, and outgoing, shed her old punk-rock teenage angst songs, and put bright pink in her wardrobe. Lavigne’s new album, Goodbye Lullaby, has been in production for two years and was supposed to have an earlier release date, but was pushed back due to problems with creative control. The new album, released on March 4, isn’t as inyour-face as The Best Damn Thing, but still isn’t exactly like her old music. The songs feature strong drumbeats (some seeming more techno than rock) and have a little bit of special effects (like the help from keyboards and synthesizers), but this album leans more toward pop/rock rather than punk, and even features acoustic guitar and piano in some songs.

The first single, “What the Hell”, is really the only song that follows the lead of her last album, with an upbeat and catchy chorus and a music video featuring the pink strands in her hair, lots of product placement, and Lavigne doing crazy things while she messes with a guy. The rest of the songs are more tame, but the song “Smile” features a chorus with lots of repeats of single syllables, making it easy for the song to get stuck in your head like “Girlfriend” from The Best Damn Thing. The songs have the usual lyrical mix of self-empowering songs (it’s fine to be yourself—just look at Avril!), I-hate-you breakup songs, and love songs (namely, “I Love You”, which features a chorus about how wonderful someone is). “Not Enough” actually starts

better with each listen.

Mind Bokeh may be a hard album to enjoy the first time, but if you’ve heard the sampler posted a few months back, you’ll know there is a lot of potential.

After a few run-throughs you’ll be blasting funky, upbeat “K is for Kelson” on your front porch this summer, and listening to “Saint Christopher” while reading your wornout copy of Crime and Punishment in the park.

Overall, Mind Bokeh is an eccentric album. Returning Bibio fans shouldn’t expect the same eerie melodies as Ambivalence Avenue. Instead, they should embrace the new mixings Wilkinson has to offer—otherwise disappointment is in store.

★★★

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out with a guitar playing and no drumbeat, then builds into the chorus with lots of vocal echoing as the chorus settles back into the verse. This song is basic pop/rock and more like Lavigne’s old songs—think “My Happy Ending” from Under My Skin.

If you’re a fan of her older music, you will probably like this song. It still fits in with the rest of her album, but doesn’t exactly scream hit song either.

It’s clear that Avril still has a band playing, even featuring piano in “Black Star” and “Goodbye” (the last song on the album and another love song). But this time, her songs don’t require choreography and crazy music videos to get the feeling of the song across. This album feels more laid back; it is not really meant to be blasted at a tween sleepover or party, but rather to be listened to as you walk to class or when

you’re alone in your room.

For those who loved The Best Damn Thing and the very upbeat songs from that album, you might not like Goodbye Lullaby as much. If you’ve only heard “What the Hell” and really like it, you should listen to some of the other songs before buying the album—you might not find you like the rest of them. But for the fans of Avril who have liked all of her albums, or even just the first few, you might still like this album because it seems to be a medley of sounds between her first two albums and The Best Damn Thing. None of the songs are really amazing or stick out, but it’s good music to have playing when you’re hanging out with friends or even by yourself. So go out and buy the album if you’re okay with another new(ish) type of music from Avril—otherwise, wait for the next one.

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Thank you to the following writers who contributed to the A&E section this year: ANDREA AMBROGI LUCY ZEMLJIC ADRIANA FLORIDIA ELIZABETH LUONG DO JENNIFER EWEN JULIA GRABOWSKA LYSAN SEQUEIRA AMIR AHMED ADAM ERB HEATHER MARTIN KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI MEGHAN JEFFERY MARIANA COMITO JESSE MAGALLANES RAVI GABBLE PRIYA COOMBS BRENT HARTFORD LINDA NGO STEFANIE MAROTTA

And a very special thank you to the Assistant A&E Editor, Colleen Munro..

MONDAY, MARCH

21, 2011 THE MEDIUM 13

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Spring/summer music preview ELIZABETH LUONG DO

With the warm weather upon us and exams pending, it’s evident that spring is in the air—and that there’s much more to look forward to, in particular the summer months and a butt-load of new album releases.

So far, 2011 has brought a plethora of fantastic and fantastically disappointing albums. But with the second-last week of March and the impending spring season, there is much to anticipate. This Tuesday, March 23, sees the release of the highly anticipated album Angles from The Strokes. With a few songs already leaked on the Internet, fans have been able to get a little taste—and boy, have they been craving

more. With the release of their album, The Strokes will be hitting the touring ground with their first stop in New York before making their way over to Coachella, and then hopefully hitting Toronto in the next few months.

Speaking of Coachella... if you’re able to see only one concert all summer, it should probably be Coachella. Indio, California’s three-day music festival, pretty much includes every artist that will come to your city during the summer for the small fee of $300. If you are a lucky duck and managed to snag tickets before they were sold out in a week, the lineup will not disappoint.

Headliners include Arcade Fire, The Strokes, and Kanye West. With the announced reunion of the boys from Death from Above 1979, Coachella will most definitely once again be the summer

music festival not to miss.

Other exciting album releases include Arctic Monkeys’ Suck It and See, due to be out June 6. Alex Turner and co. have already leaked their debut song, “Brick by Brick”, and there’s only one word to describe it: badass. Arctic Monkeys are due to play Toronto’s Kool Haus on May 21.

Other anticipated albums include the greatly hyped Kanye West and Jay-Z joint album, Watch the Throne, which has been said to drop sometime during summer, but with no specific date announced yet.

Toronto always has an amazing list of artists who visit during the summer, and much of the time concertgoers are torn between which acts to see. The summer tour announcements thus far seem to be no different. Starting off in early April, both Cut Copy and Toro Y Moi will be hitting the stage on April 7 at the Sound Academy and Wrongbar. Cut Copy will be touring with Brooklyn-made DFA signees Holy Ghost!, who never disappoint. Holy Ghost! will also release their self-titled debut album on April 5.

In other DFA news, April 2 will mark the date that much-loved LCD Soundsystem will play their last show ever.

After last year’s announcement that LCD will finish on a high note and disband after the release of This Is Happening, fans have been waiting for the day. LCD Soundsystem will play four shows at New York’s Terminal 5 on March 28–31, and end at Madison Square Garden.

6 concerts to hit this summer: Cut Copy w/ Holy Ghost!— April 7, The Sound Academy

instantriverside.com

Pink clouds and palm trees: concert life at Coachella.

Author Barbara Gowdy visits UTM KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI NEWS EDITOR

Barbara Gowdy, a Canadian author and writer in residence at U of T St. George, spoke to a crowd at UTM on March 8.

Gowdy, who was invited by the English department, read from and spoke about three of her most famous works, Falling Angels, The White Bone, and We So Seldom Look on Love, a collection of short stories. “ ‘Nightmarish and wonderful’ is a term that applies to much of Barbara Gowdy’s work,” began Professor Wood.

Gowdy is known for writing characters who are eerie and extreme, including an alcoholic mother in Falling Angels, elephants in The White Bone, and a necrophile in the short story “We So Seldom Look on Love”.

“I see myself in all my characters,” said Gowdy. “They’re all me. I was never as daring as or as angry as Lou [a character in Falling Angels] when I was growing up.”

Gowdy was born on June 25, 1950 in Windsor, Ontario. Much of her work focusses on turning extreme and grotesque characters into next-door neighbours.

“I come from a family where my parents were blunt. I wasn’t protected from anything,” said Gowdy. “That’s how the world was to me. I want to see the worst possible stuff first.”

“I think you write from emotional and moral trees and everything else is furniture,” she continued. She joked that she wants to see into people’s closets and medicine cabinets to see their secrets, even telling professor Levene, her next-door neighbour, that she goes through his closets when he’s not home. “You should change your locks,” she joked.

When talking about The White Bone, a novel told from the perspective of an

elephant about the difficulties of an elephant’s life, Gowdy said, “Everything that happens in this book happens. I just gave it intention.”

“I think animals are our science fiction,” continued Gowdy. “If you’re an animal in this world, be afraid. Be very afraid, unless you’re a pampered pet.”

She spoke about her time in Africa when a group of elephants was walking toward her across a river. She said elephants in the wild are protective of their families because of the horrors that humans put them through, but the elephants spared her life and walked on. Gowdy compared the elephants’ actions in sparing her life to what a human would do in that situation.

When asked about her short story, “We So Seldom Look on Love”, about a necrophile who works at a mortuary in order to have access to cadavers, Gowdy said the story is based on an actual case in California in 1978 when a woman named Karen Greenly worked at a mortuary.

Greenly was charged for stealing a hearse instead of for disturbing a body.

Gowdy said her collection of short stories, We So Seldom Look on Love, is based on true stories that she heard and researched over the years.

When asked if she’ll be writing any more short stories, Gowdy joked, “I only have so many first lines.” She compared a short story to a book saying that a book is like a continent, rocky and exciting on both ends, then some exciting cities, with the flat prairies in the middle.

“I didn’t always want to be a writer. I wanted to be a musician. You sort of need permission to write,” said Gowdy. “I never thought of myself as odd and strange. This is just how I see the world. I do what occurs to me.” Speaking about her past writing, Gowdy said, “The person I was when I was a girl, and the person I was when I wrote it, is not the person who I am now.”

Tame Impala—May 1, the Phoenix

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The forthcoming collaboration between Kanye and Jay Z. Adele—May 18, Kool Haus

Holy Ghost!, Holy Ghost!

April 7

Arctic Monkeys—May 21, Kool Haus Beady Eye—June 11, The Sound Academy The Tragically Hip w/ Weezer, Broken Social Scene, Hey Rosetta, and Buck 65— July 1, Downsview Park

Metronomy, English Riviera April 11 Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues May 3

6 albums to check out this summer:

Death Cab for Cutie, Codes and Keys May 31

Kanye West and Jay-Z, Watch the Throne Mar ch 29 (rumoured)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., It’s a Corporate World June 7

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MONDAY,MARCH

21, 2011

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Short Story Contest winners La Petite Mort STEFANIE KOLODIJ

Sit in the swirling silence; the darkness breathes across my skin.

The moonlight paints the world in silver, All the stars you see are dead.

The air contains a memory; something special that I’ll forget.

This night is thick with all our choices, I cannot waste a single breath.

You remind me of all I left behind; the beauty that used to be belief.

I’m gone—my mind is silent screaming, “Oh fuck—ohgodnoplease.”

My mistakes taste like honey; like a poison painted on my mouth.

I’ve given in, you’ll kill me any moment, but I only need this one small death.

Of Scarves and Snow Days STEFANIE KOLODIJ

I nestled into the depression I made in the snow bank by the side of the road, knees pulled up to my chest as I waited for the school bus. I knew it was late, but it was snowing a whole lot like yesterday, so maybe the bus was cancelled again. Still, I waited. Warm in my pink snow suit and new boots with my fingers picking at the loose thread on the mittens Grandma made me, I didn’t mind. I was the only one in the whole fifth grade who had matching rainbow mitts, hat, and scarf. I couldn’t figure out how to keep my breath from freezing my eyelashes, though.

“Hey kid, do you want a ride?” I hadn’t heard the sound of Daddy’s big gold truck pulling up, but he was leaning past the passenger seat to look over the snow bank at me. His newlyshaven head was covered with a dark blue hat, but I could always recognize him by his big square glasses and his rumbling voice. He smiled under his thick moustache and waved me over. I jumped up and stumbled to open the

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Mom and Daddy told us that Daddy was sick. I cried, but just the one time.

Mommy said it was OK to cry, but I didn’t want to anymore. The note I brought to school made my teacher cry and hug me. It was weird.

When we got to the chemo room, Daddy got to sit in one of the biggest, comfiest-looking chairs they had. I looked around at all the other chairs while the nurse bent over Daddy’s arm to put the needle in. I made sure to watch so that nurse wouldn’t be mean like last one and bruise him again. Last time they bruised him so bad that it crept down halfway to his wrist and up past his t-shirt sleeve. Satisfied that he was okay, I found the fastest-spinning chair. I zoomed back and forth along the chemo room, making sure not to hit anybody. There was a lady with the needle going into her chest and a scarf on her head that smiled at me. I pushed myself back over to Daddy.

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car door and slide in.

“Were buses cancelled again?” I had to pull down my scarf to ask, as I buckled my seat belt.

“Yep. So you’re not going to school today, there’s no point. You want to come to chemo with me?” He reached over and squeezed either side of my kneecap with the hands of a giant, making me squeal and bat his hand away while he chuckled.

“Yeah, let’s go, but promise no tickling!”

I loved snow days. I got to spend the whole day with Daddy again, and we’d probably go to KFC if I was good, but first we had to go to the hospital. I didn’t mind the hospital; I kind of liked it, actually. The room Daddy went to only ever had a couple people in it, and there was always something to do.

They had books and a huge TV and chairs that spun. The only thing I didn’t like was how people looked at me on our way in to the room. Like they knew something that I didn’t.

I had been to the chemo room twice before. Once with my brother and sister, and another time, on my own with Daddy. The first time was right after

The sisters Arcelli, Mely, Dely, and Letty scamper around the dingy, damp, dark house. Letty, youngest at four years old, crawls to the bedside and bunches the heavy beige cotton blanket on their Tatang’s body.

Arcelli, eldest at twelve years old, limps to Letty and tucks in the blanket under the old man’s waist.

“Letty, tara nga dito (come here),” Arcelli says, and grabs Letty to the other side of the bed against the straw walls.

Thudding footsteps march closer.

Pak! Pak! Pak! The harsh, raspy voices of the soldiers echo.

Arcelli and Letty pile blankets and pillows on their Tatang. Domingo Salazar, father to the four girls, groans and rolls his head on the pillow:

“Sauna nanaman (Another sauna)?”

The Filipinos call it “sauna” when the Japanese soldiers barge into the civilian houses to gather all the ablebodied men to kill. Many men jump into the Pilar River that runs behind the family’s house. Tall, toothy weeds spout from the water. They jump into the water and hide inside the bushes despite the stench of dirty water.

Letty pouts her thin lips and clenches the blanket into a ball. She nods.

Japanese words ring in the little girls’ ears. Harsh sounds. Pointed consonants. Flat accents. Vowels breathed, unspoken.

Their Inang sweeps her hand across the room and hisses, “Padating na sila (they’re here), sh! Sh! Mely? Dely?”

With drawn eyebrows and a scrunched nose, she squints around the small square straw hut for her two other daughters.

Mely and Dely’s bare feet thump on the bamboo-woven floor. Mely carries a white, metallic urinal pot, an arinola, and drops it beside the bed. The yellowish liquid swishes inside. Droplets splatter and cling to the blanket.

Dely holds a bowl of watered-down rice and a spoon. She joins her sisters beside the bed and they kneel.

A howl pierces the silent room. The wooden door blasts open. Two soldiers clad in murky brown uniforms, auburn cross-body holsters, brown leather shoes caked with mud, and heads crowned with brown hats and white cloth sticking out from under like flaps, storm inside.

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Waves of Change MICHAEL GRAHAM

“Set the anchor down here,” Lucky’s voice called across the windswept deck of the galleon to the faces of her crew and friends below. They did as she bade and with three jarring clunks the anchor plunged beneath the whitecapped swells that crashed against the Calibur’s mighty bow.

Lucky watched from the helm as the four-member crew stumbled away from the opening in the mahogany wood of the ship where the chain that held the anchor disappeared over the edge and out of sight into the waves as the vessel slowed to a halt. The refreshing smell of brine filled her nostrils as Lucky stepped away from the massive wheel that commanded the ship and descended the simple wooden staircase down to the main deck, careful to step around the patch-

work of rigging and lines that sprawled across the floor. Her crew— her friends—greeted her with small, weary smiles that shone through the dim moonlight that loomed over their hunched and exhausted figures. She mirrored their smiles and gave each of them a dismissive nod, though they didn’t leave her side as the five of them walked in silent unison toward the wall of wood that concealed the stairs leading down to the lower decks.

Lucky’s hand reached out for the small knob of the door that blended into the wood when a gentle grip found her wrist and pulled her hand away.

War Bashrai’s faint grin met her gaze as she turned to him. His fingers uncurled from her wrist and fell stiffly to his side, his knuckles worn and bloodied. She gave him a questioning look and he replied by shaking his head, leading her back to where the remaining three had ended

their pursuit and were now leaning over the side of the low railing that surrounded the deck. She felt a twinge of guilt as she rested her elbows on the smooth mahogany of the railing and pulled her face over the edge, her sensitive ears perked.

They were filled with the sounds of the ocean: the roll of waves as they crashed against the hull, the cry of the seagulls from a far-off shore, the low whistle of the breeze as it played with her hair. Her gaze was lost in the ocean, unable to bring herself to look at the others, who had slaved away all day under her command and owed her for their bruised hands and bloodied features.

For the rest of the story, please visit mediumonline.ca

MONDAY, MARCH

21, 2011 THE MEDIUM 15

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

S-curve, spline curve, bell curve GORDON FREEMAN School is ending, exams are coming, and students across UTM wonder, “What grade will I get?”

The question isn’t as simple as it sounds; even if you enter in every grade, mark it against the syllabus weightings, and account for those mercurial “participation marks”, the mark you get might not be the one you’ve earned.

Of course, it all depends on what you mean by “earned”.

Grading policy at U of T and other universities worldwide usually operate on some sort of curved grading system. A curved grading system enforces a certain grade-point distribution among a class. The philosophy behind curved grading is long,

ardous, and frankly too vast to adequately cover in one five-column article, but the basic discussion is as follows.

Some students see the system as a method of ensuring fair grading. “If 200 people fail a test, it’s not because everyone in that class is stupid,” says Aadam Malik, a chemical engineering student. “In a case like that, I think the test was probably too hard.”

Other students believe curved grading makes marks arbitrary. “It seems unfair when grading is not based on your abilities but someone else’s,” says Robert Hartford, an art and art history student. “In one class, I wrote a seven-page article in two hours, handed it in, and got one hundred percent. I didn’t deserve that mark, but my professor probably

UTM course says “Think Globally, Act Locally” MARIJANA JOSIFOVSKA

During the last five weeks, students taking professor John Johnston’s Global Climate Change course have been communicating across the globe with Grade 8 students in Singapore to implement various environmental action projects locally and reduce the human impact on climate change globally.

This new course has teamed up 35 UTM students who are e-mentoring 20 middle school students from the United World College of South East Asia to gain a better understanding of Canada and Singapore’s relationship to climate change by organizing various projects that will raise awareness and help students take action.

Three students currently enrolled in the course—Marijana Josifovska, Stephanie Pugliese, and Jeffrey Estabrooks—have been collaborating with two students at UWC in Singapore on an education campaign to improve recycling habits at each campus. Their approach has used visual and media techniques such as posters above garbage bins and a YouTube video/photo campaign to ensure

people know exactly what items are recyclable on campus and what are not.

“It’s really interesting to speak to the students in Singapore, who attend a very environmentally conscious school, yet to learn that about 75% of the action plans they chose to do focussed on waste management,” said Josifovska.

The UTM members have added an extra step in their action plan to analyze the progress and success of the campaign by studying 110 students who have pledged to be more environmentally conscious for the duration of the campaign.

“Items such as Pizza Pizza pans, Mr. Sub and Tim Horton’s sandwich bags, pop cans, plastic water bottles, and glass beverage containers are all recyclable—and yet students across campus are still throwing them in the trash. When every student does this, it adds up,” said Pugliese.

Eastbrooks concluded, “Just because you weren’t approached to take a pledge doesn’t mean you can’t take part in this exciting challenge! Please do what you can to reduce your waste on campus, and together we can make a real difference.”

used it to counteract the test that I’d bombed. I can’t tell what my profs are thinking, and I can’t guarantee that if I put in effort, I’ll get anything out of it.”

In 2010, University of Alberta professor Mikhail Kovalyov was assigned a range of discplinary actions for encouraging his students to fight when their marks were lowered by the faculty.

Curved grading policies have caused problems for administration and faculty as well. A Macleans arti-

cle reported on a US professor who had failed most of the students in a biology class. The professor, Steven Aird, claimed that he refused to alter his marks and let students pass without understanding the material. Of course, Aird was promptly fired. The article concluded, “Instead of grade inflation smoothing out the bell curve, it has actually reached the point where it has completely inverted it.”

Other professors have gotten in trouble for grading students too high.

In 2010, University of Alberta professor Mikhail Kovalyov was assigned a range of discplinary actions for encouraging his students to fight when their marks were lowered by the faculty.

Ultimately, the problem comes

down to how we define a “grade”. A grade is a number meant to indicate performance or understanding, but if everyone has an “excellent” grade of 90%, does that mean somehow everyone is actually excelling the average, or just that the bar is set too low? A number is objective, but a grade is more like a currency that can fall and rise in value depending on its relation to other grades.

Other issues, like steadily rising grade averages across North America and accusations that universities have been passing students too easily, have compounded the problem and added to our collective confusion. I’d add my own input into the discussion but, you know, I gotta study for exams. There’s only three A spots, so I’d better get working.

Student awaits publication AMIR AHMED FEATURES EDITOR The world is ruined from a forgotten apocalypse. A single city shines in the wreckage, and only a single man sees anything wrong with it.

So opens Jeffrey Minucci’s novel, Fire and Steel, published by American Book Publishing and set to release on May 14 in the Barnes & Noble chain and through various online retailers.

Minucci, a UTM student studying political science and history, is eager for the release of his first novel.

When asked how he felt about his future publication, Minucci replied, “More nervous than anything else.

While I’m excited at this great opportunity, I know that marketing for an unknown first-time author can be very difficult.”

Fire and Steel takes readers to a dystopia after an unnamed cataclysm destroys most of human civilization.

One prosperous city remains, but none of the citizens can remember the event that nearly destroyed them all. Rumours of tribes outside the city, as well as a subplot tracing the origin of the disaster, drive the book forward.

Minucci started writing at 19, occasionally pausing for school. He

queried Fire and Steel to a number of agents, but none were willing to review the full manuscript. “I’m so grateful that someone finally took it,” he says. “It’s really hard to break into the publishing world, to convince agents and publishers that you’re worth taking a look at.”

Minucci’s take on writing is to have a backup plan. “My personal advice would be: you should try, but you should be realistic. It’s really tough to make a living in the indus-

try, and I have no illusions.” He plans to start law school next year.

In the world of publishing, Minucci’s biggest concern with the industry is its tight-knit nature.

Lower book sales and a skeptical community have made it hard for new talent to break in. While Minucci hopes for the best, I think we could all make things better by simply reviving the industry and buying more books.

Fire and Steel, for instance.

teach students.

So far, the technology has been used for academic purposes, sports training purposes, and most recently, corporate training purposes. The software is a “tool” or an advanced “word processor” to help others to teach online more effectively, says Graham.

With a small team of business partners and three programmers, Graham envisions many future audiences using the technology he has invented as he and his colleagues come up with new ideas.

“The applications are just huge,” says Graham. “Our challenge is to find ways to teach people that type of material in a way that isn’t just a page-turner.”

Although his software developments are the tools with which a lot of research is being conducted, Graham does not see himself as a researcher, but rather a “developer”.

“Senior lecturers typically do not have a research component in their job description,” Graham says. “My research is more building software and seeing if it works in a real setting.

We’re making a tool that’s going to be useful, not just in PSY100, but will be useful from kindergarten to old folks’ homes. We’re living in the Star Wars era. When I was a kid, we dreamed of having a phone where you can see somebody talking on it, and we said, that won’t be in our lifetime…and now it’s here.”

Graham reveals that he changed his field of study every year while he was a student in university. Business, engineering, and philosophy (“I just love ideas”) were some of Graham’s potential majors. He chose psychology because he was interested in “something to do with problem-solving”.

Graham, along with professor Dax Urbszat, has performed with his band at the Psychology Association of Undergraduate Students of Erindale’s annual Variety Night. Besides acting as chief scientist for DeckChair, teaching 22 PSY100 lab sections, and further developing Sniffy, Graham’s other interests include rock-and-roll music, archaeology, and ancient civilizations.

Edward Cai/The Medium

Profile: Dr. Jeffrey Graham LARISSA HO ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Dr. Jeffrey Graham teaches the lab component to all PSY100 students.

What most students do not know, however, is that he actually designed the lab curriculum for PSY100, in the state-of-the-art psychology lab in the Davis Building.

Graham, a senior lecturer in the psychology department, arrived at UTM in 1992. Having extensive previous experience in developing software, he assisted with the development of the software called “Psychomouse” which psychology students know these days as “Sniffy the Virtual Rat”, a simulation of behavioural models in

learning.

Over the years, Graham and his colleagues wrote educational software in the UTM psychology lab. In 2006, the University of Toronto picked up on the adaptive learning software inventions that had been developed and decided to help with the commercialization of the invention, resulting in DeckChair Learning Systems.

Currently, DeckChair Learning Systems is in contract with the Ontario Hockey League to train sports officials, such as referees. DeckChair hopes to be part of the delivery platform for the online research team at the Seneca College Aviation Project by providing the simulation needed to test pilots as well as train them to

16 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, MARCH

FEATURES

21, 2011

Jennifer Lasachuk: WGS Student of the Year LARISSA HO ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR On Tuesday, March 8, International Women’s Day at UTM, fifth-year women and gender studies student Jennifer Lasachuk received the Women and Gender Studies Student of the Year award.

It’s no surprise that she received the award, considering her extensive feminist advocacy in the past few years. During the 2008/09 year, she volunteered as a general member for the UTM Women + Gender Studies Action Group (WGS-AG) and from 2009 to 2011 she has volunteered as the president of the group. Since 2007, it has been the ambition of the WGS-AG to (1) raise awareness, fundraise for, and promote change for issues of gender, race, class, health, sexuality, that is, environment, social, and political issues, in the local community; (2) promote the women and gender studies program to fellow students at UTM, and (3) provide a welcoming, supportive and educational environment for its members to grow personally, socially and academically.

“In 2009/10 our fundraising efforts allowed us to make a $900 donation to the Credit Valley Hospital’s Campaign of Care initiative, with which we were able to purchase equipment for the new pediatric unit,” revealed Lasachuk. “This year to date, our efforts have reached over the $1,200 mark. And it has been

decided that the money will go to fund the Peel Poverty Action Group’s literacy class for those who are experiencing poverty or homelessness in the Peel Region. The class happens at a soup kitchen in Brampton, and several of the WGS-AG members are instructors in the class.”

Between 2009 and 2011, Lasachuk has also been the volunteer coordinator of the UTM Sisters of Substance Leadership Retreat for girls in the local community.

“This two-day annual camp provides us an opportunity to reach and promote feminist values for girls in grades 7 to 11,” said Lasachuk. She added, “Myself, along with four other dedicated university students— Veronica Marchuk (UTM), Eve Dufour (UTM), Ashley Yoannou (UTM), and Allison Cleal (York)— planned a Mardi Gras Bowling and Poker Party fundraiser in Streetsville, which upon its execution (successful only with the incredible help of SOS volunteers and UTM students Natalia Czaniecki, Abbey Nejar, Rose Attalla, Roxanne Vieira, Anna-Lisa Bucci, and alumnShakira Abubakar) raised nearly $1,300 for the camp weekend.”

As part of her participation in the WGS Practicum, since November 2009 Lasachuk has volunteered with a nonprofit advocacy group, the Peel Poverty Action Group.

“Chaired by one of the three women whom I call my mentors, Edna Toth, this group works to raise

awareness and promote social and political change for ending the epidemic of absolute poverty and homelessness in the Peel Region (Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon),” said Lasachuk, who was offered a full scholarship to the University of Western Ontario to complete a master’s degree focussed on the feminization of poverty.

“I can truthfully say that had I not have been introduced to the issues of chronic, systemic, and gendered poverty the way I have been exposed to it with PPAG, I don’t think I would have bothered applying,” said Lasachuk. “The WGS Practicum, under the supervision of the wonderful Joan Simalchik, in combination with the efforts of Edna Toth, have changed the course of my life, and I am forever grateful.”

This year marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. While Lasachuk agrees with feminists who say that the most important part of celebrating IWS is “to honour and acknowledge the years of struggle which our feminist foremothers overcame in order to obtain the rights and privileges women enjoy today… for me, the more crucial part of the celebration is to acknowledge those women who currently advocate for gender justice around the world.”

Lasachuk continued, “Today in Canada, to an alarming degree, society (and even some conservative feminists) does not recognize that

facebook.com

Jennifer Lasachuk is the Women and Gender Studies Student of the Year. there are any significant gender inequalities which exist within the public and private spheres of contemporary life. In my last four years in the Women and Gender Studies Program here at UTM, I have come to realize that social justice for women doesn’t start with political voting privileges (first wave) and end with diverse sexuality tolerance (third wave), certainly not when pay equity, child care, the glass ceiling, racism, and violence against women are still ever-present symptoms of systemic patriarchy.”

“Therefore, every year on March 8th, when I think about the sisters we

should be celebrating just a little bit more, I think about the nonprofit advocacy networks, grassroots movement organizers, the frontline shelter staff, the abuse hotline respondents, the feminist policy makers, the fundraising clubs and societies, the professors/instructors of feminist studies, and, of course, the survivors.

I think about these women because 100 years later they are not blind to reality; they are still inspiring change, they are still raising awareness—and as professor Joan Simalchik would say, ‘They are accumulating like snowflakes on the branches of sexism.’ ”

Science Corner

Cool jobs in science: I want to be a...

EMILY ACHESON ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR Being a science student isn’t easy.

There are pre-labs, labs, lab reports, equations, mechanisms, and endless tests, assignments, and quizzes. To be honest, I couldn’t care less about electron flow, the steps of glycolysis, or the theory of relativity. If you’re tired of the old “doctor, lawyer, engineer” career options, there are many cool science careers that could make the long nights at your desk worthwhile. Here are just a few: Ocean archaeologist Robert Ballard was the first to discover the Titanic, the famous ocean liner that sunk in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912. His discovery was made possible by a small robotic submarine he helped develop while working in the navy. Ballard earned undergraduate degrees in chemistry and geology. He now works as a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island.

CERN physicist Francis Ribochaud made Star Trek a reality when his team at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, created antimatter in 2010. CERN, an epicentre for the study of fundamental physics, holds some of the world’s largest and most complex scientific apparatuses. If you follow Ribochaud’s path and do a bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD in physics, you could work with the Large Hadron Collider (the largest and highest-energy proton accelerator in the world).

Palaeontologist Jack Horner became one of the most

famous American palaeontologists after he discovered and nam ed Maiasaura. His discovery of the duck-billed creature provided the first evidence that dinosaurs cared for their young. Horner majored in zoology and geology, published over 100 professional papers, and wrote dinosaur stories for children. His famed expertise led him to be technical advisor for the film Jurassic Park. He was also the inspiration of lead character Dr. Alan Grant.

Sci-fi or screenplay writer Screenplay writers and novelists have a competitive edge with a science degree. Understanding of the natural world can lead writers to invent believable creatures. I, Robot writer Isaac Asimov published hundreds of science fiction novels while working as a professor of biochemistry. Have you ever seen a science fiction movie and shouted, “No way! That’s not biologically possible!”? If you have, this profession might be for you.

Actuary Actuarial science applies math and statistics to predict the risk in insurance and finance ind ustries.

Actuarial science students specialize in business, economics, mathematics, and statistics. Actuarial science has recently been voted in the top three careers in North America by Jobs Rated Almanac.

Paramedic Canada offers three types of paramedics. Primary Care Paramedics (PCPs), the entry level of paramedic practice, mainly work in ambulances and respond to 911 calls.

PCPs can further specialize to become Advanced Care Paramedics,

working with various medications and advanced airway management.

Critical Care Paramedics do not usually respond to 911 calls.

Instead, they are in charge of transporting patients between hospitals and mainly work in rotary wing aircraft. Students pursuing this field must attend specialized paramedic colleges.

NASA psychologist Do you enjoy psychology? Do you like astronauts? Malcolm Cohen, a psychologist, works with NASA astronauts to help them deal with weightlessness in space. Cohen works with the astronauts, designs research experiments, and constantly publishes papers in scientific literature.

Artificial intelligence expert Maja Mataric, an artificial intelligence expert, designs the mind and behaviour of robots. In undergrad, she studied computer science, cognitive science, and neuroscience.

Her work involves extensive laboratory research, publications, and teaching post-doc students.

Scientists like Mataric can also build robots for companies or NASA. If you’re interested in building the actual robot, Mataric suggests mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science.

“Science is exciting because it is full of great people one gets to know and work with,” says Mataric. “But it is also a lot of work that is comparatively poorly paid (given how many hours scientists spend working on their discoveries), so those of us who do it have a passion for it that drives us beyond any specific payoff, simply for the quest for discovery.”

scenicreflections.com

I wanted to be a paleontologist before I learned it wasn’t like this.

bowiestie.files.wordpress.com

CERN research centre or a Stargate?

MONDAY, MARCH

21, 2011THE MEDIUM 17

FEATURES

WANTED:

RECHERCHONS :

COMMUNICATIONS TECHNICIANS

TECHNICIENS EN COMMUNICATIONS

“If our communications go down, lives could be at stake. My job is to inspect and maintain my team’s communications equipment. Keeping them in touch and keeping them safe.”

Corporal HAEBE BAGUIDY

« Des lignes de transmission rompues, ça peut vouloir dire des vies en danger. Mon travail consiste à inspecter et à réparer le matériel de communication de mon équipe. Je fais en sorte que tous restent en contact pour que tous restent en sécurité. » Caporal HAEBE BAGUIDY

18 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, MARCH

21, 2011

William Robertson , Editor | sports@mediumonline.ca

NCAA March Madness #1 seeds MICHAEL SKRZYNIAK

The Madness is upon us! The field is bigger this year with 68 teams in the tournament instead of the 65 we’re used to. This year in college basketball can be summed up in one word: parody. There are no clear-cut favourite teams to win this year; all in all, there are about 10 legitimate contenders for the national title. We could easily see another George Mason or Butler-esque run again by another team— maybe the Richmond Spiders? Maybe Utah State?

The selection committee for this year’s tournament had their work cut out for them and somehow they managed to select four #1 seeds for this year’s tournament. Let’s look at these teams a little more in-depth and try to find something that might spark a final four run.

Ohio State: The #1 overall seed in this year’s tournament. Player of the Year candidate Jared Sullinger leads the Buckeyes this year, along with point guard Aaron Craft, in hopes of winning the title. The Buckeyes are coached by Thad Matta, a man who has an abundance of experience in the big dance recently, and who posts the #1 winning percentage among coaches since 2001. The Buckeyes went 32-2 this year and won the Big Ten Tournament. Sullinger, a freshman, is the key to Ohio State winning this tournament. Ohio State only runs a seven-man rotation. Don’t get me wrong; the seven players they have are good, really good, including the likes of senior David Lighty, a good swingman who can do it all on the floor, and their guard combination of Craft, William Buford, and Jon Diebler prevent Sullinger from being double- and triple-teamed in the post. Because the Buckeyes are only seven deep, they can’t afford to have Sullinger or any of their important guards get into foul trouble.

Backup centre Dallas Lauerdale, despite being a defensive stud, cannot handle the load that Sullinger can handle on the offensive end. If the Buckeyes play smart, disciplined basketball, they have the pieces to take them to a championship.

Kansas Jayhawks: A team and pro-

gram associated with consistency, the Jayhawks are once again poised to make another deep run in the Madness. This is the 10th time the Jayhawks are holding a #1 seed since 1979. Last year was an upset in the second round to Northern Iowa. This year’s Jayhawks do not have an experienced leader, but they do have Bill Self, another one of the steadiest coaches in all of college sports. Lead by the Morris brothers Marcus and Markieff, who average around 6'10" and 240 pounds between them, are a nuisance for defenders down low.

Senior guards Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed are the vocal guys who have been here before.

Morningstar, better known for his defensive game, has gotten better and better at the offensive side of the ball and Reed averaged 10 points per game in the Big 12 tournament.

Kansas leads the nation in field goal percentage, and this consistency should help them easily get through the first two rounds. Kansas’ only weakness in the tournament might be the play of their guards, but the Morris brothers can clean up the garbage underneath the rim and take pressure off their guards. The Jayhawks are my favourites to win the tourney because of their offensive consistency and the matchup problems the Morris brothers give to their opponents. The Jayhawks are just hoping not to run into another Ali Farokmanesh.

Pittsburgh Panthers: The #1 seed of the Southeast bracket, the Pittsburgh Panthers were looking to claim their first tournament since 1930, right about the time Brett Favre started playing. This is now moot, because the Butler Bulldogs (a #8 seed) defeated them by a single point and knocked them out of the tournament.

The Panthers had been in this seat before, but they’d only made one final four ever and carry the stigma of not being able to win the big game.

Brad Wanamaker and Ashton Gibbs are two of the most dynamic guards in the NCAA and would have to carry the load in order for Pitt to make a long run. They lost three of their last six games, including an early exit in the Big East tournament

to Connecticut; however, before their little slide, Pitt was expected to carry the #1 overall seed. Pitt had a sound defence, which made nothing easy, and they are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation. But it was absolutely necessary for Pitt to be able to rebound the ball on the defensive end and not give up too many second-opportunity points. The Panthers are a solid team with no real weakness, so although there was no game plan guaranteed to beat Pitt, Butler managed to win on a narrow shot—essentially because they had the ball last.

Duke Blue Devils: The Dukies are back to defend their crown and seemed poised to be the first team to go back-to-back since Florida did it in 2007. Nolan Smith, Seth Curry, Kyle Singler, and Mason Plumlee will lead the Blue Devils into the tournament, and with the possible return of freshman superstar Kyrie Irving, the Dukies are once again scaring the rest of the pack. Mike Krzyzewski, or Coach K, is going to go down as probably the second-best college basketball coach of all time after John Wooden—it’s never smart to bet against this guy. Duke won the ACC tournament this year after they dominated current #2 seed North Carolina in the final, making a statement to the field. Duke is a sound team with no real weaknesses; sometimes their free throw shooting is below par, but with the super talent they have, they might never need to rely on their free throws. This year, like last year’s championship winning team, Coach K has gone with a bigger line-up and it’s shown to be of great advantage, especially on the defensive side of the court. Sophomore forward Ryan Kelly may be the X-Factor for the Dukies, who might play a significant role if Singler struggles at all or gets into foul trouble. Kelly has improved his game significantly during the year, raising his points per game from 6 to 10 at the end of the year.

Look out for Duke, NCAA. Will the remaining three #1 seeds make it into the final four? They all show a lot of upside and provide numerous hurdles for their opposition. Good luck with your brackets, everyone!

morningjournal.com

Jared Sullinger of Ohio State is making a strong case for Player of the Year as he looks to take the Buckeyes to the finals.

The real challengers for the NBA title

Assistant Sports Editor Chris Callahan examines the true contenders for the NBA title this season

A quick look at the NBA standings today reveals a clear discrepancy between the top four teams in each conference and the bottom four who, although in the playoff picture, don’t seem likely to make a run for the NBA championship. Is it fair to completely discredit the possibility of a low-seeded underdog winning it all? Maybe it isn’t, but it is logical. The fact remains that no team in the last 10 seasons has won the NBA championship with fewer than 50 wins.

The Bulls, Celtics, Heat, and Magic are at the top of the Eastern Conference. Although the Hawks and Knicks will receive some attention, the Hawks have demonstrated

in recent years that they lack the killer instinct necessary to achieve p l a y o f f s u c c e ss a n d t h e K n i c k s don’t have the chemistry or the depth to make them a true title contender.

T h e r e i s a c l ea r d i vi d e i n t h e Eastern Conference between the rising and the traditional powers.

The two teams from last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics and Magic, have the experience—but both have major obstacles to overcome. For the Celtics, many wonder if their age has finally caught up to them and they simply aren’t as talented as they were during their championship season of 2008. The Magic will need to find a

way to gel after making a blockbuster midseason trade in which they reacquired Hedo Turkoglu and added Jason Richardson to the starting backcourt.

The Heat certainly have a strong roster on paper, but their inability to stay consistent and beat winning teams seems to suggest it is too much to expect a championship in the first year of The Big Three. The Bulls may be the team in the East with the fewest visible flaws. They are not aging or suffering from an identity crisis, because they added to their young core rather than completely overhauling their roster this off-season or during the year.

The only thing holding them back

is their lack of experience deep in the playoffs.

In the West, things are more cuta n d - d ry . T h e S p u r s , L a k e r s , Mavericks, and Thunder all have a legitimate chance of winning it all with no other major threat challenging them. It seems premature to give the Thunder a great deal of r e s p ec t , b u t t h is i s a t e a m t h a t matured quickly after giving the Lakers a scare in last year’s playoffs and could be poised to make the next step this season.

The Spurs have the most momentum heading into the playoffs, but it’s hard not to wonder whether their aging team will collapse by the end of a long playoff run or not.

The Lakers have the fewest question marks of any team in the West.

With the Lakers, the question is m o r e w h e th e r o n e o f t h e o t h e r teams will be able to step up to their level. That leaves the Mavericks, who after years of losing in the playoffs are hoping that their luck changes this year. Given that they lack the star power of the Lakers or the Spurs, they will need to show a t o u g h n e ss t h a t w e h a v e n ’ t s e e n from them in the past.

While the outcome of the 2011 NBA playoffs is still anyone’s guess, an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of these top teams is likely all you’ll need to know come April.

MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2011 THE MEDIUM 19

SPORTS

.betfair.net

Max Pacioretty lies motionless on the ice after Chara ran him into the partition between the benches.

Pacioretty KO’d by big bad Bruin The NHL General Managers held meetings this past week to discuss the ever-growing issue of headshots in the fast-paced game. This is all in the wake of the devastating hit by Boston Bruins defenceman, Zdeno Chara.

On March 7, at The Bell Centre in Montréal, Max Parcioretty had to be carted off on a stretcher because of a simple interference play that forced his head into the partition between the benches. Pacioretty was immediately knocked unconscious and motionless in front of the Boston bench. The play seemed innocent enough. Pacioretty was trying to get around the 6'9" defenceman when Chara guided him into the partition between the two benches, leaving the crowd and players in silence.

Pacioretty, who is just 22, was carted off to the hospital for observations where it was discovered he had suffered a severe concussion and a fractured vertebra.

Head coach Jacques Martin announced the day after that “Max Pacioretty has a severe concussion, as well as a fracture of the fourth cervical vertebrae, but it’s not displaced. Max will remain at the hospital for further observation. There will be no other prognosis for the time being, but he will obviously be out indefinitely. The most important thing for our organization right now is Max’s recovery. We will continue following recommendations from the doctors and, of course, Max and his immediate family would appreciate privacy in this matter,” The following days were a mess for the NHL, as they chose not to suspend Chara for the incident, as it was deemed “a hockey play, with bad consequences”. Many people were torn by the decision, especially Montréal Canadiens fans, who wanted Chara suspended for the remainder of the season, deeming it a blatant intent to injure the young forward.

NHL VP of Hockey Operations issued a statement regarding the choice not to take further action on the Bruins defenceman, stating, “After a thorough review of the video I can find no basis to impose

supplemental discipline. This hit resulted from a play that evolved and then happened very quickly— with both players skating in the same direction and with Chara attempting to angle his opponent into the boards. I could not find any evidence to suggest, beyond this being a correct call for interference, that Chara targeted the head of his opponent, left his feet or delivered the check in any other manner could be deemed to be dangerous.”

The hit has left hockey at a crossroads as to what is punishable and what is not. Due to the lack of supplemental discipline, Québec has begun a police investigation into the incident. It’s doubtful that that will go far, but it just proves how much the hit has affected everyone in the hockey realm.

The result of the hit was clearly devastating and caused a stir between players around the NHL, with mixed emotions. Many people thought it was legal and unintentional, while others argue that Chara has played in the league for 13 years and knew where the stanchion was and knew what he was doing. Canadiens forward Mike Cammalleri said it best: “Only

Chara will ever know (if he meantto do it or not).”

Lost in the abundance of comments were Pacioretty’s comments on the hit, as he spoke out for the first time regarding the incident.

The words from the actual victim should have spoken volumes, but they were lost upon deaf ears on the NHL disciplinary committee. He spoke with TSN and said, “I’m upset and disgusted that the league didn’t think enough of (the hit) to suspend him. I’m not mad for myself, I’m mad because if other players see a hit like that and think it’s okay, they won’t be suspended; then other players will get hurt like I got hurt.”

Pacioretty continued, “It’s been an emotional day. I saw the video for the first time this morning. You see the hit, I’ve got a fractured vertebrae, I’m in hospital, and I thought the league would do something. A little something—I’m not talking a big number, I don’t know, one game, two games, three games...whatever, but something to show that it’s not right.” A lot of people agreed with Pacioretty, since this lack of suspension means that guiding someone into a dangerous part of the ice is allowable in

the NHL. Pacioretty, clearly outraged, called out Chara: “I heard [Chara] said he didn’t mean to do it. I felt he did mean to do it. I would feel better if he said he made a mistake and that he was sorry for doing that—I could forgive that—but I guess he’s talking about how I jumped up, or something.” Not quite done, he elaborated, “I believe he was trying to guide my head into the turnbuckle. We all know where the turnbuckle is. It wasn’t a headshot like a lot of headshots we see, but I do feel he targetted my head into the turnbuckle.”

Clearly, Pacioretty has every right to think that—it was interference, and it looked somewhat more than a simple “hockey play”. Chara is not a rookie, he’s played hockey his whole life, down 4-0… the list goes on.

The NHL must make the necessary precautions to ensure this doesn’t happen again. The GM meetings have suggested several new guidelines for a headshot victim, but nothing has been set in stone yet. Hopefully the NHL can figure out how to eliminate these types of hits, before someone dies on the ice.

20 THE MEDIUM MONDAY,MARCH 21, 2011

SPORTS

The best time They’re hanging in there Sports Editor Michelle Duklas examines the for a sports fan Assistant slim chance of the Maple Leafs cracking into the playoffs.

MICHAEL SKRZYNIAK March Madness can explain more than just the frenzy that is the NCAA Basketball Tournament. This time of year is one of the more exciting times for diehard sports fans like myself.

Along with the bracket-busting, buzzer-beating, upset-galore ridiculousness coming from college hoops, we are on the brink of the NHL and NBA playoffs. This year in particular has been crazy, especially in the NBA. The Eastern Conference has had more drama than Sammi and Ronnie, with the Miami Heat at the front of the headlines. The Celtics, Heat, Bulls, and Magic all have a legitimate shot at coming out of the East, and we can’t forget about the Knicks, who could easily upset one of these powerhouses.

The quality of regular season play has risen to a whole new level; maybe we could blame Twitter for this, as the constant chirping between athletes at other teams (for example, CryGate) seems to have elevated these players’ games, because they want as much momentum as they can get. Homecourt advantage also seems to have a bigger impact in the NBA than other leagues.

The NHL has been dramatic as well, but for other reasons. Like the NFL, it seems that every week we’re discussing headshots and questioning whether or not we should take contact out of the game. Sidney Crosby has been out for just over 30 games, but no one talks about how the Penguins are still in the run for the first overall seed in the Western Conference.

Daniel Sedin may be the MVP this year, and I’m banking on this meaning it will be the first time brothers in the NHL go back-to-back to win this honour. The Canucks are the best shot for Canada to bring home the

Stanley Cup since the Canadiens in 1993. The Western Conference race for the playoffs is going down to the wire, and the increased parody we have seen in the game can only be beneficial.

The NFL Draft is approaching, now for the football fans out there, this year’s draft is more depressing than others because it seems very likely that this may be the only memory we have of the 2011 football season. The greediness shown by both the Players’ Union and the Owners is surely taking its toll on the fans. Rumours are blazing about current players looking into other venues, including the UFL, Arena Football, the CFL, and for Chad Johnson, a tryout with Kansas City’s MLS team. For the love of God, I hope the NFL works something out!

One event that sometimes gets overshadowed by the major sports is the Masters. I believe the Masters should be viewed by every sports fan, no matter if you love or hate the game. Augusta is a legendary course with an abundance of historic moments and breathtaking scenery.

The anticipation of whether or not Tiger Woods can figure it out and win his first major since his scandal will be the talk of the tourney, and if he is in contention after Friday, expect ratings to go through the roof. We are also about a month away from the UFC coming to Toronto which will be a record-breaking, media-crazed event that Canadian MMA fans will thoroughly enjoy.

All in all, even though this is the time for 15-page essays, exams, constant stressing, and aspirations of partying afterwards with a drink on a beach... sports fans can savour the fact that when they take a break from reading and writing, they can just fall back on their favourite sports channel and enjoy.

The Toronto Maple Leafs may have a 1.8% chance of making the playoffs— as per Sports Club Stats—but they haven’t given up yet, as their determination led them to a 5-2 win over the visiting Boston Bruins.

Saturday’s game marked the first time that Tomas Kaberle first returned to Toronto after being traded to the Bruins back in February. A tribute video was played and the fans gave him a standing ovation.

The Leafs didn’t let the distraction of playing an ex-Leaf stop them from focussing on the game. Halfway into the first period, Luke Schenn scored his fourth of the season to put the Leafs up 1-0. The goal will definitely be shown on the highlight reel; Schenn muscled his way through half the team before deftly flicking the

puck behind Tim Thomas.

A few minutes later, the Bruins tied up the game on a messy play by Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf took his eyes off the puck for a few seconds, which allowed Adam McQuaid’s throw to the net to bounce off of Phaneuf’s skate and into the net.

Kadri also scored in the first period, bringing the Leafs up by one again. This was Kadri’s first NHL goal, and he wasn’t sure it was going to be a goal at all—it had to be reviewed because of a potential high stick, but it was declared a goal in the end.

Toronto pulled ahead in the second period and never looked back.

They scored three goals on 10 shots, with the scoring coming from Joey Crabb, Mike Brown, and Keith Aulie.

Thank you and congratulations!

Being the final issue of The Medium, my time as Sports Editor has officially come to an end. This year would not have been as successful without a great staff of editors and volunteers. The volunteers this year were phenomenal, so a big thank you is necessary for all of you. Without you, the sports section would not be possible, so thanks for all your hard work and dedication to the section.

Going forward, the sports section will be in great hands with the new Sports Editor, Chris Callahan. Congratulations to him, and to all the staff, for a great year of reporting.

Adam Kozak

Rashmi Srirangan

Steven Glynn

Michael Skrzyniak

Tieja MacLaughlin

Christopher Sa’d

Angela Domingo

Mark Edwards

Chris Callahan

Mariana Comito

John Smits

Michelle Duklas

Miami Heat may have Canadians looking to something to cry about spark Texas Longhorns CHRIS CALLAHAN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR The public backlash for the Miami Heat players allegedly crying in the locker room following a loss has been substantial. Most of the criticism has focussed on the fact that the Heat are in second place in the East and thus a small losing streak should not lead to tears. However, an analysis of the factors holding the Heat back from their championship goal reveals some significant issues that should give the team reason to panic.

Their strong record alone shouldn’t put them in the conversation for the NBA title without requiring further examination of their performance this season. The team’s position in the standings is inflated by their dominance against poor teams. The record is especially deceiving when considering the Heat’s struggle to defeat above-average teams. They have a record of 18-20 against teams that have winning records.

Further adding to the concern is their poor record against the elite teams of the NBA, the very teams that they would likely be facing in the event that they reach either the Eastern Conference Championship or the NBA Finals. The Heat are just 5-11 against the Spurs, Lakers, Mavericks, Celtics, Magic, and Bulls combined. Quite simply, if they can’t beat quality teams in the regular season, it seems unlikely they will sud-

denly find a way to do so in the playoffs.

Adding to the panic is the fact that the Heat have been an extremely inconsistent team this year. Summing up their season in less than 15 seconds is relatively easy: they started off slow, got on a roll, and then went on another losing streak.

This leaves many fans and experts wondering what Heat team we will see in the postseason. Moreover, even if the Heat enter the playoffs on a hot streak, will they be able to continue it over the course of the entire playoffs?

Lastly, the Heat have reason to panic because they are different from every other NBA team. They put the pressure on themselves by claiming they would win five championships and by putting together a light show to introduce the new star power to the world this summer. These flashy introductions and bold predictions bring internal pressure that the players have put on themselves.

Unlike pressure from the media or fans that can fade in and out, this pressure is permanent. With the team still learning to build chemistry, it would seem this added pressure might not be easily handled.

As we saw during their recent losing streak, the pressure is already getting to them—and the playoffs have not even begun. The sad reality of the current state of affairs for the Heat is that even a stance of defending the players’ actions of panic is one that attacks the legitimacy of their aspirations.

Crabb and Brown’s goals came 29 seconds apart and blew the game wide open. Boston head coach Claude Julien pulled Thomas after Brown’s goal and put Tuukka Rask in net instead.

The Leafs’ goaltender James Reimer again had a great game—he made some amazing saves when it really mattered and kept this game from being closer. Especially notable was his stellar save on a breakaway attempt by Tyler Seguin in the opening of the second period, when the game was still 2-1 in favour of the Leafs.

The Leafs are still four points behind the Sabres—who have 78 points after their win over the Atlanta Thashers—and are two points behind Carolina.

MICHELLE DUKLAS ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Last year was not a good year for the Texas Longhorns. In the dying seconds of the first round of the NCAA playoffs, the Longhorns lost focus and, in turn, lost the game to Wake Forest.

Not only did their season end after hardly any playoff action, but they also lost three players after they were drafted to the NBA that year. It looked like it would take a few years before the Longhorns would be contending for the championship again.

However, two Canadian freshmen who joined the team this year changed that. Brampton native Tristan Thompson, forward, and Ajax native Cory Joseph, point guard, helped Texas go 27-7 this season, bettering their 24-10 perfomance from last year.

Both Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph represented Canada at the FIBA U-19 Basketball Championships in New Zealand in 2009. The two players also played together in high school, when they earned their diplomas at Nevada’s Findlay Prep, which has one of the most highly regarded high school programs in the United States.

Thompson and Joseph helped

lead Findlay to back-to-back ESPN Rise NHSI Championships and a 32-2 record.

The two players became just the second and third Canadians to be named to the McDonald’s High School All-American game.

It looks as though Texas will earn more Canadian fans, because Longhorn’s coach Rick Barnes has signed 6'2" point guard Myck Kabongo. Kabongo, a Toronto native, will play at this month’s McDonald’s High School AllAmerican game in Chicago.

Barnes also has a verbal commitment from 6'8" small forward Kevin Thomas from Brampton, Ontario.

With four Canadian players, Texas is likely to become a popular choice for Canadian players when being recruited.

These two Canadian all-stars have just swept Texas by storm and they have Longhorn fans praising Canadian basketball programs. The Longhorns have acquired the name of “Toronto’s team” in the tournament because of their GTA players.

Canadians have a lot to be proud of in this tournament, as Gonzaga, Marquette, and Syracuse all have Canadian players. Expect to see more recruitment taking place north of the border—these young men have proven they belong in the NCAA.

UFC 128: Jones lives up to hype

This past Saturday, UFC 128 took place with the main event of Jon “Bones” Jones challenging for the light-heavyweight title against Shogun Rua. With a barrage of elbows landing flush against Rua’s face, it was evident that Jones was ready for the fight, despite the short notice for his chance at the title.

But the third round was ultimately Rua’s undoing. Jones was completely scratch-free entering the round and the fight was his for the taking. Rua came out strong with an attempted submission of Jones, but Jones was able to punch his way out and managed to get into a half-guard position.

Rua staggered to his feet moments after what looked to be lethal combinations from Jones. However, as soon as Rua managed to stand up, it was all but over. Jones finished Rua off with a finishing series of punches that dropped him to the mat for the last time and the referee was forced to stop the fight 2:37 into the third round.

The win cements Jones as the best light-heavyweight fighter in the UFC and at this rate, he is not slowing down. He lived up to the hype and will continue to do so for many fights to come.