Vol 37 issue 7

Monday, October 25th, 2010

Volume 37, Issue 7

Candlelight vigil for gay youth

Edward Cai/ The Medium

Students gather on campus to remember those lives that were lost due to homophobic bullying.

LARISSA HO WITH NOTES FROM STEFANIE MAROTTA

Last week the UTMSU Ministry of Social Justice hosted the four-day event “Expression Against Oppression” to educate the UTM community and spark debate about domestic and international issues of injustice. Over the course of the week, various topics were discussed in different forums in an effort to promote awareness. Roundtable discussions, documentary screenings, and artistic gatherings brought students together. On event in particular shed light on recent suicides across North America caused by homophobic bullying.

On Wednesday, October 20, a candlelight vigil was held outside the Blind Duck to commemorate the youth who have recently taken their own lives due to homophobic abuse and bullying. The event was part of the week-long Expression Against Oppression event hosted by UTMSU. Bobby Diaz, UTMSU LGBTQ coordinator, presented a speech in remembrance of the lives lost and implored

those who may feel alone to “hang in there and ask for help”. He shared his personal experiences and attested the importance of inner strength and a supportive environment.

“These recent deaths are a reminder that everyone must worker harder to overcome bigotry and hatred in every aspect of life,” said Diaz. “This is more than stopping bullying in schools. This is about freedom of love, the right to express yourself, the right to love who you want, the right to go to school without being terrified, and the right to live.”

In a speech, third-year student Fred Besik kept with the theme of Expression Against Oppression week. He emphasized that it is important to find ways to combat not only homophobia, but all phobias. At the end of the vigil, students hugged, sang songs, and shared tears.

“My heart went out to their friends, their families, and more importantly to these youth. They had such a long and bright future ahead of them—a future that was sure to be filled with laughter, joy, and love… a future they’ll never be able to experience,” said Harla Receno, a UTMSU board member. “My sister pulled me aside afterward and as she was

hugging me she whispered, ‘I’m glad you stayed strong. I’m so glad you’re here. I love you.’ I wish those youths had heard the same words.”

Because purple represents “spirit” on the LGBTQ flag, on Wednesday, thousands everywhere wore purple to commemorate the recent suicides in the last few months. According to the Facebook page called “Day of Purple”, the memoriam goes out to six boys whose names are posted on the page as well as to “all the other unknown lives lost to intolerance and ignorance, and to all of the other boys and girls who are silently suffering because of such cruel acts”.

“Gay bullying often occurs due to lack of education and lack of confrontation.

Many people use derogatory terms in everyday language unknowingly,” says Kumari Giles, UTMSU VP Equity. “It is up to members of the community and allies to confront discrimination of any kind when it happens. Confronting prejudice and bigotry is challenging, but is absolutely necessary in making change.”

The World Health Organization reports that someone around the world commits suicide every 40 seconds. In Ontario alone, suicides rose from 930 in

1997 to 1,032 in 2001. Studies have revealed that LGBTQ youth are up to seven times more likely than heterosexual youth to have reported attempting suicide (un-reported attempts notwithstanding). The signs of suicidal behaviour are often missed, avoided, or ignored, which leads to even further feelings of exclusion.

Homophobic bullying includes abusive name-calling (such as “fag”, “dyke”, and “sissy”); spreading rumours and gossip about a person’s sexual orientation or identity; sexual teasing, taunting, or threats; physical aggression and violence; and using the Internet to humiliate, intimidate, threaten, or exclude because of a person’s sexual identity.

“Many youth who are not bullied in school also suffer from internalized homophobia. Internalized homophobia is caused by messages received from aspects of society (such as school, family, friends, media, religion, and politics) that say being queer or trans is wrong,” says Aqeela Nanj, the political and educational coordinator and drop-in centre coordinator of LGBT Outreach at U of T. “Sometimes these messages are blatant and outright; other times they are implied, such as sayings like ‘That’s so

gay!’ or through jokes about queer and trans[exual] people. Just as bullying can lead to self-hate and suicide, so can internalized homophobia. Both need to be addressed, both need to be changed.”

People targetted for homophobic bullying often also experience loneliness, shame, and fear.

XAO continued on page 3

5 - minutes in her shoes

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www.mediumonline.ca

2 THE MEDIUM

NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER

25, 2010

New Principal and Vice President at UTM

Retro media activism Dr. Marusya Bociurkiw discusses the work of Canadian feminist activist collectives from the 1970s and 80s RASHEED CLARKE

Edward Cai/ The Medium

Saini is officially installed as Principal and Vice President.

On October 20, Professor Hargurdeep (Deep) Saini was formally installed as the new principal of UTM and vicepresident of U of T. Saini is UTM’s eighth principal. Since 2002, the position has included vice-presidential responsibilities.

Professor Saini holds a Ph.D. in plant physiology from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and an M.Sc. and B.Sc. in botany from Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, India.

Before beginning his position as principal and VP on July 1, 2010, Saini worked at the University of Waterloo as the dean of the Faculty of Environment, and at the Université de Montréal as a professor of biology and as the directorgeneral of the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale (Institute of Plant Biology Research).

During his time at the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo, Saini introduced two new programs: the School of Environment, Enterprise & Development, and the Centre for Knowledge Integration.

Professor Saini’s experience in university administration includes having been the president of the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists, president of the Federation of Canadian Plant Science Societies, member of Export

Development Canada’s Advisory Council on Corporate and Social Responsibility, member of the Ontario Premier’s “2009 Clean Tech Mission to India”, associate editor of the Canadian Journal of Botany, and consulting editor of the Journal of Crop Production.

The installation ceremony, held in the RAWC from 4 to 5 p.m., began with faculty and staff entering the ceremony in full academic regalia. The Platform Party, including the new principal and VP, were seated on the stage and spoke on behalf of Saini and wished him luck in his new endeavor.

“He begins his term at UTM with a tremendous wealth of international experience. This experience ties in well with the diversity of Mississauga and this campus,” said Cheryl Misak, master of ceremonies, who is also a vice-president and provost of U of T. U of T’s President, David Naylor, addressed UTM’s transformation from 5,000 students in 2002 to over 11,000 students currently enrolled.

“I am confident that Deep Saini will bring innovative leadership to this remarkable campus,” said Naylor before administering the Oath of Office.

Saini was dressed in the official vicepresident and principal robes of office by Warren Edgar, president of UTM’s Alumni Association, Joel Drewery, president of UTM’s Association of Graduate Students, Vickita Bhatt, president of UTMSU, and Sandrina Ntamwemezi, a fourth-year UTM student.

“What a great day for Mississauga.

There is a unique co-operation between this campus and the city of Mississauga,” said the city’s longest running mayor,

Hazel McCallion, who has served 11 terms of office since 1978 and is currently running for her 12th. “Now I welcome a new principal, Deep Saini. It’s very exciting as to what he sees as the new potential of this campus.”

Edgar spoke about a golf tournament with Saini and emphasized the new principal’s determination in the game: “He’s engaging, he’s charismatic, and he doesn’t take himself seriously all the time, either.”

In his installation address, Saini spoke about his inspirations, his mentors, and the love and support of his family that has brought him to this point in his life.

“I’m humbled when I consider the modest beginnings of my own education. When I look back in retrospect, it seems this journey would be improbable,” said Saini.

Speaking about the momentous impact that his father had on his life and career, Saini introduced a new entry scholarship for UTM, the Saini Family Entry Scholarship, which will be funded by the Saini family and available to all incoming students.

“Let’s start thinking about what this campus can look like in 2015,” said Saini when talking about his plans for UTM. “We are located in an area that is changing. Unless we at UTM are willing to play the role of one of the sideshow campuses, we’d better get in on becoming a campus that is a leading, comprehensive institution in this area. This campus must reflect the pre-eminent stature that this university has in the world.”

As principal and VP, Saini will report to the president of U of T, David Naylor, and the provost, Cheryl Misak.

Last Monday at the St. George campus, media activism, feminism, and Canadian history converged at a presentation by Dr. Marusya Bociurkiw of the Ontario Insitute for Studies in Education.

A classroom packed with students, professors, researchers, and members of the public discussed the work of Canadian feminist activist collectives from the 1970s and 80s.

“The 80s were my 60s. My students were born neither during 1980s or the 60s, but it’s the 60s they turn to for the images and ideas of activism,” said Dr. Bociurkiw, media artist and assistant professor of media theory in the School of Radio & Television Arts at Ryerson University. “And the 80s, in terms of the amazing coalition work and media activism that happened in that time, have been all but forgotten. I want to build an awareness of that era.”

The lecture featured clips from several documentaries that showcased feminist activism in Canada.

For examble, the film One Hundred Aboriginal Women was created by Vancouver-based collective Amelia Productions to document the story of 100 aboriginal women who forcibly occupied the Department of Indian Affairs Building and were subsequently arrested.

Bociurkiw went on to show clips from the documentary No Small Change which recorded a strike by female part-time retail workers across Southern On tario in the mid-1980s. The video clips, along with Bociurkiw’s interviews with the filmmakers, showcased what Canadian feminist media activists found important in the 1970s and 80s.

“While Canadians were consuming more American television than ever before, these artists and activists were creating dozens of social issue documentaries and t el ev is ion s er ies by c om m un it y cable TV,” said Bociurkiw.

Bociurkiw discussed the role of community cable television stations in the work of past media activists, and explained how current television regulations may

be an impediment to further activist projects.

In 1996, the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission made the funding of community cable television completely voluntary on the part of broadcasters. This meant that broadcasters could determine how much of their revenue, if any, would be funnelled into public access programming.

Bociurkiw provided an example of a modern collective that works to educate young women in the practices of media activism. One of her students created the Shout Out! Media collective, which held a cross-Canada workshop tour this past summer, teaching girls aged 12 to 17 about media literacy and video production.

“While Canadians were consuming more American television than ever before, these artists and activists were creating dozens of social issue documentaries and television series by community cable TV.” — Dr. Marusya Bociurkiw

“It’s really good for women these days to know what’s happened, and hopefully be inspired by it. It’s good to see some learning po ints comin g from media , because with Facebook and Twitter or YouTube, people just get a good laugh,” said Rebecca Boyce, an organizer of the event.

The talk was organized by WIA projects, a feminist arts-informed research and practice program at the Centre for Women’s Studies in Education at OISE. The Centre has a number of events planned over the next few weeks, including informal lunch hour discussions called “Brown Bag Lectures”. For a complete list of their upcoming events, students are asked to visit www.oise.utoronto.ca/cwse.

Campus Police weekly summaries October 15 to 21, 2010

October 15, 8:51 a.m.

Transport to hospital Peel Ambulance Service attended and transported a male that had collapsed inside the William G. Davis Building (formerly South Building), Meeting Place.

October 15, 11:44 p.m.

Report of illicit activity Campus Police attended a townhouse complex for a report of students smoking marijuana in the backyard of their unit. No students were found smoking marijuana.

October 16, 12:21 a.m.

Transport to hospital A male student was transported to hospital by Campus Police. The student had been injured while playing basketball.

October 16, 3:55 a.m.

Causing a disturbance Campus Police attended a townhouse complex for the report of intoxicated students pounding on a residence door inside the complex. The group had fled prior to the arrival of Campus Police.

October 16, 4:20 a.m.

Causing a disturbance Campus Police attended a townhouse complex for the report of males causing a disturbance inside one of the units. The males responsible for the disturbance had left prior to the arrival of Campus Police.

October 17, 1:45 a.m.

Suspicious male Campus Police attended an apartment complex for a report of a male looking into a window from the courtyard. The male had fled prior to

the arrival of Campus Police. The male was known to the occupant and was later interviewed by Campus Police. (He is not the same male that was referenced in a Community Safety Advisory.)

October 17, 1:50 a.m.

Transport to hospital Peel Ambulance Service attended and transported a male to hospital who had gotten injured while climbing a tree in the backyard of his townhouse complex.

October 18, 12:10 a.m.

Noise Complaint Campus Police attended a resident parking lot and spoke to a group that were playing music loudly in their vehicle. Occupants complied with the officer’s request to turn their music down.

October 19, 11:53 a.m.

Transport to hospital Peel Ambulance Service attended and transported a male to hospital.

The male felt unwell after jogging on the track located inside the Recreation, Athletics & Wellness Centre.

October 20, 2:36 p.m.

Transport to hospital Erindale College Special Response Team (ECSpeRT) and Campus Police attended an office located inside the William G. Davis Building. A student felt faint and was escorted by ECSpeRT to UTM Health Services.

October 20, 10:07 a.m.

Transport to hospital Campus Police attended an apartment complex and transported a male who felt ill to hospital.

October 20, 10:10 p.m.

Transport to hospital Campus Police attended an apartment complex and transported a female to hospital who had tripped and sustained an injury while walking on campus.

October 20,01:31 p.m.

Theft under $5,000 A student reported the theft of his flash drive from a computer lab in the William G. Davis Building.

October 20, 10:55 p.m.

Transport to hospital Campus Police attended an apartment complex and transported a male to hospital. The male had sustained a minor burn while inside the common area of his unit.

MONDAY, OCTOBER

25, 2010 THE MEDIUM 3

NEWS

Men don heels on the five minute walk LGBTQ commemoration XAO continued from cover KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI WITH NOTES FROM STEFANIE MAROTTA

On October 19, students gathered outside the Student Centre to “walk 5 minutes in her shoes”.

The annual event, hosted by the UTM Women’s Centre, is a way to raise awareness and money for women affected by abuse. This year’s event raised over $250. All proceeds were donated to Interim Place, an organization in the Peel region that works to advocate, support, and provide shelter for abused women.

Since 1981, Interim Place has hel ped o v e r 1 5 , 0 0 0 w o m e n a n d children build abuse-free lives.

The organization’s vision statement reads, “Our Vision: a world free of violence—a world where there is justice and peace.”

Interim Place offers counselling, safety planning, crisis support, and a 24-hour shelter with 54 beds where women and children are able to stay for up to four months.

UTM’s Women’s Centre’s event consisted of male students walking from the Student Centre down the Five-Minute Walk in high heels. Between 1 and 2:30 p.m., 20 male students participated in the e v e n t . P r i z e s w e r e aw a r d e d f o r most money raised, obstaclecourse winner, and fiercest walk.

Filip Batruch, a second-year student, won the obstacle course, which consisted of balancing a ping-pong ball on a spoon, playing hopscotch, walking with a balloon between the legs, and running to the finish line. Jordan Ang, a member of S.E.C., won the fiercest walk.

“Rates of spousal abuse were highest among certain segments of the population: those aged 15 to

24; those in relationships of three years or less; those who had separated; and those in common-law unions,” states the 2006 census on violence against women. Between April 1, 2003 and March 31, 2004, 54,486 women sought refuge in shelters across Canada; 221 of those women were not able to be accommodated.

Among abused women in the 2006 census, 23% reported being beaten, choked, or threatened with a gun or knife, 13% sought medical attention, and 38% of women reported the abuse to police and sought a restraining order.

Clubs present at the event included, S.E.C., Out@UTM, UTMSU, the G.G. Squad, and the UTM Environmental Alliance.

For more information about Interim Place, students are asked to visit their website, located at www.interimplace.com.

Study reveals environmental impact on sexual vs. asexual reproduction IKHLAS HUSSAIN

A recent study done at the University of Toronto, completed by professor Aneil Agrawal and postdoctoral student Lutz Becks of the ecology and evolutionary biology department, states that the environment helps to determine whether a species reproduces sexually or asexually.

The study, which took about 17 weeks to complete, determined that species that lived in spatially heterogeneous environments, with a variety of other plants and animals, were more likely to reproduce sexually, rather than asexually. In other words, various genotypes are favoured in different environments, when one part of an environment differs from another. Considering the diversity of life and organisms, sexual reproduction remains widespread and this “evolutionary force” remains a powerful and important one to study in biology.

Understanding why organisms

choose to reproduce sexually as opposed to asexually is one of the “outstanding mysteries” in evolutionary biology, states Agrawal. The experiment shows that the organisms produced from sexual reproduction were more proficient at survival in a variety of environments and had different characteristics and stronger genes, in contrast to their asexually-reproduced counterparts.

While organisms that reproduced sexually were able to adapt through various environments, organisms that were reproduced asexually were competent in only one environment.

Rotifers (small aquatic organisms) were studied in the experiment. As these organisms have the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually, they were released in either homogeneous or heterogeneous environments. The trend for sexual reproduction, in contrast to asexual reproduction, was higher in heterogeneous environments and was lower in homogenous environments, over a period of more than 70 generations.

Experiments that use a hypothesized element to test its effect on the evolution of sex are not very widespread; however, there are several theories that attempt to answer the question. While environmental heterogeneity is not the only reason that sexual reproduction is more common than asexual reproduction, it is an important advance in understanding that the environment does play a key role. In order to better understand sexual reproduction’s dominance over asexual reproduction in nature, more controlled experiments would need to be conducted by studying various other elements.

The study, which was used as the basis for the paper “Higher rates of sex evolve in spatially heterogeneous environments”, was published on October 13 in Nature. The study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, as well as with a fellowship that was awarded to Becks by the Volkswagen Foundation in Germany.

Chilean miners rescued after being trapped for 69 days MARIANA COMITO

On October 15, happiness and joy filled the hearts of millions of people watching the rescue of 33 Chilean miners. After being trapped for 69 days, the miners were finally above ground, and were greeted by family and friends. Chile’s president and first lady Sebastian and Cecilia Pinera stood above ground, waiting to embrace the miners being rescued.

The miners were able to send videos and images via a drilled shaft, and according to Time NewsFeed, they were singing the national anthem and waving happily to the camera. Food that was supposed to only last three days lasted 17 days.

There was also a first-aid cabinet and mats laid out near a wall.

“We plan, we have assemblies here every day so that all the

decisions we make are based on the thoughts of all 33,” the men recorded into the camera, according to BBC News.

Eighteen days after the collapse, the first of three rescue drills (3.19 inches wide) reached the Chilean miners. Hydration tablets, highenergy glucose gel and a few medical

“We had strength, we had spirit, we wanted to fight; we wanted to fight for our families, and that was the greatest thing.”

—Luis Urzua supplies, including antacids, were sent down in order to sustain the miners until they could drill holes wide enough to allow them to be transported above ground.

Finally, after 69-day entrapment,

the miners were rescued and reunited with their loved ones. People around the world tuned in to watch the rescue of the miners, and every time one was saved the siren rang, bringing relief when each man was saved and hope for the others.

Hoping that the rescue will highlight Chile’s status as a place for investment, Pinera said, “Chile will now be remembered and recognized not for Pinochet [one of the most controversial figures in the history of Chile, who established a severely inhumane military dictatorship] but as an example of unity, leadership, courage and success.”

Luis Urzua, the last miner to be rescued, told his president that “we have done what the entire world was waiting for; the 70 days that we fought so hard were not in vain. We had strength, we had spirit, we wanted to fight; we wanted to fight for our families, and that was the greatest thing.”

“I know many queer and trans youth who have been bullied in high school, some to the point where they have switched schools or have dropped out. Unfortunately, bullying does not stop at the end of high school and some face bullying in university as well,” says Nanj.

“It Gets Better NOW”, a discussion and brainstorming session held on Thursday, October 21 at the St. George campus, is about what students can do to improve the lives of oppressed queer and transsexual youth. Nanj is the main coordinator of the event.

“The campaign itself is not enough to make the lives of marginalized youth better. Many youth find that their lives do get better as problems are resolved; however, there are many youth who continue to suffer the same issues throughout their adulthood,” says Nanj. “We need to address the root of the issue. We need to address the negative messages society gives about being queer and trans.”

“My message to people who are currently being bullied is echoed by many in the ‘It Gets Better’ campaign.

Often we find ourselves in isolated communities and believe there is no way out,” says Giles. “However, there are many resources available as well as good people who are open to supporting you, myself included. Don’t give up. Stay strong and be confident in who you are. It will get better.”

The U of T’s “Positive Space” campaign works to sustain a welcoming environment for the U of T community. The campaign is “a groundbreaking program that identifies safer and more inclusive spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, intersexed, queer, questioning, and

two-spirited (LGBTTIQQ2S) students, staff, faculty, alumni, and allies at the University of Toronto.” Positive space challenges the constructs that continue to marginalize LGBTTIQQ2S students, staff and faculty.

LGBTOUT, located at the St. George campus, offers space to “explore our diverse identities both socially and politically” and has been “fighting for queer rights and visibility for over 40 years”. The main goal of LGBTOUT is “the improvement of the learning, living, and working environments for LGBTQ people on all three U of T campuses, to the point where we are free from harassment, discrimination, and hatred.”

Their website can be found at http://www.lgbtout.com .

Out@UTM, UTM’s first LGBTQ group on campus, was founded in October 2002 and currently serves as a support network, a social circle, and a fun outlet, providing tri-campus parties, drag pubs, member meetings, and anything that allows students to “explore and express themselves freely”. Out@UTM is devoted to helping its members and its community, and everyone is welcome to attend meetings and events.

The Sexual Education and Peer Counselling Centre is a student-run organization that provides the U of T community with resources and education about healthy sexuality. The centre welcomes students without judgment from a diverse range of sexualities and actively believes in anti-discrimination for all their services, including workshops, talks, and events led by trained and informed volunteers and guest speakers all year round.

U of T also has a Sexual and Gender Diversity Office, which provides related resources, counselling, and education for the community.

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

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4 THE MEDIUM

OPINION

MONDAY,

OCTOBER 25, 2010

Dear Editor,

EDITORIAL The Globe and Mail recently posed a question to their readers regarding the state of multiculturalism in Canada, with a thought-provoking title: “Multiculturalism: celebrating our differences, or what we have in common?”

As one of their eight topics of discussion in its “Our Time to Lead” series, the multiculturalism piece in particular left me, for one, without a resolved idea.

When you hear “multiculturalism” you immediately think of words like “tolerance”, “accommodation”, and “acceptance”. But are these catchwords any clearer? Or do they just promote the idea that there are “bad” or “unusual” things to tolerate, accommodate, and accept?

I recently heard someone say—and I quote—“Some Americans have friends who are Muslims.” The gentlemen thought he was being inclusive and accepting. But I think he forgot that some Americans are Muslims.

And it’s true of Canadians too, of course. Especially in our country, especially in our province, especially in our city, especially on this campus, nothing says that Canadians are a certain group of people, who are so nice, tolerating, and so forth. Just the opposite, in fact—“diversity” is part of our identity. So when do we acknowledge that? Is UTM just a campus where “some students” have friends who believe different things, come from different places, or speak different languages?

Well, to be honest, I don’t know. I want to hear from you. I could try to theorize about multiculturalism or give you a definition based on the three or four that I’ve heard in classes throughout my years of studying political science and gender studies, but everyone has a different expectation and multiculturalism means something different to everyone.

There is an unspoken “fear of the unknown” that I’ve seen at UTM. For example, the Muslim Students Association (MSA) is the biggest student club on campus—but how many non-Muslim members do they have? And how many non-Muslim students feel comfortable attending the events they host? I know for a fact that the MSA tries to dispel myths about Islam, but does it work? Is anyone really listening? Do they want to? If not, can we really call ourselves multicultural?

Is our campus just a cluster of cultures tolerating each other? And as the Globe asks, are we celebrating our differences, or what we have in common?

You tell me.

Saaliha Malik

Yours,

Join the debate—or start one on your own.

Submit a letter to the Editor by Friday at 5 p.m.

Letters should not exceed 500 words. editor@mediumonline.ca We look forward to hearing from you!

I am writing to you to draw attention to the referendum this week and the question that the Erindale College Special Response Team (ECSpeRT) is asking.

ECSpeRT is an on-campus volunteer medical emergency response team at UTM. Currently, ECSpeRT responders possess the highest level of pre-hospital emergency care training at UTM. To put it into perspective, in 2009 ECSpeRT responded to 54 emergencies, including 13 life-threatening emergencies. Consider this for a moment, if a casualty is not breathing and has no pulse, brain damage can occur within 4-6 minutes. Emergency Medical Services (EMS), such as ambulances, can take 10 minutes - sometimes even more, to arrive on campus. 13 people could have died on-campus last year if ECSpeRT was not there to help. With the growing complexity of buildings on campus, EMS response time is often more than 10 minutes. Actually, since 2007 the average EMS response time has been more than 20 minutes. In life-threatening emergencies responders are needed immediately, and ECSpeRT can play a crucial role while waiting for EMS to arrive. For example, during Winter 2010 ECSpeRT responded to a lifethreatening call where EMS had a response time of 40 minutes. Two ECSpeRT oxygen tanks were empDear Editor, I am not a public relations guru. But I believe that the voter turnout at last years election shows that not everyone is united. The tone of the election showed that not everyone is happy with the way things have been going with UTMSU either. For the UTMSU to be successful this year, these are topics UTMSU should improve upon. #1 Stop Looking to the Past for success.The year is 2010 we cannot be having presentations about successes over 4 years old. Of course they are great achievements for the student movement, but it is really sad when you go to your friends house and they have their grade 8 diploma up on their wall and show it to you with pride. Are their no more recent successes of the union or are we to always remember the U-Pass with teary eyes, and how united we were when we recieved it? #2 Change the Rhetoric. At the commission meeting I was shocked when one of the first slides was titled “Whose Campus”with the picture of VicePresident and Principal, Professor Deep Saini beside him the words “Our Campus”. Apparently being united means in opposition. This sort of language implies an us vs them mentality, and as such does not help negotiations.

Stop fighting and start working together. Stop raising awareness and producing results. Stop shouting at buildings and start sitting down at the table. #3 Focus on the good. We are all students. We all have things we are good at.

The same with the UTMSU. One of the things UTMSU does well is the services they provide to the students. Cheap tickets, Food Bank, Pub Nights. Take these services and improve everything about them. This is the sort of thing that people like, and it is hard for people to deny.

Dear Editor, I am a faithful reader of The Medium, and some (but not all) of my friends are, too. I don’t mean everyone should read everything in it. I mean that I always find something to read, and even to enjoy (though if what some people say about your paper is to be believed, God help me!). So never mind the odd look I get when I grab a copy off the stand; besides, there’s always at least one other person who, seeing that I didn’t die a horrific, meltingrelated death when I touched it, goes over and daintily picks up a copy, too.

You know what else is great? The way The Medium takes articles from anyone. Yeah, some are good and some bad. But I know that no one will hold it against me if I say that the one time my name appeared at the top of an article. So sometimes I just enjoy an article because I feel some personal connection with it—

tied during this call before EMS arrived.

Currently, the ECSpeRT on-call hours are from 10am-10pm Monday to Friday. We would like to increase our hours to be a 24hour service because emergencies can happen at any time. Some examples of calls we respond to include loss of consciousness, injuries in the gym, and seizures although there are many other calls that occur on campus as well.

ECSpeRT also provides first aid coverage for events at such as Orientation Week, BizFrosh, Rez Gym Nights, and more. In addition to emergency response, ECSpeRT also runs First Aid courses at UTM. We would like to increase fees by 30 cents per semester in order to enhance ECSpeRT’s functionality by having more medical first responders and first aid providers, more equipment, enhanced training, more standard first aid instructors, and working towards achieving 24-hour service.

The referendum is occurring on Wednesday Oct. 27th and Thursday Oct. 28th with polling stations in the North, South, and CCIT buildings. We encourage students to vote yes on the ECSpeRT referendum in order to help increase medical first response.

Yours, Tara Ahmed Aim to improve the everyday student's life first before trying to improve the world. #4 Listen to your members. At the last commission meeting we spent over an hour introducing ourselves and listening to the union talk about the unions accomplishments. Before the members were even able to speak about half of them left, due to other commitments and pure boredom. Those that stayed were split into smaller groups and reported back to the whole after 30 minutes. This is not a suitable way to gather input for an organization with a million dollar budget. (yes more then $1,000,000). Instead of bragging, UTMSU should put out surveys constantly, asking for ideas, input, criticism, satisfaction ect. Find out about what your members want #5 Advertise properly. The work of the union is under advertised but crucial to the student body. Getting student input in meetings is important as well.

But when the Board of Directors doesn't even know when the meetings are taking place, how will the average student?

If people don't know about services how will they use them? This involves an attitude shift from “Look what we did” to “Look what we can do”. There are amazing ways to utilize skills on campus to promote events. Facebook is no longer sufficient. People just delete messages, instead of reading them because they receive 14 messages a day from UTMSU. Students should know when meetings are happening more then 3 days in advance. But services and campaigns need to be better advertised as well. There are hundreds of options, that don't involve interrupting classes, spamming or soliciting people that don't care.

Yours, Peter Buckzkowski but every issue and every article has that, and not just for its author, but because it deals with UTM. Of course, nothing’s perfect. For example sometimes you see the same person’s name a few too many times.

But I guess the more people write in the less that’s a problem. Or sometimes there’s a bit more argument than discussion in the Opinion section. But I guess the more important the things we cover, the more heat it generates. Or sometimes the copy editor seems to have let in a few obvious mistakes. But I guess he’s a student too and probably has as much schoolwork as the rest of us, on top of The Medium. Long story short, none of these are enough to make me skip the good parts.

Yeah, this letter may be a bit too positive. But I for one have read and heard enough of the opposite sentiment to think your paper deserves a little pat on the back once in a while.

Yours Luke Sawczak

www.mediumonline.ca 3359 Mississauga Road, Room 200, Student Centre, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6 Phone: 905.828.5260 Fax: 905.828.5402 Advertising: 905.828.5379 EDITOR IN CHIEF Saaliha Malik editor@mediumonline.ca NEWS EDITOR Katherine Luczynski news@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT NEWS Stefanie Marotta A&E EDITOR Nives Hajdin arts@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT A&E Colleen Munro FEATURES EDITOR Amir Ahmed features@mediumonline.ca ASSISTANT FEATURES Mariana Comito 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 BUSINESS MANAGER Romano Bergic BOARD OF DIRECTORS Marc Bressler, Paul Donoghue, Yasmeen Husain, Mariya.Hassan, Michael Di Leo, Sarsour Mansour, Mariano Comito, Matthew Filipowich COMPLAINTS 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.

COPYRIGHT All content printed in The Medium is the sole property of its creators, and cannot be used with out written consent.

DISCLAIMER Opinions expressed in the pages of The Medium are exclusively of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Medium.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 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 letters that are racist, homophobic, sexist or libelous, will not be pub lished. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters must be e mailed to the Editor by Friday at 5 p.m.

MONDAY, OCTOBER

25, 2010 THE MEDIUM 5

Nives Hajdin, Editor | arts@mediumonline.ca

An Eyre of intrigue Theatre Erindale kicks off the season with a look into the past

Theatre Erindale’s 2010/2011 season will be a celebration in many ways.

In preparation for next year’s 20th anniversary of UTM’s Theatre and Drama Studies program in conjunction with Sheridan College, this season’s “Coming of Age” theme could not be more relevant. Not only will characters overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but they will come to new realizations about themselves and of life in the process.

This past weekend, the graduating year of TDS staged a riveting performance of Charlotte Brontë’s timeless classic, Jane Eyre. Directed by Scot Denton and adapted by Robert Johanson, the play infuses a combination of tears, laughs, and intrigue into what is considered by many to be one of the greatest novels in the English language. Played by Stacey Arseneau, the eponymous heroine has been a victim all throughout her life; forced to live with a wicked aunt (Nora Williams) and cruel cousins (Matthew Gin, Hallie Seline, and Laura Jabalee), the orphaned Jane mourns the death of her uncle Reed, the only relative that ever treated her with kindness and love. Despite the luxuries of Gateshead estate, Jane is no longer able to live in such abusive conditions and upon guidance from the sympathetic housemaid, Bessie (Kathryn Alexandre),

Jane eagerly departs for Lowood School for Girls. As soon as she arrives, however, she is branded a liar by the callous schoolmaster Brocklehurst (Julian Munds) and is forced to watch one of her classmates, Helen (Meghan Barron), be repeatedly struck with a stick for her “slatternly” appearance, as deemed by their equally awful teacher, Miss Scatcherd (Alison Hunt). Jane is wrongful accused of being a deceitful girl, which causes her to lose faith in herself, yet her new friendship with Helen and the kindness of another teacher named Miss Temple (Tasha Potter) pulls Jane out of her despair and gives her a taste of the meaningful relationships she has been lacking her entire life. Yet the squalid conditions of the school are so terrible that many of the girls become sick with typhoid and tuberculosis, including Helen, who dies in Jane’s arms.

The plot then shifts eight years into the future, as Jane is preparing herself to leave Lowood in search of a position elsewhere. She posts an advertisement and after receiving a response from the housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax (Kristen Zaza), Jane becomes the governess at Thornfield Hall where she must care for a bouncy and excitable French girl, Adele (Sheelagh Daly). One dark evening while walking outside, Jane hears terrifying laughter on the estate and in her fright she stumbles into a horse, and its rider falls to the ground. The injured man is Edward Rochester (Paolo Santalucia) returning home to Thornfield. As

Jim Smagata

Lowood School for Girls is not all it’s cracked up to be (L to R: Chrissy Chau, Tiffany Feler, Tasha Potter, Meghan Barron, and Julian Munds).

Rochester hosts a posh event at Thornfield Hall.

Jane and Rochester get to know each other, Jane’s reserved demeanour starts to crumble as she falls in love with the much older master of the house. Rochester, too, seems taken with Jane, especially after she saves his life in the midst of a strange fire that breaks out—even though he is engaged to the vain Blanche Ingram (Tasha Potter). Although Jane’s time was never better spent than at Thornfield, she informs Rochester that she and Adele will leave the estate upon his marriage, for she has too much pride to live there while he is married to another woman.

Rochester cannot bear to lose her and, casting Blanche aside, confesses his love for Jane. With their own marriage on the horizon, Jane’s life has finally taken the course she always wanted, yet strange things begin to happen; Mr. Mason (Philip Stonhouse), a colleague of Rochester’s, is violently attacked by something hidden in the upstairs room of Grace Poole (Andrew Soutter), and the shrieking, hairraising laughter continues to plague Jane. There is a dark secret hidden away at Thornfield, just waiting to be set free...

From the play’s opening moments, Stacey Arseneau draws the audience in with her extreme sincerity as she recounts the tales of Jane’s difficult childhood, offering commentary alongside the events as they unfold. Tiffany Feler plays Jane as a child, and though the action is frequently paused for Arseneau’s retrospective narration, she gracefully weaves in and out of the scene with minimal interruption to the flow of events. Arseneau’s later incorporation into the plot itself brings forth her conviction, her reliability as a narrator, and her clever wit as she humorously spars with the man of her future affections. In spite of the difficult choices her character must make, Arseneau ultimately conveys the power of love and the lengths a person will go to in order to be happy. Feler does a great job of capturing the childlike suffering of a

girl in her orphaned state, and truly wins her character all the sympathy in the world. The masterfully despicable portrayals by Williams and Gin provide a perfect contrast to the innocent Jane, with Williams as the mean aunt we love to hate and Gin as the lying, spoiled cousin we can’t stand. Alexandre shines as one of the housemaids and Jane’s confidant, as her emphatic expression and quaintly-crafted lower class accent give her character a strong likeability. Munds perfectly channels the character of the foreboding Brocklehurst through his grim expression, cold tone, and ominous presence, not to mention his intimidating authorial stature when speaking down to Feler’s petite Jane. In another role as the priest, Munds transitions into a more soft-spoken character, and expertly sheds any lingering characteristics associated with Brocklehurst. Hunt also convincingly portrays the terse nature of Jane’s teacher, with her pursed lips, rigid posture, and eagerness to reprimand her students enough to make anyone tremble with fear.

Barron gives a particularly touching performance as a girl who takes abuse without objection, and is accepting of the fact that she will die young, for then she won’t have to experience any more of life’s tribulations.

Though many actors and actresses play dual or even triple roles in the performance, Potter is of particular note for her ability to convey the pleasant and caring nature of Miss Temple towards young Jane, while adopting a completely different approach to Blanche Ingram, in which she is narcissistic, judgemental, shallow, and cruel to the grownup Jane. On another note, Potter’s beautiful soprano voice was truly impressive, and garnered much applause from the audience.

Sheelagh Daly is a constant source of entertainment as Adele, encapsulating the animated and hyperactive spirit of a pampered child, while also infusing her fluent French into the

Jim Smagata

conversation. Andrew Soutter’s role as the recluse maid Grace Poole provides an air of mystery to the plot, and his second role as the clergyman who takes Jane into his home is a charming one, whose bizarre requests were of particular amusement to the audience. Although Chrissy Chau plays a number of roles, it is her main role that provides the climax of the story (which would be a shame to reveal, so I’m not going to!), and her performance is really one of the most unexpected and most dramatic to watch. Zaza, Stonhouse, Jabalee, and Seline all deliver great supporting roles, as do Kelsey Jenkins, Stacey Gawrylash, and Cameron Laurie. Last, but definitely not least, Santalucia’s performance as Rochester is strong and commanding, yet at times sensitive and charming, providing the perfect counterpart to Arseneau’s shy yet quick-witted Jane. His performance wonderfully showcases the full range of his acting abilities, from dramatic to comedic to deeply emotional, all moments that are as natural and convincing as the next.

Carolyn Nettleton and Lizzie Stuart-Morris excellently incorporate light and sound into the scenes to set a grave mood, while Joanne Massingham’s gorgeous costume design enlivens the atmosphere of Victorian England. The entire cast nails varying degrees of English accents and delivers quite believable scenes of violence, and all of it serves to elevate the enjoyment of the performance even further. The cast does a fantastic job in all facets, yet most of all in making a 19thcentury play relevant to our lives today. Despite the adversities we must face and no matter how much pride we have, the goodness in people and the eternal human desire to love and be loved ultimately trump everything else in our quest for a happy ending.

Jane Eyre runs October 26 to 30 at Theatre Erindale; for show times and ticket prices, visit their website at www.theatreerindale.com.

6 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, OCTOBER

25, 2010

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Fashion without passion If you’re suffering from that mid semester fashion slump, here are some tips to get you out LYSAN SEQUEIRA

It happens every year around this time: the midterms are piling up, the late nights are catching up with you, and your coffee addiction is at an all-time high. It’s the middle of the semester and your stress level has shot through the roof. With all of this going on, it can be easy to forget to take care of yourself! But just taking an extra few minutes in the morning and putting together a stylish and comfortable outfit can change the way you feel all day.

When you feel good about yourself, that confidence will spill over into

everything else you do.

To help you out, here’s four easy ways to pull yourself out of the midsemester style slump and finish the term looking and feeling great!

Mix it up.

The quickest and easiest way to get out of a fashion slump is to mix up your outfits. Sure, that same old top and pair of jeans combo may look great, but wearing the same thing day in day out can get a little boring. So recruit a friend or roommate to help you look at the items you already own, and then brainstorm ways to change things up.

You won’t have to spend any

Lysan Sequeira

money, but you’ll have tons of outfits that feel brand new because the pieces have never been worn together before.

Pick out a “safety outfit”.

You were up until 4 a.m. studying and somehow forgot to set your alarm. You have 15 minutes before you have to be at your 8 a.m. class and you just rolled out of bed. At times like this, putting together a stylish outfit is the last thing on your mind, but you shouldn’t just settle for sweats and run out the door! You’ll feel frazzled and less confident all day.

Instead, pick out a seasonally appropriate “safety” outfit and memorize it. Keep it simple and not too specific. An example of my “safety outfit” is pictured. No matter how long it’s been since I’ve done laundry, I always have a pair of skinny jeans and a white t-shirt clean. I pair them with my favorite coloured flats to add some pop. If it’s cool out, I know I can throw on any jacket and it will match!

Reorganize your closet and drawers.

Even if you aren’t a neat freak like me, having an organized room makes your life feel a little more organized too. Take some time to do all your laundry and then move your closet and drawers around.

This will give you a chance to really dig into the back and see what pieces have been hiding. First, put your fall clothes front and centre, and instead of organizing your clothes by colour, organize them by style (or vice versa). Switch up the flow of your drawers; are your tshirts on top? Move them to the bottom! Put pieces you haven’t worn in a while where they are more visible and easily accessible.

Invest in a few time-saving beauty products.

Sleep is a luxury at this point in the semester, and it’s more likely that you’ll choose 20 extra minutes in bed over a shower any day! Of course there’s no shame in that, but if you stock up on a few key beauty products, no one will be able to notice.

Dry shampoo is a MUST for onthe-go days. It absorbs oil and gives your hair great volume and texture.

Eye cream is another must-have.

Rub it on your puffy, sleep-deprived eyes and you’ll look like you got your full eight hours. A shimmer stick can serve as blush, highlighter, eye shadow, and even lipgloss—talk about products that do double (and more) duty! Body spray is a great alternative to perfume when you just need to “freshen up”, and the plastic packaging makes it much more portable than delicate and

adampantz.com

expensive perfume bottles. Finally, a neutral shade of nail polish will let you stretch you manicure for several extra days, since chips will be less noticeable.

Hopefully these tips will help you to beat–or at least survive!—that mid-semester fashion slump. Next on the agenda: passing those December exams! Er, you’re on your own for that one…

Album in review:

Come Around Sundown by Kings of Leon

sonymusicdigital.com

COLLEEN MUNRO ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

With the sheer volume of music available online and the declining album sales of the past decade, rock bands might just become a thing of the past. Yet acts like Coldplay and The Killers managed to carve spots for themselves in the public consciousness, and judging by Kings of Leon’s latest album, Come Around Sundown, they seem to be the newest band vying for cultural omnipresence.

Composed of the three Followill brothers and their cousin, the band released their de b u t f u l l - l e n g th album, Youth and Young Manhood, in 2003. But they didn’t get their first taste of fame until 2006, when their third album, Because of the Times, became a hit in the United Kingdom.

American fans were slower to catch on, and their domestic success didn’t come until the release of their following album, 2008’s Only by the Night. The album spawned two huge singles—“Sex

on Fire” and “Use Somebody”— which helped to launch the Followills into the mainstream.

Although Kings of Leon earned a throng of new fans, accusations of “selling out” ran rampant, and the band received considerable backlash from some critics.

Since each of their albums has been progressively more accessible, it’s no surprise that Come Around Sundown is the farthest deviation from the band’s early work. They clearly aren’t shying away from their new, anthemfriendly sound, and the first few tracks on the album have good hit potential.

The album’s first single, “Radioactive”, is full of Kings of Leon’s signature guitar stutters and crash cymbal, and Caleb Followill turns in a typically passionate vocal performance.

Whether or not you like this style is another matter, but the band plays to their advantages to put forth an appropriately grandiose first single.

The production value on Come Around Sundown gives it a sheen that may turn some listeners off, but it fits well with the band’s more pop-influenced sound. Jared Followill’s bass plays a more prominent role than usual and, being so prominent in the mix, it propels tracks like “The End” and “Mary”.

T h o s e t w o t r a ck s , a l o n g w i t h “Radioactive” and the atmospheric “Pyro”, make for a spirited opening to the album. But unfortunately, Come Around Sundown begins

to slow down around the midpoint. “Back Down South” adds some slow-burning twang which is nice, but it’s immediately followed by “Beach Side”, a mid-tempo, tuneless ditty. “Pony Up” and “Birthday” sound like the same overly jaunty song twice in a row, and both feature equally generic lyrics; “I got a razor sharp mind that wants to cut you down,” Caleb sings on the former.

Obviously the band won’t return to the unpolished, less marketable sound of their first couple of albums anytime soon, but if they’re going to play rock stars, they should take it all the

way. They seem to be limiting the amount of arena-ready anthems in order to keep some semblance of credibility, but they’d do better to embrace their mainstream capabilities, since the mid-tempo pulp that they settle for on some of the album’s later tracks likely won’t excite old or new fans.

Come Around Sundown isn’t a bad album, and to be fair, the band could have gone much farther askew after their initial taste of mainstream success. In the end, the album seems like a logical musical evolution for a band on the brink of superstardom, for better or for worse.

MONDAY, OCTOBER

25, 2010 THE MEDIUM 7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mississauga’s Dancing Queen JESSE MAGALLANES

ctv.ca

So You Think You Can Dance Canada has featured several talented dancers over the years, but in the third season of the popular dance competition which wrapped up last night, Mississauga was privileged to have been represented by contemporary dancer, Amanda Cleghorn. On last night’s results show, Cleghorn finished in the Top 2 alongside her original partner Denys Drozdyuk, but unfortunately finished the competition as the runner-up, just slightly being beaten out by Drozdyuk.

Cleghorn auditioned for the show when she was 18, and was given a ticket straight through to the finals after she impressed the judges with her incredible dancing. Cleghorn has stated that her inspiration for dancing is her sister, but always felt like the spotlight was on her sister rather than herself. She was chosen as one of Canada’s Top 22 and has since created her own spotlight, showcasing her talents for the entire nation to see.

Cleghorn attended Cawthra Park Secondary School, where she specialized in performance arts and was able to maintain an average of over 90 percent while balancing dance on the side.

Cleghorn’s training is primarily con-

temporary, but she has also practiced ballet, hip hop, jazz, and theatre. She is most often complimented for her long arms and legs; she is able to manoeuvre her body beautifully when she dances.

Mia Michaels, one of the world’s most esteemed contemporary choreographers, has compared Cleghorn to a gorgeous praying mantis because of the way she effortlessly soars across the stage. Cleghorn has competed in 15 dance competitions across North America, has won Dancer of the Year at the 2008 Dance Awards, and has also appeared in the films Honey and Camp Rock 2. As a result, it should come as no surprise that Cleghorn managed to make it into So You Think You Can Dance Canada’s Top 2.

Cleghorn’s journey on the show was an extremely successful one; she was first partnered with Denys, a ballroom dancer from Toronto, and excelled in all of her performance routines. After tackling the tango the first week, the audience became well aware that Amanda and Denys would be a force to be reckoned with. Cleghorn also stunned the audience with a moving contemporary piece about a couple grieving the loss of their child, and an athletic, fast-paced Afro Jazz routine that was incredibly synchronized. She has been one of the few dancers on the show that has been challenged in

almost every genre and always receives high praise from the judges. Cleghorn stated that her favourite routine of the season was Contemporary with Jeff Mortensen, in which she played the role of someone diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She connected so deeply with the dance because her grandmother died of the same disease, and had a difficult time playing the character because she was forced to relive painful memories. However, she was able to create one of the most memo-

rable routines of the season after fully committing herself and entering a different emotional level.

Cleghorn was one of the competition’s strongest and most popular dancers, and the fact that she barely lost after coming so close shocked many. Nevertheless, she walked away with a Mazda 2 Sport and $10,000, and there is no doubt that she will go on to even greater things. Congratulations, Amanda Cleghorn—you’ve made your hometown proud!

throng.ca

Chuck Bass style secrets think he matches his socks in with his outfit, even if you barely see them! I love the smart, androgynous trousers in the girls’ outfit, paired with the fun shirt and cardigan. The guys’ outfit is simple. Wear it with great fitting trousers and tons of confidence. This is for the guy that wants to look cool without following the crowd.

2. Chinos are the new jeans.

We already know that skinny cargo pants are the next big thing, but their slightly tamer cousins—beige chinos—literally go with everything! They are as universally wearable as jeans, but have a much classier and dressier feel. Although they may be associated with the summer months, as Chuck shows us, you can wear them all year round.

I am in love with the girls’ outfit; I can’t get enough of its simple androgynous feel, and it has all the elements of Chuck! This is a really wearable, preppy look—very New England. The guys’ outfit is also super-simple; I tried to dress the chinos in the same way you would wear jeans by including a simple shirt and cardigan combo. But the gorgeous leather shoes give it a touch of sophistication.

popology.com

LYSAN SEQUEIRA

We love the girls of Gossip Girl for their impeccable and unique style, but there’s also a lot to learn from the guys. Chuck Bass is undoubtedly one of the most stylish guys on Gossip Girl. His style is unique, to say the least. You’ll never find him in jeans or a t-shirt (unless he’s trying to be ironic), and his ensembles are completely outside the box. Who else would wear a purple jumper with yellow trousers? But the most important element of Chuck’s style is the way everything is pulled together. Like his personality, everything

he wears is cleverly calculated, right down to his socks. Chuck is chic.

Here are four easy fashion rules we can learn from Chuck, and ideas for girls and guys on how to interpret these rules.

1. Embrace bright colours.

Bright colours are a huge part of Chuck’s style, and he often wears them in unexpected combinations. So to channel Mr. Bass, forget the rules—mix red and green, pink and red, and slightly different shades of the same colour. Then rock your look with confidence. Chuck’s style strikes a balance between matchy-matchy and completely un-coordinated. I definitely

3. Smart tailoring is essential.

Smart tailoring is what Chuck does best: he never looks more comfortable than when he is in a suit, complete with bowtie and waistcoat. His secret?

Everything is perfectly fitted. So get his look with classic pieces that fit well, or get friendly with your local tailor or seamstress to have your favorite pieces made to fit.

The girls’ outfit is perfect for daytime.

The look of tailored shorts works with ankle socks or tights for winter. The red blazer adds an element of fun, but is still sharp and bright… Chuck would definitely approve. The guys’ outfit channels Chuck’s love of tailoring: a gorgeous grey suit looks great paired with a fun tie and a pastel shirt. Chuck is often seen in lilac or pink shirts, and nearly always chooses grey over black when it comes to suits.

This look is perfect if you have something fancy to attend.

4. Don’t forget a fabulous coat.

Chuck is fantastic at layering, and understands the power of a great coat. After all, come winter, if you have a gorgeous coat on, it doesn’t even matter what you have on underneath! He loves belted styles, which are flattering on both girls and guys. In addition, a belted trench is perfect for fall in Toronto.

Both the outfits are quite simple, focusing on the standout coats. The girls’ outfit

colourful guys

chino guys

tailored guys

coat guys

is wearable but smart—I really wanted to try out Chuck’s strategy of mixing red and pink, plus skinny black trousers and a classic trench are wardrobe staples. The guys’ outfit is for a guy who’s ready to take a style risk: a pale shirt, chinos, boat shoes, and a patterned scarf all combine for a look that’s very Chuck.

Follow these simple steps and before you know it, Bass Enterprises will be calling you up any day!

colourful girls

chino girls

tailored girls

coat girls

8 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, OCTOBER

25, 2010

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

Real Halloween: be scared MARIANA COMITO ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

The very first Halloween customs descend from the druids of the Celtic people of the British Isles and Gaul (old France). Druidism was popular from 200 BC to 200 AD; most of the records on them come from Greek and Roman historians, but there aren’t many. Druid priests were shamans and necromancers, who believed that they were messengers for the division between the spiritual and human world. These priests thought that souls did not die; rather, the souls of good people who died were renewed in the lives of newborn children, and evil souls lived in the bodies of animals.

The Druids gathered in oak forests or by lakes and rivers to perform their rituals. On October 31, the Druids joined in a feast honouring their gods.

This became the most important religious event of the Celtic year. For them, the new year began on November 1, and the Druids believed that the sins of their dead could be absolved by sacrifices the night before. They believed that the gods had the power to choose whether souls would continue their existence as animals or humans, declaring a soul as good or evil.

The druids preferred to burn

cnadatop.com

An innocent pumpkin? Or a symbol of the Druidic god of fiery death and human sacrifice? horses in these sacrifices, in connection with other borrowed pagan mythology (such as that of the ancient Greeks, for whom horses were the sort of heavenly beasts that pulled Zeus’s chariot and were related to Pegasus). They also burned black cats, which were believed to be

witches transformed.

But on the festival of Samhain (which means “summer’s end”), they sacrificed humans. Men were imprisoned and tortured before being burned. By observing the way they died, the Druids pronounced omens of the future. Besides the

sacrificial fire, other huge bonfires were built on hilltops and in the villages. These fires were supposed to rejuvenate the sun and to guide the good spirits on their journey. Food was prepared for the spirits, in hopes that they would be pleased and help with the magical spells and curses

invoked during the feast.

When Christianity became more prominent in Europe in later centuries, the ritual was moved a few days later and adapted to “All Soul’s Day”, and made a little tamer as “a feast for the departed souls of the faithful”. However, by the 16th century it was more or less a pagan ceremony again, and had adopted the name “All Hallows Even” (which means “all holies night”).

Although nowadays costumes range from princesses to witches to Disney characters to celebrities, the Druids believed that costumes should be scary in order to frighten evil spirits. Richard Cavendish, an occult author, reports, “The singers and dancers went from house to house in bloodcurdling masks and costumes, which may have been meant to protect them against evil and which were probably also tangible representations of what lurked unseen in the night.”

But in the new era we’re living in, sacrificing people or animals just might not be the best way to celebrate.

In fact, even though just less than a month ago the United Kingdom officially recognized Druidism as a religion, you would probably end up in jail for practicing it like that. So just put on your wacky costumes, attend a few parties, fill your bellies with candy and have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Men, manliness, and The Globe and Mail PICK A TOP CELEBRITY FROM THE LIST BELOW AND SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS TO THE MEDIUM FOR A CHANCE AT A GRAND PRIZE! WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BE? Katy Perry Barack and Michelle Obama Zombie Ke$ha Justin Bieber The Joker Lady Gaga Snooki Gordon Freeman Mad Hatter Edward and Bella

NAZIFA ISLAM

On September 30, The Globe and Mail published a somewhat distressed-sounding article titled “Are men being robbed of their masculinity?” The article discusses how “mutations of gender roles” have led to the loss of masculinity in men. The writer finds the “mancession” (yes, that’s the term they used) to be result of “cuddle spray” and the increase in women’s income. So are men really becoming less manly, as the article suggests?

I dunno; my dictionary defines “man” as “adult male human”.

That’s it; the definition does not include any traits or characteristics, only the physical implications of being a man. Then where does manliness fit into the definition? It seems that manliness has only entered the equation because of a constructed concept applied to men, whether or not they like it.

Manliness is traditionally equated with people like Matt Damon and Gerard Butler, who look like they’re out for some action. Society sees a real man as macho, perhaps a little grungy and definitely more “primal” than a woman. When this balance shifts, as women earn more and men refuse to be inherently violent, somehow this is supposed

to be a loss of manliness?

The article cites Pew Research Centre, which reported that today, 22 percent of husbands have wives whose income now exceeds theirs, compared to 4 percent in 1970. By citing this statistic, the article indirectly implied that part of manliness is measured by the man’s dominance, including financial, over his female counterpart. And come on—the pay difference isn’t even due to any difference in men’s behaviour. There are obviously more women in the workforce (and with better certificiations) than there were 40 years ago.

Writing from a girl’s perspective, this article irritated me. It gives the illusion of a seemingly catastrophic event that will wipe real men off the face of the earth. Really, men are men, and that is how I see it. A man does not have to work out at the gym, pay all the bills, save his girlfriend from muggers, and shun emotional connection to be a real man. In my opinion, a man who doesn’t mind letting his wife pick up the tab or who enjoys paternity leave is no less of a man. So, frankly, I don’t see real men disappearing in this apparently tragic “mancession”; I see men taking up new roles and discovering new realms where they had perhaps not been allowed before.

MONDAY, OCTOBER

Apocalypse now?

SERKAN YILDIRIM

There are instinctive pleasures and there are distinctive pleasures. On the road to certainty the quiet pleasures are almost always disproportionate. I wouldn’t refrain from concealing these speculative constructs, because of all pleasures there is one that tremendously shakes the edifice of our own moral outlook.

It is displeasure.

One might encounter an obsession towards it, or feel a suffocating effect that is addictive.

But most of all, an inclination necessary to reason, with plight of suffering. Pleasure is loosely identified as a cultural aspect in which the cultivation of knowledge is applied in practice. This understanding of progression is identifiable with leisure as a product of happiness. But underneath the cultural by-product is an equation that is forged as a result of observable suffering—suffering that is related to the undeniable shape of the human condition.

I see it as a method of coping for a future that is as bleak as a lighthouse during hurricane season. The human vexation coupled with the inability to change our course which is constantly veering from freedom and stability. And as mentioned earlier, the vast interest in trying to formulate a future in our minds by associating a future based on dystopia.

Questions are asked, because to imagine a world that is unfamiliar from the way of life other than the western conception is abhorrent.

So, why is it that major portions of the population shake their heads in affirming a future that is post-apocalyptic? I cannot presume to know the answer, and neither should you. The least that we can partake in it is to simply present what is connected with obsession beside the “endtimes” assumptions.

Keep in mind that the subject of apocalypse is not clear-cut, but rather based on different interpretations, be it religious symbolism, literature, popular culture, or art. In the constant exchange of information, it’s hard to keep tabs on the subject of the apocalypse.

In terms of religious symbolism, there is a deep connection to the age-old prophecies of the JudeoChristian belief, because since the conception of the Old Testament the apocalypse is a widely-read topic. And it is an intriguing topic, precisely because it is based on beliefs.

Faith-driven elements often conquer a lot of us, and somehow the aspect of the apocalypse can be applied to the present age, using examples of modern warfare and the current conditions of living in war-torn countries, and the increased sensitivity of relations between nations across the globe.

They are all fair examples of a phenomenon that can easily lead people to believe it to be true.

Although it may seem the apocalypse is specially rooted within faith, there are hints of a differently imagined world in literature as well. The medium of literature, coupled with an author’s ability to imagine painted scenery, is here to stay indefinitely.

Novels such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy, are prime examples of a world that is imagined (at least) for us as paradoxical, and rather unusual. The authors have gone out of their way to bring to our attention the necessity of realizing impermanence, and the permanence of change. In large, the fairly imperfect society leaning towards a deduced justice and the re-evaluation of morals has a compromising effect on the overall tone of novels that focus on dystopia. The connection is merely an author’s portrayal of an extraordinary situation, and

that is an essence of apocalypse— the surreal quality which features sublime yet unforgettable imagery to capture its audience.

A quality of an apocalypse that emanates well outside our boundaries is pictured in popular culture.

Endtimes, apocalypses, Armageddon, doomsday. ...Frightening ideas; but humanity’s appetite for destruction is not a new topic

craze. The recent culmination of stories about the ending of the Mayan calendar in 2012 is attracting a lot of naysayers and entrepreneurs, who appear to be “professionals”, yet offer no valid explanations of their predictions.

It is agreeable on some terms that an ancient and successful civilization as the Mayans might’ve been correct, but even their predictions suggest that it will not be the ending of time, but a restart

It’s been a decade since the fad of “Y2K”, and already we’ve found the counterpart of a former

25, 2010 THE MEDIUM 9

FEATURES

of a new cycle. Endtimes, apocalypses, Armageddon, doomsday— all familiar terms, and yes, they are frightening ideas; but humanity’s appetite for destruction is not a new topic, and the phenomenon is deeply rooted within. It is easy to complicate human causality along with prophecies of a bitter future, and I think it is a bold move that seeks to further mask human immaturity and responsibility to make the right decisions.

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10 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2010

FEATURES

Creative Corner

Little sugars SHAISTA KHAN

red umbrella chasing blue raindrops searching and seeking and enjoying the splatter while i am searching for you and your blood red coat walks past this lane and comes out from the forest green the black clouds drop the white flakes it settles in your brown hair, and u swallow some little sugars on your tongue your muffin cakes baking in the warm oven and your flighty gold scarf seeks air to flow in while the white sheets in your backyard get covered with rain and snow a crow sits on the rope waiting for your return and i keep searching for you your sweet small dimples the embodiment of happiness i begin to run after your red coat and try to touch your warm brown hair and as you open your eyes to look at me i open mine and see its just a dream <> <> <> i turn the other way and wrap my arms around your softly sleeping breathing body.

Iä Yog-Sothoth!

AMIR AHMED

I’m pretty sure I passed Yog-Sothoth on the street.

My first clue was the tentacles.

Most people don’t have slimy appendages with toothed suckers skirting the pavement they walked over. Also most people don’t have three mouths and screech “Cthulhu fhtagn” in eldritch voices that spoke of realities and dimensions that man was not meant to know of. He was eating a DoubleDown from KFC. No, two of them.

He had three mouths, like I said, so they were doing the eating; the other one was screaming.

It was morning, and I was walking along University Avenue, on my way to class. I had Victorian Lit with Professor Bjornsson.

Today we’re looking at conceptions of the gothic. Oh friggin’ joy, right?

The air was too cold and the light was too bright. It bounced off the office buildings and aimed square into my retinas. My eyes were groggy from staying up late reading Haruki Murakami. They felt like when you reheat coffee and no matter how hot it gets, you still taste the age on it.

Yog-Sothoth, for his part, did not look tired at all. Granted, considering the calories in the Double-

Down he was eating, he had no reason to be tired. He was just walking down the street, eating and screeching. There was a magazine in one of his tentacles, presumably to read after he finished his morning feast.

I wanted to talk to him. How often do you see a nameless Elder God walking down the street?

There weren’t any groupies or papparazzi either. It was the perfect scenario to strike up a conversation, to mention how I admired him, how I thought non-Euclidean geometry was the absolute bomb.

Instead shyness got the better of me, and I walked past him. One of my eardrums burst from the decibels of the shrieking, but the doctor at the U of T health centre told me I’d be fine in a week.

I should’ve talked to him. He seemed like a cool guy. He could’ve told me about the cosmic infinity and the terrifying nature of a universe where the closest thing to God was born of chaos and darkness the likes of which we have never seen. Maybe we would’ve been friends.

Or maybe he would’ve consumed my soul and sent me to the dreaded void, where Azathoth the demon-king sits with his amorphous, dancing pipers.

Either way, it beats Victorian Lit with Professor Bjornsson.

Wartown SERKAN YILDIRIM

The sufficient lack of light directly causes train tracks to appear as hidden; it is nearly impossible to spot a single rail, yet the train is able to travel through the rapidly changing weather conditions. On the way to entering the barricades and right past it, the beautiful landscape is revealed like the sudden blooming of a scarlet. There are the remnants of war over the gluttonous mountains, and hills that occur to appear every so often. As the train halted to a stop, there is a hint of a heightened sense of paranoia. And the bitter aftertaste of loss settled into the unconscious, where it is met with resistance from elements that fight to vacate calm tolerance. It is unclear to demonstrate minor insecurities, because as a point of reference one almost always assumes that it is not simple. When a person passes by, whether he’s feeling overjoyed or even underappreciated for his accomplishments, there is somehow a push towards a less lenient path. Under such uncertain circumstances he feels an effect that consumes the very own bones that have given him an identity.

He is a man. He is beneath everything. The fate of being stuck under a plate that has given him the privilege to call it his home, no longer applies to him. Beyond the rustling and loud relenting, there is a recession in which

man can no longer situate his own fears. The will to endure through inaction has left him impotent. In an acutely responsive manner, the residuals of his will have come to resurface.

Within the stratosphere of a cornered and massively unresolved place is the existence of Wartown, the unspeakable place where crime is embraced as if it were a way of life, a way of dedication and a direction of righteousness.

Life, living, and being alive are contradictions of their society. The limits to become a right man are strictly available for those that are able to express curiosity through outer freedom—the type of freedom that was lost years ago but slowly recovered as justice failed to offer a prevailing option for the men in place. Isolation from the world that offered very little, but continued to take too much, drove Wartown to the distinct category of a living and breathing volatile minefield.

There are times when incomplete utterances would hail a proposition to offer the proper description fitting to needs of the few. A lasting struggle has been a part of the city and of the Socios, a classification fitting to the description of residents that abide only with violence. An essential development is one of many reforms, and regardless of creed or colour one evolutionary aspect is adopted to establish a myriad. From a point of history the Socios are relentless because they simply exist for creating, and destroying.

Moving on throughout the city, from block to block (and quite literally there are blocks of stone as pervasive as a scale off-balance), the sudden realization that hopeless feelings of the recent past are assured to be a vagrant part of comprehension. In the vicinity of every block, children are displayed as a possible source of hope; do not let that falter the conception of the culture that is. For ever more these fatherless sons and daughters are critical to the survival of their people’s ideology. The journey is continuous, it is neverending, and its aim is to dissolve the penetrable barrier between the heart and the mind, thus correlating the presence of the few. It’s not at all difficult to observe, but it is foolish to observe and not simplify the results.

But if that were the case, perhaps the arrival would’ve never been met with success; in fact results are often achieved through sacrifices. No result could be produced without sacrifice.

There are no extraordinary complexities produced from interaction.

In Wartown, fear is kept in mind with or without rules and authority.

An understanding of non-control, in a world appearing as free to do, is a necessity. He is a person, but he is a man. Attempting to escape doesn’t solve his intricate problems. He will stay, because feelings are strong and passionate; for a man to lose that passion is to cheat him out of his own existence, whether just or not.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2010 THE MEDIUM 11

William Robertson , Editor | sports@mediumonline.ca

NHL is full of early surprises MICHELLE DUKLAS ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The beginning of an NHL season is a wonderful thing. Avid hockey fans are either planning a Stanley Cup parade or moaning that their team will never make the playoffs. Relax!

The season just started. It’s still too early to really gauge how a team will do. The Oilers and the Lightnings may make the playoffs. Being at the bottom of the league only five games in does not warrant a team to have a panic attack.

As the season progresses, players will balance out and some will step up. Others may completely bomb— just think of Alex Kovalev last year.

A good example of a slow starting player is Martin Brodeur. Just seven games in, he has let in 18 goals and has lost five games. But last season Brodeur had a stellar year. He started that season off with two losses in which he gave up eight goals.

Anaheim’s line of Getzlaf, Perry, and Ryan was bemoaned by fans as being hopeless, after they were held with no points in their first three games. Since then, Getzlaf has gotten 10 points, Perry has netted three goals and five assists, and Ryan has five points.

Edmonton netminder Nikolai Khabibulin started and won his first two games of the season. The first, against Calgary, was a shutout and in the other—against Florida—he let in just two goals. He then went on to lose three games in a row and let in at least three goals per game. One

second he was hailed as a saviour, the next as a sieve. But it’s too early to know how he will do.

Steven Stamkos started off his season quite nicely, topping the leaderboard in points and goals, with 14 and eight respectively. If he can keep this pace, he may be able to win the Art Ross trophy outright this year.

Right winger Jason Pominville is one player Buffalo fans can legitimately be concerned about. He suffered a concussion on October 11 after a nasty hit by Chicago’s Nicklas Hjalmarsson. Pominville, who was carried off the ice on a stretcher, has been a consistent scorer for the Sabres finishing the last four seasons with 20+ goals and 62 points. He has missed four games so far, and there has been no confirmation about when he will return.

Hjalmarsson was kicked out of the game for his hit.

On the topic of concussions, John Tavares also suffered a concussion, albeit a minor one, in his game opener. It didn’t appear to slow him down, though, as he has four points to start the season, including a goal against the Leafs on Monday and an empty-netter against Colorado last weekend.

And of course, who can forget the two teams that started 4-0? Last year, the Dallas Stars never won more than two games in a row—not even a streak. This year, new players Loui Eriksson, James Neal, Jamie Benn, and Kari Lehtonen have been able to step up and shine. Lehtonen, a goaltender acquired from the

Thrashers, was signed late last season, and came off a back surgery to start the season with a .927 save percentage and five wins in six games.

Eriksson has four goals—two of which were game winners—and Neal has six points.

Another difference to Dallas’s ability to get winning streaks is newly appointed associate coach Willie Desjardins, an eight-year veteran coach in the WHL. If Dallas wants to be able to hold their own as the season progresses, they will need to improve their penalty killing, which is currently ranked at the bottom of the league at a meagre 64.3 per cent.

Other excellent start has been the Toronto Maple Leafs. Clarke MacArthur scored five goals in his first four games as a Maple Leaf, making a place for himself in the Leafs’ record books. Considering last year’s start to the season—their first win came nine games in—Leafs fans can be happy about something.

And the Leafs are ranked third in their conference, despite losing the past three games.

The Leafs’ penalty killing and powerplay have been nothing special, but they’ve been able to keep it together and rank in the top half of the league in both departments.

Another Leaf notable is sniper Phil Kessel, who is even with MacArthur in goals and assists. If they can keep producing, the Leafs may be able to stay at the top of their division.

But it’s too early to know for sure.

The season just started.

nhl.com

Pominville (above) is out indefinitely, which could be costly to the Sabres.

Lesnar no longer Argos make king of the Octagon playoffs

rjrobertson.com

Lesnar (above) will look to regain his title in the near future.

On Saturday night in Anaheim, California UFC 121 took place, w i t h t h e m a i n e v e n t b e i ng t h e World Heavyweight Championship.

Brock Lesnar wasn’t able to defend his title against the number one contender, Cain Velasquez.

At the opening bell Lesnar came out furiously. He charged from his corner and quickly took Velasquez down. However, the kick-boxer quickly got back on his feet, since Lesnar excels on the ground. The challenger answered back with a takedown of his own and was able t o l a n d s e v er a l p u nc h e s b e f o r e Lesnar could escape. At this point, Lesnar had been cut under his eye and blood began to pour down his face. He was able to get to his feet, but a number of his strikes did not connect to Velasquez, who was able to counter with his own barrage of punches that connected with the champion. Staggering across the

ring, Lesnar tried to get stable again when a vicious knee to his body and more punches to the head dropped him to the ground.

Lesnar turtled and Velasquez took full advantage, striking with an onslaught of hammer-fists and strikes to the head. The referee H e rb D e a n g a v e t h e c h a m p i o n every opportunity to defend himself, but to no avail; he had no choice but to stop the fight and declare Cain Velasquez the winner

by Technical Knockout at 4:12 in the first round. Lesnar was bloodied and disoriented as the crowd was s h o c ke d a s V e l a s q u e z w a s o u t w e ig h e d b y m o r e t h a n t w e nt y pounds and had a disadvantage in reach. Despite the disadvantages, Velasquez overcame them to be atop the UFC world.

With the win, Velasquez becomes the new Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the UFC. He is the first Mexican champion in combat sports and earned an extra $70,000 for “Knockout of the Night”. Next for Velasquez will most likely be Brazilian striker, Junior Dos Santos, in early 2011.

WILLIAM ROBERTSON

The Toronto Argonauts have had their fair share of ups and downs this season.

Early injuries and recurring struggles on offence made reaching the playoffs seem like a far stretch.

However, the Argos were able to end their streak of not making the post-season with a victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, ultimately eliminating them from the playoffs. Head coach Jim Barker was thrilled with the victory but said it did not come easy. He told reporters that “The great thing was they earned their way in. They didn’t wait for somebody else to lose.” Argos running back Cory Boyd made a 66-yard catch for a touchdown and Cleo Lemon also ran in for a touchdown. Boyd’s stellar season continued as he ran for 86 yards on 11 carries, bringing his season-leading rushing total to 1291 yards.

Chad Owens returned a missed field goal for a touchdown. It was Owens’ fourth return for a touchdown this season. He commented, “I was licking my chops. I kind of anticipated it being short; I just wanted to hesitate a second to let the blockers get around and do their job and I just ran. It was pretty simple.”

The Argos are currently in third in the East, and two points behind Hamilton for second.

MONDAY, OCTOBER

25, 2010 THE MEDIUM 12

SPORTS

Alleged bribery a blow to FIFA ANGELA DOMINGO

FIFA has suspended two members of its executive committee following allegations that they solicited bribes from bidding parties in the race to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

An article recently published in the Sunday Times of London held that FIFA executive members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii had each invited sums of up to $2 million to possibly sway their votes.

According to the article, journalists posing as supporters of the U.S. World Cup bid caught both officials encouraging the offers of such sums of money in order to fund their personal projects.

Amos Adamu, director of sports development in Nigeria, is said to have been caught on film by the undercover journalists seeking some $800,000 to go to building artificial football fields in his native country.

Reynald Temarii, president of the Oceania Football Confederations, was also apparently filmed soliciting a sum of $2 million for putting up a new soccer academy in Auckland, New Zealand.

Temarii denies bribery claims, but concedes that he should have gone about matters differently: “I’m confident about my integrity but I made a mistake by talking in that way.” He has encouraged Sepp Battler, president of FIFA, to proceed with the probe which he thinks will illuminate matters and clear his case. “I asked [him] to investigate. I gave him a letter. It’s important for me that the ethics committee investigates how I manage my relations with bidders.”

Though the article mentions journalists posing as supporters of the U.S. bid, and Adamu apparently promised to give the Americans his vote for the 2018 campaign, in fact the U.S. bid committee, headed by Sunil Gulati, said that their party had nothing to do with the report. “The Sunday Times report today makes it clear, but it bears emphasis and repeating, that the USA bid committee had no involvement with any aspect of the reporting that resulted in this story. This is a matter that is totally under the governance of FIFA, and therefore we will have no further comment.”

The US has since decided to abandon their 2018 campaign and compete in the elections for hosting the 2022 event instead.

After a unanimous vote, the FIFA ethics committee decided to immediately suspend both Adamu and Tamarii. Slim Aloulou, Ismael Bhamjee, Amadou Diakite, and Ahongalu Fusimalohi are four other officials associated with the bribery scandal and also face suspension.

This “provisional” suspension will be enforced for 30 days, subject to extension. Blatter issued a letter to the executive committee following the allegations against the six officials, expressing his regret about how the situation has weakened the already threatened integrity of football’s governing body. “The information in the article has created a very negative impact on FIFA and on the bidding process… Some current and former members of the executive committee are mentioned,” he said. Blatter assured the committee and the public that FIFA will use all means necessary to come to an informed and conclusive investigation of the matter.

If these officials are indeed found guilty of selling their votes, the matter of most interest to football’s international community is perhaps not what sanctions will be imposed on the them, but what action will be taken against the bidding nations found to have been offering bribes to sway committee voters.

The 2018 bids to host the World Cup are all European, with England, Russia, and joint candidates BelgiumNetherlands and Spain-Portugal.

The 2022 candidates, all outside Europe, are Australia, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, and the United States.

All the bidding nations have denied any involvement in buying committee votes.

The voting for both the 2018 and 2022 campaigns will take place on the same day, possibly encouraging alliances to be formed between bidding nations hoping to host the tournament. To avoid any cases of voteswapping, FIFA has reminded the candidates that they are forbidden from entering into any agreements with each other or with committee members that would lead to collusion in the voting process.

This bribery scandal as well as the speculation about possible vote-swapping puts FIFA under the gun yet again. During the 2010 World Cup, much was made of the questionable calls made by a number of referees throughout the tournament, leading to the dismissal of members of the officiating committee.

2010 postseason: Year of the Pitcher CHRIS CALLAHAN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

With two weeks of playoff baseball now in the books, one dominant trend has emerged: the pitching has been sensational. It was evident early on, with Roy Halladay throwing a no-hitter in his first playoff start. That same night, Cliff Lee struck out 10 in a dominating seven-inning performance, in which he allowed just one run. A day later, it was Tim Lincecum’s turn to shine, with a complete game shutout gem that included 14 strikeouts.

These phenomenal pitching performances have come with team success as Halladay, Lee, and Lincecum have all led their teams to an appearance in the League Championship Series. In most years, you would not give a team with a batting average below .205 in the

playoffs much of a chance to make a run at the World Series. At this point in October, the Phillies and the Giants have done just that, with both teams having difficulties scoring runs. Those same two teams are battling for supremacy in the national league.

They have had some timely hitting, but above all they have strong pitching to credit for their playoff victories. The Phillies have three starting pitchers with an earned run average below 3.00.

In 49 innings pitched, the San Francisco Giants’ starting pitchers have allowed just eight earned runs. These statistics provide justification for what baseball fans have been saying throughout October: pitching is paramount in the 2010 playoffs.

This pitching excellence hasn’t been an anomaly unique to the national league. Even the Yankees and the Rangers, two teams that have built a reputation on power hitting, have been

dependent on pitching in several crucial games this month.

In the decisive fifth game of the American League Divisional Series, the Rangers eliminated the Rays largely because of another complete pitching masterpiece by Cliff Lee. Meanwhile, starting pitchers CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, and Phil Hughes all recorded wins in the Yankees sweep of the Twins earlier this month. In both leagues, pitching has definitely been the key to success.

As we near the end of the playoffs, baseball fans can expect to see more of the same. The teams with the best pitching have made it this far; there is no reason to think that the two best teams won’t continue the trend.

Baseball purists have rejoiced this October as these pitching battles have made for exceptional games. If this is truly the Year of the Pitcher, the 2010 World Series could be one for the ages.

Tim Lincecum, known as “The Freak”, will start in Game 1 of the World Series.

wikimedia.org

Heads-up for safety MICHAEL SKRZYNIAK

U I

Dunta Robinson, James Harrison, and Brandon Meriweather... What do these three players have in common? They all got made examples of, and are now the catalysts for the new culture of the National Football League. There have been many gruesome headshots taken by football players since the start of the year, and with the fear of concussions to any player, the NFL is doing something about it, led by Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The NFL has declared that any hit which they deem “illegal” will result in a suspension for the offending for an indefinite number of games. The coaches will also be held responsible, depending on the severity of the hit and how long victim is injured for. Personally, I believe it’s about time the NFL came down hard on these types of hits, specifically the

helmet-to-helmet shots. The NFL teams pay their players a ton of money to play every week to perform at the highest level, and the fans also pay a ton of money to see the best product available on the field. Athletes these days are bigger, stronger, and faster, and the equipment has also adapted and become more deadly for opponents. The NFL has to think about these player’s futures after football.

There are plenty of former players, notably Rodney Harrison—an ex-safety who had a reputation of being one of the hardest, yet dirtiest hitters—who are embracing the new rule. There was an uproar when the league increased protection for the quarterback, but people still watch the game and there are still highlight reel hits.

In the end, this writer is glad that the NFL took this approach. Hopefully current and future generations of players won’t suffer like the past ones have.