Vol 37 issue 8

Monday, November 1st, 2010

Volume 37, Issue 8

More money for ESCpeRT responders

Last week saw ESCpeRT (Erindale College Special Response Team) held a referendum to increase their student levy by 30¢ per semester.

The new levy would add more medical equipment, more first-aid instructors and classes, and more Medical First Responders and firstaid providers.

The levy was passed with 1432 ballots in favour, out of 1519 ballots cast. Students were able to vote at polling stations in the William G. Davis building, the North building, and the CCIT building on October 27 and 28.

“UTM has voted and the results are in. The overwhelming majority of students believe an improved medical first response service is worth a dollar per student!” said Justin Migchels, HBSc, EMR divisional superintendent. “This is a proud day for all of us on ECSpeRT, as the extra funds collected from students will be recycled directly in improving our services delivered to the campus.”

ESCpeRT is an on-campus, volunteer-based, medical emergency response team. ESCpeRT’s medical responders are trained in highlevel pre-hospital care. Since the response team is located on campus, they are able to attend to medical emergencies before an ambulance arrives.

Last year, ESCpeRT responded to 54 medical emergencies of which 13 were life-threatening.

Since the special response team was instated, there have been no deaths at UTM. Currently, ESCpeRT medical responders are on call from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Friday.

With the new levy passed, a plan has been put in motion to expand on-call medical service to 24 hours.

Also, during ESCpeRT elections, UTMSU was holding its elections for Division 1 Directors, first-year representatives. Students were able to vote throughout the week for any of the six candidates. The ballot counts came in, with Peter Huang and Nana Zhou as the elected individuals.

Rethinking post-secondary education JEROME JOHNSON

Edward Cai/The Medium

Part of Diwali is the celebration of the inner light that overpowers evil. This year, Diwali was held a week early.

Diwali festival lights up UTM

On Friday, October 29, the Hindu Student Council hosted their fifth annual Diwali Dhamaka in the Blind Duck. The events included performances, a three-course dinner, and an open dance. Over 400 students attended.

“We’re very excited,” said member Nikitha Paluri before the event.

Paluri later danced to four songs alongside Varun Gupta and HSC co-founder Rohit Dubey. “We’ve been preparing for this all month.”

Diwali is a five-day celebration, usually beginning near November.

Diwali in 2010 actually falls on November 5, but this year, the festival was held a week early.

In Hinduism, Diwali is the celebration of Rama’s victorious return from his battle with Ravana, and the inner light that overpowers evil.

It is celebrated across India and the rest of the world. While Diwali is important to Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, the HSC made sure to welcome everyone to their event.

“It’s all about unity,” said Gupta.

“India has every religion, and I know our name is Hindu Student Council, but this festival really is about bringing everyone together.”

The night began with a series of dances from UTM students and c o m i c s k i ts b y t h e t h r e e M C s .

Modern, traditional, and Bollywood dances were performed by beginners and classically trained dancers.

The events finished with a perfor-

“Diwali is all about light—light in our brains and in our heads and in our hearts.”

—Deep Saini mance by a four-man band led by Saad Tauseef and Ahsan Bin Arif.

Dinner and dancing followed until 1 a.m.

“I want you all to know that my w i fe a n d I , s i n c e w e ’ v e b e e n i n Australia and Montreal and Waterloo, we finally feel like we’ve

arrived home,” said UTM’s new vice-principal, Deep Saini, midway through the performances. Saini skipped another party to attend the Diwali Dhamaka.

“Diwali is all about light—light in our brains and in our heads and in our hearts,” Saini observed, adding that he was incredibly proud of the attendees, and youth across Canada working to build a Canadian identity and a multicultural society that celebrates our common humanity.

“I will definitely be very mad if you don’t invite me again next year!” he added, to applause and cheers.

Alisha Mann, dance coordinator for the South Asian Alliance, spent two weeks preparing her performance—a modern dance number.

She also performed at the HSC’s last Diwali. “It was nerve-wracking the first few minutes, but it’s a lot of fun. It always is.”

At the conclusion of the performance, MC Wasah Malik praised the HSC and its growth, which he has seen throughout his years at UTM. The first Diwali celebration five years ago had about 40 attendees, while 2010’s Diwali Damakha saw over ten times that number.

“The performances were so fun!” said a student in attendance. “I feel like I’m back home.”

The long and storied career of Progressive Conservative William Davis, the premier of Ontario for 14 years from 1971-85, made for an engaging seminar to a packed assembly at the Erindale United Church this past Thursday morning. As part of the Associates of UTM’s “Canadian Perspectives” fall lecture series, Davis was invited in to discuss his contributions to the advancement of Ontario’s educational system during the 1960s and 70s.

“You have to look at course offerings.

You have to say that if we are going to be competitive with China, with our friends south of the border, the federal government is going to have to invest more in education,” Davis emphasized to the audience. “Show me a good lawyer or doctor and I’ll show you a good kindergarten teacher.”

Davis points out that our post-secondary educational system is only as good as our elementary and high school systems. It’s a collaborative effort on the part of school teachers at all levels to foster the knowledge capital of our society.

The right kind of growth for universities can only occur if the federal government distributes funding equally across programs and initiatives so that all knowledge-seekers’ needs can be met.

“I began to realize that for those who really wanted to pursue mechanics, a four-year program would be of no real benefit to them,” said Davis.

This tangent led into his involvement in the origins of the Ontario colleges system, including the humble beginnings of U of T’s Mississauga campus.

Education continued on page 2

Talk to yourself

PAGE 3 Paranormal tips PAGE 5 Thrills at the Guvernment

PAGE 7 Ireally like your shoulders PAGE 9 Blues Advance PAGE 11

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www.mediumonline.ca

2 THE MEDIUM

NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

1, 2010

Former premier discusses education Dalai Lama visits U of T Education continued from cover

Over the course of his tenure as Ontario’s minister of education and university affairs from 196271, Davis went about the restructuring of several institutions into new non-denominational, provincially funded universities across the province, including Brock, Trent, Laurentian, Windsor, and Ottawa. In addition he also opened 22 community colleges. The first of these was Seneca, which at the start was at odds with York over offering many of the same courses.

Davis foresaw the benefits of immersing students in joint academic-practical accelerated curricula because a higher percentage of college graduates tended to find employment right out of school in contrast to their university counterparts. Davis added that students shouldn’t be forced to choose between college and university; there should be aspects of both streams complementarily woven into the fabric of each.

He recalled how the then-mayor of Streetsville, Hazel McCallion, had expressed interest in Mississauga building its own university campus in her township.

However, Davis staunchly campaigned to have the campus be located in his home provincial riding of Erindale. Managing to secure a parcel of land near Dundas and Mississauga Road owned by Reginald Watkins in 1965, he gradually bought out the landowners northwards by raising compensation for their properties by 25%, thus minimizing local opposition to the new campus.

While calls for the campus to be its own university abounded at the time of Erindale’s inception, the majority of faculty and area constituents agreed that the prestige of

being under the University of Toronto umbrella was too much to part with.

He cited that by comparison, the University of Western Ontario has done a much better job at fostering its school spirit and stressed the need for UTM to enhance its student life services.

His greatest achievements, he recounts, were in the handling of the separate schools system. In the more religiously motivated times of his political career, Davis often sought to diffuse tensions between Catho lics and Protestants, who sometimes squabbled over the non-sectarian Christianity being promoted in public schools.

“If we are going to be competitive with China, with our friends south of the border, the federal government is going to have to invest more in education.”

— William G. Davis As a means to financially support distinctively Catholic schools, Davis rallied the support of former premiers Leslie Frost and John Robarts into establishing the Foundation Tax Plan, which lead to a new influx of cash for Catholic elementary schools.

Although all students in Ontario were schooled equally from kindergarten up to grade 10, those within the Catholic school system were required to pay full tuition costs to attend school beyond that level as recently as 40 years ago. It was public policy for student’s families to fork over $1,100 (after

inflation, equivalent to about $6,300 today) in order to complete their studies at the same school, otherwise students would have to be transferred to a secular public school. Davis believe the government shouldn’t extend educational subsidies up to the grade 10 level but not for an additional year of schooling, so he sought to change the policy.

Davis also touched on a number of other subjects, including his involvement in ceasing the expansion of the Spadina Expressway through the Annex, founding TV Ontario, and working with former prime ministers John Diefenbaker, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, and John Turner. He spoke about his involvement in the Partition of the Canadian Constitution, feeling that although we should continue with the institutional frameworks established by the British, Canada was its own sovereign nation and ought to be free to augment its constitution without the input of the British parliament.

Davis, along with the premiers of several other English-speaking provinces, had reached an agreement with the federal government

by November 1981 after years of debating, but Québec was excluded from the final negotiations. Davis regrets having to have kept René Lévesque, premier of Québec at the time, in the dark about the proceedings; but he felt that it was a pivotal move to keeping the country united.

“Important in public life is a sense of humour,” Davis concluded at the end of the lecture, noting that he takes his work seriously, but not himself.

To honour the Brampton native, Sheridan College renamed its Brampton site to “Davis Campus”.

Recently, UTM followed suit by rededicating its South Building as the William G. Davis building.

Campus Police weekly summaries

October 21—October 27, 2010 October 21, 11:00 a.m.

Theft Under $5,000 Report of a stolen cell phone from the Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre. Value of the stolen property is estimated at $500.

October 21, 2:48 p.m.

Transport to Hospital Campus Police transported a male to the hospital due to a cut sustained in a lab.

October 21, 10:23 a.m.

Parking-related A vehicle was towed off campus due to excessive parking infractions.

October 21, 2:37 p.m.

Trespass to Property Act Campus Police investigated unauthorized soliciting of goods/services on campus. The organization involved was trespassed from the UTM campus.

October 21, 9:40 p.m.

Missing Person Campus Police investigated a report of a missing person.

Further investigation found the male was at home, safe and in good health.

October 21, 5:55 p.m.

Parking-related A vehicle was towed off campus due to excessive parking infractions.

October 22, 5:20 a.m.

Elevator Entrapment A UTM staff member was stuck in an elevator in the South Building.

The staff member was released and in good health.

October 22, 12:45 p.m. and 2:53 p.m.

Parking-related Vehicles were towed off campus due to excessive parking infractions.

October 23, 2:59 a.m.

Noise Complaint Campus Police attended a residence unit regarding a noise complaint. Campus Police spoke to a couple of people in the area and advised them to keep the noise level down; they understood.

October 25, 12:30 p.m.

Suspicious Person Campus Police are investigating a report of a suspicious male in the residence area.

October 25, 1:31 p.m.

Unauthorized Activities Campus Police investigated the reselling of a UTM parking permit.

October 25, 7:58 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Parking-related Vehicles were towed off campus due to excessive parking infractions.

October 26, 8:45 a.m.

Unauthorized Activities Campus Police investigated unauthorized solicitation of flyers around campus. The person who placed the flyers around campus was spoken to and advised to take them down, and she complied.

October 26, 9:30 p.m.

Parking-related A vehicle was towed off campus due to excessive parking infractions.

October 27, 10:38 p.m.

Parking-related A vehicle was towed off campus due to excessive parking infractions.

October 27, 9:55 a.m.

Trespass to Property Campus Police investigated two males for fraudulently using a TCard. Both males were trespassed from the RAWC. October 27, 5:59 p.m.

Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police are investigating a theft of personal identification.

October 27, 8:12 p.m.

Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police are investigating a theft of tools from a vehicle. The approximate value of the stolen property is $50.

STEFANIE MAROTTA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

On October 22, the Dalai Lama participated in a closed symposium at the Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Toronto on “Cognitive Science, Mindfulness, and Consciousness”. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, headed to the symposium straight from the airport to begin his fifth visit to Canada at the University of Toronto.

The university’s chancellor, David Peterson, greeted the famous guest and gave the opening remarks. He spoke of his interest in Tibetan affairs and the great honour bestowed upon the 70 guests who were afforded the opportunity to attend the gathering.

“It is an honour to have a world figure at this morning’s event,” said Peterson. “On these occasions that mark universities, the essence of our university, the free exchange of ideas, world leading experts from a variety of disciplines, and to have his holiness here today, this towering figure in the world, is indeed a pleasure.”

The panel was comprised of professors of psychology and psychiatry and focussed the discussion around the connections between science and humanism.

Professor Laura Ann Petitto presented her research on expanding the brain’s processing capacity of thought and language through bilingualism. Professor Adam Anderson discussed “The Mindful Brain” that concerns the role of mindfulness in perceiving the concept of self.

Zindel Segal, professor of psychiatry and psychology, explained the emotional benefits of mindfulness in clinical care when treating mood disorders. Finally, professor Tony Toneatto, practitioner of the Tibetan Buddhist Nyingma

tradition, spoke of the impact of meditation and mindfulness on thought processes.

“This information is necessary if we are to determine how well mindfulness skills are being learned and whether we can make a link between mindfulness and the benefits we associate with mindfulness,” said Toneatto. “In the past 20 years, research on mindfulness meditation has found it to be effective in alleviating a wide range of mental and physical problems, as well as promoting overall well-being.”

The Dalai Lama congratulated the University of Toronto professors on their research. He expressed his thoughts on mindfulness and how it generates distress and happiness in the mind. He believes that a combination of modern external sciences and eastern traditional internal sciences is necessary to relieve distress and better approach individual, collective, and global issues.

“In the past, science used to look at objects; now, scientists are investigating themselves, scientists are also using consciousness of mind and mindfulness,” said the Dalai Lama. “This is wonderful.

Now, modern science can be more complete by investigating external matters and internal matters.”

The Varsity was the only media permitted to cover the event.

Throughout his three-day stay in Toronto, the Dalai Lama presented “Human Approaches to World Peace” to 30,000 spectators at the Rogers Centre, guest-edited the Sunday issue of The Toronto Star, and attended the opening of the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre.

“I would also like to take this opportunity today to express my thanks to the Canadian government; federal, as well as provincial and local, have supported the cause of the Tibetan people over a long period of time,” said the Dalai Lama at the opening ceremony of the Cultural Centre.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

OUT@UTM does Rocky Horror

Edward Cai/The Medium

JENNIFER EWEN

For the third consecutive year, OUT@UTM screened The Rocky Horror Picture Show as part of their Halloween event. All attendees were encouraged to wear costumes, either as characters from the movie or whatever they were planning to wear for Halloween.

“It’s a cult classic,” said Bobby Diaz, the social coordinator. “It’s like that quote: ‘Halloween is like the Fourth of July for gays.’ ” Wearing a costume gave attendees the opportunity to participate in the Costume Ball and a chance to strut down a catwalk and get judged on who has the best costume. Some people wore simple costumes, just throwing on a boa, a brightly colored wig, or a pair of animal ears.

But others went all out, including a few who dressed as the likes of Ke$ha, a police officer, a scientist, and a belly dancer.

Last year, OUT@UTM had 192 members; however, the execs of the club don’t expect everyone to show for this event. They made a Facebook event and had about 30 people listed as attending, but hoped for at least 45 people to show up.

“Facebook makes organizing events much easier,” Diaz explained.

“Just a few clicks and everyone is invited.”

The event was organized by OUT@UTM and PHE (Peer Health Educators). Anyone and everyone was welcome to attend. Pizza, wings,

and salad from Boston Pizza were served as people came in and sat around the tables set up in the decorated Presentation Room at the Student Centre.

Balloons and streams coloured the room in the traditional Halloween orange and black. Spider webs were delicately strung across chairs, and a large sign proclaiming The Rocky Horror Picture Show in blood-red lettering hung on the wall outside the room.

After 8 p.m., about 40 people were assembled in the room, only 10 of whom were wearing costumes.

Songs by Lady Gaga blasted through the stereo system as people finished eating. OUT@UTM execs made announcements about the lineup for the evening, including the Costume Ball and a short presentation, followed by the movie.

Hilary Receno, OUT@UTM’s secretary in charge of finance, instructed everyone who hadn’t seen it—the Rocky Horror “virgins”—to raise a hand with their thumb and forefinger in a circle. Then she went around “popping the cherry” for all the people who were going to see The Rocky Horror Picture show for the first time.

Soon after, the Costume Ball was announced and everyone willing to participate walked across the floor to music, posing for the audience and the five judges. After a walk-off between two contestants, the winner was announced as “The Umbrella Guy”, who claimed his prize of a gift basket before they all sat down again to applause from the audience.

Three volunteers from PHE went to the front to make their presentation, which involved having 14 of the Rocky Horror virgins go up to the front. They were handed safe-sex instructional signs and had to rearrange themselves, amidst much amusement, so the signs were in the correct sequence. One particularly funny sign read, “Carefully remove—don’t spill!” followed by symbol for BP gas stations. The short presentation finished and then it was time for The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

As people came in for the event, they had been given small paper bags filled with seemingly random objects, such as a little bag of uncooked rice, an empty balloon, toast, a party hat, and a noisemaker.

OUT@UTM execs explained that these were to be used during the movie, keeping up with the usual traditions involved with watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show during Halloween.

“We’re making the movie interactive,” Receno explained as people looked on the sheets of paper also in the bag to see when they would use each object. Not only would people be throwing rice and yelling certain words whenever a character’s name appeared on screen, but when it rained onscreen, the execs went around with water sprayers and attendees held newspapers above their heads to keep from getting wet, just as the characters in the movie.

“Hopefully, future execs will continue to host this event,” Diaz said regarding the future of the event.

Red Cross charity—and pub tickets for $1 KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI NEWS EDITOR

UTM Red Cross, an organization that raises fun ds and gener ates awareness for those in need, held a Halloween fundraiser to support child soldiers in war-ridden areas of the world. Tables were set up around campus featuring games for $1. Games included a round of darts and a special game of trickor-treat where overturned cups contained prizes.

Prizes included Halloween Pub tickets; the chance of winning a tickets was 1 in 20. The price of a pub ticket at the Infobooth was $10 and $15 at the door. All pub tickets had been won by October 27, and the remainder of prizes included Halloween candy grams. Students could choose to play a game or simple donate $1 and receive a candy gram.

“ F or t h e H a l loween week, we capitalized on the interest in getting Halloween pub tickets,” said John Philip Khalil and Joe Soliman, UTM Red Cross executives. “Students who were not able to get their tickets before they were sold out from the info booth at the Student Centre had the opportunity to win a ticket while donating money to the ‘even wars have limits’ campaign—specifically to child soldiers in war-ridden areas who can't enjoy Halloween like children their age worldwide.”

The “Even War Has Limits” campaign was started in 2002 by the Canadian Red Cross in order to make people aware of the realities of war and its effects on children.

“Children are the primary victims of armed conflict because war affects the very foundation of their lives. As child soldiers, they often find themselves the unwilling participants in these conflicts,” said

Susan Johnson, Canadian Red Cross’s national director of international programs, in a statement to the Red Cross. “Since 1990, an average of 548 children have died each day because of war and 300,000 youth under the age of 16 must fight as members of the armed forces.”

The Red Cross is currently present in 60 war-ridden countries and has many programs that aid children affected by war. A tracing program works to reunite children and their families who have been affected by war. The Red Cross ensures that youth held in prisons are treated humanely and that children receive help for the psychological effects of war.

“The UTM Red Cross club is very excited to keep organizing events throughout the year that would raise awareness, provide support to the community, and, most importantly, be fun for everyone,” stated Khalil and Soliman.

NEWS

Talking to yourself turns out to be important and healthy LARISSA HO

OUT@UTM makes the movie experience interactive.

1, 2010 THE MEDIUM 3

It seems that self-talk, the endless “stream of consciousness” that runs around inside everyone’s minds every day, is actually an incredibly powerful tool. The University of Toronto Scarborough discovered last month that a connection exists between inner dialogue and the ability to control impulsive behaviour.

The U of T study, published in Acta Psychologia, finds that self-talk, either aloud or internal, leads to greater selfcontrol. Since it fills the purpose of “regulating reasoning and problem-solving”, self-talk is automatic and hard to suppress.

“We give ourselves messages all the time with the intent of controlling ourselves—whether that’s telling ourselves to keep running when we’re tired, to stop eating even though we want one more slice of cake, or to refrain from blowing up on someone in an argument,” said Alexa Tullett, a researcher at the University of Toronto. “Our research suggests that people can use their inner voice to curb unwanted impulses, like outbursts of rage.”

The research involved having two groups of people performing the same tasks, with one group abstaining from using their “inner voices” by continuously repeating a word inside their minds.

People in the group who were not able to talk to themselves exercised less self-control and were more likely to use impulsive behaviour.

Tullett is interested in extending the research to other scenarios. “It would be fascinating to see whether the inner voice plays a role in people’s perseverance when running on a treadmill, or in their ability to resist greasy foods,” said Tullett.

According to her, the next step would be to discover what kinds of self-talk would help to control an individual’s actions.

Self-talk is essential to identifying and

interpreting feelings and perception, and allows people to tell themselves what to do and how to behave in different situations.

The regulation of one’s own thinking is very important. Studies have shown that a person’s thinking has a huge effect on emotion and behaviour, as well as outlook and self-image. If a person’s self-talk is mostly negative, that person is likely a pessimistic individual. Those who have positive self-talk are more likely to be optimistic and enjoy more health benefits, including an increased life span, lower rates of depression, lower levels of stress, and increased psychological and physiological health.

Positive self-talk also leads to greater overall productivity, effective stress management, and stronger resistance to colds.

Having positive self-talk does not mean that one ignores the unpleasantness of life, but that one sees it in a more productive light instead of believing that they have no control over what happens.

By learning to turn negative thinking into positive thinking, anyone can reap these benefits. Studies show that in order to do that, a person must focus on the positive (instead of naturally filtering it out and maximizing their failures), surround themselves with positive people, and practice intentional positive thinking.

Writing in a journal is an extremely effective way to examine the inner voice and thought patterns. Also, using positive affirmations such as, “I am loved, capable, and special”, “I am healthy and worryfree”, and “I see the best in everyone I meet”, leads to greater confidence and stress reduction, making it clear that inner dialogue and positive statements are powerful messages.

Continuously practicing positive selftalk can lead to greater optimism and improve overall your health and outlook on life.

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4 THE MEDIUM

OPINION

MONDAY,

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

Dear Editor,

EDITORIAL I knew when I wrote my editorial last week asking you about multiculturalism there would be discussion. I have received responses, some in the form of letters, some comments on our website, and some e-mails from students who shared their thoughts but didn’t want their name published. Instead of repeating myself, I’m going to let Mr. Ahmed, Ms. Kalifa, and Ms. Khalid lead the discussion on last week’s topic. They all present different views and suggestions on how we can make our campus a better place for everyone. In the meantime, I’ll look at how we can make it a safer place.

As we start our first week of November, it gets dark outside earlier, there are fewer people on campus after 6 p.m. and I, for one, feel a little uneasy being on campus at night. No, it’s not because I’m afraid of the dark— there’s a real fear that I’m sure some people on campus have. I usually leave campus after the paper is sent to our printers around 1 a.m. and every week it gets a little more uneasy. Like many students, I park my car in the underground lot of CCT and everytime I have to go to my car I dread that walk.

There are no spaces on any other lot, so I have to go to P5, which is secluded, poorly lit, and has no cell-phone service. Of course, we have campus police on patrol and our campus is pretty small, so what’s so scary about walking around on campus at night? Or taking a stroll down the fiveminute walk when it appears there are no lights?

Am I just paranoid? I don’t think so. Maybe I worry because despite the protection, there are so many cases of sexual harassment (or attempts at it) reported on campuses each year, and even more that go unreported.

In addition to the fear of being assaulted, I’m also concerned with the problem that victims are often accused of “asking for it” because of their “provocative” outfit choices or location. If I was walking to my car in the underground late on a Sunday night because I work on campus, and was assaulted, would someone say that I “asked for it”? This fear isn’t discussed as often, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who has thought about it.

We have some popular pub nights on campus, such as Halloween Pub (held last Thursday), where many people dress in costumes and are under the influence of alcohol. Unfortunately, in our society, when a female is assaulted in circumstances like that, it sometimes gets dismissed as her fault for that kind of behaviour, being in that setting, and her costume choice.

I wonder, how can we make this campus a safer place, one where you can wear what you want and walk around at night without worrying that you might be “asking for it”?

Saaliha Malik

Yours,

Op-Ed: You’re probably tired of hearing this The Muslim guy in your class probably doesn’t have a bomb strapped to his chest. The hijabi girl you passed on the street probably doesn’t think you’re a whore for wearing short shorts.The bearded, robed guy in the skullcap is probably not amassing enough TNT to build a small, dangerous, house out of it. And if he or anyone else does any of these things, it’s not because they’re Muslims, it’s because they’re idiots.

I believe that most people accept these as truths, and especially in Canada. None of my many nonMuslim friends have ever suspected me of secretly wanting to kills gays, burn Christians, or enslave women for a love dungeon. They were wrong about the last one, of course—but I don’t keep my love dungeon for religious reasons, so it doesn’t count.

You’ll always get the Bill O’Reillys saying “Muslims killed Americans on 9/11,” and you’ll always get governments that handle integration and multi-faith groups more poorly than others; but by and large, I’m pretty sure that everyone can see that Muslims are all just people trying to get through a working day while taking care of our families and following our moral codes as best we can.

And that’s why Nicolai Sennels freaks me out so much. For those of you who haven’t heard the news, Sennels is a Danish psychologist who spoke with Dr. Michael Welner in assessing the mental health of Omar Khadr. Sennels believes, among other things, that Muslim society conditions people for violence and that the Muslim population has been damaged by two thousand years of inbreeding, leaving us all unintelligent and belligerent. This, unfortunately, isn’t a joke. Sennels even has more opinions on Muslims, but I won’t write them down here because frankly reading them turns my stomach.

What you do need to know is that it

looks like there are people who take Sennel’s views seriously—so seriously that he spoke with, and is respected by, the psychologist involved in one of the most high-profile legal cases involving a Muslim man. This worries me.

I don’t think I have to dignify Sennel’s beliefs with a breakdown. In fact, saying that we’re all inbred crazies is so outlandish that when I first read it I had to take a moment to wonder if he was a Colbert-esque comedian.

Now, I could bring up the cases of the anti-Muslim discrimination that is running increasingly rampant in Europe. I could talk about my own family members who have faced discrimination either because of their beliefs or where they’ve come from. I could paint myself pink and run naked through the streets, but I’m not going to, because I’ve seen all of this stuff tried, and none of it seems to work and prove that Muslims don’t want any trouble, in Europe or elsewhere.

“Well, Amir, you handsome stud,” you might be saying, “you’ve brought up a heck of a lot of issues, but what are we supposed to do about them?

What can we take out of this op-ed to somehow make the world a less stupid place?”

Well, I know that I’ve bitten off a bit more than I can chew in the space of a typical op-ed, and that if I really wanted to go through every point here, it’d take a few books to do it. So I’ll suggest what I always do: I suggest that everyone, without excuses, try to get along as best as they can with each other.

Let’s all accept each other as humans and not piss each other off too much, and if someone pisses you off try to give them the benefit of a doubt that they didn’t mean it.

On a seperate note I invite Nicolai Sennels to jam a rusty crowbar where his ideas obviously come from.

Yours, Amir Ahmed Features Editor

Last week’s editorial raised some important questions about how we talk about multiculturalism and what it actually means. Tolerance, in particular, is a term that is often used as a goal and an ideal for diverse societies, but if Canadians want to be truly multicultural we need to move beyond just tolerance. As you pointed out, the word has the sense of putting up with something uncomfortable or unwanted, and also implies a power difference between those who do the tolerating and those who are tolerated. To be multicultural in reality as we are on paper, we must come to an understanding that diversity and diaspora are essential to our identities as Canadians. It is equally Canadian to worship in a mosque as it is in a church; to eat biryani as well as pierogies; it is Canadian to speak the language and wear the national dress and engage in the cultural practices of whatever culture we have connections to, if we so choose. It is not only a legal right, but a part of what unites us as a nation—we can be whoever we choose to be.

Our campus has over 50 student clubs, and the wonderful thing about that is that we can all find people who share our interests and with whom we can enjoy exploring them. However, a downside to this is that we tend not to mix much, but stay in our own little groups with like-minded people.

University is for many of us the most inclusive, open, and diverse environment we will encounter in all our lives.

Especially on a campus as vibrant and multicultural as ours, we should take advantage of the opportunity to make connections with people from different backgrounds than us (and perhaps realize that we actually have far more in common than we thought).

I agree with you that often people do not approach each other due to preconceived notions and stereotypes, if not an outright “fear of the unknown”.

As a Muslim and a major in diaspora and transnational studies, however, I am a little puzzled as to why you

highlighted Muslims and the MSA in particular. It is oversimplifying to talk about Islam as if it is a single culture; religion and culture are not interchangeable and it confuses the issue to refer to them that way. In fact, the MSA is one of the most multicultural clubs on campus. The Muslim community on campus includes people from many different backgrounds, including countries from Europe, Asia, Africa and even some with Native American heritage. And many of us were born and raised in Canada. In this sense MSA as a club exemplifies multiculturalism. In response to your questions: yes, MSA does have nonMuslim members, and our events have been attended by non-Muslim students both this year and in the past, although admittedly, these numbers are not large.

Still, I understand your concerns about the lack of response on the part of many on our campus to invitations not just from Muslims, but from any student club they don’t readily identify with. I do think that there are those who listen, who are open to different discourses. However—and I am including myself in this statement—we all need to make more of an effort to act as one UTM community. In fact, rather than approach multiculturalism from the perspective that our different groups need to interact more, we have to stop regarding those who seem different on the surface as “other”.

I would like to suggest a Clubs Night, an opportunity for different student clubs to come together, each of us sharing something unique with the others, whether that is a performance, food, art, or anything else that we can show each other. Kind of like a grownup “show and tell”. It would be a great way for us to meet new people, perhaps find unexpected commonalities, and (most importantly) create a more cohesive UTM community rather than lots of little ones. It could be our small way as UTM students of advancing a true Canadian multiculturalism.

Yours, Fatima Khalifa

Dear Editor, I’m writing in response to a very interesting question you posed in your last editorial. Are Canadians celebrating differences, or what they have in common? Are Canadians simply tolerating each other’s unpleasant characteristics as a way of creating unity and harmony?

I personally believe the concept of celebrating differences is a little off the mark. This is based on years of psychological studies that have proven, or at least rigorously supported, beliefs such as “familiarity breeds liking” and “birds of a feather flock together”.

Humans naturally gravitate towards people who are like them—emotionally, physically, culturally, and mentally.

It is for this reason that, even on campus, we see ethnically homogeneous social groups. However, this obviously doesn’t mean that differences are necessarily bad. Nor does it mean that our differences are necessarily as extensive as we believe them to be.

People differ, but only to the extent of their habits, likes, dislikes, and certain practices (and beliefs). “Tolerating” an ethnically different person is potentially no different than “tolerating” a

best friend who likes his pancakes with hummus. Same difference. l have had the fortune of having lived in diverse countries like the Emirates, Pakistan, the USA, and Canada, and one thing I have noticed about people everywhere is how surprisingly the same they all are. They laugh, cry, fight, and love for the same reasons.

They have the same reflexive emotional responses. When you strip away the culture, the rites, the ingrained norms, and travel to the core of the human as an emotional being, what you get is essentially one person and you learn that Canadians are also capable of getting angry, Pakistanis are also capable of falling in love, Arabs are also capable of having a great sense of humour, and on and on.

Yes, we differ and it’s great to be celebrating that. But my experiences have taught me that there is a lot more sameness than difference that merits our celebration, or in the least, our gracious acknowledgement.

It may sound naïve and simplistic, but really, haven’t we made everything else complicated enough?

Sincerely, Romesa Khalid

Dear Editor,

best thing—but it must be done properly. In order for this to work, one’s mouth must be completely covered. Many times, I have sat in lecture, and felt the “breeze” of the person coughing next to me because they did not cover their mouth properly.

The armpit is better for this “arm method” than the elbow.

The inside of the elbow does not cover as well as the area between the shoulder and the chest.

Therefore, coughing into one’s armpit becomes the best option.

(Also, one can sniff inconspicuously at the same time, checking for odours—two birds with one stone!)

I hope that people will take precaution when coughing and sneezing this flu season, and be respectful of those around them, who wish to remain healthy.

The cold and flu season is already underway, and keeping ourselves healthy becomes increasingly necessary. Students are constantly reminded by posters and emails sent out by the university to wash their hands, cover a cough, and stay home if they’re sick.

As many students do take the advice from the ubiquitous posters (class attendance is decreasing), there are complaints of students not taking the proper precautions to keep their sickness from other students. What I am referring to specifically is the fact that some people do not know the proper way to cover their cough.

We all know that coughing into our hands is probably the worst method since as we handle many things with our hands, spreading germs is inevitable. So, coughing into an arm or elbow seems to be the next

Sincerely, Ingrid L. Meldrum

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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, NOVEMBER

1, 2010 THE MEDIUM 5

Nives Hajdin, Editor | arts@mediumonline.ca

Paranormal ticket sales

The highly anticipated Paranormal Activity 2 made a whopping $41 million in its opening weekend RAVI GABBLE

It is said that the most fundamental human fear is that of the unknown. Perhaps that’s why the Paranormal Activity franchise (yes,

it’s officially a franchise now) works so well: it targets our most primal fears without really revealing anything about their source.

Not to mention that they have some of the highest profit-to-budget ratios of all time. The first

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You just know that something is going to pop out any second.

instalment was an indie film purchased by Paramount Pictures that grossed a whopping $194 million worldwide on a micro-budget of $15,000, while the second has grossed $41 million in its opening weekend alone on a slightly bigger budget of $3 million. After viewing these numbers, it’s hard not to see what the hoopla is all about in Hollywood over these movies.

Paranormal Activity 2 is the result of a fast-tracked production, which was green-lighted by Paramount execs immediately after seeing the eye-opening box office numbers of the first film. As a result, fans have been wary of the sequel ever since its announcement—was this going to be just another Hollywood franchise trying to milk the success of its first instalment (à la Saw), or could this b e t h e r a r e o c c u r r e n c e w h e re a sequel elevates the status of the original while dishing out a fantastic story with bouts of character development? The answer to this

question lies closer to the latter: Paranormal Activity 2 is a wellmade horror film (and about as good as sequels get in Hollywood), but it simply doesn’t offer anything new compared to the first. In other words, it’s more of the same.

Paranormal Activity 2 centres around a family of five: Kristi and Dan Rey, their daughter Ali, their baby son Hunter, and their German shepherd. The connection to the first film is that Kristi is the sister of Katie Featherston, who became possessed by a demon and killed her boyfriend. The movie employs a similar cinematographic device to the one used in the original; while Paranormal Activity used a hand-held camera to represent found footage, the sequel uses multiple security cameras to film the family’s actions. The family installs security cameras overnight after an apparent burglary, which left the entire house in disarray.

Soon after, a host of strange events begins to take place in the Rey

home, including mysterious creaks and noises, doors and cabinets opening and closing on their own, and the family nanny, Martine, carrying around a candle to ward off “evil spirits”. In short, paranormal activity ensues. The film is actually more of a prequel than a sequel, as most of its events take place before the first film. In doing so, it gives a lot of interesting background on the events of Paranormal Activity, while expanding the mythology for future films to explore.

Despite the countless similarities to the original, Paranormal Activity 2 is still recommended for all fans of horror. It even offers a number of surprising and unexpected scares that surpass some of those in the original. Just don’t expect to see anything really new or different. But if that $41 million from the opening weekend box office is any indication, you can expect to see much more Paranormal Activity in the future.

A punch in the gut with Tips for watching Paranormal Activity 2 lightning-fast literature JENNY EWEN There is a certain level of expectation everyone has when going to a horror movie.

Those who like scary films look forward to their racing hearts and the adrenaline rush that comes from seeing gruesome figures pop onto the screen. Others dread the anticipation as the music builds, with the knowledge t h a t s o m e t h i n g is a b o u t t o jump out and scare them at any moment. Here are some helpful tips for those of you who are planning to see the highly anticipated horror film Paranormal Activity 2 .

Tip #1: Popcorn, or no popcorn? You have to think about your personal habits to decide. If you’re a jumpy per son, that popcorn is going to be all over the people sitting in front of you as soon as there’s a loud bang from the demon onscreen. Or just eat all your popcorn early in the movie; this particular horror film gets scarier as it goes on.

Ti p #2 : Know the movie. If you’re getting all hyped up for the release of Paranormal Activity 2 , you either saw the last one and liked it or you saw a trailer and thought it looked good. If you want to engage more in the plot, I strongly recommend you w a t c h t h e f i rs t Paranormal

Activity . The plot for the sec ond one (spoiler!) relates to the first movie. Even if you’re the poor guy/girl getting dragged to the movie by your friends for lack of anything b e t t e r t o d o o n a S a t u r d ay night, you should check out a synopsis online so you know what you’re in for.

T i p # 3 : Enjoy it! Because sometimes getting freaked out can feel really good. If you’re not in the mood to be scared, just keep track of the sound in the movie. Though Paranormal Activity 2 has no real soundtrack or music, silence usually means some thing scary will happen soon, which you’ll be (somewhat) ready for.

All in all, this movie is a good choice if you’re willing to hear loud bangs and see people being affected by unseen evil forces. In compar ison to the first film, Paranormal Activity 2 lives up to the legacy. The plot remains intriguing, with ele ments from the first film mak ing an appearance throughout the movie. The ending leaves plenty of room for a third instalment of the demon inspired, pseudo documentary movies. However, if you real ly didn’t like the first Paranormal Activity, you should probably sit this one out and go see The Social Networ k instead.

I’m not going to judge. Getting your dose of high literature is hard in this day and age. There are excellent and exciting (if pulpy) sci-fi novels coming out every day, television shows like HBO’s Dexter are delivering stunning stories and the chiselled features of Michael C. Hall, and the Internet’s giving us things that typically don’t go into print, or at least the type of print you can safely read in public.

Nevertheless, we should strive to get some literature in. When you read a really, really good story, it changes you, and shows you things in your own life you may never have seen before. You live more, is what I’m trying to say. Also, reading complicated stuff makes you look sexy and mysterious. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of three classic works of literature that you can finish in under a day. Some of them are pretty darn hard, but if you grit your teeth and charge ahead, you can end the day with a new author under your belt.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (~60 pages) One day, Gregor Samsa awakes to discover he has become a cockroach.

That’s all you need to know about the beginning of The Metamorphosis; at the time, it was pretty much the coolest thing to happen in German literature since Goethe, and it still rocks pretty hard. Kafka’s story takes a surreal approach to human relations that

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Looks like Gregor Samsa is having a bit of an off day. delves into a darkness that had only been hinted at before. Gregor’s changing psychology as he loses his identity, and his struggles to survive, are masterfully described and incredibly deep.

Also you’ll never look at an apple the same way again.

Death and the King’s Horseman by Wole Soyinka (~90 pages) Wole Soyinka is a Nobel Laureate for literature, an all-around intellectual giant, and one of the best dramaturges still alive. His 1975 play, Death and the King’s Horseman, follows the story of a Yoruban king’s funeral in Britishoccupied Nigeria. Elesin, the dead king’s horseman, is slated to commit ritual suicide to join his lord in the afterlife, and while Elesin is pretty psyched about the process, the Brits in charge aren’t. Soyinka brings us into a world where humans are part of a contract between the dead and the

unborn, and shows us a disastrous event that brings death to the wrong actor, and twists up the contract for good.

Narrow Road to the Interior by Matsuo Bashō (~80 pages) Matsuo Bashō lived from 1644 to 1694 in Edo-era Japan. He and his disciples are famous for their piercing, masterfully constructed haiku. Narrow Road to the Interior chronicles Bashō’s journey to Japan’s northern province of Honshu. He undertook the journey when he was sick, and wasn’t certain if he would come back to his hermitage; every haiku peppered throughout this narrative has the clarity of a man that knows he might not have much time left in this world. Bashō did complete the journey, assisted by his companion Sora, and continued composing and travelling through Japan, describing the roads with a poet’s eye.

6 THE MEDIUM

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A different kind of concert

Violinist Robert McDuffie and the Venice Baroque Orchestra visited Toronto for a one night special engagement at Roy Thomson Hall

Classical music is all around us. You might hum a catchy classical tune that’s been stuck in your head for days, and yet you wouldn’t necessarily make the connection that it’s the

adagio molto movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto No. 3 in F Major from Le Quattro Stagioni.

Last week at Roy Thomson Hall, the internationally renowned and Grammy-nominated violinist Robert McDuffie and the Venice Baroque Orchestra performed The Seasons Project as part of the 2010/2011 Virtuoso Performance Series. The performance was divided into two parts, beginning with Antonio Vivaldi’s timeless concerto

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Fun fact: McDuffie attended the Juilliard School in New York City.

series Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons), followed by Philip Glass’s “The American Four Seasons.”

From the opening moments, McDuffie and the orchestra—a fairly small one of about 20 people—created an incredibly enchanting presence through the combined harmonies of violins, cellos, and violas, with a lute and harpsichord thrown into the mix as well. The distinctly Baroque sound created the atmosphere of a 17th-century royal court, with scenes from Marie Antoinette springing to mind.

The feeling of each season was conveyed with such emotion that one could not miss the sound of a hot and lethargic summer day followed by the booming storm in “L’estate” (summer), or the whipping frigid air of snow blowing across the sky during “L’inverno” (winter). McDuffie’s unconventional animation and emphatic movement during the performance added a contemporary feel to the music he directed, and the ease with which he played showed just how natural of a performer he really is.

After the intermission, McDuffie performed a violin solo of “The American Four Seasons”, which had been written specifically for him by Philip Glass, a legendary avant-garde composer. What was even more

Album in review

Record Collection by Mark Ronson and The Business Intl.

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The Venice Baroque Orcestra has performed in over 35 countries. remarkable about this performance was that, while Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni has natural pauses between the movements, Glass’s violin concerto was one continuous performance from beginning to end, and the performers only seemed to grow more and more passionate as the piece progressed.

Hearing an orchestra performance allows you to be transported into another world, in which you really get to appreciate just how fantastic

Offbeat food finds Kremšnite (Krempite)

ANDREA AMBROGI

Mark Ronson is cool. Not the convoluted, watered-down definition of “cool” that the kids are throwing around these days. Mark Ronson is cool, in the purest sense of the word.

Record Collection, his latest record with the infinitely talented The Business Intl., is the first that features vocals from Ronson himself. We finally get to hear how the man sings on “Lose It (In the End)” and most notably on the title track “Record Collection”, in which he pokes fun at the perks of being—well, Mark Ronson: the most connected man in the music industry.

Along with being cool, Ronson manages to produce a record with mad swagger. From the opening shotgun beat of “Bang Bang Bang” to the closing note of “The Night Last Night”, you feel like you’re one of the few, the proud, and the cool. His music has the power to take you to another place, whether you want to go there or not.

In true Mark Ronson style, he did not put this record together all by himself. This time around, he called in a myriad of talented musicians ranging from ’80s legend Boy George to techno-child MNDR, as well as Q-Tip, Andrew Wyatt, and Rose Elinor Dougall, among many others.

“Somebody to Love Me” features vocals from Boy George and Andrew Wyatt. Its opening is a bit underwhelming, but that changes when it picks up and really launches into a promising tempo. “The Bike Song” is another track that takes a while to grow on you, but

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once it does, you’ll be singing it for the next couple days.

While most songs are perfect marriages of lyrics and melodies, there are a few numbers on here that are strictly instrumental and they amplify the importance of a strong beat. “The Colour of Crumar” and “Missing Words” are by far the strongest instrumentals on the album, and they are true testaments to Mark Ronson’s skill and ability in the studio.

“Introducing the Business” is the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of swagger. Its deliciously ominous melody will have

you waving one hand in the air within the first few notes. “The Night Last Night” is completely different, but equally melodic. It has a very ’20s quartet-meets-modern pop feel to it, and though that seems like an oil and water mixture, it sounds more like strawberries and chocolate—completely delicious.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mark Ronson has done it again. He has lived up to his title as the world’s finest producer, and just like “Introducing the Business” says, he is the business and “you’d better take witness”.

classical music truly is. So even if you don’t consider yourself to be a fan of classical music, you really are.

You just don’t know it yet.

On November 18, the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and Vladimir Spivakov will perform at Roy Thomson Hall, and next March one of the world’s greatest orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic, will perform classic works by Schubert, Wagner, and Bartók. Visit www.roythomson.com for tickets.

This week’s offbeat food find comes from Lucy Zemljic, a fourth-year English student and rabid fan of desserts and her grandmother’s cooking.

It seems like we’re on a roll here with sweets and desserts for our Offbeat Food Finds, because after Amir’s sugary pineapple buns (and I mean the food), this week’s find is another tasty dessert, straight from my grandmother’s old-country dessert cookbook. Let me introduce a delicious Croatian treat, kremšnite (that’s pronounced krehm-shnee-teh).

This elegant light dessert consists of a thick layer of creamy sweet custard, and a layer of fluffy whipped cream, sandwiched between several thin layers of flaky phyllo dough. This tasty treat is very popular throughout Croatia; different versions abound in various parts of the country.

But it might turn out to be an interesting food experience for those who are used to heavy cakes and pies, as it’s quite different from both, and is surprisingly light on both the sugar

and the stomach. So if you’re craving something to appease that sweet tooth, but don’t want to be keeling over from a sugar-induced stomachache afterwards, head over to your local Balkan food market or Croatian restaurant and order a square or two of kremšnite. Or better yet, ask your Croatian friends to invite you over next time their baba cooks up a storm.

Don’t forget to have a strong cup of Croatian-style Turkish coffee with those desserts, just to balance things out. And while you’re at it, why not throw caution to the wind and venture into the delicious world of Slavic food? (Because it’s not all about sausages and cabbage rolls, you know.)

Do you know of a great local eatery that people need to know about?

Send us your submissions at arts@mediumonline.ca.

Submission rules: Recommendations of nearby restaurants up to 250 words are welcome from UTM students and employees. Please include a short blurb about yourself, followed by the dish, location, price, and description. Writers should not have family or employment connections with, or receive benefits from, businesses they recommend.

WRITE FOR ARTS EMAIL ARTS@MEDIUMONLINE.CA

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

1, 2010 THE MEDIUM 7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Thriller night at the Guvernment Snookis, Gagas, DJs — oh my!

MARIANA COMITO

O n S a t u r d a y , O c t o b er 3 0 , Guvernment Nightclub hosted one of the biggest Halloween parties in Toronto. The lineup had some phenomenal DJs, like Manzone and Strong, Mark Oliver, and Chris Fresque, while Carl Cox, Steve Lawler, and Carlo Lio dominated the Kool Haus. Thousands of peop l e c am e t o p a r t y a t t h e G u v e r n me n t , a n d w i t h o v e r s i x rooms, 15 DJs, and 15 different sounds, the Guvernment really was the place to be. Bunnies, nerds, and soldiers were scattered in every room and enjoyed the party until the wee ho u r s of the

morning. There were even some special guest appearances by the ultimate guidette, Snooki, and the eccentric Lady Gaga (in costume, of course).

In the Acid Lounge, Chris Fresque pumped up his crowd to party hard. Since 2005, Fresque has been in the music industry playing at various clubs and making a name for himself as an electronic DJ. At t h e G u v e r n m e n t ’s H a l l o w e e n blowout, Fresque played an amazing set, and The Medium got the opportunity to ask him a few questions.

The Medium: Why did you get into electronic music instead of mainstream?

Edward Cai/The Medium

Costume or no costume, it was a good night.

Chris Fresque: I explored every music out there but never really felt a connection. It’s funny, now that I think of it; hints of electronic music w e re t h e r e so m a n y t i m e s . B u t , b e i n g f r o m a s m a l l t o wn , I w a s unaware of the culture. The day I stepped into System Soundbar in 2002 is when I finally knew where I belonged.

TM: What has been your greatest accomplishment as a DJ/producer?

C F : E v e ry d a y I s u c c e e d a s a DJ/producer and every day I grow as an artist. As long as I am always moving forward, every day is a new accomplishment.

TM: When can the public expect your next track and does it have a name yet? Will it have a specific kind of sound to it?

C F : M y n e xt E P w i l l b e o u t i n November on London Music. The label is under new management by my good friend Anthony D’Amico.

It is called The 64-Bit EP. It has two tracks and several remixes. I am v e r y e x c it e d f o r t h i s r el e a s e .

“Tech/tribal” is the best way I can describe it.

TM: What is your favorite thing about being a DJ? CF: The butterflies that I still get to this day and the rush that I get from performing each and every time.

TM: Who is your inspiration outside of the music industry and why do you look up to them?

CF: My mom. She is now in her late fifties and has just started another business; it’s never too late to try something new. Never give up, and do what feels right.

Van Canto: a capella rock gods ADAM ERB

Van Canto is an a capella metal band from Germany with a unique makeup of five vocalists and a drummer. Van Canto label their heavy/power metal style as “hero metal a capella”, which resulted in their second studio release, Hero, in 2008.

Their debut album from 2006, A Storm to Come, didn’t become popular until they started opening in Europe for bands such as Nightwish and Rage, which then spurred them

on to their 2008 release. Their fans started biting and demanding more from this group of singers, so they released their newest album, Tribe of Force, earlier this year.

What makes this band different from any other, outside of the fact that their instruments are all vocals, is the precision in which they create the illusion of instrumental sounds.

As fans tune into their YouTube hit cover of Manowar’s “Kings of Metal”, they hear Stefan Schmidt’s blazing vocal guitar solo being contrasted with Ingo Sterzinger’s low “dandan” vocals. In their cover of

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They may look tough, but they have a sensitive side too.

Nightwish’s “Wishmaster”, the band shows their melodic side as Inga Scharf takes centre stage and showcases her high range and operatic tones being uplifted by Ross Thompson’s high-pitched “rakkatakka” vocals (Van Canto’s signature sound). Van Canto’s original composition, “Speed of Light”, shows listeners why Dennis Schunke is the lead singer with his godly-powerful falsetto and overall vocal precision.

Van Canto has done several other covers and has featured guest vocalists in their songs—most notably singers Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) in their 2008 hit, “Take to the Sky” and Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica) in their 2010 release, “Hearted”. Both songs can be found on YouTube through the band’s own channel, “vancanto”.

Their releases sport two-thirds original compositions and one-third covers of bands like Metallica, Manowar, Nightwish, Blind Guardian, Iron Maiden, and Grave Digger. Their newest track, “Magic Taborea”, was used in a commercial for the immensely popular MMORPG computer game Runes of Magic.

Van Canto, from their inception to the present, have exploded into the metal market as the only a capella metal band to have both produced an album and to have a contract with a major label. Their newest release, Tribe of Force, was produced by Nuclear Blast—one of the world’s largest metal music labels—and they have continually gained a larger fan base ever since.

Edward Cai/The Medium

DJ Chris Fresque performs in the Acid Lounge.

TM: When and why did you start creating your own hats and shirts?

CF: I just like to create and that is just another way for me to express myself. I have dabbled in other ways and am always looking for new ones.

TM: If you could play in any city in the world where it would be and what club?

CF: Ibiza. I have heard good things, b u t f o r no w I a m h a p p y h e r e .

[There’s] no sound like Toronto in the world.

TM: If you had to choose a different career, what would it be?

CF: I would turn my concentration towards my clothing.

TM: How do you make a track, how

long does it take, and what do you use?

CF: I go with the flow and don’t stop changing things until I know it’s right. It depends on how inspired I am. I have finished in a day and sometimes two weeks. I use Ableton.

The Medium would like to thank Chris Fresque for taking the time to sit down with us. We wish you luck on your future endeavours.

If you weren’t at this amazing show, you missed out on the best Halloween party in Toronto. So where will you be for Halloween next year? Make sure it’s the GUVERNMENT!

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Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

Some of the wierdest food in Toronto SANDRA AWAD

Living in a multicultural society, we’re exposed to a huge variety of ethnic foods. International cuisine has incorporated different dishes from different cultures, and a lot of us have also incorporated different ethnic foods into our own diet.

Eating food from different cultures has become the norm in our society, and our perception of “ethnic” food has changed. For example, a bowl of pasta does not really seem ethnic to me (and no, I’m not Italian). A bowl of pasta to me is a Thursday night dinner. The point is, we’ve all grown used to what used to be “ethnic” food.

Personally, I’ve tried almost everything—and I mean almost. And looking over some food reviews in our very own city of Toronto, I stumbled upon some interesting but really weird dishes.

Anyone want to try frogs? If you live in Etobicoke or in west Toronto, you might want to check out La Petite France. It’s a romantic dressy-casual restaurant. You might want to bring a date along. Their “Garlic Sautéed

http://picasaweb.google.com

You know you want to try it.

Frog Legs à la Provençale” is a specialty. If you live in Downsview area in northern Toronto, you can check out Le Montmartre. This French restaurant also has a romantic casual setting, but most importantly, it

serves frog’s legs sautéed with tomatoes concassé, garlic, and herbs. That dish doesn’t sound too weird. I wonder how it looks or tastes.

For any of you adventurous diners, I have the perfect restaurant:

Toronto’s Atlantic restaurant. It’s located in Brockton Village, West Toronto. It’s a traditional-casual American restaurant but its dishes sound pretty weird. They serve platters of ants, scorpions, worms, frogs,

crickets, and jellyfish. In one review, the head chef mentions the many customers who (apparently) enjoy these dishes.

If you want to experience some East Asian delicacies from Vietnam or Japan, try the New Sushi Island Japanese Restaurant, located downtown Toronto at College and Crawford. It’s a casual Asian restaurant that serves an ethnic dish of scorpions. The fire scorpion roll, as listed on the menu, is actually limited one per table for all you can eat. If everything is unlimited except the scorpion, does that mean that it’s actually a delicacy? Or maybe scorpions are just limited here in Toronto…

There are so many restaurants that serve the strangest foods. But who knows? They might actually be delicious. Sometimes we like to mix it up a little and try something new, something ethnic. So if any of you readers are wild, adventurous diners who are always craving or willing to try something new like frogs or crickets or scorpions, you all know where to satisfy those cravings! At least you know where to start.

UTM’s superhero alter-egos The Medium matches the buildings at UTM with which superhero they most resemble South: The Thing

The buildings at UTM have been added over the slow course of 40 years—heck, parts of the Artist’s Cottage are rumoured to be dated at 1876—and each of them has something to offer, and a different story.

With that in mind, I wanted to write an article praising them, detailing their histories and their value.

Then I thought it’d be more fun to compare each building to a separate superhero. Enjoy!

The Student Centre: The Dazzler Okay, it’s not the best building at UTM. There’s a hole in the roof outside for some reason, and there are only two foosball tables. But what the heck, it does have the pub, which is pretty fun. I wondered whether or not I should give the Student Centre a superhero identity; I mean, we don’t use it for classes or anything. But then I remembered the superhero that’s not really a superhero.

Dazzler Alison Blaire, a member of the X-Men—probably by sufferance—has the ability to turn sound into light... and that’s it. I have the feeling that her powers would make her an excellent DJ, and that’s exactly what her day job is. She’d probably be awesome at a pub night.

Even though UTM insists that the South Building’s new moniker is the “William G. Davis Building”, I’m going to suggest that we call it by its superhero counterpart: the Thing.

For those that don’t know, the Thing—a.k.a. Benjamin Grimm—is a member of Marvel’s Fantastic Four (which Stan Lee allegedly created when he was trying to get fired). He’s about eight feet tall, covered in rocky orange skin, and has superhuman strength and reflexes. He also has several engineering degrees—go figure. So why is the Thing, essentially a gigantic chunk of well-educated rock, most like the South Building? ...

That was supposed to be a rhetorical question but what the heck, here goes: the South Building is the largest thing on campus (see what I did there?). Its monolithic architecture, importance to the science wings, and presence of a massive gym all hint that if Ben Grimm ever strolled into our campus, he’d be most at home there. Also, after you keep getting static-shocked by all those doors in South, you’re eventually sure to shout “It’s clobbering time!”

CCT: Cyborg

The CCT building and the Hazel M c C a l li o n A c a d e m i c L e a r ni n g Centre (I’ll just call it “the library” if that’s okay with yo u) are th e n e w e s t c o m p le t e d b u i l d in g s o n campus, if not for much longer.

They have an impressive array of computers, they host the tech-savvy classes for CCIT, and they have one of the biggest lecture halls on campus. With its focus on technology, I h a d t o t h in k l o n g a n d h a r d o n which superhero to pair it to.

No, I didn’t. It’s Cyborg.

Cyborg, also known as Victor Stone, is the tech-savvy member of the Teen Titans, and the reason for this is that he’s also about 50 percent mechanical. His scientist parents raised him with the intention of breeding a super-genius, and gave him his mechanical prostheses after an accident left him without most of his limbs. Besides superstrength from his mechanical augments, and a sonic cannon, Cyborg can interface with machines and computers on levels that a mere mortal can’t dream of—just like a DEM student.

Kaneff: Green Lantern

Oh, right, the Kaneff Centre—I nearly forgot about it. Well, let’s see... It’s shaped sort of like a doughnut, also I had a history class there once. It seems decent, no real problems. But it’s just not noticeable, you know?

So, what superhero is a little bit underrated, a little bit in the shadows? Yes, the Green Lanterns.

A Green Lantern (it’s more a title than an actual person) is a member of the Green Lantern Corps, an assemblage of aliens tasked with preserving peace and justice throughout the galaxy. They gain their powers to use “lantern energy” by wearing magical rings. So they’re sort of like the Jedi without the cool lightsaber battles. Also, in the original mythology, their weakness was the colour yellow. (So... not as impressive as kryptonite.) The Green Lanterns are definitely strong; but when did you last see them in the news? The last time I saw any mention of them was three years ago on a Justice League rerun. And, go figure, I haven’t been inside the Kaneff Centre for three years either!

North: Shazam!

Go away, North Building. You weren’t relevant when they built you back in the Stone Age, and you aren’t relevant now.

Your windows are like arrow slits from a medieval fortress, your classrooms make me feel like I’m back in high school, and no amount of dressing up with fancy new wooden benches or a new networking room is going to change my opinion of you. I dislike you, North Building, and I especially dislike that as an English student I’ve had to spend the majority of my time inside your walls. I’m going to match you with a superhero as outdated and irrelevant as you are.

That’s right, I’m pairing you up with Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam!

Shazam! is the super-powered form of Billy Baxton, a nine-year-old boy from the American Midwest. Shazam! was produced by Fawcett Comics in 1940 to capitalize on the superhero craze that was riding on the success of more popular heroes like Superman and Batman.

He’s a rip-off, an imitation of more popular heroes; in fact, his powers are all based on mythological figures. Shazam! has no real value to his readers or to the comic-book world at large. Just like the North Building.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

1, 2010 THE MEDIUM 9

FEATURES

Shot recipes: what’s your poison?

Blizzard and the rise of professional gaming

MARIANA COMITO ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

CHRIS ALI SARVGHADI

Once and a while everyone likes to have a drink—but do you ever feel that the same old rum and coke just isn’t cutting it anymore? Well, here are some shots that will definitely loosen you up, whether you’ve just had a bad day or are looking for a great time.

If your taste buds lie towards the fruity flavours then try these drinks. It’s as if they are just made with juice and no alcohol. But be careful with these shooters, as they tend to taste amazing and by the end you won’t even know how many you’ve had.

Cold Virgin 2 parts Southern Comfort 1 part lime juice 1 part apricot juice Mix all of these ingredients and down that shot like a pro. You’ll be feeling hot in no time.

Miss Dr. Pepper ¾ shot amaretto ¼ shot vodka ½ can Red Bull Add the shots of amaretto/vodka (do not mix; it should still be separated) to the glass of Red Bull.

Then chug that and let the flavours mix in your mouth to make your taste buds go wild.

Broken-Down Golf Cart ½ oz amaretto almond liqueur ½ oz Midori melon liqueur a dash of lime juice If you don’t have these ingredients at your house, don’t worry. Hit up a local bar and tell them you want t his dr i n k . T h e y w i l l d e f i n i t e l y know how to make it since it’s a very popular shot. The best part?

It tastes like fruit punch.

Porn Star ½ oz blue Curaçao liqueur ½ oz Sour Puss raspberry liqueur This drink is a big hit with guys and girls. Its fruity flavours make them go down easy and after a few of these everyone will look like a porn star.

If you are a classic drinker who enjoys white Russians or anything with cream, try these two shots.

B52 1 part Bailey’s Irish Cream 1 part Cointreau 1 part Kahlua This shot is mix of creams that tastes great with dessert or after a meal.

Dirty Girl Scout 1 shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream 2 shots of vodka 1 shot white crème de menthe This isn’t quite a shot, but if you down it in two gulps—it could be!

If you prefer spicy drinks then the following shooters are right up your alley.

Liquid Cocaine 1 part Jägermeister 1 part Goldschläger Mix these two bitter and spicy liqueurs together and it will become your favourite exotic drink. The mixture of herbs, fruits, and spices is the perfect combination. It tastes like cinnamon hearts, so Valentine’s is every day! Use Bacardi rum or peach schnapps to mix up the flavours!

Cherry BOMB ½ shot of vodka ½ shot of cherry brandy ½ can of Red Bull Drink this and you will be singing the Runaways song all night long: “Chchchch—cherry bomb!”

Lemon Drop 1 shot of vodka 1 lemon wedge sugar Pour vodka into a shot glass. Coat a lemon wedge with sugar. Drink the shot of vodka. Follow up immediately with a bite into the sugary lemon.

You’ll love it!

TIC TAC 1 shot of Grey Goose vodka orange ½ can Red Bull This mix tastes exactly like an orange tic tac. If you need a quick breath refreshment, shoot down one these and watch the Goose make you loose.

The Godfather ½ shot of Jack Daniel’s ½ amaretto Make sure this shot is shaken with ice so that it’s still strong and smoothe.

It is the perfect shot to order for a guy or girl. It’ll be an offer they can’t refuse!

How to ask someone out IOANA GHEORGHIU

I am probably the last person on this campus that should be writing an article on how to ask someone on a date, but I did some research and found some amazing advice. Here is what the motivational love-gurus say about asking someone out: Be yourself. You want the other person to like you for who you are, not a phony version. Also, try to ask someone out when you are feeling good about yourself. If you have just received good news about something, you seem more relaxed and outgoing.

If you get “No” for an answer don’t lose your self-esteem. You are just as great as you were five minutes before, but with a bit more dating experience.

Being rejected is part of life.

(It might seem obvious), but don’t make derogative comments. It just might save you from ending up covered in some type of alcohol or salad dressing.

Take a deep breath and stay calm.

You want to seem interested in the other person, but not desperate for attention. Start a conversation about common interests. Laugh when the other person says something funny.

Listen to what they have to say; you have only one mouth, but two ears.

Be grammatically correct. Who can possibly resist a grammatically–correct hottie? So, instead of saying, “Me and you should go see a movie,” you should insist, “You and I should go see a movie” (emphasis added)... although you might not want to be so commanding before your first date.

In the western world, there has always been a social stigma attached to video games: a frivolous pastime, classically male-dominated. Someone who indulges too often risks being labelled a nerd, geek, or what-have-you. Like any form of entertainment, gaming can be seen as a form of escapism, something to distract the mind from life’s perpetual obligations and concerns; but in parts of the world, it’s a profession.

There are places in which gamers are respected, even idolized by their communities. No, not at the local D&D get together in mother’s basement—real places. In South Korea there are, and for many years now have been, professional gamers who make a respectable living from their lightning-fast reflexes and virtual problem-solving skills. And by respectable I mean hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

Though the range of games used for competitive gaming is wide, from sports games to first-person shooters, the industry largely revolves around one game developer: Blizzard Entertainment.

In 1994 they released their first game and franchise, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, which would catapult their name into the gaming industry. In 1998, they released StarCraft, which is still played competitively (in fact, more than ever) 12 years later. StarCraft was the game that epitomized the professional gaming scene of South Korea, as tournament games would soon be televised and even played out in stadiums with thousands of cheering viewers.

In 1999, Sony 989 Studios saw the release of the massively popular Everquest, a massively-multiplayer online virtual world, the first of its type to achieve worldwide success. Users are billed on a monthly basis to participate in this virtual world where they achieve goals by working with groups (or “parties”) of fellow players to complete quests. This concept took the idea of escapism to a whole new level, providing a sort of alternate life to its players. Not surprisingly, Blizzard wanted a piece of the action and released World of Warcraft (WoW). Since its creation in 2004 to today, it has gained 12 million unique users, each paying around $13 a month to play. If my calculations are correct, that amounts to… a lot of money.

World of Warcraft cemented Blizzard’s name in the minds of gamers everywhere. Love it or hate it, Blizzard became a household name, recognized as devoted to their games and meticulous about the rectification of “imbalances” between player classes and abilities. Then again, with such strong financial incentives, they have every reason to devote their time to user satisfaction.

After many years of maintaining WoW, Blizzard has returned to their roots of strategy gaming and released StarCraft II, which from a competitive gaming perspective has become an instant phenomenon. The stage was perfectly set: massive popularity and massive capital for Blizzard has allowed them to spare no expense in creating StarCraft II. Like the original, it’s a “real-time strategy” game, a genre often avoided due to their steep learning curves and the intense frustration of losing; however, it gained instant and unprecedented popularity simply by virtue of being attached to the Blizzard name. Further, competitive games are absolutely reliant on their state of balance (would chess be fun if one player started out with extra queens?

Would anyone watch cricket if one team was only allowed to use half-sized sticks?) and, because of Blizzard’s massive financial success, they can adequately devote themselves to maintaining such balance. StarCraft can be played as one of three distinct “races”, each of which

has an entirely unique set of structures, units, and abilities, and the preservation of fairness and balance between this huge set of variables is the most important factor in any competitive game.

October 21 saw the end of the GSL Open, a StarCraft II tournament which awarded its winner W100 million, approximately $180,000. That is a generous prize pool by anyone’s standards, and there are tournaments like this being organized all the time. The competitive gaming community is thriving in South Korea, where top players are treated like rock stars or athletes, greeted in stadiums by row after row of screaming fans and groupies (yes, attractive females, too!).

Players are sponsored by big names such as Intel and Nvidia, who gain advertising opportunities while providing for the player’s living expenses, airfare to tour-

naments, etc. With the level of knowledge and experience required to combat top players, honing one’s skills becomes a daily duty (or rather a job) for the professional gamer.

The whole prospect seems close to absurd by our way of thinking, but in parts of the east, it is perfectly natural.

Could the popularity of competitive and professional video gaming ever find its way into the western world? It’s difficult to say, but given the massive success of Blizzard in its recent endeavours, it has perhaps gained a much larger audience for StarCraft II than could have ever been expected. If sponsors such as Intel and other industry giants continue to support the competitive gaming scene, perhaps a handful of western nerds and geeks will get their opportunity in the limelight.

gosugamers.net

StarCraft... more entertaining than football?

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

business.humber.ca

10 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2010

FEATURES

Creative Corner

On the worst days TREVOR ABES

Angela spends her Sundays swaying to the spokes keeping time in place.

Surreptitious, she gazes upon the ride, the one we call our own, with grace, Angelou grace; The south, east, and Asian in her print her shoulders with it, a slow metastasizing strolling until mind is mended to ease.

Not any normal ease though, but her ease, made bold by the orange tang of calm before any broken lace storm, Because she only wears slip ons.

Spin them any way, her eyes bloom even on the worst days, for the dreams we let others live are hers.

Castle of sand ARIANA WARDAK

I had built a castle of sand in my dream Not any less than truth did it seem I painted the walls with the colour white And a candle became the source of light The castle seemed to me like heaven on earth My soul was given another chance, a new birth And so I spent years in this castle filled with love Then one day, an angel came from the skies above He told me that I had to wake up and live in reality My eyes were filled with tears and lost clarity I could not imagine a world outside the castle In a moment, there was a storm that put out the candle The bricks of the castle started to fall apart It felt as if someone stabbed my heart I closed my eyes and felt the depth of my pain And wished to never open my eyes again I gave up hope and shed my last drop of tear The angel came close and whispered in my ear “Think of it as a blessing, not a fall, The truth is not so bitter after all.”

Sometimes at midnight BAYARDO NEZAHUALCOYOTL CANIZALEZ It’s a dark cold night, as I’m clouded with uncertainty, trudging through the sidewalk in haze, I bear witness to pillars above me that release an orange yellow blaze.

Well-lit banks of concrete guide me as mechanical monstrosities navigate in a still river of asphalt while the blaze of the seemingly endless row of pillars that line this artificial shore becomes mist and lightly sprays everything in its reach with an aura-like illumination.

During my aimless wandering, I’m reminded of a past life I’m not so sure I had lived.

Even Alexandria required only one pharos.

The rumble of passing engines scarcely resembled the crashing of the surf against the rocks in Fundy, but its coincidental similarities were all too clear to me. The rumbling, crashing through solid barriers and creating an echo-sphere out of harmony with all other sounds as amplified or as discrete as its creator intended them to be, did seem to me an unnatural duplicate, but it leaves you nonetheless thankful for this sense. At the very least you begin to realize how much you’ve taken it for granted when you note how much complaining you’ve had to make others endure as you whine about vibrations that are displeasing to the aural palate. Yet there are some out there, born without.

Numbers and figures would seem to tell you a different story, one of carelessness and ignorance, where those at the helm would intend to

waver through one another and storm the man-made shore with a hazardous brutality resulting in a regrettable mortality. I observed with great humility that those behind the controls employed not even a fraction of the skill possessed by Phoenician navigators of the ancient past and that they were now driven by a God-like arrogance. Perhaps déjà vu comes from more than one past life.

I paused for a quick rest and took note of the towering grasses. In a burst of life they seemed to have been fired upwards from a single seed underground. Suddenly it seemed clear why their tops were so aptly named. Quite obtusely I began to contemplate. Would these towers continue growing? Once the pharoses lining the shores were burnt out and the dark upward horizon turned light blue, would each organism renew its vow to touch the face of its golden purveyor of life? Climbing higher and higher with its arms extended as if it were an infant reaching for a loving embrace from its mother. What of the creatures underground? Were they there simply because they lacked the ambition of their surface cousins? Or was it convenient to tunnel as a means of transportation? I’m sure at its start it was created with the most noble of intentions. All paying for a communal chariot, but the chariot had become overburdened and overcrowded.

These Titans now banished to the subterranean would have to make due with an environment that was depreciating in its looks and function while those above were at the helm with their hazardous brutality result-

ing in regrettable mortality because of their self-appointed arrogance.

Still above them the Olympians travelled unseen in several castles of fog. A look into the night sky would show you the hunter aiming his bow, out to catch a meal as he traversed the horizon without regard to those who bore witness to his endeavours.

Flying on his wings, you could hear a hiss-like roar and actually see the blinking red and blue lights of Hermes. Undoubtedly relaying messages from sky castle to sky castle as I'd seen him do several times a rotation, casting a shadow the odd time.

As I kept pacing forward I noticed a strange phenomenon. A doppelganger had been following me the whole time. A sinister brood incognito, leading at times and trailing at others; his pursuit seeming light at times as though he were taking it playfully. Rounding around my origin he mimicked my every step and even pranced about in a manner I understood to be offensive. An attempt to outrun proved ineffective as he matched me stride for stride. I hurled a punch downwards to where his face would be but his fist matched mine and even as I let out a yell of pain for my now-shattered knuckles it silently mirrored me. His body language revealed to me that this was all too funny—faceless indeed, he delighted in my misfortune, making a mockery of everything I stood for.

Only in slumber and absolute darkness did his treachery disappear. I came to and noticed a dried out maple leaf. It had once stood for life and now through its demise, embodied renewal. It stood for everything I knew to be true.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2010 THE MEDIUM 11

William Robertson , Editor | sports@mediumonline.ca

Movember is growing Varsity Blues advance to semis

It’s that month again; the month of November brings about the charity event that has grown to huge proportions, known as “Movember”.

The “mo” (slang for “moustache”) challenges men to change their appearance by letting their moustache grow for the entire month. The moustache represents the ribbon of men’s health and the awareness of prostate cancer across the globe.

The idea of Movember was established in a pub in Australia between a few friends in the middle of drinking a few pints. The idea was supposed to be a joke—simply to bring the moustache back to its prime and raise awareness for men’s health along the way. The first year did not raise any money but the idea had a solid foun-

dation and was a topic of conversation for months to come. The “mo bros” (any male who participates) were inspired by all that had been done for women and breast cancer research so they decided to create a men’s health movement through the moustache.

In the first year, Movember had acquired 432 participants and they raised $55,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Now, the Movember movement has crossed to North America and the UK. In 2009, there were over 255,000 participants and they raised over $47 million.

I am participating in the Movember movement this month and am asking for help for prostate cancer research. I vow not to shave my moustache for the month (which probably will not turn out too well), but I need your help in raising money.

If you want to help (which I sincerely hope you do), please visit my sponsored Movember page at ca.movember.com/mospace/674248 and donate to this great cause.

MICHAEL SKRZYNIAK

The U of T soccer program had very high hopes entering the playoffs; unfortunately for the women’s Varsity Blues, they ran into the Nipissing Lakers and a goal in the 90th minute by Amy Laidlaw, a Lakers midfielder. The Varsity Blues had a strong showing this season, and based on their fifthplace finish in last year’s playoffs, the lady Blues were expected to make the next big step in kissing a CIS championship trophy. It was a disappointing loss, but there could be a silver lining. The loss should make the team better in the long run; this can be a lesson for the younger players on the team never to lose focus and to take every game like it could be your last.

Unfortunately, the ladies had to learn this lesson the hard way with a heartbreaking loss. The loss

seemed to give a spark to the men’s soccer team, who played the quarter finals on Saturday after the women’s team.

They were able to overcome a 10 deficit in the final five minutes of the game to clinch a spot in the semi-finals. Remarkably, the Blues scored in the 90th minute on a penalty shot after a handball in the 18-yard box awarded the Blues a chance to take the lead. Alex Raphael, the Blues’ leading scorer, stepped up and kicked the ball into the top left corner to secure the Blues a 2-1 victory. The key to securing the victory was a huge save by goaltender John Smits in the 84th minute. He was able to stop a clear-cut breakaway which kept the Blues in the game before scoring the tying and the winning goals.

The Blues clinched the first overall seed in the OUA and are excited to make another huge run like they did last year. Smits believes in the

team and exudes confidence: “Our team has trained too hard and have lived for this moment for so long, that pressure in front of our own fans is not an option. That should tell you the level of confidence our team has.” The Blues tasted the big one last year, losing in the finals to McMaster in the CIS final; they are determined to get back and win it this year, à la the Miami Dolphins who, in 1972, beat the Washington Redskins after losing to the Cowboys in 1971. For the Varsity Blues, these next few games will really show how far the men’s side has come along since last year’s disappointment, and how focussed and prepared they are to face this year’s challenge. In the semi-finals, they are scheduled to meet the Western Mustangs on the pitch and it looks to be a close match.

If you want to catch the action, the semi-finals are being played this weekend at York University.

Go out and cheer the boys on.

John Farrell provides new hope for Toronto CHRIS CALLAHAN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

As the Blue Jays spend their 17th straight October jealously watching the playoffs from afar, the front office continues their effort to rebuild the team into a contender.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos has been looking for a replacement for manager Cito Gaston, who will remain with the team in an advisory role for a few months. Last week, that search ended with the announcement of John Farrell as the new manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Farrell may not have any experience as a manager in Major League Baseball, but he seems to be an ideal match for Anthopoulos and a wellqualified candidate. Anthopoulos has constantly stressed the need to build the farm system and over time infuse the team with talented young players. He likely learned from JP Ricciardi’s failed attempt as the previous general manager to win by signing big-name free agents. The ownership has supported Farrell’s effort by completely overhauling the scouting department, but this plan requires a patient manager that can work well with young players.

Farrell spent five years (2001 to 2006) as the director of player development for the Cleveland Indians.

His experience in developping prospects will prove to be extremely valuable in the next few seasons as the revitalized Jays farm system continues to progress. Prospects will begin to work their way up to the Major League level and Farrell’s guidance will play a pivotal role in their development.

Farrell also brings with him

knowledge of the tough American League East division which the Jays have been unable to conquer in recent years. He has spent the last four seasons as the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox. Farrell spent that time working under Terry Francona, one of the most wellrespected managers in all of baseball and a close friend of Farrell’s since their playing days in Cleveland.

Farrell knows what it takes to win in the division, a quality that was presumably a major factor in the decision to hire him.

His experience as a pitching coach for one of the better teams in baseball will also be a major asset for the Jays. Toronto is trying to build around their young pitchers, who showed a great deal of promise last season. If Farrell can get the best out of Ricky Romero and the rest of the rotation that made significant strides last season, the Jays should continue to improve.

With Kyle Drabek, the key piece in the Roy Halladay trade, Farrell has at his disposal a raw talent that he might be able to mould into an ace in the coming seasons. There is no shortage of young talent on the pitching staff. Under the tutelage of both Farrell and returning pitching coach Bruce Walton, these pitchers could help to expedite the rebuilding process for the team.

The offensive philosophy Farrell identified seems to mesh well with the same principles that Anthopoulos has been emphasizing.

Farrell wants to build on the hitting success that was achieved last season.

Toronto led the league in home runs this year with 257, but their dependence on the long ball was a problem that was evident throughout the year.

Ranking fifth-worst in the league in on-base percentage and sixth-worst

in batting average, the Jays were able to translate their exceptional power numbers into only the ninth-best run total in the majors. An added emphasis on getting on base more frequently from Farrell could be precisely what the Jays need to become a more consistent hitting team.

Farrell’s knowledge and baseball philosophy may not be the only thing he brings to the table. His relationship with former Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez is drawing speculation that he could possibly be an offseason target for the Jays this year.

Manny, who spent two years in Boston with Farrell, embodies exactly what the Jays are now trying to do offensively, since he is a player capable of both high power numbers and an excellent on-base percentage.

Upon hearing the news of Farrell’s hiring, Manny said, “Toronto has made a great acquisition. Farrell is a manager for whom I would like to play, and Toronto is a team I’ve liked since they had all those Dominican players in the ’80s.”

Manny said nothing to dispel the potential for a reunion in Toronto, and as such the speculation will likely continue for months. Ramirez, with 555 home runs and spectacular career numbers at the Rogers Centre, would be extremely motivated to remind the Red Sox brass that he is still an elite player. Manny is one of the most unpredictable players in all of sports, but he could be a tremendous addition to the already powerful Blue Jays lineup.

The Jays are a young team that is extremely close to becoming a playoff contender. Farrell’s familiarity with developing young players, the AL East, and even Manny Ramirez, provides legitimacy to the goal of ending a long playoff drought in Toronto.

cache.boston.com

John Farrell (left) hopes to be showered in champagne in Toronto.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

1, 2010 THE MEDIUM 12

SPORTS

Rooney signs five-year contract extension ANGELA DOMINGO

Just days after setting headlines on fire with the announcement that he was ready to leave Manchester United, Wayne Rooney has signed a new contract keeping him at Old Trafford for the next five years.

Speculation about Rooney’s unhappiness at the club had been stirring since earlier in the week.

Following his being left on the bench by manager Sir Alex Ferguson for the majority of United’s match against West Brom, United curiously released a statement that the club was in no way considering selling Rooney in the January transfer market. On October 19, Ferguson’s announcement that his prized striker would no longer be renewing his contract with the club officially ignited the transfer saga.

In a statement released soon after Ferguson’s announcement, Rooney cited United’s failure to compete with the game’s best clubs, rather than a speculated rift between himself and his manager, as his reason for leaving.

“For me it’s all about winning trophies—as the club has always done under Alex. Because of that, I think the questions I was asking were justified.”

The skipper’s questions no doubt concerned the fact that the debt-

ridden club has spent a little under £50 million on new recruits to bolster up their squad since the 2009 departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, which brought in upwards of £80 million for United.

Before his decision to leave the club, Rooney sat down with and United chief executive David Gill in a number of meetings to discuss the matter, but the striker was not put at ease.

“I met with David Gill last week and he did not give me any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad. I then told him that I would not be signing a new contract. …During those meetings in August, I asked for assurances about the continued ability of the club to attract the top players in the world. I have never had anything but complete respect for Manchester United FC. How could I not have done [so], given its fantastic history and especially the last six years in which I have been lucky to play a part?”

Fergie, for his part, has maintained that their lack of investment in new players has as much to do with a shortage of value in the transfer market as with the club’s mounting debt.

Following Rooney’s statement, Alex Ferguson in turn met with David Gill to sort out how the club would proceed as United appealed to their riled-up supporters to stay calm. Later, a rabble of angry fans

assembled outside of Rooney’s home, forcing him to seek police assistance.

The next day (October 22), Manchester United’s website posted a statement that negotiations had turned around and that Wayne Rooney had signed a new fiveyear deal.

This U-turn decision apparently resulted from a promise by Ferguson, as well as Manchester United’s owners (the Glazer family), that the club would invest some £100 million in new additions to the squad roster.

This assurance has evidently pleased Rooney: “I’m signing a new deal in the absolute belief that the management, coaching staff, board, and owners are totally committed to making sure United maintains its proud winning history.”

And £100 million is understood to be only the minimum amount that Ferguson would have available for the purpose of building up a more competitive team. These additional funds would put the club in a position of purchasing power pretty close to the likes of local rival (and notorious spender) Manchester City.

Whether the manager has changed his mind about the scarcity of the market, however, remains to be seen.

As part of his new contract, Rooney has agreed to £150,000 after tax in weekly basic wages, an addition of roughly £20,000 a week to what he’s currently making.

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Rooney (above) will look to maintain Manchester United’s winning ways.

“Flyin’ Hawaiian” Chan wins soars in Toronto gold at SKI WILLIAM ROBERTSON

Edward Cai/The Medium

Owens jokes around during a break at practice.

The Toronto Argonauts have had their fair share of ups and downs this season. Quarterback troubles and injuries have plagued the team this season, leaving them third in the Eastern Conference. However, a continual star on the Argos has been the “Flyin’ Hawaiian”, Chad Owens.

In his first year with the Argos, Owens has gained recognition for being one of the most electrifying players in the game. He is one of the smallest players in the CFL, yet has earned the CFL player of the week honour five times this season.

He has been able to cut through special teams’ defences with 2,701 combined yards on returns this season.

Owens played college football for Hawaii and tied an NCAA record of eight kick-return touchdowns and owns the school record as a receiver with 3,031 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 239 receptions in only 44 games. He led his team to win the Hawaii Bowl as both a junior and senior.

Following his college career, Owens was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round of the NFL draft. He was released in 2006 and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he was released in August. He had another brief stint with the Jaguars before he signed with the Colorado Crush of the AFL. The road to the CFL for Owens had been long, before he signed a

practice roster agreement with the Montréal Alouettes. He dressed in one game for the Als before attending training camp the following season, where he was promptly traded to Toronto.

Since then, Owens has been on an absolute roll. Clearly, Owens has found something in Toronto that brings his playing up to another level. Without a doubt, the Argonauts are thrilled to have him in the lineup: he can provide a much-needed spark anytime, which he’s proven week in and week out.

Last Friday, Owens surpassed 1,000 yards in punt returns as he added 62 more against Montréal.

He's only the fifth player in CFL history to have more than 1,000 yards in both kickoff and punt returns in one season.

During that game, Cleo Lemon made costly throwing errors that he accepted full responsibility for.

After the game, he said, “I was trying to do too much...this was all on me. I wanted the pressure on me and I didn’t come through.” Coach Jim Barker agreed with Lemon after the game; he commented, “You will not beat the defending Grey Cup champions if you play like that. You can't throw those passes at key times in the game.”

The Argos will have a chance to redeem themselves as they take on Montréal again in the final regular season game of the season on Sunday. They will look to this game as preparation for Hamilton the following Sunday in the EasternConference semi-finals.

MICHELLE DUKLAS ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Patrick Chan, 19, captured gold in the men’s singles at the Skate Canada International meet on Saturday. He landed his first quad in competition on Saturday as well, after missing it in the men’s short program on Friday. He then lost focus and fell on a triple Axel. He finished the routine strongly, though, landing a triple Lutz, as well as a triple Axel double toe loop combination.

The large surprise of the competition was Amélie Lacoste. She jumped from fifth in the short program to finish in third at the end of the women’s singles, coming away with the bronze medal.

Cynthia Phaneuf, winner of the women’s short program, finished in fourth place after falling on two triple Lutzs and changing her two other triples into a single and a double. She only landed two triple jumps in the free-skate final and finished with 156.24 points. She said she probably will not compete at next year’s Skate Canada International.

Canadian skating duo Kirsten MooreTowers and Dylan Moscovitch won silver in the pairs competition, just 0.48 points from the gold. Fellow Canadians Paige Lawrence, 20, and Rudi Swiegers, 23, earned the bronze with 161.15 points. Moore-Towers, 18, and Moscovitch, 26, skated a personal best 170.92 points for a second-place finish.

They were substitutes for Dubé and Davison, who withdrew due to an injury.

Olympic gold medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir withdrew from the competition after Virtue underwent surgery.

Meanwhile, Olympic bronze medalist Joannie Rochette will not compete at this year’s Grand Prix circuit as she mourns the death of her mother.