Vol 37 issue 9

pa ge 5 Monday, November 8th, 2010

Volume 37, Issue 9

Year of construction nears end

Edward Cai/The Medium

The Hazel McCallion Learning Centre front entrance will remain closed during road paving.

Steps to success for stressed first-years LARISSA HO

The University of Toronto Mississauga academic societies and UTMSU came together on Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. to host the first-ever Student Leader Panel. A group of upper-year students used advice from their own experiences to help first- and second-year students survive and thrive in their university careers.

The panel was made up of student leaders such as Vickita Bhatt, president of UTMSU, Mike Chan of the Canadian Asian Student Society, Lisa Brown of the UTM Anthropology Society, and Christopher Loayza of the Undergraduate Economics Council.

“The transition from high school to university can be intimidating,” observed Chan.

For the first hour of the event, the panel advised students in the audience about academic issues,

extra-curricular activities, and student services. Addressing issues such as how to deal with difficult courses, how to get involved, and how to get into graduate school, the panel doled out advice, recommendations, and personal stories in order to help new university students. They also talked about their own freshman years and what kinds of things they’d do differently if they could relive those years.

Many of the panelists emphasized the importance of time management, setting up study schedules, and learning to deal with procrastination.

The student leaders spoke about how to keep up with a course, the benefits of getting involved with academic societies (which include free food, higher confidence, and b e t t e r s p e a k i n g skills), and the “hidden gems” at UTM, referring to the student services available, such as the Career Centre, financial aid advising, the Health and

Counselling Office, and the RAWC. They also listed and the pros and cons of taking summer school.

Finally, the student leaders answered questions dealing directly with certain courses at UTM and certain professors. One such question was, “How do I deal with professor Bailey?”

“Don’t take first year lightly,” said Utsab Das from the Erindale Biology Society. “You may feel distracted, but first year is the basis. If it goes well, usually the next three years will be smoother.”

“My first year here, one of my professors told me to try not to fall behind. Keep up and don’t cram. Study every day,” said T i m e a M a xi m , p r e s i d en t o f t h e Erindale Biology Society.

“Everyone knows it but nobody does it.”

It was evident from the leaders’ advice that first year is just as important as the subsequent years.

First year is the year to start look-

ing at graduate school requirements, earn high grades, decide on subject POSTs, and get involved.

“The main vision of this event is to help first-years out,” said Bhatt. “We [upper-years] wish we had a student panel to tell us what university was all about. We had stumbling blocks too and we’ve been there. We find that firstyears don’t know what services are available to them and we wanted to let first-years know that UTMSU and the academic societies are here for them. Many are not aware of what academic societies provide for them, what clubs are there, so we’re here to educate them on the services and how to get through these four years of university without stressing out. If they have an idea, they can just come and get involved. We hope this event continues on every year so that students can learn from our experiences.”

First years continued on page 2

With the cold weather approaching, construction on campus will continue in order to finish the projects. Lot 9 and the CCT garage, the only entrance to which is accessed from lot 9, were closed on November 6 in order to put down pavement for the new health sciences building. The goal was to have both lot 9 and the CCT garage reopened

by Monday morning at the latest.

The new health sciences complex is set to be completed by April 2011 and open for the 2011-2012 school year. The building will house laboratory space for life sciences research, facilities for the biomedical communications program, and U of T’s Academy of Medicine.

Over the weekend students were able to park in lots 4 and 8, across from the RAWC. The new parking deck, which added nearly 300 parking spaces, was set to open September 27, but was delayed due to weather conditions. The $6-million project was then set to open in the third week of October, but was pushed back again due to further weather conditions.

The new parking deck opened last week, allowing for more students to park at UTM. Construction to the Outer Circle road stretching from the RAWC to the north entrance (off Mississauga Road) continues with the expansion of a sidewalk two-and-a-half metres wide.

The front of the Hazel McCallion Learning Centre and the Middle Road will be paved, extending to the RAWC—just past the temporary entrance to lot 9. Lane restrictions will be in effect from November 8 to 12 (weather permitting) during the paving.

Students are asked to plan their trip to school accordingly or avoid that stretch of road altogether.

Lights out on 5-minute walk

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2 THE MEDIUM

NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

8, 2010

Judy Cohen shares survival story LARISSA HO

Edward Cai/The Medium

Students “Get Swabbed”

OneMatch, the stem cell and marrow network which is a division of Canadian Blood Services, visited the UTM campus on November 1. They set up tables in the Student Centre between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Students got swabbed in order to later donate stem cells. The swabs were then transferred to CBS for testing to ensure that the students were good candidates.

“This is the first time we’re here at UTM. We’re hoping to get at least 400 or 500 possible candidates swabbed today,” said Lilet Raffinan, coordinator and donor manager of OneMatch.

“UTM took part in a country-wide ‘University Stem Challenge’ and signed up 174 new OneMatch registrants. Several ethnic registrants also came out for a cheek swab, expanding the diversity of the registry and giving hope to patients worldwide looking to find their one match,” said Denise Tran. “Hopefully, Lifeline will be able to host another swabbing event next semester.” They also offered pamphlets about stem cell and marrow donations.

Donations are not based on blood type, but instead on proteins called antigens that are found on the surface of white blood cells. Donors are catalogued in a database based on their antigens and are called by the CBS when a donation is needed.

Stem cells, for the purposes of OneMatch, are defined as “immature cells that can become either red blood cells (which carry oxygen), white blood cells (which fight infections), or platelets (which help to stop bleeding).”

One example of their use is in bone marrow, which contains stem cells, and is found in the soft tissue at the centre of the bone. When bone marrow dies, one treatment is to find a bone marrow match and replace the marrow.

Certain people have peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) which are stem cells that are too few in number for transplant purposes. Donors with PBSC can be given granulocytecolony stimulating factor (G-CSF) injections in order to increase their number of transplantable stem cells.

The marrow donation process is done under anesthesia in a hospital.

Donors lie on their stomachs and have needles inserted into their pelvic bones at both sides of their lower back. Three to five percent of the total marrow is extracted and the body replaces it in a matter of weeks.

The process takes one or two hours and donors are generally discharged at the end of the day.

Side effects include fatigue and soreness. Donors have said that the process (after anesthesia wears off) feels like falling on ice.

PBSC donations don’t require needles to be inserted into the bone; instead blood is drawn from the arm, neck, or thigh and is passed through a centrifuge which separates blood cells from stem cells and is then returned to the body. The process is called apheresis.

OneMatch looks for donors from all ethnicities. The markers used to make matches are differ by ethnic group. Donors are matched with patients of the same ethnicity.

Younger donors are also targeted since younger donors are associated with higher long-term survival rates for patients.

There are eligibility criteria that CBS outlines on their website, which was not outlined in the OneMatch pamphlet. Donation criteria are the same for stem cell and marrow donations as for blood donations.

Donors must be between the ages of 17 to 50 and must be willing to donate. Donors must also weigh at least 50kg (110lbs) and must be in good health. Indefinite deferrals are also applied.

People who have lived in certain areas of Africa, have had sex with someone from these parts of Africa, or had a blood transfusion in certain parts of Africa, are indefinitely deferred from donating. Men who have had sex with men, even once, since 1977 are also not permitted to donate. People suffering from diabetes, low iron (hemoglobin levels), chronic fatigue syndrome, or a false positive (from an infection) are not permitted to donate.

OneMatch urges stem cell and marrow donors to also donate blood because patients in need of marrow transplants also require large quantities of blood before and after they receive a transplant.

For more information about OneMatch and how to become a donor, students are asked to visit www.onematch.com.

In order to coincide with Holocaust Education Week, the Historical Studies Society at UTM hosted Gender and Genocide Week in the North Building from November 1 to 4 in collaboration with the Women’s Centre and UTMSU. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day (except Thursday which started at 11 a.m.), the Historical Studies Society held a memoriam in NB 143, where display boards were hung, documentaries and films were screened on a huge TV, and special lectures were held.

The boards presented information, particularly on the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1918 in Turkey which killed about 1,500,000 and the Nazi Holocaust of World War II in which about 6,000,000 Jews were murdered.

Documentaries included Paragraph 175, Aimee and Jaguar, and Iris Chang’s The Rape of Nanking.

Special lectures ran from Tuesday to Thursday. Professor Tong Lam of UTM spoke on Tuesday about the Nanking massacre and the following day professor Mairi Cowan about women and witchcraft persecutions.

On Thursday, all were welcome to hear the keynote speaker, Holocaust survivor Judy Cohen, give a lecture to the Intro to Studies of Women and Gender class in the Davis Building. The youngest of seven children, Cohen survived the Auschwitz-Berkenau and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, a slave labour camp, and a death march.

With a red poppy on her lapel, Cohen invited the audience to “walk into history together”.

She started her talk with the rise of Hitler and the Nazi regime (saying it “erased all democracy”), the unfolding of anti-Semitism, the Final Solution, and Kristallnacht. She described in detail the atrocities she witnessed that were “legal and criminal at the same time”.

Cohen spoke of the horrors women endured in the concentration camps, which included the “choiceless choices” women had to make in order to survive, such as abortion. Women also led countless undocumented uprisings in the camps that ended in their executions.

After the men were called to serve in the army, women became the heads of the households and headed their businesses before they were shut down, Cohen said. She briefly talked about the pregnancies, abortions, brothels, and bartering for sex that occurred in the ghettos and concentration camps, which violated women’s rights in particular.

Cohen also spoke at length about her large family and the effect that the Nazis had on their lives in Hungary before they were deported to concentration camps.

She emphasized that the Holocaust began because of ideology. The Holocaust “started with words” and now it serves as a “warning against hate

“I guess humanity has not learned to live with difference and appreciate difference, but it goes much deeper than that.”

—Joan Simalchik

speech and propaganda”, says Cohen.

“Everybody stopped thinking independently and followed the official rule.”

Finally, Cohen spoke about liberation from the camps, though she wondered, “Can anyone be liberated from memories like this?” She was reunited with her two surviving siblings and the three migrated to freedom and peace in Canada, where Cohen married and had two children. After she encountered a Neo-Nazi Holocaust-denier group in downtown Toronto, Cohen was motivated to begin educating others about her experiences.

“I can’t begin to tell you how I felt,” Cohen said about her encounter with the Neo-Nazi group. “My advice is not to start debates with Neo-Nazi denier groups. The best thing you can do is to educate the youth.”

In closing, when asked by a member

of the audience how she managed to “remain intact” during her time in the Holocaust, Cohen replied, “Pure luck.”

Cohen attributes her survival to “being in the right place at the right time” and to the encouragement of two women she met in the camps to not give up because the war was almost over.

“Sheer luck,” Cohen said. “Bits and pieces helped us to survive. There were tiny sparks of life here and there. These are also the stories that need to be told.”

Professor Joan Simalchik, co-ordinator of the Department of Women and Gender Studies and faculty liaison with the Historical Studies Society, said, “The hope [of Gender and Genocide Week] is to understand that often gender violation and gender aspects of genocide are not visible. This is an opportunity to present these hidden violations. Our keynote speaker, Judy Cohen, explains it very well. She says, ‘We’re not saying women’s or men’s experiences were worse, just that we were all in the same hell, but experienced different horrors.’”

In an effort to explain the question of why genocide continues to this day and this very moment, Simalchik answered, “It’s really hard to put it down. I guess humanity has not learned to live with difference and appreciate difference, but it goes much deeper than that.

Issues of power and control and abuse of power factor greatly.”

What can be done about the genocides currently happening around the world? In response to this, Simalchik said, “Why didn’t people do anything for 45 years of apartheid in Africa?

Small acts come together and efforts are being made. This [event] is an effort. These are the voices speaking out. We need to have more focus on it and step up and say, it’s time that this practice of genocide ends. You wouldn’t hear people saying they’re progenocide, but we need to hear voices loud and clear. Then it has a possibility of stopping. As long as the perpetrators think they can get away, they’ll carry on, but if they hear the world loudly and clearly, they’ll know they can’t get away.”

Cohen’s extensive website, which focusses on women’s experiences during the Holocaust, can be found at www.theverylongview.com/WATH.

Campus Police weekly summaries

October 28 to November 4, 2010 October 28, 6:28 a.m.

Theft Under $5,000 A laptop was stolen from a classroom in the William. G. Davis Building.

October 28, 4:00 p.m.

Theft Under $5,000 A wallet was stolen from an unlocked locker in the women’s change room.

October 28, 3:07 p.m.

Personal Safety Concern Campus Police investigated a complaint of a person yelling in the courtyard of McLuhan Court. The person was cautioned.

October 28, 7:05 p.m.

Personal Safety Concern Campus Police investigated a suspicious male in the Meeting Place of the William. G. Davis Building.

October 29, 11:18 p.m.

Controlled Drug and Substance Act Campus Police investigated a complaint from a student about three men trying to sell him marijuana.

October 28, 9:30 p.m.

Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of a bag with personal belongings from the Student Union Office at the Student Centre.

October 29, 1:26 a.m.

Causing a Disturbance Campus Police investigated an altercation between two men outside the Blind Duck Pub. One person was trespassed from the area.

October 29, 5:30 p.m.

Trespass to Property Act Campus Police issued a non-community member a Provincial Offences ticket under the Trespass to Property Act. The man was using someone else’s identification to enter the RAWC.

October 29, 2:40 a.m.

Break Enter and Theft Campus Police investigated thefts from a unit at Roy Ivor Hall. A laptop, an iPod, and a wallet were stolen.

November 1, 3:30 a.m.

Mischief under $5,000 Campus Police investigated damage to two copying machines at the Meeting Place of the William. G. Davis Building.

October 29, 8:00 a.m.

Trespass to Property Act Campus Police investigated unauthorized flyers in parking lots 5 and 6. The flyers advertised book-trading services.

October 29, 2:00 p.m.

Theft Under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of a laptop from the CCT Building.

The laptop was later recovered from a washroom in the CCT Building.

October 30, 10:25p.m.

Disruptive Behaviour Campus Police investigated a complaint by a student at MacLuhan about a man causing a disturbance outside her unit.

November 1, 9:05 a.m.

Towed Vehicle A vehicle was towed off campus from lot 10. It had accumulated many parking infractions.

November 1, 11:33 p.m.

Theft under $5,000 An MP3 player was stolen from the foyer at Roy Ivor Hall.

November 1, 5:17 p.m.

Fire Call A fire alarm pull station was tripped at the CCT Garage. The alarm was false.

November 1, 5:46 p.m.

Liquor Licence Act Campus Police investigated an intoxicated student inside the library. The man was given a Provincial Offences ticket under the Liquor Licence Act.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

Q and A hosted by UTMSU

Edward Cai/The Medium

Healthy eating at UTM KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI NEWS EDITOR

University life can bring many changes and challenges, but for many students, a healthy diet is not high on the list of priorities. Skipping meals to save money or eating fast food every day to save time means that many UTM students are not eating well.

But eating breakfast can help improve concentration and grades. The average Canadian university student (both male and female) gains an average of 3 kg (6.6 lb) in their first year on campus. Paying attention to eating habits is an important part of feeling good and doing your best at university.

Luckily for UTM students, there is a new (free!) service in the Health & Counselling Centre located in the Davis Building. A registered dietitian is on staff to help students create a personalized healthy eating plan and discuss how making healthier food choices can help them succeed at UTM. Dietitian Kimberly Green sees students for one-on-one nutritional counselling appointments at UTM, and notices the challenges that students face in eating well at university. Students who are on their own for the first time and not used to choosing or cooking their own meals and snacks are especially prone to poor eating habits.

As well, said Green, “A lot of students really suffer from stress and anxiety during university. A heavy workload and pressure to succeed can affect your appetite, and so some students start to

skip breakfast and even lunch, or just drink coffee instead of eating”. Skipping meals can lead to poor concentration, fainting, dizzy spells, and in the long term, nutritional deficiencies.

“Choosing healthy foods and eating regular meals and snacks is more important than ever during the years at university,” she adds.

Green also says that skipping meals can actually contribute to weight gain in some students. “Skipping meals and not making time for exercise are both habits that some students get into—which can lower your metabolism,” Green explains. “That, combined with large amounts of cortisol in the body (a hormone produced during times of stress) can lead to weight gain—even in students who don’t eat any more than they usually would.”

Choosing healthy meals and snacks whether at home or on campus and taking advantage of the fitness facilities on campus can both lead to a healthier university experience.

A talk with a dietitian can include topics such as developping a healthy eating plan, maintaining a healthy body weight, vegetarian/vegan diets, food allergies, lactose intolerance, healthy eating on a budget, better food choices on campus, proper nutrition for sports performance, and special diets for specific conditions (for example, diabetes or high blood pressure).

UTM students can make an appointment with the dietitian by visiting the nurse or doctor at the Health & Counselling Centre on campus, or by calling (905) 828-5255.

NEWS

Lights off on Five-Minute Walk STEFANIE MAROTTA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

The panel advises students about dealing with academic issues.

First year continued from cover that. I didn’t think it would be this big. Monica moulded the idea for me.

She said, if it’s happening in your club, it’s happening at other clubs— “I wish someone told me in first year so why not collaborate with all the how important first-year classes really societies? Grayce [Yuen] took the are, in terms of GPA,” said Loayza. idea on and sort of spear-headed the “As students progress to higher years, event.” they will realize that it gets much “We discussed a session with stuharder to bring up their CGPA, due dent leaders sharing their own experito the fact that most upper-year ences of how their engagement in courses are only worth 0.5 credits. If a their academic societies has enhanced student does well in first year, they their learning and experience at will be weighted as 1.0 credit, which UTM,” said Scott. “This could be a will help them a lot.” way of assisting new students with The event started as an idea of ideas about developing skills and Chan’s last summer while he reflected experience that would be helpful to on how to help some members of his them during and after their postsecclub who were struggling in their first ondary education. The Career Centre year of university. supports opportunities for student “A lot of members of CASS were leaders to share and reflect on their failing in courses, so I thought of how experiences, as this maintains and I could help them out. I brainstormed further develops a strong culture of for weeks,” said Chan, who then went leadership on the UTM campus. To with an idea of a student-led advice that end, these discussions with Mike session to Monica Scott from the and other student leaders over the Career Centre, who helped him to summerand early fall resulted in this “mould” his idea.“[Failing courses] is panel, which will really benefit common. I just want to try to change our community.”

8, 2010 THE MEDIUM 3

For the last week, the lights have been turned off along the FiveMinute Walk. Accompanied by increasingly earlier dusk as winter draws near, many students have to walk the path between the North Building and the Student Centre in darkness. The path is unavoidable for those with late classes in the least accessible building.

“I finish class in North at eight o’clock. I was about to leave the building to walk to the gym when I noticed the lights were off,” said Sandra Toufeq, a third-year religious studies student. “I practically ran down the path.”

For others, the dark pathway is the quickest route from class to home. Residence students use the path leading from Erindale Hall to Oscar Peterson Hall as a quick and safe route to return to their rooms after class. As of late, the absence of adequate lighting has posed a problem.

“It’s really scary. I was walking back to OPH and I was making a right around the corner at Erindale Hall, which you can’t see around,” said Joyce Tshiama, a second-year

student living on residence.

“Suddenly a guy came running around the corner! In the dark, it really scared me.”

Campus Police have been active in ensuring that the necessary precautions are taken. They have distributed extra WalkSafer posters to Student Housing and Residence Services and have conducted extra patrols along the path. After the WalkSafer program ends each night at 11:30 p.m., Campus Police offers escort services students in need of assistance.

“It is our priority to keep the UTM community safe,” said Corporal Charles Helewa. “If a student requests to be escorted, we will respond immediately.”

The WalkSafer team receives between one and three requests a night and this has not increased since the lights have been off.

“We’re fortunate that we’re in a safe area of the city, but we understand that it’s a safety issue,” said Len Paris, the manager of Campus Police Services. “We do lighting surveys across campus and then we pass that information on to Facilities.”

Due to numerous construction projects underway on campus, there have been difficulties with the underground electrical wiring.

Campus Police submit various work orders to Facilities Management and Planning, the department in charge of the university’s grounds keeping. In particular, Facilities deals with project building consultation that includes electrical work.

The issue has been given priority, but the lights along the path have yet to be fixed. With residence, bus stops, and student parking lots located on different parts of campus, the dark pathway continues to pose a problem for many students.

“Most of my classes in North end late at night,” said Nicole Ferreira, a third-year psychology student. “I have to walk from North to the bus stop and it was really creepy because there was no one around.

There are trees all around the path.

What if someone jumped out?”

On the other hand, some students aren’t affected by the issue. “I felt fine,” said student Nick Tavano. “It doesn’t make much of a difference to me whether or not the lights are on. It’s a short walk.”

WalkSafer is available Monday to Friday and can be contacted at 905607-SAFE (7233). After hours, students can request assistance from Campus Police by their emergency line at (905) 569-4333.

Centre for Comparative Lit saved IKHLAS HUSSAIN

After the decision to merge U of T’s Centre for Comparative Literature with five other literature and language departments in order to cut costs in July, it seems the Centre will be saved—at least for one more year.

The Centre for Comparative Literature was founded in 1969 by one of the great English literary theorists of the twentieth century, Northrop Frye (author of The Great Code). The centre is unique in North America and is wellknown for its study of critical theory and literature across many different cultures.

With a $55-million debt, the faculty had decided to merge six humanities departments into one large Centre of Languages and Literatures, but considering the outcry from current students, faculty, graduates, and scholars around the world, it will remain open as a standalone entity.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail, professor Hutcheon, who left school at Cornell to study with Frye at the Centre, said that studying literature at the Centre “is such a different thing than being locked into one culture” so that people from all around the world were coming to the Centre to study under Fry e’s vision of comparative literature, because “it was the only place in the world that you could do it.” The crosscultural focus is what drew Hutcheon in.

Yet the high debt remains, and so the Centre has been asked to think of ways to cut costs. Meric Gertler, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, held a Town Hall at an auditorium at OISE at the end of September, in which he discussed the 40-page plan published in June. The plan had proposed the merge of the centre with the other humanities programs, including Italian, German, East Asian Studies, Spanish, Portuguese, and Slavic languages.

In The Varsity, Gertler is described as blaming “uncertain

times” as well as “provincial grant freeze” and “world economic slowdown” for the faculty’s $22million annual deficit and $56million accumulated deficit.

While debt is a problem for the u n i v e rs i t y, f ou r t h - ye a r E ng l i s h major Bethany Waldie comments, “There is an even greater need to acknowledge the place and significance for the unappreciated studies of comparative and critical literature.” And while there seems to be a general pattern of universities trying to close deficit gaps, Waldie feels that English and humanities departments are often targeted first.

The Centre for Comparative Literature remains the only place at U of T where students can study Canadian literature, not only in English, but in French or aboriginal languages. Students who are enrolled in the program must eventually narrow their field of study to at least two literatures, and must be proficient in at least one non-English language at the master’s level and in two at the PhD level.

REMEMBRANCE DAY OBSERVANCE

At 11:00am on Thursday, November 11th, 2010 members of UTM will again observe Remembrance Day at the flagstaff in front of the William G. Davis Building.

The ceremony will begin at 10:45 a.m. with remarks by Vice-President and Principal, Deep Saini, followed by the reading of "In Flanders Fields" by University of Toronto Mississauga Student Union representative and the traditional two minutes of silence in commemoration of those who died in the past wars.

Faculty and Department Heads are asked to allow staff and students time to attend this remembrance ceremony.

4 THE MEDIUM

OPINION

MONDAY,

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

Dear Editor,

EDITORIAL Last week I touched on the issue of safety on campus. I briefly mentioned ways that I felt our campus was not as safe as it could be. The fear of sexual harassment may not be an issue that only occurs on campus and not something that only happens at night, but it is something worth talking about.

I received two letters responding to my editorial, one from Mr. Whibbs who thinks I am overreacting and wrote very satirically, and the other from Ms. Lasachuk, the president of the Women and Gender Studies Action Group, who thinks my concerns are a little more justified and important to discuss.

Mr. Whibbs mentioned that he too has fears. He quips, “I, too, worry that I may be taken advantage of during my walk of 100 metres from a crowded, well-lit classroom to a crowded, well-lit bus platform.” Maybe he hasn’t seen the bus platform after 6:00, or maybe he doesn’t notice when lights are on or off. In the news section of this week’s issue of The Medium we read about students who feel uncomfortable walking down the FiveMinute Walk since there are currently no lights on at night.

Since Ms. Lasachuk provides reasons why safety should be taken seriously on campus and answers to those who make jokes or ignorantly dismiss the problem, I would like to suggest a couple of ways that I think we could improve.

For one, let’s fix the lights on the Five-Minute Walk as soon as possible, since students who live on campus or have night classes have been complaining about it and with complete validity.

I realize we have a WalkSafer program, but it’s also a fact that there have been incidents where people tried to call and no one answered. In light of this I think we need to have more foot patrol seen on campus. Read the Campus Police summaries we print—just last week, several rooms on residence were broken into and laptops and other valuables were stolen.

The idea of increasing security may seem too simple or obvious, but when a student’s home was vandalized last month, there were people who didn’t want to talk about the problem and attempted to deal with it quietly behind closed doors. We have to start somewhere.

I would much rather see people in leadership positions take a step in the right direction and educate people about U of T’s policies on harassment, sexual harassment and ways to utilize these policies. Perhaps conduct a safety report on campus to see where we can improve, and work with the university administration on making these changes take effect quickly.

Yes, some people will take it like a joke and dismiss it by saying that we are living in one of the safest cities in the country, but after you’re done laughing, the problem is still there and very real for many students.

Saaliha Malik

Yours,

Dear Editor, When you hear the word “fraternity”, what do you think of? Many think of movies like Animal House or the show Greek. The image of a fraternity member is one of a binge-drinking, popped-collar, chauvinistic pig. The image of a sorority girl is a stereotypical Valley girl, or worse, a woman of questionable morals. These images of students are perpetuated by misunderstandings and misinformation.

The fact is that fraternities and sororities (Greek Letter Societies, or GLS) stand for more than they’re given credit for. In the past 20 years, many societies have learned to change.

In many cases they imposed rules on themselves. However, these rules require an enforcement mechanism.

Currently at UTM there are about eight fraternities and six sororities that actively recruit. There are roughly 120 UTM Greeks in these sororities and fraternities, representing 1% of our student population. This number is well under the international average of 10% (which I’ll explain later). Many of them recruit not only from U of T, but also from other Toronto universities, such as OCAD, Ryerson, York, and George Brown. This allows members to meet other students from across the GTA and see what they’re doing.

I joined Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) when I saw the huge amount of support, scholarships, and opportunities for leadership and networking. Now I’m a member of an even larger community. There are millions of GLS graduates, who give back to the community in various ways.

However, this culture is in danger of dying out. U of T refuses to recognize that GLS exist and operate on their

campuses. Other Canadian universities welcome them, but not in Toronto. So, what’s in it for the university? Well, all the GLS in Toronto are part of national or international organizations, which expect that the local chapters adhere to a strict set of rules. The rules sometimes restrict drinking or hold a GPA requirement.

If the university supported GLS, these rules could be better upheld. The official reason that GLS are excluded from U of T is that in 1959 a black student was excluded from joining one. But that wouldn’t happen at UTM today— a lot has changed in 51 years.

Another issue is the risky behaviour associated with GLS life. But that kind of behaviour will always happen at university and has no particular connection to GLS. If they want to reduce it, they should better inform students in general about it, not blame GLS. If the university supported GLS it would integrate a culture of leadership into its campus, and even become a selling point. There are tons of GLS graduates who would invest back into U of T. GLS Houses, like at other universities, could be used as cheap housing alternatives. A change from an outright ban to an inclusion would allow the community to grow and legitimize what already currently occurs. It would certainly increase campus life on our commuter campuses, something that is direly needed.

We could start small—consult the GLS to see if they’d be interested, then have a pilot program to test the idea. If handled properly it could be the first step into a new age of campus life at U of T. Yours, Peter Buczkowski

Your concerns for the safety of students on campus are not unreasonable by any means. On the environmental, sociological, and personal levels, I can understand the issues you have uncovered in your effort to question “Safety for Everyone”, for I too, find myself (especially when I lived on campus for two years) in all areas of campus (secluded or busy), at all hours (day or night) everyday (Monday to Sunday) contemplating the same concerns. Separate the fact that I am a 22-year-old female—a position notoriously entrenched with stereotypical assumptions of vulnerability and inferiority (skeptics: don’t even try to deny it)—even more important to consider regarding the origin of my opinions is my academic background: a fifth-year double major in crime, law, and deviance, and women and gender studies, with a minor in sociology.

Therefore, it is through these lenses that your analysis of crime prevention, awareness of deviance, social inhibitions and misogyny become clear to me and not via the fact that I am a “typical female, afraid of the dark and socialized to be fearful of predators’ attacks” (which I am not).

While I would argue that the precautions taken by the university to protect vulnerable and contentious students (independent of their gender) have been significant in high-traffic areas, the campuswide implementation of these methods of crime prevention through environmental design has been hindered by the ambition to maintain Credit Valley’s natural integrity. It is true that in recent years the wooded and dangerous areas of UTM have become smaller and less frequent; however, to an unacceptable degree there are still a number of areas capable of hosting (in daylight or dark, with a c r o w d a r o un d o r w i t h o u t ) a n “incident” of any proportion.

Dear Editor, Having read the latest issue of The Medium (the editorial in particular), I couldn’t help but be inspired. As a handsome young male of 21, I, too, worry that I may be taken advantage of during my walk of 100 metres from a crowded, well-lit classroom to a crowded, well-lit bus platform.

Despite many assurances to the contrary, I view any type of eye contact as unwarranted sexual harassment and feel that this type of ocular movement ought to be banned on campus. I think that it would be prudent and useful if, in addition to receiving a U-PASS from our union, we were also issued a pair of blinders to attach to our foreheads (similar to the device which racehorses often sport in order to ensure that they keep their minds on the race and not on the tantalizing sight of several other sweaty, naked horses) so that we can only see forwards and not ogle others.

Although a brilliant idea (I do attend UTM, after all), there must be a contingency in case a student with blinders is ever attacked by a fellow blinder-wearing student. I would suggest that someone being attacked keep their blinders on, since not only are they fashionable and trendy, but they would also likely cause the victim’s visual field to be so limited that a good deal of thrashing and noisy collisions would occur. Thus, the person being attacked would save precious oxygen by not screaming “HELP!” or “CALL 911!” and instead be able to divert his/her energy to wild flailing

Similarly, the university is lacking in its recognition of the realities of our society. A couple of walk-safe volunteers equipped with flashlights available for escort are inconvenient to students in a rush, and therefore ineffective. Also, as addressed in your article, despite its size the culture of alcohol abuse is present in academic communities like UTM, and in accordance to that culture, sexual harassment (FYI, short skirts are not an open invitation for contact!), violence against women, racialized aggression, and other forms of cruelty go hand-in-hand. Keep in mind that this reasoning is not sourced from gossip, popular media, or stereotype; this is the result of four and a half years of criminal and social study of statistics, theory, law, policy, deviance, social reasoning, and systemic oppression.

“Safety for Everyone” has effectively shone the proverbial light on an issue in much need of reform inside the university. From the crime prevention perspective, lighting, video surveillance, police p r e s e n c e , w a lk - s a f e v o l u n t e e r s , and emergency contact tools need to be increased on campus, if not for the sake of actual use, than at least to give the illusion that UTM cares about wary students, staff, and faculty. Furthermore, a stronger message needs to be given that violence on campus is intol erable, so that pub nights, social events, and even lectures don’t turn volatile or criminal.

Any oppositional arguments, ignorance, or jokes about the nature of th is article should be critically interpreted as countereffective, naïve, and an insult to the academic institutions of this university, for every aspect of my response to this editorial is founded in its disciplines.

Sincerely, Jennifer Lasachuk President of the UTM Women and Gender Studies Action Group (which, coincidentally, is a great form of cardiovascular exercise).

Additionally, I would like to address the valid and not at all uninteresting observation that it is getting darker earlier and becoming light later.

According to the Weather Network, the sun rose this morning at 7:56 a.m. and will set at shortly after 6 p.m., which is certainly different from how I remember the sky in the summer. It is so far unclear what is causing this meteorological catastrophe, but what is certain is that, soon, the world will be perpetually dark (since there seems to be no end to this). Since all crime occurs at night (and not at all due to any fear I might have of dark conditions, closets, or basements), I propose that UTM shorten its hours by two minutes every day and only remain open when it is not dark out. As mentioned, this intervention will cease to be effective once the Earth is plunged into permanent night (which, according to my actuarial predictions, will be sometime in mid-August, 2011). Once this occurs, I think that the student union should provide their constituents with large, dense hardhats.

These hardhats would include 800watt lamps built into the top-frontal section, capable of illuminating deer, attackers, and available taxis at a range of several hundred meters.

Given the large amount of construction already taking place on campus, a trial run is immediately warranted.

Any volunteers?

Regards, Stephen Whibbs

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MONDAY, NOVEMER

8, 2010 THE MEDIUM 5

Nives Hajdin, Editor | arts@mediumonline.ca

The Torch lights the way With all the different smartphones in competition with each other these days, it’s difficult to determine which model best suits your needs. Yet if you are looking to get the most bang for your buck, look no further than the BlackBerry® Torch 9800. One of RIM’s latest smartphones, it combines professionalism with coolness; BlackBerry has cornered the professional cellphone market, but with the Torch, it has also mastered an extremely user-friendly interface.

The result? A smartphone that appeals to business honchos, students, and moms, all at once. With such an expansive scope of potential users, the Torch might just edge out its competitors, in some people’s opinions. Plus, it just looks cool.

The most obvious feature is the large LED multi-touch screen, which is extremely receptive to even the lightest of touches. Particularly while browsing, the pinch-to-zoom feature is very accurate and responsive; the 9800 hardly needs to be told twice when you give it a command. The touchscreen keyboard is simple enough to use (though if you have big fingers, it might take some

getting used to), but the cool thing about the Torch is that if you need a break from typing on the keyboard display, you can easily switch to the built-in keyboard. Where is it, you might ask? The Torch is in fact a slider phone, and though the physical keyboard bears some resemblance to earlier BlackBerry models, it is much more compact.

Another exciting element is the meticulously designed interface that runs on BlackBerry’s latest operating system, BlackBerry 6®. The 360x480 pixel display features incredibly crisp graphics, icons, and text, which are further enhanced by the vibrant colours. You can slide between different trays, including “favourites” and “downloads”, and you can drag the tray to display one, two, or three different rows of applications or even none at all (you can simply touch the up arrow to pull everything up at once instead).

At the top of the screen, just below the time, there is an interesting dropdown menu that displays upcoming events in your calendar, your recent call history, and any unanswered text messages or emails, all in the same place. Pretty nifty, huh?

You can also adjust ringers to have different sounds and volumes not only for your contacts, but for your different emails, in addition to separate alerts for Facebook and Twitter notifications, so you know what’s coming even before you look at the screen.

When it comes to social networking and chatting, the Torch makes it super fun and easy. You can scroll through your home feed and daily tweets within seconds, and you can instantly access notifications and various profile pages just by the tap of your finger. It is much more accessible and less frustrating than using the trackpad to click links (though the trackpad is quite fast for scrolling as well). Watching YouTube videos is particularly enjoyable on the Torch; on the 3G network, videos buffer in just a few seconds and continually play the whole way through without any hiccups.

BBM has a particularly appealing interface, with speech bubbles replacing previously more generic conversation boxes. When sending texts or BBM messages, you can save a lot of time if you want to send capitalized words by holding down the shift key, which locks shift and allows you to type in capitals continually instead of having to hit the shift key before each letter.

The 5mpx camera is one of the phone’s best features; the intelligent auto-focus and strong flash give photos a crisp quality, and different scene modes such as “close-up” and “party” allow you to capture artistic shots (who needs a digital SLR?). Of course it doesn’t rival high-end digital cameras, but for a camera phone it is quite impressive.

With the Torch, everything is at your fingertips—literally.

Edward Cai/The Medium

Bollywood touches down in Toronto The Merchants of Bollywood will make you laugh, cry, and shake what your momma gave ya NIVES HAJDIN A&E EDITOR

Last Thursday night, downtown Toronto got a taste of the Far East, with enough sizzle to set the CN Tower on fire. The Merchants of Bollywood, a theatrical dance spectacle, made its Toronto debut at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, which in fact was the only Canadian stop on its 2010 North American tour. In line with the night’s theme, Sony Centre’s resident chef, Stephen Lee, prepared a Bollywood menu of cultural dishes that guests enjoyed prior to the show, including Mumbai coconut tofu panini and Bengal butter chicken.

Divided into two acts with a myriad of dance sequences, The Merchants of Bollywood also weaves in a supporting narrative frame in which Ayesha Merchant (C a r o l F u r t a d o ) pursues her dream of making a name for herself in Bollywood, much to the dismay of her grandfather, named Shantilal (Chander Khanna). Although Shantilal was a highly successful director in the 70s, times have

changed and Ayesha’s Bollywood could not be more of a departure from the one her grandfather knew and loved. There were several references to pop culture, including Slumdog Millionaire, which writer and director Toby Gough playfully jabs and praises. In addition to narrating the story, Satwinder Singh Jaspal plays the roles of Tony Bakshi, an overtly flamboyant director, and Bhansingh, a gossiping matchmaker, both of whom serve as great comic relief with their slapstick antics.

The vibrant costumes and digital backdrops greatly enliven the onstage performances, while the colourful spotlights shine on the audience sporadically and serve to integrate audience members into the show. The dancing was the evening’s most anticipated element, and though the energy and commitment of the dancers in pumping up the crowd was a huge success, one could not help but notice that the more contemporary dances lacked the hard-hitting resonance of more traditional Bollywood numbers. Sequences like “The New Bollywood Generation” and “It’s the Time to Disco” feature rock ’n’ roll and disco in a

distinctly Bollywood style, and though it is refreshing to see this blend of musical styles, it was mildly disappointing not to have experienced more of the traditional dance that the Western world has

come to know and love.

Nevertheless, it was a night of pure entertainment that was met with a standing ovation, and multiple refrains of “Get Up and Party!” in which the cast had no trouble

getting the audience on their feet to sing and dance along. The Merchants of Bollywood runs until November 14 at the Sony Centre.

For tickets and show times, visit www.sonycentre.ca.

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Ayesha Merchant (Carol Furtado): the face of a new Bollywood generation.

6 THE MEDIUM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

8, 2010

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wicked paints the town green The immensely popular Broadway spectacle returns to Toronto by popular demand KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI NEWS EDITOR

After breaking the box office in its 2005-6 Toronto run, Wicked is back in town at the Canon Theatre, and selling out fast. The Broadway musical, based on Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same title, features the back story of the Witches of Oz before Dorothy walked the yellow brick road.

The story begins with the celebration of the Wicked Witch of the West’s death. Glinda (or Galinda) (Chandra Lee Schwartz), the Good Witch of the North, better known for her puffy pink dresses and traveling by bubble, arrives to confirm the Wicked Witch’s death. The musical soon turns into a coming-ofage story when Glinda recounts her school days at Shiz University where she shared a dormitory with the Green Witch.

The Wicked Witch (Jackie Burns)—who is finally given a name, Elphaba, in the novel and musical— struggles to make friends while also taking a stand for the animals in Oz who are losing their ability to speak.

The story quickly turns to one of the difficulties of fitting in when something like skin colour sets you apart.

As Elphaba tries to find her place alongside the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Gene Weygandt) in the Emerald City, Glinda tries to find a place alongside Fiyero (the “bad boy” at Shiz played by Richard H. Blake).

The musical switches gears as both witches desire to live the lives they see fit, and various twists inevitably ensue. Elphaba becomes known as “wicked” while Glinda is dubbed “good”, and so the hunt for the

Wicked Witch of the West begins.

Luring the Wicked Witch proves easy when a plan to drop a house on her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East (Stefanie Brown), is devised.

The Broadway hit reveals the true faces of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, in twists that can only be foreseen by listening to the clever lyrics of every song.

As the two witches strive to fit into the roles assigned to them, they also fight to keep their friendship (now a secret from all of Oz) intact.

“Wicked works because it has something Broadway musicals, so addicted to facetiousness and camp, have largely given up on: a story that adults can take seriously…If every musical had a brain, a heart, and the courage of Wicked, Broadway really would be a magical place,” said Richard Zoglin, an American journalist and critic, in an interview with Time Magazine.

Wicked explores the difficulties of fitting in, the hardships of friendship, the loss and gain of love, and the goodness in all of us.

The musical hit made its debut at the Gershwin Theatre on October 30, 2008. Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel originated the roles of Glinda and Elphaba during its Broadway run.

For reasons unknown, this season’s production features Mariand Torres, standby for the character of Elphaba, until further notice.

Although Torres is the understudy, her performance proves expert. With only a few rushed lines, Torres manages to glow as Elphaba. The bubbly and pink character of Glinda proves effortless for Schwartz, whose rendition of “Popular” had the audience laughing and cheering.

amazingticketdeals.com

Glinda the Good warns the people of Oz about the Wicked Witch.

This year’s production also features recycled/green Wicked bags for those purchasing merchandise from the theatre’s gift shop. As they do at every production of Wicked, some theatregoers dressed up as witches in long black gowns and pointy hats.

After the performance, actors stood in the theatre’s hallways collecting money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, an

organization that raises money to help people suffering from AIDS. For a donation of $20, people can win the chance to go on stage during one of Wicked’s future performances in Toronto. A poster signed by all cast members is awarded for donations of $50 or more.

The Canon Theatre is offering a Rush Seat Lottery for every performance of Wicked. Two and a half

hours before each production, theatregoers can have their names placed in a lottery for a chance to win a maximum of two tickets.

Names are drawn half an hour later and winners can claim their tickets for the price of $25 (cash only).

Wicked is on stage at the Canon Theatre until November 28.

For ticket information, visit www.mirvish.com.

A last letter, a measured injection Ted Hughes’ poem on Sylvia Plath’s suicide unearthed and met with controversy LUCY ZEMLJIC

Early last month, a newly discovered poem written by the late British poet-laureate Ted Hughes was unearthed at the British Library. This revelation of poetry happens 47 years after Hughes’ wife, poet Sylvia Plath, committed suicide by gassing herself in the kitchen oven. It’s a well-known and

tragic story that is still shrouded in speculation and mystery to this day.

A long bout with depression and a nasty separation from her husband over his cheating ways was all too much for Plath to handle.

Now, poets and Plath enthusiasts are looking once more to the tragic incidents of that winter of 1963, as Ted Hughes’ first words upon hearing of his wife’s death have finally been unearthed. Melvyn Bragg of

flickr.com

Hughes and Plath in happier times.

the British Library discovered the piece in the library’s Ted Hughes archive. And now, the mysterious and tragic circumstances surrounding Sylvia’s death are being examined once more, through the eyes of the man who experienced firsthand her downward spiral of depression.

This never-before-seen poem, aptly titled “Last Letter”, takes a look into the shocked husband’s psyche, moments after he is told of his estranged wife’s tragic suicide.

“What happened that night, your final night?” asks Hughes, in the first line of “Last Letter”. While the literary world has mourned Sylvia’s loss for almost half a century now, the poem describes in painstaking precision and slow, twisting words the days leading up to his wife’s death, and the fateful day itself: “Late afternoon Friday, my last sight of you alive,/ Burning your letter to me in the ashtray with that strange smile./ What did you say over the smoking shards of that letter/ So carefully annihilated, so calmly,/ That let me release you and leave you to blow its ashes off your plan.”

Plath enthusiasts and poetrylovers all know of Hughes’ bestselling work, Birthday Letters, a collection of poems published in 1998 that chronicle Hughes’

relationship with Plath. Though some of these poems make references to her suicide, none of them directly address the tragic circumstances of her death. Hughes had never publicly talked about his estranged wife’s suicide, their relationship, or the circumstances surrounding their separation, and has since then been the centre of controversy and rumours in the literary world. He has been blamed for his cheating ways and for failing in their marriage, condemned for destroying Sylvia’s last known journal, and criticized for editing her posthumous publications, yet all this time Hughes said nothing. The rumours flew and the legend of Sylvia Plath grew; she grew into a kind of cult figure, an icon for girls and women even to this day. And it seems now, with the discovery of Last Letter, that there is at least some kind of closure to this tragic and all-too bizarre twist of fate that lead such a brilliant, young poetess to cut her own life so tragically short.

The words cut as Hughes asks, “What happened that night, your final night?/ What happened that night, inside your hours?” No one can ever know what was going through the distraught Plath’s mind, but what’s for sure is that the effects

of her depression and suicide—like the effects of every battle with depression or suicide—are longlasting and frightening. Nicholas Hughes, son of Ted and Sylvia, committed suicide last March after a battle with depression. Rumours have swirled for these 47 years that Hughes was an abusive husband and father, that he destroyed every woman that he was involved with.

But with the discovery of this new poem, a little more light has been shed on the shroud of mystery that surrounds the days leading up to Plath’s death. No one will ever know what was going through Sylvia’s mind that day, and with the exception of Hughes himself (who takes this secret to the grave), no one will ever know if these words written on the topic of her death were sincere or not. Nevertheless, the poem’s effect is a powerful one; whether you are a poetry-lover or not, Plath enthusiast or not, pro- or antiHughes, the power of the poem’s verses cannot be denied.

“A voice like a selected weapon or a measured injection, /coolly delivered its four words deep into my ear: ‘Your wife is dead.’ ” Let’s hope that with the newly shed light on this tragic incident, both Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes can finally rest in peace.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

8, 2010 THE MEDIUM 7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Gettin’ geeky with it No geeks were harmed in the writing of this article. Well, not seriously LYSAN SEQUEIRA

Star Trek, and pass these tips along to the guy you play with on Xbox Live.

If you’ve ever owned a pocket protector, uttered the words “may the force be with you”, or wanted to “catch ’em all”, you, my friend, are a geek.

Please, don’t be offended by this affirmation. Many geekazoids were persecuted in their youth, but their affinity for all things Harry Potter and their propensity for glasses and Greek mythology has finally paid off. Geeks, now is your moment! Thanks to companies such as Apple, werewolves like Jacob, and bowties being available in many stores, geek culture is officially mainstream.

From blogging and Skyping, to Netflix-ing and Farmville-ing, geek lingo is deeply embedded in our culture. Finally, swirlies are ancient history and “geekdom” is a cultural phenomenon that begs to be emulated.

Fashion is certainly not excluded from this momentous flourishing of the geek. Open your eyes and you are bound to see someone rocking a classically geeky fashion item. Everyone from Kanye West to LeBron James has been spotted rocking geeky clothing!

So today, I encourage you to step ou t o f y o ur c o m f or t z o n es and appreciate your inner geek.

Take a look at the following outfits, watch an episode or two of

Outfit 1: More math for you and me!

Lysan Sequeira

No, I’m not kidding; I am advocating the purchase of a calculator watch. No, you shouldn’t stop reading… Seriously, this outfit is what geek chic is all about!

Pause for a second and strip away all of the geeky items by covering up the right side of this outfit. Now, what do you see? A classic prepster. Someone that doesn’t stand out. Yo might say, a coward of the fashion world…

Now add back all of the geek swag in question—watch, socks, Converse, and bowtie—the whole nine yards. Now what do you see?

The guy that got beat up in grade 3? Probably, but that’s not a bad

Can’t stop this Machine ANDREA AMBROGI

Last Wednesday night, UK darling Florence + the Machine graced the Sound Academy with her presence and infinite talent. Despite the miserably cold drizzle outside, the atmosphere in the venue was warm and packed with excitement. After two (entirely too long) opening acts, Florence Welch was greeted on stage at 10:45 p.m. sharp by the relieved screams of her adoring fans.

She opened the show with “Howl” and then went straight into a beautiful, extended version of “The Drumming Song”. From there, she played the more mellow tracks “My Boy Builds Coffins” and “Girl with One Eye”, before launching into “Cosmic Love”, which, after “The Drumming Song”, was the secondbest moment of the night. “Blinding” and “You’ve Got the Love” were among the next few tracks she played, both of which translated remarkably well to live. She played the majority of her album and all the songs sounded stellar. Florence had such control over her voice that she sounded virtually flawless throughout the entire set.

The stage design was very minimalistic, save for the gorgeous velvet-looking backdrop that resembled the background on the cover of her critically acclaimed album, Lungs. The venue wasn’t small by any stretch of the imagination, but the feeling of intimacy that she managed to create

was truly palpable. “Strangeness and Charm”, one of her new tracks on what we hope to be a future album, didn’t deviate too far from the classic Florence feel, but it did have a little more sass and snarl, which is never a bad thing.

The regular set closed with “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” and the audience sang their hearts out with her.

When she left the stage, some of the crowd began filing out, but Florence re-took the stage moments later and kicked off the encore with “Heavy in Your Arms”, a track she contributed to the Twilight: Eclipse soundtrack.

She played “Kiss with a Fist” next, with an electric guitar-laden introduction, and ended the evening with her massive hit, “Dog Days Are Over”. Everyone was jumping as per Florence’s ritualistic request (“I do this every night, please join me in this ritual on the count of three!”) and there were hundreds of hands in the air to end the concert on a euphoric high. Her voice was incredibly powerful from start to finish and, without a doubt, it turned even the few who inevitably get dragged along by their friends into devout believers in Florence + The Machine.

In an industry where commercialized pop is the norm, Florence sets herself apart by being true to her craft; she is infinitely talented and carries herself with unparalleled poise and elegance on stage. With her gracefully rigid dancing and wild shakes of fiery red hair, Florence is a flawless performer and Toronto can’t wait to have her back.

thing. Geek chic is all about putting a new spin on the clothes from your glory days.

And how do you do that? By acknowledging that accessorizing is a two-way street. Quite simply, guys should man-cessorize just as much as women accessorize, and it is not a bad thing. In the outfit above, a pretty bland combination is made a lot more interesting with the addition of some simple items—high-top Converse, a casual classic; striped socks, a geek must; and a calculator watch, one of the greatest inventions of all time. Think what you will of accessorizing, you have to admit, it makes this outfit pop.

One more tip: skip the bowtie unless you are truly ready to commit to the geek lifestyle. It’s for advanced users only.

Outfit 2: Hold it now!

I love the old-school intellectual vibe that suspenders suggest.

Blame it on Bay Street, but when I see someone rocking them, I just immediately think geek.

Obviously, though, suspenders aren’t your run-of-the-mill item.

Though they have been picking up popularity recently (according to GQ), spotting them on the street is still a rare occurrence. So, to get yourself in the mindset required to make these work, I suggest thinking outside the box.

What is geekier than thinking

exception of the Converse, which bring it all back down to earth.

At the end of the day, being a geek is the epitome of individuality. For geeks—or anyone, for that matter—there’s nothing wrong with being different! So go out, rock some geek swag, and show the world who’s boss!

Lysan Sequeira

outside the box? Your iPod, your cellphone, and your laptop all started as radical thoughts. So embrace the off-beat and go crazy… You might just be, or at least look like, the next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg.

Lysan Sequeira

Outfit 3: Rules were made to be broken.

This outfit is a far cry from what I would usually suggest, which reveals that rules were made to be broken. Everything about the outfit above is a bit off the beaten path. Ironic glasses and graphic tee combo. A cardigan with a hood. All of the items above are a bit strange, with the

Do you have any fashion tips?

Send them to us at arts@mediumonline.ca.

Include your name, year and program, and a photo of your trendiest outfit for a chance to appear in a future issue.

THE 2010-11 SNIDER VISITING LECTURER

UTM PRESENTS

· ·

· · N O V E M B E R

1 7

AT

7 : 3 0

P M

·Venture capitalist and environmentalist

· ·

·Author of

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·Co-developer of “ The Planet Traveler” , North America’s ‘greenest’ hotel, located in Toronto

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Matthews Auditorium, Room 137, Kaneff Centre, University of Toronto Mississauga Admission is FREE and no reservations are required.

Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis For maps, directions and parking, see http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/ index.php?id=8709

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

8, 2010 THE MEDIUM 8

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

Facebook faux pas NIVES HAJDIN ARTS EDITOR

You probably just smirked at the title of this article because at some point, you yourself have committed a Facebook faux pas. There are many of them, but here are a few of the most common ones, along with some tips to help you avoid many embarrassing social-networking situations. You can thank us later.

Please don’t like your own status or photo! It is LAME! We know you like it—otherwise you wouldn’t be posting it. Along with that, don’t comment on your own status unless someone has commented on it first.

It makes you look desperate and that you are trying way too hard to get someone to comment. We see your status; we just don’t want to acknowledge it.

Don’t do status updates about TV show results! Some people have this thing called PVR and might not have seen it yet. We don’t need you to ruin it for us and we shouldn’t feel worried about going on Facebook because of this. It is an easy way to lose friends, but despite being mad at you, we really don’t want to have to delete you. It makes our friend count go down and we don’t want that to happen.

Sometimes you post a new profile

about your friend’s new haircut, and all of a sudden you’re getting notifications every two seconds from people talking about that sleazy guy from the club. You have a wall for a reason, so we’d really appreciate it if you could move your conversation there and stop sending us fake notifications.

facebook.comn

Sometimes it’s hard to tell when you’re crossing the creepy line. Sometimes it’s not. picture, but you realize it would look even better with a bit of Picniking or cropping. A lot of people upload the new photo, but forget to delete the old one. This is a definite no-no. It’s really unappealling to see the same picture again and again, so just save us the frustration and delete your duplicates. On a similar note: if you are taking photos of yourself using your webcam,

choose the best one and leave it at that. Don’t post seven photos in a row if the only difference is the tilt of your head. It’s the same thing.

Not too long ago, Facebook displayed the total number of profile picture comments a person had, which was very satisfying to see.

Sadly this feature is gone, but the next faux pas still applies: too many of your own comments on photos

kills the authenticity of the total amount. Sure, you might have 450 photo comments, but if 300 of those are from you, your cool factor automatically drops.

Oh, and when people have 500+ photo comments it’s because they like to have excruciatingly long conversations on a photo, which in fact have nothing at all to do with the photo. You make one nice comment

Here are some more specific tips.

If you are accessing Facebook from a touch-screen phone, scroll through your homefeed with extra care—with those crazy fingers it is very easy to accidentally “like” the status of someone you never talk to, which is very embarrassing.

Posting photos can be exhausting; if you’re neglecting homework to do it, you at least want to receive maximum photo comments. Post photos at peak Facebook hours; weeknights when people are procrastinating are particularly fruitful. Refrain from posting at very late/early hours of the day because people like to sleep, and by the time they log in for their first Facebook fix, your album will have already been swept under the rug by other news. Then two months later when some decides to lurk you, they will see your photo album with zero comments and think, “Wow. That must suck.”

One final word of advice: poking is just WEIRD. Don’t do it.

Weeding out the want LYSAN SEQUIRA

How many times have you passed by a boutique window, seen a beautiful piece of clothing and gone inside the store to check it out first hand, only to find that the masterpiece of material would cost you more than you make in an entire paycheque? You leave the store feeling dejected and disillusioned with all the items you do have in your closet, focussing all your energy on the one that you can’t have. Or, even worse, you buy the skirt, pair of shoes, dress— whatever it is—put it on credit, of course, and tell yourself that you won’t buy anything else until you’ve paid for the thing you just bought (cue buyer’s remorse.)

It’s only been a week since I instituted the shopping ban and already I find myself seeing stuff that I want and feeling upset because I can’t have it. Apparently, my recent cases of the “greedy gimmes” extend further than clothing. I saw pictures of a friend’s new room earlier and was overcome with thoughts of how I could make my room as cute as hers. I thought about how to improve my room the entire way home from work, and by the time I parked my car outside my own house (which is very nicely decorated and people say is cute and homey), I felt anxious and frus-

trated at the thought that my room isn’t as nice as someone else’s.

Fortunately, I’m in-tune enough with my thoughts and emotions to know when something is really wrong or if I’ve made up my own problem and put myself in a bad m oo d ( w h i c h , I ’ m s o r r y t o s a y , happens more than it should). I knew I had no one to blame but myself for my sour emotions. So I did what any writer in my frame of mind would do: I decided to write about it.

I don’t have room for any more, but the “weeds” tell me I’m not truly stylish if I don’t acquire the latest Coach bag or BebeSherling Bomber jacket.

I was honestly not at all inspired to write, so I decided to ask a few friends their advice on “weeding” out what I don’t need. The response was phenomenal; it really gave me the inspiration I needed.

The major weed I decided to pull out of my mental garden was ridiculous expectations, a.k.a. the “I Wants” of life. This weed of ridiculous expectations causes us to be discontent with everything.

Nothing and no one is ever good

enough for the person whose mental garden is crowded with ridiculous expectation weeds. So many of us are guilty of letting our expectations grow unchecked for so long that before we know it, the things that should blow us away with gratitude end up just upsetting and frustrating us.

I have a wonderful house and a big bedroom, but the weeds make me want a condo downtown on Bloor Street with a view of Holt Renfrew. I have two closets so full of clothes and accessories that I don’t have room for any more, but the weeds tell me I’m not truly stylish if I don’t acquire the latest Coach bag or BebeSherling Bomber jacket. I’m blessed with a great job, amazing family and friends who love me, a beautiful house and a wonderful city, but the weeds tell me I don’t have enough time, my extended family lives too far away, and this city is too boring.

At what point do I stop and count my blessings? The world is not created to serve us. I need to understand and see material things for what they are—man-made and short-lived.

I know that surrendering my overfed desire for material possessions (or even just clothes and accessories) is going to be a long and difficult process, but I’m committed to doing the necessary weeding. Are you?

MONDAY, NOVEMBER

8, 2010 THE MEDIUM 9

FEATURES

Terracotta Army at the ROM KYLA PARRISH

The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army have invaded Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum.

Described by ROM curator Dr. Chen Shen as “the most disputed figure in Chinese history”, China’s Warrior Emperor, Qin Huangdi, remains an enigma—his life and death shrouded in mystery.

To shed light on the Emperor Win, the ROM invited professor Duan Qingbo of the Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology in Xi’an to speak on the archaeological implications that have stemmed from the unearthing of the terracotta army and Emperor Qin’s mausoleum, which today is one of the greatest archaeological finds in human history.

Professor Qingbo, the chief archaeologist in charge of the first emperor’s tomb, suggests that some of the icons and images within the mausoleum, such as the image of a chariot being drawn by

three horses, indicate that the emperor came into contact with the West. This contact, professor Wingbo explains, likely occurred during one of the three tours the emperor took during his lifetime.

Throughout these tours, which spanned many years of Qin Huangdi’s life, the Warrior Emperor scoured China for the fabled elixir of life, which would supposedly bring him immortality.

Ironically, it was during this search that Qin began constructing his tomb. The ROM’s Terracotta Army exhibit showcases over 250 terracotta figures from the tomb, included 10 life-sized ones excavated from a series of pits surrounding the tomb complex.

It is these pits, Qingbo explains, that make the Warrior Emperor’s tomb so remarkable. To date, 180 pits have been identified, making them the largest tomb complex in China and possibly the world.

The pits were accidentally discovered in 1974, and still remain largely buried, with only one of the

three pits having been excavated to this date.

Despite this, archaeologists have discovered an astounding amount of well-preserved artefacts. To date, over 2,000 terracotta figures have been unearthed, along with over 42,000 weapons.

Much like Qin’s actual army, the terracotta warriors are ranked.

Archers, infantry soldiers, cavalry soldiers, charioteers, and generals m a k e u p t h e s il e n t a r m y o f t h e afterlife. Each figure is handcrafted and adorned with unique, distinguishing features.

The ROM is offering special student pricing with a valid student card, and half-price tickets on Friday evenings after 4:30 p.m. and Wednesdays after 3 p.m., until December 22. Information regarding lectures hosted by the museum are available on the ROM’s website at www.rom.on.ca.

These exhibits will remain on display until January 2, and will then move across Canada on a tour that will extend into 2012.

tienchiu.com

courtneycorner.com

An intro to clubbing MARIANA COMITO ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

Instead of staying home and getting those extra calories, get up, get dressed, and GO OUT! Call up a few of your friends and make plans to hit a night on the town. We live in one of the greatest cities in Canada, so we have a huge variety of hang-out places. Downtown Toronto is absolutely fantastic for eating dinner, going to a bar or club, or simply taking a stroll and enjoying some good company. If you want to be more lowkey, just go to dinner or have a few drinks with friends. Hit up Toronto’s Yorkville District and choose from the many restaurants, wine bars, and cafés.

However, if you’re on a budget, Yorkville isn’t the greatest place to have a good time—you don’t want to have a panic attack when you see the bill. A more affordable place to wine and dine is on College Street. Park your car or take the TTC and start walking! There are a variety of places that serve tasty but affordable food.

Also, if you want to have some extra fun, College Street is the home to many bars and lounges, such as Mana, Lilly’s Lounge, and the Mod Club.

Although these ar great places to hang out and have a few drinks, you might want to take this night to the next level: CLUBBING! This is absolutely one of my favourite things to do and hope it will become one of yours too.

The best places to visit are my three favourite men: Peter, John, and Richmond (PJR) Streets. The best

clubs are in and around that area, including Adelaide and King Streets; it depends on what kind of music you want to hear and the crowd you want to mingle with. If you want to hit a club where Top 40 music is the main beat, you need to visit clubs like Lot 332, Embassy, Frequency, and Reign, all near PJR. The age ranges are from 19 to 23, so if you’re that age and enjoy a mix of hip-hop, rap, reggae, and dance, then those places are definitely for you. If you’re looking for high-end clubs, then you have to visit the King himself, and party at clubs like Century Room, Spice Route, Dolce, Cheval, and Devil’s Martini.

These clubs all require semi-professional dress. Clubs located in the PJR district let guys get away with casual looks (like jeans and T-shirts), but when you’re visiting the king, make sure to dress appropriately. Guys, start polishing those dress shoes and ironing those collared shirts; for girls, heels and dresses are the trend.

When you’re going clubbing, make sure you don’t have to work the next day. Clubs usually close around 2 a.m., but if you feel that the night is still young, hit-up some after-hours clubs like Film, Footwork, and The Guvernment. If you’re shy and feel like you need to break out of your bubble, please go clubbing, have a few drinks, and let loose. My recommendation: have a couple shots of tequila, whiskey, or vodka. You’ll definitely become sociable. Remember to be careful, and don’t do anything harmful or too crazy—you still have to return to school on Monday. But get out of the house and show them how we party, Toronto-style.

NOTICE OF REFERENDUM The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’Union will be conducting a referendum of its general membership on November 23rd, 24th and 25th, from 9am to 6pm. Polling stations will be present in the North, CCIT and William G. Davis building. The referendum will concern the U-Pass program. The question being asked is the following: Referendum for Full-Time Students: The 8-month Universal Pass (Upass) is an unlimited bus pass for all Mississauga Transit routes starting September 1st – April 30th inclusive. The 4-month Summer Universal Pass (Summer Upass) is an unlimited bus pass for all Mississauga Transit routes starting May 1st – August 31st inclusive. It applies to all full-time undergraduates at the University of Toronto Mississauga as defined by the University of Toronto Office of the Registrar.

The cost of the 8-month Upass (fall-winter) is $130.00 (September 1st – April 30th inclusive) and the cost of the 4-month Summer Upass (summer) is a one-time fee of $85.00. There will be an additional administrative fee of $1.50; this cost is primarily for student wages in the distribution of the Upass. The cost of the Upass will not increase by more than 9% annually without a referendum.

The Board of Directors of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’Union will supervise administration and distribution of the full-time undergraduate 8-month and 4-month Upass.

Question: Are you in favor of a mandatory dedicated increase to the UTMSU fee for an 8-month universal bus pass (Upass) as described in the preamble?

Question: Are you in favor of a mandatory dedicated increase to the UTMSU fee for a 4-month Summer universal bus pass (Upass), applicable only to full time students registered in the summer session, as described in the preamble?

Referendum for Part-Time Students: The 4-month Universal Pass (Summer Upass) is an unlimited bus pass for all Mississauga Transit routes starting May 1st –August 31st inclusive. It applies to all part-time students at the University of Toronto Mississauga as defined by the University of Toronto Office of the Registrar.

The cost of the 4-month Upass (summer) is a one-time fee of $85.00. There will be an additional administrative fee of $1.50; this cost is primarily for student wages in the distribution of the Upass.

The cost of the Upass will not increase by more than 9% annually without a referendum. The Board of Directors of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’Union will supervise administration and distribution of the part-time undergraduate 4-month Upass.

Question: Are you in favor of a mandatory dedicated increase to the UTMSU fee for a 4-month Summer universal bus pass (Upass), applicable to only part-time students registered in the summer session, as described in the preamble?

10 THE MEDIUM MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2010

FEATURES

Creative Corner

Veneration Ululation

The Superintendent

ELLISE RAMOS

Innocent, sweet little boy Who lives alone in an apartment of three rooms And smokes on any given day While he writes about smiling women With blooming eyes And shiny black (and blonde) hair.

Sneaky, inexplicable little man Who pines and waits for Lady’s touch And imagines desecration on his empty spare bed While lost in his own chimera Made of multiple, craving girls Changing and saving his existence Broken down yet hopeful young man Who reads Pirandello and grieves His overly aware, over analytical mind Renders him to inaction Except for words That crafts the girl(s) of his dreams Invalidating, unrecognizing man With his museum of women Feel us squirm, hear us roar Your muses for you to control At your own terms, At your own will

The perfect woman TREVOR ABES

In the interest of complexity, allow me to offer my account of why a perfect woman would be utterly undesirable.

Messes are bliss, for we call people good only because there are bad ones to contrast them with: This I take as something we can all agree on, but most certainly debate over.

Suppose I constructed various series of Venn diagrams—each representing a woman I find compelling for whatever reasons—with the intention to see where they all intersect as a whole, so as to end up with a group of personal qualities that equal my perfect woman.

Suppose that, one fine winter morning, I encountered this She (with a capital S). Much to my content, she’s into me, for this just happens to be a quality that the intersection caught. We have coffee ever more frequently, sharing the stories of our lives and then some.

All gushy, my eyes meet yours and under the industrial North

Building lights romanticism ensues. Now, what do you think happens next?

Soul-crushing normality, or an uninterrupted metaphorical (and literal) orgasm, that’s what. All the highs with no reminder that life has the tendency to not turn out how you expected.

Troubles are, in the end, a turnon, not because fixer-uppers catalyze your creativity, but because working through troubles better prepares you for reality. And what is reality’s makeup? Well, it’s that making up stories is what helps us get by day to day. I don’t mean stories that you use pen and pad for, but stories in the sense of ideas that help you get up each morning and do things you probably don’t want to do deep down. These stories get the garbage picked up and the mail delivered, and they get you to follow through with the path you’ve chosen in life.

It is only by being confronted with problems, whether personal or not, that we are able to make up the appropriate stories to solve them.

KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI NEWS EDITOR My cell phone alarm clock blares. I roll over to face my bedside table and pick up my purple LG phone. I click the snooze button and the screen lights up. 8:30 a.m.

“Ughh,” I grumble. I close my eyes, sigh, and slowly sit up in my oversized t-shirt and Ellen boxers.

My feet hang off the side of my bed. I trudge across the cold wood floor of my bedroom onto the colder ceramic floor of my bathroom.

I lean over the black marble counter top and my stomach presses against my glass bowl sink. I stare at myself in the mirror. God, my hair looks gross. Whenever I sleep with my window closed and the covers right up to my chin, I get sweaty and my hair clumps at the top of my head. I look like one of those freakish models who strut down runways wearing overpriced but oh-so-beautiful clothes.

I look down at my t-shirt. The words OUT@UTM are emblazoned across the black fabric. I bought the t-shirt when I joined OUT@UTM to be a queer counsellor. Two months have passed and I have yet to counsel anyone.

I pull off my clothes and throw them in a pile across from the sink.

I slide open the curved glass doors of my shower and step inside.

“Hello! Hello!” a man’s voice bellows from the living room.

Who the hell is that? I panic and grab a towel and drape it around my body. I live in a condominium with my mother and my cat. Two women, no men: it’s been this way since my parents divorced. My mom leaves for work at 7 a.m. and doesn’t come back till late, so who the hell is this man in my house?

Slam. The front door closes. My cat growls and scratches the wooden floor. I guess she scurried under my bed, her usual hiding place when something scares her.

Okay....okay... He’s gone.

“Hello!” the voice bellows. This time it sounds louder. Is he walking down the hallway?

Oh God, this is one of those horror movie moments, isn’t it? Like in Scream when Drew Barrymore talks to some guy on the phone and then he gets all creepy and says he’s in her house and then she runs outside and her clothes fall off and she looks like a blonde bimbo r unning around wi th no clothes and then she dies. I’m gonna die. No no no no no! I don’t wanna die! I am not a blonde bimbo!

Slam. Crash. Pots and pans crash in the kitchen.

What the hell is this guy doing?

He’s looking for a knife! Shit, shit —he’s looking for a knife! Okay.

That’s it! Nobody comes into my house and kills me! Not without my permission, anyway.—God, what am I saying?

We’ ve live d in our con do for over five years now. It’s the longest we’ve lived in any apartment. My mom and I rented apartments for years after my parents’ divorce.

This is the first place we’ve owned.

And now someone’s breaking in.

“Hey! Hey you! Get out of my house!” I scream as I run down my L-shaped hallway, gripping my bright yellow towel around my pale body.

A man dressed in jeans and a blue golf shirt crouches under my sink. He pokes his head into the cupboard under the sink and clinks and clanks the pipes.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?” I yell.

Slam. The man hits his head against the wooden frame of the cupboard as he peaks out from under the sink. He looks up at me and I realize it’s my superintendent, a man who just recently moved into the superintendent condo and took the title from Arthur, a grumpy old man who did practically nothing all day long

except stand with a dustbuster in the lobby, pretending to clean.

“I...I just checking plumbing.

There is leak downstairs and it look like it come from your kitchen. I come to check pipes,” my superintendent stutters. His accent sounds European, but I can’t place it. Definitely not Polish.

After 22 years in Canada, my mother still has a thick Polish accent. This guy’s sounds nothing like that.

“Well, nothing’s leaking here!

And if something’s leaking downstairs then that’s not my problem or a reason for you to just walk right into my house at 8:30 in the morning!” I yell. “And whatever happened to knocking? You ever hear of that?!”

The man stands up and looks me up and down. From this angle he looks a little less bald. The patch of exposed skin atop his head looks less defined from this angle. He stares at me; his brown eyes bulge.

His big forehead crinkles. He stares at my towel that just barely covers the top of my thigh.

“I...I sorry. I check pipes now,” he mutters and pops his head back under the sink.

“Oh no you don’t! You’re done checking pipes, buddy. If it’s leaking, I suggest you call a plumber.

I’d like you to leave,” I say and pull open the front door.

“No! I need to check pipes!” He yells.

What the fuck is wrong with this guy?!

“Get the fuck out of my house!”

He stands up, purses his lips, and mutters something that sounds like “stupid” under his breath.

My superintendent slams the mahogany cupboard shut and walks out of my apartment into the carpeted hallway. I lock the door and slide on the chain lock. He can’t get in now.

I walk back down the hallway, throw off my towel, and get in the shower.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2010 THE MEDIUM 11

William Robertson , Editor | sports@mediumonline.ca

YouTube sparks Steve Glynn’s career Assistant Sports Editor Michelle Duklas speaks to Steve Glynn about his experiences in the sporting world and how YouTube was the key to launching his career.

Steven Glynn, better known online as “SteveDangle”, started his YouTube video career in the fall of 2007 after reading an article in The Toronto Sun condemning the Leafs after only their first game of the season. He decided to film a “typical” Leafs fan’s reaction to the start of the season. Little did he know at that point that his career would flourish from there. His work has been featured on Leafs TV, Leafspace, and the NikeTraining YouTube page, in addition to other websites. I had an opportunity to ask Steve about his videos, hockey, and life.

The Medium: How did you come up with the screen name “SteveDangle”?

Steve Glynn: It was a total accident.

We came up with nicknames for my high school newspaper, the Mowat Misprints. Somebody showed me “Floyd Dangle” and I thought it was funny. I made my YouTube account “SteveDangle”. The name Dangle fits so well with hockey and now I have Dangle stitched on th ree jerseys!

TM: Are your videos scripted?

SG: No. More often than not I press record and say what I want.

Sometimes I’ll jot down a note or two, but it’s become such a part of my life that I don’t forget many ideas once I think of them.

TM: How do you deal with the hate mail you get on YouTube?

SG: I used to take it personally but now I don’t mind it at all. For a while I had a collection of my favourite ones posted on Facebook.

Not everyone’s going to agree with you, and I’m not always right, so people are entitled to say what they want. Anything directed at me as an insult doesn’t affect me because I’m a happy guy.

TM: When did you realize that you had made it big on YouTube?

SG: When I started getting recognized in public. It happens a lot more now, and that’s not something you ever get used to. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but it’s very surreal when a stranger goes, “Hey! You’re awesome!” People ask me “Hey, remember when you said this?” and I’m like “No, actually, I forgot about that.” My videos getting featured on Leafs TV was another huge thing for me. The first time I ever saw myself on Leafs TV was in a bar on Halloween 2008. I started freaking.

Then when Nike approached me to

go to the World Juniors I was in total disbelief. It’s freaking Nike!

That was a good day, to say the least.

TM: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned through your YouTube channel?

SG: I think I’ve learned to look at things through everyone’s eyes. I always try to be understanding of everyone, especially when I disagree with someone. I try to figure out where they’re coming from. This doesn’t just apply to my videos, though. It’s everything in life.

Everyone has a story. We all have good days, and we all have bad ones.

People feel the way they do for a reason, justified or not.

TM: You landed an awesome job with Nike, and now have the opportunity to interview NHL players as well as Olympic athletes. Who has been your favourite to interview?

SG: That’s a hard question. I might have to go with Jarome Iginla. He was a fantastic, inviting, and willing interview. I even got him to do a bit of poking fun at his “Don’t talk to me about destiny” ad for Nike. He’s a true professional and a great guy.

Non-hockey has to be interviewing Alex Bilodeau in a gold Caddy after

he won his gold medal in Vancouver. He’s hilarious!

TM: You recently graduated from Ryerson University’s radio and television program. Why did you pick that program?

SG: I always knew I wanted to do something in the field of journalism.

I wanted to take the journalism program at Ryerson but after my interview for radio and television at Ryerson I started to change my mind. I have tons of interchangeable skills I can fall back on now, and I’m still learning.

TM: Any advice for someone interested in pursuing a media career?

SG: Learn how to do everything. I’m young and I haven’t mastered anything, but if you want me to film something, I can. If you want me to edit, I can edit a bit. I can do oncamera stuff, I can write, I can produce. I think it’s key because it makes it easier to solve problems.

This applies with every field in life, not just media.

TM: Who do you look up to in the media industry?

SG: As a kid I loved watching Don Cherry. Who didn’t? As an “adult”—which is a gross word—I admire CBC’s Jeff Marek because he

has fun with what he does, but he’s reputable as well. I look up to the way George Stroumboulopoulos interviews his guests. He does a lot of research, carries a naturally flowing conversation, and he listens and connects well.

TM: What is your first memory of the Maple Leafs growing up?

SG: I hate to bring it up but my earliest memories of the Leafs are from the conference finals against the Kings. I remember wearing my Leafs jersey and running around the living room like a maniac. I’d get mad and take my jersey off if they lost, and dance around the house screaming if they won.

TM: Do you have any weird superstitions when it comes to hockey?

SG: I never predict the score, because I’m almost never right and if I predict the Leafs will win, they don’t.

Steve’s videos can be found on his YouTube channel, “SteveDangle”.

He is currently on his fourth season of “Leafs Fan Reaction” videos, and continues to make videos after every Leafs game. If you’re a Leafs fan and haven’t heard of him, check out his work.

Giants win World Series CHRIS CALLAHAN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Another Major League Baseball season has concluded, and this year an unlikely team stands alone as the champion.

The San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series last week over the Texas Rangers in just five games.

A dramatic fifth game placed Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee—two of baseball’s best pitchers—against each other, with the Giants coming out on top due in large part to some late-game heroics from Edgar Renteria. Renteria’s threerun home run in the seventh inning was enough to give the Giants the win and the franchise’s first World Series title since 1954.

Renteria, like many Giants players, elevated his play when it counted in the playoffs. His .412 batting average and six runs batted over the course of the series earned him the title of Most Valuable Player for the World Series.

Renteria has had two inconsistent and injury-plagued seasons in San Francisco in which he has posted his career’s two lowest hit totals. He was adequate in the regular season, hitting .276 in just 72 games, but the five time All Star looked like a shell of his former self.

When his team needed him most with a championship on the line, Renteria delivered. This was the case for many players that paved the way for the successful 2010 Giants season as there were several unheralded veteran players on a roster packed with young stars.

Following a promising 88-74 2009 season, the Giants felt their young core was extremely close to reaching the

playoffs and the team didn’t require drastic changes. They didn’t make a major splash in the off-season, with the signing of Aubrey Huff to a one-year deal worth $3 million as their biggest addition. Seemingly minor moves at the time, like the signing of Huff or the midseason acquisitions of Pat Burrell and Cody Ross, provided the Giants with veterans that exceeded expectations. In the case of Burrell, the Giants took a chance on the slugger after his struggles in Tampa Bay led many to believe that he was washed up and no longer a valuable contributor.

Huff and Burrell added a significant amount of power, combining for 44 home runs, to a lineup that desperately needed it. Ross gave the Giants versatility in the outfield and clutch hitting during their stretch run in September and into the postseason. These savvy moves from GM Brian Sabean helped transform a talented young team into a legitimate contender.

The Giants’ young starting rotation was phenomenal throughout the season. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez all had a minimum of 190 innings and an Earned Run Average below 3.45 for the year. The Giants also had tremendous seasons from relievers Sergio Romo and Brian Wilson. The end result was that the Giants’ pitchers led the MLB in ERA. The talented play from rising stars wasn’t confined to pitching, with 23year-old Buster Posey providing a critical piece to the Giants’ lineup with 18 home runs and 124 hits in only 108 games. Even with some exceptional performances from veteran castoffs and young players, the Giants didn’t have an easy road to the playoffs.

The Giants’ lineup ranked in the

middle of the pack in most of the major hitting categories, including hits and runs, meaning the stellar pitching alone didn’t allow for them to dominate the National League. They had to fight until the bitter end to earn their NL West title. Thanks in part to a 10-game losing streak for the Padres late in the season, the Giants were able to gain ground on the division leader with their 18-8 record in September. They clinched the division in the last game of the season with a win over the Padres.

This late-season success seemed to build confidence and the momentum lasted throughout the playoffs.

The Giants never trailed in a postseason series, defeating Atlanta, Philidelphia, and Texas with very little resistance. Like the regular season, the postseason was all about pitching. Cain and Lincecum were flawless, with a combined record of 6-1. Closer Brian Wilson, who captivated the baseball world with his “Fear the Beard” slogan, did not allow a run in the playoffs.

Some timely hitting took place, but with a team playoff batting average of just .237, it was clear that pitching paved the way for the Giants’ World Series win.

An odd assortment of role players that came alive when the team needed it most, rejects from other teams, and highly praised young stars came together and shocked the baseball world. Baseball fans and experts alike consistently overlooked a Giants team that up until this season hadn’t had a playoff appearance since 2003. First baseman Aubrey Huff acknowledged this, saying, “All the experts out there picked us last.” The Giants’ shocking World Series run was truly a tremendous underdog story.

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

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER

8, 2010 THE MEDIUM 12

SPORTS

Phaneuf out for weeks

The Leafs are going to be without their captain, Dion Phaneuf, for four to wix weeks, after a laceration in his leg.

The injury occurred on Tuesday night when Phaneuf went awkwardly into the corner with Peter Regin of the Senators. The injury did not look too serious, but as Phaneuf was coming off the ice, it was evident he was hurt badly. He yelled to the trainers that he was bleeding badly and seriously needed attention.

The cut occurred when Regin’s skate blade came up on the inner thigh and clipped Phaneuf just enough to cut him. Wilson was understandably concerned; he said, “You can’t replace Dion and what he brings to the team.” However, he was calm, and told the media, “Other people will have to step up in a leadership role and be vocal... we’ve got a deep defence, very capable of playing well.”

The slice happened to cut a tiny piece of Phaneuf’s medial collateral ligament, which could very easily have been a season-ending injury.

Luckily, he only needed a couple of

stitches to repair the internal damage, but the main injury was the major incision, which will sideline him for over a month.

This brought up the issue of the NHL introducing mandatory Kevlartype hockey socks to protect the players’ Achilles tendons.

Unfortunately, many players do not wear their socks high enough to protect from the injury that Phaneuf suffered. General Manager Brian Burke commented on the argument saying “I don't know how you wear a sock on your thigh, this was above the knee. I know some of our players wear them, but I don't know about Dion. We do encourage our players to wear them. But the reaction from the guys who tried them is that they were uncomfortably warm. It was just a fluke thing that is going to happen again and it happened to our guy.”

Luke Schenn commented on the injury, saying, “No question that sometimes things get dangerous out there—you can go hard into the boards and get injured that way, or sometimes it’s a little thing where a skate cuts you. Sometimes you can’t control it, it’s bad luck. Knock on wood, it hasn’t (happened to him).”

The Leafs will look to Beauchemin, Schenn and Kaberle to pick up the slack on defence in Phaneuf’s absence since they have to move forward with or without their captain.

sports.nationalpost.com

Phaneuf gets tangled up with Peter Regin in the corner on Tuesday night.

Titans take chance on Randy Moss

Majors continue winning ways

Field hockey champions

MICHAEL SKRZYNIAK

WILLIAM ROBERTSON

WILLIAM ROBERTSON

On Wednesday, November 3, the Tennessee Titans were awarded the services of future Hall of Fame widereceiver Randy Moss, who was placed on the waiver wire by the Minnesota Vikings 24 hours before. When people read this on the ticker most of them believed it was a typo—Randy Moss in Nashville? (Although admittedly, it’s pretty random that he also owns a Nascar team...)

Moss played two games with the Minnesota Vikings and did little in his second tenure there. Anomosity grew between him and the team after refusing to speak to media and was then fined $25,000. He seem unaffected by this number as he spoke to media telling them that he would be asking the questions to himself so that is how their interviews of him would be conducted. This seemed to be the final straw in his short term stint with the Vikings as earlier in the week he was insulting to a catered meal delivered to the team. He was quoted as saying “'What the (expletive) is this? I wouldn't feed this (expletive, expletive) to my (expletive) dog!” Following the release of Moss, Brett Favre said he thought the food was pretty good and was dumbfounded at the reaction of Moss.

This move is welcomed by the fans of the Titans, who haven’t acquired a free agent with the résumé that Moss has. Moss is second in career touchdowns, sixth in yards and 10th in

career receptions. Their fans, who are used to seeing the Titans pinch money and grow through the draft, believe that the Titans are actually listening to them. Moss upgrades a young and dynamic offence that ranks first in points-per-game and is tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns, and whose quarterback Vince Young leads the NFL in QB rating at 103.1.

Kenny Britt, who opened the league’s eyes just two weeks ago with three touchdowns and 225 yards against the Eagles, has an injured hamstring which could possibly sideline him for six to eight weeks.

At 5-3, the Titans are sniffing a playoff spot; they are half a game behind the wild card and Indianapolis for the AFC South lead.

Randy Moss seems to respond well to authority, as we just saw his salute to Bill Belicheck at the end of his press conference before the Vikings released him. But after all it was with Belicheck in New England that Moss set the single season record with 23 receiving touchdowns. However, Jeff Fisher seems to be the kind of guy Moss needs, a no-nonsense guy who controls his locker room and who continually has success in the face of adversity, as with Adam “Pacman” Jones. The Titans are gambling, but it’s worth a shot. There are no topquality cornerbacks in the AFC South with five division games after their bye week; the Titan faithfuls are loving the potential their offence has with the addition of Moss.

The Mississauga Majors took on the Brampton Battalion on Friday in OHL action. The Majors looked to continue their stellar season with the fight against a bitter rival.

From the drop of the puck, the Battalion wanted to play a physical game against the Majors, but to no avail as it was the Majors successfully throwing their weight around.

They had control from the start and did not let up throughout the game, controlling the pace for most of the game.

After a slow start for both teams in the first period, the Majors were rewarded for their hard play late in the first as a bouncing puck found its way behind the Brampton goaltender, Dennis Saikkonen, after Derek Schoenmakers batted the puck out of the air to give the Majors the 1-0 lead. The goal was quickly reviewed when Saikkonen argued that it was a high-stick that led to the goal. The goal was deemed legal, giving Schoenmakers his third goal of the season.

The Majors’ penalty kill was superb on this night. Brampton could not even muster a shot on goal in their mid-second period powerplay. The Majors successfully shut down passing lanes and cleared the puck at every opportunity to kill off the penalty. Devante Smith-Pelly continued his hotstreak, stepping into a rebound to

beat Saikkonen on the low-glove side. After the goal, the bad blood continued as Smith-Pelly was hit during the celebration of the goal.

The Battalion picked-up their play in the later part of the second period. Their powerplay finally connect ed when Ian Watters accepted a cross-ice pass and beat J.P Anderson on the high-glove side to make the score 2-1 after two periods.

The third period brought about more fisticuffs and was headed by Gregg Sutch being called for checking from behind, which could have given the Battalion an opportunity to tie the game. However, it was the Majors who took advantage of the call, as Rob Flick was able to pick off the cross ice pass from Kyle Pereira to go in uncontested on Saikkonen. He took full advantage of the opportunity and coolly slid it into the gaping net.

The goal was all the Majors needed. J.P Anderson shut down the Battalion for the rest of the game to secure his 10th win of the season.

The win moves the Majors to 142-0-0 on the season and they continue their dominance at home as they have yet to be defeated at the Hershey Centre. Hopefully their superiority at home continues throughout the season and into the Memorial Cup, which they will host in late May.

Yesterday, the Varsity Blues women’s field hockey team took on the defending CIS champions in the UBC Thunderbirds and were able to come away with the victory.

Katherine McNeill was able to score with four minutes remaining in regulation to put the Blues on top 2-1 and to secure the victory and their 11th CIS championship. McNeill was able to get the ball off a scramble and successfully put it past the netminder late in the game. Following this goal, UBC elevated the pace in a last-ditch effort to tie the game and send the game into overtime.

Fortunately, Toronto netminder Kathryn Williams of Burlington, Ontario, who was in net for three of the Blues’ victories at the championship, was able to keep the ball out in the final few minutes despite all the pressure from the Thunderbirds.

Kaelan Watson was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship. She was a solid defender throughout the entire championship. Thanks to their first CIS banner since 2007, the Blues are now tied with Victoria in second place of all time for having most McCrae Cup triumphs, only one behind UBC. Congratulations, ladies.