Volume 45 Issue 17

THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

February 04, 201 9 Volume 45, Issue 17 themedium.c a

Union promotes successes

Election statements

When art makes bad look good

Meet prof Jiayang Gu

UTM men’s face defeat

News, page 2

Page 4

Arts, page 9

Features, page 12

Sports, page 15

MASTHEAD EDITORS Editor-in-Chief Mahmoud Sarouji editor@themedium.ca Managing Editor Alicia Boatto managing@themedium.ca News Ali Taha news@themedium.ca A&E Paula Cho arts@themedium.ca Features Jessica Cabral features@themedium.ca Sports Vanessa Cesario sports@themedium.ca — Photo Yasmeen Alkoka photos@themedium.ca Design Alexa Neves-Hua design@themedium.ca Copy Mahnoor Ayub copy@themedium.ca Online Olivia Adamczyk online@themedium.ca ASSOCIATES News Kayvon Aflaki Melissa Barrientos A&E Srijan Sahu Keena Al-Wahaidi Features Fatima Adil Liayana Jondy Kevin Kim Sports Amrish Wagle Photo Julia Healy Brittany Semplonius Copy TBA GENERAL STAFF Webmaster Lyndon Amat web@themedium.ca Distribution Manager Adam Sarouji distribution@themedium.ca Ads Manager Mayank Sharma ads@themedium.ca

Updates provided at townhall The principal led discussions on renovations, the Ontario government, and the UTMSU ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR During the first townhall of the new year, UTM Principal Ulrich Krull gave an update on the arts, culture, and technology building, and commented on the Ontario government’s recent tuition and OSAP announcements.

According to Krull, the university cannot disclose the specific costs associated with the construction projects due to the working relationship with contractors.

“What I can tell you,” stated Krull, “is that these projects, with the construction, with the equipment going into the building, with the hiring that we’re going to do over a period of eight years, […] will be something around $200 million dollars […] it’s a very significant investment.”

According to Krull, the new building will be the most expensive construction project U of T has ever done.

“UTM is taking a leadership position within U of T,” said Krull.

Krull also talked about the future of the campus’ business ventures by discussing the university’s policy framework dubbed the “four corners

UTM MAGAZINE/FLICKR

Principal Ulrich Krull speaks at first townhall meeting of 2019. strategy.”

“The [four corners strategy] is not new, it’s just new to the University of Toronto. We have a business plan that demonstrates how one can generate funds with very little risk associated with it. The idea here was to take it slowly and methodically and take it through governance. This passed through governance just be-

fore Christmas. The official university decree now is we are in the real estate business […] We’ve already bought properties on Mississauga road in front of the campus. It’s our property, we will not sell it, we will think about what we can do in the future with it.”

The principal also expressed worries about UTM’s funding prospects after the Ontario government’s an-

MEDIUM II PUBLICATIONS 3359 Mississauga Road, Room 200, Student Centre, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6 themedium.ca

Questions or comments?

E-mail editor@themedium.ca

Update continued on page 3

RSU hosts emergency board meeting The meeting dealt with the issues around the executives’ financial mismanagement recently ALI TAHA WITH NOTES FROM MELISSA BARRIENTOS ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Cartoonist Anthony Labonté COPYRIGHTS All content printed in The Medium is the sole property of its creators, and cannot be used without written consent.

DISCLAIMER Opinions expressed in the pages of The Medium are exclusively of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Medium. Additionally, the opinions expressed in advertisements appearing in The Medium are those of advertisers and not of The Medium.All articles published in print are also posted on our website themedium.ca LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor will be edited for spelling, grammar, style and coherence. Letters will not exceed 700 words in print. Letters that incite hatred or violence and letters that are racist, homophobic, sexist, or libelous will not be published.

Anonymous letters will not be published.

nouncements.

“The central campus has a much greater pool of endowed funds. UTM is not nearly as old, which means we are much more reliant on the […] tuition from our students. That said, it’s a disproportionate hit on us, and we have to think of ways to financially create new sources of revenue not on the backs of students, in terms of how we actually operate.”

“The lower tuition that’s been offered to our students, I think, is good news overall in terms of the direction.

The question that needs to be posed is whether or not the change that’s been suggested to OSAP makes sense.

More than half of U of T students are eligible for OSAP. That’s a lot of people. And if you look at households with less than $50,000 in income, you have it representing a quarter of our students.”

Krull also commented on the city of Mississauga’s possible decision to cut funding for UTM. In 2013, the city of Mississauga decided they would invest $10 million over 10 years into the Innovation Complex. However, the budget committee recently had a meeting and voted against continuing the investment.

On February 1, the Ryerson Student Union’s (RSU) Board of Directors held an emergency meeting regarding RSU’s executives reported mismanagement of the student funds that officially broke out to the public on January 25th when Ryerson’s student newspaper, The Eyeopener, posted pictures of a credit card statement under the name of RSU president Ram Ganesh.

According to the RSU’s financial controller Dharshini Jay, as of February 1st the purchases that were made amount to $273,000 of student fees.

Purchases included $2,280.89 to the club EFS Toronto, $2,507.18 at a Cineplex Rec Room in Toronto and $1,375.21 at Nick’s Sport Shop.

Present at the meeting were Vice-President Operations Savreen Gosal, Vice-President Student Life and events Edmund Sofo and VicePresident Equity Karolina Surowiec.

Salman Faruqi, vice-president education, resigned last Wednesday after

RYESU/INSTAGRAM

Vice-President Salman Faruqi (far-right) resigned via statement. learning of the credit card statements.

In a statement sent to the Board of Directors, Faruqi stated that the events following the financial scandal and throughout the year had taken a toll on his health and relationships, making him no longer feel he could serve students effectively.

“Due to this I do not believe that I will be properly able to serve the students any longer in my position as VP Education and I am therefore resigning with immediate effect,” he wrote.

Ganesh was not present at the meeting out of concern for his safety,

according to an email from his lawyer obtained by The Eye. As the Ryerson Student Union, like any other union, is a separate entity from Ryerson University, the university has limited jurisdiction. At most the university can hold meetings with the RSU Executives and Board of Directors and offer their support.

“I have respect for that. We have never actually done anything in the past that put us in a position to try to intervene in the business of the RSU,” Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi said in a previous interview with The Eye. “While the University has no authority to conduct an independent investigation into RSU finances, it is the University’s view that the RSU must comply with its bylaws, policies, and the law,” the statement said.

“Until […] there is greater transparency and confidence that the RSU is managing student fees responsibly and for their intended purposes, the University will withhold these fees, except for the funds necessary to meet the RSU’s operational obligations.”

RSU continued on page 3

2

«NEWS

THE MEDIUM 02.04.2019

UTMSU represents at meeting The union highlighted their successes to the campus council

January 24th , 2019 Trespass to Property Act Library staff reported to Campus Police that business cards advertising writing services were being distributed in the library. Campus Police advised the business that solicitation is prohibited on campus.

January 27 th , 2019 Police Assistance Campus Police attended a residence for two students experiencing medical distress. The students were transported to hospital.

January 28th , 2019 Theft Campus Police were notified of a vehicle fire in parking lot 5. MFD attended and the vehicle was then towed off campus.

January 25th , 2019 Theft Bookstore staff reported the theft of products from the shipping and receiving dock.

January 26th , 2019 Motor Vehicle Collision Campus Police received a report of a motor vehicle collision at Outer Circle Rd and the Collegeway.

January 27th , 2019 Theft A student reported the theft of their iPhone X and airpods from the library.

January 28th , 2019 Motor Vehicle Collision Campus Police were advised of a motor vehicle collision by P8 entrance/ exit.

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

The UTMSU discussed their achievements at 2019’s first UTM Campus Council meeting.

These reports are those that have been released to The Medium and do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive list.

Students can contact the UTM Campus Police at 905 828 5200, Peel Regional Police at 905 453 3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477.

New North name still MIA

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

The name will not be finalized until the Fall of 2019.

TANISHA KUMAR

Since the construction of the new building on the UTM campus, everyone has been awaiting its official name. While students and faculty refer to it as the ‘New Building’ or simply ‘North’; the Medium decided to find out what the status for its name is.

In conversation with Jane Striling, she said that currently, there isn’t any new development. The committee that started the “Name the Building” initiative is still in its consulting phase.

Over 700 submissions were received through the initiative and popular opinion was that the building should have a name relating to the Indigenous community.

This was approved by the Principal and Vice-President Ulrich Krull.

Although the name for the building will not be finalized until Fall 2019, names related to nature, current and historical people and indigenous names are being considered. Until then the building is being referred to as the ‘new north’ based on the fact that it is built on the grounds of the original North Building.

MDUDUZI MHLANGA

The first meeting of 2019 for the UTM Campus Council opened with a warm welcome for Rose Patten, the newly-elected Chancellor of U of T. This meeting would be the first time that a chancellor has come to sit in a Campus Council meeting without a formal event. Chancellor Patten expressed her delight in the growth of the UTM student body as well as the expansion in graduate programs and new special studies on campus.

The chair informed the committee that voting for Campus Council elections begins February 4th. The meeting began with Professor Andrew Peterson providing an overview of Extra-Departmental Units (EDUs).

EDUs are organizations working to facilitate a shared goal around an interdisciplinary focus. The Centre for Medical Chemistry and Institute for Child Development, Health, and Policy are proposed EDUs. On behalf of the UTMSU, VP External Atif Abdullah gave a presentation on the UTMSU and their student services, campaigns and overall work. He highlighted three pillars for the union: Campaigns, services and events. Examples of the work done under these pillars includes the Fight the Fees campaign, the GTA-Wide U-Pass campaigns, the MiWay UPass and printing services, as well as orientation week and academic advocacy week.

Abdullah stated that the UTMSU is working to expand the MiWay UPass campaign and has met with local officials to work towards achieving a Brampton expansion. He stated that the UTMSU has “had multiple meetings with Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

We have upcoming meetings with a few council-members of the city of Brampton to talk about how we are expanding our program […] to envelope cities like Brampton and Oakville.”

In terms of services, Abdullah

highlighted that “any service provided by the UTMSU is never looking to make profit: the goal of every service the UTMSU provides is to break even and make sure it’s as accessible to students as possible.” He highlighted the Food Centre food bank service located in the main floor of the Davis building. Abdullah stated that the Food Centre serves over 100 students a month.

In terms of academic societies and clubs funding, Abdullah said that the UTMSU funded approximately 140 clubs and societies this year, with the academic societies being co-funded by the Office of the Dean of Academics.

In terms of the UTMSU’s achievements, Abdullah highlighted the Course Retake Policy, converting the Blind Duck Pub food containers to biodegradable products, and hosting the first UTM pride-flag dropping ceremony.

“There is a lot more to come. There is a lot more that we’re continuing to work on and continuously advocating for,” said Abdullah.

Abdullah also noted a “problem at hand” in regard to the recent announcement made by the Ontario government on cuts to post-secondary institutions and students.

Abdullah stated that the autonomy and operations of students’ unions are at stake because of the proposed opt-out changes. He went onto say that the UTMSU is one of the biggest employers on campus. He stated that their employees may take a hit financially if the union faces cuts to bursaries, the food centre, and funding for clubs and societies. Abdullah highlighted that the Students’ Union can be a safety net for students. The U-Pass initiative, Free Breakfast Wednesdays, and the Health and Dental Insurance plan are all handled under the UTMSU. When the council was asked how it could assist the Students’ Union in its fight against the tuition changes, Principal Krull stated that the “[Uni-

versity of Toronto] is in front of the politicians downtown to really make the case for universities overall and the University of Toronto.” In terms of dealing with rising costs Krull made sure to point out that “our intention is not to take this out on the international students.”

Krull stated that “the government is doing what it believes is the right thing from the standpoint of stability and finances, and one has to respect that. As a citizen of this province, we will try to work with the government to make that work, but in the process, find a compromise that really does satisfy our particular community also.”

In the Report of the Vice President and the Principal, Krull began by highlighting “how significant the activities, the dedication, [and] the enthusiasm” of the current UTMSU team have been. In terms of the group working on the Arts, Culture and Technology building, there is a planning committee in place. Krull also again noted that the university bought a series of buildings by the entrance of Mississauga road for faculty and staff housing.

Krull stated that taking on more international students can serve as a small buffer to this kind of financial trouble. In an attempt to give the university breathing space, the university can reduce faculty hiring rates, the amount of money put into capital (i.e. opening the ACT building, faculty-staff housing and other types of investments). Krull highlighted that the university is trying to spread this cut and prevent it from hitting the academic budget as much as possible.

The 2019-20 Operating plans for the campus and student service facilities discussed in the last Campus Affairs meeting were approved. This means that parking, hospitality, and residence prices are all set to increase by next year.

The next meeting will take place March 5, 2019 at 4:10 p.m. in DV3130.

UTMSU its own entity

UTMSU/FACEBOOK

Krull talks about UTMSU being “an independent students’ union” that is not under the university.

Update continued from page 3 “Whether that will be the final decision in council remains to be seen,” said Krull, “but it doesn’t seem like much will change, because the people in the budget committee are also city councillors.”

“In a personal sense, they’re likely following a lead that’s been signalled by the provincial government in terms of an austerity budget, and they’re looking for opportunities where they can control their own budget and their own commitments,” said Krull. “The university, in this city, is one of the economic drivers, and we will not walk away from that responsibility.”

During the question period, current member of the UTM Campus Conservatives (UTMCC) Ethan Bryant raised concerns regarding stu-

dents’ unions that he alleged have failed to provide adequate services and student representation across Ontario. Bryant cited recent incidents including the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU), and the University of Toronto Scarborough Students’ Union (SCSU).

“Here at UTM accusations of blatant partisanship, and a failure to represent student interests are not new to our student union,” stated Bryant.

“Will the university administration do anything to make sure our student governments are held to standard with regard to their use of student funds and representation of the student body?”

“There is a great deal of respect for the students’ union being an independent authority,” Krull responded. “It is not the University of Toronto, it is an independent students’ union. There’s

no right for the university to simply step in and decree what the union should be doing or not.”

“That being said, the university has shared its expectations of common business practice. The idea of having legal representation, the idea of doing audits, both are the sorts of things that should be keeping everything on the straight and narrow. Beyond that, it would be up to the students’ union to actually find mechanisms to do its own internal audits, just like the university. We all go through [internal audits], and whether the students’ union arranges for that is something that would be recommended to any organizations that carries financial responsibility.”

The next townhall meeting is scheduled for February 26th, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Deerfield Hall Café seating area.

02.04.2019 THE MEDIUM NEWS

»

3

HUMANS OF UTM

“Your community is basically your peers who are taking the same courses, so you can relate to them more than just another community, which I also like because there’s diversity, but I like to connect with my peers more by living together. My roommates last year were all in the same program and taking all the courses together, so it was really great. Our schedules were very similar. We didn’t have any conflicts. It was really great because they also understood that I had midterms same as theirs, so we would study together. No one had to go home because that was our home, so we could just stay in the city together until midnight and write the midterm the next day and then if we didn’t feel good about it, we ate food together. That was really great.”

U of T to host summit

Motions passed and failed

PHOTO FROM NEWS.NUS.EDU.SG

THE’s Academic Summit is coming to U of T in 2020.

ALI TAHA NEWS EDITOR

PHOTO FROM RYERSON.CA

A motion to abolish director slates failed after several arguments from board members.

RSU continued from page 3 Motions Passed and Failed During the meeting, a motion was passed to decrease executive salaries by thirty per cent, back to the previous amount they earned before the Board of Directors voted to increase the executive team’s salaries by

$11,000 in May. A forensic audit of the RSU’s finances will be conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), more specifically the purchases made on the executive credit card by Ganesh.

A motion to abolish director slates failed after several arguments from board members.

“We’re also abolishing accessibility […] it wouldn’t allow students to [have resources],” said Cristal Hines, a director from the faculty of community services.

During the next Board of Directors meeting on February 4th, a motion will be put forward to remove all of the executives from office.

The University of Toronto has confirmed it will be hosting the Times Higher Education’s (THE) World Academic Summit 2020.

According to the THE website, the summit is meant to bring together leaders across higher education, research, industry and government to share best practice and innovation in the “development and leadership of world-class universities and research.”

Meric Gertler, president of U of T, said he hoped that the 2020 summit would provide a “broader understanding of the importance that place plays in an increasingly digital

world of higher education.” “[I hope] that there will be a deeper appreciation for the learning opportunities that places provide, for the research opportunities that place provide, and for the opportunities for higher education institutions to engage in city building, which would be good for both the cities around them as well as, of course, the institutions themselves,” he said.

THE has also partnered with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) and New York University as hosts of the summit in 2019 and 2021 respectively.

The World Academic Summit 2019 will focus on the theme “how talent thrives.”

12

«

02.04.2019

Jiaying Gu wins 2018 Polanyi Prize Last week, The Medium sat down with Jiaying Gu to discuss her research and her recent award APARNA GOPALAKRISHNAN

Jiaying Gu, an assistant professor in UTM’s department of Economics, was awarded the 2018 Polanyi Prize in Economic Science for her statistical approach of measuring unobserved or unmeasured heterogeneous quantities like individual tastes and preferences, with real-world application in teacher evaluation. Gu was one of five researchers awarded with this achievement. Last week, The Medium sat down with Gu to discuss her research, her award, and her advice for students.

Gu says that the phone call she received in April 2018 informing her of her win “came as a big surprise to her.” She sees this award as a “very big yes to the type of research [she’s] doing and [serves as motivation] to continue doing high quality research.”

She described competitive awards like the Polanyi Prize as “push factors [for researchers] to keep going [and] be true scholars.”

The Polanyi Prize was created in honor of John Charles Polanyi, who won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The prize awards researchers in the early stages of their career with funds. Provided by the Government of the Province of Ontario, this prize is valued at $20,000. Research-

ers from fields of physics, chemistry, physiology, literature, and economic science are eligible to receive this award. Among this year’s five recipients, three were from the University of Toronto: astrophysicist Jason Hunt, Husam Abdel-Qadir assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, and UTM’s Gu. On January 22, Gu received her award at Massey Hall and became “the thirteenth member of U of T’s economics department to win the prize,” according to UTM News.

Gu’s journey to academia can only be described as a serendipitous result of the circumstances she found herself in after completing her Master’s degree in Economics from the National University of Singapore in 2008. As a recent graduate trying to find a banking job in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Gu found herself unsatisfied by the positions available. Her advisor directed her towards research, which inspired her to complete a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign.

Gu speaks fondly about her place in academia, “I [have] selected myself into academia to follow my interests, and my curiosity by following my gut feeling and intuition” to understand a greater profound truth about the world.

Her current area of research is econometrics, and in specific, the use of statistical methods to describe economic behaviour like individual tastes and preferences and the impact of such decisions on the broader economic landscape.

When asked to explain her work, Gu says, “The methodology is developed out of my [Ph.D.] thesis work.

I tried to develop a method which is more flexible [than the present method] to collect, analyze, and summarize data to understand a certain truth about the world. My methodology tries to tease out information about the unobserved data, which is not directly measured, from the confounded and noisy observed data.”

Gu’s work focuses on heterogeneity in individual tastes and preferences, which affect an individual’s purchase decisions. In particular, her methodology is being used for teacher evaluation, to measure and analyze short term effects, like academic performance, and long-term contributions of teacher quality on a student’s life, like wages earned by the student and even the education level of the student’s children. The present method being used for teacher evaluations was developed in the 1960s, and built into it were assumptions about the data used, which are obsolete in the present era of Big Data.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JIAYING GU

Gu is the thirteenth member from U of T’s Economics department to win the prize.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JIAYING GU

Jiaying Gu is an assistant professor in Economics.

She views such “big-picture methodology” as a “bridge to answer [numerous] other questions in education economics.” Gu draws many analogies to explain the power of econometric methods like hers in not just education economics, but in industrial organization and marketing. She quips, “[As econometricians] we are inventing hammers, then we go out to look for nails” to describe the “moving target” of her work.

When asked if she had any advice for students wishing to pursue research or a career in academia, Gu shares her personal experience of feelings of academic inadequacy even in the second year of her Ph.D. She wants to reassure students that such feelings are completely normal.

She advises students to deeply reflect and ask themselves where they see themselves, and to pursue this academic vision for themselves, re-

gardless of their self-perceived ability constraints. “Don’t be afraid of trying, because [even] if it doesn’t work out, there are always alternatives,” she says to students.

Specifically addressing undergraduate students, she motivates them to be less short-sighted and not focus merely on maximizing their GPA. She suggests that they should think of the bigger picture, by asking themselves “what type of person they want to grow into” and find a job that creates real impact in the society.

She also calls for improvement in student-faculty communication to motivate undergraduate students towards such an approach towards university education.

Her central advice to students is, “Be a sponge and absorb as much as [you] can” in your early years of university education.

02.04.2019 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 13

Joining the mental health conversation Last Wednesday, UTM held their second annual “UTM Let’s Talk” event in support of #BellLetsTalk Day DELANEY ROMBOUGH

Last Wednesday was the annual #BellLetsTalk Day. The Bell Let’s Talk initiative dates to 2010 when Canada began talking about mental health, a topic that was not widely discussed at the time. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, one in five Canadians struggles with mental illness in any given year. The goal of Bell Let’s Talk is to raise money and awareness, via talk, text, and social media, about mental illness and offer new ideas, help, love, and support to Canadians who are struggling with mental illness.

On Bell Let’s Talk Day, Bell donates 5¢ to mental health initiatives for every call or text sent on their network and for every time the hashtag #BellLetsTalk is used on social media. Since 2010, over $90 million have been raised for mental health initiatives across the country.

On Wednesday, UTM held its second annual event titled “Let’s Talk UTM,” in support of the Bell Let’s Talk initiative, hosted by the Health and Counselling Centre and its team of wellness ambassadors, in the CCT Atrium complete with free treats,

DELANEY ROMBOUGH/THE MEDIUM

UTM held its second annual “Let’s Talk UTM” event hosted by the Health and Counselling Centre. wellness kits, and toques. The focus of the event was to break the stigma surrounding mental health issues and get students actively engaged and talking about the mental health issues that affect them and their peers. The event highlighted many of the resources available for UTM stu-

dents who are struggling with mental health issues or who just want to practice self-care. Most of these resources offered by UTM are included in your tuition.

The Health and Counselling Centre (HCC) had a table where people were answering the question “What

does mental health mean to you?” in Bell Let’s Talk bubbles and pinning them up on corkboards to offer kind and supportive words of encouragement to their peers. The HCC also had a table with a nurse and school psychologist who were explaining their role and how they can be of as-

sistance to students. The Psychology Association of Undergraduate Students at Erindale (P.A.U.S.E.) spoke about Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D) at their table, explaining how to recognize the symptoms and offering advice on how to deal with it, especially now since we are in the heart of S.A.D. season. The UTM Fitness Centre also discussed their weekly Wellness Route walks and other fitness classes such as Zumba and Yoga. These programs are dropin programs and are free for all students.

The event also showcased a Stories of Resilience display in which UTM students submitted their stories and experiences with mental health and how they fight their battles in order to remind people that they are not alone.

The number of students who attended the event made it clear that mental health is an important issue for university students. Everyone wants to be successful and taking care of your mental health the same way you take care of your physical health will help you get there. Just because Bell Let’s Talk day is over doesn’t mean the conversation about mental health is over too.

What was the Super Blood Wolf Moon?

John Lester, an astronomy professor at UTM, discusses January’s rare Super Blood Wolf Moon eclipse LIAYANA JONDY ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

On the clear night of Monday January 21st, people were able to spot the Super Blood Wolf Moon eclipse lingering in the night sky. Noted by CNN as one of “the first sky watching events of 2019,” this rare occasion captured the attention of many communities around the world.

A lunar eclipse may occur as often as every nine months and depending on the earth’s position, some people have a chance to see it in the sky and others do not as it is only visible during nighttime. For half the earth, the Super Blood Wolf Moon eclipse was visible in the night sky, while for the other half of the Earth, the lunar eclipse was not visible.

This total lunar eclipse, garnered quite a bit of attention as it is not just the first full moon of the year in January, but also appeared larger to us on earth and turned copper in colour.

Unlike a typical full moon known as “Lunar Apogee,” the super moon, also called “Lunar Perigee,” is about 12 per cent larger in terms of how big it appears in the sky. When all of these characteristics are put together, the rare sight generates its fancy name: “Wolf ” corresponds with January, “Super moon” indicates the size of the moon, and “Blood moon” represents the coppery, reddish colour.

John Lester, a professor of Astronomy and Earth and Space Science

from UTM’s Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, provided insight about the occurrence of the Super Blood Wolf Moon eclipse. Lester notes, “The Wolf part is non-astronomical. It’s for the first full moon of the year. So that part is not very significant. The Super Moon was because the moon looks bigger when its closer to us and so we call it, ‘Super.’”

The Super Blood Wolf Moon eclipse lasted for roughly one hour on Monday. By approximately 11:41 p.m. the moon began passing behind the Earth, and it reddened in colour until it reached mid-eclipse (when the moon is directly behind the Earth and at its reddest) by 12:12 a.m. By 12:44 a.m., the total eclipse ended as the moon finished passing behind the Earth, until the partial eclipse ended at 1:51 a.m. “The eclipse didn’t last that long as it wasn’t passing behind the middle of the Earth but towards the top,” explains Lester.

Blood Moons are typically red or coppery in colour because when the moon is directly by the Earth, blue light gets scattered by the Earth’s atmosphere while the red light passes through the atmosphere and onto the moon. This is why the moon appears red to us. The more the moon is enveloped by the Earth’s shadow and the more red light falls onto the moon, the more the moon appears red.

“The ‘Blood’ part of the title is because during a lunar eclipse, when the moon goes into the shadow of the Earth, it doesn’t go black,” em-

JOSH KAHEN/UNSPLASH

The Super Blood Wolf Moon eclipse was only visible to half of the Earth. phasizes Lester, “because the Sun’s light is focused in there by the Earth’s atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere also makes the light redder because it scatters away the blue light. So, when we see the eclipse of the moon, it has this dark red colour, so they attached the word ‘Blood’ to it.”

The blood-like colour of the moon

can appear more prominent based on several factors relating to the condition of one’s local atmosphere. One important factor that affects the redness of the moon during a lunar eclipse, making it appear more copper in colour than red, is how dusty the local atmosphere is at the time.

Unfortunately, for those that

missed their chance of catching a look at the Super Blood Wolf Moon eclipse in the night sky, the next total eclipse supposedly will not occur in North America until 2022.Until then, those that still want to look at the Super Blood Wolf Moon eclipse can enjoy the rare phenomena through the several photos taken and posted online.

14

«FEATURES

THE MEDIUM 02.04.2019

UTM’s Miss World Canada contestant Neisha Ghanie, a fourth-year undergraduate student, is competing in Miss World Canada this year MORADEYO ADENIYI

Miss World Canada is a national beauty pageant that has been held annually in Canada since 1957. The winner gets to represent Canada at Miss World—a highly anticipated international pageant. Prior to this competition, there are provincial qualifiers across multiple regions, one of which is the Miss Ontario World and this year, Neisha Ghanie, a fourth-year student of the University of Toronto Mississauga, is one of the contestants.

Having no prior encounter with the pageant world, Ghanie tried her luck after coming across an Instagram advert and was thrilled to find out her application got approved.

Although Ghanie has never been involved with beauty pageants, she does have some experience in the fashion industry. Ghanie currently works as a colour consultant at Sephora, has worked in the style and profile department for fashion shows in previous years, and has some modelling experience.

Recently, Ghanie qualified as one of Miss Ontario World’s national finalists and will get to represent her city in the upcoming nationals at Toronto Hyatt Hotel in July.

Ghanie’s background in leadership, performance, and public host-

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

Neisha Ghani has no prior experience with pageants, but has other qualifications that she applies. ing of events from high school makes it easier for her to cope while performing in front of judges, although sometimes it requires her to step out of her comfort zone. Early on in her journey, Ghanie did have a minor struggle building confidence after meeting other contestants and contemplated her decision to compete.

Luckily, her friends who serve as her support system alongside her sisters aided in boosting her morale and she ended up qualifying for Miss World

Canada.

Describing how she balances school, two jobs and volunteer work along with her pageant preparation, Ghanie says the key is time management. She makes sure to prioritize her school deadlines and meticulously constructs her calendar to ensure she gets all her work done. Importantly, Ghanie mentions that she finds time to take care of herself to avoid getting overwhelmed. Her selfcare involves activities like listening

to music, watching YouTube videos, reading books, taking time alone to reflect, and spending quality moments with friends and family.

In regard to her future plans, Ghanie hopes to pursue a medical career and specialize in either ecology or dermatology. In preparation for this, she currently works as the head course promoter for MCATPREP 101—a preparatory course for the Medical College Admission Test which she plans on taking after the

pageant is over. Additionally, she volunteers at the William Osler health centre where she assists doctors and nurses in daily activities such as delivering blood samples to the laboratories and changing beddings.

Though the process so far has been fun, Ghanie acknowledges that the amount of work required caught her off guard. Perfecting poses, body composure, and learning to smile at all times has been taxing but nonetheless an exciting experience.

In defence of the negative stigma often attached to pageants, Ghanie admits she once bore the same sentiments but now, due to her experience, she knows more about what it takes to compete in a pageant and what judges want to see in a contestant. Qualities such as confidence, high self-esteem, community involvement, and learnedness are a few factors the judges look out for. This goes against the common stereotype that pageants celebrate only the superficial.

As her advice to other young women, Ghanie says “do what you want to do. Follow your dreams and aspirations. There will always be people who try to break down your confidence and self-esteem, ignore them. You’re the only person that can drive your success, so always stay true to yourself.”

FEATURING: Meet The Editor

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

Jessica Cabral, Features Editor

Name: Jessica Cabral Position at The Medium: Features Editor Year: Fourth year Program of Study: Double major in English and Professional Writing and Communication

How did you get involved with The Medium?

JC: When I was in my first year, I was super nervous to write for the paper but I really wanted to. In my second year, I finally started volunteering as a writer for the Features section and here I am now!

What’s the most recent book you’ve read?

JC: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. Our News Editor actually recommended it to me. It’s a beautiful novel that merges culture, recipes, romance, and heartache into melodious prose.

Why the Features section, and not any other section?

JC: I love interviewing people, having conversations, and learning about people’s stories. I love Features because it’s a lot like storytelling.

What is one of your favourite smells?

JC: I’d have to say fresh cut grass in the summer time.

I find it super relaxing, especially on the weekend.

It reminds me of my childhood summers when my family would end the day basking in the sun, eating BBQ and cool watermelon.

What’s one of your favourite articles you’ve written so far?

JC: My favourite article I’ve written has to be the story about Martha Cedeno and her two children who are all graduating with a Bachelor of Science this academic year! What an amazing way to celebrate convocation and a memorable way to end their university experience.

Who or what motivates you to keep pushing forward?

JC: Definitely my mom!

She’s probably one of the strongest people I know and she has taught me that I’m a lot stronger than I think I am. I want to make her proud! (Hi Mom!!)

What skill would you like to master?

JC: I’d love to learn how to cook. I love watching the Food Network, but I’m not very confident in the kitchen. Cooking seems very daunting to me. What if what I make tastes bad?

If you didn’t have to sleep, how would you spend your extra time?

JC: I’d definitely spend my time reading. It’s easy to become absorbed with academics and extracurriculars that I often forget to take time to read for pleasure. I have a lot of books on my “To Read” list.

What piece of advice would you give to people?

JC: Only make a committment if you know that you can follow through with it.

Know your limits and your schedule. If you can’t do something, then it’s okay to step back, take a breath, and dedicate time for yourself.

02.04.2019

»

9

Why does bad behavior make good art?

One writer discusses the repercussions of what happens when art romanticizes issues such as suicide and drug use SRIJAN SAHU ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR

The trailer for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile dropped last month to much social media frenzy.

The Ted Bundy biopic starring Zac Efron, chronicles the crimes of the infamous serial killer during the height of his fame. The ninety second trailer shows Efron as an attractive, everyday man and contains several zoomed in shots of his charismatic smile. The trailer paints Bundy in a positive light and leaves viewers wondering if they were watching a promotion for a romantic comedy.

Within minutes of the trailer being released, people flocked to the internet in voicing their disappointment, claiming the trailer was diminishing the horrible crimes he committed.

Others realized the movie intended to show how people struggled to accept that a seemingly perfect man would be capable of committing such horrors. Although early reviews attempted to assure people that the trailer is misleading, the damage may already be done, as movie goers are predicted to shun the film.

This whole controversy raises an interesting question about the movie industry and where it’s headed. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is not the only Bundy related release of the year. Two months into the new year and we already have at least two major visuals based on the con-

PHOTO FROM REDDIT.COM

Zac Efron stars in the highly talked about Ted Bundy Biopic which premiered at Sundance 2019. victed felon—the other being Netflix’s documentary series. Hollywood has always had a knack for turning the depraved into entertainment, and you have to admit it’s a working formula. But, the recent spike in films about mass murderers and criminals suggests a worrying trend since these movies have the unintended consequence of glamorizing their heinous acts.

Films, especially in Hollywood, have an ongoing love affair with Gangster flicks that began in the early nineties. The success of the likes of Untouchables and Donnie Brasco helped cement this genre in American culture. Directors would have a wide variety of stories to explore, but they all shared the action filled violence and strong anti-hero figures. Thought to be harmless, these motion pictures had the effect of ro-

manticizing organized crime to the impressionable youth. We see a similar theme in today’s television with shows like Breaking Bad and Dexter, exemplifying the deviant sides of society. Dexter stars a sociopathic murderer who enacts his form of justice on people he deems to be unworthy and Breaking Bad follows a high school chemistry teacher who enables his dark side by peddling meth.

These shows oppose the archetype protagonist, replacing heroes with drug traffickers and murderers and enticing audiences to root for these characters. Even though, we all know these behaviours are wrong, simply condoning these actions within the confines of the show sends a wrong message subconsciously—one that relays it’s acceptable to unleash our criminal tendencies if push comes to shove.

Sadly, this practice of belittling serious issues doesn’t just stop there.

Pop culture has a way of romanticizing mental illness and rewarding bad behaviour with instant fame. The popular Netflix series 13 Reasons Why tried to start a conversation on suicide; instead, its depiction of depression may have hindered the discussion rather than helped it. Perhaps the whole scenario of the main character’s suicide, where she leaves behind a series of tapes addressed to individuals she holds responsible for her action, is suggestive to younger audiences. In trying to address a delicate topic, the writers failed to provide educational information on suicide prevention. Suicide was reduced to a mere plot device and story about teenage struggles.

Similarly, another Netflix entry You, which tells the story of internet

dangers, resulted in viewers writing “thirst tweets” about Penn Badgley’s psychopathic stalker. His character was made so desirable and his intentions made to look pure that people found themselves sympathizing with him.

It’s not just the world of cinema that falls culprit to idealizing the dangerous. There is a common notion that artists who suffer from mental illnesses produce better art. Even the suggestion that depression or its likes can inspire creativity is bothersome. Some people use art as a means to battle their personal demons and trivializing their struggles by making such statements reduce their abilities to symptoms of their disease, as if their suffering is a gift to humanity.

Likewise, there are misconceptions that alcoholism and drug addiction can fuel one’s inner artist, leading to negligent thinking such as, “All you need to be a good artist is a rough childhood.” Making light of people’s struggles and romanticizing them instead of respecting their achievements sets a harmful precedent.

Art should be about celebrating people’s lives, and given the influence it has on shaping the world, its leading proponents have a responsibility to treat certain topics with more care.

It’s a scary thought imagining how the families of Ted Bundy’s victims would feel about Hollywood glorifying him and showing his life as a love story from someone’s perspective.

TV special Rent: a pre-recorded “live” event Broadway musical turned television special Rent: Live was falsely advertised as a live performance TRISHA CLARENCE ASUNCION

Rent is a Tony Award-winning musical that had its original Broadway run in 1996. The musical is about a group of young artists struggling to survive in New York City. Many of the characters are homosexual, are drug addicts, and/or have HIV/AIDS. Following its success on Broadway, the musical was taken on many tours, some internationally. In 2005, the musical earned a movie adaptation. The film was a commercial flop, but quickly became a cult favourite.

On January 27, 2019, Fox broadcasted a television special of the musical. It’s the latest musical to hit national airwaves, with Grease: Live and Hairspray: Live being broadcast on opposite ends of 2016. These television specials are hyped up for many reasons. For one, theatre enthusiasts are excited to see an adaptation of a musical on national television. Second, many people are interested in the celebrity ensemble. But much of the appeal is the live aspect. There’s

something about live TV that’s more interesting to watch than pre-recorded shows.

Rent: Live started with characters Mark Cohen (Jordan Fisher) and Roger Davis (Brennin Hunt) singing the opening number. On the bottom right of the screen, viewers saw a quick flash of the words that shouldn’t appear during a live broadcast: PRERECORDED. After a quick search on the Internet, fans found out that Brennin Hunt broke his foot during dress rehearsal the day before.

The show must go on, as they say in show business. So instead of cancelling the broadcast, Fox decided to air footage from a previous dress rehearsal. The audience was promised that the final scene would be performed live. However, fans were still not happy with this decision. Many criticized the actors’ performances of the pre-recording, noting that it would have been stronger if it were live.

As a casual viewer who had never seen Rent before, I enjoyed the performances regardless. The vocals

PAMELA LITTKY/IMDB.COM

The musical is about a group of young artists struggling to survive in New York City. were solid and the dances were choreographed well. It’s obvious the cast had gone through tons of rehearsal.

While many others had mixed reactions during the first two hours and forty-five minutes of the show, all was forgiven during the final fifteen minutes.

The final fifteen minutes were live as promised, and the cameramen

didn’t bother to work around Hunt’s wheelchair. It didn’t matter. The main focus was on the original Broadway cast of Rent who came out to sing the final number with the current cast.

Although viewers at home watched mostly pre-recorded footage, those in studio were still lucky to receive an entirely live performance for the three hours. Footage of the in-studio per-

formance was quickly uploaded to the Internet, and many viewers wished they watched that show instead.

Other actors in the Rent: Live main cast included Vanessa Hudgens, Kiersey Clemons, Tinashe, Valentina, Mario, and Brandon Victor Dixon.

Rent: Live was the lowest-rated live musical television special to date.

10

«ARTS

THE MEDIUM 02.04.2019

Unpopular popular culture: TV edition Mainstream shows Thirteen Reasons Why, Downton Abbey, Riverdale, and KUWTK are disputed by our writers KEENA ALWAHAIDI ABEER BAIG MAYA SUPER Sometimes it’s hard to pick up a show on Netflix that’s a doozy.

When I’m done one, I’m on to the next like a hawk about to attack its prey. Even when I choose a show that’s being talked about and has made headlines across the internet, I just can’t seem to get as wired on it as people would probably like me to be. After all, not every show is going to please every person, and sometimes we’ve got to take that plunge to figure out what we do and don’t like.

Thirteen Reasons Why When Thirteen Reasons Why premiered, most of the buzz around it started when it was announced that Selena Gomez was the executive producer. That, and the fact that

example, when Clay asks out Skye, there’s a sense that it’s as if he didn’t realize that he wanted her all along—which seems cliché as far as TV couples go.

Downton Abbey Downton Abbey contains everything I love in the universe—England, tea and fancy dresses. The first time I tried watching the show, I didn’t think there was a single thing I could hate about this show. But I was terribly wrong. Why? A couple of minor reasons, but enough to make me have some strong feelings about it.

The first is that there’s a lot of side conversation that happens between the important stuff. Which is totally okay, because what’s a show without lots of dialogue, right? But this kind rubbed me the wrong way, to the point where each episode seemed a little melodramatic.

PHOTO FROM IMDB.COM

Thirteen Reasons Why seemed to “romanticize” Hannah’s suicide. the book by Jay Asher was finally seeing the light of day. Naturally, I had to find out what the big deal about this show was. After hearing my friends, coworkers, and family members rave about it, I decided to pick it up near the middle of summer 2017. I had watched about three episodes before I figured out why I disliked it so much.

One thing that stuck out to me was how giddy the theme song was.

I’m not sure why, but this bothered me to the point where it started off the show wrong for me. It sounded a little too lighthearted for a show that was about suicide. Although that wasn’t a major let down, it still put me off a little.

Also, I get it—small things can hurt people in big ways, and we never know how we’ll affect people in the long run. But the fact that Hannah killed herself shouldn’t be highly romanticized. It’s like we’re supposed to watch this show where suicide is some interesting character trait.

Another area of the show was how annoyingly artificial some aspects presented themselves. For

Also, it feels like nothing significant is going to happen—ever. And when something dramatic does happen, it’s out of the blue. It seems unrealistic, which makes the characters less likeable. That might be fine, because not every character is supposed to be that great in any show. But I feel like when drama occurs, it’s far-fetched and sudden.

-Keena Alwahaidi Riverdale The CW’s Riverdale is a teen drama based on the characters of the iconic Archie Comics. I’d like to stress that while I’m not a fan of the show, I’m also not a hater—I grew up reading the Archie comics so it’s nice to see it reincarnated, but I feel CW has taken all the fun and made it cringe-worthy. Riverdale started off with a good plot, surrounding a mystery murder in a small town, and a popular jock and his friends through trials of love, family, and lies.

Warning: spoilers ahead.

Let me point out some cringeworthy Riverdale moments that highlight just how nonsensical this

PHOTO FROM IMDB.COM

Baig believes Jughead’s character “stopped making sense” after season one of Riverdale. popular show is. One, the incestual theme. Riverdale has a strong incestual vibe between Cheryl and Jason which is so uncomfortable, and it’s not a good plot line. A Simple Favor had it, Pretty Little Liars had it, Game of Thrones has it, we don’t need it from you, Riverdale. Two, all of Veronica’s lines. I think it’s safe to point out that Veronica is basically Blair Waldorf but worse. She has the same wardrobe and the same sassy dialogue, but badly written.

All of her lines involve “Archiekins” or “It was my father, you know the big gang leader.” Three, the creepy strip tease. The scene where Betty randomly does a strip tease whilst singing was uncomfortable for various reasons. Also, the Dark Betty plot line is terrible in every sense—it’s just Betty in lace and a black wig. If the writer truly wanted to explore Betty’s sexuality, don’t make her dress goth or do strip teases—she’s a teenager! What exactly does this teach teens who are watching this show? Four, Jughead’s character. Jughead seemed like a cool, detached but lovable narrator

in the beginning of season one, but then everything stopped making sense. Jughead’s always complaining about something and it’s getting tiring to watch. Jughead’s edgy lone-wolf white boy act and his speech about his own “weirdness” is

Riverdale has a strong incestual vibe between Cheryl and Jason which is so uncomfortable, and it’s not a good plot line my top cringe moment. What were the writers thinking? No one talks like this. Honestly, I don’t think the producers and writers expected for Riverdale to become such a hit, as all the plots became predictable and the stopped making sense.

-Abeer Baig Keeping Up with the Kardashians I was first introduced to the overly-romanticized, extraordinarily fake Kardashians at the age of 12.

This was long before Instagram influencers had really made a career of scamming people out of their money. Kim, Kourtney and Khloe were doing their staged fights, Kris occasionally intervened, and Scott Disick was still with Kourtney. At the time, I was enthralled by the fake beauty that each sister radiated, combined with false feminism.

Last year, I watched another episode and continued to find the show overrated. Any show that preys on the insecurities of young girls should not still be streaming.

Furthermore, I am struck by the fact that they are still in the public eye. Each episode tries desperately to stay relevant and interesting. The fact that the Kardashians have made money off a reality show, which is just one long commercial for Kylie’s lip fillers and countless instances of cultural appropriation, is shocking.

They are not interesting. They are more of a representative of what not to be. If you want a good family drama, Netflix has millions of them.

-Maya Super

PHOTO FROM IMDB.COM

Super believes that Keeping Up with the Kardashians is representative of “what not to be.”

02.04.2018 THE MEDIUM ARTS» 11

REWIND MIGUEL DASILVA

ENG358: The Immigrant Experience in Contemporary Canadian Fiction focuses on authors that write about immigrants as they deal with arriving and finding acceptance in Canada. David Bezmozgis’ “Natasha and Other Stories” is one that compiles a range of individual but connected immigrant experiences and focalizes them through the lens of Mark Berman, the son of Bella and Roman Berman, Jewish-Latvian immigrants living in Toronto. Seven stories ranging from comedic tones to devastating moments follow Mark Berman and his family as they negotiate an arrival in Toronto from Latvia. They present a wide scope of experiences of an immigrant family as well as their interactions with a community of immigrants from the same or closely related countries.

Bezmozgis does not simply present a singular story revolving around the Bermans, however. The Berman family becomes a synecdoche for the many immigrant experiences that make up a unified idea of life for an immigrant in Toronto.

This is the key to the collection.

The short story form is important in mirroring the multi-voiced and inherently unique stories that im-

VICTORIA DANESI STAFF WRITER Film stars of the past, such as Judy Garland or Marlon Brando, are remembered for their notorious personal lives and the iconic roles they graced on the silver screen. The podcast, You Must Remember This, uncovers the stories of Hollywood legends that never made it to newsstands.

Hosted by Karina Longworth, the podcast explores Hollywood and its stars and scandals of the 20th century. Early in the podcast’s development, Longworth created singular episodes that focused on a specific actor. In its current format, entire seasons of episodes are dedicated to an overarching theme such as Hollywood’s experience during World War II or the history of the film studio Metro Goldwyn Mayer.

In the podcast’s season entitled “Dead Blondes,” Longworth uncovers the stories of blonde actresses that died under mysterious or notable circumstances and the control Hollywood moguls had on crafting their public image. A subject of this season is Marilyn Monroe, whose birth name was Norma Jeane Mortenson.

Monroe’s persona as a sex symbol is still noteworthy today, but years of

migrants have to tell about their life in Canada while weaving them together to provide a group of voices rather than just one.

The immigrant experience must be understood as one of many different voices expressing their own difficulties with arrival and transition but that find strength and coherence in collection. “Natasha and Other Stories” cobbles together and

Mark recognizes that the world he understood while in Latvia is one that does not translate the same way in Toronto. successfully present the nuance of a multi-voiced but connected experience. It is a perspective which displays immigrants as they behave in view of society and how they behave without the pressure of fitting in or searching for acceptance. It also provides the perspective of immigrants as they fail to find belonging and instead find themselves a spectacle to society, as the Berman family finds themselves in Dr. Korblum’s home in the story “Roman Berman, Massage Therapist.”

The book contains small stories

personal tragedy plagued the actress.

Suffering from endometriosis, Monroe relied on prescription drugs supplied by doctors to ease her menstrual pains, which Longworth pinpoints as the possible beginning of the star’s battle with drugs.

Every episode is diligently researched and presented in an accessible way. Longworth seamlessly presents substantial quantities of information into a succinct narrative, allowing any level of film history fan to learn something new. Guests are sometimes included to represent the voice of episode subjects, providing a sense of comic relief as they attempt to imitate famous stars.

Longworth seamlessly presents substantial quantities of information into a succinct narrative, any [..] fan can learn something new If the history of Bette Davis or Clark Gable doesn’t interest you, one of the most compelling seasons of the podcast is Charles Manson’s Hollywood. It follows the murders that were committed by Charles Manson’s

with coherent symbols. In “Tapka,” a dog symbolizes the last remnant of the life an elderly couple named the Nahumovskys left behind them. In “The Second Strongest Man,” Mark watches the strongest man in Latvia, Sergei, lose a lifting competition and he is sickened by it. In this moment, Mark recognizes that the world he understood while in Latvia is one that does not translate the same way in Toronto. It is possible that their migration from Latvia has weakened him and his family as it has weakened Sergei.

In “Choynski,” Bezmozgis is more experimental in his approach, but achieves the same effect of connecting voices. Flipping between the decline and death of his grandmother with his exploration of the life of a boxer named Joe Choynski, “America’s first great fighting Jew.” Mark lays out the history of two immigrants. It is a story that deals with the loss of memory, and the intense feeling of losing the past as Mark deals with the loss of his grandmother.

Bezmozgis creates a work that is both tender and truthful about the hardships immigrants face, and worth reading for its ability to remind the reader of the depth of experience that each human shares.

followers in the 1960’s and their connections to the entertainment industry. Manson was acquainted with celebrities of the New Hollywood generation, as well as musicians of the time such as members of the Beach Boys. Chronicling the early development of the Manson family to the murder trials, the true crime approach is fascinating to learn about, regardless of your interest in Hollywood.

The most recent season of the podcast, “Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon,” debunks Hollywood gossip that were presented in the infamous book, Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger. It was announced at the conclusion of the season that the podcast is going on an indefinite hiatus, but there are over 150 episodes in the archive to listen to.

If you are interested in old Hollywood or certain historical events that surrounded the film industry, I highly recommend this podcast.

With episodes focusing on the silent era of Charlie Chaplin to Madonna in the 1990s, at least one episode may intrigue you.

You Must Remember This can be found on their website, iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

TRISHA CLARENCE ASUNCION

Over the years, drag culture has become mainstream. With shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and the growing popularity of local drag shows, outsiders are given a peek inside their world. What outsiders don’t know is that drag has been around longer than they think.

In 1990, Jennie Livingston released a documentary she produced and directed titled Paris is Burning.

Filmed over six years in New York City, the documentary explores the ballroom community, an underground subculture of the LGBT. It follows several drag queens as they explain what balls are and why they participate in them. They also talk about their overall experience being part of this culture and their identity.

The frequent cuts between interviews and scenes of balls show that people in this community use the event to empower themselves and uplift each other. Balls are an important part of their culture and is what brings them together.

A ball is similar to a pageant, where participants walk and compete in categories. Often, these categories include dressing up as the opposite sex, embodying a heterosexual appearance, and dancing. Specifically, voguing is the dance style of choice.

Participants of the balls are judged based on attitude, talent, and “realness.” “Realness” refers to how well they can pull off the look. Regardless of gender identity or sexual orienta-

tion, anyone can participate in these balls. Often, these participants are members of houses.

Because being anything besides heterosexual is a concept complex to some people, there are LGBT members who have been exiled from their family. Fortunately, that’s what Houses are for. Houses are like a foster family, a group of people who take LGBT people in and offer support and guidance. Often, houses are LGBT youths’ only families.

It’s made obvious throughout the documentary that members of this community are oppressed and shunned because they’re different.

This is emphasized at the end. A house mother, Angie Xtravaganza, reveals that her house daughter, Venus Xtravaganza, has died. Venus was found strangled underneath a bed in a hotel room. It’s suspected that Venus, a sex worker, was strangled to death by one of her clients because he found out she was transgender.

Venus’ death is a prime example that people in this community are unaccepted for being who they are.

However, as evident in many of the interviews shown throughout this film, the members of this community are proud of who they are and don’t care about what others think. They’re happy and confident in their own skin and I think that’s something we can all take away from this documentary.

The LGBT community has come a long way since the release of Paris is Burning, suggesting that these films are powerful and impactful.

02.04.2019

»

15

Condors steal first win of the season The Conestoga Condors defeated our UTM Eagles 103-110, marking this their first win of the season SARAH-MAY OLDFIELD ASSOCIATE S&H EDITOR

On Wednesday, January 31, Bell Let’s Talk Day, our UTM men’s varsity basketball team took on the Conestoga Condors. In their second last homegame of the season, our Eagles looked to build off a down-to-the-wire win by our ladies’ team who played just before. Unfortunately, they came up short, falling 103 to 110 to a determined Condors team, who won their first game of the season.

Neither team seemed able to find much momentum to start the first quarter, which saw both little scoring and a lot of physical play. In the second quarter, the Condors began to pull away, building a small lead with on-point passes and impressive footwork inside the paint. UTM fought their way back, keeping it a close game. Last year’s West Division Scoring Champion and OCAA Rookie of the Year, Zamam Khan, snuck into the lane to layup a quick 2-pointer to beat the buzzer, and the Eagles tied it up, 51-51, heading into the second half.

The third quarter in this battle of the birds matchup began much like the first, with neither team gaining any kind of momentum on the offensive end. But back-to-back big-time blocks by Khan, Nicholas Kwantwi, and first year rookie Kyle Krist, gave UTM the park they needed to

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

UTM men’s varsity basketball team played a close game against The Conestoga Condors. push past Conestoga. UTM got into rhythm, getting into the passing lanes, picking off passes and knocking down shots. A strong box-out and tip-in by centre John Filaber, topped off a 10-point lead for UTM going into the fourth quarter, the largest lead by either team in the contest thus far.

The energy from the third quarter didn’t last into the fourth. Defensive lapses and careless turnovers by UTM led to bucket after bucket by the Condors. UTM fought them off with hustle plays by Khan, and a couple of made threes by second year guard

Kyle Boorman. But it wasn’t enough.

Despite the Eagles all-around good performances by everyone in UTM’s starting five, nearly all of which finished with double-digit points, the Eagles shooting over 50% from the field and 78% from the foul line, our men’s varsity team take a bitter 103110 loss to a struggling Condors team.

“Overall, I think we played a very unselfish game, and moved the ball really well. We didn’t do a very good job defensively, especially in the fourth where we allowed them 38 points. We can’t allow that to happen if we want

to close out tight games,” says Khan who finished the game with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 blocks. “I think I played well, but I should’ve hit that game tying 3. That’s what’s really killing me right now.”

OCAA leading scoring, starting point guard Gregory Roberts echoed Khan’s thoughts about their team’s performance and short-comings in this matchup. “We played well in spurts. There was a lot of energy in the third, and we went up by 10. The fourth was a collapse. For the first 5 minutes, we settled for 3-point shots,

while at the same time giving up open 3’s and baseline cuts. We had too many mental lapses in the final quarter to win that game. In hindsight, with how we finished that game, we didn’t deserve to win.” Roberts finished with 25 points, and 5 assists.

It was a game our Eagles should have won, having both physical size and talent over the second to last place Condors. Head Coach Nkosi Adams was extremely disappointed with his team’s performance. “We didn’t deserve to win,” said Adams.

“We got very comfortable when we got up, and we stopped playing hard.

All the credit to them [the Condors].

They played like a team. They played like they really wanted their first win.

It was definitely a tough loss, especially since we had a really good win over the weekend in Lambton.”

Despite the loss, Boorman wants to acknowledge some of the positive.

The game took place on National Bell Let’s Talk Day, Bell’s Mental Health awareness initiative. “I think the Bell Let’s Talk game is really important for spreading awareness,” remarks Boorman. “Our team is appreciative of all the support from fans at our game and their support of Bell Let’s Talk Day in general.”

Our Eagles look to finish the season strong in their last home game of the season, and second last of the season, this coming Saturday, February 9 at 3 p.m.

The lack of lactose in the new food guide The new Canada Food Guide has omitted the dairy section and decreased the intake of meat BELICIA CHEVOLLEAU

I remember thumbing through the old Canada Food Guide in elementary school, the rainbow design standing out among the other miscellaneous handouts during the health portion of Phys Ed. I skimmed over the recommended servings and just as quickly dismissed them.

No matter how much they drilled the importance of having a balanced meal and exercising daily, the suggestions were mostly ignored.

One: I didn’t cook. Two: healthy foods didn’t taste as good. Three: exercise during gym felt like enough. It is not until I was older than I started to wish I listened.

The new Canada Food Guide, released on January 21, 2019, showcases a plate with recommended portions—half a plate of vegetables and fruits, a quarter plate of whole grains, and a quarter of proteins—along with

a glass of water.

The food guide comes after a major move in September of 2018 to ban artificial trans-fat. The trend appears to be moving toward a healthier Canada.

Beside the simplistic and aesthetically pleasing look, the guide replaced the four food groups with three categories: proteins, fruits and vegetables, and whole grain foods.

I reached out to UTM’s Health and Counselling Centre (HCC), and got in touch with Kimberly Green—a registered Dietitian. While she believes the new food guide is “a good basic tool,” she commented on the ambiguity of the visuals. She expressed her concern over the “very small portions” illustrated in the diagram. Green states, “I’m seriously concerned that people will think onequarter of a boiled egg is an adequate serving(!) which it is not.”

The new guide lacks the specificity of the old guide. The 2007 food

guide offered a chart with daily recommended food servings, while the 2019 version focuses on portions.

At a glance, the poster guide is easy to understand, but what they give us in simplicity, they take away from us in information.

Admittedly, there is a wealth of resources available from a fact sheet with healthy eating recommendations to dietary guidelines for health professionals, but I doubt the everyday person will read it.

In the report, Health Canada details the food and drinks that should be consumed for a nutritious and healthy diet and the food and beverages that should be avoided due to their negative impact on our health.

They also advocate for food prep and cooking skills, creating supportive environments for healthy eating, and make considerations regarding everyday life and cultural differences, particularly Indigenous traditions.

The guide can be summed up to

BELICIA CHEVOLLEAU/THE MEDIUM

The new food guide follows the trend toward a healthier Canada. eat vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and protein foods regularly; consume more plant-based protein foods; drink water over sugary drinks, and

have little to no added sodium, saturated fat, and free sugars.

Guide continued on page 12

16

«SPORTS

THE MEDIUM 02.04.2019

The updated Eagles defeat condors food guide The UTM women’s varsity basketball team won their fifth game

JULIA HEALY/THE MEDIUM

UTM women’s varsity basketball team beat the Condors with the winning score of 74-72.

AMRISH WAGLE ASSOCIATE S&H EDITOR BELICIA CHEVOLLEAU/THE MEDIUM

The new guide focuses more on portions than daily servings.

Guide continued from page 11 Despite all the recommendations, Kimberly Green highlights “the lack of emphasis/guidance on both ironrich and calcium-rich foods” as concerning. She believes “meat, as well [as] milk and milk alternatives” have a role in a healthy eating lifestyle, “despite their disappearance on this guide.”

Iron helps in the production of hemoglobin (the red protein that carries oxygen to your tissues) and those who are iron-deficient experience fatigue and weakness. According to WebMD, there are two types of dietary iron: heme and nonheme. One primarily found in red meat, fish, and poultry (heme), and the other derived from plant sources such as spinach, beans, and lentils (nonheme). The former is easier to absorb.

Calcium primarily helps your teeth and bones to rebuild and stay strong. Low levels of calcium can result in conditions that weaken and soften the bone which can cause pain.

Milk, milk alternatives, and other dairy products are famously known

for their calcium, however, WebMD claims kale and broccoli are also rich in calcium. Although unexpected, the absence of the milk and milk alternatives category seems to reflect and embrace an ongoing trend of cutting out animal byproducts.

Of course, this is not said to dismiss vegetarians, vegans, or pescatarians.

Iron and calcium can be absorbed through non-meat options. However, the food guide needs to mention iron and calcium more since they are a vital part of a healthy diet.

With the advent of the new food guide also came much debate and criticism over food insecurity, issues of accessibility, and poverty.

“The guide itself is good,” Paul M. Taylor wrote in a Toronto Star opinion piece, “but more action would be much better.”

Healthy food can be quite expensive and safe drinking water is not accessible all over Canada. However, the purpose of a food guide is not to address these issues. A food guide recommends eating practices for nutrition and healthy eating.

There is only one word to describe the UTM Women’s basketball game last Wednesday, January 30, between the UTM Eagles and Conestoga Condors—electrifying. There was quite an impressive showing on the bleachers, where the audience for once was far more enthusiastic than the beloved UTM mascot. For halftime, UTM had invited the Brampton Warriors girl’s minor basketball team to play a mini 5 on 5. Overall, it was quite an intensive game punctuated with valiant displays of skill and bravado.

The starting five for UTM were Jade Addai, Janella Viado, Trisha Ann Vo, Jiana Alnajjar and Elizabeth D’Souza. Addai started the night off by grabbing the jump ball. The first shot also went to the Eagles where D’Souza got a rebound off Addai’s initial shot and put it up high. This lead was maintained for quite a while by the Eagles with Ann Vo getting a 3 with 4 seconds left in the 24 second clock. The Eagles had quite a fluent communication, that allowed them to play a healthy offence. The Condors displayed a lack of control and a constant fumbling of passes. UTM’s Viado led the role of a point guard for most of the game and it wasn’t until she scored a 3, bringing the score 127, that the Condors called a timeout, with 3 minutes left in the quarter.

Their coach was swift to change the tide and the Condors came back with a new-found teamwork and enthusiasm. The rest of the quarter ended off with a pattern where the Eagles just couldn’t get past the Condors’ unbreakable defense and the Condors

were so swift offensively, that the Eagles couldn’t form their defense in time. The Eagles couldn’t get a single point and the quarter ended with Conestoga’s Kelly getting a layup and bringing the score in their favor at 17-12.

The second quarter was the end of an acclimation period and the Condors showed off their true skills.

While both teams started off slow in an equal struggle, they did exhibit a clumsy manner of finishing plays.

However, over time the Condors developed a terrific defense that the Eagles just couldn’t penetrate. Moreover, they dominated the rebounds and kept putting the ball up, where it sank numerous baskets. Conestoga’s Beckford had a killer hook shot, whereas White was a staunch defender that towered over the Eagles and blocked many shots. Kelly was their shooting guard and her successful shots were dangerously frequent.

The star of this quarter was UTM’s Silva, who got 3 three pointers, where her last really got the crowd cheering and ended off the quarter 35-33, still in favor of Condors.

The third quarter started off with UTM’s Ann Vo getting a 3 and the rest of it transpired with a strangely high number of fouls, mostly against the Eagles. Both teams are visibly more focused as they finish their plays definitively. The Condors still exhibited a dominance in rebounds and were slow to pick up the pace defensively. The high number of fouls simply slowed down the game into a trot of foul shots and a brisk back and forth. UTM’s Tasja Rhooms broke the curse with a beautiful three pointer and this was followed by another by Viado. The buzzer sounded

off at 55-50 with the Condors still on top.

The last quarter was simply stunning. The Eagles had a tough time finding each other on offence, with the fixed man to man defense the Condors had going. UTM’s Viado however simply outdid herself, taking charge of many successful plays and scoring much of the points. Although both teams are visibly slowing down at this point, the Condors got much clumsier, allowing the Eagles to exceed the gap, when Kayla Rice got a three to bring the score at a 60-59. At this point Beckford got a foul but the Brampton Warriors Girls team that was visiting, led a thunderous roar from the crowd that distracted her from the sheer noise. The Condors called a timeout and the same event occurred, where the audience saved the Eagles from four more foul shots, to an overall tie at 60-60.

The next few minutes followed a similar pattern of four more timeouts, interspersed by several lucky shots. Even with 43 seconds left, the Condors called a time out and came back with Kelly scoring a three, bringing the win to their side at 24 seconds. Then the Eagles called a time out, after which Addai got fouled twice and scored 3 points.

This brought the victory to the Eagles side once again with 2 seconds left in the game. The six shots within the last minute of the game drove the crowd crazy with a delicate victory constantly tipping to either side with seconds to spare. Condors’ Cole got a foul at 0.1 seconds left in the game, but the Eagles were already far ahead, and ended the match at 74-72, securing their win of the night and to the audience’s great satisfaction.