November 19th 2009 by The Ontarion

Page 12

Moustache culture 160.10

Nov. 19 - 25, 2009

www.theontarion.ca

CIS gold rush

A f inal farewel l

MIKE TREADGOLD

Rashaad Bhamjee

Mourners gathered last Friday at Branion Plaza to mourn the “death” of the Women’s Studies program at Guelph. The program was cancelled by the Senate Board of Undergraduated Governors last spring.

SEE “DEAD OR ALIVE?,” PAGE 3

A ﬁerce debate on Remembrance Day Trouble surrounding a less than timely painting of Old Jeremiah GENNA BUCK It is a well-known practice on the University of Guelph campus for students to wait around in the dark to paint and guard the historic cannon – or more formally, Old Jeremiah, a name that has rarely been used since the early 1930s. When the sun rose last Wednesday morning, which happened to be Nov. 11, the cannon greeted the day, as usual, from under a fresh coat of paint. Only this time it was applied by

Guelph Campus for Christ (c4c), and proclaimed in red, black, and white, “He Died for You Because He Loves You”. By noon hour, “he” had been changed with spray paint to “soldiers,” and the message “you forgot” was emblazoned across the cannon in large letters. “We were all just taken aback,” said Kara Murray, a Campus for Christ member. “A few of us went and I listened to the [spray painters] and they were very upset. “To them it was really unfair because it was Remembrance Day so it was very disrespectful...what they understood was that we were trying to say ‘oh, our message is

so much better,’” she added. “That wasn’t what we were trying to do at all. We just wanted to let people know that Jesus died for them and that He loves them.” The rules for painting the cannon, though largely unwritten, are well understood. The Student Aﬀairs website says simply that, “students, faculty, staﬀ, and alumni are invited to paint the cannon during the late night and early morning hours,” and a previous article in the Ontarion explained to new students that “anyone can paint the cannon, but no painting it before sundown.” The article goes >

SEE “REMEMBRANCE”, PAGE 4

Year after year, the Guelph Gryphons cross-country teams continue to rewrite the record books. The men’s and women’s teams went into Saturday’s CIS races at Fort Henry Hill in Kingston, ranked number one in the country. And true to form, they did not disappoint. Both the men’s and women’s teams captured team gold medals, the record fourth consecutive year that the Gryphons have taken both titles in the national championships. On the men’s side, the top five Gryphon finishers totaled a mere 31 points, a 61-point victory over second-place Windsor, who could do no better than 92. Guelph’s Matt Brunsting successfully defended his individual title, becoming one of only a select few men to win back-toback national titles. Brunsting was joined on the podium by teammate Kyle Boorsma, who took the silver medal. Regina’s Kelly Wiebbe took the bronze. “To do it once was very special but to come back and repeat was even more special; knowing what I needed to do and coming back and doing it again,” said Brunsting, who finished the ten kilometre race in a record time of 30:34.3. “It felt great. It was the best I’ve felt all season, and performance-wise, I was at a different level than I feel like I’ve been at before.” Right from the get go, head coach Dave Scott-Thomas knew that Brunsting and the Gryphons were on the verge of something special. “We knew it was going to be a battle up front and it was all a question of strategy. With Matt, Kyle and Allan (Brett), we were going to run a reactive race,” said Scott-Thomas. “They weren’t going to necessarily throw it down right from the front and just haul. “But it ended up being that kind of race anyways because right off the top, some of those guys really got it going. When they came through the first kilometre, I thought, ‘holy crap! These guys are rolling, man!’ and that held on up through three kilometres. You knew it was going to be a very, very fast day.” Through the first seven and a half kilometres, Brunsting, Boorsma and Brett stuck with the lead pack of runners. It was at that time, however, >

SEE “GRYPHONS”, PAGE 11

Mundo Images

Gryphon runner Matt Brunsting captured his second consecutive CIS cross country title in record time.

the issues this week

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CHIMNEY SWIFT

UNITY

1918

14 BEING VEGAN CENSURE 16 CSA INDEX

Arts & Culture Sports & Health Opinion Editorial Crossword Community listings Classified

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Dead or alive? Funeral for Women’s Studies beg s the question PETE NORTON A crowd of University of Guelph students and community members gathered around Branion Plaza on Friday to remember the elimination of Women’s Studies (WMST) as an academic program. A cardboard coﬃn and gravestones for WMST decorated the plaza. Many participating mourners dressed in black. But the mood was not one of mourning so much as indignation. According to speakers at the gathering, the funeral was not a goodbye to WMST so much as a tribute to its struggle, and the spirit of those present who are dedicated to its resurrection. Last spring, the WMST program was eliminated as a major in the name of cost saving. The University

of Guelph was dealing with an estimated $16 million structural deficit and elected to initiate cuts from program budgets. For programs with enrollment below 40 students, program elimination was proposed. With only 25 students majoring in WMST last year, the program was the first to be discontinued. The decision set off an outcry of protest, but the budget cuts were approved by the senate board of undergraduate studies (BUGS) and WMST was discontinued. The university’s budget woes had been well documented up to that point, and, without any hope for an increase in government funding, administration explained that changes had to be made. Budget cuts were the inevitable solution and they have been felt across the university. According to those at the WMST funeral, this does little to console the students who have lost their program. “As a student, I didn’t draw

up the budget, but the cuts are coming down on us,” said Anastasia Zavarella, one of the student organizers of the event. She echoed the sentiment of many of the participants that the budget cuts could have come from elsewhere, leaving the WMST program intact. Indeed, the cannon was draped in toilet paper, which according to those in attendance, was to draw attention to the idea that by changing toilet paper brands the university could perhaps have saved enough money to meet the costs of maintaining WMST. Beyond the budgetary concerns of the university, another problem was identiﬁed last spring when the fate of WMST was still undetermined. “Looking at what was oﬀered, (WMST) didn’t stack up compared to other programs we have on campus,” Christi Garneau-Scott, former CSA commissioner, told

the Ontarion last April. GarneauScott went on to explain that the program was in a broken state, a regrettable outcome of insufficient funding and inflexibility on behalf of the faculty to “consider different ways of operating the program.” But WMST advocates remain dissatisfied with the explanation. “How are we supposed to change it if they won’t give us the funding, if we’re not given any support?” asked Jack HixsonVulpe, another organizer of the demonstration. While courses that focus on feminist, female oriented, oppression oriented or gender issues will continue to be offered at the University of Guelph through other disciplines, according to the WMST demonstrators, these offerings will not sufficiently replace their old program. If the funeral was any indication, the spirit of WMST lives on regardless.

New BioCar set to roll off assembly line Wheat-straw reinforced plastic has roots at the University of Guelph DANIEL BITONTI When Ford’s 2010 Ford Flex rolls off the assembly line in the new year, it will be the world’s first car to have interior parts made from strawreinforced plastic. And behind it all is technology that has roots at the University of Guelph. The wheat straw-reinforced plastic used for the Flex was created by Leonardo Simon, a University of Waterloo engineering professor, but the technology originates from an Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs project that involved Simon and University of Guelph plant agricultural professor Larry Erickson. Both researchers are part of the Ontario BioCar Initiative, a multiuniversity project started in 2007 that represents a partnership between the automotive industry and the public sector, aimed at accelerating the use of biomass in automotive materials. The universities of Guelph, Waterloo, Toronto and Windsor are all partners in the initiative. Erickson and other researchers involved in the initiative approached Ford to expand the technology into production. “I think it is a pretty big development,” Erickson said. “I

think this represents what I can all a beachhead of technology. Yes it’s one component, but I think it part of a greater trend in combing bio-based materials into cars.” The process involves wheat stalks being dried and crushed into pellets. The pellets are then mixed with raw polymer creating a material of 80 per cent plastic and 20 per cent wheat fiber. While the use of the bio-based material in the Flex is a modest start– the wheat-straw reinforced plastic will only be part of the storage bins in the Flex’s third floor seating– the environmental impact is significant. According to Ford, the single application reduces petroleum usage by 9,100 kg (20,000 pounds) per year and reduces CO2 emissions by 13,600 kg (30,000 pounds) per year. “It’s better than what we have at the moment using plastic and glass,” Erickson said. “Those aren’t even recyclable. This composite material is lighter, which means better fuel efficiency.” According to Erickson, the choice to use the wheat-stalk was an important consideration. Concerns have been raised about farmers exclusively growing for the auto sector, for example growing corn for ethanol production, and this issue was taken into consideration when deciding what material to use in the process. “Why we went for something like wheat straw is that it is considered a co- product and that it doesn’t really compete with the food use of the

Blast off to the Space Station This past Monday, the space shuttle Atlantis, carrying six NASA astronauts and 30,000 pounds of equipment headed on an 11 day ﬂight to the International Space Station.The astronauts plan to stay at the station until after Thanksgiving. Their mission is to equip the station and carry out environmental experiments. NASA plans to have the station running until at least 2015, pending President Obama’s permission. The crew also plans to return with astronaut Nicole Stott, who has been living at the station for about two and a half months. The launch went oﬀ without complications. (The Toronto Star)

Plastics Endangering Masculinity? A new study from the University of Rochester has found substantial evidence that baby boys exposed to phthalates (a chemical compound found in plastics) exhibit more ‘gender neutral’ behaviour, as well as atypical sexual development. Experiments followed boys aged four to seven from mothers who have and have not been exposed to plastics. It is believed that the primary source of exposure is food packaging and heating methods. (The National Post)

Water on the Moon

Courtesy

grain,” Erickson said. “It is not really a waste product, having value when it’s incorporated in the ground for organic matter and nutrients, but it’s not something people generally eat.” But this isn’t the end point, according to Erickson. One of the larger goals of the initiative is to have all the plastics in the car made out of plant material. And the early success with the Ford Flex is something Erickson thinks will strengthen the proﬁle of the project and attract more funding. But a major obstacle in getting companies to use greener technology

continues to be cost concerns. Erickson said while Ford is an example of a forward-looking automaker, companies will not look at greener technology if it is more expensive than what has been used in the past. This is a problem the initiative hopes to solve. “You can try and tout the greenness all you want, but they claim that the value to the consumer is not real to them unless they can keep the cost under control,” said Erickson. “I think that has been the obstacle all along. But we are working on it and those things will change.”

A recent NASA press release announced that the deliberate crash of a spacecraft into the moon’s shadowy crater Cabeus on June 18 has revealed substantial amounts of water. The discovery, made by the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission could have major implications. If the water is billions of years old, it may reveal secrets of the evolution of the solar system as well as provide resources for future expeditions. Due to the low temperatures in the shady regions, materials of interest may have been trapped in Cabeus for billions of years and will provide valuable information about the moon. (The National Post)

Harper makes amends in India Prime Minister Stephen Harper, after his first state visit to India announced that the Canadian government would finally lift a longstanding ban on nuclear technology sold by Canadians within India’s borders. The ban was implemented after Canadian officials revealed that Indian scientists had secretly used Canadian technology to develop a nuclear weapon in 1974. In addition to the technology ban, the two PMs discussed climate change, global recession and nuclear disarmament. Canadian firms have long awaited the end of the ban and are eager to bid for Indian business. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh considers Canada a ‘natural trading partner’ and PM Harper is ready to make amends. (The Toronto Star) Compiled by Terra Borody

NOV. 19 - 25 , 2009

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CONTINUED FROM COVER

on to explain that if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t guard your masterpiece, you risk it being painted over, and encourages people to treat other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work with respect. It appears that no one attempted to paint the cannon for Remembrance Day during the designated time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We did guard it. I was there for a good six hours and no one came,â&#x20AC;? said Murray. According to Murray,it was just an unhappy coincidence that c4c ended up painting the cannon on the Tuesday night before Remembrance Day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been trying to get the cannon for weeks... it ďŹ nally worked out and we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put two and two together that the next day was Remembrance Day,â&#x20AC;? she explained, adding that Campus for Christ completely supports observance of the holiday. According to Murray, in the end the confrontation concluded peacefully. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were able to contact us by email, and we talked it out,â&#x20AC;? said

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Contemporary dancing in the courtyard Murray. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We both came to terms on how we hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t taken things into consideration...people were upset at ďŹ rst, but it was a miscommunication, and we have no reason to hold anything against them. It was one of those hiccups that happens in life.â&#x20AC;? It is unclear whether larger issues pertaining to religious expression on campus were at play during this incident. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think it was a good learning experience for both parties,â&#x20AC;? said Murray. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We know to be more aware about what holiday it is, and also that realistically no matter what day of the year we put our message out it would probably oďŹ&#x20AC;end somebody,â&#x20AC;? said Murray. When asked if she thought this might have happened even if it had not been Remembrance Day, Murray said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible but not guaranteed. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the same for any group. There will always be a few people who get oďŹ&#x20AC;ended. They werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t aware of [the rules for painting the cannon], so now we all know for next time.â&#x20AC;?

Sarawanan Ravindran

The Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers show oďŹ&#x20AC; their moves in the UC Courtyard for a noon hour show. The WCD are the oldest contemporary dance company in the country.

Ride like the wind JUSTINE BASKEY If you have ever had the glorious experience of waking up at 3 in the morning to braid, wrap and load a horse on to a trailer, only to then drive for hours, unload, learn courses and then wait in anticipation to ďŹ nd out how you did, then you know the dedication it takes to be counted among those who boast horseback riding as their sport of choice. During the 2002-2003 school year, a small group of individuals who are among those crazy enough to be so devoted to the sport which involves a team of one person and a one thousand pound animal, decided to form the University of Guelph Equestrian Club (UGEC). â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was kind of a bunch of people who said letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s start a club about horses,â&#x20AC;? said Bronwyn MacDonald, vice-President of ďŹ nances and western rider for the

club. For those students who decide to come to Guelph, the UGEC is a great entranceway into the horse community at the university. Not to be mistaken with the Equine Club which is dedicated more to horse knowledge than horseback riding, the UGEC is dedicated to taking in students interested in taking riding lessons in four disciplines of riding (Hunter Seat, Western, Dressage and Eventing). â&#x20AC;&#x153;We provide horse activities,â&#x20AC;? said Jenny Bodera, vice-president of the UGEC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Especially for people who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have their own horses.â&#x20AC;? The UGEC holds one big meeting for all their members at the beginning of each semester where they also invite new members to join. The executive of the club takes membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; class schedules and works out a schedule with the barns that will ďŹ t for the

students interested. According to organizers, the club is beneďŹ cial not only because it is made to ďŹ t your schedule, but also because the barns that are associated with the club give student discounts. Once immersed in the UGEC, lessons are not the only thing a rider can take part in. The UGEC has an OUEA team of eight riders; riders are asked to try out for spots on this team. Last year the OUEA beat out nine other University teams to place ďŹ rst overall. There is also an IHSA team, which travels to the United States to compete against varsity school teams there (though the UGEC is not a varsity team at the University of Guelph). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Basically you pull a horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name out of a hat, no warm up, and you go,â&#x20AC;? explained Samantha Wright, vice-President of Hunter Seat and IHSA. Riders are not required to tryout

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The members of the IDA Dressage Team make up part of the U of G Equestrian Club. for this team but, as the university does not fund the team, showing fees are the responsibilities of those attending shows. The Hunter, Dressage and Western disciplines all have intra-club shows as well as the IHSA/IDA shows in the U.S. Horseback riding is only one facet of the industry. The UGEC

also organizes clinics for their riders, a potential trip to the Dodge rodeo, career night and some general social events that allow people to surround themselves with others who love horses even when they are far from home and missing their four-legged friends.

Visit www.sundaycinema.ca for more info on these Central Student Association events 9:00 pm

8:00 pm

7:00 pm

9:00 pm door

7:15 pm door

A remarkable group of women unwavering in their stand to protect and care for the abused, neglected and forgotten children of Durban, South Africa.

live Fri Nov 20

sunday cinema Sun Nov 22

docurama Wed Nov 25

live music Thurs Nov 26

live music Sat Nov 28

dublin street united church

war memorial hall

thornbrough 1307 | free

e-bar | 41 Quebec | $12 | $10 with food item

dublin street united church

68 Suffolk West | $10 Tickets available at the CSA OfďŹ ce

$3 UoG stu | $5 general They just want to go home.

Co-presented with MacLaughlin Library Unnerves and inspires in equal measure.

Co-presented with KYEO Intelligent rhymes infused with hope, fun and gravitas.

68 Suffolk West | $18 UoG stu | $20 gen adv Tickets available at the CSA OfďŹ ce

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A rare treasure in your chimney FRASER PENNIE Have you ever been woken up to clattering coming from your roof top chimney and thought, what the heck is making that noise? If so, chances are your chimney has been invaded by a small army of Chimney Swifts, a rare species of bird that until very recently was under study by University of Guelph and Environment Canada researchers. The purpose of the research, which ended last week, was to determine how to build artiﬁcial chimneys that will actually attract these mysterious birds. Chimney Swifts are charcoal in colour and described as having cigar shaped bodies with long narrow wings. These birds, which have recently been designated as a threatened species in Canada and Ontario, primarily nest and roost in chimneys and bird experts are trying to ﬁgure out why. According to Mike Cadman, a songbird biologist involved with the current project, rapid decrease in the Chimney Swift population can largely be attributed to the rise in chimney covers. “These birds nest nearly entirely in people’s chimneys and in recent years people have been capping their chimneys, making them inaccessible to these Chimney Swifts,” Cadman explained. To counter this problem, researchers are trying to mimic the

Bill Clair

Eric Geisel and Ray Hutchison go up in a cherry picker on the University of Guelph campus to retrieve information from sensors that will shed light into the nesting habits of rare chimney swifts. conditions of their preferred living space to enable them to create artificial chimneys that these birds will actually use. “There has been something like 28 artificial chimneys built for these birds in Canada and essentially none of them have been used for nesting, with the exception of one that was artificially heated,” said Cadman. To understand more about these

sights, researchers have installed data loggers, cell phone sized devices which hang inside the chimney and record the temperature and light levels. Chimneys are the preferred choice of habitat because they are comparable to that of their natural habitat. “Historically these birds nested in the old growth forest in holes in trees,” said Cadman.

Furthermore, these birds are not bothered by smoke and debris as they inhabit chimneys during the summer months when fireplaces are not utilized. The researchers are also hoping to determine whether there are differences between chimneys used for nesting and for breeding. To do so, volunteers armed with binoculars monitored the flight patterns of the

birds in these chimneys over the summer. “If the birds are going in and out regularly, which they tend to do in July when they have young, then they are just nesting in there,” said Cadman. “If they are roosting in the chimney they tend to leave in the morning and return in the evening.” Downtown and older University of Guelph buildings tend to be where most of the Chimney Swifts are located. “These places tend to have old fashioned chimneys that have not been modified yet,” Cadman explained. Cadman admits that the project received resistance from some homeowners, as not everyone was willing to cooperate with Lauren Rea, a coordinator of the project. “When she tried to contact people about going onto their roofs, some people were quite rude to her saying ‘no way you are going on my roof,’ which was kind of a shock to us,” said Cadman. In the coming months, the University of Guelph, Trent University, Bird Studies Canada and Environment Canada will pool together all of the data they have on the Chimney Swift. The hope is that by collaborating their research, experts can build artificial chimneys that will effectively rejuvenate the threatened Chimney Swift population.

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ARTS & CULTURE

NOV. 19 - 25, 2009

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Sex. Drugs. Glory and dancing. You Say Party! We Say Die! at the eBar ZACK MACRAE The eBar was alive last Thursday night as Think About life and You Say party! We Say Die! played to what became a sweaty and smelly audience of dancing young people. Headliner, You Say Party, We Say Die came all the way from Vancouver BC in support of their

The new album, released in September is a more focused and produced sound for the band, taking them out of the garage and placing them where they belong in a more full and encompassing sound. new album XXXX . The new album, released in September is a more focused and produced sound for the band, taking them out of the garage and placing them where they belong in a more full and encompassing sound. After several albums and seemingly endless tours the group was looking for some new inspiration for the new album. On

Shane Kaye

Katie Malo

You Say Party! We Say Die! and Think About Life play the eBar last Thursday night. a once in a lifetime opportunity, the band got to tour through China and Japan and found that inspiration. Feeling closer and more uniﬁed, they put out XXXX. Produced by Howard Redekopp, who worked with The New Pornographers on their 2007 Polaris Award winning album Twin Cinema, XXXX gives you a little more substance to sink your teeth into. With lines like “my

heart needs a lap dance” from “Laura Palmer’s Prom,” even in the more sombre moments of the album, how could you resist their attitude? Montreal’s Think About Life opened up the night, and were the best openers I’ve seen at the eBar. Think About Life have a unique sound, fusing pop punk, house and rock into their set; their sound is complimented by hip hop style

sampling set behind exuberant vocalist Martin Cesar’s crooning and dynamic voice. The four piece hyped the crowd from their ﬁrst song, often venturing into the audience to groove and spray silly string. Their new album Family was on sale at the merch table, pressed on beautiful green vinyl, but if you want to ﬁnd this album in stores you will have to wait until May 26 to give your ears the pleasure.

As You Say Party! We Say Die! took the stage, four giant and brightly lit X’s surrounded the band at the front of the dark and narrow corridor that is the eBar. The already hyper crowd really got moving to new tracks from XXXX, including the single “Glory” in which front woman Becky Ninkovic bellows the iconic sounding verse of “Sex. Drugs. Glory.” The crowd went pretty crazy at this point for some reason. The ﬁve piece also played older songs that have been making people dance since the mid 2000s including my personal favourite from their 2005’s album Hit The Floor called “The Gap”. You Say Party! We Say Die! continue on their tour, heading back west bringing energy and their new wave sound to crowds all over Canada.

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NICOLE ELSASSER

Emma Alter

Vicki Sullivan and Nick Nahwegahbow in the School of English and Theatre Studies’ production of Kevin Kerr’s Unity (1918).

A Play of Remembrance DUNCAN DAY-MYRON Last week, the George Luscombe Theatre was reimagined as the small prairie town of Unity, Saskatchewan for a run of Kevin Kerr’s GovernorGeneral’s Award winning 2002 play, Unity (1918). The play seeks to chronicle the arrival and spread of the Spanish Flu in Canada from the vantage point of a group of townspeople, as they discuss the end of the war and prepare for and deal with the deadly virus. The play was put on by students in two performance courses in the theatre studies program under the direction of Alan Filewod, with technical production handled by another three courses under the supervision of Pat Flood (design), Paul Ord (technical director) and Denis Huneault-Joﬀ re (costume supervisor), counting as a full credit course for all students involved. Despite these heavy themes, the play was surprisingly humourous, with the occasional slapstick physical humour, mostly between young lovers Sissy, played by Tanya Jarmai, and Michael, played by Ryan Reeve, to black gallows humour: farting corpses, a corpse falling out of a wheelbarrow, and a severed head in a bag, all played for a laugh. “It’s pretty grim humour. I can see how you could push the humour farther, but I’m not sure you need to. You don’t want to do it at the expense of what the play is about,” said director Alan Filewad. “But [Kerr] really sets it up that way; it almost gets grotesque at moments.” Like the best episode of MASH, the conﬂation of humour and tragedy not only made sure neither element took too much control of the production, but kept the viewer empathic as it, in a way, made the characters seem more genuine. No situation is met with uniform tragedy. “I think the trick was to enjoy the humour of the play, and not pretend it’s not there, since it so obviously is, but never forget that this is a real issue,” continued Filewod. “But we could never pretend it wasn’t. That kind of kept the perspective for us.” Filewod is of course referring to this year’s H1N1 pandemic, which added special resonance to an already topical play, coming mere days after Remembrance Day.

The panic that the characters faced regarding Spanish Flu appropriately reflects the worry that many people have about H1N1, although on a more severe scale. “Obviously with the H1N1 and the image of the mask and the topical-ness of it, it made it hard to resist,” said Filewod. The final moments of the play are somewhat curious. The protagonist ends up passing from the flu after nursing many of the other characters. After being laid to rest in a coffin, the characters shed their black funeral clothes and break into song. The lyrics to the songs are included in the text of the play, but without music or stage direction. “It’s a real puzzle to deal with. But what’s clear to us is that with that song he takes us out of the world of the characters and into the world of the performers. So it becomes a kind of epilogue, which is why we went into that contemporary moment with a contemporary sound,” said Filewod. The actors were uniformly strong. The two strongest performances were also the two strongest characters. Vicki Sullivan’s Beatrice, a young woman who ends up a nurse figure for many of the other characters succumbing to the encroaching flu; and Victoria Carr’s Sunna, an Icelandic expat and the town’s mortician are two examples. Both characters must deal with heavy burdens, taking care of the dying and the dead, and while they do so in stride, the actors perfectly expressed the characters’ frustration and conflict with their situations. The two actors who played the women operating the town’s telephone and telegraph station were also noteworthy. While their roles didn’t have the same dramatic gravity as most of the other performances, they played an important role as the link between the town and the outside world, including both the war and the flu. This relationship provided many moments of alternating absurdity and despair. Overall, it was a positive experience with consistent performances, and an interesting and unique story which sheds light on a situation which is often not commemorated with Remembrance Day.

In the land of university students who, with respect to their booze drinking habits, operate on a ‘if it’s there, I am going to drink it quickly’ philosophy, the thought of having, and maintaining, a well stocked bar seems absurd. And if not absurd than a little pretentious. I felt this way until I, like many others before and after, became swept up in Mad Men fever. Suddenly, in the style of Don Draper and Roger Sterling, it seems absolutely necessary for me to have all the tools at my disposal to make an Old Fashioned, Fizzes, and other semi-unappreciated alcoholic beverages. While this originally seemed like an ambitious and exorbitantly expensive undertaking, if regarded as a process, with the bulk of the bar assembled piece by piece over time, it can be very doable. To start, one needs a place to keep all of their cocktail ﬁxings. It is

by no means unheard of for a decent antique liquor cabinet to be found at a second hand store or flea market but assuming a gem like that will take time to find, a small table with a rimmed tray resting on top to keep the bottles from falling off, should suit purposes in the mean time. As you acquire spirits, they can be stored either inside the cabinet or on the top of the small table. With the exception of vermouth, as it is a fortified wine, spirits are not meant to be chilled. When serving up a cocktail, a room temperature spirit is generally shaken with ice which dilutes the potency of the liquor just slightly to take off any unpleasant or overly alcoholic edge. If the spirit is already chilled, the ice will not dilute it enough and the drink may taste slightly off. As far as the actual booze goes, experts recommend that it makes the most sense to start with rye and gin because they are the main component in the majority of cocktails. However, everyone has their favourite spirit so it might make more sense for you to begin with that. Eventually, any respectable bar should have the following:

THE ESSENTIALS: SPIRITS: gin, rye, vodka, rum, tequila, sweet and dry vermouth, bitters (Angostura is versatile and easy to ﬁnd) FROM THE KITCHEN: lemons, limes, fresh herbs (like mint), olives, egg whites (if you’re feeling adventurous), and lots of ice FOR MIX: club soda, tonic water, ginger ale, and cola GEAR: cocktail shaker, a bar spoon, a jigger or measuring shot glass, a wire strainer, a juicer or handheld citrus reamer, a cutting board and knife for preparing garnishes, and a muddler GLASSWARE: highball glasses and lowball glasses (both of which can be easily found at Value Village or Good Will) With this list in mind, you could certainly assemble a bar in your home that may not be up to Mad Men standards, but will easily be the envy of your roommates. Now go forth and indulge your taste for a strong drink.

RAMOSGINFIZZ OLDFASHIONED VODKAGIMLET INGREDIENTS:  oz gin ½ oz fresh squeezed lemon juice ½ oz fresh squeezed lime juice  egg white oz heavy cream (whipping cream)  teaspoons of superfine sugar ½ teaspoon orange flower water Splash of club soda DIRECTIONS: Rapidly shake the gin, lemon juice, lime juice, egg white, cream, sugar, and orange ﬂower water with ice. Strain into a highball glass with no ice. Top the glass with club soda.

INGREDIENTS:  oz rye or bourbon  dashes of aromatic bitters  teaspoon of sugar  maraschino cherries  slices of orange Splash of club soda

INGREDIENTS:  oz vodka / oz lime juice - lime slices

DIRECTIONS: Muddle 1 each of the cherry and orange slice. Add the sugar and the bitters and a splash of soda in an Old Fashioned or lowball glass. Take the orange rind out of the glass and add the whisky and ice; stir. Garnish with the remaining cherry and orange slice.

DIRECTIONS: Pour vodka and lime juice into a shaker, shake and strain into a lowball glass. Add 3 to 4 slices of lime.

Welcome Students to Sifton’s Priory Park

Townhomes available!

Come to a ‘Home away from Home’! Visit or call our office at: 299 Scottsdale Drive (519) 823-1500 rentguelph@sifton.com www.sifton.com

NOV. 19 - 25, 2009

ARTS & CULTURE

THEONTARION.CA

The first of eight weddings Art piece plays upon the sanctity of marriage. DANIEL BITONTI It had all the makings of a great Hollywood romance comedy, or Sex and the City, the movie. Fittingly, the groom was late and the bride was pacing back and forth clasping her cell phone trying to reach her fiancée. There were whispers amongst the guests that the groom had been struck with a paralyzing case of cold feet. Was he going to leave her stranded at the alter? But he finally showed, and Laura Simon would have her first of what she says is going to be at least eight weddings. In fact, the guests were asked to donate $5 for the already-planned annulment. This is Simon’s final art project for specialized studio practices, a fourth-year fine art class at the University of Guelph. Call it performance art, or don’t call it art at all; it really doesn’t matter to Simon. For her, the project is more of a political statement about the socially constructed and paradoxical nature of marriage. Simply put: Simon is

trying to show just how easy it is to get married, annulled and married again, bringing it all together in a public forum. “There is this thing that happens whenever marriage gets challenged, when divorce ﬁrst came up, or when gay marriage was proposed,” said Simon, a day before her wedding. “People defend it as a natural institution that you can’t change, that it has a natural identity. I’m trying to point out that it is a legal institution, a social institution, and we can change it and it’s easy to do that.” Her intention is to get people talking about marriage. She draws inspiration from a Toronto artist named Darren O’Donnell who talks about a process called ‘beautiful civic engagement’ where art is viewed as something aesthetic, but is in a form that engages the community in a meaningful way. Simon’s project is simple to describe, but hard to execute. She isn’t simply putting on a performance or mock weddings; Simon plans on going to city hall today and become legally married to her ﬁancée Trevor, her second year roommate. Simon is quick to stress that all her marriages will be platonic. On Tuesday night she had a ceremony at the Albion

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Hotel where guests contributed money to the annulment she plans on getting either tomorrow or sometime Saturday. She will then have a “divorce party slash engagement party” with her next ﬁancée. While the main commentary of the project is on the social construction of marriage, Simon’s own license in the process has it’s own political meaning. “I have the freedom to get married a bunch of times but that’s only something recent that women have been able to do,” she said. “There is still a struggle for same sex couples and for people coming in from other countries. If they are having problems with their status or their citizenship, it’s really hard to get married. I can do this because of my position.” What is most fascinating about Simon’s project is that a political statement is juxtaposed with Simon relishing in the traditional aspects of creating a wedding. “I’m coming from the perspective of someone who doesn’t want to be married but who had been raised looking forward to marriage, especially being a girl,” she said. “But resisting marriage has nothing to do with the cultural upbringing or the pageantry of it. It makes you feel kind of unsatisﬁed. I’m getting the satisfaction in my want for wedding pageantry while making an active resistance to it, instead of being inactive.” And, for the most part, the preparation for the ceremony and the ceremony itself was like any other wedding. Simon had to rent the space, decorate it, assemble guests (albeit in her own unique way, through posters and a Facebook group) and get help from friends. The excitement amongst guests was, well, the excitement you would see at any other wedding. Some guests were dressed in formal attire, the bride herself wearing a strapless red dress. She had bridesmaids. The groom had his groomsman. There was a large wedding cake, be it paper mache, placed on a table near the centre of the room, fooling almost every guest who went by. The DJs played wedding and bar mitzvah staples like Will Smith’s “Getting Jiggy wit it.” There was no doubt that a wedding was about to take place. But while her intention was not

Rashaad Bhamjee

Laura Simon and Trevor Mintz exchange vowes late Tuesday evening in front of a crowd at the Albion Hotel to mock the institution of marriage, elements of the ceremony at the Albion seemed nothing more than that. The person conducting the ceremony was wearing a black cloak with an oversized cross slung around her neck while holding a bible. Neither was this person a registered religious ﬁgure or did the ceremony in any way resemble a traditional Christian wedding. Whether it was the intention of Simon or not, the person was an obvious caricature of a religious ﬁgure. During the exchanging of the vows, there was lack of seriousness on the part of the wedding party, resulting in moments where the ceremony was simply incoherent. They planned to karaoke their vows but technology failed them. The groom yelled out to his friends while at the altar. The crowd heckled back. It felt precisely like a fake ceremony, a joke more than an actual wedding.

Perhaps this was all intentional. Keep in mind, one of the most interesting ideas Simon is trying to convey is that marriage is socially constructed: it was her wedding and she created it the way she wanted. But the fact that she was having a ceremony testiﬁed to its importance in the project. If the ceremony had been conducted with more veracity, resembling a traditional ceremony, Simon’s intended commentary on the social and legal construction of marriage would have been stronger; the viewer would have seen her playing upon a familiar aspect of the traditional institution she is trying to resist. But at the end of the day, it is just one of many weddings, and because it is the legal act she is commenting on, it will be her ability to get married and annulled, then married and annulled again, that will ultimately make the project a success or a failure.

THE ONTARION

ARTS & CULTURE

160.10

Featured Artist: Jeff ery Costa

RAEKWON

JULIAN CASABLANCAS

ONLY BUILT FOR CUBAN LINKS PART II

PHRAZES FOR THE YOUNG

One can’t exactly review Only Built for Cuban Linx Part II without mentioning OBFCL (1995). But you can definitely get into OBFCLII without listening to OBFCL. Follow? With the Wu-tang Clan member’s break out solo album, he quickly gained critical acclaim and some still consider OBFCL to be the best Wu-Tang Clan album to date. OBFCLII is about exactly what one would expect from a followup album, but it doesn’t suffer from predictability. Instead the novelty of the album lives up to its hype unlike many of the Wu affiliates solos. Not only does the album restore our faith in the Chef but is also a much needed boost for RZA’s production. While RZA’s grimy, kung-fu influenced beats were always signature of a Wu song, this reviewer thought RZA had recently slipped into a world of his own, and his beats were suffering from it. It’s hard to say if the lyrics got tighter or the beats got grimier, but OBFCLII is a refreshing surprise. Of course one has to give some credit to guest producers like Dr. Dre, J. Dilla, Busta Rhymes and Marley Marl. Speaking of Dre, if Raekwon can pull off this type of success 14 years later; let’s hope Detox can follow-up Chronic 2001 just as well.

The Strokes meets synth-pop. In the recent Rolling Stone review of this album they compared it to Thom Yorke’s solo work “The Eraser.” While the concept may be somewhat accurate, lead singer of a brilliant band makes a pretty good solo album with a somewhat new, somewhat expected sound, on paper Phrazes for the Young sounds is quite different from the Eraser. Casablancas has recently been collaborating with some fairly big names, Santogold, Pharrell, Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and even SNL’s Andy Samberg. Naturally one could expect his solo work might take on a lighter sound. In addition, PFTY has quite an eclectic sound, with country/folk influences evident on “Ludlow St.”, gospel influencing “4 chords of the Apocalypse” and a more “classic” Strokes sound on “River of Breaklights.” Where Casablancas’ rough, dismal voice once provided angst for the youth of tomorrow, it now provides a gruff contrast over soothing melodies.

Notable Tracks: “New Wu”, “House of Flying Daggers”, “Catalina”

Notable Tracks: “Out of the Dimension”

Recommended if you like: GZA: Liquid Swords, Wu-Tang: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Recommended if you like: Discovery: LP, MGMT: Oracular Spectacular

Blue”,

“11th

-DANIEL WRIGHT

Jeﬀery Costa has discovered a relationship between art and unemployment; that is to say, his art is an investigation of unemployment or the creation of unemployment through the arts. Costa has an interest in rough, pseudoformal presentation, yet with a respect and understanding for the traditional gallery space and use. Costa’s work varies from photography to drawing to sculptures, yet he primarily enjoys working in sculpture, using common materials and familiar objects. A common thread he maintains throughout his work is connection and interest to industrial complex (hence, the cinder blocks). He explores this notion by creating works that unpack some of the sociovisual tropes that form the building blocks of our lives. -Miles Stemp

NOV. 19 - 25, 2009

THEONTARION.CA

Darryn Doull and the artist-curator ZACK MACRAE

Our featured artist from last week, Darryn Doull just had a unique and interactive exhibit in the Zavitz gallery. Installed was Doull’s physical representation of a role that he is currently pursuing: the artist-curator. “If you’re the curator,” explained Doull in a chat on Monday, “a good curator, you should be thinking about the artists that you are curating. You should also be concerned with how you present that work, if you’re going to be an artist about it as well; you have to try and do the artist justice without cutting yourself short.” For Doull, the traditional gallery space does not present the work to the viewer in the most eﬀective way. “Part of the problem with many exhibits,” said Doull, “is that the viewer interacts with the space in the same way. When you change the space, the viewer has the opportunity to interact with the art in a fresh way.” Doull created a kind of exhibit within an exhibit; an interactive and encompassing presentation of works by fellow specialized students and other Guelph artists. “The whole thing is called SPA(spaces)CES. it’s a broad title for this whole approach. It’s making spaces within the space,” said Doull.

As viewers came into the gallery they were able to walk through the gallery and actively search out the small shelves where the work was placed. “People would come in and walk around the space and start to find these little treasures and then want to find them all, so it turned into kind of a treasure hunt.” The role of the Artist-Curator is a fine line. Doull put a lot of energy into making the space in the gallery different, focusing more on the presentation of the work than the work itself, having the artists create their pieces in only two days. “First and foremost I think of myself as an artist. Making the space is my primary concern; to enable that space to also be another area to encounter art.” The role of the artist-curator is like balancing an equation. As an artist, Doull put 80 per cent of his energy into creating the gallery space and 20 per cent into the curatorial aspect. “If you balance it out too much you begin to sell yourself short as an artist,” said Doull. Doull’s exhibit, although somewhat inaccessible to a viewer not thinking of its conceptual implications, was an interesting look into the emerging role of the artist-curator.

Courtesy

Darryn Doull’s exhibit in the Zavitz gallery presented the role of the Artist-Curator

TURN TO RADIO, WEB IN BAD WEATHER

When a winter storm hits and you need to know if the University is open before setting off for school or work, the best information sources are the local media and U of G’s website. If the president decides to close the University because of bad weather or an emergency before normal working hours, every effort will be made to communicate that decision by 7 a.m. The campus switchboard will also have a recorded message. For more information, see Guelph’s hazardous weather policy at www.uoguelph.ca/hr/hrmanual/512.htm

THE ONTARION

160.10

SPORTS & HEALTH

Not just a diet, but a lifestyle Vega n i s m goes a b ove a n d b eyo n d m ere f o o d c h o i c e s DANIEL O’KEEFE At first thought, I saw veganism as being virtually the same as vegetarianism. Vegans are those people who don’t eat animals, right? Not quite. In order to gain an understanding and appreciation of veganism, what better way to learn than to go directly to the source? I went to visit a pair of vegans. After spending time with sisters, and fellow vegans, Alice and Gemma Stanton-Hagan, my eyes were opened as these women explained to me the differences between the various alternative diets and lifestyles. There are several diets that refrain from the consumption of animals. Pescaterianism is a diet that excludes meat, but allows fish. Vegetarians avoid meat as well as fish. Veganism aims to avoid the exploitation of animals altogether. Not only does this obviously eliminate the consumption of meat and fish, but vegans also refrain from eating eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, honey, or other animal products. This can be very tricky when trying to determine specific ingredients in a product. Many processed sugars are filtered with bone char. Anything with gelatin, which comes from animal skin and bone, isn’t allowed. This also rules out many candies, cookies, and jellies. Veganism, however, doesn’t just stop with food. Vegans also

try to avoid leather, wool, and activities that exploit animals, such as horseback riding or going to the zoo. About seven years ago, at age ten, the sisters adopted a vegetarian lifestyle. They realized where meat

[We considered] the intellectual reasons and factors, and realized veganism was the logical place to be. Alice Stanton-Hagan Katie Malo

came from, and didn’t like the process by which meat went from the farm to the plate. “[We considered] the intellectual reasons and factors, and realized veganism was the logical place to be,” said Alice. The sisters say that the lifestyle can be diﬃcult. Parents often don’t realize that veganism can be a very healthy lifestyle, if a proper and balanced diet is maintained. “Many parents resist [the change to veganism] because of ignorance,” said Alice. “[Our mother] had trouble at ﬁrst, but now she supports it,” added Gemma. Their mother, Anne-Marie,

said that some other parents thought she was making a mistake by allowing her girls to take on the vegetarian lifestyle, saying that it would stunt their growth. With Alice and Gemma both being nearly six-feet tall, however, AnneMarie is no longer concerned. Being on the road can be tricky, but Alice said that problems can be avoided by doing research ahead of time to find the vegan-friendly stops along the way. More difficult is going to friends’ houses, because the girls don’t want to offend their hosts by not eating the food they provide. But they do want to remain true to their decisions.

To go vegan is to make a conscious decision to go against the cultural norm and it requires a whole new mentality about food. The girls ﬁnd it frustrating at times because of the North American culture. In all honesty, we typical omnivores do make it diﬃcult. From an outsider’s perspective, becoming a vegan may seem like limiting what you can eat, but Gemma and Alice don’t feel deprived. They have very diverse diets, and there are plenty of options. Just like you or I may order pizza or make macaroni and cheese when hungry and short on time, vegans also have their turn-to

recipes, and choice favourites that they can always make and enjoy. “We eat better now than before,” said Alice of her updated diet. The sisters’ diets may appear to be lacking, but in actuality, they are quite complete. They eat far better than most people. As a precaution, however, the sisters take a vitamin B-12 supplement, since the main sources of B-12 in human diets come from meat, milk, and eggs. The sisters are also quite aware of how to stay healthy. They ensure that their diets include complete proteins. Complete proteins are proteins that contain all the essential amino acids. To prepare a meal with complete proteins, simply serve a meat alternative with a grain product. Possibly the best example is beans and rice. When I spent time with Alice and Gemma, they were busy preparing dinner. They treated me to vegan sausage with kale and quinoa. Vegan sausage. An oxymoron? Perhaps. Delicious? You bet. Kale is a type of cabbage, a little bit hardier, and comes in green and purple variations. Quinoa is grown for its edible seeds, and is related to beets and spinach. The meal was simple to make, delicious to eat, and healthy for the body. While veganism can make things somewhat diﬃcult, it is easy to adapt and take on this very healthy and rewarding lifestyle. With a little perseverance and research, nearly anyone can avoid exploiting animals while retaining a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle.

Gryphons sweep national cross country titles for fourth straight year <

CONTINUED FROM COVER

that Brunsting, still feeling fresh, made his big move. “I was looking around at the other guys in the pack and at my teammates and Kyle and Allan both looked pretty good. I felt terrific but it looked like some of the other guys were labouring a little bit,” said Brunsting. “They looked like they were more strained than I felt like I was. That was the reason why I made the move (ahead) when I did. At that time, it felt like the right thing to do.” Scott-Thomas praised the fourth-year runner’s awareness of the right time to make his break. “[Brunsting’s] control is fantastic and sometimes in cross-country, you’ve got to feel when the other guys are vulnerable and when you’re not,” said Scott-Thomas. “When he went, it was a definitive move, and BAM! He was gone. The only other guy who was close to reacting to it was Kyle.” Brett, the Gryphon OUA champion from two weeks ago, finished fifth and fellow teammates Nigel Wray and John Parrott finished 11th and 12th, respectively. The Gryphon women cruised to their fifth consecutive national title,

final two qualifying runners finished well back. It was the Gryphon depth that secured the title. “The thing about cross-country is that even though it’s always important to have those low sticks (leading places), the reality is that depth wins,” said Scott-Thomas. “Fifth, sixth and seventh runners decide titles and medal spots all the time. “With around 140 women racing, someone way back in the sixties and seventies places is really determining the title – the swing position there is huge,” he continued. “Individual battles (at the front) are great, but the realities are that these races are often won based on your depth.” As a whole, the Gryphon cross John Goodfellow No fewer than five Gryphons dominated the lead pack as the team went on to win their fifth consecutive country program has now taken 15 national titles, eclipsing the mark of national title. 13 that they previously shared with doing so in record form by winning from injury to win the silver medal body was telling her and said ‘I’ve the University of Victoria. On the by the largest margin of victory on Saturday, trailing only Toronto’s got to get back in this and I’ve got to men’s side, Brunsting, Boorsma and in CIS history. The women’s gold Megan Brown, who won for the be tough.’ And she did. She fought Brett were all named first team Allmedal-winning score of 57 points second consecutive year. her way back to second. It was a very Canadians, while Wray and Parrott made the second team. Carson and was 87 points fewer than second“She’s a tough kid and it’s easy to good race for her.” place U of T. say, but she’s a game day performer,” Carson was joined by a slew Cliff were female first team AllThe women were sparked by the said Scott-Thomas of Carson. of elite Gryphons as Rachel Cliff, Canadians while Lalonde, who return of Lindsay Carson, one of the “Halfway through the race, she got Genevieve Lalonde, Courtney was also named CIS Rookie of the top female runners in the country. rolled up by a pack of really good Laurie and Lindsay Furtado all year, was named to the second team. Carson was held out of the OUA women and she ended up on the finished among the top 25 female Scott-Thomas was named men’s and championships due to strained back end of that pack. runners. Despite the fact that U of T women’s Coach of the year for the muscles in her foot, but fought back “But her brain overrode what her had three runners in the top six, their fourth consecutive season.

The Great Razor Debate

enjoy a

Figure 3a

E H C A T S U O M by Nicole Elsasser & Zack MacRae graphics by Duncan Day-Myron

Figure 1

gimme a face with hair: a brief introduction to the world of moustaches

f I were to describe my dad to someone who had never met him, after mentioning his beer belly I would probably brag about the majesty of his moustache. I mean, that thing is good. My dad’s moustache has been a constant in my life for as long as I can recall. As a child I remember tugging on it during play ﬁghts, watching him comb it in the mirror after he shaved, and being generally grossed out by the snot-cicles that would form on it when he shoveled the driveway. The legacy of his moustache runs far into the past and is older then I am. In the late 1970s, when the moustache was more common than The Rolling Stones on the radio, my dad, in his senior year of high school entered a moustache growing competition. Although he didn’t win, after the competition he decided to keep it, and as it grew, so did he. Now at age 51 he proudly wears a bushy moustache that has a 32 year long history. Stephen Loo, member of the Movember Foundation, a global not-for-proﬁt charitable organization dedicated to raising money and awareness about prostate cancer has similar recollections of moustached men in his life. “All my uncles and my father had moustaches back in the 80s and 90s, and I grew up thinking that that was the way it was supposed to be; you were a man when you had kids and grew a moustache,” said Loo. The Movember Foundation started in 2003 in Australia when a few friends got together over a couple pints and decided to bring the moustache back in the most meaningful way. They started growing their moustaches, getting sponsors to give them money and moral support for growth. In its short history, the Movember Foundation, which runs the men’s health initiative, Movember, has raised over 51 million dollars world wide and is practiced by thousands.

Men everywhere grow moustaches for different reasons. Andrew Townshend, a fourth year student and moustache aficionado at U of G wears his for prestige. “I think moustaches are, first and foremost, distinguished, and they define your face in a very responsible way … [My moustache] is a labour of love.” For Loo it’s simple: “I wear a moustache because I’m trying to help change the face of men’s health and spread awareness about prostate cancer. I also look at it as a tribute to my dad.” Men who participate in Movember are having fun not taking their appearance seriously. These men wear the awareness on their face, and the moustaches act as a kind of conversation piece to spur on discussion about prostate cancer; Loo explained that a Movember moustache is “the hairy ribbon.” The primary goal of the Movember foundation is to spread awareness about men’s health. “I think that men typically do not take their health seriously enough,” said Loo. “Talking about it now, hopefully men will go out and get tested and be on top of things.” Prostate cancer is over 90 per cent curable if detected early. Movember’s main goal is to inform men who feel that the issue is taboo to get out and get tested regularly. Loo explained that if a person still wants to participate in Movember, the month isn’t over yet, and even if they don’t take part, they should grow a moustache simply because they are awesome. “The most amazing thing about Movember,” said Loo, “is that it targets a demographic of people who aren’t normally your average charity sponsor: younger men.” So get informed, get talking and while you’re at it, get a moustache.

The Fellowship of the Moustache

The men who can’t grow hair from their faces

t’s an all-too-familiar story: a young man surrounded by a forest of glorious moustaches but finding himself unable to grow anything more than a disappointing fuzz above his lip. For some, the coming of Movember means a chance to grow a moustache and engage in a very specific kind of fellowship with other moustache wearers but for others, it is a month to point out one’s facial hair inadequacies. Eli Winterfeld, a University of Guelph student, knows the pain that comes from being simply unable to grow. “It hurts me inside,” said Whitefeld. “I wish desperately to grow facial hair…[my moustache] is somewhere in between a teenager and a ‘real’ man’s.” Whitefeld may be disappointed at his physical abilities in the moustache-growing department but he has a plan. “I’m just waiting … I’m going to India next semester and I’m not going to shave,” said Whitefeld. “I’m [hopefully] going to have such a big beard.” According to Stephen Loo, an organizer from the Movember Foundation, many men end up sporting less-than-impressive moustaches. “The thing about a moustache is that it takes a while to grow a proper one. In a month, you can’t really do it justice so you look ridiculous no matter what,” said Loo. “That’s what makes it cool and appealing to younger guys especially.” Whitefeld takes another approach when dealing with Movember. “I’m there in spirit,” said Whitefeld. “I really encourage my friends and say ‘hey, your moustache looks great’ and I encourage people to grow it if they don’t have the self-confidence, because I have the [self-confidence], I just don’t have the moustache or facial hair.” For now, that is. Whitefeld is looking toward his hopefully moustache-filled future with excitement. “It’s good anticipation,” he said. “The year that I can do it, or the year I can grow a full beard, it’s going to be a great year.”

s Abdul R. Chaballout said in a contribution to the online magazine ‘The Art of Manliness’, “When two men meet, bonding prospects are signiﬁcantly enhanced when both tote a well-groomed moustache.” This does indeed seem to be the case, both with young men growing their facial hair for Movember or moustache wearers generally, and a true camaraderie is said to be born from the presence of “the hairy ribbon”. Stephen Loo of the Movember Foundation explains how silly most people look with a less-than-full moustache that creates the bond between men. “[Young men] are just trying to get attention and it is a great way to do it,” said Loo. “Guys come together and bond over it a little bit because you never really know until you grow and you’ve got these guys who just can’t grow [a full moustache] but they try their best…that’s the fun thing.” According to Andrew Townshend, a fourth year English student at the University of Guelph and a proud sporter of a full moustache, there is a certain subtlty that comes from properly participating in this facial hair related comeraderie. “It’s only if we don’t talk about [our moustaches],” said Townshend. “As soon as a person wants to talk about it, I no longer feel associated with them. It’s just a nice thing that you have together and if you talk about it, you’ll ruin it.” Townshend explained that, if you are looking to participate in a kind of moustache fellowship, the best approach is an understated one. “[Give] a nod, a really simple nod, just between the two of you,” said Townshend. “That’s actually how I like to acknowledge most things in common.”

The moustaches of the Rich and famous

Many proclaim the superiority of the straight razor over the disposable ones that are more commercially popular. In an article entitled “Shave Like Your Grandpa” which was written by Brett McKay for The Art of Manliness, he gushed about the beneﬁts of shaving with a straight razor, some of which included a closer shave, reduced overall costs and less environmental impact, not to mention that you feel like a badass. “You’ll be shaving with a tool that can double as a lethal weapon,” said McKay. “Putting razor sharp steel next to your throat every morning reminds you that you’re alive.” This being said, for the last three years, barbershops like

Franco’s and Sons Barber Shop and Hairstyling in Guelph, have not been shaving their customers with the “badass” preferred tool of barbers. According to Paul Figliuzzi, the ban came after a case of hepatitis in the United States that was traced back to an improperly cleaned straight razor. “I think it’s horrible because [barbers] have been giving [straight razor shaves] for hundreds of years,” said Figliuzzi. While getting a shave at a barbershop may have lost a little of its charm without the straight razor, they are still readily available in gentlemen’s grooming supply stores for anyone who is “badass” enough to shave with a lethal weapon.

Figure 3b

Figure 3c

Figure 3d

Figure 2

Caring for your moustache masterpiece Growing an impressive moustache is one thing. Keeping it properly maintained is quite another. It would seem that there is a lot involved in grooming the mane above one’s lip. First, many moustache experts suggest that when starting the growing process, letting your facial hair grow wildly for a while before choosing a shape is wise. The next step is looking carefully at both the way your hair will realistically grow as well as what moustache style may suit your face. If a person is smiling widely, the line from the bottom of the nose outward toward the ends of their lips is the natural line for a moustache and this should be kept in mind when choosing a moustache style. Moustache trimmers will be a necessity when maintaining a

handsome moustache and to take the grooming one step further, many suggest combing moisturizer into the hair to help faciliate a glossy sheen. As far as upkeep is concerned, Paul Figliuzzi at Franco’s and Sons Barbershop & Hairstyling, a Guelph favourite for 43 years, sees a lot of moustaches and explained that grooming them does take upkeep but needn’t be too complicated. “Shampoo [your moustache] just like you would your hair, for one. Constantly comb it so you don’t get the ﬂakes under your nose,” said Figliuzzi. “[Dry] it so the skin under your nose doesn’t stay wet…and really just have fun with it, don’t make it look like that guy beside you.”

Figure 3e

The moustache is such a strong, important feature of the dignified man’s face that many men throughout the years have become identifiable solely by their ‘staches. These moustaches are more than just a beautiful, lush decoration. They represent the very spirit of their bearers. The thin, gravity-defying moustache of Spanish painter Salvador Dalí is as surreal as the man’s paintings themselves; Clark Gable’s neat, trim lip coif is as slick, charming and handsome as the Silver Screen star’s moves with the dames; Friedrich Nietzsche’s überstache is as dense and impenetrable as The Will to Power, thick and unruly from a mind to preoccupied with its years of furious existential thought to even consider a shave, a trim or a grooming. Sports is also home to a burgeoning moustache fanbase. Baseball has had more than its fair share of hirsute hitters over the years, but none have been quite so fantastic as Rollie Fingers’ flawless waxed and curled tribute to the Victorian gentleman, a moustache that truly worked to but the spectacle but in sports. And where would professional wrestling be without Hulk Hogan’s golden handlebars? One of the 1980s most inspiring icons. And then there’s the verboten moustache. Testament to the overwhelming aesthetic significance of a ‘stache, Adolf Hitler has forever tarnished a perfectly acceptable moustache. The thin, square black box adorning an upper lip is now inseparable from genocide, war and severely parted hair. Any effort to try to reappropriate this moustache is still unacceptable. But perhaps one day, the mustachioed masses will, with caution and respect, be able to bring it back. But hopefully they’ll call it the Chaplin.

Figure 3f Figure 1 Moustache royalty, Tom Selleck Figure 2 Memenro of a bygone era of professional moustache grooming

Figure 3g

Figure 3 Depictions of celebrated professional moustaches throughout history. a. The Pitcher b. The Philosopher c. The Wrestler d. The Artist e. The Lothario f. The “Muniz” g. The Trebek

NOV. 19 - 25, 2009

SPORTS & HEALTH

THEONTARION.CA

A weekend split

H o c key day Gryphonville

Andrew Goloida

Patricia Harris (right) of the Gryphons, attacks the oﬀensive zone in Friday’s game against the Windsor Lancers.

Looking for consistency MIKE TREADGOLD For the Guelph Gryphons women’s volleyball team, the new season couldn’t come soon enough. In 2008-09, the Gryphons went into the Christmas break, having posted a very respectable 7-7 record in an ultra-competitive OUA West division. After the break, however, the Gryphons experienced a serious holiday hangover, dropping seven of their last eight matches and finishing out of the playoff picture, with a 9-14 record. The team had shown considerable promise, but couldn’t hold it all together in the end, struggling to reassert their momentum and halt the losing streak. Now, four games into the 2009-10 season, that familiar winning feeling is once again present. The Gryphons won their first two matches of the new season, a pair of easy victories over Toronto and Lakehead over the Halloween weekend. The victory over Toronto was particularly impressive as the Varsity Blues currently sit in first place in the OUA East. Unfortunately for the Gryphs, the momentum was somewhat short-lived as the team has dropped their last two games to their longtime rivals from Brock and McMaster,

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falling to 2-2 on the season. The fiveset loss to the Badgers was a tireless effort from both teams that saw the Gryphons come up just short. In last Wednesday’s game against the Marauders, the Gryphons stormed out of the gates, taking the first set by a score of 25-15. After the first break, however, McMaster appeared rejuvenated and composed and went on to take the final three sets, 25-14, 25-15 and 25-19 to seal the victory, moving them to 5-1 on the season, good for second place in the division. “Our team as a whole, and as individuals, did not execute at an appropriate level tonight and we did not play with enough passion to make up for the lack of performance,” said head coach Paul Funk. “We are struggling right now and we have some hard questions to answer within our next week and a half of training.” Throughout the season, the Gryphons have been led by three of their most senior players: third-year setter Melissa McGinn, rightside Claire Sandor, and fourth-year middle hitter Kylen Van Osch. Sandor and Van Osch are both among the OUA’s top ten scorers, with Van Osch sitting second in the league, averaging just over four

Rashaad Bhamjee

Kaitlyn Krizmanich (front) gets low for a dig while Jenny Vance (centre) and head coach Paul Funk look on. points-per-game. McGinn has done a great job of setting the table for the Gryphons’ big hitters, averaging 8.75 assists-per-game, placing her sixth in the league. Megan Canavan, a second-year libero, has been a

defensive back-row expert for the team, averaging 4.57 digs-per-game. The Gryphons are back in action this weekend, traveling for a pair of road games against Laurier and Waterloo on Friday and Saturday.

Volleyball (W)

Basketball (M)

Basketball (W)

H ockey (M)

Guelph vs Ryerson: 3-0

Guelph vs McMaster: 1-3

Guelph vs Laurentian: 80-82

Guelph vs Laurentian: 52-72

Guelph v Nipissing: 6-2

6 6 6 5 4 4 3 1 1 1 0

0 1 2 2 1 2 4 5 6 7 7

Waterloo McMaster Western Laurier Brock Guelph Windsor

H ockey (W) Guelph v Western: 4-2 Laurier Queen’s Guelph York U of T Western Brock Windsor UOIT Waterloo

L OTL

9 7 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 1

0 2 2 3 3 5 6 6 6 4

0 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 1 2

In front of about 300 fans, Derek Knowles and Kris Belan each scored two goals, helping to lead the Gryphons to a 6-2 win over the visiting Nipissing Lakers on Saturday. Ed Gale chipped in with three assists as the Gryphons (4-5-2) swept their weekend games. The Gryphs had defeated the Carleton Ravens 3-2 in a shootout on Thursday. On the women’s side, the lady Gryphons split their weekend series, dropping a 3-2 shootout decision to Windsor on Friday, before handing the Western Mustangs a 4-2 defeat on Saturday evening. The third-place Gryphons (5-2-2) were once again led by winger Jessica Zerafa, whose 14 points place her second in the OUA.

Hoops hardships

Volleyball (M) McMaster Western Queen’s Windsor Guelph Waterloo U of T Laurier Ryerson York RMC

6 5 5 3 3 2 1

0 1 1 2 4 2 4

Lakehead McMaster Waterloo Windsor Western Brock Guelph Laurier

4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1

0 1 1 1 2 3 3 3

4 4 3 3 2 1 1 0

0 0 0 1 1 3 3 4

L OTL

9 8 7 7 6 5 4 4 3

2 3 3 4 5 5 5 5 6

Western Lakehead Laurier Waterloo Brock York Guelph UOIT Windsor

(Team)

Swimming

(Team)

Campbell Division Championships Gold Guelph Men (4x50 Free) Guelph Women (4x50 Medley, 4x100 Free) Andrew Ford (400 IM, 200 Back, 200 IM, 100 Back) Matthew Stephenson (200 Breast) Ben Roberts (50 Back) Scott Van Doormaal (400 Free) Bethany Flemington (50 Back, 200 Back) Chantique Payne (100 Fly, 50 Free, 200 IM)

X-Country (M)

X-Country

CIS Championship 1. Matt Brunsting (Guelph) 2. Kyle Boorsma (Guelph) 3. Kelly Wiebbe (Regina) ------------------------5. Allan Brett (Guelph) 11. Nigel Wray (Guelph) 12. John Parrott (Guelph)

CIS Championship Women 1. Guelph (57) 2. U of T (144) 3. McMaster (147) Men 1. Guelph (31) 2. Windsor (92) 3. St. FX (170)

X-Country (W)

Swimming

CIS Championship 1. Megan Brown (U of T) 2. Lindsay Carson (Guelph) 3. Valerie Belanger (Sherbrooke) --------------------------8. Rachel Cliff (Guelph) 9. Genevieve Lalonde (Guelph) 17. Courtney Laurie (Guelph)

Campbell Division Championships

1. McMaster (1738) 2. U of T (1678.5) 3. Guelph (1439) 4. Laurentian (688) 5. Queen’s (633.5) 6. York (217) 7. Carleton (183)

Brock Windsor McMaster Western Lakehead Laurier Waterloo Guelph

West

Silver Matthew Stephenson (400 IM, 100 Breast) Ben Roberts (100 Back) Scott Van Doormaal (1500 Free, 200 Back, 200 Fly) Bethany Flemington (100 Free, 50 Fly) Chantique Payne (100 Back) Alexis Jordan (100 Breast, 200 Breast)

0 1 1 1 0 1 2 1 2

The Gryphon men’s and women’s basketball teams continued their slow starts over the weekend, dropping three of four matchups. On the men’s side, the Gryphons received a much-needed boost with the returns of Jonathan Moscatelli and Dan McCarthy from injuries. Moscatelli scored 26 points in his return on Friday, to help lead the Gryphons over the York Lions 96-85. On Saturday, the Gryphon men fell in a heartbreaker, 82-80 to the Laurentian Voyageurs. On the women’s side, the Gryphons dropped a pair of matches, falling 72-71 to the Lions in overtime, followed by a 72-52 defeat at the hands of the Voyageurs.

Gridiron all-stars Seven members of the Gryphons football team have been named as OUA all-stars. Running back Nick Fitzgibbon, defensive back James Savoie, offensive lineman Ryan Bomben and kicker Rob Maver were named to the first team while wide receiver Jedd Gardner, linebacker Adam Dunk and defensive lineman Grant McDonald were named to the second team. This was the first nomination for Bomben and McDonald whereas the other five Gryphon all-stars are repeat recipients.

Honours from the pitch Two members of the Gryphon men’s rugby team have been recognized as OUA all-stars, for their performances in the 2009 campaign. Fifth-year captain C. Leonard received his second consecutive nomination while his second-year teammate Scott Beukeboom received his ﬁrst such honour. Leonard led the Gryphons with four tries during the regular season. The Gryphons struggled throughout the regular season, ﬁnishing with a 1-7 record.

THE ONTARION

SPORTS & HEALTH

160.10

IN FOCUS

Working your powerhouse Twentieth century workout focuses on your core and has numerous variations ELIZABETH MCLEOD Have you ever heard the term powerhouse in the world of physical fitness and wondered exactly what that is, where that is, or how you can work yours? Well look no further than the practice of Pilates, a unique and effective way to exercise. Pilates is a physical fitness system that was developed in the 1920s by Joseph Pilates, who throughout his life, made a living as a gymnast, diver, bodybuilder, professional boxer, circus-performer, and self-defence trainer. Needless to say, he had an excellent grasp on the workings of the human body. Pilates called the method, by which he developed the system, contrology, using the mind to control the muscles. His methods were first utilized to rehabilitate injured soldiers in World War I, and quickly gained widespread popularity. The central aims of Pilates involve attempts to create a connection between the mind and the body through principles of correct breathing, centreing, concentration, control, precision, efficiency of movement, and flexibility. Pilates exercises draw on the powerhouse region of the body, comprised of the abs and buttocks, while maintaining a series of poses. The benefits of Pilates are numerous. “Pilates works to improve flexibility, balance and posture as

well as toning and strengthening the entire body,” said Emma Morgan, fitness expert and founder of Bootcamp Athletics. “It can correct imbalances and strengthen chronic weaknesses. The exercises are easily modifiable to all fitness levels.” Other health benefits of Pilates include the reduction of stress, improvement of concentration, and increased mental awareness. A famous quote by Joseph Pilates outlines the true nature of the system as being, “the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind, fully capable of naturally performing our many daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure.” Pilates is often connected or confused with the practice of Yoga. There are, however, a number of differences between the two practices. “The most obvious difference between Pilates and Yoga is how much more movement there is in Pilates exercises,” explained certified instructor Joleen Constantis. “Yoga uses static positions, whereas Pilates uses long sweeping motions to stretch as well as strengthen your body.” Pilates may also incorporate the use of various machines while Yoga is machine-free. These differences make these two workouts great complementary exercises. There have been a number of variations from the original form of Pilates. The four main schools of Pilates, which have become predominant today are, Fletcher Pilates, Stott Pilates, Power Pilates, and Winsor Pilates.

Fletcher Pilates is a method developed by a protégé of Joseph Pilates, Ron Fletcher. Now 88, Fletcher has been called ‘a true master of movement.’ His unique method incorporates all traditional Pilates concepts with his own concepts. Stott Pilates incorporates modern exercise principles, including methods of spinal rehabilitation and athletic performance enhancement, in its movement. It is considered to be the safest form of Pilates due to its increased focus on the sensitive nature of the spine. You may have seen infomercials for Winsor Pilates, the third main variation. Winsor Pilates is available through a variety of at home DVDs and is known for its weight loss, body sculpting, and abdominal workout videos. It touts quick and easy toning and sculpting, as well as being a favourite amongst celebrities. Power Pilates was founded in 1989 and is the fourth and final main school of Pilates. The goal of Power Pilates is to provide classical Pilates training that honours the integrity of the methods initially developed by Joseph Pilates. Power Pilates stresses the proper education of its instructors. It emphasizes its differences from other schools of Pilates, stating that it has taken a different track right from its inception, and is neither the fastest, cheapest or easiest form. The focus of this type of Pilates is on structure and discipline. Pilates classes are offered at a variety of fitness facilities and range in level of difficulty. Most classes incorporate a combination

Daniel Julia

Pilates strengthens the body’s core region through a series of poses, combined with controlled breathing exercises of popular methods. Variations such as vertical and hot Pilates are now oﬀered in addition to basic classes for added beneﬁt. Classes are popular among men and

women of all ages as the beneﬁts that this method of exercise oﬀers are great for everyone.

SPEAK INTO THE MIKE

One last heave On

tarion

MIKE TREADGOLD It had all the makings of a modern day resurrection of the famed Bobby Baun story. An athlete, hampered by injury, returns to the field of play, braving the pain and sacrificing his body for one last heroic performance. For those who don’t know, Baun was a defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1960s. In the 1964 Stanley Cup finals, Baun fearlessly blocked a Gordie Howe slap shot, breaking his ankle and requiring him to be taken off the ice on a stretcher. Famously though, in what is widely considered one of the most heroic moments in sports history, Baun returned to the ice in that same game, aided only by ankle tape and painkillers. Baun scored the game-winning overtime goal that night, giving the Leafs a

Game 6 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, en route to their third consecutive Stanley Cup win. It was the kind of story that lives on for generations.

Michael Faulds had replayed the football version of the Bobby Brown story, and the only thing missing was the happy ending. Fast-forward 45 years to the Yates Cup, the Ontario University football championship game

played on Saturday between the Western Mustangs and Queen’s Gaels. The game featured two of the most proliﬁc quarterbacks in CIS history with the Mustangs’ Michael Faulds and the Gaels’ Danny Brannagan going head to head. Late in the fourth quarter, with Western trailing 43-39, Faulds, the nation’s all-time passing leader, got his team on the move, having already thrown for over 500 yards in the game. After an incomplete pass on ﬁrst down at the Gaels’ 25-yardline, Western fans gaped with fear. Faulds was down. His wonky knee had given out. Faulds had to be helped to the sideline by his teammates, virtually unable to walk. It was hard to tell if the pain on his face was because of his knee, or because he could no longer help his team win. With Faulds on the sideline, backup quarterback Donnie Marshall was in for four plays and struggled to take the Mustangs any further. Meanwhile, Faulds

watched in agony on the sidelines, wondering if his record-setting career would really end like this. Faulds pleaded with his head coach, Greg Marshall, begging for just one more chance to go back in. Marshall appeared reluctant to risk further injury. Down to their last chance, needing to score on a 3rd-and-20 play with just 17 seconds left, Marshall caved and out trotted Michael Faulds. Except Michael Faulds didn’t jog out to the huddle. He limped. Unable to put virtually any weight on his left knee, the Mustangs leader could barely stand. Watching the game on television, the stories I’d heard about Baun raced through my head and a lump formed in my throat. This was truly sports heroism at its ﬁnest. As Faulds took the snap, he tried to go into his usual ﬁve-step drop into the pocket. The Gaels’ pass rush burst through the line and got a hold of Faulds’ leg. With a desperate heave, Faulds fearlessly

threw the ball downfield, barely out of reach of wide receiver Zach Bull. The game was over. Western was defeated. Michael Faulds had replayed the football version of the Bobby Baun story, and the only thing missing was the happy ending. As a tireless Gryphon supporter, I felt strange cheering for Michael Faulds on Saturday. I’ve cheered against him for five years when the Mustangs visited Alumni Stadium to take on the Gryphs. But for this brief moment in time, he had my support. For all things that are good in sports, I wanted him to succeed. I wanted that happy ending, but it just wasn’t meant to be. In future years, people will look at this game and may only remember it for the fact that it was the Gaels’ first Yates Cup victory in 31 years. With all due respect to Queen’s, however, this game belonged to Michael Faulds – Mustang quarterback and a gridiron warrior.

NOV. 19 - 25, 2009

SPORTS & HEALTH

THEONTARION.CA

OPEN CONTENT

Killer App 3.0? MICHAEL RIDLEY Google Wave. It’s hard to avoid hearing about this new application from Google. For something still in early beta, it’s being widely viewed as “the next big thing.” So what does it mean to be the next big thing? Advances in technology are measured not so much by what we do as the tools we use to do it: The killer apps. The killer apps of the past are Lotus 1-2-3. (look it up on Wikipedia, it was very cool back in the day), Netscape (browser 1.0), MSN (text becomes viral and communal), and Google search (technology becomes a verb). Facebook (voyeurism goes pro) is the most recent example. Is Google Wave next? It’s challenging to describe what Wave is. I’m not going to try; see the videos on YouTube. However, it seems to me Wave is currently suffering from the “horseless carriage” syndrome; people are trying to define it and understand its value by referencing some preceding application or technology. Wave is “live blogging in groups” or “texting with multimedia.” We understand the future by positioning it within our past. The difficultly is we actually

Courtesy

use the new tools in ways that mirror the past (for a wonderful view on this see Carolyn Marvin’s When Old Technologies Were New). Rant warning. Email. I am a massive user of email; a considerable amount of the work I do is done through email. My inbox and folders are my work. And yet email really sucks as a way

to interact, store, share, and manage work. It is such a blunt instrument and yet we enthusiastically use it over and over again for the most inappropriate tasks. So this is where Wave comes in again. Think of it now as a “wiki on steroids.”It is a shared, collaborative space where groups can work together on creating, sharing, and advancing things (documents,

video, multimedia, discussions, meetings, whatever) and then publish them (or release them). It may very well allow me to dump email. That’s my horseless carriage version of Wave: better email. BTW Google is introducing Wave the same way it did with Gmail, with “invites.” People were invited by Google to participate as early adopters and then they in turn have a limited number of invites to allow their friends to sign up. Brilliant marketing. Everyone feels special and the “invites” are widely sought after. Cool kids have invites; the not-so-cool-kids are chasing them. We could all learn a lot from this. In the age of abundance, the perception (if not the reality) of scarcity is the way to attract mass attention. Marshall McLuhan said “First we shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us.” We are relentless tool builders. And yet, having built those tools, we rarely try to assess or understand how profoundly those tools aﬀect or even limit the way we perform or operate. Tools give, but tools take away as well. The absolute best example of this is literacy (the alphabet; reading and writing). It’s a veritable intellectual prison

(but that’s a rant for another day and another column). The killer apps of the past have changed us both subtly and profoundly. We think and act differently because of them. The price of Wave or any new tool is adopting its paradigm and bending to its will. And so, those with invites are trying to make sense of it all. Some have already packed it in and moved on, others are still a bit puzzled by it (me), and many see something interesting lurking inside this thing (me again). Google Wave is the new kid on the block. Savvy marketing is making it the buzz around the net. And since Google has quite the track record, it is always worth paying attention to what they are doing. Of course Google has flops too. Remember Orkut? Didn’t think so. The search for killer app 3.0 continues, and with apologies to Stevie Smith, I’m still waving not drowning. Michael Ridley is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Librarian at the University of Guelph. Contact him at mridley@ uoguelph.ca or www.uoguelph.ca/ cio.

The University of Ottawa: among Canada’s Top 10 research universities.* Collaborating with some of the country’s top minds in the heart of the nation’s capital.

It starts here » www.grad.uOttawa.ca *Source : RE$EARCH Infosource Inc.

THE ONTARION

160.10 2

GIRLS

OPINION

1 (SEX)

COLUMN

Sharing the responsibility AISLINN WYATT If you were to ask students on the Guelph campus to list forms of birth control, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d bet that most would be able to come up with condoms, but that every other method would be female-speciďŹ c: such as the pill, the shot and the ring Hormonal birth control methods for women work by introducing hormones (usually a combination of estrogen and progestin) into a womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body that prevents her ovaries from releasing an egg, since with no egg there is no chance of pregnancy. Some hormonal methods also thicken the cervical mucus which makes it harder for sperm to get to the ovaries, or alter the lining of the uterus to make it hard for an egg to implant. These methods are from 92 to 99.7 per cent eďŹ&#x20AC;ective in preventing pregnancy. The availability of so many types of hormonal birth control for women is excellent, and allows them to take control of their fertility, which can be very empowering. But unfortunately with this control also comes the burden of bearing the responsibility for birth control almost entirely on their shoulders.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hugely in favour of both partners sharing the responsibility of birth control. This can involve partners discussing birth control methods together, and deciding as a pair what methods they think would work for them. Women can ask their partner to help them remember to take their pill each day. Men can take the responsibility of bringing and wearing a condom. Any way that both partners can be involved in contraception decisions are worth exploring. With respect to the sharing of the responsibility of birth control, one of the most exciting potential breakthroughs is the possibility of a hormonal birth control method for men. There have been whispers of its development for years now, but the widely held belief that women are the ones responsible for birth control has limited funding available for research. Also, it seems inherently more diďŹ&#x192;cult to stop the 120 million sperm men release per ejaculation than the one egg women produce

per month. Even with these hurdles in the way, research is being conducted and there are some interesting developments. One method involves introducing more testosterone into menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s systems. While this might seem counterintuitive (since testosterone is the male sex hormone) it would work by tricking the brain into thinking that sperm production is already in full swing, so the brain wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t send the hormonal message to make more. This testosterone could be administered via, a patch or gel applied to the skin, an injection every three months or an

implant inserted every 12 months. Unlike female hormonal birth control, a daily oral pill would most likely not be the method of choice for delivering testosterone, since the digestive system would degrade the hormone and render it less eďŹ&#x20AC;ective. Also, unlike female hormonal methods of birth control, most of which are fully eďŹ&#x20AC;ective after a maximum of a one month cycle, the male hormonal method could take up to three months to become eďŹ&#x20AC;ective. Testosterone-based birth control would also unfortunately most likely have unwanted side eďŹ&#x20AC;ects such as increased acne, weight gain, prostate gland growth and abnormal liver function. With this in mind other researchers are looking into using progestogen, a hormone found in the female birth control pill, which has been shown to suppress the reproductive hormones in both men and women. However, this hormone could reduce menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sex drive and other sex characteristics, so it would need to be supplemented with testosterone injections. Hormonal birth control for men also has social stumbling

blocks in its way. Many women are hesitant to trust men to take their birth control responsibly, since the danger is less directly on their heads, as it is women who would be the ones to become pregnant should a birth control method fail. Also, men have reported that although they are excited about the possibility of a hormonal method of birth control for men in the general sense, that they would be reluctant to take it themselves. The possibility of side eďŹ&#x20AC;ects, like those women sometimes experience with hormonal birth control, has scared some men away from the prospect. Also, there is a fear that hormonal birth control for men could reduce overall condom use rates, and thus increase the spread of STIs. Despite these possible problems with male hormonal birth control, I feel that the potential for sharing the responsibility of pregnancy prevention more equally between partners is a great beneďŹ t. Even if the â&#x20AC;&#x153;male pillâ&#x20AC;? doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t become a reality, partners should still be working together to share the job of birth control between them.

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NOV. 19 - 25, 2009

OPINION

THEONTARION.CA

The importance of the drop fees campaign MICHELLE DI CINTIO November 5 has long been a date remembered by activists as a time for political and social change. Last Thursday students gathered in the UC plaza advocating for their rights â&#x20AC;&#x201C; their right to aďŹ&#x20AC;ordable education, their right not to choose between groceries and courses, and their right to live above the poverty line while undergoing their postsecondary education. The Drop Fees protest is a collaborative eďŹ&#x20AC;ort run by students and joined by members of CUPE, high school students and concerned members of the community. Their aim is to lower the ever-increasing tuition fees that students face in Canada, and in the process begin lowering the billions of dollars of student debt, help ease the struggles of those who have lost their jobs, and work to lower the numbers of those driven into poverty each year. The theme of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rally was â&#x20AC;&#x153;the death of aďŹ&#x20AC;ordable education.â&#x20AC;? The event was a well-organized, visual and vocal display of protest. Fake tombstones decorated the stage in the UC courtyard, and posters declaring â&#x20AC;&#x153;Drop Feesâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;End Povertyâ&#x20AC;? covered the walls while an online video about Drop Fees (which can be found on YouTube) played on the projector. All together it was an eye-catching

exhibit meant to entice those students who had missed the poster, and speakers who advertised this event in the weeks beforehand. Momina Mir, the external commissioner for the CSA, was one of many speakers at the rally. She was there to talk about how the protest was about more than just dropping fees; it was about social change. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the ideal time for this protest, because this is the last year of McGuintyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;reaching higherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; framework for tuition fees,â&#x20AC;? she said. When asked what she expected the result of this protest to be, she spoke on how this action is just one of many that collectively work to bring change. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is about making people aware of the reality of the failures of our government,â&#x20AC;? she said. This sentiment was echoed by other speakers at the event who spoke about successful student campaigns and the power students have to make change happen. After the opening talks from several diďŹ&#x20AC;erent people, including the organizers of the event, the head of the food bank, the head of CUPE, and others, students were taught chants to sing and were given signs to carry on the way downtown to St. Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Square where they met up with high

Get a start

school students from John F. Ross Secondary School. The band, The Catâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pyjamas, was already set up to play and more speakers, like Amy Bishop and a graduate student from Guelph, were there to drive home the message. Considering the number of students currently attending Guelph, it was not a large protest. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of people support the cause but they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to have to work towards it. If they could solve it with a facebook group they would,â&#x20AC;? said one of the people helping to set up the initial display. Another organizer, Denise, disagreed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have faith in the student body. There were a lot of people here last year.â&#x20AC;? Denise may have had it right â&#x20AC;&#x201C; despite the small size and the pelting hail, energy was high and chants loud throughout the march downtown. The students and workers who did attend clearly felt strongly about the cause. This is the sort of determination that participants feel will eventually bring about the much needed change. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not just ďŹ ghting for us,â&#x20AC;? said Amy Bishop, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ďŹ ghting for the rights of future students, and the people who never got a chance.â&#x20AC;?

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Students rallied two weeks ago to protest high tuition at universities in Ontario.

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www.athabascau.ca/standout 1-800-788-9041

THE ONTARION

OPINION

160.10

L OOSE CANNON

Should the CSA should censure Momina Mir? GREG BENETEAU Local politics is rarely a noholds barred grudge match, but occasionally a certain degree of refereeing is required to ensure everyone is playing by the same rules. Take last Wednesday’s CSA board meeting, which provided an interesting example of the politics of personal conflict taken to the extreme. The board was debating whether Curtis Batuszkin, the student behind a petition drive to leave the Canadian Federation of Students would be permitted to attend the CFS Annual General Meeting in December as part of the official local delegation. John Sakuluk, the board member who brought forward the motion, argued that Batuszkin wanted to attend the meeting to network with other student delegates who were working on defederation drives. (It’s important to note that some of the 13 universities that held petition drives have official support from their student unions). Being an official delegate, rather than an observer, would have allowed Batuszkin to participate in committees and cast

a vote on the ﬂoor. Problem is, the CSA’s oﬃcial delegation had already been chosen. The board needed to revise the original motion to include Batuszkin, which required twothirds majority. External Commissioner

She could have ended it there. Instead, she leveled a startling accusation, claiming Batuzskin had “f iled a false harassment complaint” against her to the CSA. Momina Mir, who represents the CSA in the federation, made clear her opposition to the idea of having Batuszkin tag along. She argued that two other students who applied after the deadline and had been turned down for the delegation. Besides, she pointed out, the CSA was already

overspending by sending five representatives to the meeting, which wasn’t going to be about referendums anyways. She could have ended it there. Instead, she leveled a startling accusation, claiming Batuzskin had “filed a false harassment complaint” against her to the Human Rights and Equity Office. Thecannon doesn’t normally report on harassment complaints, but since Mir made the comments during an open session, it became a matter of public record. Both Mir and Batuszkin have since refused to discuss details of the complaint, but it’s difficult to keep such things under wraps in an organization as large as the CSA. It didn’t take much digging to determine two things: (a) Mir revealed the existence of a formerly confidential dispute to elected officials, the press and at least one guest, and (b) the complaint hasn’t yet been resolved, making her claim of being the target of a “false” allegation somewhat premature. The outburst was a clear violation of Parliamentary Procedure, the rules of conduct that allow governments and other

EYES

deliberative bodies to function. It constituted an attack on Batuszkin’s character that strayed outside the boundaries of the conversation. As Roberts Rules Newly of Order Newly Revised put it: “The measure, not the member, is the subject of debate.” More speciﬁcally, Mir accused Batuszkin of ﬁling a complaint in bad faith, which is a big no-no in almost every governing body I’ve encountered. People may laugh at the antics that play out during Question Period on Parliament Hill, but there are some rules that remain strictly enforced. One of those rules is: don’t accuse your opponent being a liar or a cheat. If it were a single slip of the tongue I might be forgiving, but this marks the second time Mir has used the pulpit at a board meeting to make unsubstantiated allegations against Batuszkin. At a board meeting in October, she accused Batuszkin and his petitioners of “misleading” students to get their signatures. I should point out that Batuzskin’s behaviour at the CSA Board meetings hasn’t been perfect, either. He has shown a

tendency to become defensive when questioned, prompting the chair to rule him out of order on at least one occasion. Batuzski and Mir clearly have some ideological differences that are causing interpersonal problems. The key difference is the Mir is an elected official, while Batuszkin only speaks for himself. The board can remove Batuszkin’s speaking rights and bar him from the meeting if he ever gets out of hand. Mir appears to think she can use her position of power to attack people she disagrees with. The CSA Board should issue an official reprimand to remind her that this is not the case. The “Batuszkin” question ultimately failed on a tie vote. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing how Mir’s allegation affected the outcome, which is why basic rules of decorum are so important when conducting board business. Ironically, the CSA Board used its last meeting as an orientation session for its recently hired External Chair, Julian Mehra. He certainly has his job cut out for him.

GUELPH

Sparking development through communication LEAH GERBER Development these days means so much more than simply handing out money and food to poor, hungry people. The modern idea of development includes helping people help themselves, and of course each other. Spreading information from one source to another is a growing ﬁeld in development. Instead of the old ‘top-down’ model where the ‘experts’ in a university or think tank come up with a new idea and have everyone else adopt it, the traditional knowledge of the people themselves is listened to, respected and in demand. Small-scale farmers know a lot more about farming their land than any expert ever could, especially if their family has been in the business for generations. Hundreds of years in the farming industry can lead to a lot of builtup knowledge. This knowledge might be useful to another farmer on the other side of the continent. The job of today’s development worker now includes getting this information from one small-scale farmer to another. There are quite a few ways to accomplish this task, including participatory video making, photographs, cell phones, and the Internet. However, the steadfast and cheap way to get a lot of information to a lot of people is by radio. Unlike the Internet, the radio is inexpensive to access, because to do so requires only simple

equipment. It is also portable so farmers can take a radio outside, or even wear one around their necks while working. George Atkins, a distinguished University of Guelph Alumni spent many years working with the CBC to deliver information to Canadian farmers. While in Africa he noticed all the useful indigenous knowledge that needed to be shared. To help solve this problem and connect farmers, he founded Farm Radio International “He received an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Guelph and was also appointed a member of the order of Canada in 1989,” said Blythe McKay, the development communication coordinator at Farm Radio International, “through his work and travels in Africa he realized that it was vital for radio programmers to have access to information that was relevant to the majority of their audiences, which are the smallholder farmers.” This organization started working out of a small oﬃce at the University of Guelph; thirty years later this little NGO makes a big impact through the support it gives to hundreds of local radio stations all across Africa. Farm Radio provides adaptable radio scripts, free training, and other resources to help the local radio producers send the local farmer reliable, useful farming information in interesting, and usually fun ways.

“I think it’s fundamental for farmers to feel valued, for them to be able to share the knowledge that they have with others, and also to be able to access and share their opinions and ideas as well. They need to be able to talk about the problems that they have any why,” said McKay. Farm Radio International helps local farmers, as well as radio workers realize their full potential through programs such as their annual script writing competition. Months before the script is due, Farm Radio International provides an online or CD-Rom training workshop to teach all the skills needed to write useful scripts. Then the trained script writers go out and interview farmers willing to share their knowledge with everyone in Africa. Farmers are proud to share their ‘pearls of wisdom’ with the rest of the world. Last year’s competition focused on sharing viable ways farmers can deal with climate change. The winning script “Manure the Magic Worker” by Gladson Makowa helped farmers understand the usefulness of manure in helping their crops survive with less moisture. The script includes many jokes and drama to keep the listeners interested. Altogether, it’s a very good program. Often we take the spread of information for granted; little do we realize that something as simple as turning on the radio has the potential to change lives.

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NOV. 19 - 25, 2009

OPINION

THEONTARION.CA

POLITICS

WITH

PETE

Canadian sovereignty: along for the ride PETE NORTON Eyes have turned to the international theatre of politics. With Prime Minister Stephen Harper making diplomatic visits to Asia to enhance Canada’s trading relations with Paciﬁc partners, one can’t help but recognize that times have changed and a new future is being mapped out. But how much input Canadians will have in the direction our nation will take is very hard to know. The positions our government has taken on the array of global issues directly involving Canada would seem to indicate that it won’t be much. Technically we have every right to determine our own future. We are a sovereign country, a selfdetermining nation, free to govern ourselves however we choose. We can take whatever route we like on climate change and action, on our economic recovery plan, on our role in Afghanistan, on international free trade. Depending on who you ask, one could argue our interests are best served by making decisions on some, if not all, of those issues independently. We have, for example, done well to bounce back quickly from the international ﬁnancial crisis and might do well to back out of further stimulus spending. But the G-20 agreed continuing stimulus spending was necessary to ensure the complete success of the recovery and the international monetary fund has concurred in its recommendations for Canada. And while it’s unsettling to think we will continue to spend more than we have for a program whose necessity is now debatable, that is likely the direction we will take. So why don’t we just make our own mind up and do what

Alison Martin

we want? Well, as the ﬁrst word of the previous paragraph would suggest, our sovereignty is more of a technicality. We have been ﬂoating along on calm, prosperous waters for most of our history as a nation, and we have been accordingly reluctant to rock the boat. Since our Confederation we have had the two most powerful nations in the world as our biggest trade partners, one after the other. Our prosperity has been so dependent on the enormous consumption of our neighbour we have all but forfeited our ability to act independently. Our whole country, not just the economy but also our cultural identity, has been built around our interaction with the United States. To suddenly choose a divergent course is a lot easier said than done. Canada will wait on US President Barrack Obama for a

K I T C H E N E R WAT E R L O O

Clinic

cue on what action to take toward carbon emissions and reduction targets. If the Americans refuse to commit to any new climate actions, Canada will surely be in line with them. They are, after all, the biggest market for our oil. If the Americans do choose to make dramatic changes in the energy sources they use and the way they interact with the environment generally, we will have no choice but to follow suit; we will have to generate clean energy alternatives to sell instead. The choice will always remain ours to make, at least technically speaking, but we will defer to the Americans. Our inescapable closeness and dependence make it too hard to really assert our sovereignty. With regards to the Asia-Paciﬁc Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit that just took place, and to international free trade generally, we

will once again duck responsibility for taking the lead. We have a divided position on the issue. On the one hand, as a resource rich country with a small domestic market we need international free trade as much as anyone, and Mr. Harper expressed support for it at the APEC summit. On the other hand, we do enjoy some of the beneﬁts of tariﬀs. Segments of our agricultural industry survive on them. Any politician who strongly advocates one way or the other is asking to be embroiled in a polarized debate and be electorally punished by whomever they alienate. So, once again, we will pass on the opportunity to make our own mind up and simply take whatever gets handed down (if any decision is ever agreed on). With regards to our role in Afghanistan there is actually a case to be made for Canadian

sovereignty. We chose to enter that conflict and to increase our efforts there on our own. We turned down participation in the Iraq debacle, a prudent decision we should all be grateful our leadership made. And we have independently set our own troop withdrawal target, at the start of 2011. But the world is still waiting to see what strategy Mr. Obama will decide on and there is no denying the popularity of the President in Canada. If he reached out to Canadians for ongoing support he would probably find a receptive audience. Would Mr. Harper insist on following through with our troop withdrawal? Or does the expediency of cooperation inevitably make our own political concerns moot? War is a remarkably sensitive political subject and Mr. Harper is surely not naive enough to think he can simply pass that buck along to the Americans, but it all remains to be seen. If you take sovereignty to mean governing free from external influence or control you have to recognize that Canada is suffering from a deficit and always has been. But there isn’t any sense in feeling bitter about it, and frankly, most Canadians don’t. We accept the leadership of our friends because we like how they lead. Don’t forget, we enjoy incredible privileges of wealth, opportunity, security and freedom thanks to the historic directions we’ve taken, whether we chose them or not. Why don’t we just make our own mind up and do what we want? Who says we haven’t? Pete Norton studied history and political science at Guelph from 2004 to 2008.

THE ONTARION

EDITOR’S PAGE

160.10

EDITORIAL

The Ontarion Inc.

“RIP FEMINISM”? Really? Last Friday, Nov. 13, a group of students held a funeral ceremony to mourn the loss of the Women’s Studies (WMST) program at the University of Guelph. A large group of people, many of them dressed entirely in black, gathered around the cannon in Branion Plaza amid mock tombstones and crucifixes. The ground was laid with Astroturf and a number of the bereaved stood at the front of the group to share strong sentiments and urge those in attendance to speak out about the tragedy of eliminating women’s studies as an academic program at the university. On the tombstones and surrounding area, the inscribed messages ranged from the expected, “RIP WMST,” to the shocking, “RIP FEMINISM: apparently we don’t need you anymore” and “WMST FUCK $”. Last year, when facing a sizable budget deficit, the university administration made the difficult decision to propose the elimination of a number of academic programs. The final decision to eliminate WMST, along with eight other

FROM

academic programs, came from the senate board of undergraduate studies (BUGS) and this decision was attributed to the low enrollment numbers that each of the programs were showing. At the time of its elimination, WMST had only 25 majors and no full-time faculty members. This choice was seen by many, who thought it was unfair, as a serious step back for feminism and gender issues. The elimination of WMST has been a story that the Ontarion has been following closely for a great deal of time. One feature of this topic that seems to be rearing its head again and again is the cheap sensationalism being employed by those who oppose the senate’s decision, in order to make a strong statement in favour of WMST.While it is truly regrettable that, because of budgetary problems, the University of Guelph is the only comprehensive university in the country that does not have a WMST program, “RIP FEMINISM”? Really? It is a slap in the face to the other disciplines at this university, not to

mention faculty and students, to blatantly suggest that because the academic program that focused on feminism is no longer offered, that feminism itself is dead. That we don’t “need it anymore”. Let’s be fair here: WMST is not the only discipline that teaches and discusses feminism. Its ideas are so deeply ingrained in our society at this point that it is not dead because of the elimination of WMST at our university. After taking a poll of the staff members at the Ontarion, each and every person, coming from a wide range of disciplines, all had discussed feminism and gender issues at some point in their university careers and many of them had discussed these issues in great detail. The sensationalizing tactics being employed by these particular WMST supporters seem to suggest that that academic program had a monopoly on feminism, which truly isn’t the case. This begs the question: is this actually the best way to make an effective statement that will change the university administrators’ minds about the merits of such a program?

I really don’t think it is. By employing sensationalist tactics to make their arguments, these individuals are discrediting themselves. Instead of being productive in any way, they dress in black, they have a funeral, they draw absurd conclusions. Their message falls upon the ears of the converted, other people who seem to feed off of such unreasonable strategies, and the battle ends there. There are merits to the argument that WMST should be offered at this comprehensive university. Just like there are merits to the explanation that the university simply can’t afford to keep an academic program with such low enrollment afloat, while facing such serious budgetary problems. The debate should indeed continue, but with both sides presenting legitimate arguments, rather than taking cheap shots in hopes of creating shock value. While they say that desperate times call for desperate measures, it seems important that those fighting for WMST do the program justice and stay away from propaga

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE ARCHIVES  years ago this week...

From The Ontarion vol. 127 issue 11, Nov. 17-23, 1998

“ The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” - Michelangelo Many of the activists that marched on Nov. 5 have their eyes set on the goal of achieving universal education for all Canadians. Why? So when the policy lobbyist pressure the government on behalf of students, students will hopefully get a better deal. A deal that would allow students to pursue their desires and ambitions for a career based on their abilities and merit, not based on their socio-economic status. In many European countries, like Sweden, tuition is paid for by the government with taxpayers’ money. This funding is for both international and domestic students. All they have to be concerned about is budgeting living expenses and social expenses (the equivalent of about $1200 CAN/month). They are investing in youth and the future, providing an education and the opportunity to make a living without starting with thousands of dollars of debt, and without having to have parents cosign for mortgages, car loans, etc. If you are worried about the possibility of people abusing the welfare state, not to worry, no one wants to live on a student or welfare budget forever. People generally, want to better themselves and education provides the tools to do so. Why should non-students or the wealthy or “well to do” pay for a service they do not use? This question could also be posed as ‘why should the healthy pay for the sick or injured?’ Universal medicare is a service that everyone pays for and that service is there when we need it. If we have universal medicare, why

not universal education? “Every society is judged by how it treats its least fortunate.” - Anon. Shayne Sangster President of Guelph NDP Youth Member of Drop Fees Ontario Campaign On Monday I got the kind of call I hate to get. A homeowner who lives just across from the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre had his home vandalized twice this weekend. Early Friday morning it looked like a few individuals wrote and walked through his newly laid concrete driveway. Early Sunday morning, individuals threw bricks through his window. In both cases he will be incurring significant costs for repairs. While I cannot be sure that these acts were carried out by students, in the second case witnesses said they saw three students running away. Given the closeness to campus, the balance of probabilities would suggest students were involved. I know such actions are not consistent with the vast majority of our student values. Such actions of a few students impact the reputation of Guelph students in general. I encourage all students to work together as a community to address such inappropriate behaviour when you see it. Together, we can make a difference. If anyone has information regarding the above noted incidents, or if the individuals involved want to come forward, please feel free to call me, anonymously if you wish, at ext. 53868. Brenda Whiteside Associate Vice-President Affairs)

(Student

University Centre Room  University of Guelph NG W ontarion@uoguelph.ca Phone: -- General: x Editorial: x Advertising: x Accounts: x Fax: -- Editorial staff Editor-in-chief Daniel Bitonti Arts & culture editor Zack MacRae News editor Nicole Elsasser Sports & health editor Mike Treadgold Associate editor Fraser Pennie Copy editor Terra Borody Web editor Sarawanan Ravindran Production staff Photo & graphics editor Rashaad Bhamjee Ad designer Anne Tabata Layout director Duncan Day-Myron Office staff Business manager Lorrie Taylor Oﬃce manager Monique Vischschraper Ad manager Chris Hamelin Board of directors President David Evans Chairperson Timothy McBride Treasurer Curtis Van Laecke Secretary Justine Baskey Members Matthew French Andrew Goloida Aaron Jacklin Rachel Jones Marshal McLernon Joanna Sulzycki Contributors

Greg Beneteau Michelle Di Cintio Katie Malo Leah Gerber Kyle Gillespie Elizabeth McLeod Daniel O’Keefe Genna Buck Pete Norton Terra Borody Fraser Pennie Michael Ridley Miles Stemp Daniel Wright Aislinn Wyatt

The Ontarion is a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors. Since the Ontarion undertakes the publishing of student work, the opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Ontarion Board of Directors. The Ontarion reserves the right to edit or refuse all material deemed sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise unfit for publication as determined by the Editor-in-Chief. Material of any form appearing in this newspaper is copyrighted 2009 and cannot be reprinted without the approval of the Editor-in-Chief. The Ontarion retains the right of first publication on all material. In the event that an advertiser is not satisfied with an advertisement in the newspaper, they must notify the Ontarion within four working days of publication. The Ontarion will not be held responsible for advertising mistakes beyond the cost of advertisement. The Ontarion is printed by the Guelph Mercury.

NOV. 19 - 25, 2009

CROSSWORD & COMMUNITY LISTINGS

CROSSWORD 1

COMMUNITY LISTINGS 4

23 26

47 52

48 53

49 54

ACROSS 1. Swipes 5. Animation slide 8. Chef Moulton 12. Macbeth group 13. Pirate’s assent 14. Mountain goat 15. The ____ Man, Heston ﬁlm 16. Outlaw 18. Deface 19. J.M. Barrie character 21. B & B 22. Leiningen’s nemeses 24. Subdued 26. Leo’s company 29. Fictitious isle 31. Squall 32. Ammonia derivative

35. Timeless 37. Forecast 40. Pond growths 41. Huxley drug 42. Texas feature 45. Period 46. Jingoist 47. Lip 51. Greetings 52. Doze 54. U.S. gov. org. 55. Transient 59. Harmony 61. Thunderstuck 62. Bovine interjection 63. Hawaiian geese 64. Bags 65. Marine ﬂyer 66. Avian ova

SUDOKU

DOWN 1. Nerva or Titus 2. Blatant 3. Panhandle 4. Cinch 5. Salacious 6. Astigmatism organ 7. Permissive 8. Provide a John Hancock 9. Legal inst. 10. Bull aggravator 11. Medieval weapon 12. Unconsciousness 17. Limit 20. ____ stand still (2 wds.) 23. Elf chief 25. Azaria cartoon role 26. Tresses 27. Content 28. Brooks, et al. 30. Flight formation 31. Grows old? 32. Church feature 33. Anchor 34. ____ La Douce, Lemmon ﬁlm 36. Screw up 38. Foul 39. Bore 43. Clash hit, ___ Calling 44. Greek letter 46. Neck napkin 48. Excelling 49. Bases 50. Utters 51. Members of 12 across 53. Glass unit 55. Soccer mom accessory 56. Neolithic or Paleolithic 57. Retrieved 58. Neither 60. Kunis cartoon role Crossword by Krystian Imgrund

T HURSDAY NOVEMBER 19 Café Astronomique - U of G and the Bookshelf present a panel discussion on “Was Einstein Right? Black Holes, Dark Matter and Dark Energy.” Admission free. 7pm at the Bookshelf eBar, 41 Quebec St. Guelph Civic Museum Military History Lecture Series: Lecture 2: The war of the poor relations: The Canadians at the Lamone, December 1944. 7:30pm, 6 Dublin St. S. (519) 836-1221 ext. 2775, guelph.ca/museum

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 20 Barber Gallery presents “Pictures Talk” a Canadian Red Cross touring exhibit – a collection of 26 photographs taken by Indonesian children. 167 Suﬀolk St. W. Exhibit runs until Nov 20th. 519-824-0821.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 21 River Run Centre and KW Symphony present: the Kinderconcerts series for children 5 and under. Three performances: 9am, 10:15am, and 11:30am. Co-operators Hall. $10. 519763-3000, 877-520-2408 www. riverrun.ca Guelph Hiking Trail Club Hike. Start time 9am to join the Grand Valley Trail End-To-End Hike 15 of 18. Contact 519-7800342.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 22 Guelph Hiking Trail Club Hike - Start time 9am to join the Grand Valley Trail End-To-End Hike 16 of 18. Contact 519-7800342.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 23 5th Annual HIV / AIDS Symposium 9am - 4:30pm (Doors open at 8:30am). Guelph Place Banquet Hall 492 Michener Rd. Lunch and snacks included. $25.00 Registration required: www.aidsguelph.org/events. For information email: education@ aidsguelph.org

EASY

MEDIUM

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 25 Green Party of Guelph founder Bill Hulet and City Councillor Maggie Laidlaw present: “The Awful Truth: Why being a government is going to be really hard from now on and what we can do about it”. 7 – 9pm Upstairs Albion Hotel.

T HURSDAY NOVEMBER 26

HARD

THEONTARION.CA

IMPOSSIBLE

UofG DANCE Club: Gala Night! Performances, guest instructors, dance lesson and social (Salsa, Swing, and Argentine Tango). TUESDAY Nov 3rd in Peter Clark Hall. 8pm. $5. www.uoguelph.ca/~dance or guelphdance@gmail.com .

School of Fine Art and Music Concert: University of Guelph Jazz Band. Conductor Andrew Scott. Manhattans Pizza Bistro and Jazz Club, 8pm. 951 Gordon Street 519 767-2440. $2 Cover.

TUESDAY DECEMBER 1 The Munk Debates: Topic – Climate change mankind’s deﬁning crisis requiring a commensurate response. Speakers include: Elizabeth May, George Monbiot, Bjorn Omborg, Lord Nigel Lawson. OVC learning Centre, Room 1714. $7 - purchase tickets: ON-LINE@www.munkdebates. com. ONCAMPUS@J.Scarrow x52661. Lecture: Niles Eldredge, curator at the American Museum of Natural History, author of books on evolutionary theory, will discuss “Darwin: Discovering the Tree of Life.” Organized by ASTRA. Free. 7:30pm in the Science Complex Atrium.

ONGOING: Guelph Civic Museum exibit: Arresting Images: Mug Shots from the OPP Museum. Exhibit runs until December 20. 6 Dublin St. S. Open daily 1-5 pm. (519) 836-1221 ext. 2774, guelph.ca/ museum Macdonald Stewart Art Centre. Exhibit: Michael Davey: ‘Overly Charmed’. Runs from Sept 23-Dec 20. 358 Gordon St. at College Ave. Admission by donation. Tel: 519-837-0010, info@msac.ca, www.msac.ca. Hours: Tues-Sun, noon-5pm. Treasures from the Collection: Until April 25, 2010, McCrae House, 108 Water St. (519) 836-1221, guelph.ca/museum. Artifacts, photographs, archival material of the McCrae House collection. Winter Hours (DecJune) Sun - Fri, 1-5pm. Summer Hours ( July-Nov) Daily 1-5pm. Diverse Students & Student of Colour Support Groups. Mondays: Drop-In 10am-2pm, Discussion 3-5pm. Tuesdays: Drop In 10am-2pm, Women’s Discussion 2-3pm. Wed: DropIn, 10am-2pm. Discussion 5-7pm. Conﬁdentiality ensured. Munford Centre, Rm 54. Contact: rmcleod@uoguleph.ca or x53244.

THE ONTARION

CLASSIFIED

160.10

CLASSIFIED EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

CDL Driver (21+), Nurses (RN’s and Nursing Students), Bookkeeper, Nanny. On campus Interviews January 27th. Select The Camp That Selects The Best Staﬀ! Call 1.215.944.3069 or apply on-line at www. campwaynegirls.com

LEARN to BARTEND in one weekend on December 5th. SmartServe Included – Get certiﬁed and entertain families and friends over the holiday season! Discounts available. Visit: www. happyhoursbartending.com or call toll-free 1-866-494-0979.

SUMMER OF YOUR LIFE! CAMP WAYNE FOR GIRLS –Children’s sleep-away camp, Northeast Pennsylvania (6/19-8/15/10).

New to Canada? Looking for work? Free 3-day JOB SEARCH WORKSHOP FOR NEWCOMERS TO CANADA. Résumés, cover letters, interviews, workplace culture and more! Contact Lutherwood at 1-866-3214141 or jsw_info@lutherwood. ca If you love children and want a caring, fun environment we need Counselors and Program Directors for: Tennis, Swimming, Golf, Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Drama, High & Low Ropes, Camping/Nature, Team Sports, Waterskiing, Sailing, Painting/ Drawing, Ceramics, Silkscreen, Printmaking, Batik, Jewelry, Calligraphy, Photography, Sculpture, Guitar, Aerobics, Self-Defense, Video, Piano. Other staﬀ: Administrative,

COMMUNITY EVENTS UofG DANCE Club: Argentine Tango lesson and social dance (Salsa, Swing, and Tango). TUESDAY November 24th at 9pm in AC302. $5. No partner or experience required. www.uoguelph.ca/~dance or guelphdance@gmail.com SERVICES Writer’s block? Professional

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(TEL) 416-727-1040 www. egyptgrouptours.com VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Formerly Student-Supportf o r - M i g r a n t -Wo r k e r s Guelph, Fuerza/Puwersa (meaning ‘strength’ in Spanish and Filipino) contributes to the struggle for the rights of racialized working-poor migrant people, promoting their right to dignity and agency. Do get involved! Contact: fuerza. puwersa@gmail.com.