Thursday, October 23, 2014
Issue No. 175.8
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NEWS 3 • ARTS & CULTURE 8 • SPORTS & HEALTH 12 • LIFE 18 • OPINION 21 • FEATURE 25 • EDITORIAL 26 • FUN PAGE 27
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Issue 175.8 • Thursday, October 23, 2014
NEWS
Toronto municipal elections 2014 As Election Day approaches, Torontonians face a big decision ALEXANDRA GRANT Though many are running for mayor in the municipal elections for Toronto, only three names really stand out: Doug Ford, Olivia Chow, and John Tory. Ford, a councilman, businessman, and the brother of current Mayor Rob Ford, was the last to announce his candidacy. As of Thursday, Oct. 16, just 10 days away from the elections in Toronto, research polls have placed him in a fairly strong place, holding between 29 and 33 per cent of voter support. While the race for mayor seems substantially split three ways, it is actually John Tory who holds the frontrunner position, with around 38 per cent of the vote heading into election week. Some
speculate that part of the reason for Ford’s deficit in the polls can be attributed to the same doubts constituents had four years ago when his brother, Rob, was a candidate. Furthermore, in light of the last year of public drama surrounding the current mayor, many have begun to question their support of the Ford brothers. Olivia Chow, known for her work with the NDP, is the wife of Jack Layton, the late former leader of the NDP, the official Canadian minority. She is popular with the constituents, and with her background of immigrating from Hong Kong, and English as her second language, she has garnered wide support from a large demographic in the city. Until recently, a different Chow had been present in the race; however, as of late, she seems to have changed her strategy, adding a more personal touch. “We are young, creative, diverse, smart, energetic,” said Chow as she signed off in a three-minute campaign video released this week. With “we” referring to Torontonians on a whole, her pitch is simple: she loves the city and it has to do better. Unfortunately for Chow, she is still
JOSEPH MORRIS//ALEX GUIBORD//OLIVIA CHOW VIA CC BY-ND 2.0//SAME//CC BY 2.0
John Tory, Doug Ford, and Olivia Chow have presented a close three-person race as Election Day nears, leaving Torontonians with a tough decision. behind in the polls, currently holding only around 20 per cent of the vote. Front-runner Tory is a slight surprise to the people of Toronto. Raised in a very affluent family in the city, with the Tory law firm legacy as his namesake, some have questioned Tory’s ability to
Body found in Guelph’s north end Remains of man missing since 2012 recently discovered SAMEER CHHABRA Human remains were found in Guelph’s north end on Monday, Oct. 13. The discovery sparked an
investigation by the Guelph Police, and officers revealed that the remains belonged to an unidentified male on Tuesday, Oct. 14. On Wednesday, Oct. 15, the remains were sent to Toronto for further analysis. After being taken to Toronto for analysis, the remains were identified – through dental records – as belonging to Wayne Rutledge, an Orangeville native who was last seen in December 2012. According to Jane Codd, Rutledge’s stepmother, the 37-year-old
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male left Ontario in his early 20s, looking for work and adventure. Eventually returning to Orangeville, he graduated from the Police Foundations program at Sheridan College in Brampton before making his way to Guelph. Codd described Rutledge as a man who enjoyed taking part in the Lorne Scott’s Army Cadet Corps when he was growing up. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing. Rutledge struggled with an alcohol addiction, working through
identify with the majority of the population. However, Tory is a hard worker, raised in a family that was strict and focused; many believe that he possess the tools to work hard for the city. What is really causing the voters to question him is his political past. With a failed mayoral bid in 2003, and failed
by-elections as the leader of Ontario’s Conservative party, some are wondering what will make this election different. This doubt however, doesn’t seem to be causing too much damage, as Tory is slotted first so far in the election, and doesn’t seem to be moving down.
Guelph’s Homewood Health Centre to find treatment. A lack of availability in nearby facilities prevented Rutledge from finding the help he desired. “We really would like to see an improvement in the addictions and mental health available for people,” said Codd in an interview with the Guelph Mercury. “We really don’t want to see another family go through something like this.” Rutledge was reported missing to the Guelph Police on Dec.
16, 2012, and a series of searches were conducted in 2012 and 2013. Canine units from Guelph Police, as well as Ontario Provincial Police officers, were called in to assist with the search efforts. It was an anonymous tip that allowed police officers to find Rutledge’s body, explained Detective Constable Jeff Taylor. Taylor has been investigating the case since it first began. Police suspect no foul play in Rutledge’s death.
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NEWS
Under the Concerns growing over falling oil prices Radar
Oscar Pistorius begins jail sentence Judge Thokozile Masipa sentenced Oscar Pistorius, the South African athlete who shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day of 2014, to five years in prison for culpable homicide. Pistorius, 27, was driven to Pretoria’s Kgosi Mampuru prison shortly following the sentencing. Prosecutors had been calling for a 10-year term, while the defence argued back with calls for community service and house arrest. The parents of Steenkamp, 29, say that they are happy with the ruling. Although Pistorius faces serving the full five years, the defence believes that the amputee sprinter could be released after serving a mere sixth of the sentence, with early release pending good behaviour. Judge Masipa noted that while Pistorius has made an “enormous contribution to society … it would be a sad day for this country if an impression were to be created that there was one law for the poor and disadvantaged, and another for the rich and famous.” The Women’s League of South Africa, however, is less than pleased. “A five-year sentence like this sends a message to society that it is fine to commit such heinous crimes as femicide, and you will be able to get away with a slap on the wrist,” concluded spokeswoman Khsuela Sangoni. Infant bodies found in Canadian storage locker The bodies of four infants were found in a storage locker at a U-Haul storage facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. An employee of the facility discovered the decomposed remains on Oct. 20. Police investigators are speaking with “a number of individuals,” but the bodies have yet to be linked to infants previously reported missing, pending test on the unidentified remains.
It remains unclear how long the bodies were in the storage locker before their discovery. Police spokesman Eric Hofley expressed that the discovery was “tragic beyond belief.” In conversation with the media on Oct. 21, Hofley remarked that in his 14 years as an officer, he had never experienced anything like this. -Compiled by Alyssa Ottema
Effects on the future of Canada’s economy remain to be seen MADELAINE NELSON
Canadian oil prices have dropped to a five-year low midway through October due to a yield in demand from major importing economies. Gas prices in the GTA have been hovering around $1.15 over the week, while further west, Calgarians have seen a drop as low as $1.06. This sharp decline in price has shown a 30 per cent in prices from June. While many rush to the pumps to fill up, economists warn that Canadians will feel the negative effect of this price drop in future months. Oil accounts for about a quarter of Canadian merchandise exports, and as such, this accounts for a large portion of Canadian Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A decline in demand for Canadian oil for a long enough period of time could prove to slow Canadian economic growth. Many Albertans are wondering if this drop in price will lead to similar conditions to the 2008 crisis, which put a halt to many high-cost development plans. Progressive Conservative Premier Jim Prentice says that Albertans
should not worry yet, as budget predictions for the province had previously underestimated oil prices, leaving some room to breathe. These previous estimations had, until recently, left the province hoping for an oil budget surplus; however, recent developments clearly state otherwise. The question remains as to how long this decline in demand is going to last, and how long the previous surplus can balance out the budget. With an unstable oil industry, many fear that other markets will soon suffer. Alberta sees a lowerthan-average unemployment rate, as the booming oil industry has previously been a hub for the job market. Many fear that the job market and unemployment rate, alongside the real estate market, will suffer if less people migrate to Alberta for jobs. As international demand for Canadian oil declines, some hope for producers to drive up the price by slowing production. The proposed shortage would hike up prices to average levels; however, firms are reluctant to do so in fears of losing international market shares. Many Canadians consumers are left wondering what strategy oil firms will use to cushion the blow to the economy – and what it might mean for their pockets. As prices have already started to increase, it seems that Prentice may have been correct in reminding Canadians not to worry. The development of Canada’s economic future will be highly affected by the
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Canadian oil prices have recently reached a five-year low, but experts anticipate a return to higher prices in the near future. price of oil of the next few weeks. Economists will observe the market closely in order to better predict what’s to come for Canadians. In
the meantime, however, it might be time to take that long-awaited road trip or fill up a few jerry cans while the prices are low.
ISIS advances through Syria; threatens Vatican Militants turn toward the Catholic Church in new propaganda MIKE OTT In a recent turn of events part way through October, the terrorist group ISIS has targeted the Roman Catholic Church, threatening to “conquer Rome” and “break the crosses.” The warning appeared in the terrorist group’s latest publication of their regular magazine. The article claims they will kill every “crusader,” and features a photograph of the black ISIS flag
superimposed atop St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. The threat is meant as an attack on Christianity and Europe, furthering ISIS attempts to create a worldwide Islamic State. Meanwhile, the organization continues to advance on the Syrian city of Kobane, directly situated on the Syria-Turkey border. Some experts claim that Turkey is a key location for ISIS, as it would position the terrorist group one step away from the European Union, via Greece. However, military researcher Justin Bronk recently claimed Kobane to be a potential failure for ISIS, as US and Alliance airstrikes have been causing ISIS militants to retreat from the city. Furthermore, Kurdish ground troops have been making strategic advances in the area, engaging in street combat against the terrorist group.
Despite the success of this mission, ISIS still poses an impending threat, as they currently lay claim to a large portion of Northern Syria and almost half of Iraq. It is estimated that the group holds territory the size of Jordan, much of which sits along the border between Syria and Turkey, and other large pieces sit in the area closing in on Baghdad. General Tom Lawson, Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff, says airstrikes from the US and its allies will not be enough to put an end to ISIS presence in the Middle East. The Canadian government has recently authorized the allocation of six bombers, a refueller, two surveillance planes and about 600 ground troops and personnel to the Middle East. General Lawson, however, believes training and arming Iraqi soldiers is the best
option in combatting ISIS. The US has announced plans in this vein of thought, but Canada has yet to announce if they will be aiding in the training of those ground soldiers. Nearing the end of 2014, ISIS – or the conflict resulting from their presence – has killed over 5,000 Iraqi civilians, while more than 1.2 million people have been driven from their homes. Kobane continues to be the terrorist group’s main focus, but ISIS has also announced Canada, Australia, Israel, most of Europe, and the US as main targets, along with goals for surrounding Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iran, and Jordan. Given their huge advances throughout the Middle East, the actions of ISIS in the coming weeks remain uncertain, should they seize the crucial key city of Kobane.
Issue 175.8 • Thursday, October 23, 2014
NEWS
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U of G Salmon Genome Project receives extensive funding
will also be less likely to become infected from wild fish or transmit parasites or diseases back to wild salmon.”
Over $1 million allocated to new Integrative Biology project
“...improves the economics of the industry and also helps protect wild fish.”
SAMEER CHHABRA On Oct. 15, Minister of Industry, Science, and Technology Ed Holder announced that The University of Guelph-led Salmon Genome Project would receive almost $1.2 million from Genome Canada. The project, led by Prof. Elizabeth Boulding, from the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph, will be lead in conjunction with Genome Atlantic/Ontario Genomics Institute.
“...address real world challenge and opportunities...” Boulding’s project is one of 12 that were funded by Genome Canada’s Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP). The purpose of GAPP is to fund research and development projects that “address real world challenge and opportunities as identified by industry, government, not-for-profits, and other [groups associated with] genomics research.” The pre-proposal for the grant was completed in June 2013, and
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The U of G project seeks to change the way the fishing industry looks at disease in the future. after a considerable amount of work, telephone conferencing, and an oral presentation, Boulding’s team was invited to submit a final presentation in Aug. 2013. “We unofficially heard that we were funded just before Christmas 2013, but were not permitted to announce anything until after [Ed Holder’s] announcement on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014.” Boulding was quick to point out the distinction between her team’s research, and the international team that sequenced the Atlantic salmon genome. “What we are doing is using a Norwegian Affymetrix chip with 220,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that [make] use of the information
in the publically available DNA sequences from the Atlantic salmon genome project,” explained Boulding. “This will allow [us] to use the SNP molecular markers along the genome as sign posts to determine whether a fish in a particular family is likely to be disease resistant.” In comparison, the International Cooperation to Sequence the Atlantic Salmon Genome (ICSASG) announced their success in completely mapping out the salmon genome on June 10, 2014. “[Our] group of academic and industry researchers have previously collaborated on [Natural Sciences and Engineering
movies and more NOON
Research Council of Canada] (NSERC) grants on Atlantic salmon, along with some other academic and government partners,” said Boulding. “My initial interest was to work on the ecological genomics of wild Atlantic salmon, and how different populations from different rivers became adapted to different environments.” According to Boulding, understanding how different populations adapt to their respective environments is integral in understanding how strains are resistant to disease. “Fish that are more disease-resistant will require less medication,” explained Boulding a University of Guelph news release. “They
Boulding, along with professor emeritus Larry Schaeffer, from the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, will work with Cooke Aquaculture Inc. and its farming division, Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd. “As a result [of all of the research], I became interested in developing strains of Atlantic salmon for Cooke Aquaculture that are resistant to disease,” said Boulding. “This improves the economics of the industry and also helps protect wild fish.” Cooke Aquaculture employs 1,700 people in Atlantic Canada, and will be providing matching funds for the project alongside other granting agencies. “We hope to be able to incorporate this new genomic technology into our current breeding program, and thereby increase our company’s ability to compete internationally,” concluded Jake Elliott, vice-president, freshwater and technical operations, and head of Cooke Aquaculture’s breeding program in a University of Guelph news release.
Visit www.sundaycinema.ca for info on these Central Student Association events. 8:00 PM
7:00 PM
NOON
Battles are won Because we fight them
Doug Paisley
doCurama Thurs Oct 23
noon hour Fri Oct 24
Sunday Cinema Sun Oct 26
doCurama Thurs Oct 30
noon hour Fri Oct 31
rozanski 105 | FrEE A great 20th century street photographer. Co-sponsored by the McLaughlin Library.
uC Courtyard | FrEE Musical mad scientists of pop. Co-sponsored by CFRU 93.3 FM for Raise Your Voice.
thornbrough 1200 | $3 UoG stu • $8 gen A rare sequel — it improves on the original. Co-sponsored by Interhall.
rozanski 105 | FrEE The fight for marriage equality. Co-sponsored by the McLaughlin Library.
uC Courtyard | FrEE Aching, breaking, heart-wrenching songcraft. Co-sponsored by CFRU 93.3 FM for Raise Your Voice.
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NEWS
COURTESY PHOTO
Kangtega, also known as the Snow Saddle, is a major mountain peak of the Himalayas in Nepal, with a summit rising almost 7, 000 metres. Pictured, Alison Hargreaves and Jeff Lowe climb the peak in May of 1986.
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38 confirmed dead, 400 rescued in series of blizzard and avalanches CONNOR HEWSON No matter how far the human race has come, and no matter how advanced we may think we are as a species, there is one undeniable fact about life on earth: that nature is king on planet earth, and we are forever at the mercy of its indifference and raw power. This manifests itself every so often, whether in the form of a tropical storm, a devastating earthquake, or merely a fit of rain on someone’s wedding day. October’s events in Nepal have been a sad yet reinforcing illustration of this very fact. A series of freak blizzards and avalanches have left at least 40 people dead – including four Canadians – and have resulted in nearly 400 emergency rescues along the popular Annapurna trekking route in what is being called the country’s worst-ever trekking disaster. As of Monday, Oct. 20, rescue operations in Nepal’s northern mountains have been officially called off, with Nepalese officials stating that all the hikers believed to have been stranded on a trekking route in the region are now safe and out of harm’s way. The search to locate the remaining bodies of the deceased, however, will continue to take place intermittently.
Nepalese officials have also been forced to close a section of the trekking circuit because of the intrusion of hiking groups and tourists, who have begun flocking the area now that the weather has cleared. October is generally one of the region’s most popular trekking seasons, and so it remains to be seen what effect such a disaster will have ultimately have on Nepal, whose main source of income is the climbing tourism industry. The weather events are said to have been triggered by the tail end of a cyclone that hit the Indian coast days before heading north to Nepal, where tourists were caught off guard by sudden and unrelenting changes in weather and forced to seek refuge or create their own makeshift shelters. Gombu Sherpa, a local guide who was leading a group of German climbers during the outbreak of the storm, said that skies were clear at the beginning of the week, and that guides had no idea that such oppressive weather was on the way. Days later, however, the weather took a turn for the worse. “We could hardly see anyone, even within a couple of feet. The wind
was blowing snow and visibility was almost zero,” said Sherpa in a telephone interview after returning by bus to Kathmandu. While everyone in Sherpa’s group was able to survive the ordeal in an abandoned tea hut, many other climbers and guides were not so lucky, as whiteout conditions and sweeping avalanches made survival a harrowing task. Linor Kajan, one of the almost 400 who was rescued over a fourday period, was caught in one of the region’s sudden avalanches and described believing “she was going to die,” as she was unable to move until a Nepalese guide spotted her and dragged her to safety. Most of the casualties were among those caught on the Thorong La pass, one of the highest points in the area, which made rescue even by helicopter nearly impossible. So far, 34 bodies have been identified, which are said to include climbers from Canada, India, Israel, Slovakia, Poland, and Japan, as well as Nepalese guides. Most of the bodies have been flown to nearby towns for autopsies.
Upcoming events Oct. 24: Queer Identity Week begins Oct. 24: International Day on Climate Action Oct. 27: Peace Week begins Oct. 27: Municipal Elections Day Oct. 29: CSA Annual General Meeting
Avoiding Errors of Misuse Attend this session to learn some of the common errors of misuse of words and expressions. Monday, October 27, 2014 - 9:30am to 11:30am Library Room 384 (Florence Partridge Room)
Catch Up, Keep Up: Moving from Midterms to Finals Midterms are coming to an end, so now it’s time to catch up and keep up. Learning Peers share strategies for studying strategically in the last month of the semester and offer advice on using midterm results to improve performance on final exams. Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - 5:30pm to 6:30pm Library Room 359
Quick Citation Help Confused about how to cite a government document or a website? Have questions about how to manage your sources? Get your citation related questions answered! Thursday, October 30, 2014 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm Learning Commons Area To register for any of these workshops visit www.lib.uoguelph.ca
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WORKSHOPS
Writing Tune-up: Grammar Part 4
Graduate Preview day
A C A D E M I C TOWN SQUARE
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Graduate StudieS Preview day Saturday, November 1 | 10am-1pm university Centre, university of Guelph Choose from over 90 graduate programs Meet with faculty to discuss potential research opportunities Speak with current graduate students to learn more about the graduate experience at Guelph Discuss admission with graduate studies admission specialists
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ARTS & CULTURE
The Weekly Scene: The Square
3.5 Revolutions out of 4 SAMEER CHHABRA
COURTESY PHOTO
Jehane Noujaim’s documentary, The Square, captures a landmark social current through intimate interviews with a variety of people, painting an inspiring and important picture of the Arab Spring.
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Social change never comes easy. Hindsight allows us the ability to look at past events and accurately discern exactly where everything went wrong, but the truth remains that social change is the one human paradigm that refuses to succumb to precedent. Insanity is supposed to be doing the same thing over and over – expecting a different result; people have been struggling for freedom and equality since antiquity. Some struggles have borne successful fruit, while others have ended in absolute disaster. If insanity is refusing to accept historical precedent as fact, what’s more insane – fighting for unlikely freedom for 30 years or ignoring history and believing that fascism and tyranny can last forever?
“...social change is the one human paradigm that refuses to succumb to precedent.” Jehane Noujaim’s The Square is a strikingly human look at the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, beginning with the ousting of former Egyptian President – and tyrannical dictator – Hosni Mubarak. Interesting is the way Noujaim’s story uses Mubarak’s toppling as a jumping point to study the next two years in Egypt’s history. Anyone who paid attention to the Arab Spring can tell you what led to Mubarak resigning control to Egypt’s Military Forces – what’s more difficult to chart is the disastrous way in which a trinity formed by the military, the Islamic Brotherhood, and the Egyptian People completely fell to ruin.
COURTESTY PHOTO
After Mubarak fell, the military was supposed to pave the way for elections, democracy, and a meaningful constitution that served the people. What resulted was a military coup that attacked the people behind the revolution while simultaneously serving self-interested bedfellows. After months of demonstration and riots, Egypt elected Mohamed Morsi, a well-educated Egyptian man who was closely allied with the Muslim Brotherhood – a group that faced persecution under Mubarak, and a group that rewrote the Egyptian constitution until it more closely resembled Sharia law than anything meaningfully non-secular. These are the facts obtained through news reports and a brief reading of Egypt’s Wikipedia page. Where The Square succeeds is through its attempts to put a human face on revolution. Noujaim’s camera focuses on a character list of no more than five individuals. If the film were to have a main character, it would be Ahmed Hassan, an Egyptian citizen whose foray with politics lives and dies with freedom, equality, and protest. As we follow Hassan around each significant gathering – the first demonstrations at Tahrir Square, the riots around the Egyptian Media Headquarters, and at least a dozen more – we’re offered a picture of Egypt unavailable through newsreels. If we focus too much on part of a single image, we become oblivious to the picture’s surrounding details. What Noujaim does is paint a comprehensive portrait of the entire Egyptian crisis,
following poets, revolutionaries, and even a deeply conflicted member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Understanding how difficult it is to remain objective, Noujaim gives her opinion on the situation, but allows the audience to draw their own conclusions. Integral to the plot is the character arcs she develops for these very real people. Especially fascinating is the way each character conforms to their particular social archetype. Hassan, the sidewalk poet, is joined by Khalid Abdalla, the British-raised Egyptian film-star who returned to his country to fight for his beliefs, who struggles to form a connection with Magdy Ashour, the persecuted Muslim who is caught between his religious beliefs and hopes for social reform. The documentary form has always been caught between a desire to report fact and a need to convey opinion. As a form of cinema, The Square articulates the necessity to put fact into context. If that means conveying a particular agenda, then so be it – the audience too must form their own opinion and understanding of a situation. Musical selections handled by Jonas Colstrup, and a moving score by H. Scott Salinas, attempt to bridge the connection between camera and viewer. On the topic of the camera, it must be mentioned that future of revolution will largely be defined by an oppressor’s ability to “Cut the feed.” During tense moments, Noujaim focuses on the people, but each shot is punctuated by the presence of social media and human interaction. Cell phones fill the screen, with laptop computers and rudimentary editing applications stringing together video gathered from smart-phones and hand-held video cameras. At one point, a character explains that they ran away before they were killed by the presumed application of military nerve gas. A character quickly interjects, “But did you get it on film?” Luckily for the viewer, the character, and the people of Egypt, it’s all on video.
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Issue 175.8 • Thursday, October 23, 2014
ARTS & CULTURE
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JamSchool hosts band showcase at Van Gogh’s Ear Local, performancefocused music school demonstrates young talent ADRIEN POTVIN For me, and most people my age, high school seems like ages away. Still in a certainly tangible past, they are formative years whether we like them or not, and whether our memories are fond or otherwise. Regardless, it’s a time when you start really doing things, no matter what those things are. The biggest hurdle is always simply getting started, especially when learning an instrument. That’s why JamSchool, located on Alice St. in Guelph, takes in children interested in music, and teaches them early on to be comfortable onstage, while offering
invaluable and practical live performance experience. On Saturday, Oct. 18, Van Gogh’s Ear hosted a showcase for 12 young bands to perform what they’ve been working on, to an attentive and supportive audience of family and friends. With all the stories we hear about teenagers raising hell and being generally unpleasant, it was refreshing to see so many enthusiastic young musicians performing honestly learned rock-and-roll. The afternoon’s music was traditional rock fare – covers of Blink-182, Joan Jett, and Foghat, all performed with a particular rawness that, more often than not, only learning musicians can achieve. I spoke briefly with the aptly named Robert Leader, the program’s director. Leader has run JamSchool since 1989. “In 1989, I started up a company in Guelph called JamSpots. […] We have 20 rehearsal rooms that we rent out to bands to practice. We’ve been doing that for 25 years, so this is our anniversary year. Part of the building became available, and a friend of mine and I were talking about starting a music school. […] We decided to make a
company that wasn’t just music lessons, but focused on performance-based education. So yeah, we do traditional private lessons, but our whole focus is on performance. […] Because once you get [comfortable] with the stage, you have it for life, right? And it’s much more fun.” One Day on Earth, coming out of a performance more comfortable than their years would suggest, had a moment to share their thoughts on the program and their most memorable experiences. Singer Emilee Hillis recalled playing Hillside 2014. “I think our most memorable one was probably Hillside, which was kind of weird because we didn’t have Charles [Linton, guitar] and Mitch [Kotic, bass] there. It was just me, Owen [LeBlanc, guitar], and our drummer, Logan [Gray], and we had a filler bassist. But we were all together at the JamSchool Jamboree, which was pretty good, that’s the big concert put on by the program.” It’s a special program not only for the players, but for their parents as well. Callie Dantin, mother of Gabrielle Dantin (singer/guitarist), who performed solo that afternoon, spoke
MOHAMMAD MELEBARI
Performance-focused education program based in Guelph. of the parental involvement in the program. “The great thing about the parents is that we all support each other’s kids. If the kids are out of tune, or
not quite up to par that day, it doesn’t matter. Because we’re there to build confidence and just enjoy the music. It’s a great support system all around.”
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ARTS & CULTURE
Talking Zavitz WILL WELLINGTON This week, Zavitz Gallery features The Party, an exhibition by Ryan Grover, Alexa Gargoum, and Bogdan Chifa. According to the Facebook event, the show is “A simulation of party culture.” It opened on Oct. 20 and runs until Oct. 24. I wandered through the gallery with my friend Alec Follett, a PhD candidate in English, talking about the work. This is a selection from our conversation: Will: So today we’re here, and there are invitations. The invitations are to the opening on Wednesday, where a party is going to take place, or something called The Party is going to take place. Alec: And it could just be a bunch of people standing here doing exactly what we’re doing, thinking, “Well, why did I come here?” Or it could be totally different. Will: Are you going to take an invitation? Alec: Of course.
happen at the party. People will show up. The space is going to be different. So, it’s not only spatial art but it’s temporal. Parties are a weird thing. They������������� ’������������ re an uncomfortable place, right? Will: One thing I think is really funny about parties is that you’re very conscious of other people looking at you. They’re inviting the viewers to be the performers. Because when you’re at a
“..it’s not only spatial art but it’s temporal.”
The Party, an interactive simulation of university party culture, addresses issues of performativity and social conventions among twenty-somethings. Will: Are you going to come to the party? Alec: I don’t like to do anything
after five o������������������� ’������������������ clock on a Wednesday. [Laughter.] Eat some dinner. Simpsons at nine o’clock. Bed
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at nine-thirty. You can hear the floor. It’s a wood floor. It’s like a high school gym. You know what you did in high school and somebody’s like, “Oh, it’ll be fun, let’s go,” and you try to get yourself all excited, and you put gel in your hair, and then you come here and you’re like, “Ahh, now what?” I’d be standing probably here, against the wall, thinking to myself, “S**t, I don’t know if I should even be here.” But the interesting thing is that this is only part of the art. Because we’re not at the party. And presumably something will
party, you’re the one performing and you’re performing sort of for everyone else, and everyone else is performing for you. Alec: So it’s like when you go to a club, often times they’ll have an upper floor that overlooks the dance floor, so you can then remove yourself and just be the observer. Will: Do you think this is going to be a cool party? Alec: Oh yeah. Yeah. Will: It’s not going to be a lame party. Alec: No. Look, I can tell you, whoever picks up this invitation and thinks, “Yes, I’m coming to this,” they’re interesting people.
Upcoming events Oct. 23: Thursday at Noon Concert Series presents – The Jason Raso Quartet, at 12 noon in MacKinnon 107, University of Guelph Oct. 23: Legato Vipers 12-inch release, with Start Something and Biblical, 9 p.m., ANAF Club. The venue requests that no hats are worn Oct. 24: Fortnight Music hosts Royal Canoe with The Elwins and Bass Lions, at eBar. Doors at 10 p.m. Oct. 25: Ian Andrews and the Smokin’ Scoundrels, 10 p.m. at Shakespeare Arms
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Issue 175.8 • Thursday, October 23, 2014
ARTS & CULTURE
11
Fortnight Music hosts The Wooden Sky and Absolutely Free
worked our asses off for it!” There’s a lot to be said about live music, but even more to be
Spacey synthesizers and heartfelt, epic folk-rock keep DSTRCT dancing
“...straight-up, epic, and genuinely touching folkrock of The Wooden Sky...”
ADRIEN POTVIN In a wildly-lit DSTRCT, the überhip venue above Van Gogh’s Ear, local concert organizer Fortnight Music hosted two very different bands for a riotous night of music on Thursday, Oct. 16. Absolutely Free and The Wooden Sky shared the stage; while their sounds are quite disparate to one another’s, both sets were characterized by a massive, epic sound that was easy to get lost in, and even harder to forget.
“..their music had a little bit for everybody to enjoy...” Toronto-based Absolutely Free, performing material off of their new self-titled LP, took the stage first for a short opening set. The band includes Matt King (guitar, vocals, synth), Moshe Rozenberg (drums, sequencer) and Michael Claxton (bass, synth), all former members of seminal Toronto art-rock ensemble DD/MM/ YYYY. Absolutely Free’s music is characterized by synthesizerladen textures met with tight live drums and guitar/bass, with the members often jumping between instrument roles. As the analog
RYAN PRIDDLE
Toronto bands Absolutely Free and The Wooden Sky lit up the eBar with synth-drenched experimentation and foot-stomping folk rock. warmth of their sound complimented the psychedelic lighting of the space, their set was at once gentle and intense, taking the best aspects of Krautrock groups like Neu! and Can, and crafting a sound altogether their own. The Wooden Sky, a gloriously haired folk-rock outfit also from Toronto, took the stage after a short break. They are currently touring their latest LP, Let’s Be Ready. With a ton of equipment on stage, and five musicians who really know how to use it, their live set was as engaging and dramatic as their large, sprawling, folkinformed rock-and-roll. Offering old crowd favourites like “Oh My God (It Still Means So Much To Me)”, and super-fresh material off of Let’s Be Ready, their music had a little bit for everybody to enjoy, which was made very, very clear by the packed room and seemingly ceaseless dancing. With their rock-solid folk-rock grooves, inspired violin flourishes, and epic, sprawling vocal
choruses, the five-piece band put on an undeniably powerful show. I got a chance to sit down with Claxton, King, and Rozenberg to discuss their history together, and how the group describes their music, which resists easy classification. Rozenberg spoke of their past group DD/MM/ YYYY (pronounced Day Month Year), saying “Basically, the music is new, but the dynamic and the relationship between us is pretty historic, to say the least.” Before the release of their LP, the band scored original compositions for a Norman McLaren retrospective at the launch of 2014’s Toronto International Film Festival. McLaren was an influential animator who, among other works, won an Oscar in 1952 for his landmark short Neighbours. Matt King said of the experience, “If you think about how famous animation is now, a lot of that has to do with people like Norman McLaren […] pushing the envelope and experimenting
with film. So, to be asked to do that, we felt really honoured to be amongst people like that, and [among] the people who did music for their original scores. So, musicians like Glenn Gould, Ravi Shankar, and Oscar Peterson […] we’re humbled by it and we
said when a group’s sound outweighs how many people are actually in the band. It’s a difficult thing to keep a vision tightly-focused among musicians, and when individuals come together to make music that sees a particular narrative through, it’s a really special thing. Both the spaced-out, unorthodox timbres of Absolutely Free, and the more straight-up, epic, and genuinely touching folk-rock of The Wooden Sky accomplished just this – providing music that a listener can get lost in while dancing up a storm. Read more at www.theontarion. com for a long-form interview with Absolutely Free.
Album of the Week: Slint - Spiderland
For more on what’s happening around town....
TheOntarion.com
COURTESY PHOTO
The release of this incredible album by math-rock/post-rock group Slint was a sort of miracle in itself. Their second LP after 1989’s Steve Albini-helmed Tweez, Spiderland had hardly any promotion, allowing its its cryptic cover, featuring four young men swimming, to find its way to the shelves of indie fans across the world mainly by word of mouth. With brooding, fuzz-guitar driven timbres, and sharp, angular compositions, Spiderland is hands down one of the finest and most important records from the late 80s/early 90s post-rock boom.
12
SPORTS & HEALTH
Jim Hughson suggests “Don’t Change Much”
COURTESY PHOTO
Now the lead of the play-by-play crew for hockey on Rogers, Jim Hughson has been running the NHL for 30 years and still believes a little change goes a long way.
Canadian Men’s Health Foundation adds sportscaster as healthy lifestyle advocate ADVERTISING – MEDIA MANAGEMENT
STEPHANIE CORATTI
ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Jim Hughson. Chances are if you don’t know his name, you know his voice; the voice of Saturday night hockey, NHL video games for a number of years, and now the cornerstone of the Rogers hockey play-byplay crew. A voice undoubtedly set apart from the rest of ours, it is a voice that holds the biggest microphone on the most significant stages in Canada. That voice, however, claims it is nothing past average. “I feel that I’m close to a lot of the guys in our country,” Hughson explained. “I’m just a regular guy.” Just a regular guy who plays hockey late on Wednesday nights with Try-Too-Hard. “You know, there’s always a guy who thinks he’s playing Saturday night at seven,” the sportscaster quipped.
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The simple, relatable image Hughson exhibits is perhaps the reason the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation (CMHF) extended an invitation to become an advocate for the “Don’t Change Much” health initiative, an invitation that was also accepted by former NHL player Trevor Linden, retired Olympic triathlon champion Simon Whitfield, and Toronto Argonauts linebacker Shea Emry. “I was really reluctant to do it,” Hughson said of his initial hesitation to join CMHF. “I don’t see myself as an athlete, so I certainly don’t want to be condescending and sound like I’m trying to tell people how to run their lives.” Hughson however, chooses to run the NHL with his. “I just needed to find something to do to keep fit while I was traveling, and running became it,” Hughson explained of the task of staying healthy while facing the demands of his job early on in his career. “When I was approached to be an advocate, I really sat back and thought about it, and I’ve got a route or two in every city in the National Hockey League – I really do run the NHL.” Like the average Canadian, the Fort St. John, British Columbia native didn’t begin as running’s biggest fan. “I always thought running was the most awful thing you could do because I love to play sports,” Hughson said, adding he would play “tidily-winks” just for the competitive aspect. “But, when I work a job that requires late nights which often means eating an entire pizza at two in the morning, I needed to counter that with some things.” The response doesn’t have to change your entire lifestyle. In fact, you barely have to notice it at all. “People often bite off more
than they can chew,” Hughson explained. “I think everybody should take it one step at a time. There are all sorts of little things you can change.” Those little things can be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, opting not to eat the entire basket of bread before the menu arrives at your favourite restaurant, or just going for a walk. All things Hughson encourages in the “Don’t Change Much” initiative. “I love the ‘Don’t Change Much’ idea,” Hughson said. “You’re not beating people over the head and telling them to live a certain way. It’s just giving them some ideas to change a few things, things that make you feel better.” “We don’t all have to be Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos. They’re pretty special and we’re not going to get there on our best days,” Hughson added. “But you can be a better star at your own occupation if you feel better when you get to work.” At the end of the day, Hughson is really just an advocate for a healthier lifestyle for people just like him. “The fact that I had a 55-minute run this morning just makes me feel a lot better about sitting around watching baseball and football all afternoon,” Hughson said. “And maybe having a beer.” How does the average person start walking down the path of a healthier lifestyle, you ask? “I don’t like to suggest things because I’m just a guy,” Hughson explained, adding he isn’t a chef, nor does he run a fitness institute. “But I would say the first thing is to get it in your head that you’re going to do a few things differently to feel better about yourself.” Step one from the voice himself, Canada.
Upcoming events Oct. 24: Men’s Volleyball: Nipissing @ Guelph (8 p.m., W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre) Oct. 25: Women’s Hockey: Brock @ Guelph 2 p.m., Gryphon Centre Women’s Volleyball: York @ Guelph 6 p.m., W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre Oct. 26: Men’s Lacrosse: Brock @ Guelph 1 p.m., Gryphon Soccer Complex
Issue 175.8 • Thursday, October 23, 2014
SPORTS & HEALTH
13
Gryphons’ women’s rowing team
MOHAMMAD MELEBARI
On Oct. 18 at Guelph Lake, the Gryphons women’s rowing team squared off against the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and won in the 4+ JV race, just one of the races for Guelph during the regatta.
Guelph Storm downs IceDogs, Spirit Defending champions enjoy 2-0 weekend at home STEPHANIE CORATTI The Guelph Storm enjoyed a 2-0 weekend at home, downing the Niagara IceDogs 3-2 on Oct. 17, followed up with a 5-3 win over the Saginaw Spirit on Oct. 19. The two victories featured starforward Robby Fabbri back in the Storm lineup. Fabbri, who returned from the St. Louis Blues training camp with an upperbody injury, wasted no time in his return tallying three points in the two contests.
“...victories featured starforward Robby Fabbri back in the Storm lineup...” Fan-favourite Tyler Bertuzzi and goaltender Justin Nichols were the clear game changers for the Storm against the IceDogs. Bertuzzi, who signed an entrylevel contract with the Detroit Red Wings that same day, scored the game-winning-goal for
MATTHEW AZEVEDO/THE ONTARION
Tyler Bertuzzi (left) celebrates his game-winning goal with Zac Leslie (right) against the Niagara IceDogs on Oct. 17. Bertuzzi had a total of three goals against the IceDogs and the Saginaw Spirit on Oct. 19. the Storm, while Nichols was remarkable in net, stopping 34 of 36 shots. The Storm were first on the scoreboard as Bertuzzi made no mistake on a rebound in tight off a Stephen Pierog shot 5:47 into the first. Special teams would lead the way for the remainder of the first period, with the home team awarded six straight minor penalties, capped off with a ten-minute misconduct handed to Fabbri in the last minute of the period. Guelph maintained the 1-0 lead killing off each of the penalties including two instances of 5-on-3 man advantages for Niagara. The IceDogs came out strong in the middle frame, finally
managing to get on the board seven minutes into the period with a shot off a faceoff from Cody Payne. It was then Niagara’s turn to spend some time in the penalty box as they were faced with four straight minor penalties. Fabbri would capitalize putting the home squad up 2-1 after firing a rebound past IceDogs goaltender Brent Moran. The final 20 minutes closed out the penalty parade with five more minors, capping off the running total on 52 penalty minutes handed out on the game. The game would see an even strength goal however, with the IceDogs’ Aaron Haydon tying the game up at two halfway through
the third. The tie wouldn’t last long though, as Bertuzzi put the puck past Moran from a tough angle on the powerplay, solidifying the 3-2 win for the Storm. Second to the penalty parade, the goaltenders were the obvious stars of the game with Moran turning away 37 of 40 shots earning third star honours, while Nichols was named first star. Strong performances from Fabbri and Bertuzzi yet again would give the Storm their second win in a row over the Saginaw Spirit on Oct. 19. The Spirit capitalized first with Nick Moutrey putting one past Nichols in tight. Just when
it looked as though the Storm were heading into the first intermission down a goal, Bertuzzi found the back of the net to tie the game up at one with just 42 seconds remaining. The second saw the Spirit jump ahead again as Artem Artemov pocketed a goal off a pass from Luke Cairns 1:34 into the period. With Storm defender Zac Leslie sitting for two, the Spirit were looking to build on the 2-1 lead on the powerplay. It would be Guelph’s special teams however, that would capitalize shorthanded with the coined “Fabbri-lous” star breaking in alone and burying an incredible backhand deke to tie the game up at two. The middle frame featured two more goals late in the period with Artemov netting his second, while the Storm tied it up yet again with just 1:03 remaining on a goal from Pierog. The Fabbri-effect was in full force in the final 20 as No. 9 completed a toe-drag before pocketing his second goal of the game to put the Storm ahead 4-3. Rookie defenseman Austin Hall would score his first in the OHL to give the home team some wiggle room, closing out the 5-3 win over Saginaw. Another rookie Storm defenseman, Noah Carroll, had two assists on the night marking the first multi-point game of his OHL career. Nichols had another solid game between the pipes stopping 32 of 35 shots. The Storm are back at home on Oct. 24 to face off against the Windsor Spitfires.
67 women in Canada are diagnosed every day.
October is Breast Can Awareness Month
14 women die each day from breast cancer in Canada
Breast cancer awareness and the Pink Gryphons defeat Mustangs in game for the ages STEPHANIE CORATTI
“...it isn’t about the colour pink, and it isn’t about glamorizing tragedy; it is instead about bringing awareness...”
October, alongside the pressure that comes with the halfway point of the NFL season, the excitement of the new NHL season, and the MLB playoffs, has slowly morphed into something much bigger: Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many major league sports have taken October as an opportunity to give their men a reason to wear pink, whether through equipment, referees donning pink and black stripes, or painting the ice pink – an effort seen by the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads. However, Breast Cancer Awareness month has faced its fair share of critics, despite good intentions. Female sports fans have expressed displeasure – and loudly – at pink merchandise, often wondering why every regular jersey sold in October can’t have money donated to the cause, instead of pink jerseys specifically. The NFL has also faced it’s fair share of nay-sayers, with many fans questioning The Guelph Gryphons are tied for fourth in the CIS national rankings as of Oc where the money raised actually goes – a last 1.7 seconds of the game on Oct. 18 in Guelph. disappointing grey area for one of the biggest sports leagues in the world. Others look at the recent a campaign that undoubtedly opens the floor to push back happenings involving the NFL and question the legitimacy of against the disease that affects so many. a league requiring it’s players to wear pink, while struggling The Guelph Gryphons, however, proved that a Breast Cancer to discipline acts of violence against Awareness game can be one for the ages with pink outlining the women, especially as of late. These black, red, and gold. The Gryphons took to the field on Oct. acts of violence have cost the NFL a 18 with pink socks, gloves, cleats, and mouth guards, and some major sponsor: Proctor & Gamble – even had a pink stripe on their cheek specifically dedicated to a company that previously supplied someone in their lives. This personal dedication should stand teams with pink mouth guards – as a strong reminder as to what October truly means: it isn’t withdrew from this season’s Breast about the colour pink, and it isn’t about glamorizing tragedy; Cancer Awareness campaign. it is instead about bringing awareness to a disease that has Nevertheless, campaigns for taken so many before us and will continue to do so unless we, breast cancer awareness are promi- collectively, push back. nent in sports and can be quite The Gryphons provided this reminder while emphasizing the effective. The NHL, for example, collective resilience needed in their historic 49-46 win over their has done away with the specifics bitter rivals, the Western Mustangs, at Alumni Stadium. of “pink” and “breast cancer” and This top ten match-up was a game one won’t soon forget, launched #HockeyFightsCancer, as Gryphons kicker Daniel Ferraro solidified the win with a
ncer h
a.
1 in 9 women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime.
e historic Gryphons
proved good experience for what would decide the game. To start the third quarter, the Gryphons carried the momentum to capitalize with two touchdowns in less than two minutes, taking a 37-23 lead over the purple ponies. Western, however, would live up to their national No. 4 ranking to come back with two successful drives to tie the game up at 37 a-piece. The fourth quarter saw a mistake with a Gryphons snap, leaving Ferraro to fall on the ball and take a major loss. The Mustangs took advantage as Finch connected with Adam Sinclair to put the visiting team ahead 46-38. Enter Lindsey, Charette, and Fraser: the big three that would push the Gryphons down field with just under three minutes remaining in the game. At third and goal, Gryphons’ Matthew Toppan would unexpectedly catch a touchdown pass from Lindsey to pull the home team within two and score the first touchdown of his football career. An overthe-top celebration saw a flag thrown on the play, pushing the Gryphons back to the 15-yard line for the potential gametying two-point conversion. PHOTOS BY RYAN PRIDDLE & MATTHEW AZEVEDO/THE ONTARION Charette would come to the rescue, ct. 23 after defeating their bitter rivals, the Western Mustangs, 49-46 in the successfully catching the two-point conversion, in spite of pressure from the defender, to tie the game up at 46-46. Gryphons’ Ryan Nieuwesteeg would return a Western punt 41-yard field goal and just 1.7 seconds remaining. The Gryphons improved to 6-1 with the win and also secured a first round bye to the 54-yard line with 39.9 seconds remaining, leaving Lindsey and the rest of the offence to push for the win in the final and a spot in the OUA semifinals. The rivals would exchange leads with strong play on both minute. With 1.7 seconds remaining, Ferraro made no mistake sides. The Gryphons came out atop 10-6 after the opening quar- from 41-yards out, giving the Gryphons the 49-46 win over the ter that saw Mason Swift successful on a two-yard touchdown Mustangs. In the win, Lindsey set a Guelph Gryphons record for passing pass thrown by quarterback Jazz Lindsey. Western would jump ahead 20-10, credited to Mustangs quar- yards in a single game, recording 514 yards. The previous record terback Will Finch throwing a successful 37-yard touchdown pass was held by Justin Dunk set at 487 yards. Charette had 13 receptions on the game – just one short of tying to Shaquille Johnson. Finch was 17 for 22 throws in the first half, throwing 189 yards and two touchdowns. These stats seem almost the single game record – for 188 yards and a touchdown, while minuscule in comparison to those of Gryphon receivers A’dre Fraser had 11 catches for a career-high 210 yards and a touchdown. Fraser and Alex Charette, however, who caught over 100 yards Ferraro continued the Gryphons’ parade of incredible statistics each in the first half of the game. Lindsey would connect with with four successful field goals, for a total of 23 on the season, Charette for a 35-yard touchdown, cutting the Western lead to tying McMaster’s Tyler Crapigna for the OUA’s single season record. 23-20. The Gryphons will close out the regular season on Oct. 25 Ferraro was successful on a 41-yard field goal as time expired at the half to tie the game at 23-23, a pressure filled play that undoubtedly when they visit the Laurier Golden Hawks.
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516 SPORTS & HEALTH
Pan Am Games 2015: coffee with Joanna Brown Competing for Canada, in front of Canada JACK HINDS I meet Joanna at the Athletic Centre, a place I figured is likely very familiar to her. We greet, exchange pleasantries, and immediately start looking for a place to sit down and chat. Having decided, Joanna immediately starts off across the windswept parking lot towards the Tim Hortons in the stadium. She walks with a reserved urgency, making it feel like it’s all she can do to not start jogging or jumping on the spot to make use of her energy. I take off after her, coming to a trot to make up the distance she’s already covered. That kind of energy, the impression that she manages to be both relaxed and personable, yet ready to go at a moments notice is exactly what Joanna brings to her sport every time she steps up to the line. Wearing fall-appropriate garb, backpack slung across her shoulder, with a very laid-back attitude, you wouldn’t know at first glance that, in addition
to studying marketing management, she recently took a podium spot in the world championships for triathlon and is in good standing to see a similar outcome at the Pan Am Games. Joanna has been a competing triathlete since she was 14-years-old in the Kids of Steel program in the area around her hometown of Carp, Ontario. As she grew older, she jumped to competing in the national series and began representing Canada at the World Championships four years ago. Now she trains with Triathlon Canada whose training centre is, very conveniently, based out of Guelph. Having heard her personal history in the sport, I then try to shed some of my ignorance of the triathlon by asking a vague question about the structure of the professional competitions. What I get is an intense and enthusiastic description of the inner workings of the tiered professional circuit, new rules and variations on the sport in the last twenty years, and a brief description of the major players. Only when pressed does Joanna admit, in her nonchalant style, that her competitive record includes competitions all across the world, against all manner of other professionals. She took third in the world
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Joanna Brown, a CIBC Team Next Athlete, is determined to out-perform her personal bests while representing Canada at the 2015 Pan Am Games. championships in the last two years and, when asked, calmly admits she’s expecting a similar, if not better result, in July 2015. One thing she shares in common with many of her co-competitors is a recent history of injury and setback.
Looking at her gait you wouldn’t be able to tell, but Joanna is coming off of a fractured heel, which she only just learned about recently after almost 11 weeks of training and competition. She will find out soon if it has started to knit, or whether she
will require a cast. When I asked her if she thought it was going to affect her training and performance at the Pan Am Games, she brushed off the question. No injury could keep her from the games and the win that, in her mind, she’s almost guaranteed.
Leukemia trials produce successful cases of remission Critical study sheds light on deadly cancer SAMEER CHHABRA Patients suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) may soon find relief thanks to modified T-cells in their immune system. So reveals a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) by a team lead by Dr. Carl June – an immunotherapist at the University of Pennsylvania – on Oct. 16. The process involved modifying normal, healthy T-cells to attack patients’ leukemia. Once the T-cells were infused with a CTL019 antigen receptor that targeted the CD19 molecule found on the surface of cancerous B-cells, the T-cells were injected back into patients’ veins to carry out their mission. B- and T-cells are lymphocytes part of the immune system. T-cells are responsible for destroying foreign bodies, while B-cells are responsible for storing information on foreign bodies to produce
antigens for future encounters. Whereas T-cells are like soldiers, attempting to eliminate all foreign intruders, B-cells take a more methodical approach ensuring that the body is protected in the future. Of the 30 children and adults who received the CTL019-infused T-cells, complete remission was achieved in 27 patients. This included 15 patients who had already undergone stem cell transplantation. Especially exciting is that sustained remission was achieved with a six-month event-free survival rate of 67 per cent, an overall survival rate of 78 per cent, and a 73 per cent chance of avoiding relapse at six months. “Chimeric antigen receptor modified T-cell therapy against CD19 was effective in treating relapsed and refractory ALL,” concluded the study published in the NEJM. “CTL019 was associated with a high remission rate, even among patients for whom stem-cell transplantation had failed, and durable remissions up to 24 months were observed.” Researchers pointed out that all of the patients had already undergone extensive therapy, and had failed conventional treatments.
“Initially, we didn’t know if we were just lucky with the first patients,” explained June in an excerpt from the The Verge. However, June and his team are quick to explain that this is not a perfect solution for ALL. The modified T-cells target anything with the CD19 molecule; because all B-cells contain a CD19 molecule on their surface, this means that the modified cells destroy all of the body’s B-cells, cancerous or otherwise. As a result, patients receive immunoglobulin replacements to boost their immune systems to normal levels. Like all forms of leukemia, ALL is the cancer of white blood cells. ALL results in an overproduction of lymphoblasts – immature white blood cells – which prevents the production of normal cells like mature red and white blood cells, as well as platelets. The “acute” in ALL refers to the relatively short time it takes to differentiate it from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Unlike CLL, which is a disease that is most often diagnosed in adults, ALL is most
NIAID VIA CC BY 2.0
June’s study utilizes T-lymphocytes (above) to attack leukemia in patients’ immune systems. common in children aged two- to five-years-old. ALL is normally treated with a bone marrow transplant, but according to June, the side
effects of this kind of treatment can be disastrous. June’s therapy avoids conventional treatment by utilizing patients’ own cells for treatment.
Issue 175.8 • Thursday, October 23, 2014
SPORTS & HEALTH
17
Mental health & wellness Be sure to keep these tips in mind EMILY DERRY With midterms happening and finals just around the corner, most students are probably really starting to feel the pressure. It’s definitely easy to start feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and, ultimately, unmotivated. Here are some tips to hopefully avoid the looming exhaustion and stress that the next month-and-a-half can bring. 1. Be organized While I don’t think it makes sense
to start studying for exams weeks in advance, it totally makes sense to ensure your notes are up to date, and to have any material you don’t understand explained to you. There is nothing more stressful than leaving everything to the last minute, only to panic when you realize you’re nowhere near being ready. Procrastination might seem like a good idea when you want a night out, but that will probably be a decision you’ll regret in the end. 2. Secure your study spot! Libraries are a good option, but sometimes they can be crowded and distracting during the peak of study season. Make sure you have somewhere to go that is quiet and comfortable, or somewhere you know you can really focus. If you aren’t good at motivating yourself
in your dorm or at home, then try a coffee shop, or even an open classroom! 3. Get some sleep I know caffeine seems like the answer, but not sleeping is the worst thing you can do to yourself! Not only is sleep an excellent way to reduce stress, you will also retain information so much better when you’ve slept well. Pulling an allnighter seems essential sometimes, but going into your exam exhausted will totally work against you as you sit there confused and forgetful. Make naps your friend. 4. Avoid the burnout It’s easy to feel forced into cramming your schedule and doing nothing but making notes and
studying, especially when you have so much to do, but that can
“Make sure you have somewhere to go that is quiet and comfortable...”
end in a burnout very quickly. Let the information sink in while you take a little break to do something for yourself. Whether it is a bubble bath, a movie, or the gym,
you’ll find that clearing your head and sneaking in a bit of relaxation will make a world of difference. 5. Eat well I like snacks as much as the next person, and eating totally healthy isn’t always as fun, but you can only go for so long on Kraft Dinner and pizza alone. Take the time to focus on eating things that will keep you fuelled, and keep your brain and body happy. Your more energized self will thank you. Hopefully, these tips help you navigate through the stress and chaos known as exam time. Remember to be kind to yourself, and look forward to the temporary relaxation that will follow! Good luck and happy studying.
TheOntarion.com
18
LIFE
We are our own toughest critics An analysis of self-critique GILAD KENIGSBERG-BENTOV
ALIX CALLOW VIA CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
TheOntarion.com
Each day when you look in the mirror, recognize that you are full of potential and try to give yourself a bit of a break.
Emma Gavey PhD candidate, Chemistry. Goal: Improve health care.
Discover your options. Apply for Graduate Studies. brocku.ca/nextstep For both sides of the brain. Brock Universit y | Niagara | Canada
Our college years are, as many have worded it, an ecstatic rollercoaster ride where life-long friends and memories are made. As these highs and lows take place, a particular low – which is particularly prevalent to college students – is the difficult barrier caused by excessive self-criticism. In its rudimentary form, selfcriticism is harmless, sometimes even helpful, but if this cognitive mechanism gets out of hand, it can lead us to very dark places. Self-criticism is the act of analyzing, correcting, and often condemning one’s own actions. In recent times, this particular action has seen an unhealthy increase in the majority of the population, especially among North American university students. This process is not only subjected to the perfectionists and overachievers among us; this mental apparatus is present in all humans. In fact, it is an evolutionary mechanism that develops early in our lives. When we engage in self-criticism, activity occurs in the dorsolateral prefrontal and dorsal anterior cingulate cortices in the brain; areas which are responsible for error detection and correction. Why is it then that we criticize ourselves? Human beings are inherently eager for continuous progress – we intuitively need constant upgrading and advancement. Through conscious self-critique, and the unconscious fear of missing out, we drive ourselves to feel insecure with ourselves. In today’s capitalist-driven world, progress is seen as a crucial necessity. In order for us to be and feel like the best, we must buy the best – the newest car, phone, clothes, etc. Ignoring that child prodigies receive far more public attention than ever before, and that the lavish and luxurious lifestyle is admired more than ever, whenever we watch ads, news stories, or movies, we are greeted by a discouraging tide of self criticism. Instead of basking in the satisfaction of our current achievements, we frown at the realization that there are those who are far more triumphant than us. This exact process has turned life – career
wise and socially – into an insane rat race to glory. Big companies encourage us to keep making purchases in order to stay atop the social ladder, banks and insurance companies tell us “your dream life is just around the corner,” “one more year, one more investment, more, more, more,” and more people plan their lives, rather than settle in and live them. We are constantly telling ourselves we could do better – that a better life awaits in the future, fuelling our blind, egodriven, self-destructive outlook. We look up to iconic figures, read books about success, watch inspirational movies in order to assure ourselves that we are capable of achieving such success. We are capable of extraordinary feats of glory. Now more than ever, the resources to excel are more accessible to us, and life as we know it is a vast window of opportunity. An abundance of exceptionally successful individuals were known for having suffered from excessive self-criticism. “I know quite certainly that I have no special talent; curiosity, obsession, and stubborn endurance, combined with self criticism have brought me to my ideas,” Einstein wrote in one of his memoirs – perhaps with humble intentions – showcasing his self-criticizing mentality nonetheless. So to conclude, does engaging in self-critique have negative or positive outcomes? Should we criticize ourselves more or less? A certain Canadian cartoonist named Lynn Johnston has tackled this issue quite perfectly: “In a way, a certain amount of self-criticism is a good thing, because it keeps you humble. Realizing that no matter what success you’ve achieved, you can still make enemies makes you humble, too,” she writes. Progress is good. If it is within our interests, we should work hard for it and be rewarded for our hard work accordingly. But constantly criticizing ourselves will take us nowhere. If anything, inner turmoil will only result in an impending obstacle in our path to success. So friends, let’s not strive for perfection, but for fulfilment – for happiness and not glory. Let’s not let self-critique break us down, but improve and maintain our ambitions on track. To recall my earlier analogy, this roller coaster ride does indeed take some steep highs and lows, but how are we to go anywhere if we don’t even feel secure on our own tracks?
Issue 175.8 • Thursday, October 23, 2014
Perfecting Being Perpetually Poor Lending and borrowing money from friends GABRIELLE DICKERT It happens to the best of us: ‘Hey, can you spot me a twenty?’ Lending money to your friends is a situation that many students get into. Whether it be intentional because you’re out at the bar and your buddy wants a few more drinks, or unintentional because you went to pay the by-law fine from last weekend’s party before collecting the cash from your roommates, lending money to your friends can become a sticky situation if they don’t pay you back. Whether you’re the lender or the lendee, it can get awkward really quickly if the money isn’t
paid back ASAP – and that can be rough because the two of you may have different ideas of what ASAP means. If you’re lending money to a friend, make sure the terms are explicit. Before you lend them your money, you should make sure they’re able to pay you back. Do they have a job? A birthday coming up? Do their parents give them an allowance? At the very least, have an idea of when they’re getting paid, so you know when to expect your cash. A friend of mine has a system where he has people build up credit. He starts with lending friends the cost of a coffee, then moves up to a pizza and so on and so forth. At first, it may seem like a bit of an extreme way to go about lending cash to friends, but it certainly minimizes the risk you take. The easiest way to go about ensuring you get your money back is to talk about it. If your friend was drinking when they borrowed it, remind them the next day, or
send them a text that they’ll see in the morning. You can be super casual about it with “Just get the money back to me by your next paycheque.” In a lot of the scenarios I’ve seen where friends get mad at each other about not getting paid back, it’s because one friend completely forgot they owe the other money. Sometimes people feel like it’s an awkward subject to talk about, but your friend may just need a reminder. Let your friend know your expectations from the get-go for a smooth lending experience. Some friends can unintentionally be taken advantage of by saying “Just get it back to me whenever you can.” If you’re the one borrowing the money, this can be a tight spot to get yourself into. When you hear “whenever you can,” you should think ‘as soon as you possibly can.’ Having that debt paid off can feel like a weight off your shoulders, as many people find that owing money to friends
LIFE can be much more stressful than owing money to banks or other creditors. While your credit isn’t necessarily on the line, your relationship is. With that being said, it’s best to pay them back as soon as you can. Just go to the bank and get the money, or grab some cash back next time you’re at the grocery store/LCBO. In the case that you just don’t have the cash available in the bank account, take a look at your next pay and allocate the sum you owe into your budget. If it’s a substantial amount, ask your friend if you can do a payment plan. Remember that owing money to friends is no different than owing money to a bank. While they may waive the interest, you want to make sure that you have the funds available to pay them back – if not don’t borrow the money in the first place. Living within your means is necessary to perfecting being perpetually poor.
You’ve probably seen this on Pinterest Fashion Week arrives in Toronto DIANA KURZEJA It’s a busy week for fashion enthusiasts in Toronto, as the World Mastercard Fashion Week hits off on Oct. 20 to Oct. 25 at the David Pecaut Square. Over 30,000 guests are expected to see emerging fashion designers present their work on the runway, along with more established brands such as Bustle, Matthew Gallagher, SOIA & KYO, Rudsak, and Pink Tartan. The World Mastercard Fashion Week is all about supporting emerging designers who are working to establish their name in the industry. “It is really great to see the next and greatest in design and to watch them grow. But they also need a stage to do that, and this is a start,” said Carolyn Quinn, director of IMG Fashion Events and Properties, the organization that produces Toronto Fashion Week. In an industry highly dominated by well-known brands such as H&M, and Zara, it is difficult for new designers to have their work noticed by buyers – creating a not-so-positive environment for emerging designers.
In hopes of changing this, six designers will compete to have a solo show produced for the next fashion week, along with mentoring by industry professionals – not to mention a grand total of $30,000 for the winning designer. “I think that there is a movement going on to propel Canadian fashion forward, that it feels that there is a real effort to change with things like the Mercedes Startup and the Joe Fresh fund, and seeing designers supporting other designers,” said Eliza Faulkner, one of the six finalists. With up-and-coming designers come new ideas and prospects for the future of fashion. Designer Hayley Elsaesser will be showing pieces with simple line drawings of nude women, complete with hair where it naturally grows, surrounded by planets and stars. The collection is called Heavenly Bodies, which aims at representing women who divert from the pin-up girl image. “It’s about celebrating the female body in its more natural form. It’s a salute to feminism,” said Elsaesser. Fashion can be an empowering tool for women, and for designers like Esaesser, it’s important to use that tool as a way to celebrate feminism and women’s issues. As a way of expression, fashion can also be a way to step outside of the cultural norm, and push past societal boundaries through such an art form.
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Dear Elann...
Dear “burned out, already” (BOA): When the weather changes and the mid-terms fill your agenda while your reading pile grows, it is not surprising that you are feeling run-down. As you mentioned, “everyone around [you] is sneezing or coughing, and you are just waiting for the ‘axe’ to fall on you too.” So far, the fun and the flavour of having all this freedom has been a positive experience, but it is time to take stock! Your stamina and energy is based on three main factors: (1) at least eight hours sleep a night, (2) what you eat, and (3) exercise. It’s not rocket science that late nights and early mornings will catch up with you. Walking to classes might seem like enough of a work-out, but your body might need more to help with stress relief and improve endurance (that’s what this – an endurance run!) Have a look at what you are feeding that body of yours and the nutrient timing of your meals! Get some protein in your system first thing in the morning, even before, or preferably instead, of coffee. This will turn on the engine of your brain and fire up your muscles so as not to drain your immune system. If you have read anything about the daily minerals needed to keep your concentration level and focus at peak performance, you will want to take a high-quality mineral elixir or supplement. Take a giant leap at improving your nutrition, and your immunity will make people wonder why you never miss a class. The small decisions you make or don’t make every day will have a substantial cumulative effect on the outcome of your trek.
Elann
Email: dearelann@gmail.com for advice and help. CHRIS CHEUNG VIA CC BY-NC 2.0
The World Mastercard Fashion week is happening in Toronto from Oct. 20 to Oct. 25. It is host to emerging fashion designers trying to establish their names in the fashion industry. As well as making Fashion Week accessible to new and upcoming designers, Fashion Week has also been trying to become more accessible to the general public for viewing. Fashion Saturday, which was introduced last year, allows the public to purchase tickets to view the collections that have been shown throughout the
week, outlining the highlights of the show. It is important for Canadian designers to be given the opportunity to share the runway with other established designers, as well as for Canadians to have access to the work of these designers; an initiative that the World Mastercard Fashion Week is dedicated to put forward.
Have a question, comment or complaint? Send us a letter to the editor at ontarion@uoguelph.ca. Deadline is Monday at 4 p.m., 300 word max.
The views represented in the opinion section do not necessarily reflect the views of The Ontarion nor its staff.
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LIFE
Science Avenue: Touchscreens of electrical currents. The input – the “touch” – triggers an electrical reaction sent to a controller module that then determines an output. However, different panels translate inputs in different ways.
“...a need to distinguish between the multiple types of touch-sensitive panels.”
EBAYINK VIA CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Touchscreeens (like in the tablet shown above) represent the future of user-interfaces.
The ability to touch-andswipe our way into the future SAMEER CHHABRA
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What are Touchscreens? There’s a joke that books were the first computer tablets. They were highly intuitive, required no batteries, and were entirely touch-based, which made them highly desirable and sought-after. It’s a joke intended to satirize companies that market touchbased technology as something new and revolutionary. Historically, touch-integration into modern technology has been around for over 50 years, with one of the earliest instances of touchscreens appearing in 1965, when E.A. Johnson described his work on capacitive touchscreens. In the early 1970s, employees at CERN began developing touchscreens, and CERN manufactured a working touchscreen in 1973. At their core, touchscreens are nothing more than visual displays that allow users to interact with information onscreen through simple, or multi-touch, gestures. How do Touchscreens work? When it comes to touchscreen technology, there’s a need to distinguish between the multiple types of touch-sensitive panels. Most touchscreens work by way
The earliest touchscreen – invented by E.A. Johnson and manufactured by CERN – was capacitive. Capacitive panels work by way of electrical conductivity. An insulator, like glass, is coated with a transparent electrical conductor; touching the panel with a bare finger causes a change in capacitance which is then translated into an output. In 1975, the earliest “Resistive” touchscreen was patented by G. Samuel Hurst. Unlike capacitive panels, resistive touchscreens utilize two panels. When a finger or stylus touches the screen, the upper panel connects with the lower panel, and this information is processed into an output. Many of us think that touchscreens work like buttons – we tap the screen and the machine figures out what to do based on what we tapped. However, touchscreens isolate where the screen was tapped, and the machine determines which action to execute depending on the part of the screen that was tapped. Developers simply put buttons on various parts of the screen to stimulate the human brain. The truth is that touchscreens don’t execute commands based on buttons, but on the location of the tap. An important concept in the world of touchscreens is “Multitouch.” Before the current technological revolution, tapping a screen was akin to clicking with a mouse. However, around the 1980s, an idea was hypothesized to allow users to utilize more than one finger to carry out commands. Multi-touch technology can be incorporated in both capacitive and resistive screens, but because it’s easier to use a capacitive screen, multi-touch is less intuitive with resistive surfaces.
The idea is simple: one finger taps, holding one finger can open menus, while two or more fingers can scroll, pinch-to-zoom, rotate, pan, etc. Why are Touchscreens important? Touchscreens are both more user-friendly than traditional input options, and far more intuitive. During a demonstration for a generation of iPhone, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs made a remark that it feels more natural to point-and-tap with our fingers than to use a mouse or keyboard. There is a significant amount of truth in this statement. When we interact with the physical world, everything is available to us through our senses. To touch is to experience, and it’s a deeply human desire to want to know what something feels like in our hands and fingers. Touchscreens capture human curiosity, but they also make it easier for people to use otherwise complicated technologies. After all, what’s easier, commanding a machine through a series of clicks and menus, or simply tapping and having a machine instinctively know what to do?
“...it feels more natural to pointand-tap with our fingers than to use a mouse or keyboard.” What is the future of Touchscreen? I made the point earlier that most touchscreens utilize electrical conductance to generate a desired output. However, since touchscreens merely use the location of an input device to determine what a machine should do, other types of technologies can be used to track input location. For example, sound waves, infrared imaging, and even optical imaging can be used to determine an input location. As always, I’m excited for the absurd possibilities.
TheON
Issue 175.8 • Thursday, October 23, 2014
OPINION
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Video games, science fiction, and storytelling: a blank slate for gender equality Examining the role of females in the video game industry JACK HINDS Your name is Commander Sheppard; you’re the protagonist of our story, and valiant leader of a military space vessel: the SSV Normandy. You and your crew live, eat, work and die aboard the Normandy. She is your home, your sanctuary as you travel across the local galactic neighbourhood fighting against an enemy that has yours and other alien races united in a struggle to save what remains of your worlds. Throughout your adventures you will have many a colourful exchange with your crew members, your friends, and your enemies, all of whom you will have opportunities to kill, sleep with, reprimand, praise, save, and sacrifice.
“...an industry that has typically been quite slow to move from maledominated and gender-skewed storytelling...” And you will do all of this, without ever really having a gender assigned. For the purposes
COURTESY PHOTO
By giving players the option to choose a male or female protagonist, the Mass Effect game trilogy demonstrates how strong storytelling should take priority over separate gender experiences. of the story, you are Commander Shepard: The Androgynous. Sure, you can pick your gender, but whether you pick male or female has absolutely no impact on the story, with the exception of one character calling you “ma’am” instead of “sir”. Sleep with that woman, sleep with that man, punch that reporter, play tag with that small alien child; the game doesn’t care, and it’s telling you that you shouldn’t either. In an industry that has typically been quite slow to move from maledominated and gender-skewed storytelling, that’s quite a powerful message. Recently, game critic and outspoken gaming-gender-equality champion Anita Sarkeesian, was preparing for a public speaking engagement in Utah when she received a very disturbing death
threat from someone claiming to be planning an action inspired by the massacre that took place at an engineering school in 1989. One lesser known fact about Guelph Engineers is that, every year, we celebrate the lives of the female engineers lost that day, and hold it dear to our hearts as a painful reminder of the truly unspeakable things people are capable of. This is not a threat to be taken lightly, and Anita did the strong, sensible thing, and cancelled her arrangements. Anita is a steadfast advocate for the fair representation of women in the video game industry. You could consider the representation of females both as physical and real in the form of game developers, modding-communities, and actual consumers of the media, but you can also consider
it to mean the representation of women in the fictional universes of the video games themselves. And in those aspects, we still do lag behind. And it’s a real shame. The science fiction community has already begun figuring out the important of accurate female representation, with movie makers embracing the untapped storytelling potential of strong female characters by fantastic authors like Ursula K. Le Guin. “World Building,” as it’s called, offers up a fantastic opportunity: the ability to craft and create a universe where gender equality is no longer a topic that’s up for debate. If you’ve never read any books by Ms. Le Guin, I would urge you to do so. She’s a fantastic author who writes thought-provoking literature that is science fiction at it’s core, but a statement on gender equality at it’s heart. And the development of video games offers the same opportunities! Most, if not all, of the universes built in the development of video games are fictional, and can be molded to convey whatever message the developer wishes. They can tell fantastic stories of heroism, adventure, tragedy, horror, success, and failure. With all that potential, why are some storytellers in the
industry still so bent on creating characters that are driven not by their ability to tell a story, but by the gender role traditionally applied to them? Far too often, male characters are brimming with machismo and sarcastic dry wit, swaggering into rooms with arrogant energy ready to smash anything in their way, while female characters sit off to the side lines and, in their need for rescue, give the developers convenient reason to force an ever-dreaded “escort mission”. The answer lies with the community itself. Gamers (male and female) are, by and large, conditioned not to care. There are many examples of video games with fantastic character writing, but they’re outweighed tenfold by the games that have absolutely shallow characters, with little–to-no thought put into them. We’ve learned, as a com-
“Far too often, male characters are brimming with machismo and sarcastic dry wit...”
munity, to ignore it. We’ve dealt with it. And so have critics, often focusing so heavily on the mechanics of the gameplay that they sometimes ignore the most intriguing and unique experience offered by video games; a story which the player can immerse themselves within. So please, give a nod to Anita’s fearless actions, and put some thought into your next game purchase. Or better yet, bring a new person into the world of video games, and show them the value of good story writing by lining their first experience in our world with games like the Mass Effect series, Gone Home, The Bioshock Series and others that show how truly bottomless and encapsulating a well-written video game world can be.
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OPINION
First Occurence of the Galactic Mind An introduction KYLE FITZSIMMONS The Ontarion has finally given me a mandate, by which I mean a biweekly column that I hope will entertain and enlighten – however obscure the title, which I will explain. It’s taken from a book I poured over as a kid about the history of science fiction; specifically referencing a future timeline taken from the book Starmaker by William Olaf Stapleton. It stuck with me, and I felt if I was given a radio show, I would call it this. But radio is a pain, really, and you have to like making it or it isn’t worth the trouble. A column is easier because there’s less buttons to deal with, and I’m not obligated to devote 10 per cent of this column to Canadian material. I mean, I will, obviously, write about Canada and Canadian issues because that’s where I am right now; I would just rather not think I have to. But the title of this column is also a reflection of my personal values, if you can buy that. I’m a staunch egalitarian, which means
that I insist that everybody is just as intelligent as everybody else. I insist that nobody is “stupid” just because they don’t know the same things you or I do, and that this is, furthermore, an egregious misapplication of the term wherever
“I’m a staunch egalitarian...I insist that everybody is just as intelligent as everybody else.” a willingness to learn and correct that condition is evident. And I say that “I insist” because it is not a belief for me – not an article of faith, rather, an active and responsible strategy for defining my reality, if you accept that belief defines perception. I like to think we’re all part of the Galactic Mind Stapleton prophesied, and that truth and reason are accessible to all, however much
A good death? Harper refuses to re-open euthanasia debate ASHLEY STREET As Canada deals with the reality of an aging population the issues of palliative care and quality of life are becoming increasingly important. In line with this vein of thought is the issue of assisted suicide; Canadians are increasingly engaging with this topic both privately and publicly, as various statistics show that 80 per cent of Canadians support assisted dying and hope for legislation to govern the practice. Yet Prime Minister Stephen Harper publicly stated that Parliament will not revisit the issue. This raises even more difficult questions, as one is forced to ask, why do we have politicians if not to debate serious issues that are important to the people? What is particularly concerning about Harper’s decision not
to open the floor to a debate on assisted suicide is that later this month, the Supreme Court of Canada will make a decision regarding a British Columbia Supreme Court decision which ruled the federal prohibition against doctor-assisted suicide as unconstitutional. The British Columbia Supreme Court granted Gloria Taylor, who was suffering from ALS, an exemption to the absolute ban on assisted suicide; she was not able to go through with this in Canada, and flew to Switzerland to have the procedure. What Harper’s statement essentially does is delegate an extremely significant question of social and legal policy to the courts. I would argue that in dismissing this issue, refusing to even discuss it in the House of Commons, the Harper government is failing in its duties. It is clear that there has been public concern over assisted suicide, as Parliamentarians have tried to raise national consciousness about the issue nine times in the past 22 years. Currently, Quebec supports assisted suicide, arguing that it is a medical issue under
or little they know now. You can rest assured, however, that I have some nicely caustic opinions to balance out the greeting card philosophy. Before I knew I was getting this column, I did some footwork looking into the organization Sanguen, after a chance meeting with one of its workers over breakfast. Sanguen’s primary goal is to slow the spread of Hepatitus C through client treatment and outreach. Like anyone who consciously aligns themselves politically, I don’t always know exactly why I believe what I believe, just that I’m right. So Tamara invited me to join her colleagues at work in St. George’s Square so I could discover just how much and why I was right. By “outreach,” they mean that one of the things they do is dispense safe injection kits, which are assembled by volunteers at weekly bees. They even include distilled water, as I was surprised to learn that Hepatitis C can be transmitted through the water used to cook the junk. The good cheer of the workers aroused in me a certain responsibility to my readers as to why they should
care if drug users get Hepatitus C. This isn’t unfair to either Sanguen or my readers, when you consider that the ongoing opposition to the HPV vaccine – that prevents the transmission of certain cancers in both men and women – in schools is fomented largely because Catholic Church leaders believe it will encourage the premarital sex that is already happening, thereby shattering the illusion of the efficacy of promoting abstinence. So I was being a little interrogative, looking for my “hook” in the story. A childhood friend happened by and greeted the workers. He told me about how he had been traumatized after I fell from a cliff in Rockwood when we were kids. My family held him responsible, when it was clearly my own doing. Incredulous, I told him that when he started his next round of recovery treatment, he should ask himself how often others held him accountable for something of which he was blameless. Then I asked myself how many times I had passed judgement on hardluck cases I encountered, when it is possible that they were not entirely responsible for their condition.
We know that some of us come from bad places because we read about it all the time; we just seem to forget when we’re confronted with it in the real world. People often drift into self-destructive lifestyles because they find acceptance in those circles where they didn’t find it elsewhere. Even if they are morally responsible for their state, does anybody deserve being punished with a debilitating disease for a mistake they made at a low time in their lives?
provincial health jurisdiction, but they have not been able to move forward as the Federal Government argues that it is an issue that falls under the Criminal Code of Canada. In Canada, suicide is not a crime, but assisted suicide is.
because it raises political issues. If anything, this should increase the sense of duty among our politicians. To clarify what is meant by assisted suicide, this would not be the practice of physicians prescribing suicide to those they feel cannot be helped; this issue is about consenting adults agreeing to their own hastened death. Advocates for assisted suicide argue that people should be allowed to approach their own deaths rationally – no one wants to die if living is better. When one considers the quality of life some people can expect, sometimes dying is better than living in extreme pain with little-tono control over one’s mental or physical faculties. Dr. Donald Low, the man who led Canada through the SARS crisis, recently posted a video advocating for Canadians to be given the choice to seek assisted suicide just eight days before he succumbed to his own terminal brain tumour. In his video he states, “Why make people suffer for no reason when there’s an alternative? […] I’m able to face death without the
fear of death itself.” There are two kinds of death: physical death, and what sometimes pre-empts that physical death – the death of a life the individual still feels is worth living. In the West, we have medicalized mortality, but we have stopped short of considering death as a better option to certain types of life. Individuals should be allowed to decide this for themselves. The idea is not for people to be coerced into death or to save on expensive treatments, the idea is to support those who wish to die with dignity in a peaceful, cathartic way that allows for discussion and understanding with family and loved ones. As Atul Gawande states in an interview about his book Being Mortal, which addresses ways to improve quality-of-life for terminally ill patients, “An ending always comes, and we need to honour people’s wishes during it as much as we can.” How can Canada even begin to come to a decision regarding this very real, divisive, and increasingly pressing issue if our Prime Minister is not even open to a discussion?
“...Canadians are increasingly engaging with this topic both privately and publicly...” By any standard, assisted suicide is an extremely complex and delicate question – a question that involves interpreting the Charter of Rights, and can only be decided, in any legislatively upholding way, by Parliament. Our politicians are also legally obligated to address this issue as case law confirms that government does not have the right to decline a charter case simply
“We know that some of us come from bad places...” But if I assumed I knew everything, intellectually or morally, I would meet the criteria for bonafide stupidity. There are obviously exceptions to my forgiveness tract, and in two weeks’ time, I’ll turn my loving attention to one of them; Guelph’s favourite Conservative con-artist, Michael Sona.
Issue 175.8 • Thursday, October 23, 2014
OPINION
Political pussyfooting – we’re watching you The invisible issues CARLEIGH CATHCART A common complaint around elections these days is that our young people don’t care about politics. But what seems to be overlooked in general conversation is that, often, politics doesn’t seem to care about our young people. As a low20-something who’s been reading the newspaper since grade school and voting since her 18th birthday, I’d like to do a little venting of my own regarding how youth are addressed by today’s politics - or rather, the lack of such acknowledgment. Yes, it’s true that an appallingly low percentage of my age bracket puts down their iPhone long enough to cast a ballot. But many of us do not fall into that category - and many of our elders do. So before we are written off completely, I sincerely hope that at least some of our politicians remember that we do
exist, that we have a voice, and that many of us are willing and eager to use it.
“Permanent residents and politicians alike must also remember that Guelph is a university town.” The upcoming mayoral election in Guelph has left me quite disappointed. I think it’s great that we have a wide selection of candidates, and thus a wide variety of stances on the countless issues that matter to our wonderful city’s citizens. That being said, there seem to be many concerns that are either being ignored or simply forgotten. The
problem, I think, is that it always seems to boil down to dollars and cents. But money is not, contrary to popular belief, the only thing that makes the world go round. It is a myth that students are not taxpayers/don’t understand the needs of the city. We rent, and our landlords pay taxes on that property. Those taxes get passed along in our sad monthly parting with half-a-grand (give-or-take), and it can matter as much to us where that goes as if we paid those property levies ourselves. Permanent residents and politicians alike must also remember that Guelph is a university town. No doubt raucous downtown weekends and unnecessary litter breed resentment, but it doesn’t quite merit the cold shoulders and bad reputations we automatically receive. The economy in Guelph is heavily influenced by our presence, and if you don’t believe me, ask local restaurants, cab companies, or virtually any business for their profit margins in November compared to July.
Also frustrating is the dismal level of discussion regarding mental health issues, and the lack of such support. The campus itself is bursting with resources and events to assist those in need and raise awareness, but students (or anyone, for that matter) do not live in a bubble. So many of society’s problems can be traced to their roots of emotional or mental afflictions, and it is truly baffling that despite this growing notion, very little is being done to get the ball rolling on productive conversation and implements. Some might argue that such issues fall under the jurisdiction of the provincial or federal governments, who hold more influence over health care. To those people, I ask you this: if we don’t offer dialogue to begin helping our neighbours next door, how is some minister 100 or 300 kilometers away going to be able to assist them? Finally, and most shockingly, it feels as if there has been virtually no discussion on the fate of our local environment. It is our generation
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who will bear the brunt of damage caused by those who are currently paid to lead us, yet they are ignoring how we will be affected in the future. Despite what you may think, we care. We care about preserving local green space. We care about curbing urban sprawl, and we care about sustainable development. Treating the threats posed to the environment as a backburner issue to the economy is like ignoring heart failure to focus on healing a broken arm. Without the former, the other doesn’t even matter. We under-30 folk are a far from perfect. But show me an ideal demographic, and I’ll show you a liar. It is dangerous to write off the concerns of students and youth as insignificant, because we are the future. We will make up future city councils, and we will canvass neighbourhoods to meet with denizens. We will save lives and design buildings and educate those who will succeed us. When our own politicians pay no heed to our concerns, they make their message loud and clear. With the power of our voices and our votes, so will we.
Big name companies to support the needs of employees Postponing the biological clock EMILY JONES Recently, big name companies like Facebook, and Apple, have declared that they will support their employees in big ways - by covering the costs of fertility treatments, sperm donors, adoption, and egg freezing. This is a big move forward and, in my opinion, is a step in the right direction. Not all people want to have children, but those that do shouldn’t have to choose between a successful, demanding career over a family. It is great to know that some companies are taking
a stance, and speaking up about these serious, life changing issues – anything that sparks conversation about otherwise private issues always has the opportunity to cause a positive outcome. This is a topic that I think about often. Do I go back to school, and spend years of my life and thousands of dollars to achieve what I hope would be a steady, well paying job that I love? Or, do I work as hard as I can right now to make something of myself with the education and experience I already have? My career is important to me – as it is to the majority of people – but if I want to have a family, what does that mean for my career? Can I have both? And, how? Graduating from university
later than most, I am already in my late 20s, and although I am not ready for children right now, I do realize that my so-called biological clock is ticking. Men have a bit of an easier time with this; their clocks tend to tick for a whole lot longer, making it easier for them to have children later in their life without worrying about the physical consequences, and without risking getting ahead in their careers. Men and women have different decisions to make when it comes to family and career planning – with technological advancements, we may soon be on a more level playing field. I am not saying that freezing my eggs is something that I would want to do – I think that the companies that have implemented
these changes are encouraging female employees to really think about what they want instead of about what they can do until it’s time to begin having children. So many women have to put their careers on hold to have children, and for those who want to – good for you; but for those who are passionate about both their children and their careers; you should be able to make that decision and not be penalized financially for it. The decision to help those who want to have children – whether they need treatments, are looking for sperm donors, looking to adopt, or want to make something of their career without having to completely forget about having children – is noble, and I think that these companies are doing a
great service to their employees. It really shows that these companies do care about their employees, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, or age. As a woman who at some point does want to have a family, but also wants a career that I am passionate about, I think that these companies have really enabled their female employees with the ability to make decisions based on what they really want, rather than what they physically have to do. This decision will not help all women – since this is not the norm just yet – but who knows what the future holds? Beginning the conversation is the first step in recognizing that this is a major issue that female professionals need to think about.
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TheON
Issue 175.8 • Thursday, October 23, 2014
FEATURE
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The role of media in the making of a culture of war Taking a look at the glorification of combat through the Vietnam War EMILIO GHLOUM In new media, constant reminders of military action and pride are recurring. Whether it is visible through a likeable action hero from a blockbuster movie, or through a lesson taught in history class, mass media has made the prominence of war visible in our culture. Undoubtedly, soldiers who are seen in uniform walking around in public command respect. Their posture and presence is felt from all corners of the room, and they are often congratulated and thanked for their service. The issue with this kind of attitude towards war is not whether or not that particular soldier deserves respect and gratitude, but rather in the uninformed and irrational way which we come to see war and violence. Perhaps one of the first widespread cultural moments to really demonstrate the grim realities and darkness of conflict was the war in Vietnam. With the emergence of movies like The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now, the blind violence and darkness created by war was brought to national attention shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. Multiple American soldiers, many of whom were as
ILUSTRATION BY JESSICA AVOLIO
The idolization of soldiers has become increasingly more prominent and relevant in contemporary cultural portrayals of war. young as 18, were sent off to a foreign land to fight a war they knew nothing about. Journalist Michael Herr, author of the pivotal book Dispatches, discussed his first hand experiences of living and travelling alongside many soldiers in Vietnam. His raw and edgy text, published shortly after the war in 1977, thoroughly looked at the way violence and war affect the human mind. What Herr ended up illuminating most was not the influence of war itself, but rather a culture adopted by soldiers which perpetuates praise for killing and violence against other humans. Herr’s book is crucial because
it provides a first-hand insight towards the machinations of war. The book, at times painting horribly gruesome and realistic pictures of events that transpired, demonstrates how the context of war allows for a socially-acceptable domain of killing. A lot of the young soldiers drafted to Vietnam, who knew nothing about combat, were being told by authoritative figures to commit acts of violence without even blinking. While discussing a particular kind of attitude some soldiers had, Herr wrote, “They were insane, but the war hadn’t done that to them. Most combat troops stopped thinking of the war as
The militarization of Batman A look at the new age of superheroes LUKE FUENDLING A Dark Knight has come over the world of comic book heroes. Those magnificent men and women who dazzled our childhood, and filled our adolescent minds with their hope inspiring tales have found their way into a corner shadow. The world that these great heroes defend has become a place that seems always defeating, hopeless, vile and horribly real. No longer do the
defenders who illuminated the glossy pages of Marvel and DC fight with grace and wonder, they play dirty- they go to war. This is all thanks to a few men, and it all began with the likeliest of heroes. The two men? Christopher Nolan and Zach Snyder. Our hero? Batman. In 2005, fans witnessed the vigilante of legend borne again. Christopher Nolan introduced us to a new breed of hero, one who is conflicted, ferocious, and confronted with darkness. We saw a black cumulous roll over the cursed, crooked city of Gotham. We saw corruption, hatred, and wickedness, but more importantly, we saw our broken Batman: a hero bred in dirt, and
rising as a prince of darkness. It seemed as though a hero, for post 9/11 Western society, needed to be someone who fought more than wicked criminals- someone who could lose those closest too him and fight on against foreign terrors. Nolan gave him a suit fitting of a soldier, a Bat-mobile/tank hybrid, and a no-bullhorn attitude that meant rising again and again even after being beat down into the gritty Gotham streets. As the trilogy unfolded, and the villains became maddeningly psychotic, twisted, and disturbed, our beloved masked guardian was forced to play with moral boundaries never portrayed on screen. Nolan developed a Batman
an adventure after their first few firefights, but there were always the ones who couldn’t let that go, these few who were up there doing numbers for the cameras… We’d all seen too many movies, stayed too long in Television City, years of media glut had made certain connections difficult.” America’s involvement in Vietnam, in a way, created a socially acceptable context for violent acts to be committed and carried out. The heroic culture and glorification which emanates from uninformed notions of the realities of war can be attributed to its prevalence in mass media. Movies, TV shows, action figures, and
arsenal appropriate for National Defense level warfare. Zach Snyder took a step further, with his menacing portrayal of a traditional good-guy hero in Man of Steel. With actual military personal setting the background of the film, and our hero-of-good killing General Zod at the close of the film, it’s not hard to recognize the militarization of this blockbuster superhero age. In case this wasn’t enough, short National Guard recruitment films with Man of Steel/ Snyder-backing aired before Man of Steel screenings. What does the militarization of superheroes mean? Why is it so abundant? And why do we continue wanting more? Perhaps
even some historical documentaries provide a sense of patriotism which often showcases and prioritizes violence rather than the realities of war and the terrors therein. As a result of the Vietnam war, some American citizens, specifically university students, became further aware of the negative impacts war was having on soldiers. Political organizations such as The Students for a Democratic Society (at its height in 1968) helped influence the perception of the Vietnam war with anti-war demonstrations and, among other factors, ultimately contributed to the attempt at illuminating the darkness of war in new media. With the emergence of movies and texts such as Apocalypse Now and Herr’s Dispatches, it is important to note the need to be educated about unconventional aspects of war. While a lot of cultural representations of war acknowledge the glory of soldiers in combat, it is important to remain aware of the realities of war which are often neglected. Undoubtedly, the courageous people who fought and were affected by the outcomes of war deserve respect for their bravery. What remains consistent within traditional representations of the culture of war is the failure to depict both the good and bad aspects of war. By making present an evocative conception of war in mass media and mainstream culture which factors in the grim realities faced by soldiers and those affected by war, our understanding of their actions becomes more informed and realistic.
it is a reflection of the violent nature of society. Perhaps with all the violence rampant in the public eye today, people generally don’t believe that punches make a “KAPOW” sound anymore. Or perhaps we want to relive past traumatic events on screen, and we long for the climactic conquering of the vilest form of evil. Whatever the reason may be, we have not seen the last of it. A quick Google search of Snyder’s new rendition of the Bat-mobile in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice shows that the militarization of the superhero-era is far from finished with the once colorful worlds they protected.
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EDITORIAL
The Ontarion Inc. University Centre Room 264 University of Guelph N1G 2W1 ontarion@uoguelph.ca Phone 519-824-4120 General: x 58265 Editorial: x 58250 Advertising: x 53534 Accounts: x 53534 Editorial Staff Editor-in-Chief Emily Jones Associate Editor Emilio Ghloum News Editor Alyssa Ottema Arts & Culture Editor Adrien Potvin Sports & Health Editor Stephanie Coratti Copy Editor Sameer Chhabra Web Editor Danielle Subject Production Staff Photo & Graphics Editor Matthew Azevedo Director of Layout & Design Carly Jenkins Office Staff Business Manager Lorrie Taylor Ad Manager Al Ladha Office Coordinator Vanessa Tignanelli Circulation Director Salvador Moran Board Of Directors President Heather Luz Chairperson Patrick Sutherland Treasurer Alex Lefebvre Secretary Anthony Jehn Directors Melissa Chong Ah Yan Bronislaw Szulc Sasha Odesse Contributors Jessica Avolio Carleigh Cathcart Emily Derry Gabrielle Dickert Kyle Fitzsimmons Luke Fuendling Alexandra Grant Eve Harding Connor Hewson Jack Hinds Gilad Kenigsberg-Bentov Diana Kurzeja Mohammad Melebari Madelaine Nelson Michael Ott Ryan Priddle Will Wellington 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 of refuse all material deemed sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise unfit for publication as determined by the Editorin-Chief. Material of any form appearing in this newspaper is copyrighted 2014 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 Thuroweb.
Nice Girls finish last ALYSSA OTTEMA
It’s commonly assumed that Nice Guys finish last; that we of the female persuasion only want the Bad Boys who don’t give a second thought to us. All the while, these Nice Guys sit there, patiently waiting for us to notice that they’ve been there all along, loving us as we are. Pardon my language, but bullshit. I won’t pretend that the whole “want what you can’t have” dichotomy doesn’t exist, but it seems to go unnoticed that, as always, there are two sides to this story. The Nice Guy’s problem might just be that he’s constantly chasing the wrong girls. The Nice Guy complains that girls are whiny, manipulative, and oblivious; that we think we can treat them one way and expect to be treated another. It seems that the Nice Guy is lured in by the Bad Girl, just as we females are supposedly lured in by the Bad Boy. The heart of the problem, then, is that the Bad Girl is the one who sticks in the memory, becoming a blanket definition for the female population. And because of this, it’s the Nice Girl who finishes last. This one is for all of the girls who have ever fallen in love with their best friend. This is for the girls who are the back-up dates, the last-resort fake girlfriends, and the ones who hear all too often, “if I’m 40 and still single, I’ll totally marry you.” This is for all of the times you have given him advice on his newest girl issue. Not real advice, either, but the kind of advice that tells him exactly what he wants to hear, like “Oh, she’s definitely got a brother named Josh, and they definitely just have an oddly close, borderline incestual relationship. That’s why she keeps saying his name when you make out.” This is for every time you’ve reassured him that she’s only playing games with him because she likes him, all the while wishing you could give her a piece of your mind. For all the times you took him to a movie full of explosions and boobs (and let him eat all of the popcorn) when she broke his heart - because it
エン バルドマン VIA CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Don’t worry, dear Nice Girl. You’ll set off on your perfect Notebook-worthy boat ride into the sunset some day soon. turns out she was playing games with him and two other guys this is for you. This is for all of the times she’s asked you what to get him for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and his birthday, and you’ve given her the perfect idea, only to be forced to hear him gush about how awesome and thoughtful she is for six months afterwards. This is for all of the times you’ve taken him shopping, trying on various sizes while reassuring the sales associates that no, it’s not for you; no, you’re not together, no way; yes, really, you’re just friends. For all of the times he has forgotten your birthday after you painstakingly came up with the second-best, super-personal, borderline-romantic yet platonically-cool present for his birthday - after giving the best one to her - this is for you. This is for every time you’ve unabashedly watched 13 Going On 30 and wished for magic dust and a homemade Jenna’s dream house that erased all of the mistakes you’ve made, picking you up out of the friend zone and landing you at your wedding, a newly minted Mrs. Flamhaff. This is for all of the times you’ve blasted Taylor Swift when no one
was home, screaming passionately into a hairbrush; why can’t he see he belongs with you? This is for the hours you spent watching and re-watching 27 Dresses, trying to decipher exactly how it is you are supposed to find your real-life James Marsden. For all the times you’ve dated someone else in hopes of getting over him - only to, once again, decide that you can’t and maybe never will this is for you. This is for the unrequited lovers. This is for every girl who has experienced the torture of watching him be with someone else while your heart breaks into a million little pieces. This is for every letter written, page upon page upon page, only to be ripped up and thrown out in search of some cathartic purging that never materializes. This is for every girl who has ever briefly wished to be the kind of girl who could be whiny, manipulative, and oblivious; the kind of girl that the Nice Guy seems to chase. For every time you’ve been told how great you are - and how awesome it is that you’re just “one of the guys” - this is for you. Dear Nice Girl, I’d like to thank you on behalf of all of the people who haven’t but should
have. Thank you for swallowing your pride, your anger, and your sorrow. Thank you for taking with dignity the emotional turmoil thrown at you. Someday, someone is going to see you for everything amazing that you are, and that list of amazing things will not include your talents as a “bro.” They will love you from day one, and you will never just be “one of the guys,” and they will never ask for your advice on gifts for another girl. You might still go to movies full of explosions and boobs, but it will be on your terms, and you will get to eat at least half of the popcorn. You won’t have to deal with nosy sales associates - who, by the way, seem much less interested in your relationship status when you’re actually in a relationship - and you won’t have to share your gift ideas. In the end, you might not have magic wishing dust and a dream house, but you won’t need it; what you’ll have will be so much better. Your real-life James Marsden is just around the corner. He’ll make you laugh when you feel like breaking things, your dad will love him, and if he isn’t perfect, he’ll be perfect for you. Your day is coming; I guarantee it.
TheOntarion.com
Issue 175.8 • Thursday, October 23, 2014
Across 1- Alert 6- Word of woe 10- Rejection power 14- Israeli desert region 15- Carefree adventure 16- Garden spot 17- Sports area 18- Monetary unit of Lesotho 19- Prefix with Tibetan 20- Mother of Calcutta 22- Ominous 24- Simpson trial judge 26- First-born 27- Ancient capital of Assyria 31- Sick 32- Make ___ for oneself 33- Came to 36- “The Simpsons” bartender 39- Hindu lawgiver 40- Minotaur’s home 41- Outstanding 42- Brian of Roxy Music 43- Role for Clark 44- Bed down 45- Henri’s here 46- Precisely 48- Cellist Pablo 51- Agent, briefly 52- Fifth day of the week 54- Most cunning 59- Paul Sorvino’s daughter 60- Ran, as colors 62- Muse of love poetry 63- Winglike parts 64- Actor Morales 65- Rescued
EST. 1951
66- 1994 Jodie Foster film 67- “Consarnit!” 68- ___ evil... Down 1- Med school subj. 2- Used to be 3- Teen follower 4- Actor Auberjonois 5- Elusive 6- The whole shebang 7- Neighbor of Cambodia 8- Bandleader Shaw 9- Dermoid 10- Ship 11- Prepares for publication 12- Belief 13- ___ about (approximately) 21- Polished off 23- Twiddling one’s thumbs 25- Chicago hub 27- Title 28- ___ uproar 29- Second start? 30- Grounded bird 34- Rainy 35- Aquatic mammal 36- Champagne name 37- Autobahn auto 38- Catch a view of 40- Parturition 41- Pampering, briefly 43- Some DVD players 44- Withered 45- Sharon’s land 47- Crosses (out)
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ANSWERS FROM 175.7
48- Whence Pinochet 49- Otic 50- Chip dip 52- Counterfeiter catcher 53- Bring forth young
55- Dies ___ 56- Icicle site 57- Type of gun 58- Brouhaha 61- Excavate
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