The Ontarion - Issue #176.10

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Thursday, March 19, 2015

Issue No. 176.10

gryphon’s hockey: a year in review

SEE CENTRE

CYSTIC FIBROSIS FUNDING COMES TO CAMPUS PAGE 3

GROWLERS PAGE 9

ETHICS OF HUNTING PAGE 19

JAMES PHAN PHOTOGRAPHY VIA CC BY 2.0

DAVIDE D’AMICO VIA CC BY-SA 2.0

NEWS 3 • ARTS & CULTURE 6 • SPORTS & HEALTH 10 • LIFE 17 • FEATURE 19 • OPINION 20 • EDITORIAL 22 • FUN PAGE 23

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Issue 176.10 • Thursday, March 19, 2015

NEWS

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University of Guelph Professor awarded funding for cystic fibrosis research Research team to capitalize on benefits of genetic engineering SAMEER CHHABRA Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an often-fatal genetic disease that targets the digestive system and the lungs. Constant lung infection causes individuals diagnosed with CF to lose parts of their lungs, often resulting in the fatal damage of the lungs, leading to the loss of pulmonary function. According to Cystic Fibrosis Canada (CFC), an estimated one in 3,600 children born in Canada is diagnosed with CF, while almost 4,000 Canadian children, adolescents, and adults are living with the disease. However, thanks in part to researchers at the University of Guelph, the world might be one step closer to successfully treating CF. On March 6, according to a University of Guelph news release, pathobiology professor Sarah Wootton received $157,674 to study a method to permanently treat CF. The funding was awarded by CFC, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the treatment and care of CF. Wootton, who has been working on developing a lung-specific gene therapy vector to treat CF for over two years, found out about the CFC grant after a colleague gave a talk on the disease.

“Our lab has always had an interest in lung gene therapy, so when a talented postdoc named Jondavid de Jong joined the lab, we combined our expertise in lung gene therapy and baculovirus vectors (Bac) to develop a novel strategy to mediate integration of transgene cassettes into a known safe genomic location, leading to permanent transgene expression for the life of that cell,” explained Wootton. The specific protein responsible for the development of CF is a mutated form of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). CFTR is a membrane protein – a protein that interact with membranes of cells – that ensures the movement of chloride and thiocyanate ions across epithelial cell membranes. The mutated form of CFTR leads to unregulated fluid movement in the lungs, pancreas, and other organs, leading to the development and diagnosis of CF. What Professor Wootton hopes to accomplish with her research on permanent CFTR expression in airway epithelial cells is the maintenance and regulation of epithelial cells so they properly regulate epithelial fluid movement. “The proposed work aims to directly address the cause of [CF] disease by developing a lungspecific gene therapy vector for permanent CFTR expression in airway epithelial cells,” said Wootton. “Additionally, evidence suggests that clinical benefits can be achieved through sustained expression of functional CFTR in as little as 10 to 25 per cent of lung cells.” The transgene cassettes that carry the normal CFTR proteins

are genetically manipulated viruses that will carry the proteins into lung cells. For those concerned about the nature of these viruses, Wootton confirms that there is little to worry about. “Viruses have evolved to deliver genetic information to cells effectively,” explained Wootton in the March 6 news release. “We are taking advantage of the natural ability of a virus to target the lung and incorporating novel genome editing techniques into these vectors with the aim of permanently delivering functional genes to the lungs.” According to Wootton, the virus “cannot [be replicated] in mammalian cells. You use it as a vehicle to deliver the DNA, and once inside the cell, it expresses the therapeutic protein, but cannot produce more of itself.” Wootton is especially excited for the possibilities created by the manipulation and implementation of the Bac/site-specific nuclease vectors used in her team’s research. If Wootton’s research is successful, she expects to be able to use her team’s work to treat other genetic lung disorders. “If successful, this Bac/sitespecific nuclease platform could have the potential to permanently correct other genetic lung disorders, such as alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency,” said Wootton. “The development of an AAVS1 [the viral integration site used to introduce the baculovirus vector] gene-targeting baculovirus vector allows us to capitalize on the strengths of baculovirus…” For now, however, Wootton and her team are excited to continue working on their research.

COURTESY OF SARAH WOOTTON

Professor Sarah Wootton, of the University of Guelph Pathobiology Department, recently received funding to research treatment for cystic fybrosis.

Upcoming events March 20: • International Day of Happiness March 21: • College Royal Open House Weekend begins • International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination • Bike Auction Bonanza, CSA Bike Centre, 1p.m. March 22: • World Water Day March 23: • Sustainability Week begins


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NEWS

Under the Two police officers shot in Ferguson Radar Police Chief’s

John F. Ross wins second Spread the Net challenge In a rousing second victory, local high school John F. Ross CVI was one of three schools across Canada to win the 2014-2015 Spread the Net challenge. Rick Mercer, of the CBC’s The Rick Mercer Report, teamed up with Belinda Stronach of Plan Canada to found the challenge back in 2006. Spread the Net, aimed at fighting the spread of malaria in Africa, officially became a Plan Canada initiative in July of 2013. The challenge fundraises across Canada to raise money for the purchase and distribution of mosquito nets. Mercer took the challenge into elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools across the country, dramatically increasing funds raised for the program. Mercer himself visits the schools that raise the most money, and a portion of an episode for The Rick Mercer Report is filmed at the winning schools. This year, John F. Ross raised over $40,000 – more than double the amounts raised by the other two winning schools. Algonquin College raised just over $13,000, while Kew Beach Public School, in Toronto, raised almost $8,000. John F. Ross also won the Spread the Net challenge in 2009. Across Canada, over 100 schools participated in Spread the Net this year, raising more than $150,000 in support of Plan Canada and Mercer’s initiative. All of the money raised will be used to purchase mosquito nets and educate people around the world to prevent the spread of malaria. “The world is making progress in fighting malaria […] and these Canadian students are part of that,” said Mercer in a news release from Plan Canada. “Their commitment and creativity in raising funds and awareness has been inspiring.” Mercer also noted that since 2000, “deaths from [malaria] have fallen by nearly half ” on a global scale. “Canadian students are not only saving lives, they’re also increasing awareness […] of the challenges faced by children in the developing world,” concluded Roesmary McCarney, President and CEO of Plan Canada, in the same news release. “We thank all the students and school staff that participated for their tremendous efforts.” -Compiled by Alyssa Ottema

resignation sparks further unrest MATTEO CIMELLARO

Two police officers were shot during a protest on Thursday, March 12 in Ferguson, Missouri. The city, fairly close St. Louis, has been the site of political and cultural turmoil for the past year following the shooting of Michael Brown – an unarmed 18-year-old black man – by former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Tensions have been high between citizens and police since Brown’s death at the hands of Wilson, a white police officer. When a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson in November of 2014, protest and political unrest, which already overwhelmed the city, spread throughout the United States. The new shootings occurred in front of the Ferguson police station in the early morning of March 12 – just a few hours after Thomas Jackson, the Ferguson police chief, announced his resignation. The police officers – one of whom was shot in the face, and the other in the shoulder – were taken to the Barnes-Jewish Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. A large number of police vehicles accompanied them. Twenty-year-old demonstrator Jeffrey L. Williams was arrested late in the evening of Saturday, March 14 in connection with the shootings. On Sunday, March 15, St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch announced the charges laid against Williams: two counts of first-degree

Common ¢ents

Top business stories of the week ALEXANDRA GRANT

The bull market, turning six last week, despite a few downturns, has been a relatively pleasant place to do business for money managers. As of late, however, a significant question has been raised: are there any managers that are outperforming the market? The answer to this is no, there are not. After an initial study conducted in the summer of 2014 – which included more than 2000 mutual funds – and a follow up in early March of this year, only two groups seem to have held the

SARAH-JI VIA CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Tensions have continued to escalate in Ferguson, Missouri, as two police officers were shot outside the local station on March 12. assault, one count of firing a weapon from a vehicle, and three counts of armed criminal action. McCulloch also announced that there may have been other people in the vehicle with Williams, and as such, the investigation remains open. The shooting of the officers has served to escalate tensions between protesters and the police. Police officers in Ferguson and surrounding area have been increasingly concerned for their safety, and the protesters have vocally criticized police officials for assuming the shooting was directly linked to them. The New York Times reported that Williams has admitted his involvement and acknowledged that he fired the shots. Williams, however, says he had no intention to fire at police, but

rather that he had a dispute with people outside the police station, which had nothing to do with the demonstration. Protest leaders were quick to react on social media websites, telling several news sources, including The Toronto Star, that Williams had no involvement with the protest, and that they had not even seen him among the crowd during the day of the shooting. “We are very tight-knit,” said Brittany Ferrell, a 26-year-old protest leader for the group Millennial Activists United, to the Star. “We know each other by face, if not by name, and we’ve never seen [Williams] before.” Ferrell was leaving a meeting with protest leaders from other groups on March 15 when she learned the details of the arrest. Ferrell called McCulloch’s

attempts to align Williams with protestors a “fear tactic.” McCulloch notes that his department is “not 100 per cent sure that there was a dispute.” “That’s part of the claim right now,” continued McCulloch. “It’s possible that there was a dispute. It’s possible that he was targeting police officers. We just have to wait for the investigation to develop.” The shooting, along with Jackson’s resignation, comes in the wake of a U.S. Department of Justice report that revealed widespread racial abuses and biases from both the Ferguson Police Department and municipal court. Six Ferguson officials – including Jackson – have been fired or resigned following the release of the report.

top spot. This means that, even if all of the managers had just flipped coins over the stocks, they may have actually made higher returns due to the performance of the market itself. As the well known, artsy online store Etsy approaches the potential of an initial public offering, some are declaring: “sell out.” The web store that started as a small “hipsterinspired” outlet has grown into a much larger venue for buying and selling than was originally thought possible. This fact, however, has not been well received by some users and clients of the site. Alicia Shaffer, the owner of the online store Three Bird Nest – known for its tweed headbands and legwarmers – is someone on the receiving end of this pushback. With individuals accusing her of outsourcing, buying Chinese wares, and mass-producing, the backlash has been quite the nuisance. Shaffer, who makes around $70,000 in revenue

per month, denies the claims made against her – as many others have had to do recently. Shaffer says that the only reason Etsy sites do so well is because of fans and clients that choose to buy; so, how are they supposed to say no to demand? Rogers Communications Inc. has agreed to a deal with the Competition Bureau to pay refunds or credits to mobile phone customers who were charged for premium text services from two companies. The refunds cover services provided by MMS between Jan. 1, 2011 and Sept. 30, 2012, and from Jesta between Jan. 1, 2011 and Aug. 31, 2013. Rogers acted as billing agent for Jesta and MMS, which charged fees for services such as Mind Quiz, Love Crush, and Joke a Day. The company says it began making changes in 2011 in response to customer concerns, ending all premium text services with MMS in 2012 and with Jesta in 2014. Rogers has also

worked with the Competition Bureau in determining how to compensate customers who paid for services from MMS and Jesta. Current Rogers customers will receive automatic credits on their bills in the next few months, and former Rogers customers will be contacted by the company about the refund process. Canada’s food safety watchdog has suspended Costco Canada’s fish import license. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says that the retail giant is not reliably following food safety controls on a consistent basis. The agency says Costco is in violation of federal fish inspection regulations, and the suspension on imports went into effect on Feb. 26, 2014. The CFIA went on record saying that Costco cannot import fish products into Canada until it takes corrective action and the agency is satisfied that the chain can effectively manage food safety risks.


Issue 176.10 • Thursday, March 19, 2015

NEWS

New bill could bring back firing squad to Utah Shortage of lethal injection drugs said to be criteria behind bill CONNOR HEWSON With frustrations mounting nationwide over recently botched executions and a worrisome shortage of lethalinjection drugs, a bill was passed in the Utah state Senate on Tuesday, March 10 that would allow Utah to use firing squads to execute certain death-row prisoners. The bill, which passed 18 to 10, was sent to Utah Governor Gary Herbert, who as of press time has not indicated

whether he will sign or veto the bill. Herbert’s decision is expected to be made sometime in the next few weeks. If signed into law, the bill would give the state of Utah the option to use a five-member firing squad in specific cases where the drugs necessary for lethal injection aren’t available 30 days before the marked date for execution. While Utah banned death by firing squad in 2004, inmates who chose that option before the law changed were still executed by a five-member squad, making Utah the only state in the past 40 years to carry out such a death sentence. The last execution by firing squad most famously took place in 2010, when Ronnie Lee Gardner was put to death by a group of five police officers using .30-caliber Winchester rifles in an event that generated international

headlines and much backlash nationwide. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) declared Gardner’s execution an example of the “barbaric, arbitrary, and bankrupting practice of capital punishment,” while religious leaders across Utah called for an end to the death penalty at a vigil held in Salt Lake City. In recent years, the United States has struggled to maintain a “fitting” supply of lethal injection drugs compatible with their high rate of executions, as manufacturers have either stopped producing the drugs or barred their use in executions altogether. Just recently, the European manufacturers of pentobarbital – an anesthetic – banned U.S. prisons from using the drug for executions, which has caused some states to seek out more hazardous or unproven substitutes, such as prescribing one

drug instead of the traditional threedrug cocktail. The results have so far been troubling, with botched executions in recent months being directly tied to such methods. In April of 2014, Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett was administered a single dose of midazolam instead of the regularly used three-drug cocktail. It took 43 minutes for Lockett to die. More recently, in the first week of March 2015, an execution in the state of Georgia was postponed because the drugs appeared “cloudy” – a testament to the dangers that such a shortage is causing. Outside of Utah, there are other states that allow the use of methods other than lethal injection for execution. In Washington, death by hanging can be requested by inmates, while in New Hampshire, whose state slogan is

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fittingly “Live Free or Die,” hangings are the default method of execution if lethal injection cannot be given. The state of Tennessee has just recently reinstated its electric chair, and in Oklahoma, lawmakers are discussing a plan to use nitrogen gas as a means for a quick execution. For many people, this new bill is a representation of all that is wrong with the United States judicial system – and, perhaps even more disturbingly, the country’s obsession with violence and self-protection that has plagued the nation since the signing of the Constitution in 1787. While it is for now unclear to which side of the debate Governor Herbert is leaning, what is clear is that his decision will more than likely have a great impact on the American justice system as it currently stands.

Twitter responds following PM’s “anti-niqab” statements Harper faces backlash MATTEO CIMELLARO Prime Minister Stephen Harper shocked many in attendance at the House of Commons on Tuesday, March 10 when he stated that the religious practice of covering one’s face with a niqab is “rooted in a culture that is anti-women.” A response to a question from Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, these comments mark the strongest position so far that Harper has taken to explain the Conservative government’s fight against the wearing of veils – like the niqab – in Canadian citizenship ceremonies.

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Harper was responding to Trudeau’s criticism of the Conservative government for seeking to ban the covering of one’s face during the citizenship oath. Harper also criticized critics of the decision, asserting that those in opposition of the Conservative move are embracing an anti-woman cultural marker. The Liberal and NDP parties continue to criticize and accuse Harper and the Tories for his Islamophobia, vocalizing accusations of the current government heading down a path wrought with racial prejudice and bias. Trudeau spoke to press outside the House of Commons, saying that Harper and the Tories are “doubling down on the politics of fear.” The Liberal leader supports the wearing of the niqab, advocating the status quo under which one’s religious

practices are defended in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, under the freedom of religion section. Across the country, Canadians of all walks spoke out in the days following, directly opposing Harper’s assertions that “most Canadians” would oppose the wearing of niqab “at the very moment where they are committing to join the Canadian family.” In a post on her blog, Tales From A Hijabi Footballer, Shireen Ahmed called Canadian women to arms, urging them get involved in the conversation. “All women are part of, and will always be welcome, in the ‘Canadian family,’” Ahmed wrote to readers, “in any outfit she chooses.” Twitter also backlashed, rebuking the Prime Minister for his comments. The hashtag #DressCodePM quickly

movies and more 8:00 PM

began to trend on the social media site. Some took a serious tone in their oppositions, highlighting the problematic realities of Harper’s assertions and a potential misunderstanding of the role of the niqab in contemporary Canadian culture. “Liberating to be a Canadian male,” wrote twitter user @KenCox. “No need to get permission from @ PMHarper as to what I can wear as a citizen.” Others, however, took a more sarcastic approach when adding to the conversation. “Just about to get dressed; was thinking white blouse, green Celine skirt, white tights,” wrote twitter user @TabithaSouthey.” “Is that ok, @ pmharper?” “Need clarification,” wrote twitter user @TheRobNickerson, following

suit. “Does PM Harper need to approve my wife’s clothing, or can any man do it?” Critics of Harper, both on the Internet and in the political sphere, aim to expose the irony of his comments by showing that his words are perhaps themselves expressing an anti-woman rhetoric. “What I actually think is antiwomen is for the state or anyone at all to be telling women what they can or cannot wear,” said Amira Elghawaby, of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, to CTV News. “When [Harper] talks about a culture of 1.8 billion human beings as being anti-women,” concluded NDP leader Thomas Mulcair to CBC News, “that’s very divisive […] and it’s undignified from a Canadian prime minister.”

Visit www.sundaycinema.ca for info on these Central Student Association events. 7:00 PM

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Kaeja ajinai d’Dance celebrating 25 years of extraordinary dance

DOCURAMA Thurs Mar 19

SUNDAY CINEMA Mar 22

DOCURAMA Thurs Mar 26

ROZANSKI 105 | FREE A requiem for a still grand city. Co-sponsored by the McLaughlin Library.

THORNBROUGH 1200 | $3 UoG stu • $8 gen Extraordinary odyssey of loss and self-discovery. Co-sponsored by Interhall.

THORNBROUGH 1200 | FREE The last pristine wilderness on the planet. Co-sponsored by the McLaughlin Library.

NOON HOUR Wed Apr 1 UC COURTYARD | FREE Intense physicality, focus and passion.  Co-presented with Guelph Dance.

NOON HOUR Thurs Apr 2 UC COURTYARD | FREE Experience Mongolian folk-rock live!  Co-presented with CFRU 93.3FM.


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ARTS & CULTURE

The Weekly Scene: Whiplash (2014) 4 perfect-scores out of 4 SAMEER CHHABRA At the core of writer-director Damien Chazelle’s story about a student and his perfectionobsessed mentor is deception. Every scene, every line, every moment oozes with innuendo, doublespeak, and misdirection. This is a movie founded on the simple principle that the easiest way to maintain an audience’s attention is by lying to them about what they’re seeing. To Chazelle’s credit, Whiplash is a stunning work that speaks to the fears, dreams, and insecurities in every person and every musician. That the film’s subtle nuances make a point of constantly deceiving is simply an enjoyable note in a symphony of spectacle. The film opens with a long shot of Miles Teller’s Andrew Neiman, a jazz student at a prestigious university, practicing his drumming. The camera slowly closes in on Neiman as he begins his rhythm work, immediately informing the audience that this kid is important. Moments into the performance, conductor Terence Fletcher bursts into the room to critique Neiman’s work. As the door flies open, an imposing, fit, muscular man dressed in black fills the room with his booming voice. Neiman stops playing, and Chazelle sets the tone for what will be a harrowing look at perfection and the quest for genius. Fletcher – played by characteractor J.K. Simmons – simply

COURTESY

Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash is a stunning look at genius. Its two leads (pictured above) deliver a breathtaking performance filled with emotion and physical presence. desires the best in his students. Owning an admirable quality, Fletcher goes to any and all lengths to ensure that his young recruits leave his classroom having learned everything there is to know about all that jazz. When Fletcher firsts enters the film, he verbally berates Neiman as a sign of confidence and expectation. Chazelle’s script introduces the character as a strict-but-caring mentor – the confident coach whose team is the best, and whose rough exterior belies a kind inner core bursting with compassion. Simmons’ first scene sets the stage for the film’s most grand and visceral deception. Fletcher is a sociopath – he’s a violent dictator hellbent on

extracting imperfection, weakness, and ineptitude, and burning them to the ground. He tortures his students specifically in order to create a culture of fear in his classroom. Band practice with Fletcher is not a lesson in musical etiquette, it’s football practice in the NFL. Some reviewers have likened Simmons’ performance in Whiplash to R. Lee Ermey’s performance as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket; some viewers may also make the astute observation that this movie about jazz mimics basic training. Whiplash, however, is a cult movie. Fletcher is a cult leader and Neiman is an uninitiated prospect. Whiplash is a

Jean-Michel Basquiat at the AGO Toronto art gallery hosts limited-run exhibition of late NYC artist CADEN MCCANN In his 2013 song “Picasso Baby,” rapper Jay-Z boasts of having a “Yellow Basquiat in his kitchen corner.” Such is the enduring influence of the late New York artist’s work that 25 years after his death, he is still name-dropped in

rap songs, his imprint on popular culture remaining as strong as ever. Until May 10, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto will host the limited-run exhibition Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time, featuring a selection of 85 of the artist’s works from galleries throughout Europe and the United States. Born in Brooklyn in 1960 to a Haitian father and Puerto-Rican mother, Jean-Michel Basquiat first came to the art world’s attention as part of the burgeoning graffiti movement of the late 1970s with his SAMO tags around New York City (short for “Samo Shit”). During the early-to-mid 1980s, Basquiat would become the

poster-boy for “Neo-Expressionism,” a vivid and emotive style of painting that was a la mode in the art world at the time. Basquiat moved onto selling works for millions, collaborating with the likes of Andy Warhol, and, for a brief time, even dating Madonna. Experiencing difficulty in the wake of his newfound fame, Basquiat subsequently struggled with drug problems and passed away from an overdose in 1988, bringing a premature end to a short but highly inspired artistic career. The exhibit at the AGO guides gallery goers through the chronology of Basquiat’s output during the 1980s. In early rooms, there are works like Skull (1981),

deal-with-the-devil movie. Fletcher is Satan and Neiman is Dr. Faustus. Whiplash is hell. Fletcher burns everything he touches and Neiman is a poor sinner who’s in way over his head. Simply put, Chazelle’s obvious talent lies in his writing. Far be it from me to ignore incredible camera-work or clever, sophisticated cinematography and editing, but Chazelle’s film absolutely succeeds because of its tight script – and its lead actors. Simmons and Teller are, at times, simultaneously believable and unbelievable in their roles. Their characters are bloated and over-the-top, but the quest for perfection – the unmitigated desire to become a legend – causes

which first made Basquiat a star on the art scene, where an emaciated head is brought to life with expressive painterly colour and scrawled-on lines and geometric shapes. Midway through the exhibit, there is a wall devoted to the mid-80s Warhol collaborations, with paintings like Win $1,000,000 (1984) where a Basquian African bust competes for space with a series of appropriated slogans from the famous pop artist. Before the gift shop exit, we are even treated to works like Eroica (1987), a sprawling canvas of drawings, lists, and splotchedon paint with the titular phrase written repeatedly in the righthand corner, signalling the move

individuals to lose themselves in the process. Through his dialogue, Fletcher’s berates, beats, and bullies Neiman, but Chazelle somehow manages to ground both characters in an oddly accurate reflection of reality. At times, I found myself chuckling during tense scenes because I was unable to rationalize that any one person could be so cruel. Instantly, I’d realize that, to achieve Neiman’s dream of being one of the greats, Fletcher isn’t being cruel enough. If there’s anything to take away from the film, it’s Fletcher’s ubiquitous belief that there are no two words more harmful in the English language than, “Good job.” He might be a raving sociopath, but Fletcher’s not wrong. Not entirely, anyway. On a note regarding Fletcher’s jazz in this film: Fletcher’s insistence on crushing Neiman leads to a lie about a song in a repertoire. Neiman doesn’t have the sheet music, which means he’s going to have to improvise. The boy can’t improvise, so he walks offstage, only to return and absolutely blow away Fletcher by playing an incredibly challenging piece referenced earlier in the film. If we consider Chazelle’s film to be about jazz – a genre of music specifically rooted in improvisation – we must suspend our disbelief that the talented Neiman is unable to come up with the right beat. However, we realize that Fletcher’s style of teaching removes improvisation from a musician’s abilities. Neiman can’t improvise because he never learned jazz – he was indoctrinated into a cult-of-personality built to worship a madman and a charlatan masquerading as a music teacher.

towards abstraction Basquiat was starting to make in his final years. In this modern climate of internet inundation and Ferguson unrest, Basquiat’s work, with its themes of information overload and racial tension, remains as topical as ever. Outside of their immediate relation to the contemporary situation, however, the works collected in the exhibit are – simply put – electrifying, and charged with that intangible manic energy which so characterizes truly great art. Indeed, if one is to go to one art exhibit this year, may it be this one. As the name of the show reads, now’s the time.


Issue 176.10 • Thursday, March 19, 2015

ARTS & CULTURE

The tragedy of the “Blurred Lines” ruling Legality, music culture, and the future of sampling MATTEO CIMELLARO The lawyer representing the Gaye family estate recently won a $7.4 million lawsuit against Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke, and the case is further blurring the lines of sampling and copyright in the music industry. The Gaye family challenged the two superstars over the song “Blurred Lines,” espousing it was too similar to Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up.” The Gaye family stated that the testimony given by Thicke’s lawyer had “poisoned, perhaps irreparably,” the jury, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But, it did not matter – the jury decided that the song had copyrighted Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up,” believing it was too similar to Gaye’s voice, the backup vocals, and some of

the percussion. The Gaye family first made the lawsuit in August 2013, seeking $25 million in damages – some from the revenue generated from the hit single, and some from Thicke’s touring revenue. After the case, Janis Gaye, Marvin’s former wife said “I’m really grateful,” she proceeded to tell The Times, “I hope people understand that this means Marvin deserves credit for what he did back in 1977.” The aftermath of the case has shown its effects already – Jay-Z recently settled a sample dispute outside of court, giving a Swiss jazz musician 50 percent of his royalties for a sample used on his song “Versus.” Thicke, Williams, and T.I, the three defendants (who all had production credits on the song), released a joint statement reacting to the case. “While we respect the judicial process, we are extremely disappointed in the ruling made today, which sets a horrible precedent for music and creativity going forward. ‘Blurred Lines’ was created from the heart and minds

of Pharrell, Robin [Thicke] and T.I., and not taken from anyone or anywhere else. We are reviewing the decision, considering our options, and you will hear more from us soon about this matter.” What will this mean for the music industry? What are the implications for this case? Well, to begin with, almost all R&B, hip-hop, and even pop music, is heavily sample-based. Gone are the days of writing piano chords on sheet music and branching off from there. In today’s pop music sphere, artists work solely on their computers, chopping samples from old music, and layering that sample with drums, synths, or even more samples. It’s less about technical writing skill and complete originality, and more about style, feeling, ambience, and emotions blossomed from the state of mind a sample transports one to. Most artists today will hear a beat and then decide what subject matter fits perfectly with the beat – the beat itself finds its foundation in the sample. So, in short, the “Blurred Lines” case acts like a despotic government, depleting and squeezing all

the freedom an artist has in the realm of creativity. Ask any artists – when creativity is limited or imposed upon, the quality of music is affected.

“...when creativity is limited or imposed upon, the quality of music is affected.” It’s quite tragic to think about. Even the case, which was almost solely dependant upon sheet music, did not capture the true differences of the songs. The themes, vibrations, and intangible aspects of a track that cannot be captured on sheet music were left out of the case. The differences that are dependent upon how a song makes you move, how you relate to the song, or the place you are taken when listening to

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the track were not focused upon. And this is why this case is so tricky and unfortunate in the way it concluded. The question of if a sample is a direct copyright, or if it is something original with a foundation from the immortalized past, will always be up for debate. Some rock purists claim that hip-hop and contemporary R&B is unoriginal for sampling, but, in my opinion, it is not. In fact, I believe sampling is original in its fullest sense. It acknowledges the past, it recognizes the evolution of 20th and 21st century music, and it represents a particular identity by revealing to the world what music one loves. Real recognizes real, so sampling, in my mind, is the ultimate shout out to an old artist, for it continues their legacy. Sampling stamps the influence of an artist in contemporary times. It immortalizes an artist, since their relevance and legacies continues on the radio, and touches generations who may have no clue who an artist like Marvin Gaye was. I can only hope people understand that sampling is an art form, and I hope the music industry is less corrupted with greed, and continues in a direction towards creative freedom.

Levon Vincent – Levon Vincent On-the-rise dance auteur releases stellar debut album CADEN MCCANN Over the past five years, Levon Vincent has emerged as one of dance music’s most exciting figures with a string of well-received single releases. On Feb. 9, Vincent dropped his selftitled debut album online – with the LP finally receiving a physical release at the beginning of this month. Approaching techno with a concept album-level ambitiousness, Vincent surprisingly meets his goals and strikes the ball out of the park. Vincent’s album commences with “The Beginning,” which starts as a bouncy electro number before washes of ambient sound and rattling percussion enter to make for a more layered track. Following this opening, Vincent gives us “Phantom Power,” where a boneheaded bassline is augmented with ambient washes of sound and swirling keyboards reminiscent of early Aphex Twin. Side B longplayer

“Junkies on Herman Street,” meanwhile, is as dark as its title suggests, an industrial track, which sounds like an assembly line from hell with cicada-like sounds and touches of organ to add to the sinister atmosphere.

“...Vincent balances cluboriented tracks with more ambient and experimental interludes...” Lest Vincent tire us with an atmosphere of oppressive darkness, the producer switches things up on Side C’s “Launch Ramp to the Sky.” With its percolating bassline and hissing hi-hats, the track provides listeners with a much-needed excursion into more club-friendly and uppity fare. Subsequently, on “For Mona, My Beloved Cat. Rest in Peace,” Vincent treats us to something entirely different – a lovely piece of prog-ambient music with

shimmering synths and aquaticsounding bass stabs. The album’s predominantly grey atmosphere settles in again on the final D-side track “Her Light Goes Through Everything,” a sombre slowburner with a sparse arrangement featuring a subterranean bassline, ascending keyboard motif, and dubby sound effects. Topping off the album’s E side, Vincent gives us another standout with “Confetti,” sampling breathing and gurgling noises over an off-kilter keyboard riff and pounding drum to create a track, which oozes sexuality from every pore. Living up to its title, “Anti-Corporate Music” cycles a sample of what sounds like an object being shuffled around and adds touches of white noise and treated keyboard, while the combination of strings in “Small Whole-numbered Ratios,” also featuring an unrelenting drum beat, give it an almost anthemic quality. Album closer “Woman is an Angel,” meanwhile, might as well function as a latter-day version of Daft Punk’s “Alive.” The track features a descending synth riff, low-in-the-mix beat, and array of sampled sounds, which summarize everything we have heard so far, while simulatenously dialing us out into infinity.

SPARKY VIA CC BY-NC 2.0

Part of an apparent trend of cohesive electronic music LPs of considerable depth and atmosphere, Levon Vincent’s self-titled album is an exciting, fully-realized effort. Though historically techno DJs and producers have opted for the single as their medium of choice, the past 15 to 20 years have seen an increased interest in the possibilities of the full-length release. On his self-titled debut, Levon Vincent balances club-oriented tracks with more ambient and experimental

interludes – creating an album that achieves both variety and a tour-deforce unity. Though claims of “Best dance album of the year” are obviously a tad premature in March, Levon Vincent remains one of the most impressive EDM records to have come out over the past three months. 4.5/5


Elizabeth Arden (neé Florence Nightingale Graham), 1939 (b/w photo) / Creator(s): Fisher, Alan, photographer / [Public domain], via Library of Congress

Working Group on Responsible Investing: Community Consultation The WGRI invites individuals to come forward and welcomes the opportunity to hear directly from those interested in Responsible Investing at the University of Guelph. The WGRI has a mandate to prepare advice for the Finance Committee of the Board of Governors about University policies and procedures that affect investment of its endowment fund assets. Upcoming Community Consultation:

Wednesday, March 25, 2015 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. Academic Town Square, McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph Want to learn more? For details, visit the University Secretariat’s website at the following link: https:// www.uoguelph.ca/secretariat/office-services-board-governors-board-standingcommittees/ad-hoc-working-group-responsible-investing Have something to say? Contact the University Secretariat at univsec@uoguelph.ca or call ext. 56103 to let us know if you plan to attend the consultation or to send us your views in writing.

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Issue 176.10 • Thursday, March 19, 2015

ARTS & CULTURE

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How music can define a trip Every place has a rhythm: The Growlers are California’s ZINA BIBANOVIC “I don’t know how you find love in L.A.,/ They don’t make them like they do in the country...” As Brooks Nielsen serenaded the beach bum that lives in the sunny side of my heart, I closed my eyes and allowed my other senses to pick up where sight had left off. My skin drew in the last rays of the evening sun, my tongue focused on the sea salt that had settled on my lips, and the sound of the waves that lapped just metres away from the Pacific Coast Highway strained to make themselves heard over the music in the car. California. In a desperate attempt to escape the monstrosity that is the Canadian February, my boyfriend and I had packed our hiking boots, some water bottles, and a whole lot of patience (traveling with a partner is interesting) and set out for sun, sea, and San Diego. It was in the run-up to our trip that I first heard The Growlers, a

self-defined “beach goth” group who originate from Costa Mesa, Orange County. Unbelievably soft on the ears, it was their 2013 Hung at Heart album that lured me in, and their most recent release, Chinese Fountain (not as heavy on the reverb, just as heavy on the soul) that sealed the deal.

“...a concoction of neopsychedelic rock, surf rock, 70’s punk and 80’s new wave...” The Growlers have been creating a concoction of neo-psychedelic rock, surf rock, 70’s punk and 80’s new wave since 2009, and have enjoyed a relatively small yet dedicated fan base from the get-go. Since the release of Chinese Fountain in 2014, the boys have consistently sold out shows all over America on their currently on-going U.S. tour. A large part of their charm lies in the absolute brilliance of their lyrical ability. In a musical climate in which a song that depends on the lyrics “Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah” is deemed worthy of 316,968,829 views on YouTube

RYAN VAARSI VIA CC BY 2.0

Sometimes, regional music cultures are at once reflective of, and reflected by, the place it’s made. In the case of psych band The Growlers, their sound is straight up, unmistakably, Californian. (Bob Dylan, I apologize on behalf of everyone), The Growlers have restored my faith in the ability of millennials to string together meaningful musical sentences. “Prescribe me at 10 times my weight/ In a vegetable state so they lock me away” – if their lyrics were a food item, they would be the sweetest cherry pie you ever did taste.

Album of the Week

COURTESY PHOTO

Graceland – Paul Simon (1986) Paul Simon’s Graceland holds a very special spot in my heart, and it always will. It has been a favourite of my family’s for as long as I can remember – and before I was even around. The connection I have with this album runs deep. I’ll let you in on a very special story. When my mother was pregnant with me throughout 1987, Simon’s Graceland was an album she loved very much. It just so happened that she and my sister were dancing to the album and singing along to “Diamonds on the soles of her shoes,” on the afternoon of Sept. 4, 1987 when my mother’s water broke, and she went into labour. Since then, the song has reminded me of my family and brings warm memories to mind each and every time I hear it. I hope you’ll all take a listen and discover the magic that this album truly is.

Driving down the PCH from Santa Barbara to San Diego, stopping off at lazy beach towns and eclectic national forests, I began to pick up on the unique magic that comes with bumming around California. All of a sudden, everything The Growlers represented made sense. The warmth – not of the sun, but of the low, friendly-looking homes,

the crowded-but-cozy cafes and bars, beaming out of the dynamic variety of personalities strolling along the sand – is enough to make anyone there want to creatively express the charismatic beauty of their external reality. If you’re ready to welcome these fine young men into your life, start at “Someday,” and I promise, one day you’ll be hooked.

Upcoming events March 19: • University of Guelph Mainstage presents Goodnight Desdemona (Good Night Juliet) – showings on Thurs-Sat, March 19-21, 8 p.m. to 10:30pm at George Luscombe Theatre. $10 tickets at doors. March 20: • Paige’s Passion Open Mic – Albion Hotel, Friday, March 20. $10 at door. All proceeds go to the Paige Doucette Foundation for cancer research. • CSA presents It’s Raining Queers! An evening of drag performances – 7 p.m. at The Bullring. Free/pay-what-you-can. • The Vaudevillian at Jimmy Jazz – doors at 10 p.m. Free. March 22: • Monk Marathon – 70 of jazz musician Thelonious Monk’s compositions performed by three groups of musicians. 1 p.m.-1 a.m. Silence, 46 Essex Street. Free/pay-what-you-can. March 25: • Shenkman Lecture Series: Michael Snow and MFA Open Studios. Lecture by legendary Canadian artist and displays by current Studio Art MFA students. War Memorial Hall, 3 p.m. Free.


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SPORTS & HEALTH

Top 10: Best NBA rookie seasons The greatest rookie seasons in NBA history STEPHANIE CORATTI As Andrew Wiggins continues to make an overwhelmingly strong case for the NBA’s 2014-15 Rookie of the Year, becoming the third Minnesota Timberwolves player to register 1000 points as of March 14, we take a look at the greatest rookie performances in NBA history. 10. Shaquille O’Neal, Orlando Magic (1992-93)

The coined “Hick from French Lick” would help the Celtics record a 60-win season in his first year, averaging 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. Bird would also be named to the AllNBA first team, and earn Rookie of the Year recognition.

Chamberlain would rack up the hardware his first season, taking Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player, all while averaging an NBA-rookie record of 37.6 points and 27 rebounds per game. Chamberlain’s rebounding total currently stands as the second highest average of any player in history, a record only Chamberlain himself surpassed with 27.2 his sophomore season.

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1. Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals (1960-61)

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Coined as the original Big-O, Robertson would average 30.5 points, 10 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game to win Rookie of the Year. There would never be a better rookie per formance, making Robertson’s first NBA season the greatest ever by a rookie in league history.

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Kareem would kick off the first of 20 seasons in the NBA averaging 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game, making the Rookie of the Year decision fairly simple. He would also lead the Bucks to 56 wins in just their second season in franchise history, a whopping 29 more than they had recorded the previous season.

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4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee Bucks (1969-70)

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2. Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors (1959-60)

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5. Larry Bird, Boston Celtics (1979-80)

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The Key West, Florida native concluded his first NBA season averaging 24.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 3.9 blocks, numbers that would lead to a unanimous decision for Rookie of the Year honours. Additionally, Robinson helped the Spurs transition from a 21-61 record – compiled the season before his arrival – to a 56-26 record in his rookie season.

Before becoming the greatest player of all-time, this great MJ had no problem showing signs of it early on. Jordan would play all 82 games his rookie year, while averaging 38 minutes per night. The eventual Rookie of the Year would also record 28.2 points, and shoot over 51 per cent from the floor. Additionally, the Bulls would appear in the postseason for the first time in four years, and their second over the last 10.

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7. David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs (1989-90)

Sixers fans knew two things following Iverson’s rookie season. One, the team was just as bad as they were the previous year, and two, Iverson’s play was a spectacular sign of hope. The Hampton, Virginia native would record 23.5 points and 7.5 assists per game through a mere 22 wins for Philadelphia. Iverson’s assists total would mark the second highest of his career.

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One of the most anticipated rookies in the history of basketball, James stepped into the spotlight and never looked back, becoming

Before becoming arguably one of the greatest power forwards of all time, Duncan helped the Spurs record 56 wins in his first season in the NBA – 36 more wins than the team had the previous year. Individually, Duncan averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. Duncan also led the Spurs in rebounding and blocks, while standing second in points behind leading-scorer David Robinson (the two were separated by a mere half a point).

3. Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls (1984-85)

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9. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-04)

8. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs (1997-98)

6. Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers (1996-97)

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Straight out of Louisiana State University with the reputation as one of the most prevailing college players, O’Neal posted 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game in his first season in the NBA. A native of Newark, New Jersey, O’Neal’s rookie rebound and blocks per game totals would be eventual careerhighs in his remarkable 19-season career.

the youngest player to ever win Rookie of the Year honours, in addition to becoming the youngest player to post 40 points in a game. James also became one of four players to average 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists in his first season.

LeBron James became the youngest player to post 40 points in a game as a rookie with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mental health & wellness: step outside social anxiety Three tips to challenge yourself STEPHANIE CORATTI We’ve all experienced it – sweating, shaking hands, and the warm-faced blushing on that first date, and the quick heartbeat mixed with an uneasy stomach during a job interview. It’s all part of stepping out of your comfort zone for the majority of us. It doesn’t get in the way with our day-to-date activities, yet, it’s a group of dreaded feelings that up to 95 per cent of us experience at parties, during presentations, or when speaking within groups. Whether social anxiety is a diagnosed disorder that you’re dealing with, or you’re trying

to step outside of your comfort zone, we have a few helpful suggestions to build confidence in social situations.

Don’t focus too much on the physical Social anxiety often comes paired with sweating, trembling, and a quickened heart rate. Recognizing these feelings in uncomfortable situations can often make the environment double up on the awkward scale for you personally. Make a mental note that even though you feel like everyone in the room is zoning in on your sweaty palms, there probably isn’t a person in the room who can notice any of these physical feelings. With that, take a breath and focus on calming aspects rather than putting all your thoughts into your heart thumping a mile-a-minute. Outside of the environment,

try yoga or meditation once a week to relax and work on reducing your anxiety. Researchers at Stanford University found that “training in mindfulness meditation” is significantly influential for people dealing with social anxiety disorder and decreasing their symptoms. Try to stay positive Your job interview in an hour is enough pressure without having “what ifs” and self-doubt running through your mind. Instead of asking yourself what will happen if you make a mistake, why not give yourself five compliments prior to that big meeting? If you’re busy worrying about the amount of things your date hopefully won’t notice, change your thought process. Focus on all the things your date will like about you, all while making note of the grander scale – if there isn’t

a second date, remind yourself there are (of course) more fish in the sea. Recognizing negative thoughts is one thing, but it’s up to you to challenge them in order to improve and progress in social situations. It’s also important to keep in mind that staying positive is different than thinking perfectly. Imagining the worst-case scenario and the perfect scenario can cause the same amount of pressure. Visualize positive atmospheres, but don’t hold yourself to perfection. Positivity should allow room for mistakes – we’re all human, after all.

Work on your delivery A survey conducted in the United States in 2013 showed that 95 per cent of Americans listed death as their second biggest fear – second to only public speaking. If speaking in front of large groups

of people is what makes you uncomfortable, nothing will help improve the situation more than practice. Try delivering your presentation to yourself in front of the mirror, and then move on to your roommates, and then possibly to an even bigger group of friends. Practice will reduce your anxiety, which will in turn lead to greater confidence. Don’t let nerves stop you from being social. People are, by nature, social beings that feed off of contact with one another. It’s okay to let somebody take the lead on that group presentation if you aren’t comfortable, however, give yourself the opportunity every once in awhile to prove what your made of – if not for anybody else, for yourself. This will help build your confidence, and, in turn, reduce your anxiety in social situations overall.


ARTS

On stands Thursday March 26, 2015

ISSUE Featuring incredible on campus, and community art and design. The Ontarion is proud to bring attention to all of the talented artists and designers who call Guelph home.

Pick up your copy of our annual Arts Issue next week.

THE ONTARION IS NOW HIRING CONTRACT POSITIONS FOR MAY 2015-APRIL 2016 Applications are due Thursday, March 26 at 4 p.m. to: The Ontarion Hiring Committee UC 264, University of Guelph, Guelph ON N1G 2W1 Email: ontarion@uoguelph.ca

Photo and Graphics Editor

The Photo & Graphics Editor coordinates with, and manages volunteer photographers and illustrators to obtain images for the paper. The Photo & Graphics Editor provides guidance to volunteers regarding image composition and content, distributes supplies, generates and scans photos and images for use in the paper and website. The Photo & Graphics Editor is also responsible for being present for all editorial and production meetings. A successful candidate will have proven skills using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Hours are 30 – 34 per publishing week. There are 33 publishing weeks between May 1, 2015 and April 7, 2016. Applicants are required to provide a cover letter, resume, and a portfolio of at least 6 relevant samples of their graphic work digitally or printed (which will be returned to them when the hiring process is complete). Only those applicants granted an interview will be contacted. The Ontarion offers a learning environment in student media and considers this in their hiring process. To obtain a copy of The Ontarion’s Employment Equity Policy, and/or the Job Description for this position, please email us at: ontarion@uoguelph.ca The Ontarion reserves the right to prioritize candidates who currently live in, or who commit to moving into Guelph, or the immediate surrounding area, during the duration of their employment. The Ontarion’s Employment Equity Policy is a proactive measure to recruit qualified people from a variety of ethnic, religious, and class backgrounds, lesbians, bisexuals, gays, and transgendered people, people of colour, Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, and women. Members of previously identified groups are encouraged to self-identify.


A season to remember 2014-15 in review for Men’s & Women’s hockey

WOMEN’S GUELPH GRYPHONS HOCKEY TEAM

The Guelph Gryphons women’s hockey team boasted an incredibly dominating season with an 18-3-3 record for second overall in Ontario University Sport (OUA). It would be a postseason mixed with heartbreak and redeemed pride for the Gryphons, however, as they appeared in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Championship tournament for the first time in 15 years. There was no doubt in what this team could accomplish and the character possessed to force their way into the OUA Championship in London against the Western Mustangs (20-1-3), the only team to conclude the season with a better record. During the regular season campaign, two of Guelph’s three regulation losses came at the hands of Western in 4-1 (Nov. 22) and 3-1 (Feb. 7) results. Prior to heading to London to battle for the Judy McCaw Memorial Cup, though, the Gryphons’ fight was on full display throughout the first two rounds of the 2015 Playoffs. In the OUA Quarter-finals, the Gryphons swept the seventh-ranked Ryerson Rams. Completing the 2-0 sweep wouldn’t be easy, however, as both games would result in a 2-1 decision, with Game One requiring one period of overtime, and Game Two needing two overtime periods. Next, the black, red, and gold would take on the fourth-ranked Toronto Varsity Blues. Guelph would win take the series 2-1, but not without yet another overtime battle in Game One with a 3-2 result decided in the second overtime period. With the 2-0 victory in Game Three over the Varsity Blues, the Gryphons advanced to the OUA Championship on March 7, looking to win the title for the first time in 17 years. In what would be a battle of the top goaltenders in the OUA with Gryphon Stephanie Nehring and Mustang Kelly Campbell, Guelph would suffer a heartbreaking loss, falling 2-0 to Western and finishing second overall in the OUA. The Gryphons quickly regrouped, leaving little time for self-pity as they looked to their first Nationals appearance in 15 years – a huge step for the program that has been an embodiment of strong consistency and progress over the past few seasons. The tournament wouldn’t begin the way any would have liked, falling 4-3 in yet another heartbreaking loss to St. Francis Xavier (St. FX) in the Quarterfinal – a game that the Gryphons were leading 3-0 at one point. Nevertheless, illustrating their character once more, the Gryphons rebounded with two strong victories over the host Calgary Dinos (4-2) and Moncton (4-1) to finish fifth overall in the nation. It may not have been the result the Gryphons had hoped for throughout their travels to second-best in the OUA, with the nothing but dominating 2014-15 campaign. However, with national experience, and fire left over from an OUA Championship that very well could have been theirs, one can certainly bet that these Gryphons won’t be focusing on the what-ifs. Rather, focus will be geared towards the historic milestones accomplished in 2014-15, all while looking to get back there once again, only with more to prove next season.

STEPHANIE CORATTI


MEN’S GUELPH GRYPHONS HOCKEY TEAM

PH O TO S BY M T AT HE W AZ EV ED O /T HE O N R TA IO N AN D CO D Y G RE SS W EL L

“Thanks for having us here despite our regular season record.” Guelph Gryphons head coach Shawn Camp may have summed up the 2014-15 season perfectly at the “Meet the Teams” media conference to kick off the University Cup in Halifax on March 11. Nobody thought the Gryphons men’s hockey team would be Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Champions, let alone competing at Nationals. This was especially true as the team headed into the Christmas break with a mere three wins through 16 games in the first half of the season, a stretch that put them in a last-place standing in the OUA’s West Division. Nevertheless, 2015 happened, and the Gryphons began to write one of the greatest underdog stories witnessed in program history, only later to be coined the OUA and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) “Cinderella Story.” On Jan. 3, the Gryphons dominated the Ryerson Rams in an 8-1 victory, only to fall 5-2 to the Carleton Ravens on Jan. 9 next. However, something was different. A loss that very well could have put them right back on track for another three wins through the second half of the campaign, the Gryphons persevered, rebounding the very next night on Jan. 10 with a significant 11-1 win over the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) – the win that arguably changed it all. Following the victory, the Gryphons would go on to win four straight, defeating the Brock Badgers, the York Lions, and the Laurier Golden Hawks next – all with results proving this squad could find the back of the net, something that was perceived to be a problem in eight of the one-goal decision regulation losses suffered in the first half of the season. Concluding the season with three straight victories – a stretch that began with a 6-5 double-overtime win over the Lakehead Thunderbirds, the Gryphons would push their way into the postseason. Seth Swenson would pocket the game winning goal 2:10 into the fifth period versus the Thunderbirds, foreshadowing the never-say-die attitude the Gryphons carried straight through to their bronze medal finish at the University Cup on March 15. Compiling a perfect reputation in elimination games prior to Nationals, the Gryphons defeated the Waterloo Warriors, the Toronto Varsity Blues, and swept the defending champion: The Windsor Lancers. Then, on March 7, the Gryphons would earn the OUA title for the first time in 18 years, downing the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) 4-0 in a game that proved, if they hadn’t already, that this team was the real deal. Climbing their way to a third-place finish nationally at the University Cup, Coach Camp wouldn’t focus on the popular “Started from the bottom” theme, even though it may have been fitting. Instead, Camp defined the magic of the 2014-15 season with “trust and adversity.” This Gryphons squad learned the meaning of what loss truly meant prior to the start of the season when first-year Cole Hamblin succumbed to cancer less than two months after being diagnosed. Another member of the team in Richard Kohler, the father of defenceman Tom Kohler, would also pass later in the year, also succumbing to his battle with cancer. With that, the Gryphons never strayed from what they could accomplish together. Accomplish they did, earning that bronze medal undoubtedly in memory of two Gryphons who were with them every step of their remarkable path.


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SPORTS & HEALTH

Gryphons Revealed: Bridget Atkinson Atkinson named CIS Rookie of the Year STEPHANIE CORATTI Bridget Atkinson, a first-year point guard for the Guelph Gryphons women’s basketball team, was named Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Rookie of the Year. With the honour, Atkinson became the first women’s basketball player for the University of Guelph to win the Kathy Shields Award, and became just the third in program history to earn a major CIS award. Atkinson talks about the honour, her first year, and more. Stephanie Coratti: Why did you choose Guelph to pursue your athletic and academic career? Bridget Atkinson: […] When I took my first step on campus for my visit [at Guelph], I got a different feeling than all the other schools. The campus is beautiful, every Gryphon is super friendly, and it fit academically for me. The team took me in as their own right away, and made me feel at home. I could tell right away that this team would become my family, and that’s exactly what I was looking for. S.C.: What was the hardest thing

you had to overcome on the court in your first year? B.A.: I think in every rookie season, the hardest part is adjusting to the next level of play. The game is much faster and physical at the university level, and even though I had an experience with Team Canada, I still had to go though an adjustment period here. S.C.: Do you have any regrets in your athletic career? B.A.: I have zero regrets. I have become the player I am today [thanks to] all my coaches and teammates I’ve had the opportunity to play with since I started basketball [at the age of ] seven-years-old. I have learned valuable things from each and every team I’ve been a part of, and I would not change anything about the journey I’ve had so far as a basketball player. S.C.: Was there anyone specific who played a role in your success this season? B.A.: A big part of my success this season is to be credited to our head coach Christin Dickenson. She has so much experience as a basketball player herself, [with that] she is able to teach so many aspects of the game. She is focused and has a vision for this team and holds each of us accountable to create that vision. Christin puts me in positions to be successful and pushes me to get to the next level. She is someone I can

look up to and has taught me to be a better person both on and off the court. S.C.: What do you think being a Gryphon means? B.A.: Being a Gryphon means striving for greatness as a team, and never settling for anything less. Learning from each other’s experience so you can train even harder to make each other better every day. It means going to war with your teammates using pride and passion, and working together as one to achieve the ultimate goal. S.C.: What advice would you give to student athletes coming into their first season? B.A.: It’s a long season traveling with the team and missing school. Time management is a skill I wish I had learned before coming into my first year. University is an adjustment regardless, but having good time management will help balance school and sports, and allow you to be more focused when it comes to practices and games. S.C.: What did being named CIS Rookie of the Year mean to you? B.A.: It means there is something special happening here at Guelph. Our success as individuals is credited to our hard-work put in as a team. I am honoured to have received this award, but know that it would not be possible if it weren’t for the people I am surrounded by every day.

MATTHEW AZEVEDO/THE ONTARION

Bridget Atkinson, a first-year point guard for the Guelph Gryphons women’s basketball team, became the first to win CIS Rookie of the Year honours in the history of the program.

Sizing up the Toronto Blue Jays A look at the boys of Spring, Summer, and hopefully Fall MITCH ARMSTRONG Spring training is in full swing for the Toronto Blue Jays, who are looking to snap their 21-year long playoff drought this season. 21 consecutive years without a playoff berth marks the longest ongoing streak for a team in professional sports. We take a look at how the Jays plan to change that. The Blue Jays made headlines when they added all-stars Russell Martin and Josh Donaldson to their roster over the offseason. Russell Martin is a Toronto native who was previously a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, as well as rival New York Yankees. Martin was signed as a free agent to a five-year contract worth $82 million and will be taking over the catching responsibilities.

Later on Nov. 28, Toronto acquired Donaldson in a five-player trade that included fan-favourite Brett Lawrie. Lawrie’s enthusiasm and intensity was loved here in Toronto, but he was plagued with injuries and never met the high expectations that were set for him. In contrast, Donaldson was voted in the Top 10 for American League (AL) MVP the past two years and is a significant improvement at third base for the Jays. Early sceptics criticized Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos for not addressing the depth in their roster, but, more specifically, in the pitching staff. Brandon Morrow and Dustin McGowan could not come to terms with the team and were destined to test free agency alongside closer Casey Janssen. J.A Happ was traded to Seattle for Outfielder Michael Saunders. Anthopoulos bolstered his pitching staff by signing struggling lefthanders Jeff Francis and Johan Santana to minor league deals. Alex also traded for Marco Estrada, a middle of the rotation starter, at best. These previous moves do not exactly spell out playoffs.

High hopes followed the Jays into spring training where they were quickly extinguished by a flurry of injuries, including Michael Saunders tearng his meniscus in the days leading up to their first pre-season game. Fortunately, Saunders underwent successful surgery and remains a question mark for opening day. That also goes for Brett Cecil, who is experiencing a nagging tightness in his arm. Then there is slugger Edwin Encarnacion who is listed as day-to-day with back pain. Worst of all, Marcus Stroman suffered a season ending injury when he tore the ACL in his left knee whilst partaking in a fielding drill. The sophomore starter was arguably the Jays’ best pitcher in the second half of last season and with high hopes and a tremendous upside, the up-and-coming pitcher will need to watch this season from the bench. As the past has already shown, staying healthy is proving to be one of Toronto’s biggest challenges. After the first couple weeks of spring training, it is safe to say that the Blue Jays playoff expectations have dropped a great deal, but there

KEITH ALLISON VIA CC BY-SA 2.0

With Spring Training in full swing for the Toronto Blue Jays, staying healthy seems to be the main concern for the boys of summer heading into opening night. is still hope. With a lack of depth in pitching and position players, this Blue Jays line-up is looking quite frail. Nevertheless, if the top two starters and the top five position players can

stay healthy, this team can compete. In typical Toronto fashion, our beloved Blue Jays are making our hearts soar, our heads shake, and our blood pressures rise.


Vote for your Board of Governors and Senate Representatives starting MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2015. Check your University of Guelph email account for your ballot!

Board of Governors Undergraduate Candidates

Graduate Candidates

All Full-time and Part-time Undergraduate students — ELECT TWO (2)

All Full-time and Part-time Graduate students — ELECT ONE (1)

Brad Breedon Jennah Carere Nick Moroz James Rice Daniel Troster

Adina Bujold Sergiy Pysarenko

Senate Bachelor of Arts BA Undergraduates — ELECT FOUR (4) Graeme Laberge Ratanak Ly Michael Noehammer Ethan Pankhurst Nicole Purcell James Rice Ryan Taylor

Bachelor of Commerce BComm. Undergraduates — ELECT THREE (3) Michelle Alberta Bekai Madeline DeCorso Matthew Hernandez Amanda Molinaro Adam Nicholl Olaitan Ogunnote

Bachelor of Science BSc. Undergraduates — ELECT FOUR (4) Natalie Chow Ryan Eagleson Sarah Kay Nicole Murphy Claire Segeren Ellen Song Daniel Troster

Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management BBRM Undergraduates — ELECT ONE (1) Katie Harris Elizabeth Jones Katelyn Krauter

Bachelor of Engineering BEng. Undergraduates — ELECT TWO (2) Drew Anderson Sara Battaglia Amitjobir Mangat

Ontario Veterinary College OVC Graduates — ELECT ONE (1) Adina Bujold Cristine Reitz

For more information about your candidates, visit the University Secretariat Website: https://www.uoguelph.ca/secretariat/office-services-elections-and-volunteer-opportunities/student-governance-volunteeropportunities


SPORTS & HEALTH

Caffeine and energy drinks Moderation, as with everything, is key JACK HINDS Many of us rely on caffeine and other supplements to maintain our concentration and perceived energy levels throughout the day. This can come in the form of coffee, energy drinks, or supplements like 5-Hour Energy. All good things, right? Keep us driving, keep us working, keep us studying. But, as with all things, moderation really is the key. Let’s focus on caffeine, from coffee, energy drinks, or pills. Caffeine is a naturally occurring compound found almost everywhere. We consume it in the hopes of gaining more energy, letting us concentrate on our work, and making sure we ace that exam. The common misconception, though, is that caffeine is actually doing the work. And it really isn’t. As a super-quick summary, whenever your neurons fire, your body naturally produces a compound called adenosine. There are adenosine receptors in your brain and spinal column that bind to it, and act as a little switch. Once your body determines that the adenosine switch has been flicked enough times, it starts sending your brain messages to sleep. It’s like the check engine light for your body. Caffeine comes in and does something special – it impersonates adenosine. But when it binds to those same receptors, it doesn’t let the switch flick. To your body, it looks as if you never produced the adenosine. So you’ve essentially turned the odometer back on your body’s engine, convincing it that it doesn’t need an oil change. And that means you can keep cranking out that paper or report, and not have to worry about your body trying to shut down on you. However, in large quantities, this can be extremely problematic. Your brain and heart never get a rest (and can sometimes

smoothies

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ROBERT GOURLEY VIA CC BY 2.0

Mango Hurricane

JOHN HOLZER VIA CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Energy drinks have become as common as a cold beer among college and university students. Yet, with the popularity, many are disregarding the key to these energy boosters: moderation. become overworked) resulting in aches and mood swings in the short-term, and heart failure in the long-term. See Dave Grohl as an example, who actually experienced heart palpitations and a dramatic blood pressure increase after consuming too many “fresh pots.” In addition, your body builds up a tolerance to caffeine. So if you typically pound six cups of coffee a day (or just two energy drinks) and miss your next fix, you may actually go into withdrawal. I can speak from personal experience here: this is extremely unpleasant thanks to stomach cramps, muscle aches, nausea, eye muscle spasms, and general irritability and petulance. Everyone around you will hate you, and you will hate the world. It sucks.

So before you pick up your next energy drink or DoubleDouble, think for a minute. Ask yourself if you really need it. If you stick to one or two cups of coffee a day (or the equivalent in energy drinks) and you time them strategically, you can reap all the benefits and suffer none of the consequences. Your ability to focus will improve, your energy levels will increase, that work will look less daunting, that report will write itself, and you’ll add ten pounds to your squat without even trying. But fall down the slippery slope of thinking that every small bout of drowsiness can be cured by shot-gunning another Beaver Buzz, and you’ll be in for, at best, a crappy few days as you come off it, and, at worst, a trip to the E.R..

TheOntarion.com

Recipe makes two smoothies - 1 tbsp. plain Greek yogurt - 1 tbsp. mango sorbet (can be found at Metro) - 1 cup frozen fruit in tropical mix (peaches, strawberries, and mangos) - 4 ice cubes - 1 to 1½ cups of juice (Five Alive peach flavour works really well, or you can use anything with guava)

Strawberry Sunshine Recipe makes two smoothies

- 1 tbsp. plain Greek yogurt - 1 tbsp. strawberry sorbet (can be found at Metro) - 1 cup frozen fruit in berry mix (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries) - 4 ice cubes - 1 to1 ½ cup of juice (mango-guava juice blend works really well, but any tropical flavour will do)

Upcoming events March 19: • T-shirt distribution throughout the day on Raithby Porch in support of S.A.F.E. Week 2015. March 20: • All day Pinwheel Campaign between the Cannon and the Bullring to represent those affected by sexual assault (S.A.F.E. Week 2015). March 24: • Stress Less for Tests teaches practical skills to decrease test anxiety and enhance energy and performance during exam periods. Begins at 5:30 p.m. in Room 442 of the University Centre.


Issue 176.10 • Thursday, March 19, 2015

Science Avenue: USB Type-C A symmetrical look at an asymmetrical future SAMEER CHHABRA What is USB Type-C? Universal Serial Bus (USB) has been an industry standard for data transport and inter-device connectivity since 1996, when the first USB drives and ports were introduced for consumer and developer use. The interfaces were sleek and simple, and gave users a way to connect their computer devices in remarkably easy ways.

“...the circletriangle-square trident is stepping into a new era with the introduction of USB 3.1 – or USB Type-C.” For the past three “generations,” the standard USB port has looked the same. While variations of the standard ports have come

and gone, USB 1.0 to 3.0 have all featured a relatively similar design. Barring external similarities, USB 1.0 and 2.0 featured four-pin connectors, while USB 3.0, which attempted to bring consumers into the future of the Digital Age, featured a nine-pin connector. Now, the circle-triangle-square trident is stepping into a new era with the introduction of USB 3.1 – or USB Type-C – a smaller connector which resembles a micro- or mini-USB more than the larger standard ports. How does USB Type-C work? Type-C is exciting for two very simple reasons: the plugs are reversible, meaning users can plug in their devices properly the first time, and the plugs are true universal connectors. The best part about USB is perhaps the chief reason why the connectors have been able to devastate the market with a wide presence: everything from thumb drives to phone chargers to printer cables to external hard drives to speakers and headphones can be connected to devices using USB. USB Type-C is no different, except that its single symmetrical – reversible – connector means that a single USB Type-C port can act as a computer’s charging port, monitor hook-up, headphone jack, HDMI port, and everything in-between.

USB history. USB 3.0, a connector that can deliver connection speeds of up to 5.0 gigs per second, was only recently introduced. That the company has introduced an upgrade to their line of connectors so soon into the product’s release is an indication of the speed at which the current tech industry operates. Since it is an upgrade, Type-C offers connection speeds of up to 10 gigs per second. If a single song is three megabytes large, that means that USB Type-C should allow a theoretical transfer of approximately 3,000 songs from one device to another in a single second. For reference, The Beatles’ core catalogue is approximately 217 songs. More important to industry analysts – and regular people like me who simply like technology – is that the Type-C hype has mostly been driven by Apple’s announcement of its new 12-inch MacBook computer. The computer features two ports: a headphone jack on the right side of the device, and a USB Type-C port that serves as the computers wired connection to the outside world. Through the use of adaptors to allow for communication with HDMI, Thunderbolt, Displayport, and any other kind of connection, the new MacBook is able to connect to a multitude of different devices using a single connector.

Why is USB Type-C important? Pomp and circumstance aside, Type-C comes at a strange time in

What is the future of USB Type-C? For those individuals who balk at every Apple release, keep in

your life.... your opinion... they matter. Come Volunteer for The Ontarion Meetings are held Thursdays at 5:30 in UC Rm. 264

LIFE mind that no company on Earth seems to have as much sway over developed, and developing, tech markets as Apple Inc. does. Their devices appeal to countless millions, their designs are perhaps most notable for the imitators they inspire, and their proprietary connectors force entire countries to adapt to changing trends. The fact that Apple has focused its attention on a truly universal connector is a sign that USB Type-C – like USB 2.0 and 3.0 before it – is the way of the future. Equally important, however, is the fact that Google has its eyes set on Type-C. The new Google Chromebook Pixel 2 features two Type-C ports, on both sides of the device, that serve as charging ports as well as anything else that users want them to be. Of course, the Pixel 2 has USB 3.0 ports and an SD card reader for safe measure, but the point still stands: Google, a company with more sway over the tech industry than Apple, as well as a keener eye for the future, has decided to endorse the emerging trend of USB Type-C. As of now, Apple and Google are the only major global Earthshakers who have released products featuring Type-C. Once-behemoth Nokia also has plans to release a tablet with a Type-C port. Considering the presence of smartphones, tablets, and laptops – devices that can all benefit from Type-C, it’s no silly idea to consider that Type-C will soon be the world’s most popular connector.

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On this day...

Date: March 20, 1831 ALEXANDRA GRANT On this day with SHAC: the first bank robbery ever reported in America occurred. The robbery took place in New York City, and an estimated $245,000 was stolen by the perpetrators. Late that night, two men with a set of homemade keys approached the City Bank of New York. The keys, which had been made from wax impressions of the door locks, made it possible for the men to let themselves into the bank and then proceed to lock the doors behind them. What happened that night is often considered the first real bank robbery in the United States, as it was an organized heist, rather than a stickup at the counter during operating hours. The two men – James Honeyman and William J. Murray – emptied the vault and several safe deposit boxes. By the morning, they had filled multiple bags with their take: approximately $245,000 in bank notes and coins. The amount stolen, if pulled off today, would be the equivalent of $52 million. Of course the press jumped on the robbery, and a $5,000 reward was rushed into the next edition of The Post. The two men escaped the next morning, as the sun rose and the city’s night watchmen went offduty. Carrying the loot under large capes they were wearing, they hurried away from the scene of the crime and divided the money. Honeyman took his money to a boarding house and to his brother-in-law’s home, however this behavior incited suspicion from his landlord. With his history of being involved in other robberies, it wasn’t a stretch that he was a suspect, especially once the Chief Constable in New York, Jacob Hays, heard of the heist. He immediately went to Honeyman’s residence, and confirmed his suspicions when he wasn’t there. On March 24, Hays was summoned to the boarding house by the landlord, and after finding the rest of the money, arrested Honeyman that same day. After more investigating, the accomplice, Murray, was identified and apprehended, before being sent back to New York from his safe hold in Philadelphia. The two were sentenced to five years in New York’s Sing Sing prison.


18

LIFE

You’ve probably seen this on Pinterest Scientificallyproven study tips for exam time ALYSSA OTTEMA With just two more weeks to go in the semester, the most terrifying of times is nigh: exam season is almost upon us. Between scrounging together final assignments, finishing up midterm season, and trying to recover from St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans, preparation for exams is sure to be the last thing on your to-do list. When you do start your studying, keep these scientificallyproven tips in mind to help make your transition from school to summer a bit smoother. 1. Study when you’re tired The time right before you fall asleep is the perfect time to review, according to a study from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. During sleep, the brain “stabilizes

declarative memories,” according to the study, which can lead to better retention of information you’ve been cramming into your brain. Don’t leave your studying to the last minute, though: the study shows that sleep is “most beneficial” to memorization 24 hours later, so long as sleep “occurs shortly after learning.” 2. Study somewhere new Researchers in 1978 laid the groundwork for more recent findings that studying the same information in a different place can improve memory retention. According to the authors of the 1978 study, the brain makes associations between what it is studying and the movement and noise in the background at the time of studying. As such, putting the brain in a situation to make “multiple associations with the same material” could lead to stronger memory retention. 3. Step away from the computer Research out of InTech for the book Haptics suggests that writing out your study notes by hand may lead to better information retention when you get into the exam room. According to the authors, “recent theoretical currents […] indicate

that perception and motor action are closely connected and, indeed, reciprocally dependent.” Using the hands for “purposive manipulation” of writing utensils, the authors say, can support memorization, learning, and cognitive development. 4. Get off your butt There’s a ton of research that suggests the positive effects of physical activity on brain function and memory retention. A study from Charles Hillman at the University of Illinois suggests that after 30 minutes of moderate acute aerobic exercise, the average adult could experience a “five to 10 per cent improvement in cognition.” Another study from Ohio State University suggests that listening to music while exercising can also improve memory retention – so don’t be afraid to dance it out! 5. Avoid the all-nighter A recent study from the US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health shows that the “inhibition or disruption” of natural sleep and circadian systems “reduces brain arousal” and “impairs cognition.” Another study out of the University of California, Berkeley suggests that all-nighters can result in a sense of euphoria,

ED YOURDON VIA CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

If you’re already overwhelmed looking towards the end of the semester, try out some of these scientifically-proven study tips to make the exam transition a bit smoother. potentially leading to “risky behaviour” and “overly optimistic emotions.” Leading up to exam season, take your sleep seriously, as any “misalignment between

circadian and wakefulness-sleep physiology” can lead to impairment in cognitive performance, as well as in “learning, emotion, and safety.”

Idea of “left-brained” and “right-brained” people is just a myth Your brain is capable of more than you might think TAMARA CHARCHOGHLYAN It is known that the right side of the brain specializes in more creative activities, and the left side concentrates on more analytical processes – something we call hemispheric specialization. However, does this mean that there are left-brained and right-brained people? Self-help books, online personality quizzes, and popular culture would have you believe that there are, suggesting that people use either the right or left hemisphere of their brain more than the other. Recent scientific research conducted at the University of Utah led by Jeff Anderson, a professor of neuroradiology, focused on the lateralization of the brain as it pertains to personality. In August of 2013, University of Utah Health Care published a news release titled, “Research Debunks Myth of ‘Right-brain’ and ‘Left-brain’ Personality Traits,” outlining the thorough research methods used in the study.

The news release explicitly discussed a study which claimed that no evidence was found to suggest that the network in one side of the brain is more connected than the other – revealing no proof for the theory of “left-dominant” or “right-dominant” personality types. “It would be highly inefficient for one half of the brain to consistently be more active than the other,” stated Anderson in an interview for The Guardian. Professor Daniel Meegan, an associate professor in the Psychology department at the University of Guelph, sat down for an interview last week to talk about the scientific aspects of the myth and why right-brain/leftbrain hemispheric specialization is such a popular belief. Meegan specializes in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience, which is the study of the neural basis in humans. Even though hemispheric specialization is not an area of focus for him, Meegan agreed with Anderson’s findings, explaining how we can examine the brain and the differences among people. When looking at the brain, scientists look at structural differences, the anatomy of the brain, and functional differences, how we use our brain on a moment-by-moment basis. Different groups of people will show different patterns of brain activity when exposed

to certain stimuli. The question at hand then becomes whether or not we would expect to see structural differences. “If we can all perform a task, chances are we are going to perform it the same way [as far as things we see in the brain],” explained Meegan. “It just so happens that some people are better at it than others.” Differences in behavior do not always lead to findings of differences on the neural level, which can be hard to explain when it comes to personality. Though everyone has strengths and weaknesses, assigning personality traits to fundamental neural differences is a “step too far.” When asked what advice he would give to his students regarding the brain and how they could better benefit from their cognitive abilities, Meegan concluded, “People should never count themselves out, never think that they can’t learn a second language or a new skill or anything like that. The brain is like a muscle – it has the ability we call plasticity. It’s capable of change, modification, growth, and creating new connections between neurons.” The fact of the matter is that the brain isn’t as straightforward as we sometimes perceive it to be. We find comfort in putting labels on things

ABOUTMODAFINIL.COM VIA CC BY 2.0

It is a common belief that the left and right sides of the brain determine your character, but just how much truth is there in that assumption? and people, categorizing them according to our understanding. However, the brain is dynamic. It is constantly being shaped and changed by both our surroundings, and how we nurture and exercise it. So what happens when someone is told that

they cannot be more creative due to their “personality type?” By assigning labels such as “left-brained” and “right-brained,” we could be limiting others and ourselves, allowing a myth to influence our way of thinking, and underestimating our potential.


Issue 176.10 • Thursday, March 19, 2015

FEATURE

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Parks Canada to Introduce Wi-Fi into national parks National parks may be seeing internet hotspots in the near future DIANA KURZEJA The relaxing solitude and authentic experience Canadians find in the wilderness may be threatened in dozens of Canada’s wilderness zones. Parks Canada has been planning to install wireless internet hotspots in up to 50 of its national parks this year, and intends to triple that number soon after. Andrew Campbell, director of visitor experience with Parks Canada, says these wireless zones would be strictly placed in visitor centers and campgrounds only. “Not in the wilderness, and not in the back country,” he told CTV’s Power Play. “What we’re trying to do is have it around the spots where people can write a digital postcard home, where they could, in the morning, pick up and take their digital subscription and read the newspaper when they’re around the campground.” There has been an outpouring of negative reaction towards this new announcement, and it isn’t difficult to understand why. Natural parks

JAMIE MCCAFFREY VIA CC BY 2.0

Implementing Wi-Fi in national parks can have many benefits, but it can also undermine the experience of campers and nature-lovers seeking to escape technology. are areas where Canadians can go to escape the chaos of the city, as well as the constant distraction of technology. The natural environment these parks offer is meant to embody exactly that: the authentic wilderness of Canada’s beautiful landscape. Introducing internet hotspots in areas where the sole purpose is to enjoy the wildlife and freedom from the distraction of

technology defies the purpose of these park’s existence. Campbell says that the agency is seeking ways to attract younger generations and urbanites to the wilderness, in order to boost visitor numbers. Approximately 20 million people visit Parks Canada’s parks every year, but that number has been steadily decreasing over the years.

“So what we’ve been looking at is how we can attract other audiences and more urban people, quite frankly, coming into natural areas, and how we can create that connection,” said Campbell. Creating a connection in the wilderness by implementing technology seems to accomplish the very opposite of Campbell’s goals. Introducing

technology into the wilderness takes away from the authentic, natural experience, and replaces it with one we are all part of on a daily basis. Our lives constantly revolve around social media; with constant texting, we stay connected at all times. It is difficult to escape from the constant need to “stay connected” with every single person we know through technology, and it will only grow more difficult to embrace the freeing experience of being in the wild with this new development. “The wilderness is still going to be there for everyone; you just might have to hike a bit to get to it -- but Jasper is a 10,000-square-kilometre park, so it’s there,” Campbell told CTV News. “There’s a lot of wilderness in Canada that will never be a Wi-Fi zone.” Parks Canada is working to attract younger visitors, but is sacrificing the very appeal of going to a park by making it a challenge to resist the temptations of checking one’s phone, or one’s e-mail, while trying to embrace the great outdoors. The best way to resist the temptation is to leave your gadgets at home and completely immerse yourself in the camping experience Canada’s parks have to offer. If you’re truly committed to escaping the constant updates of your Facebook newsfeed for the weekend, you can still have an authentic outdoor experience by leaving that connection behind and finding one through nature — one that Wi-Fi doesn’t have to be apart of.

The role of hunting in shaping character A brief investigation of the ethics of hunting animals EMILIO GHLOUM Hunting has been a widely controversial topic, to say the least. There are many facets of hunting that require the attention of the public, regardless of whether you partake in the physical act of hunting, or not. Specifically, hunting brings together elements of human nature, violence, and the environment in a unique and unforgettable way. Rather than debating the right and wrongs of hunting (for sport, for spiritual experience, or for sustenance), this article will look at the different ways hunting can affect your growth as an individual. Being isolated and surrounded by wilderness, one becomes engaged directly

in an act of violence. However, those who are avid hunters decide to hunt for a variety of reasons – as opposed to hunting just for the sake of perpetuating violence towards animals. Undoubtedly, there is something powerful within the experience of hunting – it can shape and mould the way one orients themselves to the environment. Aldo Leopold, a prominent American environmentalist, believes that hunting is an essential component of the human experience which can be made sustainable through systemic change. Leopold addresses the need to integrate the sportsmanlike aspects of hunting into an economically viable activity which will ultimately benefit wildlife and ecological conservation. “I have tried to build a mechanism whereby the sportsmen [of hunting]…could contribute financially to the solution of this problem, without dictating the answers themselves,” wrote Leopold in 1932 on the topic of game and wild life conservation. The premise which Leopold brought forth is extremely valuable

– he was seeking to demonstrate the importance of hunting as an integral component of environmental conservation. Looking at the act of hunting is extremely helpful towards opening an eco-critical dialogue that can effectively alter environmental policies and regulations. By immediately attempting to dismiss and ban hunting entirely, a variety of problems can arise involving animal conservation. Leopold further stresses the importance of being aware of the interdisciplinary relationships present in discussions of hunting, in order to benefit the greater ecological infrastructure. “Examine each question in terms of what is ethically and aesthetically right, as well as what is economically expedient. A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise,” wrote Leopold in his pivotal book titled A Sand County Almanac. For many people, the act of hunting is seen as barbaric – for others, it

JOHNATHAN NIGHTINGALE VIA CC BY-SA 2.0

Through investigating the ethics of hunting, the relationship between humans and animals can further be explored as an ecological issue. is a mode of spiritual release. The fact that hunting and game conservation is still being debated today means that the issue is not one-dimensional. With the recent increase of environmental consciousness arising

in literature and eco-criticism, the ethics of hunting becomes a deeper philosophical question that requires a delicate and multi-disciplinary investigation of both moral and political issues.


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OPINION

#beingauroragoryalice Introduction – the personal is political AURORA G. ALICE Recently, social media has been abuzz with advertisements and awareness campaigns addressing the urgency for heightened attention towards the prevalence of violence against women – specifically, domestic violence and sexual assault. You may have encountered the “NoMoreCampaign” found at nomore.org that states, “Together we can end domestic violence and sexual assault,” which shows a series of celebrities speaking on behalf of those affected by such violence. The most effective part of the campaign ads are the outtakes that show the raw emotional reactions of the humans behind the script. You may have also seen the Salvation Army Campaign “#The Dress for anti-domestic violence” ad that plays off the recent controversy behind “whether or not

the dress is blue and black or gold and white.” There are older campaigns that speak to this, such as #whyIstayed. Celebrity stories, such as those of Rihanna and Chris Brown, Charlize Theron, or of earlier celebrities such as Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, have flooded entertainment and gossip magazines read by youth and adults alike. Even Patrick Stewart has spoken on this topic at comic book conventions, because of his close relationship to violence while growing up. These examples are merely an infinitesimal portion of examples available, and were chosen at random. The reason these topics repeatedly surface in pop culture and social media is because, as we have been told before, violence touches approximately one in four women in Canada, and one in three women in the US – according to those cases reported and documented within the last few years. In fact, according to the Canadian’s Women Foundation, approximately half of all women in Canada have experienced one or more acts of physical and/or sexual violence from the age of

16, and approximately 67 per cent of all Canadians know at least one person who has been a victim of physical or sexual violence. The truth is that the numbers are powerful, and yet only increase as privilege decreases (i.e. increase for people of colour, immigrants, persons with dis/abilities etc.), but are not yet accurately representational because all of the unreported cases – or unacknowledged cases –that get lost in the cracks of bureaucracy and/or the shadows of shame. Bottom line – this is a pandemic. It is unacceptable, and we must do something about it! This is one case in point where the personal is political! These campaigns obviously serve a purpose of fundamental importance, as we should pay attention to violence in our communities! We should say “No More!” We should put our collective feet down and do something – anything we can – about it. However, the conversation frequently truncates at the end of these declarative statements. Marches through the streets taking back the night are

Top Gear – “That’s not gone well.” Bad news everyone: Clarkson is in trouble – again.

circumstances and stories. However, I can be so bold as to put my story out into the world in the hope that it will be received as an opening for safe and constructive and respectful dialogue on a topic that is both hard to speak about, as well as difficult for people to ask about and witness. My intention is to enact personal agency and use my story as a catalyst for discussion and questions, in order to bring these awkward topics from the theoretical and social media world into a grassroots reality. My story will be presented in several parts over the next few weeks, where I will discuss what it was like to experience sexual assault and domestic violence, the resources that were and were not made available to me as an immigrant and differently-abled person of colour, the experiences of re-victimization, and the ongoing process of transforming from a victim into a survivor. This is merely one story amongst countless others. However, just one story holds power enough to inspire thought. This is what it is like #beingauroragoryalice.

become well acquainted with the negative spotlight. Most recently, he has been involved in a “fracas,” which placed him on suspension from the BBC and has seen the remaining episodes of the series stripped from the future.

This is where the debate begins. Is it just that Top Gear has been pulled from the air simply to teach Clarkson a lesson? Within 24 hours of the announcement, 500,000 signatures on an online petition said it was not. This petition also demonstrates the theory of Top Gear being too big to fail. Could this be further reasoning for the BBC to put an end – hopefully, only temporarily – to the show? It would show the world, and Clarkson, that the BBC is not worried about having to put down a cashcow in order to teach a lesson. But is it fair? In the opinion of this small-town university student, no. Punish Clarkson for his misdeeds, move the show to a later slot, place disclaimers for offensive content, sell it to a different network if need be, but don’t make the people, who have given the BBC and Top Gear years of loyalty, pay for the BBC’s problems. “And on that bombshell,” let’s hope we will be seeing our beloved Top Gear trio on air again.

“Clarkson...well acquainted with the negative spotlight...”

BROCK OGILVIE Top Gear is the most popular motoring show “in the world.” It boasts an audience of 350 million viewers worldwide – that number excludes people who take part in Netflix binging sprees – and has won several awards for being the world’s most popular factual television series. Yet the show’s presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, tend to brand the show as “ambitious but rubbish.” Top Gear, indeed, has a deep automotive prowess, but is also enjoyed worldwide because of the presenters’ continuous goofball antics. The trio have done everything from building a “Hovervan” – a less-than-practical solution to Britain’s flooding – to, more recently, attempting to make ambulances more efficient, once again, in a less-than-practical

necessary and fantastic, but more needs to be done on a day-to-day basis, on an attitudinal basis, and on an awareness basis! It is important to expand the discussion beyond the instances themselves. We need to ask questions like: what is it like for women who have lived through such violence? What does a life that has been touched and affected by violence look like once the acts of physicality themselves have stopped? What remains of the lives of those affected? How do women cope? What resources are available to them? What is the fallout – how much time does it actually take to get back to a place of stability and normalcy and safety and comfort and happiness? How is survival possible? How is the personal political? The purpose of this column is not to debate or report on statistics that are clearly beyond the scope of this piece. This column is not meant to exclude persons who have experienced violence and do not identify as female. Nor can this column speak for the broad spectrum of survivors that have such a diverse set of

TONY HARRISON VIA CC BY-SA 2.0

Jeremy Clarkson, one of the hosts of BBC’s popular series Top Gear, is once again in the spotlight for his abrasive and controversial behaviour. way. Their ambitious projects, coupled with rubbish results, plus the wit and banter of the Top Gear hosts, have made the show a phenomenon. These same qualities have

also been renowned for landing the team in trouble time and time again. Jeremy Clarkson, loud, highly opinionated, and frequently described as “Orangutan-like” by his colleagues, has

Clarkson has been in the headlines several times in the past few years. In one instance, Clarkson’s name was uttered worldwide when a license plate, containing a controversial cultural reference, stirred up negative emotions during the filming of a Top Gear episode in Argentina. A prior altercation, involving the use of a mumbled racial slur in a deleted, and then leaked film, also had the BBC placing Clarkson on thin ice. His most recent “fracas,” which came to light March 10, saw the BBC instantly pull the plug on Clarkson, and even more shockingly, Top Gear, after he reportedly hit a producer.

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.


Issue 176.10 • Thursday, March 19, 2015

OPINION

Graduation: a bittersweet new beginning A soon-to-be graduate’s thoughts on entering the “real world” DIANA KURZEJA They say that university will give you the best four years of your life. So what happens when, out of nowhere, those four years come to an end? I think I can speak for the majority when I say I am absolutely terrified to graduate. For the most part, my friends and I live embracing the comforts of our fantasy world where we never have to graduate, which some may also know as denial. You may have heard of it – and if you’re a soon-to-be graduate like me, I’m sure you’ve taken a trip down that road yourself. When I think of graduating, my mind fills with thoughts and questions I can’t possibly know the answers to. Where am I going to find a job? Who am I going to live with next year? I have to make new friends?! Does this mean I have to be a functioning adult now? So many questions, yet so few answers. After four years as an undergrad, it’s normal to feel comfortable in your environment. You’ve finally learned where every building is, you’ve made a great

DANIELLE SUBJECT It was a regular day. My roommates and I were sitting in our living room in the house we’ve shared together for over two years, catching up on how our days were and what we had planned for the rest of the night. We’d talk through our assignments and tell each other how much we’ve done so far and what needed to be done, knowing that we’ve barely done anything, but finding comfort in verbally convincing each

in each other’s lives. Maybe postgraduation is the perfect time to travel and explore the world while finding yourself, or it could be an opportunity to gain experience in the working world. Whatever you choose to do is your choice, and is not something you should question or feel less adequate for pursuing because of what others choose to do. We each have our own motivations that drive us, so it’s normal that we each have a different path to take.

“...it’s normal that we each have a different path to take.” TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-COMMERCE MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS PHOTOGRAPHY VIA CC BY 2.0

Life after university is a thrilling, while at the same time, terrifying pursuit. Make the most of it, go on and live your dream. group of friends, and you feel completely content exactly where you are in life. You think back to when you were a first-year – having absolutely no idea which building was MAC and which one was MACN, forgetting you couldn’t use your student card before two p.m. after having your sub made, and asking every single bus if they went to the university before getting on (the answer is yes, always). Ah, the days when you had absolutely no idea what you were

doing. Now you’re a pro at getting yourself around campus and functioning as a university student, but all of that is inevitably coming to an end. Soon, you’re going to feel exactly as you did in first-year – having absolutely no idea what you’re doing as life throws you into adulthood. That’s the way most of us see it, but it really doesn’t have to be as bad as we think it’ll be. Of course, it’s terrifying venturing into the unknown – we fear that we won’t live up to our expectations in

Cherish your final month Don’t let worrying about the future ruin your time in the present

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other of how hard we’ve been working. This time around though, something weird happened. Someone brought up the forbidden topic, something that we’ve been collectively avoiding since the beginning of last semester – moving out.

“How are we going to empty this house out?” said one of us. Then cued the anxiety, and the reality that we’d eventually have to leave each other and the house we’ve called home for the past two years. Our eyes stung as we made the realization. From what I’ve experienced so far, I feel like the last month or so of school until graduation is a gigantic blur of assignments, stress, anxiety, sadness, happiness, nostalgia, and immense pressure. For many, especially those that are not moving on to more schooling, there’s the fear

of the unknown – the fear of not knowing what the next step is, and not knowing exactly where to start. For many, there’s the fear of not knowing what you want to do with your life, and the fear of falling into a routine that might prevent you from accomplishing the goals you once had.

“...we’ve shared laughs, we’ve cried, we’ve picked each other back up multiple times.” More or less, our brains in this final stretch are filled with these

the real world, or that we won’t get that dream job we’ve worked so hard to attain, but putting that kind of pressure on ourselves only brings on unnecessary anxiety. Everyone is afraid of what comes after graduation, but it’s important to remember that it’s a universal feeling and that life is full of constant change. The friends you’ve made in University can remain a part of your life for years after you graduate, as long as you make the effort to keep in touch and stay

Graduation is a frightening time for all of us, but it’s also a time to cherish the amazing memories you’ve made and to follow the path you think is right for you. If you have no idea what that path is, this is the perfect opportunity to find out, because for the most part, none of us have any idea where we are going. Just remember that you somehow grew up from being a lost, terrified first-year into the confident soon-to-be graduate you are today – and if you survived your great years as a Gryphon, you’ll be more than prepared to succeed in the real world.

kinds of thoughts – thoughts about what the future might hold, but not about what the present holds for us right now. Thoughts that might also prevent us from making the most of our final month in this beautiful city – as students at the University of Guelph. Think about the friends you’ve made and the people that you’ve shared a roof with over these past few years (unless you don’t like your roommates, than forget everything I just said). It’s something that most of us have probably avoided simply to avoid the sadness that comes with it. My roommates and I have been through a lot together – we’ve shared laughs, we’ve cried, we’ve picked each other back up multiple times. It’s going to be weird not having them to talk to when I get home from a long day. It’ll be weird not being able to sit

together in one of our rooms and listen to old Avril Lavigne songs and laugh about our high school selves that we never knew. That being said, my advice is to try to live in the moment over these next few weeks. University came way too quickly – some of us were only 17 coming into it – but it also ended too quickly. Cherish every moment you have left. Smile at that final paper that you spent endless nights pining over, because that’ll probably be the least frightening thing you’ll have to deal with in life. Appreciate the time you have left with your friends – make the most of it. Tell people how much they’ve impacted you, especially if you may not see each other again. Take a slow walk through campus and breath in the Guelph air. Smile, because you’re still here and you still have time to enjoy it.


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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 Coordinator Lorrie Taylor Ad Manager Al Ladha Office Manager Vanessa Tignanelli Circulation Director Salvador Moran Board Of Directors President Alex Lefebvre Chairperson Patrick Sutherland Treasurer Anthony Jehn Secretary Sasha Odesse Directors Melissa Chong Ah Yan Bronislaw Szulc Zina Bibanovic Patrice Manuel Erin Knight Shane Liquornik Meghan Tennant Contributors Aurora G. Alice Mitch Armstrong Zina Bibanovic Tamara Charchoghlyan Matteo Cimellaro Alexandra Grant Cody Gresswell Connor Hewson Jack Hinds Diana Kurzeja Alyssa Hawn Aiyasha Lalva Matthew Lawson Caden McCann Brock Ogilvie 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 2015 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.

Post-irony, representation, and global culture Finding the meaning in cynicism ADRIEN POTVIN Last semester, a poem I submitted to the University of Guelph’s undergraduate literary and visual art magazine, Kaleidoscope, was accepted for publication. As part of the submission process, I was asked to write a little blurb about myself, so I wrote something really serious and introspective about my art and its inspirations. I took it as my little window to explain why my poetry reads the way it does, and why I wrote the poem as such. But something bizarre happened. Out of all the submissions, my little blurb was (if my memory serves correctly) the only one that really took itself seriously. Like, the entries were pretty funny, given that I know most of the poets and artists published in the magazine then and in previous issues, and their work is generally excellent. But I felt undeniably self-conscious about my super-serious, (probably) super-pretentious blurb about my perceived creativity, sticking out like a beacon of self-importance among an apparent “who cares” mentality. I understand that it’s an undergraduate arts journal and not The Boston Review or something. I get that a part of university culture maintains a sort of light-heartedness that we don’t often get in our studies. The more I think about it, however, this little moment of selfawareness – and the discomfort and self-consciousness that came with it at that launch party at the Brass Taps – is indicative of something larger I’ve grappled with for most of my short artistic career. At what point do I take myself seriously, or not seriously enough? I’m probably not alone in this, but having come of age in a sort of global cult of digital representation, I’ve perceived a trend in ironic, cynical self-representation that fascinates the hell out of me. Be it through a tongue-in-cheek pseudonym on social media platform, downplaying significant achievements, over-analyzing our personalities by way of Buzzfeed quiz, there appears a vague cynicism in how we represent ourselves that, I think, warrants engaging with critically, and can perhaps explain a lot about how we posit ourselves in the “post-ironic” age, to put a term to it.

All this isn’t intended to give off some sentiment that longs for the socio-historically imagined “old days,” either. That’s an, at best, useless and, at worst, detrimental, mentality. Thought currents change, as they must. As an example, the influential postmodern thoughts of Theodor Adorno, Jean-Francois Lyotard, and Hannah Arendt, to name a few, essentially emerged from a Western world collapsing onto itself with the devastation of the Second World War – a conflict of a scale so massive that it forced thinkers, artists, and writers to really revisit the history of ideas in a sense that all but eliminates the structural straight-ahead-ness of philosophical discourse that seemed to define thought currents from the Enlightenment to the modernist period. History and culture became less obvious in its perceived flow, and interdisciplinary, intercultural thought became not only a suggestion, but a necessity. If this change was marked by the devastation of the Second World War, where do we delineate this “turning point,” so to speak, in the idea-sphere of contemporary global capitalism? What is the ultimate artifact of post-irony, if there is one? Whatever it is, it’s not one essentialist or monolithic thing. It cannot be. I feel that’s the whole point – this irony and cynicism permeates aesthetics, politics, and culture to the point where I, at least, can’t tell if something is meant to be ironic or not most of the time. I’ll elaborate on this further, but cynicism in the case of this piece is meant to indicate a collective sense of dread for the future that our culture seems to at once resist and is also complacent to. For the next few weeks, I’ll be writing a paper for a literary theory class about the cultural value of irony and self-parody in 21st Century mass culture. My paper is focusing largely on Adult Swim’s incredibly funny and slyly thoughtprovoking short film Too Many Cooks, which premiered late last year. The 11-minute short film, if you haven’t seen it, is pretty much a long-winded credit sequence to a non-existent late 80s sitcom (in the manner of Full House, Family Matters, or Cheers). In its runtime, it maintains this core concept as it morphs into a horror film, into a parody of Night Rider, into a parody of Star Trek, and so forth. The whole thing wraps itself up by actually trying to start the imaginary sitcom episode, before it’s cut off by the actual end credits before a character can even get a single word in.

HUNTLEY PATON VIA CC BY-SA 2.0

Internet culture and collective memory works in strange, silly, and sometimes provoking ways. This editorial examines the search for “meaning” in a culture defined by cynicism (which isn’t always the worst thing). I think I feel comfortable saying, without sarcasm or jadedness, that Too Many Cooks is a benchmark of post-satirical, post-ironic culture. It’s a seriously thought-provoking meditation on mass culture and how collective memory works in a framework of Western post-capitalism. Somehow, it means both everything and nothing at all. The way it plays around with cultural memory, narrative formalism, and uncomfortable humour, is nothing short of astounding. It means something, even if that meaning is obscured by itself. In terms of looking for meaning in a culture of post-irony, this is obviously on the extreme end of the spectrum. For more obvious, clear-cut examples, perhaps take a look at this year’s Superbowl halftime show – in which the world sees Katy Perry, in a sweetness that borders on aggression, strutting her stuff among swaths of googly-eyed beach props. Does this sort of “kiddie culture” and its ironic appropriations have a real, tangible cultural “value?” In terms of visual codifying, I feel like it does, though it may not be to my particular tastes. Something like this, I think, comes from that longing for some vague, imagined past, both personal and collective, which I mentioned earlier. From the whole “90s kid” aesthetic finding its way into the art galleries and fashion shows of the Western world, or the consistent onslaught of gritty re-vamps of old TV shows and movies, or someone

like Kanye transcending more into a parody of himself instead of the deity he may or may not actually long to be, Western mass culture seems to be taking a deconstructive approach to itself that is informed and defined by a barelytangible sense of tongue-in-cheek irony and cynicism. But this irony, I find, has some truly compelling implications in its anxious positing between the recent past and the not-too-distant future. So, to return to the question that stoked this whole long-winded “Diet Coke of Cultural Studies” editorial – do I take myself too seriously as an artist? Or does taking oneself seriously just mean something different at this juncture? Either way, examining the relationship of exchange between cultural consumption and cultural production might shed some light on how we represent ourselves and where we posit our thought currents. And it’s becoming increasingly important to do this to find meaning in anything. If the cultural-industrial complex demands it, do we supply it? Can we actively resist? In the case of my little blurb about my poetry, maybe the others got it right. Maybe those humourous, self-aware, self-directed jokes were more honest and accurate than my pretentious artist statement “proper.” When facets of the culture we breed seems to spill over into one another in such a significant way, maybe we just need to laugh at the whole damn thing.


Issue 176.10 • Thursday, March 19, 2015

ACROSS 1- Be in front 5- Makes a booboo 9- Rock clinging plant 13- Magazine founder Eric 14- Foil maker 15- Blind as ___ 16- Bone to pick 17- Orange Bowl site 18- Bright star 19- Executor’s concern 21- Poivre’s partner 22- Bump into 23- “Power Lunch” network 25- A Chaplin 27- Cuspidor 31- Wirelesses 35- Car 36- Apple player 38- Brainy bunch 39- CD forerunners 40- Raison ___ 42- Chat room chuckle 43- Measured with a watch 46- “My Heart Will Go On” singer 47- Actress Ward 48- Detective 50- Shaped like a leaf 52- H.S. exam

FUN PAGE 54- Bits of thread 55- No way 58- Acknowledgment of debt 60- Quantity which has magnitude and direction 64- ___ contendere 65- Monetary unit of India 67- Consecrated 68- ___ old cowhand... 69- Haggard 70- Foil alternative 71- Swank 72- Bone: Prefix 73- Not so much DOWN 1- Grease (up) 2- French summers 3- Work without ___ 4- Actual 5- Lilly of pharmaceuticals 6- Some DVD players 7- Lover of Juliet 8- Mariner 9- Created by humans 10- It’s blown among the reeds 11- Rescue 12- Sports figure 14- Like a single-

celled organism 20- Explosive stuff 24- Managed 26- Where some vets served 27- Old sailors 28- Student 29- “Who’s there?” response 30- ___ I can help it! 32- Bay 33- ___ Mio 34- Dish of raw vegetables 37- Salivate 41- Animate 44- Agreeableness of sound 45- Skid row woe 47- Small bag 49- Coiffure 51- Having four sharps 53- Excursions 55- Single entity 56- ___ sapiens 57- ___ Bator, Mongolia 59- ___ the crack of dawn 61- Drink to excess 62- Corrida cheers 63- Some whiskeys 66- Farm female

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