RFP March 2012

MAR 12

Queering public school Grounds are being made in some schools to create safe spaces for queer students. But, we still have a long way to go. Story on pg. 11

NEWS

Unfair business practice and little hope of resolution Updates on the ongoing strike at Infinity Rubber

By Jessica Finch

Workers on strike at Infinity Rubber continue to picket outside the Etobicoke plant. In December 2009 employees walked off the job as management instituted a 25 per cent wage cut and a 50 per cent benefits co-payment plan, which further reduced their pay. Replacement workers have also been brought in to replace unionized workers.

Despite dwindling numbers, many employees still picket in an effort to raise awareness about Infinity’s unfair business practices.

The company was bought for a third of its estimated value after its predecessor, Biltrite Industries declared bankruptcy in July 2009. Infinity Rubber was purchased

by Biltrite management, run by James Chung, Ken Barber and Russell Newhook, who today operate Infinity Rubber as CEO, CFO and plant manager respectively.

Biltrite instituted wage cuts in 2008 as a means of avoiding bankruptcy, and initially employees agreed to reduced wages to help the company and avoid a strike. When additional cuts were enforced workers had little recourse as management lowered pay to approximately $13 an hour.

While on strike employees receive a set pay from the union each week, but over time many have had to get part time jobs to support themselves and their families.

Infinity Rubber recently leased its land to a third party company, BRI Holdings, with little warning to suppliers or creditors. The United Steelworkers (USW), who represent workers at the company, wrote a letter to Infinity’s suppliers this past December informing them of the business changes. BRI is also owned by James Chung, Ken Barber and Russell Newhook, a fact that makes the land transfer seem suspect.

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“What’s questionable to us [at the USW] is that they’re doing [this transfer] through themselves, stripping Infinity of its most valuable asset. Creditors and suppliers need to know this in case Infinity ran into difficulties and no longer had that asset” explains Alexandra Eshelman, USW Strategic Campaigns representative. Further investigation indicates Chung’s interest in acquiring land in Cambridge, Ontario, but whether the CEO has plans to move the company is unclear at this time.

The USW is expanding its campaign to include the banking sector, as BMO remains Infinity’s key financial partner. As USW local 526 member Gustavo Sotomayor stated, “It was high risk, but still [BMO] gave the money to [Infinity], that’s why we went to rally against BMO.” Since BMO’s support allows the company to operate despite its labour dispute, strikers expanded their protests to include the bank, even joining forces with the Occupy movement late last year.

The USW began correspondence with the bank in an effort to understand their motives, but BMO’s replies were not encouraging. According to Eshelman, BMO wrote that, “[it has] strict criteria [for lending] and it respects people’s rights to strike, but doesn’t get involved with third party labour disputes.”

“I’m not sure exactly when, but there’s going to be [another] rally [against BMO]” affirms Sotomayor.

Insufficient anti-scab legislation in Ontario has also made the fight difficult. Infinity has been allowed to employ temporary workers to replace striking employees with few options for the union. The only thing strikers can legally do is stop supply trucks for twenty minutes upon entering and

leaving the facility.

Last March, an anti-scab bill was brought to Queen’s Park, but was voted down. Such legislation already exists in Quebec and BC, but anti-scab laws do not exist currentlya in Ontario. Eshelman suggests change may come with an NDP government, but for now Ontario should look to Manitoba for lessons in labour legislation. Manitoba does not yet have anti-scab laws, but instead has legislation which allows labour disputes longer than 60 days to enter arbitration. While this is not a replacement for full antiscab legislation it could prevent strikes from existing in long term limbo.

Due to the longevity of the strike, support on the picket line has dropped significantly. “We start with 144 guys, now [we’re] only 25,” affirmed striker Fernando Silva. Many strikers, as well as supporters from other union locals, had to find alternatives as they could no longer afford to fight.

Some even crossed the line and returned to Infinity, as their age and limited English skills left few opportunities outside the plant. “[When] they crossed the line that was very, very bad for us because they…teach the other guys who know nothing about the job here [that crossing a picket line is ok]. So, that was like a stab in the back.”

For those still actively picketing, the question of when the strike will end remains unanswered. For now, many cling to the hope that under pressure BMO will remove its support and that the Ontario labour laws will soon include anti-scab legislation.

To support the strike visit www.usw.ca/infinityrubber

PHOTOS: JESSICA FINCH

Women’s Health Clinic Survives Deep Cuts as City Tackles Deficits

By Takara Small

Immigrant Women’s Health Centre still concerned about funding In January, the Immigrant Women’s Health Centre came under attack by city hall officials who sought to slash $20,000, almost 25 per cent of its operating budget. The centre provides free health services to women, including many women who are without status and have few places to go.

On January 17 the clinic that serves roughly 5,000 women each year was given a break. City council decided not to cut its funding in a late-night meeting sparing staff and allowing Ayesha Adhami, the centre’s Administrative Coordinator to continue the centre’s advocacy campaigns.

“The Immigrant Women’s Health Centre is incredibly relieved and grateful to have had our City funding saved unanimously by City Council,” she said. “We consider this to be a community victory; IWHC’s staff…understand the incredible need out there for accessible sexual health services for women in marginalized communities.”

But the ruling doesn’t offer Adhami much faith and she believes city council has merely offered the clinic a temporary reprieve.

“We know – however – from Mayor Ford’s statements, echoed

by Councilors Del Grande and Minnan-Wong, that this may only be a reprieve. In this climate of global recession and austerity, there is no agency, social service or core service program that can consider itself safe from the threat of cuts and we will be prepared if and when we are brought back to the table again.”

For two decades the clinic has offered health services through its College Street office and its famous 10-meter pink and white Winnebago bus that acts as a doctors office on wheels complete with medical supervisor, translator and examining room.

The bus visits women all over Toronto who, because of inefficient health coverage, language barriers, work and cultural restrictions, cannot visit other clinics. They also provide a culturally sensitive approach to women that in many cases have never seen a doctor or gynecologist in their lifetime. Women who, without their services, might slip though the cracks.

The cuts, according to Adhanmi, are in response to a report from Toronto Public Health that claims the clinic is less efficient compared to other Toronto-area clinics, sees fewer clients and women in its preferred age range, which is 25 years of age and under.

The IWHC sees fewer patients than its sister clinics because compared to the standard 10-minute appointments offered to patients at other sites, those seeking out help from her centre have more complex needs; the centre offers translators to explain instructions and take the time to go over medical options not afforded to women who may not have status.

The centre receives $40,000 from city coffers and the remaining funds, $200,000 in total, from the province. But under the city’s share funding model without the city’s offerings, the province may decrease the amount it presents.

However, the clinic has found an ally in Toronto city councilor Mike Layton.

“The Immigrant Women’s Centre is out there across the city [because] these populations are in pockets, everywhere in our city,” he said. “And that means that all the councilors should really think about how to keep this service funded because of how it will impact the people in their communities.”

Ryerson Free Press The monthly newspaper for continuing education, distance education and part-time students at Ryerson Address Suite SCC-301 Ryerson Student Centre 55 Gould Street Toronto, ON CANADA M5B 1E9

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Old-growth forest could become an “open-pit mine” warn environmentalists

By Kasia Mychajlowycz For 24 years environmentalists have fought to protect the old-growth forests of Temagami, more than a six-hour drive north of Ryerson. It appears this fight is far from over, as the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has signaled that it may allow further mining exploration in the area.

The final decision by the MNR to redesignate 340 hectares of the Wolf Lake Forest Preserve within Temagami to a “General Use” area has yet to come, but has for some months been the focus of a public awareness campaign lead by environmental groups in the region, who say that this particular stand of old-growth red pine forest is unique in the world and cannot be replaced or substituted with other forest tracts, as the Ministry’s proposal promises.

“It’s impossible to find anything that’s equivalent to Wolf Lake because Wolf Lake is the largest old-growth red pine forest in the world, three times larger than the next largest red pine forest,” says David Sone of Earthroots.

“So, it can’t be replaced.”

In 1999, while surrounding forest, rivers and lakes were protected as the Chiniguchi Waterway Provincial Park, Wolf Lake and other areas were given Forest Reserve status because of existing land leases held by mining company Flag Resources (1985) Limited.

A 2003 MNR fact sheet reads: “As mining tenure [in the forest reserve land] is surrendered by the tenure owners through normal processes, these areas will be added to the provincial park.”

While many environmentalists saw that as a promise to add the reserve to the park once

the lease expired, the Ministry of Northern Development recently extended Flag’s mining tenure in one forest reserve area by 31 years, and may extend another lease in May. According to Flag’s website, they hold 40,000 acres in leases in the area (more than 16,000 hectares). They are mining for gold, copper, nickel and platinum, among other metals.

In response, Sone, businesses and environmental groups banded together to form the Wolf Lake Coalition. The coalition says this is no way to treat an ecologically precious area, and that the public expects it to be fully protected from industry. Though only in its exploratory stages now, Sone says that the “general use” label on Wolf Lake will allow for more mining companies to start working in the area, and eventually, for an open-pit mine. And although the proposal promises that logging will be prohibited, Sone cautions that this prohibition will only extends to stand-alone logging operations, but not logging by the mining companies themselves.

“We could potentially be seeing the area clear-cut, strip of all soil and dug down for an open-pit mine,” he says.

In an interview with the Toronto Star earlier this year, Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller said the problem is a conflict between the mandates of the two ministries involved; while the MNR is there to protect resources, the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines exists to use them for economic growth. The proposed re-designation of this land will almost certainly bring more mining jobs to the area, but at the cost of the environ-

ment, and future eco-tourism, which explains why the Save Wolf Lake Coalition’s members include companies like Wild Women Expeditions, who use the area for their camping trips.

Flag Resources has also had a questionable corporate past. In 2010, the Alberta Securities Commission ruled that Flag contravened Alberta securities laws and engaged in conduct contrary to the public interest by filing, “annual audited financial statements that were not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles” or by failing to file them at all.

The commission also banned co-founder Murdo McLeod from being director or president of any publicly held company. This ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal of Alberta.

The Court of Appeal’s ruling said, of the decision to cease trading Flag’s shares, “the ceasetrade orders against the companies appear to us merely remedial, to prevent further harm to the public, and therefore eminently reasonable.”

Of McLeod’s defense, the justices wrote: “Obviously his approach to government regulation was at best guesswork and flying blind, more likely contumacious. If after all his years of experience it is true that he did not know any better, then he would be manifestly unfit ever to hold any office in an issuing company…He expressed a determination to reoffend.”

Flag’s website vigorously denies the findings of the Court and the Alberta Securities Commission and under a section titled “Allegations,” says the company’s shares were delisted from the Alberta Securities Commission in 2006.

Contributors davida ander brian boudreau ottavio cicconi eric mark do Jessica Finch alyssa garrison MAI HABIB Henna Khawja joseph lee samantha lui max mertens Kasia Mychajlowycz nuruddin qorane kelsey rolfe Takara Small

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Protesters demand full inquiry into deaths of mentally ill individuals involving police after man shot dead

By Eric Mark Do The police shooting death of Michael Eligon earlier this month prompted about 60 demonstrators to protest outside Toronto Police Headquarters on February 10. While Eligon’s mental-health status has not been disclosed, the protesters called for a formal public inquiry into cases where mentally ill individuals died during interactions with police. Many at the rally stated that these deadly interactions are part of systemic issues that need to be addressed.

“In the 20 years that I have represented individuals with mental-health issues, I have not seen this spate of death in this city,” said advocacy lawyer Anita Szigeti. “I think that the city of Toronto now needs to acknowledge that its police service [has] a problem.”

Also in attendance was Ann McGillivary, whose 45-yearold son Charlie died during an altercation with police in August.

Charlie McGillivary was mentally disabled.

Mercedes Perez, who is the former vice-chair of the Mentalhealth Legal Committee, stated that, “Michael Eligon was a person obviously in distress wearing a hospital gown, obviously afraid and confused.”

Eligon, 29, had fled from Toronto East General Hospital after being held for three days due to undisclosed reasons. Eligon was carrying scissors and had an encounter at a convenience store that left the clerk with a small cut on his hand, which didn’t require stitches.

He ended up in the Danforth and Coxwell avenues area.

There, Eligon was surrounded by almost a dozen police officers who “pointed their guns at his head,” Perez said. He did not comply with shouted orders to drop the scissors and was shot three times in the upper-torso.

Police cannot comment on the case while it is under investigation, but Toronto Police spokesperson Mark Pugash suggested a potential scenario. “If someone is rushing at you with a knife, the fact that they may be mentally ill doesn’t matter at that point,” he said. “The officer has to stop the threat with as minimal force as possible.”

According to Perez, minimal force is not used. “Police are not trained to shoot someone in the foot, they’re trained to shoot to kill,” she said. “That’s the use of force model that they have, they’re taught to aim for a person’s torso.”

Szigeti and her colleagues’ call for a broad-scale inquiry emphasized the need to review police training and procedures related to dealing with individuals in crisis.

“We’re constantly reviewing our training,” Pugash said. “We work very closely with…groups who work with the mentally ill, and the private and public sectors and work with experts from outside to examine our training and improve our training.”

A release on the Toronto Police website states that, “Every uniformed officer is required to undergo two days of intensive training and re-qualification each year.” The day before the rally, police held an information session and showed members of the media demonstrations of police interactions with individuals

in crisis. Police training on how to interact with people with mental illnesses “goes above and beyond what is mandated by the province,” said Training Const. Michael Stavrakis.

Despite this training, activist Anna Willats believes more can be done. “Make crisis intervention training mandatory,” she said. “Alternative dispute resolution training, (should also be) mandatory. Before you can call yourself a police officer you have to have those skills.”

Currently the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT), where an officer is partnered with a registered psychiatric nurse, is active in nine of the 17 police divisions.

While the situations that police officers encounter may be different than those experienced inside a mental-health facility, a look into the latter provides some perspective into daily interactions with mental-health patients.

Outbursts from patients should be handled in a calm manner, said Nancy Tran, a nurse who spent time taking care of patients at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Queen Street West location. “Just approach them in a calm manner and listen to them,” she said. “Don’t agitate them, and try not to engage with them too much.”

The Toronto Star interviewed the man who notified police of Eligon’s presence in the neighbourhood. Vince, who did not want his last name to be used, witnessed the moments before Eligon was shot. “You could tell he was panicking,” Vince said.

“Everybody was screaming at him.”

Palestinians in Israel: Segregation, Discrimination and Democracy

By Nuruddin Qorane In February freelance journalist, author and human rights activist Ben White was at Ryerson speaking about his new book Palestinians in Israel: Segregation, Discrimination and Democracy. White spoke at the University of Ottawa and Concordia University in Montreal before coming to Ryerson. He shed light on the types of discrimination Palestinians with Israeli citizenship face and how a one state solution is the best hope for the region.

The Ted Rogers auditorium in the Rogers Communication Centre was filled Friday evening with around 40 people, many of them wearing keffiyeh’s or Palestinian scarves in solidarity with Palestine. Before Ben White took to the podium it was announced that no anti-Semitic language would be tolerated. White has been labeled antiSemitic in the past but says “I don’t let it bother me. It’s a deliberate attempt to not talk about the facts, an attempt to smear the messenger.”

White’s previous book, Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide, focused on the way Israel privileges one group of people at the expense of the other through separation, segregation and exploitation of natural resources. White says that his new book, tackles the policies of Israel that target Palestinians, the problems with Israel being a Jewish state from the Palestinian point of view and challenges the reader to re-imagine a future solution for the region based on equality.

“Its a struggle for equality,” White says regarding the plight of Palestinians in Israel.

White says that its the Zionist mindset of “We allow you to be here, (Palestinians) need to know who the landlord is,” that prevents Arabs in the region from being equal partners in how the state is run.

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“Its routine for Palestinians to be declared as a threat just for being there,” said White. “This is because Palestinians that live in Israel are seen as a demographic problem.”

Discriminative policies include the Israeli government refusing to recognize over 40 Palestinian villages across Israel, mostly in the Negev region. Israel is planning to ‘develop’ these lands, which would displace 40,000 citizens who live in these villages.

White says that this ‘development’ is actually planned in order to rid the region of the demographic problem, which is the native Palestinians.

Other policies, such as the citizenship law, which White calls the family separation law, is another law aimed at stopping Palestinians from settling down. The law restricts the ability of Palestinian citizens of Israel to live with their spouses from the West Bank or Gaza.

This has led to Palestinians being stripped of their Israeli citizenship in order to be with their family.

After detailing the types of laws Palestinians in Israel live with each and everyday, White challenged the audience to re-imagine a solution that would lead to peace in the region.

“It’s possible to imagine a future scenario where sharing the land together on an equal basis,” White says.

For this re-imagining to take place White says that we must move beyond the occupation discourse. White believes that the solution of ‘two states for two peoples’ is not practical and not desirable for both Palestinians and Israelis.

White ended his talk with a quote from the Palestinian author Edward Said, “Coexistence, sharing, community must win out over exclusivism, intransigence, and rejectionism.”

One word and the crowd roars — Goal

By Mai Habib “Goal” – as in someone scoring in sports – is one of the few words understood by everyone, everywhere you go around the world. “Goal” was the word of the night at a Spanish soccer game when Real Madrid took on Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in downtown Madrid. It could have been the 80,000 person-packed stadium or maybe the fresh air of the open stadium with heating for the Spanish winter, but something that night had people ignited and roaring. It was an intense game with a killer come-back in the second half from Madrid. Mostly, it was the most thrilling experience of a two week vacation.

While Spain has a lot to offer tourists, few can say anything quite compares to the excitement of a soccer match.

Vendors selling Real Madrid scarves for 10 Euros a pop and people sweeping them up like necessities of life; the limited alcohol variety in the stadium because of violence that erupted in the past. All the things that a local Madrid-er wouldn’t notice come together to create an excitement unlike any other.

The crowds took their seats and what was, such a short time ago, a quiet empty stadium suddenly became a bustling downtown attraction. Cheers and screams rumbled through the stadium as Real Madrid players ran onto the field and gave the crowd the tricks they were craving. Soon after, the game began and so did the Spanish passion.

Less than 10 minutes into the first half of the game, Malaga scored their first goal and set the stadium on fire.

Real Madrid fans – who made up 96 per cent of the audience that night – were unhappy and in disbelief of the head shot goal. Though the crowd moaned and swore in Spanish, they were quite tame for what was to come next.

The second goal – and the fuel to the already burning fire – came 28 minutes into the first half. Malaga scored another head shot ball into the net. The score board read 2-0 Malaga; the audience was not happy. The swearing, the fighting, the yelling, the Spanish are known for their passion and soccer was no exception to the rule. For tourists, it was best to yell when they did and hug as they would. There was no way to sit down and let it happen around you, inevitably, you just have to get up and react as greatly as they did.

The scoreboard stood frozen at 2-0 as more yelling and swearing littered the stadium air. After a very tense half-time break, the game resumed. Fans had calmed a bit and settled back into their seats laughing with surrounding soccer-goers.

The whistle blew. The game was on and so was the audience. Everyone glued to the edge of their seat with sweat beads dripping down their faces from the blazing heaters mixed with passionate arm gestures. Real Madrid’s first goal was probably the most surreal experiences for any tourist in the bleachers. The goal came early in the second half and the

sounds of the audience resonated through all of Spain. The passionate and synced roaring across the stadium most have shaken the stands as food fell, jackets rolled from one level to the next and people barely kept their balance. The Real Madrid cheer began in an echo across the stadium as white confetti shot out of cannons on all sides of the field. Fans hugged, kissed (not necessarily people they knew) and jumped for joy.

With the crowd cooled and Real Madrid’s on-field celebrations over the game went on. It seemed surreal from then on with Madrid coming back with full strength. The team scored two more goals that had crowds crying from joy and those cheering for the opponents, crying of sadness. It’s a wonder these games go on every week - how do people find the energy to keep going back and keeping the passion up.

The final score settled at 3-2 and people were smiling and cheering; Real Madrid players were nearly as joyful as the crowds themselves. People congratulated each other, shook hands and sparked conversations with complete strangers over their love of a game. The herds began the mass exodus and soon we were back out in fresh air, honks echoing through Madrid’s downtown streets and everyone making plans to go out and celebrate.

A soccer game in Madrid is never to be forgotten. The passion people have for the sport is unparalleled and definitely an experience any tourist would never forget.

Ryerson Free Press March 2012 5

OPINION Controversy over Planned Parenthood funding

By Joseph Lee The Planned Parenthood Federation of America has recently come under attack from the Republican majority in the United States Congress. The latest controversy surrounding the organization, known for providing abortions, among other services, to low-income women in the United States, stemmed from the decision made by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a breast cancer foundation, to pull funding from the organization. This funding went to breast cancer screenings for low-income women.

As soon as news of the pulled funding broke, the media and public condemned the foundation, claiming that their decision was politically motivated, that their CEO, Nancy Brinker, was pressured by Republican groups to drop the foundation’s funding for the organization. Along with the criticism came support from American pro-life groups.

Komen is autonomous from political parties and Planned Parenthood, but was it acceptable for it to pull funding from Planned Parenthood, or was the foundation overstepping its boundaries?

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg agreed with the former. Upon hearing the news, he personally made a donation of $250,000 to Planned Parenthood, and released a statement saying, “Politics have no place in health care.”

Abortions amount to only around three per cent of Planned Parenthood’s services, but the organization is still commonly known as a provider of these medical procedures.

As Brinker said after Komen pulled funding, “We’ve always had the right to cancel contracts for organizations that came under investigation for potential wrongdoing.” Since Planned Parenthood had been put under investigation by a pro-life congressman last year,

Honour killing?

Please, call it femicide

it was well within their right to pull the funding. This doesn’t mean that what they did was right.

By pulling funding from Planned Parenthood, they deprived the organization of the ability to provide breast cancer screenings for low-income women in the United States, which, considering the gravity of the issue, should not be a move motivated by political ideology.

Abortion is an issue that still resonates, particularly with the Christian right-wing.

Even in Canada, there’s been seeing a resurgence of opposition. The issue has been brought up in Parliament by Stephen Woodworth, Conservative MP for Kitchener-Centre, and the pro-life group, “Liberals for Life.” The group supported anti-abortion candidate Trifon Haitas’ bid for the party’s nomination in the Toronto-Danforth by-election.

The actions of Susan G. Komen for the Cure may have well been within the purview of their organization, but it does not mean that they did the right thing. They bowed down to archaic notions of the rights of women, and should not have pulled the funding for Planned Parenthood. Turns out public pressure worked, since the foundation reversed its decision and has resumed funding Planned Parenthood.

Government regulation of women’s rights is a major societal regression, one which hearkens to a time where women had no control over their social interactions, never mind their own bodies. Women have the right to choose what they want to do with their bodies.

It is not my place, as a man, nor is it the place of any man, to dictate the rights of women with respect to their bodies and reproductive health.

An open letter to Vic Toews

By Kelsey Rolfe

By Kelsey Rolfe Like so many other Canadians, I followed the Shafia murder trial with a mix of fascination and outright horror. It was beyond the scope of my imagination how a father, a mother, and their son could send four innocent family members to their deaths for perceived crimes against the family, and show absolutely no remorse — and then have the audacity to expect to get away with it.

Predictably, the media response was overwhelming. During the trial, and weeks afterwards, it was the focus of broadcast news reports, columns, and long form features in magazines and online. Many of the articles referred to the quadruple-homicide as an “honour killing.”

The term typically refers to the killing of a woman by a male family member for apparent crimes against the family’s image or honour. These crimes are usually related to a woman’s sexuality, and have long been incorrectly associated with the Islamic faith.

According to the Globe and Mail’s crime reporter, Timothy Appleby labeling the Shafia trial an honour killing has done enormous damage to the million-plus practicing Muslims in Canada.

I’d believe that.

While Canadians are innocent until proven guilty, public perception can inevitably sway against you. That happened early on in the Shafia case, but the media didn’t help by mislabeling the crime against the four women. Labelling their actions as a crime based on “honour” is unfair, and incorrect. It also links violent culture to a religion and people who don’t deserve it.

Those in favour of using the term believe it’s a label that denotes a specific kind of crime against women, and consider it necessary; those against it cite its racialized dimensions,

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and suggest it be used more sparingly, if at all.

I understand where people on the other side are coming from. Honour killings, as we have come to understand them, indicate a premeditation and motive that isn’t necessarily present in other murders. In the Shafia trial, there was plenty of motive, and the drowning was definitely premeditated. Besides, in an age where getting your story read is all about search engine optimization, using a widely-accepted (if not inappropriate) term like honour killing is a way to drive visitors to your site. It feeds into the rules of sensational media: if it’s radical, it sells, and the media knew it.

But calling what Mohammad, Tooba, and Hamed did to their daughters, or sisters, or wife honour killings is only going to stir up distrust of eastern cultures and religions. It’s a tool in the hands of people who are looking for an excuse to promote racism.

Vinita Srivastava, a Ryerson journalism professor, made the point on Twitter that the term “honour killing” made the trial about a culture clash: the civilized west versus the barbaric east. This mentality managed to make the Muslim community an ‘other,’ and obscure the real focus of the trial.

The reality is that the Shafia trial was about gender power dynamics in our society, and violence against women. Hiding behind a term like ‘honour killing’ distracted from the tragic fact that four women were senselessly murdered and were unable to get help from the people who were supposed to provide it.

Call the Shafia trial what it was: femicide, plain and simple. Zainab, Sahar, and Geeti Shafia, and Rona Amir Mohammad were murdered because they were women.

That’s what the public and the media should have focused on.

In late February, I received an email from Public Safety Minister Vic You’re-WithUs-Or-You’re-With-The-Child-Pornographers Toews, hoping to assuage my concerns with Bill C-30. The bill, also known as the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act, has gotten flack from just about everyone — and for good reason.

If passed in its current state, Bill C-30 would require internet service providers (ISPs) to give your name and IP address to police if asked — and no, warrants aren’t necessary.

As well, ISPs would have to install surveillance equipment that CTV reported could cost tens of millions of dollars. (And guess who would foot the bill. Hint: it’s not the government. So I’m going to pay extra on my internet bill to have my privacy invaded?)

But back to that email. Though it sounds pretty cool, having Vic Toews email me to set put mind at ease. (Though I’m still curious as to how Vic Toews, a man I’ve never met, got my email address.) Since the opportunity had presented itself, I took the time to write him back. Here’s how it went: Hi Vic, Thanks for getting back to me regarding my concerns about Bill C-30. That said, I have to respectfully disagree with almost everything you said in your email. You indicated that Canada’s current laws don’t adequately protect us from online exploitation, and there’s “widespread agreement” that this is a problem. I beg to differ. Have you seen Twitter lately? Search your own name and the tweets that pop up will indicate that Canadians are really quite happy with the privacy and internet-related laws we currently have.

If you want to talk “online exploitation” (your words, not mine), Bill C-30 is a perfect example.

It seems to be fear-mongering in an attempt to keep Canadians quiet and complacent, while bills are passed that infringe upon our rights as citizens. And, as I’m sure you’ve seen in the media and public backlash, many Canadians agree.

Now, I hope you understand that my opposition does not, by any means, lump me with the “child pornographers,” as you’ve suggested. Realistically, if someone is suspected of child pornography, the police can get access to his or her computer without this bill in place — all they need is a warrant. My rights as a citizen should not be infringed upon because of hypothetical threats.

Bill C-30 was created with good intentions. I agree that children need to be protected from online predators (or, really, any predators). But if you want access to my hard drive, I expect you to get a warrant.

Regards,

Kelsey When it came down to it, I just couldn’t hit send. It’s possible that Vic Toews could eventually obtain my internet fingerprint; I don’t need to send it to him on a platter.

Oust President Kabila

On Feb. 16, protesters marched through Toronto demanding an end to the rule of President Kabila in the Congo.

The election was held in November and the results were widely contested by Congolese in the Congo and around the world.

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PHOTOS: ottavio cicconi

Ryerson Free Press March 2012 9

FEATURES Mitt Romney, President?

By Brian Boudreau

Mitt Romney is poised to become the Republican candidate running against Barack Obama in the upcoming 2012 presidential election. With lukewarm sentiments among members of his own party, the future of the campaign remains hard to predict.

In the early stages of the race, Romney was perceived as a candidate with weak opposition. From the start, his campaign has shown strength in terms of fundraising, but Romney’s initial success led Republican opponents feverishly targeting Romney and his questionable past in both business and his political role as governor.

One of the major upsets in the Romney campaign came about with his apparent unwillingness to publish his tax returns and overall financial status, something that candidates for the presidency have to do regardless at some point, which led other Republican contenders—mainly Newt Gingrich— to question his business practices, and his ability to connect with the common man. Romney did eventually succumb and release his tax returns, which shows the small amount of taxes he pays in comparison to his wealth. When questioned about this, Romney merely said he did not apologize for being successful.

Romney has always seemed detached from the American middle-class, which led some Republicans to attach themselves to former candidate Rick Perry, if only briefly. Perry’s unmistakably conservative and Christian values made him a good fit for the Republican ballot. After a series of bad performances during debates, however, he withdrew from the race.

Republicans are torn. They have a candidate who has the potential to beat Barack Obama, but who may not fully embody all of the respective values and goals of the party.

Looking ahead, the Romney campaign has potential, but it’s in no way a sure victory.

A consummate businessman, Romney has chosen to adapt to national political perspectives and worldviews instead of swimming against the current. Of course, catering to different communities and mindsets is a vital practice in a successful business; but what works in business does not necessarily work in politics, which demands a certain level of consistency from candidates. The very same perpetrator behind Romney’s loss in the 2008 elections might be behind Romney’s eventual downfall once again.

Going back to the 90s, Romney was a fiscal conservate, sure, but he also showed a surprisingly open-minded approach to reproductive and gay rights. Those views, however, changed during Romney’s time as governor, or at least they seemed to. Romney now advocates for more narrow legislation towards women’s rights, which Romney says came after an eye-opening experience with his state’s stem cell research.

Romney has called himself a conservative with progressive views. To some, this might seem like a genuine and legitimate statement, but to others it just seems convenient The timeliest example of this flip-flopping is Romney’s critical approach to Obamacare. Looking closely at his own state’s health policy, it’s impossible to miss the similarities between the two. So why did Romney condemn the Obama administration’s legislature?

Skeptics may be unsatisfied by Romney’s responses in regards to his past actions and beliefs, but his nomination as the Republican candidate in the 2012 race is quite likely unless Rick Santorum defies the odds. Unlike the 2008 race, which Romney lost early on, this race is very much centred on finding a candidate that will be to rival Obama’s effective rhetoric. And if the superfluous debates over the last few months have shown us anything, it’s that Mitt Romney might just be that guy.

When They Were Kings

By Henna Khawja

The education system attempts to share the qualities of a great leader with us; he or she embodies integrity, dedication, magnanimity, assertiveness, has a strong sense of humour and presence in the community. Some may have also learned about non-violent resistance at a young age. Now, who is the first person to come to mind?

Mahatama Gandhi, perhaps? Affectionately known in India by many as “Bapu” (father); truly, he was, and still is, the epitome of a great leader, a strong orator and advocate of non-violent resistance. With that said, January and February are both important times of the year to be reflective upon these topics, as they mark epic milestones in the Twentieth Century. How so, you say? I am glad that you asked.

To name a specific few, Gandhi, widely accepted as a forefather of non-violence, was assassinated on January 30 1948, by a Hindu Nationalist who opposed his support for the rights of Muslims in India/Pakistan, along with his movement in general. Similarly, Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) was born on January 17, 1942, the man who would win the world with his fancy feet and even fancier words. Additionally, Malcolm Shabazz al-Hajj Malik (Malcolm X) was martyred on February 21 1965, by arguable means and sources. Finally, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15,

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1929, the Preacher who mobilized millions.

Is it not amazing, that four iconic leaders of our century share anniversaries, birth and death, in January and February? Truthfully, I am by no means insinuating involvement with the Illuminati or an FBI conspiracy (will reserve those for another platform). As well, my inner Feminist recognizes that many revolutionary women exist who promoted these very ideals – another article, another time, forgive me. Essentially, I mention these me to highlight an underlining emotion that these facts should conjure in us: inspiration.

Allow me to explain. All four of these iconic men represent leadership and nonviolence. However, they also represent many other important ideals such as interfaith work, anti-oppression, creed as a unifying source, sousveillance, civil rights, democracy and the importance of community. In fact, one would be hard pressed to retrieve any academic or journalistic piece on a civil rights movement that does not mention one, if not all, of these righteous men. As well, the absolute beauty of this collection of men is that they catered to a diverse variety of people.

Between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and MLK Jr., the Western world was mesmerized by their words and actions. Muslims, Catholics, White Supremacists, journalists, government officials, artists – these three men, this trinity, were on the minds and lips of the

people. This trinity utilized media, the arts, community dialogue, Million Man Marches, religious centres, Thrilla in Manilla, university lectures and private soirées with student organizers. You name it; they used it as a platform for their cause. In a spicier region of the world, Gandhi utilized hunger strikes, legal reform, mass mobilizations, interfaith dialogue, British Colonial divestment and publicly recruited women as his colleagues in a society with various gender and socioeconomic stigmas.

These men were revolutionaries in their time, and indeed, still are. How dare we commemorate them only once in a blue moon?

In a world involving numerous American-led wars in oil-soaked lands, a time when Troy Davis can be executed without circumstantial evidence, a generation where American Representative of Homeland Security Peter (get ready for it) King can successfully facilitate Trials on the American Muslim community (read: Salem Witch Trials). We are being raised in an epoch where robots manufactured to function as soldiers are massacring communities in Pakistan, hand controlled by the American Dream; conceiving our children in an age where American states ban “racial books” (also known as literary accomplishments) from schools, while disposing and deporting entire familial generations to their motherland. A trying era, indeed; our

civil liberties are being tested, along with our intelligence, morality and love for our fellow brothers and sisters. Where is our King?

Please do not be embittered by my words, they are merely humble observations of humankind’s capacity for the ugly.

These things should shock us, because more often than holy, we are indifferent to the pain of our non-familial siblings. Only a few years ago, we sat in front of Mr. CNN as he showed us twenty-four hour live presentations of Bombs Over Baghdad. Now, we sit on the subway, latté in hand, casually viewing dismembered bodies on our smartphones, an elderly woman to the right, infant in a stroller to the left.

We need to conquer oppression with love. We must change the world, by any means necessary. We should search for our own Promised Lands. Most importantly, we must find our King who like a butterfly, will shake up the world without a mark on his face.

Henna Khawja is Ryerson Alumi, a Registered Social Worker, currently living in Montréal, and a lover of all things Revolutionary.

Insert Power to the People salute here. Please feel free to substitute all things male above with all things female. We need Revolutionary Queens, too. She can be reached at hkhawja@gmail.com.

Illustration: DonkeyHotey

Queer and comfortable in public school How TDSB is becoming more gay-friendly and what work is left to be done

By Alyssa Garrison It’s unbelievable; I’m in a high school and I feel safe being openly queer. My suburban Vancouver high school was extremely heteronormative, offering no form of support, acceptance, or queer visibility aside from the casual “that’s so gay.” This environment nurtured a struggle with depression, self-loathing and identity crises that would last long after graduation, not just for me but for many other LGBTQ youth. But the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) schools that I’m visiting are bright and cheery, each filled with colourful murals, laughter, and most importantly, posters preaching acceptance. Things are changing.

Paige Clark, 20, has also experienced the difference a few years can make. She spent her entire education in the TDSB until graduating in 2009. Clark came out as a lesbian in Grade 9. “I experienced a lot of homophobia at Don Mills during my first two years of high school. It was a sheltered area surrounded by a lot of government housing and it’s a very Christian neighbourhood. I got a lot of negative reaction. Right after I came out I was drinking with my friend and she basically said ‘don’t make out with me, I’m not gay, get away from me’ and left my house.” Support was nonexistent for Clark until she moved to Northern in Toronto’s Leeside area for Grade 11. “They have a history with a lot of gay students and clubs. I was a lot more comfortable, there was a lot less tension and I definitely made a lot more friends.” The difference Clark experienced probably also had a lot to do with a new set of teaching guidelines that were implemented right around the time she switched schools.

In 2006, the TDSB ushered in a plan that would underline not only in-class curriculum, but the entire atmosphere in Toronto’s schools. The policy guideline was titled “Challenging Heterosexism and Homophobia: A K-12 Curriculum Resource Guide.” It was published under an initiative that covers everything from racism, to classism, to sexism. It’s because of this guide that allies like Ken Jeffers, Toronto’s manager of access and diversity, now exist in schools.

He shows me into a dark classroom that’s been revamped as an office for a new TDSB department: Gender Based Violence Prevention. Jeffers says the TDSB’s revamped guide is nothing new, it’s just an updated version of a 2002 plan called “Rainbows and Triangles.” He’s familiar

PHOTO: HUANGJIAHUI via flickr

with the fear and alienation students face, having seen everything from peer-to-peer bullying, to entire schools that refuse to cooperate with policies. The entire first section of the teaching plan in question is dedicated to arguing why its material needs to be taught. It includes statistics as well, like three-quarters of LGBTQ students and 95 per cent of transgender students felt unsafe at school, compared to one-fifth of straight students according to an Egale report.

Jeffers’ desk is kid-friendly, scattered with toy gargoyles and action figures. Bookshelves include titles like Your Body is Yours, and boxes of t-shirts that say “Stop the silence on gender-based violence” are stacked to one side.

“When we talk about doing inclusive curriculum and where we want to move to in the education system, we talk about schools providing both windows and mirrors for students in their learning experiences. That’s regardless of whether they’re sitting in math class of whether they’re in gym,” Jeffers says. “By windows and mirrors I mean they see themselves reflected in the mirror, every student. The other piece is the window, to see beyond yourself, to see a world outside that is something that you can touch and you can feel and you can understand, but it might not be what’s familiar to you.”

Teaching young children about gender and sexual orientation crossed the line for some conservative parents and religious leaders. Leading the revolt was Charles McVety, an Evangelical Christian minister who founded The Institute for Canadian Values (ICV) and is one of the loudest anti-gay voice in Canada.

McVety organized the “Stop Corrupting Children” campaign, and in late September, a full-page ad ran in the National Post and the Toronto Sun featuring a wide-eyed young girl. The caption read, “Please! Don’t confuse me. I’m a girl. Don’t teach me to question if I’m a boy, transsexual, transgendered, intersexed, or two spirited.”

After a torrent of negative comments, the Post promptly apologized. The Sun, however, refused, and a video version of the ad is still circulating. McVety’s voice remains prominent in the media, especially in Christian publications like Word.ca, where he wrote, “What good does it do to indoctrinate children with hostile, caustic, explicit gender confusing material? The most common answer is to stop bullying at school. Everyone is in agreement that bullying is a scourge, but shame on those who use this real and present danger to all children as a wedge for special interest teaching.”

Although one in ten people is LGBTQ, McVety feels that equity education is catering to a small minority. He has made it clear in numerous interviews that he thinks inclusive teaching not only corrupts children, but “forces” teachers to integrate unified teaching against their will and removes censorship rights from parents.

McVety declined to be interviewed.

Lucy, 4, has yet to start public school, but her mother, Michelle Godoy, already has strong ideas about what she should and shouldn’t be learning. “I think she should learn about sexism, racism, bullying […] but not alternative lifestyles. If she is confused about her gender and other peers’ gender, she can talk to me about it,” Godoy says. “My daughter knows she is a girl. When she was about one-year-old, I would describe to her ‘that he is a boy and you are a girl,’ or ‘he wears boys clothes and you wear girls clothes.’”

Activists Chase Joynt and Alexis Mitchell however, think they should. Less than 24 hours after the National Post published the ICV’s ad, Joynt and Mitchell’s poster campaign response was spreading via Facebook and Twitter.

The poster had the same layout as ICV’s, but features a picture of Joynt, a transgender male himself, with the caption, “Please don’t

insult me! I’m Chase. Teach me to question everything!

Specifically that transgender, transsexual, intersex, and twospirited are just some of my options.” Joynt explains how they tackled some of the backlash their campaign received, “Someone [on BlogTO.com] commented kids should learn about math before they learn about gender, and that’s not what our campaign is speaking to. Our campaign is speaking to the fact that kids should be learning math and gender.” Mitchell agrees, adding, “Math isn’t what’s killing kids.”

The numbers agree: more than a third of LGBTQ youth have reported a suicide attempt.

Toronto’s high schools are headed in the right direction. Gay Straight Alliances (or GSAs) are commonplace in nearly every non-Catholic school. Once a year, these groups come together to make board-wide connections at a Unity Conference held at the 519 Community Centre. The ChurchWellesley Village floods with queer youth and their allies.

Cassy, 16, attends Oasis Alternative Secondary and giddily explains her decision to switch from a strict Catholic school to an alternative school with LGBTQ students and staff.

Kinshasa Phillpotts has a different experience at Agincourt Collegiate Institute in Scarborough. “At my school they don’t come out and say it, but everyone is very religious, and in my experience it’s not a good idea to come out or discuss sexuality. But we do have a GSA, and there’s still a group of people who are trying to create change.” Kevin, another Oasis student, adds, “I think a lot depends on the adults in the schools. If they had more accepting teachers it would be so different.” The group quickly resumes talking about the unfairness of getting carded for cigarette purchases and comparing facial piercings.

Jackson Poldrugovac is the only out gay student at his school of 706. “The whole school isn’t aware I’m out…but there’s a newspaper article coming out about me that’s a message of friendship to students who aren’t out yet, offering them a hand and support. More or less just saying I’m out, I’m here, I’m there if you need me.” Poldrugovac has also made a series of posters with images of queer love and captions like “Albus Dumbledore supports gay marriage.”

LGBTQ parents are also adding their voices. Janet Rowe is the program manager at the 519, and a parent of three, two of whom have graduated, and 2-year-old Avery, who has yet to even start school. “One of the issues for both of [my older children], and I think this will be true for Avery as well, is that the kids are forced to come out in a way about their family structure. I think that’s hard for them, always having to do that. Sometimes they just needed a break,” she says. “I would like to see Avery automatically accepted, and not have to fight for visibility as a family. And have teachers immediately address homophobic remarks or any bullying, not just targeting my child, but whenever it comes up. When you only deal with it when the child is being targeted that just targets them further.”

Luckily my experience has vastly improved since entering a university setting. Ryerson is extremely progressive, offering gender-neutral washrooms in the newer buildings, a RyePride student organization that throws parties, events, and hosts support groups, and most importantly, a multitude of classes about gender and sexuality, as well as a visible effort to integrate such material into every class. In my four years at Ryerson I’ve taken everything from Politics of Sexual Diversity to Sexuality, Identities and Society, and have been pleased to learn every class I’ve taken strives to be inclusive, and open to criticism. The safe space Ryerson has created gave me the strength to come out in my first year, something many queers need and needed in high school.

With Egale reporting “half of straight students agree that at least one part of their school is unsafe for LGBTQ students,” and queer teen suicide rates becoming increasingly public, it’s evident that my closeted high school experience was far from the worst it can get. But if TDSB schools have improved this much in the four years since I graduated, there’s no telling how much more progress they can make.

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CULTURE The sound of silence reigns supreme at retro Oscars

By Samantha Lui

“Old” was the theme of the 84th annual Academy Awards this year, honouring veteran actors and actresses while paying tribute to retro Hollywood.

But with host Billy Crystal coming back for a ninth time, the awards played it safe and, as a result, fell short.

Starting off with a wet kiss with George Clooney in the opening video montage, Crystal sang a musical number honouring the nominees, which was catchy at first but grew tiring towards the end.

With corny puns including the year’s Best Picture nominees such as: “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, that’s how my relatives are watching,” and, “So tonight, just call me War Horse,” the awards ceremony was average despite the occasional funny remark.

As predicted, Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist – a silent, black and white tribute to old Hollywood – took home the Academy’s top prize of Best Picture, repeating its winning streak along the awards circuit. The film also swept up accolades for director, actor, costume design and original score.

But the silent film wasn’t the only movie that stocked up. Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, another homage to cinema, also took home five trophies for art direction, cinematography, sound mixing, sound editing and visual effects.

Though it wasn’t all predictable at the awards ceremony. Neck and neck with fellow nominee George Clooney, who was nominated for his touching performance in The Descendants, Jean Dujardin prevailed at the very end to win Best Actor.

“I love your country!” exclaimed Dujardin as he accepted his Oscar for his portrayal of silent film star George

Valentin in The Artist. “If George Valentin could speak, he would say…Formidable! Merci beaucoup!”

In the race for Best Actress, Meryl Streep was in close competition with Viola Davis, who played maid Aibileen Clark in The Help. Streep, who portrayed British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, eventually went on to win.

“Oh, my God! Come on!” Streep said in disbelief as she accepted her third Oscar, last winning in 1983 for Sophie’s Choice. “When they called my name I had this feeling I could hear America going ‘Oh no! Why her again? But… whatever.”

It was also a particularly sweet night for Canada.

Toronto native Christopher Plummer took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Beginners, making him the oldest Academy Award winner to date at 82.

“You’re only two years older than me darling, where have you been all my life?” Plummer said to his statuette.

“When I first emerged from my mother’s womb, I was already rehearsing my Academy thank you speech.”

Octavia Spencer, meanwhile, won Best Supporting Actress for her work in The Help. Thanking her hometown state of Alabama, Spencer was speechless and in tears as she was given a standing ovation.

“Thank you Academy for putting me with the hottest guy in the room,” she said, referring to her golden trophy as she accepted her award.

But aside from the sweet victories won by filmmakers around the world, as expected, the red carpet was as vapid as ever.

With the usual nail-biting question of “Who designed your gown?!” interviewers were left praising celebrities for their valiant efforts: enduring the pain of having to wear heels all night long.

Perhaps the most interesting pre-show event was Sacha Baron Cohen, trotting onto the red carpet as General Aladeen, the leader of the fictional country Wadiya. There to promote his new film, The Dictator, Cohen was also clutching an urn he claimed held the ashes of Kim Jong-Il. “I’m wearing John Galliano but [the] socks are from K-Mart,” Cohen quipped in an interview with Ryan Seacrest.

“As Saddam Hussein once said to me, ‘Socks are socks, don’t waste money.’”

But in an accidental moment that seemed all too rehearsed, Cohen poured the ashy contents of the urn all over Seacrest’s tuxedo.

And, as far as excitement goes, it’s sad to say that was pretty much as far as it went.

With this year’s mediocre short list of best picture nominees, which neglected such critically acclaimed films as Shame, Drive and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, among others, it was obvious The Artist was going to take home the big prize.

Winning for its unique and charming qualities, no one came close to the silent film honouring old Hollywood, maybe aside from the stunningly filmed Hugo, which also paid homage to old cinema.

On top of Crystal’s turn as host, which neither pleased or displeased, the Oscars this year were passable, but not amazing.

At the AGO: And Europe Will Be Stunned

By Kelsey Rolfe Israeli director Yael Bartana’s provocative film trilogy is called And Europe Will Be Stunned. Well, Europe’s not the only one. The trilogy is currently playing at the AGO, making its first appearance ever at a major museum, and will be there until April 26.

In the first film, Nightmares (2007), a young Polish idealist with very large glasses – our protagonist and also something of a cult leader – calls for three million Jews to return to Poland so they may heal their wounds together. “We will become you and you will become us!” he says. It’s an interesting way to start the trilogy, and more than hints at post-Second World War Poland (except that, in reality, the remaining Jewish citizens in Poland – just 11 per cent of their original 3.3 million – were greeted not with warmth, but an anti-Semitic Soviet government).

The second film, Wall and Tower (2009), sees our leader, Stawek, giving physical form to his vision. A troop of fresh-faced Poles (or Jews – this was never made clear, and I’m still not sure) erect a crude-looking kibbutz (a communal settlement) in the middle of a Warsaw park, to entice Polish Jews to come home from exile. The kibbutz, oddly, includes a watchtower and is surrounded by barbed wire, which leaves the viewer with a chilling image reminiscent of the Nazi death camps that, during the war, were spread out through the Polish countryside. Wall and Tower also delivers some of the trilogy’s best camerawork; when Stawek himself arrives to deliver the flag that will hang from the top of the watchtower, a camera follows it as it passes hand-to-hand through the kibbutz and up the four-storey tower.

Assassination (2011), the third film, makes a martyr out of Stawek as he is killed by an unknown assassin. A terribly dull, drawn-out funeral is held for the leader, during which his followers vow to carry on his vision despite his death. Watching mourners drop flowers onto Stawek’s open casket, one by one, with excruciating slowness, is an embarrassingly overwrought attempt at poignancy. Assassination is the longest of the films (or, at least, it feels like it is), and the dialogue reads like a preachy PSA for combating antiSemitism.

The And Europe Will Be Stunned trilogy does, in fact, stun, but does so with its inaccessibility. There are moments of clarity or something similar to it, but they are few, far apart and fleeting. The average viewer, who probably isn’t well-versed in Jewish-Polish history and its part in the creation of Israel, will undoubtedly miss the trilogy’s intricacies, and leave the theatre utterly perplexed.

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PHOTO Courtesy Annet Gelink Gallery Amsterdam and Foksal Gallery Foundation Warsaw

Mulling over MoCCA Toronto museum shows love for Japan, spectral landscapes and video installations

By Kasia Mychajlowycz “I guess brunch is over!” says the young man behind the desk as a horde walks through the double glass doors of the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art. We are in brunch country, just shy of Ossington on Queen Street on a Sunday afternoon, and nestled between the wifi-enabled cafes and private art galleries is the MoCCA, a not-for-profit museum funded by the city that brings relevant art to us for free. And with the building recently sold, its lease up in two years and its funding square within Rob Ford’s definition of gravy, we had better learn to appreciate it before its gone.

Two installations and one traditional, hanging-on-the-wall exhibit are now on offer at MoCCA. At the entrance is “GOD Loves Japan,” by Daisuke Takeya, a compact installation you can climb, about the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan and damaged the Fukushima nuclear reactors in 2011. The title retorts Douglas Coupland’s 2001 novel, God Hates Japan (here’s the Canadian connection; despite the second “C” in the name, the MoCCA isn’t beholden to only Canada-focused art). At the foot of a red children’s slide (that you can use!), a toddler’s blue rain boot and a woman’s lone high heel are the first pieces of detritus that continue up the stairs to a platform, then up again to a wooden room strewn with papers, broken dolls and everyday objects, recreating the fields of destruction left in the wave’s deadly wake. On the

wall, in clear boxes, is the real deal. Artifacts of people’s destroyed lives taken from the wreckage and respectfully memorialized: a black umbrella handle, a block of wood, a muddy white cassette tape, a miraculously unchipped vase. Takeya’s artist statement identifies three distinct pieces within the installation, but they aren’t discrete. The overall effect is of a destroyed childhood – perhaps the cutesy culture so well known outside of and beloved within Japan – and a loss of innocence, yet again, for a nation, but with a sense that it might be this culture that, if reborn, can foster hope.

In an ongoing collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada, a smaller room at MoCCA is dedicated to visiting pieces from Ottawa’s contemporary collection. The exhibit “Spectral Landscapes” features the artists Peter Doig, Tim Gardner and Sarah Anne Johnson, but it was Johnson who stole the show. Gardner’s watercolour paintings and Doig’s etchings do, as the literature says, bring a “sense of the sheer uncanny” to the typically staid landscape, but Johnson’s manipulation of her photographs from Svarbald, Norway, in the series “Arctic Wonderland,” bring together Canadian mythology and international politics with masterfully altered photographs. In a nod (or poke) at The Arctic Circle program, an international not-for-profit that runs Arctic expeditions for artists and scientists, Johnson’s photo “Circling the Arctic” features

the artist (or at least an artist) in silhouette against a permafrost landscape, poised behind a camera atop a tripod. This could be a behind-the-scenes snapshot for National Geographic, and seems to be archetypal, but then Johnson has expertly cut dozens of perfect fine lines into the print, radiating in latitude and longitude from the camera lens, asking us if one photo can really encompass such a vast territory.

In the main gallery space, Tasman Richardson’s “Necropolis” sees how far video art installations can go. Many exhortations to “Watch your step!” and “Move slowly and only forward!” from the same man behind the desk were, as it turned out, no exaggeration. You can’t just see or view this art; once through the doors, you’re in it and there’s no way out but forward. First, you’re going up a steep black ramp dotted with old televisions, “like shells on the shore” reads the blurb on the wall, because the static broadcasting from their screens is a recording of a wave, degraded by rerecordings. But, of course, the blurb is at the end, and once you emerge, so you might be wondering what that was as you reach even ground again, just in time to see the creepy little girl from Poltergeist and Naomi Watts staring (angrily? intently?) at one another from opposite screens embedded in the walls of this very tight hallway. This piece is called “Forever Endeavour.” It really just feels like a bit of relief before you’re again on

a slope, this time in another, even narrower, hallway lit up by two projections of elliptical orbs traveling away from you, faster and faster, to a throbbing bass drowning out the first part’s static hiss. Think of warp speed in Star Trek, and don’t think of your brunch because you’ll lose it.

The hallway opens into a little black chapel, where the outline of Notre Dame Cathedral’s famous rose window is illuminated with the faces of Hollywood actors through the ages in a video projection called “Memorial.” Each face is playing the role of Joan of Arc, being consumed by the flames, in one of the many Hollywood renditions, but like Watts before, all we see is varying degrees of agony in these little close-ups.

A film buff would recognize all the faces, but suffice it to say Milla Jovovich is the outermost layer of petals. By this point, the soundtracks all blend together, and you can hear from beyond the howling wind from the footage of a snowy forest playing through a peephole in the black wall.

The last straightaway is thankfully on solid ground, with another epileptic gauntlet to run before emerging from the installation through a netted parabolic archway. Turning around and seeing the small, dark funhouse from which you’ve emerged is perhaps the most poignant part of the piece, reminding us that perspective is everything, and sometimes the best part of an experience is being able to look back and say you’ve done it.

Sheezer: Not Just Another Cover Band

By Max Mertens Like so many of the best bands do, Sheezer started out from a bored conversation between two friends. Toronto singer-songwriter Laura Barrett was driving back from Montreal in 2009 with her friend Dana Snell after playing a show at the Pop Montreal music festival.

“We were listening to Pinkerton and all of a sudden Dana said, ‘Let’s start an all-girl Weezer cover band and call ourselves Sheezer,’” recalls Barrett. “There was a party afterwards and it just sort of happened. It was all so simple.” She and Snell recruited Robin Hatch, Alysha Haugen and Magali Meagher to round out the band.

It’s a cold December afternoon and I’m sitting at The Lakeview Restaurant with Barrett, Hatch and Meagher as they go over the well-rehearsed story of how they met. Sticking to the Los Angeles power pop quartet’s earlier songbook – their 1994 debut album The Blue Album and the aforementioned Pinkerton (which came out two years later) – the five practiced a few times (Barrett learned how to play bass for the first show) and have since played a handful of Canadian shows, mostly in Ontario and Quebec.

These shows have been well attended, with dozens of Weezer fans and those simply curious turning out to hear the band’s interpretations of classic songs such as “Buddy Holly” and “My Name Is Jonas.” They even caught the attention of Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, who mentioned them in a blog post on the band’s MySpace and tweeted about them. Meagher also points out that former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp is a follower of the group on Twitter. This year, Sheezer hopes to tour the east coast of Canada and possibly the United States.

But before you write them off as just another cover band or a group of individuals living out their Rock Band karaoke fantasies, there are a few things you should know about these artists. For starters, all of the members are either accomplished solo musicians or play in other musical projects. Besides Barrett, who has released one album and accompanied The Magnetic Fields on their 2010 North American tour, the other four have played in Toronto bands including The Bicycles, By Divine Right, Henri Faberge and the Adorables, The Hidden Cameras and The Phonemes. Secondly, they aren’t looking to get rich off this project. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously,” says Meagher. “There’s an element of tongue-in-cheek to it.” This statement might explain the group’s occasional tendency to dress up as characters from Sailor Moon or in Spice Girls costumes when playing live. Adds Hatch, “The major difference between Sheezer and our other bands is that we’ll practice two days before a show.”

And while Weezer is still touring and writing new material (of varying quality depending on who you ask), the members of Sheezer have no plans to expand their repertoire any time soon. “We’ll get random people yelling out ‘Play “Pork & Beans!”’ ironically and we’ll get other people requesting ‘Hash Pipe’ and ‘Island In The Sun,’ forgetting that they aren’t on the first two albums,” says Hatch. When I ask the three if they’ve listened to Weezer’s collaboration with Lil Wayne on the song “Can’t Stop Partying” or 2010’s Hurley (named after actor PHOTO: TOM_COCHRANE via FLICKR

Jorge Garcia’s character on Lost), Barrett offers the diplomatic response, saying that it’s the older material that they feel really connected to. “Every single song is amazing,” she says. “We picked them because they have classic themes.”

Hatch adds, “What really makes that first album so special is that a song like ‘In The Garage,’ you can imagine [Cuomo] really writing that in his garage. You don’t get that same feeling from ‘Beverly Hills.’ It doesn’t have that same kind of underdog magic.”

Several days after the interview, I caught the band playing a midnight set at a sold-out New Year’s Eve show at Toronto’s El Mocambo. Famous for hosting acts like The Rolling Stones and Elvis Costello in the ’70s, Sheezer wastes no time transferring the room into a giant, sweaty dance party, complete with well-dressed hipsters dancing, singing along to every word, shouting out requests and even one reluctant female crowd surfer who was egged on by Barrett.

Dressed in “shinier clothing” for the occasion, the band cracked jokes with the audience, traded vocals and bounded around onstage. Once they finished their 45-minute set, they were given a boisterous round of applause from the crowd, as free Steamwhistle flowed and laptops were set up for the DJs that followed them. They might not be Weezer, but for that one evening, not a single person seemed to mind.

Sheezer’s Laura Barrett

Reviews

MUSIC Lana Del Rey – Born To Die

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erhaps you’ve heard of this album? The woman behind it, New York City singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey (whose real name is Lizzy Grant) has been one of the most talked about and polarizing new musicians of the past eight months, inspiring countless so-called “think pieces” about authenticity in pop music, gender politics, sexuality, etc. Riding the buzz of her first single “Video Games” and its B-side “Blue Jeans” – the video for the former has almost three million views on YouTube and counting – Del Rey performed on Saturday Night Live in January. As you also might have heard, it was a train wreck, giving her critics even more fuel. Her past missteps could be easily forgiven, though, if her debut album was any good.

Instead, Born To Die shows Del Rey as simultaneously trying to come across as seductive and emotionally vulnerable, with varying success. Like the sweeping,

string-drenched title track, many of the songs here are revamped versions that shouldn’t be new to anyone that owns a computer or has access to the Internet. “Video Games” is still a damn good pop song – a haunting reverie that manages to be nostalgiainducing without being cheesy.

“National Anthem” sees the singer come the closest to being the “gangsta Nancy Sinatra” she’s previously described herself as, name-checking Bugatti Veyrons and the Hamptons.

Unfortunately for Del Rey, her refusal to stray far from overly formulaic dream pop, results in these materialistic lyrics growing tiresome halfway through the album. When Del Rey sings about 16-year-old girls and small town boredom in “This Is What Makes Us Girls,” I can’t help but think of the midway at a summer county fair. Too bad listening to Born To Die feels like going through a funhouse: all smoke and mirrors, but little substance. — Max Mertens

Sleigh Bells – Reign Of Terror

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istening to the much-anticipated sophomore effort from Brooklyn-via-Florida noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the scene in This Is Spinal Tap where Nigel Tufnel shows off his amp that goes to eleven. It isn’t hard to picture the band’s guitarist and producer Derek Miller in the studio, rubbing his hands together like a mad scientist, yelling, “Louder!

We must go louder!” There’s absolutely nothing minimal about Reign Of Terror, which, surprisingly enough, isn’t named after a Slayer song.

Kicking off with “True Shred Guitar,” which is complete with audience cheering sound effects, the album features Miller doing his best Judas Priest impressions.

The melodies come courtesy of frontwoman Alexis Krauss, a livewire in a studded leather jacket and torn denim shorts, whose call and response lyrics and chanting on songs such as “Born To Lose” and “Comeback Kid” are infectiously catchy. When the duo takes a minute to slow things down on “End Of The Line,” you get a true sense of the collaborative approach they took when recording this album, with Krauss almost whispering the lyrics. On the album’s cover is a picture of a pair of white Keds, one shoe stained red.

It was AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott who once sang, “If you want blood, you’ve got it.” On Reign Of Terror, Sleigh Bells goes right for throats and acknowledges their stadium aspirations in the process. — MM

Various Artists – Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International

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ith over 70 acts from various genres offering their interpretations of Bob Dylan songs on four discs, Chimes of Freedom is ambitious. It’s also probably two discs more than what was necessary. Yet even if this four-CD set was completely terrible (it isn’t) or you aren’t as big a Dylan fan as myself (I was basically raised on Blonde On Blonde and Highway 61 Revisited), I would recommend you pick this up. Amnesty International is an international non-government organization whose members do incredibly important work around the world fighting campaigns for human rights. The missteps here aren’t necessarily terrible, they just seem tired and uninspired. Some of the guilty parties in this category are Jack’s Mannequin (“Mr. Tambourine Man”), Maroon 5 (“I Shall Be Released”) and K’naan (“With God On Our Side”), one of only three Canadian acts featured (Diana Krall and Silverstein are

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the other two). Not surprisingly, the musicians that fare better are those that have been around almost as long as Dylan – two highlights being Patti Smith’s somber “Drifter’s Escape” and Peter Townshend’s “Corrina, Corrina” – though Adele proves up to the challenge of taking “Make You Feel My Love” and making it her own as a soulful piano ballad. Warped Tour regulars Rise Against turning “Ballad Of Hollis Brown” into a rollicking, punk singalong is fun, and as for Ke$ha’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”? Well, you be the judge. If nothing else, this compilation should inspire plenty of heated debate as to what is the best Dylan cover of all-time (for my money, it’s Hendrix’s classic “All Along The Watchtower,” though The White Stripes’ version of “One More Cup Of Coffee” is a close second). And at only $25, Chimes of Freedom is a cheaper (and more coherent) alternative to tickets to one of the man’s recent stadium tours. — MM

STAGE

FILM

Potted Potter: A whimsical two-man show

The Poetry of Precision: The Films of Robert Bresson

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ven if you haven’t read any of the Harry Potter books, Potted Potter – The Unauthorised Harry Experience, will have you in fits of laughter over this delightful two-man show.

Now playing at Toronto’s Panasonic Theatre, this hilarious parody show attempts to cover all seven Harry Potter books in 70 minutes.

But how might a show with only two stars accomplish all of this?

Formed in 2006 by Brits Dan Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, the concept is simple: Turner plays the title role of Harry Potter, while Clarkson plays all the other characters.

And yes, that includes Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Professor Snape and Lord Voldemort.

While embarking on the ultimate challenge of recreating J.K. Rowling’s beloved series, the duo achieves this with the help of a countless number of costumes, a fun disco song, silly props and a ridiculous Quidditch match among the audience.

Intense Potterheads may first cringe that not all their favourite moments from the books will be included.

But considering it’s a parody, you’ll soon be laughing uncontrollably over this absurd and hysterically crafted show.

The high point of the play is undoubtedly the Quidditch match where the audience is divided in half to represent two teams: rival houses Gryffindor and Slytherin.

While each side of the crowd tries to score on the other team’s net, Turner (who plays Harry Potter 99 per cent of time) comes out as The Golden Snitch. The costume is so outrageously funny, that spectators will forget that they’re still competing against each other.

But in the end, it doesn’t matter who wins as audience participation and Turner and Clarkson’s witty script is what makes this show work.

For Harry Potter fans like Laura Zizek, she saw the show because she thought it would be an amusing contrast to her favourite novels.

“What made it so funny was how the two actors would break out of character and interact with the audience,” she said, noting that her favourite parts were the Quidditch match and the musical number at the end.

And even though the play doesn’t follow the books completely, Zizek said she had a great time.

“It exceeded my expectations. I had a smile on my face the whole time and laughed throughout the play.”

While it may not include flying Dementors, fire-breathing dragons or talking house elves, Potted Potter is, without doubt, a charming show for everyone. — Samantha Lui

A Man Escaped Robert Bresson’s A Man Escaped is the grandaddy of all jailbreak films. Originally released in 1956, the power and impact of this film is felt more than 50 years after its premiere.

Based on the true story of French resistance leader André Devigny’s daring escape from the Nazi-run Fort Montluc, and Bresson’s own experiences as a German P.O.W., A Man Escaped beautifully captures the power of the spirit and the innate human desire to be free.

The film follows the story of Fontaine who is locked up in a 3x2 metre cell for fighting against the German occupation of France. The first-person narrative documents Fontaine’s daily prison routine: the march of prisoners to dump their chamber pots, the covert sharing of information with others at the communal wash trough, feeding times, news of executions and thoughts of freedom.

Fontaine knows from the start he’s living on borrowed time and escape is the only option. The lack of space is beautifully conveyed by the film’s heavy reliance on close-up shots that create a sense of confinement and limited movement.

The film dissects Fontaine’s plans and preparations of escape. Every detail of how to get out is considered and every little opportunity seized. One can only marvel at his ingenuity and resourcefulness.

When the expected death sentence is finally passed, Fontaine is overcome by alternating waves of doubt, confidence, fear and hope. All the build up has led to this one moment of decision, and the final journey of escape is completely nerve rattling. It’s simply brilliant storytelling in the hands of a master working without any technical gimmicks. Just remind yourself from time to time to keep breathing.

The Golden Dragon

L’Argent “Oh, money, visible God, what wouldn’t we do for you?” This simple sentence distils the essence and complexity of Bresson’s stripped-down but multilayered film, L’Argent.

The film starts with two teenagers using a counterfeit bill to buy some things from a photo shop. From this petty crime, Bresson weaves a taut and tragic story of how cheaply some people sell their morals, and, more importantly, their souls, for a handful of dollars.

The shop owner subsequently passes the fake bills and bad karma on to Yvon, a regular blue-collar guy, who pumps heating oil for a living. Unaware the money is counterfeit, Yvon tries to use the bills to pay for his dinner after work. The restaurant owner immediately spots the bills and calls Yvon a conman.

Angered by the false accusation, Yvon attacks the restaurant owner. The police are called and so begins Yvon’s downward spiral where he slowly loses everything he loves.

The film explores the deadly consequences of a society where values are placed more on unrestrained capitalism and individualism than on ethical or moral principles.

Though it was made almost 30 years ago, L’Argent is perhaps more relevant today during this time of economic crisis triggered in part by excessive greed. It’s a challenging film to watch, but like anything worthwhile, the hardest things to understand often require the greatest investment of thought.

his January and February, a distinct cast of five performed The Golden Dragon, a 90-minute one-act play at Tarragon Theatre. The fast-paced script features five interconnected stories based around a Thai/Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant.

A young Chinese immigrant and chef suffers from a terrible toothache in the kitchen as two flight attendants visit the restaurant, and in the apartments above, a marriage disintegrates and a young woman reveals she is pregnant. All the while, an old Aesop’s fable involving a grasshopper and an ant unfolds.

During the play, an older man plays the young blonde flight attendant, a young man enacts the starving female grasshopper and a bearded man takes on the woman in a red dress who leaves her husband. As such, Roland Schimmelpfennig, Germany’s most-produced playwright, defies gender, age and racial stereotypes in his untraditional body of work: The Golden Dragon is a thought-provoking piece that engages the imagination.

The play runs by its own set of rules. Schimmelpfennig experiments with typical script conventions, having characters narrate each “short pause” and “laugh.” This method helps paint a scene but also breaks the fourth wall again and again, drawing attention to the usually invisible format of the play.

The familiar Aesop’s fable threaded throughout the 90 minutes begins with a grasshopper who sings her time away as an ant collects food for winter. The ant who turns a cold shoulder to the grasshopper in the original tale is twisted into an abusive villain who makes the grasshopper pay for her laziness.

The immigrant experience is not just captured but also examined with the young boy’s journey in a country where he is unnoticed. Anusree Roy delivers a lively performance as the illegal immigrant with the toothache, and as the Barbie lover, the boyfriend of the blonde flight attendant. David Fox plays the blonde, in a very convincingly youthful performance for a 70-year-old actor. Lili Francks, labelled as “A Woman Over Sixty,” takes on a handful of actors that all seem to blend together and Tony Nappo, as “A Man,” plays a few smaller parts.

David Yee enacts a compelling heartbroken grasshopper and humorous female cook.

A familiar pattern smoothes the transition between over a dozen characters and multiple locations. In the kitchen, cloudy baby powder and bell dings are common, with the announcement of each complete meal. Tearful music defines each Aesop’s fable scene. This repetition makes complicated scene changes easy to follow.

A wooden platform placed in the middle of the stage turns out to be extremely useful, functioning as an elevated platform, a countertop for the chefs and a storage cabinet for the few props and costumes used. It does serve as an obstruction for the actors at times, making it difficult for them to project out to the audience seated on opposite sides of the room.

The Golden Dragon is a story of one tooth that expands into the story of a whole building. It will delight, disgust and make you think twice before ordering Thai soup again. — Davida Ander

Lancelot du Lac What are the limits of love? This is the question Bresson explores in his film Lancelot du Lac (Lancelot of the Lake).

Set against the backdrop of Camelot, the films focuses on the illicit relationship between Lancelot and Guinevere during the final days of the Knights of the Round Table.

Lancelot has just returned home from a disastrous two-year quest to find the Holy Grail. Though still married to King Arthur, Guinevere has been anxiously awaiting Lancelot’s return so they can pick up where they left off.

But things are different now. Still the biggest and toughest knight in the land, Lancelot isn’t quite the same man he used to be. He’s become more withdrawn and silent. He tells Guinevere he blames the disastrous quest on his infidelity to God and to Arthur, and he asks her to release him from being her lover. Guinevere refuses and Lancelot battles with the temptation to be with her despite his nobler instincts.

The struggle between emotion and reason and between pride and humility are central themes of this film. There is no such thing as love without consequences, as Lancelot and Guinevere discover when they decide they must be together. Everything, even love, comes at a cost. Guinevere eventually comes to this realization, as does Lancelot, though not until reaching the point when it’s too late to go back to the way things used to be.

The film strips away the myth surrounding traditional ideals of chivalry and honour to reveal the human ambitions and frailties that exist behind the iron skin. These are real people, dealing with the human emotions and desires that each of us navigate on a daily basis.

The Poetry of Precision: The Films of Robert Bresson will be screening at the TIFF Bell Lightbox until March 30. — Ottavio Cicconi

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Ryerson Free Press March 2012 15

CESAR GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Become a CESAR Political Member

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Wednesday, March 21, 2012 4:30PM Registration, 5:00 PM Start time Thomas Lounge, 55 Gould Street

Annual General Meeting (AGM) Wednesday, April 4, 2012 4:30PM Registration, 5:00 PM Start time Thomas Lounge, 55 Gould Street RSVP attendance:

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