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travis contributors
volume four – issue one – september 2009
PUBLISHING Publisher
EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief
DESIGN Creative Director
Sheridan Student Union Inc. www.sheridanstudentunion.com
Ryan Bolton ryan.bolton@sheridanc.on.ca
Steve Sills stephen.sills1@sheridanc.on.ca
PRINTING HOUSE Chris Beetham
Editor at Large
Designers
Ryan Kelly ryan.kelly2@sheridanc.on.ca
Steve Sills Mike Luciani Holly Doucette Tyler Doupe Palina Klimava
ADVERTISING & SALES Sales Team Steve Sills Hassan Al-Ghareib Jackie Tiffin Chuck Erman Ofelia Stefaniuk
Writers Ryan Bolton Michael Burton Laura Busch Blake Dillon Tyler Doupe Ryan Kelly
Special Thanks To...
Rob Till and Student Services, Jim Flack and his Sheridan Athletics staff, all of our contributors, Cool Hunters, Williams Coffee, Conspiracy Comics, Imperial Hosting, Best Break Tours, Deep Beauty Salon, Mammas Pizza
CONTRIBUTORS
Marco Payelo - Music Reviews
Tahir Khan - Health & Nutrition Specialist
Eden Periera - Photographer
Having been raised through the ‘90s, I was hardly that child who would head bang or air-guitar to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” but a supporter of the child-anthem mainstream music era – which featured ‘Mmm-Bop’ lyricists, Hanson, and Will Smith’s extraterrestrial dance number “Men In Black.” When I was 11-years-old, I attempted to escape from that genre bubble and purchase – with my first allowance payment – Wu-Tang Clan’s “The W.” But, of course, once I began reciting lines like, “That’s right motherf@#$%* don’t hold me” I got quite the ear-pull and was forced to exchange it for Prozakk’s “Saturday People.” Hardly a good trade. But here I am today still listening.
Tahir Khan is a graduate of the athletic therapy program at Sheridan College and the campus recreation and fitness coordinator at the Davis Campus. He is a former member of the varsity basketball team and was the athletic therapist during the team’s run to the national final in 2006. He previously worked at the YMCA for seven years and aplies his trade as a member of Canada Basketball’s medical staff during international tournaments.
Eden Periera is a graduate of the Applied Photography program at Sheridan and is currently working as a freelance photographer (go ahead, hire her.) Last year she was a mainstay on the TRAVIS staff, lending her talent and camera lens to just about every issue. Her portrait of Sheridan’s Dean of Student Services, Rob Till, can be seen on page 16. It’s a wicked close up, and that’s why we called in Eden to lend her lens once again.
To contribute to TRAVIS please e-mail stephen.sills1@sheridanc.on.ca
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foreshadowing
contents issue one
Make sure to follow us on the world wide web at www.travismag.com or on that stupid twitter site at www.twitter.com/travismag. Please understand if you follow us we will stock you. No joke.
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OUR COVER: THE STILLS PHOTOGRAPHY BY: DANIEL CIANFARRA DESIGN BY: HOLLY DOUCETTE
“GADGETS=GOOGLE PHONES” by various writers
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“WORDS ABOUT CULTURE”
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“STILL LIFE WITH THE STILLS”
36
“HEALTH AND NUTRITION”
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15 MINUTES
38
“ON-GOING STORY”
16
“WHO THE HELL IS ROB TILL?”
by ryan bolton
by tahir khan
by ryan bolton
by ryan bolton
by ryan bolton and ryan kelly
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FASHION AGAINST AIDS H&M teams up with the celebs
by ryan kelly
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editor’s rant
editor’s rant intro diatribe
photography by steve sills
E
follow ryan on twitter at: twitter.com/travismag
Just In Case You Didn’t Know 1. soap-box [sohp-boks] -noun an improvised platform, from which a speaker delivers an informal speech, an appeal, or political harangue 2. di-a-tribe [dahy-uh-trahyb] -noun a bitter, sharply abusive, attack, or criticism
very time I pick up a magazine, I jump to the editor’s letter. I might ogle the model plastered on the cover for a nanosecond, but first things first: the editor-in-chief’s soapbox. I see it as an inside portal to the magazine and, more importantly, to the mind of the person running the show. Just by reading the editor’s introductory diatribe, you can usually ascertain the tone, writing style, story content and general level of sophistication the magazine carries. Not to mention if the publication is going to carry photos of semi-clad models. And from there I decide if the magazine is worth my time. So read on Sheridan neophytes. Maybe those ten of you that are consuming this note will find solace in TRAVIS. Or at least a shoddy explanation about the magazine. Before anyone on campus tells you otherwise, we are cool. Sheridan loves this magazine. Not a day passes where a student doesn’t drop by the Student Union offices asking for the next issue. Well, this would be true if the entire student population was composed of 13 kids that are into subpar illustrations. And jokes about underwear. Alas, we’re simply the school’s culture magazine lapping up all things entertainment, fashion, student-related, artistic, societal, worldly, philosophical, and, of course, childish. We’re proud to be an alternative voice on campus. As the demise of print rears its ugly head, we will continue to stand steadfast as the only award-winning Student Union-supported magazine in the country. The Sheridan Student Union, in fact, believes in our role. We just see magazines as the doorway into a laboured-over world filled with pictures, words and illustrations. But more than this, the more ethereal, is that feeling of comfort, sheer enjoyment and absolute fulfillment that a magazine delivers. That feeling, at least for yours truly, is not touched by the Internet. The Internet is just too vast. But a magazine is a honed structure that works as a collective sculpture. Like Michelangelo’s David, hours upon hours are devoted to chisel out a collective art piece that will move the viewer. (That’s right, I compared an ancient masterpiece to magazines. To-mate-oes, to-MAT-oes.) Almost the same way that a CD (or iTunes list) delivers a new world of collective taste. It suits a certain person, or mood, or day at the beach. But trust us, as long as you continue to devour this publication, well, we just see that as purpose to keep throwing it back at you. So what do you say, let’s keep the cycle running. Now, as you finish reading this, I understand if you don’t want to continue flipping through the magazine. Then again, there are lots of words in here, and frankly, who reads anymore? I understand. Maybe just take a peek at all the nice pictures and illustrations. But if you choose to toss this collection of pictures and words out, it’s just that the other guys running the magazine will be sad. And I’m placing that guilt on you.
Later days,
3. ne-o-phytes [nee-uh-fahyt] -noun a beginner or novice 4. sol-ace [sol-is] -noun something that gives comfort, consolation, or relief
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media
sound check
music reviews
Regina Spektor
Sights & Sounds
Far
Monolith
She’s quirky. Über-talented. Funny. And critically acclaimed as a singer-songwriter for our strange times. And better yet, Regina Spektor’s fifth studio album, Far, smacks with clear signs of her best work. It successfully fuses that sweet, original voice with pop, folk and jazz influences. Actually, each song sort of takes on its own musical style and composure. Now, if that’s not creativity, what is? But to actually make it work is something else. Give her a listen; her lyrics and eccentric way of saying them (she likes to take on personas and accents) will sit with you for days to come. R.B.
Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid fame fronts Sights & Sounds’ new record, Monolith. And let me tell you, nobody was expecting this. But it’s a masterpiece. A collection of explosive, powerful and memorable tracks that will make you want to jump out of your seat, your car and your toilet. The album itself walks listeners through emotional stages into one of the biggest sounding records of the year. Fusing elements of relaxed ambience and rhythm, this album is dream-like, yet still maintains the hooks and catches that tend to stick to the back of your skull. M.B.
The Dead Weather
Asher Roth Asleep In The Bread Aisle
Horehound
Okay, let’s forget the harsh/modern blues of The Raconteurs and the tempered garage soul of The White Stripes, here Jack White is just reckless. Taken away from the lead role, he lurks in the shadows of The Kills’ lead singer Alison Mosshart’s snarling, crooning, and sighing. Shaken by Dean Fertita’s (Queens of the Stone Age) hypnotic guitar and organ grooves; and choked by Jack Lawrence’s (The Raconteurs) gripping bass lines. White kicks his boot through cymbal and snare on his first shift behind the kit creating earth quaking beats. Despite the thrilling line-up this project has, Mosshart’s vocals are the main attraction, displaying all the charisma she has in The Kills but in a far darker direction. M.P.
scrap it
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myspace it
download it
Dubbed as ‘The New Eminem’, maybe because he sounds a lot like him, the level of hype surrounding Asher Roth is surprising, since he’s the McLovin’ of MCs. A normal, middle-class suburban white kid who’s high on hip-hop, weed, girls, booze, and parties... and girls. C’mon haven’t you heard the “I Love College” song? The content illustrates what we all currently live for, cheap beer, beer pong and getting shit-faced with your friends. Aside from listening to tracks about Roth’s charming life as a frat boy, he strikes us with another surprise, a good album. The effortlessly cool beats, hooky choruses, and above all, his witty, super-fast flow that genuinely make Roth a talented star. Hey, Eminem maybe you should have went to college or finished high school, in your case. M.P.
buy it
Noah and the Whale The First Days of Spring
This band is going to get big. Trust me. Big. And if they don’t, well, like every great artist/band/writer/deep water diver that dissipated unnoticed into the ether, so will Noah and the Whale. But let’s hope that this gem doesn’t. Folk music is great at sticking to the insides of your cranium with its sing along-ability. And these guys exemplify that. While you’re studying, driving in your Jeep or taking a bike ride, this band and their happysad songs is apt. They just sit with you and coo in your ear. And if listening to “Give a Little Love” doesn’t move you, then we have bigger issues at hand. R.B.
The Most Serene Republic ...And The Ever Expanding Universe
Queue the horns. Swelling. Bring in the piano melody. And now the rest of the bad. Perfection. “…And The Ever Expanding Universe” is a truly another gorgeous sounding album. The albums expansive arrangements simply pile on, producing songs that rise and fall with requisite grace. If you’re familiar with TMSR’s previous albums – Population and Underwater Cinematographer – that isn’t anything surprising. Safe to say there hasn’t been any significant change between all three albums. The arrangers and instrumentalists definitely proved they could produce a balance between twilight melodies and spontaneous percussion noises. It’s the instrumentals that stifle the vocals leaving the latter distorted and sounding underproduced. M.P.
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media
literature love reading is cooler than tv
Sloane Crosley
David Sedaris
I Was Told There’d Be Cake $14.99
When You Are Engulfed in Flames $19.99
It’s simple: She’s freakin’ hilarious. The young Crosley is all-knowing in her tell-tale life of strange New York living. She’s wickedly honest, but sympathetic to her self-deprecating cause. The young scribe, who works as a book publicist – hmm, I wonder how she got a book deal, oh, because she’s talented – is brave in her essays, but also insightful. It’s a strange, yet beautiful combination. And better still, it works. You know when reviewers too liberally use the words “it’s a page turner,” well; this one actually applies for once. And if you want a sampling, some of her work has appeared in The Village Voice and Salon.com. R.B.
There’s something about the dark, witty humour of David Sedaris. The man has been pumping out collections of essays at an insurmountable clip, each as clever, thoughtful and honest as its predecessor. If not more so. His latest collection, which is plastered with an early Van Gogh painting entitled, “Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette,” varies with content from going to Hiroshima, Japan so he can quit smoking to talking about his affixation with dead bodies. Sedaris is nothing if not diverse in his material. It’s all dry, definitely hilarious and if you catch the Sedaris bug, there are enough of his essays out there that you can never get enough. I’ve tried. R.B.
Spacing Magazine $15 For A One Year Subcsription, 3 Issues www.spacing.ca We just recently stumbled upon this magazine. And you know those times that you find something that you’re proud about discovering, yeah, this is one of those times. The Torontocentric magazine, which is published three times a year, focuses on urban spaces and those that fill it (us). But something to take note of is the wide acclaim Spacing has acquired in its six years of being. Having been given props by everyone in the business, it was in 2005 that Spacing, just two years old, won the 2005 National Magazine Award for Best Editorial Package. And better yet, this year they were put on the short list for Best Canadian Magazine. The magazine also hosts two successful blogs – Spacing Toronto and Spacing Montreal – which provides commentary and insight on urban issues in the respective cities. When you’re done with TRAVIS, scope them out. R.B.
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media
teasers film previews
Creation
Sugar
creationthemovie.com releases 25.09.09
sonypictures.com releases 03.04.09
In the history of the Toronto International Film Festival, there are a precious few non-Canadian projects to serve as the kick-off event. But this Charles Darwin biopic (yeah, the evolution guy) was chosen to make its world premiere during TIFF’s 2009 opening night gala. Starring Paul Bettany as Darwin, Creation will tell the tale of his theory of evolution but also how his forward thinking affected a 19th century English village and his own marriage. R.K.
So let’s pretend you’re making a film where your protagonist is a Dominican baseball player. How do you determine who will play your leading man? If you’re mainstream Hollywood, you cast Mario Lopez; authenticity be damned. But if you’re Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden – the writing/directing team on this project – you travel to the Dominican Republic and scour playgrounds in search of the only person who can give your film the accuracy you crave – a Dominican baseball player. R.K.
waste time games you should own
Super Mario Galaxy Wii $49.99
Here is the game that Wii owners have been pining for, a game that has tons of appeal for both the less experienced player and the longtime gamer. A game that deftly combines accessibility and challenge, all wrapped up in a package that’s both deep and addictive. Super Mario Galaxy is all of this and more. It is simultaneously one of Mario’s best adventures and a game that doesn’t require fandom of the portly plumber’s previous engagements to appreciate. The sheer quality of Mario Galaxy’s wonderful level designs, tight controls, and brilliant presentation is the sort of thing that just about anyone who loves gaming should be able to appreciate, and that many will fall head-over-heels for. S.S.
InFamous PS3 $69.99
Will you become a noble hero, striving to bring peace to a city in ruins? Or will you lash out in anger, crushing the weak humans who are no longer your equals? In Infamous, the choice is yours. These moral dilemmas intertwine your fate with that of the city, but it’s the amazing freedom that makes this experience so incredible. From unleashing electrical blasts to corral your enemies, to scaling the highest skyscrapers with finesse and ease, Infamous lets you seamlessly control the powered-up hero you’ve always wanted to be. The buggy visuals and gameplay glitches can’t quite live up to the excellent action, but the overall experience crushes these small problems like so many petty criminals. It’s not easy being a superhero, but it is an absolute blast. S.S.
Grand Theft Auto IV Xbo 360 $49.99
You already know what Grand Theft Auto IV is. You know, your friends know, your family knows, and that random guy walking down the street knows. For better or worse, GTA4 ranked among the most eagerly-anticipated games of all time, and when it finally came out, it did so with a bang that singed mainstream media’s eyebrows. Some call it the Godfather of gaming, others call it trash. Most who have played it can agree that it’s a seminal experience. Put your hands together for Rockstar, because it doesn’t matter what you have or haven’t heard: This game simply must be played. S.S.
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media
techno-cal gadgets worth chatting about
GOOGLE PHONE This is the G1, the new Google phone - or as we at TRAVIS like to call it, “the iPhone Killer.” The G1 is one of the most anticipated gadgets to hit our techno-hungry world in the last few years. The GI has been designed so you can have the Google ‘It’ search experience on your phone. It has several impressive features such as a motion sensor, which allows users to navigate Google Maps just by turning the phone. The sleek-looking handset features a 3.2 inch touch screen and slide-out qwerty keyboard, so it slips easily between the two functions withouth one crowding the other. Google has basically created a laptop phone and for more information about the G1, well, Google it. 10 travismag.com
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media
SKYPE PHONE The desktop Skype phone (no computer needed) is a wireless digital frame that actually looks nice and streams images straight from your computer. Because fussing around with memory cards is not such a fun thing to do. Another sweet feature is the built-in search function, which allows you to search and display images straight from Flickr and content from RSS streams.
NOKIA MORPHING PHONE Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Nokia Research Center are working rigorously to launch the first cellular device that operates on nanotechnology. This concept phone is known as the Morph, and it is expected to live up to its name by morphing the landscape of mobile phones. This phone is expected to have the capability to bend, twist and fold into drastically different shapes and sizes. Wrap it around your wrist and wear it as a bracelet, curve it around your ear and use it as a headset, or even flatten it like a credit card and slide it into your wallet – the choice is yours with the Morph. Don’t, however, expect to hop into a preorder line anytime soon, as Nokia expects that the Morph is about seven years from hitting the shelves.
miSHARE One of the biggest problems that people have with iPods is that unless you have a diploma in hacking, it is extremely difficult to share your tunes, especially without getting a computer involved. That is, of course, until now. Want the latest album from your friends’ iPod? Simply connect both iPods to the miShare unit, press the button and away you go. It’s kind of like swapping football cards in the playground, although much cooler. The catch, though, is that this sweet device is yet to be compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch, but soon to be remedied our sources tell us.
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sheridan college
Fire Road
Ceremonial Drive
FIRST AND FOREMOST, we would like to welcome each and every one of you to Sheridan. For some, you are returning to finish up your studies and for others this is your first experience and taste of college life. Don’t be afraid. Just breathe, count to 10 and relax those tense muscles. Be assured that we are here to help. Sheridan College is a place where curious minds roam free, where dreams and aspirations are fulfilled and where great friendships are built. There are various opportunities to be had. Whether it’s an opportunity to be part of the two time championship-winning women’s basketball team, volunteering with the student advisement centre or becoming a member of the Student Union (SU). Whichever you decide, we encourage you to get involved in your school. This year has been coined the year of innovation and change. The SU is offering more to better meet your needs, starting with the reinvention of the Sheridan Student Union logo and slogan. The new SU logo represents strength, stability, change and hope, all of which, we, as a corporation, strive to represent. The Sheridan Student Union is always striving for new and effective ways to make college life easier. Currently, we offer service
outlets such as The Fuse, an information kiosk at Davis; The Wire, our tech-savvy website where you can socialize, comment, ask questions and seek employment; the student handbook; a food bank; paralegal services and much more. So come drop by our offices and let’s chat about you, the student. Because we want to make your experience at Sheridan a memorable one. Really, it comes down to a couple simple questions. What do you want your Student Union to do for you? What can you do for your Student Union? And what can we both do together to ensure that we engage, inform and empower each other? Get to know your Sheridan Student Union, as we will take great pleasure in getting to know you.
Sparkle Grant – Co-president, Davis vp.ssuidavis@sheridanc.on.ca
Trafalgar Road
A LETTER FROM YOUR STUDENT PRESIDENTS
Sincerely,
Crystal Bennett – Co-president, Trafalgar vp.ssuitrc@sheridanc.on.ca photographs by matt grossi
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sheridan college
Main Entrance Bus Terminal Cafeteria
Re
si
de
nc
e
Coffee Bookstore ATM
Security Parking
Computer Lab Library Copy Centre
G Wing
C Wing
E Wing
S Wing (SCAET) Daycare Centre
Cafeteria B Wing J Wing
Student Union D Wing
K Wing
H
Wi
ng
Animation Centre
Main Entrance
Grounds
A Wing
AA Wing
Annie Smith White
trafalgar 1
2
Athletics Centre
lvd. Oaks B
3
1. S Wing (SCAET), Residence 2. Cafeteria 3. Learning Commons
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sheridan college
Legend Main Entrance Bus Terminal Cafeteria
Coffee Bookstore ATM
Computer Lab Library Copy Centre
Security Parking
Peel Region Child Care
Student Residence
C Wing
Annex Building
Gym
Learning Commons
Main Entrance
B Wing
Centre for Healthy Communities (CHC)
Student Union
McLaughlin Building
davis 1
2
3
1. Gymnasium 2. Cafeteria 3. CHC Building
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sheridan college
sheridan’s facebook welcome to the wire, sheridan by michael burton
Y
ou tweet, you update, you text, and now you can connect with other Sheridan students outside the classroom. If your not sure about how to integrate yourself into Sheridan culture, the Sheridan Student Union introduces The Wire. Think of it as an exclusive Facebook just for Sheridan students, only better. I had a few problems during my first week at Sheridan. My forgetful nature would often take over and I’d find myself in the wrong classroom, breaking out into a cold sweat. But I think a challenge that many first years face is making new friends and integrating into college life. The task can seem daunting, even intimidating. Let’s face it: The world is changing. Your mom isn’t right anymore when she says that girls like combed hair and high-rise pants. As for your dad’s two-step that won her over in the twelfth grade, well, that doesn’t work either. What is really changing is how we communicate with one another. To hell with asking a girl for her phone number, we’ll just add that cutie to Facebook. And what about approaching people and introducing yourself? Let’s be honest, that’s out of the question. Socializing behind a computer screen is so much easier, and efficient. The Wire is the solution to bringing every single Sheridan student together under one virtual roof. Students have the ability to create an online profile, add friends, chat on forums and upload photos. The Wire also allows its members to view photos from Sheridan events and pub nights, cruise the new issue of TRAVIS (obviously) and hit up employment opportunities. “The Wire is the social medium for students to connect and enhance the community experience of student life,” says Stephen Sills, the Student Union Creative Services Manager and man behind The Wire. Feeling a little shy during your first week at Sheridan? You’re not alone. Introduce yourself on the ‘new student’ forums and make new friends outside of your program, at the other campus even. Use the forums to ask your fellow students
about certain classes, teachers, food, and where the best places in town to shop are. “The more and more we know about the students the more we can improve things,” Sills explained. “We’re not here to exist, we want to make a difference and be influential. We want to make community information more accessible to students and really be that one-stop shop of a website for students.” The Wire will help students keep up to date with all the upcoming Student Union events and concerts at Connexion and the Rec. Room. Sheridan can also take advantage of the many services offered by the Student Union such as off campus housing searches, paralegal advice and the food bank. This is just another way your Student Union is working for you. Responding and evolving to the quick-paced Sheridan culture, where information is available and constantly changing. It’s just staying current. Sheridan students are thriving on connectivity and we demand more from technology everyday. The Wire is the only Canadian student union website of its kind and it is here just for you in September 2009. Go ahead and log onto The Wire during class. Do it. Chances are half your class is already online. This is it Sheridan, you are not alone and there are thousands of students just like you. Lonely, scared, worried, and wanting to meet new and exciting people to share this school year with. So put down this magazine and head over to sheridanstudentunion.com and click ‘The Wire’ to set-up your profile. And why not? You’re already on Facebook.
The Wire is the only Canadian Student Union website of its kind
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sheridan college
who the hell is rob till?
why this man matters to you
photograph by eden pereira
by ryan kelly
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Meet Rob Till, Sheridan’s dean of student services. He’s worked here for 35 years and held his current job, or some variation of it, since 1982. His greatest asset – aside from his dry and occasionally sarcastic wit – is his unrelenting fervour for championing the causes of Sheridan students. Simply put, there is no student on a Sheridan campus for whom Till wouldn’t advocate. travis recently sat down with the man many consider to be the most-important-personon-campus-you-don’tactually-know to learn a little more about him and what he does.
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sheridan college
travis
Dean Till
Who is Rob Till?
I am the dean of students at Sheridan, have been here for 35 years, and am still passionate about what I do. I think I do my job well because I never stopped listening and my focus has always been on the quality of student life at the college and student success and helping students get where they want to go. Sometimes it’s through the system – once in a while it’s in spite of the system – but I think almost every student I’ve dealt with [has had] a fair shot at anything and gets all the help that I provide.
You’ve managed to maintain your level of passion for 35 years here. What is it specifically that has allowedyou to do that?
I guess I’m passionate about the students. I’m passionate that I want to help make their lives here as high of quality as possible. I want to ensure that every student in the building gets a fair break and I think I’ve helped in doing that. I obviously don’t see every student in the building, but there are ins and outs and ups and downs in everybody’s life and when they need help, whether it’s me or anybody in our service area, I think we do our best to get them where they want to go.
There are two key events on the calendar that stand out above all else for students here – orientation when they begin their careers and convocation when they finish it. How do you bridge the gap seeing these students when they first come in to when they walk out the doors?
When they first come in there’s a huge adjustment whether they’re coming straight out of high school, sometimes they’re new Canadians, sometimes mature students. It’s very scary and if we don’t remember – we should – that it’s frightening for any student to walk through the door, even though I think our orientation program is excellent and gets better every year. It’s a lot of pizzazz and then they have to adjust to college life, so we don’t stop there – it’s a starting position. I think we do a good job at the start and then we have a lot of programs and with the new student retention program as well, we’re finding new ways to make contact with them, to get them connected. The more students that can connect, the better shot they’ve got at finding their way through, making whatever changes they need and graduating. So you go to the other end and I send out an e-mail to my whole staff just before convocation, saying basically, ‘I hope everybody gets to at least one [convocation ceremony] because it’s important to understand that all of our efforts sort of come to convocation.’ If we can see a lot of these people cross the stage and graduate, and we know we’ve had something to do with some of them – not all of them, but some of them crossing the stage – because we’ve helped them in the career centre, in co-op, in counseling and disabilities, athletics for sure, then we should be smiling all the way. The same way we’re smiling when they walk in the door, but it’s more than smiling, it’s making contact.
How important has some sort of balance between your career and your personal life been in your success?
Absolute. I guess I’ve had the ability, for the most part, to go home and turn this off. Yes, I work long hours and so do a lot of other people, but a lot of other people can’t get it out of their system. My family is very important to me – the most important thing – and I’ve always been able to balance, whether it was playing with my kids – now certainly my granddaughter – or playing golf with friends, it’s all very important. My wife’s kept a balance with me by listening to my woes when I go home, but I don’t talk about work a lot. Once in a while I’ll talk about frustrations, once in a while I’ll talk about nice things, but we both know – because she’s a professional like I am – to leave it at the door. And if you can leave it at the door, for the most part, I’m pretty good at it. What I would try to envision for any student that comes through this building is a balance. Academics are number one. If you get off to a tough start, we have people who can help you, but you have to ask for the help. Having said that, it is very, very important to get involved. Whether it’s in athletics or student government, or clubs, or organizations, or volunteers, it’s a part of who you are. It became part of who I was because it helped formulate my career and working in student government or working as a Peer Mentor, or as a STAR member it helps formulate who you are as long as you keep the balance. So you can do everything else, but remember the number one reason you’re here is to get yourself an education so you can have a really good shot at a career.
I want to make their lives here as high of quality as possible
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sheridan college
this month events at sheridan
september 9
september 11
september 16
Dave Curran
the stills
Tony Lee
Noon
8:00 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
The Bad Boy of Hypnosis, David Curran will be live at the Rec. Room Wednesday, September 9, at 12 p.m. One of the hottest new hypnotists on the scene that will have you laughin’ throughout the whole show. It is a free all ages show, so get there early. Seriosuly, get there early.
Hot off the success of their double Juno winning album Oceans Will Rise, The Stills and their Arts & Crafts labelmates, the Constantines, will be blowing the doors off Connexion Friday, September 11. If you’ve never been to a Student Union concert, this is the one to start with.
The XXX hypnotist is a legend at Sheridan, and an icon for Canadian Colleges and Universities, it is the must see show of the first semester. The show will have you laughing from the start and wanting more by the end. Tickets are $8 and available at Connexion in the student centre. FYI: Things might get a little naughty.
september 16, 17
september 17, 18
september 29
Rec. Room
funny money
Connexion
pub night
Connexion, Rec. Room
Connexion, Rec. Room
Stand-up comedian James Cunningham delivers Funny Money, the award-wining FUN-ancial seminar. A dynamic, hour long multi-media presentation that will not only teach you the basics of personal finances, but also leave you rolling in the aisles. Or on the floor.
MTV is going to be live at Sheridan hosting pub night. They are bringing the film crew, Paul “The Intern”, and a live performance by... check out www.sheridanstudentunion. com to find out who is performing live. This is your chance to be on MTV. Or to meet the hosts.
Noon
9:00 p.m.
Connexion
open mic
Davis Residence 5:00 p.m.
Back by popular demand, Open Mic at Davis residence. See students performing poetry, stand up comedy, acoustic, free style and a nightly headliner. Supper is provided by residence. This is an all ages event where you can see some of the great talent at Sheridan.
check out the full schedule at sheridanstudentunion.com
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sheridan college
things you should do before you graduate by laura busch Here are a few things we think you should probably experience between now and the day you write your last exam at Sheridan. Some you probably shouldn’t, but heck, you’re young enough. We have all seen the college frat movies, but here’s a realistic list. They say these are going to be the best years of your life or something like that, so let’s let our hair down a bit.
Procrastinate on a major assignment so much that you find yourself sitting in some obscure part of the school at 5 a.m. because you only have four hours left until the deadline. You’re also praying that Tim Hortons opens early.
Step up on a group assignment and carry more than your share of the workload. This is also a good way to make friends.
Meet someone you will eventually stand at the altar with. Or at least have in your bridal shower.
Have drinks at a campus bar after an exam with some people in your program instead of studying for the next one later that afternoon. Get pampered by the esthetics students. They have a spa called Touch of Esthetics in C215 and everything there is a fraction of the price it would be anywhere else. Likewise for getting a massage.
See a Humber Vs. Sheridan basketball game. Because we will always be better than them and we should let them know it. Bring body paint.
Work a part-time job. It will make you better at multitasking and will line your pocket a little. Heaven knows we all need it.
Join some kind of club/intramural sports team/whatever. Just get yourself out there on campus.
Check out a campus concert. Or just grab drinks with Tony Lee XXX Hypnotist at Monaghan’s Pub after his show. It’s good times.
Take a trip on reading week. It doesn’t matter if it’s to Muskoka or Cancun, the important thing is that the aim of the entire week has absolutely nothing to do with reading. Well, maybe a little TRAVIS reading.
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sheridan college
fifteen minutes of student fame
trevor bodogh by ryan bolton
T
revor Bodogh’s bike doesn’t have a seat. But the seat wasn’t stolen and it’s not broken. That’s just how his bike was designed. Actually, he designed the ulta-light, single-gear bike. Plus, he doesn’t need a seat as he’s not your run of the mill cyclist on the side of the road. Bodogh, 23, is a professional bike trials rider. Although the sport is relatively young, Bodogh has been hopping on his bike’s back wheel for 11 years now. Bike trials are a form of freestyle biking in which the rider jumps on and off man-made and natural obstacles without getting off the bike. It’s all about balance, finesse and a healthy dose of “yeah-I-can-make-this-gap.” And for selftaught Bodogh, this includes jumping off large boulders in the wilderness to hopping urban obstacles at the Rogers Centre. And every time he does, there’s a crowd of 25 watching. As for the easiest way to continue to push himself, Bodogh explains it’s all about removing limitations. “Every piece of limit is all in your mind,” he says. “So just removing that element of fear and danger and knowing that you’ve got unlimited potential.” After recently graduating Sheridan’s three-year finance program in the spring, Bodogh has taken his school smarts and applied it to his sport of choice. Partnering with a close friend in 2005, Bodogh works with Meta Bikes, a Canadian bike trials company. He’s the man behind the selling, advertising, marketing, public relations and, of course, a bike representative for the company. And to further connect with other young trials riders, Bodogh launched the website, CrankedTV, which features nonstop trials riding. It was just recently that he made real headway with his extreme sport. After teaming up with BlackBerry to put on exhibitions to launch the Pearl flip phone, Bodogh is the first Sheridan student to
appear on CBC’s hit show, Dragon’s Den. It was his instructors at Sheridan that helped him hone his concept of selling his future revenue streams to the dragons. And he passed the auditions. “I can’t even express how much gratitude I have for everyone at Sheridan, all the teachers that have helped me,” he recently told us. “They have given so much time, effort and insight to me.” Passing through the auditions, Bodogh was tightlipped about how his pitch faired with the dragons, but was proud to note that his segment will air on the TV show in September. Having competed in more than 20 trials competitions across the country, the young entrepreneur owes much of his success to Sheridan, he explains. If it wasn’t for the teachers helping push him, Bodogh wouldn’t be such a success story. “I didn’t know what I was doing, but I was hopping my bike all over the place,” he says. “But if you show effort, or passion, then people will want to help you. That’s a key point for any incoming student: To embrace every opportunity you have and make it the best experience you can – negative or positive.” Although he didn’t even know what the sport was called when he first shifted from BMX bikes to trials riding, he continues to push himself in the sport. As he continues to mesh his biking talent and his Sheridan diploma, Bodogh applies the same motto for both his biking and job. “Everything that I do, it’s embedded in my mind that I’m 110 per cent confident that I can do it,” he begins in his composed manner. “There’s no fear element anymore with how high, how skinny or how far I’m jumping.” It’s something that applies for both his business plans and when he’s teetering on the ledge of a concrete barricade. But he’s willing to make the jump every time.
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sheridan college
chris lewis by ryan kelly
S
tanding 6’4” with a lean athletic frame and long arms, Chris Lewis certainly doesn’t seem out of place on a basketball court. Watching the fluid rhythm of his jump shot or his ability to effortlessly glide through the air en route to an emphatic slam-dunk does nothing to betray his abilities either. What might not be apparent about the second year business student, though, is that when he first suited up for the Bruins in a four-game exhibition series against American universities last August, it was the first time he played the game on a hardwood floor. Born in Canada but having spent the bulk of his formative years in Grenada, Lewis – who first picked up the game at the age of two – never had the opportunity to play on the sport’s intended surface, but knew that he enjoyed it nevertheless. “We never had the facility to play the game of basketball at that level,” he says. “I played on concrete a lot. It’s a lot of wear and tear on your knees but I never let that stop me because I just loved the game.” Now, as a member of the varsity basketball team, Lewis gets to practice and play on the wood floor several times a week. After playing a complimentary role last year, he will look to become a leader on a young squad trying to rebound from an earlier exit than most in the Sheridan basketball community are accustomed to. But ultimately he’s just happy to be able to do something he loves while building his future through his education. “It’s a great honour and a great privilege to play for the Sheridan Bruins,” he says. “I look forward to moving on in terms of academics and in basketball. That’s why I’m here.”
I played on concrete a lot. It’s a lot of wear and tear on your knees but I never let that stop me because I just loved the game.
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a still life with the
stills by ryan bolton
They’re a band that can’t stay still. And because of this, we have been told, they’re coming to move around a little for Sheridan’s frosh week.
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cover story
IT’S YOUR TYPICAL June morning. I’m walking along Yonge Street downtown Toronto. The street vendors have their goods lined along the gum-stained, pigeon poop smeared sidewalks. You’ve got the knock-off Gucci glasses and Blue Jays baseball hats. The painted prints of Tupac, Johnny Depp and Frank Sinatra. I watch a couple squeegee kids run up to some cars idling at the stoplight and quickly scrub the windshields. Really, it’s your typical June morning on Yonge Street, I should rephrase. And then I make it to the Delta Chelsea Hotel standing proud in a sea of skyscrapers. Walking through the elegant ‘80s-styled lobby, then around the front desk with tourists meandering, I see a man flag me down. It’s Dave, a genial young man with some scruff on his cheeks. He works with Canada’s independent music label, Arts & Crafts. It’s the label, founded by the county’s flagship art-rockers Broken Social Scene, that carries many recognizable names. Feist. Los Campesinos! Stars. Young Galaxy. And two big names that are playing Sheridan’s Frosh Week concert: the Constantines and The Stills. And I’m in this large, bellhop-riddled hotel to sit down with Tim Fletcher, front man of the latter band. Dave leads me around the elevators and into the hotel’s cafeteria, which at this time (it’s 2 p.m. in the afternoon) is completely vacant save for a old married couple with Eastern European accents chatting away in the corner. Fletcher, who until this point was lapping up the sun outside, comes inside choking on a muffin. After clearing the muffin with a gulp of water, Fletcher grabs a seat with me in the cafeteria. His slim frame carries a tight T-shirt, which sports a couple small holes and a tight-fitted, worn black jacket. His brown hair is pulled back like usual and his face is showing the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow. After apologizing about the muffin ordeal, he explains that he is a little hung over and that he smoked a few too many cigarettes the night before. It was a big night though; they just wrapped a big tour and were back in town with their friends. But as we sit and talk, Fletcher doesn’t show the symptoms of a good night out. He’s composed, forthcoming and relaxed. We’re talking about art and music. And he’s fine with that.
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THE MONTREAL NATIVE BAND, which is composed of close friends, Dave Hamelin who shares vocals and guitar, Liam O’Neil on keys, Olivier Corbeil on the bass, and Julien Blais on drums, have been having a solid, yet strange couple of years. Having put out three fulllength albums and playing under the Stills title for nearly 10 years, The Stills walked away with two Junos this spring for Best Alternative Album (Oceans Will Rise) and the belated award for Best New Group. Although slightly amused, the band sees the award as recognition. “It’s recognition and there’s some love coming from somewhere in that,” says Fletcher. “There’s nothing bad about it, it’s just kind of funny.” On top of this, the band made the long list for this year’s esteemed Polaris Music Prize. But it was last year for Quebec’s 400th birthday bash that Sir Paul McCartney himself handpicked the band to play in front of 300,000 people. And then came the switch of labels. After starting with Vice Records, which they released their first two albums under, the band jumped to Arts & Crafts. Composed of a tightknit group of their friends, Fletcher says the transition was organic. “Transitioning to Arts & Crafts was one of the most natural things we have ever done and it was sad to leave Vice, because we love them there, but we went from that family to the Arts & Crafts family. It’s like a support group. It’s a hopeful place for emerging artists and older artists.” And after pumping out last year’s well-received Oceans Will Rise, stuffed with soaring, big-sounding anthems under Arts & Crafts, many were talking about the album’s skull cover. The black as night background with a large, illuminated gold human skull evokes a somewhat macabre feel. It was New York-based visual artist Gordon Hull, a close friend of the band who designed their two previous record covers – Logic Will Break Your Heart (2003) and Without Feathers (2006) – who went on eBay and purchased a human skull. Hull proceeded to gold leaf the skull and give it to his ex-girlfriend in a bid to win her back. And it worked. Since the album is worldly with songs like “Being Here” and “Snakecharming the Masses” as the band wrote most of the tracks on an international tour with Kings of Leon, they thought a skull was
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the Stills performing at connexion with the constantines photo: matt barnes
something everyone could relate to, because we all have one. “It’s a cool symbol of life and love and it’s kind of a worldly album… and everyone has a skull,” says Fletcher with a wry laugh, before turning to look out the cafeteria window. THE STILLS AREN’T sitting still. They are already working on their next album, which they will be self-producing. Heading back to Montreal for the summer, in between a couple festivals, they will be mixing the new material, which they hope to have out for next February. The Stills have made a name for themselves as a constantly evolving sound. Each record has different musical arrangements, different tempos, different musical conventions. Simply said: different sounds. And although the band’s name doesn’t fit the bill with a still, static sound, it does fit a still picture. Each record, Fletcher explains, captures a new sound. Like a film still, each record tells a story in itself. It encapsulates a moment in time. “It’s like when you have a summer fling with a girl and then you will smell something and you’ll be like, ‘Oh my god, I remember everything about her,’” says Fletcher. “Hopefully we can make records and it’s like a still shot of that time in your life.” The thought is that over time you can go back and listen to a different Stills’ albums and take something away from each. And as each record is unlike its predecessor, Fletcher believes that the band is beginning to come into its own just now. Hence why they are going to record their next album themselves. “I think it’s a really artistically liberating thing to [self-record]. It’s a daunting task, but anything worthwhile should be a challenge.” And as Oceans Will Rise focused on musical arrangements and large dynamics, their next record is aiming to be personal. Sonically, lyrically and otherwise. As the band members shift into their late 20s and early 30s, they are becoming more relaxed and reflective in both their thoughts and work. “I think with our next record, we’re trying to make it as personal as possible and whatever stands in the way of that, we remove it,” Fletcher begins, with his eyes widening. “We are producing
september 11th doors 8 p.m.
this record to sound really personal. We’re trying to convey that sonically, and we don’t know how we’re going to do it, but we’re going to try.” AS GRADUATES FROM college art programs, the band is looking forward to playing Sheridan alongside rock friends and labelmates, the Constantines. Graduating from film school at Concordia, Fletcher never picked up his diploma. He thought it was sweeter to give his parents two Junos instead. But as artists of varying mediums – Hamelin studied philosophy and creative writing and O’Neil studied jazz – the band sees art as an inspiration. And playing to Canada’s largest art school will indeed be comfortable for the so-called art rockers. As the cafeteria starts to slowly fill with tourists grabbing a midafternoon snack, plates and forks can be heard clinking behind us. The crunch of apples is heard. So is the fountain pop machine chugging out its liquid syrup. And as we continue to talk about attending art schools and being artistically inclined, Fletcher stops for a second. It might be the hangover or that throat-obstructing muffin coming back, but it looks like he’s just thinking. Then he offers a gem for all students and artists alike: “What you love is what you’re going to gravitate towards in life and art.” It’s simple. It’s true. It’s obviously what he and his bandmates have followed. And we both sit there and reflect. And then I’m back on Yonge Street walking by the squeegee kids and street vendors. I’m looking at the gum-stained sidewalk again and the swarms of people window-shopping. And right in the centre of it all, I stop and stand still. I watch everyone move around me, and I take a quick snapshot. It’s nice to just stand still once and a while. But The Stills definitely aren’t.
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cover story - continued
the constantines are coming
photo: jeremy r. jansen
by ryan bolton
Let’s call the Constantines tender man rock. But they’re also soft in areas. Their gruffly toned albums are as thoughtful as they are thought-provoking. But it’s still tough rock. They stay true to their Guelph roots with regional tunes that connect directly with their audience. Call it blue-collar rock. Call it real rock. Call it art rock. Heck, call it art punk, whatever that means. They’re a multi-talented band and to show for it, the band’s eponymous debut album received a Best Alternative Album nod for a Juno Award back in 2002. After jumping to Arts & Crafts with fellow rockers The Stills last year, the Constantines released their fourth studio album, Kensington Heights back in April. Now living in Toronto (hence the Kensington reference) the local band have been enjoying solid press with both their records and live performances. The latter is something they’ve got a bit of a name for, actually. And with that they went on a crossCanada tour with the Winnipeg-haters/poetic masters, The Weakerthans this spring for the second time. And now, lucky Sheridan students, the Constantines are coming your way for frosh week. So, are you hungry for some tender man rock with a regional tint? Then again they’ve received comparisons to other great tender man rockers like Bruce Springsteen and The Clash. Not too bad at all for a Guelph native band, not too bad at all.
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cultural & lifestyle
A RANDOM NUMBER OF WORDS ABOUT CULTURE:
swimming through the cultural cynicism by ryan bolton
I
t’s getting pretty thick, isn’t it? Tougher and tougher to wad through our culture’s waning artistic relevance. We are getting weighed down with culturally vapid artists, singers and hipsters alike. We have all been waiting together with fingers crossed. “Come on,” we say in unison, “bring us the next Picasso.” Or we quietly whisper to ourselves that this Dan Brown hack is not Hemingway. It’s like comparing a Hummer and a Tiger Tank; one is actually good at what it does, the other just a showy rip-off and piss poor attempt to get chicks.
And thinking of that, Hemingway was a longtime ago. And so were the Beat Poets. And likewise for the Hunter S. Thompson’s. Pity, we think as we stroll through the new releases section at the bookstore. And then we turn to music and gasp at the screaming lack of a cultural imprint. So yeah, we had the big guys mix things up on a mainstream stage. Sinatra. The Beatles. Led Zeppelin. Rolling Stones. Tupac. Nirvana, of course. And then we hit Radiohead. But what else do we have now that is unique, brilliant and authentically artistic? Lady Gaga maybe?
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culture & lifestyle What is this feeling, you muse? It’s our cultural malaise. With the wickedly public passing of Michael Jackson, many questioned if we had hit an impasse with such an internationally popular artist. When Jackson’s albums dropped, at least in the early days, they didn’t just go to the top in America; they peaked in Greece, Russia, Brazil and South Africa, too. His music touched such a vast swath of humanity. And now we have The Black Eyed Peas and Timbaland topping the charts. But when we look for a cultural band-aid to heal the gaping lesions of our generation, we always come up short. Hence the hipster. Really now, it’s not the hipster’s fault. If anything, we should all have empathy. We feel it too, of course. Looking to define oneself in a vacuous culture, the hipster simply turns to the trendy relics of yesterday. Gaudy eyewear. Fanny packs. Moustaches. Tape cassette players. Neon shirts. Pabst beer and so on. Some kind of a shitty attempt at cultural revitalization in a semi-ironic manner. And part of the reason why we get so upset at the hipster is that yes, they’re acknowledging the fact that nothing mainstream is actually creative, mind-expanding or relevant, but their proposed solution just exacerbates the problem in the first place. It just adds to the fact that we’ve passed post modernist art and have no other options. We broke all the conventions in music, art, film, and writing, so now what? We did the avant-garde as a society together. The Beatniks howled at us from the rat-infested gutters and we stopped and listened. Nirvana showed us what commercialism will do to a genius. And the hipster is now showing us what happens when we run out of cultural alternatives. We’re just left with a cultural malaise in which we’re not breaking any new ground in any medium. In fact, we’re breaking down the foundations to our
mediums. Newspapers ring a bell? Now there is always an ebb and flow with everything, culture included. We can all be assured of this. But the wait is a killer. When can we expect an art piece that will move us all? Something that both the old and the young will look at from all angles and together conclude it’s a masterpiece. Like, say, Edvard Munch’s The Scream? Or Van Gogh’s Starry Night? Maybe those times have come and gone with the brush strokes of Andy Warhol. Maybe that’s the thing – old and young will always be divided on what’s culturally relevant and what’s not. What makes for bunk and what makes for a magnum opus. One thing, though, is for sure: We’re just going to have to wait and see. Because at this cultural juncture, we’re borrowing from the worst of the ‘80s and it’s not getting any better. I was recently attending a cocktail party downtown Toronto. I was chatting with the founder of the Fringe Festival about the cultural relevance of Michael Jackson’s demise and its social commentary on the current state of music. And although he agreed we might not see such a heavyweight for some time to come, he kept assuring me that today’s cultural cynicism will indeed pass. Yes, the Jonas Brothers are absolute shit. Yes, the Twilight series is ridiculous. But we need the shit to pile up until we can acknowledge that we are drowning ourselves. That we have starved ourselves of anything substantial. And it will be then that the next art movement will commence. That long-awaited artistic and cultural renaissance we all pine for, hipsters included, because, really, do you think they like looking like the offspring of Weird Al Yankovic and a goat farmer from Alabama? But first, we should recall and start with the words of the late JFK, who said: “If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.”
But what else do we have now that is unique, brilliant and authentically artistic?
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culture & lifestyle
FASHION WITH A PURPOSE CELEBRITIES JOIN H&M TO FIGHT AGAINST AIDS
THE BIG GUNS ARE COMING OUT to show their support in the fight against the global pandemic of HIV/AIDS. You’ve got Katy Perry, N.E.R.D., Yoko Ono and Yelle all lending their frames and names. And then you have H&M fashion. Together, the household names and designers are teaming up to donate 25 per cent of all sales to go towards HIV/AIDS awareness projects. And it doesn’t hurt that the designs are pretty solid with a fresh ‘80s feel. In a world where 38 million are infected with the disease, 12 million are children. And even more troubling, an estimated 28 per cent are unaware of their positive HIV status. Fusing fashion with music is a means to get youth to stop and think about the issue. And then to put their support on display. This is the
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goal of the line, which is being pushed by the backbone of the series, Designers Against AIDS (DAA). “H&M and Fashion Against AIDS are so important to us because we could never reach so many young people on our own,” says Ninette Murk, founder, Designers Against AIDS in a press release. “AIDS is still very much a subject that’s vitally important today. People build their attitude towards their sex lives when they’re very young, so it’s important for them to realize that safe sex is a vital part of that as early as possible.” And the pure organic cotton shirts are using strong words to get the point across. “Life is too short. Have sex, be safe” reads one. Another reads: “Girls just wanna have safe sex.” Right to the point, naturally. Many assume that the world is educated on HIV/AIDS, but the facts simply say otherwise. And as such, H&M wants to continue to educate the youth – in both the developed and developing world – to prevent the further spread of the fatal disease. Because, simply stated, complacency isn’t an option with HIV/AIDS. For more information and videos on the campaign, hit up travismag.com.
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culture & lifestyle
Girls can wear the pieces with minis, or worn denim and big jewellery, while boys can team them with coloured jeans or rolled-up chinos – it all adds to that ‘80s feeling Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M head of design
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health & nutrition by tahir khan, health & nutrition specialist
CHOMP ON THIS Be a good kid and eat three meals daily. Eat what your mother told you to eat, which means vegetables, not McDonald’s lettuce. Oh, and keep the alcohol consumption at a minimum. We need to make sacrifices here.
meal timeline 8 a.m. - breakfast 10 a.m. - snack 12 p.m. - lunch 2 p.m. - snack 5 p.m. - dinner 7 p.m. - snack
meal guideline Breakfast Cereal/oatmeal/eggs (2-3 x a week) Toast (alone, light butter, peanut butter, jam) real orange juice/ apple juice or fruit smoothie
Snack Water/juice/soy or regular milk fruit or vegetables or crackers with topping or dried fruit/granola 1 Small sandwich (tuna/turkey/egg salad) or bagel and cream cheese
nutrition tips “Avoid the crash” Substitute pop, artificial fruit drinks and other high sugar/caffeinated beverages with water, real fruit juice, natural herbal teas and homemade smoothies.v “You’re complicated, so why isn’t your food?” Complex carbohydrates are a great way to control blood sugar levels, increase energy, reduce your risk of many diseases and improve digestion. It’s about better choices and making smart manageable replacements when it comes to carbohydrates. Just try to add some colour to your carbs and watch your energy levels rise. Start off by making a simple switch from white pastas/rice/bread to whole wheat. Then eventually give multi-grain foods a try. “Let’s get lean” Those juicy high fat red meats are great for the taste buds but if you want a trim figure and lower your risk of diseases, look to consume more lean white meats such as chicken, turkey and fish. “Use sense to save dollars” A great way for a student to have a constant leak of income is by consuming high quantities of fast foods. You can eat healthier, more and for a lot less if you grocery shop! Here is a website where you can quickly find out how many calories a day you should be consuming according to your age, weight, height and activity level: http://www.freedieting.com
Lunch Water/real fruit juice/ fruit smoothie,salad, sandwich (turkey, chicken breast, tuna) or pasta/rice with meatballs/chicken or pita or sub, fruit
Snack Water/juice Fruit or vegetables Small sandwich, bagel, salad or fruit smoothie
Dinner Water, fruit/vegetables, small portion (1 serving) rice or pasta or potatoes or baked fries with chicken or beef or fish or steak, salad
Fruit Smoothie Recipe For the cost of one fruit smoothie from Booster Juice you can make approximately 3-5 real fruit smoothies at home. In a blender pour and blend the following ingredients at high speed. Feel free to adjust liquid to solid ratio as you see fit to change consistency of smoothie.
1. 2 cups milk or vanilla So Good soy milk 2. 2 cups of Tropicana orange juice 3. 2 ½ cups of Europe’s Best frozen fruit or your own cut up frozen fruit *To add a great tasting twist to your smoothie add a tea spoon of honey and cinnamon
Snack Water/juice/milk or soy milk Fruits/vegetables/crackers with hummus
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DROP THE LOVE HANDLES We understand that motivation is the hard part to slimming down. But dropping the spare tire around the waste is best done with exercise. *Sets and reps vary depending on goals of individuals. Two-three sets per exercise is standard/ 8-10 reps for strength training/ 12-15 reps for endurance. Exercises involving body weight, especially abdominal exercises, should be done until burnout (as many as you can do before muscle failure).
Group 1
Basic exercises that can be done almost anywhere, using just body weight. Great way to get started. Push-ups Start with body in aligned position with no curvature in the back. End with chest about 4-6 inches away from ground or until elbow bent to aproximately 90 degrees
Crunches Start with arm at side with your body and head flat on mat. End with trying to reach as far down the mat as possible without lifting lower back off of the floor.
Group 2
Starting to go to the gym and use some basic exercises to strength and tone. Group 1 can still be done and incorporated in this group - Biceps curls (with machine or dumbbell) - Triceps extension (with ma chine or dumbbell) - Shoulder press (with machine or dumbbell) - Crunches - Plank - Leg extension - Leg curl - Cardio (Running on treadmill, x-trainer, bike, sports)
Group 3 Dips (using a bench or bed or chairs) Start by making sure that you are far away from the chair to be able to clear it on the way down. End with body lowered to the floor and elbows bent to 90 degrees.
Step-ups (on a stair or low bench) Start by making sure that you are far away from the chair to be able to clear it on the way down. End with body lowered to the floor and elbows bent to 90 degrees.
Free body squats Start with feet shoulder width apart and toes pointing out slightly with arms straight ahead and parallel with the floor. End by hinging at the hips and sitting back and down and keeping your weight on the heels of your feet. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor, eyes should be focus on an area ahead and slightly above eye level.
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Start doing multi-joint exercises with machines and can still incorporate group 1 and 2. - Chest press - Fly - Lat pulldown - Row - Crunches on stability ball - Leg press - Step-ups with weight - Cardio (Same as group 1 and 2, skipping)
Group 4
Continue to do multi-joint exercises but incorporate free weights and can still incorporate Groups 1, 2 and 3. - Bench press - Incline bench press - Chin ups (assisted if cannot do body weight) - Single arm dumbbell row - Free body dips - Continue abdominal exercises from groups 1, 2 and 3 but advance plank and begin to incorporate medicine ball use with crunches on stability ball - Lunges - Free body squats with barbell 37
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ongoing story part one
ONGOING STORY:
PARENTAL GUIDANCE IS
ADVISED PART ONE by ryan bolton
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parental guidance is advised
Sitting at the local café, Tuesday’s Special, Frank sips his charblack Ethiopian bean coffee. His king-sized Du Maurier slowly burns between his relaxed lips as the poison floats above him. It’s his local spot –- that spot that he frequents to people-watch and ironically get a breath of fresh air. Problem is, the air is usually stale with cigarette smoke and dayold coffee. The room is riddled with pictures of people, some being relatively famous, that had once-upon-a-time frequented the café. From looking at all of the photos, the most famous celebrity is Patrick Swayze. Too bad he’s got cancer, thought Frank, exhaling a cloud rife with carcinogenics. The rest of the decor consists of WWI airplane memorabilia and a sole wall decorated in the faces of “Have you seen this missing child?” pictures found on the back of milk boxes. That part of the room gives a gloomy sort of feeling. To his left was an older man. He was scribbling on a New York Times crossword puzzle. It was the Saturday edition – the hard one. But looking at this man with wiry hairs springing from his ears and nose, Frank’s disposition shifted to bitterness. He has always despised crossword puzzle-doers. They just came off as smug with their exceptional trivial knowledge. Instead of seeing them as smart, or better yet, worldly, he saw them as overeducated lonely pencil pushers with an arsenal of un-noteworthy facts. That’s how he liked to see it, anyway. His black laptop computer, with the Apple symbol glowing on the back lid common to most coffee shops, sits in front of Frank. The screen is a clear white abyss that stares blankly back at Frank. Truly beautiful, if it weren’t for the fact that he was trying to clear that emptiness with words. Well, that was his job,
anyway. As a writer – supposedly a good one at that – the blank page mocked him. But Frank’s mind ran. It ran back to reading in bed next to Rebecca to throwing the ball to Owen, their son, and to the past week. That turbulent last week. THE PROBLEM WITH FRANK was that until recently he had no problems. Everything was rosy aside from that issue of not being able to pound out his words on demand like he used to. And let’s not forget the fact that until recently, Frank carried a somewhat sunny disposition like an ‘80s rapper carried a boom box. But then, as life likes to do, everything fell apart at the seams. Someone pulled the loose thread and the comfortable sweater was stripped down to a wooly tube top. First off, Rufus, the family pet, got smacked by a car. The stupendous driver, of course, just continued on with their day. The Yankees got clobbered in their last game against the Red Sox. That set Frank back a couple large bills. And then there was the flop of his last novel. It was his second novel. The first one a smash; the second a walloping dud. It was the usual clichéd writer story: He hits it to the fences with his first novel, a semi-autobiographical account of his time traveling the Congo with warlords. The critics ate it up and the fans started websites. Frank always enjoyed how the West interpreted his stories of rape, ceaseless murders and child soldiers with tribute websites. Like that is going to help the
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ongoing story part one
10-year-old boys forced to take brown-brown and shoot up their families, Frank would complain. But the novel was a success, nonetheless. It was evocative, poignant and honest – something that was dwindling in the print industry. It was then that Frank and Rebecca tied the matrimony knot and brought blonde-haired Owen into a world they both loved, but never understood. Rebecca was always Frank’s muse. She was the pen to his paper. The keys to his typewriter. The words to his blank paper. And now she was gone. Unable to navigate his fall into drinking, gambling and the perpetual cycle of disappointments that his life quickly became, she jumped trains. And with the advance money on his next book evaporating into coffee shops and shitty baseball games, Frank just stared at the blank screen in front of him.
THE PROBLEM WITH FRANK WAS that until recently he had no problems
WAKING UP TO an unsettling mixture of sun, a bad dream and the smell of cockroach droppings combined with stale beer, and his dog, Possum, licking his face, Frank opened his eyes and pushed his duvet over his knees. His room was strewn with empty beer bottles (but they were the clear ones, not the green nor the feces-coloured brown ones), painted art, and novels – a plethora of novels covering essentially every nook and cranny that wasn’t swallowed in either beer or art. Oh, and he had a small wooden closet which held his semi-respectable collection of quasi-vintage t-shirts and worn black jeans. His once casual five o’clock shadow was now a full-blown, untrimmed beard. Frank lifted his head, grabbed a partly-burnt cigarette he found on the floor alongside a matchbook and pondered his circumstances. “How’d ya sleep, big fella?” A woman’s voice rang as Frank jumped and turned his head to the bedroom door where a young women, say mid-20s, stood. Frank’s blurred haze of a mind cleared enough to allow him to recall this woman. But he also recalled attempting to run away from her the night before. A pseudo-epiphany, if you will. “Oh hey, well, if you look past my pounding head which feels like the fall of the Berlin Wall, then I’m all right.” She jumped on the bed and took a puff of his cigarette. “Do you want mama to kiss it better?” she cooed. “I was never one for the whole oedipal complex thing, sorry,” Frank replied as he reclaimed his cigarette and hopped out of bed and began to put yesterday’s clothes back on. As he retrieved his pants, he noticed some blood on his hands. It was at this moment that Frank remembered more of last night. The gun, the blood pools, the whole botched operation. Jesus, he thought to himself. His mind started to run, like it always does, and he ambled out of the room to turn on the coffee maker. He didn’t feel like stumbling over to Tuesday’s Special with his headache and all. “Darling, is everything all right? What’s the matter?” the woman questioned. “Well, if you see the four horsemen of the apocalypse as okay, then yes, everything is dandy.” “Oh don’t be melodramatic, Frank, you know that turns me off.” “Hold on. I don’t even know who you are,” Frank snapped back. “I don’t even know—” The men that then broke into the beer-bottle infested apartment were impossibly well-dressed. Black suits with impeccable white collared shirts. Their ties were a soft paisley that didn’t scream loud; they just complemented the suit. Their haircuts would have easily placed them at some swanky club on 14th Street. But something inside Frank said they weren’t here to wine and dine him. “Morning there, Frank,” one of them announced with a hoarse voice. “You have the attaché case we’re looking for?” “Morning gentlemen,” Frank said, opening the fridge and looking inside. “You guys want some Ethiopian blend coffee? It’s the real stuff. Not that crap at the grocery store that they brand as the–” The diamond ring-clad fist that then struck Frank in the stomach made his legs buckle. As his head drifted towards the floor, he noticed the rebel army symbol on the men’s boots. Before Frank’s eyes said goodnight, he realized that he might hzave a couple problems after all. To be continued next issue…
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random awesome
random awesome we wasted time online
Who doesn’t love snooping the Internet looking for cool finds? It’s like a giant thrift store with that nifty cardigan hidden in the back rack surrounded by ratty dresses. And so is the story especially when it comes to blogs. You have to sift through the junk blogs about Robin’s Bad Hair Days in order to find something worthwhile. So, making it easier for you, we thought we would highlight the random blogs online that give us a hearty, milkspitting laugh. We just feel better after perusing these sites. It’s like a laugh enema. It clears all the gook out. Anyway, have fun with these. We sure as hell do. Warning: Some of this crap is crude, lewd and just plain whack. But that’s why we laugh, don’t we?
THIS IS PHOTOBOMB It’s the day after a good night on the town. You’re checking your photos and all is good until you come across a picture of you and your pals and some wiener with his pants down in the background. Yep, you’ve been photobombed. Jumping in behind photos with ridiculous (and inappropriate) poses tends to be very entertaining. thisisphotobomb.com
TEXTS FROM LAST NIGHT If this one doesn’t make you bruise a rib from laughing then we have bigger issues at hand. The comic gold from, well, everyone with a cellphone is insurmountable here. And like all solid comedy, every other text is unfathomably raunchy. And that’s why it’s funny. www.textsfromlastnight.com
AWKWARD FAMILY PHOTOS
LOOK AT THIS F’N HIPSTER Everyone has a problem with hipsters, including hipsters. So let’s just have a laugh at the ridiculousness. This stuff is way beyond Vice’s Dos and Don’ts. It has its own realm in the Just Stop This Nonsense pile. This is why LATFH is a beaut.
This one isn’t too hard to understand. The reason is because we all have families and have all been through way too many unfortunate photo ops with them. It sucks. And now that Facebook gives your parents the ability to post those atrocious shots of you stuck with Aunt Betty on a horse swing, we have Awkward Family Photos to show us that we’re not alone. awkwardfamilyphotos.com
www.latfh.com
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CONTRIBUTE TO TRAVIS MAGAZINE Like what you see here? Well, stop looking and join us. TRAVIS is always on the hunt for fresh student writers, illustrators and photographers. Join us. Help build your campus culture. E-mail us at: stephen.sills1@sheridanc.on.ca
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