the carillon The University of Regina Students’ Newspaper since 1962
September 26 - October 2, 2013 |Volume 56, Issue 6 | carillonregina.com
the staff editor-in-chief
michael chmielewski carilloneic@carillonregina.com business manager shaadie musleh business@carillonregina.com production manager kyle leitch production@carillonregina.com copy editor michelle jones copyeditor@carillonregina.com news editor rikkeal bohmann carillonnewseditor@gcarillonregina.com a&c editor robyn tocker aandc@carillonregina.com sports editor autumn mcdowell sports@carillonregina.com op-ed editor farron ager op-ed@carillonregina.com visual editor emily wright graphics@carillonregina.com ad manager neil adams advertising@carillonregina.com technical coordinator arthur ward technical@carillonregina.com distribution manager allan hall staff writer
paige kreutzwieser
news writer a&c writer
For one day, Regina’s downtown became infested with the army of the undead. Thanks a lot, Umbrella Corporation. Dicks.
The 2013 Zombie Walk gets broken down like so much decaying flesh on page 7, and there are many photos of the event on pages 22 and 23.
news
arts & culture
Quebec’s “Values.” 3 Quebec is embroiled in a debate over the proposed Charter of Values which would ban religious iconography from the public sector. The charter seems to be gaining more and more support every day. What is it trying to protect Quebec from?
Resort town. 9 The Last Resort is the new musical being put on by the Globe Theatre. It should do well, since we Canadians can’t seem to get enough of self-depricating humour. Read the preview on page 9.
sports
op-ed
Big League blues. 14 For many young tykes, the dream of having a career as a professional athlete is all too real. That is, until they reach the university level, haven’t been drafted, and have yet to leave the coach. Armchair quarterbacks, this one’s for you.
Confront reality. 15 As SMU has shown us, we have the great misfortune of living in a “rape culture.” Simply put, it’s time to exterminate the tolerance for sexual abuse.
vacant destiny kaus
sports writer
brady lang
foreign correspondent
dietrich neu
photographers apolline lucyk haley klassen
spencer reid
contributors this week alec salloum, taras matkovsky, aidan macnab, evan radford, lauren neumann, rosa laverdiere, liam fitz-gerald, taylor sockett, sonia stanger, john loeppky, jessica bickford,tommy douglass, ravinesh sakaran, dan sherven, drew wass, taylor rattray
the paper
THE CARILLON BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Michael Chmielewski, Shaadie Musleh, Autumn McDowell, vacant, vacant, vacant, vacant 227 Riddell Centre University of Regina - 3737 Wascana Parkway Regina, SK, Canada, S4S 0A2 www.carillonregina.com Ph: (306) 586-8867 Fax: (306) 586-7422 Printed by Transcontinental Publishing Inc., Saskatoon
The Carillon welcomes contributions to its pages. Correspondence can be mailed, e-mailed, or dropped off in person. Please include your name, address and telephone number on all letters to the editor. Only the author’s name, title/position (if applicable) and city will be published. Names may be withheld upon request at the discretion of the Carillon. Letters should be no more then 350 words and may be edited for space, clarity, accuracy and vulgarity. The Carillon is a wholly autonomous organization with no affiliation with the University of Regina Students’ Union. Opinions expressed in the pages of the Carillon are expressly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Carillon Newspaper Inc. Opinions expressed in advertisements appearing in the Carillon are those of the advertisers and not necessarily of The Carillon Newspaper Inc. or its staff. The Carillon is published no less than 11 times each semester during the fall and winter semesters and periodically throughout the summer. The Carillon is published by The Carillon Newspaper Inc., a non–profit corporation.
the manifesto
In keeping with our reckless, devil-may-care image, our office has absolutely no concrete information on the Carillon’s formative years readily available. What follows is the story that’s been passed down from editor to editor for over forty years.
In the late 1950s, the University of Regina planned the construction of several new buildings on the campus grounds. One of these proposed buildings was a bell tower on the academic green. If you look out on the academic green today, the first thing you’ll notice is that it has absolutely nothing resembling a bell tower. The University never got a bell tower, but what it did get was the Carillon, a newspaper that serves as a symbolic bell tower on campus, a loud and clear voice belonging to each and every student. Illegitimi non carborundum.
cover
In other news: Following the 2013 Emmy Awards, the show has ben renamed the Breaking Baddies. A controversial rule for the new awards show is that Bryan Cranston win every category. When asked about the change, Cranston said, “You’re an insane, degenerate piece of filth, and you deserve to die.”
photos news Arthur Ward a&c Sharpshooter Photography sports todaysparent.com
op-ed candidkerry.wordpress.com cover Haley Klassen
errata
In last week’s issue, we ran an article titled “New Names In Saskatchewan - The Business Boom.” In the article, we referred to one Ron Hubich, but it should actually have been Larry Hubich. We regret the error.
news
News Editor: Rikkeal Bohmann carillonnewseditor@carillonregina.com the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
Quebec “values charter” controversy Multiculturalism being tarnished
Arthur Ward
Under the proposed Charter of Quebec Values, dress like this would be forbidden in the public sector.
taylor rattray contributor Earlier this month, the Parti Québécois(PQ) , the minority government in Quebec, announced its proposal for a “Charter of Values.” This charter would prohibit anyone working in the public sector—for example, judges, teachers, police officers, and anyone in institutions that receive public funds—from wearing “overt and conspicuous” religious symbols. Additionally, anyone giving or receiving a public service must also uncover their faces. These restrictions would apply to all Quebecers, except elected officials. But while the PQ calls for a “religiously neutral state”, any historic symbols currently in Quebec will remain standing, including any objects that symbolize the Catholic Quebec. This proposition has created an immense amount of controversy. Dr. Jim Farney, a Political Science professor at the University of Regina, sheds some light on the backlash of the issue. Farney claims, “If I was in Quebec, I would be opposed to the idea. I think it encroaches freedom of religion. I think it doesn’t recognize the diversity that is Quebec, and, this is the bit that’s kind of contextual, I don’t think it’s the place of state to build culture and identity”.
One of the prominent objections toward this charter has been its infringement on The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, specifically on the freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and equality rights against discrimination. To rebel against what has been an extremely important factor in Canadian identity raises questions as to the PQ’s purpose of such a charter. The Charter of Values is said to unify Quebecers. “The obligation of religious people when they enter the political square is to make policies that all people of religious faiths could accept…in the Quebec model [of government]…the state itself needs to be free of religion, it’s part of the national identity and that means kind of a white-washing of religion in public spaces,” claims Farney. In this context, it’s easy to sympathize with such an idea. Minister Drainville, member of the PQ, defined it to World Time “as the natural extension of a process that began in the 1960’s,
when Quebec decided to move away from the Catholic Church and priests and nuns teaching in the new public school system accepted to give up their religious garb.” It is also believed that eliminating religious symbols will reduce discrimination towards religious people. But instead of creating complete equality in the public sector and eliminating the ability of society to judge others on their religious affiliation, the PQ has created something that, what MP of the NDP party in Quebec, Lysane BlanchetteLamothe states “[doesn’t] respect Quebec’s society values at all”. She clarifies, “I’ve talked to people who are scared for their job, for the future of their children, and it is really unfortunate that the individual rights are tracked by the charter and checked now by the government, so I am disappointed. The NDP express their disagreement, their disappointment about this charter, and that is our position about it.”
Additionally, she believes “we should rather try to find solutions and bring people together instead of bringing them into a divide of debate; we have to be careful and we have to make sure our Charter, and our human rights, are protected.” Of course, not all Quebecers believe in this type of charter. Blanchette-Lamothe insists, “It is not Quebec that wants to implement that charter. We have to be very careful about the message we send outside Quebec to our fellows of Western Canada because there’s a lot of Quebecers who don’t agree at all with the that charter and actually, I don’t know if you’ve seen the latest numbers, but we see that the Charter is less and less popular. As of today, it is not Quebec that wants to go in that direction. I don’t think that charter of values really reflects the values of my province.” According to the Montreal Gazette, 52 percent of respondents in a recent poll supported the PQ Charter and 36 percent opposed it.
“ I’ve seen some people say that’s part of the point, that really what the PQ is looking for here is to trigger an English-Canadian backlash. I think there may be something to that.” Jim Farney
Such opposition has sprung up all over the country and some even fear it could further separate Quebec from the rest of Canada. Farney admits, “I’ve seen some people say that’s part of the point, that really what the PQ is looking for here is to trigger an EnglishCanadian backlash. I think there may be something to that.” If this is the case, it’s hard to predict the outcome of such a proposition. But, as a minority government, the PQ will need the support of at least one of the two province’s opposition parties. It has often been said that Canada is a mosaic of cultures, and this connotation describes a country which highlights all other cultures, which Canadians often strive to do. But the question is, if Canadians choose to eliminate the representation of religious affiliation in the public sector, are we really highlighting the importance of multiculturalism? BlanchetteLamothe argued that multiculturalism is an important richness of our country that the charter does not respect. Canadian democracy should always reflect the views of Canadians. The question is, do Canadians believe equality lies in the exclusion of differences, or in its acceptance?
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the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
news
Here we go! Another University Council Meeting coming up to discuss non-confidence motion michael chmielewski editor-in-chief The University of Regina Council will be meeting on Friday Sep. 27 at 2 pm. This is a special meeting of Council to discuss and debate a petition that has circulated amongst Council members. This petition needed over 50 signatures of Council members, which they attained to have the meeting. The meeting’s purpose will be to debate the motion of the petition, which is that “The University of Regina Council has lost confidence in the President and VicePresident (Academic).” Vianne Timmons is the President, and Tom Chase is the Vice-President (Academic). The rationale of the non-confidence motion is explained in the same petition: it reads that Council has lost confidence in the President and Vice-President (Academic) because “they have harmed the university’s academic mission,” while also “refusing to produce a complete budget,” and also the “mismanagement” of donors’ funds, which has done “grave harm to the University’s reputation.” When interviewed by the Carillon, Timmons said, “I don’t want one of our faculty out there losing confidence in the administration.” She went on, saying, “I have removed a vice-president position and an associate vicepresident position; we’re very
Emily Wright
Can you feel the non-confidence?
lean in administration.” “I have to think a lot about how to explain to the faculty that the university is very good shape comparatively to others across this country, and that message isn’t out there. I need to work harder on getting that positive message out there.” The meeting on the 27th will not have the vote of non-confidence, but rather it’ll decide how the vote of non-confidence will be carried out. The idea of University Faculty holding a non-confidence vote in the administration is not an idea unique to the U of R. It started out
in the United States, and has recently come to Canada. The most notable case was that of Harvard University. Then President Lawrence Summers faced a vote of “no confidence from the influential Faculty of Arts and Sciences,” according to a New York Times news article from 2006. One big black mark against Summers was a comment he made in 2005 that women “might lack an intrinsic aptitude for math and science.” Along with ambitious plans to overhaul the University’s structure, Summers was also seen as a bully, and arro-
csm a n a d a i n f e d e r a t o i n o f s u d e n t s read more about the Ut of R a s k a t c h e w a n s t u d e n t s c o a t i l o n c i h a e a j l c k s o n m o v e i a l y t o n u n d e r fi r e t h a t s p e e c h s t e p h e n h a r p e r c a n a council @ ww.carillonregina.com d a i n e e l c t o i n t w t i e r t i u n e s k a n y e w e s t a ldygagatp -an iautotunerecesso in
gant. After the vote, Summers chose to resign. Another recent case is that of New York University’s John Sexton. A second New York Times article stated that during his time, tuition rose and faculty salaries stagnated, and he also “raised the university’s profile...raising more than $3 billion, winning approval for a huge expansion in Greenwich Village and assembling a Global Network University of campuses and study centers around the world.” Opponents of his said that he was running the University more like a “corporation than a nonprofit institution.” Bowie State and the University of Iowa, amongst others in the States, have also faced similar situations between their faculty and administration. The phenomenon has also affected Canadian institutions, al-
beit smaller ones than Harvard or NYU. Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario is one of these institutions. The senate there passed motion of non-confidence because according to them, Lesley LovettDoust “seriously jeopardizes” the school’s future, according to the North Bay Nugget. She later resigned. A more serious case occurred at Athabasca University in Alberta. In a CBC news article, the university community called for the resignation of the President because of illegal donations to the Progressive Conservative party running up to the $10,000 mark. The University of Regina Administration has done nothing like that, but many Council members have signed the petition. The Carillon attempted to contact many professors, but most wouldn’t grant an interview due to various reasons, some citing job security. One professor that did sit down with the Carillon is Susan Johnston, Associate Professor of English. As the self-described “prime mover” of the petition, Johnston isn’t shy to speak out. She explains that the Council is a “direct democracy,” and that the non-confidence motion boils down to trust. She poses the following question to her fellow Council members: “Do you trust the President and the Vice President?”
Electoral boundaries redrawn Saskatchewan’s new boundaries reflect the changing province alec salloum contributor Saskatchewan Electoral Boundaries have been redrawn and adjusted as of Aug. 21 in response to the 2011 Census and correlating population changes. This standard practice, carried out by Elections Canada, has been met with contention by the Conservative Party as the redrawn borders now include urban-only ridings, which may result in fewer Tory MP’s. As it currently stands, 13 of Saskatchewan’s 14 MPs are conservative as of the 2011 Federal Election. This overwhelming win can be contributed to the electoral boundaries at the time, specifically the hybrid riding system. The hybrid ridings combine urban and rural populations, combining the votes of these distinct population bases to determine the victorious candidate. The obvious problem with this system is that the interests of rural and urban voters are fundamentally different. Dr. Lee Ward, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Campion College, gave context for the hybrid ridings and their current failings. “Nowhere else in Canada were these kinds of ridings common practice; Saskatchewan [is]
ralphgoodale.ca
The newly-established electoral boundaries of Saskatchewan. unique. This came from a thinking in the 1960s that Saskatchewan is an agricultural province, therefore every single MP should have a rural area in his or her riding… the obvious problem with that, is things change.” That change is the growth of population in Regina and Saskatoon over the past few decades. This has resulted in “the urban vote in these larger hybrid ridings actually being diluted,” says Ward.
A testament to this claim would be the 2008 and 2011 results from the riding of Saskatoon – Rosetown – Biggar, where conservative MP Kelly Block won by as few as 300 votes. These 300 votes came largely from rural voters across the nearly eleven thousand square kilometers district. This issue has been addressed by adding entirely urban ridings to Regina and Saskatoon, in a bid to more accurately represent the voting results. Considering that in
the last Federal Election the NDP received 32% of the vote, but they received no representation in the House of Commons. This outcome is particularly disproportionate when considering in the past general election the only other party with elected MLAs were the NDP, garnering 9 out of 58 seats. This result, as well as with receiving the second most votes in the past Federal Election, clearly demonstrate the large NDP support in Saskatchewan
that has been marginalized at the national level. The district of Regina – Qu’Appelle still remains largely hybrid. It’s important to note this is Andrew Scheer’s constituency, the Speaker of the House. Scheer’s duties include tabling Elections documents from Canada, the body that drafted the new boundaries, so it’s not surprising no change occurred there. However, the new district of Regina-Lewvan should prove to be a close and competitive race, as should all the new urban ridings. Ultimately, this redistribution is long overdue, as the hybrid districts have proved ineffective and inaccurate in representing its voters. Unfortunately, the redistribution of electoral boundaries is often brushed under the rug as boring political jargon. When asked why Saskatchewanians should care and pay attention, Ward said, “It has to do with the vote, not simply a policy matter, this gets to the fundamentals of democracy – whether people vote counts.”
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
news
Fougere vs. Holmes Debate tries to explain both sides to P3 Live Tweets!
On Sep. 18, a debate on the P3 referendum was held in the Ed. Building Auditorium. As always, the Carillon was there, live tweeting the event. Here were some of the finer points:
“Facts, not rhetoric,” says Eiser. let’s hope so. #wwtp - 7:07 PM
Emily Wright
I saw the sign, and, although it didn’t open my eyes, per se, it gave me serious pause for thought.
taras matkovsky contributor One of my geography professors once told me about a student who wanted to run for an URSU position. The student said that he wasn’t trying to be political, and the professor laughed on the inside; the student ended up not winning the election. This memory came back to me when Dale Eisler, moderator of the Public vs. P3 Debate that took place Sep 18 at the U of R, said that this debate would be about facts, not politics. With hundreds of people, mostly middle- to old-aged peple in attendance, both Mayor Michael Fougere and head of Regina Water Watch, Jim Holmes, made their cases for how a new water treatment plant should be paid for and built. This being a ‘factual’ debate, and both debaters came armed with several facts and statistics. However, on debates of this nature, it is impossible to entirely leave out politics. In particular, Mayor Fougere tried to frame the debate in terms of “facts, not fear”, and implying that Water Watch and CUPE were scaring the public by suggesting Regina’s drinking water would be privatized. Jim Holmes, for his part, managed to bring more facts and statistics to the table than the Mayor could. The audience contributed to the breaking down of the “nonpolitical” atmosphere as well by heckling both debaters, especially
Fougere. But overall, despite the energy in the Education Auditorium, it was a rather dull affair. Jim Holmes opened the debate with ten points as to why people should reject the P3 model in favour of a Design-Bid-Build (DBB) process. Some of the points showed the success of the public approach, such as the overpass in Saskatoon and the water treatment plant in Yorkton. Others were meant to show that the city and the accounting firm Deloitte, hired to perform an analysis of the expected P3, could not be trusted to give an honest opinion. The fact that Deloitte itself was a main advocate of P3s was one of his major reasons for not trusting them. He also brought in an environmental reason too, linking Regina’s wastewater plant debacle to watersheds from Calgary and Edmonton, setting the debate in the grand scheme of things. However, while he was attacking Fougere for not being honest, he was repeatedly attacked for being allied with dishonest union members. At one point during the debate, even the moderator asked Holmes about his relationship with the unions in a way that implied that this was a bad thing. To counter all that, Holmes repeatedly said that CUPE is not controlling Water Watch and that if union members are a part of their team, it is because they are volunteers. Many in attendance shouted “offside” at the moderator at this point.
When not defending Water Watch from accusations of union manipulation, Holmes was able to marshal a substantial legion of facts to back his position. Citing evidence from such sources as the UK House of Commons Treasury Committee and PPP Canada, Holmes appeared to be reasonably well informed. He also provided one well-paced dig at Fougere when he brought up a statement Fougere made in 2003, when the Mayor was president of the Saskatchewan Construction Association, about how private companies could not be trusted to offer good deals. Fougere opened up his case by saying that Regina is booming and needs new infrastructure. He then proceeded to defend the P3 by both insisting that the City would remain in control of the rates, that no employees would be fired if a private company would be involved, something CUPE also says, and that this is the most cost-efficient way to build the plant because of the $58.5 million we are getting from Ottawa. This was a figure often repeated by Fougere, along with the $276 per year that our utility bills would increase by. Fougere strove to remind people about these amounts and to tie them in with his “facts, not fear” message. However, he was not as equally devoted to the rest of his statistics. Unlike Holmes, who almost always cited his source after stating a point, Fougere did not cite the sources for such statistics as
“ Outside the university, almost everyone is undecided. A CTV on-the-street interview revealed that people had no idea what was going on or even what voting No meant; one woman thought you voted No to stop privatization. Other people planned to vote No because they believed the city’s lines about saving taxpayers money.” Taras Matkovsky
the 83% on-time completion rate for P3’s, until twenty or so minutes after he stated them. Fougere was by far the more aggressive of the two; he openly questioned, to the point of ridiculing, Jim Holmes’ knowledge of what a DBB process was. He also asked Holmes exactly how Regina Water Watch would re-imburse taxpayers the $58.5 million that would be lost if the P3 was rejected. Fougere also outright dismissed a question Holmes asked about the costs of leaving the P3 deal, saying that Regina would never leave if it were approved. It also did not help his case that he could not say what the profit margin of this P3 deal would be. Anna Dipple, an International Studies major, thought that Jim Holmes clearly won, because “[she] felt a little frustrated by Mayor Fougere,” especially when it came to the “patronizing way he answered some questions”. However, she appears to be in the minority with having such strong views. Aaron Fritzler, a second-year Business major, also thought Holmes won, but barely; he “felt that the debate was a bit messy.” Outside the university, it seems most are undecided. A CTV onthe-street interview revealed that people had no idea what was going on or even what voting No meant; one woman thought you voted No to stop privatization. Other people planned to vote No because they believed the city’s lines about saving taxpayers money. It seems the debate did little to clear up confusion.
Sewage treatment key to health. Too important to be in private hands. #wwtp - 7:34 PM Fougere’s rebuttal: “Fear going on here.” - 7:34 PM
Completely dodges question about figures in report. Talks about over budgeting and taxes. Shift risk to builder with P3. - 7:44 PM If referendum passes, no matter which way, city will have to take that and run with it. Water watch won’t govern. No coup detat. #wwtp - 7:47 PM
People yell offside to moderator. - 7:59 PM Guy beside me keeps calling Fougere a fascist lol. #wwtp no communist mentions yet #yqr#debate. - 8:10 PM Question for both: is there something you two can agree on? 8:23 PM
Don’t be the only one left out ofmajor campus events. Follow us @the_carillon on Twitter. Find quick links to our articles, and get some seriously awesome running commentary like this.
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the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
news
Watch it rise! High rent makes affordable living hard to come by aidan macnab contributor Rent in the Queen City is high. Real high. According to rentboard.ca, a service member of the Saskatchewan Rental Housing Industry Association, the average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Regina is $1,142/month. Tyler Gray, Housing Support at Carmichael Coordinator Outreach, sees high rent as a big reason why he’s witnessing more and more people using the services that his foundation provides. “Even since June, prices across the board are probably up about 100 bucks...The more that price goes up, the more that people have to reach into other aspects of their life to be able to fund their housing... if it’s paying less for groceries and then coming and getting a lunch service here, then that’s what it is... Ultimately the driving force behind it is the cost of housing.” Although, Regina is making progress in increasing the number of housing units available, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) found in its ‘Spring Rental Market Survey,’ that Regina’s vacancy rate was 1.9 per cent as of this April. This is up from .6 percent in April of 2012. According to Gray, the rise in vacancy rate, although a positive,
Haley Klassen
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Heavy emphasis on the worst of times if you’re trying to find a place to live around here.
is not driving rental prices down to an acceptable level. “The quantity of housing in Regina isn’t an indicator of the affordability of that quantity,” Gray said. And as for affordability, the acceptable price of housing, says Gray, needs to be within 30% of a person’s income. The 30% rule is a
widely held standard of affordable housing. It’s his opinion the road to meeting that 30% mark lies in cooperation between the municipal, provincial and federal governments, via “subsidized rent, or increased social assistance rates, and loosening regulations and obstacles...that are preventing the low
income developments from happening.” The call to address this housing crisis has not fallen on deaf ears. On July 29 of this year, City Council passed a revised version of the ‘Comprehensive Housing Strategy Implementation Plan’ that Eve Richards, Manager for
ccsa n a d a i n f e d e r a t o i n o f s t u e n t s a s k a t c h e w a n s t u d e n t s the Carillon is hiring ad news writer! email at resume o a t i l o n m c i h a e a j l c k s o n m o v e i a l y t o n u n d e fi r r e h a s t p e e c h td e p h e n h a r p e r c a n a d a i n e e l c t o i n t w t i e t r i u n e s k a n y e w e s t a lb y g a g a t p a n i a u t o t u n e r e c e s s o i n a f g h a n s i t a n t a s e r s d o m e writing samples tok ao land iuu tse h tlh co arse ru pth cyog sw etrcik ve etssw thp ihsete do ch be aa g sth eab ssa hn oe leditor@carillonregina.com sw v iee ya otu nr
Neighbourhood Planning for the City of Regina, says contains “over 30 strategies to provide affordable housing for the residents of the city.” Among the incentives is a $15,000 per rental unit offered to owners willing to charge a rate for rent that is below the market average. A renter must have an income below $66,500/year to qualify. There is also a “condominium conversion bylaw.” “Owners of an apartment building with rental units cannot convert to [a] condo until [the vacancy rate] is higher than 2 per cent,” says Richards. Richards agrees with Gray that the Vacancy rate, even when it reaches 2 per cent, is not that much of a factor in Regina’s affordable housing situation. “It’s good in terms of there’s more rental properties or rental units available...it doesn’t mean that it is necessarily more affordable.” he said. And for Gray, talk of market solutions like tax incentives, that will hopefully, eventually yield some results, ignores the urgency of the situation. “The reality of it is that for the people who are living in homelessness and are experiencing homelessness, we’re already running out of time.... and it’s only going to get worse as the temperature starts to drop.”
Accountability of athletes Athletes are held under microscopes for their actions evan radford contributor Trevis Smith and Kenton Keith now have something in common with Dwight Anderson, Taj Smith, and Eron Riley: all five Saskatchewan Roughriders, past and present, have had off-field troubles with the law. Smith was convicted of aggravated sexual assault: he knowingly transmitted HIV to two of his sexual partners during his stint with the Riders (1999-2005). Keith was charged with aggravated assault for his alleged role in a street fight outside of a Regina bar on Dewdney Avenue in July of 2006. But, details of Anderson’s, Taj Smith’s, and Riley’s cases have yet to fully emerge. The Leader-Post has reported all three players, Anderson and Taj Smith on Sep. 12, and Riley on Sep. 13, have been charged with aggravated assault. The charges stem from an alleged fight between the three players and twenty-year-old Jonathan Kitano Mukendi on the night of Aug. 18, outside the Bushwakker Brewpub on the famed Dewdney Strip. In Saskatchewan, a province where fans are passionate and at times extreme in their support or disdain for the Roughriders (see manure dumping and Paul McCallum), athletes are under the microscope; they’re expected to
Haley Klassen
Jesus, that’s dark.
behave as ambassadors for their teams and their larger communities, on and off the field. Scrutiny is evident at the high school level, too. Lorena Leibel is head coach of the Campbell Tartans Senior Girls Volleyball team. She and her collegues expect student athletes’ behaviour to be top notch: “We expect them to represent the school well; we told them they’re under a microscope. You’re expected to represent the team in a positive manner. Via social media, they need to behave
in a respectful manner. For example, if we’re playing a tough team and we lose, [athletes should not be] bad mouthing an opponent,” say Leibel. Leibel says this scrutiny should be expected. “It’s no different than being a teacher; when you’re a teacher, you’re a teacher 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.” Frank McCrystal, head coach of the University of Regina Rams, agrees student athletes are equally accountable at the collegiate level.
“It’s a two edged sword. Being part of [the Rams] opens and closes doors for you. If you’re gonna be a star …with that comes responsibility. You can’t pick and choose what [will be said] about you; you have to go about your business and work toward success on the playing field and off.” Dylan Coffey is in his red shirt season with the U of R Men’s Volleyball team. He says the three Riders “should have been benched” for their game on Sep. 14 against the visiting Toronto Argonauts, “assuming [the team]
has some kind of policy about behaviour outside of the team.” As a student athlete, Coffey recognizes he’s an ambassador for his team and the U of R. “Wearing the Cougar logo, I think people really look up to you. When you’re outside the team, you need to represent the team well in whatever you do.” If he was reprimanded for offfield misconduct, he’d view it as “letting down [his] teammates.” He says, “Everyone relies on each other to represent the team and the school. I would feel disappointed in myself for letting the team down, the school down, and coaches down.” As for the Roughriders, the team adopted a code of conduct in March of 2007; it’s available on the Riderville website. The code applies to all “Club Personnel,” covering CFL events and all other events “taking place in any public place.” When a player is found to have breached the code, the football club determines what action should be taken. “Action in this regard may include a direction regarding counselling or other remedial action, a reprimand or a suspension or termination of employment.”
a&c
A&C Editor: Robyn Tocker aandc@carillonregina.com the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
Fleshies...beware The dead walked among us
Haley Klassen
The undead horde invaded Regina’s downtown on Sunday.
allan hall distribution manager If you were in downtown Regina on Sep. 22, chances are you saw more than 150 people shambling around the city dressed up as the undead for the 6th Annual Regina Zombie Walk. For those of you that don’t know, a Zombie Walk is really unique event where like-minded zombie enthusiasts congregate together and walk around the city. The first officially recognized Zombie Walk happened in October of 2003 in Toronto that featured six zombies. In the mid to late 2000s, there was an exponential growth in the number of Zombie Walks throughout North America due to the increasing of popularity of zombies in mainstream popular culture. Cassie Ozog, a former graduate student at the University of Regina who completed her master’s research about zombies in popular culture, believes that the rise of the popularity of zombies is related to society’s fears about our current global environment. “I think that zombies and what they represent is a total destruction of society. So in this weird way, we tend to go and escape into things that are almost so ridiculous because it becomes a little bit easier to explore those ideas than just picking up the newspaper and reading about all of the things that are going on. ... Zombies rise in popularity at this time when we have all these competing fears and things happening in society, and now they have kind of stuck around because people love them.” A majority of Zombie Walks
throughout Canada have a charitable component to them. It is quite often that they are tied into a charitable cause that is related to food insecurity, which is very strangely appropriate. The Regina
Walk raised over 3,330 pounds worth of non-perishable food items for the food bank and it’s expected that this year’s Zombie Walk will exceed that. “Well, first and foremost, I re-
it’s also a really fun time and a good excuse to dress up like a zombie,” says Bianca Hatin, a zombie enthusiast that’s been participating in the Regina Zombie Walk since its inception in 2008.
Haley Klassen
The dedication of some of the undead in the Queen City is astounding. Zombie Walk partners with the Regina Food Bank for its event. The Zombie Walk is one of the largest food drives that happens in the city. Last year’s Zombie
ally appreciate that they are giving donations to the food bank. I think that is really important and that this is a really creative way to go about doing so. And, of course,
The event also attracts a sizeable crowd of spectators and photographers. While many are initially confused about the event, their looks of confusion quickly
“ I think that zombies and what they represent is a total destruction of society. So in this weird way we tend to go and escape into things that are almost so ridiculous because it becomes a little bit easier to explore those ideas than just picking up the newspaper and reading about all of the things that are going on.” Cassie Ozog
turn into smiles as they take pictures with their phones and cameras. “I love to watch the Zombie Walk in Regina. I don’t dress up or anything. I like to go sit and just watch all the zombies come towards you. And as much as you know that it’s fake there’s a little movement where it’s kind of scary. That’s what makes it fun,” says Ozog who regularly watches the Zombie Walk. The zombie culture is incredibly active in the Regina region and the Regina Zombie Walk isn’t the only event where zombies congregate. In May, Fort Qu'Appelle hosted the first Zombie Prep Camp, a zombie themed survival camp that taught its participants basic survival skills. On Sep. 28, the Regina Queen City Kinsmen will be hosting the Zombie Obstacle Challenge. This is an event that combines a 5 km long distance race with zombies and obstacles. Last year, Moose Jaw held its own Zombie Walk for the first time. “I think that the community is fantastic. There has always been a strong community here. I’ve talked to filmmakers and they’ve said that Regina’s always been a hotbed of zombie activity. I think that events like the Zombie Walk prove that there is a market for that type of thing and I think that it’s awesome that we have things like the [Zombie] Prep Camp and the [Zombie Obstacle Course] to continue to raise awareness and to get people involved and really excited,” says Ryan Holota, the organizer of the Regina Zombie Walk.
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the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
a&c
Slapstick stigmas in music DJs aren’t just for weddings anymore, especially in Regina lauren neumann contributor On Sep. 21, Victoria Plaza was flooded with music lovers of all ages who wanted to spend their Saturday being a part of Regina’s very first Friends Festival. This new-born festival featured DJs from across Saskatchewan uniting downtown. It gave Regina a dance music experience that it’s never experienced before. “People think DJs are some guy at weddings that sits there and you tell them what song to play,” said Danny Elder, the main player in creating Friends Festival. “We want to show people that it takes talent and hard work.” Elder has been heavily involved in the music and event planning in Regina for many years. He is a DJ himself, and organizes the consistently popular Summer Invasion. Only one month ago, Elder and the manager of The Hookah Lounge, Ferhat Saglam, fused their knowledge in event planning and music culture and came up with the concept of a free, outdoor, cultural experience that would get Regina’s growing DJ scene out of the clubs and into the public’s ears. House music, trap, EDM, dubstep, and all their sub-genres typically get a bad reputation in music with being associated to
Spencer Reid
There’s always a party when a DJ is around raves, hallucinogens, and bikiniclad girls with furry boots. Because of this perception of DJs, Elder was unsure if Regina would accept a DJ-only festival. Some sponsors and potential sponsors
weren’t very receptive to the idea of the festival, but those who were pulled out all the stops to make the festival a reality in such a short amount of time. “A lot of sponsors really stuck
their necks out to make this happen,” said Elder. “With such little time, they came on board with nothing to go off of but our idea. They stepped up and believed in us.”
“ We want to show people that it takes talent and hard work.”
The case was similar with the DJs that agreed to perform. The entire lineup was made up of DJs that traveled from across Saskatchewan to play at Friends. Saskatoon-based DJs Chris Cole and The Gaff came out as well as Regina’s own Ageless and DJ Noor. The Hookah Lounge, the Queen City’s current powerhouse for EDM, house music, hip-hop, and what have you, has hosted almost all of the DJs in the lineup in past years and all of them were willing to expand from the lounge and open to taking part in a free, outdoor festival. Friends Festival’s goal was for people to shake the genre’s stereotype and focus on the positives of DJ culture. As Elder puts it, “It’s just about the music.” When electronic, trap, hip hop, and house are all growing increasingly popular world-wide, Regina needed a heavy dose of it to expose the city to a new-wave of music that could grow to create an active scene in the city that is ready to host future shows and big-name artists. Being an event run completely based off a few people’s belief in a music genre, the little Friends Festival that could, did.
Danny Elder
Regina’s Hogwarts
Who needs the UK when we’ve got Connaught? destiny kaus a&c writer The Save Our Connaught Heritage committee lobbies to keep Connaught School alive. “This is Regina’s Hogwarts,” states Rene Dumont: former chairperson for the Regina community council and active member of the Save Our Connaught Heritage committee. Located at the corner of Elphinstone Street and 13th Avenue, Connaught holds prime real estate in Regina’s Cathedral Village neighborhood. Connaught’s Stage One Submission Document, which talks about Connaught’s historical value and construction costs, states that “the heritage value of Connaught School lies in its connection with the development of education in Regina, its architect, and its architectural style.” This Stage One Submission Document goes on to explain how Connaught is the oldest school in Regina that is still being used for its original purpose: to provide students with a place to learn. James Henry Puntin, the original architect, hailed from England but immigrated to Canada in 1904. He built Connaught in 1912 in a Gothic style, which mirrors many of the school structures in England. Rene Dumont simply states the position of the Save Our Connaught Heritage committee:
Emily Wright
Where my Slytherins at?
“[The Board of Education and the Ministry of Education] want to replace the building. [The Save Our Connaught Heritage committee] want to keep the building.” He explains how replacing this monument with a modern school building will disrupt the eclectic vibe of the surrounding community. Dumont expands on the multiple discrepancies he encountered while serving on the community council. “I’ve been on the council for 12 years and they never ever mentioned anything [about structural issues].” About a year and a half ago, the facilities team at Connaught
mentioned they were concerned about the school, particularly its foundation. Last April, Dumont and his committee met with the facilities team and asked them to point out these specific issues. However, they refused. “Show us where it’s falling apart!” Dumont exclaimed, later stating that “they didn’t want to show us.” Dumont lobbied for plans to restore the school while still keeping its heritage. “We wanted to replace the really fancy front porch, maybe put original windows back in.” Thus, the community council submitted a document to the
Provincial Auditor, asking for further investigation on the building in hopes to save it. When the council received a response to this document, Dumont discovered a host of errors. “There were actually math errors in their numbers.” Dumont explains how in an estimate, the architectural firm in charge added 20 per cent for contingency fees to the 10 per cent for unforeseen costs. Firms are only supposed to add 10 per cent for unforeseen costs and not include percentage amounts for contingency fees. “You’d think a professional architecture firm would have someone with a calculator.” When Dumont and his team asked the Ministry of Education how much it would cost to rebuild the school and how much it would cost to replace the school, they received these numbers: $23 million to rebuild the school and $18.8 million to replace it. Contrary to these numbers, Saskatoon rallied to save their “castle schools” and estimated they could do it with a cost of $6 million to $9 million. Dumont said “If Saskatoon can do it, why can’t we?” Though Save Our Connaught met all throughout the summer and continues to meet, they keep running into legal issues. “We met with lawyers over the summer about our right to have heritage properties.” However, ownership of a her-
itage property can only happen if the owner requests it. In this case, the school board owns Connaught and is not willing to relinquish control. Leslie Charleton, the local business owner of Groovy Mama and mother to two Connaught students, has heard both sides concerning this issue. “Some want a new building and a lot want to keep the heritage at the old school. But the biggest dissenting voice I hear is the worry about an open concept school, of it being like a clangy, loud shopping mall. In a neighborhood like this, with such a diverse neighborhood, some kids do have other needs where they might need a little bit more attention. How do you do that in a huge classroom size?” Rene Dumont also mentions that “If you talk to teachers, they don’t want anything to do with [the open concept approach].” A decision upon Connaught School has not yet been reached. The Save Our Connaught Heritage Committee continues to work with Heritage Regina, Heritage Saskatchewan, and Heritage Canada to try to gain support.
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
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Don’t judge a book by its movie And vice versa rosa laverdiere contributor Many of the new Hollywood blockbusters based on books need to be looked at more closely. These movies tend to be based on a book and are not an adapted version of the book. However, there are movies that have been made with the intention of being an adaptation of the book, but have failed to accomplish this. As a result, the novels can be viewed as unpleasant. So why do most of these movies fail in comparison to the book? This question has a simple answer. When we read, we get to use our imagination; we create a film within our heads, and books give us more knowledge of the story than can be adapted into a two-hour movie. Directors tend to be a main, but not the only, reason behind novels turning into awful movies. Some directors go the distance and make a good movie for the fans of the book series, like The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series. Some movies are brilliant adaptations of the novel that they are based on. Perks of Being a Wallflower is one such movie as the screenplay writer, the director, and the author is the same person, Stephen Chbosky. In this case the film is rather close to the
impawards.com
Well, at least Peter Jackson had some respect for his properties...
story. However, there is a side story for Candace, the main character’s sister, which was partially filmed but not included due to time constraints. Also, it did not make sense within the film. Hollywood seems to be running out of original ideas, given the amount of movies based on novels, remakes, and comics. Warm Bodies was released within the past year and was a huge success, both as a novel and a film. The manuscript for the novel was optioned as a film before the novel was released in 2010. After reading the novel, one can see there
are differences between it and the film. In the novel, the humans live in a stadium whereas the film depicts them living near one. Warm Bodies also has a bit of a side story within the novel creating more of a zombie world. He becomes “married” to another zombie and has “children” as well. When Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief was released, there was disappointment by those who had read Rick Riordan’s novel. The movie was nothing like it. Annabeth, the main female character, was not blonde as the book described but instead a brunette.
In general, the story was different. Some people thought that this could not be fixed, however the sequel fixes most of the errors that they made in the first film by staying close to the second novel’s plot. Disney also has turned novels into movies, such as Avalon High. The novel by Meg Cabot is the same story but with characters in different roles. Will is the reincarnation of Arthur where in the movie he is not. The Princess Diaries is also based on a book series by Cabot. The best part about this novel se-
ries is that Cabot makes fun of the fact that the movies are different than the books. Within the novel we find out that her father is not dead, like the movie portrays him. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to films being based on novels. There are some authors that have novels that would be brilliant movies, if made by the right screenwriter and directors. Lurlene McDaniel is one who has seventy novels that could be made and would be similar to Nickolas Sparks’ films. Specifically there is a novel titled How Do I Love Thee which includes a story about a girl with xeroderma pigmentosum, a genetic disorder where the body can’t properly heal damage caused by ultraviolet rays. These films, if done adequately, could be better than Sparks’s. The Pendragon series by D. J. MacHale is another that could be brilliant as a film, however it would probably be better suited for a TV series. The Nine Lives of Chloe King by Liz Braswell has a beautifully written screenplay, available online to read, however this will probably not be made into a film anytime soon. In short, no one is perfect, especially those in the film industry, but it could always be worse.
How about those stereotypes, eh? The Last Resort gives us a reason to laugh at ourselves destiny kaus a&c writer From Sep. 18 to Oct. 6, the Globe Theatre presents the musical The Last Resort. This musical murder mystery originates from the book by Norm Foster and features music and lyrics by Leslie Arden, one of Canada’s most talented musical theatre writers. “It’s a murder mystery, so I can only tell you so much, but it’s a really fun mix of genres. It’s a musical theatre piece but it’s also a murder mystery and it’s also a Canadian farce so it’s just a riot,” declares The Last Resort’s director Max Reimer. Reimer gives credit to Leslie Arden’s compositions as one of the main draws to The Last Resort. “The music is really terrific. It’s Leslie Arden. It’s Canadian music. It’s really fun.” The Last Resort is set in Northern Saskatchewan and takes place in a lodge bordering a lake. Antlers, a moose head, booze, an old piano, rustic furniture, and a broken elevator shaft fill the setting onstage. This musical also includes many satiric, stereotypical aspects of Saskatchewan life. Laughing, Reimer says, “well it’s all done as it’s supposedly from the American perspective because it’s actually a couple of
Sharpshooter Photography
With apologies to the Gateway: pure class since 1962.
Americans hiding out and they’ve come to this remote lodge on purpose to make sure they can disappear. But, no place is completely remote. There’s always something going on so they fall into all these other story lines that are going on in Saskatchewan, so they’re exposed to life in Saskatchewan.” One of the characters, Freda Heitz, continuously introduces herself by her name, which sounds like “Afraid of Heights.” This adds an extra comedic touch
to the show and sprouts the irony that, in Saskatchewan, how can one be afraid of heights when the terrain is completely flat? Act I introduces all the characters as they arrive at the lodge and meet each other, while Act II focuses on the murder mystery, which takes place during Brazilian night at the lodge. Director Max Reimer loves this part of the play. “In Act II they’re in these bizarre costumes. That’s because
all the murders take place while they’re in these Brazilian costumes. So, the fun of it, too, is the police inspector walks into the situation and, oddly, everybody is dressed in these bizarre costumes.” Actor Cailyn Stadnyk, who plays the role of FBI agent Angela Miller, explains how she struggled to hide her chuckles in the beginning stages of rehearsals. “I was a little bit nervous for a couple of weeks while we were in
rehearsals because most of us weren’t even able to make it through a run without laughing. And, in fact, the other night when we had our first tech dress where we were here on the stage with costumes and stuff for the first time I had a laughing fit so hard that I had tears streaming down my face.” Stadnyk reveals her previous acting experiences in Globe Theatre productions, which include Anne of Green Gables and Honk. Since she grew up in Regina, she fell in love with the script of The Last Resort. “When I started reading the show I was laughing out loud from the first page because of the Saskatchewan references.” Stadnyk believes that the comedy of this musical is not offensive in the least. “I wasn’t offended at all! I just laughed the whole time so I think that most people should be laughing. If they’re not, they mustn’t have a funny bone.” From the comedy, quirky characters, uproarious Saskatchewan references, and stunning music and vocals, audience members are bound to sit at the edge of their seats. The Last Resort causes heartbeats to rise and fall along with the flowing crescendos and decrescendos of every musical arrangement.
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
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Dust off those cobwebs! Art is getting a second chance with a new event robyn tocker a&c editor Grandmothers are the staple of a community in any country. In Canada, the organization “Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers” works with the Stephan Lewis Foundation to support grandmothers in Sub-Saharan Africa who are raising their grandchildren on their own. One of the newest projects G4G is working on is “Art from the Attic”, an art sale where work that has been stored over the years will be sold from anywhere from $5 to $500. Over the past six months, the group has solicited a variety of pieces they plan to sell on Saturday, Sep. 28, 2013 at the Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre, 2900 13th Avenue. The chair of the event, Susan Whittick, said they are accepting art that either isn’t able to be hung anymore, has been in storage for some time, or art that no longer suits a person’s taste. There are hundreds of pieces available for sale, including originals, numbered prints, reproductions and posters, and covering a wide variety of styles including abstracts, landscapes, photography, and wildlife art. “It’s a nice way to bring life to art that's not currently being enjoyed.” Whittick and her group got the idea to do the sale from a
Stephan Lewis Foundation
Families like these are greatly aided by the support of G4G. group in British Columbia who also put on the same event. The real reason behind all this effort is, of course, to support grandmothers in Sub-Saharan Africa who have taken on the burden of raising anywhere from 1015 grandchildren. Because of the HIV/AIDS devastation, a whole generation was wiped out, leaving no one to raise the orphans except the grandparents. Stephen Lewis, the man responsible for organizing his foundation and getting the funds to the grandmothers, saw there was a need to support the women in
the early 2000s when he first visited Lewis went to Sub- Saharan Africa as an UN Envoy for AIDS. He could see the grandmothers were a lynch pin in the community and if they could be supported, then the orphans and their communities could survive. The way the process works is quite simple. The grassroots organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa draw up proposals for why they need a certain amount of money, usually to provide health care, food, education and housing for their grandchildren. The Stephan
Lewis Foundation accepts these proposals from local communities, usually 100-200 a month, and decides which ones they will fund. The Foundation employs field workers who visit the location regularly to make sure the money is accounted for and used the way it was meant to be. “These women are working so hard and are so creative and ingenious with the funds they receive. Since they've had to care for their grandchildren the women have become activists in their communities for children's and women's rights. They just want
enough to get their grandchildren educated, support themselves, and be cared for if they need treatment.” “Art from the Attic” is not the only event G4G puts on during the year. Next month they are having their sixth annual Scrabble tournament. In May, the group will hold a fundraising dinner where a speaker from Africa, or the Foundation, or someone involved in international development will attend. In between these events, G4G sells merchandise, toys/puppets from Kenya, fabric items from Malawi and Zambia and jewelry from Sierra Leone. The women make a lot of things themselves that are sold at farmer's markets and craft shows. “We’ve been going for about seven years and have raised $350,000. We started very small but have gotten more efficient/ambitious over time.” Not just grandmothers belong to the group. G4G is not a registered charity, but have sponsors who support their work. The group is made up of 100 women who work hard to provide for those in need. “Art from the Attic” will give people in Regina the opportunity to bring art to life again. As Whittick said, “Art isn't art if it's being kept in a closet.”
Remembering the good stuff A Review of Rise Against’s new CD liam fitz-gerald contributor Next summer, Rise Against will celebrate fifteen years together as a band. The Chicago group, composed of singer Tim McIlrath, drummer Brandon Barnes, guitarist Zach Blair and bassist Joe Principe, has stated that a new record is coming in 2014. Until then, they've released this wonderful collection of B-sides to whet our appetites. This record consists of two types of songs: B-sides and cover songs. The songs cover the band’s fourteen-year period, ranging from the punkier The Unravelling epoch in 1999 to the more alternative rock/hardcore punk influenced Endgame album released in 2011. As Rise Against has had many guitar players since 1999, the listener will hear the different guitarists and their styles. Older fans will hear tracks featuring former guitarists Mr. Precision and Chris Chasse. In a sense, this record serves as a "marathon" of the band’s different styles and eras, right before a new release. The album opens with the thunderous "Historia Calamitatum." This action-packed song sets the tone for the album and it does not disappoint. It is a B-side from the 2008 album Appeal to Reason released in 2008, when
www.blogspot.com
These guys are playing some pretty sick tunes.
the United States entered into the worst recession since the Great Depression. This song captures the spirit of the album in sound. Lyrically and thematically, it is a little different. While Appeal to Reason seemed to emphasize a call to action against coming ecological and political disaster, the song has a bit of a hopeful twang to it. Despite its gloominess, it also emphasizes that individuals and communities can rise above disasters thrown at them.
Long-time fans of the band will recognize alternate versions of old favorites like "Give It All," and "Ever-changing." Other Bsides that stand out include "Lanterns" from Endgame, and several songs released on various Fat Wreck Chords compilations like "Generation Lost," and "Join the Ranks." There is something from the B-side collection to satisfy fans from every era of Rise Against's history. The covers on the album are
great as well. However, long time Nirvana fans may have to get used to McIlrath's take on "Silver" which doesn't quite fit his voice like it did Kurt Cobain's. It grows on you though. Punk and Hardcore fans will appreciate covers of Sick of It All's "Built to Last," Face to Face's "Blind" and Minor Threat's "Minor Threat." However, the band steps outside their comfort zones and tackle many types of songs. Their take on "Making Christmas" from the movie the
Nightmare Before Christmas is nostalgic in two ways--mid 2000's Rise Against and Tim Burton's iconic film. It doesn't get much better than that. Covers also include songs from Bruce Springsteen, Journey and the theme song from the TV show Weeds. Yet, the best cover they do is of Bob Dylan's "Ballad of Hollis Brown." When Bob Dylan wrote it in the 1960s, it was an era of civil disobedience, protest and fights for greater civic rights. For a political band like Rise Against, the song is certainly appropriate, as is their punk approach mixed with the folk spirit that Dylan inspired. Is this album worth purchasing? The answer is a clear and resounding yes. Rise Against is a band that gets better with age. Rise Against is not afraid to step outside comfort zones and try new things, something many punk bands —maybe in fear of being labeled "sellouts" —should try. The listener should hear this record as a chance to hear the evolution of a band, from beginning to end.
sports
Sports Editor: Autumn McDowell sports@carillonregina.com the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
ROUNDTABLE
Arthur Ward
Pretty Sweet-ing hit.
taylor sockett, brady lang, paige kreutzwieser, autumn mcdowell CSRAT
Which U of R team do you think is the dark horse to accomplish big things this year?
Sockett: Clearly the Carillon Sports Roundtable Answering Team, or as I have dubbed us: CSRAT. This rag tag group of misfits is poised to do great things this season. Sporting a nearly nonexistent payroll – really, I’m not getting paid for this shit? Cough cough, this team is getting them most bang for their buck. Lang: I think that the women’s hockey team will be a very good team in 2013-14. After a loss in the Canada West Semis last season the team should do great things this year.
Kreutzwieser: A new QB who is about to experience some of the most terrible playing conditions that would cause any Hawaiian to grab their ukulele and run – bar Chad Owens – sounds like a great application for the dark horse position. My choice is Rams. McDowell: After losing a ridiculous amount of players to graduation, no one is expecting very much out of the Rams this year. And while they aren’t off to the best start, I think the Rams could shock everyone and make the playoffs. I saw the team walking down the hallway the other day – aka only Kolton Solomon – and he looked as cool as ever. We should be in good shape. What kind of a role do you think Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Geroy Simon will have down the stretch?
Sockett: Geroy brings that all-important x-factor to the Riders. Of course, I’m talking about great posing. Anyone can score a touchdown but to do it looking good truly shows what a great athlete he is. I’m a huge fan of Simon. Always have been. The biggest thing he brings to the Riders is old man strength, something the team has lacked since the retiring of Gene Makowsky. Lang: Geroy should have a big-
ger role this season, but as long as he’s on the field the defence has to adjust because he’s such a major offensive weapon. The potential this offense has is scary. Kreutzwieser: Look at the 26-yard one-handed Argo sandwich catch last week. That is all the proof I need. But, because I hate having to eat my words later I will note that three more games against his former team could tell a different story.
McDowell: I would hope to God he has a bigger role than he has right now. Currently, he has a quota of one, max two, catches a game. But when you have the most sure-handed receiver at your disposal, you better damn well make good use of him.
The Regina Pats dropped their first game of the season by a score of 7-2 to the Swift Current Broncos Friday night. Is this a sign of bad things to come?
Sockett: Yes, the Pats taking to the ice, period is the sign of a bad thing. That’s what happens when you have arguably the dumbest owner, in the history of people owning things. Lang: I was unfortunately there for the game Friday and the Pats looked flat and they looked mismatched against the Broncos. I think we’re into another rough year for the Pats.
Kreutzwieser: Awh Pats, I just don’t know if this is your year, but there is something to be proud of! I’ve been keeping up with both you and MJ’s beloved Warriors. So although you’re clearly having issues between the pipes, we can all be happy I even knew to say that. McDowell: Say it ain’t so. I was really hoping the Pats would get back to the playoffs this year. But with a question mark still in the crease, and questionable decisions such as reassigning former
Subway Super Series member Trent Ouellette to Junior A, I have my doubts.
The Regina Thunder are currently the No. 1-ranked team in the country. Do you think the team will be national champions this season?
Sockett: Wow, sports editor McDeezy it’s a little early to be throwing that out there. Being just over halfway through the season there is still a lot of football left to be played, and anything can happen. It would be great to see the Thunder win it all but I have my doubts, there are a lot of really good Junior football teams across the country.
Lang: The team has the potential yet they will have to get by their rivals, the Saskatoon Hilltops, to become national champions. Anything can happen and as we know, football is unpredictable. Kreutzwieser: They seem so
adorable – they all (coaches and players) sound completely surprised with where the team is standing so far this season. And we can all agree adorable teams deserve championships, right? Never mind, winning teams are usually pretty cutthroat. Stop being so damn adorable Thunder.
McDowell: Well, anyone who’s anyone knows that these boys still have a lot of football left to play, and I’m not confident that they will be at the top in a couple of months. There are plenty of outstanding junior football teams in the country, including the Vancouver Island Raiders and Saskatoon Hilltops that have ample experience at the top of the standings. Maybe Regina will finally be ranked No. 1 at something other than crime rate. The Canadian LFL season has been postponed to 2014. What do you think about this and do you really care?
Sockett: If women want to run around in their underwear and hit each other they should be able too. We live in a progressive society, who is the LFL to tell these young women that they can’t live their lifelong dream of playing football half naked?
Lang: I’m sure former Rider – and Regina Rage Head Coach – and I are the two most disappointed people in Saskatchewan right now. It sucks! I watched two games last year and loved it! I went for the ladies and stayed for the football. Kreutzwieser: I heard it’s because the girls were out of shape. So that’s unfortunate? But if you listen closely there is a silent snicker of girls around the country who secretly wanted to see this happen. I also heard Kalteen Bar sales went through the roof last month. You go Glen Coco!
McDowell: First of all, was everyone else aware that the Lingerie Football League changed its name to the Legends Football League? What have they remotely done to be able to call themselves legends? Oh, wait. How could I forget that playing from the 35-yard line is legend – wait for it – dary.
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
12 sports
Limitless Wheelchair basketball is more than a sport autumn mcdowell sports editor For some, it can pose as an ultimate equalizer, for others, it provides the freedom to compete and gain self-confidence, but wheelchair basketball could be most known for its ability to continuously push an athletes limits. the Canadian Since Wheelchair Basketball Association was formed in 1994, it has thrived on athletes inclusively. Although often misunderstood as a sport which is purely for people with disabilities, wheelchair basketball is able to blend competition for all athletes, be they disabled or ablebodied. For Steve Sampson, assistant coach of the U23 National team, wheelchair basketball was the same sport that he had loved during his university career and throughout his entire life, but with new challenges. After seeing his first live game in Beijing during the 2008 Paralympics, Sampson was instantly hooked. “When I returned to Canada, I met up with a local club and started playing with them,” he said. “Overcoming those challenges is something I really enjoyed – actually, I continue to enjoy. Controlling and moving the chair efficiently is the obvious challenge, but also, some of the tactics and approach are different then the able bodied game. I loved the new challenges of the sport, and wanted to work myself up to a similarly high level that I was at in the able-bodied game.” For anyone that participates in the game, Sampson admits that wheelchair basketball can have a powerful impact on both the physical and mental state of the athlete. “In our sport in particular, one thing I find almost amusing, is when some of these kids – who can have some pretty sever physical disabilities – get into their sport chair,” Sampson said. “Once in the sports chair, the kids turn into incredibly graceful and efficient, almost balletic, basketball athletes. This grace and efficiency, leads to what I think the greatest benefit of sport, which to my way of thinking is the self-confidence that is instilled in the participants.” “Confidence in their own physical and mental abilities. Confidence that the rest of the team is there for them. Confidence that the preparation and practice will serve them well. Confidence that they are good at their sport, and odds are they will defeat you.” For Regina native and avid wheelchair basketball athlete Nikola Goncin, he knows first hand the dramatic effect the game can have on its athletes. Since trying the game during a demonstration in gym class back in 2008, after recently having his leg amputated, Goncin found himself instantly passionate about the game, which allowed him to have a competitive outlet once again. “I could write a book on the opportunities and impact wheelchair basketball has had on my life,” said Goncin, who competed as a member of Sampson’s U23 squad. “It has opened so many
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doors in my life, giving me the chance to do things I never even dreamt of.” One door that the sport opened for both Sampson and Goncin was the chance to travel to Turkey from Sep. 7-14 and compete in the 2013 World Junior Championships. Although the team may not have come back with a gold medal around their neck, the experience they had competing overseas was unforgettable. “Turkey was a fantastic experience for us on and off the court,” Sampson said. “Our athletes gave a tremendous effort. They gained some incredible experience, which will serve them well in future years as they hopefully continue to work, and one day earning a spot on the senior team/Paralympic team.” Although this wasn’t his first time competition on such a large stage, Goncin could not have asked for a better experience. “My experience in Turkey was fantastic,” said Goncin, who made his debut with Team Canada in 2009. “I have been to a World Championship before and I feel this one was much better organized and the complex we played in was spectacular. We have had very little junior development in Canada for the past couple years but I can confidently say that the future looks bright. “My teammates were great. Even though we didn’t achieve the desired result, the team grew an enormous amount through the course of the competition. With a few more friendly bounces, we easily could have been playing for a medal. Turkey was beautiful, the people were friendly and it definitely sits among one of the best tournaments I have ever attended.” While its international presence continues to grow, Goncin believes that locally, the sport could always use more exposure. “The presence of wheelchair basketball in Regina is underwhelming,” Goncin said, who was a student at the University of Regina before transferring to the University of Illinois. “The city is not huge in size but there are many athletes that do play the
That guy’s about to go ass over tea kettle.
game. It seems as though tons of people have heard about it but never really had a chance to try it out or watch it live. It’s not just an issue in Regina but Canada wide.
In my opinion it should be much more accessible for everyone to experience.” Whether someone is able to experience the sport for them-
selves, or watch from the sidelines, Sampson recommends that everyone should make an effort to become more involved with wheelchair basketball. “Within Canada, our sport allows for both able-bodied and disabled players to play together,” Sampson said. “Odds are there is a club near you. Seek them out and give it a try.” As for Goncin, his ability to persevere through any challenge that comes his way is evident, and his desire for strong competition does not appear to be going away any time soon. “The athletes I play with and against go to war when on the court and do not expect any less from their competition,” Goncin said. “I would have never experienced sport to this extent had I not lost my leg years ago. I live for competition and excitement and wheelchair basketball has all of those qualities and more.” And while his athletic career will surely continue to flourish, Goncin has just one message, which he would like people to know about the sport and people with disabilities in general. “You are truly only as limited as you make yourself, wheelchair bound or not.”
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
sports 13
The boys of fall fell again Thunderbirds rushing game proved just too much for Rams defence paige kreutzwieser staff writer The last day of the 2013 summer proved to be most sad for the University of Regina football team. Not because they realized hand warmers will likely become an essential part of their uniform, but instead because the Rams once again fell short of a comeback this season. The culprit this time around: tackling. “We didn’t defend the run and ultimately that’s what did us in,” admitted head coach Frank McCrystal after the 27-37 loss to the now 2-2 UBC Thunderbirds. The Rams (1-3) now sit one spot above the last place U of A Golden Bears in the Canada West division. Despite the standing, rookie quarterback Cayman Shutter is convinced otherwise. “We’re a good team,” he said. “I think we have a good chance of saving the season but it’s going to have to be a complete team effort.” But there was one man who proved to be too much for the home team. Third-year running back No.33 Brandon Deschamps for the Thunderbirds rushed 35 times for a total of 230 yards. The Rams had only five rushing plays for 16 yards. Rams’ standout and last week’s Canada West Defensive Player of the Week, Michael
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Stefanovic, led both teams with 13 total tackles. But McCrystal might have understood what type of force Deschamps was a little bit more than his players did. “We didn’t tackle 33. And 33 is a real big problem,” he said. The story of the first half was all about exchanging field goals. And although the Rams offense wasn’t able to touch the end zone, their defence did only allow one UBC touchdown either. Things were looking up when the Rams were able to claim the only points scored in the third Sick catch, bro.
quarter. Within the first seven minutes of the second half Regina took the lead with two Shutter-Buch touchdown connections. The first came from an 87-yard drive, which was topped off with a 31-yard pass to fourth-year slotback Landon Buch, leaving Regina only trailing by three points. The next Rams drive was a 27yard pass to fourth-year slotback Jared Janotta, who led the team with 121 receiving yards. This prompted the second Buch touch-
down, this time for 59 yards. “It played out as you would want it to play out,” stated McCrystal. “But you got to defend the run, that’s it.” Deschamps-dominated A drive just after two minutes into the last quarter let UBC retrieve the stolen lead with the first of two Deschamps rushes into the end zone in the fourth. But with just over five minutes left in the game, the Rams were given new light. An 80-yard drive, capped off with Shutter finding Janotta for an easy run
into the end zone tied the game 27-27. But that would be where Regina’s points would retire. A huge punt return by UBC’s Alex Morrison and another Deschamps touchdown would be the final nail in the coffin. Although the CIS’ leading quarterback – with an average of 416.5 passing yards per game – was able to pull out 459 passing yards for the Rams, UBC managed to still hand Regina their third loss of the season. “I think everybody’s at that point where they’re asking what else do we need to do,” said Shutter after the game. While fans may feel that external elements are to blame for the teams less than pleasant record, Shutter feels the team’s struggles are coming internally. “Our team has always inflicted our own problems. We’ve stopped ourselves, we’ve had bad penalties, we’ve committed mistakes that only just shoot us in the foot. “That’s kind of been the story of our team this far,” admitted the last week’s Canada West Offensive Player of the Week. “We’ve just got to find that little extra spark; it’s going to be something small, a bunch of small things that add up.” The team travels to Winnipeg on the weekend to take on the Manitoba Bison (2-2) this Saturday.
Shine bright like a diamond Introducing the newest women’s hockey star brady lang sports writer Bailey Braden is one of seven firstyear Cougars on the women’s hockey team that is ready to make an immediate impact with the club. Braden played four years of hockey with the Midget AAA Melville Fox FM Prairie Fire – two as captain – and she believes the experience she gained from the team will really benefit her for this season and beyond. “The league is very competitive. It develops good players and brings in a lot of high-level players accompanied by strong coaches with good systems,” says the product of Ituna, Saskatchewan. “They push you very hard. We travelled a lot and saw a lot of different teams.” The nursing student led her team in points two seasons ago and ended up with 29 points in 28 games last season. It’s no secret Braden has a nose for the net and will be a young leader on the tough Cougars women’s team this season. “I hope to be a plus player and my goal is to score seven goals. I hope to throw in a few assists as well,” Braden said. And while the adjustment to the CIS has been tough on the young forward, she is catching on quickly. “It’s a pretty big adjustment,
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I will learn to stop this year. learning new systems compared to playing midget AAA. It’s a lot faster paced and a lot tougher,” Braden said. “You have to focus on your battles and focus on the implemented systems.”
Braden said her only problem for the upcoming year may be balancing her heavy class load as well as maintaining a high level in hockey. Like every first-year university student, there will be a lot
“ We are a very strong team, we’ve got lots of big girls. I believe we will be a very strong team and very tough to compete against.” Bailey Braden
of adjusting for the 18-year-old, but a successful hockey season should be in the cards for Braden. The club is coming off of a 199-3 record in 2012-13, and the Cougars look to build off of last season’s success. A loss in the Canada West Semi-finals last year looks like a building block for years to come, as the squad has 17 players with two or more years of experience and 11 going into their 3rd, 4th, and 5th years. The team will once again be shooting for Nationals and Braden expects the team to be
very tough to play against. “We are a very strong team, we’ve got lots of big girls,” Braden said. “I believe we will be a very strong team and very tough to compete against.” The team kicked off their season last weekend at the Co-operators Centre, this weekend at the Mandi Schwartz Challenge dropping two of three. The Cougars kicked off the tournament with a 5-0 win over MacEwan University followed by a 1-0 loss to the University of Saskatchewan and a 5-3 defeat to the hands of Team Sask’s Under 18 team. Braden netted two goals for the Cougars – good for second on the team. The regular season kicks off on Oct. 4, as the Cougars are on the road for two games in Calgary. The home opener for the club is on Oct.18 against UBC, the same team that defeated the girls in the Canada West Semis last year. Braden will definitely be a player to watch as the season progresses. The rookie looked very good, and fit in well in the three games this weekend and if the first few games are any indication, Braden will be a main faucet in the Cougars offense in 2013-14.
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
14 sports
You’re not gonna play in the big leagues Athletes learn the devastating truth brady lang sports writer Remember when you were a kid and you dreamed of playing in one of the big four professional leagues? Or all of them, like a modern-day Bo Jackson? Sorry, that isn’t and wasn’t ever going to happen. I know I may be bursting the bubble that you have been comfortably living in, but the statistics speak for themselves – as does the common sense answer to the question. The NCAA recently did a study based on 854,200 U.S. High School students and the percentages of athletes that make it pro were insane. 99.883 per cent of these students made it pro, which means 117 out of 100,000 athletes actually went somewhere. Unless you’re part of the 0.117 per cent, I’m sorry, you’re not going to the majors, the NFL, or even the ‘chell. But then again, why do we even dream of playing professional sports? Is it in the hope that we could become one of the alltime greats? U of R first-year student Caleb Wagner thinks so. “I’ve wanted to play in the NHL for years, it’s obviously been a dream of mine. I’ve always wanted to play with men like
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The Carillon: Crushing athletic dreams since 1962.
Saku Koivu and Patrick Roy,” said Wagner, who has played hockey his whole life, 2013-14 being his first dormant season since he was a child. “I know I wasn’t lucky enough to have the talents you need in order to play in the NHL or even in the WHL. I wish I was because then I’d be living any hockey fans dream.” In Canada, we’re all supposed to fall in love with the game of hockey at a young age and play
until we’re in the Beer Leagues. Everyone growing up had a hero, whether it was Wayne Gretzky, Joe Sakic, Steve Yzerman or – even for those Toronto fans – Tie Domi, everyone had a hero. As we grow up in Canada, our likes may change and a different sport could end up being the one you love. You may pick up a sport in the off-season like baseball or football and end up a star on your high school team.
Although Regina Rams alumnus Trent Langford realized that at an early age the professional dream wouldn’t be coming true, that didn’t stop him from playing five years of junior football. “There isn’t a single moment that you realize your dream of the pros is over,” said the former Rams lineman. “You come to a slow and gradual conclusion over a longer period of time where some of the smaller things kick in.
For example, your body type doesn’t match, your foot speed doesn’t match up or isn’t at the calibre it needs to be.” These harsh truths can be tough for any athlete, realizing something they worked for their entire life being swept away because of the fact that they are ‘just too small’ or ‘not quick enough’. Just because you’re not part of the 0.117 per cent of athletes that go on to bigger and brighter things doesn’t mean you have to spend your entire life out of the game. Many people will end up playing recreational sports if they can’t compete at the high level in the sport they love. Another option would be to get a job pertaining to sports such as a coach or even become a sports writer – like yours truly. Sports just simply isn’t for everyone, most of us are designed and destined for desk jobs since our first day of kindergarten. We would have all loved to be in that 0.117 per cent, but let’s be realistic here, we all can’t be Sidney Crosby. It’s just not in the percentages.
What a Nice guy Tait Nystuen travels to France to compete on the track paige kreutzwieser staff writer When you think trip to Nice, France you likely think flip flops and bathing suits. For fifth-year business student Tait Nystuen, add spike shoes to the list as well. Nystuen headed overseas to Nice to compete in the 2013 Jeux de la Francophonie. He was representing Team Canada, which consisted of three sub teams – one from Quebec, one from New Brunswick, and one from the remaining areas of Canada, in the 400-metre hurdles event. Cougars teammate Jeremy Eckert also wore the maple leaf alongside Nystuen. The two were the sole Saskatchewan representation. Nystuen, who placed seventh in the event, was pleased with his performance. “It was a long season so the times weren’t particularly fast there,” he said. “But I did well.” And having Eckert on the team added to the experience. “It’s really cool having another U of R athlete on these national team trips with me because I had been on a couple before this summer,” said Nystuen. “It’s good to have somebody help represent Saskatchewan with you because you kind of can get lost.” Another place you could get lost is at the Summer Universiade. The event, held every two years,
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People tripping over hurdles never gets old was held in Kazan, Russia this year. Over 10,000 athletes – the largest in the event’s history – from 162 countries compete in 27 different sporting events. Some say this is the next biggest participation event behind the Olympics. Nystuen and Eckert, alongside three other Cougars athletes, were part of the Canadian team. Nystuen competed in his main outdoor event – the 400-metre hurdles. “Russia was the climax of my [outdoor] season,” he said.
“That’s what I had been training for. And that’s my best performance of the year.” Nystuen recorded his personal best with a time of 50.45 seconds, which got him 11th place – a spot which he expressed was a very good result for him. “There was maybe 30 or 40 guys that were there in my event. But that’s the top guy from each country,” explained Nystuen. Coming back from the Summer Universiade, Nystuen likely has a target on his back, as he is now the No. 1 ranked athlete
with his new personal best. But, this hasn’t shaken his attitude towards his upcoming season with the Cougars. “Track is one of those sports where there’s always a bigger fish,” he said. “So no matter how good you get there’s always somebody faster. So it keeps you hungry, which is great.” Although Nystuen won’t be doing hurdles in the indoor season he will be competing in the 300-metre sprint where he would like to defend his Canada West title from two years ago.
For Nystuen, preparing for this year’s outdoor season meant he had to take last indoor season off with the Cougars so he could focus on training during the winter. And it worked out for him. Training against NCAA athletes, and running the time to qualify for Russia before May, meant he had to head down south, across the border to avoid the snow that is usually still lingering around in April. Not only a personal best in Russia, but also winning Senior Nationals – held in Moncton, NB in July – in the 400-metre hurdles event meant a very successful outdoor season for Nystuen. But, he’s ready to officially become a Cougar again saying he’s “excited to get back on the track with all my teammates.” As for right now, Nystuen needs a well-deserved break. It’s highly unlikely that Nystuen wants to travel via plane anytime soon as him and Eckert experienced some delay and ticket issues while flying back from France. Not to mention, the classic missing luggage situation. But he only has a couple weeks to kick up his feet before he has to put those spikes back on. Training starts in October for the 2013-14 indoor track and field season.
op-ed
Op-Ed Editor: Farron Ager op-ed@carillonregina.com the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
opinion
Confront the reality of rape culture By now, you’ve probably heard about the pro-rape chants that took place during frosh events at not one, but two Canadian universities this month. While many media outlets made the disappointing decision to report on these disgusting displays as “sex chants,” some, including the Carillon, rightfully indicated that this is a prime example of the fact that we live in a rape culture. Rape culture refers to a culture where sexual violence is normalized. But, rape culture is not just a theory for Canadian women; it’s a reality. Last week, as I was walking down the hall, a male student asked whether I could point him towards the library. I was headed that way, so I said I would show him. He proceeded to tell me that I looked “great” that day. I thanked him. He touched my arm and told me how smart I was. I was uncomfortable, so I moved away, but thanked him again, trying to change the subject. He planted his hand on my shoulder, again invading my personal space, and turned the conversation back to my appearance. By this time, alarm bells were going off, but we had reached my class. I began to explain to him that the library was just up ahead when he grabbed my hand and kissed it, holding it tightly in his own. I wrenched my hand away, pointed to a sign for the library, and fled, feeling violated and embarrassed. Later, I told a friend what had happened, unsure whether to laugh it off or feel righteous anger. The next day I received a text from her telling me that the exact same thing had happened to her sister, who also felt deeply violated. I can’t stop thinking about how this has happened to basically every woman I know. I can’t stop thinking about how we are made to feel like these occurrences are trivial, and
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harmless. It’s no coincidence that Blurred Lines is the hit of the summer and that the rape chants happened and that one in four Canadian women will be sexually assaulted in her life. These are all cogs in the machine of rape culture. Rape culture is not just present when non-consensual sex occurs, but in every piece of our culture that normalizes and trivializes that lack of consent. It was present when the only action taken against the leaders of the rape chant at SMU was mandatory sensitivity training, and when a journalist lamented
how those leaders’ careers will be impacted. Rape culture was present when that male student felt entitled to comment on my appearance and invade my personal space, and it was present when I was the one to feel ashamed for it. And rape culture is reinforced every time we treat something like this as an isolated incident. That is why it’s not enough to simply pat ourselves on the back and repeat to ourselves that “this doesn’t happen here.” Two weeks ago, a woman was sexually assaulted near the University of Saskatchewan campus. It does happen
here, and it is up to every single person to examine our culture under a microscope to see how we can stop it from happening, and how we can dismantle rape culture.
sonia stanger contributor
YouTube Immortality Fangirl: taking it back So, you want to become a YouTube star. Well, you sir or ma’am are in luck. I have the tools that will get you either stardom or infamy. Here are multiple ways to begin such an odyssey. The paths are as varied as they are treacherous. Old channels that used to have thousands of views and subscribers litter the paths, but you must persevere. See not the corpses of what once was, but instead what you can be. Strive for ridiculousness, strive for perfection, strive for the almighty AdSense revenue. Now, to begin: Choose one of two paths: a) The path of least resistance. b) The path of the talented. A word to the wise: It seems recently that whether on the first or second path, apperently the less clothing the better. A) There are many different ways to traverse the first path. A trip to Dollarama will give you all the ammunition you need. On the other hand, creating an animal voiceover, giving yourself a concussion during the course of all manner of sports, and drinking before raising stupidity to heights thus far unrecorded are all good ways to achieve greatness. In this regard, multiple attempts are not your friend. We want a viral smash; we do not want a head smashing. B) To achieve greatness you will first have to forget all your morals. Steal lyrics (everyone else does) and melodies are a dime a dozen on the Internet. Just don’t
forget, you have to either make your efforts look really, really easy, or really, really hard. Under no circumstances should you show that anything you are doing is mildly difficult—that would require honesty. The next stage is to plan your viral hit. When you do so, ask yourself this: If my grandmother watches this, will she disown me or treasure me? Hint: the most success comes with the former. If you want to achieve that unrehearsed look use a cell phone camera. Even if you have nailed your junk on that railing seventeen times, the crappy video quality and tin can audio will make it seem like the first time, every time. To get that professional “I tried this hard so my father would finally love me” look, get yourself a crew (and by crew I don’t mean two drunk dudes and a film major.) Once your video is uploaded and posted to every social media site imaginable, remember: the life of a YouTube star is fickle and, in most of your cases, nonexistent. However, always keep in mind that viral hits are not just for the likes of Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke, but also for the semi-talented musicians, the demented half-wits, and the occasional geniuses. You probably aren’t that person, but I can’t wait to see your attempt anyway.
john loeppky contributor
I was recently pointed to an article in Apex magazine by Deborah Stanish called “Fangirl Isn’t a Dirty Word," and it really resonated with me. I’m a self-professed fangirl; I obsess, indulge, and sometimes even wallow in my chosen fandoms. I cosplay, buy art, and generally surround myself with the fandoms that make me happy. I’ll talk for hours about Sherlock, or Deadpool, or the Bat family, or speak to you only in Futurama quotes if you’ll let me. I devour all the media with enthusiasm - the gifs, the fanart, the minute dissections of every facial feature of Benedict Cumberbatch, and all the fanfics from the angstiest tear-jerkers, to the filthiest smut you’ve ever seen. Heck, I write some of those fanfics. My question is what separates the fangirl from the fan? The obvious answer is that ‘fangirl’ is not only a gendered term, but one that comes prepackaged with negative connotations about screaming teenagers, unhealthy obsession and a certain shallowness of interest. It irks me that ‘fanboy,’ the other gendered term for an obsessed fan, has only the unhealthy obsession element. This is just another example of the rampant gatekeeping that is currently plaguing geekdom, and Stanish agrees. In other words, the only right way to be a fan is the male way to be a fan. Obsession is the common element between a fangirl and fanboy, which gets reduced to enthusiasm if you take gender out of the equation. I don’t have a problem
with a term a step above geek for someone who is just that little bit more preoccupied with their fandom of choice than the average. We have words like that for other things - take ‘foodie’ for example. There’s a difference between enjoying your food and being a foodie. The problem is with the gendering and the fact that the male and female terms are unequal in their connotations. Simon Pegg says, “being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something.” That is exactly what being a fangirl is about too. Yes, it may take affection into unheard of levels sometimes, but what exactly is wrong with loving something intensely, whether that something is StarCraft, or Johnlock fanfics? Stanish concludes her piece with a call to strip the negative connotations from the word ‘fangirl,’ and I’d like very much to repeat it. We’ve reclaimed the terms ‘geek’ and ‘nerd’ that were once so derisive, and personally I think it’s time to be proud of being an enthusiastic, obsessed, and entirely unstoppable fangirl. I will love what I love with however much intensity I want, and define myself however I see fit. Fangirl Out.
jessica bickford contributor
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
16 op-ed
UR Witch-Hunt When I first heard of the potential nonconfidence vote, I was taken aback. It seemed to me as though only a week ago it was March 2013 and the University of Regina made history with its first council meeting in twenty years. I had attended the event and witnessed firsthand the frustration held by many faculty members. I remember three distinct voices. “We want to know who is accountable for this! We don’t have enough sessionals and we want to know exactly where the money is!” Rang out the voice of an English professor. “An external audit will consume more time, more money, and will further weaken our current financial position.” Replied the calm voice of a Paul J Hill professor. “We will take every recommendation seriously and implement what we can.” Replied the executive. In all, eight motions were passed and progress was born, as it often is, from the furnace. Progress, it would seem, is what the U of R does best lately. With the consistency and determination of a military drummer the U of R has managed to march on and meet some of its biggest challenges for the future. With the exception of parking, that is The audit came at the end of August. The University’s financial statements were found to be reliable and rules and procedures to safeguard public resources were effective. If the books are good, then why the uproar? Why are some departments so underfunded? The U of R has seen rapid commercialization in recent years in an effort to generate more revenue. Whether commercialization is the right option in my opinion is another issue altogether, and
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while I don’t necessarily agree with the ethics of science for sale, what else can the U of R do when it is ridiculously underfunded? The U of R has seen consistently disproportionate levels of provincial funding compared to its counterpart the U of S. In fact, if you take a look at the University Of Regina Operations Forecast for 2013-2014, you will see that even with its meager funding, tuition at the U of R remains the sixteenth lowest of the fifty-seven Englishlanguage Canadian public universities. Furthermore, the U of R has managed to do this when it receives about five and half
thousand dollars less provincial funding per full-time student than the U of S. As if they weren’t hamstrung already, now the provincial government is tapering down their promised increase of funding from around five percent to a meager increase of 1.95. While everyone is busy pointing a finger at Dr. Timmons and Dr. Chase, the provincial government has cut back on promised funding and the serious inequity our two Saskatchewan between Universities continues. The audit gave the university a clean bill of financial health and yet the mud continues to be slung.
It seems to me the real problem lies with a lack of communication. Maybe we should try to schedule a council meeting more often than every 20 years. It’s no secret that the U of R is undergoing a radical metamorphosis and the newly commercialized left arm of the University doesn’t seem to be communicating with the right arm. Both arms are yelling at the head and the head is trying to appease everyone. Right now, the University of Regina stands grumbling and divided. The real bone to pick is with the provincial government, yet some factions seek to blame the executive. You want mismanagement of money - how about the guys who need to raise tobacco and alcohol taxes to keep the books in the black this year? Why don’t we raise both arms and lift our heads toward the provincial government with the same motivation and passion. I may not know much. After all, I’m just a lowly business undergrad, but I’ve had the good fortune of meeting Dr. Timmons on a number of occasions. To me, it’s plain to see that this Red Cross Humanitarian of the year is not the issue at the U of R, but rather one of its shining lights. A vote of non-confidence is a step backward for the U of R. Times are indeed tough, but they will only get worse unless the University of Regina can pull itself together and stand united against serious underfunding.
tommy douglass contributor
The case for direct democracy Andrew Coyne, a political columnist recently posted an article in the Walrus scrutinizing Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons(HOC), accusing them of acting as trained seals, adhering to every decision by the party leadership. Based on an exit interview with the MPs, Coyne went on to lambast the delusional MPs as they could not agree on the basic notion of "what they were elected to accomplish, or what the essential purpose of their role was intended to be." Some said it was to represent the views of the people in their ridings. For others, it was to advance the interests of their party. A third group insisted it was to provide services to their constituents. Few thought it was to hold the government to account, the foremost responsibility of the legislature in a parliamentary system. Coyne also pointed out that the most realistic definition of what an MP’s role has become, at least on the government benches, was by Calgary Centre MP Joan Crockatt, shortly before the by-election that sent her to Ottawa. “To me,” she said, “the job is to support the prime minister in whatever way that he thinks.” Coyne hammers the MP’s on their inability to debate and propose their own bills to parliament, emanating from the crutches provided by their party leadership to have any original meaningful thought to the parliament. He articulates that there is hardly any debate in the HOC, not to mention the sparse attendance of MPs. The party discipline is so strict that when it comes to a vote, MPs have little or almost no leeway to vote with their conscience. Coyne showed that only a small number of private members’ bills pass into law, although now under the Tories, a few more than the usual have passed because they have been used as surrogates for government legislation, infringing on yet an-
Coyne also reother MP’s liberty. minds us that last spring, MPs couldn’t ask questions in the House, or even make routine members’ statements, without the permission of the party whips. Even then they are confined to reading lines written for them by party communications staff. Coyne eloquently characterized this as being the institutional decline of individual devaluation. Coyne calls for reform by enabling more freedom for MPs to decrease the size of the cabinet and to make parliament more democratic. I don’t disagree with Coyne’s call for reform, however I believe that his call for reform as it is fair, isn’t radical enough. We need revolutionary ideas to make this country and world a better place, and in this buzzing age of high speed internet and technology, why limit ourselves to be governed by an aristocratic-like elite who control the law-making process? Representative democracy has lost its place in modern times. Thus, I believe we the citizens of the world should examine and redirect ourselves to the origins of democracy, the true form of democracy that is none other than direct democracy—a method of democracy based on none other than the ancient Athenians, but of course with all citizens involved. This form of democracy is archaic and irrelevant to the public, but this form of democracy is the best way for us to move forward
in these increasing progressive times. Switzerland has been practicing democracy since its conception, and they have prospered immensely, free of military intervention and they posses an economy that is the envy of the world. How can anyone discredit the idea of direct democracy? Every single citizen is involved in the lawmaking process: they can all vote on any bill that pertains to their livelihood. I would also like to bring your attention to Iceland, who has rebuilt its entire economy from scratch, after barely surviving the horrific 2008 financial crisis. The three major financial institutions that triggered the crisis through a host of dangerous financial practices were not bailed out by the government as the Icelanders took it to the streets, refusing to pay for the for the greedy bankers’ colossal mishaps, and let their banks fail. The then Icelandic government was forced to resign and the new government wrote off 60 billion euros worth of debt and initiated major reforms that now allow its citizens to participate in the lawmaking process by redrafting their constitution through crowd sourcing. This crowd sourced national constitution is a process by which Icelanders submit ideas and contribute through social media websites directly to an elected committee drafting the document. There has also been another web-based open government reform in the capital city of Reykjavik: the city council passed a law
forcing it to consider 16 citizen-initiated proposals made each month through a web site called "Betri Reykjavík" (Better Reykjavik), marking the beginning of a gradual movement toward direct democracy. Many might argue that Switzerland and Iceland are countries with small populations and this cannot be implemented everywhere, however I disagree, because we are underestimating the human potential of synchronizing information, technology, and democracy. If Google is capable of forming a search engine that knows you better than your own mom, then we are definitely selling ourselves short of creating a platform for direct democracy through high tech innovation. A true functioning democracy must have an informed electorate. With the current state of interest on national policy and politics seeming to be minimal or even negligible among the general population, by implementing direct democracy, citizens would be much more engrossed in the workings of national politics. This would also enable them to decide with better clarity on their own future. Let’s give more power to the people and not to the select few in the upper class All citizens should and must be engaged with the current political affairs of their own nation, in ancient Athens if one did not engage in politics, one was called “idiots.” I do not want to be associated with that word: I am sure you do no want to be either.
“ To me, the job is to support the prime minister in whatever way that he thinks.” Joan Crockatt
ravinesh sakaran contributor
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
op-ed 17
Fun for the whole family!
joyhog.com
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) is not the brainnumbing game that the Western media makes it out to be. While it is true that the player is able to commit car thefts, perform mass murders, have sex with prostitutes, fight over gang territory, and profit from the trafficking of drugs, there is actually a rich intellectual core to the game. Now, before we delve too deep into this, it is important to dispel an over-publicized myth surrounding violent games such as Grand Theft Auto V. This myth states that these games cause children to commit mass murderers, as they train them to kill indiscriminately. The logic of this argument rests in the premise that as the player controls the in-game character, instead of merely witnessing a character in a movie or a book, they become well-practiced in the atrocities they commit and are therefore much more likely to carry them out in reality. I hope that didn’t make sense to you - because it is bullshit. By following that same train of logic we arrive at the conclusion that if I were to
invest my time in playing Madden football on my Xbox, I would become a great football player. Here we see that the argument and the myth it supports fall apart. There is no chain of causation to suggest that the player of a violent (video) game is more likely to become violent person, just as there is nothing to suggest that a player of a sports (video) game is more likely to become adept at a sport. Now I do understand that for an individual who is already planning to commit a mass shooting or become an NFL superstar, these games may offer encouragement or even provide solutions to problems that the individual was struggling with (in the attainment of his or her goal). But these statistical anomalies are no reason for the media to demonize violent video games and claim that there is a chain of causation between playing a violent video game and committing a mass murder. I include the dispelling of this myth in hopes that skeptics of violent video games will take my claim that GTA V is an intellectually sound
Kids these days Kids are scary. Like, if you wear an Adventure Time t-shirt instead of My Little Pony, you could be in for some serious harassment. Bronies take this stuff seriously. All joking aside, bullying is an awful aspect of humanity that, unfortunately, can go unnoticed for years. It is a leading cause of depression, anxiety, and suicide. No age group is safe from this form of harassment, not even when we leave school and go into the work force. I personally have been bullied and it was the worst experience of my life. Going to school and not feeling safe drove me into a deep depression that I am still dealing with. It’s all about power and domination. Various governments in Canada, such as Ontario and Quebec, are taking away the bully’s power by putting in anti-bullying laws that encourage gay-straight alliance in schools. The law creates a safe environment for kids who are coming to terms with their sexuality but also kids who are getting picked on for no reason. There is, obviously, huge controversy from such a law. Now that Manitoba passed the same bill on Sep. 13, the talk of what this means for Catholic Schools who have to provide support for LGBTQ children is in the forefront. Coming from a Catholic background, I understand the issues that come up with such a bill. But the thing is, Jesus preached love. Bullying is not love, even if it is directed at a child who may be attracted to the same gender. There is no excuse to make anyone feel like their life is worthless and they should die. Jesus loved children!
He would not want to see them suffering, especially when there is a bill in place that is meant to help them. Saskatchewan does not have an antibullying law. Should it? Well, we don’t have a history of a strong connection to the Catholic Church like Quebec did. Yet, in 2011, Stats Canada said roughly 67 per cent of Canadians identified as Christian. As a whole, 38 per cent of Canada’s population is Catholic. No matter what province the bill is passed in, there will always be controversy linking back to the church. The question is, should we let that stop us from putting in a bill that would save lives? In 2009, Stats Canada reported from ages 1-14, 26 per cent of those who died that year were from suicide. In ages 15-24, 479 people committed suicide out of 2,096 people who died that year. Stats Canada did not specify the reason behind the suicides, but it would not be a much of a stretch to guess the cause. I want my future kids to feel safe going to school. I want them to feel like they can be themselves around their peers. Without a bullying law, I am unsure whether that would happen. If bullies do not have consequences, who is to say they will stop? Everyone, no matter their age, weight, sexual orientation, race, or religion deserves to feel safe.
robyn tocker a&c editor
piece of art more seriously. My reason for claiming that GTA V is brilliant is through its hilarious satire of North American society. I only played GTA V for an hour before writing this piece, and in that hour I was met with countless examples of societal mockery that exposes serious problems with North American society. The first of these is the relentless chase for the American Dream that we all seem to be a part of. The game introduces you to two main characters very quickly; one of them has a beautiful family and more riches than a person could ever need, whereas the other lives an impoverished life and is primarily concerned with generating income (even if it must be done in less than moral fashion). Strangely enough, it is the wealthy individual that is seeking help from a therapist, as his actualized American Dream has done absolutely nothing in light of lifefulfillment for him. Evidently, this often demonized game series appears to be promoting the notion that money does not
equate to happiness, despite the fact that those lacking money are destined to quest for it in the capitalist jungle of our society. My personal favorite societal satire in the opening moments of the game is when the rich, Caucasian character’s son is playing a video game online and is yelling the “N” word. For those of you who do not play video games online, I appreciated this satire because the instances of this type of behaviour are disturbingly high. It tells the unfortunate tale of some of our society’s young people, who act in this very way when bestowed with the anonymity of the internet. That reminds me, a Facebook type program exists in the GTA V universe, only it has been appropriately re-named: Life Invader. I don’t think I need to elaborate on the brilliance of this title for any member of the Carillon’s readership. Further instances of highlighting the oddity of the North American condition include the in-game alcoholic drink Pißwasser [Editor’s note: the ß is Germanic and is pronounced like an “ss”]. Pißwasser sprouts the slogan “For a Night You’ll Never Forget” while captioning a picture of a passed-out man that has been drawn on. This is clearly a shot (ha) at North American alcohol companies that run ads promoting unforgettable nights resulting from the drinking of their products. I could literally keep on listing similar examples for another page as nearly everything in Grand Theft Auto V is a mockery of some aspect of North American society, but unfortunately I have already overstepped my word count. Here it is: Don’t judge a game by its cover.
dan sherven contributor
Censorship Redacted So, for this week, I was going to write about my experiences as a Teaching Assistant and a Tutor on campus - jobs I’ve been doing for three and four years, respectively. I was going to write about the triumphs and failures I’ve seen in students over the years – their highest pinnacles of motivation and their lowest slumps of apathy. But now I’m going to save that for another issue because a slightly more meta one came up. To prep myself for writing the article I had in mind, I went to my two places of employment here on campus and I thought I would ask them about their thoughts on me writing about my experiences here as a both a student and “instructor.” Perhaps I was being selfish in hoping that I’d get green lights all around. One was all for it and was more than happy that I write the piece. The other, well, not so much. My one boss said that before I publish anything about them, she’d want be able to read over it first and give me her approval. To say I was surprised at the second response is an understatement. After much debate on what to write, I decided to throw caution to the wind, as all I could think about was censorship on campus. I had absolutely no intention to bash either of my places of employment. Perhaps I can chalk the second response up to just being a little extra careful. I mean, if someone came to you, asking if they could write something that somewhat involved you, wouldn’t you want to make sure it wasn’t something negative? This kind of CYA (cover your ass) tactic made me realize two polar attitudes towards what one can really say here on cam-
pus: the academic encouraging me to write and the administrative strongly suggesting to me to receive approval beforehand. We are in a place devoted to encouraging freedom of thought and yet, outside in the practical world, such things are allowed, but mostly have to go through the proper channels. The academic in me grumbles at that notion, but it seems to be a necessary evil we have to endure. Of course, this kind of thought is too big for a 450 some word article. Is the university able to censor its own students who pay to be here? Am I student first or an employee first? I honestly don’t know the answer and perhaps I won’t. One thing I do know though is regardless what stake you have in the university, you shouldn’t feel hindered in expressing what’s on your mind because that’s what this place is all about.
farron ager op-ed editor
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
18 op-ed
The Great Debates
A formal contest of argumentation; two writers enter, two writers leave.
Huffington Post
Are the Simpsons still good?
Pro
Contra
Ah, the Simpsons. What started as a crappy time-filler on the Tracey Ullman Show has since become the longest-running scripted sitcom in television history, with an astounding twenty-five seasons and counting. The average Simpsons episode still draws in an average of seven million viewers. What’s made the show so endearing to generations of couch potatoes is its seemingly boundless ability to adapt to its viewers. When the Simpsons first premiered in 1989, the show was widely praised for its believable characters that related real family problems in ways that no one thought a cartoon show was capable of. By its third season, the Simpsons had become one of the funniest and most easily recognizable forces in pop culture. There were endorsement deals, CDs, video games, merchandising—the works. However, those accolades mostly came in the ‘90s. Since the early seasons, the voices of the critics have been growing stronger in numbers. The show has become old and tired; it’s given up character-driven plots in favour of madcap antics and popular references. If I may summarize the general consensus in one thought, it may be this: the Simpsons has become “bad” because it became the very thing it parodied. I might stop these people here to ask them about their favourite Simpsons moment. I get the standard answers: Principal Tamzarian; Super Nintendo Chalmers; Hank Scorpio, and et cetera. Know what some of my favourite Simpsons moments are? Homer getting life lessons from the ghost of Oscar Wilde. Sideshow Bob re-enacting the plot of Face/Off. Both the Republican and the Democratic parties of the United States of America supporting Ralph Wiggum’s presidency. Don’t recognize those moments? Of course you don’t, you elitists. They’re all from the later, so-called “bad” episodes of the Simpsons. I will agree that, compared to the episodes that I grew up with, the new seasons of the show are different, and yes, I might even think they’re of lower quality, but they are light-years ahead of almost
everything else on TV, and even now, I wouldn’t dare call the Simpsons bad. What makes viewers so quick to condemn new Simpsons is a combination of nostalgic memory and fear of change. I’m guilty of it myself. Watching new episodes, I find myself longing for the days in which Homer and Marge would ride a bicycle into the sunset, rather than Homer taking Marge out with an elephant tranquilizer. But, I guarantee that a generation from now, when I’m even further out of touch with reality, a generation of twenty-somethings will pine for the days of tranquilizers and pop-culture references in favour of whatever the Simpsons of the future will be offering. In short, the Simpsons isn’t bad—it’s a TV show that is constantly evolving to meet the needs of new demographics of TV viewers every day. In an age where Netflix and online streaming has all but killed the television, it’s comforting to know that, even though it’s changed, the Simpsons are still standing, damn it. Do yourself a favour, Bubba: watch a new episode or two. Do it with an open mind, and I guarantee you’ll get at least a chuckle or two. The Simpsons never asked more than that, so why should you?
kyle leitch production manager
While writing this piece about the Simpsons, I decided that I was going to watch the season 24 finale episode “Dangers on a Train” to refresh myself on the series. The premise of the story was that Marge, while trying to buy Homer a snack cake for their anniversary, inadvertently joins an adult dating website for married couples and meets a man named Ben (voiced by Seth Macfarlane of all people). Marge begins to have a flirtatious relationship with Ben, who seems like a kindred spirit to Marge, digitally and her relationship with Homer is tested. While watching this I couldn’t help but compare this with "The Last Temptation of Homer," an episode that originally aired in 1993. It shares a similar framework; Homer’s fidelity to Marge is tested when he meets a beautiful new co-worker named Mindy that has Homer-eque features. I personally consider this to be one of my favourite episodes of the series because it managed to tackle the theme of infidelity with a strange mix of humor, warmth and thoughtfulness. It made me sadly yearn for something wonderful in my past like Mr. Burns yearned for Bobo the bear. Thinking about that episode made watching “Dangers on a Train” even more painful. The season 24 finale just simply wasn’t that particularly good. For me, it seemed like the goal of the episode was more focused on the celebrity stunt casting of Seth Macfarlane than it was about the emotional relationship of Homer and Marge. The jokes were flat, and the script was mundane. To me this was a textbook example showing why the Simpsons just isn’t good anymore. I find that the writing staff for the Simpsons now is as effective as Sideshow Bob running through a field of rakes. The shows decline in overall quality can be easily seen during the second half of the series. The show’s increasing on reliance of random celebrity guest commonly overshadows the central plot of the episode, which hurts the show's ability to tell a story effectively. It attempts to have provocative punch lines that for the most part fall flat.
The show’s emphasis on having a zany adventure of the week rather than characterdriven plots feels tiring as a viewer. With that being said, it’s somewhat understandable that the overall quality of the writing has diminished. There’s only so much that the writers can do after 500+ episodes with a set of characters that, for the most part, have remained static for the show’s 25-year run. My other criticism of the Simpsons over the past decade is that the series has lost its heart. The show has done a poor job over the years of creating emotionally touching moments and showing emotional warmth. When they do attempt to show heart, it’s just poorly executed. I can’t think of a scene in recent years that still resonate with me like the “Lisa, it’s your birthday! Happy birthday, Lisa!” song in the episode, “Stark Raving Dad”. This is an unprecedented time in terms of quality for television as a medium of entertainment. Show runners and writers have been given an increasingly greater amount of freedom to craft great television. While I have a genuine love for the Simpsons, when compared to other television options that I have available, the series now feels like a tired and mundane antiquity of the past.
allan hall distribution manager
cd ae nrfi ad a ith na fetsd e re acto ihn op fsth ue dn eh na tsrp ae sk a tn ch e w a n sctto u dte nttisceo atin loe nsm cih a ea jlce ksso nm o va e ita l-y tn oa nu uto n-r e p e s t e r c a a d a i n e e l i n w r t i u k a n y e w t a l d y g a g p a i tunerecesso inafghansitantasersdomebao liutsheatlhcarebankruptcysweatev resh tp isted rouchebags when will people realize: democracy doesn’t work?! choose the winner @ www.carillonregina.com
humour The Last Saskatchewan President
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
Sung to the tune of the Last Saskatchewan Pirate An excerpt from Drinking Songs of the Academy Well I used to be a teacher and I made a living fine I had a modest stretch of land along the coastal line But times went by and though I tried, the profs were never there And the college came and took my land and told me “leave your lair” I looked for every job as prof, the answer always no Hire you now, they’d always laugh, we just let tenure go The governors, they promised me presidency vice But I’ve got too much education for that to suffice
Then I thought who gives a damn if all the profs are gone I’m going to be a Pres’dent at Regina, Saskatchewan! CHORUS: And it’s a heave-ho, hi-ho, tear the place apart Cutting Phil and English and all the other arts It’s a ho-hey, hi-hey, departments bar your doors When you see the vice-chancellor in U R corridors
Well, you’d think the local students would know that I’m at large But just the other day, I found a department head in charge I snuck up right behind him and with a word of censure I cut the funding and slashed the jobs and I threw out his tenure
A bridge that’s part of Broad St. spans the Wascana creek Sessionals cross in so much fear their throats can only squeak Cause they know that Vianne T is hidin’ in the bay I’ll jump the bridge and knock them cold and strut off with their pay CHORUS
Well, Thomas Chase, he chased me, he was always by my side He’d lie to the faculty and he never lose his stride He always talks of hopes and dreams and always keeps his calm So now he’s struttin’ with us and we call him Dreamy Tom
A rent-free house, a big red pen and ruthless policy I underpay my non-admin and screw fine arts degrees! (Screw ‘em) Struttin’ down at College West, the terror of the free Wanna vote with non-confidence? Boy, you gotta get by me! CHORUS
Well, Pres’dent’s life’s appealing but you don’t just find it here, I hear in Ontario there’s a band of privateers They crash the student protests from Guelph to old Crandall. And you’re gonna lose your civil rights if you pass through Montreal!
Well, winter is a’comin’ and a chill is in the breeze My Pres’dent days are over as tuition starts to freeze I’ll be back in springtime cause I’ve nowhere to go I hear there’s lots of plunderin’ for me round Gatineau! CHORUS
FINAL CHORUS LINE x3 Farron Ager
Drew Wass
Kyle Leitch
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features
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
Tales from the Pong A night in Bangkok's infamous red-light district
Dietrich Neu
That sign might as well say, “Debauchery, Next 7 Exits.”
dietrich neu foreign correspondent Disclaimer: the names of everyone but myself in these stories have been changed to protect their identity; but honestly, it's to protect me from getting my ass kicked if they ever see these articles and find out that I am a walking transcription machine.
“Do you like to drink?” my boss asked bluntly in front of a room full of senior administration, all of whom can speak English. I was still hungover from a trip to a local Australian-owned bar the night before. “Yeah, but only a little bit,” I said. I didn't know if he was setting up an invitation to drink and watch soccer, as Thais often do, or if he was trying to suss out if I was just another backpacking drunkard who came to Thailand looking for a good time. “OK,” he said. “Well, you can drink all you want; but after work only.” At the time I didn't know what to make of it. I had just started an internship at a newspaper in Bangkok, and, like most interns, I was trying to figure out the best way to look like a nonfuckhead in front of a bunch of people who probably didn't care who I was, or how smart I was. But my boss, Sampan, took a particular interest in my personal life that most of my previous bosses hadn't. He would regularly ask what I did the night before, or what I was planning to do that night – starting on day one. “What did you do last night?” he asked. “Nothing too much,” I lied. He laughed hysterically. It was like saying “nothing too much” was the funniest thing he had ever heard. “No!” he said, still grinning. “You need to go out. Enjoy life. Don't be useless.”
I didn't get the useless part, but it was a refreshing sentiment nonetheless – music to my ears in fact. “You want some fun? Tonight you go to Patpong.” I already knew of Patpong. It's one of the many red-light districts throughout Thailand, but one of the few in Bangkok that cater to almost exclusively western foreigners. Thus, most of the city's notorious shit-might-hit-the-fan image can be attributed to the two small streets that make up the district better known as “The Pong”. Prostitutes, pimps, scams, dancers, shady behaviour, counterfeit merchandise, and a place where human beings can disappear and never return, what's there not to like? “Sure, sounds like fun,” I said. Sampan laughed again, and made me promise to tell him about it the next day. As I would find out over the coming weeks, Sampan would regularly give me direct orders to go out and have fun. “You go out. Enjoy life.” was his token phrase. When I got home that night I ran into Timo, one of the many expatriates who lived in my apartment. I told him my plans for the night and asked him to tag along. He was all for it.
The Pong Patpong is made up of two side streets along Silom Road, and it sticks out like a sore thumb. When we stepped out of the cab we were greeted by a large illuminated sign that read “PATPONG PATPONG PATPONG.” “I think we're here,” I said sar-
castically. Large florescent signs carrying the names of the various bars towered over the street. At the centre of the street is a large night market specializing in, you guessed it, counterfeit merchandise. Names like “SUPER PUSSY”, “SEX SEX SEX Club”, and “Pussy Collection”, highlighted the Thai bar owners' creativity.
would take me to a discreet location where I could have sex with whichever of the women I wanted – all for a whopping $32.00 Canadian. I laughed, said no, said no again, and walked away. I didn't make it more than a few more steps down the street before I was approached by another tout offering the same deal, but with different women. Pass.
Dietrich Neu
Where we’re going, we don’t need any stinking shame.
After taking a couple of steps down the street I was immediately approached by a man holding a laminated sign. He grabbed my arm – a common technique used by touts to stop people from walking past. The sign was covered in pictures of naked women. “You like?” The man said. “Yeah. They're hot,” I replied. “OK. You can boom.” “What?” I said. “You can make boom boom with her,” he said, smacking his hand on his wrists to make a “boom” sound. After I figured out what he meant, the tout told me that he
A couple steps further and I was approached by another tout offering the same deal, but this time he was offering sex with men instead. “I see you don't like girls, how about this instead,” he said, pointing towards a sign covered in naked men. By this time I was laughing hysterically. I hadn't been in Patpong more than five minutes and I had already been solicited for sex three times. This time I didn't bother explaining why I didn't want the deal, I just continued laughing and walked away. As I turned away from the tout, a
“ By this time I was laughing hysterically. I hadn't been in Patpong more than five minutes and I had already been solicited for sex three times.”
family with two small children walked past my side. Who am I to tell people how to raise their kids? I grabbed a 90-cent can of Heineken from one of the streetside stalls, and spotted Timo a little ways ahead. I caught up with him and said I was going to check out one of the go-go clubs. He told me to meet back up with him outside in 30 minutes, he was on his way to his favourite club to see one of the dancers he had met a few nights before. I scanned the street for a club that looked good, and finally decided on SUPER PUSSY. “Sounds about right,” I said to myself. I walked in, grabbed another cheap beer and sat down. It was like almost every other go-go bar in the world. A walkway filled with women dancing and shaking their junk as hard as they could to the tune of shitty pop music blasting through club speakers. It wasn't long before one of them sat down at my table. She said her name was “Kitty”. It's common practice in Patpong for dancers to sit with customers and chat for a while. The bouncer told me as I walked in that I had to buy the girls a drink if they sat down. Sometimes they drank them, sometimes not, but the girls made a commission off of the drinks they convinced customers to buy. Drinks cost fuck-all here so I didn't mind. After a few minutes of stale small talk, I asked her the question that should be on every good journalist's mind: why did you become a stripper? Her answer was fairly noble. It turns out Kitty was born in a rural area of Isan, Thailand's most impoverished region. Her education was almost non-existent growing up, and common amenities like electricity were a pipe dream.
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
Photos by Dietrich Neu
Discontent with the prospect of living and dying a poor rice farmer, Kitty left her home at 17 and moved to Bangkok – she had no idea what she would do when she got there. When a local bar owner noticed her natural beauty and encouraged her to work as a go-go dancer, she wasn't sure if she wanted to do it. Then he told her how much money she could make. “Now I make 150,000 baht ($5,000 CDN) each month,” she said. That's a small fortune by Thai standards – world standards for that matter. She put the money to good use. Kitty said she is currently putting herself and her sister through university, an unattainable dream before. She moved her family out of rural Isan too, and bought them a home with everything they couldn't afford before. “You're a fucking hero!” I yelled. She smiled and bowed politely. “Do you want to leave here with me?” she asked. I was stunned. A stripper has never asked me to leave the bar with her before. Fuck. Yes. “Yeah, sure,” I said, using all of my might to look cool and composed. “Ok. You pay the bar fine, and we can go.” Poof. There goes that dream. In many of Patpong's go-go bars, most of the dancers are available to customers who are willing to pay a “bar fine”, which is essentially a fee you pay the establishment to allow the employee to leave work early. It is common for customers to negotiate a price for sex after they leave the bar. Unlike prostitution in North America, the woman keeps all of the money in these instances – that's how you make the big bucks I guess. Paying for sex isn't high on my list of life achievements. I declined and Kitty smiled, bowed, and said she was going to go back on stage. Another woman sat down at my table almost immediately and ordered a drink. Cha-ching. I could feel my wallet getting lighter and lighter. None of the other girls who sat down at my table were nearly as interesting. After 20 minutes of watching the dancers, drinking, and bland conversation, I noticed Kitty holding hands with an old, fat, balding white dude with a massive grey porn-stache. He was handing over a wad of cash to one
of the managers. I assume he was paying the bar fine to take Kitty out, because they left the bar moments later holding hands. “For the family!” I yelled, laughing and pumping my fist in the air. She smiled and continued walking. “Who the fuck was that guy?” the old man said as they left.
Tales from the Pong 21
one was offering a sex show at his establishment upstairs. What's one more, right? I agreed to check it out, and was being led upstairs by two men – one in front of me, and one behind – when I hazily remembered something Sampan had told me earlier that day. “Whatever you do, don't go
of posts from people who were ripped off at these shows. While the touts on the outside of the bar advertise “100 baht beers”, once tourists are handed the bill it become obvious it was a lie. Drinks in these places actually cost closer to 600 baht each ($19.00 CDN). Furthermore, after sitting down, several dancers join the
Dietrich Neu
Any place called “Electric Blue” is going to be be a bad time. Still grinning, I looked over at the (fourth) woman who had sat down at my table. “You want to leave here with me?” she said. 'It's time for me to get the hell out of this place' I thought to myself. I paid my tab a left. I couldn't see Timo outside anywhere. I didn't even have time to look for him before I was approached by another tout. This
upstairs. If someone asks you to go upstairs, just say no and walk away. Those are very bad places.” He was right. Patpong also carries the nickname “Den of Sleaze”, and it holds that name for a reason. I realized I was about to become a victim to one of The Pong's most famous scams: the ping-pong sex show. A look through a few tourist message boards and you will find dozens
table, and order their own drinks on the tourist's tab. The price of the sex show is also inflated. Once the ordeal is over, the victims are handed a bill of several hundred dollars. If they refuse to pay, the confrontation can become violent, and they will find themselves trapped in a room full of angry Thais screaming at them in a language they don't understand. There are tourist police close
“ The next morning I woke up at noon with the usual headache that accompanies a night of excessive beer drinking...I stumbled down to the apartment lobby to get some fresh air. Timo was there. His hair was messed up and pointing in all directions, and he had a dazed and confused look on his face, and sat slouching on the lobby couch. He looked like shit, and so did I.”
to Patpong that can deal with these scams, but the crimes are seldom reported because tourists often believe the police are corrupt – a common misconception throughout the entire country. “I gotta get the fuck out of here,” I thought. I turned around and tried to get out. The guy behind me wasn't moving. I told him that I changed my mind and I wanted to leave, he said he didn't understand. I said it again. “What?” he said, acting confused. The guy behind me was yelling something in Thai. I didn't want to stick around long enough to get an idea of what he said. I quickly pushed the tout blocking me to the side and ran out of the building. Once outside, I saw Timo and rushed over. “What the hell were you doing in there?” he said. “Don't you know that shit is a scam?” “Yeah, whatever, let's just get out of here before those guys come out,” I said.
The memory of the rest of the night is a bit hazy. Vague images of more go-go bars, dancing, drinking, avoiding scams, laughing, meeting new people and acting like a goof are all I can remember. I lost Timo somewhere in the chaos. The next morning I woke up at noon with the usual headache that accompanies a night of excessive beer drinking. One of the great parts of my internship is that I start work around 5 p.m. each day. I certainly needed the extra sleep-in time. I stumbled down to the apartment lobby to get some fresh air. Timo was there. His hair was messed up and pointing in all directions, and he had a dazed and confused look on his face, and sat slouching on the lobby couch. He looked like shit, and so did I. I sat down beside him and lit a cigarette. “Where did you go last night?” He asked “I can't remember,” I said. “I remember running away from the scam artists, and then everything gets hazy.” “Yeah, I can't remember shit either.” “That place is nuts,” I said. We both laughed. “Fuckin' Bangkok,” he said.
graphics
Visual Editor: Emily Wright graphics@carillonregina.com the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
don’t open; dead inside
the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
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the carillon | September 26 - October 2, 2013
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