the carillon The University of Regina Students’ Newspaper since 1962
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3 2012 | Volume 55, Issue 6 | carillonregina.com
cover September is almost over, and with the falling leaves come 20 page papers and midterms. When did “welcome week” turn into “hahaha screw you month”? If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a Carillon break. Or go get belligerent drunk at the Owl and deny your shitty reality. We’ll probably see you there.
the staff editor-in-chief
dietrich neu editor@carillonregina.com business manager shaadie musleh business@carillonregina.com production manager julia dima production@carillonregina.com copy editor michelle jones copyeditor@carillonregina.com news editor taouba khelifa news@carillonregina.com a&c editor paul bogdan aandc@carillonregina.com sports editor autumn mcdowell sports@carillonregina.com op-ed editor edward dodd op-ed@carillonregina.com visual editor arthur ward graphics@carillonregina.com ad manager neil adams advertising@carillonregina.com technical coordinator jonathan hamelin technical@carillonregina.com news writer a&c writer sports writer photographers olivia mason tenielle bogdan
arts & culture
immigration nightmares 4 Canada’s immigration laws are changing, and these changes will impact citizens, refugees, and permanent residents of this country. Regina’s concerned citizens have started organizing a weekly forum on immigration issues, and l ooking for solutions.
hell yes, centennials 9 It’s your 100th birthday! You’re too old to know what’s going on, randoms feed you cake, and you can shit your pants all day, because you’re probably wearing an adult diaper. Yeah, Connaught’s centennial wasn’t anything like that. It was awesome.
sports
feature
soccer is badass 14 Fourth-year striker for the women’s soccer team, Meagan Cormier is lighting it up this year. Thanks mostly to her strong performance, the team boasts a 4-0 record -- that’s three more wins than they had all of last year.
carillon football stadium 18 The conceptual drawings for the new football stadium were released recently, and the first thing we thought was “this is the shittiest looking thing ever.” So, rather than sit on our hands, we took it upon ourselves to show those “designers” how it’s done.
kristen mcewen sophie long kyle leitch braden dupuis
marc messett emily wright
contributors this week raenna gohm troy julé jake stinson jhett folk britton gray kris klein paige kreutzwieser jordan palmer sebastian prost megan narsing robyn tocker dustin christianson kendall paige cassandra hubrich lauren golosky regan meloche michael chmielewski rikkeal bohmann
the paper THE CARILLON BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dietrich Neu, Kent Peterson, Edward Dodd, Ed Kapp, Tim Jones, Madeline Kotzer, Anna Weber 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.
news
photos news edmontonjournal.ca a&c Marc Messett sports ottawacitizen.com
op-ed Dustin Christianson cover Emily Wright
news
News Editor: Taouba Khelifa news@carillonregina.com the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
Haanim Nur talks to the Carillon about URSU and her resignation
Arthur Ward
taouba khelifa news editor On June 13, 2012 - about a month into her position at the University of Regina's Students' Union (URSU) - Haanim Nur stepped down as president for personal reasons. While no one really knew or understood why Nur had resigned, her resignation opened up a vacant seat on the URSU executive. On Sept. 25 and 26, students cast their votes to elect a new president for the union. Nur's involvement with the Students' Union began in 2011 when she ran as the VP of Operations and Finances under the "Voice of Students" slate, and was elected. A year later, Nur ran for President in the 2012 elections with the "Students First" slate and was elected with 32.9% of the votes, beating the other two candidates Nathan Sgrazzutti and Nick Faye. Nur stepped down from what
would have been a promising and exciting opportunity in student politics. But, things were more complicated - and politics got messy. Around the same time that Nur got involved with URSU, she also became involved with the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) as the provincial chairperson. Past URSU president, Kent Peterson, also joined Nur as the national executive representative for Saskatchewan in the CFS. The CFS was formed in 1981 to provide students with a united voice in advocating to the government on issues affecting students across the country. They represent over 500,000 students and more than 80 university and college students' unions across Canada. URSU rekindled its relationship with CFS in 2011 after a much heated referendum in October of that year, which saw 51.6% of students vote to remain members of the CFS while 48.4% voted to leave. Currently, full-time stu-
dents at the U of R pay $4.20 per year to CFS National and $1.40 per year to CFS Saskatchewan, while part-time students pay $2.10 and $0.70 respectively. In 2011 alone, students paid a collective $98,245.05 to the CFS chapters. Four months after her resignation, Nur sat down with the Carillon to talk about student politics, CFS, and her decision to resign. The Carillon: Tell the readers what happened that led you to resign? Nur: So, what happened is that I was the Chairperson for the [CFS], and Kent was the National Exec Rep. Just the both of us, we had control of the finances [for the CFS] in terms of that. We had [access] just for the provincial component, not the national fees. You hear rumours of other student union people being able to - I shouldn't say the term loosely but getting away with stealing
funds. I know it was a stupid thing to do, and it was the dumbest thing I've ever done. It's totally beneath me. I shouldn't have done it. I know that - but I did…When you look at it in reality…it should have never happened. The Carillon: Who all knew about this? Nur: I spoke to the people from the Federation [about this first], so we spoke about the matter, and figured out a solution. They just said, mistakes can happen, people move on, never do it again. And so, I continued to work with them during my term as president. Nobody from URSU knew at this point. It was just me and them. They [CFS] were like, you know, you continue doing your job as president and just make sure it just doesn't happen again. Ok - sounds good. So I continued on until Paige [Kezima - former VP External Affairs] decided to let the URSU board of directors know. [That's when] the board
asked for my resignation. The Carillon: How do you feel about the time you spent with URSU? Nur: It was good. It was the bestslash-worst time of [my] life. You learn a lot. I gained all this experience in areas that I was interested in - like lobbying for students' needs, campaign work was really great, welcome week’s always fun, I had a great time. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to be a part of that. The Carillon: Is there anything you want to let students know? Nur: Mistakes can be made. Stupid mistakes are made as well, but at the same time, people learn from them and move on, and continue their lives. But, it's also important to never make that mistake again.
“ Mistakes can be made. Stupid mistakes are made as well, but at
the same time, people learn from them and move on, and continue their lives. But, it's also important to never make that mistake again.” Haanim Nur
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the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
news
Immigration nightmares Reginans attended a meeting to discuss pressing immigration issues kristen mcewen news editor The national and provincial immigration and refugee system could never be described as flawless, but for its recipients, the system could be a lot better. On Sept. 19, approximately 25 concerned members of the Regina community crowded into a small room on the second floor office of Briarpatch Magazine to discuss ways to bring attention to issues many immigrants and refugees are facing in Regina and Saskatchewan. Originally organized on Facebook, two concerned citizens, Michelle Stewart and Rebecca Granovsky-Larson, set up the time and place to facilitate the meeting, providing an open forum for people to discuss and tackle issues affecting immigrants and refugees. According to Stewart, the group came together because “a couple different issues came to the forefront at the same time.” The issues discussed at the group’s first meeting included the Saskatchewan Immigration Nomination Program (SINP), refugee health care cuts, and Victoria Sharon Ordu and Ihuoma Favour Amadi, two University of Regina International students from Nigeria currently taking sanctuary in a church to avoid de-
portation. Under the old SINP policy, immigrants already in Saskatchewan were able to nominate more than one family member. The changes to the policy now state that only one nomination per household will be supported until the applicant has been in the labour force in Saskatchewan for six months. The new family category policy also “allows Saskatchewan residents to recommend their highly skilled relatives for nomination for permanent residency" if they are qualified workers under category A or category B under the Occupation National Classification index. In other words, the relative considered for nomination must have a National Occupation Classification of skill level A – a university degree from a bachelor’s to doctorate – or level B –
two to three years of post-secondary education at a college or institute of technology; two to five years of apprenticeship training, three to four years of high school and two years on the job training in specific jobs. The nominees with skill level B would also include individuals with occupations such as police officers, fire fighters and nurses. Cuts to refugee health care were another major issue discussed at the meeting. Until refugees are covered under provincial health care, they rely on the interim federal health program. On June 30, the benefits refugees receive under this program were reduced. Medications for diabetes, heart conditions, and other emergencies are not covered for refugees under the new program. According to one of the individuals at the meeting who
asked not to be named, under the new law, pregnancy and child birth were not considered emergencies, forcing refugee mothers to pay for prenatal care, pregnancy, and delivery services. The meeting provided an opportunity for members of organizations, representatives of the University, and students to discuss these issues, and start strategizing ways that students and community members could work together to raise awareness and lobby for change. “These are all long term campaigns,” Stewart said. “So we have to figure out a broad base coalition.” According to Granovsky-Larsen and Stewart, the group will be holding meetings every Wednesday. For meeting times and locations, visit the groups Facebook page at “URGENT – Regina Organizing
“ “[The government is] pushing the boundaries so far. I don’t know what it would actually take to get a huge public reaction, but hopefully this will galvanize people in Saskatchewan and we’ll get some organizing. There has been some, but hopefully there will be some more.” Rebecca Granovsky-Larson
Meeting to Halt Impending Deportations.” To start gaining momentum, the group has started circulating petitions around the city, and online to raise attention to the issue of the two Nigerian students facing deportation. The aim of the petition is to show support and solidarity with Ordu and Amadi, urging the government to let the women stay in Regina and finish their education. A copy of the petition is available at the front desk of the Students' Union, while a virtual copy can be found on the group’s Facebook page. The deadline to gather signatures has been set to Oct. 1. For those planning to attend the meetings in the future, the group will also be collecting donations of food, warm clothes and blankets, which will be delivered to Ordu and Amadi at the church. “There’s always been problems with our refugee and immigration system, but I’m very concerned about the ... trend of how they target specific immigration groups,” Granovsky-Larsen said. “[The government is] pushing the boundaries so far. I don’t know what it would actually take to get a huge public reaction, but hopefully this will galvanize people in Saskatchewan and we’ll get some organizing. There has been some, but hopefully there will be some more.”
Gone are the days of asylum A look at how seeking asylum has evolved over the centuries paige kreutzwieser contributor To understand why Victoria Sharon Ordu and Ihuoma Favour Amadi, University of Regina International students, are seeking sanctuary, it is necessary to look at the history of sanctuaries, and how the concept has been used in Canadian society in the Cities of refuge date past. back to around the 9th century B.C., and possibly earlier. During this era, six cities around the Jordan River were regarded as cities of refuge. Within these cities, a fugitive who unintentionally perpetrated a crime, generally murder, would be granted protection by priests living in one of these cities, until he or she had time to validate and defend the crime they committed. Once allowed the right of asylum, the fugitive was detained in the city where he or she took refuge - leaving the city would be a risky decision. A question that is often asked is, ‘how could someone essentially get away with murder by moving to another city?’ According to the Priestly Code - a body of laws conveyed in the Torah - once a refugee claimed shelter in a certain city of refuge, the individual would eventually be tried, and if found innocent, no harm would be allowed to be
Arthur Ward
religious institutions have traditionally been the go to place for people seeking asylum
placed on them. The only way a refugee could be granted freedom from the city would be if the Jewish high priest died, which was viewed as a form of atone-
ment. This idea of cities of refuge later evolved. In Medieval England, a fugitive could take sanctuary at the nearest church, and would be promised freedom
and safety from interference for 40 days. Unlike the Biblical era, refugees in the 12th century could not stay in asylum for their entire
lives. Their options were to surrender, attempt escape, or leave the country through "abjuring the realm," thus losing any land and While personal possessions. England ended its sanctuary laws in 1623, the concept was revived in Canada during the 1980's. The model of taking sanctuary has shifted from a Biblical background to a constitutional issue. Today, seeking asylum is equated to terms like refugees, deportation, and other legal jargon. Before 1980, police hesitated infringing upon sanctuary right, but under today's legal system, any place acting as a sanctuary cannot be protected from a lawful and warranted search by police. Lisa White, spokeswoman for the Canadian Border Services Agency told the Leader-Post that "there's no place in Canada where an individual can retreat and be immune from Canadian Law." Seeking sanctuary has clearly transformed over the centuries, mainly due to the decline of the church in state affairs. While only a few people know the whereabouts of the women, their asylum has become a waiting game, leaving them wondering what will happen next.
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
news
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Why are they protesting? Lessons learned from Quebec's student movement brought to Regina sophie long news writer Students in Quebec have been protesting since February of this year, and on September 20, they received the final notice of their triumph. Shortly after new Premier, Pauline Marois, was sworn in on Thursday, she repealed the undemocratic sections of Bill 78 that prevented students from protesting. The group CLASSE has been one of the main forces behind the student movement in Quebec. While the group’s efforts have procured a tuition freeze, they continue to fight for free education. With the rights of the student as the core foundation of the group, CLASSE and the other student groups in Quebec (FECQ and FEUQ) have been celebrating the change to Bill 78. Premier Marois has wasted no time in removing the sections in Bill 78 that go against Section 2 of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Under the charter, section 2 states the right to assemble peacefully. This monumental change in Bill 78 has demonstrated that the students in Quebec are having an enormous impact on government decisions. The pressure the students are able to apply to the province’s leaders is pivotal to the success the protesters have had. Emily Eaton, a professor at the University of Regina who has
cbc.ca
been involved in solidarity movements in the city, believes this bargaining strength is the reason behind their success. “The students organized in really democratic, decentralized ways and they put pressure on the government at critical times, they built their base of support in broader society … as a model of a way in which students could attempt to frame their struggles and for organizing themselves that’s a really good example," she said. This is an important message for students in Regina as tuition here continues to rise. Regina students have played
their own part in the Quebec protests. When Bill 78 was introduced, students in Quebec began what were called the “casserole” protests in which students would take to the streets in the evening and bang on pots and pans. These demonstrations were based on the Cacerolazo protests that began in Chile in 1971 as a response to a shortage of products. Eaton discussed the ways in which Regina supported the Quebec students’ movement. “I knew there was a national call that went out, so I just put up a Facebook event and people started coming out, and for sev-
eral weeks we held casserole night as a message of solidarity,” she explained. Students in Quebec are now free to celebrate following the tuition freeze and repealing of Bill 78’s criminalizing of protesting. However, the struggle is not over and it is more important to students in Regina than ever before. CLASSE continues to advocate for free education and this is something that should be a concern for students across the continent. “We are seeing right now across the country provincial-level government moves to defund public education and to move toward a
user-pay model, so that more and more of the cost of going to school would be worn by the individual going to school. Rather than trying to make education something that is universal and accessible and, free ideally, we are moving in the opposite direction. Provincial level government have been defunding education and squeezing universities’ budgets and rather than fighting, university administration has been all too eager to increase tuition fees, move towards corporate funding of programs, increase the importance on innovation and commercialization," Eaton explained. If students in Regina thought that the Quebec protests against tuition increases were not important to them, it has become more and more clear how important it is now that the initial struggle is over. In the upcoming months, Regina will be hosting a few events around the city to explore how students and community members in Regina can learn from the Quebec student movement, so that a similar student movement can be started here. These events will also explain the importance of pressuring governments to re-evaluate their stance on education, and how students can lobby to make education affordable for all.
Joke candidates University Student Unions have seen a new wave of joke candidates running in student elections rikkeal bohmann contributor The University of Regina’s Students' Union (URSU) had decided not to allow Kevin Chow to run as the alias “Snowy Bear” in this year’s bi-election, unless the character ran under his real and legal name. Section 17.3.11 of the URSU Bylaw Policies states that “only the legal names of the candidates or reasonable derivations thereof, shall appear on the ballot as appointed by the CRO." The idea of voting under a false identity goes against the idea of a democracy based election, according to Professor Martin Hewson from the Department of Political Science. “[Running under a false name] contradicts the idea of who you’re voting for… the principle of knowing who you are voting for.” Hewson agrees that URSU’s decision for having people run under their real name is a reasonable one. He also goes on to discuss that there is room for the argument that making oneself a joke in an election draws attention away from more serious contenders in the race. As a result, the attention of the media and newspapers may be focused on the joke candidates, leaving aside the important issues that should be discussed.
Arthur Ward
However, despite Hewson's argument and URSU's decision, Chow believes that the URSU executive didn't like his strategies or tactics for campaigning. "Last year, my campaigning…brought students together under the universal belief that students at the U of R are entitled to free bacon," he said. Despite this, Chow enthusiastically and rhetorically asks, "will I run again next year on the most epic slate ever seen at the U of R, [despite] Snowy Bear being censored out this year? Only time will tell."
Apart from URSU's decision, other student unions across Canada think that joke candidates add an interesting atmosphere to student politics. For example, the University of Calgary’s Students' Union (UCSU) created a joke candidate's slate for candidates to run under in 2010. While these candidates cannot be officially elected, UCSU believed that these “joke candidates” could be used to engage students and could create more awareness of the elections. While candidates in this slate can run as fictional characters,
they have the opportunity to raise important issues at the same time. In the U of C’s 2012 General Students' Union election, a “Power Rangers” slate was created, where five candidates ran as each member of the Power Rangers team. Running under a false name is not new to the world of elections outside that of student politics. In 1983, the Official Monster Raving Loony Party was established in the United Kingdom. The party is still an officially registered party to this date. In addition to its obscure name, one of the candidates in the party at the time, 22-year-old student, John Desmond Lewis, legally changed his name to Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-
bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tangOlé-Biscuitbarrel, the outlandish name of one of the characters from Monty Python's "Election Night Special" sketch, so that he can officially run in the election. Needless to say, the party and the candidate did not win. Gimmicks such as joke candidates could be a much-needed tool to raise awareness of student union elections, and to make students more interested in student politics. With only a 20% voter turnout in URSU's 2011 general elections, perhaps joke candidates are an underestimated strategy. Until then, however, students must bid farewell to characters such as Snowy Bear in URSU elections.
“ [Running under a false name]
contradicts the idea of who you’re voting for… the principle of knowing who you are voting for.” Professor Martin Hewson
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the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
news
Far out idea isn’t so far out space tourism may be closer to our reach then we think regan meloche contributor The most recent achievement in space exploration was the Mars Curiosity Rover, which is successfully exploring the surface of the Red Planet and testing out all of its instruments for over a month now. This achievement has been very exciting for many scientists and researchers, but it also raises the question of when the next breakthrough in human space exploration will be. With the shuttle program over, and not much funding for NASA’s human space flight program, the private sector is gradually taking over space exploration with a handful of companies working on developing their own rocket propulsion systems that may eventually be used in conjunction with NASA. But there is another radical idea that has been poking its head in and out of the spotlight: the space elevator. First dreamt up in 1895 as a tower that one could walk out of and stay afloat, the concept of the space elevator has come a long way. The idea is to launch a 100,000 km long ribbon cable up into space where it would be free from the pull of gravity. The lower end would be anchored to a mobile station on earth probably somewhere in the equatorial pacific. A counterweight would be attached to the top end, keeping the cable taut. Think of it like continuously swinging a ball around on a string attached to your hand. Your hand is the earth, the string is the cable, and the ball is the counterweight. Once the elevator is in place, cars known as ‘climbers’ or ‘lifters’ would be able to climb up
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the cable using a combination of solar energy and ground-based lasers. These climbers could transport cargo, satellites and even tourists into space. So what are the disadvantages? The big one is cost. Overcoming the earth’s gravity is not an easy thing to do, and it is very expensive. The higher you climb in the atmosphere, the less gravity pulls down on you making it easier to go up, but harder to get started. The cost for launching anything into space during the days of the space shuttle was around $10,000 per pound, making it very expensive to do anything practical. The space elevator’s cars that can climb up the cable would
eliminate this problem, possibly bringing the cost down to $500 per pound. Granted it would be much slower than a rocket launch, but there could potentially be several different climbers going at once. This would also be a much safer process, since you don’t have to worry about any fuel exploding during launch, and you could carry a much heavier payload up The concept of into space. the space elevator has had its ups and downs. It gained public attention in 1979 when two sci-fi books about the concept were released – Arthur C. Clarke’s Fountains of Paradise and Charles Sheffield’s Web Between the Worlds. The major problem with
the idea was there was no material strong and light enough to support its own weight when it was that high up. A scientific breakthrough finally came in the early 1990’s with the development of carbon nanotubes, a wonder-material that has made its mark in many other industries since its development. This is the material that comes closest to meeting the space elevator’s need for a cable that is strong, yet lightweight. Once the carbon nanotubes entered the game, people started taking the idea of a space elevator much more seriously. Michael Laine was one of these people. He started the company, Liftport Group, in 2003 with the goal of
making the space elevator a reality. After some research and testing, it was concluded that the space elevator could not be built with current technology. Carbon nanotubes are unable to be made long enough yet, and the technology still needs some major refining before it is used for a space elevator. But Liftport has recently re-entered the spotlight, this time with a new idea: a space elevator on the moon. Being much smaller than earth, the moon has less gravity, meaning that the cable can be significantly shorter. This idea is completely doable with current technology, said Liftport. And, clearly, they aren’t the only ones who think so. Liftport recently announced their project on Kickstarter, a crowdfunded website for new ideas. While the project’s initial goal was to raise a meager $8000 to get things going, funders and supporters of the idea ended up pledging over $110,000. The lunar elevator could serve as a trial run for the earth elevator and would also make it easier to transport cargo to the moon. As with any major scientific undertaking, there are still many obstacles that must be addressed before the space elevator becomes a realBut once built, the opity. portunities are endless. It could greatly enable further space endeavours, such as asteroid minspace colonization, ing, microgravity research, satellite deployment, and space tourism. As far-fetched as the idea if a space elevator may sound, this is something that may actually happen in our lifetime. Arthur C. Clarke once said that the space elevator could be built 50 years after everyone stops laughing.
Gizmos & Gadgets Your weekly dose of science and technology Victory lap: The space shuttle Endeavour makes a final tour of California before going on display at the California Science Centre in LA. The space shuttle Canadarm, however, will be removed and brought back to Canada. Endeavour was built in 1992 to replace the Challenger shuttle. It completed 25 missions before it retired.
Takin’ one for the team: Amateur astronomers catch sight of a flash on Jupiter that is likely an asteroid impact. Jupiter’s gravity acts as a sort of protector for Earth, since it pulls in some of the potentially dangerous asteroids that might be coming our way.
Threatened species: A list of the 100 most threatened species was released by the Zoological Society of London. The list includes everything from flagship species like rhinos, sloths, and gibbons, to the less popular Seychelle’s earwig and the dusky gopher frog. Ig Nobel Prizes: The 22 annual Ig Nobel prize ceremony is held at
Harvard University. The prize honours achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. Some examples from this year’s awards include the study of ponytail physics, and the SpeechJammer, a device that allows you to disrupt the speech of anyone nearby.
Autumnal equinox: The sun crossed the celestial equator on Sept. 22, marking the beginning of Autumn. The word equinox comes from ‘equi’ and ‘nox’, meaning ‘equal nights’. Day and night are the same length at the equinox, and no, it’s not one of the only days of the year that you can balance an egg on its end. You can do that anytime.
regan meloche contributor
animalphotos.info
Mr. Sloth returned his iphone 5 to Apple, after discovering technical issues. No wait, after discovering he’s a goddamn sloth and he is way too cool for stupid iphones.
a&c
A&C Editor: Paul Bogdan aandc@carillonregina.com the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
Come together Métissage showcases artists of First Nations, Métis, and Fransaskois backgrounds
Marc Messett
robyn tocker contributor Saskatchewan is known to host a multitude of cultural backgrounds, ranging from Ukraine to East India, but three cultural backgrounds central to Saskatchewan were showcased on Friday, Sept. 21. The University of Regina was proud to host the art reception for the exhibit Métissage that has been going on since Sept. 4 and will continue until Oct. 26. The exhibition showcases artists of First Nations, Métis and Fransaskois backgrounds. When Katherine Boyer, curator of the project, was first approached by Frédéric Dupré, the main goal was to bridge together the different cultures, and the exhibit was developed from there. She is excited that “three groups in Saskatchewan [are] finally coming together in a visually artistic manner.” The purpose of the exhibit was to “create dialogue between the founding people of this land.” As people filed in, attendants could see that while unity was meant to be emphasized, the diversity of guests arriving proved that by reaching out to select groups of individuals, many interested folks would follow. Each of the four locations had a distinctive theme, and at the Fifth Parallel, the art done by Éveline Boudreau had the theme of community. The strength of all communities and maintaining the language as well as culture of the people was emphasized in Boudreau’s mash-up of photographs and French script along with a video playing to greet guests upon entrance. Leading the guests to every location was a fiddler, making the
trek to the University Club an entertaining excursion. Once arriving at the decorated club, viewers could see the paintings of the artists, Anne Brochu-Lambert, Liza Gareau Tosh, Roger Jerome, Melanie Monique Rose, Michel Boutin, Wilf Perreault, and David Garneau. The theme of land was selected for this location, showing the resilience and strength of Saskatchewan’s people. The exquisite works of all the artists above, but especially that of David Garneau and Melanie Monique Rose, made this obvious. Rose has been formally trained as a fibre artist, and this
“ Artists
was showcased by her painting with a felt base that took meticulous effort and long hours to complete. In her work “Olive Rose,” she combined her heritage of Ukraine folk art and Métis floral beadwork to create an organic piece that emphasized the beauty of our homeland. On her description page, she commented about her interest in “the secret language of micro and macro cosmos”, or to put it more poetically, “how the lines on the palm of my hand can reflect the look of snowmelt flowing in the crevices of the mountains”. Garneau had a different approach to the land theme, but
have the tools to change the world. [They] open the space for people who want to share what’s going on in the community.”
none less intriguing than the others. He admitted his interest in the property rights before the European Grid System was placed in Saskatchewan. In two of his paintings, he showcased this interest by painting abstract landscapes of how the province looked before the system. As he shows in his work, the First Nations all lived near access to water and neighbours, something that changed after the Europeans settled. Both artists agreed on the positive impact the show places on all three cultures. Rose suggested it “brings a sense of pride” and Garneau commented on the coming together of the community and the connection the exhibit offers to the cultures. As the night continued, the guests migrated to the Institut Français where the art from Zoé Fortier, Joe Fafard, Allen Sapp, David Garneau, Scott C. Stonechild, Sarain Stump, and Sherry Farrell Racette was displayed. ‘People’ was the theme for this section, mainly as a reminder of the importance of ancestry and what was before us. By this time, the guests were starting to get a feel for the exhibits and commented on “the pleasant atmosphere, good conversation, and appetizers most appealing in sight and taste.” Another made the point that “artists have the tools to change the world. [They] open the space for people who want to share what’s going on in the community.” The last exhibit station was located at the First Nations University Gallery with the theme of spirituality; it is “something shared by all, yet different”, said Katherine Boyer. “We share the spirit of our people and culture.”
The artists Sharon Pulvermacher, Bob Boyer, Michel Boutin, Allen Benjiman Clarke and Leah Dorion were highlighted. While the work was admiring as ever, Pulvermacher’s dedication to 13 women near the end was the part of the night that made the show truly meaningful. Women who had done so much for their community and culture, who built relationships between the Aboriginals and nonAboriginials, worked with Métis dance organizations, helped the youth connect to their culture, and so much more, were honoured. With their blossoming “hot lady” pink roses, they stood on command with the applause and received gifts for their kind deeds that improved, and will continue to improve, our community. Darleen Chopin, Annette Labelle and Shirley Bonk are only a few of the many women who received this reward for their efforts and successes. To conclude the enriching evening, a group of First Nations dancers called Wambdi Dance came out and did three select dances; a fitting way to close a memorable evening. Yet the story isn’t exactly over with this show. As seen while at the exhibits, there are still old wounds the people carry in their hearts. They were treated wrongly, and there is nothing one can do to change the past. As a culture, as a community, we can come together in places like the Métissage exhibits to try and heal the wounds of our ancestors and move forward together as one voice. Hopefully, more shows like this one will pop up across the country and bring us closer together as a Canadian culture.
8
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
a&c
The wild west Don Amero talks about BreakOut West Festival and his newest album
breakoutwest.ca
hopefully the cops will be less involved than this picture implies because I’m going to be very publicly intoxicated for this
kyle leitch arts writer This weekend, the tenth edition of the BreakOut West Festival will occur in Regina. The current incarnation of the festival evolved from the “All Indie Weekend” festivals that were held in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba from 1995 through 1999. The Western Canada Music Alliance --member groups from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia and Yukon -- puts on the BreakOut West festival annually. As its name implies, BreakOut West is meant to be a showcase of Western-Canadian music and artists. One such artist is the quickly-rising star Don Amero. From humble beginnings in Winnipeg to BreakOut West and beyond, Amero is always looking ahead while never forgetting his roots. “I started songwriting when I was fifteen or so,” Amero recalls fondly. “I picked up my dad’s old Gibson guitar, learned E minor and C and played that for about six months, and I kind of felt the melody take over. That was about 17 years ago, now, so I’ve been at it ever since.” In 2006, Amero decided to
make music his full-time career, beginning with his first release, Change Your Life. Now in 2012, Amero is gearing up for his fourth studio effort, Heart on My Sleeve. “This one hearkens back to my first days when I first began, when I produced and engineered myself,” Amero explains. “Only now I’ve got six years of knowledge in the industry, in the engineering department.” Amero wrote, recorded, produced, and engineered both his first release and his upcoming album, and the evolution he’s undergone in six short years really shows. “This one, I kind of did it myself, and I really wanted it to be more of my voice than ever before, and I don’t just mean literally, I mean figuratively as well. Having producers and engineers involved, you get their voice as well. You can get a nice compilation sound, but for this one, you’re getting the real me ... the heart of the artist is what I’m really hoping people will get on this one.” Amero’s passion for songwriting and performance really shine through on the singles that have thus far been released via his YouTube channel. “Like with anything, with a little bit of time and experience
you become more refined, and I feel like this is the best album yet,” Amero explains. “I’m hoping that it’s still far from the best album I’ll ever release.” Speaking of the album’s release, Amero and company are tackling that in a very unique way. Those who are able to catch Amero on his current tour will be able to pick up the physical copy of his new album. “That’s the only way to get the album right now, is on my tour,” Amero is careful to explain. “But that’s it; you can’t buy it in stores, you can’t buy it on iTunes, anything, until October 24.” On October 24, the full album will be released on the Aboriginal Peoples’ Television Network (APTN) website as a streaming live concert shot in Amero’s neighbour’s house. “Because this album is way more intimate, I feel like I would love to have a house concert with thousands of my friends across the country, but that’s not possible,” Amero laments. “Unless, that is, you get a bunch of cameras in there and film it, and I thought that that was a way to unify everybody in a cozy area, in a log cabin in the heart of downtown Winnipeg which is an unbelievable spot.”
The difficult thing about a streaming release is accessibility to a wider audience. Amero and company considered an official CD release in one of the many theaters in Winnipeg, but felt that an intimate house concert would remain true to the intimate feel of the upcoming album. “This is a real gamble,” Amero admits, “but this is an opportunity to get to some of those places that I can’t get to on this tour.” Before he had to run, Don Amero also had time to discuss the history of his involvement in the BreakOut West festival. “My first year was a few years ago in Winnipeg, and I was so new to it, that I sat there in awe watching so many musicians that I’d heard about and seen, and I basically stood in the corner and didn’t say anything to anyone. [In the] next years, I kept going and applying to showcase and I got in and got to perform.” When asked about the importance of festivals like BreakOut West, Amero couldn’t say enough about the importance of these festivals. “Basically what [BreakOut West] is is a huge networking event for people across North America: entertainment bookers; publishers; licensing people. This is one of the ways Western
Canada celebrates its own, so we can continue to grow ... It builds camaraderie between us. It’s just another reason to network and do business between us.” When asked about the influence of his music, the easy-going Amero suddenly became a little bashful. “It feels weird saying “Yes, I’m an influence,” because you never know. It’s the stories of the people that will reflect that, I guess. I feel like I’m incredibly honoured to be the guy who gets to go into communities, and share my stories and my music, and that might encourage and inspire. I’m trying to help the hearts of those that need to be encouraged.” You can see Amero live at the BreakOut West festival this year. He’ll be playing at the Gaslight Saloon on Friday, September 28 at 9 PM and Saturday, September 29 at The Artful Dodger at 8 PM. Festival wristbands are included as part of a Delegate Pass or Executive Pass while additional festival wristbands can also be purchased with either Pass for $20 each. Don’t forget to catch the streaming release of Heart on my Sleeve on Wednesday, October 24 at 8 PM central time on APTN’s website.
cd ae nrfi ad a ith na fetassumption d e re acto ihn op fsth ue d eh na tsrp ase k a tnext ch e w a n sctto u dte nttis5pages ceo atin loe nsm cih a ea jlcthe k sto n m o va e ita l-y tn oa nu utn -r e s p e s t e n r c a n a d a i n e e l i n w r t i u k a n y e w e s a l d y g a g p a i o these will be only arts and Our is that by year, ttg 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 b a o l i u t s h e a t l h c a r e b a n k r u p t c y s w e a t e v r e s h t p i s t e d r o u c h e b a g s ha o s e a s s h o e l s w h o g v i e y o u t c i k e t s w h e n y o u p a r k n i t h e w r o n g p a l c e o n c a m p u s a t l h n i g s c a p t i a s i l t y m c a n a d a i n f e d e r a t o i n o f s t u d e n t s 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 m c i h a e a j l c k s o n m o v e i a l y culture on campus. It’s like ae bomb shelter for fine arts students. We don’t ta 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 r c a n a 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 a t l d y g a g a t p a n i u tu octu n era eg cestsh so ion aafg h a n ssiw tanh tao sg erv sd oo m e b a o liuh tse hn ey ao tlhu cp ara erb atn k rup tcn ysg w eca ten rv em sthp ipsu tesr d o h e b s e s s h o e l i e y u t c i k e t s w k n i h e w r o p a l e o c a a lh n i g s c a p t i a s i l t g a y m a r a i g e a n d a f a h 1 n 1 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 r fi r e t h a t s p e e c h but come write for us, ok? have canned beans or preserves, sta tte p h e n h a r p e c r a n a d a i n e e l c t o i n t w t i e t i r u n e s k a n y e w e s a l t d 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 s e r s d o m e b a o l i u t s h e a t l h c a r e b a n k r u p t c y s w e a t e r v e s t h p i s t e r d o u c h e b a g s t h o s e a s s h o e l s w h o g v i e y o u t c i k e t s w h e n y o u p a r k n i t h e w r o n g p a l c e o n c a m p u s a t l h n i g s c a p t i a s i l t g a y m a r a i g e a n d a anadc@carillonregina.com fd aa a r a i g e a n d a f a h 1 n 1 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 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 ai 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 l d 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 bao liutsheatlhcarebankruptcysweatervesthp isterdouchebagsthoseasshoe lswhogv ieyoutcikets
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
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9
This ain’t your grandpa’s party École Connaught turns 100, throws bitchin’ party paul bogdan arts editor Hundredth birthdays are generally as worrisome as they are celebratory; something this far past its prime is bound to go at any second. Thankfully, École Connaught isn’t a living organism that runs the risk of croaking on its birthday. Even still, turning one hundred years old is no small feat, even for the non-living. But, everyone knows the best part about birthdays is the party, and Connaught school is throwing one hell of a birthday party September 28 - 30, including (but not limited to) school yard games, barbeques, theatre, and live music from the likes of The Lazy MKs, The Local Onlyz, Jack Semple, Rah Rah, and many others. “We’re running three stages and four art exhibitions. It’s going to be a pretty amazing event for a little school ...The festival is in celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of Connaught Community School, and we’re holding because it’s a pretty rare thing for a school to reach one hundred. It’s the oldest school in Regina and one of the first community schools,” said Trish Elliott
Tenielle Bogdan
you don’t look a day older than 85 chair of the École Connaught Centennial Committee. The idea for a music and arts festival at the school began with local parents’ concern with the “decline in arts and culture in the school in recent years”. “There’s been a much bigger focus on standardized testing and mathematics and literacy, but
there wasn’t a lot of art coming home from the kids any more. So, we got talking about this and what we could do to help make it easier to bring back art into the school, and that’s where this idea came up ... why don’t we do something artistic around the centennial? “We’ve been doing a whole
Playing by ear
year-and-a-half now of different art projects with students and the community to commemorate the school, and this festival is one of the highlights of it,” said Elliott. With all of the events that have gone on at École Connaught over the past year, Elliott remarked that “it was the best year to be a kid at Connaught.”
Moreover, though, Elliott also commented that the different artistic events that the Connaught Centennial Committee has worked on have addressed the issues that initiated its creation. “A lot of these projects have been a real great outreach, and has brought art back into the school and created links with galleries and artists right in this neighbourhood, [and] I’m sure those links will last, and there’ll be lots more projects to come,” said Elliott. And, hopefully, more projects do follow, as the school has deep roots in the community, but more specifically, the artistic community in Regina. “The school has a really good musical history, going back to the ‘20s. We’ve had lots of graduates who have gone into music and the arts ... most of these performers have some kind of connection to the school ... so, we chose our centennial theme as ‘history through creative expression’,” said Elliott. The party begins at 1 P.M. on Friday, Sept. 28 and continues until the pancake breakfast on Sunday, Sept. 30. For a full list of details, head over to connaught100.com.
Eye to Glass
Earnest eyes become a mirror,
A representation, of self-perception. Brown seems to be silver and reflects honestly. Julia Buckingham
megan narsing contributor Jon Neher and Ruardih MacDonald, two students at the U of R, are bringing back The Gangles Improvised Musical for its season premier. This dynamic duo brings their special skills and local talent to create a one-man musical. “It’s a collaboration between Jon and I,” MacDonald explained cheerfully. “We melded the two loves in our life. I’ve put improv and musical theater together and Jon’s put his piano playing and improvisation together to create this show.” “There [are] plenty of variety shows that do improvisation and stuff.” Neher added, “Like, I used to watch Whose Line is it Anyway, and I always loved Wayne Brady. He’d always do something to a son, but never had to improvise a narrative around it and keep all these plot elements [in play].” Neher is a third-year arts education student majoring in music and has been playing the piano for 16 years. MacDonald, a first-year theater major, has been involved in improv for the past five years. The two met last November and instantly clicked. They began their endeavor with The Gangles in February performing at Miller High School. “It was quite a good response; we even had a standing ovation. It was just very
cool, people were very responsive, and they had a lot of good feedback to give us afterwards,” MacDonald said. With strong and encouraging feedback, they decided to give the musical another go. They performed at The Club in April and, once again, the response was better than they expected. That’s when they made the decision to start doing something a little more permanent. However, with school, work, and MacDonald’s trip to Scotland for the summer, it was a bit difficult to do any sort of planning up until now. “We’re both really busy people. We’re trying to do rehearsals twice a week,” MacDonald said. “We’d like to continue doing shows. We kinda have a plan for seasonally-ish regular shows,” Neher added. The two couldn’t be more excited. “The cause really is to give young artists in Regina a spot to show off their stuff,” MacDonald said. “How often to we get to perform an improvised musical in any other sort of format?” Neher said. Catch Neher and MacDonald at the Artful Dodger on Oct. 3 with special guests, Cameron Chomym, Andy Perry, and Alex Mullock. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. What else are you going to do on a Wednesday night?
Mesmerized by your gaze
A trance in which I am dutifully trapped Nothing does phase.
No escaping I , and where does one turn When what you seek is solace, For that is when you yearn
Grinning fate reaches out to caress, Yet find yourself staring
Into the very eyes you possess.
strange fits of passion kendall paige contributor
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
10 a&c
Dredd vs. Dredd the ultimate movie showdown With the recent rash of Hollywood rehashes, reviewers like me have had to become a little more creative in the way we critique cinema. More often than not, I find myself using the original source material as reference points for what the current “reimagining” has offered me. In a move that will inevitably come back to haunt me, I’ve decided to try something a little different: a dual review pitting 1995’s Judge Dredd with the recent release Dredd 3-D. Hold on tight! This will be a battle for the ages, I’m sure.
1) The Best Judge Dredd In 1995, the titular Judge Dredd was played by Sylvester Stallone and in 2012 by Karl Urban. Both guys did a decent enough job, even though they tackled the character very differently. In 1995, Stallone was still a viable action-movie hero. But, like all action stars in the ‘90s, he had a tough time adapting to the self-aware, moody, and often campy humour of mainstream films of the decade. That, and there’s rarely an instance where we don’t see Dredd’s face. Karl Urban, on the other hand, was the polar opposite Dredd. His bone-dry wit as he plays judge, jury, and executioner works wonderfully in this universe. We also never see Urban’s face behind his helmet, which, for me, was the most important part of the Dredd mythos. For remaining true to the original comics, the remake takes this contest. Winner: Dredd 3-D 2) The Supporting Cast Despite the best efforts of Rob Schneider to sabotage everything he appears in, Judge Dredd still takes this contest hands down. Armand Assante, Jürgen Prochnow, Max von Sydow, and Diane Lane are just a few folks you’ll find in this all-star supporting
insidepulse.com
cast. For me, they were the film, not that barely intelligible shaved orangutan they got to play Dredd. Winner: Judge Dredd
3) How’s Your Dystopia? This one may not seem like a fair category, but it’s a necessary one. Filmmaking has come a long way between 1995 and 2012, but the imagination involved in creating the “Cursed Earth” in which Dredd lives and breathes. Judge Dredd featured a colourful and kind of exciting view of the year 2139. Dredd 3-D, on the other hand, created Bethesda’s Fallout 3. The point of dystopia is not to create the exact same pile of rubble as the other guy, but to imagine different ways the world came to an end. No two dystopian wastelands should look the exact same, and the copy and paste
tool won’t earn you any points here, chummy. Winner: Judge Dredd
4) Best Story In Judge Dredd, Dredd is framed for murder with the DNA of the main villain, an ex-judge who...shares...Dredd’s DNA? Whatever. In Dredd 3-D, Dredd and a young trainee need to take down a street gang who deals the reality-altering drug SLO-MO. While the fun in charging Sly Stallone with something he’s been doing through decades of a film career, Dredd 3D just handles itself better. Not only do you get cool visuals from the folks who are on SLO-MO, the hackneyed whodunit style murder case never sat well in Dredd’s universe. Winner: Dredd 3-D
So there you have...a tie? Oh hell no. That just will not do.
5) BONUS CONTEST: You win if your movie didn’t have Rob Schneider in it. Winner: Dredd 3-D There we are: your winner, 2012’s Dredd 3D. Though the current release is my preferred choice, 1995’s Judge Dredd has some very redeeming qualities about it, too. Go see Dredd-3D if you’re looking for some good ol’ fashioned splatter violence and cool effects, then go torrent Judge Dredd. Pardon me, go legally view it somehow because copyright infringement is bad and things or something like that.
kyle leitch arts writer
Forever in... pink jeans? Blue denim is great for anything but your legs To the nines Cassandra Hubrich contributor Denim is everywhere. Denim backpacks, denim jackets, denim shirts, denim shoes -- talk about swimming in a sea of blue! Denim is rising in popularity and is being worn in every way: old school jean jackets are even making a comeback. According to the latest fads, denim is great to wear -- on anything but your legs. As far as jeans go, colour is where it's at. Mint, bubblegum pink, yellow, and all shades of red are very in right now. And how do I know? Thanks to Pinterest, anyone can stay in the loop with the upcoming trends, especially when it comes to campus fashion. The downside? All of what I just said is now out. Denim was in, until the first week of classes when everyone realized that they had repinned the same photo on their “Must Try This!” board and dressed similarly to 80 per cent of the student population. What does this mean in the world of fashion and trending? I'm curious to see what other big fads will hit via Pinterest. It is definitely a neat tool and it's great for sharing ideas and finding inspiration insofar as mixing prints and pairing classic with edgy, etc.,
fanpop.com
WHY ARE THESE LEGS SO LEGGY?
but how many people actually take inspiration from the cute outfits in the photos that go viral? Does the general population take an outfit idea from a photo and make it their own according to their unique personal style, or do they simply copy and paste, directly from Pinterest to their closets? One way to avoid the trend while still being trendy is to take the key elements and really make them your own. Instead of a
denim jacket, try for a mixed-material coat instead. If you can find a jacket that is, say, a mix of denim and leather, it's more likely to carry you from one trend season to the next, and you'll be less likely to throw it in the back of your closet if -- when -- the current trend goes sour. For coloured pants, don't splurge and buy anything really expensive. When it comes to colours, you never know how long the trend is going to last, how
big it will blow up, or how long it will be before you're completely sick of wearing yellow pants. So unless you are certain that you are going to wear them often enough to get your money's worth, avoiding spending big money on colour-specific trends. Or, avoid them altogether. By all means, I'm one for being trendy, but let's not forget personal style. It is possible to be yourself while still keeping with times. Just because you don't wear
leggings and a denim shirt doesn't mean you're out-dated and "not with it." Dress how you want! Even if that means wearing a knit sweater and slippers. Besides, granny-chic is very hot right now.
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
Five
music reviews
Worst Comic Book Adaptations Everytime some dickhat in Hollywood realizes there are no creative ideas left in the business, he comes up with the innovative idea to adapt a childhood favourite, comic books, into a movie or TV show, to both bring back the nostalgia of those comics while simultaneously feeding the adult desire to watch violence and sex ensue in 3D. But sometimes, actually, most of the time, a masterpiece isn’t created. Sometimes, you just piss off a generation of nerds so badly, they just die. Or write about your shitty job in student newspapers. Here are some of the worst.
5
Batman and Robin
4
X3: The Last Stand
3
Punisher
2
The Walking Dead
1
Superman
All flash, no substance. Schwarzenegger got paid something like for this $180,000/word clunker. I have a hard time imagining Chris O’Donnell as a teenager.
Ditching Bryan Singer for Brett Ratner turned a really viable franchise into a complete shit-show. They Killed Cyclops, Professor X, and scores of other great characters. When the bad guy is Angel’s dad, you’ve made a bad movie.
Tom Jane was okay, but John Travolta? Am I supposed to be scared of this tubby little man? Punisher: War Zone is the ultraviolent heartless massacre this movie should have been.
“DON’T YOU GO OUT THERE ALONE, RICK! PEOPLE HERE DEPEND ON YOU!” (Rick voice) “BUT BABY I HAVE TO!!” repeat for four seasons.
Five attempts, five misses. Reeve pulling the big “S” off his shirt and throwing it at somebody? No. Just no. Let’s hope that Zach Synder can get it right next year.
neil adams advertising manager
Thought Beneath Film Detours Independent
Thought Beneath Film is the band’s name. Detours is the EP. Short sentences for short songs, but I digress. The band hails from Hamilton, Ontario, so I’m assuming they love industry and most types of metals, and metal, my friends, is what this EP isn’t. They are a 5-piece pop-rock outfit that takes their name from an Emily Dickson poem, so English majors eat your heart out. Upon a first listen I was initially unimpressed. It felt so mediocre, the toast I was eating was beginning to look intoxicating by comparison. Admittedly, this type of mu-
a&c 11 sic isn’t exactly my thing, but I can frankly admit that the EP itself isn’t bad. Recording quality is top notch, and everything feels very refined and tight-knit, which I guess would happen considering they re-recorded the album twice with three different engineers. The opening track “If I Could Fix You (You Know That I Would)” was seemingly the high point. The remaining four tracks had their strong points to be sure, but nothing jumped out. It was a cesspool of “these guys are trying so hard to get on to Z99.” With that being said, I understand perfectly well there’s a market for this type of music because I know 16 year-old girls exist, and Bieberfever can last for only so long (I think).
troy julé contributor
Grizzly Bear Shields Warp Records
I had no real intentions to discover what Dan Auerbach’s hypothetical indie folk band would sound like, but alas, here we are. Most of the Grizzly Bear’s Shields sounds cavernous and spacey with the reverb added to seemingly everything. It’s pretty straight forward indie-folk, but some of the synth lines get really weird and cacophonous. With that said, the lead track, “Sleeping Ute” is definitely worth a listen. Notwithstanding, interest in the album was generally hard to maintain between the first track and the eighth, “Gun-Shy”. A few
interesting moments come about in the album’s closing track, “Sun in Your Eyes”, as well, but throughout Shields, songs seem to just happen; the album may have a single, unified aesthetic, but it seems to lack focus and arguably the biggest thing that keeps listeners interested -- solid hooks. None of it’s particularly bad, but Shields just seems to carry on haphazardly. Everything is a seven out of ten. Remarks on songs like “A Simple Answer” would be something along the lines of, “Oh, that’s nice”, but there’s nothing to really get excited over. If you’re looking for music that’s striking -- the kind of music that, for one reason or another, sends a chill down your spine and effloresces throughout your limbs, well, your search continues.
paul bogdan arts editor
sports
Sports Editor: Autumn McDowell sports@carillonregina.com the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
ROUNDTABLE braden dupuis, britton gray, kris klein, autumn mcdowell this week’s roundtable
The Regina Rams scored a 35-26 victory against the U of S Huskies in front of 9,000 fans on Sept. 21. Who has been the Rams MVP so far this season?
Dupuis: Marc Mueller is the obvious answer. The guy has been damn near unstoppable lately, especially in the second half. Honourable mentions to Kolten Solomon, for making big catches game after game, and Michael Kiapway, who has been making the Rams ground game a force to be reckoned with.
Gray: First off, congratulations to the Rams for beating Saskatoon. Now then, about the MVP, I think you have to go with Marc Mueller. He has come back from last year’s injury to help lead this team and has the Rams rolling. Hopefully they can continue to win and make the U of R proud. Klein: I’ve got to say it has been Marc Mueller so far. Is there any other player on that team that makes more of an impact than him? When he is playing, they win and when he is not playing, they lose. Lets just hope he can stay healthy so the Rams can make it into the playoffs. McDowell: Let me take a wild guess, everyone is going to say Marc Mueller on this one, right? Well, I’m not. Sure Mueller is playing well but other players deserve some praise too so my MVP goes to Jamir Walker. The kid has been a stud on defence and his ball-hawking and ridiculous interception abilities continue to amaze me. What do you think of the designs for the new stadium in Regina?
Dupuis: I could go with the obligatory toilet bowl/vagina joke, but they’re already played out. It’s a decent design that would bring a touch of prestige to the Riders, but it’s no Taylor field. Going to games in that thing just wouldn’t be the same. Plus, it looks like a toilet bowl, or possibly a vagina.
Gray: I saw them and it looks pretty decent. My only worry is that it’s going to cost a lot of money and people are going to get angry at how much it actually is. Once it is done, everyone will see it was for the best but until then people are going to complain that we should be putting the money to something different. Klein: Stupid to say the least. I thought we were getting a dome, not a half roof with a giant hole in the middle. If they are doing that, at least make it a retractable roof so it can be used for a concert venue in the winter. The moral of
ottawacitizen.com
You just got posterized, my friend
the story is the designs are just plain silly.
McDowell: I hate it. The drawing is outright ridiculous. I hate how Regina always tries to go overthe-top artsy with their designs. Just give me my God damn retractable roof and I will be happy. According to the design it has a “spectacular roof” – which is a lie, it’s some weird beehive thing. It also has “ramps with views” – what the fuck are they talking about? Who is currently the best quarterback in the NFL?
Dupuis: Michael Vick. That guy’s got bark. Every game he brings the growl, and drags his team through the dogfight. He truly is a rare breed. Seriously though, this guy should be in prison, not making millions as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Gray: The best quarterback in the NFL isn’t Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. It’s not even Aaron Rodgers. The best QB so far in the NFL has been Alex Smith. He may not have all the stats needed or the rep but he has been doing his job and has the 49ers on a roll. He’s simply doing his job effectively. Klein: Once again, I don’t really follow NFL enough to really care who is. I know Jay Culter isn’t, based on how much time my Dad spends yelling at the TV every time the Bears play. I almost got kicked out of the house when I suggested that he stops picking shitty quarterbacks for his fantasy. McDowell: Tough call. Well I think I’ll go with Michael Vick,
because that kid is sick. Not like sick in a, you’re twisted kind of way, it’s not like he had a dogfighting ring at his house – oh wait. But honestly, he’s so unreal it’s disgusting and he just has so much swag. I want to be friends with him, or “bro’s” he would probably say. I would also like our bro-ship to have a secret posttouchdown handshake. The NHL is on lockout for the third time in 18 years. How long do you think the NHL lockout will last this time?
Dupuis: The lockout will last until Gary Bettman gets what he wants, simple as that. As much as hockey fans love to hate the guy, there’s a reason he’s still the commissioner. He speaks for the owners, and he’s good at what he does. He is the evil face of 30 blood-thirsty billionaires, and he revels in it. Gray: Well there are only two instances when an entire season was lost in sports. Donald Fehr was involved in one with baseball and
Gary Bettman was involved in the hockey one. Both won because of the work stoppage. This is going to be a battle of wills. Get ready because this is going to get dirty. No hockey this year.
Klein: If it gets cancelled again I’m really going to be pissed. I would rather take a 40 game season other than it being wiped out all together. Either way, Bettman has to go. He is getting paid $8 million to watch hockey games and get booed when he hands out the cup. Eight million dollars to do nothing. In my mind that is fucking ridiculous.
McDowell: I can’t even talk about this. This makes me so enraged it’s ridiculous. This is the result of putting a two-year-old at the controls of the NHL. Three lockouts in 18 years is three too many. Since hockey fans are dealing with an idiot the lockout will probably last all season. No hockey and too much Bettman make Autumn go crazy. Also, fire Bettman.
“ The lockout will last until Gary Bettman gets what he wants, simple as that. As much as hockey fans love to hate the guy, there’s a reason he’s still the commissioner. He speaks for the owners, and he’s good at what he does. He is the evil face of 30 blood-thirsty billionaires, and he revels in it.” Braden Dupuis
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar received a threegame suspension for wearing eye black with an anti-gay slur written on it. Do you think that his punishment was too steep, not enough, or just right.
Dupuis: Three games seems about right. It’s obvious that the term means something else in Latino culture, and I really don’t think he meant to offend gays. That being said, as a public figure he should know better. It’s hard to plead ignorance in the politically correct western world.
Gray: Not even close to enough. While the season is almost over, he should be suspended for games next season. It wasn’t a slip of the tongue or anything, he wrote it on his eye black for a baseball game. He clearly was aware what was going on and should be disciplined more.
Klein: Well I don’t speak Spanish so I don’t really know what it means before I react. But if it is an anti-gay slur, suspending him was the right choice. You play in Toronto where plenty of gay and lesbian people live and you decide to go and piss off the general population?
McDowell: Escobar definitely deserved the suspension, I like the Blue Jays as much as the next person, and having Escobar out is definitely a blow, but at the end of the day, he deserved it. He claimed it was “just a word” but if a word is discriminatory, he should know better than to put it on his fucking face when he is seen all over the world. I roll my eye black at his stupidity.
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
sports 13
Challenge accepted The Cougars women’s hockey team pays tribute to Mandi Schwartz braden dupuis sports writer The University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team got some pre-season preparation from Sept. 21-23 when they hosted the second annual Mandi Schwartz Challenge at the Co-operators Centre. The six-team tournament – hosted by The Cougars and the Hockey Saskatchewan Association (SHA) – is held in memory of Saskatchewan hockey player Mandi Schwartz, who passed away in 2010 after a long battle with Leukemia. “Mandi was somebody who played with the Sask First program for four years, and played with many of our players, so we thought it would be a nice tribute to bring some attention to her battle,” said Cougars head coach Sarah Hodges. Throughout the three-day tournament, donations were collected to go towards the Mandi Schwartz Foundation. Part of the funds raised will go towards leukemia research, and the rest towards a bursary in Schwartz’s name at Notre Dame College – where she played hockey and graduated in 2006. After graduation, Schwartz went on to play for the Yale University Bulldogs. In 2008, during her junior year at Yale, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia – an ag-
gressive cancer of the blood and bone marrow. She passed away two years later at the age of 23. Kelsie Graham, a Cougars hockey alumnus who now works with the SHA, described Scwhartz as a “great person – very kind, very endearing.” Graham first played with Schwartz in 2005 on Team Saskatchewan. According to Graham, naming the tournament after Schwartz was an easy decision. “Mandi is an inspiration to all of us,” she said. “Most of us have played with her, and she’s a well known female hockey player from the province, so that’s how we came to that conclusion.” Hodges also knew Schwartz, having coached her when she played for the Saskatchewan U18 team. “She was in Grade 12 when I coached her, and she was our best player, but also really quiet,” Hodges said. “She was a really hard working kid, loved hockey – very dedicated and also very humble.” Besides honouring Schwartz’s memory, the tournament also serves as a good measuring stick for CIS teams. This year’s Challenge featured four CIS teams – Regina, Manitoba, BC and Saskatchewan – along with two U-18 squads. “For us, it’s a great pre-season test to see where we’re at, and I think most of the CIS schools ap-
proach it the same way,” Hodges said. “The other good thing about it is it’s a good opportunity for us to see players at the under 18 age. It’s really important for CIS coaches to see where those kids are at, and get an opportunity to do a little recruiting too.” The pre-season competition is important for new and old players alike. “It’s really the first exhibition opportunity we’ve had,” Hodges said. “These are the first CIS games that we’ve played, so for our new players it’s the first opportunity to play at that level, so they’re definitely nervous...I think it’s just about getting some of the rust off, showing their coaching staffs what they can do, and getting introduced to CIS hockey.” During the tournament, the U of R Cougars had a 1-2 record, beating UBC 3-2 on Friday night but losing their next two games to the University of Manitoba and the Team Saskatchewan Under-18 squad. Despite the disappointing outcome of the Challenge, Hodges said she’s confident that this year’s team will find success. “We’re off to a good start,” she said. “We’ve got a good crop of rookies and solid leadership with our fifth-year players, so I think it looks pretty good.” For more information on Mandi Scwhartz, or to donate to the Mandi Schwartz Foundation, visit www.mandi17.org.
yalebulldogs.com
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
14 sports
Time to shine Meagan Cormier is putting on a goal-scoring clinic this year paige kreutzwieser contributor Meagan Cormier’s four years of experience on the University of Regina women’s soccer team is paying off. The team is currently ranked second in Canada West and eighth in the CIS, partially because Cormier has stepped up to the plate. Cormier was named Athlete of the week twice for the U of R, and was also named Canada West Female Athlete of the week on Sept. 18. With awards added to her personal repertoire, and her team slowly climbing the charts, it is easy to think some of this might go to her head; it is just the third week of the season after all. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case. “Honestly, I am just happy to be on the field,” she said. Her modest attitude clearly apparent, Cormier said she doesn’t want this season to be about her, she wants it to be about the team. But the stats don’t lie. The team is ranked eighth in the CIS after week three – making this the best start in U of R Cougar women’s soccer history – largely because of Cormier’s efforts. Cormier is the conference leader in total shots and shots per game.
Arthur Ward
Cormier leads the team in basically everything
She comes in second and third in both points per game and total points respectively, third in total goals, and fourth in goals per game, making her the first Canada West female player to do so since 2009, and also caused her to break a U of R record early in the season. Although her roles as a striker is a different position for Cormier this season, she would be happy
to play pretty much anywhere. Defence was her role in 2011, mid-centre in 2010, and her rookie season was also spent at striker. Cormier was also named the Canada West Female Athlete of the week during the first week of the 2009 season. Receiving the same award again three years later was just as special as it was the first time.
“[It] meant a lot personally,” Cormier said. “But also, at the same time, I won’t let it get to my head.” Cormier also won’t let being individually recognized affect her performance on the field either. “In previous years, I would have put a lot of pressure on myself,” expressed Cormier. “But that’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, that I can’t let it get to me.” Cormier admits that there are a lot of other players on the team just as capable as she is. According to Cormier, being such a close team makes supporting one another second nature, and she attribute this to her achievements. She calls her teammates her best friends, and said that on the field everyone is willing to work for the teammate next to them. And when teammates work together, success is an easy target. Speaking of targets, Cormier is not afraid to have a giant target
on her back for everyone to see. Despite the frustration of being man-marked the entire game against Winnipeg, she is not afraid. “It opens up another opportunity for another player [on our team] to score,” she said, once again, looking out for the best interest of the team. But, the quality of skill and the positive attitude Cormier shows makes it easy to understand why – alongside fifth-year defenceman Sarah Novak and third-year defenceman Nicole Westcott – she is one of the team’s captains. With the help of a mental trainer, an increased personal fitness level, and being back at the position she loves most, teams like Trinity West – who are tied with the U of R at 5-0 – better watch out for Cormier. With her team right beside her, Cormier plans to make this one of the best years the U of R women’s soccer program has ever seen.
“ In previous years I would have put a lot of
pressure on myself. But that’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, that I can’t let it get to me.” Meagan Cormier
Hockeyholics anonymous It has finally come to this 21 years in order to function, just on a smaller scale. While the NHL used to be what I lived every day for, I will have to learn to live without the thrill of the games, the excitements of hearing the latest trade rumours and the constant bantering at the bars between opposing team’s fans – to which I still remain undefeated. My family, friends and even complete strangers like this greedy bastard, Gary Bettman, have made me realize that that is not my life anymore. The WHL, not the NHL, will provide me with my hockey fix this year. I’m getting the shakes just thinking about it.
what the puck? autumn mcdowell sports editor Hi, my name is Autumn and I’m a hockeyholic. I am about to enter week two of my cold-turkey lockout from the National Hockey League and my outlook on life is currently quite grim. I have nearly given up all hope for the future. I have been suffering intense withdrawal symptoms due to my sudden lack of goons, fights, and missing teeth. I didn’t realize how bad it had affected me but while I was using hockey I also came to love that annoying buzzer noise that rings through the entire arena after a goal is scored, in fact I can’t fall sleep without hearing it first. I also have trouble getting out of bed unless I have had a hit of the notorious stench of hockey gear. I used to get high off of that stuff almost daily, sometimes multiple times a day if it was on the weekend. Double headers are what I prayed for. To make matters worse, I also haven’t been able to get my hands on EA Sports NHL 13 from any of the other junkies yet, which is supposed to ease the grieving process and speed up my recovery time, or so I hear. However, through my treatment program I have found some-
“ The WHL, not
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I finally found out who’s responsible for taking away my good stuff
thing else wonderful to release my stress. It’s not quite as good as NHL but it still gives me my hockey fix, junior hockey. No, I’m not talking about junior A or B, and God forbid I even start to think about junior C – no one is stupid enough to even touch that stuff – I am referring to major junior, in particular the Western Hockey League.
With my beloved NHL being ripped away from the kung fu grip that my dead lifeless fingers had them in, the comfort of still being able to enjoy some WHL action every weekend was just about the only thing that kept me from relapsing during the past 12 days. The WHL still provides me with feel-good entertainment on a
daily basis. However, there aren’t quite as many teams for me to choose from. I have gone from my choice of 30 teams to 22, so my enabler’s list has drastically declined. But, even with it’s problems, the WHL has the things that matter most to me, and they are providing me with what my body has grown dependant on over the past
the NHL, will provide me with my hockey fix this year, I’m getting the shakes just thinking about it.”
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
sports 15
Cardinal difference Contributors Britton Gray and Jhett Folk don’t see eye to eye in Arizona
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This picture would be impossible in the CFL. Hello, no neutral zone.
britton gray contributor One of the biggest surprises in the NFL this year is the Arizona Cardinals. With a 3-0 record, they are one of the lone undefeated teams left in the league, and they haven’t been beating pushovers to get there. So far, they have made a last-second comeback against the Seattle Seahawks, defeated the New England Patriots, and dominated the “dream team” Philadelphia Eagles. These Cardinals are on a roll, and I believe that they will continue to win the games they should and, perhaps, they will even give the San Francisco 49ers a run for their money in the NFC West. The play of veteran quarterback, Kevin Kolb, is one of the main reasons the team is currently riding a winning streak. After coming in for an injured John Skelton and leading the Cardinals to a last minute victory over the Seahawks, Kolb has proven capable of pulling out wins. He may not have the eye-popping stats like Patriots QB Tom Brady, but he has not turned the ball over this year and sometimes that is all you need to do. With the strong play of Kolb, coupled with Skelton’s imminent return from injury, there is now a quarterback controversy in Arizona. Another reason the Cardinals were able to win their first three games is the play of their defence. The defence is causing turnovers and is consistently applying pressure to opposing QBs. They have held two elite offences – the Eagles and the Patriots – to a total of 24 points, keeping their own offence on the field as long as possible.
Their D-line is also finding success applying pressure, and has produced sacks in key situations. Second-year corner back Patrick Peterson is one of the most exciting players in the game today and is an asset on defence. The play of the Cardinal defence might be more impressive than the play of their offence. Speaking of their offence, veteran wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, finally came alive this week against the Eagles, and that’s scary news for opposing teams. Fitzgerald has been one of the most dominant receivers in the league and catches almost everything that is thrown to him. He was kept in check for the first few weeks but still managed to rack up over 100 yards and a touchdown for the first time this year. If he gets on a roll, he is probably the No. 1 receiver in the game today. I’m looking forward to seeing him the rest of the year, especially if he puts up the numbers he’s capable of putting up. Another reason for Arizona’s impressive roll is head coach, Ken Wisenhunt. He is one of the more underrated coaches in the league. Wisenhunt is responsible for making sure his team is prepared week by week and is motivated to do their jobs. After Skelton went down, many people thought their team was going to be in trouble, but Wisenhunt has his team believing. Due in part to his positive attitude, he is one of the main reasons they are 3-0. The Arizona Cardinals are a team that can get on a roll and get into the playoffs even though many people wrote them off. They are a team that believes in themselves and have a lot of underrated talent on the field. While they may not win the Super Bowl this year, they can make some noise in this league. Look out for the Cardinals.
“ I don’t think fans should look too deeply into the team’s present record. I also don’t believe that this Cardinals offense is anywhere near ready to compete against the big boys.” Jhett Folk
jhett folk contributor The Arizona Cardinals have managed to culminate a 3-0 record throughout the first three weeks of this NFL season, but that doesn’t mean anything. While the teams the Cardinals have defeated were highly touted coming into this season, I still don’t see these Cards as a legitimate threat in the NFL or even the NFC. The Cardinals offense is by no means something to fear. The wins the Cards have collected are somewhat questionable. And let us not forget the way this Arizona team’s schedule will play out. The path to winning the NFC West division, the NFC, and the Super Bowl is not in the favor of the Cardinals. Arizona has a sub-par offense that, when it comes down to it, should not be able to go toe to toe with any powerhouse offenses in this league. The Cards are an embarrassing 31st in yards per game at 263.3; they are 29th overall passing yardage at 181 per game, and 27th overall rushing yardage at 82.3 yards per game. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that to score touchdowns you need far more yardage than that. Veteran wide receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Roberts have emerged as the only true threats that the Cardinals have on their offense, but to get the ball to these guys the Cardinals need to put their hopes on the shoulders of signal caller, Kevin Kolb. The victories achieved so far for the Cardinals aren’t exactly convincing. Week one, the Cardinals squeaked by a Seattle Seahawks team who, in all fairness, are still in search of their true identity. The Cardinals also held home field advantage, which appears to be a very huge factor in the way this season is playing out thus far. Week two, the Cardinals were lucky enough to watch Stephen Gostkowski kick a very rare missed field goal. This was a game where Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, outgunned Kolb for 176 more yards and 13 more completions. Running back Stevan Ridley outran Beanie Wells by 27 yards, and receivers Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski combined for 11 catches and 170 yards compared to the Cards top two receivers of the game, Todd
Heap and Early Doucet, who only grabbed eight catches for 83 yards. Heck, the Patriots even won the turnover battle. This was just one of those games that the football Gods were not allowing the Patriots to win. As far as the Cardinals week three game goes against the Eagles, I honestly saw that win coming. The Eagles are nowhere near as good as they are hyped up to be. It’s because of these reasons that the Cardinals record doesn’t have me convinced that they’re for real just yet. With 13 games remaining, the Cardinals have quite the schedule to finish out the season. From week eight to week 11, the Cardinals go up against the San Francisco 49ers, the Green Bay Packers, and the Atlanta Falcons. If Carolina still holds a decent record after Atlanta, my mind may change a bit, but that’s only test one. Test two comes about in week 13 where they travel to New York to face the Jets, and then they go to the ever-intimidating land of the Seahawks. They then host Detroit and Chicago who are seen as upper-echelon NFC teams, and then close out their season against the 49ers – obviously never an easy task. To summarize, I don’t think fans should look too deeply into the team’s present record. I also don’t believe that the Cardinals offense is anywhere near ready to compete against the big boys. And to close out, I feel that there is no way that these Cardinals can face the tasks they have at hand and come out as a team to be reckoned with by the end of it all. Though I will be honest, I hope I’m wrong. It’s fun watching the come-out-ofnowhere team.
cssa n a d a i n f e d e r a t o i n o f t u d e n t s 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 m c i h a e l a jucn kd so n m oa vste ip a ly te ocn e fi r r e t h e h s t 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 t e r ta iltu n e s k a n y e w e s t d y g a g a t p a n i a u t o u n e r e c e s s i o n a gm hae n ntsh taesa etlh rs dfo bisato la iu The Carillon: throwing it down showdown style since Issue 3...... Issue 3 in 1962, that is!
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
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Put up or shut up The Regina Rams silence the Huskies crowd braden dupuis sports writer There’s certainly no love lost between the University of Regina Rams and their provincial rivals, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Because of their proximity, the rosters of both teams are full of players who know each other, and know each other well. “We want to be the best, and they want to be the best,” said veteran defensive back Jamir Walker, before the Rams game against the Huskies on Sept. 21. “It’s two teams going at each other, and we know each other very well, because some of us are from Saskatoon. There’s always bad blood, but that’s just the way it goes.” In recent years the Rams have been stymied by the Huskies. Going back to the 2008 season, they’ve won just one game in eight attempts against their bitter rival. “They’ve beat us more than we’ve beat them, so we kind of want to even that out,” Walker said. “I’ve only beaten them I think once in my career here... I’m just kind of tired of losing to these guys.” The Rams woes are even worse when playing at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon, where they haven’t won since 2007. Veteran Rams quarterback Marc Mueller knows all about the
Jarrett Crowe
pressures of playing in hostile territory. “Once we roll into Saskatoon on Friday we know we are public enemy number one,” he said. “Any game on the road in the Canada West is difficult, but especially playing in Saskatoon, it’s loud, it’s crazy, and it’s a lot of fun.” Walker offered a similar thought. “My blood boils a little bit when I think about playing at the U of S,” he said. “I love playing there. It’s a great atmosphere. I love playing in front of the fans, and trying to get them to shut up
for a second.” Mueller, Walker, and the rest of the Regina Rams were given a great opportunity to do just that on Friday, in front of an estimated 9,033 people – an unofficial Canada West attendance record. The number is made even more impressive by the fact that capacity at Griffiths Stadium is only 6,171. For most of the game, the record-number of spectators were not disappointed. On the Huskies opening drive, rookie U of S quarterback, Drew Burko, looked sharp running the no-huddle offense – as he would
for much of the first half – but the eight-yard drive resulted only in a single point off a missed field goal. The lack of execution was a common theme for the Huskies, and one that would ultimately cost them the game. The Rams, however, made the most of their red-zone opportunities, and took a 14-12 lead into halftime. But as Regina continues to prove, the second half is where this team plays its best football. The third quarter saw three consecutive Rams touchdowns, and the lead increase to 35-12 in
favour of the visitors. Fourth-year wide receiver, Kolten Solomon, caught two touchdown passes and rushed for another, becoming the first Rams player to score three TDs in a game since Jordan Sisco did it back in 2009. Second-year running back, Michael Kiapway, continued his break-out season, rushing for 84 yards and two TDs of his own. But it’s no secret that this offense lives and dies with its signal caller. Fortunately for the Rams, Mueller only seems to be getting better with each game. Despite absorbing several punishing hits from the Huskies D-line, Mueller completed 29 of 37 passes on his way to a 78.4 per cent completion record – a Rams single-game record. The offense racked up the points in the third, and the defense held strong in the fourth, withstanding a late-game surge by the Huskies. Final score: 35-26 Rams. Half way through the 2012 season, the Rams are 3-1 and tied for second place in Canada West with the University of Manitoba Bisons. The two teams will clash this week at Mosaic Stadium, with sole possession of second place on the line. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Friday night.
Ref problems These replacement NFL referees are downright embarrassing paige kreutzwieser contributor Referees: you can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them. That statement is all too real with the current situation going on in the National Football League. However, maybe I should rephrase that. Referees: you can’t live with replacement officials, and you definitely can’t live without the real officials who are just as greedy as the NFL association itself. Does that sound better? What happened to the love of the game? We sure aren’t seeing the love with the current referee lockout. So where do we find it? The NHL? Oh, right, that’s in a lockout too. What about the NBA? Well, I don’t think too many of those fans want to take a trip down memory lane to 2011. Needless to say, those who are professionally involved in national leagues – whether they be players, refs, commissioners, etc. – really aren’t showing they are in it for the game. It’s all about the money, or in most cases, more money. Here are just a few specifics on what this referee lockout is about. First, there is the upset refs who want better benefits and more pay. Now, most of us who have worked for a union understand that part time employees do not receive full time benefits –
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I typed in “stupid referee” and this is what came up even if you are 15 minutes away from full time hours. But, these referees aren’t just 15 minutes away. No, they work 16 games in roughly a 17 week period, at about three hours a game – give, not take, apparently a couple extra hours if you are a replacement ref – and tack on a couple few hours a week for travel, “required” fitness time, and training on rules. You’re looking at roughly 115 - 130 hours in 17 weeks – play along with the
numbers. An average full-time employee works close to 4,800 hours in 17 weeks, not including travelling or overtime. So, when people say these men – because females apparently are only good enough as replacements – who make anywhere from $40,000 to $120,000 a season for only working a whopping 130 hours deserve more money and benefits, I say, “America, get yourself together.” Now, not to say I’m siding
with the commissioner and his egotistical excuses as to why he won’t pinch a couple of extra dollars to give the poor zebras a break. If the past three weeks of the NFL regular season hasn’t proven how innately precious the regular referees are to the integrity of the game, then I don’t know what will. I am too afraid to think that it would be a potentially serious or career ending injury. I’m hoping for a fan boycott instead, but real-
istically that just won’t happen, because for fans there is this little thing called Fantasy Football. Secondly, league owners want to decrease their funding obligation by 60 per cent via cutting back on what the NFLRA’s benefits. Why? Unless that money is going directly into charity, education funds or research for sending someone to Mars then I disagree. Cutting back on the already most under paid officials in a national league is disrespectful. We’ve seen how important they really are to this game. Its not an easy road to becoming an NFL ref, and it sure is not easy when you’re standing in front of thousands of booing fans who are too incompetent – I being one of them – to understand the thousands of rules involved. These men deserve more respect. The replacement refs with their botched calls, offerings of extra time outs, and their inability to mark a ball correctly, are destroying the game. I want to extend my gratitude to the replacements for stepping up; however, you were destined to fail. Your inexperience was taken for granted and that is not But please, for your fault. the fans, do us all a favour and step away from the field. Maybe if you leave, something will have to be done and we can get back to regular football.
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
advertisement 17 WELL HELLO THERE! THE CARILLON’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS 2 SEATS WAITING FOR YOUR JOURNALISM LOVING BUTT TO FILL. SEND YOUR RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO OUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AT EDITOR@CARILLONREGINA.COM BY OCTOBER 4TH AT 11:59 PM. SERIOUSLY, AT 12:00, YOU ARE FOREVER HENCEFORTH BANISHED FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
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feature
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
The Carillon presents legit-as-hell stadiums On Wednesday, Sept. 19, the City of Regina unveiled conceptual plans for the new stadium. The designs for the new stadium, which have been described as looking like everything from a toilet seat to an ovum, have already cost the city $575,000. Students have expressed a mixed reaction to the new stadium. “It kind of looks cheap.” Sarah Weild said. When asked if the stadium would fit in with the area it’s going to be built in, she responded “Probably, because I don’t think that area’s got the nicest buildings.” “I think it’s pretty nice,” student John Erick said, “I like the glass design, but I can see where [people that think it looks like a toilet seat] come from.” What most people agree on, though, is that the conceptual stadium design seems a little expensive for what the public has been shown. “I’m not an expert in architecture but that does sound high,” Jordan Ubbens said when asked if the cost was worth the design. With that in mind, the Carillon introduces four unique, imaginative designs of a potential stadium in Regina. Each features some of the most important aspects of our city and solves some of the serious problems faced by any new stadium. Note to the City of Regina: We will accept payment in new computers for our office, plane tickets to the Canadian University Press National Conference in Toronto, or cold, hard cash.
“Like a night at the drive-in” design
Let’s be honest: the worst thing about going to any Rider game in the new stadium is going to be finding a place to park. I’ve found an ingenious solution to this problem. Rather than trying to find a parking spot in an area already short on parking, this new stadium design will integrate parking and stadium into one. And I am not just talking about a connected parking garage, I mean literally having a gently-sloped parking lot inside the stadium where fans can park their cars and watch the game in the comfort of their own vehicles. Not only will this solve the parking problem, it combines tailgating with spectatorship and encourages people to carpool, thus being better for the environment. Green is the colour! At the north end of the stadium, the largest HD video screen in the world (a sop to the whiny film industry) will provide fans with larger-than-life, play-by-play coverage of everything going on both on the field and in the Rider mall below the western parking lot. The mall allows fans to deck themselves, their cars, their pets, and their house in the green and white while spending way too much on their tenth identical Riders jersey. In the southwest corner, a towering steeple rises above the stadium because Saskatchewan essentially worships the Riders and the new stadium must reflect that. Its 100bell carillon will announce not only every touchdown, but every sack, first down, or challenged play. On game days, an all-bell rendition of “we got that Rider Pride” will call all faithful Rider fans to worship. And for the truly faithful Riders’ fan, there is the opportunity to spend eternity interred with the Riders in the attached mausoleum for reasonable prices. Spending an eternity near the Roughrider greats is something any true Saskatchewan fan would pay several thousand dollars for. The best part is that the stadium is entirely roof-ready, with a strong, stretchy plastic covering that can be pulled over the stadium provided in partnership with Glad Saran Wrap.
edward dodd op-ed editor
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
The Wall-Fiacco Mosaic 2.0 Design
feature 19 We begin with the Blackhawksupported flying VIP party platform, complete with no fence. If the drunken businessman falls into your section, you have a chance to win a million dollars in Safeway’s “Freefall for a Million Ticket to Win It.” Mandatory advertising flashes brighter than any stadium lighting on the inner top ring. The outer ring is adorned with pyrotechnics cannons that deliver a 21 cannonshot salute every time the Roughriders do so much as attain a first down. These cannons can also be militarized by authorization of Brad Wall if there’s a hint of political dissent. The garishly large sign that proudly announces that you are in the Wall-Fiacco joint, Mosaic 2.0 is cleverly in the shape of the Roughriders’ logo itself. Flanking the only set of double doors into the stadium are tasteful classical Greek nude statues of some of the most legendary Roughriders players to ever grace the gridiron. On the left of the stadium sits the lone tree that the city planner would
allow for. On the right, a crumbling wooden sign directing traffic towards the Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit Memorial Parking Lot, a true and lasting legacy of Saskatchewan’s film industry. Situated in the middle section of either side of the stadium, one can distinctly make out the ghost sprite from the original Pokémon games, which has been created by tinting the plastic seats different colours than those surrounding them. Why the ghost sprite, you ask? Have you seen the current proposal draft pictures with all of the ghosts that are to inhabit the new stadium? Fucking terrifying, man. This proposed design is the ultimate combination of class, functionality, and bad-assery, and is the only clear choice for the stadium that can, nay, MUST be built in the city.
kyle leitch arts writer
The “cheeky” design The first thing you may notice is the stadium’s iconic design which draws inspiration from Sir-Mix-Alot’s music video for “Baby Got Back”. The fans wanted a domed stadium, but we can do one better: the moon. Yes, it represents exactly what it looks like – dat ass. If the Lingerie Football League can exploit sexuality with the guise of athletics, so can the CFL. But, this concept serves more than purely aesthetic purposes; the cheeky design has a functional requirement as well. Beginning in one corner of the field and serpentining as asymmetrically as possible to the other diagonal corner is Quance Street Two. Why would we put a functional street through the middle of a football field, you ask? Well how the hell else are we going to connect poorly planned strip malls and chain restaurants? Yes, the players do run the risk of getting leveled by a speeding suburban, but really, who doesn’t love the hard-hitting action that’s innate to football?
Moreover, Quance Street Two will bring Applebee’s lovers to the stadium and football fans to Applebee’s; it’s doubleplusgood for business. Next, we come to the constituency office for Sask. Party MLA Gene Makowski situated just next to the main gates - reassuring fans that even though they can no longer live vicariously through the retired Riders, their lives can still be governed by them. I don’t even know if the new stadium will be in Gene Makowski’s constituency, and frankly, I doubt if he knows either, but do you think he gives a shit? Not pictured is the stadium’s dungeon for Sask Party critics, er, “detainment area for rowdy fans”, which is situated below the playing surface.
paul bogdan arts editor
sexball stadium design
As with print media and YouTube rickrolls, the Roughriders will soon become obsolete. But hey, you, the taxpayer, are investing big money into this goddamn testament to football glory, so the province better ensure you get your bang for your buck. Having won their first football game this month, the Regina Rage lingerie football team seem like they might end up having a better season than the Riders. It won’t be long before sexually and emotionally frustrated Rider fans are forced to put their full support behind the scantily clad heroes of the game, and Mosaic Stadium 2.0 will become the official home of the Regina Rage. Which is really quite fine, I mean, the design already looks like a giant open-top ovum. To help the girls feel more at home, I suggest the designers remove the Astroturf field and replace it with a bed of silicone breasts. Not only do the fans get twice the eyeful, but wedging the football between the cleavage of the boobs will surely make field goals easier. As Rider fans make the transition from loving the Riders to loving girl-versions of the Riders, they will eventually have to give up their sym-
bolic testament to their dedication, the Roughriders logo. The next logical symbol of Saskatchewan pride is the mudflap girl. You know, the one that’s on the back wheels of all your obnoxious F-150’s. Yeah, her. Skylights will flash this symbol of football sexy times across the evening sky, a batman-esque “fuck you” to all the football dissenters. You traitors. But alas, these women must never forget their roots. Therefore, a large Roughriders football sperm will hover above the LFL ovum, reminding them of just how empowering their league really is.
julia dima production manager
graphics first-year problems
Visual Editor: Arthur Ward graphics@carillonregina.com the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
op-ed
Op-Ed Editor: Edward Dodd op-ed@carillonregina.com the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
opinion
Part of the game For as long as there has been hockey, there has been a spot on the roster dedicated – whether the coaches admit it or not – to players who are willing to drop the gloves on the ice. Due in part to such highly acclaimed hockey players being sidelined because of concussions, some people have said fighting no longer has a place on the ice. But, those people are just plain stupid. Like many hockey fans, I go to a game expecting to see one fight and hoping to see two. When two players square off at centre ice – or better yet, when a line brawl breaks out – the energy in the rink is electric. Nearly every fan is on the edge of their seat and no one blinks until one or both players hit the ice. It’s wonderful. Of course, there will always be at least one fan in the rink that will cower in fear when two players begin to dance, shielding their eyes and covering their face with their jacket until someone tells them that it’s safe to look. At the beginning of hockey season, that fan was my mom; however, once I showed her the beauty of on-ice fighting, she was yelling, “kill him!” by the end of the year. I couldn’t have been more proud. Many people – most of whom have never witnessed the joys of a battle on the ice in person – claim that fighting is too violent for hockey and say that it should be removed from the game, suggesting that fans do not want fighting as part of the sport’s resume. However, fighting is not what makes hockey violent. In the National Hockey League, a fight happens on average less than once a game, while severe hits, cross checks, slashes and spears happen multiple times every period without anyone batting an eye. Sure, fights will happen more often if
Julis Dima
two division rivals square off or if a notoriously hated player is on the other bench, but the same goes for the frequency of those physical penalties as well. Hockey is violent by nature – it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out – and fans like it that way. It’s no coincidence that on average the teams that fight more often also sell more tickets. Yes, fighting is dangerous, but it is no more dangerous than any other elements of the game. When two players go toe-to-toe they will usually still have their helmets on – some leagues have even made rules for bidding the removal of a helmet during a
ungendered
“Is it a boy, or a girl?” This is the first question any friend or relative asks when they learn that you or your partner are pregnant. This innocent question captures the gender binary way of thinking which determines what gifts to give the expecting parent(s) and the newborn child. These gifts will be gender specific as, despite the changes occurring in society today, newborn females are often given gifts and clothes that are pink, which is considered feminine, and males are the recipients of blue presents and items. The simplicity of assigning a colour to a gender seems harmless, but the mentality of the binary of gender leaves many people behind. With the recent news of gender-neutral washrooms being available for students at the University of Victoria, it is no surprise that this issue has come up again at the University of Regina. Last year, URSU called for gender-neutral washrooms to be created on campus. The Carillon covered this story and questioned students, at random, that replied in support of having gender-neutral washrooms. While questioning random students might not provide an entirely accurate sample of what the majority of the student population wants, I believe that this is a good sign that the campus community and the students enrolled here are interested in making this positive step towards inclusion. There are washrooms all over campus that could be converted to gender-neutral washrooms. This could
even reduce wasted space on a campus running out of space to teach classes. If it were possible, at least as a start towards inclusion, I think two of the washrooms in the Education building, (near classroom ED 113) could easily be converted to genderneutral washrooms. Both would be spacious enough to be converted, as well as be accessible for students who are differentlyabled. This is only a suggestion, however, and it will take more than replacing a door sign to make a female or male washroom into an “official” gender-neutral washroom. Another sad contributing fact is that the student population, despite breaking enrollment records this year, is perhaps not high enough to justify the expense of building new gender-neutral washrooms. In the meantime, it would likely be beneficial to set aside at least a few washrooms and change the signs to test how students would adapt to the change. This test could eventually be used to help justify the expense of building or renovating even more washrooms on campus. Sometime in the future, I hope the next discussion surrounding public washrooms will be put to rest. Until that day, it doesn’t hurt to take a few small steps.
jordan palmer contributor
tussle. The players are also wearing a full suit of body armour for protection; essentially, most of the damage during a fight ends up being to a player’s own hand rather than his opponents head. These players – who often get recognized as enforcers because of their willingness to stick up for their smaller, goal-scoring teammates – often leave a scrap with a few cuts on their hands and maybe a shiner. Meanwhile, other players are expected to stop pucks by any means necessary even if it means taking a slap shot directly to the face if it will prevent the other team from scoring.
This may be pointing out the obvious, but a puck can do a lot more damage to someone than any fist can. Fighting is part of hockey and hopefully it always will be. It sells more tickets, gets fans excited, rallies a team, and provides everyone with a position on a roster, even a goon.
autumn mcdowell sports editor
First-year flu
The flood of first-years on campus often get a bad rap, which I call the First-year Flu. Many of us suffered through it once, and then we see others who suffer from it year after year, much like the flu. It starts with blissful ignorance as “high school society” integrates into “university society.” In high school, the grade 12 students see themselves as above the rest because they have finally reached the end of that stage in life. High school is all about being accepted, it’s full of little cliques of people trying to dress the same and act the same to be accepted, and anyone different is labeled an outsider. It’s all about who is on top. Sadly that attitude doesn’t stop in high school and is often carried across to university. Not everyone suffers through the Firstyear Flu, but it is an ongoing occurrence. For some students, the major change in their environment can be a bit of a shock. University is the opposite of high school in many ways. There are no cliques in university; you “make friends with those in your classes.” In high school, people change to be accepted. In university, you’re accepted for who you are. Many students who make it through the first year of university find the new first-years “ignorant and judgmental.” Most people I talk to say that the first-years, “get in the way.” This is true – after all, they are in an unfamiliar place and do not know exactly where they are supposed to be. Give it time and a little patience, and they will figure it out. If you want to speed
up the process, help someone who looks lost. Generally, it seems that they come into university thinking they are top dog, when in university, no one is top dog, and everyone is just trying to get through. As we discussed before, many just got out of high school where grade 12 students were the top of the pyramid and they are not used to the loss of authority that position brings. Many first-years are just figuring out that graduation is just the beginning of growing up, and this can be dreadful. Especially when they realize things aren’t going to get easier, instead they are going to get harder. Lastly, the First-year Flu runs in cliques. When everything starts to fall into place, classes are easy to find, and taking the right notes gets easy, there comes the last symptoms. At university, there is a large diversity of people with interests, likes, and dislikes that are drastically different. In high school, different was not accepted, nor welcome. In university, it doesn’t matter. Many students who have gotten over the First-year Flu have stated, “The first-years are always very judgmental when they see people different from themselves.” In university, different isn’t bad. After all, everyone has one thing in common at university: we were all first-years once.
raenna gohm contributor
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
22 op-ed
All aboard the omnibus Omnibus bills, like the one it’s hinted the Harper government will pass this fall, tend to contain more proposals than can be sufficiently scrutinized through parliamentary processes before being put to a vote. In fact, this serves as part of the reason for their name: let’s take everything (omni) and drive it (bus) through Parliament as fast as possible. This is suggested, by some, to be a more efficient means of introducing new legislation, and of course, what we need at a most basic level, is more laws being put on the books and faster. Coming under the media-friendly guise of efficient legislation, omnibus bills are, in fact, much more likely to serve a function which amounts, in reality, to the precise opposite. These deliberately obscure ‘budgets’ are financed in full, along with the salaries and other regular costs in running government institutions, via our own perpetual tax enslavement. If our dollars were spent wisely we might expect reasonable legislation which, after having been debated carefully and judiciously, actually went on to benefit a majority of Canadians. On the contrary, as our dollars are spent rushing through ledgislation that cannot be well scrutinized or debated by parliament, we are paying for further unnecessary expenses and restrictions upon our freedom. Since omnibus legislation is wadded up into a thick stack and hurried through parliament makes it substantially more likely to be imprecise and miscalculated. Therefore, it is equally more likely that taxpayers’ dollars are spent quite ineffectively and irresponsibly. By way of analogy, if we are to take an unimaginably large volume of waste and stuff it all into a rocket-pow
Dustin Christianson
ered bus and then drive our bus as quickly as possible down the throat of our giant Queen Beaver, then we’re far more likely to make potentially costly mistakes in the process which might induce a considerable measure of irreversible damage. Furthermore, if one proposes such a hypothetical scenario wherein holders of key political powers are influenced in their decision making by something other than their own free-will and keenness of intellect, say, by the interests of money, then the situation becomes imaginably more dire. What nonetheless remains a true, without having to chance any wildcard assertions about the odds of potentially greedy influences at play, is that omnibus
bills put forward by the Harper government will continue to ignore the vast disparity in wealth which continues to exist within our own nation. Instead, they continue to favour promoting the familiar conservative tradition of tax breaks for the rich and social program cuts for the poor. Bet on that now and maybe think about taking your winnings to help out at Attawapiskat. Finally, budgetary proposals of omnibus legislation, which are argued in theory as everyone’s benefit for their alleged efficacy as type of political tool, and even as a necessity for re-invigorating the poor old world economy, seem much more likely to fulfill neither of these claims. Tabling omnibus legislation has thus far
proven more than likely to plainly contradict the interest of Parliament. This is an assertion even Harper had acknowledged years ago when in the opposition himself and facing an approximately 30 page omnibus bill, as opposed to the more than 400 pages he pushed through earlier this year. Additionally, it is likely not a mere youthful schoolyard conjecture to suggest that, when all the potenital outcomes have been tallied, this type of legislation is entirely contradictory to the interests of a majority of Canadians.
dustin christianson contributor
Stats Canada’s closet
Arthur Ward
In a surprising display of responsibility, Statistics Canada recently admitted to a minor gaffe, a tiny oversight on their part. Upon reviewing data taken from the 2011 census, they noticed a startling increase in the number of same-sex couples, primarily in areas such as the Alberta oil patch. What started as a head-scratcher turned into a face-palmer when it was discovered that Stats Canada may have overestimated by as many as 4500 the number of same-sex
married couples in some parts of the country. These folks that were taken to be samesex couples were in fact just roomies splitting their rent (cue trombone music). These are the people that the government employ with our tax dollars – presumptuous cocks who can’t ask people if they identify as a homosexual couple and so instead jump over the moon to a stupid conclusion that is probably based off of another statistic that says that more and more
same-sex couples are getting married in Canada. These are our tax dollars at work, folks. As a result of this mess up, Stats Canada has had to redact and withhold certain census information. They’ve since released the statistics on gay and lesbian couples for larger cities, but have withheld these figures for smaller communities where they may have dropped the ball a bit.
I don’t think I need to explain just how awful this whole situation is. Stats Can is the body responsible for providing vital statistics to the public and to the government about our country. Shit like this is just inexcusable. Imagine if Stats Can dropped into the average Film 100 class, and, decided that the professor must be the mother or father of every one of the 150 or so children gathered around them in the room. Do you see the problem in making baseless assumptions like that? I think the big problem here, besides the gross negligence of an official government position, is the laziness and apathy towards your job that needs to be involved when you fuck up a figure by 4500. As terrible as I feel writing this, Stats Can jobs involve counting. You know, that basic skill that we developed in Kindergarten and have been working on ever since? By and large, the census job should not involve the critical thinking that is involved in deciding that roommates are a same-sex couple. Once again, the government never ceases to amaze me, and shame me to no end when I realize that I‘m technically a part of the same species that they are. So, congratulations, government, you win. As of now, I’m seceding from humanity. I do not yet know what my new race will be called, what our mission statement will be, or what our objectives are. But I hope Stats Canada can at least count that there is one less human in Canada.
kyle leitch arts writer
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012
op-ed 23
Know our suffering
anotherenthusiast.com
“I don’t know anything about Saskatchewan.” As I heard American journalist Chris Hedges admit this, my heart sank. Well, there goes my list of questions I thought. I had done my research. A Pulitzer recipient, Hedges was a foreign war zone correspondent in places like Bosnia and Kosovo. Most recently, alongside author and cartoonist Joe Sacco, he authored a book titled Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, which looks at some of the most impoverished and exploited areas in the United States. Hedges and Sacco call these areas “sacrifice zones”, their people and their land
sacrificed to unfettered capitalism. They look at areas like a South Dakota reserve, plagued by issues of poverty and addiction. They look at Camden, New Jersey -allegedly the poorest, and by extension most dangerous, area of the United States. There’s even a look at West Virginia, which was rampantly strip-mined. To Hedges, all of these are side effects of uncontrolled and unregulated capitalism. Perhaps I was being naïve to assume that an American journalist would have the faintest idea of our province’s economic, social, and environmental situation. Perhaps I just assumed that if someone was going to lecture somewhere, they’d do
Offensorship Once again, the world is party to violent riots - or protests if you really want to call them that, flag burnings, and attacks in the Islamic world. Most people will, by now, be aware of the apparent underlying reason: a poorly made, clearly dubbed over video called Innocence of Muslims circulating on YouTube. In the wake of all of this, a French satirical magazine has decided to publish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Some have described these cartoons as obscene. Through this entire process now, which up to this point has seen 30 people killed in what has essentially degenerated into mob violence, the Western world has once again started debating whether or not to censor such media products or regulate media output in general. If the West was to censor the output of such media as poorly made YouTube videos or even cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, then we need to stop and ask ourselves what is to stop our governments from going even further and censoring or muffling other items they deem unsavoury. Before we could blink twice, we could be facing a repressive police state. Have our governments really come to a point where the very freedoms anchored in our constitutions can readily be tailored by governments that allow themselves to be blackmailed by fear? We, the people, should send a clear and definitive response: no. Most governments would immediately state that they would not negotiate with terrorists, yet these same governments cower before an angry mob incited by violent and fundamentalist radicals. The reality is that what we have here is exactly that – radical Islamist fundamentalists inciting a crowd into a frenzy with antiUS and general anti-Western slogans. These fundamentalists belong to history textbooks in much the same way that Western witch hunts and stake-burnings do. There
is no room for such macabre violence and hatred only to advance the political or cultural agendas of violent groups or individuals. Which is why even the simple act of regulating Western media is nothing but another form of censorship caused by fear. Many artists and filmmakers already selfcensor out of fear of offending. I think we can point to the furor that the Kingdom of Heaven script leak caused among Westerners and Easterners alike as an example. Muslims denounced the film as anti-Muslim and many American critics saw the film as anti-Christian. Yet, if artists or the general public begin a cycle of constant self-censorship induced by fear, then where does that take us? Eventually, we would simply capitulate to the forces of radicals and fear-mongers. Unless a law is broken, the public peace is disturbed, or there is an incitement to violence, hatred, or discrimination, we should not regulate, censor, or otherwise curtail the freedoms given to all of us, including our media. We may not always agree with an opinion, but that person or entity is entitled to have it. It’s important, though, throughout this debate to know that Islam, like Christianity, is not inherently violent unless words and passages are twisted to meet the sick needs of fundamentalists. Ed Husain, who is the senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies on the US Council on Foreign Relations and the author of The Islamist, articulates it best when he says that “I am a Muslim. I am a Westerner. I see no contradictions in being both.” What’s lacking is understanding, and we need to work to create that understanding before we can fully address the current state of West-East relationships.
sebastian prost contributor
some research about where they were going. After conducting some research about Hedges and his work, I could see how Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt could relate to Canada, especially Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan has a resource-based economy which is currently experiencing a boom. But we are also experiencing economic inequality, leaving some of the less fortunate behind. Students in Saskatchewan pay some of the highest tuition rates in the country, upwards of $6000 per year -- higher than the national average. Saskatchewan also has a high Aboriginal population, which is expected to grow; it is predicted that by 2045, a third of the total population will be Aboriginal. This demographic shift has its own trials and tribulations. Aboriginal people disproportionately make up the population of our prisons. Forty-five per cent of Aboriginal children live at or below the poverty line. According to Poverty Free Saskatchewan, the northern region of our province is one of the poorest in the country. But I suspect that I’m not telling readers something that they don’t already know. When I met Hedges in a media scrum, and then later on in a Q&A session at the School of Journalism, he admitted that he didn’t know much about our province. What Hedges would have found if he had bothered to do a quick Google search of Saskatchewan was that was have the lowest minimum wage in Canada, creating a devastating amount of inequality. As Maclean’s journalist Jonathon Gatehouse pointed out, Regina is home to “Canada’s worst neighborhood,” consisting largely of Aboriginal people and the working class. The situation on many reserves doesn’t al-
ways paint a prettier picture. Some statistics allege that two-thirds of Aboriginal youth on reserves won’t graduate from high school. They are a community hurting from colonization and that has dire, dire consequences. It would have been nice to get Hedges’ insight on our issues. In his book, he discusses what are essentially the leftovers of corporate America. Considering he thinks that the United States “does everything wrong, and then Canada copies it,” it would have been nice if he knew more about Saskatchewan and our unique problems. Our problems don’t to differ much from the problems he discusses in his book. Instead, I was left disappointed and somewhat empty-handed. Ultimately, I do think I was naïve in having such a specific goal for meeting him. With all that said, it was a neat opportunity for the University of Regina to have Hedges come and lecture. His experiences as a foreign correspondent have apparently instilled in him a strong sense of compassion. Hedges said that he cares about the poor, thus writes for them. They are his target audience. “I placed myself physically with the victims,” Hedges explained, referring to both his work as a foreign correspondent and on his book Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt. “Don’t sever yourself from the oppressed.” It is this approach that has guided Hedges’ career, through war zones and the most impoverished and suffering communities in the United States. If only he knew how some people in our community were suffering, too.
lauren golosky contributor
Understanding Anarchy I think that it is very important that I first state that I am not an anarchist. Even so, I find it critical to understand anarchy, as should any citizen of a democratic country. It is not my purpose to tell you what anarchy is but rather why you should find out what it is. The most obvious reason is that you probably don’t know what it is; as prominent anarchist Emma Goldman pointed out, “both the intelligent man and the ignorant mass judge [anarchy] not from a thorough knowledge of the subject, but either from hearsay or false interpretation.” Furthermore, anarchy provides an ideology to compare our current ideologies with. Comparison helps with understanding anything, in any subject, especially in the world of politics, so by understanding anarchy, we further our understanding of democracy. In political science, different governments are frequently compared. The 20th Century’s classic example is democracy and capitalism vs. communism and centrally-planned economies. Alas, this comparison is no longer as relevant as it once was. Communism is dead, and no longer provides a valuable contrast to capitalism. The void left by communism, however, must be filled with some ideology, as an antithesis is needed to help understand and also to value democracy. Otherwise, democracy will either be misunderstood or will disappear as we know it through lack of conviction. Democracy is unique as a form of governance because it expects its citizens to be informed and vigilant. Canadians seem more and more to be going in the opposite direction of this expectation. It is possible that the lack of a direct opposite to define democracy against, and define the expecta-
tions of democracy in comparison to, is what is leading to the apathetic attitude that Canadians seem to have towards their own democracy. Furthermore, anarchy provides a better antithesis than communism, not only because of communism’s increasing irrelevance to younger generations, but because of the intense dichotomy between anarchy and democracy. Communism and capitalism have been portrayed as the Alpha and the Omega, yet this is not exactly true for they have some similarities. Both accept government and the state as a necessary element of human endeavour. Anarchy does not agree with democracy on many levels. Therefore, anarchy is very well suited to be used for comparison with democracy because of how vastly different the two ideologies are. Understanding of anarchy will enhance a citizen’s understanding of democracy, and consequently protect the democratic system in which they participate. With the loss of democracy’s sparring partner, communism, democracy is relatively unchallenged compared to the days of the Cold War. While we tend to view this “victory” of capitalism and democracy, oddly enough, this is not a total advantage. Without a sparring partner to practice on, democracy is just like a boxer getting ready for a fight without a challenge beforehand; defeat will be the outcome. In a democratic political culture, familiarity with anarchism will either make citizens value democracy more, or find new ways to challenge it.
michael chmielewski contributor
24 #shitinthecity
the carillon | Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012