The Fulcrum - Vol 75 Issue 5

P.12

Getting a new rep

P.5

Bringin’ back the ballpoint

P.9

Ravens fly the coop

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IN THIS ISSUE A little conflicted P.5 Security companies sponsor new program

Dissatisfied and disaffiliated P.8

McGill wins mandate to leave CFS

Folk Fest Roundup P.10 Who warmed up the crowd and who left them cold

We all go a little mad sometimes P.11 A classic horror film you should have seen

A panda legacy P.14

Former Gee-Gee shares stories from the ‘70s

Considering the Levenson controversy P.18

Looking at his email from two sides

Making up for Prince George P.19 Second royal baby to ease your dissapointment

A minty mistake P.20 Di advises on an ill-conceived lube alternative

NEWS

NEWS EDITOR

Nadia Drissi El-Bouzaidi news@thefulcrum.ca (613) 562-5260

University of Ottawa reveals new branding campaign New initiative aims to attract great minds—and greater funds

Defy the Conventional sign on campus

Photo by Jesse Colautti

“We are going to start showing more human faces of the people behind the stories.”—Louis de Melo

Nadia Drissi El-Bouzaidi

“A News Editor

lthough no one is really embarrassed to have gone to (the U of O), it is rare to see a grad scream it at the top of their lungs,” said Matthew Conley, a University of Ottawa marketing graduate in a 2013 Globe and Mail article meant to help people choose a university in Ontario. The statement offered a simple yet revealing comment on his alma mater’s reputation.

On Sept. 15 the university unveiled a new branding campaign, with the mobilizing slogan “defy the conventional,” aimed at getting people screaming about the U of O. “We’ve been a university that’s quite shy of bragging about itself,” said Louis de Melo, the U of O’s vice-president of external relations.

But now, he said, there will be “much more of a strong presence.”

The quest to define the U of O’s brand began

two years ago. “We started questioning ourselves,” he said. “Do people know us for what we really are and what we’ve become?”

Since being quoted in the Globe and Mail and graduating from the U of O, Conley has moved to Calgary. He remembers that while working on a marketing assignment he too had trouble defining the identity of the school .

“We had to come up with a marketing campaign geared to all students,” said Conley. It was a challenging thing because (in) my group, we all kind of sat around and said, well what’s one thing that really unites us on campus?”

A 12-year gap since the university’s last branding campaign had left it with a dated reputation.

The university found that most people were unaware of the massive increase in enrolment over the past decade, the scope of researchers’ achievements, and the extent of our bilingualism.

The university plans to reposition itself as it showcases the achievements of staff and students. Over the next six weeks, the campus will be covered with colourful posters marked with “defy the conventional,” focusing on the surprising ways Gee-Gees are coming up with solutions

to a multitude of problems.

The U of O will also attempt to increase its visibility by advertising in different publications, including the Fulcrum.

The next phase of the two-year initiative will focus more on specific accomplishments of members of the U of O community.

“We are going to start showing more human faces of the people behind the stories,” said de Melo.

Carissima Mathen is one of the people featured in the campaign, an associate professor specializing in constitutional law. She uses social media to explain Supreme Court decisions in order to make it more accessible to the wider public.

Mathen is pleased by the new campaign, which she said “takes advantage of a number of different kinds of media.”

The successful rebranding of a university is also vital to the success of its faculty, she said. “The work that I’m doing is enhanced by the strength and prestige of the institution where I’m situated.”

According to a recent study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, public funding of Ontario universities as a share of operating revenues has dropped from 79 per cent in 1991 to 55

per cent in 2011.

The new campaign hopes to attract the best researchers and professors—funds usually have a way of following them.

“Certainly, increasing your research capacity will increase dramatically external funding from the funding councils,” said de Melo.

Although the university recently signed a strategic mandate agreement with the provincial government to specialize in five areas, the initiative will highlight accomplishments in every faculty and service, he said.

Throughout the course of the campaign the U of O will monitor the progress through brand councils. The university also wants to include students, “to make sure they are engaged in the process,” said de Melo.

Conley said of his U of O degree, “It’s not something that hurts, but it’s not something that’s quite as recognizable.” He’s found the university’s Alumni Association to be not as active as other schools.

That’s why Conley was surprised when he received an email from the association on Monday.

“I’m just happy that it is happening,” he said.

Centre for Continuing Education announces new security and policy program Two major security companies to sponsor new program, prompting skepticism Lindsay MacMillan Associate News Editor

The launch of a new program within the Centre for Continuing Education has prompted a discussion about transparency at the University of Ottawa.

The centre unveiled the Security and Policy Institute of Professional Development at the Chateau Laurier on Sept. 10.

The new program is described as “an innovative and independent forum that fosters an exchange of knowledge and a discussion of substantive issues with top security experts,” according to a press release from the university.

The program will focus on four fields of study: cyber security, geopolitics, Canadian policy influences, and the corporate sector.

Student representatives were surprised by the launch because there was no consultation with the Board of Governors (BOG), faculty, or students.

Anaïs Elboudjaini, a graduate stu-

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dent representative on the BOG, said in a statement that she was “shocked” to hear of a new institute without any discussion.

The Centre for Continuing Education offers accelerated courses to students at the U of O and members of the surrounding community.

Serge Blais, the centre’s director, said that because the centre is open to nonstudents, program development does not require approval by the BOG. “We want our course development to be efficient to fit the needs of the workplace, so our program creation follows a quicker, more streamlined path than a credited program through the BOG,” he said.

The launch has also garnered criticism because it is sponsored by two major intelligence companies, Symantec and VCE. Anne-Marie Roy, president of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), said the federation is concerned that “either the univer-

sity is taking funds it said it didn’t have from students, or that nontransparent private sector influence was present on campus.”

Serge Blais

Photo by Lindsay MacMillan

The influence of the private sector “risks placing the needs of students beneath the needs of corporations,” said Roy. “We’d like to have more discourse on that topic,” she said.

A report by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) in

2013 said that of the 12 campus-corporate partnerships present in Canada, only half protect the university’s control over academic matters like program content and hiring, and only two are available to the public.

James L. Turk, executive director of CAUT, said in a 2012 Financial Post interview that private interests in universities are “the most important issue facilities are facing right now.” But as governments cut funding, more universities may have to turn to private funding to stay afloat.

Upon launching, the SFUO and the Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD) requested that the centre halt all activities until it released the details of the new program’s aims, finances, and connections with private investors.

“There was a little bit of private funding for the actual launch, to show how serious the program is—it made sense to have businesses dealing with online security sponsor it,” said Blais.

“It may have looked like we were trying to hide something.”

However, he denies the allegations that these sponsorships will influence the curriculum.

“We’re totally self-financed through course fees. The university, government, and corporations don’t give us money besides what they pay to have people attend,” he said.

“Neither company has any say in creating course content or approving instructors,” Blais continued. “If a sponsor was to ask me to teach about their products in the program, I would politely say thanks but no thanks.

We’re very mindful of that.”

The SFUO and GSAÉD met with Blais on Sept. 11 to discuss their concerns.

He learned from their meeting that the centre “could have been more proactive in informing the student body, creating more of a dialogue with students in general,” according to Blais, “but now we know for next time.”

NEWS | 5

The genome of your cup of Joe

New study could help combat the effects of climate change on coffee Grace Oktaviani Contributor

Researchers from the University of Ottawa have made an astounding discovery about your morning brew.

The team, led by research chair David Sankoff, have managed to sequence the genome of the Robusta species of coffee.

After water, coffee and tea are the most commonly consumed beverages in the world. Of the dozens of species of coffee plants, Arabica and Robusta coffee are the only species that are grown and cultivated.

“We were able to find that com-

This study provides vital information for the millions of people worldwide who depend on coffee to make a living.

pared to some related genomes, coffee has not changed much,” said Sankoff, “whereas things like tomatoes and potatoes and some other related genomes have changed a lot more.”

Sankoff, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Mathematical Genomics, said he was surprised by the “relative conservatism” of the coffee genome.

U of O postdoctoral fellows Chunfang Zheng and Katharina Jahn were also involved in the study. The mathematicians used complex algorithms to sequence the genome.

The study, which was published in the journal Science, also provided insight on how caffeine is formed. Their findings suggest the enzymes in caffeine evolved independently in the plants that produce coffee, tea, and cocoa.

The sequencing of the genome was done in Paris, France and Illinois. Researchers from agencies, universities, and laboratories in other parts of the world also collaborated on the project.

This study provides vital information for the millions of people worldwide who depend on coffee to make a living, said Sankoff, such as coffee breeders and

producers and food scientists.

It also opens up the possibility of developing more resilient plants. Climate change has altered the typically cool climate, putting the coffee plant in peril.

The hope is that scientists like Sankoff would be able to alter the coffee plant so it becomes more resistant to pests, heat, and droughts.

“Coffee Arabica has to grow in a cool place, on a mountain usually, and when you get this warming, huge tracts of land that were used for Arabica are becoming too warm,” he explained.

Rust infections of the plant’s leaves have also had a devastating effect on coffee growers, most of whom come from Central and South America.

The next challenge for Sankoff is sequencing the genome for Arabica coffee. The genome of the Arabica species is derived from both the Robusta and the eugenioides species of coffee, making it more complex.

“What we know about Robusta is going to help enormously for Arabica,” said Sankoff, “because we can build on the genome.”

Landlord licensing could be coming to Ottawa Coffee is one of the most popular beverages around the world

Photo by Brianna Campigotto

Complaints of volatile housing situation near Algonquin have prompted city review Emily Manns Contributor

A recent proposal to implement landlord licensing in Ottawa has people torn on whether it will make it easier or harder to find affordable housing, especially for students.

In light of recent complaints from residents living near Algonquin College regarding the quality of student housing in the area, College Ward Councillor Rick Chiarelli requested a review.

Chiarelli explained in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen in June that illegal housing has contributed to growing problems like noise, parking, and garbage, and is detrimental to the character of the neighbourhood.

The lack of housing often leads to an increase in housing violations as individuals try to cash in on the student windfall.

“Our problem now is illegal rooming-houses—people converting houses into apartments illegally,” Chiarelli told the CBC. The University of Ottawa is no stranger to housing issues as it struggles to find accommodations for its growing student population.

A new 400-space student residence was opened at the intersection of Rideau and Friel streets by the university in September,

6 | NEWS

but the U of O still needs to build 600 additional housing units to meet the demand.

Mathieu Fleury, the Ottawa city councillor of the RideauVanier Ward, acknowledges that housing is an important issue in Sandy Hill. “We’re trying to maintain the character and protect the character of the neighbourhood,” said Fleury.

He is open to the idea of implementing landlord licensing. “I think any mechanism which we can make sure that basic standards are obliged and even improve on that is positive,” said Fleury. “We have to keep in mind that often (for) people who are moving into units this is their first time away from home. They might not know all their rights.”

However no course of action will be taken without consultation from all members of the community, said Fleury, including the university, students, landlords and residents of Sandy Hill.

Landlords in Ottawa are concerned that the proposed regulations will increase rent for tenants. “We don’t think it’s a good idea,” said John Dickie, executive director of the Eastern Ontario Landlord Organization (EOLO).

“Licensing to us is an onerous obligation which will fall mostly on people who are behaving properly now, and it will do very little to cure the limited number of problems that are there,” said Dickie. “What’s to say that the city is going to be any more effective in enforcing a new set of rules than they are in enforcing the existing set of rules?”

The city will study other Ontario towns with high student populations which have made it mandatory for landlords to acquire a licence.

According to the Citizen, the landlords of non-high-rise properties in Waterloo are required to pay for a licence, submit a maintenance plan, and undergo a mandatory housing inspection. If any of the requirements or regulations are not met, the landlords could be required to pay up to $100,000.

In Waterloo landlords must pay between $300 and $750 to

apply for a licence in addition to annual renewal fees.

Tenants could ultimately end up bearing the brunt of the costs of licensing landlords, said Dickie.

“If it were to come in, it would drive up the cost of doing business, and driving up the cost of doing business will tend to drive up rent,” said Dickie. “Tenants will end up paying most or all of the fees that the city collects for licensing.”

Several Ontario cities have already implemented landlord licensing, including London, Oshawa, and Guelph.

In other cities such as Hamilton, licensing was considered but ultimately turned down due to the overwhelming opposition from the landlords.

The review, being undertaken by members of Ottawa bylaw, is expected to be completed by next summer.

Tenants could see rent go up

Photo by Brianna Campigotto

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U of O student sets out to revolutionize 3D printing Printearth offers new eco-friendly option for mass production David Campion-Smith Contributor

Phil Chiasson encountered his first 3D printer while working at the University of Ottawa’s Bike Co-op. Not much later, his curiosity has led him to answer the environmental question of the modern machine.

3D printers work by melting a plastic filament, which is then assembled in thin strips to eventually form a three-dimensional object. Chiasson asked: How do we discard the object in an environmentally friendly way?

Chiasson, who is polishing off a degree in environmental studies, set out to find a solution to the problem and developed a new eco-friendly plastic filament.

At the end of month his startup, Printearth, will be ready to begin manufacturing plastic filaments described as fully biodegradable in both soil and water.

Chiasson’s invention sets him apart from the bulk of the 3D printing industry. The only other plastics available are either petroleum- or polylactic acid-based, he explained, which are only partially compostable.

3D printing was first developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the 1990s, and prom-

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ises to revolutionize the manufacturing industry.

“We no longer have to have a multitude of products built overseas—you can actually make something right in your living room,” said Chiasson.

3d printer with a printed quadcopter drone housing Photo courtesy of Printearth

“It’s a great time for myself to be entering the market because the 3D printing industry is growing at an exponential rate.”—Phil Chiasson “It’s a great time for myself to be entering the market because the 3D printing industry is growing at an exponential rate.”

Some researchers go so far as to

say 3D printers will one day be able to manufacture human organs, which would greatly increase the average life expectancy. Scientists have already developed two-chamber hearts using 3D printers, the CBC reported in 2011.

In June, Chiasson set up at Startup Garage, a U of O entrepreneurship program. Close proximity to other new businesses was instrumental in his success, because they “all help each other,” he said.

“It would’ve taken me almost a year to be where I am now, and now I’m ready to release a product at the end of the month,” he said.

Chiasson is already planning to expand his business into the other half of the 3D printing industry, Selectin laser sintering (SLS).

SLS printing uses a resin that’s hardened by a laser, producing a higher quality print. Chiasson said he would like to produce a biodegradable version of the resin.

He advises young entrepreneurs to “take the plunge.”

“I find it’s better to have taken that risk and learn from it and gain that experience even if you fail than to have never done it at all,” said Chiasson. “I don’t think there’s any worse feeling than saying I wish I would have.”

NEWS BriefS

New campaign targets sexual violence on Ottawa campuses

Renowned Canadian think tank to close doors

The Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW) and the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre (ORCC) have launched the #JustGotWeird campaign to raise awareness about sexual assault.

OC Transpo buses will feature posters of the campaign, which targets students as they head back to school. The first eight weeks of post-secondary see the highest rates of sexual violence, according to the two organizations. The goal of the campaign is to reach out to young adults and raise awareness about red flag situations.

The posters feature statements such as, “What’s with all the groping at this frosh party? Am I wearing a sign that says grab me? #JustGotWeird,” among many others.

Student organizations from the four major post-secondary institutions in Ottawa have collaborated on the campaign.

The campaign also promotes the mobile app R.I.S.E., which presents situations of sexual violence and gives the user advice on how to deal with the situation.

With the support of the universities in the city, OCTEVAW and ORCC hope to decrease the normalization of sexual violence on university campuses.

—Janoah Willsie

The Ottawa-based North-South Institute, a think tank dedicated to foreign policy and international development, is shutting down after 40 years.

Since its inception, the institute relied heavily on federal funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development. According to the institute’s 2012 annual report, a federal grant of $1.3 million made up more than 50 per cent of its $2.4-million revenue. The grant dried up in June 2013, leaving the think tank with no other alternative but to cut costs and attempt to diversify its sources of funding.

However, a few hours ahead of its Sept. 2 board meeting, chairman Bruce Moore received a call informing him that there would be no federal funding at all. Donations from the British government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation were not enough to keep the institute running.

According to experts, the institute was a leader in international development research and was known for its annual Canadian International Development Report. Moore remains optimistic the institute can carry out its research with other organizations.

—Omar Abdilkader

NEWS | 7

National News

McGill grad students win mandate for CFS disaffiliation in court Janna Bryson The McGill Daily

MONTREAL — The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) lost two court cases against the Rassemblement des associations étudiantes (RAE) and McGill PhD student Ge Sa on Sept. 5 and Sept. 9 respectively.

The latter decision mandates the CFS to hold a referendum on whether Post-Graduate Students’ Society of McGill University (PGSS) members should remain members of the CFS. This comes more than four years after the PGSS’s first disaffiliation attempt in 2010.

After CFS refused to acknowledge a PGSS referendum that saw the majority of students vote to leave the organization in 2010, the union sued CFS, asking that they recognize the results of the referendum. With the case still ongoing four years later, McGill graduate

students struggled to get CFS to acknowledge a petition that had the signatures of more than 20 per cent of their members earlier in 2014. The petition requested another disassociation referendum.

With the petition still unrecognized, Sa stood before the court on March 18 to request another case against the CFS. Justice Gérard Dugré, who presided over the case, ruled in Sa’s favour, arguing that the CFS had no right to refuse to hold a disaffiliation referendum, and mandating them to hold a referendum for PGSS members on whether they wish to remain members of the CFS. “This judgement sets a precedent for all Canadian students who believe in freedom of association,” Sa said in a press release. “We thank the court for recognizing the importance of the voice of students, and in uphold-

Federation may pursue court action after UNB’s delayed release of president’s contracts Student and teacher unions hope transparency will make salary increases more comparable Emma McPhee

The Brunswickan (University of New Brunswick) FREDERICTON (CUP)—The Federation of New Brunswick Faculty Associations (FNBFA) is likely to pursue court action against the University of New Brunswick, despite the university’s release of president Eddy Campbell’s 2009 and 2014 employment contracts.

Details from Campbell’s contract were posted on the university website and included the president’s $376,471 annual salary and job entitlements.

This action followed a long process of requests by the FNBFA, beginning in 2012 when universities in New Brunswick were made accountable to the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The Act, which allows anyone access to the records of public institutions, provided the federation a chance to request copies of university presidents’ contracts.

“We had certainly asked for (copies), but since the laws in New Brunswick were quite different until recently, we didn’t really have any way to pursue the issue,” said Miriam Jones, president of the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers (AUNBT), a member association of the FNBFA. “But then when the privacy laws were changed, we started implementing right to information requests on various different matters,” she said.

According to a press release from the federation, the university refused to disclose the requested information.

Kathryn McCain, chair of UNB’s Board of Governors, said in an email that “the university declined because of the privacy provisions concerns under the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.” Mount Allison University was the only other New Brunswick university to refuse.

The federation then appealed to the Information and Privacy Commissioner, who ordered the university to release the information. UNB again refused to comply. According to the FNBFA release, their next step was to file a complaint with the court of the Queen’s Bench. The case is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2015.

Although UNB has since disclosed Campbell’s

8 | NEWS

2009 and 2014 contracts, the full request to release all the presidents’ contracts since 2004 was not fulfilled and the federation still intends to go to court.

“They seem to now have come to the realization that the Court of Queen’s Bench will not side with them on this issue. It is at this juncture that UNB finally goes ahead and releases Campbell’s contracts,” said Jean Sauvageau, president of the FNBFA. “There is nothing proactive about their recent actions.”

Sauvageau said the federation wants contracts from as far as a 10-year period. However, he said the contract disclosure was a step in the right direction.

“It’s a first step and we’re hoping it marks the beginning of an easier time in that direction, trying to get the information from universities about their finances,” he said.

Now that they have it, it is the financial information that the federation intends to focus on. The primary concern that came out of the contracts’ release was the issue of salary comparability, specifically with the rate of increase in the president’s salary.

“The rate of increase for professors versus for university president is nowhere near the same,” Sauvageau said.

“The presidents seem to be able to negotiate a (much) higher rate of increase and sometimes very significant adjustment above and beyond the standard increase.”

Both the FNBFA and the AUNBT are hopeful that having the information made public will level the playing field in salary negotiation.

In Campbell’s 2009 and 2014 contracts posted on the university’s website, it states that the president’s salary will be adjusted annually, by the amount approved by a Board of Governors committee. “In addition and subject to satisfactory performance, the salary also will be adjusted by two per cent annually with effect from each subsequent July 1st,” reads the report.

Campbell began his second five-year term as UNB president in July. The report details that he holds the rank of professor with tenure and is given a $12,000 research grant annually for “ongoing research and scholarship,” among many other benefits.

—With files from Tess Allen (The Brunswickan)

Photo by Tamim Sujat/The McGill Daily

Thomas House, home of the Post-Graduate Students’ Society of McGill University

ing the rights of students to not be held hostage by the CFS.” Dugré, who during the trial had noted how much more difficult it was to leave the CFS than it was to join it, said in the decision, “Any delay in holding this referendum clearly causes an irreparable prejudice to the right of the plaintiff to not be affiliated with CFS.” The CFS, however, did not see the judgment as a loss.

“As part of (the judge’s) ruling, he says that the members have the right to decide on their affiliation to the organization,” CFS staffer Brent Farrington told the McGill Daily. “We could not agree with that more.”

Photo by Tamim Sujat/The McGill Daily

In 2009, 13 student unions held petitions to leave the CFS. The organizations cited a disillusionment with the CFS’ transparency and legal tactics. In 2013, the CFS faced another mass exodus as 15 student societies petitioned to leave the national student organization.

In both instances, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa did not express any desire to leave the CFS. The other judgment, related to the RAE and delivered four days earlier by Justice Claude Dallaire, ends a five-year legal battle over fees paid by CFS member associations in Quebec between 2007 and 2010.

—With files from the Fulcrum

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ARTS &CULTURE Move over Facebook: Try the new pen pal project A&C EDITOR Jessica Eritou arts@thefulcrum.ca (613) 562-5260

Club launches a new way of communicating across campus Héloïse Rodriguez-Qizilbash & Jessica Eritou Contributor & Arts and Culture Editor

of texting and Snapchat, the I narta world of snail mail still isn’t dead.

Campus Cursive, a club recognized by the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), is launching a mystery pen pal project in October that will allow students to correspond anonymously with their match. The group aims to explore the art and preservation of cursive writing, and discuss what it means in today’s modern world.

Loretta Beauchamp, the club’s event planner, explains the essence of it with the Fulcrum. The club will start an online survey to match participants. Based on your results with the questionnaire, you will be paired with another student and send letters to your partner anonymously. To be matched, students only need to answer a five-minute survey on the club’s Facebook page.

Founder and president Natania Abebe came up with this idea because she thinks there aren’t enough authentic connections on campus and

Members include (left to right), Fatima Kamal, Natania Abebe, Loreeta Beauchamp, Gerrie Anne Salapang.

she wants to rekindle school spirit.

Campus Cursive believes the archaic feel of hand-written letters to an anonymous friend is special, and appealing to students.

Fatima Kamal, the treasurer, explains why the anonymity of this project is such an advantage.

“If you know someone’s identity, you’re more restricted in what you say. The anonymity allows you to talk more openly about yourself,” says Kamal.

“It’s also fun because it’s mysterious, so you can’t look them up on Facebook,” Abebe adds.

So far, more than 70 people have registered.

Once students are assigned a pen pal, they will correspond for five months until February, when Campus Cursive will hold a masked ball-

Photos by Héloïse Rodriguez-Qizilbash

room event and reveal the identities.

Typically, the club hides encouraging anonymous messages across campus. People can also nominate their friends for a “love bundle,” which is a compilation of positive messages.

Abebe says this is helpful for a student going through a difficult time.

“You’re on a campus with 40,000 other students and everyone is anonymous and you think that no one cares, but yet there’s a group that cares about you that is going out of their way to send you a package,” she says. “That’s very special.”

Dr. Annette Poizner, a registered social worker and psychotherapist based in Toronto, says handwriting is a craft worth preserving.

From celebrities to landscapes

“We do see the trend that people are using handwriting less and valuing it less,” she says.

“I would suggest it’s actually a crucial life skill.”

Kids who may never study music or art, or who may never work on other expressive projects or activities, can end up with underdeveloped neuroplasticity of the brain, she explains.

“Handwriting used to be an equalizer,” says Dr. Poizner. “How to flow, how to be fluent in expressing themselves and facilitating hand-eye coordination, and any number of brain activities that can be more fluid.”

“I’ve often said the difference between keyboarding and handwriting is the difference between playing the triangle and playing the violin,” she says.

With cursive writing, we get better coordination between the left brain and right brain, she says, “And yes, we will suffer and not have the same cognitive fluency if you take away this vital skill.”

Though handwriting may be fading, Campus Cursive believes snail mail with an anonymous partner just might be the perfect way to create a lasting friendship, and keep your brain skills in check.

Karsh photography award given to professor Chantal Gervais Chantal Jiang Contributor

What do celebrity portraits, Canadian landscapes, and the University of Ottawa have in common?

Chantal Gervais, a part-time professor from the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Ottawa.

Gervais recently won a prize for her photography in the name of the world-famous Karsh brothers.

The late brothers, Malack and Yousuf, were two well-known and highly respected photographers.

They shot just about every public figure and celebrity, along with every Canadian landscape, under the sun.

Some of Malack’s portraits include Muhammad Ali, Grace Kelly, and Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy.

The Karsh Award was presented to Gervais on Sept. 12 at the Karsh-Masson Gallery in Ottawa’s City Hall. Recipients are chosen every two years for their photo-based work.

“I was so delighted and honoured to get this prize,” Gervais tells the Fulcrum.

Gervais believes this gallery and award program allows the community to know the Karsh brothers’ history in Ottawa, as well as other photographers in the region.

“Not only have you won the prize, but also you get an exhibition for a month which allows people in the city to see it (your work),” she says.

Photography is her favourite artistic medium because it allows artists to record the things we live with in the space we live in, she says.

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Gervais has a series of photos called “Portrait of My Father Paul,” in which she explores the space her father Paul worked in. Gervais really enjoys the portrait of an individual. “You see the objects that he collected and the tools he was using,” she explains. “You’ll see different writing on surfaces. Only photography can do that.”

In 2003, Gervais graduated from the University of Westminster in London, England, with a degree in art and media practice. In her time spent in England, she saw a lot of imaginative contemporary art. “It was amazing,” she says. “The contemporary artists are very lively.”

Her teaching experience at the U of O allows her to stay connected with the art scene in Ottawa, her hometown.

“It’s very gratifying and a great experience to teach because you always keep in contact with what’s going on in the contemporary scene,” she says.

Gervais says she loves talking about art and exchanging ideas with her students, and she can see the progress of a student’s work as it happens in front of her.

She says she plans to turn the prize money into a reinvestment fund: “It’s probably going to be a new body of work.” As an artist, the money she makes usually turns into an investment in her production of future works.

Though it’s certainly nice to be recognized, Gervais says the fact that she’s an award-winning photographer won’t change a thing.

“I think I’m the same person,” she says. “I’ll keep doing the artwork I’m doing now, even without the prize.”

Chantal Gervais

Photo by Chantal Jiang

ARTS & CULTURE | 9

Fulcrum's Folk Fest Fill In Oh my Lorde

Fans got up close to rejoice for short and simple set at festival Jessica Eritou

Arts & Culture Editor Hundreds of people gathered in the woodsy and mesmerizing Hog’s Back Park to see one of the most anticipated artists of the Ottawa Folk Festival, Lorde. The crowd on day two of the festival was a heavy mixture of teenagers, young adults, children, and their parents shivering to get a glimpse of her hour-long set.

The stage was rather minimal and dark with a small lit chandelier hanging above, perhaps an attempt to keep intact Lorde’s persona of a down-to-earth celebrity who’s more concerned about substance than style. Dressed in a series of long, flowing, gothic-inspired pieces, Lorde kept the crowd entertained at first with Lorde

her continuous hair flipping and eccentric dancing. But after a few songs, her shtick grew old.

Much like listening to a John Mayer album, her music resonates with the same sound, track after track. By no means is it not enjoyable, but it takes a lot of patience if you do not love it. You respect her ability to create something as unique as her Pure Heroine album. But if you’re not a major fan, the songs blend together.

What caught the hip-hop fans’ attention was her short rendition of Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights.” And perhaps an homage to West himself, Lorde borrowed his same style aesthetic and chose a peony red gown with a gold crown during the one-two punch finale of “Team” and her smash hit, “Royals”. It was an outfit

much like West’s own red suit and crown for his 2010 Saturday Night Live performance of “Power.”

The songstress tried to chat up the crowd by telling us “it’s great to be in the middle of nowhere.” She redeemed herself by explaining her long journey coming all the way from New Zealand. She also told the audience how she found the people in Ottawa to be so nice, and explained her most recent fan encounter with Mark Donoghue in the ByWard Market while at a Starbucks.

Perhaps after she produces a second album, Lorde will have more material to change up her set list and find more diversity during her shows. In the meantime, it may be best to keep her on iTunes and press skip once you’ve had enough.

Photo by Marta Kierkus

A Cole, Cole world

Star blazes as the only hip-hop artist this year Spencer Murdock Staff Reporter

It’s not every day you see someone pack so many impressive things into only 29 years.

Fayetteville, N.C. native Jermaine Cole, or J. Cole, is seen as a leader in a highly talented new school of rappers. Cole has been a high school basketball star, a student on academic scholarship to St. John’s University, and a Grammy-nominated rapper signed to Jay-Z’s record label, with two of the best mix tapes of the last 10 years and two almost fully self-proJ.Cole

duced gold albums.

Fans shuffled through the brisk September air into Hog’s Back Park, anticipating the performance of hip-hop’s sole representative on the Folk Festival’s lineup. The crowd kept entertained by Cole’s backing band, with a drummer, two keyboardists, a guitar player, two backup singers, and a DJ. As the chants ran high, the lights came up and out walked Mr. Cole in a hat, Puma hoodie, and shorts to the beat of “Enchanted.” Fans rapped and sang along to the somber track from 2010’s stunning Friday Night Lights, but he soon light-

ened the mood with the bombastic “Who Dat” that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Throughout the set, Cole thanked fans for coming out to support him despite the weather, cracked jokes, and commanded the audience through a set list of some of his best tracks. He requested the assistance of the fans that have been with him since day one to help him through older tracks like “Blow Up,” “In the Morning,” and “Lights Please.” He pleased the more casual listeners with more radio-friendly hits “Work Out” and “Nobody’s Perfect”

from his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story.

Crowd participation was at a high during hits from Cole’s 2013 sophomore release Born Sinner. “Land of the Snakes,” “She Knows,” “Forbidden Fruit,” and “Crooked Smile” were all high points and truly showed the strength of Cole as a performer. He capped it all off with a jump down to crowd level to thank fans in the front.

J. Cole is a man of many facets, but if he proved only one at Folk Fest, it’s that above everything else, he puts on one hell of a show.

Photo by Spencer Murdock

The National warms up

Headliner jusr needed to catch up with the mood Jesse Colautti Features Editor

The National certainly isn’t known as the most energetic band in the world, but the band sure knew how to put on a show as they took the Folk Fest stage.

Between complex lyrics, the growling baritone of lead singer Matt Berninger, and the group’s formal attire, the Brooklyn-based band made an interesting fit as the festival’s headliner on a bitterly cold and wet Friday night. The National managed to warm the spirits of their fans on a The National

10 | ARTS & CULTURE

night that was, as Berninger optimistically called it, “crisp, not cold.”

Berninger started off a little slow, appearing almost uncomfortable for the first 20 minutes of the set as he spent more time with his back to the crowd and a cup to his lips than singing. Luckily, the energy of the Dessner brothers on guitar was enough to keep the crowd involved until the rest of the band caught up.

There was a moment, as Berninger explained to the crowd why “Slow Show” shouldn’t be used as a wedding song, when

the band visibly relaxed. From that point on, the show took off. The band played all the crowd favourites and Berninger spent almost all of the next 30 minutes pouring his heart into the mic, often within arm’s reach of the crowd.

In the spirit of Folk Fest, the band finished with a stripped-down acoustic version of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” that was near-perfect. Overall, it was a strong performance, if not right away, by a band from whom you’d expect nothing less.

Photo by Jesse Colautti

thefulcrum.ca

Movie you should have seen: and it’s going to be a little slow if you’re used to modern-day Hollywood excitement and tempo.

Jasmine van Schouwen Contributor

Why it’s famous:

Why you should see it anyway:

By far one of the most influential films of its genre, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho not only offers audiences an unparalleled, perfectly crafted psychological thriller, but also established a long line of firsts in filmmaking.

Not only is this an unavoidable classic for any thriller aficionado, it is actually incredibly engaging, beautifully shot, and features fantastic performances from actors that defied the norm of their time.

You might start out a bit bored, but you’ll soon realize that in a movie like this, every detail matters. You’ll find yourself with your face barely an inch away from the screen, completely captivated.

Famous lines: Norman Bates: A boy’s best friend is his mother.

Norman Bates: I think I must have one of those faces you can’t help believing.

Norman Bates: It’s not like my mother is a maniac or a raving thing. She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven’t you?

Why you haven’t seen it: Horror movies from the ‘60s and ‘70s don’t always have the greatest reputation. Most of us know them as campy flicks with bad effects and boring, predictable storylines. You can’t really blame yourself for thinking this one is like the rest.

Why it might be tough to get through: Make sure not to confuse Psycho with American Psycho. It’s not gory, it’s not a dark comedy,

General Manager

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rie Bradshaw, but once the hangover subsides, a clear image of it as a strong yet flavourful fall cocktail should emerge.

It also helps give cranberry juice a purpose.

WHEN TO

DRINK:

thefulcrum.ca

•

•

Psycho was the first American film ever to show a toilet flushing on screen.

Alfred Hitchcock bought the rights to the novel anonymously from Robert Bloch for only $9,000. He then bought up as many copies of the novel as he could to keep the ending a secret.

Paramount gave Hitchcock a very small budget to work with because of their distaste for the source material. They also deferred most of the net profits to Hitchcock, thinking the film would fail. When it became a sleeper hit, Hitchcock made a fortune.

highballs WITH

Andrew Hawley f you’re a man and

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Photo by Andrew Hawley

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Fun Facts:

The perfect autumn martini

Watch the video RECIPE: tutorial online 1.5 oz (45 ml) vodka with Hawleywood 0.5 oz (15 ml) Cointreau himself!

1.0 oz (30 ml) cranberry juice 0.5 oz (15ml) lime juice INSTRUCTIONS: Add the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake.

Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Recipes for the Cosmo are varied, ranging from a stiffer 5:1 ratio of vodka and modifying agents to a juicier but more tart mix of nearly equal amounts vodka and cranberry juice. Regarding alcohol brand, you can settle for Smirnoff ($14.30 for 375 ml), but why do that to yourself?

I recommend treating your throat to non-burning brands Absolut ($14.55, my preferred choice), Finlandia ($14.30), or Belvedere ($15.95).

Guys’ night out! Ok, maybe not. It still works best as a companion to a relaxing fall afternoon or as a social evening starter.

thefulcrum.ca

ARTS & CULTURE | 11

Gutted On June 26, 2014, the CBC announced that, in an effort to deliver content to an increasingly mobile and on-demand audience, it plans to cut a fifth of its staff by 2020. Between 1,000 and 1,500 employees will lose their jobs. Cities and towns with historically low ratings will have their local newscasts scaled back, and the CBC’s in-house production team will be severely minimized, including the station’s famed documentary unit.

These cuts are only the latest in a series of cuts for the CBC, which hasn’t had an increase in funding since 1973, and in 2012 had $115 million slashed from its three-year operating budget by the federal government.

While CBC president and chief executive officer Hubert Lacroix focused on the future during a press conference announcing the cuts—“We must look forward, we can’t look back”—it is difficult even for the man appointed to the position in 2008 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to sound optimistic. His new vision may be exciting, but the resources available to carry it out will be miniscule.

Some will stress how these cuts affect our national identity, and others will bemoan how awful it is that so many employees have lost and will lose their jobs. The real victim of the CBC’s fall is the public.

By nickeling and diming the CBC into a shell of its former self, the federal government has sacrificed the public’s main pillar of accountability in Canada.

Our national public broadcaster was born in 1936, after the Aird Commission in 1929 recommended its creation in order to combat the influence of American radio broadcasting in Canada, and to provide more news to the many rural Canadians across the country.

In 1941, the CBC News Service was formally introduced. By 1952, the CBC began broadcasting on television, and by 1955 its television broadcasts were available to 66 per cent of the population.

What becomes clear when reading through the history of the CBC is how omnipresent the public broadcaster was in the average Canadian’s life. It became the bringer of news for Canadians coast to coast, including for the first time, those in the Arctic in 1972. It also continuously strived to deliver what Canadians asked for, whether that was Saturday night hockey games, Canadian content on the radio, or local news for areas of the country that otherwise would’ve been in the dark. For more than 50 years, the CBC truly was a trailblazer in providing the news and culture Canadians needed, not just what was profitable. Most importantly, it was given the resources to do so.

Exploiting our love of the game My interest in the CBC was always driven by hockey. I loved everything about its broadcasts.

Bob Cole’s many “Oh, baby”s served as my lullaby for years; Ron MacLean taught me the value of restraint; Don Cherry was the boisterous and outdated voice of a grandfather I never knew; and Cassie Campbell-Pascall showed me that just because something hadn’t happened yet, it wasn't impossible.

But Rogers’ acquisition of exclusive National Hockey League rights last November eliminated CBC’s control over Hockey Night in Canada for at least the next dozen years. The purchase was understandable, many say even inevitable, given the vast profit potential of the sport in Canada. What makes the deal troubling is not its content, but the way Rogers news providers have covered the purchase and subsequent spin campaign.

Immediately after Rogers announced the deal on Nov. 26, the company used its main sports news platform Sportsnet to sell the deal to fans, offering writers' and insiders’ analysis on why it was good for the average fan. A fair public relations campaign, so long as fans know that Sportsnet doesn’t offer balanced reporting, but what was most disconcerting about it was that it invaded Rogers-owned news providers as well.

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Edward R. Murrow said this in 1964, when television was still in its adolescence. Murrow was a pioneer of television news broadcasting, yet despite considerable success his career was shortened by his inability to improve the Central Broadcasting System’s bottom line.

I do not know what Murrow thought when he said it, or who the target of his biting critique was, but to me, his words convey disenchantment. To me, he sounds like a man who believed in a technology that had the capabilities to explore and educate in extraordinary ways, only to be beaten down by what was deemed more profitable.

Murrow’s words speak to his times and our own. I don't think there's a more fitting person or quote to begin a discussion about the present plight of our national broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), and its own battle with the bottom line.

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On the very same day the NHL deal was announced, Citytv, which Rogers purchased in 2007, invited John Shannon, a Rogers hockey insider, to use his decades of experience in the sport to analyze the deal for viewers. Shannon repeated almost word-for-word the talking points of Rogers’ press conference from earlier in the day.

He disregarded how our country’s favourite pastime will be monopolized, how it will affect scheduling, and how it will no longer be offered to all Canadians for free. Instead, he mentioned how “all those games that everybody said there’s only one or two available at a time, you’re (now) going to see as many available as is possible.”

Fast forward to just this month, when Rogers announced its revamped NHL Gamecentre Live service. Most news organizations ran stories on the new service that looked critically at its strengths and weaknesses. The National Post, for example, ran a story with the headline, “Rogers will allow you to watch even more NHL games online this season … just not all of them.”

Meanwhile, Sportsnet and Maclean’s magazine, both Rogers-owned, ran an identical story with the headline, “Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE lifts more blackouts.”

This story was nothing more than PR, as it quoted two Rogers employees on why Gamecentre Live will be good for Canadians, yet ignored any critical balance in failing to point out how the service will cost users more than it did last year, and how there still will be many games blacked out for viewers, just as there were previously.

Unbiased reporting on hockey is definitely not on par with the second coming of Christ, but it does show how unbalanced the news can be when it comes from a profit-driven organization.

When profits invade the news If profits only drove sports news coverage, we could probably survive without the CBC. But the issue is that this same dynamic takes place just as frequently in broader Canadian news coverage.

As reported by Jesse Brown in the Walrus, a series of confidential emails from CTV News in 2013 were leaked, which revealed a note sent from Bell Media president Kevin Crull to, among others, Wendy Freeman, head of Bell-owned CTV News, alerting her of an exceptional study that suggested Canadians pay reasonable rates for wireless phone service. Bell is one of Canada’s largest wireless phone providers. The study was featured on CTV News later that day. Brown also reported that Chris Gordon, head of radio and local television for Bell Media, forwarded Crull’s email to employees, asking

“if this report can get some coverage today on talk radio.”

Then there was the Globe and Mail’s editorial endorsement of Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives in last June’s provincial election. According to Brown in a story on Canadaland, a source within the Globe and Mail leaked that the paper’s editorial board unanimously agreed to endorse a minority Liberal government for the election, but was overruled by editor-in-chief David Walmsley. Brown wrote that Walmsley was “carrying water for publisher Philip Crawley, who in turn was carrying out the orders of the Globe-controlling Thomson family, whose interests would be best served by a Conservative government.”

Why we need the CBC When news coverage is left to private companies, the public’s interest is often prioritized below the corporation’s. Informed and engaged citizens are undermined by a lack of balanced information. It hurts everyone.

Without journalistic balance we will learn only of the world private corporations want us to know. Without journalistic balance we will be besieged by public relations posed as news. The CBC is that journalistic balance.

It is not without faults. It has redundancies. It is inefficient. But it is the only channel on the television, the only site on our computers, tablets, and phones, whose defining interests are our own.

We need to rethink the way we understand and talk about the CBC. Its role isn’t to accrue profits. Its role is to provide a public service to Canadians, a role that in a democratic society is no less important than the upkeep of roads and rivers, the protection of our communities, and the provision of our healthcare.

Every time we nick its budget or cut its staff, we make it weaker. Mark Damazar, former head of programming at BBC Radio 4, said during an event at the University of Toronto's Massey College that a weak public broadcaster is what we should fear most.

According to Damazar, keeping only a kernel of public broadcasting alive is dangerous because "it allows politicians and the public, an entire society, to believe in the illusion of a civic space without actually having the substance of one.”

Before the federal government cut the CBC’s budget by $115 million, our public broadcaster cost the average tax-paying Canadian $34 a year. It now costs $29 a year.

By comparison, the British Broadcasting Corporation costs each British taxpayer $97 dollars a year. By comparison, Canada’s level of funding was 60 per cent less than the $82 average across 18 Western countries included in a 2011 study by Nordicity.

By comparison, I paid more to see Snoop Dogg.

Isn’t accountability worth a little more than that? Or journalistic integrity? Or some sense of truth? To be honest, I’d pay more than that just for unbiased hockey coverage again.

If the CBC’s new vision is going to succeed, it doesn’t need to streamline. It needs to expand. I think Edward Murrow would agree.

SPORTS

SPORTS EDITOR Sarah Nolette sports@thefulcrum.ca (613) 562-5260

Leaving the Ravens’ nest

Women’s basketball players trade in for the garnet and grey David Campion-Smith Contributor

T

ransitions are never easy, but moving from one rival to another is even more difficult—especially a crosstown rival.

That’s the case for two of the newest members of the Gee-Gees women’s basketball team. Jen Stoqua and Krista Van Slingerland traded in their Raven wings when they finished their undergrad studies at Carleton, and came to the University of Ottawa to pursue postgraduate degrees.

Van Slingerland is pursuing a master’s in human kinetics, while Stoqua is in teachers college. The U of O is a natural fit for the two ladies who love the city, but were looking for a change from Carleton.

The uniform may be different, but both athletes have found similarities in coaching styles and oncourt play. University basketball in Ottawa differs from other cities because of the relationships between coaches. Many of them have worked together in the past and built similar strong programs.

This shared history of leadership often leads to plays, ideas, and philosophies that are the same at both Carleton and the U of O. One difference for both Van Slingerland and Sto-

Jen Stoqua (left) & Krista Van Slingerland

Photo by Sarah Nolette

“We naturally found ourselves in a leadership role, with that role, we feel the need to share with the younger players.” – Van Slingerland

qua is they are no longer rookies. Because of their playing time at Carleton, they are some of the most experienced players on the Gee-Gees team.

“We naturally found ourselves in a leadership role,” said Van Slingerland. “With that role, we feel the need to share with the younger players.”

“But despite our experience, we still have to prove ourselves and want to lead by example for the other players on the team,” added Stoqua.

Van Slingerland brings another focus to the game as well—she stresses the importance of mental health. She took a year off from the Carleton squad to deal with depression, and is now sharing that experience in order to help others.

The Student Athlete Mental Health Initiative, founded by Van Slingerland, strives to reduce the stigma of mental illness, improve access to resources, and advocate for the mental well-being of student athletes.

“I also plan on doing research into Canadian students because there is so little done in this important field,” she said.

These two newly bred Gee-Gees are going to bring the squad maturity and knowledge. Both Van Slingerland and Stoqua are confident about the upcoming season, and are happy with how the team has been developing.

Rugby Star for the Gee-Gees Moussa Sangaré-Ponce Associate Online Editor

Between varsity rugby, working at a casino, organizing charity events, training for triathlons, and second-year civil law studies, Afton Maisonneuve has been keeping busy.

Maisonneuve got a bachelors degree in international development and globalization at the University of Ottawa in 2009.

She was also working full-time then, and had no time for sports.

Now that she’s in her graduate studies, Maisonneuve may not be any less busy than before. But that hasn’t made her put sports on the back burner. ‘‘I figured this time around I’d try out for the rugby team,” she says. “I used to play in high school and I really loved it.’’

Although she’s new to the roster, Maisonneuve is the team’s eldest member, prompting some of her teammates to call her the mom of the team. ‘’Sometimes I can be a bigger kid than them, but I see my teammates more as sisters than daughters,” she says. In any case, it’s a family she loves spending time with.

When she’s not spending her time at the U of O for her studies, or for rugby, you can find her at the Casino Lac Lémy where she hosts as many as three card games during her shifts.

She also dedicates a lot of time to Le Afton Maisonneuve in beast mode breaking through defence

14 | SPORTS

Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie charity, which promotes active and healthy lifestyles, especially among children, and funds research to find cures for childhood diseases, most notably lactic acidosis.

Le Grand Défi itself is a 1,000-km bike ride that starts in the Saguenay, Que., region and ends in Montreal.

Thousands of cyclists participate in the Défi. Last year, Maisonneuve biked 400 km for her team.

To raise money for Le Grand Défi, she organizes a two-day, 320-km casino bike run from the casino to Mont Tremblant and back. Last year, there were 150 participants. Maisonneuve is hoping to attract 300 this year. Her team raised $11,000 for Le Grand Défi, and they’re hoping to surpass that amount this year.

As if rugby, law school, work, and charity work were not enough, Maisonneuve followed in her brother’s footsteps and began competing in triathlons. ‘’My brother is an elite athlete. He’s in the Canadian navy, and he does triathlons,” she says. “While spectating one of my brother’s events, I thought hey, I could do this, I already bike and I can run.’’

Despite it all, Maisonneuve still manages to get some downtime to herself to watch movies and read, which she deservedly calls “a great escape.”

Photo by Robert Paterson

thefulcrum.ca

Reminiscing on Pandas past A Gee-Gee alumnus speaks about the best era of football at the U of O Spencer Murdock Staff Reporter

Reflecting on the long history of Gee-Gees football, one team stands out.

Often regarded as the best university football team in Canadian history, the 1975 GeeGees were trailblazers. With a mixture of local players and some amazing talent from New York, they were unstoppable. A perfect season landed them a Vanier Cup championship and cemented their legacy.

The Gee-Gees played their fair share of big games during this period, but one stood out above the others each season: the Panda Game.

Jeff Avery was a standout wide receiver for the Gee-Gees in those years. Though he went on to have a seven-year career in the CFL, some of his best memories were of the University of Ottawa and the Panda Game.

“It was exciting, it was fun, and it was really just something the entire athletic community of

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the city looked forward to,” said Avery. “High schools, colleges, universities, everyone wanted to get involved with Panda.”

An Ottawa native himself, Avery remembers the Panda Game as the biggest game in the city. As his football career led him to the U of O, he got to experience firsthand the rivalry still present between the U of O and Carleton to this day.

“We never lost against Carleton,” he said. “The first couple of years they were close games, but that’s a rivalry, it doesn’t matter if you are ranked top in the country and the other school isn’t. It means a lot to both teams.”

Taking a look back into the history of the Panda Game, it’s clear the best days were those of the ‘70s. It was an event like no other, and also had attendance like no other. At the old Frank Clair Stadium at Lansdowne Park, the games would draw up to 15,000 people in the team’s first years, Avery recalls, and in the last couple years that number grew closer to 19,000.

Surging new team rained on

by Guelph Gryphons 42-7

Back to the drawing board for the Gees Tima Hacini Contributor

The Fulcrum 1975

Those massive crowds would become a regular occurrence for Avery as he became a member of the Ottawa Rough Riders, winning a Grey Cup in his first season with the team.

He’s still a part of the Ottawa football community as the colour commentator for RedBlacks radio broadcasts.

Avery is optimistic about the future of the Panda Game at its new home.

“It’s not often that you have two schools in one city in just the ideal locations, one end of the canal versus the other, and a football stadium right in the middle,” he said. “Everything lends itself to success.”

Entering the game with a 2-0 record and sitting at number eight in the Ontario University Athletic (OUA) standings, the Gee-Gees had a disappointing game against the number seven Guelph Gryphons in Ottawa on Sept. 13.

With a total of 384 yards in offensive play and about 35 minutes of total ball possession, the Gryphons overpowered the Gee-Gees, winning with a score of 42-7.

Despite a game full of opportunities and open players, as Gee-Gees head coach Jamie Barresi described it, the game was difficult to endure for the lack of offensive plays and rainy conditions.

Indeed, the first quarter saw countless opportunities for the Gees offense to strike.

Yet with four turnovers in their favour—three fumbles and one interception—the garnet and grey couldn’t make it to the red zone. It was clear the team didn’t have the momentum from the start.

“From the opening kickoff, we didn’t get the ball kicked properly,” said Barresi. “It went right down the middle, and they had a big return on it.”

With less than a minute on the clock in the first quarter, the Gryphons scored the first touchdown with a nine-yard pass to wide receiver James Ingram.

In the second quarter, the Gryphons forced the GeeGees inside their own 10-

yard line, which allowed them to make their second touchdown. Quite impressively, the Gryphons followed the touchdown with two field goals two minutes apart, and kept the Gees at zero for another quarter.

It wasn’t until five minutes into the fourth that the Gee-Gees were able to get on the board. With a threeyard run from quarterback Derek Wendel, they were able to set the score to 397. The Gryphons answered with another field goal to seal their fate.

With 17 penalties accounting for 141 yards, only one red-zone scoring opportunity, 228 yards in offensive play, and what seemed like barely 15 minutes of control—and that’s being generous—week three was disappointing for both GeeGees players and fans.

“We’re used to throwing for 450 yards a game and that wasn’t happening here today,” said Barresi. “I take full blame for this. We will be better next week.”

Guelph’s defence was spot on, and quarterback Jazz Lindsay was consistent, while the Gee-Gees offense couldn’t seem to complete.

“We were easy for them to defend today,” said Barresi.

The Gee-Gees will meet up with the rival Carleton Ravens for the greatly anticipated Panda Game at TD Place on Sept. 20 at 1 p.m.

“Our team has a lot of pride,” said Barresi. “They will be anxious to get at it … when we get back to practice.”

Photo by Marta Kierkus

SPORTS | 15

If you don’t move, you’re going to lose what you don’t use Start your healthy living in university with Isabelle Scatland Lebel Sarah Nolette Sports editor

Isabelle Scantland Lebel is benefitting from her passion for fitness. She recently graduated from human kinetics and is now entering her second year in the biopharmaceutical science program with a goal to apply for a masters in pharmacy.

She is a fitness junkie, but more importantly a fitness instructor on campus.

“I’ve been interested in fitness and health since about high school...I didn’t like team sports so I was a competitive swimmer— this is when I started training,” said Scantland Lebel.

Scantland Lebel wasn’t confident right from the start, but with time she developed skills for instructing.

“It’s related to my passion... at the start I wasn’t sure if I was going to be good at it,” she said. “Even if you have a lot of knowledge on fitness and health, it’s not only that —you need to be good at coaching, at entertaining people, there are a lot more qualities that you need.”

Scantland Lebel is the spokesperson for university students staying healthy and keeping fit. She believes she didn’t have enough education concerning healthy living in high school, and this is the time to get involved.

“We don’t have a good education in that field, they don’t teach you anything,” she said. “They give you a soccer ball, go play soc-

cer and that’s it.”

Scantland Lebel believes university is the perfect time for training and healthy eating.

That freshman fifteen sneaks up fast, so getting in the gym and getting a schedule set can only help.

Fitness classes are offered at the university all year round. They include boot camp, skipping, Zumba, and Pilates.

“Even though you’re still young, this is the time because you’re doing long hours of studying, so this is not necessarily good for your body, and not good for your mental health either,” said Scantland Lebel. “Exercise counters all these negative effects of being a student.”

For four years now, she’s been training at the U of O and Carleton, and she developed a passion she won’t let go of any time soon.

Unfortunately this semester, Scantland Lebel will be on the sub list at the U of O because of her busy schedule, but she will continue to be heavily involved in all the fundraisers and promotions that sports services puts on.

“It’s something I want to keep doing,” she said. “I can’t see myself teaching fifteen classes a day and my body wouldn’t follow either, but it’s something I want to keep on the side. I won’t drop it that’s for sure.”

“You’re doing long hours of studying, so this is not necessarily good for your body, and not good for your mental health either” – Isabelle Scantland Lebel Isabelle Scantland Lebel the fitness instructor

Namaste yogis — there’s yoga all over Ottawa for a student budget

Mind, body, and cheap prices

If you want to head to a fitness class, check out geegees.ca/calendar.

Yogatown and Pureyoga

Ophelia John & Christine Tomlinson Contributors

16 | SPORTS

Photo by Alina Kalinina

A love of yoga should not be suppressed because of the high cost of classes, especially when there are so many cost-saving options here in Ottawa.

If you don’t mind going to a new studio every month, studio-hopping is your best bet. There are usually monthly deals for first-time members. But if you’d rather find a studio you like and grow roots there, then here are some studios you can try.

A studio that understands what it means to be a student is Bikram Yoga Ottawa. There is a semester pass for full-time students under 25 years old for $299. Even if you only make it to the studio three times a week, that works out to about $6.25 per class, which is a steal. Bikram’s hot yoga promises 26 postures that are suitable for every level. Located at Bank and Wellington, it’s not too far from campus.

Inner Soul Yoga & Cycle just off Merivale Road is worth the trip because it has a great group deal for students. Getting a “20 Class Card” for $180 means you can go to class once or twice a week for about $9 a class for the semester. This studio offers three different types of classes for beginner, intermediate, or advanced students. It also offers free mat rentals.

In Westboro, there’s a great little place on Kirkwood Avenue called the Elation Centre that offers $5 Sunday yoga classes from 5–6 p.m., which runs until December. The price is a great deal because the instructors donate their

Photos by Christine Deanna Tomlinson & Ophelia John

time and the revenues go to charities such as iSisters, Hopeful Hearts Dog Rescue, and the Unitarian House of Ottawa. You’ll feel good because of the “emotional balance” yoga, but also because you’re giving back to the community.

Pure Yoga offers an organized chart of classes, appointments, and workshops, specifically for your mobile device. It has two locations in Ottawa: one in Westboro on Richmond Road, and a newly renovated studio in Centretown on Bank Street. Pure Yoga offers full-time students 50 per cent off any class packages that range from $70 to $230 regular price. So if you want to start off with a five-class pack, you’ll pay only $35.

Rama Lotus Yoga Center is the place to be if you’re looking for peace and tranquility. Located at Bank Street and Gladstone Avenue, this centre offers classes that aren’t too pricey. They give full-time students half-price for weekday classes between 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., or 10 per cent off at other times during the day.

Yoga Town is located on Preston Street in Little Italy, less than 20 minutes away by bus.

This sophisticated yoga studio is the place to go for all you yogis. The nicely decorated entryway leads to expansive change rooms, and they have a large studio to accommodate the influx of students every autumn. Their energy option is based on the barter system, which could be useful for students on a strict budget. You can work a three-hour shift to get free yoga in return—sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

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OPINIONS

OPINIONS EDITOR Kyle Darbyson

opinions@thefulcrum.ca (613) 562-5260

Binge-watching may be hurting our appreciation of TV How video-on-demand services leave viewers chasing the next high Justin Dallaire

In many ways, the simple act of bingewatching by itself is gradually replacing the pleasure inherent in watching good television—almost like a drug habit.

Contributor

N

etflix and other video-on-demand services enable us to experience television like never before.

They’ve made it easier, if not common practice, for people to spend entire evenings and weekends burning through seasons of their favourite TV shows. As a result, series that were originally produced over the course of years or even a decade can be consumed in a matter of weeks, or even days. It’s a glorious time for the industry.

While the full impact of our new viewing habits continues to be the subject of speculation, one thing is for sure: binge-watching is a widespread cultural phenomenon that has influenced even modest television viewers.

I know this because I once considered myself one of them. Growing up, I spent very little time in front of the “idiot box.” My parents heavily monitored my viewing time and I was largely uninterested in what TV had to offer me anyway.

But things changed when I went away to university, where I discovered the beauty of streaming websites that gave me near limitless access to the popular TV shows I had heard so much about. Before I knew it, I was watching an episode at lunch, at dinner, and a few more at night to relax. I avoided marathon-like viewing sessions, but I was nevertheless watching large quantities of television.

I’m not the only one to be seduced by the video-on-demand model. A new study con-

Photo by Zach Verret

ducted by the Annalect research group found that nearly two-thirds of TV viewers choose to binge-watch frequently, especially during primetime.

Binge-watching, or the mass consumption of TV shows in a single sitting, is a trend that has transformed our relationship with television, whether you’re an avid viewer or not.

In many ways, the simple act of binge-watching by itself is gradually replacing the pleasure inherent in watching good television—almost like a drug habit.

We still expect quality shows, but we are far more likely to pick our next show based on its addictive quality. The enjoyment of watching

the latest hit comes not from the content alone, but from the excitement of being completely and uncontrollably addicted to it.

There’s a reason why many of us let a new season of a TV show run its course on cable before fully indulging in it online. The same show, released on a weekly basis, is somehow less satisfying to watch when compared to marathon sessions on Netflix.

In turn, certain networks are already adapting to our new viewing habits. Now, several series are being constructed around the expectation that viewers will be consuming large portions of them in one sitting. Many, such as House of Cards, now have large casts and complex

plotlines, yet they refrain from providing the viewer with a recap at the beginning of every episode. The reason, quite simply, is that they no longer need to, because it is expected that the last episode is still fresh in viewers minds.

Producing shows this way only serves to fuel our binge-watching habit. We are intended to watch the episodes in marathon-like bouts in order to fully appreciate them, because the narrative of one episode slides seamlessly into the next.

These days it seems like every show is worth watching. But in truth, this perception may have more to do with our addictive watching habits than the quality of the shows themselves.

YouTuber closes comments but opens debate on free speech Why we need a discussion about freedom of expression on the web Kyle Darbyson Opinions Editor

Famous YouTube user Felix Kjellberg, better known to the world as Pewdiepie, sent the site's most miserable trolls reeling on Aug. 29 when he announced that he will be disabling the comments section of his channel indefinitely.

The Internet star said the sad state of the comments section— long overrun with relentless spam and incendiary provocateurs—has made it impossible to communicate with his fans on any meaningful level.

Even though his massive fan base of 30 million subscribers has remained mostly supportive of the decision, Pewdiepie still faces harsh criticism online. Some have said the video game commentator simply can’t handle negative feedback, while others have even gone so far as to claim he's suppressing freedom of expression.

The latter of these criticisms is a particular point of contention, since assholes everywhere have used the declaration of “free speech” as an excuse to continue their abysmal behavior for far too long.

Let’s get one thing straight: freedom of speech does give you the right to say almost whatever you want, but that doesn’t mean you are immune from consequence or accountability. Unfortunately, a lot of people online don’t see it that way and often cast themselves as “champions of free speech” by continuing to broad-

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cast anonymous slander and hatred.

While some might consider this attitude harmless, recent events have reinforced the idea that Internet trolling is more than just a mean-spirited pastime. Instead, it has transcended into the realm of harassment that causes real-world pain and anxiety.

For example, video game developer Zoe Quinn was subject to a barrage of death and rape threats after her ex-boyfriend published a blog that listed the different video game journalists she allegedly slept with. A similar fate befell feminist blogger Anita Sarkeesian, who fled her home when similar threats popped up after she posted a new entry in her series that studies the portrayal of women in video games. This kind of attitude even transcends the realm of video game culture, a fact that was highlighted in August when Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin Williams, was forced to delete her Twitter account after being bullied following her father’s death.

There is no easy fix to this problem, since it's extraordinarily difficult to monetize a populist tool like the Internet without infringing on legitimate claims to freedom of expression. This is especially true since the subject of Internet anonymity is such a divisive issue, even among moderate commentators. YouTube has recently felt the backlash with regards to this debate, since their efforts to encourage people to use their real names when com-

Felix Kjellberg aka Pewdiepie

Photo courtesy of Youtube

menting online through Google+ went up in flames in July.

However, now that Pewdiepie—the most popular face of the website—has taken such a public stand against vile trolling, perhaps YouTube will eventually revise its methods and figure out a way to weed out the trolls without suppressing constructive dialogue.

It’s definitely a tall order, but given the reputation that’s associated with their comments section, YouTube doesn’t really have a lot to lose.

OPINIONS | 17

Philosophical Sh*t What makes a good friend?

Abdo Elnakouri Contributor

Human beings are fundamentally social creatures who are biologically hardwired to connect with each other.

Friendship is a cornerstone element of human experience that has proven to be one of the things that is cherished throughout our collective lifespan.

What constitutes a truly “good” friend? Aristotle classified friendships in three categories: of pleasure, of utility, and of virtue.

A friend of pleasure would be considered someone with whom you enjoy spending time, and someone who gives you a direct sense of contentment.

Friends of utility are people who you befriend mostly as a means to an end, without a real prerequisite of genuine connection. These can be found in work relationships and any other that

is based on mutual exchange.

Friends of virtue are regarded as the highest calibre of friends, since they are people who embody all the classical attributes of an enduring companion (integrity, good character, etc.).

This is the type of person that makes you a better human being just by being around them.

But aside from these three classifications, what really makes a “good” friend stand out from the rest?

In my experience, the best kinds of friends act as mirrors. They are the ones who recognize the sparks of brilliance that you have inside you and help ignite that flame, turning it into a burning fire that pushes you forward in life. But a true friend is also someone who will call you out on your crap, and can identify all your glaring character flaws.

Most often, the friends who have the most profound effect on our lives are the ones that do not just see us for who we are, but for who we have the potential to become. They need to believe in us and see things in us that we are either oblivious to or regard as a doubtful fantasy. That feeling of being given a clear vision of yourself is almost transcendental.

It penetrates our blinding fog and allows us to get a temporary glimpse of our true potential.

In order to see the potential in others you must learn to see it in yourself as well. This is the crux of this exploration into friendship. The calibre of friends you surround yourself with oftentimes reflects your inner world. So before we ask what makes a good friend, we must first become one ourselves.

In my experience, the best kinds of friends act as mirrors. They are the ones who recognize the sparks of brilliance that you have inside you and help ignite that flame.

Is Bruce Levenson dumb, racist, or both?

Latest NBA controversy might not be as black and white as you think Moussa Sangaré-Ponce Associate Online Editor

When I learned that another NBA owner had made dumb racist remarks, I didn’t know what to think—and I still don’t.

Bruce Levenson, the majority owner of the Atlanta Hawks, willingly put his team up for sale Sept. 7 after it was revealed he sent an email in 2012 that contained some racially insensitive content.

Among the many questionable remarks Levenson made in this email, the one element that seems to anger people the most is the idea that the former Hawks owner was looking to attract more white fans to a predominantly black-populated arena. “…many of our black fans don’t have the spendable income which explains why our f&b and merchandise sales are so low,” Levenson wrote in the now infamous email. “At all white thrasher games sales were nearly triple what they are at hawks games.”

It appears that people are divided into two camps: people who think the email was blatantly racist and ignorant, and people who think what Levenson was trying to say made sense from a business point of view.

As for me, my mind is still spinning over the issue.

Although the black man in me is outraged and offended by Levenson’s language, the pragmatic side of me agrees with its message. Here you have a man who is simply trying to increase his profits by trying to draw in a larger, more diverse crowd.

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote a column for Time magazine in which he called Levenson’s desire to attract more white fans to games “entirely reasonable.”

Others like ESPN personality Stephen A.

18 | OPINIONS

Smith viewed Levenson’s departure as an overreaction.

“I found his statements to be, to some degree, more ignorant than anything else,” Smith said in the Sept. 8 edition of sports podcast First Take. “If it were not for the Donald Sterling fiasco, I believe an apology and a press conference would have been more than enough for him to get by this incident.”

I agree with Abdul-Jabbar and Smith to some extent, since I can’t fault Levenson for wanting to draw a bigger crowd. However, he should have used way better judgment and business savvy in composing this email.

I was mostly shocked by Levenson’s stupidity—did he not know that Atlanta has one of the largest black populations in the United States?

Atlanta Hawks

Did he not consider the fact that if this email got out it would immediately blow up in his face? Moreover, few things irk me more than people saying something is too black or not white enough.

What I read in Levenson’s words is that black money is not good enough. But if the black fans decided to boycott the team, would their money be good enough then? If he thinks his crowd is too black, does he think the same about his team? Until the team is sold, good luck convincing free agents to sign in Atlanta anytime soon.

Any type of racism is wrong and you really can’t condone the language used by Levenson.

But that doesn’t mean he has to be thrown to the wolves.

Any type of racism is wrong and you really can’t condone the language used by Levenson. But that doesn’t mean he has to be thrown to the wolves.

Photo by Hector Alejandro CC

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Will and Kate guarantee new baby will have superpowers Should make up for Prince George’s disappointing normalcy Emily Siyuan Fu

Contributor

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sent the world into a craze when they announced that they were expecting their second child.

Now, William and Kate have gone one step further and proclaimed that the new baby will be undergoing genetic testing to gain superpowers.

According to a press statement issued by the couple’s spokesperson, “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are going to this length for their loyal subjects, and not because the duke is tired of seeing column inches devoted to his wife’s hair and his own lack thereof.”

To accomplish this goal, William and Kate have already been visiting various Swiss genetic research centres throughout the past couple of weeks. In the company of the country’s top molecular biologists they have been discussing the possibility of endowing their yet-to-be-born child with meta-human abilities such as flight, super strength, and super speed.

After this recent announcement, their every movement will surely be tracked by the same fans and news sources that once drummed up frenzied reports in the nine

months preceding Prince George’s highly anticipated, but ultimately mediocre arrival.

“In hindsight, we can see that Prince George was a little overhyped,” said selfappointed British Royalty analyst and stayat-home mom Lucille Roy. “How was anyone supposed to know that he would be so normal, like any other commoner baby? I felt slighted, to tell you the truth.”

Readers will remember that during his first official royal outing in New Zealand this year, Prince George did not exhibit any qualities that could be deemed “super.” The eight-month-old displayed a disappointing amount of drool, a lack of extra strength, and at no point in time did he turn invisible or melt Lego blocks with laser eye beams.

The most that could be said for this young royal was that his cherubic cheeks seemed capable of eliciting squeals of alarming decibels from grown women.

But now the royal couple gets a chance to do it right.

“We’re all thrilled about the idea of a super-powered royal baby,” said David McDonald, who runs RoyalBabyFans.com, which quadrupled in traffic within 12 hours of the announcement. “Will and Kate really let us

“We’re all thrilled about the idea of a superpowered baby. Will and Kate really let us down last time, so I feel that genetic modification is the logical route they should be taking this time around.”

—David McDonald, founder of RoyalBabyFans.com

Superpower Baby

down last time, so I feel that genetic modification is the logical route they should be taking this time around.”

The excitement of fans has been reflected in the sales of royal memorabilia, which have surged all over the world since the announcement.

Stacy Graves, a Royal Family fan from Canada, thought it was important to remind the public that as a member of the Commonwealth, “it is our duty to be vocal on all matters concerning the U.K.” “And that includes everything—not just

Photo by Christopher Neve, CC , Edits by Marta Kierkus

Will and Kate and the baby,” she said. “For example, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are important too. I follow them on Twitter.

And this referendum that people are talking about seems pretty important as well. I think it’s a sports thing.”

Royal Baby Number Two is set to become the first super-powered, blue-blooded progeny in history. However, many suspect Queen Elizabeth II herself possesses superhuman endurance, something that she employs whenever she converses with Prime Minister David Cameron.

Terrorist group uses TV spoilers to frighten Americans

People in a state of panic over the threat of unwanted plot information on Kyle Darbys Tomato Editor The United States has been reminded of the cost of military intervention in the Middle East after ISIS released a new horrifying message online. The infamous terrorist group said they are ready to unleash spoilers of mass destruction upon the American people.

Three unidentified figures in black clothing spoke in detail about their new strategy of spreading terror and misery, stating that unwanted plot information about popular TV shows will be inflicted upon the American populace through widespread cyber warfare.

“Nobody will be safe,” said the tallest of the three figures.

“Spoilers will be coming at you on Facebook, on Twitter, on your personal email accounts, and even on Tinder. There will be no text spoiler alerts, no content filters, and no mercy.”

At the end of the video, the three ISIS members offered US leaders an ultimatum: either cancel plans to conduct airstrikes against their organization, or face the consequences of living in a world without spoiler alerts.

The announcement immediately triggered widespread panic amongst the American public, so much so that public opinion has swayed against US intervention in Iraq.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely concerned about the fate of oppressed minorities in the Middle East,” said business owner Brett Targus. “But I’m much more concerned

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about not knowing the fate of my favourite fictional characters in another war-torn hellhole: Westeros.”

ISIS’s latest threat has hit particularly close to home for

Obama

The Official Whitehouse Photostream, CC, Edits by Marta Kierkus

President Barack Obama, since he has made no secret about his love for hit TV shows like House of Cards and Homeland.

Immediately following the terrorist group’s broadcast,

President Obama declared a state of emergency and addressed the American people from the Oval Office, advising them on how to cope with this impending attack.

“It is imperative that we all remain calm and start bingewatching immediately,” he said. “If we collectively get caught up on our favourite programs then the damage can be minimized.”

However, the vast majority of Americans are not on board with this strategy. In fact, groups like the Spoiler Avoidance Society have popped up overnight to oppose the US government’s actions against ISIS. Interestingly, this group is composed of a wide variety of members who transcend different races, genders, political affiliations, and sexual orientations.

“It’s really quite touching,” said Janice Kalish, the group’s founder. “After years of petty squabbling and divisive rhetoric, Americans are finally banding together to accomplish a common goal: to make sure we don’t prematurely find out who dies on the next episode of Boardwalk Empire.”

Despite experiencing crippling approval numbers at home, the commander-in-chief is still choosing to press on with his strategy to “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS. “As Americans, it’s our duty to stand up to tyranny and oppression no matter what the cost,” the President said in a Wednesday night address. “And if that means that we must sacrifice the mystery behind Claire Danes’ ugly cry on Homeland, then so be it.”

THE TOMATO | 19

DISTRACTIONS

Dear Di,

My friend and I went out last week, and both scored with girls at the bar. Still completely smashed, we all headed back to his place where I had planned on crashing for the night. I knew he kept lube in his bathroom drawer, but in my eagerness I accidently grabbed his tube of toothpaste instead of the lube. I used it with my girl of the night, and when I talked to her a few days ago she mentioned that she had a really bad yeast infection. I haven’t told her yet that it wasn’t lube that she used … do I fess up or just let this one slide away?

— Haste with Paste

Dear Di,

So I know we always hear that girls can have a fishy smell down there, but this time the roles were reversed. I went down on a guy during the summer whose dick stunk, for lack of better terms. I was gagging while giving him head, and he thought my gagging meant it was too big, when it was actually just too dank. Not wanting to disappoint, I went down on him a second time but I was so disgusted that I made him finish himself off by throwing him a box of Kleenex. I’m not interested in seeing him again at all, but how should I have handled the smell? What even caused it?

Love, Di

20 | DISTRACTIONS

features@thefulcrum.ca (613) 562-5260

suggest that you both take a shower to lather each other up and wash off any straggling scents. Flavoured condoms or lube can also temporarily cover up the smell if you’re just getting it in for the night.

All in all, it’s a great reminder to practise good sexual hygiene along with your other daily health routines to keep your partners coming back for more.

Love, Di

— Just for Gags

Dear HWP,

Sounds like you had a different kind of beer goggles on that night, my friend. As a common coital courtesy for your partner, I would let her know about the slippery misunderstanding. It’s a good idea especially because of the misconception that toothpaste, soap, and other liquids can be used as cheap lube alternatives. Some liquids, particularly if they are oil-based, can actually damage your condom, which is a mistake I’m sure neither of you want to make.

The good news is that she shouldn’t have any problems other than the irritation down there. If you are after that minty freshness, there are many lip-smacking lubes that can fit the bill. My personal favourite is ID Juice Lube in cool mint flavour.

If you continue to crash at your friend’s, perhaps remind him that separate drawers for toothpaste and sexual supplies might be a good idea.

FEATURES EDITOR Jesse Colautti

Dear JFG,

While I commend you on trying to commit to your partner’s pleasure, no gal should have to gag over the scents of sex. The eau de parfum of your privates is typically related to hygiene, but may also be due to diet, yeast infections, UTIs, or STIs. Unpleasant penile odours are more common in uncircumcised men, and are typically due to bacteria buildup beneath his foreskin. So men, washing your member with some warm water and a mild cleanser is vital to getting rid of that fishy smell. Remember to gently dry it after. For further stench quenchers, penile nutrient formulas like Man1 Man Oil are supplemented with Vitamin A and can help for any males with a permanent smell down south.

In terms of handling the smell, remember we all have days when our p’s and v’s don’t exude the most appealing odours. Although I sympathize with your sensory overload while going down, there are other methods besides the Kleenex box. A quick fix is to

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Sept. 18 to Oct. 12 2014

THRYLLABUS

Thursday, Sept. 18 Young Liars, Mercury Lounge — 9 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 19 5K Foam Fest Fun Run, Wesley Clover Park

Saturday, Sept. 20 Panda Game, Men’s football vs.

Carleton, TD Place — 1 p.m.

One of the Gee-Gees’ oldest traditions, the Panda Game was brought back last year with the return of Carleton’s football team. The game is a great time even if you aren’t into football or sports, as you can get a look at the newly renovated TD Place and bask in some school spirit.

Nuit Blanche, All over the city — All night A one night celebration of art and culture that takes place across the city at various indoor and outdoor venues. Check out nbog.ca for more information.

Amos the Transparent, Blacksheep Inn — 8:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 22 Debate: Should Canadians be compelled to vote in federal elections? Faculty of Social Sciences Building, 4:30 p.m.

War Horse, Monday Night Movies at the Museum, Bytown Museum — 7 p.m.

MUSIC arts

Celebration of Leonard Cohen’s 80th birthday, Cafe Nostalgica — 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 23 Equity in the Greenhouse – Fairly Sharing Canada’s Climate Change Mitigation Effort Among Provinces and Territories, Faculty of Social Sciences Building, 11:30 a.m.

Tech N9ne, Ritual Nightclub — 9 p.m.

Sports FUN Thinking

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Wednesday, Sept. 24 Women’s soccer vs. RMC, Matt Anthony Field — 7 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 25 Dancing with a Wounded Bear: Russia and the West, Faculty of Social Sciences Building — 3 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 26 E.L.E Music Festival, U of O campus @ 603 Cumberland — 3 p.m.

Twistory: The Historically Inaccurate Sketch Comedy, Arts Court Theatre — 7 p.m.

Ottawa Redblacks vs. BC Lions, TD Place — 7 p.m.

The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby begins showing at Bytowne Cinema

Saturday, Sept. 27 Women’s soccer vs. Laurentian Matt Anthony Field — 1 p.m.

Open Mic with local singer/song writer Jess Cole, Hintonburg Public House — 3 p.m. [free them] Ottawa Freedom Walk, Ottawa Convention Centre — 9 a.m.

A four kilometre walk dedicated to raising funds and awareness to fight human trafficking in Canada

The Princess Bride, Mayfair Theatre — 1 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 28 Women’s soccer vs. Nipissing, Matt Anthony Field — 1 p.m.

The Tempest: Shakespeare’s Globe On Screen, Bytowne Cinema — 3:15 p.m.

Craig Cardiff, Blacksheep Inn — 4 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 29 Ottawa Architecture Week begins

Thursday, Oct. 2 The Study and Go Abroad Fair, Ottawa Convention Centre — 2 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 3 Alex Nevsky, National Arts Centre — 8 p.m. ($12 student rush tickets for any NAC event) Women’s Volleyball Preseason Classic vs. McMaster, Montpetit Hall — 5 p.m.

Periphery, Ritual Nightclub — 6 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 4 Women’s Volleyball Preseason Classic vs. McGill, Montpetit Hall — 11 a.m.

Men’s football vs. Waterloo, Gee-GeesField — 1 p.m.

Jim Jefferies, National Arts Centre — 8 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 5 Beach House, Bronson Centre — 8 p.m.

Women’s rugby vs. Bishops, Matt Anthony Field — 3:30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 6 The War in Ukraine, Faculty of Social Sciences Building — 12 p.m.

International Exchanges Information Session, Tabaret Hall, Room 323 — 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 7 A Night of Spooky Stories, Maxwell’s Bistro and NIghtclub — 7 p.m.

A night dedicated to the telling of scary stories. Free scary stories.

Thursday, Oct. 9 The F Word begins playing at Bytowne Cinema

Friday, Oct. 10 Women’s rugby vs. Carleton, Matt Anthony Field — 7 p.m.

Current Swell, Mavericks — 8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 11 Women’s soccer vs. Carleton, Matt Anthony Field —1 p.m.

Charron, Ritual Nightclub - 11p.m.

Electric Pow Wow, Babylon Night Club —10 p.m.

A monthly club night dedicated to showcasing Aboriginal DJ talent, and featuring A Tribe Called Red, Electric Pow Wow is one of the best and unique club nights in the city.

Sunday, Oct. 12 Hintonburg Public House Trivia Night, 1020 Wellington Street — 9 p.m.

DISTRACTIONS | 21

22 | DISTRACTIONS

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EDITORIAL

Volume 75, Issue 5, September 18, 2014 Yours to celebrate since 1942.

Phone: (613) 562-5261 | Fax: (613) 562-5259 631 King Edward Ave. Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Recycle this or we’ll cut off your funding.

staff Sabrina “Degrassi High” Nemis Editor-in-Chief editor@thefulcum.ca Adam “Zut!” Ashby Gibbard Production Manager production@thefulcrum.ca Adam “The Best Laid Plans” Feibel Managing Editor content@thefulcrum.ca Marta “Heartland” Kierkus Visual Editor visual@thefulcrum.ca Nadia “The National” Drissi El-Bouzaidi News Editor news@thefulcrum.ca Jessica “Fashion File” Eritou Arts & Culture Editor arts@thefulcrum.ca Jesse “Hockey Night in Canada” Colautti Features Editor features@thefulcrum.ca Sarah “The Newsroom” Nolette Sports Editor sports@thefulcrum.ca Kyle “Not My Department” Darbyson Opinions Editor opinions@thefulcrum.ca Spencer “Yes You Can” Van Dyk Online Editor online@thefulcrum.ca Spencer “Drop the Beat” Murdock Staff Reporter Lindsay “Being Erica” MacMillan Associate News Editor Savannah “Alphabet Soup” Awde Staff Proofreader Brianna “It’s a Living” Campigotto Staff Photographer Moussa “Titans” Sangaré-Ponce Associate Online Editor Annalise “Chilly Beach” Mathers Associate Features Editor Chantale “Telescope” Streeting Webmaster Ashley “Wild Roses” O’Connell Ad Intern Deidre “Wonderstruck” Butters Ad Manager ads@thefulcrum.ca Andrew “Dragon Booster” Hawley General Manager manager@thefulcrum.ca

Contributors

Grace “MumbleBumble” Oktaviani Janoah “Open House” Willsie Emily “For the Record” Manns David “Our Hero” Campion-Smith Christina “The Odyssey” Yee Omar “Walter Ego” Abdikader Heloise “Bluff” Rodriguez-Qizilbash Chantal “Double Up” Jiang Jasmine “Rumours” van Schouwen Justin “Mr. D” Dallaire Abdo “Jonovision” Elnakouri Emily Siyuan “20/20” Fu Tima “Hockeyville” Hacini Christine “Gallery” Tomlinson Ophelia “A Gift to Last” John Ellen Jane “jPod” Galupo Mackenzie “Hangin’ In” Powell L.A.”The Border” Bonté Zach “Cities” Verret Alina “Arctic Air” Kalinina

Cover art A. Adam Gibbard B. Jesse Colautti C. Heloise Rodriguez-Qizilbash D. Sarah Nolette

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A B

C AD

When the unseen is unbelievable

I

n 1970 Gil Scott-Heron said, “The revolution will not be televised.” He was wrong.

All revolutions are televised. Video footage is taken with cameras and cell phones, put up on YouTube, shared on Facebook, tweeted, text messaged, and shared within minutes with nearly everyone on Earth. Even in areas of the world that have difficulty gaining access to clean water, cell service is often available as it can provide a more secure means of exchanging funds than easily stolen cash.

We know this because there’s photographic evidence.

ISIS knows this power, as they create and share videos of beheadings and abuse as both a means of making their opponents fear them and as recruitment. Without these videos, no one might know for sure what happened to the American journalists beheaded in Syria. ISIS may have claimed responsibility for the deaths, but would we have believed them?

No one saw the death of Osama bin Laden and as a result there are extensive conspiracy theories regarding whether or not the U.S. government was telling the truth. We may balk at the thought of watching

events, but photos and video have become the only form of accountability we accept.

There is a danger in maintaining disbelief until the supposedly irrefutable proof of a cell phone camera proves otherwise. Although the Internet would have us believe otherwise, many things happen away from the camera lens. Not having an accompanying video shouldn’t automatically make a story suspect. Until videos were released, there were strong doubts about whether Rob Ford was a drug user or Ray Rice hit his fiancee. While we shouldn’t rush to condemn anyone, we need to be able to

port is true.

Of course we should also be using the power of photos and video in our reporting to provide the public with that emotional connection to other people and events.

But when photos and videos are not available, we still need to tell stories. By striving to avoid bias and by using quality sources, we contract with the public to truthfully tell them what is happening.

The revolution may be televised, but realistically we know that every important moment cannot be captured. Pieces of the

Revolutions are televised or they didn’t happen.

Without video, without photos, without social media presence, how can any movement gain a following and a voice? How does the world know about it if they can’t see it? How can people in other countries feel connected to places they’ve never been and people they’ll never meet if they can’t get the visceral reaction a photo or video provides?

Without proof, how would we have known about Arab Spring or how would we know what’s happening in the Ukraine?

And so we as news organizations, and people as engaged citizens, take photos and videos and share them with the world in order to testify to the world around us. This need for video and photographic proof bleeds beyond revolutions and into our daily lives.

We’ve become so used to seeing our lives and our friends’ lives on constantly updating feeds that we forget there are moments of privacy, moments that aren’t captured.

It leads to horrific things happening, but no one paying attention because we haven’t seen it. The unseen becomes unbelievable.

a man’s death, but we may also prefer to know that a video exists even if we don’t watch it. What we are looking for isn’t the grotesque, but accountability.

Trust in the accountability of governments is low as they have any number of ulterior motives in the way they present their versions of

trust more than our eyes.

Journalists are supposed to be the ones who provide accountability when governments are providing propaganda. When we report a story, we have to have established the public’s trust enough that they know we have done our due diligence in ensuring that what we re-

story will be missing and they may be important pieces. If someone has captured every important moment—whether a government, a news agency, or our best friends—we need to recognize this as the propaganda it is. Seeing may aid in our belief, but the unseen shouldn’t shut down the conversation either.

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