The Concordian - September 27th, 2016

Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper

VOLUME 34, ISSUE 5 | TUESDAY, SEPT. 27, 2016

theconcordian.com  /theconcordian  @theconcordian

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Fighting for freedom

An exclusive interview with journalist Mohamed Fahmy

News p. 3

PLUS BREAKING NEWS: HOMA HOODFAR IS RELEASED p. 5 also in this issue

life

Go green as you grocery shop p.8

arts

Cinema Politica's fall season p. 9

music

sports

New Brunswick Rookies can be rocks POP Mtl p. 13 leaders too p. 15

opinions

Iran's history of imprisonment

p. 17

news

NEWS EDITORS /// news@theconcordian.com SAVANNA CRAIG & NELLY SERANDOUR-AMAR ( @savannacraig @nellysamar03)

NELLY SÉRANDOUR-AMAR CO-NEWS EDITOR

Victim dies after fatal hit and run on the Plateau The Montreal police is currently seeking help from the public, according to CJAD, to locate a suspect in a fatal hit and run on the Plateau Sunday afternoon. The victim, a 79-year-old woman was struck by the pickup truck around 12:50 PM, and died shortly after being taken to the hospital. Police are looking for the driver of a silver or white, four-door Chevrolet Silverado King Cab with a fibreglass box covering the cargo area. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 911 or anonymously through Info-Crime Montreal at 514-393-1133.

New ruling to stop Uber’s operations in Quebec A new ruling with be happening Tuesday on the taxi industry’s latest attempt to stop Uber’s operations in Quebec, according to CJAD. Following a recent agreement between the Quebec government and the ride-hailing company, the taxi driver has been trying to get a court injunction. Earlier this month Quebec and Uber signed a deal for a pilot project allowing them to operate legally in the province. Taxi drivers argue that since the pilot still hasn’t officially started, Uber is operating illegally at the moment.

NDG park renamed after infamous World War I battle

Tackling student-involved discrimination

The task force is seeking a mandate to uphold requirements settled in Mei Ling case

Student-led task force discusses mandate. Photo by Ana Hernandez.

SAVANNA CRAIG CO-NEWS EDITOR A student-led task force held their first meeting on Sept. 22 at Concordia, where they discussed adapting a mandate aimed at preventing violence and injustice towards minority groups within student associations and university groups.

As the anniversary of the Mei Ling settlement approaches on November 23, Concordia’s Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA) has been facing pressure from the Quebec Human Rights Commission (QHRC) to honour their agreement to assemble a task force, operated to review cases of discrimination within student groups and associations.

Mei Ling, a pseudonym used to protect her identity, had experienced sexual and racial discrimination from former ASFA employees she worked

with, causing her to file a complaint with the QHRC against ASFA for harassment and discrimination in February 2015.

Sarah Oleil, councillor and social events coordinator for the Women’s Studies Student Association (WSSA) at Concordia, said the original mandate released May 12 was revised by the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), the civil rights advocacy group responsible for filing the complaint to the QHRC on Mei Ling’s behalf. However, CRARR said the mandate lacked content concerning harassment and exclusion—major components of Mei Ling’s complaint—and suggested that ASFA should rework the mandate.

“CRARR sent us an official letter saying it’s not to their satisfaction— there are certain elements and concrete aspects missing from it,” said Andrea Krasznai, ASFA’s general coordinator.

! u o n y t a i n d r a r o fo c n ng o i rs C k e loo ite h T is wr

“Since the anniversary of the agreement that has been made with CRARR last year is approaching, they are asking to get this really rolling,” said Andrea Krasznai. Krasznai said CRARR is expecting certain changes to be made to the task force’s original mandate.

Oleil said that CRARR told ASFA the mandate needed to focus not only on sexual assault, but also implement concepts that deal with harassment, exclusion and racism. She said CRARR also demanded that the task force be diverse in its representation.

“This task force was set up [with the idea] that students should have protection against racist and sexist violences,” said Oleil. “Students should be involved in protecting each other and holding different bodies at Concordia accountable for these actions that occur within their environment, but specifically that occur at ASFA.” Krasznai said she is not certain

when the task force will be fully organized and assembled. She explained she does not want to rush the assembly and creation of the mandate just for the sake of finishing the project.

Krasznai said that she and other ASFA executives have been seeking professional help from a lawyer to further understand the legal aspects related to CRARR’s demands in association to the Mei Ling settlement.

“At this point I don’t think we should focus so much on when is it going to be done, but how is it going to be done, and who can help us,” she said.

She added that they have yet to assemble a full group. “I would love to be at that point,” she said.

The meeting did not result in any alterations to the current mandate.

However, the task force members plan to meet in approximately three weeks to continue adapting the current mandate to match CRARR’s suggestions.

as w ell a s News A ssis ta

nt

A part of the NDG Park will be renamed to honour soldiers who died in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, announced Mayor Coderre. According to CBC, the portion of the park will be known as Vimy Place, after the World War I battle. The park will be renovated as well and should be completed by next April.

Back in June, Vimy Park in Outremont got its name changed to honour former Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau.

HUMAN RIGHTS

We w

CITY IN BRIEF

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

COVER STORY

An exclusive interview with Mohamed Fahmy

The award-winning Canadian journalist talks prison life and press freedom NELLY SÉRANDOUR-AMAR CO-NEWS EDITOR Mohamed Fahmy was in Montreal on Thursday for Concordia’s homecoming key lecture series as a speaker. The Concordian had the chance to inter view the award-winning journalist who has worked for media outlets such as CNN, the BBC and Al-Jazeera. A little over a year ago, Fahmy was released from prison in Cairo, Egypt. He, along with two of his colleagues at Al-Jazeera, were accused of being terrorists. The journalists were arrested in December 2013, found guilty in June 2014, and were incarcerated for over 400 days. In 2015, following his release, Fahmy started the Fahmy Foundation alongside his wife, with the goal of fighting the suppression of the press. Now, he is ready to get back into journalism.

The Concordian: In an interview with the CBC, you said the Canadian government could have done more to help you get out of jail. How did they help you back then, and has their process changed at all since?

Are they able to better serve Canadian journalists in these situations now?

Mohamed Fahmy: Once I landed in Canada, I thanked the councillors and ambassadors for doing such a great job. I felt they were shackled, with Ot tawa’s conser vative approach then. When I came out of prison on bail, so many Canadian people were already criticizing the government, which I felt ministers were delegating their responsibilities to junior ministers. I was very open in my constructive critique, calling the government to take a more direct stance. The government said that quiet diplomacy worked better— I felt they should be using quiet diplomacy, and also,

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NATION IN BRIEF KATYA TEAGUE HEAD COPY EDITOR

Calgary Stampeder dead after nightclub shooting Calgary Stampeder Mylan Hicks, 23, was shot dead outside a nightclub in southwest Calgary early Sunday morning, according to CBC News. Police received reports of shots being fired at the Marquee Beer Market around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning, and CBC News reported police have three suspects in custody as “people of interest.” Hicks’ death was described in the same article as “an unfathomable tragedy”

by Ken King, president and CEO of the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation.

Mohamed Fahmy was interviewed by Paul Karwatsky during the event. Photo by Cristina Sanza.

carpet bombing diplomacy.

For this exact reason, we started the hashtag campaign #HarperCallEgypt on Twitter which was very successful. I believe that after, the government had a more aggressive approach to my situation. Having said that, with the government today, I believe they are much, much more engaged internationally and they are very responsive to urgent calls from worried families. We were able to bring back Kevin Garratt from China af ter t wo years, af ter unfair accusations and detention that were unfounded. The Liberal government was also able to bring back Khaled Al-Qazzaz, a permanent resident in Canada, who was released after two years.

I do feel that the liberal government has been responsive. I presented my protection charter in Ottawa that I’ve written with Amnesty Inter national. We par tnered together and presented the charter to the Liberal government with one of the main goals of the charter [being] to improve councillors’

services for Canadians abroad with better protection.

TC: It must be hard to get into, but what was it like adjusting to life in prison? What was the greatest difficulty?

Fahmy: Fortunately for me, I was not tortured in any way but the prison conditions at the Scorpion Prison were a psychological torture. I was in a terrorist wing with members from Al Qaeda, ISIS and extremists, with maximum security. I was living in solitary confinement with a broken shoulder and no bed. The situation got better with the support from Canadians and the diplomatic armies across the world. It became obvious that it wasn’t about the three of us anymore, but the value of the press freedom and what it meant to a true democratic society.

Also, your mind is your most dangerous enemy at that time, and keeping your mental, spiritual and physical sides intact and balanced is very important.

That’s why I keep telling people that even if they are an ocean away, they can still suppor t innocent prisoners on the other side of the world. It may sound small, but signing petitions, rallying and involving the media is extremely important for the sake of each people abroad. For example, my lawyer used these petitions in court to convince the judge that I had a whole continent behind me and that I was not a terrorist. Also, to add, my family and the guards were telling me that there were hundreds of people supporting me outside, which helped me not to give up.

TC: What was the hardest part about writing your new book The Marriott Cell: An Epic Journey from Cairo’s Scorpion Prison to Freedom?

Fahmy: The hardest part was

revisiting the solitary confinement, the unfair trial and the televised arrest. We interviewed prisoners during my time there, which I included in the book. I explained what Amal Clooney, my lawyer, was doing for the case and how my wife was smuggling notes in and out of the prison. I also wrote about my return to Canada and how we take freedom for granted as Canadians.

TC: What advice would you give people in a similar situation?

Fahmy: The advice I would give to their families is that they should continue to engage with the media in order to humanize the stories of their loved ones, and to continue to keep the attention on them. They should take advantage of all the strategies that they can.

TC: After the process you went through to renounce your Egyptian citizenship, why would you want to get it again?

Fahmy: After returning to Canada, I applied for my citizenship again through my lawyers.

After six months, I finally got it back. It was very important to me because, in a way, it was like the Egyptian government was giving me vindication. It was important for me to get it and get out of this experience with the least political and professional damages as possible. I did not do anything wrong, and I would like to report the news one day there again in the future.

TC: How have your views on journalism changed since your release?

Fahmy: I am now more convinced than ever that what we do, as journalists, is extremely important. It helps people who are oppressed. Our task definitely makes the world a better place— what we do is an honourable mission, and I will continue to do so and soon engage in a new journalistic opportunity.

Canada deports suicidal Ukrainian teen Canada deported Vladyslav Zadorozhnyi, 15, and his family back to Ukraine on Sunday night, despite medical evidence suggesting this may cause the teen to attempt suicide a second time, according to The National Post. The same article reported that Zadorozhnyi, who spent the last week hospitalized for panic attacks, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, resulting from his family’s flight from Ukraine and their subsequent denial of refugee status in Canada. Federal Justice René LeBlanc acknowledged that fear of returning to Ukraine was “the major trigger of his [first] suicide attempt,” but told the National Post that postponing the deportation is an “exceptional measure.”

The royal tour continues in B.C. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelled to Bella Bella, also known as Waglisla, on British Columbia’s central coast on Monday to meet members of the Heiltsuk nation, according to CTV News.

Prince William and his wife, Kate, announced the Great Bear Rainforest would be included into the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy—the only Canadian site to receive the distinction, reported CTV News. Their Royal Highnesses will fly to Whitehorse on Tuesday night after a day in BC’s Okanagan Valley, according to CTV News. The couple will be visiting Canada from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1.

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WORLD IN BRIEF KATERINA GANG COPY EDITOR Canadian confirmed as one of three taken hostages in Libya On Sept. 19, an unconfirmed report claimed that three engineers, including one Canadian, working for an Italian firm had been taken hostage in Libya.

According to CTV News, Global Affairs Canada has confirmed that one of the three kidnapped was indeed a Canadian citizen.

The three victims were held at gunpoint last Monday on a Libyan highway. Global Affairs spokesperson, Michael O’Shaugnessy, told CTV News that the agency was “currently pursuingallappropriatechannels to obtain more information.”

Ghat Mayor Koumani Mohammed Saleh has confirmed the assailants were members of an outlaw group, and not al Qaeda.

Nine injured in Texas mall shooting Nine people were injured in a shooting near a shopping mall in Houston, Texas at 6:30 a.m.

Monday morning. According to the BBC, of the injured, one person is in critical condition and five remain in the hospital.

The gunman did not survive his attack, as police on the scene shot him down. Police determined that the man, believed to be a lawyer, was carrying additional weapons in his vehicle, according to a Twitter post by Houston Police.

According to the BBC, a motive has not yet been confirmed, but police believe the incident is not linked to terrorism. This is the third American mall shooting in nine days.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

MARGINALIZATION

Analyzing Canada’s anti-black racism

Panelists discuss Black Lives Matter and community support to combat racism

The panelists talked about police brutality. Photos by Ana Hernandez.

CAITLIN YARDLEY CONTRIBUTOR On Sept. 23, Concordia’s Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) held a discussion panel at the university, where members involved in helping Canada’s black community and a committee member from the Toronto Black Lives Matter movement came to discuss anti-black racism.

The event, called “Organizing Around Anti-Black Racism” is part of the Another Word for Gender event series, running from Sept. 13 to 26.

The three panelists were Robyn Maynard, a mother, writer and community outreach worker based in Montreal; Leroi Newbold, a committee member of Black Lives Matter Toronto, as well as a parent and teacher; and RJ Pate, a photojournalist and community organizer.

Maynard said she first began her black activism journey when

she moved to Montreal. She got involved with the local non-profit organization Head & Hands—which provides a variety of mental and physical health services to Montreal youth. Maynard said that during this experience she heard stories of racism from the individuals she was working with. These were “people who were unable to hang out —like three of them waiting for the metro— without the cops breaking them up, thinking they were a gang,” said Maynard.

The panelists did not shy away from discussing current issues that the black community is facing with regards to police brutality. They spoke about the repercussions of brutality, leading to tragedies such as the death in Charlotte, N.C. of Keith Lamont Scott in late September, and Abdirahman Abdi in Ottawa back in July.

Newbold described the police brutality problems as genocidal

state violence. Newbold also said he believed the process of carding—described by the Law Union of Ontario as a Toronto police intelligence-gathering practice—has directly contributed to the deaths of Canadians.

The panel also touched upon the apparent buzz word “self-care” used in the activism community, specifically regarding black activism. Self-care is a means of supporting and putting one’s self first by the means such as eating healthy, exercise and beauty treatments. Newbold said self-care is unaffordable for many, and both Newbold and Maynard said they believe that communities should focus instead on group care.

The panelists described group care as checking in with one another and keeping others informed about current issues. Based on his experience, Pate described group care as providing a place to stay and teaching valuable skills to those in need.

The panelists explained that

being educated about Canada’s past and current issues with racism are major elements in helping Canada’s black communities. Maynard said it is vital to learn about Canada’s black history in order to prevent the erasure of what she described as the “black experience.”

The panelists all weighed in on how community members can support or ally themselves with the Black Lives Matter movement. Newbold suggested reading and supporting alternative media, challenging family members on instances of anti-black racism and encouraging the sharing of resources and skills. Financial support can be very helpful in sustaining black organizing, Maynard added.

Maynard is currently in the process of writing a book, Policing Black Bodies: State Violence and Black Life, which will feature some of the content the panelists discussed, and is expected to be released in 2017.

FUNDRAISER

Concordia shuffles from SGW to Loyola

Participants raised money for student bursaries and scholarships SAVANNA CRAIG CO-NEWS EDITOR Students and staff of Concordia University par ticipated in C o n c o r d i a’ s 2 7t h a n n u a l Concordia Shuffle— a 6.5 km walk from the Sir G eorge Williams campus to the Loyola campus aimed at raising money for student bursaries and scholarships.

Universit y spokesperson Chris Mota said over $78,000 and counting has been raised in pledges from this year’s shuffle.

She added that it was “the best year for the shuffle.”

Concordia University News reported Concordians raised $65,000 during the shuffle for student bursaries and scholarships last year.

Participants can also bicycle, run or rollerblade during the shuf f le, s aid Faye Cor bin, a

China has begun using world’s largest radio telescope On Sunday, China began searching for gravitational waves, radio emissions from stars or other galaxies, and even extraterrestrial life using their new Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST). According to a report by the CBC, the telescope, which has a diameter of 500 metres, cost $180 million USD to build in a natural basin in the southern Guizhou province.

It necessitated the relocation of 8,000 residents and the implementation of a total radio silence zone with a 5-km radius. The telescope surpasses the previous record holder, located in Puerto Rico, in size, sensitivity and surveying speed, according to the same report.

Concordia Shuffle is a 6.5 km walk. Photos by Alex Hutchins.

Shuffle volunteer and a member Concordia’s library staff. “This year we have a group of people who are using the Bixi [bikes], and [their group] actually donated bixis for the event,” she said.

Students must raise a minimum of $25 to participate, and for faculty and staff it’s $40, said Corbin. She added that people can gain sponsorships from family, friends, professors or even by sponsoring themselves.

“With the minimum sponsorship, they get the shuffle kit, which [includes] a T-shirt. This year, it also [comes with] sunglasses with a few passes to restaurants, yoga and Le Gym,” said Corbin.

At the end of the walk, participants were welcomed with the “President’s Picnic” at the Loyola campus, where they were greeted with food and prizes.

“We always try to do the best we can and surpass the previous years,” said Valerie Roseman, organizer of the 27th shuffle and development officer of community programs. She said there was no set goal for how much money the Shuffle aimed to raise this year.

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

5

HUMAN RIGHTS

Homa Hoodfar free after 112-day imprisonment

Colleagues: “We’re still in a state of shock,” about release from Iranian prison

Demonstrators gather together in solidarity to demand the immediate release of Concordia professor Homa Hoodfar on Sept. 21. Photos by Alex Hutchins.

GREG TODARO MANAGING EDITOR After 16 weeks of imprisonment in Iran, Concordia professor Homa Hoodfar landed in Oman on Monday a free woman.

Hoodfar spent 112 days in a Tehran jail. While the charges laid against Hoodfar and the reason for her release are yet unknown, family and friends, including her colleague from Concordia’s School of Public Affairs, Marguerite Mendell, are just happy for her freedom.

“We’re still in a state of shock,” said Mendell at a press conference on Monday.

“We didn’t expect this news at all,” added Marc Lafrance, a Concordia assistant professor from the sociology and anthropology department. “I can’t find the words to describe my joy.”

Photos of the Canadian-Iranian professor have been shared on social media and while Mendell said Hoodfar seems frail and thin, seeing her able to walk on her own is a positive sign. Hoodfar, who is 65 years old, has a degenerative neurological disorder. She was reportedly not receiving the proper medication during her imprisonment.

Mendell said Hoodfar was asked to write about and explain her research during her imprisonment.

Her academic work has focused on gender and sexuality in Islam.

However, Mendell said Hoodfar’s trip to Iran was for personal reasons and to conduct some archival work.

“She’s an ethnographer, and an anthropologist … her work is not political,” said Mendell.

Hoodfar’s colleagues also said she underwent interrogations that lasted eight or nine hours at a time and she reportedly spent time in solitary confinement—with no access to a lawyer.

Kimberly Manning, principal at Concordia’s Simone de Beauvoir Institute, expressed her joy of Hoodfar’s release by taking off her “#FreeHoma” pin for good.

“I’m very happy to say I get to take it off today,” she said during the press conference. “The fact that Homa has been a real champion for understanding the lives of women is not without note on this moment. This is something that so many people from so many diverse walks of life rallied to recognize and to call for her freedom on that basis.”

Those rallying for Hoodfar included help from the embassies of Oman, Italy and Switzerland. Canada ended diplomatic relations with Iran in 2012. In a statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked those diplomats, adding they were

“instrumental in helping secure Dr. Hoodfar’s release.”

At a Board of Governors meeting on Monday, Concordia University President Alan Shepard said he is super thrilled that Hoodfar is on her way home. “We did our best both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras and once she’s had the chance to settle back and get some rest … I’ll be very interested to get any lessons she has [for] us in case we ever find ourselves in this situation again or other institutions find themselves in this situation,” he said.

Protests for Hoodfar’s release happened both in Canada and abroad: in Montreal, more than 100 people gathered on Sept. 21 to bring attention to her imprisonment; in Dublin, Concordia Irish Studies professor Emer O’Toole helped organize a protest outside the Iranian embassy on Sept. 7.

“I’m not sure if I’ve ever felt so much relief in my life,” said Hayley Lewis, Concordia’s demonstration organizer, and former student of Hoodfar. “I am so, so happy that Homa is coming home to us.”

“I think that her release is excellent news. In terms of what contributed to it—I don’t really have any inside information—but I think that definitely the fact that there’s a

wide range in show of support from Canadians across the country and particularly the Concordia community, it definitely contributed positively to what happened,” said Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec and a speaker at Concordia’s demonstration for Homa.

However, Lewis said there is still a lot of work to be done on behalf of those who are still imprisoned and equally deserve

freedom. “That being said, I’m overjoyed by Homa’s release and so grateful that we can all continue to benefit from her presence in our lives and communities,” she said.

While it’s unclear when Hoodfar will return to Canada, or where she will be medically examined, her niece, Amanda Ghahremani, flew to Oman to meet her.

With files from Savanna Craig and Cristina Sanza.

Friend and colleague of Hoodfar, Margie Mendell, said she is in a state of joy and shock to hear of professor Hoodfar's release. Photos by Alex Hutchins.

life

LIFE EDITOR /// life@theconcordian.com DANIELLE GASHER

BUSINESS

Sometimes you just need a handy helpr A new Montreal-based phone app is modernizing traditional tutoring practices The app launched at Concordia on Monday, Sept. 19. Helpr is now actively recruiting Concordian "helprs."

DANIELLE GASHER LIFE EDITOR Julien Nolin, Michael Hasenfratz, and Emmanuel Cohen all agree that, oftentimes, the best and most convenient help for your homework comes from a quick chat, or a few messages back and forth with friends.

This was the vision that Nolin, 28, Hasenfratz, 29, and Cohen, 29, had when they created the mobile tutoring app, Helpr.

Taking into consideration today’s digital world, and extensive research they’ve conducted, the three founders, two of which are Concordia graduates, set out to create a modernized tutoring experience that reflected what they believed students actually needed and wanted. They came up with the idea for Helpr—an app that lets you be both a tutor and a student, depending on your strengths and weaknesses in school.

To register for the app, the user must prove their student status before choosing their school from the five schools available.

The app launched at Concordia on Monday, Sept. 19. From there, if a student wants to be a “helpr” for a class, they must upload a screenshot of their school transcript, or take a picture of it with the app. A student generally has to have received an A- in the course they want to be a tutor for.

Students using the app have a

few options of tutoring help to choose from: once they have found a “helpr” by searching the name or code for their course, students can either start a private chat with the “helpr” or, if they prefer, they can send out an invitation to do a video chat. If the “helpr” accepts the request from the app, the tutoring video session begins.

The last tutoring help option on the app is on the Q&A section. This part of the app features a “newsfeed” similar to The es that of Facebook, d elp inclu where students app oring h ideo t tu t, v e post questions four s: cha , and th n e n. g io about certain opt &A pa e s s i o s sy ,Q classes and chat e r s o n courte s p t r o e. other students in ensh lle Gash e r c S can answer. anie of D Students can “vote” for the best answer, and the one with the most votes becomes the “best” answer— a concept similar to Yahoo Answers. “So it’s kind of like crowd-sourcing knowledge within your school,” said Hasenfratz. While the “best” answers are voted for by students, and not necessarily validated, it works as a guidance tool, to get fellow students on the right

track.

Another option the app offers is the one that most closely resembles a traditional tutoring session. The “live” session is when a “helpr” meets in-person with a student.

To set up a meeting, either the “helpr” or the student chooses a time, date and public location through the app, and the other must approve it. Upon meeting, the “helpr” starts the session in the app and the student must then approve it. The same goes for when the session ends. This way, no one gets overcharged or underpaid.

The video sessions and the live sessions are the only two features of the app that require payment.

The base rate for a session is $2.50, and then 35 cents per minute.

During the summer of 2015, the three co-founders surveyed over 400 McGill students as part of their research. Before engineering the app, they wanted to be sure their vision matched the needs and vision of the students.

“We built it originally in the way we thought students were going to use it,” said Hasenfratz. “Then we watched how people were actually using it at McGill, and we re-engineered the app to be customized for the way people actually want it.” The first version of the app only included the option of in-person sessions, but the Helpr team changed that based on McGill students requesting more kinds of in-app options.

Helpr had its beta launch at McGill in January 2016, to test the grounds and see how students

Founders Julien Nolin (left), Michael Hasenfratz (right). Photos by Danielle Gasher.

reacted and adapted to the app.

The app is now available at five universities— Concordia, McGill, Université de Montréal, UQAM and Université de Laval.

The app officially launched at Concordia on Monday, Sept. 19.

Nolin stressed the fact that this kind of tutoring service permits students to help other students not only with school, but financially as well. “Instead of paying a tutor, why not pay another student and let another student benefit from it?” Nolin and Hasenfratz said they felt this type of resource was lacking when they were students.

“When I was a student, I used to have to travel for an hour to go work in a bar to get paid twelve bucks an hour,” said Nolin. “Had I known this kind of platform was available, I could have been in the library waiting for other students who need help [with school], or walking up to students to help them.”

For now the Helpr team is a team of six, consisting of Nolin, Hasenfratz, Cohen, as well as three developers—an android developer, a web developer and a design developer, in charge for the app’s design and layout.

Hasenfratz said the app gives personalized help to students by peers from the same field of study. “A lot of the questions teachers get are repeated over and over by different students who don’t know they’re asking the same questions,” said Hasenfratz. “This [app] consolidates everything into one place, so that before students post that question, they can easily just see what questions other people are posting about that course.”

With Helpr Concordia now officially launched, Helpr is actively recruiting students to join the team by becoming “helprs” or brand ambassadors.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

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CAMPUS WORKSHOP

Becoming familiar with trans terms A workshop hosted by QPIRG dedicated to trans terminology and acceptance

MINA MAZUMDER ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR A trans awareness workshop, organized as part of the Quebec Public Interest Group’s (QPIRG) “Disorientation Week,” took place on Sep. 20 for students and other individuals interested in gaining more knowledge on issues surrounding today’s transgender population.

Gabrielle Bouchard, peer support and trans advocacy coordinator for Concordia’s Centre for Gender Advocacy, hosted the workshop and introduced the participants to the vast world of transgender identity.

Transgender is a term used to describe a male or a female who identifies with a gender that does not correspond with the gender they were assigned at birth, she said.

Bouchard added that the prefix trans- means “from one thing to another.” In the case of “transgender,” it would mean from one gender to another. As for the difference between transgender and transsexual, Bouchard explained that transsexual is a

term that was first invented by medical practitioners to identify trans-individuals who had undergone a sex reassignment surgery or other medical interventions, such as hormonal replacement therapy.

Bouchard also touched on the misconceptions that exist for transgender individuals. According to Bouchard, today, many experts and medical professionals still believe that transgender people suffer from a mental illness and that “you need to be cured from it.” She provided the example of certain medical professionals at the Montreal General Hospital who still participate in “conversion therapy.”

She explained that these professionals believe these “therapies” are the best solution to “cure” transgender individuals.

Bouchard said she hopes the next step in the trans conversation would be to ban “conversion therapy” for trans patients. She highlighted the importance of education and understanding since there are still people who express transphobic beliefs.

“The trans 101 workshop is hugely important because we do have trans students here at Concordia.

[The Centre for Gender Advoc ac y] is a queer magnet for students who come to Concordia ... they might have a better [chance of] acceptance for who they are than in other spaces. By giving this workshop, we are giving safer spaces for students who are part of marginalized communities,” said Bouchard.

Bouchard mentioned that not all individuals who come to the Centre for Gender

Advocacy are students—many non-students who are also part of the trans community come to the centre to seek help.

Bouchard emphasized the importance of respecting a person’s chosen name and pronoun as part of their identity. “Don’t presume gender [and] don’t be a passive bystander when you see transphobic stuff around campus. Be the voice of these identities,” she said. Respecting someone’s identity is the foundation to accepting trans people. If someone prefers to be called by a different name or pronoun, Bouchard said it is important to support them. “That is the one thing that is always denied for trans people. Just respect that and you will do a world of difference.” ¡¡ If you are a transgender or non-binary individual looking for support, feel free to contact the Centre for Gender Advocacy, located at 2110 MacKay street near Concordia’s downtown campus, or Queer Concordia, located at 2020 MacKay street.

The trans awareness workshop took place at Concordia's Centre gor Gender Advocacy on Sep. 20, as part of the QPIRG's "Disorientation Week".

Photos by Ana Hernandez.

PROFILE

Humans of Concordia: Sandrine Vaillancourt Communications and cultural studies student by day, fashionista blogger by night MIA ANHOURY CONTRIBUTOR At the age of 13, Sandrine Vaillancourt started a personal project, and kept it a secret for a few months. Today, that project is far from a secret.

When Vaillancourt started her blog, “I am Sandrine”, it was simply a hobby. Now, at age 19, the communications and cultural studies major has 2,000 views per article, and major fashion brands knocking on her door, wanting to collaborate with her.

Vaillancourt first got into blogging when her mentor, Audrée Archambault, a Montrealbased blogger, encouraged her to write a teen column on Archambault’s blog, “Elle M.” “She really inspired me and introduced me to everyone [in the industry],” said Vaillancourt.

Vaillancourt decided to start her own fashion blog, and most of her friends were doing the same. However, unlike most of her friends, she was able to keep hers going longer than a month. Over time, her blog evolved from being French, to bilingual, to strictly English, as most of her readers are anglophone.

This pastime of hers became life-changing.

“I was already into fashion but never showed my outfits on the blog. I just posted pictures

Thanks to her blog, Vaillancourt has worked with big names like Lole, Aritzia, Coach and Nars. Photo by Ana Hernandez. of the clothes I liked. I was too shy at the time, especially because I was so young,” said Vaillancourt. The more “I Am Sandrine”’s audience expanded, the more her confidence and communication skills grew. Today, she is often invited to a variety of events where she is surrounded by people in the fashion and blogging industry. Vaillancourt said it was “intimidating but also inspiring” at first.

She was now part of the world she had been looking in on for years.

Her expanding network of contacts in the

Montreal fashion industry introduced her to new friends, as well as new collaboration opportunities. Today, she teams up with Montreal designers like Noemiah and Mimi Hammer.

Vaillancourt said these collaborations are not only good for her blog’s content, but also a great way to promote the local economy.

The blog has helped her improve her editing and design skills, but Vaillancourt said it has also helped her grow as an individual.

She said the experience has taught her how to say no to certain projects and collabora-

tions, especially to brands that don’t fit her vision. The blogger describes her style as a mix between Scandinavian fashion and Kate Middleton’s style, as it is minimalistic, but with delicate detailing.

Over the years, the fashionista has worked with big names like Lole, Aritzia, Coach and Nars. The content of her blog varies from tips on how to wear frills, to more personal diary-like entries. Her guideline for organizing her thoughts is that there is no guideline.

She recently wrote an article titled “I’m Not Apologizing Anymore,” in which she discussed learning not to apologize for being herself, or for her style. “It’s my blog so I don’t have to please anyone,” said Vaillancourt. Even when Vaillancourt was mocked at times by fellow students in high school, she kept her head up, following what she wanted to do, and talking about the things that she enjoys.

Her story comes full circle with a young girl who was inspired by Vaillancourt to start a blog of her own. “She’s been reading my blog since the beginning and asked me to give her tips on starting her own blog a couple of years later,” said Vaillancourt. “It’s also really nice to recognize familiar usernames from Instagram that have been with me for the past six years.”

8

theconcordian

SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

BUSINESS

Bring your containers and bags, and go LOCO on groceries A new grocery store in Villeray offers an environmentally-conscious shopping experience

The new store is tucked away on Jarry street, in the Villeray neighbourhood.

SARAH BOUMEDDA CONTRIBUTOR Somewhere on Jarry street, in a small shop littered with bulk food containers and glass pots, customers are going about their grocery shopping in a peculiar way.

LOCO is not your typical grocery store— here, one of the main priorities is being environmentally-conscious LOCO is an innovative, zero-waste grocery store that opened on Aug. 9. The store, located in the Villeray neighbourhood, offers its customers products that are as environmentally friendly as possible. The store’s products are sold in bulk, free of any sort of packaging, and most of them are organic and supplied by local producers.

The concept is simple: customers come in with their own glass containers and tote bags, or buy ones at the store. While the option for buying cloth tote bags is there, most customers bring their own.

After weighing their empty pots, they can fill them with any desired good in the store. At the register, the products are weighed, and the price is calculated per mass unit. No plastic bags, no unnecessary packaging.

Behind the brand are four women: Andréanne Laurin, Martine Gariépy, Marie-Soleil L’Allier and Sophie Maccario.

The women all studied environmental sciences. “We learned about monocultures, pesticides and their impact on agriculture.

[We realized that] it’s important to be careful with that.”

According to the David Suzuki Foundation, the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, for instance, emits nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that retains heat in the

atmosphere about 300 times more than carbon dioxide. Chemical farming also uses up much more energy than organic farming, which relies on natural fertilizers such as compost.

The food’s production isn’t the only part of the process that affects the environment.

Food transport also comes into play when considering the environmental impacts of the food industry. Transport requires gas, which results in more greenhouse gases emissions. The further food travels, the greater amount of greenhouse gases is released in the atmosphere, and the more damageable it is to the environment, according to the David Suzuki Foundation.

Therefore, local farming is also a practice to be encouraged.

“We wanted a place to buy our food that would be eco-friendly,” Laurin explained. “The main thing that [people] buy is food, so we thought it was the best way to improve our lifestyle, as food is the one thing people will have to buy no matter what, on a regular basis.”

LOCO’s products range from a wide variety of cereals, beans, and other dry foods, to fresh fruits and vegetables of the season, to local dairy products, various meat and fish, and baked goods.

However, LOCO offers more than just food. The grocery store’s inventory also includes daily-life essentials, such as cleaning products, soaps, and even toothpaste. Most of these goods are handmade from natural ingredients.

“Our products are mostly organic, or come from various small producers from Quebec, who don’t use pesticides or GMOs [genetically modified organisms],” said Laurin.

“LOCO is a place where you can find all of

these products in one place, instead of having to pass by three stores to get your usual groceries.”

The zero-waste, ecofriendly concept of LOCO, with its no-packaging policy, is a brand new concept in Quebec but is a practice that is already popular in Europe. “There’s a similar store in France, called Day

by Day,” said Laurin. Day by Day is a French chain of grocery stores offering bulk goods, just like LOCO. Its first branch opened in 2013.

However, according to Laurin, the zerowaste initiative presumably originates from Bea Johnson, a French-born American grand prize winner of the Green Awards in 2011. Author of the bestseller book, Zero Waste Home, she adopted the zerowaste lifestyle in 2008, and now holds talks and conferences on the topic and

writes about her experiences on her blog. “[Johnson] is really involved in the zerowaste community,” said Laurin. “We know more about the zero-waste [movement] because of her.”

LOCO has been in the works for about a year and a half, said Laurin. “We only opened last month, so that’s why we’re really busy at the moment,” she added, gesturing behind her towards the hustle and bustle of employees and customers around the store.

“It’s been really nice,” said Laurin about the team’s experience since the store’s opening. “It’s really fun to see customers, talk with them and ask them what they want, too. We try to adjust our products, depending on what people want.”

Laurin assured that everyone is welcome at LOCO, and that the team would gladly talk anyone through the basics of the store. “Maybe one day we could have a small store around Concordia’s campus,” Laurin said with a smile.

The aisles are filled with bulk ingredients. Photos by Sarah Boumedda.

arts

ARTS EDITOR /// arts@theconcordian.com JESSICA KINNARI & TIFFANY LAFLEUR

FILM

The unkown revolution gets its screen time

The Revolution Won't Be Televised takes a look at how a president-for-life was brought down by democracy At a time of questionable politics, music and rap bring a country together to oust a president-for-life.

ROMINA FLORENCIA ARRIETA CONTRIBUTOR The last five years have been politically eventful, starting in late 2011 with the unraveling of the highly mediatized Arab Spring. Every year since has seen its own political movement emerge, notably the Black Lives Matter and the Occupy movements of 2012. In the midst of those political events was a revolution in Senegal, one that was overlooked by the Western media. Senegalese producer Rama Thiaw took matters into her own hands by making a documentary about the political turmoil in her home country.

The Revolution Won't Be Televised was screened on Sept. 19 at the season opening of Cinema Politica.

It tells the story of the Senegalese rap group Keur Gui that lead a political revolution in their home country. The groups’ members, Thiat (Cheikh Oumar

Cyrille Touré), DJ Gardiaga and Kilifeu (Mbess Seck), were tired of the social injustice, the political corruptness, the endless cycle of poverty and the police brutalit y that plagued their countr y.

Together, they created an association named "Y en a marre," which roughly translates to “enough is enough.” Outraged, they planned peaceful demonstrations against the upcoming election campaign of President Abdoulaye Wade, a man who had enslaved his people for 12 years without any political opposition. The Revolution Won’t be Televised documents Keur Giu’s actions during the election and its aftermath.

What is highly refreshing about this documentary is its message and overall tone. It’s surprising lightheartedness showcases how commitment and selfsacrifice can reap social change. The interactions between the rappers are funny and quirky, and it is interesting to

see a political revolution driven by music.

The rappers are inspirational characters, speaking to their peers about how important it is to register and vote. Fans are asked to show them their voting cards during concerts and the group implores them to not sell their cards, a practice that is crippling their political system.

It’s also worth noting how these men completely transform once they are on stage. They become incredibly energetic, and Thiat becomes a Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball Z, based on the look of his hair. Their rapping style is aggressive and conveys the anger they feel towards their government leaders. As shown in the documentar y, it is no wonder people took to the street after listening to their songs. Their lyrics are politically charged, including such statements as, “We are the victims of the crisis and true discrimination/I am fed up of this corrupt justice system.” These lyrics come from their song “Coup 2 Geule.”

D u r i n g p rote s t s , t h e rappers would frequently tell their supporters to project a good image and to respect the policemen by saying "these men are men like us."

Thiat also values education and there is a scene in the documentary of him speaking to a classroom full of university students about the importance of being educated. The trio had no interest in becoming politicians—they just wanted p e o p l e to n o t b e c y n i c a l anymore and to start speaking out against injustice. Defying all expectations, their movement successfully managed to oust

the president by encouraging the masses to register and vote.

What is shocking is the lack of media attention this revolution received. When asked about the lack of coverage by the international press, Thiaw said it might be due to the fact France did not want a "black spring" on their hands, and thus overlooked the revolution in Senegal. It is worth noting that Senegal was colonized by the French and gained its independence in the 1960s. According to the BBC, as a rather young country, Senegal has had its share of political unrest, but has been one of the most stable countries in Africa.

Thiaw edited the whole f ilm by herself—the herculean task took her two years. She also did the whole postproduction on her own, and the entire film crew was young and inexperienced.

This lack of technical knowledge is visible in some scenes but does not take away from the impact the movie has on its viewer. Much like the rap trio presented in her documentary, Thiaw is someone whose determination is admirable. It took Thiaw and her crew six years to make the documentary, and they struggled to find funding since: “[the] cinema industry does not trust women when it comes to technical jobs,” Thiaw said.

Cinema Politica will present 13 politically-charged documentaries throughout the fall semester, and often holds subsequent Q&A sessions with the filmmakers. Cinema Politica’s upcoming documentary is called Seed: The Untold Story on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m in the Hall building (room 110). The film looks promising, it tells the tale of the seed industry and how Monsanto's monopoly has forever changed the face of farming.

10 theconcordian

SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

FASHION

At this fashion exhibit, it’s okay to feel a little blue

Montreal’s Musée de la Mode unveils its brand new Blue Spectrum exhibition JESSICA KINNARI CO-ARTS EDITOR Montreal’s Musée de la Mode unveiled its brand new exhibition last Wednesday titled Blue Spectrum, which is dedicated to the classic and versatile colour blue.

The exhibition examines both the origins of the colour and its place in fashion history.

Featuring pieces from the 1950’s to the present, the displays draw in the viewer with their rich colour and vibrant history. Featuring dresses from designers like Christian Dior and Givenchy, the garments’ elegance and charm is every fashion lover's dream.

The viewers enter the exhibition through sheer, deep blue mesh curtains. To the right is a long display filled with deep navy evening dresses from multiple decades, with an emphasis on modern silhouettes and shapes. To the left, even deeper navy dresses are seen, though these ones are more suited for the office or daily life. Most of the dresses were donated or on loan from various patrons—some well-known designers like Dior, others lesser-known such as KQK .

Each dress has a small plaque that describes its designer, material, age and whom it was donated by.

As you are funnelled along, you come across a tall art piece. Created out of tunics hung from various strings, this suspended installation showcases the unique dyeing techniques that are used to create the various shades of blue. This is one of the many pieces created by young Montreal-based artists studying at various fashion, textile, jewellery and leather work schools.

To the left of the tunics hangs a flock of origami birds made from old jeans, created

(1) Indigo tunics suspended from the ceiling display unique dyeing techniques for the different shades of blue.

(2) Deep navy dresses line the edges of the Blue Spectrum exhibition.

Photos by Jessica Kinnari.

by guest-artist Ariane Brunet-Juteau. These birds were inspired by the concept of upcycling old materials in order to create new beauty.

Continuing around the corner you come to the Montreal section of the exhibition.

It is composed of four outfits created by Parasuco Jeans, a brand which was founded in the city. The designs include a pair of jeans from Parasuco’s new KLIP line. These jeans feature a new clip style of fastenings to do up the jeans. The section also includes the 2008 Swarovski bustier, which was created in conjunction with Parasuco Jeans and has been displayed at many Swarovski events worldwide.

1 Once you enter the final room, you are met with a brilliant display of colour. From left to right, the room is filled with dresses that display the many variations of blue—from royal blue to teal to seafoam green.

An elegant royal blue is the colour chosen for the beautiful and classic dress designed by Balmain. The delicate piece stands beside a more avant-garde shade of bright blue used for an eccentric Comme des Garçons number.

Everywhere you turn, you are met with the elegance of craft, and the deep and mesmer-

2 izing shades of indigo, teal and everything in between. Fashion, textile and art lovers can explore the exhibition at Montreal’s Musée de la Mode, located in Marché Bonsecours, from Sept. 23 to April 9, 2017. Admission to the exhibition is $6 for students and $7 for adults. You can find more information on the museum’s website at museedelamode.ca.

EXHIBIT

Parachutes and politics: New at the FOFA Gallery

Both of these new exhibitions encourage viewers to question the world as we see it

the parachute unfolds: follow the thread by pk langshaw uses parachutes to create garments.

Photo courtesy of the FOFA Gallery.

TIFFANY LAFLEUR CO-ARTS EDITOR Politics as performance art and parachutes as wedding dresses. These two exhibitions at the Faculty of Fine Arts (FOFA) gallery ask us to be open-minded, and challenge how we perceive the world.

Although the two works are very different in nature, they revolve around the same theme of reshaping the familiar. Kim Waldron and pk langshaw both accomplish this in their work using different mediums.

“While these two exhibitions are distinct and have different conceptual frameworks, both [Waldron] and [langshaw] have ambitiously transformed the spaces which they

occupy,” said Jennifer Dorner, director of the FOFA gallery.

For her exhibition, Superstar, Waldron documented her experience of running as an independent in the 2015 federal election.

The photos, video fragments and portraits featured at the exhibition offer a look into her campaign, which in reality was a year-long performance during which she effectively became someone else. Waldron used her status as a professional artist in order to frame herself as a credible candidate.

The exhibition toes the line between art and documentary work. To the casual observer, the photos and videos in the exhibition space would seem to document a serious political campaign. Upon closer inspection, however,

we see that each piece was part of an intricate performance.

Waldron was pregnant during the campaign, a fact reflected in her posters, as we see her swollen belly. This is a stark contrast to the posters of other party candidates, which Waldron believes reek of corporate branding.

“Women candidates definitely don’t run using such an image, as people tend to focus on trivial things in regard to women, like the outfit she is wearing,” said Waldron. “The fact that I started out pregnant and ended up with a one-year-old baby also became a commentary on the ridiculous length of the campaign.”

The second exhibition, the parachute unfolds: follow the thread by pk langshaw, on the other hand, uses reclaimed WWII parachutes to question how we associate meaning with objects, and how this meaning evolves as the shape of the object evolves.

Langshaw is the department chair of design and computational arts at Concordia, and is interested in how garments carry different meanings.

A parachute is a parachute, until it isn’t.

Langshaw coyly addresses this idea of defining cloth or material in a single utility by reshaping original parachutes from WWII

into something that carries a totally different meaning: wedding dresses. The dresses are not cut or snipped, but reshaped—therefore, they are still parachutes. This exhibition poses interesting questions about the attribution we give to certain materials and fabrics.

Accompanying the wedding dresses is also a video and an entire parachute, continuously ruffled by a wind machine in the vitrine.

“Visitors will be inspired by the beauty of these works,” said Dorner. “They will also be provoked to think differently about the social spaces that surround us.” öö The exhibitions at the FOFA are ongoing until Oct. 21. The gallery is open Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

theconcordian

11

THEATRE

English theatre is alive and well in Montreal this fall The Quebec Drama Federation previews their upcoming fall season this week JESSICA KINNARI CO-ARTS EDITOR Cancel your Netflix subscription, Montreal’s English theatre is back for its fall season, and there is something for everyone.

At an event held at the Mainline Gallery last Monday, the Quebec Drama Federation (QDF) previewed its upcoming plays. The lineup includes a few classics, some musicals, and a number of for-the-stage adaptations.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a theatre lover, there is bound to be something that will pique your interest.

Many of Concordia’s talented theatre program grads will be taking part in the feminist production Mary Stuart, which will be running from Oct. 21 to 30 at the Studio Jean-Valcourt du Conservatoire. The show is an experimental adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s play of the same name. Filled with song and physical theatre—theatre created using the body— this play is something that fringe theatre lovers will definitely enjoy.

If you’re into musicals, In The Wings Productions will be putting on their version of the rock musical Hair, from Nov. 23 to 26. Set in 1967, Hair is the story of a group of young hippies who celebrate peace and love in the shadow of the Vietnam War. Full of dynamic songs and colourful costumes, if you like musicals that explore pertinent issues then this may be show you want to see.

Are you a lover of Stephen King and his dark, chilling novels? D2 Productions has created a stage adaptation of King’s novel Misery (1987). While it doesn’t boast Kathy

The Quebec Drama Federation gave a taste of the plays coming to Montreal this fall season. Photo by David Phillips (Flickr).

Bates as Annie Wilkes like the film did, this production is sure to be a gripping tale. Their promo alone kept the audience wondering, featuring a simple 30 seconds of Paul Sheldon (Max Laferriere) typing furiously while being watched by axe-wielding Wilkes (Caroline Fournier). Misery runs from Nov. 9 to 13 at the Mainline Theatre.

If you’re a lover of romance, mystery and the 1920s golden age, then the Hudson Player’s Club’s version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s

The Great Gatsby should dance its way into your fall plans. Foxtrot your way over to the Hudson Village Theatre from Nov. 3 to 13 to catch the show.

The QDF puts on these preview events four times a year, before each season begins, to give theatregoers a taste of what plays will be running over the next three months.

The events are always hosted by prominent members of the Montreal English theatre community. This preview event was hosted by

Eloi ArchamBaudoin and Davide Chiazzese, who starred together in Tableau D’Hôte’s 2015 production of Hosanna. Hosanna will be back at the Centaur Theatre in July 2017. Both ArchamBaudoin and Chiazzese are part of this year’s Montreal English Theatre Awards Committee (METAC). Montreal will also be hosting the 2016 Fringe World Congress in November, so there will be plenty of theater to see in the upcoming months.

POEM

Deal$ deal$ deal$ at the Liquidation Centre Describing the melancholic end of summer and the promise of fall: a poem BRYNJAR CHAPMAN CONTRIBUTOR One theme Brynjar Chapman finds himself exploring time and time again in his work is the end of summer—the peculiar and melancholic threshold that exists between end and beginning. As we move deeper into fall, it may benefit us to pause and reflect on this transition. Here, Chapman does just that, meditating on the bittersweet sentiment of another summer passed, with experiences had or missed, lessons learned and connections made.

It’s the last stop on the way out of town they have everything here ! mugs and hats that say, among other things, Female Body Inspector and shirts with proud animals or confederate flags a room, the room of a thousand knock-off crocs where, as a dare, we stand until light-headed and about to pass out among the fumes.

It’s fun, everyone says so and we take pictures but in the car, with Tom, our silence has weight so does the smell later in the front hall of a familiar house left alone for two weeks.

Just last night he was at the fire and barely out of the light he was wet-eyed, wine in his hands having just posted to the Facebook of a dead man It’s on these nights I miss you most.

I felt for some reason I knew what he was feeling because earlier, I saw him through the bathroom window pooping his face was so sincere with red effort, a face he had never even seen (unless of course he pooped with a mirror) and I felt bad that I looked but also nearer to Tom and glad that he has this place.

In the car I had regrets: I didn’t jump off the train bridge this year or I didn’t savour it–the moment before running into the water– it splashing around my ankles then the big cold step, the submerge of the crotch feeling like I’ve accomplished something but what, exactly? Forget it, because there’s nothing better than freshwater and being hungry after a swim for white bread with meat, and chips.

Because now in the car and at home it’s August the Sunday of the calendar year and I don’t have everything in front of me like on the shore, where a small, long lake held in it, peed out in secret, everyone’s year and their collective fear of snapping turtles .

Graphic by Thom Bell.

music

Quickspins

MUSIC EDITOR /// music@theconcordian.com SANDRA HERCEGOVÁ

JULY TALK

Touch

PROFILE

Concordia's Diamond Tree Concordia student from local band releases second EP album

Diamond Tree discusses new album release and reveals their upcoming show. Photos by Martine Ouellet and Alex Emond.

BY EMILY VIDAL ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR Concordia is home to numerous talented musicians, and David Tone, the front man of Diamond Tree, is a force to be reckoned with. Currently majoring in journalism, he is the writer, singer and guitarist of the alternative rock group.

The band’s second EP, The Will to Evolve was released on Sept. 3. Alongside Tone, band members include Guillaume Lavigne on drums, Marc-Antoine Guay-Rochon on keyboard and Samuel Robinson on bass guitar.

Every musician has a story to tell, a journey that has brought them and their music to where they are right now. For Tone, it began halfway across the world.

In 2009, Tone signed up for an exchange volunteer program with Canada World Youth, an international volunteering organization.

He travelled to Mozambique, Africa where he stayed with a host family for three months.

He volunteered in the flood prevention department to minimize the flooding situation in Mozambique. It was on that trip that Tone started to sing and write songs. “The trip gave me so much to sing about and write about, I also had more time to sit down and compose lyrics,” said Tone. When he returned back home, Tone recorded the songs that he had composed in Africa and created his first solo record called The Demos.

Tone met Lavigne at Ottawa’s Bluesfest in 2012. “I just remember seeing him in a tie-dye shirt and I was like, ‘this guy’s cool.’” They hit it off right away. In fact, Lavigne and Tone began jamming together on a regular basis, with Lavigne playing drums to Tone’s songs.

They soon became known as Electric Elephant, and even played a few shows in Ottawa during the summer of 2013.

Yet Tone couldn’t shake the feeling that there were greater musical opportunities outside of Ottawa. When a friend from the Mozambique trip invited him to come live in Montreal, he couldn’t refuse. “The music scene is so much better in Montreal [and] there are more opportunities here,” he said.

Lavigne moved to the city a couple

months later, and the two of them continued to create music together. “If there’s anything that I want to be known, it’s that I’m really fortunate to be working with this guy. He’s my partner in crime and he brings good ideas to the band” said Tone about Lavigne.

The duo had to change their band name since Electric Elephant was already an established band in Iceland. They became known as Diamond Tree. “We wanted something that sounded natural,” said Tone about the name change. “Trees are soothing and calming, kind of like the ocean. We also wanted a name that represents nature and technology because they are both the most vital things that we have.”

Diamond Tree released their first EP on May 8, 2015, which was produced

by Tone and Lavigne. Lavigne played the drums and the percussions while Tone sang and played bass guitar.

The album was a success—it received quite a few downloads and donations.

However, Tone was not satisfied with the overall production of the audio.

Over the course of eight months, Tone took singing lessons. He had also started busking in the metro for two to three hours, three to four times a week, as of October 2013. Eventually, Rochon, their keyboard player came into the picture. They met Rochon through a mutual friend and started to jam together. “Marc-Antoine has a jazz background which adds a lot of interesting elements to our sound. He plays a lot of cool chords, he’s a very jazzy guy,” said Tone.

When their second EP, The Will to Evolve was released on Sept. 3, Tone heard a huge improvement in terms of sound and vocals.

The album was mixed by Philippe Da Silva, their mixing engineer, which Tone said payed off for them. “The results show, because [the second EP] sounds so much better,” he said.

He is also proud to say that a part of Montreal is included in their song “Sailor Swim.” They recorded church bells from the Anglican Church of St-James the Apostle, which can be heard at the very end of the track.

The trio were then desperately seeking a bassist “I had put up signs all over Montreal,

1

(Sleepless Records/Island, 2016) It would be inaccurate to say that July Talk have softened up since their self-titled 2012 debut album. While Touch isn’t as raw as its predecessor, that’s simply because the band is channeling their forceful energy in different ways—this time with the occasional disco beat behind them. The aggression is still there, it just has to make way for grooveheavy songs like “Now I Know” and hazy ballads like “Strange Habit.” Peter Dreimanis’ ashy growl is still there too, although Leah Fay isn’t quite as angelic as she was the first time around. The album’s overarching theme is one of emotional and physical loneliness, and the need for genuine human connection.

The production could stand to be a bit more layered—the band is aggressive enough without always adhering to to the same uncomfortable volume. A slightly more mainstream effort overall, with just enough meat on its bones to warrant repeated listens.

11 Trial track: “Push + Pull”

7/10

— Ian Down, Contributor

2 CLIPPING

Splendor and Misery (Sub Pop Records, 2016) spoke to every person I saw walking around with a bass case and would ask them if they had a band,” said Tone. Fortunately, the band met Robinson after the release of their second EP. They met up to play music at Crowbar where they have jam nights and played music together. “Samuel is the coolest guy on earth; he’s a very talented bassist. I am so lucky to be working with these guys, they all want this band to succeed” said Tone.

Diamond Tree’s music is about the human condition: “love, success, failure, pain and pleasure” is what Tone mostly writes about in his songs.“We’re all about rock and roll, and high energy. When we get on stage, we just rock out as much as we can. Playing music is a way to open up and have fun,” said Tone.

The band is already getting ready to release a couple of projects in the near future. “I’ll be launching the longest project I’ve ever worked on—for three years— in December.

It has to do with busking and an empty Texas Mickey’s [bottle] of rum.”

Tone’s ultimate goal as a musician is to tell a story through his music. Every lyric that he writes is profoundly meaningful. To Tone, the most important thing is that people really listen. cc Stay tuned for their next show coming up Oct. 8 at L’Escogriffe bar.

The experimental noise rap group Clipping. have released their latest album, Splendor and Misery, and boy is it a journey—literally.

The album is one big science fiction story about a slave named Cardo 2331 being dragged through space on a cargo ship.

The group’s MC Daveed Diggs tells the story of Cargo 2331 through a series of poetic spoken word pieces, fast raps and choral arrangements. Diggs’ cadence fits each beat perfectly, whether it’s a futuristic beat full of feedback and noise, or a beat filled with beautiful classical music. Diggs demonstrates superb storytelling, taking you through the struggles of someone in a state of desperation due to their situation.

This album isn’t your typical rap album.

There are no bangers, no rattling high-hats and no loud bass. It’s a noisy mess but each sound fits the intergalactic theme and makes you feel like you are in a novel. If you are looking for a mix of sci-fi, poetry and noise rap, Splendor and Misery is a dream come true.

11 Trial Track: “Air ‘Em Out”

9/10

— Alexander Cole, Sports Editor

SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

theconcordian

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PROFILE

Motherhood saves the best for last

ALUNA GEORGE

The New Brunswick band ends their Canadian tour at POP Montreal

I Remember (Island Records, 2016)

3

Aluna George’s latest release, I Remember, brings out her soothing, soft, sweet voice which serenades your ear, and complements the album’s pop-electro sounds. “ I Remember” features pop-electro and lounge melodies as well as smooth R&B rhythms, both of which she blends together beautifully. George opens with the track “Full Swing” which has a strong pop-electrified beat and baseline. “My Blood” follows, with a smooth R&B rhythmic sound. It’s wonderful to hear rhythm and blues being combined with soft electro beats. “Not Above Love” brings you back to the early 2000s when pop music was at its peak.

“Mean What I Mean” will surely be playing in lounges and clubs in no time—it’s very modern and has electro-pop with rap verses by featured artists Leikeli47 and Dreezy.

Its metallic sounds will be sure to grab your attention—The brassy sound is unlike anything I've ever heard before. Overall, the album is a beautiful blend of R&B and pop-electro, and George’s voice is the cherry on top.

11 Trial Track: “Not Above Love”

7.5/10

4

— Sandra Hercegová Music Editor

KEATON HENSO

N

Kindly Now (Play It Again Sam, 2016)

The album opens with “March,” a track with slow vocals that then escalates. As the song continues, it adds on beautiful violin riffs. It definitely makes a strong impression as the first song on the album.

“Alright” features smooth piano playing that is soft and sad. Meanwhile, the song’s lyrics have emotions coming out of every syllable. It is quite a tearjerker.

This album will remind listeners of James Blunt’s music—it’s soulfully sad, yet beautiful at the same time. The album places great emphasis on instrumentation. A lot of violins are featured in “No Witnesses,” which has a classical music feel to it. Kindly Now is the album you listen to when you need to cry and get emotions out of your system. It is a heartbreak album. But no matter what mood you’re in, you can’t deny Keaton Henson’s passionate voice.

11 Trial track: “No Witnesses”

7.5/10 — Sandra Hercegová,

Music Editor

SANDRA HERCEGOVÁ MUSIC EDITOR

Live from O Patro Vys, Motherhood was rocking it on stage. Photos by Ana Hernadez.

Motherhood: a soft, nurturing and beautiful word. It is also the name of a gritty, dark, industrial rock band.

From New Brunswick, Motherhood has been touring across Canada since the end of August to promote their most recent album Baby Teeth, which was released this past summer. They performed in Montreal on Sept. 23 as part of POP Montreal’s music festival.

Brydon Crain, is the lead singer, guitarist and vox player; Adam Sipkema sings backup vocals, plays the percussions and vox; Penelope Stevens sings, plays the bass, organ, synthesizer and vox.

The bandmates go way back. Crain and Sipkema went to high school together, then moved to Fredericton where they met Stevens. The band formed in 2010.

“Fredericton influenced us in a major way lyrically. We write as if no one pays attention to it. There are no expectations of what a band should sound like from Fredericton,” said Crain. The lack of expectations has led them to bend the rules and become a more experimental band.

“We’re more about the concept behind the music and not the genre. We mess around with ideas. If they sound cool, we use it,” said Crain.

Motherhood is a mixture of punk, blues and country sounds. They are also influenced by bands from various genres.

“We all like Dear Rouge, Captain Beefheart and Death Grips,” said Crain Their recent album, Baby Teeth, expresses their anger and emotions towards various issues. Their song “Greed” is about the negative impacts of consumerism. Even though a lot of the lyrical content isn’t very happy, Crain’s goal is for people to think their music is interesting.

“The lyrics are stories from the different universe that I write in. For this album, we practiced twice a week and came up with ideas. We basically banged our heads against

the wall until we found something we all liked,” said Crain.

Overall, Baby Teeth is about being from New Brunswick.

“It’s a mix about being happy about New Brunswick but also being frustrated because there’s a lot of shitty stuff going on there which is affecting being there right now,” said Crain.

Everyone contributes the same amount of work to the band’s creative process. This is something that Crain said he loves most about Motherhood. “Both my bandmates have musical brains,” he said. “They are always ready to hear my floppy ideas.

Adam plays drums unlike any other. Penny is good with harmonies and has more of a technical background, which is very helpful to the songwriting process.”

Motherhood has per formed in Montreal a few times before with local band Smokes. They also brought a music festival from Fredericton to Montreal called the Shifty Bits Cult. They called the Montreal version of the festival the Shifty Bits Circus.

“We chose Montreal because of the city’s hard-working people in the music scene. It was a good mix of New Brunswick and Montreal bands,” said Cain.

T he band’s per for mance at P OP Montreal took place at O Patro Vys bar.

Catriona Sturton, an indie-rock and blues singer-songwriter from Ottawa, opened for Motherhood. Her deep bluesy voice, along with her harmonica playing, gave

the performance a folk-rockish feel.

She also mixed in her sense of humour, throwing in jokes between her songs that got the whole audience chuckling.

Her charisma on stage was undeniable.

When Motherhood took center stage, Sturton joined in for their two first songs and rocked it.

Motherhood’s music sounds all the better live. Their rough guitar riffs, industrial sounds and screeching voices are greatly intensified when they hit the stage. Their song “Twosies” is meant to be heard at maximum volume. The trio gave it their all on POP Montreal’s stage.

“I love to perform live. It’s a chance to act crazy, scream, do things that I’m not aloud to do in normal life. When the show is good, I’ll come off stage not remembering what happened. I’d just be like, wow, that was so much fun,” said Crain.

The band has been touring with Little You, Little Me, who also played later that night. “Little You, Little Me are more rock and roll, and heavier than us. Their influences come from a lot of different places in rock,” said Crain.

Motherhood had a piece of advice for any musicians planning on touring across Canada: “Bring a good book—Canada is huge.”

sports

SPORTS EDITOR /// sports@theconcordian.com ALEXANDER COLE ( @a_cole39)

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Shooting for the top of the league Concordia Stingers men’s basketball coach Rastko Popovic has high expectations for his team ALEXANDER COLE SPORTS EDITOR Last season, the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team put a new man behind the bench when former head coach John Dore retired after 26 seasons with the team. With large shoes to fill, the program put the team into the hands of former Stingers player and assistant coach Rastko Popovic.

Popovic played with the Stingers from 2001 to 2006 and was assistant coach of the women’s team from 2006 to 2013, before joining the men’s coaching staff as an assistant.

Popovic, who has represented the maroon and gold for 15 years, said he was happy to get the opportunity to become head coach.

“I have a lot of Concordia pride. You’re not going to find many people who are more proud of being a part of the Stingers family than me,” Popovic said. “To me, this is truly a privilege. Not many people get that opportunity, and every guy who comes through the program I expect them to do well in school and on the floor.”

In his first season as head coach, Popovic helped lead the team to a 10-6 record which was good enough for second place in the

Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec division (RSEQ). The team made it to the playoffs but were eliminated by the Université de Québec à Montréal Citadins in the first round.

Popovic said that he learned a lot in his first year as head coach, and felt that the team did fairly well. However, Popovic added that he knows the team needs to improve if they want to become the best team, not just in Quebec, but in Canada as well.

“I thought we had a pretty decent year but we realized we had to upgrade our roster at certain positions,” Popovic said.

“We worked hard this summer as a team and as a coaching staff to get better individually and as a team. I think we learned that we still got ways to go to get to the top of the conference like we used to be.”

Heading into the upcoming season, Popovic said he is hoping his team will build on their successes from last year. Popovic said the team has a lot of talent and depth compared to last year which will help the team perform well down the stretch.

“We have a lot of depth behind our starters and that’s something we didn’t have last year which hurt us,” Popovic said. “We would get in foul trouble and get injuries. Now we’re

better suited to face any challenges that we’re going to have.”

When asked about the overall goal for the season, Popovic was quick to answer that the team always expects to be at the top, adding that, as competitors, the whole team is always hungry to win.

“We want to be in the championship game in the [RSEQ division] and have a chance to go to Nationals,” Popovic said. “Our goal this year is to win the league.”

Before the Stingers play their first game of the regular season, the team will be playing Queen’s University on Sept. 30, and will be participating in three tournaments. The first of those tournaments is the Concordia Classic which will see the team play three games in three days between Oct. 7 and Oct. 9.

L ast season, the team won the Concordia Classic, and Popovic is hoping that his team will do the same this year.

While some teams use these tournaments as practice for the regular season, Popovic and his team are always looking to win.

Popovic said that in order to be successful this season and get those wins, it will take great shooting as well as an all-star defense to get to the top.

“I think last year we were a great defensive team but offensively we weren’t very consistent,” Popovic said.

“If we take better shots, our percentages will go up and we’ll score more points an d w in m ore The Stingers fingames, especially ished with a 10-6 if our defense is as good as last year.” record last year The Stingers will which put them play their first game second in the of the regular season RSEQ division. a t h o m e a g a i n s t Photos byMarieBishop’s University Pierre Savard. on Nov. 10 at 8 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

A deep bench is the key to success

Concordia Stingers women’s basketball head coach Tenicha Gittens talks about the upcoming year

The Concordia Stingers went 7-9 last year in the RSEQ division.

Photos by MariePierre Savard.

JEFFREY MUNTU STAFF WRITER The Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team is starting its second year under the guidance of head coach Tenicha Gittens who believes that they can improve on last year’s 7-9 record.

The nomination of Gittens as head coach in late July 2015 prevented her from monitoring the team’s conditioning during last year’s off-season, since she was brought in so close to training camp.

This time around, players are taking part in her rigorous program that has had returning players breaking a heavy sweat since April. Gittens ensured that her players are already starting to see results and improvement when it comes to skills and fitness.

According to Gittens, the team has added more skilled players to the roster so that the

team has more options down the stretch.

These additions address the team’s lack of depth from last year. Now the emphasis will be on wreaking havoc, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

The Stingers are adding five new recruits this year. Three of those recruits, forward Marvia Dean, forward Ashley Moss and guard Jazlyn Barker were all teammates at Holland College in Prince Edward Island.

The team also added Donna Lamont from Jamaica and point guard Caroline Task from Vanier College. Gittens described the new recruiting class as one that is strong defensively, which fits the style of game she is trying to teach her team.

“Defense is something we focus on a lot in practice every single day,” Gittens said. “[The team] sometimes hates it but they know they have to do it because it’s just going to make us better as a unit.”

Her coaching philosophy starts with

the importance of getting defensive stops.

“It’s the one thing you can control. You can’t say that every game you are going to score thirty plus points a quarter,” Gittens said, adding that scoring is a question of effort and playing for the teammate in front of you.

Last year’s team boasted two of the top three scorers in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) division with forward Richelle Grégoire and forward Marilyse Roy-Viau. The team’s scoring came in spurts, and the team enjoyed success on the offensive side of the ball for much of the season. On the other hand, it proved to be an ineffective way of winning games against powerhouses like the Université de Laval and McGill. The goal this year is to be one of the top 10 defensive teams in the league.

Gittens said that while Grégoire played great for the team last season, she has the potential to be play even better this year.

“The work ethic she has is unbelievable and everybody wants [Grégoire] on their team because of how she plays,” Gittens said. Gittens added that if one were to watch Grégoire in practice, they would see a strong effort that is always translated to games.

Gittens also complimented Grégoire’s leadership skills, noting that she has a different mindset that sets her apart from the other players.

“She takes the last shot in

practice. If she doesn’t take the last [shot] in practice, I’m mad,” Gittens said.

The Stingers will look to feed off of that energy as they start their tournament season on Sept. 30 in the Nipissing tournament.

Gittens said the team is in a “win now mode” since the addition of more depth will help them get through the tournament season.

Gittens said she is confident that every player on the team is able to contribute 20 to 25 minutes of playing time per night, which will keep the team fresh throughout the season.

The Stingers will play their first regular season game at home on Nov. 6 against Bishop’s University at 6 p.m.

Coach Gittens said that depth will be the key to her team’s success this year.

Rookies can be leaders too

Stingers linebacker Samuel Brodrique talks about fitting in and making an impact

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theconcordian

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

in the news ALEXANDER COLE G SPORTS BETTIN SINGLE-EVENT N W DO ED RN BILL TU

According to the CBC, Bill C-221, the “Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act,” was turned down after a 156-133 vote in the House of Commons on Sept. 21.

The bill aimed to allow Canadians to bet on individual sporting events. As of right now, if Canadians want to gamble on sports, they have to bet on multiple events at once. New Democratic Party MP Brian Masse created the bill, and in an interview with the CBC, he said that the vote meant that organized crime surrounding sports betting will continue to rise.

According to Masse, if singleevent sports betting were legal, the federal government would be able make a large profit as it is estimated that single-event betting generates $10 billion a year in revenue.

ERS BRONCOS PLAY ITH SIEMIAN W ED AT TR US FR

Brodrique had two interceptions in his first game against McGill, which the Stingers won 30-16.

ALEXANDER COLE SPORTS EDITOR When the Concordia Stingers football team took on the McGill Redmen at Percival Molson Stadium in their first game of the year on Sept. 2, Stingers linebacker Samuel Brodrique was playing in his first-ever university game.

In a pressure-packed game between the Stingers’ most hated rival, Brodrique put on a show, picking up two interceptions, one of which was returned 81 yards and helped set up a Stingers touchdown. Brodrique was all over the field that day, making his mark as a formidable defender. By the end of the game, everyone on the field knew who he was.

“During the game, I don’t think I thought about what was happening too much. With the intensity of the game, you don’t have time to think,” Brodrique said. “But I knew I could have that big of a game. We saw it all on tape and we were prepared for them. I knew I could have an impact and I’m happy because I delivered.”

Big plays like the ones Brodrique made against McGill are exactly why he was highly sought after by the Stingers. Before joining the team, Brodrique played for the Champlain College Cougars. Brodrique committed to the Stingers program in October 2015, and then joined the team officially in January.

For Brodrique, Concordia was the best place to continue because, just like him, Stingers head coach Mickey Donovan and Stingers assistant coach Patrick Donovan were linebackers as well.

“The coaches know I came for them so they’re really teaching me every single aspect of being a linebacker,” Brodrique said. “We’re [watching] a lot of film together to pick out the small details and correct myself. They’re committed to making me better.”

Brodrique added that he was interested in attending the John Molson School Business and it was another reason why he didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to play for Concordia. Brodrique is currently studying

finance, although he said he doesn’t know exactly what he wants to pursue as a career.

“I don’t quite know yet what I want to do, but I think it’s because of football. Football is always on my mind,” Brodrique said. “I have a lot of interest in my classes and investment.

It might turn out to be one of the things I want to do but I can’t say what job I want.”

Since joining the Stingers, Brodrique has made quite the impression on his teammates and coaches. In an interview with The Concordian after the game against the Redmen, coach Donovan had endless praise for Brodrique, stating that he was a special player and a great leader.

In his first year with the team, Brodrique was voted as a captain alongside quarterback Trenton Miller, fifth-year defensive end Andrew Barlett and fourth-year linebacker Mickael Côté.

Brodrique said that being a captain in his first season is an honour, and he is happy to have the support of his teammates.

“In our team, the captains are chosen by election from the players and that’s nice because it means the guys believe in me,” Brodrique said. “I had the chance to be there this winter and meet the guys. I think that really made a difference because I’ve been a part of the system, and I think knowing the playbook helped.”

“I’ve always been a captain that leads by example—I’m not a big speaker and I don’t have a loud voice,” Brodrique added.

When asked about the pressures of making an impact in his first year, Brodrique said that there aren’t any. He knows that he was brought on with the Stingers to make an impact early on and it’s what his coaches are expecting him to do.

In the Stingers second and third games of the season ag ainst the Université de Laval and

the Université de Montréal, the Stingers lost by scores of 37-18 and 59-3 respectively.

The Stingers looked especially outmatched against Montréal, however, Brodrique is confident that the team can bounce back and win down the stretch.

“I think battling those two teams was a reflection in the mirror for us because we could see all of our issues,” Brodrique said.

“We have a lot of meetings every week just to see what we can change, and I think, if we had faced these two teams at the end of the year, it wouldn’t have been the same score.

I don’t like losing but sometimes it’s essential for a team to get better.”

“I really think that we have everything to win this year, and there is no reason why we can’t beat these teams,” Brodrique said.

With four games still to come this season, Brodrique said he hopes to be more consistent.

He feels like he has to be the guy who delivers more big plays, and at the most important times of the game.

Brodrique knows that the team can go far, and he wants to be a part of that big push for a championship. His drive for winning and making big plays is accentuated by his short-term and long-term goals.

“Short-term, I want to win a Vanier Cup, and in the long-term I want to win some more Vaniers,” Brodrique said.

Brodrique and his teammates currently sit at a record of 2-2 and will take on the Bishop’s Gaiters next week at home on Oct. 1 at 2 p.m.

Samuel Brodrique is currently in his first year with the Concordia Stingers.

Photos by Brianna Thicke.

Trevor Siemian is the Denver Broncos new quarterback this season, and the team’s receivers are already frustrated with him. According to NFL.com, after the team’s win against the Indianapolis Colts, star receiver Demaryius Thomas said the team needs more offense if they expect to win games down the stretch. Thomas and his teammate Emmanuel Sanders, who is also a receiver, were held to a combined 226 yards and 17 receptions which is far below their averages.

Siemian responded saying that he understands the frustrations of his teammates and that he wants to be able to give his best receivers the ball more often. Siemian, who was a seventh round draft pick in 2015, has big shoes to fill, as last season the Broncos had the legendary Peyton Manning at quarterback.

CEIVES BACKLA PHIL KESSEL RE FOR TWEETS

SH

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel came under fire this past week when he tweeted after the United States hockey team lost to Canada in the World Cup of Hockey.

Kessel, who was left off the roster, took to Twitter after the loss and said, “Just sitting around the house tonight w my dog. Felt like I should be doing something important, but couldn't put my finger on it.”

Kessel’s tweet was seen as a jab at Team USA for not putting him on the team. According to the Toronto Star, in the days following the tweet, Team USA forward David Backes said that Kessel’s tweet will be remembered by the team, and that his reaction was disrespectful.

The loss to Canada eliminated the team from the tournament.

opinions

OPINIONS EDITOR /// opinions@theconcordian.com DAVID EASEY

EDITORIAL

Enough of this Harambe meme hysteria This obsession with Harambe, the deceased gorilla, is getting completely out of hand. To be quite frank, people need to end this cultish fixation and move on with their lives.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story, Harambe was a silverback gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo. Last May, a four-yearold boy fell into Harambe’s enclosure, and zoo officials were forced to kill the gorilla in order to ensure the safety of the child, according to the CBC. Following the gorilla’s death, the Internet reacted as social media users vented their anger and disbelief over the zoo’s decision to put the animal down. Harambe soon became a pop culture phenomenon on the Internet, with endless memes and references being posted daily.

This phenomenon has now reached a new height, with multiple universities hosting candlelight vigils in honor of the animal. The McGill vigil—which is not officially affiliated with the school—has over 2000 individuals listed as attending on the event’s Facebook page, including many students from Concordia.

The Concordian spoke with Saad Waseem— the organizer of the McGill vigil—who said he

conceptualized the event after seeing other universities holding vigils. He also added, “this meme is just another taste of how much power and influence the Internet has.”

The organizers of the event are even selling merchandise, such as T-shirts, sweaters and hoodies. The profits from these sales are reportedly going to the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund according to the Facebook event, although the apparel’s website (also featured in the event description) indicates the proceeds are going towards the Save a Gorilla Foundation—which couldn’t be traced to an actual foundation. Sketchy and confusing to say the least.

But the worst thing here is that nobody seems to actually care about the dead gorilla. The event symbolizes an uninspiring craze, rather than an actual movement or legitimate vigil.

Those attending the event simply want to be a part of this current pop culture phenomenon—they are a part of the clueless flock of sheep being herded towards the cliff. In a year from now, nobody will even remember the ‘vigil’ or the dead gorilla.

It would be more inspiring to see students rally together to put pressure on zoos to

Photo of a silverback gorilla. Image courtesy of Andy Bewer. ensure the safety and wellbeing of animals kept in captivity. Or even denounce the cruel and demeaning concept of zoos, and accept that animals shouldn’t be kept simply for our entertainment.

It would be even more impressive if we used Harambe and his African heritage as a stepping-stone to discuss the issue of ivory trafficking on the African continent, or the

fact that tens of thousands of elephants die every year as a result, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

Instead of buying into this vapid pop culture garbage, let’s think critically for just one second and stray away from the madding crowd. If Harambe’s death only inspired mock vigils and cheap laughs on Instagram, then the gorilla certainly died in vain.

STYLE

Exploring Montreal’s doomed fashion scene Why our beloved city is falling behind in terms of glamour and fashion AYSHA WHITE CONTRIBUTOR

Image from page 45 of Strawbridge & Clothier's quarterly- 1882

The last Montreal Fashion Week was in 2014, which is strange given that Montreal is generally considered one of the most fashionable cities in North America. Why? “It's time to rethink the format of the presentation of fashion,” said Chantal Durivage of Sensation Mode in an interview with The Montreal Gazette. She said the necessity of “showing clothing six months in advance of the selling season, as traditional fashion weeks do, is being questioned everywhere given the instant infor mation on the web.” However, Montreal’s independent designers have not all necessarily caught up with today’s technological demands.

According to The Globe and Mail , independent retailers have failed to corner the online market, in a day and age where it can make or break your success as a business.

According to the same article, PierreBenoit Duham, the owner of Montreal luxury men’s boutique Clusier, said, “We’ve always had a web presence. It drives more traffic to the store.”

Other independent designers might benefit from following Dunham’s lead.

Having an online presence would allow them to reach more young people, who are the future of fashion in Montreal. It would also allow them to reach an audience outside of the city, and hopefully

re-establish Montreal as a fashionable city.

There are many stylish individuals in this metropolis, but those with a true sense of personal style are difficult to come by. It’s very hard to ignore the commercialization of the clothing industry, with chains like H&M, Aritzia and Forever 21 popping up around the world.

In my opinion, fashion should be personal. Your outfit should scream you, no matter who you are. It seems as though many people in Montreal, although well-dressed, follow a basic formula for the perfect minimalist outfit. This leaves everyone looking like a sporty spice in the 90s. I think that social media, and the rise of lifestyle bloggers are a few of the reasons.

Bloggers tend to fall under an umbrella of minimalist (think American Apparel) or “boho” (think Urban Outfitters, or Anthropologie) style. Since these bloggers are seen as inspirational, their fans tend to want to look like them— sometimes exactly like them— rather than just drawing inspiration and reinterpreting it to reflect their own style.

When popular bloggers post photos of their outfits, they usually list where each item was purchased. So now everyone who reads these blogs can run out to H&M, and buy the same dress or shirt.

It is up to us, as young people, to support independent designers, not only for the sake of each of our personal and unique style, but for the sake of Montreal’s fashion future.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

theconcordian

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INTERNATIONAL

Iran’s dark history of imprisoning foreigners Dr. Homa Hoodfar is not the first to be detained by the Revolutionary Guard

A supporter of Dr. Hoodfar at the demonstration on Sept. 21 in Montreal.

CHARLES PROCEE STAFF WRITER This article was originally written as a protest for the immediate release of Dr. Homa Hoodfar—an Iranian-Canadian professor of anthropology at Concordia— from Evin prison in Iran. However, as of Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, I am pleased to say that she has been released. Still, Professor Hoodfar’s ordeal can provide us with an opportunity to discuss Iran’s alarming trend of human rights abuses and socio-political oppression.

While visiting family and conducting research in Tehran, Dr. Hoodfar was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Since June 6, 2016, Hoodfar had been held captive in Evin prison, just outside of Tehran. She had been charged with collaborating with a hostile government against national security, and with propaganda against the state.

As CBC News reports, Hoodfar’s family believed these charges to be trumped up.

Which certainly was a reasonable assertion to make, given that Iranian state media accused Hoodfar of “dabbling in feminism.”

Alex Neve, the secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, states that these charges are a symptom of a weak and paranoid state. Neve believes Hoodfar was a prisoner of conscience—imprisoned for her beliefs—since Iranian authorities accused Hoodfar’s research of “disrupting public order” and “prompting social-cultural changes that can ultimately pave the ground … for a soft overthrow.”

I am inclined to agree with such claims, as Iran has a significant legacy of incarcerating people for perceived obscenities or political dissidence. Evin prison—which is nicknamed “Evin University,” due to the number of intellectuals held there—has a dark history of brutal treatment of prisoners.

Another alumnus of Concordia and dual Canadian-Iranian citizen, Maziar Bahari, is likely one of the more recognizable victims of Iranian legal transgressions.

His 118-day imprisonment is recounted in the 2009 book Then They Came For Me, and in a film produced by Jon Stewart called Rosewater. Bahari was detained for reporting on the 2009 protests surrounding the Iranian presidential election.

Like Hoodfar, Bahari too was accused of disrupting public order and working with foreign powers against the state.

Another prisoner of Evin is Soheil Babadi, who was charged with insulting the Prophet Mohammed, the Ayatollah, and subverting the state, and arrested in May 2012. According to iranhumanrights. org, Babadi was detained for posting satirical jokes on a Facebook page. While

imprisoned, he was denied medical care for his kidney disease, which some agencies (such as Amnesty International) believe to be a tactic used by the Iranian state to coerce confessions from their detainees.

However, the detention of Zahra Kazemi, another Canadian-Iranian citizen, is a particularly important case in relation to Hoodfar’s imprisonment.

Kazemi was photographing the protests of the 2003 election, and was detained after filming the families of arrested protesters outside of the infamous Evin prison.

She was charged with espionage and smeared by state media as a spy. During her detention, Kazemi was tortured, raped and beaten, which led to her subsequent death on July 11, 2003.

All these prisoners of conscience point to a legacy of brutality that made Hoodfar’s plight all the more alarming and urgent. Just like Bahari, Hoodfar felt the sting of her intellectual endeavours.

Similar to Babadi, Hoodfar has medical concerns — suffering from a neurological condition called myasthenia gravis, which causes severe muscle weakness.

More alarming still, is the risk to women under Iranian custody. As the brutal treatment of Zahra Kazemi proves, the risk to Professor Hoodfar was extremely realistic and present. In a male-dominated prison system, her health was at risk due to the taboo surrounding men examining women. There was also the realistic risk of sexual aggression as a form of coercion and terror. Amnesty International writes that Hoodfar’s arrest coincides with a trend of increased targeting of women associated with feminist movements, or groups advocating increased female representation in the government. This placed Hoodfar’s research directly under the gaze of Iranian intelligence.

More than 100 days had passed before Dr. Hoodfar’s release could be secured.

How could this matter have been allowed to escalate for so long? This goes back to Stephen Harper’s government, which, in 2012, placed Iran on the list of state sponsors of terror, which subsequently severed diplomatic ties. I believe this action was a mistake, and needlessly put the lives of Canadian nationals abroad at risk in a misguided attempt to be “tough on terror.”

Former Canadian diplomat to Iran, Ken Taylor, tells CBC news it is important to have a presence on the ground. “If a country’s government won’t interact,” Taylor writes, “there’s still intelligence to gather.” I could not agree more. A diplomatic presence on the ground could allow us to know more about our nationals abroad in general, and Dr. Hoodfar in particular.

If the purpose of diplomacy is to ensure the security of interests abroad, how can that be done with no dialogue?

The ordeal of Dr. Hoodfar and her family can serve as a cautionary tale against rash decisions in power politics.

In a statement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau credits Hoodfar’s release was wholly reliant on the Swiss, Italian, and Omani diplomats in Iran. In the face of diplomatic impotence, her release also signals the importance of grassroots activism. Kimberley Manning, principal of Concordia University’s Simone de Beauvoir Institute says that more than 5,000 academics signed a petition calling for Dr. Hoodfar's release, including notable intellectuals like Noam Chomsky.

While on September 14, 2016, Concordia students led a protest at Norman Bethune Square. Moreover, in a statement from Amnesty International Canada, more than 50,000 canadians signed a petition for Dr. Hoodfar’s release.

We must not forget the power we have as a collective. Injustice can be met with solidarity.

Supporters gather at a protest supporting Dr. Hoodfar in Montreal on September 21. Photos by Alex Hutchins.

18

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