The Concordian by The Concordian

theconcordian

life

sports

Meet the new cupcake masters P. 9

T HE

Stingers miss out on hardware P. 17

STRIKE IS ON

Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011

arts Go on and CEASE it P. 13

music Cello: it’s not just for the orchestra anymore P. 14

opinions Why is a ConU board member promoting asbestos? P. 20

Volume 29 Issue 11

Students vote to strike on Nov. 10

Photos by Navneet Pall

CSU appoints new CEO with byelections just weeks away

JB rules that former CEO was not hired ASFA and GSA approve strike mandate according to proper procedure at special general meeting Alyssa Tremblay Morgan Pudwell, and from Tomer Joel Ashak Staff writer Graduate students and arts and science undergraduates voted in favour of an academic strike mandate for Nov. 10, the day of the provincewide protest against tuition hikes, at a special general meeting held last Thursday. Out of the 570 students present at the SGM, six undergraduate and two graduate students voted against the mandate and one student abstained, according to ASFA’s records. “This is our opportunity as Concordia students and as an English school in Montreal to show that we have a school spirit strong enough to stand together united with one message,” said Concordia Student Union VP external and projects Chad Walcott. “That message is ‘no’ to this tuition increase.” ASFA VP external and sustain-

ability Paul Jerajian called the meeting’s outcome “a major step for ASFA.” The CSU organized the SGM along with ASFA and the Graduate Students’ Association. There were no faculty or administrative representatives at the meeting and the strike mandate as it currently stands does not exclude the possibility of academic consequences for strikers. According to Jerajian, a motion which states the meeting’s result still needs to be approved by the faculty in order to have a clear academic amnesty. Walcott said that the CSU is sending the SGM result to the administration to inform them of the ASFA strike mandate. Meanwhile, Provost David Graham sent out a recommendation to faculties and departments to be lenient on Nov. 10 in matters of attendance and late assignments, Walcott said.

Continued on P. 3

Assistant news editor The Concordia Student Union has replaced its chief electoral officer after a unanimous decision by the judicial board nullified the hiring of CEO Bram Goldstein. About 20 people packed into the CSU conference room to attend the judicial board hearing last Tuesday evening which saw heated exchanges between Goldstein and the JB. “I think this whole thing’s a circus,” said Goldstein, who was repeatedly asked by JB chair Cassie Smith to “refrain from making accusations.” Goldstein criticized CSU president Lex Gill for being absent at the hearing and said that the JB was keeping him from “telling the truth.” Frustration was also visible from the plaintiffs, student union vice-presidents Laura Glover and

Shavit, who represented last year’s 2010-2011 CSU council, regarding the format of the hearing, which both parties questioned and argued about at length. In an interview, Shavit described the hearing process as “peculiar” and said that Smith “did not seem to know what format she was using, and what procedures she was conducting the hearing with.” Shavit said that Goldstein’s dismissal might be grounds for unlawful termination and is appealing the JB’s ruling. In response, Smith said in an interview that while there was “some mild confusion over the speaking order,” the issue was “ultimately determined by the board with input from all parties and that all of the parties involved [...] consented to the format of the hearing at the time.”

Continued on P. 4

theconcordian.com

news 2

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Got a news tip? news@theconcordian.com

City in brief Alyssa Tremblay

Elevator breakdown in Hall building grounds 20 people

Lift was caught Striking McGill support between ground staff pickets at Loyola The McGill University Non-Aca- floor and demic Certified Association formed basement a picket line outside of Concordia’s PERFORM Centre on Sherbrooke Street last Friday. Handing out informational pamphlets with an image of McGill principal Heather Munroe-Blum on them, MUNACA was at Loyola the same day as the inauguration of the university’s PERFORM and Genomics centres. In an interview, MUNACA’s VP finance David Kalant said that the workers’ union chose to protest at Loyola because they had heard that politicians would be attending the PERFORM Centre’s inauguration. Kalant said the workers’ union also came out to support Concordia’s trades union, which held a one-day strike on Sept. 7.

ConU’s University Registrar steps down

University registrar Laura Stanbra will be leaving Concordia as of Dec. 9 after five months in office. Stanbra was appointed as registrar at the end of last June, replacing Linda Healey, who had held the position for 10 years prior. According to the university website, Stanbra has worked at the university in various capacities since 1985. Associate registrar Terry Too is acting university registrar until someone else is appointed.

Taking the trolley to Loyola

The 105 bus on Sherbrooke Street in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, a frequently used method of transportation for students between Vendôme metro station and Loyola, was listed as one of the most likely bus lines to be converted into a trolley system in a preliminary analysis by the Société de transport de Montréal. The analysis is a prelude to an intensive trolley bus study that the STM is launching that should be completed by December 2012. According to The Gazette, STM president Michel Labrecque hopes to have a trolley bus system working in the next five years.

Big O’s big makeover

The Olympic Park board announced its plans to make major renovations to the plaza surrounding the Olympic Stadium. The renovations are expected to span three years and will cost around $7 million, some of which will be paid by corporate sponsors. The 17,000 square metres plaza is made up almost entirely of concrete. David Heurtel, president of the Olympic Park, said in an interview on CBC Daybreak Montreal that the park will also play host to year-round programming such as concerts and other live events.

Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo News editor An elevator stoppage in the Hall building left around 20 people hanging for approximately 20 minutes on Monday morning. Psychology and geography student Victoria Curl had stepped into the descending elevator on the ground floor of the building around 10 a.m. on Monday morning while on her way to class. Curl said they had descended a few feet when the elevator jolted to a stop. “There was this crashing, and all this stuff came down from the ceiling, like dust,” she said. “So we were stuck there. We called the security guy and he said he would send someone, so we

waited for half an hour.” The elevator was stuck between the ground floor and the basement, having been boarded with people on the ground floor before heading downwards. The drop was only a few feet, according to Curl, but “you still felt like you were crashing.” “You couldn’t move, it was so hot, it was just disgusting,” Curl said of her experience. Firefighters soon arrived on the scene to pull the stranded people out because the elevator was not level with the ground, she said. Security then asked to see identification from those involved in order to document who was involved in the incident, a standard procedure according to university spokesperson Chris Mota. No one in the elevator panicked, though. “It was actually kind of funny because everyone was laughing and we were talking about cannibalism,” Curl joked. “We were just trying to make the best of it I guess. I think a few

STUDENTS CROWD INTO A HALL BUILDING ELEVATOR. PHOTO BY NAVNEET PALL people felt a little claustrophobic.” “The [security guard] told us that he was sending someone as soon as possible so we knew it wasn’t hopeless. We weren’t going to be stuck there forever,” she said.

Mota said there were 18 people caught in the elevator for 18 minutes, according to the incident report filed by security, but could not confirm the cause of the stoppage by press time.

- With files from Alyssa Tremblay

Ad catches students with their pants down Campaign to fill empty ad space placed in campus bathroom by mistake Luciana Gravotta Contributor An advertisement erroneously placed in a women’s bathroom on the Loyola campus and claiming that “men laugh longer, louder, and more often than women” has been removed, but not before its placement raised questions about how and why it found its way there. The ad was originally placed in one of UB Media’s frames located in the lower level women’s restroom of the CJ building. It turns out that the ad was placed there by mistake, and that its message may not be true. According to Ron Deschênes, director of business development at UB Media, the ad should not have been on campus at all. It was meant for UB Media’s bar venues. Concordia was also unaware of the error. UB Media installs frames in their venues and sells the space to advertisers. When a space is not sold it remains empty. This ad, along with others such as “Women have a slightly higher average IQ than men” and “The average person spends three years of their life in a washroom,” were part of the company’s Fun Facts campaign, which consists of neutral content ads to fill empty frames. These ads do not advertise anything and are mainly decorative since they do not provide any revenue. When asked where the facts in the campaign came from, Deschênes responded that they came from an Internet site, and that upon further review, he “didn’t see any background sources.” The Concordian notified Deschênes of the mistake on Oct. 12. The ad was removed within two days. Deschênes

apologized for the mistake on behalf of UB Media. He said that a full inventory was also conducted over those two days to make sure there were no other misplaced ads. “We try to bring an approach to our business model that respects our venue and their aims as well,” he said. “We don’t want to impede on what our venues are trying to accomplish.” According to their website, restroom ads are “inescapable media, targeting captive audiences.” Location is also crucial for targeted advertising. For example, the ad with the man laughing was meant for a men’s restroom. UB Media works with bars, restaurants, cinemas, and more recently, universities. These include Université de Montréal, McGill University, and Concordia. UB Media’s presence on campus began last year as a consortium of media companies interested in using the university’s advertisement space. After issuing a request for proposals, the university chose three companies: Rouge Media, UB Media, and MU Media. According to university spokesperson Chris Mota, the university set its terms for what it wanted in exchange for UB Media’s use of campus space. A significant amount of frames are available for internal campaigns. Mota said anyone who has an issue with a particular ad is encouraged to let the university know. Marie-Josée Allard, director of Hospitality Concordia, said that to date she has not received any complaints about the ads. All ads must adhere to the university’s ad guidelines, Mota said. Alcohol, tobacco, gambling or drug ads are not approved, neither are ads that are dishonest or misleading or those that promote a political party. An ad cannot

imply that the university endorses a product. Ads are reviewed before they go up. While most Concordia students were unaware of the misplaced ad at Loyola, Deschênes said UB Media wants to make sure that it doesn’t

happen again in the future. They are now looking to find a new neutral campaign to fill unsold spaces. “If someone from the student body has an idea that would fit into [the neutral content] model, we are willing to hear a good idea,” he said.

Students swap stories as well as clothes at CSU shop

Not a single item at the Concordia Student Union Swap Shop has a price tag on it, yet they each have a story that students can exchange. Photo by Navneet Pall

A week has passed since the Swap Shop opened on the seventh floor of the Hall building and a wide array of items have already been donated by students. Items on display at the shop on Monday included plaid shirts, an “almost” prom dress and a hamster cage, project organizer and VP Loyola and services Melissa Fuller said. The shop, designed by recent communications graduate AJ Korkidakis in collaboration with VP clubs and space Gonzalo Nieto and councillor Michaela Manson, is a student-run, 24-hour space where students donate items or pass by and take whatever they like. Fuller explained the shop is “a sustainable practice in which items you would likely throw away despite being functional are given a second life with someone else.” Though it may have a similar concept as a thrift store, the main purpose of the space is to “allow people to experience the value of objects beyond price tags,” Fuller said. Students won’t find prices attached to these clothes, appliances or gadgets. Instead, each tag is meant to determine the value the item had to the student. Each person tags their item with a story or comment, allowing future owners to participate in a non-traditional shopping experience. The Swap Shop helps promote a strong community and culture among students “all while questioning disposable consumer culture,” Fuller said. Rules to follow include making sure all clothing is washed before donating and - Alyssa De Rosa ensuring that items are fully functional.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Provost asks faculties and departments to be lenient with attendance on Thursday Continued from cover

“A strike mandate from ASFA’s membership means that 18,000 students have democratically decided not to go to school and to support the action on Nov. 10,” said CSU president Lex Gill. “If the university tries to go against the motion and punish students for not going to class on that day they are putting themselves in a very bad position.” ASFA and the GSA needed to meet quorum—a minimum of 371 undergraduate students and 60 graduate students, respectively—in order to obtain a legal vote. When quorum was met an hour after the meeting started, students voted to skip the information presentation on tuition hikes and to vote for a strike mandate straightaway. They also skipped the open microphone session in the process, a decision which left some students unable to voice their opinions.

“We are both against the mandate and we wanted to speak before the vote,” said Erik Scanlon, and Philip Ryan-Gyroux, two economics students. “They never actually opened the microphone for people who disagree with the mandate. This is unacceptable in a so-called democratic process.” If the Nov. 10 protest does not meet the expected results, students could meet again to vote for an unlimited general strike, where students would strike continuously until demands are met or until students decide to stop striking.

A march to join the 2 p.m. general rally at Place Émilie-Gamelin near Berri-UQAM metro station will leave the Reggie’s terrace at 1:10 p.m., and will pass by McGill University. The CSU is organizing a pre-gathering downtown from 11 a.m. onwards on the terrace. The student union has also arranged

Concordia’s five-year academic plan was passed in a secret ballot held during a divisive senate meeting last Friday afternoon. Despite being rejected unanimously in a symbolic motion by the CSU council last week, the revised 2011-2016 academic plan was adopted in a vote of 26 to 19. Tension ran high as the students who sit on senate wanted to delay the plan until next year. CSU president Lex Gill voiced her concerns about rushing the multimillion dollar plan being put into motion without the endorsement of the students. “It would be a tragedy to see a document with so much good it in to be passed without any stu-

dent support,” she said. “What’s the rush? What’s the difference between an academic plan passed now and one passed in January?” Graduate student senator Holly Nazar also expressed her concerns, saying she didn’t feel the working group for the academic plan took the revisions students made into account. “The vote shows students are not entirely happy with the plan,” Nazar said. Provost David Graham presented the academic plan to the student union council on Oct. 26. He said at senate that he was “aghast” to learn council unanimously rejected the plan immediately after his departure and questioned whether the CSU had arranged the outcome of the vote before the meeting. Hasan Cheikhzen, CSU VP aca-

STUDENTS WERE OVERWHELMINGLY IN FAVOUR OF A STRIKE. PHOTO BY NAVNEET PALL for buses to pick up students from the Loyola campus at 12:30 p.m.

and bring them to Reggie’s to join the rest of the delegation.

demic, was responsible for inviting the provost to the council meeting and denied that the CSU “did not act in good faith.” Cheikhzen explained that no decisions were made prior to the provost’s presentation. The provost later apologized for his emotional response, explaining that last year he had expressed the wish that the current student union be on board as part of the working group who formed the academic plan. A few senators did feel the plan should be implemented but were worried by the lack of consensus from the students. Arts and science senator Rosemary Reilly said she was “not comfortable voting for a plan students are seemingly against.” However, Noel Burke, dean of the School for Extended Learning, expressed his excitement for the plan and emphasized that “delay-

ing the date only delays the plan.” Graham agreed, stating “deferral is not an option at this point.” The plan intends to expand Concordia’s research and graduate studies, provide additional library funding, develop new evaluations and restructure academic programs, among other measures. In an effort to make Concordia more competitive, the plan is looking to attract more grants, students and professors. The ultimate goal of the plan is for Concordia to be recognized as one of the top five comprehensive universities in Canada by 2016. Senate also passed the motion to push back the start of next semester from Jan. 3 to Jan. 4 in winter 2012 despite President Frederick Lowy’s belief that it was too late to make changes to the calendar. The additional day will give more time for staff and students to return from the holidays.

“

Testy emails exchanged over nullification of CEO’s appointment Internal emails being forwarded to external actors Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo News editor Discontent over the judicial board’s decision to nullify chief electoral officer Bram Goldstein’s appointment spilled over into a back-and-forth email exchange on Sunday and Monday. Tomer Shavit, a CSU councillor last year and defendant for last year’s council at the JB hearing that took place on Nov. 1, initially sent out an email whose subject line read “Regarding cancelling the council meeting” to express his disappointment over the potential cancellation of the council meeting

set to take place on Nov. 9. President Lex Gill had previously sent out an internal email to councillors to ask them whether they would have any concerns about cancelling Wednesday’s meeting. By Sunday evening, Gill had decided against cancelling the meeting and sent out notice of the meeting by email. Shavit’s mass email garnered several replies, both positive and negative, from council members, as well as from Gill. “The CSU Council, executive, board members and senators do not have publicly available email addresses so that you can send rude, abusive, or irrelevant commentary,” Gill wrote in reply. Gill noted that other methods would be better suited to express his views. She added, “To [which-

Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo

Canadian family affair

“

Kalina Laframboise Staff writer

Nation in brief As of Nov. 4, the federal government has stopped accepting immigration sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents until 2014 in a bid to reduce a backlog of 165,000 applications. According to the Toronto Star, the government hopes to halve that number in two years. The federal government will accept 25,000 parents and grandparents in 2012, 43 per cent more than this year, but is lowering its quotas in other categories. While family reunifications will be up from 65,500 this year to 69,000 in 2012, the quota for spouses and children is being reduced from 48,000 to 44,000. Immigration Canada will hold consultations next year to redesign the process to avoid future backlogs next year.

Concordia Senate passes academic plan Five-year, multi-million dollar plan is carried without student support

ever] councillor continues to forward internal emails to outside actors, please note that a number of representatives have now expressed significant concern to me regarding this, and I recommend that you reflect on your duties and responsibilities as a director of this corporation.” In an interview, Gill specified that she “[doesn’t] really have a problem with any member seeing those emails - no one really cares - the problem is that person is doing it anonymously, and if they were acting in good faith then they wouldn’t do it anonymously.” Shavit explained in an email his reasoning behind using the mailing list as a means to express his discontent. “The use of the listserv started because Morgan [Pudwell, CSU VP advocacy and outreach]

The CSU Council, executive, board members and senators do not have publicly available email addresses so that you can send rude, abusive, or irrelevant commentary. - Lex Gill, CSU president

used it to send ‘confidential’ emails to council regarding the firing of the CEO,” Shavit wrote in an email to The Concordian. When asked how he had knowledge of the contents of the emails, Shavit wrote, “I became privy to these emails because I have my sources.”

OxyContin phase-out

Purdue Pharma Canada has announced it will cease production of OxyContin and gradually replace it with a safer drug which is more difficult to misuse, the CBC reported. The company received a notice of compliance from Health Canada in August 2011, then sent out a letter to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador in late October saying it will introduce OxyNEO onto the Canadian market. Oxycodone is present in both drugs. When misused, it produces a euphoric effect similar to that produced by heroin. Purdue Pharma developed OxyNEO to be more resistant to oxycodone extraction. In Ontario, overdoses involving oxycodone caused more than 450 deaths between 2004 and 2009.

Cherry turns down award Hockey Night in Canada fixture Don Cherry has declined an honorary degree from the Royal Military College of Canada after a professor from the college sent an open letter to a newspaper in Kingston, Ont. criticizing him, according to the Canadian Press. The professor wrote that giving the award to the hockey commentator would give the wrong message to students. Cherry cited “personal reasons” for his decision, according to a RMC spokeswoman. The college made his decision public on Saturday. He was due to receive the award on Nov. 17.

Plastic bills a problem for money counters

New plastic Canadian currency may not be be able to be processed by the cash-counting machines currently in use. That’s what Ted Brosnan, president of John Poulet Cheque Writer Service, is saying. According to QMI Agency, a polymer version of the $100 bill will go into circulation this month, with the $50 bill entering circulation next year and the $20, $10, and $5 bills implemented in late 2013. Brosnan said the transparent window placed on one side of the bills will confuse the machines. Bank of Canada spokesperson Julie Girard said adjustments have to be made every time there is a transition to a new currency and said it has been working with equipment makers to solve the problem. The bills are harder to counterfeit and will last two and a half times longer, the Bank of Canada said.

theconcordian

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Rep from last year’s council to appeal ruling

Continued from cover

The JB rules to nullify appointment The JB sent out their final written decision regarding the case by the end of last week. The 16-page document explains that the JB dismissed the CSU’s complaint that the uncertain resignation of previous CEO Oliver Cohen was pertinent to the case. The document specified that the wording of the applicable standing regulation, which states that CEOs “may” resign through written notification, was “sufficiently vague as to leave it open to broad interpretation.” Shavit’s accusations of unlawful termination were addressed in the report, which stated that Goldstein was not actually terminated, but rather “the resolution that appointed him [...] was invalidated on the basis that the appointments process was not conducted properly.” The final written decision also noted discrepancies with regard to

the timeline, as the CSU filed this complaint nearly half a year after the questionable hiring took place in May. The JB asserted that nonetheless “any questions about why the Complaint was brought so late did not discharge the fact that several violations of the Standing Regulations occurred.” Those wishing to appeal the JB decision have until Friday Nov. 11 to submit their documents to do so.

New CEO, new complaints The board also mandated the CSU to re-open the hiring process for the position of CEO, and that Goldstein be automatically reconsidered for the job. A special council meeting was held the very next day on Nov. 2, and after reviewing 10 candidates in closed session, councillors elected Ismail Holoubi as their new CEO. Shavit also plans to file a complaint with the JB regarding Holoubi’s appointment, which he said did not

follow procedure. “It’s ridiculous that one day after a CEO is fired because his appointment did not follow due process, a new CEO is hired without following due process,” Shavit said, citing a lack of an appointments committee meeting as a procedural violation. Although CSU president Lex Gill confirmed that such a meeting never took place, she insists that all procedures were followed. “The only reason you call an appointments committee meeting is to shortlist candidates,” said Gill, who further stated that this did not happen in this case because “every single person who applied for that job was presented directly to council.” Previous CSU president Heather Lucas, who chaired last year’s appointments committee, called the JB’s verdict “frustrating and disappointing,” and continued to maintain that she “adhered to the rules.”

Niki Ashton becomes ninth hopeful to enter NDP leadership race Churchill MP announces candidacy Monday morning in Montreal Cameron Ahmad Staff writer Manitoba MP Niki Ashton officially declared her candidacy for the leadership of the NDP Monday morning at an event in Montreal’s Old Port. “The opinion of Niki’s entire campaign team is that her talents, skills and ability to conduct herself in a new way will win over members and draw in new ones,” said Noah Evanchuk, co-chair of Ashton’s national campaign. Evanchuk believes Ashton can unite the country, because “she deals with politics differently.” He highlights her “deep roots in the party as an activist and a member,”

and thinks she can galvanize voters from the entire country, including Quebec. Ashton joins Peggy Nash as the second female candidate, and is the youngest person running to lead the Official Opposition. Brian Topp, former party president, is considered a frontrunner and has received endorsements from prominent figures within the NDP, such as former leader Ed Broadbent and former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow. Ashton also faces Martin Singh, a Nova Scotia pharmacist, and fellow MPs Thomas Mulcair, Paul Dewar, Robert Chisholm, Romeo Saganash, Nathan Cullen, and Nash.

STEPHEN HARPER ON FIRE, MONTREAL ANTILA CONVERGENCE DES LUTTES ANTICAPITALISTES (CLAC) GATHERED AT PHILLIPS SQUARE LAST THURSDAY IN OPPOSITION OF THE G20 AND THE FEDERAL CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT. THE IGHTING A DUMMY OF

CAPITALIST GROUP

DEMONSTRATION WAS HELD IN SOLIDARITY WITH PROTESTS TAKING PLACE

CANNES, FRANCE WHERE THE MOST RECENT G20 NOV. 3 AND 4. CLAC CRITICIZED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR ITS ACTIONS AT LAST YEAR’S G20 SUMMIT IN TORONTO, WHICH RESULTED IN RIOTS AND OVER 1,000 ARRESTS WITH MANY PROTESTERS CLAIMING TO HAVE EXPERIENCED POLICE BRUTALITY. PHOTOS BY NAVNEET PALL THAT SAME DAY IN

SUMMIT WAS HELD ON

When Ashton, now 29, defeated incumbent Liberal Tina Keeper in 2008 in her riding of Churchill, she was the youngest woman elected to the House of Commons. She is the daughter of current provincial cabinet minister Steve Ashton, who has had a seat in the Manitoba legislature for 30 years. Ashton was elected as one of two NDP MPs in Manitoba, and has long focused on raising the profile of her party in Western Canada. She opposed the Harper government’s plan to end the Canadian Wheat Board, and has sat on five committees since being elected in 2008. The decision to announce her candidacy in Montreal acknowledged the overwhelming support her party received from Quebec on May 2.

FORMER CEO BRAM GOLDSTEIN SPOKE AT THE HEARING. PHOTO BY NAVNEET PALL Goldstein was appointed as CEO last May by the 2010-2011 CSU council. This year’s CSU filed a complaint with JB at the end of October over uncertainties as to whether Goldstein’s hiring was done legitimately, worrying that his lack of validity coupled with his role in organizing the upcoming byelections could potentially call into question the election results themselves.

CUTV gets involved CUTV had also filed a complaint with the JB requesting Goldstein’s dismissal. According to former CSU president Sabine Friesinger, speaking on behalf of CUTV, the TV station asked both Goldstein and the JB at a preliminary JB meeting last Thursday if they were aware that Goldstein had received a bonus of $1,500 as financial compensation for attending a judicial board hearing as a deputy elections officer after the general elections in March. CUTV has uploaded a video of the question to their website and to YouTube. “Obviously, Mr. Goldstein did not like our line of questioning at all and became rather defensive,” said Friesinger. “But I consider that this is the role of media, to keep our elected officials and officers of the student union honest.” In their formal complaint, CUTV also expressed concern that Goldstein would treat both their and CJLO’s referenda questions on their fee levy increases “in a prejudicial matter” if he were to be CEO of the byelections, which are set to begin at the end of November. Goldstein has been unavailable for comment since the JB announced their ruling.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Winter of discontent for Quebec students

Over 100,000 set to strike Nov. 10 Sarah Deshaies Chief copy editor Over 100,000 post-secondary students in Quebec have a one-day strike mandate to protest tuition fee hikes on Nov. 10, while thousands more will vote on approving one in the next few days. It’s the latest action by a student movement whose protests have sometimes resulted in the occupation of government offices, and devolved into injuries- and tear gas-laced clashes with riot police. The fact that students in Quebec are so vociferous about their funding and rights, but yet receive the lowest tuition in Canada, has led some to paint them as ‘reactionary’ and spoiled. This September, Montreal Gazette columnist Henry Aubin went so far as to label students the province’s version of the Tea Party, saying that like the fringe American group, they “see any increases in their financial contributions to government as heinous” and that their demands could weaken society. The current ire against the government is the result of Finance Minister Raymond Bachand’s promise to raise tuition in Quebec in order to increase funding for universities and help reduce the province’s debt. Starting next fall, tuition will be increased by $325 a year over a five-year period, ending with a total increase of $1,625 by 2017. University administrators have applauded the decision, as they’ve been saying they’re grossly underfunded. But while the total increases, which will add up to just over $4,000 in annual tuition, will likely keep Quebec as one of the two or three provinces with the cheapest tuition, students are still crying foul. And if this upcoming protest fails to get the attention of Premier Jean Charest and his Education Minister Line Beauchamp, it may come to a general strike in the winter, with more protests and and clashes. Strikes and union organization have been a constant on the student movement scene in Quebec for decades since the 1960s, when the province’s student union movement began in earnest. As heady post-colonial and anti-war protests were taking place around the world in the ‘60s, students in Quebec were getting more active about issues at home and abroad. “It was a convergence of international and local factors” that led to the burgeoning student movement, Fred Burrill explained. Burrill, a community organizer and former student leader, wrote about the history of the movement in the ‘60s and ‘70s while an undergraduate at McGill University a few years ago. From the start, he said, students adopted “student syndicalism” from post-war France, where students are empowered to organize like labour unions—with the right to strike.

World in brief Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo

Remember, remember, the fifth of November

STUDENT STRIKES HAVE A STORIED PAST IN QUEBEC, AND HAVE PROVEN EFFECTIVE ON OCCASION. PHOTO BY NAVNEET PALL “But at the same time in Quebec, there was this pretty intense pressure in terms of a burgeoning demographic of people who wanted to go to school, but had no place to go to school,” he added. It was a dearth that left a few thousand people without a spot in class. Students went on strike in 1968, which led to the creation of the Quebec network of universities, which includes best-known example Université du Québec à Montréal, or UQAM, and the first tuition freeze. As well, 1964 saw the formal founding of the Ministry of Education, creating a need for a formal lobby to advocate for student needs, according to Benoit Lacoursière, a former student activist and member of the founding executive of ASSÉ. Lacoursière, now a teacher of political science at Collège de Maisonneuve, says that the Quiet Revolution, or la Révolution tranquille, explains a lot about the mobilization in the student movement. In a huge cultural shift and democratic awakening of sorts, the Catholic Church’s long hold on power in the province diminished, and a secular education system became a hallmark of the new Quebec. In 1967, the CEGEP system was founded, adding another tier to postsecondary education. High school graduates enroll in vocational and pre-university programs for two to three years, and today, pay little more than $100 a semester on tuition, not including books and supplies. According to Roxanne Dubois, chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students, CEGEPs give students a taste of more affordable education—something they’ll want to fight for. “Many will have an interest in pursuing university, and when you have a situation like now, where you have tuition fees increasing in Quebec,” she

PRINTING and BINDING services for STUDENTS at competitive prices: www.colorhorizon.com, COPYING AND PRINTING (8.5X11) ¢/page Monochrome Copying and Printing (8.5X11) 3.5¢ Color Copying and Printing 35¢ BINDING $/ea. Black Plastic Coil Binding ≤ 16 mm $2.99 Black Plastic Coil Binding ≥ 16 mm $3.99 Call us: 514 383 8997 Write us: service@colorhorizon.com

said, “then you will obviously have a base of students that have the ability to organize and be activists in discerning access to public education.” While the movement has seen breakthroughs, it’s had weaker moments as unions came and went. “Like student populations, there’s some waxing and waning. Organizations are born, radicalized, get a bit entrenched, get a little bureaucratic and then die,” said Burrill. There have been a couple of different bodies representing students over the years: the Union générale des étudiants du Québec, Association nationale des étudiants du Québec, and today, the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec, and its CEGEP sibling, Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec. ASSÉ, a more radical member organization, was founded during a quieter period in 2001. The three illustrate a division between student groups, noted Burrill. Groups tend to split into either the more militant camp, like ASSÉ, or lobbyist groups, like FEUQ and FECQ. The latter tend to be recognized by the government in negotiations, which has caused tensions between groups who should

be united for the same cause. ASSÉ was shut out of the government negotiations during the 2005 general strike, but the groups are working more harmoniously today. “We don’t want a repeat of 2005, which is why we’ve proposed to other organizations that we sign an agreement that promises that we won’t have a similar division,” said Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, spokesperson for ASSÉ. Despite the tension in 2005, the general strike proved mostly successful. Students rallied when the government tried to transfer $100 million worth of bursaries and grants into loans. Over 200,000 students went on strike, taking over university buildings and eventually blockading the Port of Montreal. The government backed down, and a tuition freeze was put in place. It’s likely, said Lacoursière, that some of the masterminds of 2005 will be around to help today’s student organizers, who will continue to pursue individual union strike mandates this week. But whether 2011 will be a repeat of 2005, and be enough to change the government’s mind, win public support and rally nearly 200,000 Quebec students, has yet to be seen.

Explore an MS in

HUMAN GENETICS

n 1969, Sarah Lawrence College established the first U.S. Master’s program in Human Genetics. Today, we’re the largest and most influential—having trained almost half the world’s genetic counselors. Come join us for a great education and a fulfilling career in an expanding array of fields!

s 7ORLD CLASS FACULTY s 3MALL CLASSES FOCUSED ON STUDENT FACULTY INTERACTION s /UTSTANDING lELDWORK OPPORTUNITIES IN .EW 9ORK #ITY and surrounding areas s "EAUTIFUL CAMPUS SETTING ONLY MINUTES FROM midtown Manhattan s &INANCIAL AID AVAILABLE OPEN HOUSE

Thursday, November 10, 5:30 – 7:30pm

To learn more, please visit www.slc.edu/human-genetics, call (914) 395-2371, or email us at grad@sarahlawrence.edu

Around 200 protesters marched to Parliament in London on Nov. 5 in an annual commemoration of Guy Fawkes, the English anarchist who tried to blow up Parliament in 1605. Many of those present at the rally came from the Occupy London movement, according to the Associated Press. The grinning Fawkes plastic mask, popularized by the movie V for Vendetta, has become a symbol of the worldwide Occupy movement originating in New York in September. Protesters were prevented from approaching Parliament by police. Fawkes was tried as a traitor after attempting to blow up Parliament and assassinate the king. Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated every year in England with fireworks and bonfires in which revelers burn effigies called “guys.”

Bra size, please

A Scandinavian lingerie company is causing controversy over a policy which requires them to reveal their bra sizes on their name tag. The policy was introduced by Change three years ago to help customers find their own bra size. Speaking to Swedish newspaper The Local, CEO Susann Haglund said the women display their cup size on a voluntary basis. However, a female employee said that when hired, she was given a document where it was specified that the name tag had to be worn, along with the cup size. The woman spoke to the Commercial Employees’ Union about the policy. Ensuing negotiations between the union and Change led to a lawsuit which has yet to be resolved.

Woman better not take my candy

A South Carolina woman had the unfortunate luck of having a gun pulled on her over a Halloween joke last week. The Associated Press reported that the woman, 28, told police she jokingly told a group of children she recognized while trick-or-treating on Monday evening that she would steal their candy. A 10-year-old then pointed the gun at her and said “no.” While the boy had a clip of ammunition, the gun was not loaded, according to Aiken Public Safety Lt. David Turno. The boy was brought to the police station. His brother also said he had a gun with him. According to Turno, the guns belonged to their grandfather, and the brothers had borrowed them without permission.

Cleanliness definitely not next to godliness

A cleaner at the Ostwall Museum in Dortmund, Germany destroyed a $1.1 million sculpture on display after mistaking part of the fixture for a stain and scrubbing it off. The installation, by artist Martin Kippenberger, features a trough adorned with a layer of beige paint, meant to represent dried rainwater, underneath a tower of wooden slats, according to Agence France-Presse. The cleaner thought the paint was an actual stain, and removed it. The damage was discovered last month, according to a museum spokesperson, who said the cleaning crews must remain 20 cm away from artwork.

life 6

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com HEALTH

Heel your fabulous feet

Feeling the pain of your new pumps and stilettos Natacha Medeiros Contributor Every woman loves a man that heightens her, supports her, and makes her look good. If we’re lucky, their names are usually Christian Louboutin, Stuart Wietzman, Giuseppe Zanotti, Manolo Blahnik, Jeffrey Campbell, Steve Madden, or even a little Aldo now and then. But men are notoriously known for breaking women’s hearts, and for the sake of this argument, even the best manage to do some damage. But it’s not our hearts that are hurting here; these men leave our feet aching, our ankles sore, and our backs broken. Not to mention leaving our wallets a little barren too. Do you really know what you’re doing to your poor feet every time you wear your favourite heels? Christian Louboutin, famed shoemaker to countless celebrities and fashion fiends, was once quoted saying, “So putting your foot in a heel, you are putting yourself in a possibly orgasmic situation.” Well, not exactly, unless you’re the masochistic type that enjoys pain. It seems that stepping into high heels is similar to foot binding, according to a report from the University of Maryland Medical Center that said “[…]many fashionable high heels are designed to constrict the foot by up to an inch.” Ouch. And can you believe heels four inches or more put seven times your body weight in pressure all on your tiny little feet? Well, I can. I’ve

Graphic by Maya Pankalla

ended up barefoot around the city one too many times. Let’s count: prom, New Year’s Eve, my brother’s engagement party, my 18th birthday, my 21st birthday. The list goes on. When I wear heels, I end the night feeling as though my feet have literally been beaten and bleeding, painfully tender to the touch. Getting out of bed the next morning is no fun either, with every step a reminder of the stupid (but so, so pretty) heels I regretfully wore the night before. But I’ve learned from my experiences, and although the ache on my poor feet will probably never stop me from wearing heels, I now make sure to bring a pair of my trusty, pain-relieving flats everywhere I go (which might relieve my feet, but seriously pains my outfit). Nevertheless, life isn’t that easy for us girls, and opting for ballet flats doesn’t solve the problem. Flats can just as easily cause back pain and bunions, amongst other problems, because they offer absolutely no support. Don’t cringe, but the best shoes to wear are those with a low heel, around one to two inches tall. Wedges are a fitting, and still very fashionable option, if you’re looking to add height, but try to opt for a round toe instead of a pointy one. If you absolutely need to break out the killer five-inch heel, look for some with a hidden platform on the base of your foot that will reduce the pressure without compromising style. The University of Maryland Medical Center report suggests to, “[…]look for [high-heeled] shoes with wide toe room, reinforced heels that are relatively wide, and cushioned insoles.” Christina Hanna, a Concordia psychology student, says that she has an intense love/hate

relationship with heels. “I’m drawn to their beauty and the way they look on my feet when I try them on,” she said. But sometimes they can be a dilemma. Hanna says she mainly wears heels when she knows she’ll be sitting, opting for the security of knowing she’s not standing all night. “How many times do us girls get all sexy and glamorous in an outfit and heels for a party and right after we get there we’re in so much pain we want to take our shoes off and throw them in a lake? And yet the next time you still wear them again and fall into the same trap!” It’s an endless cycle, so if you simply can’t get enough of wearing heels and the infinite pain that your feet endure, there are more extreme measures you can take. The Globe and Mail reported about a celebrity doctor based in New York who administers injections to the bonier parts of the foot that are subjected to most of the pressure, which stimulates collagen in the area, creating cushions to alleviate pain. Although some of us clearly have the pain threshold for the procedure, not all of us have the $500 budget for the injections. We all know by now that women can’t resist the bad boys—ones that look so good, but hurt so bad. The same goes for sparkly stilettos that we know are going to break our banks and fracture our tiny toe bones. A good shoe is almost every girls’ weakness, even if we know just how painful they can be. And although sometimes we all need a little indulgence, we should try and avoid slipping into Cinderella’s glass slipper every chance we get. But if you’re wearing some killer heels à la Lady Gaga, there’s almost no

avoiding that dreaded end of the night feetthrobbing-can’t-handle-one-more-step feeling. After all, when we choose to wear heels, we’re accepting that sometimes beauty really is pain.

THE PRICE OF HIGH HEELS BLISTERS, CORNS, OR CALLUSES can develop when high heels throw weight into the ball of your foot. LOWER BACK pain can result when your spine bends backwards to compensate the forward push of your body when you walk in heels. PAIN in the ball of your foot, a condition called metatarsalgia, can stem from high heels. ANKLE SPRAINS are more likely because your foot position in heels and the often-narrow heel width can make ankles unstable. ACHILLES TENDONITIS is a risk. Frequent wearing of heels shortens and tightens calf muscles. This can lead to painful inflammation of the Achilles tendon at the back of your heel. BENIGN TUMOURS OF NERVES, called neuromas, can grow between toes. Symptoms may include sharp pain and tingling or numbness of the toes.

“PUMP BUMP,” OR HAGLUND’S DEFORMITY, has been linked to women who often

wear high heels. This painful bump on the back of the heel bone occurs when the bone rubs against the shoe or a narrow, pointed shoe makes toes curl up.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Breakfast worth waking up for These tasty spots will make you crave breakfast all day Renée Morrison Contributor Late night? There’s nothing like some good breakfast to cure that foggy morning-after feeling, and there’s no better excuse to kick a stranger out of your bed. When your stomach is growling loud enough to wake you up, call a friend and try one of these delicious brunch spots around the city. From homemade crepes to egg skillet omelets, there’s something to satisfy both your sweet or salty tooth. Greasy, fruity, meaty, cheesy? No matter what your morning eating habits are, Montreal has something to beat that breakfast craving.

QUOI

DE N’OEUF

There’s nothing better than a cozy breakfast joint where the staff never changes and your coffee cup is never empty. Although Quoi de n’oeuf is busy on weekends, with families, couples and lone wolves enjoying a newspaper by themselves, it’s a down-to-earth crowd that’s never too loud or overwhelming. The waiters are charming and the service is quick – hey, nothing is worse than waiting around for eggs and toast. The breakfast is way more than just the basics, though, and their home fries are perfect; crispy, spiced and not too greasy. For me, they’re some of the best in the city! Mimosas are a signature addition to breakfast at Quoi de n’oeuf, so be sure to enjoy a morning toast if you’re not working off one too many from the night before. My only wish is that the coffee was more than just an average cup o’ Joe; I think a bolder signature blend would make Quoi de n’oeuf absolutely perfect. Must-try: Skillet omelets. They make it hard to order regular eggs ever again. Imagine a deep dish of veggies, meats, eggs, hollandaise sauce and cheese. They’re a little heavy, so try sharing one with a side order of home fries or fruit. Think twice if: You’re craving sweet. Quoi de n’oeuf has more salty options and not many dessert-type breakfasts (nothing whipped or chocolate-stuffed). Expect to pay: Around $10- $12 per person, coffee included with most plates. Location: 2745 Notre-Dame St. W. (514) 931-3999 Monday – Saturday 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. Sunday 8 a.m.- 3 p.m.

TOI,

MOI ET CAFÉ

Toi, moi et café is famous for serving some of the best coffee you can buy without a passport, but their tasty breakfast menu is sometimes overlooked. It’s not dirt cheap, but the café’s fresh and decadent plates are definitely worth the little splurge. Before anything, order the latte bowl. It’s a frothy, luxurious coffee experience that’s worth every cent. As for the plates, the options are straightforward: delicious meaty and cheesy omelets (choices with chorizo, ham and bacon are plenty). If you’re a vegetarian, try La Forestière with wild mushrooms and asparagus. For something that you might not find elsewhere in Montreal,

START THE DAY WITH A DELICIOUS AND WARM SAUSAGE SKILLET OMELET AT QUOI DE N’OEUF. PHOTO BY WRITER

order Le Parisien. It doesn’t sound like anything special on the menu, but you’ll be pleased when it arrives in front of you, and your neighbour will be envious. Crispy baguette slices made for dipping in two soft boiled eggs, with the perfect mild and creamy cheese slices to add to each bite. Finger food for breakfast? Oui, oui! Must-try: The exotic brews of java – become a coffee connoisseur and have everyone at the table order something different. They’re also available for sale! Think twice if: You’re on a strict budget. Don’t expect any $6 breakfast plates, and the coffee isn’t bottomless, so you’ll be paying if you want more. Expect to pay: Between $20 and $25 per person. Location: 2695 Notre-Dame St. W. (514) 788-9599 Mon – Fri 7 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. Sat-Sun 8 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. Breakfast served until 3 p.m.

FIGARO A hip little establishment settled in the Plateau on Hutchison Street, Figaro is actually a “croissanterie” and not strictly a breakfast joint. A vintage portable oven is installed around the counter and adds a historic touch to Figaro, which has been open since the early ‘80s. It might be nestled in a quiet corner of the Plateau, but you won’t get lost trying to find this place. The smell of fresh croissants is intoxicating and occupies most of the block. The best part? The food is as good as it smells. Breakfast sandwiches are the star attraction at Figaro; ham, egg and cheese are melted onto a fresh, buttery croissant. Various other croissants offer vegetarian or cheese-filled options. For something sweet and decadent, try the sweet almond paste croissant. You’ll want to order more

than one, though, because it’s inevitably something that will be passed around the table. Tables are nice and cozy inside, and the Paris-inspired terrace is a great spot in the summer. Must-try: Any of the homemade croissants – flaky, soft and mouthwatering.

Think twice if: You’re looking for something more substantial Expect to pay: Between $10-$15 per person. Location: 5200 Hutchison St. (514) 278-6567 Hours: Mon-Sun 7 a.m. - 1 a.m.

theconcordian

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

ADVENTURE

The ultimate adrenaline rush Craving excitement? Cross off skydiving from your to-do list Felicia â&#x20AC;&#x153;Philâ&#x20AC;? Di Palma Contributor

ost of us have a list of goals. While many of us have the standard hopes of graduating, starting a career, and adventuring around the world, we all have that side to the list where our adrenaline pumping dreams lie: bungee jumping, skydiving, mountain climbing, etc. That said, when I decided to take a solo trip to New Zealand and Australia this summer, the number one item on my South Pacific adventure to-do list was skydiving. I am someone who has always been afraid of heights. I have never been on a roller coaster. Every time a guy physically picks up my 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;2â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; self off the ground, I experience heart palpitations. That said, I still wanted to jump out of a plane. There I was in Cairns, Australia, ready and surprisingly not panicking. I went into Skydive the Reef Cairnsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; office and signed my life away five times. The pages might as well have asked â&#x20AC;&#x153;Are you sure?â&#x20AC;? Yes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Are you REALLY sure?â&#x20AC;? Yes! One of the reasons why I was so sure was because of a conversation I had with one of my mates back home who also went skydiving in Australia. Anita Papa, a former Concordia psychology student, had decided to skydive because she wanted to accomplish something. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been safe all of my life and I wanted to take that risk. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even remember what I was thinking when I had to sign my life away right before jumping,â&#x20AC;? she said. After I signed my life away, I was shown a video to prepare myself and the group of first time skydivers I was with for what was to come. You are shown that when the hatch opens, you must wiggle yourself to the edge, and place your legs under the plane. Place the back of your head on your tandem skydiving instructorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chest and look up. As a group of first time skydivers started to walk to the plane I met my gnarly, awesome tandem instructor, Max. I got into the harness and up into the plane we went. I remember telling him to strap anything on me that would keep me from plummeting to my death. He laughed and said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;No worries mate. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have great fun.â&#x20AC;? In that moment, I trusted that Max would guide me through this adventure alive. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is normal. People give you a lot of trust when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s their first skydiving experience,â&#x20AC;? said Donald Poulin, one of the owners of Parachute MontrĂŠal, a skydiving school in St-Esprit. Since I decided to become an adrenaline junkie, I had to go big or go home. Not only did I decide to jump from 11,000 feet but I volunteered to go first. It took about 20 minutes before we reached the drop zone. Everyone in that plane was extremely quiet. Everyone was probably thinking the same thing I was: what do I do and what is the free fall going to feel like? I still wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t nervous, or scared. I was experiencing a burst of adrenaline and wanted to get this started and jump out already! The questions I had beforehand asked about how safe skydiving was disappeared. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like driving a car. You have to re-

spect the speed limit, follow the rules and if you do, chances of an accident are low. Skydiving is the same thing. People are what would make it not safe,â&#x20AC;? said Poulin, who has done over 5,000 jumps himself. Waiting for the hatch to open, I remembered what my mate Anita had told me, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the adrenaline rush is incomparable to anything in this world.â&#x20AC;? The hatch finally opened and all I saw were large, fluffy, white clouds. I did look down while I scooted to the edge of the plane and placed my legs underneath. Clouds engulfed the plane. I leaned back, looked up and Max pushed us out. It is definitely difficult to breathe through your nose during the free fall, but it is by far the best feeling in the world. A liberating feeling just washes over you in that moment. After forty seconds of free fall, Max pulled the parachute cord. Floating around Cairns, I had the best view of the city. I saw the mountains and sugar canes, all while the sun was setting. Skydiving is not something that you could only do when you are on vacation. Montreal has many surrounding areas that offer skydiving. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We offer jumps at 13,500 feet. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have 55 seconds of free fall,â&#x20AC;? said Poulin. The moment your parachute cord has been pulled and you begin floating around, you will experience the second best part of skydiving after the free fall: the view. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On a clear day, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have a nice view. You could see downtown Montreal, the Olympic Stadium, the river, the airport, etc.,â&#x20AC;? added Poulin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This time of year, you will have the best view. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see the orange and red leaves on the trees and the air is dry and not too warm.â&#x20AC;? If skydiving is on your bucket list, give it a shot. The adrenaline rush you get out of it is incomparable to anything else you will experience. Just be prepared to be so hyped up after you land from the adrenaline rush that you will want to go bungee jumping.

SKYDIVING AROUND MONTREAL PARACHUTE MONTRĂ&#x2030;AL 29 ROUTE 125 IN ST-ESPRIT OR CALL 1-877-PARA-MTL

Graphic by Valerie Brunet

Ă&#x2030;COLE DE PARACHUTISME VOLTIGE 2001 4680 PRINCIPALE ST. IN NOTRE-DAMEDE-LOURDES OR CALL (450) 752-0385

PARACHUTISME NOUVEL AIR 200 LEBEAU RD. IN FARNHAM OR CALL (450) 293-8118

MMPA

Master of Management & Professional Accounting

t %FTJHOFE QSJNBSJMZ GPS OPO CVTJOFTT VOEFSHSBEVBUFT t 'PS DBSFFST JO .BOBHFNFOU 'JOBODF BOE "DDPVOUJOH t &YUSFNFMZ IJHI DP PQ BOE QFSNBOFOU QMBDFNFOU 5P MFBSO NPSF BCPVU UIF ..1" 1SPHSBN BUUFOE PVS JOGPSNBUJPO TFTTJPOT !"#$"%day, &'()*"+ ,-, 20.. 11:/0 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1:00 pm 3PPN #SPXO 4UVEFOU 4FSWJDFT #MEH .D5BWJTI 4U GPS $PODPSEJB 6OJWFSTJUZ !"#$"%day, 1)2"3*"+ 4, 20.. 11:/0 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1:00 pm 3PPN #SPXO 4UVEFOU 4FSWJDFT #MEH .D5BWJTI 4U GPS $PODPSEJB 6OJWFSTJUZ

www.utoronto.ca/mmpa

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

DESSERT

Do you know the cupcake men?

Trading suits for aprons in delicious new business venture Chris Hanna Production manager

hy does a man who makes a comfortable living doing public relations for Merrill Lynch and helping start-up businesses succeed leave it behind to work more than 60 hours a week at a cupcake shop? Owning it, for one, and being his own boss, for another. Robert Plante’s cupcake shop Simplement D Liche opened on Montreal’s bustling StDenis Street in June, but the project had been a dream for Plante and his business and life partner, Ken Lee, for close to a decade. Lee works a 9 to 5 job marketing pharmaceuticals, and is more than happy to don a Johnny Cupcakes T-shirt evenings and throughout the weekend. “We were just baking at home, for friends and family, and at one point I remember we couldn’t keep up with demand,” says Plante. “People kept telling us, ‘Oh, you guys just have to open a shop!’ We would get orders from people we didn’t know and we had to ask, ‘How did you hear about us?’” Plante and Lee had some money saved and were going to buy a cottage. Plante became disenchanted with his career and wanted to do something that would not require him to help rich people and companies become richer. He wanted to use his expertise to help himself. Plante and Lee started looking around for the shop they had always pictured for themselves. When, after months of searching, they could not find exactly what they had in mind, they decided to return to a ground-level store on St-Denis that Danielle Tetrault introduced them to. “I had shown the place five or 10 times, and no one could really see what could be

done with the space,” remembers Tetrault, who lives above the shop and was the contact person for anyone interested in leasing the space. “Then these guys came in and had patience and a vision.” Tetrault knew that Plante and Lee wanted to open a cupcake shop, and the idea of living a few steps above one made her very excited. The two men worked with the space they had, which was not much. After more than three months of renovations and thousands of dollars and hours of manual work, the old textile shop with cracked walls, mouldy hardwood flooring and no charm was turned into a sleek and modern cupcake shop adorned with a white marble communal table, glass counters and displays and a full kitchen. The shop looked ready, but as they found out on opening day June 25, Plante and Lee were not prepared for their first retail experience. “We were opening at noon,” recalls Lee, “and people were waiting outside. Whenever someone ordered a cappuccino, I would have to call Robert over to make it.” Plante and Lee’s foray into the baking business was fuelled by their own frustrations about Montreal being almost completely devoid of great cupcake shops. The city’s bakeries are traditionally more French, so bread and croissant shops greatly outnumber those that specialize in cupcakes and desserts. Plante believes that cupcakes are a trend that have taken off ferociously in other North American cities, but Québécois families are only slowly starting to get introduced to them. “People walk in and ask us ‘Well, aren’t these just like muffins?’” recounts Plante. “For starters, muffins are made with cereal. It’s a breakfast food. Cupcakes are a dessert.” Plante and Lee, who just celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary, take great pride in assuring every customer who walks in that all their products are chemical-free and that they use only natural ingredients. Just don’t expect them to divulge their recipes, or what any of

those natural ingredients are. “Some other guys use Crisco for their frosting, but it really leaves a weird sort of film at the top of your mouth,” explains Plante. “People accuse us sometimes of using squid ink in our triple chocolate cupcake because it’s so dark. They just can’t believe that we don’t. We had to work with our suppliers to make sure we were getting the highest quality ingredients. I was sent chocolate flavoured chips once. I sent them back.” Plante and Lee occasionally post a secret word to their Facebook and Twitter pages that allow customers to get a free cupcake on a certain day. The passwords are usually names of obscure towns in Quebec, like Shawinigan, Massawippi or Maskinongé, complicated names that Plante admits brings him a great joy to hear customers attempt to pronounce. Simplement D Liche carries a rotation of 50 varieties of cupcakes, including dulce de leche, red velvet, raspberry chocolate, and carrot, a Plante family recipe. Simplement D Liche also carries special seasonal flavours. In October, they carried apple and have just introduced a pumpkin variety for the fall.

The triple chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes are especially scrumptious: moist, impeccably decorated and perfectly sweet, these desserts will introduce your mouth to a whole ‘nother level of flavour and freshness. “We test out all the recipes and we are responsible for quality control,” jokes Plante, rubbing his stomach. Plante and Lee’s years of finding, tweaking and perfecting recipes are getting their cupcakes a lot of love online, with food bloggers from New York and tourists from Boston and Toronto writing that they are some of the best they have ever had. Plante encourages amateur bakers to experiment with cupcake recipes and to be prepared to mess up. A lot. Plante and Lee think their cupcakes put a modern spin on what is a very old tradition that is regaining its popularity. Just don’t call these desserts muffins. Simplement D Liche is located at 3964A St-Denis. The shop is closed on Mondays and open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tue-Fri, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit www.dliche.ca.

Photos by Navneet Pall

arts 10

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com

CINEMA POLITICA

The revolution will be televised Cinema Politica shows two different takes to wage a fight

Brandon Judd Staff writer When speaking of resistance, we often associate militancy with large movements and passivity with smaller movements. This week’s two Cinema Politica offerings present the opposite case, however. Rouge Parole chronicles the resistance movement in Tunisia, while Wiebo’s War tells the story of an Albertan farmer who resorted to violence in order to protect his farm from the oil industry. Both films offer intriguing perspective on resistance. It’s as rare to see such tension from a dozen-strong group as it is to see so little bloodshed from a millions-strong revolution. Rouge Parole: “Oh the martyr’s mother. Don’t shed a tear. Death is our truth.” Elyes Baccar’s Rouge Parole provides an extraordinary depth to the experiences of Tunisians during the Jasmine Revolution. Through the course of the film we are presented with the revolution in all of its emotional states: angry, sorrowed, somber, hopeful, jubilant. Much of it is shapeless, wisps stitched together to create a narrative of resistance, and it works brilliantly. We’ve heard the big stories, we’ve seen the group images. Rouge Parole fills in the gaps by giving us the view from within. The film has no need for overarching narration or interviews. It simply lets us see the quotidian rigours of toppling a dictator. One of the few interviews in the film is with the mother of Mohamed Bouazizi, the street vendor whose self-immolation provided the spark for the revolution. Her story of being taken to meet with former president Zine

El Abidine Ben Ali after her son’s death shows a disconnected and slimy regime. She describes sitting in the presidential office being told lie after lie about her son, with no hint of sympathy for her emotional state. Rouge Parole achieves an incredible sense of immersion. Shot almost entirely from within the crowds, rather than above or behind them, the viewer feels the ebb and flow of mass movements, and the swells of emotion that spur elation and fury. The camaraderie between obvious strangers is a rare treasure in the world, and it’s overwhelming to see it unfold so genuinely throughout the 90-odd minutes Baccar gifts us. The film is most effective when showing the simple treasures pouring into Tunisia after the fall of the dictator. Young men staring in disbelief at a bookstore and its slew of formerly banned books exemplify the significance of their expanding freedom. It’s an extreme change made all the more impressive by the relative lack of bloodshed involved, and it provides great contrast to the next film on CP’s list next week. Wiebo’s War: “You shot at them sir?” “Someone here shot at them, yes.” Wiebo Ludwig, the film’s subject, is somewhat of a paradox. The devout Christian moved his family to rural Alberta for a simpler life closer to God, but was also convicted on five counts of bombing and vandalism. He claimed the oil and gas industry was poisoning his land, his livestock and his family, and when companies refused to shut down their installations, he took matters into his own hand. In Wiebo’s War, David York searches for the deeper explanation to Ludwig’s ambiguous moral code. The simplicity of life within the Ludwig clan is clearly expressed in the sparse settings of the film: one large, spartan house and the farm that surrounds it are the

THE REAPPEARANCE OF FORMERLY BANNED BOOKS IS ONE OF THE REVOLUTION’S BIGGEST CHANGES.

sight of all but a few moments of the film. Wiebo, the eldest Ludwig and the benevolent patriarch, is intelligent and lucid in his speech. But the family has a level of faith that verges on frightening, not as much for its strength as for its isolation. The film expresses this immediately with footage of York trying to convince the Ludwigs that his atheism won’t prevent a truthful telling of the story. While unshakable faith in God is admirable, it becomes less so when it’s accompanied by a distrust of those who lack it. Regardless of this, Wiebo’s position against oil and gas seems to have serious foundation. After the installation of a facility to harvest sour gas, which is high in hydrogen sulfide, Wiebo’s family started noticing some frightening trends. Sheep on their farm were having miscarriages at an alarming rate, and their water taps could be lit aflame by a nearby match. It all came to a head when one of the Ludwigs suffered the tragedy of a stillbirth. The film shows archival footage of the lifeless infant,

and it’s deeply unsettling. Though it cannot be proven to be the fault of the gas industry, it’s an undeniably bizarre series of coincidences. And the consequences would never be tolerated from any non-incorporated group. The film raises two important questions. Diffused responsibility in business has led to extraordinary leeway in moral issues concerning smaller groups. If the law treats a corporation as a person, why is it not subject to the same code of conduct as a person? With this in mind, when a single person or small group acts with similar disregard, is it fair to prosecute them? It’s certainly an issue for a courtroom, and not a film. But it’s crucial that these questions are raised in forms like documentary, lest they be swept under the rug.

plexity of the argument,” he said. In essence, he feels the play is about “marriage, children and the challenges of determining your values in contemporarysociety.” The play provides an interesting commentary on human behaviour which seems to fascinate audiences. “It’s kind of like watching a train wreck, you can’t not look,” said Surette. Originally written in French, it was translated by Christopher Hampton. Despite the translation, he said “[the play] really does maintain a great use of language.” The production team spent much of their limited time analyzing the text and interpreting it. Surette feels that for this show especially, “the actors have to really be playing the subtext, [because it’s] as important as the text itself.” Surette calls Ellen David, Marcel Jeannin, Mark Camacho and Janine Theriault “a dream cast.” During casting, he was looking for actors who had an aptitude for searching beneath the surface of the text, and projecting deeper meanings. Three out of four leads have

kids of their own, and he encouraged them to bring their own anecdotes and experiences to the table. The set, which was designed by Michael Eagan, was intended to be fairly stylized but still elegant. Surette is confident that audiences will be surprised by how much action actually takes place in what appears to be a demure sitting room. There are more surprises in store too, in the form of elaborate stage effects which will simulate the notorious onstage vomiting scene. Surette feels that God of Carnage has been so popular because people are really able to relate to it. “It is one of those pieces that has made a big impact around the world,” he said.

Wiebor’s War is being screened on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m., and Rouge Parole is showing on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. Both screenings take place in H-110. For more information, go to www. cinemapolitica.org/concordia.

THEATRE

Courtesy is a waste of time God of Carnage debuts in Montreal

Marilla Steuter-Martin Staff writer It’s always refreshing when a piece of theatre takes a new twist on a classic form. Sometimes called a comedy of manners - without the manners - Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage does just that. In addition to the play’s success on Broadway, it has also been very well received at London’s West End in the past. This week, the Centaur Theatre presents the Montreal debut of the Tony Award-winning play. The play begins with a meeting that has been set between two couples to discuss a playground brawl that occurred between their two young sons. The four sophisticated urban professionals, Annette, Michael, Alan and Veronica, struggle to put their best foot forward, but despite their efforts, the evening devolves all too quickly. The conversation

goes from bad to worse as alcohol begins to flow, insecurities are exposed, and more than just feelings are hurt. This wildly entertaining comedy exposes how even the most civilized people can resort to childishness when other types of polite interaction fail. “I think they start off with really great intentions. The fact that it turns into such chaos is part of the beauty of it,” said Roy Surette, the artistic director. “Comedy is always based on conflict.” God of Carnage is absolutely bursting with it. As the characters begin to discuss more serious issues, different allegiances form, leading to a number of hilarious circumstances. “You really get taken on a roller coaster ride through the course of the evening,” he said. Surette was quickly attracted to the play’s script. “[It’s] the rigour of the writing. I just love the richness of the characters and com-

God of Carnage opens Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. and runs until Dec. 4. Student tickets are $25.50 and rush tickets are $20 if booked one hour before showtime the day of. For a full schedule of shows, visit www.centaurtheatre.com.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

THEATRE

That s just the truth about lying

The Play’s the Thing questions reality, and gets a laugh out of it Sofia Gay Arts editor

he notion of reality has been questioned by everyone, through nearly every medium in history. From Descartes’ musings back when he was kicking it in the 17th century, to the more contemporary example of reality television (was that line scripted or was it alcohol-fuelled spontaneity?), questioning our surroundings is the gift that keeps on giving. Throw in questions and quivers about love and trust, and you have a whole different creature. Namely, you have The Play’s the Thing, a play that’s as much of a theatrical mind trip as you will get on the stage. Penned by Ferenc Molnár, the play tells the story of Albert Adam, a talented composer whose playwright friends take him to an Italian castle. Once there, the young composer is distraught when he hears his fiancée having sex with another man. Not to be set back by an emotional wreck of a collaborator, the playwrights convince Adam that what he heard is a scene from a play being rehearsed. And thus, the play-within-a-play – and general madness – ensues. It’s a situation driven by what director Blair Williams says motivates most characters – self-interest, of course. “I certainly think Molnár believes that self-interest is inherent, but at the same time, when we examine our self-interest we can extract ourselves from it a little bit. I think that’s what he’s asking us to do as well,” he said. “It’s romance through comedy and he has us laugh at that, which is very important.” The scenario being recounted is not only compelling by itself, but by its relatable qual-

ity as well. It’s astounding to contemplate that a situation deemed scandalous and provoking 80 - something years ago does not seem dated at all in modern times. “It certainly is applicable now, absolutely, when we’re still dealing with questions of fidelity and questions of loyalty, questions of trust,” said Williams. “These are human conditions that will exist forever. As long as there is romance, there will be broken hearts.” The play is unconventional in that it not only explores different realms on the stage, but off the stage as well, by breaking the infamous fourth wall. This is something Molnár sets up in the script. “I enjoy the metaphysics of his writing and in this play he explores the nature of the theatre itself and the relationship between the actor and the audience, and the playwright and the audience,” said Williams. “I had Paul Hopkins, who plays playwright Sandor Turai, really explore the connection with the audience,” he added. “I encouraged him to make eye contact with people in the audience and really explore that dynamic.” Audiences will also feel an added level of connection through the actors’ voices. Williams noted that, diverging from other renditions of this play, this production sees the actors forgoing the British accents and keeping their own. The stage set-up, which Williams describes as an “old-fashioned theatrical set that makes no attempt to look like a real room,” contributes to the atmosphere they were trying to create as well. “We set the play fairly in the ‘20s, so it’s a very art deco feel that is silver screen influenced. Everything we did in the room is black and white and shades of grey, including the costumes and the furniture and the walls, and everything. Outside, the backdrop is colour,” he shared. “It just provides an interesting dynamic.” Albeit the play is serious in its message

IT’S NEVER A DULL MOMENT WHEN YOU’RE EMOTIONALLY DISTRAUGHT IN AN ITALIAN CASTLE. (Williams pinned it down to being that “we believe what we want to believe, and we should examine our truths carefully”), at the end of the day the show is a comedy, and that’s what Williams hopes audiences walk away with. “Most importantly, that they have a

laugh. It is a very funny play. Laughter is the best way to learn anything.” The Play’s the Thing runs until Nov. 20 at the Segal Centre (5170 Côte-Ste-Catherine). Student tickets are $22. For more information, visit www.segalcentre.org.

theconcordian

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

ART SCHOOL

Colouring outside the lines Art school brings uncommon classes and experienced instructors Giselle MacDonald Contributor The class is getting ready to start. The students get comfortable, they take out their drawing pads and pencils. The teacher puts on a bossa nova tune and proceeds to arrange the still life. The space is small, but charming and cozy. The walls are covered with paintings and drawings by the students and the teachers. In Syn Studio, art is all around. Blending traditional art education with modern teaching methods, Galerie Synesthésie, now being shortened to Syn Studio, proves that anyone can learn how to draw, and is becoming one of the fastest-growing art schools in Montreal. Syn Studio was born four years ago when Anthony Walsh was pursuing his master’s in psychology. When he found out about new teaching methods in art education inspired by recent psychology research, he became fascinated. He met art teachers who taught with these techniques and in 2007, decided to open an art school that embraced these discoveries. “What we kind of decided upon was that the philosophy of the school would be this idea of drawing on the right side of the brain, which is the idea that anyone can draw,” said Walsh. “It’s not really about talent; it’s about being in the right stage and using the right side of your brain.” Walsh started beginner classes and was impressed to see the breakthroughs the students would make as they would switch to right-brain mode. With experiments such as getting them to try a left-hand drawing or putting the model in uncommon positions, he realized that anyone can learn to draw and that art is really about looking at the world in a different way and using your brain differently. Walsh says when people focus too much on technique, it takes them more time to do things because they have to fight with what they know

and with what they’re already used to seeing and doing. “We’re not really looking at the world until you’ve been trained to see the world for what it really is. But in fact, we’re just looking at our own mental representations of the world, and that’s what you have to break people out of to really teach them to draw,” said Walsh. The name Galerie Synesthésie comes from these psychological breakthroughs. Synesthésie is French for synesthesia, which is a psychological or neurological condition where your senses mingle together. Famous artists are eight times more likely to have this condition than the rest of the population, but as children we’re all synesthetes. Babies’ senses are mingled together, and as we get older, we learn to inhibit this, which is exactly what Walsh wants to either avoid or bring back in students. Besides teaching students how to colour outside the lines, the art school also offers classes that are hard to find in Montreal. In addition to drawing, painting and illustration, classes on comic book making, digital art, and video game environment design are also offered. As if that weren’t enough, Syn Studio also provides a high quality art instruction with teachers such as Meinert Hansen, who is the senior concept artist at Warner Brothers Games, and Geof Isherwood, a highly renowned name in the comic book world, having drawn for Marvel and DC Comics since 1985. And even that is not enough. Walsh also has a side project called Sketch and the City, a classy and sexy drawing event for bachelorette parties and a completely different concept than the one we’re used to thanks to movies like The Hangover and Bridesmaids. It basically works like this: it takes place either at Syn Studio or the girl’s venue of choice. A male model is hidden and nobody knows he’s there except for the girl who booked

the event. Strawberries and champagne are given, as well as charcoal or coloured pencils. Guests are given drawing pads and they warm up a bit with some fun exercises, maybe using their left hand or doing something that suddenly activates the right side of their brain. As they’re trying to sketch their friends’ faces, the left side of their brains is shutting down and the right side is activating. They start giggling at how silly they make each other look. Now, they’ve got some champagne in them, and as soon as they are really warmed up, the male model comes out and takes his robe off. The girls get shy and giggly, but then they sketch him and they start being amazed at how good their sketches become, and by the end of it, they’ve had a fun, sexy and artsy event. “You have to walk this line between being kind of naughty, sexy and giggly and being innocent, artistic and classy,” said Walsh. “That’s the fine line where we always stay on.” Walsh has big plans. With Sketch and the

City, which has already reached Toronto and is currently being launched in South Africa, he wants to continue expanding into other countries, solidify their base in the United States, and eventually in the U.K. He’s aiming for the whole English-speaking world. As far as the art school goes, he wants to focus even more on the video game classes and eventually move to a bigger space where they can run simultaneous classes, and maybe someday offer a full-time program. He expects to have 120 students next semester and about 300 students a year from then on. “I think that Montreal, which is such a game and film industry and is such an artistic city, lacks a really good place for people to learn from industry professionals,” said Walsh. “And that’s really what I want to offer.” Syn Studio is located at 94 Ste-Catherine E., # 7. To learn more about Syn Studio and the classes it offers, go to www.galeriesynesthesie.com.

BOOKS

Everybody wants to be a cat Lolcats, move over! A new cat phenomenon is here Elizabeth Tomaras Copy editor A cat getting into trouble is nothing new. It’s a (cat) fact. But what is refreshing is experiencing the life of a feline exactly as you would want to. In Sherwin Tjia’s You Are a Cat!, this ‘pick-a-plot’ novel (reminiscent of the choose-your-own-adventure book craze in the ‘80s and ‘90s) allows readers to truly see what cats see and lets them go wherever their domesticated hearts desire. Want to chase that pesky squirrel in the backyard? Or would you prefer taking a nap in the sunlight? How about following the man – an alcoholic – you live with around the house? If you think a cat’s life is dull and uneventful, this book will prove otherwise. I started my nine lives by jumping from one tree branch to another, trying to catch a squirrel. I quickly failed and came crashing down to the ground. I didn’t land on my feet but the nice girl I live with came to my rescue. The girl brought me inside and I found my way upstairs in search for the perfect spot for an early morning snooze. My name

is Holden Catfield. Later, my cat curiosity led me to the top of a bookshelf where I spied on the woman who lives with me. She was sitting in front of the computer screen as I watched her

slowly lick her fingers a cat! I didn’t know was doing but

and – Hey! I’m what she I know she does it often. I went back in

search of the girl and found her making dinner. I then followed her to her room where she sat on her bed and cried. Though a cat’s life may seem redundant, Montreal-based artist Tjia delves into the idea of people confiding their innermost problems to their pets. Talking to a cat, in this case, can be a release and assures us that we will not be judged no matter how twisted our thoughts. It comes as no surprise that some rather dark material is covered in this fluffy work of fiction, but that makes you want to not only continue reading but to pick it up over and over again. The illustrations, drawn by Tjia, are nothing short of dramatic and give a unique cat’s eye view of the world. There are dozens of cat-ventures to experience and You Are a Cat! purr-fectly places readers in any situation a cat could possibly get into (and the possibilities are endless!) Each experience is personalized and something new awaits you every time you re-read the novel. There aren’t many things better than a book that practically re-invents itself every time it’s opened. Save maybe for cat nip. You Are a Cat! is being launched at Drawn & Quarterly (211 Bernard St. W.) on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. For more information, check out www. drawnandquarterly.com.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

VISUAL ARTS

Montreal’s arts scene gets a fresh coat of paint Art collective launches its second installation at Espace Peint Frais Rebecca Ugolini Staff writer Check your Facebook account right now: odds are there’s at least one art event gathering virtual dust and sitting neglected in your inbox, destined for a tentative “Maybe attending.” Montreal’s streets and galleries testify to its worldwide reputation as a city of the arts, so why do so many students, both artists and spectators, feel disconnected from the local scene? AJ Korkidakis, co-founder of CEASE, a Montreal-based arts collective running its second installation of street art, sculpture, and installation pieces, chalks the malaise up to two factors: scene and cents. “We started CEASE on the premise that there are so many amazing artists in the city and not enough opportunities for them to get exposure,” explained Korkidakis, a Concordia communications graduate. “Our motto is ‘Art is for Everyone,’ and I really think it’s a shame that not everyone can experience the art scene as much as they’d like,” he continued. “For artists, it can be very expensive to host your own show in the city—imagine putting up $2,000 a night for one vernissage. And for people who are interested in the arts scene but don’t know anyone personally, it can be intimidating to attend an event.” A collaboration between street art groups En Masse, DÉCOVER Magazine, MASSIVart, Papirmasse and Under Pressure, CEASE IT 2 aims to offer Montrealers a free and interactive arts experience that is accessible, innovative, and fun. Held in Espace Peint Frais, a formerly-abandoned loft on Ste-Catherine whose owners—the Church of Scientology—can’t currently put up the funds to revamp the space, the exhibit asked artists to work with the spacious rooms and architectural features to create an installation that challenges both artists and spectators. “This exhibit takes illustrators and painters out of their element and makes them do installation-based pieces, so visitors want to walk behind them and take the pieces in from all angles,” said

HOUSED IN A BUILDING FORMERLY OWNED BY SCIENTOLOGISTS, CEASE IT 2 CHALLENGES THE NORM IN EXHIBITION INTERACTION. Antoine Tavaglione, a Montreal pop artist whose ’40s and ’50s-inspired cartoon aesthetic blends political commentary and Italian cultural heritage. His installation LATTE ROSSO on the second floor fills an empty corner with a surreal collection of black and white cartoon stand-ups, all drenched in his signature white milk, symbolizing the vital health of which cultures that live under dictatorial rule are robbed. Tavaglione, who currently exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts with street art group Under Pressure, said that public response to his installation at CEASE IT 2 is proof that Korkidakis’ approach is working. “I’m relatively new to the arts scene in Montreal,” he explained, “and while it’s great to do something in the Museum of Fine Arts, something like CEASE is obviously more relaxed—I got to talk to the people who were looking at my art.’’ “The kind of freedom we offer allows people

to open up their creativity a little more,” explained Korkidakis. “I mean, they can nail on the walls, they can paint on the moulding. This really takes art off the canvas and out of the museum and makes it into something new. The building we have lends itself to street art very well, because it’s large and spacious and totally unlike any other exhibition space in the city.” Korkidakis, a filmmaker himself, hosted a light-drawing installation which encouraged other artists as well as spectators to participate. “Some people looked alarmed, like they were thinking: ‘I’m at an opening, I’m not supposed to be touching things,’” he laughed, “but others were really into it. They were controlling video clips and using long-exposure to make these drawings, and not every gallery can offer you that kind of interaction.” Korkidakis says attendance at CEASE IT 2 has been varied, and unexpectedly so.

“We’ve had a lot of students and people in the artistic community,” he said, “but also lots of people walking in off the street who see this space and want to know what it’s about. Lots of older people have loved it, and what we have is not the kind of art that people can access on their own.” A visit to the exhibit confirms the public’s enthusiastic response. Eric Allain, who visited CEASE IT 2 last Friday, praised both the organizers and the art. “I was just walking outside and discovered this space, and I’m glad I did,” Allain enthused. “I love street art and graffiti, and this is a great way for young artists to get exposure, and for the public to enjoy all they have to offer.” CEASE IT 2 runs until Nov. 26 at Espace Peint Frais (180 Ste-Catherine E.) Admission is free. For more information, go to www.cease.it.

RECORD SWAP

It s all about the swap

IN BETWEEN SOME OF THE BEST BANDS BOTH SOUTH AND NORTH OF THE BORDER, PUNK FESTIVAL A VARNING FROM MONTREAL FOUND THE TIME TO CELEBRATE ITS FIFTH YEAR WITH AN OFF-STAGE EVENT. THE DIY FESTIVAL, STARTED RIGHT HERE IN MONTREAL BY LOCAL PUNK ENTHUSIASTS, HELD A RECORD SWAP LAST SATURDAY AFTERNOON AT LOCAL PUNK HAVEN KATACOMBES, WHICH SAW FANS LEAVING THEIR PRE-LOVED RECORDS AND COMING HOME WITH NEW GEMS. THOSE WHO WERE THERE FOR THE SWAPPING ALSO GOT AN EYEFUL OF YVAN ARSENAULT’S ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY, WHICH WILL BE ON DISPLAY UNTIL JANUARY OF NEXT YEAR. PHOTOS BY CAMILLE NERANT

music 14

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com PROFILE

Zoë Keating: Doin it her way Avant cellist looking to create new experiences during tour Paul Traunero Staff writer Armed with a cello, MIDI foot pad, and a computer, unsigned and independent cellist Zoë Keating has been changing the way people view her instrument, and classical music in general, for that matter. “I’m taking part in the natural evolution of the cello,” Keating said, her excitement even shining through the telephone line. “I think everything evolves, and when things stop evolving, they die out.” Her debut album One Cello x 16: Natoma (2005) reached No. 1 on iTunes’ Classical chart and took the No. 2 spot on the Electronic chart. Her cello playing is featured on the soundtrack for The Secret Life of Bees, as well as many others, and she’s worked with the likes of John Vanderslice and Imogen Heap. And with 1.3 million followers on Twitter, there’s little sign of things slowing down. Contrary to some artists and record labels who slam iTunes, Keating jokingly admitted that iTunes paid for her new home. “It’s my regular paycheque!” she exclaimed, adding that, “iTunes is incredible because it allows independent musicians to have a broader reach - it’s like Wal-Mart!” Despite her overwhelming success as a solo musician, soundtrack composer, collaborator, Independent Music Award winner, and information architect, she says she’ll never take it for granted because even if her career is going well, the music industry itself is always changing. “The thing about being a musician is that things can be going well for you one day and not the next,” she said.

Her liberal arts education at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York helped her adapt to the climate of the industry. In fact, she credits it with shaping her entire life. “It taught me how to be critical,” she admitted. “How to think and write critically and get a larger perspective on things, which applies to everything. If you are confronted with a new experience, you have the tools to figure it out.” Those tools helped her deal with the demanding workload at Sarah Lawrence. “I didn’t have a computer when I was in school,” she said. “I mean, this was in the ‘90s, so I would type all my papers on this old typewriter. I would write the whole paper, then cut up each sentence and stick it on my wall. I would organize and edit, sort of like cut-and-paste, until I had a final version that I was happy with.” This cut-and-paste method ended up playing a significant part in her musical writing process of using live sampling, looping and repetition to layer different tracks, and using her cello, foot pedal and computer to create stylistically complex compositions. “I layer these musical pieces and then

Diamonds” are what make this album classic rock ‘n’ roll. 9. AC/DC – Back in Black: This was AC/DC’s first album without original singer Bon Scott, but it still includes some of their greatest hits of all time. Brian Johnson’s fresh new vocals tear the album from the start, paired with Angus Young’s filthy and iconic guitar riffs. The title track of this album in itself is pure, simple rock ‘n’ roll.

Classic Rock albums 10. The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: The Beatles were already stars when they released SPLHCB, which gave them room to have fun - and that’s exactly what it sounds like. Sing-along songs such as “When I’m Sixty-Four,” the mock carnival of “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” and of course “Lucy in the Sky with

8. Queen – A Night at the Opera: This record contains probably the most epic classic rock song ever, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Layers upon layers of powerful instrumentals accompany Freddie Mercury’s flamboyant vocals to make this a distinguishable slice of classic rock music. Queen’s unique sound is captured fully on this album, and it should—it was the most expensive album recorded at the time. 7. David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust: Some consider Bowie to be more “glam rock” than “classic rock,” but it’s worth noting that he pioneered the whole glam genre, and this album is what made him a star. The album follows Ziggy Stardust and his melodious trip to Earth. By the end of “Five Years,” you can’t help but pity the fictional alien. 6. The Doors – The Doors: From the beginning,

assemble them like a collage,” she explained. “The process of making a final piece is more about removing, rather than adding, so I take away and polish off layers until it’s done.” But this is not to say that music has always been a smooth road for Keating. In her youth, she battled with crippling stage fright. While many musicians force themselves to get over this fear by performing on the street, Keating’s busking experience helped her in a way one might not expect. “I started playing the cello in the subway station during rush hour,” she recalled. “And I realized that nobody was paying attention to me, which gave me the freedom to perform music without being self-conscious.” Ultimately, her breakthrough came when she realized that she didn’t feel as nervous

when she was improvising, playing as she went, as opposed to playing something that was already written. “I needed to allow myself to make mistakes and learn that music doesn’t need to be perfect,” she admitted. “I go on a musical journey and I want to take the audience along. I want people to forget about time. As a society, we’re so defined by it, but when you listen to the music and you get completely immersed in it, you can forget about time and be taken out of your everyday experience into a completely new experience.”

The Doors had different instrumentation than others at the time. In an era of love and peace, Jim Morrison merged sinister poetry and music to make an awesome start on the scene. From the killer keyboard solo of “Light My Fire” to the strange and dark “The End,” this album is full of weird but admirable moments that have made this band last.

little less radio-friendly than their other works, but no less memorable. “Dead Flowers” will make you want to cry into your beer and “Bitch” will make you want to move.

5. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced: This album is Jimi Hendrix’s legacy of being one of the greatest guitarists ever. His raw vocals, blues-infused guitar and loads of feedback give us hit after hit on this album. It kicks off with the solid “Purple Haze,” complete with brilliant lyrics and mind-boggling guitar solos, a quality that continues throughout the record. 4. The Who – Quadrophenia: The Who’s second rock opera is an early example of what would become punk rock. Although few major hits appear on the list, Roger Daltrey adopts a throatier and grown-up voice in tracks like “The Real Me.” This concept album depicts the angst felt by the four young bandmates and an entire generation of disgruntled teens. 3. The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers: We get a taste of folk, jazz, country and blues in this album, but the boys still have their swagger. A

Zoë Keating performs at Cabaret du Mile End (5240 Parc Ave.) on Nov. 8. Tickets are $20, plus taxes and service fees. Doors open at 7 p.m.

2. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon: This early work of progressive rock is a cornerstone in classic rock. Songs like “Us and Them” and “Breathe” soothe you, while “The Great Gig in the Sky” rattles and wails at you. Experimental sound effects with gospel vocals and lyrics that seem to have been written on an acid trip are what this record’s all about. So, turn off the lights, crank up the volume, and prepare to have your mind melted. 1. Led Zeppelin – I: Led Zeppelin’s groundbreaking debut album skyrocketed them to well-deserved fame. Every track on the album is a hit, from the heavy riffs of “Good Times, Bad Times,” to the classic ‘70s rock sound of “Communication Breakdown,” and the haunting acoustics of “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You,” all with Robert Plant wailing his brains out on vocals. This band wasn’t afraid to take risks, and the result is one of the greatest albums of all time.

Compiled by Sarah Teixeira St-Cyr

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

PREVIEW

Malajube coming back home After touring out west and in the U.S., the Montreal quartet plans to stay true to their roots Audrey Foliot Staff writer

Andrew Guilbert Staff writer

The Dracula kind or the Twilight kind?

Pete Townshend, guitarist for classic rock band The Who, has called iTunes a â&#x20AC;&#x153;digital vampireâ&#x20AC;? for â&#x20AC;&#x153;bleedingâ&#x20AC;? artists of their profits. The comment came during the inaugural John Peel Lecture for BBC 6 Music. Townshend said that the digital retailer had a duty to provide certain services that record labels and music publishers traditionally provided to artists, such as creative nurturing and editorial guidance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is there really any good reason why, just because iTunes exists in the wild west Internet land of Facebook and Twitter, it canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide some aspect of these services to the artists whose work it bleeds like a digital vampire, like a digital Northern Rock, for its enormous commission?â&#x20AC;? Townshend didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spare illegal downloaders either, saying that if anyone â&#x20AC;&#x153;pretends that something I have created should be available to them free...I wonder what has gone wrong with human morality and social justice.â&#x20AC;?

Where da mop at?

Rapper DMX was so touched by a Waffle House workerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fandom that he decided to help him out. The rap star took the employeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mop and began cleaning up after learning the man was a fan of his. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was in a good mood and felt that I would do that for him since it was 4 a.m. and [the employee] had been working all night. The minute you get too big to mop a floor or wipe a counter, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the exact minute you have fucked up.â&#x20AC;?

Hailing from Montreal, franco-rock band Malajube is still on the forefront of the indie scene more than seven years after their debut. Since 2004, they have been nominated for several awards, winning five Felix Awards, including three for Alternative Album of the Year in 2006, 2009 and again this year during Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Autre Gala de lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ADISQ on Oct. 24. Their fourth studio album, La caverne, released in April of this year, has received amazing feedback from critics, especially considering the challenge of making a name for a Frenchspeaking rock band on the English-Canadian and international scene. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say that, generally, we received a very good response from the English-Canadian audience,â&#x20AC;? said keyboardist and singer Thomas Augustin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really performed [for them] yet even though the album has been out for a long time.â&#x20AC;? Augustin explained that despite their musical similarity to The Besnard Lakes, their fan bases are very different, so by touring together they created a sort of symbiotic relationship of exposure for one another. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some people were discovering Malajube while others were discovering The Besnard Lakes every night, and it certainly is a positive thing for the both of us,â&#x20AC;? Augustin admitted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was really amazing for us to have the chance to get our music out there, outside of the francophone music scene.â&#x20AC;? Even though playing on the English scene was a fun experience for the band, the Mon-

treal area natives have never considered singing in English. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important for us to sing in French. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the language we are the most comfortable singing in, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our mother tongue and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the language we feel the most eloquent in,â&#x20AC;? Augustin explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We feel itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a noble cause to try to make French music and live from our art in French, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important for us and we are proud to be French, proud to be who we are. Maybe weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be richer if weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d play in English, maybe our lives would be completely different, but we will continue to sing in French and are not considering switching to English.â&#x20AC;? The band members certainly have their own way of seeing things, even when it comes to their band name. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a mix of many words, like maladie (sickness), jujube (candy) of course, maladroit (clumsy), and many others,â&#x20AC;? Augustin continued, laughing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These words are all contradictory to each other and reveal, in a sense, all the oppositions there are in music, in what we do. We always somewhat try to put something that is positive versus something that is negative in everything we do, and maladie and jujube are like two extremes, so there you go!â&#x20AC;? Even though they have clearly evolved as a band since they started, Malajubeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest

album takes listeners back to their debut album, Le compte complet, with its pop inclinations, catchy yet thoughtful lyrics, and upbeat melodies. Their tour with The Besnard Lakes will finally head back to Quebec this week, and will return to Montreal in December, where they say they are thrilled to meet with their fans again. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to play songs from all the albums, but the show is mostly to present the songs from La caverne,â&#x20AC;? Augustin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We always give all we have in these kinds of shows, and we really concentrate on the music and giving a good performance, considering that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a lot of staging. But people can definitely expect something intense and special on the night of the Montreal show.â&#x20AC;? Malajube and The Besnard Lakes play Moulin-Neuf in Terrebonne (950 Ile-desMoulins) on Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $22.50, plus taxes. They will play in Montreal at Metropolis (59 Ste-Catherine St. E.) on Dec. 14 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, plus taxes.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be like a barrel full ofâ&#x20AC;Ś some type of hominid

Legendary pop band The Monkees will be getting the Broadway treatment next year with a stage musical reminiscent of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;60s television series that shot the band to stardom. Though the original band members will not be appearing in the show, many of their hits will, including â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m A Believer,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hey, Hey Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re The Monkees,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Daydream Believer.â&#x20AC;? The show will consist of a cast of 20 in what the showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s producers say is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;madcap Austin Powers-style plot.â&#x20AC;? Monkee Business will premiere at Manchester Opera House next March. The actual Monkees had been on a reunion tour earlier this year but were forced to end the comeback early due to â&#x20AC;&#x153;businessâ&#x20AC;? issues and â&#x20AC;&#x153;internal matters.â&#x20AC;?

He found his way to Planet Home

Shock rock band GWAR lost a comrade in arms last Thursday when lead guitarist Cory Smoot, a.k.a. Flattus Maximus, was found dead in the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tour bus. GWAR was on their way to play a show in Edmonton when frontman Dave Brockie found Smoot motionless in his bunk in the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tour bus. In a statement released Friday on the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website, Brockie expressed his grief to fans, saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have lost a brother, a husband, a son, and one of the most talented musicians that ever slung an ax.â&#x20AC;? The statement revealed that the band intends to finish the tour as they believe Smoot â&#x20AC;&#x153;would want us to go on and would be pissed if we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.[...] Though itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to believe, I think we all would feel a lot worse if we stopped. For better or worse we have to see this through.â&#x20AC;? As a sign of respect, Flattus Maximus, the character Smoot played, will be retired and â&#x20AC;&#x153;will never return to this mudball planet again.â&#x20AC;?

! "# $ % !& ' " "$ "%

( ( " # ) " * * & ! " + # $ #$, - " " #

./00 - 1 1 2 ( 1 3 4 5 046 360 4307

theconcordian

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

MIXTAPE

In the past decade, there has been one thing that has remained constant in my life: there’s nothing I enjoy more than a solid party track. Whether I was a bumbling teenager, busy funnelling water back into the bottles of my friends’ parents’ liquor cabinet to replace the vodka and rum we drank while they were on vacation, a completely lush bar star in my undergraduate years at STFXU’s bar The Golden X Inn, or raving at an underground after-hours club in the almost-continuously-winter-locked city of Edmonton, I was quite literally unable to deny the forces of party anthems from taking over my seemingly possessed body. These are the songs that inspire girls to throw their hands up in the air, scream and dance with so much gusto you’d swear they were auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance. So put on these tracks, grab your favourite alcoholic beverage, and put your inhibitions to the side — there’s no room for them where this mix is about to take you! Listen to the mixtape here: 8tracks.com/the_concordian/90s_vs_now

Nineties vs. Now: Party anthems Compiled by Allie Mason Music editor

Quick Spins

SIDE A: The ‘90s

SIDE B: Now

1. “Pump Up the Jam” - Technotronic - Pump Up The Jam: The Album (1989 close enough) 2. “Gonna Make You Sweat” - C+C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweat (1990) 3. “Baby Got Back” - Sir Mix-A-Lot - Mack Daddy (1992) 4. “Mr. Vain” - Culture Beat - Serenity (1993) 5. “Rhythm of the Night” - Corona - The Rhythm of the Night (1993) 6. “Whatta Man” - Salt-N-Pepa - Very Necessary (1993) 7. “U.N.I.T.Y.” - Queen Latifah - Black Reign (1994) 8. “Pony” - Ginuwine - Ginuwine... The Bachelor (1996) 9. “Lollipop (Candyman)” - Aqua - Aquarium (1997) 10. “Jumpin’ Jumpin’” - Destiny’s Child The Writing On the Wall (1999)

11. “Work It” - Missy Elliott - Under Construction (2002) 12. “Satisfaction” - Benny Benassi - Hypnotica (2003) 13. “Let’s Get it Started” - Black Eyed Peas Elephunk (2003) 14. “Hey Ya!” - Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) 15. “Dance Like This” - Wyclef Jean ft. Claudette - Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004) 16. “Promiscuous Girl” - Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland - Loose (2006) 17. “Gimme More” - Britney Spears Blackout (2007) 18. “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” - Beyoncé - I Am...Sasha Fierce (2008) 19. “Just Dance” - Lady Gaga ft. Colby Odonis - The Fame (2008) 20. “I Gotta Feeling” - Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. (2009)

Correction: In The Concordian, issue 10, on Nov. 1, the retro review should have been attributed to Daniel J. Rowe. The Concordian apologizes for any inconvenience this error may have caused.

Retro review

Surfer Blood - Tarot Classics [EP] (Kanine; 2011)

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (Sour Smash; 2011)

This Is Hell – Black Mass (Rise Records; 2011)

Slayer - Reign In Blood (Def Jam Recordings; 1986)

After the major success of their debut album, Astro Coast, Surfer Blood treats fans to a fourtrack EP, with two additional remixes. There is an undercurrent of angst present in these songs, very reminiscent of ‘90s lo-fi college rock, showcasing a departure from the light, surf-rock of their debut towards something in the vein of The Pixies meets The Smiths. You can file Tarot Classics under “C” for cash grab (and crap!), as a final attempt by Brooklyn-based indie label Kanine Records to make a profit off the band’s leftover tracks following their signing with Warner Bros. Records, a bold and potentially fatal move, as the word “sellout” comes to mind. In keeping with the fortune telling theme of the title, I foresee a bumpy road ahead for the dudes of Surfer Blood, but with so much money backing their project, it’s unlikely they will be seeing The Tower card.

Following his departure from Oasis in 2009, Noel Gallagher’s debut solo album is blissful, passionate and engaging, to say the least. The 10 - track self-titled album flows well, with a harmonious balance between the instrumentals and Gallagher’s vocals. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds begins with a rocking track “Everybody’s On The Run” that blends a desperate melody with Noel’s rock roots. The single “The Death Of You And Me” is gentle, but fun, taking a page from the books of iconic bands like The Beatles. The songwriting doesn’t disappoint either; it falls between catchy and simple, but at the same time touches listeners in a similar way that Oasis once did. Even without Liam Gallagher’s heartshattering voice, big brother Noel proves that he can produce something that is by all means beautiful in a raw and honest way.

Imagine one of the really crazy things you have done in your life: bombing downhill on a skateboard made of plywood and lawnmower wheels, pulling off your first back flip on a motorcycle held together by Elmer’s school glue, or any other asinine thing that puts an ear to ear grin on your face and a burning in your groin. This Is Hell’s newest album, Black Mass, is the soundtrack to that event, giving you ten tracks of metal-core the likes of which you have never heard. Metal-core has been around for a long time, but This Is Hell brings a fresh sound to it, combining hardcore punk with a late ‘80s speed metal sound. The concept may sound tired, but it’s such a fresh take on the genre, and something that it desperately needed. Listen to this album next time you engage in 300 m.p.h. chicken races in wicker shopping carts, because that’s when it will shine.

From the iconic cover depicting an anthropomorphic goat reigning in Hell, to the lyrics describing Josef Mengele’s human experiments on camp inmates, even children, in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, Reign in Blood is one of thrash metal’s all-time greatest albums. I play it when I’m having a hard time falling asleep; it’s so permeated with hate and anger that the wall of noise cancels out everything else that I’m worried about. Dave Lombardo’s speed and aggression on drums is a huge reason why Reign in Blood put Slayer on the mainstream metal map. Although controversial in its lyrical content, track “Angel of Death” exemplifies Slayer’s game plan: fast, lean and filthy. Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King’s intricate guitar riffs and Lombardo’s killer doublebass ensure that you’ll be pumped and ready to maul any intruder, should one make the mistake of infiltrating your home.

Trial track: “Voyager Reprise”

Trial track: “AKA…What A Life!”

Trial track: “Salt The Earth”

Trial track: “Angel of Death”

5.0/10

8.0/10

- Paul Traunero

- Kalina Laframboise

10/10

- Mat Barrot

- Myles Dolphin

sports

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com RUGBY

Concordia loses in a tale of two halves

MCGILL TOSSED CONCORDIA OUT OF THE RSEQ FINALS ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE STINGERS HELD THEIR GROUND IN THE FIRST HALF BUT MCGILL PULLED AWAY IN THE SECOND. PHOTO BY NAVNEET PALL

Stingers lose for second year in a row in finals to McGill Redmen, 28-7 Paolo Mingarelli Staff writer

After hanging tough in the first half, the talent of McGill was just too much for the Concordia Stingers to handle. “I’ve never been prouder to wear maroon and gold in my life,” said Stingers captain Jonathan Dextras-Romagnino, whose sentiment resonated throughout the entire Stingers roster. The rematch of last year’s RSEQ finals was held at McGill. It was the third meeting between the two clubs this season, and it ended like the previous two: with a McGill victory. It had been almost a year since the

Stingers and Redmen faced off in the finals and since then the road has been tough for the Stingers. The team only won a sole regular season game before last week’s win over Bishop’s in the semi-finals. The Stingers just couldn’t repeat last week’s performance, though, in a game where they needed to be perfect. “Unfortunately we played our best game last week,” said head coach Clive Gibson, who was impressed with the effort nonetheless. “The guys played with a lot of heart and a lot of determination [against McGill].” Each side played the first half solidly. The majority of ball possession favoured Concordia for the better part of the first 20 minutes. Still, neither team could score and the teams went into half deadlocked at zero. Three minutes into the second half, McGill got on the board with an unconverted try, after some sloppy Stingers play. Concordia mishandled a ball kicked into its

try zone. McGill charged the play and came away with five points. Concordia was called for a penalty immediately after and was forced to face the talented McGill team shorthanded. Concordia held the fort the best it could, but eventually the walls gave in. McGill scored first on a kick then added two tries, taking a commanding 23-point lead with just 15 minutes left in the game. “Coming into today we had the confidence,” said Stingers flanker Gavin Drohan. “We showed it in the first 20 minutes, but I don’t think we played the full 80.” The Stingers’ coaching staff believe it came down to an inability to execute what the team had practiced. “Our game plan was to hit them hard behind their gain line before they got started,” said assistant coach Jamal Benouahi. “We did that pretty much the whole first half, but our set piece was not where it needed to be.”

The bright spot for Concordia came when winger Adriano D’Angelo scored the team’s lone try of the day, after the Stingers had sustained three minutes of pressure, before breaking through the McGill defence. McGill would score one last try just moments before the final whistle to seal the victory. After the game, D’Angelo emphasized the importance of games like this for the club’s future. “The more times we get to the finals and pressure situations the better we’ll be at sorting it out and executing under pressure,” he said. “McGill has played in six finals, we’ve played in two.” For the second consecutive year the Stingers fall just short of the championship, but certainly gain a lot of intangibles from games like this one. Like D’Angelo, prop Jimmy Bang was also looking to the future. “We have to use this day, use this loss, as something to build on for next year,” he said.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

HOCKEY

Second period gale gets Stingers win over Queen’s Concordia improves to 5-1 at Ed Meagher Arena this season Julian Mei Sports editor Concordia improved its record to 5-1 at home over the weekend with a 6-1 win against the Queen’s Golden Gaels on Saturday afternoon. Concordia has yet to win away from home, though, posting a 0-4 record outside the friendly confines of Ed Meagher Arena. Saturday’s game was a quick turnaround for the Stingers who had played Friday night at home against Ryerson, picking up a 3-1 win. Concordia looked a bit sluggish in the first period, getting outshot by Queen’s 11-7, yet the Stingers still managed to get into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead, thanks to a goal by George Lovatsis. The Stingers awoke in the second period, though, and buried Queen’s. “It’s hard to play back-to-back [night and day games],” said Stingers coach Kevin Figsby. “We came out a little slow in the first period, but dominated the last 40 to 45 minutes.” Just 46 seconds into the period, captain Eric Begin stretched the lead to two. With Queen’s goalie Steele De Fazio scrambling around searching for the puck, Alexandre Monahan circled behind the Gaels’ net and passed out to Begin who buried a low slapshot into the open net.

The crushing dagger came later in the period when Queen’s was trailing 3-0, but were operating on the powerplay. Stingers defenceman Etienne St. Germain gained control of the puck in his own end and sent a beautiful saucer pass over the head of a Queen’s defenceman, springing CharlesAntoine Messier on a partial breakaway. Messier, fending off a back-checker, was able to deke De Fazio onto his stomach and bury a shot into the top of the net. Messier finished the game with two goals and an assist. He now has nine points in 10 games this season. Concordia would add another goal in the second period, en route to the 6-1 thrashing. “The key is to work hard,” said Messier. “We were trying to focus defensively, but still gave up a lot of shots. Fortunately our goalie played well and we won.” Peter Karvouniaris got a rare start in net, in place of Nicholas Champion who was out with the flu. Karvouniaris faced 40 shots and made some spectacular saves in the win. “It feels good a couple days before to know you’re going to play,” said Karvouniaris. “It was good for me to get mentally prepared, and any opportunity you get you try to do the best you can.” Concordia allowed 40 shots in a game for the fifth time this season (and have twice allowed 39), and has given up the most shots in the country. Coach Figsby, though, says the numbers can be misleading and it isn’t something he’s concerned with. “Sometimes when you’re playing on the road the home team [score

DEFENCEMAN OLIVIER JANNARD (20) HOLDS THE BLUELINE FOR CONCORDIA. PHOTO BY NAVNEET PALL

keepers] will pad their [shot count],” he said. “I think a couple times our shot total has been reversed with the other teams. Once that gets on a website there’s nothing you can do about it. We’ve won four of our last five games, so

if that means giving up a few more shots I’ll take it.” The Stingers’ next game is Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. on the road against Nippissing.

FOOTBALL

Laval eliminates Stingers Concordia ousted from playoffs in 33-7 loss Stefano Mocella Staff writer

The Laval Rouge et Or will head to the provincial finals after dismantling the Concordia Stingers 33-7 in Sainte-Foy on Saturday. Laval will host the Montréal Carabins this coming Saturday for the Dunsmore Cup, while the Stingers will be left to reflect on their season. “I don’t think that our players played poorly,” said Concordia coach Gerry McGrath. “I think we’re a young team and our players were just overwhelmed from playing in an atmosphere like that. They go from playing in front of 1,000 people every week to 12,000 [at Laval].” The Rouge et Or got it going early as quarterback Bruno Prud’homme completed passes of 22 and 33 yards to receiver Seydou Junior Haïdara, setting up a 34-yard field goal by Boris Bede. After a two-and-out from Concordia, Laval quickly marched down the field with a sevenplay, 74-yard drive in less than four minutes, culminating in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Prud’homme to Guillaume Rioux. Laval added two more field goals and a team safety before the end of the first quarter, to take a 18-0 lead. After the first, Concordia only had three yards of offence. Playing Laval is hard enough and being down 18 after one quarter is mission impossible. To make matters worse, the Rouge et Or didn’t slow down in the second. On their

first possession of the quarter, Prud’homme found Adam Thibault on a 63-yard pass to get inside the Stingers’ five-yard line. Sebastien Levesque finished off the drive with a oneyard touchdown run to bring the score to 25-0. Laval added a field goal in the last minute of the half to go into the break up 28-0. Laval tacked on five points in the third quarter after a 41-yard Bede field goal and a team safety. Bede was five-for-five on field goals. Up 33-0, Laval pulled its starters, and began resting up for their showdown against the Carabins. The high point for Concordia was breaking Laval’s shutout in the final minute of the game. Kris Robertson returned a punt 59 yards to the Laval 11-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Reid Quest found Matt Scheurwater for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds left. That was hardly any consolation, though, after a difficult afternoon. “It was a tough loss,” said Robertson. “It just came down to execution. We didn’t execute on everything we should have. Laval is a good team and you need to have a perfect game to beat them. We just didn’t have a perfect game.” Quest finished the game 20-of-31 with 237 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Many of Concordia’s yards came when the game was out of reach. Credit has to go to Laval, though, as they have been the perennial powerhouse of Quebec for the last decade. “That’s a great team,” said McGrath. “I think as our team matures and grows, we’ll be able to compete with them. I know we’ll be better. I know the season just ended, but I already can’t wait for next year.”

Événements

location privés

Célébrer des ocations sepcial et organiser

des ateliers dans un endroit inspirant et exclusif

Private events Celebate sepcial ocations and hold workshops in an

18004636356

Rentals

inspiring exclusive location

514934MARC

www.chateaustmarc.com 11891193 St Marc, Montreal, QC. H3H 2E4

opinions 20

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com

EDITORIAL

It s ofﬁcial: you re on strike Whether you will actually get out and protest is a whole other matter This Thursday, Nov. 10, over 100,000 students will be on strike, pushing for an end to tuition increases. Of course, what’s important to remember when reading the headlines in the mainstream press announcing this massive strike is that there won’t necessarily be 100,000 students taking to the streets. The student associations that have voted for this strike simply represent that number of constituents. But what is more important to remember is that 100,000 students doesn’t have to be some lofty, unreachable number. Imagine that many students marching through the streets of downtown Montreal, calling for an end to high tuition increases, more transparency in universi-

ties’ governance structure, and ultimately more respect for students and the struggles they face as they attempt to complete their degrees. If 100,000 people took to the streets, the Charest government would have no choice but to listen. There is nothing more deafening to the ears than 100,000 voices shouting for change. Certainly, to date, countless demonstrations have taken place to bring the Quebec government’s attention back to what really matters for students: affordable tuition that will not serve as a barrier to their education and ultimately their successful futures. Red balloons have been released in the air, a protest has

been held in front of Education Minister Line Beauchamp’s Montreal office, and a casket has been left at the doorstep of Jean Charest’s Westmount home—all in an effort to open up a much needed dialogue between the students and an incredibly stubborn government. But so far, no concrete message has been sent from Quebec City that it will change its mind with regards to increasing tuition by $325 a year between 2012 and 2017. In fact, no message has been communicated period. The silence of Charest’s Liberals can only mean one thing: we’re not interested in changing our minds, so deal with it. But if 100,000 students could march through Montreal and in other Quebec cities on Nov. 10, it could very well serve as the wakeup call the provincial government so desperately needs. For the premier and his gang of

penny pinching ministers, it is likely quite easy to turn a blind eye to a handful of protesters outside Beauchamp’s Montreal office. But turn a blind eye to 100,000 people? Let’s see them try that. But to really test the provincial government’s patience and bring it back to the bargaining table, it’s going to take you. And your friends. And your classmates. Basically everyone. They are all needed in this fight to preserve Quebec’s reputation as the province with the lowest tuition rate in the country, and to continue to foster the idea that education is not a (expensive) privilege, but rather a right. The Quebec government has been calling the shots for far too long now when it comes to students’ financial well-being. This Nov. 10 is the perfect opportunity to show the government who they’re actually dealing with.

ETHICS

Chadha gambling with Concordia’s reputation ‘Sustainable’ Board of Governors member lobbies for asbestos Radu Diaconu Contributor Mesothelioma is a vicious cancer, evolves slowly and inevitably leads to death. Once it sets in the lungs and the abdominal cavity, it can then spread to the bones, the heart and the brain. It is a slow killer by definition (slower than lung cancer) but as lethal and more painful - each breath taken depletes the lungs, eating away every fibre - requiring heavy doses of hydro-morphine to suppress the pain. “The only substance found to cause this type of cancer is asbestos,” said Dr. Fernand Turcotte, oncologist and professor emeritus at the department of social and preventive medicine at Université Laval in Quebec City. “Only a small exposure to asbestos is required to propagate the disease,” he explained. “It kills by ‘wasting’ the energy of the patient, resulting in a loss of weight, an inability to perform basic functions and in the final stage, the pain becomes unbearable”. According to the World Health Organization, asbestos kills over 100,000 people each year worldwide. They found that no amount is safe to handle. The Health and Safety Executive - an independent watchdog on safety and illness in the U.K. - came to the same conclusion: “For practical purposes HSE does not assume that such a threshold exists.” Baljit Singh Chadha sits on Concordia’s Board of Governors as an external member, but he is also the president of a company called Balcorp Limited, which has been the exclusive agent of Jeffrey Mines - which owned the asbestos mine until it went bankrupt in 2010 - for 15 years and raked in enormous profits ($100 million) from the sale of asbestos primarily to India. Chadha has recently been at the forefront of a consortium of banks and private investors who wish to buy the mine back - with a little extra from Quebec taxpayers: a $58 million loan guar-

antee from the government in exchange for $25 million from the consortium, as a down-payment. The mine is expected to generate around $100 million per year and create 300 jobs - 300 workers who have every chance of being exposed to chrysotile asbestos, developing mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases and dying. From 2007 to 2011, the company has made more than 45 shipments to India of raw asbestos: approximately 20,000 kg per shipment. Kathleen Ruff is a former director of British Columbia’s Human Rights Commission and a leading advocate in the fight against asbestos. In 2008 she published a report called Exporting Harm where she details the fallacy of the Canadian government’s use of asbestos. “It’s a scam that the Quebec government and Chadha are practicing,” she said. “If evidence is put before you and you refuse to deal with it, then you are giving people false information.” Heidi Von Palleske is someone who knows the ravages of asbestos first-hand. She lost her father, mother and aunt from exposure to asbestos. Recently, her sister was diagnosed with scaring and calcified plaques on her lungs - again, related to asbestos. “Mesothelioma is a question of months,” said Von Palleske. “My dad lost so much weight so quickly, he was starting to rot from the inside.”

The most shocking aspect of this story is that Von Palleske’s father was not a miner. He was simply transporting bags of asbestos. Chadha refused to comment for this article, but his spokesperson, John Aylen, decried the “lot of misinformation” about the issue. “There is no scientific evidence to support that exposure of less than one fibre per cubic centimetre or less, has any health implications,” he said. When asked about the proponents who would like to ban the use of asbestos, he replied: “They base their claims on past use, past safety standards and past products that bear little or no resemblance to today’s handling standards and products.” Yet, in 2005, a report by the Institut national de santé publique - a Quebec government agency - came to this conclusion: “The safe use of asbestos is difficult, perhaps impossible, for industries such as construction, renovation and asbestos processing.” The INSPQ advised the Quebec Ministry of Health to oppose the policy of the government to promote increased domestic use of chrysotile asbestos. A lobby group that was created in 1984 and funded entirely by the Canadian and Quebec governments has received more than $50 million from taxpayers in order to promote Quebec’s asbestos industry abroad. When Aylen was asked how the consortium

planned to regulate the sale of asbestos abroad he said: “The consortium will have about 25 clients - the condition of selling to them is that they adhere to the same practices that are in place here, as well as audits and surprise visits.” It has been widely documented that workers in Bangladesh and in India often work with their bare hands, with little or no protection, wearing bandanas to cover their mouths. It’s difficult to believe that safety standards would be the same as in Quebec, where health agencies have advised against using asbestos. Ruff spoke with Chadha at a recent meeting in Ottawa that was aimed to alleviate some of the fears about reopening the mine. According to notes taken by her, this is Chadha’s position on health issues surrounding asbestos: “There is no evidence that chrysotile asbestos causes mesothelioma.” When the question was asked to Aylen, he replied: “There is a link between asbestos and mesothelioma, I’m not sure whether they can claim that it is the only substance that causes it, but it is certainly a prime cause of mesothelioma.” If 24 Sussex Drive, the prime minister’s residence, is important enough to be inspected for asbestos, and if Public Works Canada condemns the use of chrysotile asbestos by contractors, then children in India should not have to suffer the consequences of a country that uses its good standing to promote a deadly substance abroad. “This is completely opposite to what a university stands for,” said Ruff. “It’s a contradiction with his role as a governor on the board of a university.” When Dr. Turcotte was asked how much money the health care system spent on patients affected by asbestos exposure, he replied: “The real costs are those who are suffered by the victims, those that lead to the premature death of a loved one.” Asbestos has already buried too many miners; how many more must suffer the consequences of bad economics and stupid politics? It’s time for Concordia to take a stand and decide if it wants to be seen in the same light as someone who’s been blamed for “exporting death to India.”

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

HEALTH CARE

Welcome to Canada - here’s free health care

Extra incentives should be offered to international students Shereen Ahmed Rafea Contributor

As of next April, Manitoba will start offering international students and their dependents at the high school and postsecondary levels free health care. The new decision is “madness,” according to some groups such as the Canadian Taxpayers Association. Colin Craig, Manitoba director of the CTF, said in an article in the Winnipeg Sun on Oct. 25 that he believes this is a big price to pay just to recruit more international students. “Our province’s debt is going up $50 per second and now international students get free health care?” he said. “If you’re a taxpayer and this madness annoys you, tell your friends about it.” The aim is to encourage more international students to come to the province and eventually settle there permanently. Another motive is to reduce some of the financial burden on international students, who already pay more tuition than their Canadian counterparts. At Concordia, a full-time international student can pay over $7,000 per semester. This amount differs from an outof-province student who pays $2,919.05 and a Quebec resident who pays $1,442.93. These examples apply to students inside the Faculty of Arts and Science. Other faculties differ in tuition prices. The tuition price is also constantly increasing, which has caused debates, objections and protests. It’s not easy being an international student at Concordia. Having moved to Montreal two years ago, I am intrigued by Manitoba’s new decision. Before I moved here, my friends and I would discuss where we would study and why. For some of them, Mon-

treal was out of the question due to the financial obligations. Health care itself costs around $782 per year, not including dental. If free health care were provided in Montreal, international students would be more motivated to study here. Free health care wouldn’t increase their numbers dramatically, but it would be a step in the right direction. Another important aspect to consider is age. If you are investing in free health care for high school and post-secondary students, then most of the students are young. Therefore, the cost the province would pay for their health care is not likely to be substantial. So why not provide this service? Another international student has similar views. “It makes sense for international students to get free health insurance because their tuition is so high,” said Reem Alhosani, a third-year international business student at Concordia. Alhosani pays about $9,000 per semester for tuition. Her education, like mine, is financed by her parents. She believes that people who finance their own education will be more affected by the tuition prices. However, the increases are still notable in both situations. When it comes to tuition prices, students don’t have much of a choice. “We got used to the small increases in the tuition,” said Alhosani. “No one wants their tuition to increase, we don’t want to pay more, but we have to.” International students who work, do internships or settle down in Quebec can be an asset to the country. “Saskatchewan, B.C. and Newfoundland already offer free health care to international students,” Tyler Blashko, vice-president advocate of the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association, told the Winnipeg Sun. So why is Manitoba being dubbed mad? The amount of money the province could generate from families who visit these students, from the tuition these students pay and from the work they would produce, should be

Graphic by Katie Brioux

a good incentive to offer them some extra privileges. Instead of discouraging students from attending Canadian schools by constantly raising tuition, additional incentives should be offered to those who are already paying through the roof. The worse possible situation is to drop out halfway through your degree because you cannot afford it anymore.

CHEATING

Hey teachers, don’t leave them kids alone! Academic offences may be down, but fewer students are getting caught Myles Dolphin Opinions editor “I find ways to cheat all the time,” a classmate recently told me. As a graduate student studying journalism, a field where plagiarism can and will likely destroy your reputation and career, I took the confession pretty seriously. Catherine Bolton, associate dean of student academic services for Concordia’s Faculty of Arts and Science, is conducting a study on academic integrity along with two other colleagues. They presented their preliminary findings at the 2011 International Conference on Academic Integrity last month in Toronto. So far they’ve found that most students “don’t cheat because of their desire to learn, work hard and succeed,” said Bolton. Well, I have some frightening news for her: a lot of students just don’t get caught. She is spot-on about one thing though: Concordia does ensure the highest standards of academic integrity, and punishment for cheating is the academic equivalent of Chinese waterboarding torture from the 14th century. The problem with today’s crop of students is that technology allows them to cheat in ways thought previously impossible, and faculties, professors and universities as a whole are having a hard time keeping up. Firstly, let’s define cheating as any act that specifically goes against the school’s

Graphic by Phil Waheed

academic code of conduct, and your own professor’s outline. Concordia’s own code of conduct, available on their website, was only updated in the summer of 2008. Out of the document’s 14 pages, only two pages are devoted to explaining what academic offences are. Article 16 states that any “unauthorized collaboration between students” is deemed an offence. Remember when 18-year-old Chris Avenir was almost expelled from Ryerson University in Toronto a few years ago because he started a study group on Facebook? I would expect our own code of conduct to be a little more specific about those situations, as to prevent any arbitrariness that may arise. Another form of student collaboration is note-sharing, and notesolution.com allows students from universities across Canada to upload and share class notes with each other. However, nowhere in their terms of use is it spelled out that sharing exam-related material or answers to quizzes is prohibited.

Concordia’s Provost David Graham was interviewed about the website this summer by Maclean’s: “Some (professors) will have rules whereby students can’t collaborate on homework—other professors will promote that kind of co-operative work because they believe it promotes learning.” This remains entirely too vague and leaves the door wide open for students to find news ways to cheat. Donald McCabe, a professor at Rutgers University Business School and an academic integrity czar, has been researching academic cheating, dishonesty and plagiarism for years. A survey of 14,000 undergraduates he conducted over the past four years yielded some unsurprising results: about two-thirds of students admitted to cheating on tests, homework and assignments. In a 2007 issue of The Canadian Journal of Higher Education (Vol. 36, No. 2), a study by Julia Christensen Hughes and Donald McCabe reports “that 53 per cent of nearly 15,000 Canadian undergraduates admitted to

cheating on written work at least once in the 12 months before the survey.” While Bolton may claim that “the vast majority of students earn their degrees without ever being accused of cheating,” it’s because they’re simply the byproduct of a technologically-driven generation that has many tools at their disposal to facilitate cheating. A computer science teacher at NYU made headlines last year for writing a blog post entitled “Why I will never pursue cheating again.” He had accused 20 per cent of his students of cheating and ended up with low student-teacher evaluation scores (even though the students confessed when confronted). The moral of the story is that professors cannot let potential consequences such as those prevent them from reporting cheating offences. The bottom line is that professors and faculties need to do more. Where writing and research is required, more fact-checking needs to be carried out. Although it’s time consuming, finding and exposing a single student guilty of plagiarism would undoubtedly send a stark message to the rest of the class and department for the rest of the semester. I know it did for me, during the second year of my undergraduate degree, when an English professor of mine thoroughly embarrassed a fellow classmate just to make a point. Taking the time to check for cheating on all assignments early in a course shows students that you care about academic value, right from the beginning. Making sure guidelines and boundaries are established from day one will ensure that students cannot claim ignorance down the line if they get caught. It involves more time and dedication initially, but it pays off in the long run.

theconcordian

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

POPULATION

Seven billion people and counting As our species evolves, we can find more ways to curve population growth Bradley Martin Staff writer Seven billion human beings on this planet is certainly a milestone event. There are those who say there are very real and disastrous developments that can happen from this surge, while others say that such growth is completely natural and not a cause for concern. However, it is clear that the truth of the matter cannot be simplified through positive or negative false generalizations. One must take into consideration the negative environmental implications of unchecked population growth. This is well-documented by Dr. Jochen Jaeger of Concordia’s department of geography, planning and environment in an article he co-wrote for the journal Ecological Indicators. Jaeger pointed out some of his collaborated studies in which he outlines the hazards of unchecked urban development. Urban sprawl occurs due to the ever increasing demands of people for cheap housing and open areas. This has led to increasing fragmentation of wildlife areas, which outline the

Graphic by Maya Pankalla

environmental hazards. It is necessary to understand what results from human growth in order to seek to rectify any negative outcomes that may arise. Hans Rosling, a well-known Swedish doctor, professor and statistician, offers a rather interesting solution: population growth can be stabilized if measures against global poverty are taken. Rosling singled out a trend that showed that an increase in child survival rates and quality of life results in family planning and smaller families. It is quite paradoxical to say that in order to check population growth, measures must be taken to improve infant mortality and the

general quality of life. However, the statistical evidence presented by Rosling is quite clear. There still remains an issue of efficiency and the innovation required to achieve it. One must still take into consideration the amount of resources needed to raise the living standards of such a huge number of people while stabilizing output. Matt Ridley, an English journalist and writer, gave a TED talk entitled “When Ideas Have Sex.” He offers a solution to this dilemma. The accumulation of knowledge within the human species has led to exponential innovative capabilities. The rate of innovation has thus accelerated, through such methods

as outsourcing and different groups of people intermingling through trade. Products and services once thought to belong solely to elites continue to become available to the majority of humankind. Ridley notes how the phenomenon of hundreds of servants being involved in their dressing and feeding is not so different than what most of humanity experiences in some form or another on a regular basis. It has taken a lot less resources to raise the quality of life, due to innovation in its numerous forms. This will only grow through the continued intermingling of peoples throughout the world, thus allowing for ways to be found in which the general quality of life will grow and the population will stabilize. This new milestone in the growth of humankind should be given the proper perspective it deserves. There will not be a global disaster in which humankind grows to a point in which it destroys itself and the planet. The trends elaborated upon by Rosling and Ridley reject this scenario. This does not mean we, as a species, must meet this development with complacency towards human suffering and environmental damage. We must use this opportunity to speed up the process of bettering the lives of those less fortunate among us, as well as protect the environment from irreparable damage. By doing so, we will celebrate the seven billion mark instead of turning it into yet another cold statistic.

GUN CONTROL

Harper has long-gun registry in the crosshairs Preventing Quebec from keeping its records will put lives at risk George Menexis Staff writer The Quebec government is requesting to keep its long-gun registry records, just as the Conservative federal government plans on scrapping the entire thing, a controversial move a lot of people are questioning. The registry was put in place in 1995, after the tragic Polytechnique massacre in Montreal in 1989. It costs $2.2 billion and holds the records of more than 7.1 million guns acquired in the past decade in Canada. The Conservative government, however, sees it as useless, saying it singles out rifle-carrying farmers and hunters who follow the rules. The only Canadian provinces that are in favor of abolishing the long gun registry are Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, all Harper strongholds with large rural areas. However, that is the only reason the long-gun registry should be abolished. Maria Peluso, a Concordia political science professor and anti-gun activist, has been involved with the long-gun registry for an extended period of time. She said that if the Harper government removed the registry, something that has been scientifically proven to save lives, it would put Canadian lives in danger, under section 7 of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “Everyone is entitled to their security and their lives, and the government is deliberately putting our lives in danger right now. Where is the security for our life?” said Peluso. Harper also argued that registering all guns is useless because people need to get a license to own guns in Canada anyway. He failed, however, to realize that registration and licensing aren’t the same thing. Once you have a gun

licensed, it does not have to be renewed again, whereas registration gives you many advantages, such as having “registered” gun users in a database, complete with names and addresses. “The government has no revenue whatsoever with gun licensing,” said Peluso. “It’s terrible that there are so many more licenses than registrations.” The data acquired since 1995 is overwhelming. On average, every single police station in Canada uses the registry about 14,385 times a day. Denis Côté, head of the Fédération des policiers et policières municipaux du Québec, recently told The Gazette that a big majority of average daily searches of the federal registry are conducted by Quebec. Crime associated with long-gun use has also gone down significantly (65 per cent), according to Peluso, since the insertion of the long-gun registry. These numbers cannot be ignored, but Harper’s majority is blinding him. Quebec and Ontario are, so far, the only provinces to request to keep their long-gun registry data. The data would in fact be very useful to police stations and government officials in both provinces. The Conservatives haven’t yet made the decision of whether or not they will give this information to Quebec. Quebec is also emotionally involved in the gun registry. Three of the most tragic incidents involving shootings in Canada happened here: the Polytechnique massacre (1989), the Concordia shootings (1992) and the Dawson College shooting (2006). An enormous database with everyone who possesses guns would therefore be of critical importance to the provincial government. Quebec and Ontario also hold the most registered users in the system, and have almost half of Canada’s entire population. To scrap it would be a huge loss, especially for these provincial governments. Joe Couto, a spokesperson for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, recently told

Graphic by Phil Waheed

The Gazette that it would make sense to link potential provincial gun registries because police officers in both Ontario and Quebec already share a lot of gun-related information. “If Quebec moved that way Ontario would most likely consider it,” he said. Let’s agree, however, that this is not a perfect world. Keeping the long-gun registry here in Quebec doesn’t mean that everyone in possession of a long-gun would be in our database, many being able to slip under the radar with guns acquired from the growing black market. However, it would allow us to keep an eye on

most citizens in possession of such dangerous firearms. To have to start from scratch here in Quebec would most certainly not happen because of the enormous costs associated with it. So we must ask ourselves a critical question: why is Stephen Harper hesitating to give Quebec its own records? The “innocent farmers and hunters with rifles” don’t really apply here, because most of our population lives in cities. Is it really so that farmers and hunters are put at ease? There are bigger issues at stake here, such as the safety of our citizens from dangerous firearms.

The Etcetera Page

Across 1- Winglike parts; 5- Actual; 9- Exile isle; 13- Pelvic bones; 15- As a result; 16- Bottom of the barrel; 17- _ nous; 18- Carson’s predecessor; 19- Hard to hold; 20- Summer drink; 21- Civil disturbance; 23Pamper; 25- Cushions; 26- Birthplace of St. Francis; 27- Plant-eating aquatic mammal; 30- Howe’er; 31- Long for; 32- Esemplastic; 37Apex, pinnacle; 38- Camera setting; 40- Zeno’s home; 41- Antidote; 43- Dens; 44- Hit sign; 45- Ancient Egyptian king; 47- Yellowish color; 50- Belonging to us; 51- Surroundings; 52- Capital of the Ukraine; 53- Cad or heel; 56- Getting _ years; 57- Masked critter; 59- From the beginning: Lat.; 61- Prison; 62- Romance novelist Victoria; 63- Alleviates; 64- Compassionate; 65- Epic narrative poem; 66- Hang around; Down 1- Between ports; 2- Ground; 3Entr’ _ ; 4- Be human; 5- Sleep; 6- Part of Q.E.D.; 7- Turkish title; 8- “Your _ “; said to a British judge; 9- Nicholas Gage book; 10- City in West Yorkshire; 11- Attorney Melvin; 12- _ sow, so shall...; 14- Add fizz; 22- Chemical ending; 24- Beginning; 25- Street machine; 26- _ extra cost; 27- Future doc’s exam; 28- Flatfoot’s lack; 29- Appoint; 32“Respect for Acting” author Hagen;

Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011 Vol. 29 issue 11 JACQUES GALLANT

Editor-in-Chief editor@theconcordian.com

KAMILA HINKSON

Managing editor managing@theconcordian.com

CHRIS HANNA

Production manager production@theconcordian.com

JACQUELINE DI BARTOLOMEO News editor

ALYSSA TREMBLAY

Assistant news editor news@theconcordian.com

PAULA RIVAS

Life editor life@theconcordian.com

SOFIA GAY

Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com

ALLIE MASON

Music editor music@theconcordian.com

JULIAN MEI

Sports editor sports@theconcordian.com

Puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com. Used with permission.

33- A long time; 34- Bones found in the hip; 35- Emperor of Rome 54-68; 36- Deep cut; 38- Fierce; 39- Flat-bottomed boat; 42- Archipelago part; 43- Immature insects; 45- Indicates a direction; 46- Color;

47- Biblical mount; 48- Set straight; 49- Covered on the inside; 51- Deride; 52- Serbian folk dance; 53Damage, so to speak; 54- Eye layer; 55- Cheerful; 58- Alley _ ; 60- _ -relief

MYLES DOLPHIN

Opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com

EPHRAM SCHOFELD

Webmaster webmaster@theconcordian.com

NAVNEET PALL

Photo editor photo@theconcordian.com

KATIE BRIOUX

Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian.com

SARAH DESHAIES

Chief Copy editor copy@theconcordian.com

MARISSA MILLER HEATHER RIMINGTON ELIZABETH TOMARAS Copy editors

SOPHIA LOFFREDA KERRY MACKINNON

Production assistant

EDITORIAL OFFICE

7141 Sherbrooke St. W. - CC.431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6

Movember. Men in fourteen countries are refusing to shave their upper lip this month in support of the fight against prostate cancer. Whether you decide to sport a Fu Manchu, a Dali, a Mexican, a Tom Selleck or a straight up pedophile, we salute your involvement and hope you raise some serious dough for this important cause.

514.848.2424 x7499 (Editor-in-Chief) 514.848.2424 x7458 (Newsroom) 514.848.2424 x7404 (Production)

MÉLISSA KATE GAGNON

Business manager business@theconcordian.com

MARSHALL JOHNSTON

Advertising manager advertising@theconcordian.com

@tsnotoole: Movember question: if you see

another Mobro, is there a standard greeting, like Harley riders have? A rub of the stache possibly? #motsn Movember counterpart, you ready for this?? VaJanuary. Boom. Have fun @SpeakEZComedy: Movember is great

because it raises awareness of men’s health issues. But, it also camoflauges pedophiles. @kris_burge: #tashtag I’ve decided to go

for the Mo-stash/lip warmer combo. but it makes me look like a 1950’s detective #movember @2B_king: It’s so good to see that, despite

all his country’s financial troubles, George Papandreou is fully embracing the whole #Movember thing.

@ joshcuﬂeyuk: Just saw a guy with

a huge red Mohican, think he may have misunderstood #Movember

Solution issue 10 (Nov. 1)

@RomerT89: Ladies, I have your perfect

Comic by Phil Waheed

BRENNAN NEILL EMILY WHITE CINDY LOPEZ RUBEN BASTIEN

Board of Directors directors@theconcordian.com

BUSINESS AND ADVERTISING

1455 de Maisonneuve W. - H.733-4 Montreal, QC H3G 1M8 514.848.2424 x7420 (Office) 514.848.7427 (Fax)

STAFF WRITERS AND CONTRIBUTORS Joel Ashak, Alyssa De Rosa, Kalina Laframboise, Luciana Gravotta, Cameron Ahmad, Felicia “Phil” Di Palma, Natacha Medeiros, Renée Morrison, Brandon Judd, Giselle MacDonald, Rebecca Ugolini, Marilla Steuter-Martin, Paul Traunero, Audrey Folliot, Andrew Guilbert, Sarah Teixeira St-Cyr, Patrick Case, Mat Barrot, George Menexis, Radu Diaconu, Bradley Martin, Shereen Ahmed Rafea, Camille Nerant, Anthony Isabella, Sean Kershaw, Valerie Brunet, Phil Waheed, Maya Pankalla

theconcordian

Concordia s weekly, independent student newspaper.

+MUSIC - Coup de Coeur Francophone Festival de musique et de chanson francophone - on until Nov. 13 +MUSIC - The Hoof and the Heel + Caroline Keating - Casa Del Popolo - 20h30 +MUSIC - Wooden Shjips + Birds of Avalon + The High Dials La Sala Rossa - 20h30 +MUSIC - Mat Kearney - Petiti Campus - 19h30 +MUSIC - The Arboreal Quartet - Les pas sages - 20h00 +THEATRE - The Play’s the Thing - Segal Centre - 20h00 +THEATRE - God of Carnage - Centaur Theatre - 20h00 +MUSIC - Pigeon Phat + Mozarts Sister + The Hidden Words Casa Del Popolo - 20h30 +MUSIC - Deweare - La Sala Rossa - 17h +MUSIC - Plaid - Société des arts technologiques (SAT) - 21h30 +MUSIC - Yael Naim Trio - l’Astral - 20h00 +BOOK LAUNCH - i love your boobs - Concordia Community Solidarity Co-op Bookstore - 19h00 +THEATRE - The Play’s the Thing - Segal Centre - 20h00 +THEATRE - God of Carnage - Centaur Theatre - 20h00 +MUSIC - CJLO 1690AM’s Born on the AM - Burritoville - 20h00 +MUSIC - Adam & The Amethysts + Elfin Saddle - La Sala Rossa - 20h30 +MUSIC - Scratch Acid + USA Out of Vietnam - Il Motore - 20h30 +MUSIC - Des Astres + Francbâtards - Piranha Bar - 20h00 +THEATRE - The Play’s the Thing - Segal Centre - 20h00 +BOOK LAUNCH - You Are a Cat! - Drawn & Quarterly - 19h00 +STINGERS- Women’s basketball- Concordia @ McGill - McGill Campus - 18h00 +STINGERS- Men’s basketball- Concordia @ McGill - McGill Campus - 20h00 +MUSIC - Dance Laury Dance + Inire + HELLbros! - Foufounes Électriques 20h00 +MUSIC - .cut + Gibet + Cloudscapes + ReI Rea - Le Cagibi - 20h30 +MUSIC - WU LYF + Crystal Antlers - Il Motore - 20h30 +THEATRE - The Play’s the Thing - Segal Centre - 20h00 +THEATRE - God of Carnage - Centaur Theatre - 20h00 +CINEMA POLITICA - Wiebo’s War - H-110 - 19h00 +MUSIC - CJLO Remote broadcast from the People’s Potato - 12h00 +STINGERS- Women’s hockey- Concordia vs. Ottawa - Ed Meagher Arena - 19h30 +MUSIC - Fu Manchu + Honky + The Shrine - Foufounes Électriques 20h00 +MUSIC - Ludovico Einaudi - Oscar Peterson Concert Hall - 19h30 +MUSIC - Mother Mother - Le Cabaret du Mile End - 20h00 +THEATRE - The Play’s the Thing - Segal Centre - 20h30 +THEATRE - God of Carnage - Centaur Theatre - 14h00 and 20h00 +MUSIC - Joe Lally + Alden Penner - Casa Del Popolo 20h30 +THEATRE - The Play’s the Thing - Segal Centre - 19h00 +THEATRE - God of Carnage - Centaur Theatre - 14h00 and 20h00 +STINGERS- Women’s hockey- Concordia vs. Montreal - Ed Meagher Arena - 19h30 +MUSIC - Joseph Edgar - L’Esco +MUSIC - The Age Of Hell Tour 2011 - Club Soda - 20h30 +MUSIC - AM + Shawn Lee - La Sala Rossa - 20h30 +CINEMA POLITICA - Rouge Parole - H-110 - 19h00