The Concordian

theconcordian Independent student newspaper at Concordia University. Since 1983.

Volume 30 Issue 2

Reggie’s revamped

September 4, 2012

Orientation on the horizon

CSU’s back to school bash pays homage to Montreal’s many festivals Marie-Josée Kelly Contributor

A sneAk peAk of the newly renovAted interior of reggie’s cAmpus bAr. photo by mArillA steuter-mArtin.

CUSACorp hopes fresh look will increase sales Kalina Laframboise News editor

Concordia University’s student pub, Reggie’s, is revamped and ready for the grand opening on Thursday, Sept.

6 in an effort to attract more clientele.

Renovations were made during the month of August in order to spruce up the popular university bar. CUSACorp, the Concordia Student Union’s for-profit subsidiary that manages Reggie’s, approved a total of $12,000 for the renovation budget.

Ramy Khoriaty, Reggie’s business manager, said repairs include fresh paint, black lights and booths in an effort to modernize the bar.

“We painted all the walls, we took out tables,” said Khoriaty.

As most of the overhaul was completed by Khoriaty and volunteers, including CSU’s VP finance Keny Toto, CUSACorp spent a total of only $6,500 to refurbish Reggie’s.

However, renovations are not the only changes in store for the bar.

CUSACorp experienced trouble generating enough profits to break even

with Reggie’s 2011-12 losses which accumulated to more than $40,000. According to Toto, it was the worst year for Reggie’s since 2008.

“We’re not only changing the appearance - some of the staff are being changed, the managers are changed,” explained Khoriaty.

Khoriaty told The Concordian that the Board of Directors decided to hire new bartenders and managers for the upcoming school year since there were issues with the staff in the past.

Tory Forsyth, who worked at Reggie’s for more than three years as a bartender, said that she was not informed of the reasons behind CUSACorp’s decision to not renew her contract.

“Every year, the board is allowed to hire or not hire whomever they want,” said Forsyth. “I was let go about a week ago.”

Khoriaty is aiming to improve the bar’s morale by building up a faithful clientele and a responsible management even if it means a raise in prices.

“There will be an analysis on pric-

es. We’ll take into account the price of bartenders, busboys and what we sell every night,” explained Khoriaty.

“If we don’t make enough, prices will have to go up.”

As for new patrons, Reggie’s hopes to attract those who do not study exclusively in the Hall building.

“We want our bar to be nice,” added Khoriaty. “Maybe now John Molson [School of Business] students will come here.”

Sean Thomson, a JMSB undergraduate student, says he agrees with this strategy.

“I think that if Reggie’s is redone, it would probably attract people,” Thomson said. “I would definitely be interested in taking a look at what they’ve done.”

Renovations to the bathrooms are to be completed before Thursday but are not done yet, according to Toto.

“It would probably cost between $2,000 to $3,000 total for bathrooms and the back area,” he said.

Reggie’s opening night is part of the CSU’s orientation to welcome new and returning students.

As classes begin on Wednesday, Sept. 4. so does the Concordia Student Union’s orientation aimed at familiarizing new students with their surroundings while welcoming back returning students.

This year’s theme is titled “City of Festivals” and will span from Sept. 4 until the 16th. The idea is to create an homage to Montreal’s wide array of festivals that make the city so unique.

The CSU will host numerous festival-related events and activities during the two weeks building up to the much anticipated concert to be held at the Loyola quad on Friday, Sept.14.

VP student life Alexis Suzuki would not disclose information on headliners but said the “concert for accessible education” will be welcoming awardwinning DJs as well as two-time Canadian beatbox champion KRNFX. “He’s an amazing beatboxer, I’m really excited to have him,” Suzuki said. “We’re really trying to make it so there’s a bit of everything.”

The new and improved Reggie’s will have its grand opening on Sept. 6, where the CSU will host their own Bal

en Blanc from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

A sustainable food market will take over Reggie’s terrace from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept 5. VP sustainability Andrew Roberts will co-ordinate the event, showcasing a number of vendors, local farmers, workshops and live art.

A beer festival is slated for Friday, Sept. 7 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Reggie’s as a tribute to the Festival Mondiale de la Bière Montreal that takes place during the summer. Following the beer festival is a comedy show in the Hall building.

The comedy show mirrors the Just For Laughs Festival and its galas while aiming to raise money for students in financial need. The show will feature a comedy improv group and headlines stand-up comedian Amy Schumer.

At the comedy show, the CSU will donate one dollar for every student present to bursaries to help offset the costs of the tuition increase.

VP academic and advocacy Lucia Gallardo said that the concert will ask students for donations which will go toward the bursaries as well.

With files from Kalina Laframboise

erA vintAge weAr is montreAl’s stylish & chic one stop vintAge shop p. 6

In this issue...

Life

Arts

Deville Dinerbar Fall in love with La boasts charm P. 5 Traviata P. 7

Music

News

Sports

Backstage pass to Football & rugby Dawson city P. 10 previews P. 12

We tell your stories. Follow us on twitter @TheConcordian

>> QC politics’ newest man P. 2

theconcordian.com

news

2

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Got a news tip? news@theconcordian.com

City in brief Léo Bureau-Blouin on joining Quebec politics Q&A

Kalina Laframboise

>>Laval woman will face charge of attempted murder A 36-year-old woman who jumped off an overpass into oncoming traffic with her child in her arms will be charged with attempted murder. During the evening on Thursday, Aug. 30, the woman jumped from the Highway 20 overpass on Fenelon Boul. in Dorval with her three-year-old daughter.

She did not land in oncoming traffic but suffered fractures to her legs and lower body. The child was unharmed.

The woman was supposed to appear at the Montreal Courthouse on Friday but was still in hospital.

>>Labour day luck Three suspects fled the scene of a taxi shooting Monday morning in Pointe-Aux-Trembles. Several shots were fired at the taxi when it was sitting at an intersection on Notre-Dame St. According to Montreal Police, the window of the taxi was shattered but no one was hurt and the three suspects were in a black car which took off eastbound after shots were fired.

Police believe the passenger of the taxi had an argument with one of the three suspects.

>>You can make friends with salad McGill University students won yet another award, and this time for a giant fruit salad. On Tuesday, Aug. 28, McGill broke the Guinness World Record for the largest fruit salad of all time. It was done as part of orientation week to promote a healthy lifestyle. The fruit salad weighed in at 5,038 kilograms and most of the fruit was produced at Macdonald Campus Farm. The salad was the size of a small swimming pool and officially beat Fresno State University by at least 700 pounds. Following the weigh-in, the students sent the food to different shelters in Montreal.

>>A kiss with a fist is better than none On Labour Day, Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois and Premier Jean Charest were pranked on air in an impromptu interview. Radio station WKND 91,9 FM had Charest join Marois on air before being forced to answer questions about what they like about one another.

Compliments were flying the day before the provincial election Sept. 4.

An interview with the ex-student leader turned political candidate for PQ

Erin Hudson CUP Quebec Bureau Chief MONTREAL (CUP) – At 20-yearsand-seven-months-old, Léo BureauBlouin is the youngest candidate running in this campaign to become a member of Quebec’s National Assembly.

Bureau-Blouin became a wellknown face in Quebec over the course of his term as president of one of the province’s largest student organizations, the Fédération étudianté collégiale du Québec. After completing two presidential terms on June 1, he joined the ranks of sovereigntist provincial party, the Parti Québécois.

The FECQ is one of four student unions officially representing students throughout the now seven-month long general strike against the Liberal government’s scheduled increase of tuition fees. During his two-year run as president, Bureau-Blouin represented the interests of CÉGEP students in negotiations with government officials.

Bureau-Blouin says he was approached by the PQ in late June and decided to take the party up on their proposition to assist and support him in running as a PQ candidate in the riding Laval-des-Rapides, just north off the Island of Montreal.

He was reached by phone mere days before the election. The interview was conducted primarily in French.

CUP: There’s a stereotype that executives from the student federations often use their roles as student representatives as a launch pad for their political careers. How do you respond to this considering that you are a former FECQ executive who has now joined a major political party?

Bureau-Blouin: First of all, if all I had wanted from the start were to create a place in politics for myself, I would have achieved something completely different because it’s a lot of work and a lot of energy. That is to say it is extremely difficult [for others] to interpret someone’s intent for creating a career — [it could be] because they are passionate. We need to encourage youth to be involved in politics.

People who talk of these stereotypes present it as if politics are a bad thing but in many ways [political processes] are very positive.

Concerning the number of youth in

politics, 10 per cent of the electorate is youth but zero per cent are present in the National Assembly. So it’s time to take part and, as for me, I wish that more young people would run in the next elections because if we want to youth to get involved in politics, it takes young candidates.

CUP: So you have not attended university — do you feel you would make a statement of sorts if you were to become a member of the National Assembly without a university degree?

BB: Regardless, I wish to finish my studies — it’s absolutely necessary to obtain my degree however already in the National Assembly there are several elected members who do not have degrees. It’s not a novelty because in this society, it’s only 20 per cent of the population who obtained university degrees — so it’s normal in governments to have representatives without degrees. But, me, I see myself getting a degree in the long-term, just not right away.

CUP: As the former president of FECQ, you were a representative for CÉGEP students. Do you feel students support you now as an electoral candidate?

BB: Yes, but students, like society, are not one unit — there are people who feel differently, there are all kinds of people who are students — but, I think, yes. I think that the majority of students are happy with what I’m doing. The objective is to demonstrate that we can continue to build in different ways.

CUP: The PQ stance on tuition in the media has been to increase fees on par with inflation — do you think students will be content with this?

BB: What we said was that we will abolish the increase of tuition fees, we will abolish the Charest government’s special law [Law 12], and we spoke of holding financial and business consultations with universities. One of the propositions that were put on the table was to have tuition fees increase at the same rate as the cost of living.

For me, I defend the students’ cause, that is to say that tuition fees should not increase. But I am pragmatic and the objective is to engage with aim to

finding a consensus in this discussion and I think what the students really want is not to have a drastic [tuition] increase like with the Liberals.

CUP: You and PQ leader Pauline Marois called for students to halt any strike actions because, according to your statements at the time, the student conflict plays into the Liberal Party’s strategy. Why did you feel this way and, considering the actions that occurred earlier this week at the Université de Montréal, do you feel the same now?

BB: First of all, the call we made was to end the strike for the duration of the election campaign because the Charest government profited from the student conflict to mask its track record for the last nine years. And the call worked as CÉGEP students decided to go back to class together with universities, with the exception of two faculties at the Université du Québec à Montréal and several modules at U de M — so we’re talking less than 2,000 students.

So why did we do it? Because the Charest government’s strategy is so simple: talk about the student conflict and avoid talking about corruption and collusion, avoid bad reports and shale gas, and the least successful events during their governance. And I think it’s important to not let those issues drop.

CUP: And finally concerning statements by Marois that some characterize as racist and xenophobic —notably the institution of French test for candidates running for public office — what is your view on these statements?

BB: There is already a test for immi-

grants to Quebec so there’s nothing revolutionary there. It’s already there; it’s just not a standardized test. We are just asking people to have command of French because for Canadian immigrants, you must have a good knowledge of French or English. In Great Britain, you cannot work in the country if you do not have a good knowledge of English — that’s how it works in most countries all over the world.

How can you integrate someone into society if you cannot communicate with that person?

CUP: Do you see an irony between the two positions you are seen to represent; being against tuition hikes but for a French test that targets certain communities?

BB: I think it’s two separate things; tuition fee hikes because we think education should be affordable for everyone but, on the other side — [and] it’s two separate things — we think that we need to have a common language to be able to talk together. In Ontario and the rest of Canada, people speak English and understand themselves in one language. If the government can’t say something to the people, we have a big problem.

Right now, there’s a problem that is that more and more people don’t speak French at home in Quebec and for us it’s a huge concern.

For the moment there is already a French test to become a citizen of Quebec, but there is no real verification, there’s no real standardized test.

I think it’s a matter of giving the immigrants all the chances they need to be integrated into the society and to emancipate themselves. If we were giving people more tools to learn French, I think it would be easier for them to become part of the society.

Open house: Wednesday Sept. 12 at 4p.m.

The Concordian invites you to come meet our editorial team and learn how to get involved! Our offices are located at the Loyola Campus in CC-431.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian CAMPUS

ConU under construction The university shuttle bus that runs between the two campuses will stop at the corner of Mackay and Ste-Catherine until construction is completed.

Regarding the inside of the Hall building, renovations on the escalators which began last semester are still ongoing.

Although the escalators from the mezzanine to fifth floor are functional, new escalators need to be installed from the fifth to seventh floors. The new escalators are slated for completion sometime in December. Escalators between the seventh and 12th floors are also operational.

City project and university renovations to cause disruptions Kalina Laframboise News editor A sea of yellow caution tape and electrical wiring is what Concordia University students will see on their first official day of classes on Wednesday, Sept. 5.

The Henry F. Hall building is undergoing renovations inside and massive construction outside. All through the summer months, ongoing roadwork on De Maisonneuve Blvd. has blocked the main entrance to the building.

According to University spokesperson Chris Mota, the main entrance is expected to reopen on Thursday, Sept. 6 but this will only be accessible through a fenced-off section from Mackay St. The city of Montreal is revamping De Maisonneuve Blvd. between Bishop St. and St-Mathieu St. by

repaving the road, installing a bike path, adding green space and extending the sidewalk.

Allison Savage, a first-year undergraduate student at Concordia, decided to tour the downtown campus early so she could find her way around come the first day of school.

When she arrived on campus, Savage said she was unsure of where to go because of the renovations inside and outside of the Hall building.

“I was 10 times more confused because of the construction,” she explained. “I found it very inconvenient.”

Savage went on to say that the first week of the semester might be difficult for first years taking classes in the Hall building specifically due to repairs.

“If new students are unfamiliar with how to get around in the first place, they will be confused because

of construction,” said Savage.

On the other hand, the university administration insists it has a plan to ensure that the first week goes smoothly despite the construction. The university expects the repaving between Guy St. and St-Mathieu St. to be done in time for the first day of classes, while the portion between Bishop St. and Mackay St. is expected to be completed in late September.

The university is co-ordinating with the police to help direct traffic and pedestrians from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Dean of Students office plans to have a group of students in yellow shirts acting as greeters outside the Hall building and the J.W. McConnell Library building to guide new and returning students to their classes.

The dysfunctional escalators are a continual source of disruption and frustration for many students, including Caelie Smith, an urban planning student who has courses in the upper floors of the Hall building.

“I usually have classes on the renovated floors,” said Smith. “But the rest of the building is a disaster.”

Since 1998, the Hall building has undergone several changes to modernize the deteriorating structure. According to Martine Lehoux, the university’s director of facilities planning and development, floors can only be refurbished when they are not in use.

In 2003, science departments were moved to the Richard J. Renaud Science Pavillion on the Loyola campus and the eighth, 11th and 12th floors were redone. In 2005, the western section of the seventh floor was renovated following the move of the department of applied human sciences to Loyola.

The university has plans to renovate the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh floors of the Hall building from 2014 to 2015 depending upon funding approval.

ProTEST

Students arrested at UQAM and U de M Law 12 applied for the first time by Montreal Police Kalina Laframboise News editor The first week of classes at universities which suspended their winter semesters due to the student strike movement saw clashes between protesters in opposition of the tuition fee increase and Law 12 with administration, security, and Montreal Police.

Hundreds of classes were cancelled at both Université de Montréal and Université du Québec à Montréal as students blocked access to classes in both French-language universities.

Under Law 12, the emergency legislation passed by the Charest Liberals in May aimed to curb protests and allow students to attend class, the winter semester was cancelled at postsecondary institutions paralyzed by the student movement.

The protests at the universities last week forced classes to be cancelled

as students physically blocked access to classrooms where confrontations between demonstrators and security, staff and students wishing to attend class ensued.

On the first day of classes at UQAM, a group of masked students roamed the hallways with lists of departments that voted in favour of the student strike in order to empty the classes where the strike was not respected. The students managed to disrupt many courses resulting in professors ending the class early.

At U de M, Montreal Police detained 19 individuals on Monday, Aug. 27 for allegedly violating provisions of the back-to-school legislation Administration of the university asked Montreal Police to intervene after dozens staged protests within the school where a standoff between students and security occurred.

“These people have been released with no conditions,” police Commander Ian Lafreniere told the press last week. “They received a paper mentioning they are under investigation with Law 12.”

This is the first time Law 12, or Bill 78, has been applied in Montreal.

On Aug. 10, the Montreal Police announced that enforcement of the emergency legislation would only be applied if universities request it. By Tuesday, Aug. 28, more than 30 arrests had been made with regards to Law 12 or general violations of the criminal code.

At UQAM, administration decided to handle the disruptions without the help of the police, in fear of creating more tension at the university. The school’s spokesperson Jenny Desrochers told The Gazette that UQAM did not want to exacerbate the situation by bringing in police officers.

On Wednesday, Aug. 29, U de M decided to cancel classes for the rest of the week for the six faculties that voted to continue their strike. That same day, approximately 100 demonstrators flooded the downtown core.

Marielle Villeneuve, a first-year student at UQAM slated to start school in October, is not worried that protests will stop her from attending her courses.

“I think everyone is annoyed with the student strike,” said Villeneuve. “I don’t think my department will be on strike but I know my courses will be more intense due to time constraints.”

However Villeneuve says she’s awaiting the outcome of the upcoming provincial election to see how the university is affected.

“It’s UQAM, so you don’t really know what’s going to happen,” explained Villeneuve. “I think if Liberals are still in power, there will surely be protests.”

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

3

Nation in brief Kalina Laframboise

>>Calling all animal lovers An SPCA in Saint John, New Brunswick, has received over $10,000 in donations after announcing that they may have to close their doors due to financing. “Animals don’t have a voice of their own, they need somebody to speak for them. That’s what’s really got everybody’s attention,” said Margaret Cornfield, the president of another non-profit group which helped to raise funds. The community really seems to have rallied around the organization with most of the money coming in within the first few days of the news. A member of the Board of Directors for the shelter said recently that they hope to raise $200,000 by Saturday in order to keep the place open.

>>Call me, call me anytime mais seulement en français The Quebec Liberal Party filed a complaint with the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) on Monday, on the eve of the elections, regarding unethical robocalls. The party claims the calls were made in the party’s name to voters in the Quebec City region. The robocalls were allegedly made in English only in the largely francophone region. Allegations of unethical robocalls were also made following the last federal elections. On Monday, a spokeswoman for the SQ could not confirm an official complaint had been filed.

>>Phaneuf gets the girl now if only he could get the cup Canadian actress Elisha Cuthbert, of Girl Next Door and Happy Endings fame, and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf are officially engaged.

Over dinner in at New Glasgow Lobster restaurant in Prince Edward Island, the two announced the news to close family and friends. Once source reported that the glowing bride-to-be was sporting a massive diamond ring at the event. The engagement was kept a secret until that night, where screams and applause could be heard from the private dining room. Only 35 guests were in attendance at the New Glasgow Lobster restaurant. The Canadian couple have been dating since 2008.

>>Torso found in Niagara River The search for more body parts after the discovery of a woman’s torso in the Niagara River ended this Saturday. The Niagara Regional Police claim they have completed their search of the whirlpool to the Niagara Falls. Experts believe the torso had been in the water for four to 10 days before passersby alerted the authorities on Wednesday. Preliminary post-mortem results show the torso belongs to a Caucasian woman between 20 and 40-years-old.

4

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

World in brief May the best candidate win ELECTioN

theconcordian

Cynthia Dupuis

>>What do you mean I can’t have my money back?

The Wall Street Journal reports that eBay will no longer be selling things like potions or magical spells to online customers. Yes, there’s a market for that. Metaphysical items are now banned from the online shopping and auctioning giant. Although it has made up a large portion of their market since 1995, eBay said it’s just too much trouble since shoppers will often purchase spells that fail to work and then complain about it.

>>That’s no spring chicken A Nigerian man was arrested at the airport in Lagos, Nigeria, when the Nigerian police discovered he was smuggling $150,000 worth of cocaine stuffed in roasted chickens. The Nigerian authorities explained that the suspect, Vincent Chegini Chinweuwa, saw the 5.7 pounds of cocaine as an opportunity for retirement and a life of luxury in Nigeria, after struggling to make a living in Brazil. Nigeria is a major transit point for drugs coming from Latin America. The ways to smuggle drugs onto airplanes are endless. Authorities have found drugs hidden inside the fabric of suitcases, sewn into wigs, hidden phone chargers, and even in a stethoscope.

>>Facebook murder solved A 15-year-old Dutch boy was sentenced to one year in jail and ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment in juvenile detention for the “Facebook murder” case in the Netherlands. The teenage boy was found guilty for the stabbing of a 15-year-old girl. The Arnhem District Court said the convicted teenager did not know the victim and that he had murdered her “at the request or instructions of others” on the social networking site Facebook. The Dutch media reported that the victim and two friends argued for weeks on the social networking site. They then allegedly asked the teenage boy to kill the girl. Reports also say he was offered a 1,000 euro ($1,250) payment.

>>Hurricane leaves 250,000 people without electricity One week after Hurricane Isaac hit the U.S. Gulf Coast, the residents of the affected areas are still struggling with severe flooding and hundreds of thousands of people have no electricity. The hurricane caused the death of seven people in the United States - five in New Orleans and two in Mississippi. Thousands fled their homes and are currently staying in shelters or with friends and family. President Barack Obama visited Louisiana and the devastated parishes on Monday, while Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney toured the state last Friday.

Hurricane Isaac hit the coastal city of New Orleans seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the southern state.

cAndidAtes discuss the principle issues At the August 30 electorAl debAte hosted by numerous cAmpus groups. photo by eveline cAron.

Language and tuition dominate JMSB electoral debate Paula rivas Managing editor With only a few days before the provincial election, student associations from Concordia University, McGill University and Dawson College hosted an electoral debate on Thursday Aug. 30.

Candidates running in the Westmount—St-Louis riding from the Liberal Party, the Parti Québécois, Québec Solidaire, the Parti vert du Québec, Coalition Avenir Québec, Option Nationale and the Marxist-Leninist party were invited to speak at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business.

TUITIoN At the start of the debate, some candidates began to criticize the leadership of Pauline Marois of the Parti Québécois due to her shifting position regarding the tuition increase. Liberal candidate Dave

McMahon argued that Marois lacked due conviction for her platform.

“Marois has had 16 different positions in only six months,” said McMahon.

Thierry St-Cyr, of the PQ, maintained that the party’s position has been clear from the start; to cancel the tuition fee increase and to abolish Law 12, also known as Bill 78.

Benoit Guérin from Option Nationale defended the free education approach by stating that higher education for the public leads to better jobs and therefore stimulates the economy.

“Education can fund itself,” Guérin explained.

Contrary to their fellow candidates, Johnny Kairouz for the Coalition Avenir Québec and McMahon both agreed the current rate is not enough and students need to contribute more money. Both said

that they would facilitate access to student loans in order to ease the tuition swell.

LANgUAge Tensions ran high during the second part of the debate when candidates addressed language issues in the province. McMahon asked why Jean-François Lisée, a high profile candidate for the PQ, said publically that he favours a francophone from France over a francophone from China. He followedup by asking if St-Cyr would apply the same attitude to Quebec.

“We give points to everyone, it has nothing to do with xenophobia,” replied St-Cyr. “It is how we measure the level of integration of the person.”

During th language segment of the debate, the PQ’s intent to extend Bill 101 to CÉGEPs was criticized by most candidates with the exception

of Mélissa Desjardins of Québec Solidaire.

“Having a choice [to choose the language of instruction] is an important part of our culture to preserve,” said Lisa Cahn of the Parti vert.

The Option Nationale candidate said he believes that Bill 101 should remain as is and is not in need of revisions or adjustments.

McMahon concluded by emphasizing his party’s belief in “linguistic peace,” saying that the the French language is not in decline.

Many undecided voters attended the debate Thursday in an attempt to have their questions answered. One audience member was Matthew Kabwe, a Concordia student studying communications and human relations.

Kabwe said he came to the debate to decide who to vote for but left unsure, and he is likely not the only one.

ProTEST

Protesters weave through downtown Students take to the streets days before election Kalina Laframboise News editor A contingent of students moved through the streets of downtown Montreal on Friday, Aug. 31 to denounce the tuition increase and support striking students that clashed with university administration earlier in the week.

A group of approximately 100 protesters left Place Émilie-Gamelin around 9 p.m. Students weaved through lanes of vehicles slowing traffic on St-Denis St. to kick off a protest that lasted nearly three hours.

As the group headed west, the Montreal Police followed and directed traffic away from the protest. At around 10 p.m., demonstrators joined a crowd on University St. emerging from the Percival Molson Stadium following a Montreal Alouettes football game.

Eric Pagé, a McGill University un-

dergraduate student who was at the game, said he feels the student protests have run their course.

“I think they have the right to protest but not to goad cops or damage public property,” said Pagé. “I don’t think they should be protesting with an election coming up. The more publicity the protests get, the more it annoys people,” added Pagé. “It affects the odds of voters casting their ballots in favor of the party who will hold their ground about tuition.”

The student movement has slowed down in recent weeks following the announcement of the provincial election coupled with several failed initiatives to continue student strikes in French CÉGEPs. The upcoming election on Sept. 4 will ultimately decide whether the tuition fee increase will stand and if the controversial Law 12 will be abolished.

“For me, the solution to the problem isn’t the elections,” said Anthony Kantara, a Vanier College student at Friday night’s protest. “We could have accomplished a lot more as a move-

protesters mArch to show their solidArity. photo by kAlinA lAfrAmboise ment if we had continued with the strike.”

The protest fizzled out after midnight when protesters and police clashed outside of Concordia on the corner of De Maisonneuve Blvd. and Mackay St. “No major incidents happened that night,” said Montreal Police spokesperson Anie Lemieux. “Three people were arrested. One individual was arrested for intimidation while

two others were arrested for assault.”

Andréanne Proulx, a CÉGEP du Vieux-Montréal student, said she believes the results of the upcoming election will shape post-secondary institutions and guide the student movement.

“It really depends on which party will form the next government and the decisions it will make,” said Proulx.

“But if nothing changes, the protests will continue.”

life

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

5

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com

ReSTo RevieW

Shake it up at Deville Dinerbar

A modern take on the classic American diner Robert De Lisi Contributor

F

or months I was told of this new hip restaurant called Deville Dinerbar. Being the sucker for hype that I am, I finally caved and decided to give the place a try. Let me tell you—I was not disappointed. Although the ’50s have been long dead, Deville Dinerbar captures that retro diner quality seen in Pleasantville and adds a little downtown urban feel to it, just so that we don’t feel too out of place!

Situated on Stanley St. between Ste-Catherine St. and De Maisonneuve blvd., Deville Dinerbar offers an immaculate decor amid a classic American diner setting with a chic twist of bright neon pink and an impressive marble bar area. Simply walking past Deville is enough to spark the interest of any passerby as its LEDlit interior inevitably catches the eye. I had no problem finding the place seeing as it is a veritable beacon amongst the surrounding buildings.

Upon entering and being seated, we were handed our menus by a very pleasant hostess.

A waiter quickly filled our glasses with water and asked us what we would like to drink. We started with a couple of Red Stripe beers while we admired the interior decor. After the waiter announced the specials, we decided on the fried pickles and crispy mac ’n’ cheese stuffed wontons for a starter. We devoured our mouth-watering snacks, perfectly complementing our beers.

When our main dishes arrived, I was delighted to see that their portions were generous to say the least. I ordered the fish and chips on a bun and my girlfriend had their famous cirque burger. Both were reasonably priced below $20

Deville’s cirque burger, complete with a bourbon-poacheD pear in the miDDle, anD a bowl of french fries. photo by writer. and turned out to be just as delightful.

My fish and chips sandwich was fried to golden crispy perfection and was served complete with pickled onions and malt vinegar sauce on the side. I tried some of my girlfriend’s cirque burger, but found it to be a little too sweet because of the bourbon-poached pear. On the whole though—pretty good.

We finished off the evening with their R-rated shakes, a frothy blend of your choice spiked

with booze, which once again brought us back to that ‘50s diner atmosphere.

Although Deville Dinerbar has a cool ambiance and setting, it is much more than that. The place offers gourmet American diner food with a menu that includes hamburgers, ribs, salads, and a vegan burger for your vegetarian friend.

Overall, Deville Dinerbar is a wonderful place to have the diner experience and indulge in a few drinks with friends at their fully stocked bar

which includes a selection of cocktails, beers and shakes. Lastly, take note that the place also has a jukebox app available via the net which allows you to request songs and, therefore, further add character to the place by personalizing the ambiance in your own little way.

“She only knows two dance moves, but she can do them both really well,” etc.). Don’t get too friendly with the guy and make it very clear that you are only there for one purpose. This is where the next step comes into play.

loser, pick out the hottest guy in the crowd, and get your friend some action. But from personal experience, saying, “See that girl over there? She wants to know what those khakis would look like on her bedroom floor AYOOO!” is not appropriate or successful for any party involved.

Deville Dinerbar is located at 1425 Stanley, downtown.To see the menu, consult their website www.devilledinerbar.com

CoLumn

How to be the best wingwoman ever Christine Beaton Columnist I’m sure at some point in every girl’s life there comes a day when she will unknowingly steal a guy from one of her best friends. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, it happens to the best of us.

Unless you’re doing it every week, that is just uncalled for. Some of you may be asking, “Is there anything I can do to make it right, Christine? Or will I walk through life alone, with no friends and no relationships?”

Well, you might—I make no promises. But I can tell you how to make the most epic comeback ever: be the greatest wingwoman your scorned friend has ever seen.

Here are the steps you need to follow: 1) If your friend says she is interested in some-

one, act like he has a flesh-eating disease.

Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, start flirting with him. I feel like I don’t even need to tell you this, but some girls just don’t get it. No matter how cute you think he is, she said it out loud first. This means you have lost your chance at ever marrying this guy.

2) Leave your friend with your girls and go talk to him.

Strike up a casual conversation but squash any ideas he might have about getting into your pants; mention you have a boyfriend, tell him your apartment can hold “about thirty cats”, or say you have to leave at midnight to check on your porcelain doll collection. Make sure to talk up your friend by saying nice things about her (ex. “She has very nice eyelashes,” “Her hair always does that swoopy thing all by itself,”

3) Casually, VERY CASUALLY, invite him over to your table.

You can do this any way you want, but usually try to hint at the fact that your friend is into him. This is the moment when he will look towards your table and hopefully see your bestie laughing at something hilarious and he will realize that she is beautiful and will want to date her. If he decides not to come visit your table, it’s time to move on and move up. Ditch the

4) As soon as they start having their own conversation, leave.

Seriously. Leave.

Follow these four steps and you will be instantly forgiven for being a maneater.

Or not. Sometimes people are best left unforgiven.

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan.

6

theconcordian

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 FiTneSS

My run with Lance Armstrong It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game Andrew Guilbert Contributor Lance Armstrong was in town last week to speak at the World Cancer Congress, when out of the blue, he decided to invite the whole island to join him for a run on Wednesday evening. When I heard of Armstrong’s invitation on Twitter, my first thought as a journalism student was to bring my camera and recorder.

I was very gung ho at the notion considering he’s recently been all over the news. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency had just banned Armstrong from further competition and stripped him of his seven Tour de France titles due to allegations of using performance-enhancing drugs. It was heavy stuff.

It was only as I was leaving for the park that I realized hauling my equipment would keep me from actually running. How often would I get the chance to do my cardio workout with the most famous cyclist in the world?

So I left my gear at home and told myself, ‘don’t worry about the story. Just run.’

The congregation waiting for Armstrong at the foot of the George-Étienne Cartier monument was impressive. By 6 p.m., hundreds

of people in various states of readiness were shuffling about.

Finally, the man of the hour made his way through the throng and hopped on a bench.

He quickly greeted the crowd before taking off up the gravel path, flanked by what seemed like every runner in Montreal.

I followed. It was an odd feeling knowing somewhere in the crowd before me was a world-class athlete setting the pace and I was keeping up. I was going to keep step with this paragon of fitness and live to tell the tale!

Yeah right!

I’d been running a few times a week all summer, so I was by no means unfit. Yet despite my best efforts, after about half-an-hour, I found myself slowing down and had to reason with myself. Don’t worry about keeping up with the world-class athlete. Keep your own pace. Just run.

We were already near the top, and most of the trail was downhill from there. I took my time and tried to appreciate the scenery around me. Everything was beautiful up there, and I don’t just mean the foliage. A run like that attracted a lot of very fit people. My social survival instincts kicked in. I thought to myself, “Whatever you do, try to look as good

as them. Be impressive!”

Again: Yeah right.

I was a mess—a scragglyhaired, red-faced, sweaty mess. I quickly silenced whatever idiotic part of me thought this would be a good opportunity to meet people. Just power through and finish. That was all I had to do.

Just run.

By the time I got to the finish, I had no idea where Armstrong was. There were still news crews doing interviews, but they looked like they were about to leave. I found a soft patch of grass on the hill and just laid there, catching my breath.

Reflecting back, I realized the run wasn’t about prestige or looking good or even getting in shape. Lance Armstrong, Tour de France winner and cancer survivor, with the weight of the world on his shoulders, didn’t need any of that. He just felt like running.

At the very least, I’d like to think I kept pace with him on that.

FAShion

The one stop vintage shop owner of eRA vintage Wear shares her fashion and style advice Stephanie La Leggia Life editor

O

n the corner of Notre Dame W. St. and St-Martin St. is a quaint vintage shop with window mannequins so stylish and chic, you can’t help but be lured in. The high ceiling and bright natural light flatter the colourcoordinated racks of garments hanging from beams. Owner Elaine Léveillé says the system goes beyond colour, it’s about texture, patterns and rhythm.

“I copied it from my closet,” said Léveillé.

“Always by colour, so that when I look for something, it’s there. If I want to do different combinations because trends have changed, then I know where to look and what to put together.”

Léveillé is the sassy and fashionable owner of ERA Vintage Wear, a shop that is as inviting and vibrant as its proprietor. In the midst of the garment racks are pristine white couches and an end table with fashion magazines; a lounge area Léveillé insists on having.

“I meet different kinds of women all the time,” says Léveillé of her clientele of trendy bloggers and quirky older ladies. “That why we have the couches here. There’s a lot of chatting.”

Her welcoming atmosphere and high fashion reputation have travelled beyond Montreal and created intrigue among stylish celebrities such as Michelle Williams, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore and Jean-Paul Gauthier. As flattered as she is, Léveillé has a very modest attitude towards her high-profile clients. Rather than cater solely to the rich and famous and stock her store with labels, Léveillé is concerned with quality and appreciates customers who just “get it.”

a casual lounging area where the owner can relax anD connect with customers at era vintage wear. photo by elaine léveillé “If I wanted my shop to be all about labels, it would be very easy for me to do,” she said. “But I would be so bored you’d find me asleep in the corner of my changing room.”

Aside from her motherly duties, Léveillé’s business and fashion schedule keeps her too busy to even think of napping in her store.

She dry-cleans, disinfects, alters and repairs every piece of garment and accessory she hand-picks from parties-passed. Though the store may be filled with vintage-wear of every decade from the ‘20s to the mid-‘80s (Léveillé hates the cheap fabrication since), she remodels pieces to compliment current trends.

“I’ll take something and make it completely different,” said Léveillé. “When I look at a piece and I know it has potential, I can undo it because it’s sewn well. Sometimes I make something crappy look good, but it’s a question of quality.”

Léveillé has had a keen eye for vintage wear since the age of eight. As a child, Léveillé would join her mother antique furniture shopping. While she waited for her mother to pick out the pieces with restoration potential, Léveillé would venture about and come back with puffy dresses and lace gloves. She quickly learned that if she simply asked for these clothes no one else wanted, they would be hers to keep.

“By the time I was 14, my room was literally a closet,” she said. “I had racks and dressers full of clothes.”

Though Léveillé was not always a shop owner, she always surrounded herself with art and fashion. With a master’s degree from Concordia in painting and drawing, Léveillé spent many years in public relations for Montreal designers like Eve Gravel, Denis Gagnon and Tavan & Mitto.

She soon grew tired of chasing after her money and “hustling and bustling” for others. In November 2004, over a glass of cognac with a friend, Léveillé had an epiphany that led her to ERA. “I remember saying that it would just be so much easier if I had a vintage shop where I would do things and move on, and if people needed me, they knew where to find me,” said Léveillé. “As soon as I voiced it, I knew exactly what I was about to do.”

Since then, Léveillé spent seven years building and beautifying her shop. Her very own installation where she can dress to her mood, be creative, play dress-up, and share her love for fashion and vintage wisdom.

“For me, getting dressed is not about trend, it’s about style,” said Léveillé. “It’s timeless. You could have style and just readapt it, retune it.

arts

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

7

Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com Theatre

Take a chance on La Traviata One of the greatest operas ever written comes to Montreal Marilla Steuter-Martin Editor-in-chief Watching an opera is like being on another planet; like putting a magnifying glass to emotion.

So says Artistic Director for the Montreal Opera, Michel Beaulac. Though he has been with the company for over 20 years, Beaulac is clearly still as passionate about his art as he was two decades ago.

“La Traviata, beyond the story itself, is about love, the discovery of love when you least expect it, the hopes of that love’s fulfillment and the tragic ending.”

Set to open September 15, Montreal will boast four performances of one of the greatest operas ever.

Written in the 1850s by Giuseppe Verdi with libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, the opera was based off the novel La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas. It is set in Paris in the 1700s and follows the story of a beautiful courtesan with a delicate constitution, Violetta, who sacrifices her own happiness for the man she loves. Moulin Rouge, anyone?

Within the first act of the opera, Violetta has been convinced to turn away from a life of prostitution by her newfound lover, Alfredo, a young nobleman. They move to the country together and seem to leave all traces of scandal behind them, until concerns are raised by his family who do not approve of the match.

Before long, Alfredo’s father goes to Violetta and begs her to break off the romance before her ruined reputation can threaten marriage prospects of Alfredo’s young sister. Overcome with grief and guilt, Violetta agrees to the plan. She heads for Paris that very day, leaving a farewell note for Alfredo.

Verdi’s masterpiece, La Traviata, is opening at Place des Arts. on September 15.

When he receives it, he becomes angry and consumed with jealousy, imagining that she has left him for her former lover, the Count.

After that, well, we won’t spoil the ending here.

The greatest challenge of the produc-

tion, according to Beaulac, was the choice of the show itself, as it is one of the most performed and famous operas in the world.

“The challenge is finding the level of artist that will give the company the authority to perform such a show,” he said. This year,

Beaulac said he feels confident that they have found just such talent.

The female lead, Myrtò Papatanasiu, who plays the role of Violetta, is Greek and made her North American debut only a short time ago. Beaulac said she has often been compared to Maria Callas, an American-born Greek singer who is widely considered one of the most renowned voices of the 20th century.

According to Beaulac, it is Papatanasiu’s “stage intensity and presence” that makes her such a “great artist.”

The leading man, Roberto De Biasio is described by Beaulac as “an elegant man, both physically and musically. He is one of the best tenors I’ve heard in all my life.”

Another point worth noting is that the version they have chosen to do is not the traditional one. The opera has been transposed to take place around the same time period as that of the Titanic. Beaulac said that this early 20th century take on the famous story promises to be visually very stately and grandiose.

Beaulac has high hopes for the production, saying that “audiences will have the chance to hear a Traviata which is in line with what Verdi really intended in the first place.”

Though not the stereotypical pastime of the average university or high school student, Beaulac said that whenever the company opens up dress rehearsals to students, “they all go crazy over opera.”

“It is a type of entertainment that young people can really relate to,” he said. “It’s the storytelling, and it has an edge stylistically.”

For Beaulac, it’s just another day at the opera, but for audiences, he has this to say: “One must allow oneself the privilege of seeing an opera at least once. It’s addictive.”

The show runs September 15, 18, 20, and 22. Student tickets can be as low as $25. Purchase them online or in person at 260 Blvd. de Maisonneuve W.

T.V.

It takes two to make a thing go right TLC brings the lives of conjoined twins Abby & Brittany to viewers worldwide Natacha Medeiros Contributor It’s difficult enough being a 22-year-old college student, but Abby and Brittany Hensel, identical, conjoined twins from Minneapolis, Minnesota, make it look easier than it should be. Their self-titled show aired Sept.

28 on TLC, and if you’re turned off by the station’s questionable programming, such as Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, I can assure you, Abby & Brittany is a much more insightful watch.

Having done previous documentaries when they were 11 and 16, Abby and

Brittany are far from camera shy. Their funny, quirky personalities, and everyday life experiences are what the show is all about.

The twins share one body; Brittany controls the left half, while Abby the right, and neither girl can feel the opposite side.

Somehow they manage to be seamlessly in sync, coordinated, and are more than capable of driving, swimming and even typing out emails together without speaking.

Sometimes, they even speak in unison, as if reading each other’s thoughts.

“They are the epitome of teamwork, love, and respect,” their college roommate, Carli Jo, said on the show. But don’t let that

fool you. Although they share one body, they have two completely different personalities. Abby is loud and outspoken while Brittany is more laid back.

Aside from the obvious trait that makes these twins unique, the one thread strung throughout the first episode is just how normal these girls are. They live with roommates at college, attend parties, and argue over what to wear; sound familiar? They worry about what will happen after they graduate and whether or not they’ll get a job. Most important, however is that they never let their condition hold them back.

I can guarantee you’ll watch Abby &

Brittany in awe; their story and the simple way they lead their everyday life is nothing short of amazing. A half-hour episode would never be able to answer all of my questions about these girls, which is why I’ll be hooked for the season. Abby and Brittany are not only interesting, but also inspiring, and it’s unbelievable to see how these young women live. As their roommate Erin rightfully stated in the first episode, “They’re by far the bravest girls I’ve ever met.”

Abby & Brittany airs at 10 p.m. Tuesdays on TLC.

8

theconcordian

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 ExhiBiT

What do you know about art? art exhibition Interactions will help you figure it out amanda L. Shore arts editor

H

ave you ever gone to an art gallery or exhibition and while viewing the art wondered, “What am I supposed to think about this?” Or perhaps you viewed the art, interpreted its meaning and wished to share your thoughts with others. If so, the exhibition Interactions at the Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery is the place you’re meant to be.

Conceptualized with the aim to expose the gap between art and the public, the exhibit combines contemporary art pieces with verbal and written interpretations by people of the public and art domain. The exhibit is set up so that each piece of art is accompanied by a written response to the piece as well as video response from among the thirty people who participated in this project. What this does is allow a gallery visitor to not only experience the contemporary art on display for themselves, but to also experience the art through the interpretations of others. It is an opportunity to hear what others think, some of whom work in the field, and thereby deepen the experience of the piece.

The exhibition at the entrance of the gallery will at first set some to puzzling. Displayed on a flat screen television is a thirtytwo minute video of people watching the film Six Colorful Inside Jobs by John Baldessari. The piece is called You Are the Work,

by Alana Riley and it serves to provoke the question, ‘What are they thinking?’

Watching the video of these people, who in turn are watching a film, we want to know what they think. Do they like it? It is akin to standing next to someone in a gallery as you both observe the same piece of art. You find yourself wondering what that person thinks of the piece, how they might

COLuMN

tor Mélanie Rainville has done the asking for us.

The artwork in this exhibition spans a range of medium from sound and video installations to performance art, photography, painting and graphite. All of the sound and video installations are striking, playing on your visual and auditory senses to transport you into the artwork and to not only view it, but experience it as well.

To Be Continued by Sharif Waked is a video designed to resemble those made by terrorists wherein victims are made to recite a script before being executed. However, instead of propaganda, the victim, played by Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri, begins to read from the story A Thousand and One Nights.

The film is in Arabic with English subtitles and as the Arabic words fill your ears, your eyes scan the English translation as you are drawn into the narrative by Bakri’s piercing blue eyes.

However, it is not so much the recitation that is important, although it is incredibly beautiful to listen to, but rather the parallel between the plight of Scheherazade in A Thousand and One Nights, who staves off execution by telling the king stories and that of Palestinian prisoners reciting their final words.

The three paintings

by Louis-Philippe Côté, Ton rêve d’anarchie, Égérie, and Transpolitique (L’abattoir virtuel comme machine de guerre) are the only painted pieces in

to, but the written response left something to be desired. Dominique Sirois-Rouleau’s interpretation is highly academic and likely to make the average gallery visitor crossed eyed, but it served the purpose of a scholastic interpretation of contemporary art, ensuring that both the casual art observer and the professional were represented.

The written response that was perhaps the most interesting, was the poem Monologues by Denise Desautels, translated into English by Simon Brown, which was written in response to John Massey’s piece Three Eyes. The poem attributes a dialogue to the artwork, taking a different approach to interpreting the piece. The poem was beautifully written and could stand alone, but together with Massey’s work it serves to enhances one’s experience of his artwork.

Interactions can be viewed at the Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery, located on the first floor of Concordia’s LB building at 1400 Blvd. De Maisonneuve.

Left painting: Louis-Philippe Cote, Transpolitique.jpg: Louis-Philippe Côté, Transpolitique (L’abattoir virtuel comme machine de guerre), 2009. Oil on linen. Photo: Louis-Philippe Côté.

Courtesy of the artist.

the exhibit. Visually stunning and thought provoking, these three pieces immediately grab the eye upon entering. The video responses to this piece are interesting to listen

Right painting: Jane Sterbak, Artist as combustible.jpg: Jana Sterbak, Artist as Combustible, 1986. Colour photograph. Collection of the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Concordia University. Purchase – Special Purchase Assistance Grant, Canada Council for the Arts, 2002. Photo: Richard Max Tremblay. Courtesy of the artist and the Galerie Laroche/Joncas For more information please visit www.ellengallery.concordia.ca

Survival lit for university living

how to stave off the ‘freshman fifteen’ amanda L. Shore arts editor

T

interpret it, whether your interpretation is different, but like You Are the Work, you can’t know without asking. Luckily, cura-

he ‘freshman fifteen’ is the colloquial term for the unfortunately common occurrence of weight gain during your first year at university. It is usually caused by academic and social stress, increase in the consumption of alcohol and the sudden freedom of being able to eat whatever, whenever, without parental intervention. And yes, it can happen to you.

But never fear, literature is here! The following are

several books to help you cope with stress, eating healthy, staying healthy, and finding time to exercise during busy school days.

1. I’m freaking out! Nobody can escape stress, especially when papers are due, exams are looming and your hangover has kept you in bed until noon. Nonetheless stress is manageable and if you’re looking for tips and tricks to keep you from pulling your hair out, then Stress Management For Dummies by Allen Elkin is your go-to guide. Touted as being “better than a psychiatrist” by reviewers on Amazon.com, this book is full of tips and techniques for deflating your stress. It’s also light on the wallet; Chapters Indigo is currently offering the trade paperback for $3.99 on their website.

2. Food is everywhere and lots and lots to drink! Montreal is brimming with great places to eat and drink and many are open all night long. So how do you fill your stomach without filling out your waistline? I recommend David Zinczenko’s best selling book Eat This, Not That!

2013: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution. “It’s like a cookbook, grocery list, and takeout menu drawer rolled into one book,” say Amazon.com reviewers. Packed full of nutritional information and tips

for making food choices, this book is an essential guide to eating with pleasure, without the weight gain.

3. But I have no time to exercise! School, work, study, social life, sleep, there’s just so much to do and so little time. How in the world do you expect me to go to the gym with all this going on?

Well, do you have 15 minutes? Quick Fit by Richard Bradley provides fifteen minute, no-sweat workouts that you can fit in anywhere, anytime. “The simple instructions, clear illustrations, motivational plan and convincing testaments from DOT (Department of Transportation) personnel who have adopted the routine should inspire readers, whether they be habitually sluggish or simply sorely pressed for time,” wrote Publishers Weekly.

4. Funny but true, it’s all in the poo! There

is nothing more crippling to your academic year than being sick. However, there is doctorless way to check up on your health and its sitting in your toilet (hopefully).

Did you know that the shape, texture, color, size and the way your poo floats can tell you a lot about the state of your health?

It’s true and if you want to know what your poo can do for you, you’ll need the ultimate guide. What’s Your Poo Telling You by graphic by Jennifer Kwan Anish Sheth and Josh Richman.

Lisa Susan on Goodreads.com says; “This book was quite interesting and unusual! While it was humorous, it also has a serious side that tells the reader exactly why your stool looks the way it does. It contains numerous interesting stool trivia.

Once you’ve read this book you, too, will be looking at your poo in a whole new way for the rest of your life.”

music

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

9

Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com PrevieW

Pop Montreal expected to be better than ever The annual music festival returns starting September 19

hosts kid koala and donzelle. press booklet (below). photos courtesy of pop montreal.

Alex Giardini Contributor This September, Montreal’s premier indie festival Pop Montreal will return for their 10th anniversary, with arguably the biggest and most exciting lineup yet. Dozens of artists, members of the media and fans were packed in the PHI Center on Wednesday morning to attend a press conference to preview this year’s festival.

Pop Montreal will take place Sept. 19 to 23, opening the door for many acts to be discovered and heard. Pop Montreal is not just a music

festival, for it also embraces film, art, fashion, music discussions, and even children’s activities.

After host Nick Cabelli warmed up the at-

tendees alongside the enigmatic Donzelle and producer/DJ Kid Koala, Pop Montreal’s creative director Daniel Seligman and the curators and directors spoke about the numerous activities happening this year. The festival has grown immensely with widespread appeal throughout the city, not to mention the increase of general interest among Canadians.

“It’s very nice to see a lot of artists here,” explained Seligman. “I think we’re keeping the spirit of our roots. We’ve always had a grassroots festival and we’re going to follow this mandate for all upcoming editions.”

With over four hundred artists gathering together in a span of five days, this year’s festival could be the most exciting event to hit the city all year. The roster for this year’s edition is interesting to say the least, as stages will be graced by Lil’ B, Grizzly Bear, Chilly Gonzales, Ariel Pink, Deerhoof, Laetitia Sadier, The Beatnuts, Gotye, K’Naan and even a special evening featuring David Byrne and Annie Clarke, better known as St. Vincent.

There will be more partying than ever as well, with numerous electronic and dance acts like Brooklyn’s Gang Gang Dance, Nicky Da B, Big K.R.I.T., Canada’s own Peaches, Cadence Weapon, A Tribe Called Red, Boogat, and Prison Garde.

The festival excels in delivering some of the best local talent the city has to offer and this year is no exception. The homegrown talent includes Montreal temptress Grimes, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, Lunice, TOPS, Parlovr, Sheer Agony, Tim Hecker, Radio Radio, Doldrums and Purity Ring, among countless others.

Art Pop curator Johanna Heldebro spoke on the the direction of art in the festival.

“My goal has been to bring together some of the most exciting and dynamic artists working today,” said Heldebro. She also mentioned that one of the most exciting elements about this year’s art instalment is that it examines “the relationship between the individual and mass culture.”

One of the most exhilarating things about Pop Montreal is the amount of free shows in the city. This year boasts quite a few mouth-watering freebies, including DAM-Funk, Austra, and Hot Snakes. Montreal darlings Stars will also headline an intimate evening on Sept. 19 at La Tulipe, presented by SiriusXM radio. There will also be plenty of complimentary film screenings, art shows, and fairs.

The anticipation for this year is overwhelming, especially with the announcement of Pop vs.

Jock, the charity basketball game that takes place on Saturday, September 22, where proceeds will go to Montreal’s DJ Sports Club, a non-profit organization that offers programs in sports and education for kids aged 7-17. The half-time show will be hosted by Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne alongside Kid Koala. The game itself will feature Win, and his brother and fellow Arcade Fire member William, Freaks and Geeks’ Martin Starr, professional basketball player Luke Bonner and Nikolai Fraiture, the bassist for New York rockers The Strokes.

The lyrics are inspired by the concept of home, which for Watson and his band, is Montreal.

They toured the globe on the heels of The Tragically Hip, Sloan, and Keane, and were shortlisted for the 2011 Polaris Prize for Degeneration Street, their fifth studio album.

Pick up a Pop booklet or visit POPMontreal. com for more information on all the events and everything that will be happening in the course of the five-day festival.

top 10 almost a century to rub shoulders with like-minded people, but now it seems as if the tides are turning towards our faithful city.

These are the musicians that laid the foundation in the 2000s for today’s incoming creativity, in no particular order.

Signature Montreal musicians of the 2000s Elizabeth Mackay Music editor In the wake of this year’s South by Southwest music festival, Montreal has been dubbed by many as the new ‘Brooklyn.’ Talented artists and hipsters have flocked to the NYC borough for

ArcAde FIre: Funeral, Arcade Fire’s 2004 debut, has the second most appearances on decade-end album rankings, trailing only Radiohead’s Kid A. In response to winning the 2011 Grammy for Album of the Year for The Suburbs, Win Butler, the band’s frontman, initially responded with ‘I can’t believe it, we won. Merci Montreal!’ And the feeling appears to be mutual, for when the band played a free show at Place Des Arts last September, tens of thousands packed the streets, many just to watch on big screens around the corner.

GrIMeS: Though fresh faced and a relatively new addition to Montreal’s new music scene, Claire Boucher, better known as Grimes, has become our mascot. Boucher is a workaholic; she has released 3 albums in two years and, according to her twitter feed, almost never stops touring. Montreal can thank Grimes for bringing its underground electronic scene to the forefront.

PAtrIck WAtSOn: Patrick Watson has long been a quiet staple and full participant in Quebec’s music family. His latest release, Adventures in Your Own Backyard, was recorded in a home studio next door to his family’s home in Plateau.

kArkWA: In 2011, Karkwa won the Polaris Music Prize for their fourth album, Les Chemins de Verre, in what was called the “longest and most emotional deliberation in Polaris deliberations” by Liisa Ladouceur, who oversees the selection committee. “They truly resonated with members of the jury whether or not they completely understood the language of the lyrics,” claimed Ladouceur. When a band that sings only in french succeeds in defying language boundaries, it has got to be good.

LeOnArd cOhen: Leonard Cohen is Montreal’s resident Renaissance man, but to the rest of the world, legendary. According to critic Bruce Eder, he is second only to Bob Dylan and Paul Simon in terms of cultural influence, particularly because of his ability to single-handedly hold an audience for four decades of music making. chrOMeO: Montreal is home to countless DJs, but Chromeo is perhaps the first of our electronic musicianstoappealtoindie,dance,andpopcrowds.

The duo are childhood friends that embody Montreal’s cultural diversity; P-Thug is Arabic, born in Lebanon, and Dave 1 is Jewish. Little known fact: the duo used to work at Celine Dion’s studio. the deArS: As a six piece orchestral, hard rocking outfit, The Dears paved the way for bands like Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, and Stars.

PLAntS And AnIMALS: Magical things can happen on Parc Ave, or at least thats what the members of Plants and Animals think. Their 2008 debut album, Parc Avenue, was released in the wake of their love affair with Montreal. Warren Spicer, Matthew Woodley, and Nic Basque met as music students at Concordia, but truly dug their heels into the Plateau music scene as residents of the Mile End. SAM rOBertS BAnd: Since his 2001 debut, The Inhuman Condition, Sam Roberts has become a Canadian household name. He is a frosh week staple, an instant Much Music video hit, and almost always a Juno nominee. The Inhuman Condition remains one of the bestselling independent releases in Canadian history. Roberts is a Westmount native and like many other Montrealers, trilingual.

StArS: Stars are veterans of both Montreal and North America’s indie-pop music scene, having released their debut, Nightsongs, in 2001. They found fame quickly; their dreamy, lovesick tunes proved to be the perfect soundtrack for teen dramas, like The O.C., that defined the decade. To this day, Stars still calls Montreal home. Even their upcoming September 4 release, The North, uses an image of Habitat 67 as their album cover.

10

theconcordian

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Festival

Dawson City Music Fest: through the eyes of Bryant Crooks A backstage pass to one of Canada’s most remote music festivals

Kate Spidle Contributor According to Andrew Laviolette, who makes up one half of folk duo the Bryant Crooks, one phrase kept echoing off of the tent walls that covered the main stage at the Dawson City Music Festival: “This is the farthest north I’ve ever been!”

Located six hours northwest of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Dawson City is an isolated town with a population of only 1, 319 people. Every summer during the third weekend in July, the small town swells beyond capacity to accommodate visitors and musicians for the Dawson City Music Festival. Having just completed its 34th year, DCMF welcomes folk, blues, soul and country music acts from across Canada and the United States. This year, it ran from July 2022, and although there was talk of a decreased turnout compared to past years, festival passes quickly sold out.

While the great North may have been uncharted territory for most of the bands on this year’s lineup, Laviolette, a self-taught guitarist and songwriter, has been living in the land of the midnight sun with his girlfriend and bandmate, Kirsten Poenn, since Sept. 2011. The Bryant Crooks were born that winter, with the goal of being able to play this year’s festival.

“I looked at what Canada had to offer for music festivals and saw that Dawson City had one, and that was about as far away from where I was in Canada that I could go,” explained Laviolette, a Bracebridge, Ont. native.

It may be surprising to some that both festival-goers and musicians would make the long

trek north to attend DCMF. With past guests that include the Constantines, Rich Aucoin and Julie Doiron, one may wonder if it’s the intimacy of the town, combined with the breathtaking scenery surrounding it, that compels people to make the trip.

“Dawson has a great community,” said Poenn, Bryant Crooks’ fiddlist and vocalist. “People seem to want to be really involved. I’ve also been really impressed by the arts scene in Dawson; like how a town this small and remote has managed to put on so many events. I think it’s because the people are so receptive and willing to help out, and that can also be said for the festival.”

Performances were held at five locations within a few blocks from one another, so it was easy to hop between venues. Along with nighttime concerts at the mainstage, there were plenty of daytime activities – including a Kids Fest – and a no-alcohol policy inside the venues, so the whole family could enjoy the festivities.

Familiar faces included Toronto’s Bruce Peninsula, who delivered three powerful sets over the course of the weekend; Midland, Born Ruffians, who had the crowd begging for an encore; Montreal’s Canailles, whose engaging performance undoubtedly won over new fans; and Saskatoon’s country-folk act Deep Dark Woods.

In a proud display of the Yukon’s intimate connection with its aboriginal peoples, the festival welcomed the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in singers from neighbouring Moosehide Village, as well as Vancouver’s Cris Derksen. The cellist, whose music is inspired by her Cree ancestry, played a mesmerizing electronic set that captivated the audience.

A rare treat was an appearance by Detroit

R&B legend Andre Williams, who played alongside Chicago’s The Goldstars.

While Dawson City Music Festival was a blast for both show-goers and bands alike, the Bryant Crooks had the unique experience of being both participant and observer.

“I shared the Left to right: Bryant Crooks and the city of Dawson. Courtesy of Flikr. stage with some of my favourite musicians: Doug Paisley, members Dawson, but Poenn and Laviolette stressed that of Bruce Peninsula, and a cellist, Cris Derksen, it is much easier being a visiting musician than from Vancouver, at the Palace Grand,” said Lavio- a resident one. lette.

“It’s not like being a musician in a city where As for Poenn, the chance to play in a more you can grow and start to play bigger shows,” professional setting made the experience all the Poenn added. more special.

While the little northern town is not the most “It was amazing,” she gushed. “We had the fertile ground for a band to lay its roots, perhaps best sound we’ve ever had because we played the most charming part of this story is that in the in a room with beautiful acoustics, we had great midst of a harsh, lonely winter, nestled in a small equipment and we had a very knowledgeable cabin by a frozen flow called Bryant Creek, a very guy doing the sound for us. We’re not used to talented twosome managed to find theirs. that; we’re used to playing in noisy bars. It was really refreshing.”

The Bryant Crooks will be launching a crossIt may be easy for artists to become enchant- Canada tour this fall, starting in Dawson City ed by the natural beauty and friendly people of and ending in Thunder Bay, Ont.

mixtape Last week, we tried to prolong summer with 20 tracks that celebrated the fun and relaxation of the season - all the while ignoring the onslaught of schoolwork on the horizon. I’m sad to report, however, that despite all of our efforts, the dreaded first day of classes has come. So for this week, we’re going to change tacks and welcome the semester by distilling the essence of Montreal’s back-to-school atmosphere: feeling young.

Each side brings a different approach to youth, in order to reflect Concordia’s sizable groups of new and mature students. Side A represents youth from the perspective of those in the thick of it, with artists as young as 19 and no older than 23 at time of recording. Side B is more reflective, with tracks by artists in their late 20’s and 30’s looking back on what it is to be young. Enjoy it while you can!

I’ll never grow up Compiled by Andrew McNeill Contributor

SIDE A: Young hearts

SIDE B: Young at heart

1. “Fate” - Young Man - Vol.1 2. “Barely Legal” - The Strokes - Is This It 3. “(She’s) Sexy + 17” - Stray Cats Rant N’ Rave with the Stray Cats 4. “Sex Beat” - The Gun Club - Fire of Love 5. “Bastards of Young” - The Replacements -Tim 6. “Thirteen” - Big Star - #1 Record 7. “Cello Song” - Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left 8. “The Way Young Lovers Do” - Van Morrison - Astral Weeks 9. “HiiiPower” - Kendrick Lamar Section 80 10. “Oliver James” - Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes

11. “Teen Age Riot” - Sonic Youth Daydream Nation 12. “Doused” - DIIV - Oshin 13. “A New England” - Billy Bragg Life’s A Riot with Spy vs Spy 14. “All My Friends” - LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver 15. “Pink Bullets” - The Shins Chutes Too Narrow 16. “Summer Skin” - Death Cab for Cutie - Plans 17. “Always” - Blink-182 - Blink-182 18. “Die Like A Rockstar” - Danny Brown - XXX 19. “It” - Rich Aucoin - We’re All Dying To Live 20. “Drunk Teenagers” - Joel Plaskett Emergency - Ashtray Rock

Tuesday, September 4, 2011

Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian

11

Quick Spins Andrew Guilbert Staff writer

Wild Nothing - Nocturne (2012; Captured Tracks)

Yeasayer - Fragrant World (2012; Secretly Canadian)

Cat Power - Sun (2012; Matador Records)

Pop has traditionally drawn the ire of indie fans, but indie-pop band Wild Nothing remains a favourite in their circle. Wild Nothing, the brainchild of Jack Tatum, has just released its sophomore effort entitled Nocturne, distributed on Captured Records.

The 23-year-old Jack Tatum burst onto the music scene with his acclaimed album Gemini in 2010.

His latest work gives fans and newcomers alike a mature sound, one that contains concentrated doses of reverbs and delays, chiming guitars and synthesizers. Nocturne solidifies Tatum’s status in the indie community as well as reaches out to new fans, looking for a dream pop fix.

The album serves as a great bed for a soundscape, but unfortunately doesn’t have much to say on its own. The lack of a definitive song does not make for a poor album though, and instead leaves fans yearning for more after the closing track.

Over the course of their last two albums, Yeasayer has developed their own unique brand of jangly electro-pop. Relying heavily on an eclectic arrangement of bubbly beats and ethereal harmonies, both All Hour Cymbals, and follow-up Odd Blood, skirted the line between mainstream pop and eccentric forerunners. On the latest album, Yeasayer has taken a definite step away from the pop sphere. Unlike previous releases, Fragrant World revels in its own complexity.

Muddy and gloomy, the album maintains some of the group’s trademark sounds but covers them with a layer of electronic noise. The result is similar to tuning a radio, where melodic and ambient sounds mix together, sometimes yielding a song structure, sometimes drowning it out in a wash of electronic noises. The result is a somewhat confused album, revealing a band attempting to decide on what side of the pop scale they stand.

Ever since Cat Power’s critically-acclaimed 2006 album The Greatest, things haven’t been going so well for the troubled songstress. Hospitalization, bankruptcy and the end of a long-term relationship with actor Giovanni Ribisi were the many hardships that singer/songwriter Chan Marshall needed to face in the making of her ninth studio album, fittingly titled Sun. Instead of wallowing in despair, Sun is a rebirth, both artistically and personally for Marshall, who has been criticized for her perfectionism and introspection. With complete control over songwriting, production and all the instrumentation on the album, Marshall is taking more creative risks, flaunting a new sense of confidence and control in these songs.

Expect a decidedly more electronic album than you would anticipate from Cat Power, full of humming synthesizers, digitally-enhanced vocals, uplifting rhythms and an unlikely collaboration with Iggy Pop on the 11-minute “Nothin’ But Time.” Sun isn’t perfection, but it demonstrates that with sacrifice and the willingness to evolve, anything can be achieved.

trial track: “Shadow”

8.2/10

trial track: “reagan’s Skeleton”

- A.J. Cordeiro

3.5/10

trial track: “cherokee”

- Cora Ballou

7.0/10

-Paul Traunero

The Concordian wants you!

Have you done something noteworthy or know someone who has?

Have you or someone you know won an award, been published, displayed in an art

MC DOOM has found himself in hot water after a London gig hosted by the UK’s Living Proof crew saw an imposter in a mask show up rather than the metal-faced MC DOOM, who has in the past admitted to hiring actors to lip sync his songs for him at shows. He was booked to perform a DJ set by for the event but what they got instead was a man who showed up in a mask intending only to sign autographs. “We were told by management that he would appear but would not DJ and was just going to sign autographs. We said this was unacceptable as we had agreed and paid for a DJ set,” the crew said in a statement. “Ten minutes later we received a call saying that he would DJ… or that’s what we were led to believe.” The show’s organizers were not pleased considering they’d already paid DOOM’s fee upfront.

“We will be seeking legal advice and are doing our best to get his show fee refunded.”

>>> The Republican playlist just keeps getting smaller Twisted Sister is the latest band to object to one of their songs being played by the Romney/Ryan ticket, after VP nominee Paul Ryan used their song “We’re Not Gonna Take It” at a rally in Pennsylvania. In a statement issued regarding the use of their track, frontman Dee Snider said: “I emphatically denounce Paul Ryan’s use of my band Twisted Sister’s song. There is almost nothing he stands for that I agree with, except the use of the (home exercise regime) P90X.” This comes on the heels of the Silversun Pickups issuing a cease-and-desist order against Romney for his use of their song “Panic Switch” as part of his campaign and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello denouncing Ryan as a fan of his band since he represented “the embodiment of the machine our music rages against.”

>>> You belong with me, Kennedy

gallery or accomplished something exceptional in the arts?

If so, The Concordian wants to know about it.The arts section is seeking notifications of student accomplishments in the arts to publish in its refrigerator door column.

If you or someone you know would like to be recognized in print for an accolade or award please write to arts@theconcordian.com, subject line, ‘Refrigerator Door’.

>>> Send in the DOOM bots

graphic by Jennifer kwan

Pop singer Taylor Swift is apparently a ‘Kennedy Groupie’, according to an article in US Weekly. Swift is, according to a friend, “obsessed with the family” having recently started dating 18 year old Conor Kennedy and reportedly crashing a family wedding last week. The obsession came about after the crooner watched The Kennedys miniseries last year, soon after which she began collecting memorabilia and reading up on the family’s history. Now it seems shes looking to become a part of that history herself.

“Taylor badly wants to marry Conor and have a Kennedy baby,” an insider told the National Enquirer recently. “She sees herself as the next Jackie O. and aims to become as famous as she was, a style icon on a world stage.”

sports 12

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Stingers look to reach next level

A fresh start for the team could mean a successful season Stefano Mocella Contributor

In the last few seasons, the Concordia Stingers appeared to be treading water. The rebuilding process has had them stand pat with back-to-back 4-5 seasons in 2010 and 2011, following a 3-5 season in 2009. Although, their 4-5 record last year was enough for a playoff spot, they were bounced 33-7 by the Laval Rouge et Or. Not everything has come together for Concordia. The defence was the strongest unit for the team, as players like Max Caron, Kris Robertson and Nathan Taylor stepped up for the Stingers. Caron led the CIS with 78.5 tackles and led the nation in solo tackles. He added five interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns, to that lead.

Last year, he was awarded the Presidents’ Trophy as the outstanding defensive player in the CIS. Kris Robertson continuously made great plays on defense and was a constant spark returning kicks. He averaged 24.4 yards per return and scored two touchdowns on special teams. Robertson said he feels the veteran Stingers need to lead the way in order for the team to not only make the playoffs again, but to enjoy success in the post-season.

“This year we have all the necessary tools to do big things,” he explained. “It’s on us vets to make sure we get there. We just need to be unified and I believe the sky

is the limit.”

Safety Nathan Taylor said that while it’s the offence’s job to score points, it’s the defence’s job to make it easier and set things up.

“We need to make more plays and create more turnovers on defence,” said Taylor.

“We need to help the offence get good field position whenever possible.”

The units will have to help each other, with the defence getting quick stops and the offence needing to keep the ball moving.

Quarterback Reid Quest took over midseason for Terrance Morsink in 2011. He now enters the season as the full-fledged starter, and as usual, things will have to start with the quarterback.

“We need to sustain drives, get first downs and wear down opposing defences,” Quest said. “If we can do that, we’ll be a tough team to beat.”

For Concordia to truly have a chance at success and get past the first round, they’ll need to overcome the tougher teams in the conference. They lost to Laval and Sherbrooke twice, and 36-1 against the Montréal Carabins last season. While it’s a near-impossibility to beat the Rouge et Or, as they’ve proven year after year, the Stingers at least need to overcome the other two teams that finished above them in 2011. After all, getting to the playoffs won’t mean much if they’ll be easily beat in the first round.

The Stingers have not won a playoff game in four years, and they’ll no doubt want to change that this season. Failure to do so only means that they haven’t progressed since last season. At the very least, they’ll have to be more competitive with the tougher teams of the QUFL.

CONCORDIA STINGERS VS. BISHOP’S. GAITERS THIS PAST SATURDAY. PHOTO BY MARLLA STEUTER-MARTIN

Game notes Kevin Duarte Sports editor

The Concordia Stingers started the 2012 season with a step in the right direction; a win against Bishop’s University Gaiters. The afternoon game was played for an audience of over 2,400 spectators at Concordia Stadium on Loyola Campus.

The team got off to a quick start scoring inside the first two minutes. Stingers slotback Kris Bastien caught a 19-yard pass from quarterback Reid Quest. Bastien would go on to be Concordia’s standout player with six receptions totalling 242 yards and two touchdowns. Concordia held a comfortable 31-11 lead at halftime.

The Stingers survived a third quarter scare and managed to hold on in the final frame winning 42-36.

Concordia next game will be at Université de Montréal on Friday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.

RUGBY PREVIEW

Third time’s the charm?

A preview of the Stinger’s men’s rugby team Paolo Mingarelli Contributor

B

eing always the bridesmaid in back-to-back finals, the men’s rugby squad kicked off camp with one goal in mind: win the cham-

pionship.

Each year the roster shuffles. Despite a promising rookie class, this year’s group will need to dig deep in order to fill the gap left from the losses of last year’s split captains Jimmy Bang and Jonathan DextrasRomagnino “Losing the leadership of two captains is huge,” said head coach Clive Gibson.

Luckily for them, new team captain Dario Pellizzari has been “stepping up in a big way,” said Gibson. “He’s done many positive things that will make team unity very strong this year.”

“Championships are made through overcoming failure and adversity,” said Pellizzari. “The guys know what it feels like to lose two years in a row and now we know what to expect.”

For the majority of the student body, the last weeks of August are the last grasp at summer freedom. But for the Stingers rugby team, it’s the beginning of training camp and this means the fall season is just around the corner.

“Everyone’s looking at you for inspiration,” Pellizzari explained. “I was able to instill my values in the team this winter: work ethic, accountability and respect. If we stick to these values throughout the year, we’ll see great results.”

Along with this common set of values,

Upcoming Games Friday, September 7, 7:00pm: Women’s Rugby vs Sherbrooke at Concordia Stadium (Home) Friday, September 7, 9:00pm: Men’s Rugby vs Sherbrooke at Concordia Stadium (Home) Wednesday, September 12, 7:00pm: Men’s Rugby vs McGill at Concordia Stadium (Home) Wednesday, September 12, 9:00pm: Women’s Rugby vs McGill at Concordia Stadium (Home) Sunday, September 16, 1:00pm: Women’s Rugby vs Carleton (Away) a ‘no excuses’ attitude has been adopted by the veterans down to the rookies of this year’s team.

While Gibson was adamant about keeping his coaching strategies off the record, he did mention that he, along with his coaching staff, are not practitioners of the traditional rugby game. This is one of the many reasons for their success as of late.

“As a coaching staff, we are extremely committed to what we’d like to consider innovation,” said Gibson. “We are not traditional rugby minds. We’re always looking for that new angle or new approach. I think

we may have found it.”

This year marked a very progressive time for the Stingers for the team has hired someone to recruit players on CÉGEP teams.

This will allow the coach, who used to take on this role, to focus more on his team.

“I think it might be our year,” admitted Gibson. “There are still some key elements that need to be sorted out, but we’ve got time.”

The Stingers open their season at home on Friday, September 7 at 9 p.m. against Sherbrooke.

opinions

tuesday, September 4, 2011

13

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com

Editorial

First impressions are everything orientation planning could be the first sign of CSU incompetence

T

he thought of having a Concordia Student Union executive without the organizational skills to effectively plan a party, albeit for thousands of students, is cause enough for concern as any.

The upcoming back-to-school orientation is right about the corner but it seems little has been done in order to get the word out. Where are the posters on campus advertising orientation events? Why is the website so impossible to navigate? The CSU orientation page is non-existent, as far as

we know, seeing as the link redirects to the 2011 orientation schedule.

Dealing with executives who are often hard to contact and watching them scramble to pull together a series of events they had all summer to plan shows a definite lack of time management and planning.

We don’t want to assume the worst, but is it possible that the so-called “secret concert,” which is set to take place Sept. 14, is in fact undisclosed because there is no confirmed headliner? Like we said, there’s no need to imagine the worst case scenario, but it begs the question: How is the student body supposed to trust this team when they haven’t proven to be reliable?

It may very well be that the current CSU is only starting out and, much like a toddler, and has not yet learned to stand on their own two feet. As they mature with time, they have the potential to grow up and become competent leaders but, for the time being, we worry about their ability to lead now.

This, of course, is not the entire executive team’s fault; however, they should be working together to do everything in their power to pick up the slack. And there is slack. Whether or not the CSU is willing to admit it, their first challenge out of the gate was handled in a sloppy manner and without due care.

Posters for the two weeks worth of

events and activities were only posted online on Labour Day, and with elections on Tuesday and the first day of classes looming, the timing could not have been worse.

Unless of course, there was no information posted at all, which for a while, seemed like a real possibility.

Although the activities planned will be enjoyable for the drunk masses, there’s no question that the lineup could be a lot more impressive and enticing, not to mention well-promoted, if everyone had done their jobs properly.

If you don’t agree, write to us. If you do agree, write to us all the same! We are always open to hearing your opinions - and we might just print them!

CampUS

Adapting to the university way of life

Concordia offers services to help you get organized & involved George menexis opinions editor So, it’s your first week of classes. You don’t know quite what to expect. You’re excited because of the change, yet also very nervous. You attend a few orientation sessions, desperately trying to make eye contact with some of the friendlier faces. It’s a nerve-racking process.

You also know that you are officially beginning one of the most important phases in your life. These years can make or break your chance

at a future career, and the last thing you want to do is mess it up. Most of us have been through this process already.

Welcome to university.

Concordia is officially opening its doors on Sept. 5, and gearing up for yet another long and weary school year. For most, this may seem deathly after a summer filled with long tanning sessions and drinks by the pool. Others, however, have been looking forward to it for months.

In my experience, there is one distinct characteristic one must have to find success in university: organization. As you mature, you realize that you need an organized schedule in order to succeed in this part of your education.

A study conducted by the University of California showed that cramming information due to a lack of organization can lead to a serious lack of sleep, thus directly affecting many students’ grades.

“Students should balance their studying across the week and anticipate what is going on,” said Andrew J. Fuligni, the UCLA professor who conducted the study. “Try to have a regular study schedule so that you’re not going to have those nights spent cramming.”

However, there is much more to the university experience than just grades and classes.

Marlene Gross from Concordia’s counselling and development department advises students to “get informed and get connected. The best way to learn about university—to know what to expect, to be prepared and to get the most out of your experience—is to connect with people.”

Speaking from experience, this is the best advice one could receive. I first entered my program last year knowing no one. A year later, instead of feeling nervous, I feel excited to see those familiar faces.

“I made lifelong friends at Concordia,” said Concordia Alumni Dimitri Volis. “People I still see to this day and that made my university years unforgettable.”

But how does one connect? A barrier many people have a hard time breaking upon entering university is their ability to ask questions.

Concordia recognizes this problem in many students and offers a variety of services to help students integrate into the community.

One of the greatest services offered at Concordia is the Student Success Centre. Here, new students will have the opportunity to meet student success mentors. These are experienced students that give advice and tips to the newer generation of students. It’s a great place to get started, or even just hang out. Second-year Con-

cordia student, Essam Shomali, said the centre was a great help last year.

“It would’ve been different if they had not been around,” said Shomali. “They really helped me out and they were very nice about it.”

If there’s one statement I keep hearing, it’s that we should make the most out of our university years because they are the best times of our lives. Get off on the right foot, and take advantage of all the services Concordia has to offer. So welcome, first-years and good luck. To everyone else, welcome back!

What did you think of this issue?

Send your letters to editor@theconcordian.com before friday at 4 p.m. and you may get published. The Concordian reserves the right to edit your letters for length, clarity, taste, and style. letters are limited to 400 words.

14

tuesday, September 4, 2012

theconcordian

politiCS

Behind the scenes with a war correspondent

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

including a vest, helmet, and personal medical kit.

He considers his med kit, and his knowledge of ho w to properly use it, his prized possession.

Gregory Wilson Foreign correspondents don’t only report from Contributor the frontlines of a war zone in the midst of gunfire.

“The most interesting pictures are away from On August 20, Japanese foreign correspondent the frontline combat,” said Denton. “They are in Mika Yamamoto was fatally shot while reporting hospitals, homes, and places where people are on the civil war in Syria.

News of her death spread rapidly both through trying to survive.’’ He believes photographs of conventional news networks and Twitter, renewing ordinary people are the best way to illustrate a the discussion on the safety of foreign reporters.

Was Yamamoto too close to the fighting? Should she have been forbidden to report directly from Syria considering the danger?

Yamamoto, like every other foreign correspondent, chose to pursue this particular field of journalism, knowing the risks. News networks support foreign reporters the best they can without giving too many restrictions. And they will cover other subjects as they seek to give the world a complete picture of the country they are reporting on.

Bryan Denton has worked in the Middle East as a foreign correspondent for seven years. He is a freelance photographer with the New York Times as his primary client. He has documented upheavals in Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, to name a few.

According to him, foreign reporters are aware and accept the danger they put themselves in.

Denton’s desire to become a foreign reporter stems from his fascination with history. Getting a front row seat to witness history unfold is what incited him to become a foreign correspondent in the Middle East. ‘‘I think the idea of conflict as part of the human experience has always interested me,” said Denton.

“War has theoretical boundaries and characteristics, but its roots and causes are often unique and incredibly complex, and every conflict I’ve seen has been very different from the others.’’

However, the price of being so close to the violence is sacrificing your safety. Denton said he spends lots of time planning, such as finding the safest route to the frontlines. ‘‘A lot of people think that we just rush in,’’ he said. ‘‘But in reality, there’s quite a bit of logistical planning that goes into reporting on conflict.’’

Even the news agencies he associates with will not push him to dangerous areas. When working for the New York Times on an assignment for example, he said the editors ‘‘were always very clear about their desire for [him] not to take any unneeded risks. At times, the newspaper has sent a security advisor to help coordinate movements and provide medical support.’’ Despite these precautions, the newspaper usually trusted him to make the right decisions to ensure his safety.

As a reporter in a danger zone, Denton was equipped at all times with body armour,

Why reporting from dangerous ground is a necessary evil

specific conflict.

Correspondents that report exclusively from war zones are few and far between. Most are searching for ways to describe a country and its sociopolitical complexities in its entirety in a way that can resonate with strangers. Just like Denton, who demonstrates the ever present fear in Syria by posting a photograph of a rebel sleeping with his sniper rifle, foreign reporters will search past the battlefield for the real stories that lie hidden beyond the violence.

From our kitchen

Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012 Vol. 30 issue 2

My Mother’s Stuffed Eggplants Stephanie Laleggia Life editor

Marilla Steuter-Martin

Editor-in-Chief editor@theconcordian.com

Ingredients 1 large eggplant 5 tbsp. of olive oil 1 sausage 1 small onion, diced 1 red pepper, diced 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced ½ cup freshly chopped basil 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 egg ¼ cup of bread crumbs Salt and pepper

Paula Rivas

Managing editor managing@theconcordian.com

Kalina Laframboise

News editor news@theconcordian.com

Stephanie Laleggia

Life editor life@theconcordian.com

Amanda L. Shore

Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com

Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 1. Cut eggplant in half and scoop out the centre. Leave some meat on the side to hold the stuffing in place later on. Boil scoopedout eggplants for about 10 minutes, until soft. Set aside.

2. Cut sausage and put in food processor so that the sausage is finely chopped and there are no chunks of fat.

3. In a saute pan, heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium. Season ground beef with salt and pepper then add it to the saute

Elizabeth Mackay

Music editor music@theconcordian.com

Photo courtesy of Flikr. pan. Cook until slightly brown and liquid has evaporated. Once cooked, drain meat to remove excess grease. Make sure there are no big chunks of meat - cut them if necessary.

4. Use another saute pan for the remaining three tablespoons of olive oil, onions, peppers and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes until peppers soften.

5. Mix all ingredients in bowl - soft scoopedout eggplant, meat, vegetables, Pecorino cheese, egg and bread crumbs. Fill eggplant halves with mixture.

6. Top the halves with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and place halves on an oiled oven tray. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the eggplant.

Let cool and Enjoy!

Kevin Duarte

Sports editor sports@theconcordian.com

George Menexis

Opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com

Jennifer Kwan

Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian.com

Christine Beaton Jenna Monney-Lupert Elizabeth Tomaras

Copy editors copy@theconcordian.com

Sophia Loffreda

Production manager production@theconcordian.com

Celia Ste-Croix Bianca David Cynthia Dupuis Marissa Miller

Production assistants

Editorial Office

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

With elections on September 4, Quebeckers take to Twitter to discuss the “pros”and cons of a Parti Québecois government.

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

@ghughesca: Awaiting QC election

514.848.2424 x7404 (Production)

tomorrow will be just like Revenge of the Sith: you don’t care anymore, but you need to know how it ends

Melissa Kate Ganon

Business manager business@theconcordian.com

@telox10: Si le PQ gagne,Jean Charest promet

de retirer les Smarties bleues de toutes les boîtes #phrasedepeurdejeancharestquipanique @HeleneGauthier: Si le PQ gagne;

Courtesy of sudoweb.com

vous n’aurez plus congé le 1er juillet!!! #PhraseDePeurDeJeanCHarestQuiPanique @briscolaorama: P.Q.=Pauvre Quebec @HeleneGauthier: Yo yo yo!! Hows the

going bro? Djokovic for shizzle tonight! All well?

Havent seen u since #Osama died! @AmandaBazz31: Gary bettman is the

Pauline marois of the NHL

@_21 MR: I actually wouldn’t mind if parti

quebecois wins so we can finally have a good reason to move out of this province. @theshapshow: @partiquebecois You list

your location as “Pays du Quebec.” Any stats to prove that QC will be able to sustain itself on its own? #qc2012

Call for writers!

Want to join the team? Send us an email or drop by the office. We are always looking for new contributors from all programs.

Your friends at

theconcordian

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 Robert De Lisi, Andrew Guilbert, Christine Beaton, Natasha Medeiros, Kate Spidle, Alex Giardini, Andrew McNeill, Stefano Mocella, Paolo Mingarelli, Gregory Wilson,

theconcordian

Concordia’s weekly, independent student newspaper.

Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian

:

events of the week: sept. 4 tUesdAY + t.V. - Abby&Brittany, road trip - tLc -22h +sHoW - Big time rush, Bell centre, 18h WednesdAY +MUSIC - Montreal Symphony Orchestra, 20h +MUSIC - The Offspring, Metropolis, 19h30 tHUrsdAY +MUSIC - Montreal Symphony Orchestra, 20h +SHOW - Sean Kent, Comedy Nest, 19h +SHOW - K’naan, Grand Theatre de Quebec, 19h FrIdAY +ART - Escales Improbables de Montreal - Quays of the Old Port - 14h +ART - Simon Bossé au petit monastère - BoutiqueGalerieAtelier - 19h-22h +FILM - Teddy Bear - Cinema du Parc - 19h +ART - World press photo exhibit, daily 10h - 22h, Marche Bonsecours sAtUrdAY +MUSIC - Jason Mraz, Bell Centre, 19h30 +SHOW - International burlesque festival, Club Soda +ART - World press photo exhibit, daily 10h - 22h, Marche Bonsecours sUndAY +SHOW - International burlesque festival, Club Soda +ART - World press photo exhibit, daily 10h - 22h, Marche Bonsecours MondAY +SHOW - International burlesque festival, Club Soda +ART - World press photo exhibit, daily 10h - 22h, Marche Bonsecours