The Concordian by The Concordian

theconcordian Tuesday, November 16, 2010

arts sports

Brush strokes vs. pixels: summit looks at video games as art p. 12

Men s rugby fall short in Quebec ﬁnals p.17

We re all feeling the end of semester blues

Tips on how to deal with the stress P. 7, 8 Photo by Tiﬀany Blaise

music M for Montreal: our guide to the annual showcase p.14-15

arts Concordia grad is youngest Giller prize winner p.10

opinions Growing out the ‘stache for Movember or going pink, what’s better? p. 22

Volume 28 Issue 12

University tells CSU that advertising for all-you-can drink events was illegal CSU and ASFA implementing new security measures for cultural nights Evan LePage News editor After getting wind of the forthcoming cultural night event planned by the CSU and ASFA, members of Concordia’s administration approached the organizations with several concerns about the party’s security and legality. A major issue for the university administrators was the fact that the event was advertised as all-youcan-drink, something Concordia’s director of media relations says is completely illegal. “The Régie des alcools makes it very clear that you will lose your liquor permit if you do that, because that is encouraging irresponsible drinking,” she said, something student representatives were unaware of. Multiple cultural nights in the past year have been advertised as all-you-candrink events, although this is the first time Mota had

heard of one. The university also approached the student organization because “all you can drink events are extremely problematic and we have a responsibility to educate our student body,” according to Mota. She pointed out that binge drinking has been responsible for deaths at other universities. At cultural nights last year at least one fight broke out, though there were no reported cases of alcohol poisoning. According to Andres Lopez, the CSU’s VP of student life, the organization was also approached by the dean of students office, who had received complaints from residence administrators who had to deal with intoxicated students coming back to residence after these events. “These events end at 11 p.m. and people go back to the res, have parties, wreck the residence, get more drunk,” he said. “So I’m guessing the RAs are the main people who are pushing towards this. They just want to control it.” A representative from residence said “the simple fact that it’s an all you can drink, I don’t know if that’s a responsible thing to be doing,” but implied that residence officials wouldn’t comment in detail on the situation. In response to these concerns, the CSU and ASFA will be implementing new security measures at these events, starting with the Canadian cultural night tomorrow. Lopez said that he sat down with Jacques Lachance, the university’s acting director of security, and Luc Fillion, the security department’s event analyst, to discuss a new security policy. According to Lopez, there will be hourly patrols by campus security within the Hive to monitor the situation at the next cultural night, and three security agents have been hired to stay inside the Hive during the entire event. Lopez said that other measures to prevent over-intoxication will include enforcing the bracelet-marking system to monitor drinks, having fewer bartenders

See “‘Cultural nights...” on p.5

First academic plan in the works Jacques Gallant Assistant news editor

Maclean’s may not have been overly favourable to Concordia in this year’s university rankings, but provost David Graham says an academic plan currently being researched should provide a major boost to push the university toward the top. The plan is considered an integral component of the strategic framework adopted by the Board of Governors in 2009, which aims to have Concordia nestled among the top five comprehensive Canadian universities within the next decade. The university ranked 11th out of 12 on this year’s list. According to Graham, the academic plan, which he hopes to have adopted by the end of the school year, will especially focus on quality -be it that of academic programs or of faculty and students themselves. ‘’The plan is trying to answer the question of what kind of programs do we need to become a top comprehensive university,’’ he said. ‘’It will help us measure the quality of our programs and also give us tools to help us deal with a program that may be declining in quality.’’ The university’s chief academic officer explained that one way to measure the quality of a program is to look at the quality of its students. ‘’One way would be to look at how effec-

See “‘Document shoul...” on p.3

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City in brief

Evan LePage, Jacques Gallant

Woodsworth spending questioned at trial

Some questionable spending by Concordia president Judith Woodsworth was brought to light at a Commission des relations du travail hearing into the firing of two former auditors last week, Le Journal de Montréal reported. Part of the justification for their firing was that the two individuals allegedly performed some questionable spending, so the auditors’ lawyer apparently decided to turn the tables on Woodsworth. The president was questioned about instances in which she had approved the reimbursement of monthly parking fees and alcohol for a reception held at her home. Woodsworth reportedly said that she was simply approving expenses already undertaken by the university, and none of the purchases mentioned were “personal expenses.”

Starcraft comes to Concordia

At last week’s Concordia Student Union council meeting, VP clubs and outreach Ramy Khoriaty announced four new clubs to be included in the already 60 plus group of student clubs at Concordia. They are the Concordia Starcraft Committee, the Moroccan Student Society, the Jordanian Student Association and the Mountain Biking and Cycling Club. Khoriaty also announced that the three clubs that are losing their offices in the Hall building this December have found new digs. ACSiON, ASAC and REHC will be moved to the K annex on Bishop Street Dec. 3. They will take over the offices of the Concordia University Parent Centre, which will be moving into the new TD building next to the MB at the end of November.

Pathological gambling addressed

A study released last week by Concordia and UdeM researchers found that close to 41,000 Quebecers are in danger of becoming pathological gamblers. Over 70 per cent of Quebec adults would have gambled at least once in the past year and the researchers indicated that Quebecers spend an average of $483 annually on gambling activities. The study also found a higher proportion of video lottery terminal gamers among men and young people aged 18 to 24. Some of the other problems that can stem from pathological gambling include alcohol and drug abuse. These findings are part of an ongoing project to offer recommendations for prevention and treatment.

Tony Blair puts his faith in McGill

Former British PM Tony Blair officially announced last Friday that his foundation had aligned itself with McGill for an extensive research project, the Faith and Globalization Initiative. The Montreal university is the only Canadian school participating in the initiative which involves research into the impact of religion on society. The research, which is being undertaken by Yale among others, is sponsored by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, which strives to educate the public about religions in order to build understanding. Speaking in Montreal last week, Blair said that religion should have a place in politics, but a limited one.who are welloff don’t have access to hygienic public toilets. Shitty deal.

CAMPUS

GM building to undergo facelift Renovations, including new exterior envelope, will cost up to $14 million Alessia Faustini Contributor Changes are afoot for the Guy Metro building on the SGW campus. The building, located at 1550 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W., will primarily undergo modifications to its envelope. Other work to be completed includes changes to the building’s entrance lobby, the elevator cabins and the heating and cooling systems. The project is expected to cost $14 million and will be funded by the Quebec government, which has a specific infrastructure fund in place for when the province’s universities are in need of renovations and upkeep. Work is slated to begin in the spring of 2011. For the multitude of administration employees whose offices are located in the building, this means temporarily relocating until the renovations are complete. However, access to the metro and to Concordia’s underground tunnel will not be affected. Along with the GM building, the Faubourg Tower’s building envelope will also undergo changes; however, operations there will not be affected by the work as significantly as at the GM building. “The GM is going to be a bit more of a challenge because people who work in the building will have to

be, in some cases, moved elsewhere temporarily,” said Concordia spokeswoman Chris Mota. “In some cases, the work will involve removing windows and other things that do not make for a work environment.”

“

The GM is going to be a bit more of a challenge because people who work in the building will have to be, in some cases, moved elsewhere temporarily Chris Mota, university spokesperson

Despite these disruptions, Mota said that operations should nonetheless continue as normal. Facilities management, which made the decision to undertake the renovations, stated that the changes to the heating and cooling systems in the GM building will increase energy efficiency, as well as provide more comfortable and healthier environments for those working in the building. Mota said of the decision that “[Facilities Management] does periodic inspections of all of our buildings and when they feel that some kind of

preventative, proactive steps need to be taken they will start the process.” Once completed by December

Photo by Cindy Lopez 2012, the GM building will have the same look as the adjacent EV and JMSB buildings.

CITY

Commemorating Mordecai Richler remains controversial Francophone Quebecers are quick to protect their cultural heritage: anthropologist

Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo Assistant arts editor Montreal toponymy is once again at the heart of a heated debate after two city councillors launched an online petition on Nov. 1 to commemorate prominent literary figure Mordecai Richler by renaming a public place after him. Marvin Rotrand and Michael Applebaum’s effort to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the writer’s passing has earned as much praise and scorching critique as his work, in part due to his controversial stance on Quebec nationalism.

The issue of naming public space remains a contentious one for Montrealers, and public opinion often plays a role in determining changes. In 2006, an attempt by the City of Montreal to rename Parc Avenue after former premier Robert Bourassa was eventually defeated after a vocal portion of the merchants who own businesses along the artery expressed their opposition to the change. Along with the Comité de toponymie de la Ville de Montréal, which serves as an advisory committee, city council governs the naming of public places. According to the city’s website, the concept of patrimoine, or heritage, is one of the criterion considered for renaming a public place. According to Sonia Hamel, a Concordia anthropology professor, “[it’s important] for communities who have been here for a long time to be able to recognize their patrimoine, the important figures in their culture [...] in our public space, to see important symbolic representations of how they have also contributed to the whole cultural scene in Montreal.’’

“I think it goes a long way in concretely showing civic inclusion,” she added. While francophones are a majority in Quebec, they are a minority in North America, which makes the group wary of protecting their cultural heritage, Hamel added. In cases such as these, “what you don’t want to do is erase the memory of any group, including the majority group,” she said. Caroline Lang, a law student at Université de Montréal, believes that Richler deserves to be commemorated, as long as no pre-existing symbols of heritage are erased in doing so. She is unenthusiastic about the idea of renaming St. Urbain Street, where Richler grew up. ‘’Urbain was an important figure in the history of Montreal,’’ she said. If they choose to rename a street after Richler, ‘’there are plenty of streets named after flowers’’ that would do the trick. Lang doesn’t condone any defamatory comments made by Richler, stating that “[city council] should weigh the importance of his work with the remarks he made” when making their decision.

Hamel said that a group’s collective memory is often afflicted by “blind spots,” whereby in retrospect some events are given precedence over others. She gave the example of priest and historian Lionel Groulx, who is the namesake for a street and metro station. Groulx had faced accusations of anti-Semitism (some of which came from Richler himself.) “[Groulx] doesn’t create consensus even within the Quebec community,” Hamel pointed out, “[but] he is still a prominent historical figure,” one who made significant contributions to Quebec society. “No one historical figure can be reduced to one thing,” but by nature, toponymy does just that: it reduces a person to a name on a street sign, plaque or building. Richler was an “an insightful social commentator”, as well as an “equal opportunity critic,” something Hamel thinks Quebecers should remember. Rotrand and Applebaum intend to present the petition to city council in December, according to La Presse. As of Nov. 15, it had garnered 711 signatures.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Document should help place Concordia among top five comprehensive universities: provost tive we are at recruiting students and retaining them,’’ said Graham. ‘’Another way would be to look at the number of external awards won by students of a particular program as well as the graduate schools that have accepted them.’’ He noted that the process would be essentially the same for measuring the quality of faculty, looking as much at the number of applicants for a position as their qualifications and accolades. Should the administration come

to the conclusion that a program’s quality is declining, Graham said its relevance would inevitably come under question. ‘’We need to ask ourselves why the quality is declining,’’ he said. ‘’It could be because priorities are changing. If that is the case, then the unit needs to reflect on whether they want to continue offering this program. Or maybe the number of student applicants is declining. But if we decide that the program is still a priority, we could decide how to support them.’’

He noted that Concordia is better than most Canadian universities at creating programs rather than getting rid of them. As for the reception of the academic plan process, Graham feels it is has been generally positive, but encourages people to offer their feedback on the initiative by commenting on the academic plan working groups’ reports published on the provost’s website. ‘’In a heterogeneous community like ours, it’s hard to get the word out, but I think as people begin to

understand what is going on, they will become more interested and will want to comment,’’ he says. The provost hopes to present a draft of the academic plan to a steering committee by January 2011. He envisions the document as containing two main parts: an overview outlining the goals of the strategic framework, and a set of actions to achieve those goals. Graham said he was hesitant at divulging specific actions at the present time.

CAMPUS

University ranking systems ignore the strengths of certain institutions: Concordia

ConU’s Brad Tucker says all schools are different, but are compared on the same set of criteria Evan LePage News Editor

University rankings may have some relative value, but they often ignore the strengths specific to each institution, according to Concordia’s director of institutional planning Bradley Tucker. “It’s taking a series of indicators and it’s looking at everyone according to the same yardstick,” Tucker said, referring specifically to the 2010 Maclean’s university rankings released last week. “What I disagree with is that all universities have the same relative strengths.” In the Maclean’s ranking, Concordia placed 11th out of 12 comprehensive universities, the same rank as last year. The low placement is something Tucker says won’t change until their “performance indicators” change. One of his criticisms of the ranking system was that it measured university input and output, but ignored “outcome” or how students contributed to society after graduation. “I think a ranking has to take account of the student experience while they’re in the institution, which Maclean’s does, and it has to take account of what happens after our students graduate.” Reputation is a decisive criterion in the Maclean’s ranking system, amounting to 20 per cent of the score, something Tucker also highlighted as one of the more questionable elements. “I’ve called it the black box of the Maclean’s indicators,” he said. To gauge a school’s reputation, Maclean’s asks university administrators to rank schools that they know on their degree of excellence, Tucker said. But he believes that many of these respondents will still rate a school despite not truly knowing that much about a particular institution.

Nation in brief Evan Lepage

Sask. tech institute working to avoid strikes

Around 1,300 instructors and 700 support staff at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology were preparing to strike as of last Friday night in response to a stalemate in negotiations for a new collective agreement. The employees, who are members of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union, have been without a contract since the summer of 2009. The SIAST agreed on Friday to use a mediator to hopefully aid the bargaining process, but it’s not clear as to whether the strikes will still occur. The SIAST has four campuses in the province and serves over 14,000 post-secondary students.

Doors are for pansies: deer

Remembrance Day ceremonies at a Winnipeg school were interrupted last Wednesday by what is undoubtedly a contender for the toughest deer in Canada. The wild buck burst through a pane of glass near the school’s front door, narrowly avoiding children as young as kindergarten age who were entering the building shortly before classes were to begin. Staff managed to herd the animal into a classroom, where he apparently remained stationary behind the teacher’s desk, clearly showing everyone who was in charge. A provincial conservation officer eventually guided the deer out of the room and into the hall, where it apparently bolted out the door before being treated for minor glass wounds. I would not buck with that deer.

Bull injures four at Edmonton rodeo

Maclean’s named ConU as underappreciated as “Rodney Dangerfield and rolling in the mud.”Photo: Brennan Neill Tucker also noted that Maclean’s ranking system claims to judge schools on a number of “key skills,” but many of their criteria don’t seem to qualify as such in the traditional sense of the words. “To me, the amount of money you get from the government is not a skill. The amount of money you have to devote to libraries is not a skill,” he said, also mentioning the studentfaculty ratio. According to a statement sent to the Concordian by Mary Dwyer, senior editor of universities at Maclean’s, the criteria are actually determined “by the availability of the data and examine many of the same performance measures tracked by university administrators.” Maclean’s only uses publicly available information for their rankings. The statement also said that Maclean’s “recognizes that the rankings cannot give a complete picture of a university,” which is why they include other information in the editorial package that accompanies the rankings every year. While he doesn’t think a fully comprehensive ranking system exists now, Tucker does believe that it’s possible. “I think you can have a one size fits most,” he said. So where does Tucker believe

Concordia would be ranked, all their strengths considered? “At the top. Concordia is unique in its disciplinary mix and in what it offers students in the environment it offers,” he said. “I’m sorry you’re not going to find anything like Concordia anywhere in North America.”

“

So I think it’s important that we not just go by the rankings but look at places that are doing interesting things Chris Mota, university spokesperson

Concordia was singled out by Maclean’s this year in a section called “On the Radar,” which noted the schools’ strong fine arts and humanities reputation. “They choose

a couple of universities that don’t always fare as well as we would like in the rankings,” said Concordia’s director of media relations Chris Mota. “But they put us out there because there’s a buzz about the university and there’s a real interest among students.” Mota also referenced a quote from Cathrin Bradbury, the editor of Maclean’s intelligence unit, in a recent interview on CJAD’s the Ric Peterson Show. “Concordia is on a lot of people’s lips and a lot of kids think it’s an interesting school,” Bradbury said. “So I think it’s important that we not just go by the rankings but look at places that are doing interesting things.” For Tucker, however, this section of the magazine “is a way that Maclean’s itself has acknowledged that it is flawed in some way because it is not capturing a lot of what many students are interested in.” Despite all the criticisms, Tucker acknowledged the use of rankings as one of many tools hopeful students use to choose their universities. He simply advised that “If you’re going to look at rankings, look at a lot of them and look at them critically. And look at them with an eye for what’s important to you.”

It’s pretty common at rodeos to see a cowboy hop into the stands to avoid an angry bull. It is less common to see the bull itself hop into the crowd, but that is exactly what happened at an Edmonton rodeo last weekend. The 1,600 pound bull quickly tossed off its rider before making a beeline for the fence and jumping clear over it. It landed on members of the audience, injuring four of them. Three of the injuries were minor, but one woman needed to be taken to hospital for treatment after experiencing back pain and leg numbness. As a result, the bull has been removed from the competition. The rodeo took place at Edmonton’s Rexall Place on Friday night. Northlands, the event’s organizers, released a statment saying this is the first time in the rodeo’s history that a bull has jumped out of the ring.

Starbucks clients nab poppy fund thief Two late night coffee-drinkers became local heroes after they stopped a thief who was stealing poppy funds from a local café. The two men were on a break from work at around 11 p.m. when they entered a Starbucks in Victoria, B.C., the QMI agency reported. When they walked outside the coffee shop the two men waited for a few minutes, during which time they reportedly witnessed another customer grabbing a Legion Poppy Fund box and running. The two men reacted quickly and grabbed the suspect as he exited the shop and held him on the ground until police arrived. The box contained approximately $50.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

World in brief Evan Lepage

Tuition protests turn violent in the UK

Police in London have made 57 arrests so far in association with a tuition protest last Wednesday that turned violent. The incident in question saw 30 students climb onto the roof of a building in central London that acts as the headquarters for the Conservatives, the country’s ruling party. They also smashed windows, lit fires within the building and threw various items at police, while a reported 50,000 people protested in the streets. At least 14 people were injured in the event, and many student groups have since condemned the violence. None have condemned the protest itself, however, as it was in response to a recent proposal by the UK government to triple university tuition costs.

Kentucky man forced to eat beard at gunpoint

You know how awful it is when you find a hair in your meal? Well, what if hair was the entire meal? Two men in Kentucky are to be sentenced today for forcing a third man to cut off and consume his own beard. The guilty parties, who were intoxicated at the time, were negotiating the price of a used lawnmower with Harvey Westmoreland last May when they became agitated. They pulled a knife and gun on the victim and his brother, and then forced the former to shave off and eat his entire beard. Both men pleaded guilty in the incident.

Cuba not a Call of Duty fan

Only days after its release, Cuba’s state-run media has come out against the new Call of Duty game, Black Ops. In the game, players take on the role of U.S. Special Forces during the Cold War, including a mission which involves attempting to kill Fidel Castro. The media source, Cubadebate, says this is an attempt to legitimize murder and assassination. If the player manages to kill Fidel, they also receive the “Death to Dictator” achievement. Cuban media claims this allows people to fictionally achieve what the U.S. was unable to in 600 alleged assasination attempts. One thing’s for sure, these accusations haven’t affected sales, as the game is expected to surpass the $550 million mark in its first five days on the market. This mark was set by Black Ops’ predecessor, Modern Warfare 2.

Sex sells, but does it elect?

The municipal elections in Warsaw, Poland just got a little steamier as one pop singer-turned -politician is using her curvy figure to attract support. Katarzyna Szczolek, better known under stage name Sara May, released a campaign poster last week in which she is laid out on a beach in just her bikini. The poster reads “Beautiful, independent, and competent.” Known for making out with girlfriends on stage, Szczolek has come under some ridicule from other candidates for her reputation and campaign posters, another of which shows her cuddling a puppy. But at least she hasn’t gone as far as a Czech politician who announced this week that she would be posing in the buff for Playboy to get back at party leaders who criticized her for showing up at a conference in a mini-dress.

ASFA

Ask, don’t tell: ASFA encourages students to get informed about their school ASFA, student groups hope Ask Why Campaign prompts students to ask questions about university dealings Evan LePage News editor Why is tuition going up? How does corporate sponsorship affect students? Why isn’t student input taken into account in university decisions? These are just three of the many questions ASFA is hoping students raise as a part of their “Ask Why Campaign,” a week-long initiative to promote student awareness about

university dealings. “It’s a whole bunch of organizations working together to have an alternative form of protest in the sense that we’re asking students open ended questions,” said ASFA president Aaron Green. “We’re not telling them what to think, we’re just getting them to ask questions.” CSU club überculture, Concordiabased anti-bottled water organization TAPthirst, and Free Education Montreal are also working on the campaign, which will see students giving classroom speeches and asking their peers what concerns them within Concordia. The organizations chose this alternative style of campaign “because it gets students while they’re in their classrooms,” Green said. “It’s very hard to just organize a protest and get students out, as opposed to just engaging students in classrooms and in the hallways.” This also allows them to reach

students who would not normally participate in events outside of school. “You’re getting other students that may not have the time to come out and protest, but they still care about the issues, or they may not even know about the issues,” Green said. ASFA’s VP external Chad Walcott added that they don’t necessarily know what students want, and not everybody will agree with the message pushed by protests, a method he called an “in-your-face” way of spreading concerns and raising awareness. “I feel as though if we go out and preach something and say this is wrong and this is wrong, it’s going to turn a lot of students off from whatever cause we’re trying to push,” he said, noting that this is what happened to some students during the PepsiCo contract protest a few weeks ago. The campaign will largely focus

on the major issues affecting Concordia students as of late, primarily the corporatization of the campus, the recent beverage contract and the rise in tuition. David Bernans, author of the book Con U Inc, will be speaking tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the CSU Lounge on the seventh floor of the Hall building, in association with the campaign. In his speech Bernans will touch upon, among other things, how corporate sponsorship affects a university, Walcott said. But beyond encouraging students to get informed, Walcott expects that the student representatives in ASFA will also gain valuable insight into what matters most to the people attending Concordia. “I don’t want to misrepresent how students feel,” he said. “I want to find out how students feel, and then maybe we’ll go protest if need be, if that’s what the students want.”

ADVOCACY

Group advises a strategic approach in addressing student concerns with the university Group advises a strategic approach in addressing student concerns with the university Renee Giblin Staff writer So far this year, Concordia students have mobilized and protested against the hike in international fees, the government lifting of the 2012 tuition freeze and, most recently, the signing of a beverage contract with PepsiCo. Despite this student action, local organization Free Education Montreal believes students need to be more calculated in their dealings with university officials if they are to have their concerns addressed. “Students might have to be strategic, it is very easy for the university to go over our heads,” said Holly Nazar, member of FEM and one of the presenters at “Pepsico & Beyond: Presentations and discussion on owning our campus,” a conference held last Thursday. Nazar, alongside with Erik

Chevrier (left), Nazar and Sonin. Photo by Clovis-Alexandre Desvarieux Chevrier and Robert Sonin, spoke to a handful of people at the Graduate Students’ Association house about how students need to understand that they have certain rights in the university. They said that students do have a right to have more power in the way the university is controlled and administered. This means having the ability to ask how their tuition is being spent and to demand clearer transparency on contracts, the group said, adding that protesting, posting

CSU Concordia Student Union council members voted unanimously last week to approve a motion to have CUTV film the January 2011 council meeting in a new pilot project. After the filming in January, the unedited content will be posted online and council will then vote on whether to adopt filming into the CSU’s standing regulations at the March meeting. CUTV filmed the October council meeting despite a contentious vote rejecting a motion to formally invite them to film. Many councillors spoke of feeling uncomfortable with the filming at the time. Despite strongly opposing the motion in October, CSU president Heather Lucas said she was always for the filming from the start. She chalked council’s original reaction up to the wording of the motion. She insisted that she was speaking up for councillors who were too intimidated to oppose the motion. Photo by Sarah Deshaies

fliers and filming in university buildings are all student rights. The university seems to be willing to accept certain forms of demonstrations, Chevrier said, but he added that it helps if students choose their battles and look at the bigger goal before going out to protest. In addition to addressing student rights, the presenters also targeted the problems they feel exist on the university’s end. The general consensus among the group was that the university needs to adjust its poli-

cies on what students have a right to access. “It’s not that they don’t give the info,” Chevrier said, “it’s just so vague.” Sonin said that it is hard to decipher the university’s financial documents because the school does not go into the specific details of how money is being spent on students. Chevrier also asserted that Concordia is very secretive about their contract deals. He continued by saying that the university is too reliant on corporate contracts and that Concordia needs to slowly wean itself away from these influences and become self-reliant. The discussion also veered beyond Concordia, with Sonin saying that board members and the Quebec government need to look at education as a social good rather than a money maker. “They have a very commercial attitude,” he said. The more education people receive, he added, the better the society, the better the economy and the better the services the population receives. Ultimately, the discussion came down to the student body, and the overall message of the conference seemed to be that students should get informed about their rights since, as Sonin put it, “We are a player here. We actually have a say.”

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Cultural nights are an important event for students at Loyola, residence: ASFA president in order to slow access to alcohol, and having breaks between serving to reduce consumption and allow people to drink water. ASFA president Aaron Green also noted that people will be carded for their age, not just student I.D. at the door, and that the door price is increasing in response to the cost of food, drinks, and increased security. While he did admit that the increased security was a positive as it showed the CSU was taking this seriously, the representative from residence also said “I think they were supposed to be monitoring how many drinks people were having at previous events and their monitoring was less than desirable. It didn’t seem to have accurate measures and/or accounting.” He added that only time will tell how effective these measures actually are. While these security measures are important, for Green the cultural nights themselves are equally important to the students who enjoy them, many of the one-third of Concordia’s arts and science students who study at Loyola and often live at the campus. “I think we provide a really great service, in particular to the students who live in residences,” he said. “We’re just trying to promote student life on the Loyola campus.” Green said that ASFA has already fought to keep the cultural nights, and will again if they have to. “The administration obviously doesn’t like [cultural nights],” he said, adding that the university would probably make it an alcohol-free campus if they could. “But [the Hive is] student space and it’s somewhere where we are going to have to continue the fight to maintain control of our student space and hold such events.”

CAMPUS

ASFA council grills student centre presentation CSU looks for support, is greeted by questions they can’t answer Sarah Deshaies Editor-in-chief While representatives went to the Arts and Sciences Federation of Associations council meeting to drum up support for the student centre last Thursday, ASFA councillors peppered the group with questions and concerns about plans for the project. With the CSU referendum to increase the fee-levy for the student centre over the course of the next two years only a few weeks away, the student union was hoping ASFA councillors would speak to the students they represent, answer questions and educate them about why the centre is necessary. But after a brief presentation by the CSU’s VP external and projects Adrien Severyns, he was met with a barrage of questions lasting over 30 minutes. One of the concerns raised by councillors is how the needs of Loyola students would be addressed, as the student centre building will ultimately be placed downtown. Councillor Michaela Manson questioned what would happen to the existing student spaces around campus when all student services and recreational areas are vacated and transferred to the new building. Questions about whether Chartwell’s, Concordia’s exclusive campus food provider, would take

issue with the retail and food locations that will supposedly be run out of the student centre, and on where a location for the centre could plausibly be found in the very dense downtown area were also raised. While they attempted to answer some questions, Severyns and the second presenter Jonathan Wener, a businessman, Concordia donor and commerce alumnus, answered many questions by saying that all of these decisions would be up to students to decide on, since it was their centre. The two presenters were also questioned repeatedly over a discrepancy in their discussions on in the estimated progress for the student centre, as Severyns projected a timeline of five years, while Wener said the centre could be completed in 18 months. Wener said that he was in fact being the “bad guy” as his timeline was based on the most ideal of scenarios. Severyns began the presentation by summarizing the history of the student centre project. His presentation also highlighted parts of the management agreement, which will have three students sitting with two university representatives on the board of comanagement. Control of the building will prospectively be split 62 per cent for students, with the remaining 38 per cent to the university. He also noted that the building would cost over $50 million, though only $6.7 million has been raised thus far. In justifying the need for the centre, Severyns returned to his on-going argument. “The problem is that the state of the university today is a big, big lack of student space,” he said, citing the loss of three clubs’ office space that was

announced in October. Wener took on the point of view of an alumnus, citing his experiences in the school by describing how the student centre would enrich the student experience. He pointed to the newly released Maclean’s rankings that listed Concordia as the 11th best Canadian comprehensive university out of a group 12, and 24th out of 49 schools in the overall ranking. “We need to get to 10. The only way we’re going to get to 10 is with student life, ” said Wener “Our rankings suffer because we don’t have student life.”

$6.7 m amount raised to date from the student fee-levy for the student centre project

$50+ m the projected amount that the student centre facility will cost according to Adrien Severyns

The CSU’s VP external and projects Adrien Severyns. Photo by writer

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Tuesday, November 16, 2010 CITY

Remembrance Day marked at McGill

Large crowd turns out for Montreal’s official ceremony Shereen Ahmed Rafea Staff writer

Hundreds of people, many wearing red poppies, gathered at McGill’s downtown campus on Nov. 11 to attend Montreal’s official Remembrance Day ceremony. When the clock struck a.m. that morning, a moment of silence was held to remember Canadians who fought in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, as well as those who have participated in other missions over the years. The ceremony included a military performance complete with bagpipes, trumpets, and drums. Two helicopters hovered over the field after a 21-gun salute at 11 a.m. covered the area with smoke. “It was a touching ceremony,

we’re proud to have defended this country,” said Jean Paul Sauvé, a veteran of the Second World War. Sauvé signed up when he was 19. He was trained in Newfoundland before being sent to the Pacific Front. He was also stationed in Europe and Africa. “I was in Hong Kong, redirected to Europe, [which was] 20 days at sea from Nova Scotia, and then accessed the Mediterranean to invade Italy,” he said, recalling some of his military past. “One year in Italy, then to France toward Germany and into Holland to help defend the dikes.” Sauvé believes the ceremony should be held every year as a constant reminder. “It has to take place every year so we remember that we have to defend our country and the weak.” The ceremony’s guest of honour, Lieutenant Governor Pierre Duchesne, was the first to lay a wreath. He was followed by Mayor Gérald Tremblay, then the minister of immigration and culture, Sûreté du Québec and Veterans Affairs Canada

officials, as well as many others. “It’s not about war, it’s about keeping peace,” said Sasha Lee, whose late father, George Roberts, was a veteran stationed in Holland during World War II. “He was part of the liberation of Holland, part of three campaigns in that area,” she said. “I grew up always knowing about the war, he always spoke about it.” Lee believes the Remembrance Day ceremony is important to remind generations who never had to endure war to show respect for those who did. This was the second year in a row that the ceremony was held at McGill due to renovations at Place du Canada. “It was a very good ceremony. It was great to have it here at McGill because there’s much more room’’, said Jack Ansley, who was at McGill in 1955. He was too young to sign up for the Second World War, but his father and three uncles all did. The ceremony closed with the playing of the national anthem.

McGill hosts remembrance ceremonies. Photo by Camille Nerantzidis

ENVIRONMENT

A tribute to tributaries: a Quebec scientist’s quest to get to the bottom of sediment transport Research indicates changing sediment transport patterns a result of climate change Emily Brass Staff writer Devastating droughts. Massive floods. Melting ice caps. While cataclysmic predictions surrounding climate change make for flashy news, scientist Pascale Biron studies a less showy prospect: the increased movement of sediment in rivers. A geomorphologist at Concordia University in Montreal, Biron and her team spent five years examining the interaction between the

St. Lawrence River and three of its tributaries, the Batiscan, Richelieu and Saint-Francois, which all join the mighty waterway between Montreal and Quebec City. Of particular interest to Biron was the impact of the movement of sediment on the vast and shallow fluvial lake, Lac Saint-Pierre. “One of the motivations to work in that area is that it’s a highly sensitive zone,” said Biron. “In terms of wetlands and biodiversity, Lac SaintPierre is critical. And of course the St. Lawrence River in general is very important from an economic point of view.” The just-completed research will soon be published in the journal Hydrological Processes. Among her co-authors was internationally renowned hydrologist Rob Ferguson of Durham University in England, who she met while working on her PhD overseas. Ferguson provided valuable models on sediment transport that she and her team adapted to local conditions. “What’s amazing is the St.

Lawrence River is hugely important, but we have very little information on its tributaries,” said Biron, in her signature British-Quebecois accent. “We had to start from scratch.” They discovered that flow patterns of this system, established over millions of years, are rapidly changing due to the rising temperatures scientists associate with climate change. Biron explained that spring thaws now occur earlier, sometimes hitting the region as early as January. The melting snow and ice cause water, silt and sand to surge into the St. Lawrence at a time when it’s typically low. This creates a steeper slope between the bodies of water. Much of the sediment that previously would have remained at the deltas of these tributaries now dumps into the great waterway, and into Lac Saint-Pierre. Compounding the problem, said Biron, is the fact that the Great Lakes, the primary source of the St. Lawrence, are getting lower as warming trends speed up evaporation.

According to Brent Harris, a ship agent with the international transport company Inchcape, the shipping industry keeps close tabs on decreasing levels in the St. Lawrence. Montreal-bound vessels carry lighter loads, and many ships discharge in Quebec City to avoid shallower waters upstream. “It’s a very complicated management system in the context of climate change,” said Biron. “When you change the levels of the St. Lawrence, it’s not just a local effect. It’s the whole watershed.” Biron predicts increased sediment will reduce the area of Lac SaintPierre. She believes wildlife that depends on the lake for survival could be threatened, and that floods may have a farther reach, affecting homes and businesses situated well beyond current flood zones. Professor Mike Stone of the University of Waterloo isn’t surprised by the findings. His research also concentrates on sediment transport. He added another disheartening element into the scenario: when fine

sediment makes it way downstream, chemical contaminants tend to join the particles for the ride. A representative at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, however, was puzzled by Biron’s predictions. “That’s news to me,” said geographer Richard Sanfacon, who works for the agency’s Hydrographic Service. He coordinates surveys of Lac Saint-Pierre used for annual dredging operations. Sanfacon said that he didn’t have the data to compare levels from year to year, but that his guess is that sediment is actually going down. “We don’t have enough information to judge the effects of climate change,” said Sanfacon. “And climate change itself is debatable.” Biron emphatically disagrees. “There is no debate,” she declared. “All models predict higher temperatures and more extreme weather events. People should just say, climate change is happening, and ask, now what? How do you adapt? It’s not something that will just go away.”

POLITICS

Iran’s nuclearization is Israel’s biggest challenge: Israeli journalist Jerusalem Post’s Gil Hoffman says Israel should intervene militarily Michael Lemieux Contributor The ‘nuclearization’ of Iran and its potential military use is one of Israel’s two greatest challenges, moving further into the 21st century, according to chief political correspondent and reporter for the Jerusalem Post Gil Hoffman. Hoffman gave a lecture called “Politics, Peace and Plutonium” at McGill last week, during which he mentioned the other challenge of Palestine, but focused on solutions

to the Iranian issue, and how these options were limited by international pressures. “Being Israeli is about hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst,” said Hoffman, explaining that this sense of identity helps one understand Israel’s approach to this challenge. Israel’s demands appear hypocritical as they themselves are not signatories to the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty and are believed to possess nuclear weapons, he said. Hoffman listed four ways to address and ultimately stop the problem: the democratic, the diplomatic, the economic, and the military. He asserted that currently the world strongly pushes for the third method, economic sanctions, because in the eyes of much of the international community, and even the Israeli people themselves, the democratic

and diplomatic methods have thus far failed. “Iran is complaining of the cost of imports rising. So all of [the sanctions] are having an effect,” Hoffman said. Hoffman himself advocated the last solution, military action, but noted that international opinion of this option has been negative. President Obama has not been clear about his stance on Iran and has so far resisted efforts to use the threat of military force. Hoffman believes that removing the military option from the table makes it impossible to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. “The United States wants to have an open-ended engagement with Iran, talking to Iran forever, no military option. And that’s something that really worries [Israeli Prime

Minister] Netanyahu because Iran is moving full speed ahead to obtain a nuclear capability” Hoffman argues that is should be easy to see why preventing the nuclearization of Iran is a top priority for Israel, especially considering that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has denied the Holocaust. Hoffman even claimed that “(Ahmadinehjad) wants to initiate a new (Holocaust) by obtaining the nuclear capability Hitler never did.” Not everyone agrees with this conclusion, however. Dr. Julian Schofield, an associate professor in Concordia’s political science department and an expert in the field of arms control, says “There is no official government evidence that Ahmadinejad or Iran wants to destroy Israel. This is widely alleged from his speeches but has no foundation.”

Photo by Cindy Lopez

life

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com HEALTH

Beating end of semester blues

“Ideally, we want students to manage their stress in a proactive way, rather than to allow things to reach crisis,” Gross said. Parasuco tried to make an appointment with Concordia’s psychological services a few weeks ago, around the middle of the semester, but because of the influx of students looking for help at this time of year, she has yet to sit down with a counsellor. Though Robinson made it seem as though there wasn’t much that could be done about the lack of appointment availability, she insisted that no student who is in need of serious help will be turned away or left without other resources. If you know that you are someone who habitually suffers from stress, prepare yourself in advance by making an appointment within the first few weeks of classes.

How to avoid major stressors While it might be hard to get an appointment right now, Concordia’s counselling and psychological interim director Dale Robinson offers these tips for students to keep stress at bay:

Rather than allowing yourself to fall victim to the stress of deadlines and exams, seek help and plan ahead. Photo by Tiffany Blaise

Taking advantage of Concordia’s counselling resources is harder than it should be Savannah Sher Assistant life editor Sheena Parasuco, like most other students, is wondering how she will possibly finish all her work before Dec. 6, when her classes end. Parasuco is in her third year at Concordia University, where she is studying philosophy and marketing. In addition, she works part time at a health clinic doing billing, making appointments, as well as frontline work. With so much school work to worry about, she had to request reduced hours at work. “They don’t want to keep me on because I can’t work enough,” Parasuco said. “Now I have to look for a new job, but it’s hard because I don’t have many hours available.” Between recovering from midterms, prepping for finals and dealing with all the assignments and group projects in between, the last few weeks before winter break can leave students feeling completely overwhelmed. On top of their regular course load, many students also have part-time jobs, living expenses and relationship issues to deal with. Parasuco is fortunate to have her parents pay for her tuition, as long as she keeps her marks up, but she still has to come up with $400 a month for rent and utilities for her St. Henri apartment. “I mean, I can pay my rent this month but I have no idea what I’m going to do for the next few months.” What many are unaware of is that Concordia offers free services to help students cope with these kind of stressors. The Counselling and Development department provides advising and psychological help for those who need extra guidance. Dale Robinson is the interim coordinator of counselling and psychological services at Con-

cordia. Robinson says that the period between midterms and finals is their busiest at Counselling and Development. Brittany MacLean is a second-year English literature student at Concordia. She splits her time between her four classes and waitressing the night shift 25 hours a week at Sir Winston Churchill Pub. She sometimes works until as late as 3 a.m. on weeknights and has to wake up a few hours later for her morning classes. She admits to often skipping class if she has worked late the night before. “Basically all my exams are at the same time this semester. I have all four exams in two days.” MacLean said. “I feel pressured to take on more shifts at work, but there’s only so much you can manage.” She is one of the many students who had never heard about the psychological services offered at Concordia. Marlene Gross is the manager of the student success program centre. “We hope all students are aware of our services,” she said. “Every January, we host a Re-Discover Concordia Fair at which many of the services and resources for

students have information tables and staff representatives available to make sure students know what they offer and how to access the services.” The counsellors deal with more than just academic issues. Though students can definitely meet with them to discuss being overwhelmed by class work, they are also available to talk about a multitude of other personal troubles. Though school, work and money are major stressors in students lives, Parasuco is not alone in admitting that she has personal and family issues that plague her as well. “One of our biggest problems are relationship issues,” said Robinson. “Not just romantic relationships, though we do deal with a lot of breakups, but problems with family and friends as well.” Anyone can take advantage of the psychological services that are offered by Concordia, not just students with diagnosed illnesses like depression or anxiety. Whether you are having problems with your boyfriend, having trouble keeping up with your homework or are just feeling down, the department will match you with a counsellor who can help.

Be prepared. Though you may feel like it’s a bit late for this, do work as it comes up. Don’t procrastinate on something that you’re able to finish in a short period of time. Take your work one day at a time. Rather than stressing about how much you have to do before the end of the semester, think about what you can do today. If you break your work up and set yourself manageable daily goals, your workload won’t seem so intimidating. Don’t forget to sleep. Keeping your body well rested will keep you focused and keep your mind working better. Make sure you get a full night’s sleep even if that means sacrificing an hour or two of studying; the extra rest will help you out more than the last-minute cramming. Eat right. While it’s definitely easier to binge on McDonald’s than make yourself a healthy meal, gorging on junk food can be detrimental to your stress levels. Pack nutritious snacks to bring with you to class or to the library so you don’t find yourself starving and temped by fast food. Chop up vegetables and put them in sandwich bags so that they’re ready to grab and go. Buy fruit and trail mix so that you can keep your energy levels high when you’re studying. Make time for exercise. Starting a new work-out regime may be the last thing on your to-do list, but keeping active will keep the stress at bay. You may not have time to head to the gym, but take 20 minutes to get away from your laptop and stretch or take a quick jog around the block. The fresh air will clear your head and the physical activity will boost your serotonin levels, which will automatically elevate your mood. Don’t take on extra commitments. Focus on what’s essential for your classes and don’t get involved in anything new. Say no to the extra shift at work and let someone else plan your friend’s surprise party.

Eat vegetables instead of fast food to keep stress levels down. Photo by Sarah Deshaies

You can find out more about Concordia’s counselling services at counselling. concordia.ca

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

LIFESTYLE

theconcordian

Training your biological clock How keeping a daily routine will help you avoid fatigue, hunger and insomnia Hiba Zayadin Staff writer As the clock struck 1 p.m., Zaid Suradi frantically rushed out of bed, pulled on some jeans and a sweater and ran to Concordia’s Engineering building. He was 30 minutes late and sported an empty, growling stomach. Such are Suradi’s days during the school year: late nights and irregular meals. Many university students follow the same chaotic lifestyle. New research being done in Concordia University suggests the absence of routine in one’s day affects an intricate system of clocks in the brain and body. That is, besides the obvious health effects such as fatigue and lower metabolism. Shimon Amir, a professor of behavioral neurobiology at Concordia, recently published a paper on the relationship between the primary circadian clock, widely known as our biological clock, and smaller clocks. The latter are in particular regions of the brain that directly affect emotional and motivational states. “What clocks do in different regions of the brain is modulate neural activity, gene expression and metabolism,” said Amir. The Canadian Institute of Health Research funds Amir’s work and his article has been published in the Journal of Molecular Neuroscience. The primary clock generates and coor-

dinates rhythmicity according to a 24-hour period. “The most common synchronizer of the master clock is the light/dark cycle so its important to be exposed to light at the right time because the light is the stimulus that resets the master clock, the one that synchronizes the rest of the body. So exposure to light is very important,” stressed Amir. Feeding regularly is another powerful synchronizer of our clocks. When a person skips meals or has them at random times, a direct consequence is clock disruption. “By affecting the components of the clock, various things that the clock controls will be affected too. That can have all kinds of negative effects, both physiological and psychological.” Some adverse effects include constant tiredness, less energy and inability to sleep. A daily routine, whether it be concerned with eating or a person’s sleep cycle, is important to maintain the constant rhythmicity of our biological clock and its subordinates. According to Amir, even if you choose to eat only one meal a day but always at the same time every day, the clocks will be synchronized with this habit of feeding. Once the clocks are regulated, your body starts to feel hunger only once a day at that certain time. Regardless of whether your routine is healthy or not, the mere existence of routine keeps the clocks from being majorly disrupted, thus keeping fatigue, sudden hunger and inability to sleep at night at bay. One major result of clock disruption is something Montrealers are all too familiar with: winter depression. Many students in the winter wake up late and find themselves getting less than three hours of sunlight per day. This disrupts clock rhythmicity, allowing no time for the clocks to reset and function properly. “I’m seriously a victim of the winter blues,

I’ve only been in Montreal three years now, and I’m so not used to such short days. Some days I don’t even get to feel the sun on my face,” said Suradi as he discussed Montreal’s harsh winters. Amir suggested using certain light therapy lamps that work by emulating the rays of the sun. “A lot of people use those kinds of lights for treating winter depression, just turn it on for a couple of hours while studying or watching TV and it’ll really help,” he said. Light therapy lamps can be bought at Daylight, a specialized store at 2740 Angus St. in the Montreal area. Some lamps can be purchased for as low as $70 each. Those who really struggle with seasonal depression would benefit from investing in one, said Amir. He also pointed out that people should make a considerable effort during the winter to soak in the few hours of sunlight that are naturally available to us.

Three easy steps to help you create a healthy routine

1. Eat regularly. Eating at the same time every day helps avoid sudden hunger 2. Find sunlight during daytime hours. Exposing yourself to sunlight or light therapy lamps helps prevent depression during winter months 3. Make a sleep schedule. Waking up at the same time every morning and going to bed at the same time will keep your clocks synchronized

Light therapy lamps emulate the sun’s intensity and help prevent winter depression. Photo by writer

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

TECHNOLOGY

Big Brother is watching you How Concordia’s IITS can track what you surf, download and share online

No matter how many times Ben Campbell* tried, he could not log onto the Concordia University wireless network. The computerengineering student had grown quite frustrated by the time he received an email from IITS department with the subject: “Auto Reply: Wireless access blocked.” As a frequent user of torrent websites, the most popular form of peer-to-peer file sharing, Campbell immediately realized that he had forgotten to shut off the software before heading to school the day before. So as he sat in his classes one Wednesday in September, he was actively sharing television shows with other Internet users. It was at the end of the following day when he received what he describes as a generic-looking email that said he was found to be engaging in some questionable activity online. The email read: “Dear Concordia Wireless user: Due to illegal file-sharing activities originating from your Wireless device, we have blocked access to our wireless network for the Wireless device containing the network interface which was seen on the network at the time corresponding to the file-sharing alert we received.” The file-sharing alert had come from a company that monitors networks on behalf of the CBS Corporation for illegal file sharing. The copyrighted series being distributed without authorization on Campbell’s computer? The television teen soap 90210.

Not everyone is as informed as Campbell when it comes to IITS’s level of access. However, this is something that all students should be aware of, said Mike Babin, the assistant director of communications at IITS. “You have to realize that to gain access to our wireless network you have to put your net name in,” said Babin. “That is how we track.” Knowing one’s activity is being tracked can feel invasive, but according to Babin, the activity they are looking for is not targeted at an individual’s personal use. “We do monitor traffic but not in the sense of capturing it and taking a look at it,” he explained. “We monitor the behaviour of our traffic.” Besides being a means of monitoring suspicious behaviour, requiring a sign in helps increase the network’s performance. “[The login] is to make sure that the resources are there for the people who are entitled to use it,” said Babin. “People on the street just walking by shouldn’t be using our network and swallowing up bandwidth that should only be used by Concordia students, faculty and staff.” Around the same time that Campbell’s laptop access was restricted, there were nine other wireless devices and four wired Concordia computers blocked. Considering there are around 15,000 wireless devices in use on campus, blocking 14 may seem insignificant. However, according to Babin, the reason is that the network has security measures in place that block certain unacceptable behaviours from ever happening in the first place. In a test earlier this year, IITS removed the security systems and over the period of a month, they received 25 complaints from external sources. When the systems were in place, there were only two complaints in that same time span. Similarly to the login, Babin explained that these measures also help ensure that there is enough network connection to satisfy the needs of all students, faculty and staff.

Understanding Internet activity Being in a computer-orientated program, Campbell was not shocked to find out his actions were tracked, which is why he usually turns off the program before coming to school. “I knew they were able to do that, so leaving it on was a mistake on my part,” he said. “I have heard of other people who have had it done, but not very many, so I was a little bit more pissed than I was surprised.”

Drawing unwanted attention There are two main ways that IITS is notified about suspicious behaviour on the university’s network. The first is an alarm triggered from huge amounts of data transfer outside the university over a long period of time. This typically indicates a peer-to-peer file-sharing program that is often associated with copyright infringement on things such as music and movies.

Emily White Life editor

Not all file sharing is bad, explained Babin, who said that there can be legitimate uses as well. This is why they do not automatically block the activity. Rather, they observe and investigate it in order to be able to tell what kind of programs are in use. Based on this investigation, Babin said, “We can usually make a pretty good determination whether it is legitimate file transfer or not.” Another way they are typically notified is when they are alerted by an external source. Babin explained that there are companies who monitor the Internet and are looking for people who infringe copyrights. When these companies observe this type of behaviour, they complain to the originating network. Campbell’s wireless was shut down because of an external complaint. In the email he received was the original letter on behalf of CBS, as well as an explanation from IITS about the action they were taking. Knowing how complaints of this kind

“

We do monitor traffic but not in the sense of capturing it and taking a look at it Mike Babin, assistant director communications at IITS

work prevented Campbell from worrying too much about the email’s reference to copyright infringement and law violation. “They only know it came from Concordia,” he explained. “They do not know what is going on inside of [Concordia]. It is Concordia who can check who was doing that activity.” According to Babin, when faced with an external complaint, they always examine the claim before assuming an individual is guilty. “We check first to see if it actually happened and confirm it,” said Babin. The other types of activities that cause external complaints are people attempting to hack into secure systems and people sending harassing emails. In both scenarios, there are several actions typically taken by IITS. The first is to block the computer that the activity occurred on. When they are unable to do that, they will block the student’s net name, something they

do not like to do because it can block their portal access. Regaining network privileges In order to get his wireless access back, Campbell was instructed to bring his laptop to the IITS department at Loyola where it can be checked to make sure it is free of any of any file-sharing software. Babin explained that this process is fairly easy as by no means are they out there to make life harder for the student. “We are not asking for the moon,” laughed Babin. “It is not the third degree.” He admits that they are pretty liberal about what comes in and out of the university, but this does not mean students should abuse the network. “We do keep a record of all the machines that have been found to be doing it and we will notice repeat offenders,” said Babin. Campbell has not regained access on his computer since he has yet to hear back from IITS about when he can bring his laptop in for inspection. Luckily, he manages to get by using another laptop and knowing “ways to get around it.” But with the end of semester coming up, not having access on his main computer is getting annoying. Avoiding suspicious behaviour According to Babin, most students are unaware of the permanence of what they do online. “It is like when you put things on Facebook,” explained Babin. “It is there forever. You can delete it all you want but once it is out on the Internet and it will stay there.” This lack of knowledge can sometimes lead students to download programs and software that are doing illegal things in the background. “The way software is made available these days, it is so easy to put software on your computer and sometimes you don’t even know you are putting it on,” he explained. In order to avoid becoming victim to suspicious activity online, Babin’s biggest suggestion is to just be aware. “Be more careful about what you install, just the way you act with email attachments: unless you know exactly where that email came from it is not a good idea to open it up,” stressed Babin. “Also, never respond to any email asking you for account names or passwords. Nobody official operates that way, only people trying to steal your accounts.” *Real name has been withheld to protect privacy

Graphic by Phil Waheed

arts

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com LITERATURE

Concordia graduate Johanna Skibsrud wins this year s Giller Prize Writer of The Sentimentalists is the youngest recipient ever Amanda Dafniotis Staff writer It’s one thing to be recognized for your writing, but it’s another to become the youngest novelist to win the Giller prize. After being labeled as the dark horse of the competition, Johanna Skibsrud won the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize and the $50,000 cheque that comes with it. The Sentimentalists is Skibsrud’s first novel. It was hand-printed by Gaspereau Press and only 800 copies were circulated prior to its inclusion on the shortlist. Now, the novel is in high demand. The 30-year-old is a Montreal-based writer and poet. “I remember sitting down to the table and picking up the program earlier in the evening to see the very impressive list of past Giller winners, including many of my favorite Canadian authors,” said Skibsrud. “To even be considered for the prize, let alone to now be on that list, is still totally incredible to me.” In her acceptance speech, the winner thanked her family and publisher, as well as her late father “for sharing his stories with me.” The novel is based on Skibsrud’s relationship with her father and the stories that he shared with her about fighting in the Vietnam War. “The novel took me seven years to complete and it went through several dramatic reworkings,” said the winner, who began working on the novel in 2003. Skibsrud explores how a person’s past plays an important part in the shaping of the present. This year’s jury was made up of CBC broadcaster Michael Enright, as well as novel-

ists Claire Messud and Ali Smith. The jury said, The Sentimentalists charts the painful search by a dutiful daughter to learn — and more importantly, to learn to understand — the multi-layered truth which lies at the moral core of her dying father’s life.” She graduated from Concordia University in 2005 with a master’s degree in creative writing and is beginning a PhD in English at Université de Montréal. “The MA program at Concordia was a wonderful experience for me in terms of my development as a writer,” said Skibsrud. “Most of all, it afforded me the time and the legitimacy to concentrate solely on my writing.” Skibsrud added that the support system in place at Concordia helped her with improving her editing skills, as well as boosting her confidence. The Nova Scotia native also published her first book of poetry, Late Nights with Wild Cowboys in 2008 with Gaspereau Press, and in 2005, her fiction appeared in the Delirium Press. A year later, Skibsrud was the runnerup in Lichen’s “Tracking a Serial Poet” contest, and won first prize in the Stickman Review’s short fiction contest. “Like most writers, my greatest hope for my writing is that it will find readers,” said Skibsrud. “I’ve been feeling tremendously grateful lately for the exposure that the Giller affords my present, as well as my future work.” Skibsrud currently has a collection of short stories and a second novel in the works. The Giller Prize was founded in 1994 by Jack Rabinovitch in honour of the late Doris Giller, his wife and a celebrated literary journalist. It is the only Canadian literary event to be broadcasted live across the nation. The 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist included David Bergen for his novel The Matter With Morris, Alexander MacLeod for his short story collection Light Lifting, Sarah Selecky’s short story collection This Cake Is For The Party, and Kathleen Winter’s novel Annabel.

Johanna Skibsrud, shown here holding the Giller prize, graduated from Concordia with a master’s degree in creative writing.

LITERATURE

Concordia professor releases book about Palestine

Julie Norman recalls experiences in Second Intifada David MacIntyre Contributor

When the time came to complete her graduate studies dissertation, Julie Norman knew she wanted to focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for her research. Norman’s book, The Second Palestinian Intifada: Civil Resistance, which will be released Nov. 17, is the result of her research and voyage to the tense region. Norman wanted to focus on the events of the conflict, and received a human rights internship for the first summer she went. “Through that work, I was able to travel a lot and talk to people and do interviews and just get a sense of what was happening on the ground there,” she said. The book relies on case studies, interviews, and Norman’s own critical analysis regarding the presence of unarmed, nonviolent resistance in Palestine, and was largely driven by her experiences as an observer in the conflict. Norman received her doctoral degree in

international relations from Washington D.C.’s American University in 2008, and started teaching at Concordia last year. She cites students’ interest in both human rights and Middle Eastern affairs as a major factor in her choice to teach north of the border. Norman most enjoys hearing the various viewpoints of many of her students on certain issues, particularly human rights, international relations, conflict in the Middle East and social movements. “The topics that I teach resonate with a lot of students in different ways, and I find it fascinating to hear from individuals about what they’re bringing to that topic, and then what they, in turn, take from it,” she said. “It’s really great just to have that exchange of ideas and opinions with other young people on a daily basis.” Despite being raised in a Catholic household by Italian-American parents, Norman said she was captivated by the Israel-Palestine conflict from a young age, even if she had no personal connection with it herself. “I just found it really encapsulated a lot of what people fight for still: land, nation, identity, state, religion – things that people suffer for and are passionate about,” she said. “There’s two communities there that have both faced a lot of suffering, and both have very strong narratives that I felt were misunderstood.” Norman said that living in the U.S. did not expose her to the Palestinian narrative

before researching it herself. She explained that after the events of 9-11, “the way people were talking about the Middle East and the Arab world in general made me want to actually go there and see for myself and bring more awareness about what was really going on.” During her stay in Palestine, Norman witnessed a number of powerful events in the midst of the Intifada. She recalled meeting one woman whose plight was especially memorable. “Every day she would go to school and then she would come home and put on rubber boots and stomp in the mud to make mud bricks to rebuild houses in her village. And that was just a daily routine for her.” Norman also remembered “just hearing from people and sitting in their homes and having people show you their bullet wounds, seeing pictures of people’s brothers and sisters and fathers who had been imprisoned and whom they hadn’t seen.” Norman hopes that readers will gain an appreciation for not only the non-violent resistance taking place in Palestine, but also for the challenges of building a cohesive non-violent movement, acknowledging not only its presence, but its many obstacles as well. Check out the full interview with Julie Norman at theconcordian.com/arts. Her book The Second Palestinian Intifada:

Civil Resistance will be released on Nov. 17. She will discuss her book at a book launch presented by QPIRG, alongside projections from photojournalist Valerian Mazataud. The launch will be held Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. at 1500 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W., suite 204.

Norman says an early interest in Israeli-Palestinian affairs led her to travel to the area to experience the conflict firsthand.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

CINEMA POLITICA

The Moon Inside You: one woman s quest to a happy period Diana Fabiánová shows women the sacred in themselves Race Capet Staff writer When director Diana Fabiánová arrived at the airport to show The Moon Inside You at a festival in New York, she was arrested by the port authority. “They didn’t believe I could make a movie about menstruation,” she said. “They thought that I am provoking the police officers in the airport—that I am just kidding.” The same incredulity met her on street corners in France, Spain, England and Slovakia. When asked what he thought about menstruation, one man in the film concluded several moments of flustered silence by declaring that he cannot think at all right now, and simply walking away. Such incidents are precisely why Fabiánová set out to make The Moon Inside You. She was tired of the secrecy which has surrounded the subject for so long—the way that our taboos have swept it under the rug and stifled our communication. Speaking from Bratislava, she explained, “I started to do this movie because I couldn’t just believe that you should be in pain because you are a woman. And all the doctors, when you go and you say, ‘Well, I have a pain, what can I do?’, they say, ‘Well, it’s a part of womanhood, it’s the price you have to pay that you can have children,’ and it’s bullshit!” The doctors, she said, “just don’t care to do anything about it because they can sell you the pills.”

Fabiánová explores menstruation through interview with both girls who have not experienced periods yet and adult woman. From contraceptive pills to feminine pads, there is a huge market supported by our silence. What the Church once did in making menstruation taboo, companies do today. “They know they can play on the shame of women, so they try to artificially recreate the shame, and the fear that somebody will find out that you are bleeding.” The result is a trade worth millions, built on encouraging women to ignore their bodies and consume products to conceal their periods. “We are so focused on efficiency and productivity and the money that we don’t realize that we are harming ourselves,” said Fabiánová. Our reticence to discuss menstruation, and the facile dismissal of it by doctors for whom it is both easier and more profitable not to

investigate women’s complaints, is dangerous, allowing conditions like endometriosis to go undetected. Even more insidiously, however, is that it disempowers women, who are taught not to investigate their own bodies and their own experience, but just to take painkillers or the pill instead. When The Moon Inside You went on sale in Germany, Fabiánová was told that German women would not buy it, because “German women are not interested in their bodies.” Doctors are important when there are real medical complications, she said, but the danger is that “we always rely on doctors, on external wisdom, and we don’t trust our own instinct, intuition and just observing ourselves.”

Fabiánová’s refusal to accept the normalcy of her menstrual pain is only the first step of the journey. One of the most striking interviews is with Dr. Elsimar Coutinho, a leading figure in the development of the contraceptive pill and modern family planning. Dr. Coutinho feels that menstrual pain should not be accepted as normal. In his view, menstruation itself is not normal. He proclaims that it is “incompatible with life” and with the order of nature, and that, whereas the ability to bear children is a gift of God, menstruation is clearly “a thing of the Devil.” Fabiánová does not accept this doctor’s facile dismissal of her quandary any more readily than she does the others. In the film, she states, “I found it hard to believe nature had inflicted us with something meaningless.” In conversation with professors and dance therapists, with poets and doctors, Fabiánová seeks the meaning of menstruation, taking us down a path which leads ultimately not to toleration or rejection, but to understanding and acceptance. She finds practical means to get in tune with her body and relieve her pain, but also a place for menstruation in our common human life, and the important roles which it plays for both men and women in our relationships and our understanding of ourselves as human beings. “We should say to girls, ‘It’s not shameful,’ to kind of celebrate it,” she said, “to be aware why it is so important, and then to work with it.” The Moon Inside You is showing on Nov. 22 in Room H-110 at 7:00 pm. Diana Fabiánová will be present for a Q&A session after the screening. To learn more, visit www. cinemapolitica.org.

ADVERTISING

The crème de la crème of advertising 2010 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival screening shows off the best ads in the world Emilie Salvi Contributor While most ads are of the annoying, intrusive ilk that make you want to throw your television out the window, a good commercial is always thought-provoking, whether it makes you laugh or cry. An effective commercial is never forgotten, speaks to its audience and tells an intriguing story they can relate to. This year, l’Association des professionnels de la communication et du marketing is organizing a screening of the winners from the 57th edition of the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival at Cinema du Parc. Every year, judges from the most prestigious advertising agencies worldwide come together to view and compare the best ads in the world. The products range from insurance, cars, telephones, television channels, sports apparel, deodorant and food businesses to public awareness campaigns that target issues like cancer and AIDS. Awards are given out honouring every aspect of making a commercial, from best video to acting or copywriting. The “Young Director’s Award” is a mustsee. A mother and her daughter get pulled over by the police for speeding. While she reaches in her bag for the papers, the policeman asks the daughter if her mother was in a hurry. The daughter whispers in horror, “that’s not my mommy,” and draws ‘Help’ on a piece of paper. The daughter playfully smiles and the commercial ends with the line “Born to create drama.” The French anti-AIDS advert, featuring a graffiti penis on a bathroom stall, is also outrageous, witty and creative. The penis meets an also drawn vagina and tries to have sex with her. The vagina runs away from him

until a young girl notices the penis and draws a condom around his head. Then, all the graffitied vaginas in the bathroom jump on the penis. “Protégez-vous” is a playful reminder to use protection before having sex. The “Axe Detailer: Cleans your Balls” commercial does the trick with some good ol’ sexual innuendo. Jaime Pressly plays an extennis player turned professional ball cleaner on a talk show, demonstrating how the Axe Detailer “can make any balls sparkly and new.” The host then exclaims, “Wow, I could play with these balls all day!” While most commercials are light-hearted and amusing, some have a more dramatic impact on the audience. An Australian health insurance commercial sensitizes viewers to the awful reality of cancer. A mother explains how her life has changed ever since her husband was diagnosed with the condition. She is hoping for things “to go back to the way they used to be.” There is a great chance you will find yourself with shivers down your spine after watching the commercial for the Canadian Cancer Society. Individuals speak about how cancer has ruined their lives by killing their loved ones. “You destroy families, you destroy mind. . . You kill innocent people. For all the people who fight this fight, you will be defeated,” say those involved as the commercial rapidly cycles through cancer survivors and those who have lost loved ones to the condition. In the press release for the awards, Mathieu Bédard, vice-president of Défi Marketing and member of the APCM Board of Directors stated that this year’s crop of ads indicate a change influenced by the Internet generation: “It is a very special year where we can feel the growing influence of social media on ads intended for the general public.” While we are living our daily lives, advertisers brainstorm in a room for days about how they can pass on a message to us in 30 seconds. Sometimes, half a minute is all we need to feel shivers rolling down our spine, to put a smile on our face, or send tears down our cheeks. Touché. The best ads in the world from the 2010 Cannes Lions will be screened at Cinema Du Parc starting Nov. 19. For more info, check out www.cinemaduparc.com.

“Go Beyond Orders” by CNN (above) earned gold in the media category. Diesel’s “Be Stupid” campaign (below) shared the grand prix in outdoor advertising with Andes Teletransporter an Argentinean beer company.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

GAMING

theconcordian

Are video games art? The International Games Summit brings the debate to Montreal

towards reaching that potential, because the way that we develop games is not conducive to great works,” he said. “Every game designer has the desire to make something new, unique and meaningful, but very few designers actually end up pursuing that desire.” Making something unique is not always the number one priority for all developers. The main difference between indie and mainstream developers is their reason for making games, stated Carmel. Indie or “design” studios make games that they “want to create” and worry about making money afterward, while mainstream or “commercial” studios focus on making money first.

Matthew Buttice Contributor Move over Roger Ebert, the conversation about video games and their place in the world of art is being discussed by those who really matter: the people who make them. At the Montreal International Games Summit last week, several speakers took the opportunity to expand on the idea that sometime in the near future, a video game will achieve the level of reverence that is given to other artistic mediums. On the first day of the summit, Dr. John Sharp, a professor of Computer Programming and Art History at the Savannah College of Art and Design, talked about art and games as cultural forms in a conference entitled “The Game Renaissance.” His speech centered on how art and video games have “come together and resisted each other” throughout history. Sharp used Berys Gaut’s “Art” as a Cluster Concept to define what qualifies as an art. According to Sharp, the only element from Gaut’s definition that may disqualify video games as art is that, for the most part, games are not “the product of an intention to make a work of art.” He also pointed out that before the Renaissance, “as long as an artist was commissioned to make an image, they didn’t care what it was to be used for, whether to be put up on the wall and admired or something to be used in daily life, like a serving platter.” He made the observation that in the Renaissance, the visual arts became tied to “leisure pursuits and entertainment,” rather than being used strictly for religious and personal traditional practices.

“

For breaking new ground, you have to take risks Ron Carmel, founder of indie video game development company 2D Boy

Throughout this short overview of art history, Sharp claimed that it is not difficult to compare the state of where games are now to where painting and sculpture were at the beginning of the Renaissance. He said that there is a noticeable shift in focus by a few, mainly indie, game developers from simply creating video games for entertainment to designing them with an artistic purpose. The most challenging obstacle for the few indie game developers who are experimenting with creating a great work of art in the

medium of video games are their tools. The practice of using computers to make art is still relatively new, and needs to be further explored, concluded Sharp. Ron Carmel, founder of indie video game development company 2D Boy, made it clear during his keynote speech that he believes video games will eventually achieve a pinnacle of excellence, just as film and books have. Unfortunately, it seems they still have a long way to go. “Games have barely begun to climb

“For breaking new ground, you have to take risks,” said Carmel. Indie developers are almost the only ones willing to do so. Riskaverse multimillion-dollar corporations need get over their hesitation to fund such projects because “to leverage the talent and the risktaking, you need a critical mass of resources to really create something great and the majority of indies don’t have the resources to pull something like that off.” The solution, according to Carmel? For only $1-2 million, 10 staff members could be assembled from within a mainstream company to make “creatively ambitious and forward-thinking projects.” A small price to pay for the advancement of a whole medium as art.

CINEMA POLITICA

Gasland reveals the fracked-up truth behind natural gas extraction Director’s search for answers takes him across America Valerie Cardinal Arts editor Josh Fox’s Gasland literally begins in his own backyard. The director of International WOW Company, which produces films and plays, received a letter from a natural gas company offering him over $100,000 to lease his Milanville, Pa. backyard in the middle of the woods. He was told that his yard was on top of the Marcellus Shale, a stretch of land considered to be “the Saudi Arabia of natural gas,” Fox said in the documentary. The Marcellus Shale covers Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and West Virginia. Natural gas is extracted through a process called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. A mixture of chemicals is shot 8,000 feet into the ground, creating a mini-earthquake and loosening natural gases from the rock. According to Fox, the “fracking fluid” contains over 596 different chemicals, “from the unpronounceable, to the unknown, to the too-well known.” Between one and seven million gallons of water are needed each time

a well is drilled; another one to seven million gallons are used each time it is fracked. Wells can be fracked up to 18 times. At the time Fox made Gasland, 34 states contained gas wells that use the fracking method. Fox headed to Dimock, Pa., where drilling was already happening, to find out more about the effects of natural gas extraction. In just a few months, the town had become home to 40 wells. After the drilling had started, many residents began complaining that their own water wells were going bad: the water coming out of their taps bubbled and fizzed, turned brown and started tasting funny. Water wells exploded. People all over town started feeling sick. Pets lost their fur. There, Fox encountered a family who could light their own water on fire. In the narration he claimed they didn’t want to show him because the water well had been turned off, and they were afraid of it exploding if they turned it back on. “I said goodbye to my $100,000,” said Fox in Gasland’s voiceover, his inquiry suddenly turning into investigative journalism. “Was I actually going to become a kind of natural gas drilling detective? Okay, I guess.” Fox’s trip to Dimock sparked a journey across America, from the original home of hydraulic fracturing in Texas to the proposed projects in New York, in order to find out just what this process was doing to both water and air. The first time Fox shows water being lit

on fire, it’s in Weld County, Colo., at Mike Markhan’s farm. Markhan turns on a tap and holds a lighter up to the water coming out of it. Only a few seconds later, it lights up. A fireball singes his arm hair. The sight is a shock to Fox. What can be in that water to make it light up in that way? The absurdity of the situation is captured in one scene towards the midpoint of the documentary, when Fox stands in front of a gas field, completely undisturbed, and plays his banjo while wearing a gas mask. It

conveys the strangeness of a situation where people do out-of-character things like treat their water supply as a science experiment, or freeze the bodies of animals that have died near a poisoned stream to send them for autopsies. Fox takes his viewers on a journey that is crazy, a little scary, occasionally funny and very compelling. Gasland will be screened by Cinema Politica on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. in room H-110. To learn more, visit www.cinemapolitica.org.

Mike Markhan shows that there is such a thing as flammable water.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

ZINE-WRITING

How one Concordia student discovered her passion for zines Adrian Fynch Contributor We were in Toronto, and I was in the throes of teenage angst and art. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been set up with the daughter-of-a-friend-of-my-mumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-high-schoolfriend because my mother didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want me going to a concert in a different city by myself. We were sitting at a picnic table at a vegetarian food festival in a park, awkwardly attempting conversation when she slipped me a copy of the zine she wrote. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d seen a zine before, but it had been informative and hard to read. As a result, I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really digested the concept, though I thought it was neat. When I read my friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s zine, it blew my world open. Her zine was full of deeply personal art and writing, stuck together and photocopied into a piece of work that echoed my own inner turmoil. As an artist of many disciplines, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been struggling to find a way to put them together all in one place, and zines became a perfect

medium for me. They were, and still are, a way for me to express myself in various forms and create something tangible I could hand to people. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to worry about submissions, rejections and editors. Instead, I could make my own publications using scissors, glue and a photocopier. The problem most people have when making a zine for the first time is where to begin. Because there arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really any solid guidelines, word counts, or subjects, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all up to the zinester, which can be daunting. This wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the case for me, as I finished my first zine in one night, feverishly writing, collecting photographs and arranging them in a way I liked. While I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t show my first zines to most people today, I still treasure them as an artifact of where I was at the time and the cathartic process of putting them together. The draw of zines, to me, has always been about more than just getting my thoughts out; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about the whole process. I rarely have a concrete idea of the finished product. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a conversation with the paper, words and pictures, as well as deep self-reflection to describe what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m feeling or trying to say. As I grow and evolve as a person, so do my zines. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make zines for other people. I make them for myself and would continue to do so even if nobody else wanted to read them. The letters I get from people telling me how my

zines helped them confront something about themselves or inspired them in their own work are a bonus. In essence, the zine community is a group of people all over the world who feel the need to share their lives and their knowledge through a network that, in an age of iPhones and the Internet, still favours snail mail, typewriters, and physical print. However, that is not to say we are totally averse to technology. The Internet has been a huge resource for helping zinesters find one another, trade zines and letters and form events like zine tours and zine fairs. A fellow zinester and I always joke about how counterintuitive zine fairs are, because it seems that the majority of people who write zines are extremely shy, which is perhaps why we get so much from writing and making zines, but zine fairs put us all in a room together and force us to interact with each other. I have to smile when I look around from my table, feeling overwhelmed by all the people and seeing those people look back at me the same way. We are all different, and we all write zines about different things, but the uniqueness of each one makes them something to be treasured in my eyes. Adrian Fynch is the pen name of an artist and maker of the zine â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sleeps with ghostsâ&#x20AC;? studying at Concordia and living in Montreal.

Five tips for starting zines Find a copy shop you like and become familiar with the copy machines. Expect to make mistakes and get frustrated. Also, in Montreal, learn the French and English terms for things, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find is very helpful. When making a zine for the first time, decide whether you want your zine to be personal or informative and whether you want it to be all your own work or to accept submissions. Make a list of possible topics and ideas you want to write about and start writing articles as you think of them. Having a cache of saved articles is helpful when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not sure what to include. Write first about what you want, and then edit afterwards with your audience in mind. Or donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all up to you. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t aim for perfection, especially at first.

FILM FESTIVAL

CinĂŠmaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 16th edition shines the spotlight on French cinema in Montreal A selection of the festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best

Joanie PĂŠloquin-Dumoulin Contributor Last week, Montrealers overcame the language barrier to enjoy the variety of French movies at Cinemania, Montrealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s French film festival. No less than 30 films were screened at CinĂŠma ImpĂŠrial, with English subtitles to reach a wider audience. A touch of frivolity: Copacabana The festival opener, directed by Marc Fitoussi, is the movie that people just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to stop talking about. It has garnered acclaim at many international festivals this year. It created a buzz at Cannes and was named the official selection

at the Semaine de la Critique. Isabelle Huppert and her daughter Lolita Chammah costar in this delightful comedy, full of amazing performances. Babou (a brilliant Huppert) is a boho mom, eccentric and frivolous. She has spent her life without the security of a steady job, dragging her daughter EsmĂŠralda (Chammah), from one country to the next. One day, she has to face the consequences of her free-spiritedness when her daughter is too ashamed to invite her to her wedding. To convince EsmĂŠralda of her reliability, Babou moves to the northern town of Ostend, Belgium to sell timeshare apartments. In the unusual setting of a resort town in the winter, Babou tries to win her daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love back by being the kind of mom she always wanted: serious, quiet and normal. But despite her best efforts, her bohemian personality gets the best of her good intentions, to Esmeraldaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chagrin. The conclusion of Copacabana is predictable,

but after watching Babouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s endearing efforts to redeem herself in the eyes of her conservative daughter, who would not want a happy ending? After all, the conclusion isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as important as the emotions felt in the relationship between mother and daughter. The kind-hearted, sincere Babou touches our hearts. Coupled with the thrilling, extraordinary performance of Huppert, that makes this film a real success. Copacabana will be in theatres on Nov. 19.

Horrors of war: La Rafle Roselyne Bosch presented her second movie as a director at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition of CinĂŠmania. La Rafle is a drama based on the events that took place in the summer of 1942 while Paris was under German occupation. On the morning of July 16, more than 13,000 Parisian Jews, including 4,051 children, are arrested. They are packed into the Vel dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hiv (the VĂŠlodrome dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hiver stadium) under precarious conditions for two days before

being deported to the Beaune-La-Rolande transit camp and ultimately to Auschwitz concentration camp. None of those arrested on the morning of July 16, 1942 who were deported to Auschwitz survived. La Rafle is deeply moving film. Supported by the brilliant performances of the main cast, which includes veterans such as Jean Reno, Gad Elmaleh and MĂŠlanie Laurent, as well as newcomer Hugo Leverdez, Boschâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s film is constituted of key moments which will be remembered long after the screening. In a long and noisy scene, screaming and crying mothers are packed behind the soldiers after being separated from their children, who are trying to reach out to their moms with tears streaming down their cheeks. In another, you see a shot of men being pushed onto the train. The train cars, which were made to hold eight horses, are packed full with 40 men. The doors close with a thump. La Rafle will be in theatres on Dec. 17.

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music

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com FESTIVAL

Local band Think About Life played at M for Montreal in 2009 but will not be making an appearance this year. Photos by Shannon H. Myers

M for Montreal:

Looking for the low-down on where to go, who to see, and how much to spend? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Katelyn Spidle Music editor The M for Montreal Festival is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year and will feature a rockin’ selection of 19 Canadian groups that you music lovers should not miss. A chance for speciallyselected acts to play for over 80 delegates representing 14 countries, the four-day festival hopes to see some talented bands break out of the underground and gain some wider recognition. Show-goers who are on the hunt for new music will have plenty of opportunity to do so this week as these bands are the cream of the crop of what Montreal has to offer. Expect that these groups will be giving a top-notch performance because heavy hitters in the music industry are looking to book bands for upcoming international festivals. What sets M for Montreal apart from other festivals is that every musical act has been specially selected to play for a group of international delegates. As much as M for Montreal is about music, it is a schmoozing opportunity for people who work in the record label and festival business. So come out and discover some up and coming

festival guide

local talent and maybe see some famous faces. After all, even Gene Simmons will be there! Sébastien Nasra of Avalanche Productions founded M for Montreal in 2006 in collaboration with Martin Elbourne, a big-time festival programmer from the U.K. The ultimate goal is to expose Canadian acts to a larger audience and provide these bands with the opportunity to grab the attention of recording labels, festival bookers and the media and go on to play worldwide events like South by Southwest in Austin, Texas and The Great Escape in Brighton, U.K. Starting on Nov. 17 and progressing into the wee hours on Nov. 20, the festival will be jampacked with daytime and nighttime discussion panels, cocktails, showcases, and after-parties. An M-2010 pass will grant access to most of these events and costs a mere $60. For those who like to plan their time strategically, see the showcase guide below.

liari will start at 9:05 p.m., followed by PS I Love You at 10:15 p.m. and finally AIDS Wolf at 11:25 p.m. This will be a great night to attend for those who are excited to see what local talent has to offer because five out of the six bands (PS I Love You are from Kingston, Ont.) are from Montreal. An afterparty, M for Metal, will follow at Studio with Dance Laurie Dance.

Day one: Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010. M for Montreal will kickstart the festival with a four-band lineup starting at 10 p.m. The stage at Petit Campus, located at 57 Prince Arthur St. E., will host Icelandic bands Retro Stefson and Lay Low, playing at 10 p.m. and 11:20 p.m. respectively. Meanwhile the stage upstairs at Café Campus will feature Montreal’s own Braids, playing at 10:40 p.m., and We Are Wolves, who will play the final performance at midnight.

Day four: Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010. Although there is much English musical talent flowing out of Montreal, we must not forget about the abundance of francophone artists that the city breeds as well. This is why, for the second year running, M for Montreal will showcase an exclusively French lineup on Saturday afternoon. Upstairs at Café Campus, Yan Perreau will come onstage at 2:30 p.m., followed by Monogrenade at 4:45 p.m., and Damien Robitaille at 5:20 p.m. Downstairs at Petit Campus, Manitoba natives Les Surveillantes will play at 3 p.m., with Alex Nevsky, Geneviève Toupin and Jesuslesfilles to follow him at 3:35 p.m., 4:10 p.m. and 5:25 p.m., respectively. The last day of this year’s M for Montreal festival is the busiest, so prepare for a very short break between concerts. The final showcase will start up again at 8 p.m. with M for Metropolis, located

Day two: Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010. Starting at 8:30 p.m., venues Cabaret and Studio Just For Laughs, which is located at 2111 St. Laurent Blvd., will come alive with a six-band lineup. Performances on the Studio side will include Elephant Stone at 8:30 p.m., Jason Bajada at 9:40 p.m., and Black Feelings at 10:50 p.m. On the other side at Cabaret, Marco Cal-

Day three: Friday, Nov. 19, 2010. The party will start all over at Just For Laughs on Friday night. At Studio, Halifax solo artist Molly Rankin will start at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Ottawa-based group Metz at 9:40 p.m. Montreal band SUUNS will play next at 10:50 p.m. On the Cabaret side, three Montreal acts will perform, including Barr Brothers at 9:05 p.m., VALLEYS at 10:15 p.m., and Random Recipe at 11:25 p.m. An M for Midnight after-party will then erupt, featuring Empire Isis and DJ Lunice.

at 59 Ste-Catherine St. E. La Patère Rose will start off the event followed by Pascale Picard at 8:45 p.m., Priestess at 9:15 p.m., The Dears at 10:15 p.m., Misteur Valaire at 11 p.m. and Poirier at 11:45 p.m. Finally, for those who aren’t too tired, a final M for Midnight after-party will send the fifth edition of M for Montreal out with a bang. Starting at 10 p.m., DJs Plastik Patrik, Cherry Cola and JD Samson will spin an insane dance party at the Rialto Theatre, located at 5723 Avenue Du Parc. For more information, a detailed schedule of events or to purchase tickets, go to the M for Montreal website at: www.mpourmontreal. com.

Alec O’Hanley of Two Hours Traffic.

theconcordian

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

INTERVIEW

Martin Elbourne is the festival king M For Montreal delegate discusses the music industry, changing tastes, and this year’s festival

for Montreal]so now I’m not getting it. I can live without it though. But I’m going to make sure to let the person who does get it know that they were second sellers! Why do you like about M for Montreal so much? Well to start off they’re really well organized. Then there’s the fact that they have the venues right next door [to the hotel] and of course Montreal is one of Canada’s best cities. They also pick really great bands so it’s never a waste of time. And there’s so many delegates that come down so by the end of the weekend you’ve kind of gotten to meet everybody so it’s great for networking.

Cora Ballou Staff writer With M for Montreal beginning later this week, the city is bracing itself for the mob of international music delegates that will be hitting the streets in search of new talent. This year’s roster includes journalists, label managers, agents and festival programmers from 14 countries including the UK, China and France. For the occasion, the Concordian caught up with Martin Elbourne, known for his work with such cult groups as The Smiths, as well as his involvement with some of the world’s biggest music festivals. He and his partner Jon McIldowie will be among the many delegates looking for bands to book. He took time out of his busy schedule to share his thoughts on the British music market, M for Montreal and his chance at a Lifetime Achievement Award. How did you get started in the music industry? M.E: When I was studying at Bristol University in the early ‘80s, I started promoting gigs. Then when I graduated I set up a small record label and magazine. One day Peter Gabriel, who lived near us, got in touch and gave us some tracks and a long interview and that culminated into him suggesting we start a festival together. That [became] the first WOMAD festival which was in 1982. It’s actually still going tothis day and there’s about eight of them around the world, but I’m not longer involved now. You’re mostly known for your work with The Great Escape Festival in Brighton as well as Glastonbury Festival in Bristol. When did you get involved with those? I got involved with Glastonbury relatively early on because Bristol University wasn’t that far from where it’s held. Before it became a really big festival, it was the place that people from Bristol went to. And because I was sort of running the music scene [at the time] I got to meet Michael Eavis, [the creator of Glastonbury].

You’re coming here to book bands for your festivals. What do you look for in the different artists when you go to events like M for Montreal? Well there’s a mix of things. There’s two levels really. The first is to see if they’re worth bringing over all the way to the UK – is the band any good? Are the songs good? Then it really comes down to the question of “Will this band work in the British music market?” For example, two years ago a band like Mumford and Sons – a good really rootsy band– wouldn’t have worked in the UK at all.

Delegate Martin Elborne speaking at M for Montreal in 2009. In fact, the first WOMAD festival was held about 30 miles from the Glastonbury sight which annoyed Eavis at the time, but after WOMAD sort of went...well bankrupt... I became an agent in London representing bands like The Smiths and New Order and Eavis and I kept in touch. I was one of the first people to deal with the Smiths and I sold Eavis on them playing Glastonbury. So I got involved that way to begin with. These days I concentrate mostly on the Other Stage and the John Peel Stage, so I get to work with newer bands which I prefer. As for The Great Escape, it was originally mine and Jon Mac’s idea. So it’s very much my baby and I really enjoy doing it. And because of The Great Escape I’ve seen a lot of decent acts from around the world. Which is of course something else we like doing; it’s always fun to discover new bands. That must keep you quite busy. What do you

do the rest of the time? Well I would say about 90 per cent of my work involves Glastonbury and The Great Escape, but I’m also a consultant for about five other festivals around the world. I’m also about to launch one in India as well. But until then I need to decide what I’m going to be involved with this year. Last year I worked with Guilfest, Love Box [Festival], Jersey Live and I gave a local one a bit of help also. But I’m really just a consultant for those. There’s no way you could book for all of them, or else you would just go mad! I hear that you were going to get an award but you decided to attend M for Montreal instead. What’s up with that? Well I sort of helped set up M for Montreal, and even if I hadn’t been involved in starting it, it’s still one of my favorite events. But yeah I was supposed to get a Lifetime Achievement Award but it was on the same weekend [as M

What kind of sound is the UK looking for right now? Well because of the success of Mumford and Sons a whole folk/Americana scene has started. It really went from a small kind of niche market to something that’s really cool and trendy at the moment. The UK has the reputation of being the first to adopt new trends. What do you think makes you guys see something North America usually misses? I think a lot of that has to do with the media in the UK. Things like the BBC help to broadcast lots of non-commercial bands. Also the TV, which now doesn’t have much music on it, but before a band like the Buzzcocks would get airplay through different alternative TV shows. And things like NME [magazine] and even just national newspapers pick up on new bands really quick. So we’re used to getting new music here [and] it spreads quickly. Almost too quickly sometimes because the backlash for the band will sometimes start before [the band] even got started. For more information on The Great Escape festival, visit www.escapegreat.com. The festival runs May 12-14, 2011.

MIXTAPE

SIDE A

M for Montreal

Cora Ballou Staff writer

The days are turning colder, which means that the city of Montreal has one last chance to prove that it is Canada’s festival capital. One thing that’s for sure is that the M For Montreal festival will have something for everyone. Local favourites Braids and We Are Wolves will be making an appearance along with some new up and coming talent like PS I Love You, Random Recipe and Elephant Stone. Yet the greatest thing about Montreal is its multiculturalism. We can’t forget our musical

brothers from the other side of St- Laurent Blvd (that’s Boulevard St-Laurent for you!) who will also be gracing the M for Montreal stage like Damien Robitaille, La Patère Rose and Misteur Valaire. Here’s a taste of some of the homegrown talent that will be playing later this week! To listen go to: www.8tracks.com/the_ concordian/m-for-montreal

1. “Facelove” - PS I Love You Meet ME At The Muster Station - 2010 2. “Automat” - METZ - Negative Space/Automat Master - 2010 3. “I Fell Deep” - The Dears - Gang of Losers - 2006 4. “Fight & Kiss” - We Are Wolves – Total Magique -2007 5. “Bluffing Face” - Courtney Wing - Bouquet of Might and Fury - 2010 6. “Shipwreck” – Random Recipe – Fold It! Mold It! -2010 7. “November Number 3” – Misteur Valaire (feat. Fanny Bloom) – Golden Bombay, 2010 8. “Ho un amico” - Marco Calliari Al Faro Est - 2010 9. “La toune des Beatles” – Jesuslesfilles – Une belle table - 2010 10. “Follow Me Down” - Ladies of the Canyon - Haunted Women - 2010

SIDE B 11. “Yesterday’s Gurl “– Elephant Stone – The Glass Box EP – 2010 12. “Sur la route” – Geneviève Toupin – Geneviève Toupin – 2009 13. “Homme Autonome” – Damien Robitaille – Homme Autonome – 2009 14. “Get Crazy” – Poirier – Soca Sound System – 2009 15. “Petit Ours” – La Patère Rose – Waikiki – 2010 16. “L’amour se meurt” – Yann Perreau – Un serpent sous les fleurs – 2009 17. “Tan Lines “– VALLEYS – Sometimes Water Kills People – 2010 18. “Hidden Dance” – Black Feelings – Black Feelings – 2009 19. “Beggar in the Morning” – The Barr Brothers – The Barr Brothers – 2010 20. “Ten Days in Miami” – Jason Bajada – Loveshit - 2009

PROFILE

Best of both worlds with this M for Montreal performance VALLEYS mix Montreal’s electronic pop sound with hints of darkness Colin Harris Staff writer Being a musician doesn’t always make a person comfortable with public performance. For VALLEYS’ guitarist, singer, and drummer Marc St. Louis, confidence comes with practice. “We used to ask for the lights to be turned off completely,” said St. Louis. While they no longer have to resort to that extreme, the trio still prefers to let the music speak for itself. “It depends on the comfort level, but we’re not one of those bands with tons of banter and a repertoire of jokes,” he continued. “The funniest guy in the band is Pascal [Olivier] and he doesn’t have a microphone.” The local psych-pop trio base their sound on layering and contrast, combining shoegaze guitar with elements of downtempo electronic music. This process always emerges naturally during the band’s writing sessions. “It’s not really premeditated or anything but it just so happens [that] we work best that way,” said St. Louis. “It always winds up with overlapping of layers.” The band’s dark atmospheric sound starkly contrasts with the electronic elements. According to St. Louis, this is a deliberate exercise in instrumental juxtaposition, and the effect during live perfomances makes up for the group’s minimal eye contact with the

Matilda Perks and Marc St Louis of VALLEYS before the addition of Pascal Oliver. Photo by Lorraine Price audience. “[It’s the] dynamics [of] light and dark, lo-fi and well-produced electronic sound that make it satisfying to play. It sounds quite different live. The songs are structurally similar but live they are slightly more aggressive and noisy. We always tend to quiet down when we’re recording. We’re very conservative when we’re mixing songs,” said St. Louis. “We save a lot for when we play on stage.” For VALLEYS, writing is a fluid process that continues even after the track has been released. Refitting songs for different arrangements and contexts gives them new life, and keeps things interesting for the band. “We’ve been playing some songs for three years now that we’re changing this week for

the next show. First you change them around because different people join the band, but I’m starting to think now that they’re just going to keep changing until we stop playing them,” said St. Louis. The band has been evolving since 2005. Their most recent addition is multi-instrumentalist Pascal Oliver for their latest record Stoner, a three song EP which was released last week. Stoner is darker than last year’s Sometimes Water Kills People, in part due to the band’s expansion. “[Pascal] adds a minor dissonance aspect that gives a colder sound... We think these three songs seem categorically darker,” said St. Louis, adding that wherever their ideas take them is where they’ll go.

Quick Spins

“We’ve changed drastically over five years. We’re not the same band at all,” he said, noting that the scene has changed too. “What’s cool is you notice younger kids who haven’t been around the scene for that long are just discovering bands, and they seem to be more enthusiastic than older, possibly more jaded, audience members.” “Five years ago was that big Montreal explosion and we started playing right after that,” he continued. “There’s definitely more of a party vibe than what there used to be. Ten years ago Montreal had this whole scene of sombre epic music, like the Godspeed [You! Black Emperor] family tree and all that. Even the rock bands seemed darker, but some dancey stuff came in and that seems popular now.” Since then distribution methods have had an overhaul too, and VALLEYS took the increasingly popular option. Stoner was a digital-only release, and will be pressed on vinyl with another forthcoming EP early next year. “It’s faster to release stuff digitally. We’re having trouble making excuses to manufacture CDs because it really doesn’t make much sense. You have to charge a little more for the vinyl but people don’t hesitate to buy them over the CDs at every show. I don’t know what people do with [CDs]. You just bring them home and upload them into iTunes... then it’s a piece of plastic.” Whether in concert or in your headphones, VALLEYS want to take you on a unique trip which, according to St Louis, is best heard with the lights out. “I don’t want to speak for the three of us but when we’re playing we want to create an experience,” he said. “Good, bad, whatever – a little bit of an event.” VALLEYS play M for Montreal at Cabaret Juste Pour Rire Friday, Nov. 19 at 10:15 p.m.

Retro review

The Details - The Original Mark EP (Parliament of Trees; 2010)

The Sainte Catherines - Fire Works (Fat Wreck Chords; 2010)

The Russian Futurists - The Weight’s on the Wheels (Upper Class Recordings; 2010)

Bikini Kill - Pussy Whipped (Kill Rock Stars; 1993)

Like kids pulling hair in the schoolyards of Manitoba, indie rockers The Details apparently love to tease. Their new EP The Original Mark is a teaser for their upcoming second album and it will certainly leave fans itching for more. It isn’t known which two of the five songs will be on the album, but it’s not hard to imagine the title track making the cut as its infectiously catchy chorus makes it the clear highlight of the EP. Of the remaining four tracks, “Surface Breaks” shows great potential with an escalating verse that fades into a quiet, melodic chorus. The mellow “Uniform” unveils a Leonard Cohen-inspired post-war tune. Singer Jon Plett’s smooth vocals are a strong point of the album, echoing bands like The Fray and Death Cab for Cutie. Until their next release in 2011, fans of the blossoming Canadian band will have to make do with The Original Mark, which is a collection of tasty leftovers from past recording sessions and a sneak peek at what’s on the way.

These Montreal punk-rock veterans were the first band out of Quebec to be signed to punk label Fat Wreck Chords. They played a melange of sounds that created a uniqueness that was unsurpassed and often overlooked. Everything about this band bled punk rock. Members worked for Greenpeace, ran their own recording studios in their homes and singer Hugo Mudie even contracted flesh-eating disease, which is by far the most punk-rock disease anyone can get. Fire Works, the band’s seventh release, is a far stretch from those early days. Though the album sounds great, it leaves little appetite for seconds. Complacency is one of the worst words you can ever utter to true punk rockers, because it is the word that sums up so many artists and their eventual decline. Unfortunately for The Sainte Catherines, there is no other word to describe this album. There is no emotion, no urgency and, worst of all, no desperation. Overall, Fire Works is a dud.

Thump-thump-thump, begins The Russian Futurists’ new album. “Hoeing Weeds Sowing Seeds” jump-starts the album with a welcome energy that foreshadows the beginning of something fun, if not great. However, what soon emerges from this blend of danceable tracks is a little bit of a letdown. It is not that the tracks are necessarily bad. A few songs such as “Register My Firearms? No Way!” blend the right amount of electroindie with a refreshing dose of backing vocals, but when viewing the album as a whole, it doesn’t seem sufficient for the fresh start expected of The Russuan Futurists. Their first release since 2006, it seems surprising that nothing new has been added to the mix, aside from a more satiric humor that doesn’t always work within the lyrics of the songs. For lovers of The Russian Futurists, this album will be a sufficient dose of synth-pop, but for new listeners it might take a bit more effort.

When Kathleen Hanna (vocalist), Billy Karren (guitarist), Tobi Vail (drummer), and Kathi Wilcox (bassist) formed Bikini Kill in 1990, they quickly gained notoriety for their radical feminist lyrics and tough behaviour. Their success came despite their controversial depiction in the media and mainstream radio stations’ refusal to play their music. After they broke up in 1998, they were elevated to cult status. Bikini Kill’s raw sound was exemplified in their first full-length album Pussy Whipped, which debuted in 1992. It differed from previous recordings in its musical variety. Unlike their performances, which were true to punk in their angst and choppiness, songs like “Alien She,” “Blood One,” “Sugar,” and their infamous “Rebel Girl” were strengthened with a definitive rhythm. Wilcox’s bass and Vail’s drums guide many of the songs, while Hanna’s vocals and Karren‘s guitar add a layer of intensity. “For Tammy Rae” is uncharacteristically melancholy, both lyrically and melodically, and adds complexity to the album’s overall sound. Pussy Whipped is a landmark of riot grrrl in its originality and message.

Trial Track: “We Used to be in Love”

Trial Track: “The Original Mark”

7.5/10

-Robert Flis

4.0/10

- Mathieu Barrot

Trial Track: “Register My Firearms? No Way!”

6.5/10

- Olivia Dumas

Trial Track: “Sugar”

- Alona Mutsmakher

sports

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com RUGBY

Stingers fall to Redmen in men s rugby ﬁnals A penalty left Concordia one man short for half the game Kelly Greig Staff writer The setting was perfect for an upset. Crosstown rivals McGill and Concordia met Sunday night in the men’s rugby finals at Molson Stadium. The teams had traded victories this season, with last-year’s champions, the McGill Redmen, taking a 18-6 early season win and the Stingers winning 17-10 only two weeks ago. But it wasn’t to be for Concordia, as McGill took the banner home for the fifth consecutive year in a 22-10 win. The game began well for both teams as they tried to exploit the other’s mistakes. Concordia was successful in finding holes in McGill’s defence, but failed when it came to taking penalties. This allowed the Redmen the chance for a penalty kick early, which Gideon Balloch easily put through the uprights to make it 3-0. Concordia’s Adriano D’Angelo responded with his own kick to tie it up after a vicious hit on forward Jimmy Bang. McGill came back hard from the penalty by flaunting their quick hands and even quicker feet. Concordia countered by making strong tackles but slipped up when McGill’s Balloch found a hole along the sidelines and scored the first try of the game. He then converted

“Our line defence was not as solid as it needed to be,” head coach Clive Gibson noted. Photo by Cindy Lopez his own kick to widen the lead to 10-3. Concordia’s frustration started to show when Stinger centre Auguste Stoker was ejected from the game after two yellow cards, the latter for a high tackle. This meant that Concordia had to play one man short, a situation that would eventually lead to their demise. “Playing with 14 for half a game didn’t help,” said head coach Clive Gibson. “It’s a lot of stress on the boys to be a man short.”

Veteran back Jonathan Dextras-Romagnino would also leave the game with an injury. McGill took advantage of the weakened Concordia squad by trying to widen their lead by any means. A 32-yard penalty kick fell short for the Redmen, but they made up for it with a try by Balloch yet again, only seconds before halftime. To the Stingers’ credit, their grit and determination almost made up for having only

14 players on the field. Paul Bouet made it his personal mission to punish any McGill player who caught the ball and David Biddle stepped up his already impressive defence by blocking a key kick. “Our one-on-one tackling was good but our line defence was not as solid as it has been or needed to be,” said Gibson. Before long, Concordia had scraped, pushed and clawed their way up field and were within striking distance. The Stingers passed up the opportunity to kick for points on a penalty but were rewarded when the entire forward pack drove the ball over the line to score. D’Angelo converted the try and the Stingers needed only a try and conversion to tie. Concordia fought valiantly but in vain. Bang saved a try by tackling a Redman off the field and captain Curtis McKinney rallied the forward pack. The effort of trying to compensate for a missing player was too much for the Stingers as McGill focused their efforts on using their extra man on the wing. “We were failing on defence in a couple of places, they were putting on a lot of pressure, we were being badly outnumbered on the blindside, we just weren’t reacting to it,” said Gibson. They scored in the corner with only minutes to play, and put the Stingers’ hopes just out of reach. The large Concordia contingent of the crowed cheered their team until the bitter end, but it was the Redmen who were awarded the banner. Four Concordia players were named to the all-star team; Biddle, Dextras-Romagnino, Bouet and Bang.

HOCKEY

Stingers hang on for the win against Montréal Women’s hockey team generate five goals to snap losing streak at three Kamila Hinkson Sports editor After losing by a goal to Montréal two weeks ago, the women’s hockey team returned the favour and beat the Carabins 5-4 at home Friday night. The Carabins’ Caroline Martin-Guay opened the scoring just 30 seconds into a penalty to Stinger Catherine Desjardins, netting her fifth goal of the season. Concordia tied it up on the powerplay about two minutes later. Rachel Ouellette made the initial save on a shot by Jaymee Shell but Alyssa Sherrard banged it home during the ensuing scramble in front of the net, collecting her first of three points. With four minutes left in the first, Sherrard won a face-off at the right of Montréal’s net. Holli Monahan picked up the puck, and sent it sailing over Ouellette’s right shoulder for her first point of a three-point night. Montréal dominated the play in the first period during their last meeting; their shot advantage was 14-3 in the first period alone. “We just didn’t think the last time we played them that we were ready to play when we stepped on the ice,” said head coach Les Lawton after the game. “So we changed a

The Stingers celebrate their third goal of the game, scored on the power play. Photo by Faiz Imam few things up in our pregame to get a little more focused and ready to play, and I think it made a big difference.” The Stingers carried their 2-1 lead into the second period, which they began on the powerplay. It took Moira Frier less than a minute to find Emilie Bocchia in front of Montréal’s net. She then kicked the puck up to her stick and scored in close on Ouellette. That was the last the Stingers saw of Montréal’s starting goalie. The Carabins pulled her in favour of Katrina Giuliani. Six minutes later, Concordia’s Keely Covo managed to keep the puck in the Carabins’ zone after an attempt to clear. Covo passed to Monahan, who was camped out to Giuliani’s

right. Unable to score, Monahan dished the puck back to Covo who tapped it in for her first goal of the season. But Montréal struck back less than two minutes later. Stingers goalie Audrey Doyon-Lessard could only get a piece of a shot by Janice Duval that goal cut the Stingers’ lead to two. With less than five minutes to go in the period, the Carabins’ Josianne Legault capitalized on a two-man advantage after two Stingers were penalized less than 30 seconds apart. The second ended with Concordia leading 4-3, their three-goal lead diminished to just one. Halfway through the third period, Doyon-

Lessard was knocked down in front of her net. A delayed penalty was signalled, but it wasn’t until the referee realized she wasn’t getting up that play was stopped. After a few minutes, she got back on her feet and opted to stay in the game. Kim Deschênes was booked for goaltender interference. Montréal generated some scoring chances afterwards, but couldn’t get the puck past Doyon-Lessard. When Monahan was sent to the box after a questionable interference call, Doyon-Lessard continued to shine turning away every shot she faced during Montréal’s power play. After serving her time, Monahan jumped onto the ice and promptly picked up an assist on a goal by the team’s leading scorer Erin Lally. The Stingers would soon see their lead cut again, when Sophie Brault’s shot from the point slid under Doyon-Lessard’s pads and made it a one-goal game again with 15 seconds left to play. Montréal would threaten again in the dying seconds, but the Stingers held on to earn the win. Lawton acknowledged that being scored on after taking the lead, like they did, is tough. “When you put yourself in a situation like that, there’s a tendency for players to hang their heads […]. I don’t think we went through that today, I think that we just put our noses to the grindstone and went out to win, rather than being afraid to win. It’s more of a mental thing than anything else, but I find we bounced back pretty good from that.” The Stingers’ next test is against Saint Mary’s Sunday Nov. 21. The game will get underway at Ed Meagher Arena at 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

BASKETBALL

theconcordian

Stingers split opening weekend match-ups Beat last year’s number one team, but ran out of gas the next day Kalli Ringelberg Staff writer Last Saturday, the Stingers faced the UQAM Citadins at their home gym and suffered a heartbreaking two-point overtime defeat by a score of 83-81. After a convincing 79-48 win against last year’s first-place team, Laval, in Quebec City Friday night, the team was emotionally spent. The game started with a two-point lead by UQAM, thanks to Citadin Marjolaine GauthierThéorêt. Quickly, Stinger Kendra Carrie evened the score. Gauthier-Théorêt took a hard hit under the basket and made one out of the two free throws. Stinger Magalie Beaulieu scored two baskets and Anne-Marie Prophete scored one to give Concordia the lead at 8-3. UQAM’s Jessica Bibeau-Côté sank a threepointer and Gauthier-Théorêt matched her teammates’ three points by forcing a foul after a basket, which gave UQAM the lead at 9-8. Halfway into the first quarter, good defence by Stingers’ Tina Mpondani wasn’t enough and UQAM’s Irline Noël was left wide open under the basket, netting two more points. ConU took a charging foul and UQAM got another opportunity for two more points. Mpondani scored a basket after a foul granted the Stingers possession. Back and forth baskets from both teams finished the quarter with Concordia trailing 17-14. The second quarter started with a foul on UQAM and they scored on one out of the two shots made by Gauthier-Théorêt. Both teams struggled to secure rebounds, mainly when a player would go for a three-pointer. The Stingers seemed to be getting frustrated when a foul was

called in UQAM’s favour and Michelle AugerBellemare made both of her free throws. The referees continued to call fouls on the Stingers, giving UQAM’s Bibeau-Côté the opportunity to score a three-pointer, making the score 23-14. Kaylah Barrett forced Noël to take a foul, but missed her first free throw. She made up for it by stealing the ball from Gauthier-Théorêt and running down the court with her opponents a few strides behind her. With seven minutes left in the half, the score was 23-17. The referees seemed to be trying to make up for fouls by giving the Stingers possession and Mpondani twirled to the basket, adding two more points. Back and forth baskets from both teams almost evened the score out, with three minutes left, at 23-21. Prophete and Carrie tried their hardest to equalize with two more baskets, but UQAM’s Karine Boudrias got two more three pointers and teammate Auger-Bellemare two baskets before the end of the half, leaving the score at 36-30. Beaulieu saw Barrett open, running to the basket and a quick two points were granted to ConU. Prophete, holding nothing back, grabbed a rebound and charged to the basket, forcing a foul. UQAM’s Bibeau-Côté scored three more points, but Jean-Philippe matched her three points with a basket and a free throw with four minutes left. UQAM missed two opportunities under the basket and Carrie netted a beautiful three-pointer to end the third quarter behind by four points. In the final quarter, Barrett and Carrie each got a basket to tie up the game at 52. With impressive back and forth three-pointers by both teams, the fourth quarter ended exactly the way it started, in a tie; but this time at 72 points apiece. A five-minute overtime showed how exhausted both teams were, and a last effort from the Stingers couldn’t quite match the fresher team. Though they managed to keep the score close, it was three foul shots that eventually gave UQAM the 83-81 win. Commenting on the big win the night before

Stinger Tina Mpondani evades Citadin Marjolaine Gauthier-Théorêt as she goes for a layup. Photo by Clovis-Alexandre Desvarieux against Laval, head coach Keith Pruden said that if anything, that ended up being somewhat of a disadvantage to the Stingers. As much as they were happy about the win, they were “emotionally drained” and getting back late made it difficult to execute everything that they knew had to be done. One of the problems was that UQAM is a very “physical team” and they “made mistakes and just couldn’t adjust to the team.” They “let them take shots that they like to take.”

The Stingers’ next game is their home opener Friday, Nov. 26 at the Concordia Gymnasium. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. The first 250 Concordia students will receive a maroon and gold t-shirt which grants free admission to all 2010-2011 regular season Concordia Stingers games.

BASKETBALL

Stingers overcome deficit to beat UQAM Split their opening weekend games after losing to Laval Friday Kalli Ringelberg Staff writer The men’s basketball team lost 97-91 in their season opener against Laval on Friday, but were 79-67 winners against the UQAM Citadins Saturday night. UQAM started out strong with a three-pointer by Éric Côté-Kougnima and then two more points, taking a five-point lead off the bat. Stinger Kyle Desmarais was fouled at the three-point line and made two out of the three free throws. CôtéKougnima made another basket and took the foul giving him three more points in total. With James Clark playing strong defence and Desmarais scoring another basket, the Stingers tried to fend off the Citadins, but after five minutes of play, the score was 13-7 for UQAM. After a basket by Evens Laroche, UQAM started to struggle against the Stingers’ strong defence, led by Clark, who used his whole body to prevent several attempts under the basket. Côté-Kougnima used his frustration to get another basket, while Laroche challenged a UQAM player by smacking the ball right out of his hands. Concordia’s efforts weren’t enough to give them the lead. The first quarter ended with the Stingers behind by ten points at 19-9. Jean-Andre Moussignac came off the bench strong in the second quarter with a basket just before UQAM’s Alexandre Bernard sank two points in the Stingers’ face. Two baskets and a free throw later, UQAM widened their lead on Concordia. Moussignac delivered again when Clark got the ball back to Moussignac, who forced a foul under the basket and made one

Evens Laroche goes for a basket as his teammates and opponents look on Saturday night. Photos by Clovis-Alexandre Desvarieux foul shot to bring the score up to 26-14. Morgan Tajfel came off the Stingers bench with untapped energy and managed to hold strong on defence against the Citadins. After the Stingers’ time-out, Clark demonstrated his ability on offence with two points. Decee Krah made his way to the basket with impressive moves, which gave Frank Fiola the opportunity to make the three-pointer. Krah then passed to Tajfel, who dished it back to Fiola for another two points. Clark forced a foul and made both free throws, which brought the score to 32-26 with 20 seconds left in the first half. Two good foul shots by Desmarais finished the half with Concordia trailing 34-28. Clark made the first basket of the second half, which was then challenged by two more points from UQAM. Krah made a beautiful threepointer and Taylor Garner sank another soon

after. With back and forth three-pointers and some hard defensive hits from both teams, the final score of the third quarter left ConU not far behind with 53-51. The Stingers took the lead in the fourth quarter when Desmarais made a beautiful threepointer. The Citadins got desperate and started to foul left and right, giving the Stingers many opportunities for free throws. Desmarais did not scare easily as he charged to the basket and took a hit from behind that sent him flying across the court. A technical foul was called against UQAM and Desmarais made one of two free throws. With less than two minutes left in the game, the Stingers held the lead at 69-64. A bad call by the referees that awarded UQAM the ball left the Stingers frustrated, but Laroche stole the ball from Philippe Tamba, who

then fouled him. A steal by Desmarais with less than a minute on the clock gave him room to dunk, which the Citadins watched in awe. Desmarais made six foul shots to close the game and the Stingers walked away with a 79-67 victory. Head coach John Dore had strong praise for all of his players, saying that a lot of the defence went unnoticed, but strong rebounds from Tajfel and Garner and good blocks helped win the game, as well as the fearless offence. He also said they may have “started poorly and played with some lethargy, but all the strength and support came off the bench.” The Stingers’ next game is their home opener against McGill at Concordia Gymnasium Friday, Nov. 26. Game time is 6 p.m.

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

HOCKEY

Four wins in a row for the men s hockey team: improve their record to 9-3 Charles-Antoine Messier and Alexandre Monahan lead the offensive charge Kamila Hinkson Sports editor The Stingers swept the Royal Military College Paladins in a home-and-away series this weekend and solidified their hold on second place in the conference. It took two goals in the third period, on Friday in Kingston, for the Stingers to come back and win 4-3 after having fallen behind 3-2 after two periods. “They play in a very small rink, and we’re a very fast-skating team,” explained head coach Kevin Figsby. “When a fast-skating team plays in a small rink, it equalizes our speed because there’s not enough room to play.” Led by Alexandre Monahan’s four-point day and top-scorer Charles-Antoine Messier’s threepoint performance, the Stingers extended their winning streak to four in a row on Sunday. The Paladins’ sloppy passing early in the game led to giveaways, and much of the play in the opening minutes took place in the RMC zone. The Stingers had many chances to score the game’s first goal, but couldn’t get the puck in the net until Messier finished off a big rebound from Kiefer Orsini’s shot from the point. The Paladins’ Alexandre Leclerc was left with a bloody forehead after a scuffle between players on both the ice and bench. Jesse Goodsell was assigned the first of three 10-minute misconduct penalties handed out during the game Concordia defenceman Michael Blundon took a high-sticking penalty soon after to give RMC a two-man advantage. Despite brilliant penaltykilling by George Lovatsis, who managed to keep the puck in the RMC zone for over 10 seconds while four Paladins tried to get the puck off him, and a diving save by goalie Maxime Joyal, the Paladins tied the game with eight seconds to go in the first period. The Stingers waited barely a minute before scoring in the second. Another big rebound given up by Paladins’ goalie Andrew Flemming was tapped in, this time by Lovatsis, to give the

The Stingers’ Eric Begin was able to stop, but Stefan Lutzenkirchen crashed into RMC goalie Andrew Flemming. Photo by Faiz Imam home team the lead. Concordia’s ability to match RMC’s physical style of play, block clearing attempts and keep the puck in the RMC zone frustrated the Paladins. Their frustration led to two powerplay opportunities for the Stingers, and it was during the second penalty that captain Marc-Andre Element ripped a shot from the right circle past Fleming to put the Stingers up by two. But RMC would get one back when Matthew Pinder’s shot went through Joyal’s pads. The Stingers went into the third period with a 3-2 lead. Eric Begin scored his first goal of the season five minutes into the third to broaden Concordia’s lead to two goals. With eight minutes to go, Messier was sent sliding into the boards and didn’t get up. When play was stopped, he skated off the ice in some pain, but without help.

The ill effects of that injury didn’t last long. Just three minutes later, he was streaking down the ice and took a shot from the left circle that went in one side of the net and out the other for his second goal of the night. “Right now, he’s playing to his potential and that’s exactly what we need and why we’re in second place,” Figsby said of his top scorer. Monahan added to the Stingers’ offensive display when he picked up the puck at the RMC blue line and scored in alone on Flemming to pick up his fourth point of the night. In the last five minutes of the game, Concordia’s penalty box got a little crowded. Concordia’s Stefan Lutzenkirchen took two minor penalties, RMC’s Braden Casper and Concordia’s Lyle Van Wieren took concurrent roughing penalties about a minute later, and 10 seconds later Orsini was booked for slashing, then for roughing with a little over a minute left to play.

RMC took advantage of the 5-on-3 when Jonathan Ferlatte scored with three minutes to go in the period, but the Paladins couldn’t capitalize during the minutes remaining in the powerplay and the Stingers walked away with the 6-3 win. Though the rankings will only be released after press time, Concordia should crack the top 10 in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport rankings for this week. Figsby commended RMC goalie Flemming for standing his ground while getting 83 shots fired at him this weekend. “I think the difference in today’s game is that we were the better team on bigger ice.” The Stingers are on the road next weekend. They play the Brock Badgers on Friday Nov. 19 at 7:15 p.m. Saturday night’s game is against the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks at 7:30 p.m.

CROSS COUNTRY

A historic weekend for the cross-country team “It looks like we have finally caught up to the pack”: coach Lofranco Kamila Hinkson Sports editor Concordia had their best showing ever at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport cross-country running championships this weekend in Sherbrooke. The men’s team came in 15th out of 19 teams, while the women were 15th out of 17. Ten of the team’s members had top-100 finishes. Head coach John Lofranco said that “the hard work of the athletes” and the team’s size this year contributed to their improvement. He explained that it’s harder to get faster when two runners who train together don’t run at the same speed. It’s when they have someone to chase, or someone chasing them, that they improve. “Obviously everybody is, to a certain extent, internally motivated to go faster but if you have someone right at your shoulder, it’s an extra motivator that pushes you along.” Coralina Tse concluded her rookie year by finishing first among the Concordia women. Her time of 19:33 put her in 31st place, the second-

best time of any Quebec runner and third-best of any rookie. Her performance is now the best ever by a female member of the team. Tse was happy with the race she ran, but noted it was hard for her. “It was just about trying not to let anyone keep up, and trying to keep up to people who were in front of me and to really give everything I had.” Concordia’s Dominique Roy finished not far behind Tse. A time of 19:34.1 put her in the 34th spot. “I was happy to see where Dominique finished because she hadn’t been able to race full out all season,” Lofranco commented. Stephane Colle was the top finisher for the men’s team, coming across the line in 23rd place. Out of the competitors from the Quebec conference, he finished second. Olivier Lavoie from Sherbrooke finished two seconds ahead of him. The two also finished in the first and second position at the Quebec conference finals on Halloween weekend in Laval. The men’s team captain was Concordia’s next runner to finish. Ryan Noel-Hodge’s time of 34:32 was good for 48th place. The Guelph Gryphons continued their dominance in the sport after both the men and women took the team titles. The team will now take two weeks off to recharge before training starts at the Stinger Dome and Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard for the indoor track and field season.

Men’s team captain Ryan Noel-Hodge eventually passed Adam Kellar Saturday afternoon.

There were 150 participants in the men’s race this year, the most ever. Photos by Sarah Deshaies

editorial 20

CAMPUS

Hypocrisy, brought to you this week by the letters A-S-F-A We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: closed session sucks ASFA, in association with Free Education Montreal, überculture collective and TAPThirst are proudly presenting a week-long campaign to encourage students to question the administration. It’s aptly named “Ask Why.” The goal of the campaign is to question three very important and current topics facing Concordia students: corporatization of the university, tuition fee increases and the proposed elimination of bottled water on campus. With all the fanfare of promoting a frosh week, an election or an all-you-can-drink event, ASFA is going on classroom visits, holding a lecture, and of course, making t-shirts. Encouraging students to question authority and their place and rights on campus is a valid and admirable thing to do. Society functions better when people in general question the rules and the status quo. But while we applaud this well-intentioned campaign, we can’t help but wince at ASFA’s hypocrisy. A message to 764 members of ASFA’s Facebook page on Nov. 15 proudly calls out: “So go out and Ask! Ask your teachers, Ask the university staff, Ask the Administration, Ask other students, Ask us… JUST ASK WHY.” OK, ASFA -- can we ask why ASFA council decided to move into closed session at last week’s meeting? History representative Elliot Kmec called for closed session as chief electoral officer Nicholas Cuillier was wrapping up a presentation on the past by-elections. With no indication of what Kmec wanted to discuss and without questioning the motion, the council promptly voted to go into closed session. Ten people trooped out so council could deliberate in secret over... well, we wish we could tell you about it in a news story, but we just don’t know. Part of what ASFA and other campus groups, including this newspaper, are calling for now is accountability and transparency on the part

Closed session should not be used to keep information out of the press, which disseminates information to the rest of the student body that can’t make the meeting because they have class, work, or can’t fit inside a cramped meeting room.

“

As ASFA is advocating, questioning authority is an important part of being a responsible citizen in a working society

of the university administration after the snafu that was Concordia’s PepsiCo contract. But by shutting the door on interested ASFA members and the press, ASFA is pulling a shroud over its practices in an ironic move we hope students won’t stand for. The topic at hand being discussed secretly, we suspect, was a bit of internal squabbling. If it was deemed so important to unceremoniously boot everyone out of the meeting, the discussion on it should have been made public. As it was, Kmec stormed unexpectedly out of the meeting before closed the session should have ended and another member of the meet-

ing left looking visibly shaken. It’s clear that what was going on in room H-760 should be known by students. Next time someone motions for closed session out of the blue, councillors should use the discussion period on the motion to question the reasoning and make sure it’s valid. Going into closed or executive session is only appropriate for confidentiality reasons; for example, when a new secretary or committee member is being appointed, resumes are often circulated to council. As ASFA’s board of directors, council is bound to remain mum on any private information broadcast during that time.

the money from these contracts represents a tiny fraction of Concordia’s budget compared to government funding and tuition. I challenge the Concordian to try to find out where this money goes. Twenty-five per cent of last year’s astronomical tuition hikes for international students were promised for student aid and services. The Graduate Students’ Association has tried in both the Board of Governors and the Senate to find out where the promised money has gone and been met with dismissive, insulting non-answers. Most importantly, Concordia is not “semipublic,” it is a public institution. It is chartered as a public university, it is funded by the public, it is subject to access-to-information laws applying to public institutions. The reason Concordia may not be obligated to disclose its deals with outside corporations is because it cannot release the information of private third parties. However, if presented with an access-to-information request, it should release versions of the contracts with third-party information censored. If you want to know if you can trust Concordia’s administration you have only to look at a

list of the Board of Governors and scroll down to “Community-at-large.” The only community these people represent is the corporate community; a clear perversion of the intent of Quebec law governing post-secondary institutions. The Concordia administration has had a bad attitude for oh, about the last decade and this is only the latest incident. Con U. Inc. author David Bernans will be speaking on Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. in the CSU lounge on how the corporatization of Concordia affects everything from the water you drink to the tuition you pay.

As ASFA is advocating, questioning authority is an important part of being a responsible citizen in a working society. Well, another prerequisite is the free flow of information, not the lack thereof. If for some dire reason closed session does occur because a matter is considered too delicate to discuss in front of students who provide the fees that fund ASFA, councillors owe it to explain to students what was discussed in private and why. This should be done promptly. In other words, right after session is open again. This is recommended by BoardSource, an organization that promotes effective nonprofit boards, in an article titled, “Don’t abuse executive sessions.” And if you are one of the thousands of arts and science students who do not sit in one of the 20-something arts and science council seats, find out who your ASFA representative is in your program and ask them personally why they agreed to move into closed session. Ask why, ask lots of questions. It’s how we make a better society. You’re being told to ASK WHY by your student leaders. Your questions should not be just directed at the university administration, it should be directed at your elected student representatives, as well.

LETTERS

Re: Can Concordia administration ever be trusted again? Corporate contracts are unequivocally disadvantageous to students. These deals can require the university to sell a certain quota of product or face penalties; they overwhelm a place where learning and free speech should be sacred with obnoxious branding; they encourage universities to chase corporate cash rather than address the real issue, which is a lack of political commitment to higher education. In the case of Concordia’s recent deals allowing BMO on campus to harass students outside Webster library, they expose students to predatory lending. And if you think that corporations don’t control a lot of university research already, I really encourage you to think again. Profit from corporate contracts will not in any way prevent tuition increases. It will encourage the privatization of Canadian universities, and

Holly Nazar Free Education Montreal

Re: Prostituion in Canada: a debate I think the idea of prostitution being legalized in Canada would be a step forward in

society. Everyday of our lives, sex is used to sell us something. Whether it is blatant or not, we have all bought into and supported the ‘sex trade’ in one way or another. It’s a sad state of affairs when someone doesn’t realize just how much the sale of ‘sex’ is embedded into societal fabric. How does it feel to know each one of us is a ‘trick’ (John) at some point in our lives? To say that most sex-trade workers have a drug addiction is misleading and unfounded. A much larger part of society has some sort of addiction issues. I know a lot of sex-trade workers who have made a clear and educated choice to be involved in the sex-trade industry. Do not feed into the myth that they are forced into it because of a pimp, or addiction. Everyone has a different story. Sincerely, Dan Lavoie

opinions

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com

GAMES

Controversy around Call of Duty series raises questions about public sentiment on war Recently released games invite players to torture and take on the role of Taliban Lana Polansky Staff writer On its first day of release last week, retailers sold 5.6 million copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops, solidifying both Activision’s quarterly success and the cultural pre-eminence of video games. But the game walks a tight rope of public sensitivity, gamer expectation and historical endurance. CBC’s Peter Nowak made an interesting argument when he said, “There’s one big problem with this push toward modernity and realism, and that’s the double standard that still dogs video games [...] given that films set during ongoing conflicts typically escape scorn, and often garner praise from Oscar voters.” Black Ops has only been somewhat controversial: Cubans have complained about a part of the game that involves an assassination attempt on Fidel Castro. I empathize with this, but remember that this representation is consistent with the contemporary climate of American politics. Consider the nuances of the commentary

Black Ops allows gamers to use JFK and Fidel Castro as playable character. the game makes about military operations, and whether or not this is tastefully done. The game questionably rewards torture tactics. This may be an attempt at gritty realism; on the other hand, the success of torture tactics may simply be gratuitous violence which operates on false presumptions about interrogation techniques. Perhaps one should consider that these interactions that players are forced to have are actually designed to make them feel uneasy as they play it, a feature that can only be this dramatized and

in-your-face because of the interactiveness that is exclusive to video games. This heightens the significance of how this affects the attitudes of gamers towards warfare. Games bear the stigma of juvenility, but this is due to misconception, not inherent flaws. Its content aside, Black Ops is a game with themes that society is insecure about engaging with viscerally. Last month’s release of Medal of Honor, another popular war video game series, allowed users to kill civilians and play as the Tali-

ban until public outcry convinced developers to rename the Taliban units the “Opposing Force.” The integrity of Medal of Honor aside, the stigma of games forces many people to falsely compare every dramatic war game with this perceived gratuitousness. Black Ops narrowly escapes this level of scorn because it takes place during the Cold War, but Call of Duty could directly treat a modern war just as viably without tiptoeing around it. This game would likely even be more enduring if it touched on an open social wound by challenging people’s perceptions about art, games, violence and war. It would be controversial, but the experiment would earn video games a respect closer to that which film and literature already have in the long run. The average Canadian gamer is 34-years-old. Black Ops is rated “M,” which means it is an interactive drama meant for older audiences to engage with. Its commentary and levels of subtlety are meant to be communicated to adults. The game features presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon as playable characters. These figures are historically consecrated, but still detached enough not to cause too much controversy. Perhaps Call of Duty is playing it safe this time by inching closer to something intriguingly recent, while restraining itself. Go to www.theconcordian.com for Lana Polansky’s full video game review of Call of Duty: Black Ops.

TECHNOLOGY

Young people take technology for granted A generation that cannot use can openers or boil water is bad for humanity Rebecca Vasluianu The Cord (Wilfrid Laurier University) WATERLOO, Ont. (CUP) — My grandparents were born into what has been called the “greatest generation,” when people appreciated the little things in a period full of war and hardship. My parents are the product of that generation, the “baby boomers,” who lived through a time when people celebrated their new-found prosperity and rallied for rights and change. So, what does that make us? Some call us “Generation Y.” To me, we’re a generation of pathetic human beings who can’t do anything on our own. Last week, I was in a three-hour night class and the projector stopped working. As a result, the professor had to switch to an oral lecture. What ensued left me shocked, scared and genuinely concerned. I heard some students saying things like, “I can’t take notes like this” or “this is ridiculous.” Halfway through the lecture, at the break, a large portion of the class left. The fact that a large number of students were incapable or unwilling to write or even type notes based on a traditional lecture is indicative of a serious problem; we are not only reliant on an easy way of doing things, but we feel entitled to it. Technological innovations that make our lives easier are seen as a birthright. It is this sense of entitlement to technology or an easy way of doing things that is going to threaten our ability to function as human beings. In September, author Beth Harpaz wrote an article for the Associated Press that stirred up controversy. She aptly noted some of the

striking facts of our lifetime. Not only do some children not know how to tie their shoes or zip up their jackets by grade two, there are some college or high school students who have never done laundry or used public transit on their own. Talking to my parents, they explained that individuals exhibiting these types of behavioural deficits simply did not exist 40 years ago, and if they did, it was not considered acceptable. I’m not in any way suggesting we ridicule these individuals. I’m just suggesting that expectations in our society have shifted and that the shift is decidedly for the worse. University students who can’t manoeuvre through a library or use a map have become common, along with individuals who can’t write with a pen or even fathom surviving without the Internet on their cellphones. Instead of considering this reliance a crutch, we talk about it out loud as if it’s something to be proud of, touting the fact that we can’t boil water or mail a letter. While I’ve heard it argued that our skills have merely shifted towards technology and that it is natural that certain activities should become obsolete, I think this skims over the key issue at hand. A skill deficit where students can’t boil water or do laundry has nothing to do with technology. Many of us merely lack those skills. For other tasks expedited by technology, we need to remember that these innovations are not foolproof; every once in a while they fail. I can’t help but think of the Ontario woman who, earlier this fall, followed her GPS to the letter and drove into a marsh and flooded her car. Unless technology someday becomes foolproof and all encompassing, we need to come to terms with the fact that there are still holes that must be filled by more traditional knowledge. Even if technology was infallible, we must also realize that we are by no means entitled to an easy way of doing things at all times. Though most of us no longer hunt or farm our own food like previous generations, there are some skills that are valuable for us to continue learning — not just instrumentally, but simply because they promote self-sufficiency.

In the advertisement entitled “Attention members” that appeared in the Nov. 9, 2010 issue of the Concordian, the date for our Annual General Meeting was announced as “Saturday, Nov. 21, 2010.” This is incorrect. The Meeting will be taking place on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010. The Concordian apologizes for the mistake and any inconvenience it may have caused. Please refer to this week’s advertisement or contact directors@theconcordian.com for more details.

Sarah Deshaies Editor-in-chief editor@theconcordian.com Brennan Neill Managing editor managing@theconcordian.com Evan LePage News editor news@theconcordian.com Jacques Gallant Assistant news editor Emily White Life editor life@theconcordian.com Savannah Sher Assistant life editor Valerie Cardinal Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com Jacqueline De Bartelomeo Assistant arts editor Katelyn Spidle Music editor music@theconcordian.com Cora Ballou Assistant music editor Kamila Hinkson Sports editor Chris Hanna Opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com Owen Nagels Assistant opinions editor Jacob Serebrin Online editor online@theconcordian.com Tiffany Blaise Photo editor photo@theconcordian.com Katie Brioux Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian.com Aeron MacHattie Chief copy editor copy@theconcordian.com Alecs Kakon Trevor Smith Copy editors Jill Fowler Production manager production@theconcordian. com Jennifer Barkun Francois Descoteaux Vincent Beauchemin Lindsay Sykes Production Assistants Board of Directors Tobi Elliott Richard Taridif Ben Ngai directors@theconcordian.com Editorial 7141 Sherbrooke St. W. CC.431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 514.848.2424 x7458 (Newsroom) 514.848.2424 x7499 (Editors) 514.848.2424 x7404 (Production) Francesco Sacco Business Manager business@theconcordian.com Marshall Johnston Advertising advertising@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: Renee Giblin, Alessia Faustini, Emily Brass, Michael Lemieux, Shereen Rafea, Hiba Zayadin, Race Capet, David MacIntyre, Emilie Salvi, Matthew Buttice, Joanie Péloquin-Dumoulin, Adrian Fynch, Colin Harris, Cora Ballou, Olivia Dumas, Matthieu Barrot, Robert Flis, Alona Mutsmakher, Kelly Greig, Kalli Ringelberg, Lana Polansky, AJ Cordeiro, Sara Pelletier, Eva Kratochvil, Cindy Lopez, Faiz Imam, ClovisAlexandre Desvarieux, Camille Nerantzidis, Sean Kershaw, Phil Waheed

HOLIDAY

theconcordian

Christmas is in December, not November If you’re sick of Christmas by the time it rolls around, blame marketers and advertisers Andre-Joseph Cordeiro Staff writer With our first snowfall of the season occurring just before Halloween, people might have jumped the gun and gotten confused about which holiday should be celebrated. Yes, the holiday season is fast approaching; there are baked goods browning in the oven, gifts being meticulously wrapped and homes being decorated, inside and out. The air is filled with recorded angelic choirs, dolling the cheer of the season. It really is one of the most wonderful times of the year. Nothing beats getting together with family and friends and recanting all that has happened in the months since you last saw each other. There is an overabundance of food, drink and, if you’ve been good enough, presents. School is also out for a good part of it. But to truly enjoy the specialness of this season, our stores and friends must stop trying to start the season earlier every year. It is understandable that you want to get your Christmas cheer on, but relax a little. Most people are still working on the stacks of Halloween candy they bought on sale on Nov. 1; no one is ready to start stocking up on chocolate Santas and candy canes. Some people have already decorated their lawns and house facades

Graphic by Phil Waheed

with lights, reindeer and inflatable Santas. The idea, I suppose, is to do it before it gets too cold, but there is really no need for you to plug them in and turn them on so soon. Every year, like clockwork, right after dumping their Halloween decorations, stores break out their Christmas CDs and start playing holiday carols and songs in heavy rotation. It is somewhat understandable, considering that the winter holiday season is the biggest money maker for most retail stores. But it seems shallow to trade in the true joy of the holidays for the money. The commercialization of the holidays is inevitable. Nevertheless, we need to stand up and protect what is rightfully our holiday season, whatever cultural or spiritual tradition. Marketers continue to pound our mailboxes with flyers ask-

ing us to “celebrate the holiday cheer.” We need to remind ourselves that it is not Christmas yet! In the same way, a message of direction goes out to those who leave their Christmas lights up until Valentine’s Day or later. You are not festive. You are lazy. And the weather excuse just won’t cut it this time. Nothing says I’m a slothful, zerotaste idiot like leaving your home decorated with holiday ribbons until Easter. The thing that makes Christmas so great is that it only comes around once a year and is technically (and logically, if you’re looking at a calendar) only supposed to last one day. Being bombarded by jingle bells, decking halls and mistletoe for almost eight weeks can make a grinch out of anyone come Dec. 25.

MOVEMBER

Battle of the sexes: causes edition “I like it on” Facebook campaign raised little other than eyebrows, but Movember mixes humour, education and charity Sara Pelletier Contributor We all remember the many sexually suggestive status updates of female Facebook users during the breast cancer awareness month of October. They were posting things like “I like it on the floor,” “I like it on the couch” or “I like it in the closet.” For those of you who thought being promiscuous was the new online trend, these women were in fact trying to raise awareness for breast cancer by saying where they liked to put their handbags or purses. This method was definitely eye-catching, but its efficacy is questionable. Did it raise anything other than eyebrows? I doubt it. November is prostate cancer awareness month and it has to be said that men, over 24,000 of whom will be diagnosed with the disease this year alone, are doing a much better job at raising awareness for their cause than the opposite sex. In this battle of the sexes of causes, the Movember campaign easily wins against the women’s silly “I like it on” campaign. During Movember, a clever combination of mustache and November, men grow mustaches and raise awareness and money for prostate cancer research. Last year’s unofficial breast cancer campaign saw female Facebook users update their status with the colour of the bra they were wearing at the time. Many are questioning the effectiveness of social networks as a means of viral marketing.

MJ Decoteau, the executive director of Rethink Breast Cancer, told the Toronto Star: “The bra I kind of got - it’s connected to boobs - but I don’t understand the purse.” Last year’s Movember campaign involved over 35,000 men and women (yes, women, too) and raised $7.8 million for Prostate Cancer Canada. Besides raising your friends’ eyebrows and making them believe you are way, way oversharing, updating your Facebook status to “I like it on the floor” does absolutely nothing. That campaign also excluded a large segment of the population, including children, men, and older individuals. By being an exclusively Facebook-oriented campaign, the participants were limited in scope and variety and kept many in the dark. Movember has found an effective way to unite everyone for a cause by encouraging all to take action and donate money to prostate cancer association via the Movember website. People use these websites as a form of expression. This year, it has been demonstrated by men and other supporters of Movember who have found an active approach to help raise consciousness about prostate cancer. They have managed to attract people’s attention, without sounding sordid, by either posting pictures of themselves with their growing moustache, or simply by posting informative facts about prostate cancer.

Everyone is encouraged to donate, take action and get educated instead of chuckling at how kooky and coincidental it is that women like their handbags in places they could also like to get down. Men are a lot less likely to seek medical help or go for routine checkups than women. Whether it’s due to their pride or macho attitude, it’s in everyone’s interest to encourage all the men in their life to get their prostate checked, because every man is someone’s son, father, brother, husband or friend. People have to take more action and become proactive. Actions speak louder than words.

Graphic by Katie Brioux

theconcordian

Concordia’s weekly, independent student newspaper. Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010 Volume 28 Issue 12.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Etcetera Page

Canadian stay-at-home mom Kelly Oxford is one funny lady. When she’s not tweeting about her kids’ hilarious antics, she’s ripping into politicians, celebrities or... anyone really. Follow her on Twitter at @kellyoxford. Follow us at @TheConcordian.

Q: What does it mean to you that Concordia University ranked 11th out of 12 on Maclean’s list of the best comprehensive Canadian universities? Claire Hogan - first-year fine arts

- My 6yr old son to my 9yr old daughter when he found out Willow Smith is also 9: “You are so lazy” - Me: “You can’t drink beer and drive a car” 6 yr old son: “Right, because you might spill your beer.” - Heidi Montag would be worth a lot more money if she had been left in her box.

“It doesn’t mean very much to me. I’m in fine arts and Concordia has a really strong fine arts program. I don’t really know about the other programs. I know a lot of people think McGill is better for some stuff, but not for fine arts, so I’m really happy where I am.” Cassandra Rudolph - third-year English literature “I think it’s great, and Maclean’s – I would say I trust their judgement.”

Salvatore Tedone - first-year marketing “I come from a family who has only ever attended Concordia University, so it’s great to tell others I attend a university ranked 11th.”

Complied by Eva Kratochvil

View of Montreal’s skyline from de Maisonneuve boulevard. Photo by Derek Branscombe

Graphic by Phil Waheed

Horoscopes Aries - March 21 to April 20 This week, try going some place new to unwind. Go climb a mountain and enjoy the fresh air before winter comes. Don’t coop yourself up indoors; this will have a bad effect on your energy. Taurus - April 21 to May 21 Pick up a book this week on a subject you’ve been interested in, but never really took the time to learn about. Your yearning for learning is on fire right now, and your brain is a sponge. Indulge yourself. Gemini - May 22 to June 21 You may feel that someone is trying to undermine your authority this week. Whether the issue is big or small, make sure you assert yourself and don’t let anyone walk over you. Have faith in your abilities. Cancer - June 22 to July 23 Put some more insight into the problems that have been bothering you lately. You tend to bottle up your feelings instead of expressing

yourself because you’re too scared to offend someone. Just speak your mind. Leo - July 24 to August 23 You’re very interested in what’s been going on in the world these days. You’re insightful and your opinions matter to some people. Put these qualities to good work and you will feel rewarded. Virgo - August 24 to September 23 You’ve got a real talent for looking beneath the surface. If someone is not feeling at their best, you’re able to pick up on it. Lend a helping hand to someone who needs it and you will create good karma all around. Libra - September 24 to October 23 You’ve been thinking of spirituality and questioning your beliefs lately. Don’t shy away from changing your mind about something, and open yourself up to different opinions. You could be surprised. Scorpio - October 24 to November 23

You need to get out of the house this week. The end of the semester is fast approaching, and you must keep your sanity. Go ahead and socialize a bit before school really gets crazy; it’s your last chance. Sagittarius - November 24 to December 21 You’re very motivated lately to steer something into a new direction. This week is a great time to grab the steering wheel and drive a certain project the way you’ve been imagining it. Don’t be scared. Capricorn - December 22 to January 20 Physically, you feel great. But mentally, you haven’t been at your best. This will change with the approaching end of semester. Put your physical energy into your mind and you will do amazing work. Aquarius - January 21 to February 19 You’re living in the moment, and that exactly what you need this week. You may find yourself doing group work, and your positive attitude is inspiring to your friends. Keep it up,

you’re refreshing! Pisces - February 20 to March 20 Your optimism will surely rub off on your friends this week. Of course, you’re always friendly, but you’re an inspiration to some people. Give yourself a little credit and keep up the amazing work. You share a birthday with... Nov. 16: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Oksana Baiul, Diana Krall Nov. 17: Rachel McAdams, RuPaul, Martin Scorcese Nov. 18: Owen Wilson, Sinbad, Chloe Sevigny Nov. 19: Jodie Foster, Meg Ryan, Calvin Klein Nov. 20: Bo Derek, Joe Biden, Robert F. Kennedy Nov. 21: Ken Griffey Jr., Björk, Goldie Hawn Nov. 22: Scarlet Johansson, Jaime Lee Curtis, Rodney Dangerfield

EVENTS AT A GLANCE HELP PROMOTE CONCORDIA EVENTS! ALL EVENT LISTINGS ARE ADVERTISED FOR FREE SEND YOUR IDEAS TO EVENTS@THECONCORDIAN.COM PLEASE LIST NAME OF EVENT, LOCATION, AND TIME MainLine theatre Pay what you can preview of Dark Owl La Chambre Bleue Studio Jean-Valcourt Théâtre du Nouveau Monde Le Dieu du Carnage Les Coups de Théâtre: Festival International des arts jeune public A Collection of Keith Richards Fine Art Photographs From World Class Photographers Morrison Hotel Gallery 13th International Documentary Festival (RIDM) Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti + Os Mutantes + Diva Le National

20h00 ongoing ongoing ongoing until Nov. 28 ongoing ongoing until Nov. 21 20h00

+TALK +BOOK LAUNCH +LITERARY EVENT +THEATRE +FESTIVAL +FILM FESTIVAL +MUSIC +PARTY!

Bottled Water: A Negative Impact On The World, Brian McDonoughMultifaith Chaplaincy (2090 Mackay, Z-05) The Second Palestinian Intifada: Civil Resistance QPIRG Concordia Salon du livre de Montréal Place Bonaventure MainLine Theatre Premiere: Dark Owl

La Sala Rossa The Hive

17h00 17h00 to 19h00 ongoing ongoing until Nov. 21 ongoing until Nov. 28 ongoing until Nov. 21 20h00 19h00

THURS 18

+MUSIC +TALK +VERNISSAGE +LITERARY EVENT +FILM FESTIVAL +CINEMA POLITICA + MUSIC

Droppin Knowledge MTL Trois Minots (3812 St. Laurent) EV 2.260 "Civilization Delusions: Secularism, Tolerance and Equality" with Wendy Brown FOFA Gallery COMBINE 2010: Annual Undergraduate Student Exhibition Place Bonaventure Salon du livre de Montréal 13th International Documentary Festival (RIDM) Gasland H-110 Land Of Talk + Snailhouse + Braids Cabaret du Mile-End

21h00 19h00 7h00 to 19h00 ongoing ongoing until Nov. 21 19h00 20h00

FRI 19

+LITERARY EVENT +LITERARY EVENT +DANCE PERFORMANCE +FILM FESTIVAL +SCREENING +MOVIES +STINGERS

Place Bonaventure Salon du livre de Montréal Local Irish Writers H-1220 Studio 7 Studio 265 MB building, 7th floor 13th International Documentary Festival (RIDM Cinema du Parc Best ads of the 2010 Cannes Lions Premiere: Copacabana, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, The Next Three Days Men's hockey @ Brock Seymour-Hannah Centre

ongoing 19h00 20h00 ongoing until Nov. 21 ongoing

SAT 20

+TALK "Prestigeous Networking Event" with Mr. Naguib Sawiris, Chairman of Wind Telecommunications Montreal Hilton Bonaventure Priscila Uppal 'dialogues' with Professor Norman Cornett Galerie Samuel Lallouz (1434 Sherbrooke west) +TALK Planting Our Fuel: Will Science Feed or Kick our Energy Consumption? CJ 3.306 +TALK TRIO 303/OFF-CINARS Studio 303 +DANCE PERFORMANCE Salon du livre de Montréal Place Bonaventure +LITERARY EVENT 13th International Documentary Festival (RIDM) +FILM FESTIVAL L'Espace 4001 UOIT Campus Ice Centre Men's hockey @ UOIT +STINGERS

17h00 12h00 9h00 19h00 and 21h00 ongoing ongoing until Nov. 21 19h30

SUN 21

+LITERARY EVENT +FILM FESTIVAL +STINGERS

Salon du livre de Montréal 13th International Documentary Festival (RIDM) Women's hockey vs. Saint Mary's

Ed Meagher Arena

ongoing ongoing until Nov. 21 12h30

MON 22

+WINE & CHEESE! +LITERARY EVENT +CINEMA POLITICA

Engineers Without Borders Concordia Fair Trade Wine & Cheese Salon du livre de Montréal The Moon Inside You

EV 2.260 Place Bonaventure The Moon Inside You

17h00 ongoing 19h00

TUES 16

+THEATRE +THEATRE +THEATRE +FESTIVAL +PHOTOGRAPHY +FILM FESTIVAL +MUSIC

WED 17

Les Coups de Théâtre: Festival International des arts jeune public 13th International Documentary Festival (RIDM) No Age + Lucky Dragons + Blue Hawaii CSU & ASFA Cultural Night: Canada...Eh?

Place Bonaventure

19h15