The Concordian

theconcordian Tuesday, October 19, 2010

music Polydactyl Hearts: making the most of two mediums P. 14

sports life

Stingers defend title at this weekend s championships. P. 17

New chefs heat up the kitchen P. 8-9

Photo by Sarah Deshaies

Camera-shy CSU says No to CUTV

CSU councillors question clarity of opinions proposed student centre fee levy SPHR shouldn’t misappropriate Elie Wiesel’s visit P. 22

arts Possible Worlds pushes Uncalled For’s boundaries P. 11

Volume 28 Issue 8

Councillors pass levy that will see future students ultimately paying $4.50 per credit for the centre project Evan LePage News editor Despite the serious concern expressed by multiple councillors on the proposal’s wording, the Concordia Student Union’s council passed a motion to put a feelevy increase for the student centre project to referendum in Nov. Students will be voting yes or no on the question “Do you agree to contribute $0.50 per credit through the CSU for a student centre project while allowing a $0.50 (per credit) extension per semester for the following (4) semesters?” While a slightly different question may appear on the ballot, at the discretion of the chief electoral officer Oliver Cohen, this wording was ultimately approved in a motion by council.

Confusion over the wording was the subject of serious debate at last week’s council meeting, prompting discussion that lasted over an hour and a half before councillors finally passed a motion to include the question on the ballot.

Many councillors expressed concerns that it would be unclear to students that the levy would rise on a staggering system before ultimately stopping at $2.50, and that students are already paying a $2 levy for the student centre.

Independent councillor Ethan Cox expressed the greatest opposition to the wording.

“First of all, that question is totally misleading. I’m opposed to it on principle on the basis of that question because that’s not telling students the truth and that’s inviting students to misunderstand,” he said. “It’s worded in a way that seems to me very tricky and to be perfectly honest with you it’s the exact same way the Charest government raises tuition.”

Consequently, Cox proposed a motion to amend the wording. He motioned to add “for a total of $2.50/cr at the end of 4 semesters,” in order to clarify what students would ultimately be paying. Cox then amended his own motion, adding the statement “on top of the $2.00/cr for a total of $4.50/cr,” so that the existing levy was referred to in the question.

Councillors voted down both of Cox’s amendments, however, the former in a tight 8 to 12 vote. In response, an angered Cox said “so to be clear, everybody wants to mislead students,” before leaving the meeting and not returning.

See “‘The majority of...” on p.3

Council turns down invitation for CUTV to film meetings Question to be put back up for debate Sarah Deshaies Editor-in-chief A motion to invite Concordia’s television station CUTV to film and make available the recording at last Wednesday’s Concordia Student Union council meeting was struck down last week as the monthly meeting started.

See “‘Councillors vote...” on p.5

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

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City in brief Evan LePage

VP services to remain vacant

CSU president Heather Lucas confirmed during last week’s council meeting that no one will be filling the vacant VP services position. Lucas left the job to replace Prince Ralph Osei as president last August. Most of the work will be shifted to communications coordinator Georges Alexandar, said Lucas, but he will not be considered a VP. Alexandar is not currently a member of the union of CSU employees. Earlier in the year, Zhuo Ling replaced Niki Tsoflikis, who left her position as VP finance.

Last year’s executive also lost VP John Kyras midway through the year, and he was replaced by Alex Oster. The CSU is not obligated to hold byelections to fill vacant executive positions.

CSU turns down Mauritian club

The Concordia Student Union’s clubs committee has turned down an application for a Mauritian students association at the university. VP clubs and outreach Ramy Khoriaty said that the clubs committee decided to refuse the Mauritian club based on the small number of Mauritian students at the school, and because the events they planned on organizing were already being held by other CSU clubs. The CSU did approve applications for Humanitarian Affairs Concordia University, Concordia Women’s Self-Defense Association, Concordia Sikh Student Association, Korean Students Association, Japanese Language Exchange Committee, and Free Education Montreal.

History council’s error forgiven by ASFA

The student association of Concordia’s History department was able to avoid paying $100 out of their own pocket after the ASFA council forgave them for a financial mistake. ASFA’s financial committee had decided not to reimburse $100 of the over $900 overspent

by SHAC on activities for students in the month of September. The money was spent on the false assumption that they could have it reimbursed from their yearly budget at a later date. SHAC representative Elliot Kmec introduced a motion at council, however, to have the full amount reimbursed. Acknowledging the mistake, Kmec said that all the money spent was in the interest of students and they should not be penalized for an honest error. The council agreed and a majority voted to have the history department reimbursed the full amount, though it is to be deducted from their budget for the rest of the fiscal year.

Horror director faces obscenity charges

A filmmaker from Montreal has pleaded not guilty to charges of obscenity and moral corruption after he was taken to court over the graphic and gruesome nature of his horror films. Rémy Couture, a special effects artist, was forced to defend his work after a German citizen confused one of his movies for reality and notified the authorities. Couture’s site has been shut down as his videos often depict nudity, violence and even necrophilia, and the combination of sex with horror is illegal under Canada’s criminal code.

A group of demonstrators dressed up as zombies stood outside the courtroom last week, protesting the charges against Couture.

ENVIRONMENT

Bottled water banned at Bishop s First university in Quebec to join growing trend

Jacob Serebrin CUP Quebec Bureau Chief MONTREAL (CUP) — Bishop’s University has become the first university in Quebec to ban the sale of single-use bottled water on campus.

Bottled water was removed from vending machines at the small university, just two hours outside of Montreal, over the summer.

The move appears to be part of a growing trend, with the sale of water bottles banned at the University of Winnipeg, Memorial University in St. John’s, Brandon University and the University of Ottawa. Trent University in Ontario has also announced plans to ban bottled water on campus by next fall.

Fourth-year student Katrina Kroeze, who spearheaded the project along with two other students through the school’s environmental club, said she was inspired by similar moves at other universities.

“I sat in on a couple of conference calls with other universities, U of Winnipeg and Memorial and they spoke about their bottled water free campuses and we got really interested,” she said.

Kroeze said the move to ban bottled water at Bishop’s began last fall with an awareness campaign focused on the environmental impacts of plastic bottles. She said that major issues with plastic bottles include the oil and water used in the manufacturing process.

“Twice as much water is used to make a bottle of water as is used to

fill the inside of it,” she said. In addition there are issues with transportation, with many bottles of water travelling long distances.

“I think there’s a lot of problems with bottled water,” she said. “We can look at the privatization of water, especially in the Lennoxville area we have great water so why would we pay more for water than gasoline in our own province?”

In March, the student union held a referendum on the issue, which saw 39 per cent of students vote, with 74 per cent voting in favour of banning bottled water.

Kroeze also worked closely with the university, gaining support from both administration and faculty.

She said that over the summer the

school had increased the number of drinking fountains on campus by around 40 per cent.

Other Quebec universities may also be moving toward banning bottled water. According to Chris Mota, communications director at Concordia University in Montreal, discussions are currently ongoing on the issue. Members of Sustainable Concordia, as well as a student who has been championing the cause, have been invited to join the working group.

“Nothing’s been decided, but they are discussing it,” said Mota.

McGill University, however, isn’t getting on board with the idea.

“We are doing everything we can to minimize the use of bottled

Flickr water on campus without going to a complete ban at this point because we always need to be able to guarantee an access to water supply to our community members and we don’t always have drinking fountains nearby,” Jim Nicell, McGill’s associate vice-principal wrote in an email.

“And there are always occasional circumstances where during maintenance work where water supplies are reduced or cut that bottled water needs to be available.”

The City of Montreal also plans to ban the sale of single-use bottled water in municipal buildings. That announcement came as part of the city’s green plan released on Oct. 12, however no target date has been set.

ADVOCACY

School nurses should take stand in advocating against bullying: ConU prof Deborah DysartGale says nurses have a professional commitment in defending gay students Renee Giblin Staff writer In the past month, the suicide of five young American teenagers raised the debate on how a society that advocates zero tolerance on violence in school can allow bullying to occur because of a student’s sexual orientation.

“Gender norms are so en-

trenched in our school system,” Joey Donnelly, a Queer Concordia member said, “If I had a teacher who was openly gay, it would have made a huge difference in my life.”

So who is to blame? The teachers? The students? One Concordia professor contends part of the blame actually falls on the nurses.

Deborah Dysart-Gale, chair of the general studies unit in the faculty of engineering and computer science at Concordia, said that in the case of these five teenagers, the healthcare workers in these communities let the schools down. She said nurses have a professional commitment to advocate social justice and intervention for all groups of people.

“Nurses can advocate for these things because they bring credibility and they know about mental health and community health,” DysartGale said.

In the case of the American teenagers the administration did not

know how to handle the situation, she said. That is where the school nurses can come in and provide the schools with expertise along with a staff member who is available to the students. She added that nurses cannot only advocate against bullying but can educate adults in the school to help them deal with these types of situation.

Schools need to have nurses who downplay gender roles, DysartGale continued, explaining that the first person a patient sees in a clinic is a nurse. One of the first questions a nurse will ask is if they are sexually active or if they have a girlfriend or boyfriend; a question she believes immediately labels a person into a group and forms a barrier with the patient.

By simply changing the wording to “Do you have a partner?” DysartGale contends it would take away the need to lump everyone together as heterosexual and create an open

environment for the patient.

Donnelly also said that schools need to have more sexual education, and argued for more speakers and literature that showcase the queer culture. “We need to see more queer role models that are happy,” Donnelly said. He pointed out that this would help teenagers who are struggling with their sexuality to understand that there are other people in a similar situation. By staying silent in schools, he believes we are not helping people who feel abandoned by their community or live in toxic environments.

Donnelly added that there ought to be zero-tolerance policy in schools. Even if a student says: “that is so gay,” people need to question that and stop it.

“We need to go there as a society,” he said, “because it causes so much pain to a lot of people.”

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theconcordian Continued from cover...

Additional student centre feelevy to be on Nov. ballot despite intense council debate The majority of councillors were in favour of the student centre itself.

Rasim Hafiz motivated for the levy proposal, emphasizing the importance of just getting it on the Nov. ballot and letting students decide. “As councillors, this is a great opportunity for us to at least raise the question,” he said. “And again we’re not here to question the intelligence of the student body. We know they are more than capable to make the choice themselves.”

But many councillors also raised concerns about putting the question back on the ballot considering 72 per cent of students voted against the feelevy last spring.

“I think the problem is that we all sit here representing the students,” councillor Taylor Knott said. “When 72 per cent of our constituency have voted it down how can we all sit here and vote yes to put more money towards another campaign.”

It was a motion from Knott, however, that ended up pushing councillors to put the fee-levy to referendum. She motioned that “council recommend to the CEO to revise the question to address the following ambiguities,” referring to the various elements of the wording that were debated at the meeting. Councillors almost unanimously approved Knott’s motion, after which they also approved putting the question on the ballot.

The debate followed a presentation

by VP external & projects Adrien Severyns on the student centre in which he outlined its history, the potential benefits of the project and a few of the details that have been worked out.

The centre will be financed in three ways, Severyns explained. Student feelevies will present the largest portion of funding, and are already responsible for raising $6.7 million towards the purchase of a space for the centre. The university administration will offer a smaller contribution as they will only

control 38 per cent of the facility space, as well as infrastructure and parking.

Finally, revenue from commercial spaces in the centre will also help alleviate some of the mortgages in coming years, Severyns said.

The CSU has also set up a blog which asks students to suggest what they want out of the student centre.

Other than to alleviate student space problems, Severyns sees the student centre as one solution to the growing apathy of students at Concordia.

“When students don’t have student space, how do you expect them to start interact with one other and actually start politicizing the issues that are going on at Concordia?” he said.

Three Concordia Student Union clubs are going to lose their office space in a shuffle, according to CSU VP clubs Ramy Khoriaty.

“They’re taking the space for academic reasons, so they’re transforming [it] into classrooms,” said Khoriaty, who first reported the move during his report at last Wednesday’s CSU council meeting.

While Khoriaty was made aware of the move before council met last week, the clubs were apparently only notified on Monday.

The clubs in question are Ralliement Étudiant Haïti-Canada, African Students’ Association of Concordia and African and Caribbean Students’ Network of Montreal Concordia, formerly known as UMOJA Concordia. Their current office spaces are

Evan LePage

Sask. legislature lawn becomes party locale

Saskatchewan’s legislature may not seem like the ideal party spot to most people, but two DJs from Vancouver tried, and succeeded in changing that misconception. Gary Lachance and Tom Kuzma are touring Canada and spawning dance parties at impromptu locations as they go, QMI news agency reported. Last Thursday one of these “decentralized dance parties,” as they have been dubbed, took place for about an hour on the lawn outside the legislature and drew a crowd of a few hundred people. The DJs use an iPod and an FM transmitter to run the event, and attendees are encouraged to bring portable radios, tune them to the same frequency and blast the music.

They waited three years for it, but twin brothers Keith and Steven Pridgen can finally say they did nothing wrong in bashing their University of Calgary professor on Facebook. An Alberta judge ruled last week that comments made by the brothers on Facebook did not cause injury to the professor, and the university’s subsequent reprimands were thus unjustified. After creating a Facebook page on which they wrote harsh comments about one of their teachers (including “I no longer fear hell, I took a course with Aruna Mitra”) the university made them apologize and placed Keith Pridgen on two years of academic probation. Saying they felt their right to freedom of expression had been violated, the brothers took their case to court. In the ruling, the judge stated, “the University is not a Charter free zone,” addressing U of C’s defence in the trial which claimed otherwise.

Top: Councillor Taylor Knott (left) motioned council to recommend the CEO revise the question’s wording.

Bottom: The CSU’s VP external & projects Adrien Severyns presented the student centre fee-levy proposal.

Club offices to be moved to make room for classrooms Sarah Deshaies Editor-in-chief

Nation in brief

Facebook prof bashing is legal: Alberta court

CAMPUS

Dean, CSU will find new spaces for ASAC, REHC and ACSioN

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located in rooms 5.45-5 and 5.45-6 of the Hall building.

Members of the three clubs said they only learned of the decision on Monday, and some only when they were contacted for comment on the matter.

“That’s news to me, because we were at the CSU meeting last Friday, and nothing was said about our offices being moved,” said ASAC IT co-ordinator Victor Ndambakuwa, referring to the clubs budget meeting.

“If they give us time, we don’t mind moving, so long as we know where we’re going so that we can keep our stuff safe.”

Soraya Linge, president of REHC, hopes an imminent move won’t hurt her club’s plans. “We’re planning on organizing a big event for the one-year of the earthquake, and we need a room to plan the event.” The club was originally given a bigger space after the earthquake, but Linge knew the move was inevitable. “I knew there was a possibility to take the office, but I didn’t know it would be that soon,” she said. “It’s very unfortunate that they’re taking our room. For me, it’s not fair. In fact,

we just got this space, and we’re just losing it.”

Khoriaty said he was notified of the problem when he met with the dean of students Elizabeth Morey last week after which he spoke to four of the executives, so if members weren’t aware it may not have been “communicated properly internally.” Morey could not be reached for comment before press time.

Khoriaty said of the decision, “It wasn’t a shock [...] they’re missing classrooms.”

In the eyes of Raymond Baptiste, VP public relations for REHC, his club’s office would not make a good classroom. “It just doesn’t add up because it’s not big enough to be a classroom.”

The two offices are tiny, he said.

The REHC space does not have any windows, only a ventilation shaft, and can squeeze in only 10 people.

The ACSioN and ASAC office, opposite the REHC’s, is roughly the same size, but has two windows.

The three clubs moved to the fifth floor spaces in September 2010 as a temporary solution when they were moved from their last tem-

porary location on the 10th floor, because of construction on that floor.

“So basically, we have already been downgraded a bit,” said Baptiste.

“We don’t mind [...] but the room that we have on the fifth floor is not bad.”

Baptiste was planning on speaking to Morey himself to try and see how to work around the issue.

Khoriaty said that the CSU and the dean of students were looking at two options: to move the Live Centre to the Grey Nuns building, and put the offices in that space, though there is no available space at GN; the other solution would be placing the offices in the storage space in the basement of Reggie’s bar.

If they cannot find a new space, Khoriaty said, they will have to move those clubs into another club’s space, “which is not very good.”

Club spaces are allocated through the university and occupants are charged no rent. According to Khoriaty, 25 out of 68 existing clubs have space in 20 different offices.

There is no deadline as of yet for the clubs to move out of their office spaces.

Bugging off: shortage of pet food crickets

Some of Canada’s more exotic pets may be missing out on one of their favourite snacks in the coming months. Cricket breeding operations in the country have been hit with a virus which is deadly for the insects, causing a shortage across the country, the CBC reported. Live crickets are one of the more common meal choices for various lizards or tarantulas being kept as pets. The virus reportedly affects the neurological system and eventually paralyzes and kills each cricket. The exotic animal and pet storeowners affected by the virus are unable to import specific breeds of crickets as they are not on Canada’s approved list of insect species.

Sandwich of the day: 2 ½ years in prison

An Ontario court has sentenced a thief who robbed the same Subway restaurant four times in three months to two and a half years in jail, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

Peter Vanderhoek, 22, performed the robberies with a BB gun, reportedly only showing the employees the weapon’s handle sticking out of his belt as he asked for the money and a sub “to go.” On the fourth occasion, after realizing that it was in fact a BB gun and not a real firearm, one of the Subway employees followed Vanderhoek out of the store and managed to note part of his license plate number, leading to his eventual arrest. Jared would not approve, Peter. Jared would not approve.

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

World in brief Evan Lepage

Van Gogh theft leads to 11 negligence charges

Eleven employees of Egypt’s culture ministry have been found guilty of negligence after a Van Gogh painting was stolen in broad daylight last August, the BBC reported. An Egyptian court sentenced all the employees, including Deputy Culture Minister Mohsen Shalan, to three years in jail, but pending an appeal. Bail was set at $1,750. Before the theft of the “Vase and Flowers” painting, which is worth more than $50 million, the museum had reduced its security down to one guard much of the time due to budget cuts. Furthermore, many museum officials were aware that none of the museum’s alarms and seven of its 43 cameras were functional, prompting the negligence charges.

Philips bear-ing the burden of controversial ad

Dutch electronics company Philips is under investigation and may be facing a fine of up to $1,000 US after a marketing campaign video of a bear rummaging through a suburban garbage can in Singapore sparked an uproar. The poor-quality clip, which only lasts about 10 seconds, seemed to suggest a bear was roaming residential areas. This prompted animal protection, wildlife reserve and zoo officials to search the streets, the latter with a tranquilizer gun. The bear was actually a man in costume and the video was posted on social media sites as a marketing campaign for a new razor. Philips has since apologized, but may still face a “public nuisance” fine.

University tuition cap may be removed in UK

Sound familiar? Students and some government officials are opposing U.K. deputy prime minister Nick Clegg’s decision to support a review of university tuition regulation, after a proposal that lifting the tuition cap could help Britain’s deficit. Universities should have the ability to charge unlimited fees, with government support contributing a maximum of £7,000 a year. The current tuition is £3,290, ($5,314 CND) and the proposed changes would cost students £21,000 ($33,920 CND) for a three-year degree. This more than doubling of tuition would help universities alleviate costs as, according to a BBC report, the government will likely be cutting £3.2 billion in teaching grants, or around 79 per cent, to help alleviate government deficit. Students, universities and even members of Britain’s coalition government have already expressed their dissatisfaction. A British think tank has also just released a report saying increased tuition could seriously limit student participation in more expensive courses like law or medicine.

‘Vampires’ arrested after stabbing roommate for blood

Two Arizona residents were arrested last week after they stabbed their roommate in an attempt to drink his blood. The 25-year-old victim phoned police after being stabbed in the arm claiming that his two roommates, both admitted practicians of vampireism and paganism, were angry he refused to let them suck his blood. The two offenders first denied all claims, but later confessed to the story and were charged by police, one for aggravated assault and the other for false reporting. The victim, who admitted to having let them drink his blood in the past, was also charged based for violating probation.

MEDIA

A future for print?

Print journalism experts discuss this “million dollar question” Jacques Gallant Assistant news editor

Earlier this month, the Globe and Mail, which bills itself as Canada’s national newspaper, released a new glossy and colourful redesign in a bid to up readership. According to its publisher, it was one of the most dramatic changes made to the daily in its 166-year history.

In a world dominated by BlackBerrys, iPhones and the ever-growing presence of the Internet in people’s lives, the future of print journalism has been on the minds of more than one editor over the past few years.

Will there come a day when the printing presses are turned off and the newsstands are closed for good?

According to Leo Gervais, a journalism professor who teaches print classes at Concordia, the number of readers who prefer ink-stained hands from a hard copy of a newspaper over a keyboard will continue to go down. However, the number of what he calls ‘media consumers’ will increase. ‘’Advertisers want eyeballs – people seeing their products – so the clever and innovative media will survive,’’ he says. ‘’The pool of media

Graphic by Katie Brioux

consumers will grow, the question is how to get their attention and keep it.

And charge advertisers for that.’’

Gervais says a new layout doesn’t go far enough to bring in more readers. With a rapidly-changing landscape, he explains that media outlets have little choice but to try and incorporate some social networking ideas into what they do. ‘’Media consumers want to interact, comment, see videos and so on,’’ he says. ‘’The Globe and Mail has a great reputation and they can build on it, but no newspaper will survive

without embracing new technology.’’

But Raymond Brassard, managing editor of the Gazette, doesn’t see print disappearing anytime soon, although he recognizes the important role played by the web in today’s media world. ‘’For at least the next 20 to 25 years I predict that print will continue to be robust and a vehicle for advertisers, while Internet will continue to be another platform for news,’’ he says. ‘’There will always be people who want their news through print.

Maybe Internet will give the breaking

news, while the print copy the next day will take on a more magazine format and go in-depth on the stories from the Web. That’s more difficult to predict.’’

Brassard says all Canadian newspapers are suffering from declining readership, but the Gazette is doing better than most for two reasons: its unique situation as the only English daily in Montreal and its loyal audience – primarily the baby boom generation.

The paper sells approximately 135,000 copies a day, while its website, one of the first newspaper websites in Canada, receives over 900,000 unique visitors a month. The average age of a Gazette newspaper reader is 52, while the average age for a web site visitor is 48. ‘’We have to be open to change and be quick, because what’s most important is providing what our readers want,’’ says Brassard. ‘’We’re still a trusted source of information and people will always need that.’’

Similarly, Gervais emphasizes that whatever the future may hold for journalism, quality information and good writing skills will always be incredibly important. ‘’Those who embrace the change and get creative will find and keep media consumers,’’ he says. ‘’But one thing is for sure: there will always be a need for trained journalists who know how to write. Where their work will appear and how people will access it is the million dollar question.’’

FINANCE

Federal government to review

business-focused research funding Canada falling behind in innovation according to new group Jacob Serebrin Online editor A federal review of how Canada funds business-focused research and development is being met with mixed reactions.

While the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada praised the “composition and mandate” of the review panel, the Canadian Association of University Teachers said they’re not expecting much.

“We’ve had many [reviews] over the past 10, 15, 20 years,” said David Robinson CAUT’s associate executive director.

While the review, announced Oct. 14, will primarily look at support for private sector research, according to a press release it will also look at “programs that support business-focused [research and development] through federal granting councils and other departments and agencies, including research at universities and colleges.”

But the review won’t be looking at “funding for basic research conducted in higher-education institutions that is not directly intended to foster business [research and development],” according to an email from Industry Canada.

The review will be headed by Thomas Jenkins, executive chairman of the software company Open Text.

Three of the five other members of the committee come from universities.

“Canadian business spends less per capita on research and development, innovation and commercialization than most other industrialized countries, despite the Government of Canada investing more than $7 billion annually to encourage business [research and development],” said Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veteran Affairs and Minister of State Agriculture, in a press release announcing the review.

But Robinson said the review, like previous reviews, has a restricted mandate.

“One of the reasons we have a poor research and development sector is the nature of Canada’s economy,” he said. According to Robinson, because Canada has a resource based economy and a large number of branch, rather than head, offices, businesses are less like likely to conduct research and development in Canada.

The review was announced one day after a group calling itself the Coalition for Action on Innovation in Canada released a report criticizing the way Canada supports research.

That group, lead by former Liberal member of parliament John Manley and Paul Lucas, president and CEO of pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline Canada, is calling for stronger ties between business and educational institutions when it comes to research. According to their report, “business and academia should consider a pilot program that would identify up to 25 partnerships that would be nurtured through access to top coaches and other support.”

But Robinson criticized the “narrow focus on commercialization.”

He said that this is part of an “overall pattern of seeing universities as appendages of industry, which they are definitely not. This is a recipe for disaster.”

“

One of the reasons we have a poor research and development sector is the nature of Canada’s economy.

Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veteran Affairs and Minister of State Agriculture

According to Robinson the biggest innovations often come as a result of general research and a lot of the benefits from research aren’t strictly commercial.

The coalition’s report also calls for a “national learning and innovation initiative,” which they hope would increase high school graduation rates to 90 per cent; increase “post-secondary enrolment in science, engineering and business education programs” and increase “per capita graduation rates at the Master’s and Ph.D. levels to match or exceed those in the United States.”

They are also calling for increased

recruitment of international students and “making it easier for foreign students to obtain visas, work permits and health care while studying in Canada.”

The federal government plans to spend $11.7 billion on science and technology this year, according to a Statistics Canada report released on Oct. 13. Of this $7.4 billion is earmarked for research and development. While the majority of these funds will go to federal agencies, $3 billion will go to post secondary institutions.

According to Statistics Canada federal spending on science and technology is set to increase by more than 10 per cent since 2008 – 2009.

But Robinson said that recent federal investments in research and development, as part of the economic action plan, have focused on infrastructure. He said that overall funding to the federal granting agencies - who provide the majority of post-secondary research funding - has actually been dropping. “You also need to fund the conduct of research,” he said.

Robinson said he’d like to see scientists setting research priorities, not government officials, and called for a broader focus in research funding, with more funding for things like looking into the source of child poverty and health research that looks at causes not just developing treatments.

According to Statistics Canada, around three-quarters of federal funds for science and technology will go to what the government describes as “natural science and engineering” with the other quarter going to “social sciences and humanities.”

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

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Continued from cover...

Councillors cited concerns for privacy as reason to not allow filming of meetings

Councillors voted six for and 13 against, with four abstaining on the motion, which was put forth by councillors Ethan Cox and Joel Suss. The original motion cited accountability and transparency as being important to the CSU. However, since there is nothing stated in CSU bylaws preventing filming of the meetings, the CUTV cameraman stayed to film the entirety of the meeting, with the exception of the closed session meetings where candidates for committees’ CVs were circulated.

Before the vote was held, CUTV station manager Laura Kneale made an appeal to the council to allow filming to proceed, saying it was in CUTV’s mandate. Addressing concerns about privacy, she said: “When entering public office, like the CSU, individuals’ rights to privacy changes to in regards to their constituent. Their constituents are allowed to know what is happening in the name of a lot of the values the CSU stands for.” Kneale also made a point of saying the meeting would be beneficial to students who cannot make the meetings, and encourage student participation.

“Being able to offer an integral video coverage gives students a noneditorialized outlook on what’s happening at council meetings, differently from other student press,” she added.

Part of the discussion was whether the filming was legal, and whether the CSU had the right to ban the filming or not. There were motions to ban the filming, without any success.

A few councillors and executives spoke out strongly against filming, including councillor Aaron Green, president Heather Lucas, and VP external Adrien Severyns. Others, like Cox, Suss and councillor Lex Gill spoke in favour.

Green sighted concern over individual privacy, saying, “This is a serious breach of my right to constitutional privacy.” Severyns stated feeling uncomfortable with the presence of the camera, that the filming was potentially unlawful, and that he could sue “these people” if he saw fit.

Cox encouraged councillors to not fear the filming: “This is an open council meeting, any student can come here. The camera is the same thing.” Lucas said she was for the concept of transparency and accountability, but worried about potential intimidation. “I think right now some councillors won’t even speak up now that the camera is filming their face

CUTV cameraman Terrence Brathwaite filmed the meeting (above). Right, chair Marc-Antoni Tarondo struggled to keep order. Photo by writer [...] it’s too much of an intimidation factor [...] it baffles me.”

Council meetings are routinely audio recorded by other campus media, namely the Concordian and the Link, who publish quotes and other information from the meetings, including tweeting meeting business.

The council secretary also types minutes and audio records the meeting for

posterity.

The monthly council meeting is open to all undergraduate students and is public.

Filming CSU council meetings has come up at least three times in the last 10 years. At times, the CSU has mandated CUTV to film the meetings, and at others, they have denied and accepted filming.

During a recess period after the motion failed, Kneale said, “The reason we decided to bring a camera was to make a statement because we knew that we are allowed to film.” Bringing a camera, “brings our point to the table in a direct way, doing what we do best.”

Kneale acknowledged that the cold reception meant CUTV will have to

work at making the filming accepted.

“We’re going to have to lead a really strong campaign to make students and the whole Concordia community understand how important it is for there to be a video camera in council meetings.”

CAMPUS

ASFA budget survives second vote Councillors did not originally approve budget, citing lack of information Jacques Gallant Assistant news editor It took two votes for the Arts and Science Federation of Associations’ councillors to approve the organization’s budget at last Thursday’s council meeting, and it only passed after members realized they would be devoid of funding without it.

The first vote split the member associations down the middle, resulting in a tie and an hourlong debate on the budget. Many

representatives were angry that they were being asked to vote on ASFA’s budget without first finding out how much funding had been allocated to their member association. One councillor even described the situation as “having a gun held to our head.”

But VP finance Alexa Newman emphasized the chaos that could happen if each of the 27 individual budgets was scrutinized during council meetings. ‘’Deciding how much money can be given to each member association for their initiatives is a mandate that has been given to ASFA’s financial committee,’’ explained Newman, who preferred distributing the budgets to members the following day. ‘’This year, it took three meetings for a total of 14 hours to make these decisions. Can you imagine doing

this at council?’’

As repeatedly stated by Newman, ASFA is at the mercy of its fee levy – the $1.22 per credit charged to each student in arts and science which determines the federation’s budget. This year, 40 per cent ($105,000) was allocated to member association funding. The VP finance says that the associations generally request more money than ASFA can realistically offer. ‘’Some member associations requested over $25,000 – which is more than ASFA’s social budget – when these MAs represent 2.48 per cent of ASFA’s student population, which would entitle them to approximately $2,400,’’ she said.

Newman stressed that money is tight, mostly as a result of declining enrollment in arts and science.

One alternative to giving MAs more money would be to increase the fee levy, something that ASFA’s executive is strongly against. ‘’Seeing as we are against raising tuition, we are also vehemently against raising the fee levy. It would just be hypocrisy if we started to increase it,’’ said ASFA’s president Aaron Green.

The president also reminded members that they are working on a much smaller rollover budget. The VP finance explained that generally the rollovers are between $40,000 to $55,000 - just enough to cover start-up costs. Many associations will be receiving smaller budgets than last year, as ASFA was benefiting from a massive rollover from 20082009. The signing officers during that fiscal year could not agree on

expenditures, Newman said, and the majority of the budget essentially moved on to the following year. As a result, ASFA’s budget in 2009-2010 totalled in the area of $191, 000, which is $110, 000 more than this year’s budget.

She also told members that if they had not received the amount they had requested, there are other avenues of funding at Concordia, including ASFA’s special projects fund, which totals $31, 500 this year. But as one council member pointed out, if all MAs start turning to the SPF, it will run dry fairly quickly.

Although Newman is firmly against presenting MA budgets at council, she says it remains a possibility that one day the budgets could be sent to the associations prior to ASFA’s regular meeting.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, October 19, 2010 CITY

Miracle worker of Montreal canonized Brother André becomes second Quebec-born saint Morgan Lowrie Contributor As a young man, Alfred Bessette was given the job of doorman at Collège Notre-Dame, where he spent 40 years scrubbing floors, holding doors, and nursing the sick.

On Sunday morning, this man was humble no more, as nearly a thousand Catholics packed the crypt church of St. Joseph’s Oratory to watch on giant screens as Pope Benedict XVI officially canonized Brother André -- the second Quebec-born saint.

“He wasn’t a high-falutin preacher. He didn’t write big tomes of theology. He simply listened to people,” Father Charles Corso said.

“He went and visited the sick. And it’s that ordinariness that attracts people.”

The man who was to become a saint was born in 1845, in a small town outside Montreal. After being orphaned at the age of 12, he grew up to be a young man of feeble health but intense spirituality. This eventually led him to the Order of the Holy Cross in Montreal.

He came bearing a letter from his pastor which read, “I am sending you a saint.”

Over his years at Collège Notre-Dame, Bessette developed a reputation for healing the sick. Word of miracles began to spread, although Bessette always denied that he possessed any healing powers.

In 1904, Bessette and his friends built a small chapel on the slopes of Mount Royal in honour of St. Joseph. The 15-by-18-foot space was soon insufficient to contain all the people coming to visit him. Construction of a much bigger church, St. Joseph’s Oratory, began in 1924.

The push to have Bessette made a saint began soon after his death in 1937. It was a long road; Brother André was declared blessed in 1978 and venerable in 1982, but to be made a saint he also needed to have at least two miracles ‘proven’ to his name after death.

The canonization is much-needed good news for the Catholic Church, which is suffering from declining attendance and scandal.

“It’s good to have a positive, good-news story,” Father Corso says. “But unfortunately there will always be scandals. We don’t see this as a balancing of the scales.”

In the parking lot of St. Joseph’s, the foreign license plates were evidence that this was more than just a Montreal affair. Tour buses lined the sidewalk, and the oratory teemed with pilgrims. Over this week and the next, thousands

of visitors are expected to come -- both to the oratory this weekend and to next weekend’s ceremony at the Olympic Stadium.

“We think we’re going to sell 40,000 or 50,000 tickets,” said Luce Dion, communications director for the Oratory.

She hopes at least some of these tourists will come back, and provide a permanent boost for Montreal as a destination for religious tourism.

“I think it is going to help people to rediscover Quebec’s religious heritage,” she said.

In addition to tourists, there were many people at the Oratory who came to give thanks and pay their respects to the man whom many credit with healing either themselves or their loved ones.

“Two years ago I had pain in my legs and hips, and I couldn’t walk properly,” reveller Kim Lim said. “I came here and I prayed to Brother André, and now I am healthy.”

“I am a witness. It’s a miracle.”

Hundreds of revellers, from within and outside of Montreal, flocked to St. Joseph’s Oratory to watxh the canonization of Brother André. Photo by Matias Garabedin

LANGUAGE

Students critical of PQ s proposal to apply Bill 101 to CEGEPs Francophone and allophone students see value in knowing both languages Cynthia Dupuis Contributor The Parti Québécois, who recent polls suggest might form the next provincial government, intends to change the plans that the next generation of francophones and allophones have of attending English CEGEPs. The PQ has proposed modifications to Bill 101 that, if they passed in the legislature, would oblige francophone and allophone students to attend French CEGEPs. The change was included in a proposal by the PQ executive in preparation for the party’s April 2011 convention and is available on their website.

Section 3.1 of the proposal states that it is to resist the influence of the English language and will impose the predominance of the French language in Quebec. The PQ is demanding Bill 101 rules be applied to teaching

institutions, including CEGEPs. But not everyone agrees with their reasoning.

“At 18 you should be able to choose where you want to study and in which language,” said Yasamin Maghsoudlou, social science student at John Abbott College in SainteAnne-de-Bellevue. Yasamin’s family immigrated to Quebec in 1987 from Iran and she attended French elementary and high school.

“I am happy I can speak French,” she said when asked about the Bill 101 in general, “but it should definitely not be extended to CEGEP.” When asked, students offered many reasons as to why a francophone or an allophone would choose an English CEGEP over a French one. For Virginie Gosselin, a photography student at Dawson College, the reason was to improve her English skills that she felt were not good enough after five years of second-language English classes in her French high school. “Now I feel that I am prepared to go out into the world. I am still not 100 per cent bilingual, but now I know that I can do it,” she explained, after mentioning she wants to continue her education in a specialized photography college outside Quebec.

In a study published on Sept. 7, 2010, the Institut de recherche sur le français en Amérique outlined the main consequences of

switching to English in CEGEP for francophones and allophones. The report suggests that post-secondary education is an important step in the socialization of students and that English plays an important role in doing so for those who attend English CEGEPs. Consequently, results showed that it is in their consumption of culture, mostly cinema and television, that the English presence outscores the French presence, though the same results have been found in French CEGEPs. These findings don’t reflect the case of Audrey Normandeau. The youth and adult correctional intervention student claims she feels her French has not been affected after two years at John Abbott. “I use French at home and with my friends. I have also been a French tutor for two semesters,” she added, emphasizing that because she attends an English school she does not necessarily use English in all aspects of her life.

Despite the study, Dr. Paula Bouffard, a professor in Concordia’s French Studies department, thinks the PQ’s proposal is not what Quebec needs to protect the French language, even though she agrees that it does in fact need to be protected.

“There are at least three more complex causes than only the exercise of free choice,” Bouffard said. “The importance of the English language in the professional market, the

failure of teaching English as a second language in public schools, and the poor quality of French teaching as the mother tongue in public schools.”

Bouffard will participate in a University of the Streets Café event entitled “The French Language in Quebec: A Common Good for All?” at the Grande Bibliothèque du Québec on Nov. 3 as part of the President’s conference series “Montreal: on the stream of languages.”

For more information visit: http://www. concordia.ca/presidentsconferences/ stream-of-languages/?prezconf=10859e5d8 b5eb8a8713a2e0db8774cf9

Correction In the Oct. 13 edition of the Concordian, a statement was incorrectly attributed to Prof. Christopher Gray in the department of philosophy regarding his colleague Vesselin Petkov. The Concordian regrets the error.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

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CAMPUS

Less than 3% of arts and science students vote in fall by-election Natasha Launi wins VP communications position with only 199 votes Evan LePage News editor Natasha Launi was elected as VP communications of the arts and science federation of associations last week in an election that saw less than three per cent of eligible voters visit ballot boxes.

Of the approximately 17, 000 arts and science undergraduates at Concordia, only 393 voted in the by-election. Launi received 199 votes, giving her 50.6 per cent of the total, over 20 per cent more than her competitor Golam Kazi.

The elections barely made the quorum needed for the elections results to be considered valid, which is set at only two and a half per cent, or 375 votes. “Obviously we tried hard to get more,” said chief electoral officer Nick Cuillerier. “I respect students’ decisions to not vote, however I do have some recommendations to council that will hopefully encourage student participation.”

Cuillerier spoke before the ASFA council last Thursday offering a preliminary report on the by-election. After logging over 100 hours of observing and analyzing the by-election along with the deputy electoral officer, Cuillerier offered a few suggestions as to how he believes the election process could be improved upon, such as removing the polling station in Loyola’s administration building and replacing it with one either in the library building or the communications and journalism building.

The poor election turnout also came despite a seemingly aggressive marketing campaign by the CEO. For the second year in a row, Facebook advertising was used in relation to an ASFA election, but this fall the ads were targeted to a very specific demographic of Concordia students in the Montreal area.

“I am glad to say that the ASFA logo with the by-election was seen 650,000 times by Concordia university students, and that is crazy,” Cuillerier told councillors. The advertisements only cost ASFA $46.40, and despite the fact that only 65 people actually clicked on the ad and put “attending” for the event, Cuillerier still felt that it was an extremely reasonable sum for the extensive exposure the organization received.

“I felt it made a really good positive push in terms of advertising,” Cuillerier said.

“We’d like to improve and continue upon

New VP Communications Natasha Launi (left) said she was happy to have met opponent Golam Kazi. Photo by Sarah Deshaies

393 Number of students who voted in the Arts and Science Federation of Associations fall by-election

that for the general election.”

The unimpressive turnout overshadowed an extremely friendly campaign period during which both candidates casually interacted and no problems were reported.

“The behaviour between both candidates was exemplary,” Cuillerier said. “I think it really put a good standard for Concordia going forward, for all associations, as to how maturity and professionalism can really bring about a smooth and clean election process.”

After thanking the students who took the time to vote, Launi wrote in an email that

CAMPUS

17,000

Approximate number of students in the faculty of Arts and Science

“

I felt it made a really good positive push in terms of advertising.

We’d like to improve and continue upon that for the general election

-Nick Cuillerier, chief electorial officer

2.5% Necessary percentage of students voting in order to make by-election quorum

“Golam Nazakat Kazi was an incredibly nice and genuine competitor. I don’t have anything bad to say about him and that means a lot in student politics.”

The students also voted 90 per cent in favour on a referendum question of adding a seat to ASFA’s sustainable committee to be filled by a member of Sustainable Concordia.

As for ASFA’s new VP comms, Launi said she has already begun to work on the association’s image, website and posters, and plans to soon present other “interesting media propositions” to her committee.

Concordia student union asks students to give peace a chance for a week First ever Peace Week includes food festival, Elie Wiesel lecture Brennan Neill Managing editor Just over 40 years ago John Lennon asked the world to ‘give peace a chance’ while staging a bed-in during a visit to Montreal. This week the CSU is asking students to do the same with the university’s first ever Peace Week.

Peace Week began on Monday with an interfaith dialogue hosted by Concordia’s Multi-Faith Chaplaincy. The event was promoted as an opportunity to open up dialogue between the various faiths and discuss the possibility of peace.

Adrien Severyns, VP external and projects and one of Peace Week’s organizers, explained that the idea behind the week had been on the table for some time, but was finally organized this year. There is no set goal for the week but Severyns hopes that students will come away with a better understanding of peace.

“I would like students to reflect on what peace means to them, the many different aspects of peace, and what other people think of peace,” said Severyns.

There are a number of events open to students, including a volunteering abroad presentation in which attendees will hear about the opportunities for Concordia students to volunteer and find humanitarian work outside of the country, a food festival dubbed “Hungry for Peace”, which will let students meet a variety of student clubs and enjoy free food, and a peace-themed night at Reggie’s called “Peace Out,” where students are encouraged to wear as much white as possible. The CSU has also decided to donate a portion of the cover charge raised from the Reggie’s event to a charity.

Severyns believes that all the events of Peace Week are meaningful, but he’s most looking forward to hearing Elie Wiesel speak this Tuesday.

Following the speech, Wiesel will be answering student’s questions and signing books.

Wiesel, a Romanian-born Jew, survived the holocaust after being sent to both Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Wiesel went on to write a number of books based on his experience as a holocaust survivor, which eventually led him to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.

Severyns is sure that Wiesel’s lecture will leave some sort of impression on the students lucky enough to have registered early for the sold-out event.

“The importance and the significance of having Elie Wiesel speak is going have a deep impact and be very inspirational for students,” Severyns said.

life

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

8

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com FOOD

Learning to cook like a chef Co-producers of the cooking show The Hot Plate take us inside their new cookbook for a look at some cooking basics for students Felicia Di Palma Staff writer Amanda Garbutt has been writing her own recipes since she was a little girl. When she left her home in Ottawa, Ont. to attend McGill University, she took her binders of recipes with her. After moving out of residence and into an apartment of her own, she began to put these recipes to good use by cooking for her friends including April Engelberg. A big fan of Garbutt’s easy and delicious meals, Engelberg decided these recipes needed to be shared with students everywhere.

After some convincing by Engelberg, Garbutt decided to release her inner chef on the small screen in the form of a campus cooking show. In 2008, the two McGill students created The Hot Plate, a cooking show that was made for students by students. The show started off on TVMcGill and is now available on their website. With Garbutt as host and Engelberg as creator, the two co-producers took The Hot Plate and made it a campus success.

The two McGill graduates have recently decided to tackle a new project: The Hot Plate cookbook, which will be released within the next few weeks (an exact date has not yet been released). Both the show and the cook-

book feature recipes that are simple, cheap and easy to make, as to not intimidate those entering the kitchen for the first time.

A look at the basics

The first few things every new cook needs is ingredients and equipment. Garbutt and Engelberg agreed that “pots, pans, a cutting board and a good knife” are important basics.

“You’re going to need pantry staples too,” adds Garbutt. She lists oil, cans of beans, canned goods in general and honey as items to put on your shopping list.

Ingredients such as these are great to have around the house because they have a long shelf life so infrequent chefs do not have to worry about them spoiling. Also, they are great ways to add flavour accents to your dish.

“You’re also going to need the basic vegetables and fruits like celery and tomatoes,” adds Garbutt.

Simple rules to cook by “A lot of people don’t cook because they see it as a burden,” says Garbutt who adds that her friends, inlcuding Engelberg, used to see cooking that way.

Then, she started inviting her friends to come over so they could cook together. Garbutt explains that all of her friends saw how much fun cooking it.

“Student life is fun,” says Garbutt. “So why not have more fun by cooking?”

Enjoying yourself is important when cooking because you are less likely to be afraid or intimidated by the task before you.

This fear is something Garbutt says happens to new cooks, especially with dishes that seem more complicated or that take time to prepare.

“People are afraid to make risottos and I think it’s because they find it to be time-

consuming,” says Garbutt. “But, they’re delicious and you could add anything to them.

I’m making it my life goal to change the way people see risottos.

Complicated techniques explained

Many recipes call for techniques that some new cooks are unfamiliar with. Sautéing, simmering and poaching are terms that beginners may not know how to do properly.

While there is always the option of searching the techniques online, Garbutt and Engelberg suggest picking up a copy of their cookbook, which has a glossary.

“We even have easy techniques in it like boiling,” says Engelberg, who explains that this is done in case someone is unfamiliar with the process.

Along with the book’s glossary, the show’s website will soon have free videos online that go through 34 of the techniques featured in the book. Garbutt and Engleberg think that it is important to have this online support so that readers can not only understand what these techniques mean but also see how to do them properly.

The glossary includes some more complicated-sounding terms like “chiffonade,” says Garbutt. She exclaims “You have no idea how long it took me to say that word properly!”

Chiffonade is when you cut green vegetables into thin, long strips, a process that is relatively easy, but highlights why the glossary and the videos are so helpful. To a new cook, a term like chiffonade looks very complicated, when in reality it means something pretty simple.

Don’t attempt to make a Martha original Famous chefs like Julia Child and Mario Batali are extremely talented, but a good portion of their recipes are not made for university students who are new to the kitchen. Yes,

some of their recipes seem really appealing, but Engelberg cautions against trying them.

“Don’t start cooking by choosing a Martha Stewart (recipe) the first time,” advises Engelberg “Martha’s food is awesome, but [her recipes] are not the easiest to make.”

It is also important not to be discouraged if your dish does not come out tasting right or looking presentable the first time you try to make it. The first time is usually painful, but you will learn from your mistakes and should still be proud of your attempt, because it is never easy trying out a new recipe. Keep in mind, even Martha Stewart was not always the talented chef we know today.

Cooking on a student budget Just because a cook may have restrictions doesn’t mean that their dishes are going to be boring. Most simple dishes are easy on the wallet, though sometimes the ingredients can cost a little more then a student is willing to dish out. Garbutt tries to find ways around high prices by swapping ingredients, like she does in her signature dish of maaroni and cheese.

Instead of purchasing an array of pricey cheeses, she uses fondue packs. “These are easy-to-use packs that retail for $7- $12 per pound and serve up six portions,” says Garbutt. “Well, four if you are in need of a little extra TLC.” Creativity is not limited to the ingredients.

Although new cooks often do not have all the expensive kitchen equipment, rather than feeling inadequate, they should know that there is always a cheap alternative out there.

“You’ll see Amanda use a water bottle as a rolling pin, because how many people even have a rolling pin?” adds Engelberg.

With midterms lurking around every corner, Garbutt offers up her signature dish which is easy and quick to make.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/concordianlife RECIPE

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

9

LOVE

Mac’ n’ cheese This dish serves four.

Ingredients: - 450g (about 1 lb) box penne rigate - 450g pack of fondue cheese - 1 cup fresh or frozen peas - 1/3 cup milk or cream - 1/2 cup freshly-grated parmesan - 1 tbsp kosher salt - 1 tbsp unsalted butter, for greasing Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tbsp kosher salt.

3. In a medium pot, begin to melt the fondue cheese over medium heat.

4. Add the pasta to the boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Drain.

5. Meanwhile, add the milk and peas to the melted cheese.

6. Toss the drained pasta with the cheese until thoroughly combined.

Love, life, longdistance relationships and all the good stuff in between Kimberly Lamontagne Contributor If you had told me several years ago I would be in a long-distance relationship, I would have laughed in your face. Why would I want to be in a relationship with someone whom I hardly ever see? The concept was not appealing, but Mike was.

Mike and I met at a soccer tournament when we were 12. Coincidentally, we then attended the same high school, and happened to be in the same class in Grade 7.

As fate would have it, we were automatically paired to do an assignment together, “Je Vous Presente..” in which we interviewed each other and found out we had much in common. It turns out we both had great taste in sitcoms. Our favorite television show was and still is Friends.

It was a match made in heaven.

We quickly became friends and, in tenth grade, we started dating. And by dating, I mean a confidante told me Michael had feelings for me, so I agreed to go on a date. This was on Dec. 12, 2004 and he took me to see Elf. I laughed so hard, and not only at Will Ferrell in the film,

but at this amazing guy who made me feel like the only girl in the world. Our relationship was effortless, he was my best friend.

After graduation, I continued on to Dawson College, whereas he went to study at John Abbott College. The separation was tough. I was so used to seeing him every day, in class, after class, in between classes. If I thought that the CEGEP distance was hard, boy, was I in for a rude awakening.

All was dandy until he decided to up and leave for New York City to further pursue his education in theatre.

I remember the March 2007 day perfectly. I was already upset because though the college was closed, my professor insisted we must rehearse for the play we were putting on as part of a graduation requirement. I got the call from my boyfriend who shared the good news that he was following his dream. I feigned happiness, rushed off the phone and headed to the bathroom where I literally sank. Against the wall, I stereotypically slid to the floor as tears streamed down my face in what must have looked like a scene from a cheesy chick flick.

I called my best friend, who tried to soothe me. As I walked out of those bathroom doors a concerned classmate asked what was wrong, and all I could mutter was, “My boyfriend is moving to New York” in downright disbelief.

Poor thing, she didn’t even know what to say, she just hugged me. It was definitely what I needed.

All Mike told me was, “We are going to do this. There’s no question about it.” And he was

right, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have my doubts. I was worried he might meet some floozy off in New York City. But we’ve hung in there and have been together ever since.

Of course, it did help that his sister was in a long-distance relationship as well and they had recently become engaged. It kept me optimistic. I told myself it was meant to be.

That brings us to today. Now, he is in Toronto, and I am still hours away in Montreal.

When I tell people how long Mike and I have been dating for six years, it’s usually followed by a “Wow!”.

As their eyebrows furrow, they ask: “How old are you?” A general show of surprise then leads to a genuine appreciative “Good for you” smile or a “You’re out of your mind” grimace.

It has never felt long and, in comparison to a dear friend who has been dating her boyfriend for eight years, we are lagging behind.

Some may applaud this, others may question it, citing the need to sow my wild oats. I found “the one” when I was young, and I’ll be damned if I were to let him go.

If our time spent pursuing a long-distance relationship has taught me anything, it is that absence makes the heart grow fonder. I used to think it was some line but over the years it has proven to be true in every possible sense.

Do not get me wrong, frustration comes with the distance, it is kind of a package deal. But I just remind myself that there are worse situations and I am grateful to have him on the other end of that phone line.

7. Grease a baking dish with butter.

8. Add pasta to the baking dish.

9. Sprinkle the parmesan evenly over the top. Bake until bubbly and heated through, about 15 minutes. *For those who like a crispy top, flip the broiler on for 1 minute.

For video instructions visit www.bit. ly/9In9z The Hot Plate Cookbook is set to be released within the month.

With 85 budget-friendly recipes, the cookbook even tells its readers about eight ways to make your leftovers into new dishes.

To watch the show, download recipes or find out more information about the book’s release visit www.thehotplate.net

Graphic by Katie Brioux

(Left) Grated parmesan tops off dish. Photo

by Adam Scotti. (Above) The Hot Plate co-producers Amanda Garbutt and April Engelberg. Photo by Peter W. J. Miller

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theconcordian

Tuesday, October 19, 2010 PEOPLE

Confessions of a kleptomaniac The journey of one student’s battle to overcome the temptation of stealing

Kiera Toffelmire The Eyeopener (Ryerson University) TORONTO (CUP) — A tall, stoic-looking security guard dumps the contents of a blue knapsack onto a metal table. There are two textbooks, a handful of pens, a red bra, a knitted sweater and a collection of keychains. All of the items, including the knapsack, are stolen goods.

Across the table sits 21-year-old Brittney Matheson*, staring wide-eyed at the items she has stolen.

Matheson, a psychology student at Ryerson University, is quiet while the security guard begins listing the consequences of having a criminal record. Among them, the most detrimental to Matheson’s plans of becoming an international photographer, she will no longer be able to leave the country.

After more than 20 minutes of scrutiny, the guard announces he will let Matheson off without notifying police, that she seems like a good kid and that his lenience is partially because it’s her first time stealing.

Tears of relief carve a silent path down Matheson’s face. She’s off the hook because the guard had been wrong. This was not her first time stealing; it was the first time she had been caught.

What started as an occasional habit of pocketing trinkets from dollar stores sprouted into what Matheson describes as a “stealing addiction.” In a three-year span, Matheson estimates she has stolen approximately $6,000 of merchandise, a dollar value that, had she been caught, may have

left her facing up to 10 years imprisonment.

While Matheson says her compulsive stealing may have been caused by stress, as she had just began university around the time she started shoplifting, she is still unsure of what sparked it.

In hopes of ending her growing addiction, Matheson confided in a few close friends, some suggesting she research the symptoms of kleptomania.

A term first used in 1838 to describe kings who stole worthless items, kleptomania is the inability to resist urges to steal, according to the Canadian Psychological Association. Often kleptomaniacs steal things that are not needed for personal use or for any monetary value.

True kleptomania is a rare condition. Fewer than five per cent of shoplifters are kleptomaniacs, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

William Cupchik, a Toronto clinical psychologist, has researched stealing habits for 36 years.

He says many health professionals are quick to confuse compulsive shoplifters with kleptomaniacs.

“These days if somebody reports stealing that they have trouble controlling, many professionals will say you’re a kleptomaniac and prescribe them antidepressants,” said Cupchik. “Kleptomania is very good business for the pharmaceutical companies.”

In Cupchik’s experiences, only once out of around 800 case studies has he come across a patient who seemed to be a kleptomaniac.

Almost all of the patients Cupchik sees who are compulsive stealers have suffered loss or grievance, though they may not be aware of it, and their thieving habits are rooted in emotion.

One of the main criteria for kleptomania is that the act is not carried out in anger or vengeance.

Matheson says, initially, her shoplifting was a display of anger against major corporations like Walmart, where she stole makeup, art supplies and jewelry. She promised herself she would never steal from small businesses. But less than a year after making that promise, she broke it. Her habit turned into addiction, to the point where

Graphic Sean Kershaw

Matheson could no longer leave a store unless she had managed to steal something.

“As soon as I made it out of the store I’d feel bad. But that didn’t stop me from stealing again.

It was becoming an unhealthy habit. More than an anti-corporation movement, or whatever I was trying to justify it as,” said Matheson. “The scary part was that I couldn’t stop, and I had no idea why.”

Matheson grew up in middle-class suburbia.

Her parents both held steady jobs and funded her post-secondary education. She was vice-president of the student council at the Catholic high school she attended. Teachers praised her for the charity fundraisers she organized and fellow students were charmed by her gregarious nature.

Matheson, both a model student and socialite, doesn’t live up to the stereotypical description of a shoplifter.

“It’s often the most unsuspecting people who we catch stealing,” said Simin Razavi, a security guard for Warren Protective Services. Razavi, who is stationed at a Toronto H&M, says in the past two months she has only been able to catch one person stealing, although she suspects there have been many other incidences.

Cupchik agrees that the most unlikely characters are often the most avid shoplifters. He refers to them as “atypical theft offenders,” or shoplifters who are usually law-abiding, honest, contributing members of society. ATO stealing is compulsive, although the individual may

be ashamed of their actions and want to stop stealing. Their behaviour is normally followed by feelings of being out of control, although they are aware of what they are doing.

Cupchik says while he does see many student ATOs, middle-age doctors and nurses are the most common patients he sees.

“These people are good, honest citizens who positively contribute to society,” said Cupchik, who recommends talk therapy for people who cannot control their stealing habits.

This past summer at a house party, Matheson’s jacket was stolen. Inside the coat pocket were her iPod, cell-phone, wallet and a bracelet her grandmother had given her.

“I thought, who the hell would take someone’s coat? And then I paused for a second and realized … I would,” she said. “That was kind of a scary moment.”

It was that evening, standing in the backyard of a student house, an array of rambunctious partygoers surrounding her, that she acknowledged how serious her problem was and that she needed to get help.

It has been three months since Matheson last stole something. Every time she’s shopping, a familiar wave of temptation creeps up on her.

She resists, making her exit with both a lighter conscience and a lighter knapsack. *Real name has been witheld to protect privacy.

ONLINE

Leave the library behind: four new spots for studying For a look at where you can go to escape the florescent lights of Webster and Vanier visit www.bit.ly/9THRKa

Compiled by Marissa Miller & Lindsay Sykes The library is a daunting place. The sombre light and mothball smell can turn even the most devout nerd away from studying. It is difficult to focus when you are forbidden to utter a peep, to open wrappers and chew too loudly or to roam around to get the blood flow back to your brain.

Studying in a relaxed atmosphere is a surefire way to better retain information. No hard feelings against Concordia’s resourceful Vanier and Webster libraries, but head online to see several locations you can crash before an exam.

Starbucks makes a great study space for students. Photo by Nazli Bozoglu

EXCELLENCE WITHIN YOUR REACH GET TO KNOW US Admissions reps on-site to answer your questions

MCGILL OPEN HOUSE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2010 M.D.,C.M. PROGRAM PRESENTATION AT NOON Faculty of Medicine

Visit our Web site: www.mcgill.ca/medadmissions Email: admissions.med@mcgill.ca Deadline for submissions: November 15 (non-Quebec residents) January 15 (Quebec residents) (MCAT optional for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who hold a bachelor’s degree from a Canadian university)

McGill University, 1200 Pine Ave. West (between Peel and Drummond) Peel Metro Station

arts

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

11

Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com CAMPUS

Concordia artists hold exhibition at FOFA gallery Four displays require audience to take a simultaneously active and passive role

and public shows.

Fiona Annis: “The After-Image (SwanSongs)” (York corridor vitrine) This piece consists of a series of stills separated intermittently by short quotes extracted from the final works of writers Virginia Woolf and Michel de Montaigne. It is a documentary of the ‘swan songs’ of these individuals, a phase that comes from a Greek myth claiming swans are born mute but burst into song before they die.

The mainly black-and-white photographs show the connection between these particular swan songs and the physical landscapes from which their authors came. To the viewer, this piece will require much more than a simple glance. Annis is a Montreal-based artist currently pursuing a PhD at Concordia.

Katelyn Spidle Staff writer Vision and beauty form the relationship between the audience and the artwork. That’s the message in the FOFA gallery’s new show, which opened last week. The four artists use repetitive imagery to act as sources of both depth and superficiality, placing the viewer in the interesting position of playing an active role in the creation of the meaning and the construction of the piece.

Cliff Caines: “The King + I” (main gallery room) This video installation was inspired by and dedicated to Caines’ uncle, Derrick Caines, who had Down syndrome and passed away earlier this year. A custom built 19th-century-inspired mahogany stereoscopic cabinet stands facing an old wooden chair. Upon looking into the lenses one will see a 21-minute-long 3D black-andwhite video of Derrick Caines sitting openmouthed on a chair. The room is filled with the sound recording of Derrick singing an a capella rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender.”

The piece gives the impression of being a kind of commemorative monument. The viewer will be captivated in this multi-sensory experience, though it is unlikely that most will remain for the duration of the video because the imagery

A still taken from Fiona Annis’ piece “The After-Image(Swan-Songs).” and audio are repetitive. The Toronto-based artist has an MFA degree from Concordia University and his work has been displayed at film festivals across Europe and North America.

Cheryl Kolak Dudek: “Tableaux Vivants & Other Narrative Strategies” (black box) With this photography series, Dudek aims to challenge our normal conception of the narrative by using turkey and chicken wishbones instead of people in the arrangement of tableaus. The

photos have been enlarged and are arranged in three horizontal columns across three walls for a total of 24 stills. Some bones are arranged in tight clusters while others are spread out evenly across a flat surface. The viewer will react by trying to find the relationship between the series of stills and by attempting to relate the images to some familiar and real object. The Montreal-based artist is an associate professor of Print Media at Concordia University and her work has been exhibited internationally in both private collections

Matthew Evans: “James_(underscore)_Brown” (Ste-Catherine St. vitrine) This video installation consists of two television monitors facing out onto the street angled slightly inwards toward one another. The television on the left displays the word ‘JAMES’ while the television on the right displays the word ‘BROWN.’ The words are in two different fonts and the lettering and background colours are constantly changing and flickering. The message is left to the viewer to construct based on what the words ‘james’ and ‘brown’ trigger in their memories. The viewer may react by either taking an active role in attempting to construct a message or by remaining passive by concluding that no message exists. Evans, who currently works and lives in Montreal after spending several years in Japan, is a Canadian artist who works mainly with video projects.

Admission is free. The FOFA gallery is in the EV building. Open Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

THEATRE

Exploring the brain, love, and parallel existence Uncalled For takes a serious look at science fiction in this otherworldly play Katelyn Spidle Staff writer Imagine every time you woke up you could live a different life. Would you change trivial details like the time you said no to that date, didn’t apply for that job, or stayed home from that party? Joyce thinks so. She argues that if given the chance to live multiple lives, most people would never think so far as to consider life as a rock or an insect. Can people only imagine what they can perceive? These are some of the big questions posed in Canadian playwright John Mighton’s award-winning Possible Worlds, which tells the tragic story of romance stretching across parallel universes, while drawing in various elements of science fiction, murder mystery and comedy.

We begin with detectives Berkeley and Williams tracking down a murderer whose signature is stealing his victims’ brains. The crimes seem unsolvable. Not only is there no evidence left at the scenes, but in some cases the door was locked from the inside. All the more perplexing is that all the victims had been of above-average intelligence.

Next we meet George and Joyce in a seemingly unrelated scene -- George will awkwardly approach her, claiming they know each other.

After Joyce takes a few wrong guesses, George

angrily asserts that they were married once.

Joyce leaves, looking visibly shaken. This scene repeats multiple times throughout the play, but each time the circumstances and roles are different.

Meanwhile, there are intermittent scenes of a mysterious and eccentric scientist who also changes roles. As the play unfolds, the scenes change more frequently and suddenly. The plot becomes nonlinear and confusing. One begins to suspect that George is completely insane and that his experiences are not based in reality.

The audience is pulled deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole until the play culminates with a shocking and morbid break in the detectives’ case.

The play itself has many layers, but director Liz Valdez feels that ultimately, it is a play that asks questions. “We did our best in telling our possible story, but I think there are many [interpretations].”

The Concordia theatre graduate and professor teamed up with Montreal-based improv and sketch comedy troupe Uncalled For in their first dramatic performance.

Formed in 1999 at John Abbott College in Montreal, Uncalled For quickly gained a following for their creative and experimental improv shows.The group felt a connection with the subject matter and themes conveyed in Possible Worlds and this guided their decision to pursue the play.

“Our last couple of scripted shows have dealt with a lot of very big questions and have talked about science fiction, the dream world and the imagination, so it’s interesting to be layering in the work that we’ve done in the past while we’re in the process of doing this show,” explained Concordia graduate and

original cast member Anders Yates.

The production process for Possible Worlds was both experimental and challenging.

Valdez described the process as emotionally charged, while previous Uncalled For scripted shows were intellectually charged. Rather than starting with the analytical scene work, Valdez chose to have the actors work the scene from one line or one word, forcing them to rely on their impulses, instincts, and imaginations.

This different way of approaching it eventually led to their own interpretation of the script.

The cast features founding members Yates as the unorthodox scientist, Dan Jeannotte as the universe-hopping George, and Matt Goldberg as the simple-minded Williams. Rounding

out the play are Heidi Hawkins as George’s transcendental lover Joyce and Eric Hausknost as the frustrated Berkeley.

Having always written and directed their own award-winning material, the troupe has expanded their repertoire. “We are always looking for the next challenge,” explained Yates.

Possible Worlds runs until Oct. 24 at Mainline Theatre, 3997 St-Laurent Blvd. Tickets are $17 for students, and can be purchased at www.mainlinetheatre.ca.

Photo by Camille Nerant Matt Goldberg, as Williams, is one of the original cast members of Uncalled For.

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

FILM

theconcordian

Singing in the rink Score: A Hockey Musical brings two unlikely genres together Adam Avrashi Arts bureau chief MONTREAL (CUP) — Director Michael McGowan’s new film opens like many others in the Canadian sports genre: on an ice hockey rink. That is, until everyone starts singing.

Score: A Hockey Musical, about a homeschooled Torontonian who gets the chance to play for the big leagues, bends the genre on its ear by mixing in original musical numbers with lyrics by McGowan and music by an assortment of artists, including the Barenaked Ladies.

The film’s lead actor, Noah Reid, was a bit skeptical of the concept at first, until he read the script.

“In some ways it sounded a little strange, but for me it was perfect. It is comprised of all the things I could do in life: Acting, singing and playing hockey. If you think about it, it’s two things that Canadians do exceptionally well — music and hockey,” said Reid.

Reid plays 17-year-old Farley Gordon, raised by vegan, hippie parents (Olivia Newton-John and Marc Jordan), who is so sheltered from reality that he doesn’t even know who Sidney Crosby is — “Cindy who?” he asks in the film. But that all changes when he is offered to play in the big leagues and is thrust into the media spotlight.

Reid, 23, has been acting professionally since he was eight, voicing Canada’s treasured turtle in the children’s series Franklin the Turtle. He also sang in choirs and performed in vocal competitions until he became old enough for “singing not to be considered cool.” However, he does admit that it was pretty cool to have Newton-John, best known for her role as Sandy in the film version of Grease and a musical theatre pro, play his mom.

“She didn’t give me advice on being in a musical, but she just kind of patted me on the back and said, ‘You’re doing great,’” he said.

Score: A Hockey Musical, while mostly a silly farce, does deal with some contentious issues present in professional hockey. When Farley is accepted onto the team, he is expected to get into fistfights on the ice with his opponents to truly be a man and defend the team’s honour. As one character says in the film, “Hockey without fighting is like Kraft

Top: 17-year-old Farley Gordon celebrates with his teammates. Bottom: Gordon with an announcer played by George Stroumboulopoulos.

Dinner without cheese.”

But Farley prefers to play a clean game and doesn’t see a point in brawling, which causes a lot of friction with his fellow players and the Canadian media, who label him a wimp.

Reid says he enjoys seeing a fight in professional hockey, but only when it is necessary to defend a star player. Otherwise, he says, the showmanship of revving up a crowd with a fight becomes a bit of a circus. Much like his character, however, he agrees that fighting should stay out of junior leagues.

“I understand kids have to make a point that they are tough if they are trying to make the NHL,” he said. “But it’s such a fragile time. I stopped playing hockey in a league when I was 16 because there was too much anger and testosterone going on and I just wanted to play the game.”

Score: A Hockey Musical was honoured with being the festival opener at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, but received a body check into the boards by critics soon thereafter.

“How fitting that the setting is Toronto — this thing plays like the Leafs,” wrote the Globe and Mail. “Don’t expect this musical with Olivia Newton-John in U.S. theatres,” added the New York Post.

But some critics saw the film for what it is:

pure Canadian goofball fun.

“Score is as deep as a Don Cherry rant, but it’s also a crowd-pleaser, one that doesn’t require season tickets to the Maple Leafs to appreciate,” said the Toronto Star.

“You know, typically the opening film for TIFF is a sombre, serious life story about death,” said Reid. “So our little musical hockey movie didn’t appeal to what they

thought opening night film should be. But I can tell you having been there, everyone had a good time laughing and singing on the way out of the theatre. I just hope everyone gets a chance to see it and judge for themselves.”

Score: A Hockey Musical opens this Friday.

CINEMA POLITICA

Reel Injun explores aboriginal cinema stereotypes Cree filmmaker wants to educate, and entertain Valerie Cardinal Staff writer Most North Americans, even those who aren’t fans of westerns, have played cowboys and Indians when they were children: even Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond grew up watching old westerns on the Waskaganish First Nations reserve on the James Bay. The children would gather in the church basement to watch classic heroes like John Wayne fight off the “Injuns.”

“We cheered for the cowboys, never realizing we were the Indians,” states Diamond at the beginning of Reel Injun.

Reel Injun explores how over 100 years of Hollywood movies have influenced First Nations cultures and people. The stereotype of the savage Injun isn’t the only one Hollywood holds; films across the years also show aboriginals as spiritual, wise and in tune with nature. Movies about First Nations culture even influenced the beginnings of the hippie movement in the 1960s.

Originally, Diamond wanted to make a funny half-hour documentary about white people playing aboriginal roles, to be called I’m Not an Indian, but I Play One on TV. The idea took off and turned into the full-length doc Reel Injun.

Diamond hit the road and traveled across North America, not only to talk about movies, but also to see aboriginal landmarks, such as the Pine Ridge reserve in South Dakota, home to the legendary Crazy Horse and now the poorest aboriginal reserve in North America.

He admitted he didn’t discover anything new on the trip because of his research. However, Diamond did find out that aboriginal people across the world, even in Australia, share one common trait. ”We point with our lips,” he shared. “If you ever hang around native people, watch their lips.” The odd habit is natural to hunting and warrior cultures, where it was important to point things out without drawing attention to yourself, explained Diamond.

Much like his storyteller parents, Diamond wants viewers to be entertained. “They’ll be engaged and come out of the theatre having learned something without realizing it,” he said.

“It would be great if people went back to old films and watched them with different eyes.”

Diamond also hopes young aboriginal people will learn something about their culture from

the film. “They don’t know that part of their history.”

Hollywood has at times provided a platform for First Nations issues.

In 1973, Marlon Brando asked Apache actress and model Sacheen Littlefeather to speak for him at the Academy Awards. She passed on his refusal to accept his award for The Godfather due to the treatment of First Nations people in films, as well as aboriginal rights conflicts at the time.

Diamond’s favourite portrayal of an aboriginal on film is Chief Dan George in Little Big Man, because of the sense of humour George brings to his role. “You never saw native people laughing on film before,” said Diamond. Reel Injun moves from Hollywood’s fascination with First Nations culture in the early days of cinema and works its way up to how Aboriginal cultures are portrayed in modern cinema.

Much like the early days of cinema, First Nations filmmakers are starting to be able to share their voices again. In Canada, Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin has made over 30 documentaries about native cultures for the National Film Board in recent years. Reel Injun also focuses on Zacharias Kunuk’s Cannes and Genie award-winning Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) as a film based in Inuit myth and made by aboriginals, for aboriginal people.

As Neil Diamond says in the film, “a new age of native cinema is born.”

Reel Injun will be playing at Cinema Politica Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. in H-110. It will be preceded by the short film File Under Miscellaneous and includes a Q&A with director Neil Diamond. For more information, check out www.cinemapolitica.org.

Littlefeather declined Brando’s Oscar.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/concordianarts

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THEATRE

Stripping down the mermaid myth English theatre premiere revisits mermaids in a poor fishing town Valerie Cardinal Staff writer The Flood Thereafter is a fairytale, but probably not one you would tell a child before bedtime.

A small fishing town on the Lower Saint-Lawrence was placed under a curse by a mermaid 20 years ago. The fish have long since gone, and so have most of the women. Now, all the men can do is drink beer and weep as the mermaid’s daughter, June, strips at the local bar. It’s a town where everyone is trapped, and the realism of the setting is wrapped tightly in myth.

The show, in its English world premiere, was translated from rising Québécois playwright Sarah Berthiaume’s Le Déluge Après. The script is tricky; it jumps from realistic, harsh fisherman’s language to mystical, poetic storytelling.

However, translator Nadine Desrochers’ adaptation manages to keep the spirit of the myth without getting too melodramatic.

Director and Concordia graduate Emma Tibaldo brings a melancholy vibe to a story that raises questions about the line between sexuality and objectification. In an attempt to desexualize June, she is never actually shown dancing while naked, but remains static.

June, played with beautiful complexity by Amelia Sargisson, does not know who her father is and is lost because of this.

“She’s a stripper who strips without stripping for a man,” said Tibaldo in a talk after the show, explaining her fascination with June. The act of stripping is instead a desperate cry for help.

When truck driver Denis comes to town, she finally breaks free from her prison.

The scenes are held together by Felicia Shulman, who plays Penelope, one of the few women who stayed in the village after the fish disappeared. While the audience walks in, she is already on the stage, crying and singing quietly to herself as she plays with the scenery. Through-

Top right: Stéphane Blanchette and Felicia Shulman add dramatic weight to the mythical tale. Bottom left: Penelope (left) and June (right), played by Amelia Sargisson, contemplate the village’s mysterious guest (Chimwemwe Miller). out most of the play, she remains on stage, spinning her loom as though she is weaving the tale for us. The minimalistic set seems fitting for the broken-down village. Metal bars are twisted into shapes vaguely representing different buildings in the village. The effect is that of a gutted carcass or the remains of a shipwreck.

The main props used are thousands of metres of unspooled video tape standing in for kelp, human hair, and more. According to Tibaldo, each strand tells a story, putting an emphasis on how the characters are stuck in the past. The poetic script is punctuated by sounds made using the strands of film, which often functions beautifully, but sometimes smothers speech while the actors

are talking.

Production company Talisman Theatre Stéphane Blanchette is especially compelling specializes in bringing Québécois theatre to the as Homer, Penelope’s husband. He is the man anglophone stage. The show is more risqué than who fished the mermaid out of the river and most English productions, and definitely not for brought the curse upon the village, and then lost those shocked by nudity, both male and female. his ability to fish due to a boating accident.

However, the nudity is never gratuitous and unIt’s not for nothing that his wife is named necessary; it emphasizes the themes of the mystiPenelope. The story of The Flood Thereafter cal show, which is well worth a look. draws influence from the ancient greek epic The Odyssey, by the poet Homer. In the original tale, The Flood Thereafter will be playing at the Penelope waits for her husband to come home Théâtre La Chapelle, 3700 St-Dominique St. from war. In The Flood Thereafter, this Penelope until Oct. 23. Tickets are $24.50 for students. science college adhusband edit_Layout 1 08/10/10 AM Pagecheck 1 out lachapelle. is also waiting for her to come back to For 11:00 more information, her instead of drinking and crying at the strip org. joint.

Neutrons stars can act as defined as cosmic beacons, a cosmic gift which sheds light of some of the most interesting dilemmas in modern science. The speaker will introduce these bizarre objects, and will demonstrate how astronomers are currently using them to study topics ranging from the origins of the Universe to the very nature of matter.

music 14

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com PROFILE

Polydactyl Hearts: merging reality with fantasy in art and music Multimedia collective challenges both themselves and their audience Katelyn Spidle Staff writer It’s easy to discover a band by visiting their MySpace page or a visual artist by visiting their exhibit. However, it’s a bit more difficult to discover Polydactyl Hearts. MySpace and art galleries are not the proper setting to display their work even though they make both music and art. Their creations are of those rare pieces of art which leave you with the impression of just having witnessed something truly unique.

Polydactyl Hearts are a multimedia collective that combine music, art and technology in new and unconventional ways. The group members possess skills that are as diverse as the art they collectively produce. They formed in Guelph in 2006 and have since undergone a steady evolution.

Currently, the members are Dave Willekes (visual artist), Eihab Kahira (piano, vocals), Martin Eckart (saxophone, clarinet, computer programmer), Claire Whitehead (violin, vocals), Brad McInerney (bass) and Dave Bazinet (drums).

Members all contribute ideas to the projects and these are never dismissed or acted upon without first being discussed as a group. “We try to not have a hierarchy,” said Kahira. They have completed two projects to date, though Kahira stressed that these are always in the process of being perfected.

Their vision has taken shape gradually and is still being established. The decision to give the collective a name was only made upon the completion of their first project, entitled Le Cyc. This graphic novel styled bike opera is performed by projecting a series of paintings onto a white screen using a PlayStation controller while the storyline is guided by a six-person orchestra. Scenes are separated by song, and dialogue is conveyed through lyrics.

The story is futuristic, yet the plot is recurrent throughout human sociopolitical history.

It tells the story of a made-up world where electricity is generated by peddling bicycles, and elections are determined by a biannual bike race in which any citizen may compete.

“By creating our own world, it allows anyone to [relate it to] whatever struggle they firmly believe in,” Kahira emphasized. Polydactyl Hearts want their audience to read into Le Cyc in a personal way. “If we started giving it real-world names... that kind of specifies it so some people [couldn’t] relate as well,” Kahira explained.

After completing Le Cyc, Polydactyl Hearts were commissioned by Wavelength, a Toronto-based non-profit arts organization, to produce another project.

Hello Adventure took 10 months to create and debuted at the 2009 Images Festival in Toronto. The new project is six shorts drawn together by a common thread that is not clearly defined. It won the festival’s Overkill Award, which is awarded to a piece of groundbreaking art that challenges the festival’s own notion of experimental.

Hello Adventure is different from Le Cyc in that it uses stop-motion animation and emphasizes character development.

Supernatural creatures from Hello Adventure, the newest project by Polydactyl Hearts (above). Photo by Olivia Brown, artwork by Dave Willekes “We want to approach [every project] in a new and different way,” said Kahira. To create Hello Adventure, Polydactyl Hearts experimented with a new form of computer programming technology that is helping their goal of unifying the two realms of music and visual art. With all instruments playing simultaneously, Willekes controls the frame rate at which the images are projected, giving the

computer visual cues to cut the sound of any instrument in and out. This allows him to act as a conductor for the entire production.

Polydactyl Hearts are currently focusing on performing Hello Adventure and promoting the recent release of Le Cyc on DVD, but ideas for the next project are already floating around. “As we evolve you’re going to see that it’s going to be moving in a direction like

[it is] right now,” Kahira cryptically hinted.

Polydactyl Hearts will be performing both Le Cyc and Hello Adventure at Eastern Bloc on Oct. 22 and 23. Le Cyc is available for purchase or livestream at www.polydactylhearts.ca.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/concordianmusic

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

15

FEATURE

The live spectacle: music and performance The everchanging interplay between music and other art forms Shannon H. Myers Music editor Music is a religion unto itself. One subscribes to the various art forms like one would subscribe to the sects: adopting its belief systems, identifying with the movement, and understanding the sentiments. Sometimes there is an underlying agreement between sects that makes them irrefutebly compatible. Performance and music are two such avenues with natural overlap, and this has been explored in live performances by various musicians throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Both art forms are about the experience, with a focus on the present moment rather than the past or future.

The destructive A new style began to emerge in the late ‘50s with the likes of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins that combined shock value with theatrical performance. The result was an all-new live show experience that ignited the desire to push boundaries of what could be done to shock and impress. The movement became known as “shock rock” and was quickly picked up in the UK over the ‘60s with artists like The Who, The Move, and Arthur Brown performing destructive and fiery feats.

In fact, The Who’s Pete Townsend was the first rock artist to destroy a guitar during a performance. Drummer Keith Moon’s explosive bass-drum television performance in 1967 caused a number of unplanned repercussions that made it all the more dramatic.

Jimi Hendrix so famously set his guitar alight at the Monterey Pop Festival that same year.

Not surprisingly, many of these moments made rating lists of the top moments in rock ‘n’ roll history. These traditions in destruction and raucous behaviour staked a good claim in the growing scheme of musical performance. Punk became, in and of itself, an entire movement, genre and sound based on the foundations that shock rock laid. Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols seemingly lived his life with the intent to cause shock and outrage.

Modern punk rockers Les Savvy Fav and Fucked Up, who both feature a rowdy and unrestrained frontman, are known for unpredictable performances littered with nudity, sexual acts, violence and moshing with fans. These antics follow in the path of

Flickr Flickr Bubble boy Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips rolls across a sea of hands. RIght: Jimi Hendrix dousing his flaming guitar in gasoline at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. the transgressive art that GG Allin performed, involving monkey-like activity with his own excrement, self-mutilation, and receiving oral sex from fans.

The dramatic It would be blasphemy to mention shock rock without acknowledging the style’s frontman, Alice Cooper. His flair for the dramatic is reminiscent of the theatrics involved in Screamin’ Jay’s costumed and morbidly fascinated setups. The difference is, Cooper thought big.

Expense and scale were no object for the illusory performance pieces that would fake death by guillotine or electric chair, and incorporate baby dolls and boa constrictors as props. He was quite possibly the first to bring horror imagery to the genre of heavy metal, and horror has truly stuck as an appropriate stylistic side-kick to many musical groups and genres. GWAR’s collaboration of artists and musicians lends itself to fanciful and creative theatrics such as self-made monster costumes and onstage murders.

The rampant number of outrageous and dramatic rock ’n’ roll rebels and hair bands in the ‘70s aided in the proliferation of performance as part of the live show. Arena rock acts like Foreigner, Styx and The Rolling Stones began to use technical performanceenhancing tools like smoke bombs, video screens and pyrotechnics - as pioneered

by KISS - to up the ante of their onstage presence. The likes of these tools have been carried on into the 21st century by bands like Rammstein, whose extravagant and elaborate pyrotechnics have gained them admirable

attention.

Use of costume, absurd props and enacted theatre pieces has marked some bands as the most memorable to see in a lifetime. Summer festival veterans The Flaming Lips have become famous for frontman Wayne Coyne’s human hamster ball that traverses supportive audiences like a rolling beach-ball body surf.

In similarly abstract form, each Of Montreal tour sees a new set of symbols, props, scenes and participators. Actors, dancers, movers and mimes participate in an everevolving mix of non-sensical enactments that have even featured cameo appearances like Susan Sarandon’s this year.

The non-event Lack of performance became just as defining as performance for many groups in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, particularly in the UK. The times of black accessorizing and bowl cuts saw an outcrop of shoegaze bands.

Shoegaze refers to the downward gazes typical of barely moving audience members and musicians looking at multiple effects pedals.

A sentiment emerged around this time that showcasing anything other than the music was pretentious, and lessened the value of the music itself. While the point is a poignant one, it thankfully didn’t last, and the merging of auditory, visual and theatrical art forms continued, initially with the destructiveness of grunge.

The visual The laser light show - a form of psychedelic entertainment meant to accompany live or pre-recorded music - was introduced to the

masses by the Who and Pink Floyd, pioneers of the pairing. Technological advances have turned psychedelic wistfulness into impressive feats of light engineering. Bands like Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and Etienne de Crecy utilize massive onstage setups that implore well-synchronized and choreographed light patterns to substantiate the performance. Some artists, such as Caribou, choose to invoke a throwback to the psychedelia of previous times through the use of projectors, though this has notably still improved from the limitations of earlier eras.

The musical audio-video pairing has long been an obvious one, exemplified by the significance of the music video as a promotional tool. Use of video in performance well preceded the music video, and is popular among a slew of modern artists who garnish performances with a narrative, imagery or design. Simian Mobile Disco’s live performance at Area 10 features an interplay of circles in pattern-like designs that dance in a black and white video projection onto a bare wall.

Simplistic technology for the time lends a deliberate uniqueness to a feature that saturates modern performance.

While all art forms have their own particular signifiers, perimeters and schools of thought, the very fact that they are all types under the larger umbrella of art unites them.

Through collaboration of the forms, we connect what we witness with those around us in a merger of experience: the passive and reactionary with the active and participatory.

So the question is, Are You Experienced?

MIXTAPE Dream (noun) 1. a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep.

2. a vision voluntarily indulged in while awake; daydream; reverie.

3. an aspiration; goal; aim, sometimes unrealistic or vain.

4. something of an unreal beauty, charm, or excellence.

5. a state in which someone receives revelation.

Each track included in this mix is emblematic of one or more of these definitions. To listen, visit 8tracks.com/the_concordian/ dreams.

SIDE A

Dreams Hannah Jung Contributor

1. “40 Day Dream”- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below, 2009 2. “No Cars Go” – The Arcade Fire – Arcade Fire [EP], 2003 3. “Wraith Pinned to the Mist And Other Things” – Of Montreal – The SunlandicTwins, 2005 4. “Have You Seen in Your Dreams” – Miracle Fortress – Five Roses, 2007 5. “Dreams” – The Cranberries – Everyone Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, 1993 6. “My Slumbering Heart”- Rilo KileyThe Execution of All Things, 2002

7. “Shut Up I Am Dreaming Of Places Where Lovers Have Wings” –Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming, 2006 8. “Daydreamer” – Patrick Watson – Close to Paradise, 2006 9. “Sounds of Silence” – Simon and Garfunkel – Sounds of Silence, 1966 10. “Talking World War III Blues” – Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, 1963 SIDE B 11. “Each Coming Night” – Iron and Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days, 2004 12. “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” – Louis Armstrong – All-Time Greatest Hits, 1994 13. “Hummingbird” – Wilco - A Ghost is Born, 2004 14. “Rebellion (Lies)” – The Arcade Fire – Funeral, 2004 15. “Superstar”- Lupe Fiasco – The Cool, 2007 16. “Weighty Ghost” – Wintersleep – Welcome to the Night Sky, 2007 17. “Where the Wild Things Are” – Patrick Watson – Wooden Arms, 2009 18. “Shangri-La” – M.Ward – Hold Time, 2009 19. “Morning Bell” – Radiohead – Kid A, 2000 20. “My Glowing Morning Dreams” - As Tall As Lions - Lafcadio, 2004

16

theconcordian

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Quick Spins

Retro review

Madball - Empire (Good Fight Music; 2010)

Joshua Radin - The Rock and Tide (Mom & Pop Music Co.; 2010)

Hot Panda - How Come I’m Dead (Mint Records; 2010)

Mos Def - Black on Both Sides (Rawkus Records; 1999)

Madball’s newest release drips with whiteknuckled intensity. Freddy “Madball” Cricien has been sharpening the blade of his namesake band since the late ‘80s when he was no more than a tween using his brother’s band (Agnostic Front) as his own. Empire just may be the album that the 12-year-old Freddy thought that he would one day create.

The record features clear and concise hardcore that both conforms to the standard formula of the genre and delves into heavy metal riffs reminiscent of classic Pantera. One thing that sets Empire apart from its contemporaries is the use of a hip-hop singing style, which Freddy Cricien has honed in other side projects.

Rhythmically, this record bleeds the classic Madball sound: short, fast and loud.

The drums were laid down by Jay Weinberg (son of Max Weinberg of E Street Band fame) who coincidentally was kicked out shortly after. But this band needs no gimmicks and no frills. Madball’s Empire is another solid release from a legendary hardcore band.

Joshua Radin… the name sound familiar? It should, as you’ve probably heard his voice seeping from your television.

Having debuted in 2006 with critical acclaim from Rolling Stone Magazine and a number one spot in the iTunes charts, he continued by making a name for himself as the the sweet, angelic voice in the background of prime-time shows like Scrubs, Brothers and Sisters and One Tree Hill. But as you listen to the first track off his new LP The Rock and Tide, it becomes clear that the Cleveland native has decided to change his approach.

Along with stronger vocals, a myriad of other instruments, such as an electric guitar, an organ and strings, have been added to his usually minimalist acoustic sound. The final result is a distinctly “folkier,” louder and gutsier version of the mellow singer-songwriter so many of us have to come love on long bus rides and nostalgiafilled rainy days.

Mash-up is the first thing that comes to mind when describing this amusing, yet two-dimensional album. Whether in a bid to please or through a genuine interest in exploring various genres, Edmonton’s Hot Panda is all over the place. Their tendency to take cues from bands like Foals, Sonic Youth and The Jam makes their own style hard to pin down.

However, despite this lack of consistency and the easy comparison to other bands, tracks on How Come I’m Dead exude a certain personal flair that gains momentum as the tinny vocals get more intense and the songs more carefree. Tracks like “Start Making Sense,” “Hell Hey Hex” and “Masculinity” thrive through their recklessness and playfulness.

This album shines in its more upbeat moments, partially making up for its low points.

Nevertheless, when viewing the album as a whole, there is a general sense that something went amiss in its construction, and the familiarity of its melodic patterns make it nothing exceptional.

Black on Both Sides opens with Mos Def proclaiming “People talk about hip-hop like it’s some giant living in the hillside... we are hip-hop” and his relentless staccato delivery runs skeptics into the ground.

Track two, “Hip Hop,” goes deeper into the state of the genre, notably with the line “hip-hop went from selling crack to smoking it.” Never claiming to be hip-hop’s saviour, Mos lays out his world view over smooth horns and dramatic pauses.

The predominance of live instruments keeps the record sounding fresh. The smooth “Got” morphs into “Umi Says,” where Mos raps over a jazz fusion jam. “Rock n Roll” even ends with distorted guitar and punk drumming. The track laments white men playing black music, but would be more effective if Mos didn’t mimic the Red Hot Chili Peppers three tracks later.

While far from perfect, Black on Both Sides is a classic hip-hop record. It is diverse and politically driven; the bar was set high for the next millennium of hip-hop.

Trial Track: “You’re Not As Young”

Trial Track: “All or Nothing”

8.5/10

Trial Track: “Hell Hey Hex”

7.5/10

-Mathieu Barrot

- Sarah McMahon-Sperber

6.0/10

- Olivia Dumas

Trial Track: “Hip Hop”

- Colin Harris

IN-DEPTH

The Kings of Leon say goodbye to the dusty roads of Alabama

The Southern rockers lose some, but might win some in the long term

Back in 2003, the Kings of Leon were a gritty southern rock band. They had gained the attention of the rest of the world – principally in the U.K. – but at home in North America they were barely a blip on the cultural radar.

Then they began to shed their “down south” sound for a more arena-rock vibe. With every new album, the guitars became clearer and the boys’ hair became (somewhat) shorter.

Sufficient to say, when Only by the Night hit the record store shelves in 2008, America ate it up. Before long, lead singer Caleb Followill’s lamenting howl was being heard on radio

Cora Ballou Assistant music editor Kings of Leon- Come Around Sundown (Avatar Records ; 2010)

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stations everywhere. Now, two years down the line, one can only imagine the kind of emotions that are swirling around the release of their newest LP Come Around Sundown.

If Followill’s recent comments – namely calling their breakout hit Sex on Fire a “piece of shit” and declaring “We know you’re sick of the Kings of Leon. We’re sick of the Kings of Leon too,” – are any indicator, pressure is running high. Which is no surprise, considering their previous album sold 6.2 million copies. But perhaps one shouldn’t take Followill’s comments too much to heart; Come Around Sundown should be taken with a grain of salt.

Upon first listen it is easy to see a band on the break of decay. Yet upon closer inspection the opposite becomes apparent. This is not a band about to break up, but an – albeit tentative – step in a new and exciting direction.

That being said, it would be a lie to say that the album doesn’t simply reflect a band in limbo. Marked by the same slick production that made Only by the Night famous, the sound of this newest release displays signs of an inner struggle. These battle scars can be felt in the uneasiness of certain tracks.

“Mary” feels like an attempt at their classic southern sound heard through the ears of a California producer. “The Immortals” displays exciting signs of freshness, yet quickly falls back into their arena rock comfort zone. But simply writing off Come Around Sundown would be unfair. One cannot fault the Kings for wanting to appeal to the mainstream.

Considering their past efforts, it would be hasty to abandon this once-promising band, because this record does show signs of life.

“Pyro” is a beautifully-layered track with a dark, haunting appeal. “Pony Up” opens with

a booming bass line which is then coupled with a dancy percussive riff, with pleasing results. As a whole, Come Around Sundown is not the Kings of Leon’s best effort but it does show signs of moving in the right direction.

What is certain is that these Southern rockers are no longer the rowdy boys they once were. As Followill sings, “Everything I cherish is either slowly dying or is gone.” This is a mourning album for what once was but can never be again. It is now time to move on, fans included. Even if this means short hair and a healthy dose of reverb.

Trial Track: “Pyro”

THE VERDICT:

7.5/10

sports

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

17

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com

To Windsor to win it BASEBALL

Concordia defeats McGill in conference final; earns a spot in national championships Kamila Hinkson Sports editor

Two errors in the bottom of the second inning were all it took to send Concordia to the Nationals Sunday afternoon.

Marc-André Fleury reached first base after being hit by a pitch.

A bad throw by McGill’s pitcher Conrad Hall, who was trying to pick him off at first, advanced Fleury to second base.

Robin Fox-Pappas, the next batter for Concordia, laid down a beautiful bunt that McGill’s catcher Daniel Porter couldn’t get his hands on.

Fox-Pappas was safe at first, Fleury was on third.

Marshall Johnston came up for the Stingers and hit a grounder right up the middle. But McGill’s shortstop Alexander Day grabbed it and decided to go for the double play at second, then first.

Fleury scored on the play. The score was 1-0, Concordia.

That run held up until the end for the Stingers, who took the conference final series two games to one and will play to defend their title this weekend at the National championships in Windsor, Ontario.

The Stingers only registered one hit in the entire game, while McGill had five. Tight field-

ing and nine strikeouts by rookie pitcher André Lagarde, kept the game within reach for the Stingers.

“They shut us down. […] To McGill’s credit, don’t forget they were 13-3 this year, first place, they didn’t get there because they bought their way there. They’re a good team and we beat a very very good team out there,” said head coach Howie Schwartz after the game.

Lagarde was pulled in favour of Braden Simpson in the seventh inning, but was satisfied with his performance.

“In a game like that, I gave it my all. That’s about all I can ask for. […] I started off a bit shaky, but I mean, once I started throwing strikes… I don’t know, them yelling at me kind of pumped me up, so I guess it was basically a motivator.”

The Stingers forced game three after the two teams split the first two games on Saturday afternoon.

McGill took game one 5-4. Concordia opened the scoring in the first inning when Marco Masciotra came in on a hit by Emilio Pampena.

But the Redmen scored the next four runs. In the bottom of the third, a line drive hit by Day almost collided with teammate Edward Davis, who was running to third base. He jumped to avoid the ball, but was right in front of Masciotra, who was playing shortstop. He didn’t have enough time to react and the hit scored two runs for McGill.

Stingers pitcher Medhi Djebbar started the game, and though he was very effective against McGill when they met in the regular season, he “just didn’t have it,” said coach Schwartz.

“He had an off day. He couldn’t find the strike zone, his pitches, his delivery, his mechanics were way out of whack, and he was just struggling all day.”

The Stingers fought back and tied the game in the top of the fifth, when Pampena scored on a

Emilio Pampena slides into home plate to tie the game against McGill Saturday afternoon.

Photo by Sarah Deshaies sacrifice fly by Fleury after having hit a double to get on base.

But McGill scored what proved to be the winning run in the sixth, after Day hit a long ball to deep centre field for a triple, and scored on a single by Casey Auerbach.

Concordia took game two 11-1, taking advantage of McGill’s frustration over what they thought were missed calls by the umpires. The Redmen couldn’t seem to get anyone out on the basepaths – the Stingers finished the game with nine stolen bases.

Pampena, Lagarde and Jason Katz all went 2-for-4, with four, two and two RBI, respectively.

Defending their title this weekend won’t be

easy. The Durham Lords and the St. Clair Saints will represent the Ontario conference. The Lords finished first in their conference, and went 16-0 this season. The Saints are the host team, and automatically receive a berth to Nationals despite finishing at the bottom of the standings. The Cape Breton Capers finished first in the Atlantic conference, posting a 10-4 record. The Stingers regular season record this year is 11-5.

The Stingers will leave Thursday for Windsor. The Nationals start this Friday, Oct. 22, and will wrap up Sunday.

SOCCER

Concordia women s soccer team falls to third-place Laval Two disallowed goals sink Stingers’ chances Hiba Zayadin Contributor Concordia’s womens’ soccer team put up a solid performance Sunday afternoon, but lost 3-1 to the Laval Rouge et Or. Laval gained possession of the ball during the first few minutes of the game, but the Stingers were still able to exert some pressure.

The first half of the game ended at 2-0 for Laval as they scored once on a penalty shot and again from around 35 yards from the goal.

The second half of the game proved tough for the Stingers, as they seemed to have lost focus and the team was unable to shake off their frustration over lost opportunities.

Midway through the second half, Concordia forward Sarah Burge found herself in a one on one position against Laval’s goalkeeper and sent the ball straight into the net.

Cheers erupted from a few corners of

Scoreboard Cross country - in Sherbrooke Team results Men 4th, Women 6th

Men’s basketball - @ Wilfrid Laurier Tournament Concordia - 76 Laurier - 72

the sparsely filled stadium as the wind raged throughout the game. The wind made it harder for the players to gain control of the ball, and for fans to watch the game.

With eight minutes left until the final whistle, Laval’s Genevieve Prince kicked the ball right into the bottom right corner of Concordia’s net, sealing the score at 3-1.

“We’re seeing progress, we’re seeing better decision-making, it’s just a matter of when they (Laval) have opportunities they take advantage of them, when we get opportunities we don’t, so that’s what cost us in this game,” said the Stingers’ head coach Jorge Sanchez.

Concordia’s goalkeeper Andrea Davidson’s talents shone through in this game, as she blocked three attacks during the second half, saving the Stingers from a different end to the game.

Unfortunately, the team’s overall efforts were not paying off. “I think our team is better than our records and our results show,” said Sanchez, convinced that they deserved better.

The Stingers entered the game coming off a 2-0 loss at home to Sherbrooke in the windy and rainy conditions from Friday night.

Davidson made 14 stops in the game, while the Stingers could only muster three shots on net against the Vert et Or. Finals Concordia - 81 McMaster - 71 Men’s rugby - @ Sherbrooke Concordia - 22 Sherbrooke - 5 Women’s rugby - @ McGill

Defender Allison Burgess takes on a member of the Rouge-et-Or. Photo by Clovis-Alexandre Desvarieux The next game will take place Friday, With the loss, the Stingers now sit in sixth Oct. 22 against the second-place Universite de place with four games to go in the regular Montreal. season.

Concordia - 30 McGill - 20 Men’s soccer - vs. Sherbrooke Concordia - 3 Sherbrooke - 1 Women’s soccer - vs. Sherbrooke Sherbrooke - 2 Concordia - 0

Men’s hockey - @ Carleton Carleton - 4 Concordia - 3 Women’s hockey - @ Montreal Concordia - 3 (SO) Montreal - 2 vs. Ottawa Concordia - 5

18

theconcordian

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

HOCKEY

Photo by Clovis-Alexandre Desvarieux

Victorious homecoming for the Stingers men s hockey team Concordia downs Ottawa 6-3 Christopher Palma Alfaro Staff Writer The Stingers secured their first home game this season with a convincing 6-3 win against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Sunday afternoon.

The game was played at a high level of intensity, which led to some rough play from both teams they combined for 112 penalty minutes, handed out on 25 infractions.

A good portion of these penalties came with 4:36 left to the game when Concordia’s Corey Garland hit Ottawa’s Gabriel Houde near the boards. A fight between the two ensued.

Both received five minutes for fighting and 10 minutes for game misconducts, Houde also got two roughing penalties and Garland a boarding one. Stingers’ Alexis Piette and Gee-Gees’ Scott Ashton also received 10 minutes and game misconducts.

Besides the penalties, the match also gave place to skilled play. The first period saw Concordia having the more dangerous opportunities.

Concordia opened the scoring at 16:31 on a two on one offensive rush. Concordia’s Eric Begin passed to a streaking Kiefer Orsini who redirected the puck behind the Ottawa goaltender. A powerplay goal by Ottawa’s Matthieu Methot with 46 second left in the first evened the score at one.

In the second period, Ottawa took two early penalties, putting Concordia on a five-on-three power play. At 3:14, Concordia took advantage of the situation; Marc-Andre Element was able

FOOTBALL

Stingers lose a heartbreaker in double overtime Despite a 22-point fourth quarter, the team comes up three points short Stefano Mocella Staff writer The Concordia Stingers’ late rally was cut short in Sherbrooke this past weekend. The Stingers overcame a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime, then a second overtime, but a 10-yard run by David Dumas-Goulet of the Vert et Or put the dagger through the Stingers’ hearts, and maybe their playoff hopes.

With the Concordia offence struggling to find any rhythm in the first half, they exploded in the fourth quarter. Slotback Liam Mahoney was the spark as he caught 13 passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns.

Sherbrooke led 18-4 at the half after a puntreturn touchdown by Francis Maheu gave the Vert et Or the big halftime lead. An eventless third quarter flew by and then the fun began.

Terrance Morsink made his sixth straight start as quarterback and overcame some early mistakes to rally his team late in the game.

It started just three minutes into the fourth quarter when Morsink found Mahoney on an 11-yard touchdown pass. The Stingers took just six plays to go 70 yards and got back in the game to bring the score to 19-11. Sherbrooke would answer right back. On their next drive, quarterback J.P Shoiry found Alex Poirier for an 11-yard touchdown pass to restore the 15point lead. All hope seemed to be lost for the Stingers afterward, but the young bumblebees showed veteran-like character in their comeback bid.

With less than five minutes left, Morsink and the Stingers took over at their own 15-yard line. Nine plays later, Morsink connected with

Mahoney for their second touchdown of the day to cut the deficit to eight. With two and a half minutes left, Concordia’s hopes were still very much alive.

Concordia got the ball back quickly and with just 29 seconds left, Morsink again found Mahoney, this time on a 28-yard strike to bring it within two. Needing a two-point conversion for the tie, Morsink again came through with a big play, thanks to a reception by Arian Francois for the convert, sending the game into overtime.

Sherbrooke got the ball first in overtime and Shoiry didn’t waste any time, finding Poirier for his second touchdown reception of the game.

That gave Sherbrooke the first lead of the minigame.

Concordia answered right back, with a more methodical approach, going the 35 yards to the endzone in seven plays. From the one, Mahoney went under centre and punched it in for the tying score.

The Stingers would get the ball first in the second overtime, but had to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Rene Paredes. The Stingers needed a defensive stand to get the win, or at least force a field goal, but could not get it. The Vert et Or would score again on their fifth play, with Dumas-Goulet’s winning touchdown.

Morsink threw for a season-high 451 yards, going 39-of-59, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Morsink has shown some great signs for the future; taking your team back from 15 points down takes a lot of character, especially late in the game. His inexperience has shown at times this season, but he has done all you can ask of a young backup.

Concordia’s playoff hopes are now in severe jeopardy. The Stingers will play their last two games at Montréal, then at home against Laval.

Both teams are ranked in Canada’s top 10, with Laval at number one and Montréal at number seven. It will take a valiant effort for the 3-4 Stingers to squeak into the post season.

The Stingers are at the Montréal Carabins this week, Friday night at 7 p.m. at CEPSUM.

to take the puck in a scrum in front of the net and put it in. At 4:59, on a three on one rush, the Stingers’ Derek Famulare deferred to a trailing Orsini who tallied his second goal of the game with a top-shelf shot making it 3-1 for the Maroon and Gold. Concordia dominated the second period. Methot scored again in the late part of the period to cut Concordia’s lead to one going into the final period.

The first five minutes of the third period did not see either team take the upper hand. Concordia goaltender Maxime Joyal, who received 30 shots, made several critical saves but none bigger than the theft he committed against Methot.

Joyal dove to his left to stop what would have been a sure goal and protected Concordia’s lead.

Right after this play, the Stingers’ George Lovatsis found the puck in the neutral zone, skated into Ottawa territory, got to the high slot and fired a

wrist shot that sailed, pad side, behind the goal line.

Ottawa was, again, able to bring the difference back to one on a shorthanded breakaway

by Sean Smyth. However, Concordia responded quickly due to Ottawa’s indiscipline. With 7:51 left in the game, on a five-on-three power play, Lovatsis took the rebound of Orsini’s shot and propelled Concordia up 5-3. Derek Famulare added the assurance goal with a little more than five minutes left to make it 6-3.

Stingers’ head coach Kevin Figsby said that it was “important to rebound” after a controversial loss and that his team “dominated the play.”

Concordia’s record for the season is 3-1; they are currently second in their division tied with two other teams and two points out of first place.

The Stingers hit the ice again Oct. 21 at home against the Nipissing Lakers at 7:30 p.m.

HOCKEY

Goaltender shines in home-opener Audrey DoyonLessard makes 41 saves as the Stingers defeat Ottawa Simon Tousignant Contributor The Lady Bees stand in first place of the Quebec conference after winning their home opener 5-1 against the Ottawa Gee-Gees Saturday afternoon at Ed Meagher arena.

After winning their second game of the season 3-2 in a shootout Friday night against the Universite de Montreal Carabins with the help of goals by Jaymee Shell and Erin Lally, the Stingers breezed past the Gee-Gees to score an important win.

In what was a confidence-building game, Concordia dominated the special teams battle, going 3-for-6 on the powerplay while being a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. The Stingers moved the puck well and took advantage of the Gee-Gees’ defensive woes.

The first period was scoreless as both teams tried to avoid mistakes. Ottawa had the best chances, but Stingers goaltender Audrey DoyonLessard stood strong, notably stopping Gee-Gees centre Kayla Hottot on a breakaway seven minutes into the game.

Concordia had two powerplay opportunities in the first, but could not score. Ottawa worked very well on the penalty kill, effectively blocking passing lanes and allowing very little shots to get through to goaltender Stephanie Auger.

Concordia took the lead early in the second period when freshman Alyssa Sherrard took advantage of a scrum in front of the net to push the puck past the Gee-Gees’ goaltender. Moira Frier and Catherine Rancourt were awarded assists on the powerplay tally. The rest of the second period saw the two teams alternate powerplays.

The Stingers were stellar on the penalty kill,

constantly winning battles against the boards and clogging their blue line, making zone entry very difficult for Ottawa.

Stingers goaltender Doyon-Lessard kept up the great play, making 12 saves in each of the first two periods.

The Gee-Gees tied the game only 22 seconds into the third. Hottot fooled a Concordia defender before blasting a shot above the goaltender’s right shoulder after a perfect pass from forward Blair Kitlar.

Ottawa maintained the pressure for the period’s first five minutes, only to watch Audrey Doyon-Lessard save every puck they shot at her.

The Gee-Gees had a chance to take the lead when the Stingers’ sophomore defenceman Mary-Jane Roper was sent to the penalty box for tripping. However, centre Mallory Lawton took matters in her own hands. She cut a pass at the Stingers’ blue line and went on a breakaway, beating Ottawa goaltender Auger with an excellent backhand shot for the shorthanded marker.

Concordia never looked back, adding goals

by Hayley Boyd, Catherine Rancourt and Erin Lally, the last two coming on the powerplay.

Emilie Bocchia had an assist on Lally’s fourth of the season, sending a sharp cross-crease pass to her teammate for the goal with just under four minutes remaining in the game.

Doyon-Lessard had 41 saves in the win and was named the game’s first star. The second star, Mallory Lawton, noted that the goaltender “always made the first save,” which gave them a chance to win.

One dark spot for the Stingers was the injury to sophomore Alessandra D’Ambrosio. The winger left the game halfway through the third period after a body check by the Gee-Gees’ Amber Foster who was penalized on the play.

Stingers coach Les Lawton was pleased with the way his team played. “We stuck to our game plan, got-in-their-face style of hockey and outworked the opposition in a number of areas on the ice.”

The Stingers now hold a two-point lead over Carleton and McGill, although both teams have two games in hand.

The Lady Bees play their next game at Carleton this Oct. 23; the puck drops at 7 p.m.

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com SOCCER

RUGBY

Men’s soccer winning streak broken at two Stingers fall to topranked team Hiba Zayadin Contributor Concordia’s men’s soccer players received a blow to their confidence on Sunday as they lost 3-0 to Laval’s team at the Concordia Stadium.

They went into the game with high spirits and great energy but they couldn’t break Laval’s focus. The opposing team gained early possession of the ball and kept constant pressure on Concordia’s defence.

Fouls marred the proceedings of the game during the first half as the physical nature of the competition escalated.

Both Stingers’ forward Alfred Moody and midfielder Peter Bow were handed yellow cards.

Despite Laval’s relentless attacks, Concordia’s team remained calm and played well. “We’re coming off a two-game winning streak, so we still felt fairly confident,” said Stingers captain David Cerasuolo.

Nonetheless, they were playing against a respectable opponent. Laval is the top team in

Photo by Clovis-Alexandre Desvarieux

Stingers forward Karim Haroun kicks the ball downfield.

19

the country.

Thirty minutes into the first half, the Stingers showed their great passing skills as they made many accurate, clean passes. Unfortunately, they couldn’t convert them into a goal.

A few minutes later, the Stingers gained possession of the ball again and attacked. However, they were once again unable to firmly control the ball at Laval’s goal.

In the last few minutes of the first half, when the crowd began to get fidgety, waiting for a goal, the other team delivered.

Laval midfielder Julien Priol sent the ball soaring into the Concordia net, shocking the Stingers into wakefulness.

The second half of the game wasn’t eventful until 35 minutes before the end. Laval forward Gabriel Moreau sprang towards the net and kicked the ball past Concordia’s goalkeeper.

The Stingers began clambering to retain some control of the pitch, but Laval widened the gap even further with a third and final goal.

Desperation slowly started to mark the Stingers’ performance.

In some cases, the pressure brought out the players’ skills. The game was 20 minutes away from ending when forward Matthijs Eppinga sprinted towards Laval’s goal in a very promising attack. Members of the audience were on the edge of their seats, expecting a goal, only to sit back in disappointment. His shot missed the net.

“We could have gotten a better result today, if we had just played better,” remarked Cerasuolo.

But the rest of the game wasn’t all about missed chances. The audience got themselves a dose of action when Concordia’s goalkeeper, in a lunge at the ball, crashed into a Laval player in mid-air. The player was slightly injured and the game in a state of momentary confusion.

Soon after, the referee’s whistle signaled the end of the game and of any minimal chances Concordia had at evening the score.

“We have the chance to get to the playoffs, but we don’t have enough leeway to drop that many points and still make the playoffs,” said Cerasuolo as he was leaving the pitch.

The perfect season Women’s rugby remains undefeated throughout entire season Kelly Greig Staff writer It was a win 16 years in the making. For the first time since 1994, Concordia’s women’s rugby team has gone undefeated in the regular season.

They won their last match of the year against the McGill Martlets 30-20 on Sunday at McEwen Field.

In the grand scheme of things, this game didn’t really matter. The standings and the semifinal schedule was already determined for Concordia. What was at stake was bragging rights.

“Any time you play McGill it matters,” said head coach Graeme McGravie. “Let’s be honest here, Laval is the new rivalry, for sure, but when you go to Concordia it’s always McGill, when you go to McGill it’s always Concordia.”

In recent years, the Stingers have been living in the shadow of the Laval Rouge et Or. Last year they defeated their archrivals in a doubleovertime thriller to go onto Nationals. Since then, they have been focused on proving why they

deserve to be champions.

“We are undefeated. Every year it’s always Laval but this year was our year. We’re the team to beat,” said veteran forward Adara Borys, “Just because we’re the team to beat doesn’t mean you’re going to beat us.”

That’s exactly the point the Stingers made against the Martlets. Concordia’s forward pack has dominated all season. They showed their strength this game by bowling McGill over in rucks and mauls and leading directly to the Stingers’ first two trys. Borys scored the first in the corner off a scrum and, after pushing a ruck into the try zone, scrum half Jessie Lapointe touched the ball down.

The Stingers’ first half scoring was rounded out by third-year flyhalf Erika Hamilton who found a hole in the defence along the sidelines and dove into the corner.

Early in the second half Borys notched her second try of the day. “There aren’t many opportunities to score as a flanker and so when I see a hole I take it,” she said. Concordia’s leading scorer Jackie Tittley added 10 points to her 60point season to give the Stingers the win.

Concordia truly dominated the league this year. They scored a whopping 198 points over the season, 59 more than second-place Laval. On defence they only allowed 23 points against and have a plus/minus of 175.

The semi-final game will be played on home soil on Sunday at 3 p.m. against either McGill or Ottawa.

The Stingers’ next game will be against the Université de Montréal on Friday, Oct. 22 at the Concordia stadium.

Concordia’s forwards line up for a line out in the 30-20 win over McGill.

Photo by Dale Hamilton

editorial 20

POLITICS

Smile: we want you on camera, CSU councillors CSU needs to buck up and let cameras in Last week, an old debate was reopened at Concordia Student Union council with the voting down of a motion to have allow CUTV to film council meetings and post the results online. It’s an age-old question at this point: to film or not to film council meetings?

While the motion was defeated, the cameras were allowed to stay for the rest of the meeting. At Concordia, the issue of filming council meetings has been on the table for around 10 years. Some years, councils have voted to require filming, others have voted to ban cameras from their meetings, and some years the issue hasn’t come up.

Many councillors present at Wednesday’s meeting seemed highly reluctant and indignant at having to have a cameraman record the meeting.

Their reactions boggle the mind, since as elected representatives of a 30,000+ student body, they should be in favour of making their meetings accessible and their actions accountable to their constituents.

What are these 30-odd people so scared about? That concerned students will see how they voted in meetings? That we’ll see them on Facebook instead of paying attention?

That we’ll see them coming in two hours late, or leaving three hours early? Several of councillors and executive members seemed downright shaken by the mere suggestion.

It’s not like the CSU doesn’t want to work

with CUTV. As president Heather Lucas put in her own president’s report, which followed soon after, the previous week’s CSU town hall meeting went well and the CSU will be posting the footage from the event on their website -- as soon as they retrieve the footage from CUTV. Councillor Aaron Green was extremely hesitant, citing concern that posting whole sessions of the meeting online will encourage student apathy and discourage students from actually showing up to meetings. This whole argument is, in a word, bogus. For one, CSU meeting rooms can barely accommodate the 30 to 40 councillors, executive, chair, secretary, and members of the press, which averages 30 to 40 individuals. And, most students do not show up these meetings anyway. So, the question is moot. Why don’t we make it easier for students to watch their elected representatives deliberate in the comfort of their own home?

The moment these councillors signed their names on the line of their candidacy forms and their faces started appearing on posters all over campus last spring, they had given up a certain measure to privacy.

If you want to get involved and represent your fellow stu-

dents’ interests, in addition to getting perks like free dinner once a month, a Le Gym membership and tickets to CSU speaker series, realize you are now living in the public eye. Any councillor’s actions can be scrutinized by the press and fellow students to make sure they are showing up to meetings, making intelligent comments and generally doing their job.

And it’s not like these meetings are not recorded. They are open to undergraduates

and they’re reported on by the student press, who take notes, audiorecordings and tweet the outcome of meetings.

Few schools seem to film their student meetings, but Concordia is not alone. A number of American universities do so.

Across Canada, many student unions permit audiorecordings and liveblogging. At the University of Victoria, filming is permitting and at the University of British Columbia, meetings are livestreamed.

A lot of the students getting involved with student governance no doubt aspire to higher office after their university careers are over. What a surprise, then, it will be when they show up to their municipal meetings, Nationly Assembly and parliament sessions and committees, only to see that those are recorded. Heck, there’s even a whole television channel devoted to the daily inanities of parliament. And even the most camera-shy forum, Montreal City Hall, started recently filming part of their meetings. The National Assembly livestreams every committee meeting and every assembly session.

With low voter turnout in student elections and few students showing up at these meetings, student unions should be reaching out to students, letting them know what is actually going on at their meetings, beyond the coverage provided by student newspapers.

Let CUTV film you and post the unedited, ‘uneditorialized’ content online.

Take a page from the grownup politicians, and get your camera faces on.

LETTERS

Concordia professor suspended for what President Woodsworth called “serious threats” As a former student of Dr. Vesselin Petkov’s, I was deeply disappointed to read about his recent suspension in last week’s issue of the Concordian. Last year, I was lucky enough to have been enrolled in Dr. Petkov’s course The Sciences and Society. This course, and its counterpart in the philosophy department, are basic introductions to some of the most important scientific developments in history, especially Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Coming into the course, I had little background in the subject. I found Dr. Petkov’s course by far the most eye-opening and important class I have ever taken at Concordia.

Unfortunately, the future of this course is now uncertain.

An accomplished and qualified mathematician, Professor Petkov designed the course from the ground up and wrote the textbook. For this reason, it’s safe to say there is no other professor at Concordia qualified to teach his class.

Petkov’s suspension is a potentially huge loss for students studying with him this semester, and for Concordia as an academic institution.

Yet the real story behind his suspension remains unclear. The article in last week’s Concordian, as well as a recent CTV news report, focused on Petkov’s correspondence with the administration referencing shooter Valery Fabrikant.

But both last week’s article and CTV’s coverage neglected to investigate the context of these remarks, and instead focused on the all-too-obvious implication that Petkov is another potential Fabrikant.

With Montrealers still stinging from the recent shootings at Dawson College, the professor is effectively demonized.

Petkov claims this controversy is only the most recent manifestation of a prolonged campaign of academic mobbing. But why is he the target of such a campaign? More information needs to be made public in order to determine if there is any truth to Petkov’s allegation of academic mobbing or the department’s claim that Petkov’s references were actually threatening. The relevant correspondence should be published alongside Petkov’s explanation for the philosophy department’s motive for academic mobbing. Only then will we have a clear view of the issue.

Ironically, one of Dr. Petkov’s key lessons in the history of science is that the academic world is always resistant to new and radical ideas, a lesson that may prove to be tragically prescient.

Joseph Cornfield Liberal arts

Video game music: more than just bleeping and blooping Dear the Concordian, I have to take a strong stance against Lana Polansky’s article, “Video game music: more than just bleeping and blooping,” from last week, which incorrectly identified the game title in which the Nintendo character Link utilizes a pan flute.

The offending photo caption, “Link harnesses the power of the pan flute in LoZ: Wind Waker,” incorrectly refers to the adventure in which Link used a baton to control the direction of the wind, as well as to control strong gales to propel him to other areas of the map.

Link, in fact, used a pan flute in the recently

released The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the Nintendo DS, which can be played by blowing into the console’s internal microphone to simulate a real pan flute.

I would, however, like to commend Ms. Polansky for her reference to Koji Kondo, the original composer for The Legend of Zelda, in which Link utilizes a magic recorder — which is often incorrectly referred to as a flute — to summon tornadoes to transport him to nearby dungeons, and which was integral to defeating Digdogger in Level Five: Lizard Labyrinth.

Christopher Olson English literature

Current medial marijuana regulations discriminate against non-smokers There are a number of inaccuracies in this article, but it is understandable considering how much of a fiasco the situation really is.

Medical Marijuana Alliance and Resources members can melt their pot into food, like into baked goods, coconut oil, olive oil, etc. At least that is what I was told on the phone by a Health Canada official. We cannot, however, make tinctures, as that is considered a concentrated form of cannabis.

The absurdity continues: We cannot sift the tricromes off to make “hash” - which is safer to smoke - because it is considered a concentrated form of cannabis. We can, however, use a vaporizer, which eliminates the dangers associated with smoking.

MMAR regulations themselves have been ruled unconstitutional four times, and since the regulations were never entrenched in law, they are really nothing more than arbitrary rules. As such, the participants in the MMAR program are -- technically -- under no legal obligation to adhere to these regulations, nor do the police, government, or judiciary have any legal jurisdiction to enforce them. The reason is, they didn’t amend the legislation to accommodate these regulations.

“If we accept that medical marijuana is an effective pain-relieving medication,” Health Canada does not recognize the medical efficacy of cannabis at ALL. Their official position is that pot is dangerous and hasn’t been tested enough to be used as a standardized medicine - which is not even close to true as there have been over 20,000 studies done. The reason the government even has the program is because they were forced to do it by the court rulings. “...then I see no difference in allowing the distributors to cook it, blend it, or process it in whichever way to ensure that people who cannot smoke are offered an alternative form of the substance.” The government -- after being lobbied by police -- regard this activity as concentrating the medicine. To the cops, anything other than dried bud is the same as opium or cocaine or meth.

If “The focus is on the well-being of those who are suffering from pain caused by illness, accidents or other causes”, then legalization is necessary. Keeping pot illegal merely subsidizes gangsters and cops. It is outrageously counterproductive -- more so than any other government policy on the books.

Russell Barth Federally-licensed medical marijuana user Drug reform analyst and consultant Educators for Sensible Drug Policy

opinions:

21

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com

POLITICS

Terrorist guide just a ploy to instill fear in westerners

Canadians and Americans should not let fear control their actions

and escaped to Yemen. That means that currently residing in America, and who knows where else, are Al Qai’da sympathizers who have not yet defected. They are instead living quiet and apparently normal lives until they decide to put into practice one of the chapters of Inspire.

Does that make you nervous?

Well, that’s the point. It doesn’t matter if no one at all attempts an individual act of terror because the fear has already been spread to anyone who has heard about the “Guide”.

After 9/11, tensions between socalled “red-blooded Americans” and anyone who looked Middle Eastern were extremely high. The point of the “Guide” is to further these tensions and divide westerners creating distrust and fear, eventually leading to chaos.

The point is that the “Guide” isn’t about inspiring individuals to commit acts of terror against members of their community. It’s about spreading fear and hostility on a national scale and dividing nations into factions who hate one another. The ensuing chaos is exactly the goal of terrorism: no order, no control, no peace and no trust, only fear and hatred. If it’s successful the “Guide” will have accomplished what the terror spectaculars never did: a divided and chaotic western world.

So back to my question: what does this mean? What do you do?

The answer: don’t do anything.

Go about your day, be friendly, and don’t let fear control your actions.

Jacob Roberts Staff writer There was an article in the Gazette recently about the online magazine Inspire, an English magazine that was started by Americans who have defected to Al Qae’da’s base in Yemen.

The latest 74-page edition is entitled “How to Kill Americans: the Guide” and features a foreword by Osama bin Laden, who encourages readers to kill as many Americans and westerners as they can. Specific methods and procedures are outlined the magazine’s in subsequent articles.

The article suggests that Al Qai’da is moving away from “terror spectaculars” which are easier to detect by intelligence agencies.

Individual acts of terror would be almost impossible to foresee, especially considering that the only contact between Al Qai’da and the individual terrorist would be an online magazine that is open for public viewing.

So what does this mean? Should we all be scared, stock up on provisions and ammunition, quit our jobs and lock the doors? No, because that is the exact intention of terrorism: to instill fear.

First let’s deal with the theory that this indicates a move away from large scale terrorism. It doesn’t. An organization as large and well-funded as Al Qai’da is not going to give up on “terror spectaculars.”

Consider instead that these spectaculars are a “phase one” of acts of terror. They’re big, they attract global attention and they’re scary. The message that’s being sent is that this could happen anywhere and anytime.

So now, citizens of western countries are afraid of terrorists bombing planes, buildings, metros, etc. “Phase two” would be to make everyone afraid of everyone.

Here’s what we know: an unknown number of Americans have defected to Al Qai’da

GAY RIGHTS

Acceptance of gays starts early and in the home Recent hate crimes show lack of empathy Owen Nagels Assistant opinions editor

There seems to be several people out there lately who have been perpetuating intense hate towards gays. Carl Paladino, a republican running for governor of New York, has publicly said that he found gay behaviour “disgusting,” and that he didn’t march in the gay pride parade because “that’s not the example we should be showing our children.”

He also said “there is nothing to be proud of in being a dysfunctional homosexual.”

Considering this man has a 10-year-old daughter from an extramarital affair, Paladino is certainly no one to be setting an example of what is functional and what is dysfunctional. We can ignore him all we want, but

people like him are continuously given a platform to say hateful things, and this encourages others to do the same. Lately, however, the problem has become much bigger than just some politician running his mouth off.

In Canada, even though same-sex marriage has been officially recognized since 2005, hate crimes against gays have doubled from 2007 to 2008. They account for 15 per cent of all discrimination cases, with 85 per cent committed towards men, and three-quarters of them being violent attacks.

A large amount of these cases are coming from high schools. Imagine what it’s like getting shoved onto the lockers on a daily basis, or being called a faggot every time you walk down the hallway to your next class. How about being too afraid to leave the school because some bullies said they’d follow you and beat the crap out of you? For a teenager growing up gay, life is already extremely hard and confusing. Throw in the torments high school already brings, and life becomes unbearable.

In just over a month, there have been no less that six suicides of teenage boys because of bullying. The latest, a young man named Tyler Clemeti, jumped off the George Washington bridge after his roommate broadcasted

Clementi’s sexual encounter with another man on the Internet.

With everything that led up to Clementi’s death, people have been realizing this really is a growing problem and something needs to be done about it. Vigils have been held across North America in Clementi’s memory.

“

Imagine what it’s like getting shoved onto the lockers on a daily basis, or being called a faggot every time you walk down the hallway to your next class.

Dan Savage, a gay love columnist, has started the “it gets better” campaign to relay messages of hope from celebrities and everyday people alike.

Joel Burns, an openly gay member of the Fort Worth, Texas city council, gave a speech regarding the devastating hike in teenage suicide, and he had some good advice. He

said “I know that the people in your household, or the people in your school, may not understand you, and they may physically harm you. But I want you to know that it gets better.”

There are a number of things you can do to help the cause. You can write a letter to Parliament encouraging them to increase funding to causes that help reduce hate crimes against gays. Urge them to speak out for harsher punishments towards people who commit hate crimes, especially in high schools.

The biggest impact you can have starts at home. The words we choose to say have an effect on the people around us. It’s not OK to use the word gay when really you mean dumb or stupid, or use it to laugh at, or dismiss someone. Teach your children and younger siblings that everyone is different in some way or another. Tell your friends not to discriminate against someone for being who they are. Perhaps if everyone makes an extra effort and speaks out against hate, people like Tyler Clementi and the five other teenagers that tragically took their own lives will no longer be driven to suicide.

theconcordian

Concordia’s weekly, independent student newspaper.

Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010 Volume 28 Issue 8 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 OPEN Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com Shannon H. Myers 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 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, Morgan Lowrie, Cynthia Dupuis, Felicia Di Palma, Kimberly Lamontagne, Marissa Miller, Lindsay Sykes, Katelyn Spidle, Valerie Cardinal, Hannah Jung, Mathieu Barrot, Sarah McMahon-Sperber, Olivia Dumas, Colin Harris, Simon Tousignant, Stefano Mocella, Hiba Zayadin, Christopher Palma Alfaro, Kelly Greig, Jacob Roberts, Alex Woznica, Eva Kratochvil, Anthony Tony, Clovis-Alexandre Desvarieux, Camille Nerant, Cindy Lopez, Michel Boyer, Nazli Bozoglu, Dale Hamilton

CAMPUS

theconcordian

Palestinian rights group in the wrong According to CSU, Wiesel event will not address Middle East conflicts Alex Woznica Staff writer Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel is set to speak at Concordia this week.

While any occasion on which such a distinguished person comes to speak at Concordia is certainly of note, Wiesel’s visit to Concordia involves a special amount of symbolism.

Following the protests preceding the eventually-canceled speech by Benjamin Netenyahu at Concordia in 2002, Wiesel publicly referred to Concordia’s student union as anti-Semitic.

Considering that the talk he is scheduled to give is being held by the CSU, his visit is quite likely symbolic of an attempt by the CSU to mend fences with certain groups both within and outside of Concordia’s student body.

Unfortunately, not everyone at Concordia looks at Wiesel’s visit to Concordia in the same positive light. A Concordia group, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights Concordia, recently issued a statement describing Wiesel’s visit as a “partisan” event, and describing his views as being “anti-Palestinian.”

The group’s opposition to Wiesel’s visit would be understandable if his talk was going to be on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. But according to the CSU, the talk will be about Wiesel’s life story and will not touch on the situation in the Middle East. As such, one wonders why SPHR is raising objections to Wiesel’s talk when it is apparently going to have nothing to do with the cause with which they are chiefly concerned.

While Wiesel is certainly a supporter of Israel, which is understandable considering his Jewish faith and his time spent in Nazi death camps, he is by no means any sort of right-wing nationalist when it comes to Israel. In the past, he has urged the Israeli government to practice restraint in its dealings with the Palestinians, and has often called for reconciliation between Israel and Palestine.

It is clear that this talk, to be given by a world renowned author and humanist, is among many other issues and events that have been blocked by special interest groups involved in

Flickr

the Palestinian cause. This practice, which such groups seemingly indulge in endlessly, suggests the sort of arrogance and pretentiousness that does not befit a responsible campus-based group.

There are many problems in the world and unfortunately, the problems afflicting the Palestinian people is only one of them.

While certainly a sad situation, it affects a relatively small amount of people in comparison to other world problems, and it is certainly not a very local problem for Canadians or people

living in Quebec. One wonders then, why such groups as SPHR seem to see the whole world in the context of their own special interest.

Elie Wiesel is coming to Concordia to give a speech about his life experiences. If groups such as SPHR cannot stomach a speech at Concordia by a holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prizewinning author, then they should at least kindly avoid exploiting the occasion for the purposes of their own totally unrelated cause.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Etcetera Page

23

Want your quote featured on this page? Overhear something at Concordia that’s just too outrageous not to tell everyone about? Tweet it with the hash tag #ConcordianQOTW or submit your quotes to opinions@ theconcordian.com

Baby gets close with Buzz, the Concordia Stingers mascot at women’s hockey game last Saturday

- “If I’m a freed Chilean miner I right away falsely claim we ate a dude down there for the media attention then do Dancing With Stars.” - Adam McKay (@GhostPanther) - “The new Jackass movie is coming out but I think I’ll wait for the novelization.” - Peter Serafinowicz (@serafinowicz) - “Next year’s “Survivor” is going to be set inside that Chilean mine.” - Rainn Wilson (@rainnwilson)

Photo by Anthony Tony

Word on campus Compiled by Eva Kratochvil

Q. What do you do to relieve stress during midterms?

Gabrielle Gagne-Cyr - second-year communication studies “I tend to just stop sometimes, just think about a whole bunch of stuff.

Just let go and then I get back to it. I like to take time to just relax by myself. Otherwise I just go on the computer and find a TV show like Grey’s Anatomy and then I go back to it.”

William Atsaidis - first-year political science “I like to sleep and watch TV. Sometimes I like to take time to detach myself from the world and not worry about school work or personal problems, just relax and have fun.”

Eva Drucker - first-year biology “Exercise, for me, is a big thing and then knowing when to take breaks.

Going outside, mostly physical activity helps.”

HOROSCOPES Aries – March 21 to April 20 Take some time this week to slow down and chill out. It’s hard for someone who’s always on the go, but you’re going to have to study for those midterms at some point. Seize the day.

Taurus - April 21 to May 21 Now that the semester is on full force, you’ve had time to settle in and get used to things.

Just take everything as it comes, and don’t start a job you can’t finish. It’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Gemini - May 22 to June 21 We all know you’re smart and you pick up on things really fast, but remember to stay patient in class with people who can’t grasp things quite as quickly as you. We’re all different, after all.

Cancer - June 22 to July 23 Yes, school sucks and you’d rather stay at home and eat. But try to stay focused, set daily goals and the week will be over before

you know it. Treat yourself to something nice, you deserve it.

Leo - July 24 to August 23 A good group of friends will make you want to come to school, but you’re easily distracted.

Remind yourself to stay focused, your education is more important than trying to be the class clown.

Virgo - August 24 to September 23 You love being the one whose work the teacher uses as an example. Stay humble and try not to gloat. Take a break at some point this week. It’ll do your brain and your body good.

Libra - September 24 to October 23 You’re very prone to the arts. Take a break from studying and pick up a guitar or a paint brush. You need to stimulate your senses more than you have been lately. You’re aching to be creative.

Scorpio - October 24 to November 23 You’re very black and white these days.

Either you love school or you hate it. Make sure you balance work and play so you don’t go crazy before the end of the semester. Relax by taking a walk on the pier.

Sagittarius - November 24 to December 21 You’re naturally good at school, which makes it easy for you to stare out the window and daydream. It’s alright to do this once in a while, but don’t let yourself get carried away with your imagination.

Capricorn - December 22 to January 20 You love helping others in your class. Your notes are always helpful, so don’t hesitate to share them with your classmates. It’s a great way to make friends, and you’re creating good karma for yourself.

Aquarius - January 21 to February 19 You’re the person who likes to ask weird questions in class. Try not to waste class time. Instead, make an appointment with your teacher. Your classmates will appreciate you that much more.

Pisces - February 20 to March 20 Don’t let people take advantage of your good intentions. You’re a nice person, and you love to help others, but you need to focus on yourself a little more than usual this week. Don’t worry, people will still like you.

You share a birthday with...

Oct. 19: Ty Pennington, John Lithgow, Jason Reitman Oct. 20: John Krasinski, Snoop Dogg, Viggo Mortensen Oct. 21: Kim Kardashian, Carrie Fisher, Benjamin Netanyahu Oct. 22: Shaggy, Deepak Chopra, Catherine Deneuve Oct. 23: Weird Al Yankovich, Michael Crichton, Pelé Oct. 24: Tila Tequila, Drake, Kevin Kline Oct. 25: Ciara, Katy Perry, Pablo Picasso

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EVENTS AT A GLANCE

TUES 19

+MUSIC +VISUAL ARTS +VISUAL ARTS +THEATRE +THEATRE

Bell Centre Roger Waters w/ David Bazan Cliff Caines, Cheryl Kolak Dudek, Fiona Annis, Matthew Evans Exhibit (ongoing until Nov. 3) FOFA Gallery Donald Browne Gallery Ghost Rocket World Tour Mainline Theatre Possible Worlds The Flood Thereafter Theatre La Chapelle

WED 20

+MUSIC +READING +TALK

Roger Waters w/ David Bazan Bell Centre Co-op Bookstore Local Legends Reading Series: Larissa Andrusyshy Open to Question: Gerald Beasley “The Open Access Initiative at Concordia: What exactly is it?”

Hall H-763

20h00 19h00 12h00

THURS 21

+STINGERS +THEATRE +ART +FOOD!

Men’s Hockey vs Nipissing Madea Stelarc: Lecture and Vernissage International Nacho Day!

Ed Meagher Arena Centaur Theatre CJ 1.419

19h30 20h00 16h30

FRI 22

+STINGERS +STINGERS +STINGERS +STINGERS +STINGERS +MOVIES +TALK

Men’s Football @ Montreal Men’s Basketball @ Laurier (Laurention Tournament) Women’s Basketball @ Carleton (Carleton Tournament) Women’s Soccer vs Montreal Men’s Soccer vs Montreal Premieres: Score: A Hockey Musical, Paranormal Activity 2 Arthur Kroker: “Exits to the Posthuman Future: Bodies and Power”

CEPSUM Ben Avery Gymnasium Carleton University Raven’s Nest) Concordia Stadium Concordia Stadium

19h00 13h30 20h00 18h30

LB-646

14h00

+MUSIC +BOOK LAUNCH

Il Motore Articule

+VERNISSAGE +STINGERS +STINGERS +STINGERS +STINGERS +CONCORDIA

Jason Collet Letters/Lettres Regular 8 and Prothèses Acoustiques Men’s Basketball @ Laurentian (Laurentian Tournament) Men’s Hockey vs Toronto Women’s Basketball vs Memorial (Carleton Tournament) Women’s Hockey @ Carleton Open House!

20h00 19h00 15h00 11h00 14h00 18h00 19h00 10h00

+MUSIC +STINGERS +STINGERS +STINGERS +STINGERS +STINGERS +STINGERS

Two Door Cinema Club Women’s Basketball vs Bishop’s (Carleton Tournament) Women’s Soccer @ UQAM Men’s Soccer @ UQAM Men’s Rugby @ McGill Women’s Rugby (QSSF semi-finals) vs TBA Women’s Hockey @ Ottawa

+MUSIC +CINEMA POLITICA

Dan Mangan w/ Harbourcoats Reel Injun

SAT 23

SUN 24

MON 25

HELP

20h00 11h00-19h00 (ongoing until Nov. 3) (ongoing until Oct. 24) (ongoing until Oct. 23)

Ben Avery Gymnasium Ed Meagher Arena Carleton University Raven’s Nest Carleton University Ice Nest Various Locations

Le National Carleton University Raven’s Nest Centre Claude Robillard

20h30

Centre Claude Robillard Molson Stadium Concordia Stadium Ottawa University Sports Complex

20h00 14h00 15h30 15h30 13h00 15h00 14h00

Sala Rossa H-110

20h00 19h00

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S T N E V E A I D R O C N O C E E E T R F O R M O F O D R E S P I

T R E V D A E M R O A C .

S N G A N I I D T R S I O L ALL EVENTAS TO EVENTS@THECONTCION, AND TIME A E C D I O L R , U T O N Y E D V E F SEN O E M A N T S PLEASE LI