The Concordian - November 24th, 2015

Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper

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VOLUME 33, ISSUE 13 | TUESDAY, NOV. 24, 2015

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@theconcordian

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Mei Ling reaches settlement

News p. 3, Editorial p. 17

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

SPORTS

LIFE

ARTS

MUSIC

Quit texting while driving

Electra opera amazes

The end of a Get Lyrical this holiday season p. 12 Stingers era

p. 6

p. 11

OPINIONS p. 14

Fight racism with acceptance p. 18

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theconcordian

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015 NEWS EDITOR GREGORY TODARO news@theconcordian.com

NEWS CITY GREGORY TODARO News editor

@theconcordian

MEDIA

Freelancing in a world of media cuts

“Media layoff season” opens doors for freelancers

Study: “Collusive” strategies in snow removal business A report on competition in the snow removal business released Monday found that companies use “collusive” strategies. The report was conducted by the city’s inspector general and looked at the period between 2005 and 2015 according to CBC News. Bid-rigging, threats of physical violence and unofficial territory claims were brought up by the around 100 people interviewed, including 60 snow-removal contractors.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre called this report an example of the success in creating the position of inspector general in 2013.

Montreal’s climate change plan The city released its first ever “Global Warming Adaptation Plan” on Monday. The plan, which was signed by all of the island’s boroughs and municipalities, highlights the specific needs of different parts of Montreal according to the Montreal Gazette. The report runs from 2015-2020 and runs parallel to the 2020 greenhouse gas reduction goals set in 2013 to reduce emissions by 30 per cent of 1990 levels. Montreal is already feeling the effects of climate change; over the last 50 years, the snow clearing period in the city dropped from 103 days to 73.

Winter clothes for Syrian refugees Montreal organizations are asking people to donate winter clothing to give to refugees. The Regional Program for the Settlement and Integration of Asylum Seekers and the YMCA are collecting for the next two weeks according to the Montreal Gazette. The Gazette also reports there is a need for coats, sweaters and boots for adults and children.

Donations can be left at the main entrances of the Jewish General Hospital and CLSC Côte-des-Neiges on Dec. 2.

ÉTIENNE LAJOIE Staff writer

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n Nov. 5, Bell Media announced they would cut 380 positions across their channels, from CTV to TSN radio, across the country. A day later, it was TVA Publications’ turn—by putting an end to six magazines they cut 25 jobs.

Widespread cuts in the media world have hit organizations regardless of their growth. For example, the Conde Nast Media Group, a media company publishing magazines such as Vanity Fair, GQ and The New Yorker, announced late in 2013 that they posted “advertising and revenue growth on all platforms in 2013” in a press release. Just about a year later in October 2014, Advertising Age revealed that up to 70 employees would be laid off in the corporate sales department, more specifically at Conde Nast.

Some people refer to this time of the year as the “media layoff season,” including freelancer Noah Davis.

On Sept. 8, Davis published an article in The Awl called, “If You Don’t Click on This Story, I Don’t Get Paid.” In the piece, Davis—who spoke with more than 20 writers, editors and media experts—said “the general consensus is that it’s the best time

since the very early days of the trying to become one. smaller sites at the same time web to make money by writing “There are people that are like The Classical, a sports webonline, and a marked improve- good at it and there are peo- site created by David Roth and ment from even two years ago.” ple that are bad at it,” he add- Tim Marchman who now reDavis explained how print, ed. “Hopefully what happens is spectively work for Vice and which usually pays around $1.50 that people who are good at it Deadspin too. and $2 per word, has “limited” make a living and people that The 32-year-old Brooklyn amount of work. As he puts it in are not good at it find some- resident has spoken to hunhis piece, “a magazine is as long thing else to do.” dreds of freelancers throughas its ads will allow it to be.”

For that reason, it’s tough- out his professional career. One While hundreds of staff er to stand out, said Davis. But fact common to everyone of journalists are sad to lose their even if some websites have them: they all had a side-gig. jobs, Davis said this time gives reasonable rates, you can’t just Unless you’re in what Davis him an opportunity to write start of at the top; Davis said you calls the “star system”—“it’s even more. The easy to media layoff make The general consensus is that it’s the season, “from a money strictly business if you’re best time since the very early days of perspective, [is] one of the the web to make money by writing actually benefitop one online. cial,” Davis told per cent,” The Concordian. he said— — Noah Davis The big corpoyou’ll need rations are “still to go out [going to] need to fill [their] have to work your way up and of the creative spectrum and do pages with writing” he said, that means writing for practi- rather boring work. adding that “if there are fewer cally nothing. Davis has written “I got into this to tell stories, people on staff to do it, they’re for Vice and Deadspin, but also but I also have an apartment [going to] turn to freelancers.” has a series in Pacific Standard that I like that I’d like to stay in,” Davis said the rates for magazine called “How Do You said Davis. The “lucrative sidefreelance work in print publica- Make A Living?” He interviews gig” can be “corporate work” or tions has gone down, but “there people with odd jobs such as “copywriting for advertising.” By are a dozen websites that are “Puzzle Maker” or “Board-Game doing this kind of work for about really well funded and that will Rulebook Editor.” Davis was also 10 hours a week, Davis is able pay 33 cents [to] $1 a word,” a columnist for the sports blog to spend more time “doing stuff which he said was unheard of a Grantland covering the Unit- that is telling stories or finding a decade ago. ed States Men’s National soc- long form piece that doesn’t pay However, Davis said since cer team and is deputy editor at well.” It’s “the reality of the ecoeveryone thinks they can be American Soccer Now. nomic situation.” a writer, a lot more people are He continues to write for Graphic by Michelle Gamage.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

theconcordian

CAMPUS

ASFA, Mei Ling reach settlement

Mediation leads to undisclosed financial settlement, official apology, task force

Members of CRARR who worked on Mei Ling’s complaint. Photo by Marie-Pierre Savard. directed at her.

In the original complaint, CRARR was asking for $30,000 in moral and punitive damages. The settlement included an undisclosed amount of monetary compensation and an official apology from ASFA, but also required the establishment of a task force to review violence and discrimination against women and minorities in student associations and university bodies and the ways complaints on this topic are dealt with in the future.

While ASFA President Jenna Cocullo didn’t disclose the amount of monetary compensation for Mei Ling, she said that the amount wouldn’t cause any major financial problems for the organization.

“Even if [money] was a concern, our priority is getting justice for Mei Ling,” she said. “Also, since there was not that many executives this past semester, a lot of our budgets for the fall haven’t been spent so there’s going to be leftover money.”

Members of CRARR who worked on the case spoke about

the importance of the outcomes of Mei Ling’s complaint. “[We] believe that the outcome of our case will help change public debates and actions regarding sexual violence on campus in Quebec,” said CRARR community organizer Brandy deGaia.

“As a law student at McGill University, I hope this case affects the revision and finalization of McGill’s impending sexual assault policy and I know that it’ll possibly affect my school community as well,” said Yuan Stevens, who also worked on the complaint.

ASFA was given six months to create the task force. The mandate is to “address issues raised by this complaint,” and “develop and implement measures to ensure that members of the ASFA and Concordia community, and women in particular, can learn, work and be involved in campus life free of civil rights violations and violence in all its forms,” according to a statement from CRARR released Monday.

CRARR and Mei Ling said they want the task force to be made up

of both members of the Concordia community and outside experts who represent Concordia’s diverse population.

“It’s not about me,” she said.

“It’s about supporting an idea and a solution for this kind of problem.”

Since she launched the complaint earlier this year, Mei Ling told The Concordian that she hadn’t been contacted by anyone from the university since she filed her complaint. “The fact that Concordia hasn’t reached out to me to this day means they don’t really care,” she said.

While Concordia spokesperson Chris Mota couldn’t confirm if anyone from the university had reached out to Mei Ling, Mota said, “If we can, in any way, shape or form be involved [with the task force], it’s something we would consider.”

While this complaint against ASFA has been resolved with this settlement, the complaints against the two former executives is still under investigation by the Quebec human rights commission.

CAMPUS

CSU byelections underway this week Here’s a quick breakdown on what to expect on the ballot GREGORY TODARO News editor @GCTodaro The Concordia Student Union’s 2015 byelections are underway on Nov. 24, 25 and 26. Take a look at this election’s referendum questions below: Accessible Education This question is asking students if they want the CSU to add a stance to the organization’s positions book supporting an accessible education policy. This policy states the CSU would support high quality, universally accessible postsecondary education as a human right, oppose

NATION CHLOE RANALDI Staff writer

Canada to cut CF-18 fighter jets

GREGORY TODARO News editor @GCTodaro Eight months after a local human rights organization filed a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission on her behalf, Concordia student and former Arts and Science Faculty Association executive Mei Ling—a pseudonym used to protect her identity—reached a settlement with ASFA on Thursday.

The Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), which has represented Mei Ling since the complaint of discrimination and harassment based on her race and gender was filed in March of this year, agreed to enter mediation with ASFA. “The reason that mediation was chosen between ASFA … and myself is because ASFA is a nonprofit organization, a student organization with changing leadership,” said Mei Ling at a press conference on Monday. “That means that there’s a very high turnover rate and new people, ideas and values come into ASFA every single academic year. We felt that there was a lot of potential there in order to really create these institutionalized changes and prevent future harm.”

During her mandate as an ASFA vice president, Mei Ling discovered a Facebook conversation between two male executives which used offensive, racist, misogynistic and sexually graphic and degrading language

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any increase in tuition fees and institutional fees for students, call for a public reinvestment in postsecondary education and call for the elimination of all financial barriers to a high quality postsecondary education.

Social Economy Incubator This question is asking students if they want to support using resources to establish what it calls a social economy incubator. This incubator would work to engage students through the support, development, study and promotion of democratic enterprises. These democratic enterprises include various co-op such as the Hive Cafe on campus.

Community-University Research Exchange CURE is an group currently part of the Quebec Public Interest Re-

search Group at Concordia that helps bring students and grassroot research groups for social justice together. CURE coordinator Cassie Smith told The Concordian earlier this month that allowing the group to become independent from QPIRG would allow CURE to hire coordinators, increase the number of events they hold and match more students with community projects for credit.

Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ) Voting yes on this referendum question will authorize the CSU to officially become affiliated with AVEQ, a newly-formed student association. This would also mean students will be paying $3.50 per semester indexed to inflation towards AVEQ instead of the old fee for the FEUQ, which the CSU will be leaving.

CSU daycare and nursery This question will let the CSU redistribute money from the fees they already collect to go towards the new CSU daycare and nursery for student parents. The daycare, which the CSU hopes to have open by Fall 2016, will hire 11 staff member and be able to take in more than 70 children a day. This redistribution of funds will pull from the CSU’s Student Space, Accessible Education, Legal Contingency Fund.

Bylaw changes Many of the changes needing approval are for clarification or to make the bylaws gender neutral but also change the organization of the CSU executive into a system with coordinators instead of a hierarchical executive led by a president.

Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan discussed Canada’s military strategy against Daesh, or “ISIS” at the Halifax Security Forum. Sajjan reiterated the Liberal government’s plan on increasing the number of ground troops from the 69 currently on the ground in Iraq. Canada plans on withdrawing its CF-18 fighter jets against Daesh and will be focusing its military power on training northern Iraqi troops.

However, following the Paris attacks, the opposition conservative government and some premiers are requesting that the government not withdraw from its airstrike campaign against Daesh.

New Alberta climate change strategy Alberta Premier Rachel Notley revealed the province’s climate change strategy on reducing coal-fired electricity, increasing the carbon tax and placing a cap on oilsands emissions. The new environmental plan will transform one of the world’s largest oil producing regions into a leader against climate change, reports CBC News. Alberta will be focusing on wind power to reduce methane emissions and the province’s dependence on coal-fired electricity. The carbon tax industry will generate $3 billion, which will be redistributed into renewable energy sectors and attempt to compensate for the increased costs for consumers.

Canada’s Syrian refugee plan The Liberal government is going forward with its commitment to accept Syrian Refugees into the country. Due to ongoing security threats, Canada is limiting its Syrian refugee plan to accepting only women, children and families into the country, CBC News reported. Canada is planning on accepting 250,000 Syrian Refugees by the end of 2016.

Around 900 refugees will be arriving in Canada daily and will temporarily be living in military sites and other housings, such as hotels and abandoned hospitals in Quebec and Ontario.

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theconcordian

WORLD TIFFANY LAFLEUR Staff writer

Refugees sew lips together in protest Refugees stranded at the Greece-Macedonia border have sewed their lips together in a hunger strike.

They are protesting new measures from Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia and Serbia that deny refugees asylum unless they can prove citizenship to Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq according to Al Jazeera. This screening method, based on country rather than merit, has created a build-up of refugees at the border and leaving thousands stuck in temporary transit centers.

Historically-large pharmaceutical merger Pfizer and Allergan joined in a US$160 billion deal on Sunday in what’s being called the largest pharmaceutical merge in history.

This merger will create the world’s largest drug manufacturer, surpassing Switzerland’s Novartis AG, to secure the top spot in the industry according to CBC News. Ireland-based Allergan will be purchasing New York-based Pfizer, organizing their merger deal around an “inversion,” or reverse merger in an effort to secure lower corporate tax rates by reorganizing outside the United States.

Argentina elects Conservative Mauricio Macri Conservative candidate Mauricio Macri won Argentina’s election on Sunday, leading the polls with 51.5 per cent, ending Daniel Scioli and the Peronist Party’s 12 years in power.

Macri lead his campaign on economic reform, with promises to bring new investments, fight crime and corruption in Argentina according to BBC News. Macri faces a sizeable challenge ahead of him, with Argentina divided between a middle class open to a more liberal economic climate, and a working class hoping the warnings of government cuts do not happen.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

CAMPUS

Concordia’s sustainable research

The engineering department is developing new solar panel technology SAVANNA CRAIG Staff writer

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ur planet has advanced technologically over the decades and this has led to a harsh environmental impact.

However, technology in sustainable research has made discoveries and inventions to help preserve our planet. In support of preserving our planet, Concordia leads the Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies (CZEBS), an organization with the motive to develop buildings with less of a harmful impact on the environment. The CZEBS has been involved with the development of solar panels, with research being conducted on campus.

As the design of the John Molson Building was drafted, engineering professor Andreas Athienitis contacted those planning the design in hopes of a sustainable addition to the structure. The university wanted to create a building that was different from the others on campus. Athienitis decided he wanted to apply a specific model of solar panels to the structure, a collaborated design with several industry partners. He had strong support from the CZEBS’s government partner, CanmetENERGY, an energy technology and innovation centre within Natural Resources Canada. Natural Resources Canada aided in funding the project through the technology early action program which was created to stimulate the market for climate change research.

With approval from the university, the CZEBS planned, manufactured and set up the solar panels—with the testing of these panels taking place at Concordia.

However, these are not ordinary solar panels; the combined photovoltaic and solar thermal system uses a unique ventilation system to keep the panels cool.

These models are implemented with fans, passing air through

the back side of the panels, which causes a more efficient generation of energy.

“On a sunny day, a 20 degree reduction on the solar panel operating temperature boosts the solar electricity generation by roughly 10 per cent,” said Costa Kapsis, a Concordia PhD engineering student involved in research of CZEBS solar panels under Professor Athienitis’ supervision. “We [then] collect the air heated by the rear side of the solar panels with a fan and use it as preheated air in the building.”

The CZEBS is a partner within the Concordia-led Smart Net-zero Energy Buildings Strategic Research Network (SNEBRN) which is part of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). This research council is a network, which connects 29 Canadian researchers from 15 different universities to create commercial buildings and homes that are smart net-zero energy structures. These are structures that rely on sustainable energy generated by solar panels which provide heat and electricity to the building. The CZEBS is a leading research group within SNEBRN, which received a $5 million in funding from the NSERC between 2011-2016.

The Varennes municipal library, located south of Montreal in the city of Varennes is the first building in Canada to be a net-zero energy structure. The building was developed by the CZEBS and opened to the public in summer of 2015. This the largest photovoltaic installation in Quebec and the first commercial building in Canada to generate as much energy as it consumes, said Kapsis.

The CZEBS develops these buildings and solar panels, while these solar panels are created by mainly Canadian producers that can export this technology to other countries.

Solar panels on the EV Building. Photos by Andrej Ivanov.

This project not only gives life to buildings which can naturally generate enough energy to efficiently self-power themselves, but it teaches students renewable building energy and gives them work experience.

The solar panels are tested in Concordia’s very own solar simulator, located in the basement of the Hall building. Different tests are made to produce sustainable energy through the aid of natural sun, wind, temperature and pressure. The research lab has the ability to mimic the temperature of a certain environment and has the unique ability to test models of varying sizes.

The soil simulator environmental chamber, located in the

A solar panel in Concordia’s solar simulator, located in the basement of the Hall building.

basement of the Hall building, has eight special lamps which imitate a daylight spectrum with an artificial sky used to eliminate any infrared radiation. The chamber tests if the solar panels will work in real life conditions.

Engineering student Zissis Ionidis, who has been involved with the project, said the solar panels contain dials which, when exposed to light, cause electrons to move, generating electricity.

Research continues to be done to improve the efficiency of the photovoltaic system within the solar panel. “[The solar panel will] create more electricity depending on sun radiation,” Ionidis said. “This is better in winter because the lower the temperature, the higher the efficiency.”

Ionidis also explained that “cooling [the solar panels] down prevents them from emitting heat from glasses.”

PhD candidate in building engineering, Vasken Dermardiros, commented that the soil simulator environmental chamber could “go from 50 C, like Dubai weather, down to -40 C, like Yukon. We can also play around with the humidity of the chamber.”

Athienitis said there are plans to use their solar panels on commercial and public buildings and how other buildings on Concordia’s campus could benefit from solar panels.

theconcordian

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

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CAMPUS

New chair to develop aerospace engineering design Catharine Marsden links Concordia to a network of engineers across Canada

Catharine Marsden, aerospace design chair. Photo by Gregory Todaro.

GREGORY TODARO News editor @GCTodaro

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new chairperson has been established at Concordia University focusing on implementing design into the university’s engineering curriculum.

On Nov. 18, the university announced mechanical engineer Catharine Marsden as the first senior chair in aerospace design engineering (NCADE), part of a national network of chairs under the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). NCADE is one of 16 chairs working towards the same goal: determining the best way to

deliver curriculum so students understand how design for engineers works.

“There’s a whole bunch of research being done … and one of the great things about this chair is that now we’re part of that network,” Marsden said. “Now Concordia can benefit from all these resources.”

Marsden, who came to Concordia after six years as a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, said this chair is one of the first in Canada focused solely on aerospace.

While at the university, Marsden said she has two main projects. The first is to develop the current curriculum; Marsden said one of her priorities is to get students engaged in cross-disciplinary engineering.

“What we don’t do with students in university right now is get them to appreciate the complex, system-of-systems nature of aerospace design,” she said. “We’re not going to change what we teach students, but we’re going to try and change the way we teach it. We’re going to get them to focus on interdisciplinary work from the beginning of their degrees.”

Marsden said in aerospace engineering in particular it’s important for students to realize the interconnectedness of different fields of engineering.

“If you look at an airplane today, what do you see? You see an airplane,” she said. “We’re going to try and get students to, when they look at an airplane ... see the structure, powerplant, propulsion, fluid mechanics, electrical, software,

computers, control systems, feedback loops, all of this different stuff.”

“Every single discipline in engineering is represented somewhere in that aircraft,” she added.

The other project Marsden will develop—the one she calls a “cornerstone” of her work—is an apprenticeship program.

She said these apprenticeships will be unique from regular internships and coop programs.

“The companies want the students to actually know the program they’re working on,” she said. “Students are going to go and work in companies, but they’re not going to work as engineers; they’re going to work on the shop floor, they’re going to work in manufacturing and maintenance and product support … They’ll get to know the people that make and use the product so at the end of the degree they’ll be able to go an work as design engineers and design the product.”

Marsden also said students in the program will be hosted by one company through their entire four-year degree.

She hopes to have the first apprenticeships started by the summer of 2016.

NSERC awarded $1 million over five years for its NCADE Chair in Design Engineering program. Along with contributions from aerospace organizations like Bell Helicopter, Bombardier and Pratt & Whitney Canada, the total value of the program is at around $4.4 million over five years.

GOOD LUCK W I T H YO U R EXAMS! I wish you all the best on your upcoming exams and final projects.

After the term ends – enjoy the break!!

Alan Shepard alan.shepard@concordia.ca

CO N CO R D I A .C A

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theconcordian

LIFE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015 LIFE EDITOR CRISTINA SANZA life@theconcordian.com @theconcordian

TRANSIT

Putting a “Halt” to distracted driving in Quebec With many distracted drivers in the province, Wi-Fi stop zones have been installed along highways ANNA KROUPINA Contributor With the goal of enhancing road safety and decreasing accidents caused by distracted driving, Quebec has recently revamped seven “Halt” zones along highways in the province.

Free Wi-Fi has been installed at these rest areas, encouraging drivers to park and check their phones or respond to a text—which is both dangerous and illegal while driving in Quebec. A green road sign with a Wi-Fi symbol and “texto” indication directs drivers to the parking areas.

The seven Halt zones are located along both directions on Highway 55 in Melbourne, Highway 10 in Magog, the 15 in Saint-Jérôme, the 20 East in Lévis and several spots in both directions along Highway 40.

Three more zones are planned to be equipped with Wi-Fi near Lavaltrie, Rivière-Beaudette and Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse. According to Bryan St-Louis, a spokesperson for Transport Quebec, everything will cost $122,000 for the first year, and $2,400 annually starting in the second year for maintenance.

While the road signs target drivers who use their mobile phones at the wheel, the Halt zones can be used for other activities that may otherwise distract drivers if done

while manoeuvring a vehicle. St-Louis said the areas also have picnic tables and washroom facilities.

The public’s reaction on forums, however, has been to criticize the Halt areas, questioning their usefulness and practicality when common fast food chains and coffee shops like Tim Hortons and McDonald’s already offer free Wi-Fi, bathrooms and more.

St-Louis said that proximity to highways is a considerable advantage. “The rest areas are located on the highways.

If people want to go to McDonald’s or Tim Hortons, they have to get off the highway, get into cities, find restaurants,” he said. “The access is easier for the rest areas. It’s faster and easier to stop right where you are on the highway.”

Thomas Wainwright, an instructor at Young Drivers of Canada, supports the revamping of rest areas, but is also concerned about the practicability of such sites. “It’s a great idea, you just wonder how many people are going to use it. It’s a public relations campaign. I think what would attract people is if they hit at the statistics of what happens if you don’t use the areas.”

He added that the safety aspect might be another selling point for Halt zones. “Are they well-lit? Would somebody want to go in there at eight or nine o’clock at night? I think the safety factor would be a really good initiative there,” said Wainwright.

How serious is distracted driving involving cell phones?

Two seconds of taking your eyes off the road—that’s all it takes to “signifi-

Keep your hands on the wheel and your phone in your pocket.

Photo by Marie-Pierre Savard. cantly increase” the risk of crashes and near-crashes, according to Transport Canada. The Leave the Phone Alone campaign points out on their website that drivers who use hand-held devices are four times more likely to get into accidents serious enough to cause injury.

The CAA indicates that drivers who send text messages are 23 times more likely to be in a crash or a near-crash, while talking on a cell phone increases the probability of an incident occurring by four to five times.

Although drivers of all ages can be guilty of distracted driving at some point, a 2014 Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) study found that both talking and typing/texting on electronic communication devices (ECD) were more frequent for drivers under 25 than for the 25 to 49 and 50 plus age groups. For all age groups, talking was more frequent than typing/texting. Women were negligibly more frequent ECD users than men.

In Quebec, simply holding a handheld device while driving could land you an $80 to $100 fine and a penalty of four demerit points, according to the SAAQ. Distraction central While cell phones do cause a substantial concern, a study by the CCMTA observed that their use while driving has seen a national decrease from 2007 to 2010, so they can be seen as one element in the broader problem of driver distraction.

The CAA Distracted Driving campaign ranks “outside object/person/event” as the top distraction, while cell phones actually fall in last place. Distracted driving can take a variety of forms: manipulating music controls, speaking with passengers and eating or drinking while driving.

Nonetheless, Wainwright argues that cell phones do still pose a serious distraction to drivers. “We all know that 20 to 30 per cent of all collisions are caused by driver distraction, and cell phones are a part of it.”

FOOD

Cute café hidden in hotel’s corporate shadow Café Castel is a place for students to study or relax, all while admiring their latte art REBECCA LUGER Staff writer Who would have thought that one of Montreal’s biggest hotels in the downtown area also housed a quaint and student-friendly café with dynamite latte art and tasty sandwiches?

Café Castel is a gem attached to the Best Western on Sherbrooke West. The café has a calm ambience and the overall style mirrors that of a Parisian café.

The café is shaped like an L with windows everywhere like a solarium.

I was fortunate enough to go on a beautiful day, so the sun was shining through the windows, making the experience very enjoyable. There are brick walls and wood panels, creating a rustic look. There is even a fake balcony over the cash register.

Café Castel is known for their detailed latte art, customized for every customer. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

There were many people already seated and sipping coffee when I walked in. It turns out many people had the same idea as me—to come for a coffee in the afternoon and get some schoolwork done. The overall crowd was mostly university students, either meeting with friends for coffee or sitting peacefully by themselves catching up on homework.

I went for a simple latte and chicken pesto sandwich. Having already heard of Café Castel’s amazing latte art, I was eager to see the design I would be presented with. I was met with a large and beautifully detailed heart— the barista did not skimp on my design and as I watched him work, I could see that he put a fair amount of detail and time into every latte design he created.

As for the flavour, it was great. The latte was very smooth and the balance of coffee and milk was perfect.

Café Castel has a variety of sandwiches, vegetarian wraps and side dishes as well. Their pastry selection was awesome—there are Nanaimo bars, brownies, fruits and every kind of bread you can imagine. They even serve breakfast.

Coffee drinks range from about $2 to $5, depending on the size and the type of drink.

Sandwich prices range from $5 to $11, and there are deals if you buy a sandwich with a salad on the side. Yay for combos!

I would recommend checking out Café Castel if you’re looking for something a bit different or if you’re looking for a new study spot around campus to enjoy some great coffee and tasty food.

Café Castel is located Sherbrooke St. West.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

theconcordian

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SEX

Sexually Speaking: We have a porn problem

Fight the misogynistic monopoly, vote with your views by watching more ethical pornography

CARL BINDMAN Staff writer If you watch porn, you probably watch it on PornHub, YouPorn, or RedTube. You probably watch it for free.

Those three sites are among the top 10 most visited, globally, for porn, according to an article from Slate. They—along with five of the other 10 most visited porn sites—are owned by MindGeek, a Canadian company who states on their website that they have over 100 million visitors every day.

So what’s popular on some of MindGeek’s mainstream, monopolized porn sites? One common example is Backroom Casting Couch, or BrCC. It’s a series where a man with an STI poses as a casting agent to coerce women who need money into sex, according to an article from the Phoenix New Times. He doesn’t pay them. These women aren’t actors. These women don’t get revenue from views of their “casting” tape. These videos are often tagged with “painal” and “ambush creampie.” These videos are sex abuse, and they’re wildly popular, as on various porn sites, they have hundreds of millions of views recorded.

BrCC is mainstream porn in a nutshell, because mainstream porn is MindGeek and MindGeek is abusive and awful and toxic.

They have saturated the market with extreme content, normalizing it, forcing per-

formers of both genders to do more dangerous sexual acts, more often, for less money, according to interviews with performers by GQ last month. Plus, mainstream porn caters to a very narrow demographic: young heterosexual men. The supermajority of porn is not made with other than young hetero males in mind, and mainstream viewership reflects that.

You don’t have to watch that porn if you don’t identify with it, if you don’t like it or if you find it troubling. But you don’t have to not watch porn, either. There are options outside of mainstream pornography that aren’t shit. There are people who want you to watch them.

Luisa Ramírez Lartigue is a sexuality educator who works with Head in Hands and Concordia’s Centre for Gender Advocacy, and she ascribes the ubiquity of unethical porn to a few things.

“When most of us go looking for porn,

we tend to not look further than what’s available,” she said. And because of MindGeek’s monopoly, it’s often what’s available. “We don’t talk about our porn consumption the way we talk about our coffee consumption,” she added, so it’s hard to know what’s good.

“There’s no Yelp! for porn, but maybe there should be,” said Lartigue.

Until there is, she suggests thinking about what you consume, and why you consume it. Is it because it’s what you want, or is it because it’s there? She also suggests researching the porn you consume—the performers, the directors, the distributors. Google is your friend. So is social media, she said, where you can

learn a bit about who the makers of porn are—as people. And please, pay for your porn, she said.

She said it’s crucial to talk with your money. Money lets actors get paid well, and keeps working conditions safe. Shelling out for ethics shows huge companies like MindGeek what matters. Plus, she said, paid porn is usually much higher-quality. So if you really care about your porn, you get to consume better stuff at the same time as being a better person.

There are always alternatives, Lartigue said, both in content and in medium. Here are some that she recommends: there’s Crashpad Series for trans* communities (and also cis) intersectional, fun, ethical video pornography. Make Love Not Porn, a Canadian thing! Adult-fanfiction.org, for, uh, adult fanfiction. Also, kink.com is independent and features extensive pre-act interviews about consent and safety, for all the BDSM fans out there.

But if you’re going to look at mainstream porn, she suggests adding “feminist” or “for women” to your search. In the marketing language of pornography, this means it won’t be hyper-masculine, abusive, and misogynistic.

The most important thing to remember, Lartigue said, is Rule 34. “If it exists, there’s porn of it. But there’s probably also ethical porn of it.”

Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

HOLIDAYS

Celebrate your Christmas season on a budget May your holidays be merry and bright with these fun and inexpensive party ideas

Plan your Christmas parties early.

Photos by Marie-Pierre Savard.

MARCO SAVERIANO Staff writer Do you hear that? It’s the sound of precious holiday season prep time ticking away.

You may still be dipping into your personal stash of discounted Halloween candy, but whether you like it or not, Christmas is right around the corner.

Soon enough, you’ll be swept up in the holiday rush, frantically looking for the perfect presents for your family and

friends, going from party to party, baking up a storm, all while still cramming for finals. With a month to go until the big day, why not get started early?

Besides shopping for gifts, the most important thing to get started on right away is planning the perfect Christmas get-together. Unlike New Year’s, Christmas typically isn’t a holiday marked by its wild parties and drunken antics. Instead, it’s best spent with those nearest and dearest to you. This year, why not try something different?

There’s nothing better on a blustery winter night than staying in and filling the house with the warm, enveloping aroma of gingerbread, so why not get your friends together for a gingerbread-decorating party? It may sound childish, but when you are catching up with friends and having some drinks (hopefully in your best/ ugliest Christmas sweaters), you’d be surprised how fun it can be. Prepare gingerbread dough beforehand (or buy some premade dough, no judgment) and ask everyone to bring some decoration supplies: icing, festive sprinkles, gum drops, M&Ms, and anything else you can think of. Find some kind of to-go containers so your friends can bring home whatever cookies they don’t eat, and you’re good to go. Be warned: the clean up won’t be fun, but once you get some cocktails and cookies in you, you won’t even care anymore!

If gingerbread isn’t your thing, put on your dressiest holiday clothes, buy some champagne and throw an elegant affair… or as elegant an affair you can have at home on a limited budget.

Christmas is the perfect excuse to dress up, even if it’s just a night in with friends. To help your bank account out, tell everyone to bring their favourite

brand of bubbly or a dish of food and make your own decorations using simple craft supplies like construction paper and glitter. A little can go a long way. And don’t forget to take an adorable Christmas card-worthy picture with all your dressed up guests!

The holidays are a time for relaxing, so if you don’t feel like baking or getting dressed up, there’s a perfect alternative—a Christmas movie marathon pyjama party! Invite everyone over and make sure they wear their comfiest pyjamas (bonus points if they’re Christmas PJs). Buy holiday snacks, make a big batch of hot cocoa and round up as many cozy blankets as you can. Pick out some classic holiday movies for you and your friends, and then snuggle up on the couch for a cozy night in with those you love most. Who needs fancy outfits or alcohol when you have your best friends by your side and It’s A Wonderful Life playing on your T.V.?

Whatever you decide, start planning as soon as possible. The holidays move way too quickly, so take advantage of what little time you have. Whether you have a gingerbread party, a fancy affair, or a cozy night at home, don’t forget what matters most this holiday season—the people you spend it with.

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ARTS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015 ARTS EDITORS ELIJAH BUKREEV and LYDIA ANDERSON arts@theconcordian.com @theconcordian

OPERA

Strauss revived at the Opéra de Montréal After three years of development, a new adaptation of Elektra is showing at Place des Arts

Elektra (Lise Lindstrom) stands beside her mother Klytemnästra (Agnes Zwierko), the woman who killed her father in cold blood. Photo by Yves Renaud.

LYDIA ANDERSON Co-arts editor @LydiaAndersonn

T

here’s something spectacular about anticipating the draw of a heavy red curtain and hearing the rising sound of an orchestra tuning their instruments. It is more thrilling, still, when two lights shine upon a conductor while the rest of the light in an expansive theatre space slowly fades.

The audience’s claps grow louder in anticipation and eventually evolve into excited cheers before what’s sure to be an extravagant production commences. The Opéra de Montréal had been developing an adaptation of Elektra for three years and the premiere finally arrived on Nov. 21. The result did not disappoint.

Elektra—an opera by Richard Strauss that premiered in 1909—marks the second production from the Opéra de Montréal this season. The Opéra de Montréal is collaborating once again with Quebecois conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and has brought in an exceptional international cast for this production. Additionally, marking their first collaboration with Spain, they have collaborated with Victor Ochoa—a Spanish architect-turned-sculptor who designed his first opera set for Elektra—and what a set it was.

The curtains opened to reveal an enormous, beautiful sculpture—a man,

Agamemnon, contorted, crouched and huddled. This sculpture—which is almost eight metres high and five metres in diameter—is rotated onstage in between major plot events so that by the end of the production the audience has seen the entirety of the statue. Approximately 100 individuals were involved in the statue’s realization and it weighs around 2,400 kilograms.

This massive spectacle was created with 3D printers—seven to be exact—which had to work 24/7 for approximately seven months.

With such massive, mesmerizing artwork onstage, in addition to the dramatic smoke, spectacular lighting and unfaltering vocals, the production was magnetically vivid and captivating.

Elektra is a tale of revenge, hatred, loathing and angst told in the form of one glorious act. The focus of the narrative is on Elektra, whose father and king, Agamemnon, has recently been murdered.

The king’s adulterous wife, Klytemnästra, along with her lover, Aegisth, killed Elektra’s father, leaving Elektra to be consumed with an overwhelming desire to avenge her father’s death with her exiled brother Orest.

However, at one point Elektra and her sister Chrysothemis receive news that their brother has been killed. Chrysothemis refuses to aid Elektra in her vengeful, murderous plan shortly thereafter and Elektra then decides to act alone by avenging her father with the very axe that was used to

murder him. Yet, before she can do this, her brother Orest arrives and carries out the murders himself. In the end, Elektra’s adulterous mother and Aegisth are vanquished and Chrysothemis, Orest and Elektra are reunited once again.

For Pierre Vachon—the director of communications, outreach and education at the Opéra de Montréal—this production is the best in the history of the Opéra de Montréal’s 36 years. “In this opera everything is monumental, everything is big and excessive, and for me opera is excess,” said Vachon.

However, Elektra didn’t come without its challenges. Vachon said that rather than first programming the work and finding singers afterwards as they usually do, Elektra had to have well-cast singers before they could program the show.

This was only one step in the three-tofour-year progression of everything coming together for this production.

“Once we are ready to work it’s actually three weeks before the premiere that [the cast gathers] in Montreal and then we rehearse from morning to night for three weeks and that’s it, and the only thing we do is the stage direction. They all know their part and everything, contrary to theatre where they actually learn their parts together and they read together for about six to eight weeks,” said Vachon. “So it’s kind of a weird process

but a very intense process.”

Vachon described Elektra to be mad in its excess, a monumental experience that’s in touch with our own sensibilities and modern-day world, paired with music that’s like a roller coaster. “It looks modern.

It’s not like the old traditional opera kind of thing, it’s up to date … that’s why it’s easier to connect with [this] kind of production,” said Vachon. Vachon also emphasized the excitement that comes with collaborating with a renowned international sculptor like Victor Ochoa, as well as the “world-class singers” in their international cast, highlighting Lise Lindstrom (Elektra) who also stars as Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

Although the singers, stage sets and music are enough to tempt one to promptly purchase Elektra tickets, the act of going to the opera in general is in itself also an enticing experience. It’s about engaging with a historical tradition, donning your finer apparel and clinking your glasses with others who have come to appreciate the complex, beautiful fruit of fine artistic labour. Yet, fine apparel or otherwise, there’s magic to be appreciated in simply hearing the sweetness of a soft vibrato escalate into an even more glorious, resonant vocality.

Elektra is showing on Nov. 24, 26 and 28 at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts. Tickets start at $55.75.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

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OPINION

A brief reflection on the boundaries of art How should we define art and what happens when it involves an illegal act?

ELIJAH BUKREEV Co-arts editor @ElijahBukreev

P

erformance artists commonly utilize their own body—either as a canvas or as a puppet—to produce their art, which puts them in direct interaction with the real world. That can be problematic for a variety of reasons, especially when, during a performance, an artist commits actions that are at odds with the law.

A painting can’t rob a bank. Neither can a sculpture or a book. But a performance artist can—and has.

I’m talking about Joe Gibbons, a former lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who, as reported

by The New York Times, robbed a bank of $1,002 in the name of art earlier this year. While he is a recognized artist, his case was complicated by the fact that he was in financial need at the time. He was sentenced to one year in prison.

Defining art poses a certain problem.

Every time I’m asked to define it, my brain nearly melts from the amount of notions I need to absorb in order to give a satisfying answer. My first instinct, and

perhaps yours, is to say that art is defined by its aesthetic beauty. But by what standards of beauty is it being judged?

The best and most simple definition is that art must be a marriage of form and content. These two components can be found in even the most experimental art. While artists typically experiment on form, and many have tried to produce art that is devoid of content, content is an inevitable occurrence. A famous example of that being the French author Gustave Flaubert’s attempt to write a novel about nothing.

As it turned out, the absence of content is an idea in itself, a concept that eventually gives a work meaning.

Over the past centuries, conceptions of art have so often been challenged and its definition so often revised that it could be argued that almost anything in this world can be classified as art. Art can be unconscious or even accidental and still be art. It can be beautiful to all or no one and still be art. It can be an action. Perhaps it can even be a thought. Art can be manmade. It can be made by an animal. It can be made by a machine. It can be destroyed and the act of destroying it can in itself constitute a work of art.

A significant example of a daring art performance is that of Russian performance artist Pyotr, or Petr, Pavlensky, who set the door to Moscow’s Federal Security Service headquarters ablaze on Nov. 9, as reported by The New Yorker.

While legally an act of vandalism, Pavlensky’s performance qualifies as a work of art on the basis of both its form and content.

The performance, captured on an already famous photo taken by journalist Nigina Beroeva, is symbolic on several levels.

On one level, it references Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy and its description of the Gates of Hell. On another level, it replicates one of the accusations—setting fire to the door of a government building—which got Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov a 20-year jail sentence last August.

While artists should not be exempt from the rule of law, it is hard not to admire anyone willing to risk prison to make an artistic—and sometimes political—point.

Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

EXHIBIT

Spiritual growth depicted in photography

Justin Kingsley’s exhibit, Georges & Guy, explores two individuals and their passion for karate PAULINE NESBITT Staff writer The Georges & Guy photography exhibit

by Justin Kingsley portrays the intimate relationship that exists between two friends who are passionate about karate.

Georges St-Pierre is a mixed martial artist and former Welterweight Champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Guy Guindon, a Saint Sulpice priest and a karate master, has practiced this sport with StPierre for many years.

Karate is traditionally linked to fighting and self-defense. However, the photographs and videos featured in the exhibit focus on the metaphysical aspect of this sport. To attain and maintain the required mental conditioning, self-discipline and humility, karate artists are required to practice “katas.” This word is used to describe the patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pairs, on a regular basis.

According to information contained in the exhibit’s pamphlet, when StPierre informed Kingsley that he would be meeting Guindon at the Saint Sulpice Seminary later on one day to practice katas, the photorapher said, “a priest, a church, two black belts, a few katas and a makeshift dojo instead of catacombs. I had to be there.” So he grabbed his Leica M6 camera and joined them. “I relied on the same photographic tools I’ve known for years and not an ounce of digital technology,” he said. This included using only the lighting that was available.

Kingsley captures authentic, even sacred, moments with the use of natural lighting. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

The exhibit starts with several videos that show the two friends practicing katas. They stand straight, eyes closed, appearing to work through a mental preparation before performing the movements. They proceed to discuss them and consult their kata workbook.

The photographs show St-Pierre and Guindon dressed in black-belted white karate suits in a dusty gym with mouldy damaged walls, floor tiles that belong in history and low-tech fitness equipment. The images Kingsley has captured emanate a feeling that the space had

been transformed into a “dojo,” a sacred space where martial arts are practiced.

The first of the 17 photographs is of a punching bag held together with masking tape juxtaposed with a crucifix nailed to the wall. This clearly establishes a sacred tone to the whole event and suggests a link between location and the tenets of the sport. The remaining photographs show the master and student either in action as they work through the katas or in repose.

The last, entitled “Fleurdelisé,” is of a tattoo on the back of St-Pierre’s shin that playfully puts a Quebec stamp on the exhibit.

The images are appealing and command both attention and interest because they look real, not staged. Kingsley’s use of natural lighting and his focus on the décor and furnishings of the room create a calm, peaceful aura. His choices of captions that have sacred connotations reinforce the overarching theme of personal, physical and spiritual development.

The George & Guy exhibit runs until Dec. 18 at the Phi Centre, 407 St. Pierre St. in Old Montreal.

Entrance is free.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

LECTURE

A director-composer duo visits Concordia Denis Villeneuve and his composer Jóhann Jóhannsson discussed their work, past, present and future ELIJAH BUKREEV Co-arts editor @ElijahBukreev Many director-composer duos have marked the history of cinema. Alfred Hitchcock had Bernard Herrmann. Steven Spielberg has John Williams. The Coen brothers have Carter Burwell.

Quebec’s Denis Villeneuve, known for directing Incendies, found an unlikely partner in Iceland’s Jóhann Jóhannsson, a minimalist musician.

Villeneuve and Jóhannsson took part in a discussion organized by the Montreal International Documentary Festival held last Saturday at Concordia’s Alumni Auditorium.

Villeneuve started by explaining that his collaboration with Jóhannsson has not been typical of industry standards. As he shared, composers are usually brought in to write a score well into the post-production process, after filming has been done and the film has been edited.

While Villeneuve worked this way for

his first films, he decided to do things differently ever since he started working with Jóhannsson. In fact, he chose to involve the composer in the filmmaking process, from screenwriting to filming and beyond.

“It’s really a process of backand-forth communication between [Jóhannsson], the editor and myself,” said Villeneuve.

“It’s a very organic way or working, and I really appreciate being brought on so early … I feel more like a filmmaker than a composer,” added Jóhannsson.

“The impact of music on a scene can totally modify the perception of the scene, it can modify the meaning of the scene,” said Villeneuve, who also recognized that his own knowledge of music was very limited as he had flunked a flute class in primary school.

Jóhannsson, however, has taken up filmmaking and was in Montreal to present his 30-minute experimental documentary film called End of Summer. Additionally, he said his approach to writing music was very visual, which led to a stronger connection with Villeneuve’s film language.

While many composers have transitioned to creating music digitally, Jóhannsson has mostly stuck with tradi-

tional methods. “I rarely use synthesizers or purely electronic sounds, ” he said. “It tends to always be organic or acoustic sounds.” Jóhannsson is in fact so specific about his needs and so open to mixing very different sounds together that Villeneuve likened him to a “mad scientist” and described his music as a “science.”

For their latest film, Sicario, which was set partly in Mexico, Jóhannsson deliberately avoided any local music or instruments, which he said would’ve been too obvious. “The harmonies are very Nordic,” said Jóhannsson, who was instructed by Villeneuve to suggest a recurring feeling of threat—“subtle war music,” as Villeneuve put it.

Jóhannsson, whose grandfather was a church organist, has often been compelled to write music that reflected his heritage, even on unrelated projects.

At the same time, Jóhannsson’s music in Villeneuve’s films is surprisingly non-intrusive. “Silence is my favourite sound,” said Villeneuve, whose aim is to integrate music so naturally that it is almost imperceptible and yet impactful on a subconscious level.

Villeneuve and Jóhannsson have worked on 2013’s Prisoners and this year’s Sicario. They will reunite on next year’s Story of Your Life and will then collaborate on a sequel to the classic Blade Runner.

From left to right: Mathieu Lavoie, Jóhann Jóhannsson and Denis Villeneuve Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

FILM

A tired story saved by gorgeous scenery

By the Sea, written and directed by Angelina Jolie Pitt, is the actress’s third directorial effort

Angelina Jolie Pitt stars in the role of a woman who smokes, pops pills and reads Vogue to cope with a dying marriage.

Director: Angelina Jolie Pitt Cast: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Melvil Poupaud Running time: 87 minutes

DANIELLE GASHER Staff writer

By the Sea, written and directed by Angelina Jolie Pitt, is filled with pretty landscape shots and extravagant scenery, but underwhelms in terms of intrigue in its plot and story. The story is

about a married couple, Roland (Brad Pitt) and Vanessa (Jolie Pitt), who move into a lavish French resort for an undetermined amount of time to work on their marriage as well as for Roland to work on his book.

The couple’s marriage is obviously struggling, but you’re not told why until much later in the movie. Many clues are given throughout, yet the great reveal is very predictable and nothing extraordinary. The mise-en-scène picked up the slack that the story left behind. The costumes, makeup and sets were impressive and fit the movie’s ‘70s era perfectly. The film made good use of extreme

long-shots, revealing the seaside scenery and resort constantly—practically casting the sea as a character.

The colour scheme of the film was also interesting. The turquoise blue of the sea contrasted beautifully with a lot of beige and brown. The bleak, dull and neutral colours of the hotel room and of Vanessa and Roland’s clothing paint an accurate picture of the couple’s fading relationship. At least, the chemistry that first appeared on screen between Pitt and Jolie Pitt in 2005 with Mr. and Mrs. Smith is just as real in By The Sea, and is perhaps greater thanks to the actors’ decade-long relationship.

The acting and the directing weren’t the problem in this film. The problem came with the storyline that held by a thread. The thread, in this case, could be the budget of the film and the names attached to the story. It seems as if it could be a story that’s been read or seen dozens of times by the average audience member, but one which was decorated with fancy hotel rooms, pretty views and beautiful people. The storyline didn’t bring much originality to the tired idea of a struggling marriage where the wife pops a lot of pills and reads a lot of Vogue and where the husband constantly drinks and drowns himself in work. The dialogue was weak and often filled with clichés. Although it is likely that the director purposefully avoided having a lot of dialogue, the dialogue that was present needed to be stronger.

Some aspects of style and content seemed to be Hemingway-esque.

Roland is an American writer who drinks a lot of whiskey, talks to old men by the sea and escapes to small French cafés to find his inspiration, which makes him almost a prototype of the great American writer.

Despite its earnest attempts, By the Sea was unable to live up to Jolie’s ambitions. To recreate a story that has been told again and again in Hollywood and abroad, you need to have an original or at least somewhat different slant to it. This movie failed to have that slant, and instead, was just a clichéd failing romance with pretty scenery.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015 MUSIC EDITOR SAMUEL PROVOST-WALKER music@theconcordian.com

MUSIC QUICKSPINS

OUR PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK ON SPOTIFY: spoti.fi/1R2fajx

PROFILE

Celebrate with The Lyric Singers The group are readying a jazzy surprise for their Christmas concert

CeeLo Green — Heart Blanche (Atlantic Records, 2015)

Heart Blanche seems to be CeeLo Green’s version of an open house. He invites the listener into his world, one filled with a modern gospel-like vibe and pumping tunes, featuring a mix of melancholy and upbeat lyrics. The record strikes a nice balance between storytelling and songs to boogie to, with “Better Late Than Never” being a standout. In an effort to redeem himself, CeeLo reminds his audience that we all make mistakes and all have our share of embarrassing stories. Even with heartfelt lyrics and a personal touch however, Heart Blanche struggles to offer anything significant enough to draw listeners back for more.

Trial track: “Robin Williams”

6/10

ERDENE BATZORIG

Kurt Cobain — Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings (Universal Music, 2015) Listening to Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings is not unlike reading Kurt Cobain’s diary. These home recordings are akin to random scraps of paper from Nirvana’s musical booklet. However, these snippets, consisting of half-written demos, instrumental experiments and spoken word recordings, are nonetheless fascinating. It’s a testament to Cobain himself, who has been discovered, re-discovered, and mythologized by every single generation since his untimely death in 1994. Whether or not Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings is exploitative, there’s no doubt that Kurt Cobain’s music will continue to captivate music fans for a long time to come.

Trial track: “And I Love Her”

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AYAN CHOWDHURY

The Lyric Singers, pictured here at Loyola’s chapel last year, are currently celebrating their 25th anniversary.

Photo by Tam Lan Truong.

SAMUEL PROVOST-WALKER Music editor

“I

t’s magical, isn’t it?,” asked Mario Iavarone, a baritone in the Lyric Singers as dozens of serene voices projected harmonically, lending the Montreal West United Church a calm, soothing air.

The Lyric Theatre, a non-profit musical theatre group based in Montreal, is celebrating its 50th anniversary, honouring a rich and blooming legacy that continues to this day. The Lyric Singers, the organization’s award-winning singing troupe founded by Bob Bachelor in 1980, is also celebrating in style with an acclaimed Broadway-themed anniversary show that took place earlier in June. The group are currently readying a Christmas show for the first week of December. It’s no doubt a huge year for the storied group.

Laurie-Anne Jean-Baptiste has been involved with the group for nine years, working on-stage and behind the scenes to ensure its success. “My singing teacher at the time saw that there was an ad in the paper and that [Lyric] were looking for new singers,” she said, describing her origins with the group. “One of our co-workers at the time just passed by and handed me a paper and I said ‘Oh, okay. I guess I’m auditioning for this.’”

Though her start was rather unexpected and sudden, Jean-Baptiste has stayed with Lyric for longer than she had ever anticipated. “Why I came to stay with Lyric is the sense of family and community and we learn so much!

There’s not one rehearsal that you don’t learn something. Over the years, through sitting in rehearsals, performing in shows, my repertoire and my knowledge of music have expanded.”

On top of being a soprano, JeanBaptiste also sits on the Lyric Theatre committee while also being in charge of producing all promotional and press materials. Though she’s been a part of the troupe for nine years, some of The

Lyric Singers’ members have been a part of the fold since its inception 25 years ago. “At the end of the day, I think what they keep from all of their years with Lyric is that, regardless of the people who change and the turnovers, some years more than others, there’s still this sense of community and family that’s very present.”

Community plays a huge part in The Lyric Singers’ success, and its numerous performers are continuously rewarded with a true sense of belonging. Though auditions occur every year and new performers join the group’s ranks, the familial dynamic rarely changes under the apprenticeship of founder and musical director Bob Bachelor and his assistant Chris Barillaro.

“I believe that if you’re not constantly challenging yourself, you’re not getting better,” said Mario Iavarone, celebrating his first year with the Lyric Singers. “Music being my favorite outlet for emotions, I said ‘let’s see if I can do Broadway!’” Iavarone had previously performed in a choir rooted in classical and pop, trained to sing as a classical tenor. His arrival at Lyric pushed him to a new register. “When I joined Lyric, I was a baritone. That was a whole different ballgame for me. I didn’t know if I could do it and I was honestly very worried about it.”

Despite having a wealth of anxieties going in, Bachelor and Barillaro’s trust instilled a certain sense of courage in Iavarone. “They convinced me to trust their vision. They were right. I loved the differences that singing Broadway brings. It’s more emotive, it’s much more expressive, it takes up so much more room, which encompasses everything that I am!”

With the holidays coming up, The Lyric Singers is hard at work preparing for its renowned upcoming Christmas concert. Entitled Candlelight Christmas, the show promises to bring a new twist on the Christmas songs we’ve all heard countless times. “When I speak to new candidates about auditions and what to expect from a

year with Lyric, I do mention that, yes we do a Christmas show but it’s like no other” said Jean-Baptiste.

Taking place at Loyola’s own chapel, she also detailed how the venue itself had a truly transformative effect on the show: “I don’t know what it is about that space but it really adds to it ... it was like, ‘We think this venue will work for us.

Let’s see what happens,’ and friday night, people were sobbing after the first song!”

“Last year’s Christmas concert was great and had a really peaceful vibe to it. This year, I find there’s something jazzy about it,” said Iavarone excitedly. “Jazz really reaches for those unexpected harmonies.”

Covering a wide variety of Christmas staples, Iavarone promises that this show will be unlike any other. “These are all very accomplished singers. They can do it and Bob [Bachelor] knows they can do it, so he’s really pushing for that unique sound. Yes, you’re gonna hear ‘Silent Night,’ ‘Jingle Bells’ or ‘The Nutcracker,’ but you’re gonna hear it in a way you’ve never heard before!”

Though Christmas songs definitely aren’t for everyone, The Lyric Singers truly showcase a level of skill and control that’s absolutely undeniable, even going so far as to transcend the material itself. “A significant other of someone who’s in the choir once told me ‘I hate Broadway music but you guys are really good. I hate all of the music that you guys sing but you guys are good,” said Jean-Baptiste. “That’s all she said. I was like ‘Oh! How interesting!’”

“Again, It’s all about the trust that [Bob Bachelor] puts in us and that we give back,” said Iavarone. “We can talk about it for days and days but it really is something that you feel. We’re like magnets.”

The Lyric Singers perform their Candlelight Christmas show at Loyola Chapel on Dec. 3-6. Tickets are $26 for students. The Lyric Singers are also currently accepting auditions.

Visit lyrictheatrecompany.com for more info.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

RECOMMENDATIONS

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QUICKSPINS

Five classic albums of the ‘90s

A look back at some of the decade’s most strikingly innovative releases SAMUEL PROVOST-WALKER Music editor Despite birthing the unfortunate genre of post-grunge and giving the world more Oasis than anyone could humanly stomach, the ‘90s were also a breeding ground for innovative and incredibly influential sonic experiments. The following albums are just a few worth revisiting from this fruitful decade.

hip hop. Nowhere is this more evident than on Organized Konfusion’s sophomore classic, Stress: The Extinction Agenda, an absolute masterclass in boom bap production and clever, intricate wordplay.

Backed by dark, jazzy beats, Monch and fellow rapper Prince Po navigate through labyrinthian bars, effortlessly passing the ball and showcasing an infectious chemistry. While Monch is responsible for most of the album’s showstoppers, Po nonetheless holds his own, matching the former’s intensity and even murdering a few verses of his own. Stress: The Extinction Agenda deserves a place among the greats of its genre.

sentially pioneered the genre is also one to completely ignore these tropes. On Symbolic, the band’s penultimate album, Death refuse to be placed in the same ballpark as their peers, further refining the technical death metal of their previous two records, Human and Individual Thought Patterns. What makes the late Chuck Schuldiner’s songwriting truly stand out is his penchant for crafting riffs as crushing and heavy as they are catchy and melodic; “Empty Words,” the album’s stunning third track perfectly illustrates what separates Death from their peers. Schuldiner is also backed by a powerhouse team of musicians, including the technical yet equally thunderous prowess of Gene Hoglan behind the drum kit. The band’s stellar and harmonic dynamic is simply astounding, crafting an album brimming with memorability and tasty, harmonic leads.

Even 20 years after the fact, Symbolic is a welcome showcase for Schuldiner’s immense songwriting talent as well as hard-hitting proof that death metal can be about more than just blood and dismemberment.

Stereolab - Dots and Loops (Elektra, 1997) While much of Stereolab’s earlier output can be attributed to The Velvet Underground and the numerous influential krautrock bands of the ‘70s, Dots and Loops finds the U.K.-born band relying more heavily on lounge-y synths and easy listening templates. It’s a strikingly effective and natural progression for the band, perfectly recreating the twee mood found in ‘60s French pop and European film soundtracks of the era while avoiding mere emulation. Guitarist Tim Gane and singer Laetitia Sadier create an assured, pleasant and sunny backdrop brimming with orchestrations and fuzzy synths that would feel equally at home in a Federico Fellini film. Nearly 20 years later, Dots and Loops remains an undeniably appealing and comforting package.

Organized Konfusion - Stress: The Extinction Agenda (Hollywood BASIC, 1994) You’d be hard-pressed to find a more lyrically verbose and equally skilled rapper than Pharoahe Monch; noted for his incredible dexterity on the mic, Monch remains one of the most talented MCs in

Alain Bashung — Fantaisie militaire (Barclay, 1998) Before he deconstructed the defining elements of French chanson on his frighteningly experimental 2002 release L’imprudence, France’s Alain Bashung experienced something of a late-career reinvention. With Fantaisie militaire, Bashung took his texts into the darkness, residing in the moody organs and chamber pop echoes of his foreboding world.

Despite hopping through a multitude of disparate genres, from downtempo and electronic to ambitiously layered art rock and French pop, Bashung’s texts ensure a consistent atmosphere, his voice fraught with anguish. With impeccable, dynamic production and a slew of musical guests, including Portishead’s Adrian Utley on guitar, Fantaisie militaire serves as an incredible late-period revival for Bashung and a stellar introductory point for the uninitiated.

Death - Symbolic (Roadrunner, 1995) Death metal often gets stereotyped as being a mess of gutturals and chugging, indecipherable riffs and wailing guitars.

It’s ironic then that the band who es-

Justin Bieber — Purpose (Def Jam, 2015)

Purpose makes one thing clear—Bieber is sorry. The album is one big apology, confessing his mistakes and his growth due to them. There’s something to be said about the experimentation on Purpose. Perhaps it’s due to Skrillex’s influence as a producer, but the album takes mainstream R&B and brings clattering trap hi-hats and warm electronic beats into the mix. There are softer moments where Bieber’s voice takes centre stage, as in the standout track “Love Yourself.”

Purpose showcases an honesty in Bieber’s vocal delivery, taking a few steps away from the generic pop he’s become synonymous with. Bieber skeptics, give this one a shot—some tracks might grow on you, even if it takes a while.

Trial track: “Love Yourself”

6/10

CRISTINA SANZA

Boredoms - Vision Creation Newsun (Birdman, 1999) Defying categorization, Japan’s Boredoms is anything but boring. Though 1998’s Super æ and Super Roots 7 signaled a modest shift from the noisy, bewildering sonic experiments of yore to a dreamy krautrock wonderland, Vision Creation Newsun represents the band at their creative apex. A veritable psychedelic odyssey, Boredoms assembles a vibrant vortex of pummeling percussion that takes center stage over the scorching feedback loops and crazed yelps that occasionally pierce through. The album’s tracklist also perfectly encapsulates the madness within, its songs simply assigned shapes and symbols in place of names; “(Spiral)” is particularly intoxicating in its joyous bombast. While frenzied and overwhelming, the album exhibits a certain quaintness that’s almost childlike in its manic construction; there’s an ever-present air of positivity to this chaotic ordeal. As loud and cacophonous as it can be, Vision Creation Newsun is a dizzyingly uplifting primal voyage, from its explosive opener to its blissed, almost tropical finale. Listening to this virtuosic display of percussion, it’s hard to believe these guys once opened for Nirvana.

Arca — Mutant (Mute, 2015)

Mutant is an ambiguous yet frenzied analysis of traditional pop customs. Since becoming a Kanye West affiliate, Arca has been driving music conventions into more audacious territories with a lush and enigmatic hip-hop leaning. With this recent sonic composite, Arca has fortified himself as a true purveyor of noise. Mutant interweaves sonically lethal textures and angular tones with radio-ready production cues. The record’s heft lies in its strong, overarching aesthetic, not its melodic quality. If Mutant is true to its titular, Arca is in an adamant pursuit to supplant preconceived musical notions. This endeavor resembles pop at its most deranged and undeniably its most fascinating. It’s evident that Arca’s ambitions haven’t fallen on deaf ears and Mutant serves as an unnerving voyage into his personal musical dystopia.

Trial track: “En”

8/10

CALVIN CASHEN

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theconcordian

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

SPORTS

SPORTS EDITOR ALEXANDER COLE sports@theconcordian.com @theconcordian

PROFILE

Keegan Treloar: The end of a Stingers era A look back at the clutch kicker’s career with the Concordia Stingers football team

Keegan Treloar performs a kick-off during the Shrinebowl game in 2014 against the McGill Redman. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

ALEXANDER COLE Sports editor @a_cole39

K

ickers are either the heroes of a football game or they are the ultimate losers who have completely blown the chance of a lifetime to kick the clutch three points that clinches the victory.

Keegan Treloar is the kicker that time and time again shows that he is the hero, the one who can kick the last second field goal and bring his team the victory.

Fans of the Stingers got a taste of just how amazing Treloar is when he kicked the game-winning field goal against the McGill Redman on Oct. 24. With under three seconds left in the game, the Stingers were down 41-40 and the winner of the game was going to move onto the playoffs. After a drive down the field by quarterback Trenton Miller, it was up to Treloar to win the game.

Treloar set up for his field goal and when the ball was snapped, Treloar put the ball right between the uprights and seconds later, the team had bombarded him, which told the crowd that Treloar was the hero of the season.

“My parents and my girlfriend flew out to watch,” Treloar said. “It was a special night for me. Having the whole team running after me was pretty cool.”

Treloar has been a great kicker and huge part of the Stingers team, however football was not his first passion. It was actually soccer that was the bigger part of Treloar’s childhood in Brandon, Manitoba.

“I had absolutely no interest in football,” Treloar said. “I wanted to go to university and play soccer. But in grade nine, my sister’s friend told me I should try being a kicker. I went to one of the practices in a soccer jersey and even though I was made fun of for it, I became a kicker throughout high school.”

Treloar’s exposure to football lead him to Concordia where he has become a leader on a young Stingers team.

However, as a kicker, it has been hard for Treloar to find his voice as kickers are sometimes regarded as “not real athletes.”

“Kickers are like goalies in hockey,” Treloar said. “You know, we can’t really get hit. So getting respect is definitely a lot harder. But in that regard it’s more fun because you have to prove yourself and you have to be clutch. That’s what a kicker dreams of.”

This season was Treloar’s last as a Stinger as this was his fifth and final year of football eligibility. Treloar’s first season with the Stingers was in the 20112012 season where he learned from current Calgary Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes.

“Rene was the guy kicking when I came in for my recruiting trip,” Treloar

said. “He was the first guy that really amazed me. He mentored me through my first two years and really showed me what was wrong with my field goals. I learned a lot.”

When Treloar began his career with the Stingers, the head coach at the time was Gerry McGrath, who used to be a kicker in the CFL. Treloar credits coach McGrath with much of his success as a Canadian Interuniversity Sport kicker, as McGrath would help him with his kicks even after McGrath’s retirement from coaching.

With five years as a Stinger under his belt, Treloar has seen a lot of changes throughout the years.

“My five years have been absolutely amazing,” Treloar said. “I have probably the most unique perspective on this program. I’ve been on this team for both [coaching] eras. I was here on the tail end of the coach McGrath era when we were a winning program. I was there through the low points as well.”

“Now I’m part of the coach Mickey [Donovan] and coach Pat [Donovan] era and I get to see all the great things they have done with the team. I just hope to keep being a part of it even after I’m done,” Treloar said.

Treloar is in his final semester in the marketing program at John Molson School of Business. With a trip to the CFL combine behind him, and the potential

of being signed to a CFL team in his future, Treloar is still looking ahead to a career in marketing.

“As part of the Champions Club with the Stingers and working with the boosters there, I was able to network myself,” Treloar said. “I made some really key friendships and I have developed some relationships that have given me the opportunity to get jobs. I have a strong job lined up for myself now so that’s what I’m focusing on.”

Even though Treloar graduates in December, he still plans to work with the Stingers and stay a part of the family. He has even gone so far as to talk to coach Donovan about future roles he may have with the team.

While being involved with the Stingers is Treloar’s way to stay connected with football, Treloar hasn’t completely ruled out a potential career in the CFL. As Treloar mentioned, the last seven Stingers kickers have gone pro and being a kicker for the team makes him part of a legacy.

“Being a kicker on this team has put an aura around me. Even Rene [Paredes] told me not to mess it up,” Treloar said.

“There have been a lot of changes in the CFL this year in terms of kickers. So I’m going to kick throughout the winter and keep my doors open.”

“If an opportunity were to land in my lap, I’d take it,” said Treloar.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

BASKETBALL

Stingers basketball falls to McGill Both Stingers teams lost to the higher ranked Martlets and Redman CASEY DULSON Staff writer The Stingers women’s basketball team and the men’s basketball team fell to the McGill Martlets and the McGill Redman respectively on Nov. 19. The Martlets who are ranked second in the CIS narrowly beat the women’s team 59-54 and the Redmen who are ranked third in the CIS blew out the men 75-53.

In the first game of the night, which saw the women’s team take on the Martlets, the Stingers came out rocking and took an early 5-2 lead after a three pointer by shooting guard, Marie-Eve Martin.

Despite being down early, the Martlets picked up their game and came out of the first quarter with a 14-7 lead.

The Stingers started the second quarter with a few baskets, which cut the Martlets lead down to three points. After failing to score in the first three minutes of the quarter, the Martlets racked up back-to-back three pointers by forward Stephanie Blais and guard Dianna Ros. The Martlets took a commanding 31-17 lead into the locker room at half-time.

The Stingers came hot out in the third quarter as they started with a 12-0 run.

Stingers forward Richelle Gregoire scored five points during the streak. Late in the third quarter, the Martlets lead was down to three points. The score was 41-38 heading into the final quarter.

“We did a much better job sticking with it in the second half,” Stingers coach Tenicha Gittens said. “Our girls fought. Usually they succumb to being down to a big deficit.”

The Martlets started the fourth quarter with a bang as Martlet forward Gabriela Hebert hit a three pointer. McGill continued to hit shots and free throws and the Martlets were able to give themselves a 12 point lead in the quarter. The game then got close with 34 seconds left when the Stingers came storming back and scored three straight three pointers to cut the Martlets margin of victory down to five.

Stingers forward, Marilyse Roy-Viau had 16 points and seven rebounds in the lost.

“We are building something here and getting better each game but we did not come out with the win,” Viau said. “We should have made our free throws and kept our temper at some points but overall

we did a good job.”

On the Men’s side, the third ranked Redmen were the dominant side in the opening quarter due to their consistent three point shooting. The Redmen scored three times on three pointers including their first which opened the scoring. The three pointer was scored by Redman forward François Bourque, which helped the Redman create their 15-11 lead after the first quarter.

The Redman started the second quarter with a bang as shooting forward Michael Peterkin went airborne for a slam dunk. The Stingers led by forward Xander Jean, cut the Redmen lead to 17-16 after he scored on a free throw and a jump shot. The Redmen then took full control in the quarter as guard Dele Ogundokun scored two free throws which gave the Redman a six point lead. The Redmen led the Stingers 34-26 at half-time.

The Redmen got the first basket of the third quarter as guard Jenning Leung hit a three pointer. The Redmen halfway through the quarter took an 11-point lead but the Stingers crawled back and cut their lead to seven. To end the quarter, the Redman increased their lead to 12 points and led 54-42.

Redmen guard Tychon Carter-Newman scored six straight points to open the fourth quarter. The Stingers could not muster any points for the first five minutes of the quarter which saw the Redmen score eleven points. The Stingers were not able to find their footing late in the quarter and lost by 22 points.

“We just did not play for 40 minutes,” Stingers coach Rastko Popovic said. “[The Redman] did play a full game and that’s why they are the number three team in the country.”

theconcordian

15

STINGERS

WEEKEND RESULTS ALEXANDER COLE Sports editor

HOCKEY WOMEN’S Stingers vs. McGill (Loss 2-0) The team played against their arch rivals, the McGill Martlets on Nov. 20 and lost by a slim margin of 2-0. The game was the team’s first after beating the number top-ranked Carabins from the Université de Montréal. Stingers goaltender Katherine Purchase turned away 26 of the 28 shots that she faced in the match, while Martlet goaltender Taylor Hough made 21 saves in her shutout.

Martlets forwards Melodie Daoust and Gabrielle Davidson were the two goal scorers for McGill. The win put the Martlets in third place in the RSEQ division with a 5-3 record.

Stingers vs. Ottawa (Loss 4-1)

Tamara Pinard-Devos plays defense against Marie-Love Michel of the Martlets. Photos courtesy of Derek Drummond.

The team played against the University of Ottawa on Nov. 22 at home but lost by a score of 4-1. In the first period, the Stingers went down by two goals early thanks to goals by Ottawa forwards Melodie Bouchard and Vickie Lemire.

In the second period, Stingers forward Ann-Julie Deschenes scored on the powerplay to reduce the deficit to just one goal. Ottawa then extended their lead to 4-1 with goals by Carol-Ann Upshall and Camille Pauck-Therrien. Ottawa goaltender Maude Levesque-Ryan made 16 saves in her team’s victory. The loss brings the Stingers record down to 3-4-1 on the season.

MEN’S Stingers @ Nipissing (Loss 3-2(OT))

Noah Daoust goes up against Ahmadu-Tijani Umar of the Stingers.

The men took to the ice against Nipissing University on Nov. 20 where the team lost 3-2 in overtime. Stingers captain Olivier Hinse opened the scoring while on the powerplay and gave the team an early lead. The Stingers held onto a 2-1 lead through much of the game but in the third period Nipissing defenceman Mackenzie Keirstead scored a powerplay goal to tie up the game. Nipissing forward Colin Campbell went on to score the game winner.

Nipissing now sits at a record of 7-4-3 and rank fifth in the East division.

Stingers @ Laurentian (Win 5-3)

Redman shooting forward Michael Peterkin goes for a dunk in McGill’s 75-53 win against the Stingers on Nov. 19.

The Stingers played against Laurentian University on Nov. 21 and won by a score of 5-3. The team came out hot with three goals in the first period. Goal scorers in the first period included Matt Boudreau, Charles-Eric Legare and captain Olivier Hinse. The second period saw two goals by Laurentian which decreased the Stingers lead to 3-2. The third period would see a resurgence from the team when Charles-Eric Legare and Frederic Roy scored to give the team their 5-3 victory. The Stingers record now sits at 5-6-3 and the team is in seventh in the East division.

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theconcordian

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

RECREATION

Longboarding: A sport of speed and tumbles A spotlight on the extreme sports that have been on the rise over the last few years OCEAN DeROUCHIE Contributor The sun shines on my face, my jacket is helping me keep my speed reasonable.

I’m carving and gliding along the pavement with effortless motion. My board is my trusty steed, I feel balanced and safe.

There’s nowhere else I need to be.

At the ripe age of nine, I excitedly told my mom that I wanted a skateboard.

On Easter I woke up, and there sat a skateboard, decorated in a big pink bow, surrounded by egg-shaped chocolates.

I fondly remember days of sitting on my skateboard, rolling down St. Dominique Street. I lost my fear of speed pretty quickly though, and soon enough, residents of Plateau-Mont-Royal were spotting a little girl skating around

town.

Almost a decade later I’ve evolved to longboarding and I’ve never looked back.

The biggest thing skating did for me was give me confidence. I’m not here to tell you how to skate, but I am going to tell you why you should.

Forget street decks. You don’t need to know how to pop ollies, and you don’t need to be the next James Kelly. No need to think about team efforts or routine practices. Once you have a board (more on that later), just get right to shredding.

Things you should know: you’re going to fall and it is definitely going to hurt.

Also, you’re going to catch speed and even though it is going to seem scary, you’re going to feel like a total badass.

First, cop yourself a board. Don’t grab

some generic shitdeck from Zumiez though; do some research. Take into consideration your height and weight, what you want to do (downhill, sliding, or commuting) and watch some videos.

Sometimes, a complete setup will get you through, but if you want to try a little bit of everything, it’s best to create a setup of your own flavour.

For my first longboard, I chose the Landyachtz Drop-Carve 37.5”. That being said, I’m 5’2” and I needed something relatively small for learning how to slide.

Maybe you want a pintail, maybe you want a board that’s great for bombing— it’s all up to you.

Once you have a vessel, just go out and play. Lose your inhibition. At first, you may feel unbalanced, but just get

comfortable. Work on your footing.

Watch videos. Get super into it and skate anywhere you would walk to. However, keep to sidewalks and bike paths until you’re super comfortable. Be smart, be safe and lose yourself in it. If you’re like me, you might be aware that people are eyeing you up, but forget that people are looking at you; they’re just admiring your sweet setup, bruh!

For first-time skaters, all this can be kind of nerve-wracking. Forget about it! Take advantage of sunny days and practice in your spare time. Skating can be inspiring, meditative, confidenceboosting and ultimately one of the greatest feelings ever. So get out there, kid. Listen to FIDLAR, hop on your deck and go have fun; the world awaits you!

Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

OPINION

The Winter Classic isn’t really that special For the last couple of years the NHL has been overdoing it with outdoor games SARAH KOSSITS Staff writer When the Montreal Canadiens visit the Boston Bruins on Jan. 1 at Gillette Stadium for the 2016 Bridgestone Winter Classic, the National Hockey League believes that it will be a historical and exciting moment.

But will it really?

There was never a regular season NHL game played outdoors until 2003, when the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Canadiens in the first-ever Heritage Classic. In -20 C weather at the Commonwealth Stadium in Alberta, the Canadiens beat the Oilers by a score of 4-3 while goaltender José Théodore famously wore a Canadiens toque over his mask for the entirety of the game.

Playing outdoors was new and exciting for the players and fans alike, causing the game to be a success.

The Winter Classic officially began in 2008 when the Pittsburgh Penguins travelled to Buffalo, NY to take on the Buffalo Sabres outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the home of the Buffalo Bills.

Over 70,000 fans were in attendance, prompting the league to renew the Classic for 2009, where the Chicago Blackhawks

faced the Detroit Red Wings in Chicago, IL. And so the annual Winter Classic was born, and it was exciting for fans watching it live or on television—until just a few years ago.

Basking in the success and subsequent profits that the outdoor games brought in, the league kept creating more. The Winter Classic used to be the only outdoor game per season, but this has changed with the creation of the Stadium Series as well as the continuation of the Heritage Classic.

In the 2013-2014 season, the league had an all-time high of six outdoor games being played with one Winter Classic and five Stadium Series games.

Although outdoor games still bring a level of excitement to hockey fans around the world, they’re just not as exciting as they once were. As a young girl, I was so excited to be watching the Canadiens in the 2003 Heritage Classic. It was special and new.

When the league announced their 2016 Winter Classic plans, I kind of shrugged and said “eh, that’s fun.” The hockey fan inside of me has never diminished, but I was significantly less excited than I was as a child.

The point of outdoor games are to bring hockey back to how it was traditionally played, on frozen ponds and lakes, where players had to bundle up to protect themselves from not only the puck and sticks but the cold as well. This

is the hockey that fans play themselves every winter.

When Steve Webb, the NHLPA’s divisional player representative said in an article on NHL.com that “the Bridgestone Winter Classic on New Year’s Day will make for a very memorable game for the players as well as many sports fans in

attendance at Gillette Stadium and those watching on T.V.,” I had to disagree.

To me, the game will not be as memorable as the league is making it out to be. The game will simply blend in with the other two outdoor games scheduled for this season.

Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

OPINIONS

theconcordian

17

OPINIONS EDITOR MATTHEW CIVICO opinions@theconcordian.com @theconcordian

EDITORIAL

Another step towards ending rape culture An infamous case of online sexual violence, misogynistic slurs, sexually graphic insults, degrading sexual imagery and racism has been settled between the Concordia student using the pseudonym Mei Ling and the Arts and Science Faculty Association.

The settlement includes an undisclosed amount of monetary compensation and an official apology according to the press release sent out by the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations, or CRARR. Mei Ling said she settled with ASFA because the new executives have a different culture than the two individuals she said she won’t be settling with. While ASFA’s culture may have changed this year in the hands of a team willing to take steps to prevent this from happening again, turnover rates in student government are incredibly high. Who knows who what type of culture will be in power in three year’s time? Mei Ling’s continued pursuit of the two men most directly responsible for spreading racism and misogyny will hopefully result in major, long-term changes—changes that last beyond a 12-month mandate.

Major changes might come from one of the conditions of the settlement, where

ASFA agreed to create an independent task force.

This task force would host Concordia members who are knowledgeable about the laws surrounding sexual violence, human rights, and other similar laws, as well as external experts and representatives. This task force is charged with assessing “the issues raised by this complaint including, but not limited to (i) violence and discrimination against women and minorities within student associations and other university bodies, and (ii) means for ensuring that complaints related to these issues are processed thoroughly and expediently in future cases,” according to CRARR’s press release. The task force will also create solid ways “to develop and implement measures to ensure that members of the ASFA and Concordia community, and women in particular, can learn, work, and be involved in campus life free of civil rights violations and violence in all its forms.”

This task force seems to be working to ensure students who try reaching out with their complaints are not turned away like Mei Ling was in March, as reported by The Concordian. Mei Ling approached Andrew Woodall, the Dean of Students, who was

unable to help her because the Facebook chat was technically “private” and outside of the university’s domain.

So the good news is Mei Ling has reached a settlement, and ASFA is creating an independent task force.

It’s a big step in the right direction when the school starts openly speaking about sexual harassment and violence issues at the university and starts organizing public lectures such as this month’s Talking Out Loud guest lecturer Julie Lalonde who spoke about consent and the power of bystander intervention.

But this begs the question: why now?

Did it really take a highly publicized sexual harassment case in the school’s largest faculty association for the university to change its policies?

Granted, president Alan Shepard launched a review of Concordia’s Sexual Assault policy in December 2014, months before news about Mei Ling’s case broke.

The report was published this August and called for the school to stop calling people “victims” and start using more empowering language, such as “survivor.”

But Concordia is still unwilling to implement mandatory consent workshops for all incoming students, and is leaving it up to the CSU and other

student groups to brief their incoming “Launchies.”

While ASFA launch week organizers attempted to put a big emphasis on the introduction of consent workshops, the week was highly unorganized and the workshops ended up being sprung on unsuspecting Launchees according to Lydia Anderson, our Co-arts editor and ASFA launch leader. The intentions were good, but bringing Launchees in for a barbecue and treating them to an unannounced two-hour workshop was the wrong way to educate the incoming students, said Anderson.

This is the perfect example of why Concordia should use its superior resources to create mandatory consent workshops that are advertised to and enjoyed by students.

In May, Concordia president Alan Shepard released a statement where he admitted the university was still “grappling with ways to deal with unacceptable behaviour with this new [social media and online] reality,” but at the Bystander Intervention talk Lalonde was very clear that online violence is still a crime, adding “the way in which we talk about this shapes what we do about it,” in an interview with The Concordian.

DIVERSITY

A boy and his Barbie against the world—eventually Mattel’s flagship doll is trying to expand its market for the first time ever MARCO SAVERIANO Staff writer Barbie has been the best friend to little girls around the world for almost 57 years, but have you ever stopped and wondered what impact the iconic doll has had on boys?

When the new limited edition Moschino Barbie hit the market it sold out in less than a day—but nobody is talking about the doll. Everyone is talking about the commercial, and the little boy who stars in it.

Styled like Moschino’s creative director, designer Jeremy Scott, the boy proudly plays with his doll, exclaims how fierce she is, and ends the commercial with a wink to the camera. The video went viral, and even though the “fauxmercial” won’t be on T.V. anytime soon (it was made for Moschino’s YouTube page), there has been an overwhelmingly positive response on social media praising the progressive new ad.

If you don’t know why this is so important, let me tell you a story.

When I was a child, I was constantly surrounded by girls. I was the youngest, and the only boy, with three older sis-

ters. Between my sisters, my cousins, and their friends, I became accustomed to being the only boy (and quickly got used to hearing “Okay girls, oh, and Marco”). Even though I loved playing with my toy cars and my action figures, I always wanted to play Barbies with my sisters and my cousins. When I was really young, they let me join in, but as I got older, the judgments were more apparent. “Boys don’t play with Barbies,” my parents would tell me, “that’s for girls.”

I don’t blame my parents, they were just trying to protect their little boy, but it definitely left an impression on me.

I started feeling ashamed of the fact that I wanted to play with dolls. If I was playing at my cousin’s house, I’d silently pray that she’d suggest playing with her Barbies because I was too embarrassed to bring it up first. Asking for my own Barbie was completely out of the question—I knew I’d just be shot down and shamed for it, so I conveniently kept that off my Christmas list year after year.

As I got older, I was always presented with a variation of the same dreaded question: “Do other boys your age like playing with Barbies? Do other boys like listening to (insert pop diva here)? Why don’t you go play soccer like the other boys?” I felt ashamed by

my interests for years, and it all started with being told that boys couldn’t play with Barbies. It wasn’t until my late teens that I realized how ridiculous it was to lie about the things I truly enjoyed— things as trivial as the type of music I listened to or the fact that I’d

still kill for my own Barbie doll.

This commercial is going to show a whole generation of little boys that it’s okay to be different, that if you want to play with a Barbie, go ahead and have fun. Unlike me, they won’t have to grow up ashamed of their interests, and they’ll know it’s okay to ask their parents for a doll.

Thankfully society is starting to catch up and realize that, too. Back in August, Target announced that they would no longer be labelling the toys in their stores as “Boys” or “Girls” and that’s how it should be. There is no such thing as a boy’s toy or a girl’s toy—they’re just toys, and you can play with them regardless of your gender.

I’m still waiting for my own Barbie.

Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

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theconcordian

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

DISCRIMINATION

We must stand united if we want to abolish Islamophobia Prejudice and racism have reared their ugly heads here at home in reaction to Daesh attacks

SAVANNA CRAIG Staff writer Getting to know one person well takes a long time, so how can anyone claim to know what more than a billion people think and believe?

“This is the problem, you’re talking about a religion of 1.5 billion people. Certainly it becomes very easy to paint them all with a single brush,” said Reza Aslan, a professor at the University of California, Riverside in an interview on CNN. “We’re using two or three examples to justify a generalization, that’s actually an example of bigotry,” he said on CNN. The interview aired and went viral last year and recently resurfaced online in light of a rise in discrimination to Muslims following attacks by Daesh*, previously known as “ISIS.” Recently, we have seen Daesh attack Beirut, Baghdad and Paris. The reaction on social media showed many people around the world expressing their support and concern for the victims of these attacks.

However, some extreme individuals have come to the conclusion that all Muslims can be generalized. But, it is not the religion—it is the values and opinions the individual personally brings to the religion that can make them dangerous.

We have seen backlash across our own nation as some Canadians have taken extreme views against Islam. The CBC reported that in Peterborough, Ontario, a mosque was set on fire days after the attacks in Paris. Following that, they reported an incident taking place in Toronto where a Muslim woman was robbed and assaulted. The attackers allegedly called her “a terrorist” and told her she should “go back to your country,” according to the CBC report.

In Montreal, the CBC also reported that a 24-year-old man was arrested after he

Montrealers gather to express solidarity with Paris. Photo by Marie-Pierre Savard. posted a video online, disguised by a joker mask and uttering death threats towards Muslims.

How are we trying to defeat terrorism when we are rejecting people from our own community? These militants preach hate and by excluding and terrorizing those of Islamic faith, we ourselves are only spreading their culture of animosity and pain. We are not solving the problem by scapegoating all Muslims. It’s astonishing to see punishment of those who have no involvement in the situation.

In fact, through these actions we are giving more power to Daesh. These mishaps may not cause violence on the scale of city bombings, however, this attitude contributes to the extremists’ power by creating more exclusion and hate within our world.

If we want to tear down the powers of Daesh we all must declare war on racism and the unfair generalizations that claim all Muslims are terrorists. Having grown up in Canada, a country known for its open-mindedness and acceptance of dif-

ferent ethnicities and religions, the recent hate crimes have been shocking.

According to the Pew Research Centre, in 2010 an estimated 1,599,700,000 people practiced Islam. It’s illogical to believe that the nearly 2.6 million American citizens who are also Muslim are terrorists. Not all Christians are assumed to be skinheads or members of the KKK. So why are all Muslims being painted as terrorists?

“People are violent or peaceful,” said Aslan, justifying that it is the individual and their attribution to the religion. We are only contributing to the downfall of our society if we let these ignorant beliefs continue to exist.

Let us not give power to those who are causing pain and suffering in the world. We should not let our differences separate mankind. As Daesh separates itself from the world through terrorism, let us retaliate by unifying mankind regardless of race or religion.

In contrast to these negative reactions, there has also been great unity

amongst those around the world and at home. There is a great amount of online support for Syrian refugees and backlash against those with racist remarks.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vows to keep Canada safe and is still welcoming 25,000 refugees into the country.

On Nov. 20 an event was held in front of Roddick Gates of McGill supporting Muslims. An individual stood blindfolded bearing the sign, “I’m a Muslim, a Syrian & Canadian. But I’m told that I’m a terrorist. I trust you, if you trust me.”

This was followed by a list that said, “hug me, sing with me, dance with me, take a selfie with me, or play basketball with me.” We must focus on the positive reactions around the world, shutting down the hateful negative reactions.

We should show support for countries that have suffered attacks. We should remember those who have lost their lives and family. And we should continue to support and welcome those who have lost their homes in Syria and Iraq . We must stand with the victims of terrorism.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Sexual violence at ConU: a new civil rights-based approach Last August, Concordia University’s administration released the Report of the Sexual Assault Policy Review Working Group, which outlines plans to address sexual violence within the Concordia community. The Working Group was set up in Fall 2014 by university president Alan Shepard to review the university’s overall actions against sexual assault.

While the report represents a laudable step forward on the part of the university to confront a persistent problem, it falls short in some key areas.

Like other university reports on the issue, the report affirms a clear vision.

“Behaviours commonly associated with rape culture, such as victim blaming, normalizing sexual objectification and violence, are absolutely unacceptable in the Concordia community. As such, sexual violence violates our institutional values, in particular the rights of individuals … to be treated with dignity and respect,” said the report.

It refers to Ontario’s definition of sexual violence in its “Changing Attitudes, Changing Lives: Ontario Sexual Violence Plan,” as, “any violence, physical or psychological, carried out through sexual means or by targeting sexuality.”

Concordia’s report features key policy and procedural changes applying to all members of the university and amendments to the Code of Rights and Responsibilities to include community events held off campus. The report includes streamlining processes and increasing education.

To gage the scope and relevance of this report we should consider the well-publicized “Mei Ling” case. A biracial student executive was told by Concordia administration they could not help her after she faced ongoing racial and sexual harassment at the Arts and Science Federation Association. How does this report address a case like hers?

First, although the report refers to

“the rights of individuals in our university community to be treated with dignity and respect,” key concepts such as human rights and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms are absent.

The report fails to address sexual violence from the perspective of human rights law, which guarantees the right to be protected against discrimination and harassment based on gender, race and sexual orientation, among others; the right to life and security and the right to dignity and integrity of the person. In this regard, sexual violence is a violation of the Criminal Code, and human rights legislation.

Secondly, the report lacks intersectionality. While it acknowledges “the various needs and realities of our diverse community,” it fails to adequately address the connection of sexual violence to other forms of oppression and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, aboriginal status, sexual orientation or disability.

The diversity at Concordia is not repre-

sented within the working group or recommendations, which risks making sexual violence an issue of middle-class, able-bodied white women.

Thirdly, reports from other universities and authorities such as The First Report of the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault advocates for increased transparency from administration by releasing public reports about sexual violence and a shifting to survivor-centered and trauma-centered approaches in supporting survivors.

If sexual violence is tackled from these three angles, “Mei Ling”—and all women—will be better protected.

BRANDY DEGAIA Executive director, Fo Niemi, community organizer, Center for Research-Action on Race Relations

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

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Tweets of the week #1in5muslims The infamous British tabloid, The Sun, is making waves with one of its latest headlines. The front page claims that 1 in 5 Muslims support the so-called “Islamic State.” Other, more respected outlets, have come out blasting the stat, poking holes in its credibility.

The good people of Twitter are ridiculing #1in5muslims with appropriately subversive tweets: @DaniRabaiotti The stats behind The Suns front page would never get through peer review, all I’m saying #badstats

Letter to the editor Vote yes to CSU referendum daycare question Next week, there will be a referendum question regarding the CSU’s proposal to open a new daycare on campus, prioritizing access to student-parents.

Although I am not a student parent, I am thrilled to hear about this initiative. I do know, from working in a daycare for the past four years, how difficult it may be for a parent to find quality daycare services. The need simply far outweighs the availability.

As students, we have many endeavors and obstacles to overcome throughout the semester. Add to that the stress of being responsible for a child and needing to worry about the care that child is receiving throughout the day; we who are not student parents can only imagine!

Having a quality daycare on campus catering to the student parents would offer them convenience,

@ThatGirlYasmin Only #1in5Muslims know that dominos does halal chicken, you’re welcome. @ShahidMursaleen #1in5Muslims if not more have lovely relations with their non-Muslim neighbours & exchange gifts every year who know Muslim are peaceful! @Ella_Ella_eh 1 in 5 Sun readers married their sister. I took a poll. It’s true. #1in5muslims @JamesMelville #1in5Muslims make up a fifth of the entire Muslim population.

Facts beat #SunHeadlines. @mehreenkasana #1in5Muslims use ‘Inshallah’ to politely avoid committing to any plan. (And it works.) “Wanna get coffee sometime?”

“Sure, yeah, inshallah.”

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practicality and time-efficiency, thus allowing them flexibility for group projects, academic counseling and overall success. Not to mention, peace of mind.

The proposal at hand will not have any financial impact on student fees; however, it will highly benefit fellow Concordia students who have children.

Concordia University is a community in itself, and we need to stand together to promote accessibility to higher education for all current, and future students.

Support the CSU’s Daycare and Nursery Project by voting YES to the referendum question on Nov. 24 to 26!

Sincerely, MELISSA ARAUZ Psychology major, School of Community and Public Affairs

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Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper VOLUME 33 | ISSUE 13 | TUESDAY, NOV. 24, 2015 Cover photo by Marie-Pierre Savard.

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