theconcordian
VOLUME 33 | ISSUE 8 | INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY. SINCE 1983. | OCT. 20, 2015
A majority for Trudeau
OUR TEAM’S COVERAGE Results & analysis Editorial Photo essay
p. 2 & 3 p. 18 back cover
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
LIFE
ARTS
SPORTS
MUSIC
Your Pocahontas MBF razzles, How to love costume offends p. 8 dazzles, shines p. 12 country 101
p. 14
Stingers slay Lancers p. 17
We tell your stories. Follow us on social media @TheConcordian
OPINIONS Don’t believe the #PSL hype p. 19 theconcordian.com
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
ELECTION
ELECTION TEAM GREGORY TODARO, LAURA MARCHAND, ANDREJ IVANOV, KEITH RACE & PIERRE A. LEPETIT
LIBERAL M A JORIT Y GOVERNMENT
NATION
Liberals soar, NDP falters, Harper steps down LAURA MARCHAND Staff writer @Marchand_L On Oct. 19, Canadians elected a Liberal majority government, ending nearly a decade of Conservative power and electing Justin Trudeau as Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister with 184 seats in the House of Commons. The Liberal party surged from third-party status after taking only 34 seats in the 2011 federal election. “Sunny ways, my friends—sunny ways,” said Trudeau, addressing an exhilarated crowd of supporters in Montre-
al. “Canadians from all across this great country sent a clear message tonight: it is time for a change. A real change.” The “crimson tide” that swept across the country left few standing, with a media release from the Conservative Party of Canada announcing that the party would begin the process for selecting a new leader. Stephen Harper did not address that he would be stepping down from the leadership during his concession speech. “I had the incredible honour of serving as your Prime Minister,” said Harper, surrounded by supporters from the party’s base in Calgary. “The disappointment you feel is my responsibility and mine alone.
PA R L I A M E N T B R E A K D O W N
When the time comes, we will offer a strong alternative, based on our conservative values.” “We put it all on the line,” added Harper. “We gave everything we have to give, and we have no regrets.” Thomas Mulcair, leader of the New Democratic Party, entered the campaign the front-runner. The NDP ended the night in third place, holding onto only 44 seats and losing 59 from the 103 they held in 2011. “The roots of the NDP continue to develop,” said Mulcair, who added the NDP offered “historical contributions to this country.” “The next chapter begins in our effort
to build a better Canada,” he said. Mulcair did not announce any plans to resign as leader of the NDP. The Bloc Quebecois took an additional six seats to 10 (from four), and Green party leader Elizabeth May held onto her seat in British Columbia. During his speech, Trudeau credited his party’s lack of divisive and negative politics for their overwhelming win. “We can appeal to our better angels, our better nature, and win while doing it,” Trudeau said. “Conservatives are not our enemies, they’re our neighbours. Leadership is about bringing people of all perspectives together.”
Source: Elections Canada. Graphic by Pierre A. Lepetit.
LIBERALS (184 seats) CONSERVATIVES (99 seats) NEW DEMOCRATS (44 seats) BLOC QUÉBÉCOIS (10 seats) GREEN (1 seat) HOW DID THE LEADERS DO?
by Michelle Gammage
At a glance: party leaders’ performances ELIZABETH MAY (GREEN) Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May won her riding, Saanich—Gulf Islands, with over 35,000 votes (54 per cent). She beat out Conservative candidate Robert Boyd (20 per cent), Liberal Tim Kane (17 per cent) and NDP candidate Lisa Cormier (9 per cent). May is the only Green party candidate to win a seat in the House of Commons. She’s represented this riding since 2011.
GILLES DUCEPPE (BLOC) The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Gilles Duceppe, lost in his riding in Lau-
rier—Sainte-Marie. He only received 28 per cent of the vote. Duceppe was ousted by NDP candidate Hélène Laverdière who won 38 per cent of the votes. However, Bloc Québécois won 10 seats in Quebec—4.7 per cent of the total votes—a sure improvement from their previous four seats from the 2011 election.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU (LIBS) The Liberal Party of Canada leader—and new Prime Minister of Canada—received a majority of votes in his riding, Papineau (51.79 per cent). He beat out NDP candidate Anne Lagacé Dowson (26.07 per cent), Bloc Québécois can-
didate Maxime Claveay (12.19 per cent), Conservative Yvon Vadnais (4.86 per cent) and Green party candidate Danny Polifroni (2.82 per cent).
STEPHEN HARPER (CONS) Stephen Harper won in his riding of Calgary Heritage in Alberta with 63.7 per cent of the votes, beating out Liberal candidate Brendan Miles who won 25.9 per cent of the votes. Despite winning 99 seats in this election, 31.9 per cent of the total votes, an official party letter was sent out during the prime minister’s concession speech announcing his resignation as Conservative party leader. Harper
neglected to comment on the letter before exiting the stage.
TOM MULCAIR (NEW DEMS) The leader of the New Democratic Party won his riding in Montreal’s Outremont with 25.57 per cent of the votes. He was challenged by Liberal candidate Rachel Bendayan coming in with 20.37 per cent of the votes. The NDP party suffered a crushing defeat at the poles, only winning 43 seats after holding 103 seats from the 2011 election, which is a decrease in 60 seats. This means the NDP have dropped from the official opposition to just holding 19.7 per cent of the votes.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
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CITY
MTL ridings overwhelmingly back Trudeau The Conservative Party of Canada and the Green party won no seats on the island LAURA MARCHAND Staff writer @Marchand_L Like most of the country, Montreal ended the election dripping red. In 2011, Montreal—and much of Quebec—turned to the New Democratic Party (NDP) in a phenomenon that would be dubbed “the Orange Wave.” The province handed the party the official opposition, propelling the New Democrats to 103 seats. The NDP ends this election with 42 seats nationally, with many Montreal seats swinging to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.
Only five seats on the island resisted the “crimson tide”: Thomas Mulcair’s riding of Outremont and three other ridings flew the orange banner, including Gille Duceppe’s riding of Laurier—Sainte-Marie. One riding, La Pointe-de-l’Île, was claimed by the Bloc Quebecois. Both ridings with Concordia University campuses, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce— Westmount and Ville-Marie—Le-SudOuest—Île-des-Soeurs representing the Loyola and Sir George Williams campuses respectively, voted Liberal. Successful Liberal candidates across the city took over 50 per cent of the popular vote in their respective ridings, with some—such as Saint-Léonard-Saint-Mi-
BY THE NUMBERS
chel—electing a Liberal with nearly 65 per cent of the vote. Some areas which were considered to be close races found their incumbents stonewalled by Liberal challengers. Ahuntsic-Cartierville, where incumbent-turned-NDP Maria Mourani was expected to weather the storm, was ultimately defeated by former mayoral candidate Melanie Joly. Joly won by over 6,000 votes. The entirety of Laval, which went NDP last election, turned unanimously red. The West Island, which had long been a Liberal stronghold, returned to its roots: the riding of Pierrefonds-Dollard elected Liberal candidate Frank
Baylis by over 15,000 votes. The Conservative Party did not gain a single seat in Montreal, though Robert Libman—Conservative candidate for the riding of Mount-Royal—was at times projected to take the seat, but was ultimately defeated by Liberal Anthony Housefather. Libman came in second place with over 35 per cent of the vote. Justin Trudeau held his riding of Papineau, defeating NDP challenger Anne Lagacé-Dawson. The Liberal Party’s victory continues the tradition of Prime Ministers holding seats in Montreal, following in the footsteps of Paul Martin (Lasalle—Émard) and his father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau (Mount Royal).
Source: Elections Canada. Graphic by Pierre A. Lepetit.
PAPINEAU LIBERAL
Justin Trudeau (51.79%)
NDP
Anne Lagacé-Dowson (26.07%) Maxime Claveau (12.19%) Yvon Vadnais (4.68%) Danny Polifroni (2.82%)
BLOC CONS GREEN
OUTREMONT NDP
Tom Mulcair (43.94%)
LIBERAL
Rachel Bendayan (33.69%) Rodolphe Husny (9.65%) Roger Galland Barou (8.24%) Amara Diallo (3.62%)
CONS BLOC GREEN
CAMPUS
Source: Elections Canada.
VILLE-MARIE— LE SUD-OUEST—ÎLEDES-SŒURS
Concordia ridings NOTRE-DAME-DE-GRÂCE— WESTMOUNT LIBERAL
Marc Garneau (57.68%)
NDP
James Hughes (21.82%) Richard Sagala (14.12%) Melissa Kate Wheeler (3.07%) Simon Quesnel (2.66%)
CONS GREEN BLOC
LIBERAL
Marc Miller (50.39%)
NDP
Allison Turner (23.49%) Steve Shanahan (11.9%) Chantal St-Onge (8.8%) Daniel Green (4.92%)
CONS BLOC GREEN
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015 NEWS EDITOR GREGORY TODARO news@theconcordian.com
NEWS CITY CHLOE RINALDI Staff writer
@theconcordian
BUSINESS
A taste of success the Bad Monkey way CEO and JMSB student Joey Zeppilli says company is still growing
Montreal French school board to strike The Commission Scolaire de Montréal (CSDM), Montreal’s largest French school board announced a two-day strike Monday. The school board contains 129 elementary schools and 37 secondary schools in the Montreal area, according to CBC News. Students will be remaining at home while teachers and civil servants picket in front of the schools. The strike will be held Oct. 28 and Oct. 29. Teachers are protesting for an increase in school funding and against government demands for larger class sizes.
Defense: Turcotte not criminally responsible Lawyers for Guy Turcotte argued that he should not be held criminally responsible for the murder of his two children. Although Turcotte has admitted to causing the deaths of his children he pleaded not guilty for two counts of first-degree murder, according to The Canadian Press. A witness told a heartbreaking story of Turcotte’s son pleading for his life before his death in court on Monday, reported CBC News. The Crown called 29 witnesses to testify at Turcotte’s second trial.
Cold weather freezes PointeClaire pipes Pointe-Claire residents living around Highgate Avenue woke up Monday morning to frozen water and, in some households, no water at all. Sunday temperature reached a low of minus two degrees Celsius causing the temporary pipes to freeze overnight. The temporary pipes were installed by the city for construction in the area. According to Global News, most households now have their water back and hope that the problem is resolved.
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Chocolate and strawberries or jalepenio and caramel, with Bad Monkey you choose your flavour.
SANDRA HERCEGOVA Contributor Bad Monkey Popcorn all started when CEO and JMSB finance student Joey Zeppilli—who had saved up some money from his job at his father's company—decided he wanted to invest. "I knew I wanted to invest but did not know where,” said Zeppilli. “At first I wanted to have my own franchise. I even went to Subway and Tim Hortons meetings. I quickly realized that wasn’t what I wanted to do—I wanted to express my creativity.” Zeppilli said he voiced his uncertainty to his brother Fabio who asked him the question that set the wheels in motion: “Why don’t we start our own [business]?” The Zeppilli brothers—Joey, Fabio, Matthew and Luciano— decided to work together on this new venture. "Two years ago, nothing existed but an idea. We took a chance and went straight forward,” said Zeppilli. The first idea that came to their minds had to do with their love of popcorn growing up. "We had the crazy idea to make popcorn cool again," Zeppilli said. The brothers noticed that there was an untapped market for flavoured popcorn in Canada. That very same day, they went to a grocery store to examine different popcorn brands.
They came up with perfectly val],” said Zeppilli. “That week- spite having a lot on his plate. He fluffy round pieces of kosher pop- end alone we made a little over had to juggle his full-time studies corn that do not leave any bits or $16,000.” and a part-time job while foundpieces in your mouth. They startJoey also said 800 bags of ing his own company. ed off with two classic flavors: Bad Monkey Popcorn were sold "Those were the toughest butter & salt and caramel. They at their first-ever event with moments of my life,” he said. “If found their first 400 square-foot Cirque du Soleil. you want to be successful, you facility where they cannot have a social We had the crazy idea to make could make their life. My motivation was product and start- popcorn cool again. to make a success out ed reaching out to of my family." — Joey Zeppilli, charities and varWhile he enjoys ious events to find CEO of Bad Monkey Popcorn working with his famplaces to sell the ily, he said it’s also popcorn. Their very been a challenge. first event was the 2013 Grand The company is getting "Make sure to keep family and Prix in Montreal. "On the first day, more and more popular: Zep- work relationships separate,” he we sold out within an hour and pilli said Bad Monkey Popcorn said. “Leave it at the door and do a half,” Zeppilli said. “That same is expanding and supplying not take it personally." night all we did was cook—no four to five more stores every Since business has been sleep. It was just us brothers and week. Zeppilli and his broth- booming, Zeppilli decided to the family helping out at the time." ers also had a chance to pitch hold off his studies for a semesTwo years and 22 flavours lat- their business on Dragons’ Den ter to fully devote his time to Bad er, Bad Monkey Popcorn is be- for an episode airing sometime Monkey Popcorn. "If you have a ing sold at 75 major festivals and in December. He said it was a passion and if you feel that you events across Canada, including great learning experience and have a good idea, go for it. Gamat the Cirque du Soleil shows, the showed him what a real investor ble on yourself,” he said. “Put Osheaga Music and Arts Festival expects from entrepreneurs. confidence into that idea and and Montreal Canadiens hockey "They expect a lot of diligence take risks while you are young.” games.They have differentiated and they will ask you a milZeppilli also said not to be themselves with their many new lion questions,” he said. “A word afraid of making big decisions. "At and unique flavours such as: car- of advice: know your stuff." Bad first we wanted to go retail, beamel and jalapeños, maple syrup, Monkey Popcorn received three come a popcorn mall store,” he strawberry and even dark choc- offers from the Dragons and ac- said. “Have we not changed our olate. Their popcorn can also be cepted one. Zeppilli said the deal minds towards the wholesale difound in 160 stores, shops and is still being negotiated. rection, we would not be where cafeterias across the country. Bad Monkey’s overnight suc- we are today." "During our first year, Os- cess is inspiring, but was not heaga contacted us—they spot- handed to them on a silver plat- To learn more about Bad ted us at an event and wanted a ter. Zeppilli always had the ener- Monkey Popcorn, visit website: Bad Monkey stand [for the festi- gy and entrepreneurial spirit de- maissoufflebadmonkey.com
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
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LECTURE
Understanding the refugee crisis
Talk at McGill looks at causes and current issues surrounding Syrian crisis
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NATION GREGORY TODARO News editor
Andrew Coyne resigns from National Post National Post columnist Andrew Coyne announced his resignation as editor of editorials and comments from the National Post via Twitter on Monday. Coyne, who will continue to work for the Post as a columnist, said the decision was made after the paper decided not to run one of his columns leading up to the election. Canadaland reported last week that the Post spiked the column by Coyne in which he endorsed a party other than the Conservatives, which goes against Postmedia’s endorsement of former prime minister Stephen Harper. Paul Clarke, director of Action Réfugié Montréal talking about how Canadians can help refugees. Photos by Andrej Ivanov.
SANDRA HERCEGOVA Contributor
T
he Syrian Students’ Associations (SSA) of McGill and Concordia hosted a panel discussion on the Syrian refugee crisis at McGill University Leacock building on Friday. The talk, also co-hosted by Standpoints, Amnesty International (AI) McGill and Concordia, and Journalists for Human Rights McGill (JHR), covered the origins of the crisis, but also the current and future problems the region and the refugees will face. The conference was comprised of three parts; a video presentation, a talk by the executive director of Action Réfugiés Montréal (ARM) and a panel discussion. The video presentation included a documentary from The Guardian, “We walk together: a Syrian family’s journey to the heart of Europe” which followed thousands of refugees who decided to walk to Western Europe from Budapest. Then, ARM executive director Paul Clarke spoke about his organization’s work to bring refugees to Canada. Clarke opened his talk with the importance of correctly identifying the differences between migrants and refugees. “Migrants are people who choose to leave where they are because they want to go,” he said. “A refugee is someone who has [undergone] forced migration.” Clarke also discussed how about 600 refugees in 2015 brought into Quebec were privately sponsored. However, there were only eight government-as-
sisted refugees during that time. The evening ended off with a four-person panel discussion; Jon Waind, PhD student in McGill University’s religious studies department; Afra Jalabi, a founding member of the Syrian National Council; Matvey Lomonosov, an expert on nationalism and ethnic conflict in the Balkans; and Ecem Oskay, a masters student in McGill’s political science department. Waind said issues of xenophobia or anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe stems from a “failure of collective memory.” He also discussed how the viral image of Alan Kurdi gained attention internationally through “common human vulnerability.” “There’s this core feature that we have has human beings,” said Waind. “I don’t just mean our susceptibility of being harmed … it also means a sense of helplessness.” Oskay, meanwhile, discussed how the European Union set up rules such as the Dublin Regulation and Schengen Agreement which have made it harder for the continent to deal with the influx of refugees. The Dublin Regulation, which was initially established in 1990s, was an attempt by EU member states to coordinate their policies on how they deal with refugees that enter Europe. The Schengen Agreement created Europe’s borderless Schengen area which pushed responsibility of border patrol to the countries along the edges of the EU. “These two frameworks, the reality that they created is an uneven distribution of responsibilities,” she said. “What we see today, most refugees who come in come through the Mediterranean,
so it’s Italy, Spain and also Greece that carry the largest burden of registering them and figuring out what to do with them.” Oskay said inner countries of the EU have been able to avoid responsibility in dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis and straining resources in exterior countries.
High turnout for early voting Some voters in southwest Ontario say they were denied the right to vote while they were hospitalized. Elections Canada said hospital patients can vote through various means but only up until six days before the election, according to CBC News. Elections Canada officials also reportedly said acute and chronic care patients can vote by special ballot, but the deadline was Oct. 13. Voters who were admitted after the deadline and were still at the hospital during the election had no opportunity to vote reported CBC News.
Judge rules former Health Minister acted improperly
Afra Jabi, founding member of Syrian National Council,
A hall in McGill University’s Leacock Building.
A federal judge has ruled former Health Minister Rona Ambrose acted for an “improper purpose” when she banned drug products from Canadian pharmaceutical giant Apotex’s two Indian facilities. According to the Toronto Star, Justice Michael Manson ruled that Ambrose ignored Apotex’s right to respond to the government’s concerns before the drugs were banned. The judge said in his decision that the “import ban was motivated by the minister’s desire to ease pressure triggered from the media and in the House of Commons.” A Health Canada spokesman said the department is reviewing the decision.
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WORLD SAVANNA CRAIG Contributor
Croatian authorities end border blockade Thousands of refugees trying to reach the heart of Europe entered Croatia through the Serbian border Monday after police stopped blocking the Serbian-Croatian border. CBC News reported that Slovenia’s Interior Ministry is claiming an estimated 5,000 refugees crossed the border Monday and by the evening, around 900 refugees arrived in Austria. However, Slovenia has announced that they will not accept any more than 2,500 refugees per day.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
PROTEST
Marching in defence of Palestine Organizations stand “in solidarity” with Palestinian people GREGORY TODARO News editor @GCTodaro
A
round 100 protesters braved the first snow of the season in defence of Palestine, marching from Norman Bethune Square to the Israeli Consulate on Wood Avenue on Sunday. The “Defend Palestine Speak-out” march was hosted by several “associations in solidarity with the Palestinian People,” according to a press release from the Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians. The groups present also included the Montreal-based human rights organization Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU). Representatives from Ne-
turei Karta International based out of Monsey, New York, also attended the protest. Neturei Karta International is a group of Orthodox Jews who oppose Zionism and the existence of Israel, claiming it goes against the teachings of the Torah. Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, associate director of Neturei Karta International, said Zionism is the cause of current tensions in the region. “The root problem is unquestionably Zionism,” he said. “The fact is, we were living together … in the same courtyards as the Muslims and Arabs. There was never a problem because of religion.” “The Zionists narrative is that it’s an ingrained hate from the Muslims to the Jews,” he added, “but that’s patently false.”
Guantanamo Bay prisoner wants to represent himself Guantanamo Bay prisoner Walid Bin Attash, who was involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, told a judge he wants to explore the process of self-representation in court. Bin Attash said that he has become irritated with court-appointed lawyers after approximately 18 months of delays. Global News reports that the judge adjourned the session, leaving the decision to be delayed until the following morning. The Yemeni prisoner is pursuing longstanding complaints about conditions of his camp at Guantanamo, according to Global News. Defendants are allowed to represent themselves in a military commission.
“Goodfellas” gangster facing theft charges Alleged New York mobster Vincent Asaro, portrayed in the 1990 gangster film Goodfellas directed by Martin Scorsese, has been put to trial. Asaro is being accused for the 1978 theft of US$6 million worth of cash and jewels from JFK airport cargo. In a report from BBC News, Aroso has pleaded not guilty. The stolen goods would be worth an estimated US$20 million today. He is also charged with a 1969 murder, extortion and illegal gambling.
The protesters were marching in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Photos by Andrej Ivanov.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
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CAMPUS
ASFA elections underway this week Candidates focused on restructuring executive body GREGORY TODARO News editor @GCTodaro The polls for the Arts and Science Federation of Associations annual by-elections opened on Tuesday. Candidates are running for six ASFA executive positions and independent councillor positions, and all of the positions are contested except the VP communications. The elections last from Oct. 20 to Oct. 22, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Students can access polling stations in the Hall building, the McConnell and Vanier libraries and the SP building. Presidential candidates There are three candidates in the running to be ASFA’s next president: Jared Buck, Jenna Cocullo and Robert Young. Buck said during the first of two ASFA candidate debates that his focus would be on keeping the association organized and well structured. He called ASFA’s current executive structure “inefficient.” Buck also spoke of the need to change “the rape-culture and bro-culture of ASFA.” He said his priorities also include keeping ASFA sustainable and preventing the association from running a deficit. Cocullo has experience in student politics at Concordia: she was interim VP external and sustainability, has experience as an ASFA councillor and was involved
From left to right: Robert Young, Jared Buck and Jenna Cocullo, candidates for ASFA President. Photos by Andrej Ivanov. with the CSU. Cocullo said she plans on facilitating a major restructuring of ASFA, and one of her priorities is to focus ASFA on more long-term goals that previous executives have. At a debate on Tuesday, Cocullo also said she plans to increase transparency in ASFA’s financial committee by requiring detailed minutes. She also said having paid executive positions would entice competent students who would otherwise be unable to commit to the hours necessary for executive positions. Young’s focus is on changing the association structurally to help its member associations flourish. He wants ASFA to
improve funding options for member associations and focus more on student-led projects instead of larger ASFA events. Young also said during Tuesday’s debate that he is also looking to restructure ASFA’s executive structure and create a policy to prevent particular issues—such as the infamous Mei-Ling incident where a former executive filed a human rights complaint against fellow executives— from happening again. Other positions Nearly all other positions are also contested with the exception of VP communications. The candidates for the other
positions are as follows: VP Social: Jean-Philippe Provost & Marc Da Silva VP External: Lana Galbraith & Ayesha Naqvi VP Loyola and Academics: Ian Campbell, Hassan Ezzo & Chanel Manzone Pilon VP Internal: Mariah Gillis & Bianca Bruzzese VP Finance: Sam Babity, Zachary Garoufalis & Ivan Makhorv VP Communications: Cleo Fonseca Independent Councillors: Oliver Marshall, Frankie Sunnyshine, Etienne de Blois, Angelica Sood & Christina Massaro
TALK
Students are increasingly facing debt because of austerity
SAVANNA CRAIG Contributor The third edition of the “Anti Austerity Speaker Series” was held this Thursday, addressing the effects of austerity measures on how educational institutions have been in result of this, and will continue to be affected over the next four years. The event, hosted by Concordia Student Union had guest speaker Erika Shaker, the education director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), talk about her findings on the effect of austerity. The CCPA is an independent research institute and leading voice in public policy debates. The speaker series is a collaboration between the Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Association, Concordia Student Union and Concordia University Library Employees Union. Erik Chevrier, chair of mobilization for CUPTFA, opened the talk by addressing the myths of austerity, saying there should be more discussions to combat these myths. These myths include the fact that austerity is about paying back debt, that supporting big corporations will generate economic surplus and jobs. Shaker said how austerity measures in education funding is negatively impacting
prospective students. When the budget for social programs was slashed in the 1990’s by the former minister of finance Paul Martin, Shaker said this lead to an increase in the gap between the rich from the middle and lower class. “As tuition increased, it became more difficult for students in the lower class to obtain a post-secondary education,” Shaker said. According to the CSU’s website, Quebec universities have faced $200 million worth of cuts this past year—Concordia University alone had to make $15 million in cuts since last year. Students have been one of the main parties suffering due to these austerity cuts. Shaker said many students are facing depression and anxiety due to the stress of financial debt. In fact, she said more students are affected by the stress of financial debt than the stress brought on by their studies. Shaker said that the way the media portrays students struggling with debt includes the opinion that students “don’t know what hard work means,” and that if they “took on another part time job, slept more and stopped complaining and sexting ... everything would be fine.” In the representation the media provides of students, this can contribute to dismissal by the government and many citizens of the struggles
many students face due to austerity cuts. “It’s easy to see [the media’s portrayal] as an outright attack on youth, but I actually see this as more of an attack on progress,” Shaker commented. Shaker also said that a great variety of age groups are unaffected by austerity measures, but youth seem to be most negatively impacted by these cuts . Arguably, she said, youth have the most to lose as they will suffer the longest from these cuts—which she described as “cradle to grave austerity.” Shaker added, “governments are reinforcing the economic instability that restricts civic participation of [important] choices for youth, ensuring their dependence and vulnerability for longer periods of time and then the media blames youth for not being more economically independent.”
Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.
Youth continue to be victimized by austerity
Shaker challenges this norm and said if the Canadian government can diminish cuts and enhance public funding of education, this will shorten the time of a student’s financial dependence on their parents and reduce student debt. “[Economic independence] not only allows but encourages graduates to explore, to challenge themselves, take risks and to innovate—to more quickly mature into fully formed engaged citizens and community members unencumbered by debt,” she said. The next talk in the “Anti Austerity Speaker Series,” will introduce Professors Against Austerity, being held on Oct. 29. Upcoming dates and locations are listed on their website concordiaagainstausterity.org.
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LIFE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015 LIFE EDITOR CRISTINA SANZA life@theconcordian.com @theconcordian
CULTURE
Is your Halloween costume culturally offensive?
Your Pocahontas costume might seem fun, but there are implications you might not be aware of Having the excuse of dressing up as your favourite Disney princess Pocahontas is not valid either. If a young girl is dressing up as Pocahontas, “it is teaching the child that it is OK to stereotype and sexualize,” said Hele. “The parents should know better and realize the issues with the costume.” The more important problem here is adults are dressing up as Pocahontas. The costume is often portrayed as a “sexy Indian,” which Hele said “devalues Aboriginal women and contributes to their sexualization by race. This helps contribute to the high number of assaults and murders of Aboriginal women as well as affecting Aboriginal young women and girls’ selfesteem and body image.” Hele added that the key to changing these bad costume habits is education. “Continually remind people that dressing like an Indian stereotype is offensive,” he said. “No one dresses like a Jewish or Afri-
MINA MAZUMDER Staff writer Halloween is a holiday where we celebrate all things spooky by dressing up and carving pumpkins. For many, dressing up can be a fun way to be someone else for a night. However, each year, many young people choose to dress up in costumes that culturally inappropriate, like the classic “indian” costume, which is really dressing up as a First Nations people, or the ever-popular geisha costume. While the intention is not usually to offend others, if you are planning on dressing up as something that might seem culture-oriented, think twice. Karl Hele, associate professor and director of First Peoples studies at Concordia University, sees this issue as both culturally inappropriate and offensive. “It is offensive, you are not honouring me or my culture by dressing as a stereotype,” he said.
can stereotype—although there have been recent incidents of blackface—and expects it not to be offensive. While you might think that this new trend is considered ‘fun’ or a celebration of a culture, it does the opposite. “It affects individuals of the culture, being viewed as stereotypes. It devalues a culture by showing its members that they are nothing more than a stereotype,” Hele said. The idea doesn’t just apply to First Nations-related costumes. If you are planning on dressing up as a any kind of cultural caricature, stop and think of what implications your costume could have. It is always important to get background information on your Halloween costume before you make the decision to dress up. A costume might seem like a mundane thing to most people, but it could be reinforcing stereotypes. Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.
FASHION
A luxury Montreal-based brand gives fur a second life Maison Cyma uses recycled fur to bring awareness to its short life-cycle in fashion LAURIANE DUVAL-BÉLAIR Staff writer A Montreal-based designer duo is changing how fur is used in the fashion industry, one garment at a time. Designers Mary-Jo Dorval and Cynthia Girard met about 26 years ago, at a time when they were both already creating clothes. A few years later, while Dorval studied fashion design, Girard studied fashion merchandising. As they started out in the workforce, they realized their jobs weren’t right for them, and this lead them to start their own brand, Maison Cyma. The name comes from their first names (CY for Cynthia and MA for Mary-Jo). The first-ever collection by Maison Cyma was showcased on Oct. 9 during the Toronto Startup Fashion Week, a platform for young entrepreneurs in the fashion industry.
Their collection features an elegant mixture of luxurious sweaters, bustiers, vests and pants all in neutral colours with touches of blue. The two designers love working with materials such as recycled fur, fish leather, velvet and net fabric. They like to play with hand smocking, an embroidery technique that gathers fabric together. The way fur is used, however, is important to them. Girard and Dorval said they are interested in ecology and sustainability when it comes to designing garments, particularly with fur. Before Maison Cyma, Girard worked with real fur, but she said it occurred to her that it’s more special than any synthetic fabrics, because it comes from an animal whose life is taken away. She decided to be more conscious about the environmental effects of using it. “People don’t treat fur with enough respect,” said Girard. At Maison Cyma, only recycled fur is used. Their interest with the sustainability and ecology of fur became the heart of the brand’s mission. On their official website, they said Maison Cyma “seeks to
Mary-Jo Dorval and Cynthia Girard, the duo that makes up Maison Cyma.
Photos courtesy of Maison Cyma. honor and glorify animal life and to give a voice to the creatures whose freedom and skin is taken for the profit of the fur industry,” and “honors the lives of these animals by offering them a second life in the most beautiful way possible.” They aim not only to create while being respectful of animals, but also to educate. “We want to make people aware of the recycled fur industry,” said Girard. The designers don’t just want to sell their clothing, but to raise awareness about the short life cycle of fur in the fashion. For the two designers, the goal is for the clothes to become part of a lifestyle for their clients. Out of their entire collection, one of Girard’s favourites is the long white vest made of lace and fur while Dorval’s is a black top with hand smock texture and a long net train. “The pieces adapt to fit our clients’ way of life,” said Girard. Many of Maison Cyma’s pieces are versatile and can be worn in different ways. For exam-
ple, each fur piece has magnetic attachments in certain areas which can be detached to give a different look. “After I finish creating a piece, I always try it on,” said Dorval, who finds the clothes make her feel more confident. “They give me the desire to stand straight and strong,” she said. For the designers, it’s not so much about style, but about personality. The current fashion industry in Montreal is facing some problems, with main brands such as Jacob and Smart Set closing their doors, but the designers are not scared. “We don’t limit ourselves to Montreal,” said Girard. She said a lot of women from France have reached out to them telling the designers that using recycled fur is not something that is often seen. They are considering exporting to France to obtain a broader clientele, but for now, they are focusing on designing their second collection.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
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TECH
Keep your online reputation professional
Maintain a positive, responsible social media profile with these quick and easy guidelines REBECCA LUGER Staff writer
A
s you start looking for a career it’s important to note that your social media profile may need some updating. While you want your online profile to stay true to you, it’s wise to have an ap-
propriate profile that makes you look credible and respectable. This way, any future employers who may have seen your profile know that your online reputation is solid and that you’re dependable and responsible. Here are some tips that will help you achieve a good online reputation. Screen tagged photos of you on Facebook. Do it! Thank me later.
Keeping your privacy settings and tagged photos in check is vital to a professional social media account. Photo by Marie-Pierre Savard.
Don’t like that picture your friend Jamie tagged you in where you’re chugging a beer? You can change your “Timeline” and “Tagging” settings so that you can review tagged pictures before they’re posted to your Facebook. If you happen to like the picture, consider saving it to your computer as opposed to posting it. Make a point to review past photos as well. “Your online profile is definitely an extension and continuation of your offline identity, so people judge you based on what they see on this profile in a much similar manner to the way they judge you in real life,” said Concordia professor Ahmed K. Al-Rawi, specialist in global communication, social media and Middle Eastern popular culture and media. Adjust your privacy settings. By doing so, no one can stalk your profile or they need to be added by you as a ‘friend’ in order to do so. It means that you have complete control over what others see on your profile. You can select specific content that is or isn’t visible to the public, friends and others. A lot of people also change their username as a way of making it harder for employers and people they don’t know to find them online. Get a LinkedIn account. LinkedIn similar to Facebook, but for a professional profile. You showcase your job
experience, skills, talents and interests. You can check out the profiles of businesses and people that may interest you based on your profession. Businesses are using LinkedIn as a way of looking for employees and it is not unusual to be contacted for a possible job opportunity. It’s a great way to get yourself out there. Have a professional username. It might not be the best thing to have a Twitter handle like “SassySallyIsSoFun” or “Rob2sexy4u” especially when you start looking for a job. Consider going with your real name. It shows you’re mature and that you don’t have anything to hide. Be mindful of what you post. “Avoid getting engaged in flaming (insults, swearing, etc.) activities or posting controversial images or videos which might be interpreted by some in a negative way,” Al-Rawi said. “It is important to maintain a professional online profile because employers actually do check the social media profiles of candidates.” Swearing on social media does help let off some steam but it can also come across as immature and silly. Before posting a potentially controversial photo, video or thought, consider your audience. If you still want to vent, start a public or private blog but using a pseudonym to operate anonymously. It gives you the freedom to rant and complain.
TRANSIT
Stories of the STM: A lesson in backhanded compliments When you have your headphones on, it should be a sign not to approach someone JESSICA ROMERA Copy editor There are unwritten rules in this world: if you sneeze in public, you cover your face. If your dog poops in the street, you pick it up. Using the bus or metro in Montreal has its own set of rules, too: if you’re standing on the escalators, you stand on the right side. If you see a pregnant woman or an elderly person standing, you offer them your seat. If you see someone with their face buried in 30,000 pages of notes because it’s midterm period, they have their headphones on and look like an extra on The Walking Dead because of sleep deprivation, maybe don’t strike up a conversation. It was my first year of university, and I was beyond stressed out for a political science midterm. I had stayed up until 4 a.m., slept for roughly three hours and rushed out of my house to grab a black coffee with hopes to make my exam on time. I didn’t bother applying any makeup, I did not bother to change out of the sweater I had slept in and just wanted to review my notes on the metro, which would give me an extra 25 minutes to review. Awesome. I hop on, tune out the rest of the world with the sweet, sweet sounds of The
Sometimes we just get interrupted trying to go from point A to point B. Photo by Marie-Pierre Savard. Strokes pumping through my headphones and skim through key terms only to be interrupted by a particularly aggressive tap on my shoulder. The tapper, a guy roughly my age, was signaling for me to take my headphones off. “Yes?” I said as politely as possible, trying not to let my inner Godzilla get the better of me. “I like your boots,” he said, pointing to my floral-print Doc Martens. I thanked him and was about to put my headphones back on when he asked me what I was studying. I told him, to which he immediately followed up with, “it must be hard. It looks like you haven’t slept in days.” Alright. Thanks, bud. I just love being reminded of the obnoxiously apparent
dark circles around my eyes. “Yeah haha ... I’m kind of tired,” I said, trying to make it as obvious as possible— without being rude—that I needed to get back to studying. I guess the message just wasn’t clear so he fired off another round of questions. He asked me what school I went to, and of course, he also went to Concordia. I was trapped. As if pointing out my tired appearance wasn’t enough, Casanova’s failing apprentice proceeded to ask me if I was stressed because he noticed my face was breaking out. Okay, no. In what universe is it socially acceptable to say that to someone you don’t know? Do I say it to my sister or my best friend? Sure, but that’s different. To
top it off, he asked me if I wanted to go for coffee later that week. “So many girls want to look good, but you clearly don’t care about your appearance. That’s pretty chill,” he added. Uhm. What. I had no idea how to respond. Luckily for me, we were a stop away from Concordia. I had two choices: A) I could hit him with some incredibly witty and sassy comeback, or, B) I could laugh it off. Incapable of processing words that early in the morning without any caffeine, I opted for C) instead: awkwardly mumble something and run away the second the metro doors opened. Another successful human interaction facilitated by the STM.
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
GAMING
Spartan Locke and Master Chief go head-to-head Halo 5: Guardians can potentially be one of the best games in its series ALEXANDER COLE Staff writer On Oct. 27, 343 Industries will be releasing Halo 5: Guardians, the latest installment in the series, which 343 has promised to be one of the biggest Master Chief stories yet. For those who don’t know, Halo is one of the most successful franchises in the history of first-person shooters, according to Video Game Charts, a business intelligence and research firm. It was one of Microsoft’s first exclusive titles and has gained an immense following across the world. In 2012, 343 Industries took over production from Bungie Studios and released Halo 4, which was the first installment in a new trilogy of games. Halo 5: Guardians will be the second game in this trilogy. The story will surround two distinct groups of characters, something that has never been done in a Halo game. On one
side you will have Master Chief, who is a staple of the franchise, and on the other side is Spartan Jameson Locke. Spartan Locke is a new character: he is the leader of Spartan team Osiris and has been tasked with capturing Master Chief,
who is wanted by the UNSC after going AWOL. Master Chief, on the other hand, is unaware of this as he is currently working with Blue Team, a group of
Spartans that are a major part of his origin story. Master Chief’s story takes place a short while after the events of Halo 4. Fans can expect to see Master Chief searching for answers about the death of his A.I. companion Cortana while fighting the new breed of Prometheans he awoke at the beginning of Halo 4.
With Blue Team fighting alongside him, Master Chief will no longer be the lone wolf character that fans have known him to be. Both Master Chief’s and
Spartan Locke’s stories are intertwined and will both be playable. Halo 5: Guardians will also be revamping its multiplayer in order to attract both competitive and casual gamers. In the game’s Arena multiplayer mode, 343 Industries plans to release more competitive game modes that include a more skill-based ranking system. Gamers will be able to enjoy all of the classic modes as well as a brand new game type called Warzone. This new game type lets players face-off against other user-controlled opponents and even enemy A.I in a bid to score the most points. This game mode will also include 12 vs 12 matchmaking which has never been done in a Halo game. The game’s campaign demo was a crowd-pleaser at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, a gaming event where industries debut new games. Ever since the multiplayer Beta last January, fans have been begging for more. For those who love the game, Halo 5: Guardians is looking like a must-have and possibly even one of the best games in the franchise. Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.
SEX
Sexually Speaking: Polyamorous relationships Learn about “Processing” and being in a nonmonogamous relationship CARL BINDMAN Staff writer Have you ever heard of “Processing”? Not like a food processor. Just the word with a capital “p.” Odile Dion, a Concordia student and graphic artist, thinks you have—under a different name. It’s romantic communication and discussion, involving more than two people. It was coined by her community, the polyamorous community. In this community, relationships are between multiple individuals, with
no restrictions. There is no central relationship—all parties involved are treated as equals. “You have to talk with your partners about everything,” she said. “You have to be upfront with them, with your feelings, with your fears. It’s hard.” She talks about the dates she goes on, how on the first date she’ll say “hey, I’m not monogamous,” and how the men won’t call her back. “We tell little girls, ‘you’ll find the one,’” Dion said. “You’ll meet your prince and he’ll take you on his white horse and you’ll go into the sunset together and end your life in a bungalow with a dog and kids.” This isn’t the reality for Dion. Pauline*, a McGill student who is polyamorous, said that when she tells people that she is open to more than
one relationship at the same time, there’s misunderstanding. “There’s this perception that all poly people are cheaters,” Pauline said. “The whole point is that we’re not.” It’s about consent, she said, and communication. It’s about the acceptance of everyone involved. “Non-consensual non-monogamy is pretty much the definition of cheating,” she said. She said fidelity is still vital in polyamory, it just means something else. “It doesn’t mean only have sex with me. It means be honest with me. Respect this bond that we have. It’s not just the classic concept of an open relationship,” said Pauline. Someone can be in a three-way relationship with each partner loving
Photo by Andrej Ivanov.
the other equally. People can be married with a partner on the side without changing how they feel about their married partner. Two different people can be in love and in a relationship with the same person. As long as it’s consensual, it’s fine, said Pauline. “There’s a problem, though,” Dion said. She said that there is this confusion where other people think that if you’re interested in someone who isn’t your partner, it implies you don’t love your partner. Dion believes the confusion is a byproduct of monogamy being considered the only model for relationships. “They’re different models among many other models.” Pauline sees comparisons in friendship and romance. “Some people love having a best friend, and other people love having tons of friends. The more love you have the more love you have to give, and I always wondered why that doesn’t apply to romantic love,” she said. Friendship, communication and respect are all seen as hallmarks of monogamous relationships, as explained by YouTube sex educator Laci Green at a talk at Concordia last week. So if polyamorous relationships are built on the same ingredients, and make people happy, why do Pauline and Dion feel like their lives aren’t acceptable to society at large? Dion said it’s because people don’t talk about it. Pauline said it’s because people don’t talk about it. So let’s talk about it. With enough communication— or should I say, Processing—we’ll get there. *Pauline’s last name has been withheld.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
ARTS
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ARTS EDITORS ELIJAH BUKREEV and LYDIA ANDERSON arts@theconcordian.com @theconcordian
FILM
When suicide is Louder Than Bombs Scandinavian cinema makes a stop in the U.S.A. ELIJAH BUKREEV Co-arts editor All sorts of great things can happen when a foreign director makes a film in the U.S.A. without compromising his or her own style. A somewhat overlooked entry at this year’s Festival du nouveau cinéma, Louder Than Bombs, is a deeply moving portrait of a family two years after a mother’s suicide—which makes it sound much darker than it really is. There certainly are tough scenes, but overall it is filmed with great amounts of light and offers great hope for its characters. It’s strangely feel-good, and not in the Hollywood way—it subtly avoids formulas and trite resolution, going for a non-linear structure that alternates between various points of view. As the film starts, we quickly learn that it’s been two years since Isabelle—a successful war photographer from France (played by Isabelle Huppert)—died in a road accident, leaving behind her American husband, Gene (Gabriel Byrne), and two sons, Jonah (Jesse Eisenberg) and Conrad (Devin Druid). Gene and Jonah seem to have moved on—Gene is seeing
Isabelle Reed (played by Isabelle Huppert) is the mother grieved in the film. Conrad’s school teacher, Hannah (Amy Ryan), while Jonah, a recent PhD graduate, just became a father. Conrad, however, is a troubled teenager left mainly to himself. Conrad—who is the closest thing to a central character—also doesn’t know that his mother purposefully caused the road accident that killed her. His mother’s close colleague, Richard (David Strathairn), is preparing to publish an article that reveals this fact, so Gene is finally forced to tell his son. This is a challenge because the communication between the two is very limited. Gene attempts to anonymously hang out with his son by playing the
online video game on which the teenager spends his nights, but is unceremoniously slain. When Gene tries to initiate an in-person conversation, Conrad would rather put a plastic bag over his own head and start choking himself rather than listen to his father. For a good part of the film, the viewer has no idea of what goes on in Conrad’s head and that silence is frightening. However, as soon as you start seeing things from his perspective, and once he lets his brother Jonah into his world by sharing a short essay he wrote, the film’s most visually adventurous sequences start rolling out in a torrent of empathy.
The cast is too good for words. While you’ve come to expect that level of commitment from Huppert or Byrne, one of the film’s main qualities is a spectacularly promising performance by Devin Druid as Conrad. He embodies teenage angst—the loneliness and confusion—but also an interior life of turmoil in a way that hasn’t been done this well in a long time. The Norwegian director Joachim Trier chose to set the film in the U.S.A. but has given it a freedom of form more widely associated with European cinema. The scenes that are intertwined with the narrative to tell the story are not so much flashbacks as thoughts, memories and dreams. The characters’ inability to express their feelings and rationalize Isabelle’s suicide, which didn’t seem to be rooted in any clear motive, results in long stretches of coldness—a characteristic of Scandinavian cinema— that are punctuated by brief outbursts of aesthetic power. Louder Than Bombs may be one of the best films of the year—a surprisingly unsentimental but quite emotional look at the process of grieving, but also teenagehood and family dynamics. The director allows for his characters to be flawed and approaches them with sympathy as they try to better themselves and the understanding they have of each other.
LITERATURE
Montreal’s Norman Nawrocki launches AGITATE!
A loop-pedal violin performance and the author’s reading inspired us to pick up a copy of his new book LYDIA ANDERSON Co-arts editor @LydiaAndersonn You’re in a room full of people. There’s a gentle hum of conversation and sporadic sounds of clinking glasses. A small bell begins ringing and voices trail off as people notice the source of the sound: a man—with his back to everyone—pacing along the back wall. The room is silent, anticipation hangs in the air. Then, a collective chuckle resonates in the room as Norman Nawrocki, the man of the evening, stops ringing the bell and turns from the wall to reveal the Groucho glasses on his face. He makes his way to the stage singing, slowly clapping and inviting the audience to repeat his words. This was only the beginning of Nawrocki’s book launch on Oct. 13 at Casa del Poppolo. AGITATE! Anarchist rants, raps, and poems is his 13th book with illustrations by Montreal artist Mathieu Chartrand. The launch entailed a loop-pedal violin performance and a reading by the author. It was aggressively theatrical but in an awesome and passionate way. Nawrocki wasn’t afraid to interact with the audience and was neither confined by
the stage nor the traditional ways of manipulating a violin. He used drumsticks both on the strings and body of the violin along with an elastic band around the body to pluck along with the strings. With the consistent use of a loop pedal throughout, Nawrocki mixed literature, music, and theatre in his performance. As an artist he shares what he sees, experiences, and processes by harnessing his skills and background as a cabaret performer. His biography boasts no less than 12 other published pieces of writing, multiple sex-show tours, time as a teacher, and a culmination of 50 albums released either solo or with his bands. Eccentric, passionate and rebellious are only a few words to describe the character and style of Montreal’s Norman Nawrocki. AGITATE! is his newest publication with the majority of its pieces being created by Norman over the past year. Its subject matter approaches a wide range of present day issues, such as terrorism to sexism. “[This book offers] new perspectives on a whole lot of different issues that are contemporary, important issues. Perspectives that maybe will help people think their way out of a lot of the confusion that exists out there given all the lies that the media spews, all the lies com-
Not how you’d use a violin normally, but Norman Nawrocki didn’t stick to conventional use at his launch either. ing out of the Harper government all the time,” said Nawrocki. “People want things to change and this book is like a primer for a lot of people who want to get active, who want to do things but don’t know where to start or what to do.” Nawrocki has an overall passion for the medium of the written word and the power it holds, but also believes that the power of access to media dissemina-
tion comes with a social responsibility to talk about important things. “I think right now artists in general have a responsibility to talk about all these issues, we can’t wait anymore,” said Nawrocki. “How do you motivate people? How do you win people’s hearts and minds? How do you get people to do things? Poetry for me, and this book, is one means to do that.”
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
BURLESQUE
Spicy, sultry and seductive: MBF is back
The Montreal Burlesque Festival had its seventh edition between Oct. 15 and Oct. 17
Billy L’Amour: the enthusiastic and entertaining host of the seventh edition of the Montreal Burlesque Festival. Photos by Kelsey Litwin.
MARIA BUKREEV Staff writer
T
he Montreal Burlesque Festival was back in action for their 2015 edition at Club Soda. This year Scarlett James—founder and burlesque performer—along with Montreal Burlesque Productions brought us the seventh edition of this festival, which had a wide range of performances, each one more interesting than the last. From Oct. 15 to Oct. 17, fashion shows, dancing and singing were seen on the MBF stage. A silent auction was held during the festival, all proceeds from which will be donated to Anorexia and Bulimia Quebec (ANEB), a non-profit organization offering support to people who suffer from eating disorders. The MBF team wished to emphasize how important it is to be healthy and self-confident for overall well-being. Indeed, burlesque is all about being confident in your own body and showing it off on stage. According to Les Femmes Rebelles, one of the performing groups, there is no particular body type needed in order to take part in a burlesque show— it is all about what motivates you, what drives you to perform. While the burlesque scene is now bigger than ever, it is still not entirely mainstream. In an interview with Cult Montreal, Scarlett James explained that she was extremely surprised that burlesque, one of the main attractions in Montreal over the last century, had almost been forgotten. “We’re the city of festivals and we don’t have a burlesque festival? So I jumped in the pool and I made one,” she said in the interview. Derived from the Italian word “burla” which means “joke,” burlesque is by definition a comically exaggerated dramatic work often involving striptease. Burlesque performances take a variety of forms, such as singing, dancing, engaging with the audience and more. Although it is not always the case, per-
One of the exceptional moves that the MBF audience saw on Oct. 15. formers typically dressed in retro costumes. For example, one of the vintage performances was an impersonation of Charlie Chaplin whereas a performer who impersonated Christina Aguilera had a more contemporary costume. Throughout the festival, a red-lit, misty room made the atmosphere exciting, sexy and intriguing. During the show the hostesses kept walking in between the tables and the jazz music was only interrupted by the sound of champagne corks being popped and the public applauding. Similar to the staff, some of the audience members dressed in costumes from different eras ranging from the ‘20s to the ‘60s, but dressing up was optional. Any burlesque performer wishing to try out for the festival was invited to do so and experience was not the main focus. On the other hand, most of the performers seen on stage had previously won prizes, some as a group, others as solo performers. Among them was the award-winning Lady Josephina, a burlesque performer who has gained rec-
Daring, teasing and confident—MBF celebrates sexy. ognition in Canada. She has created her own burlesque school, named Arabesque Burlesque, which she invited everyone to check out online to learn more about the dance classes, the fitness classes, specialized workshops and more. A few of her students were even in the festival and they taught swing dance moves to the viewers who wished to try it. The host, Billy L’Amour–a drag queen who was also performing during the festival–made the show not only spectacular but also funny with her genuine enthusiasm. The festival began with a fashion show as models walked around the room wearing burlesque clothing imagined and created by designers from Montreal. Such burlesque clothing is often extremely revealing and is made of lace, feathers, glitter and rhinestones. What was interesting in every performance is that although each of them was basically a slow striptease leading towards an end where the performers would get almost entirely undressed, each performer brought something com-
pletely different, thus keeping each performance fresh. In between the shows the rockabilly band Eric Sandmark & his Rumblers performed, which gave a very relaxed atmosphere. Near the end of the show on Thursday, a lucky spectator who happened to be celebrating her birthday ended up being tied up to a dance pole on stage, surrounded by burlesque performers who incorporated her into their routine. At times the audience also engaged in some of the performances, which made you feel as if you were a part of the show. Throughout the festival, performers showed their incredible skills in dancing, their strong voices, their sense of humor and their open-mindedness. The Montreal Burlesque Festival does not only appeal to those who are passionate about burlesque, but also introduces you to this exciting universe if it is still unknown to you. If you didn’t get a chance to catch the MBF, you can see Billy L’Amour in Hysteria on Oct. 31 Phi Centre.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
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THEATRE
You’re a good musical, Charlie Brown See your favourite Charles M. Schultz creation in a stage musical PAULINE NESBITT Staff writer
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown—a musical comedy loosely based on the characters in Peanuts, the comic strip created by Charles M. Schulz—is produced by the West Island Theatre Association (WISTA) and premiered Friday. This musical, written by Clark Gesner, contains no plot. Instead, it’s a series of short scenes that follow the life of Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang as they navigate their way through childhood. WISTA has enough cast members that they made two teams to share the performances equally: one red and one blue. If the red cast performs during the afternoon then the blue cast would perform in the evening, and vice versa. “[Peanuts] is the best known comic strip that’s been around, and this is its 65th anniversary, which is one of the reasons we [WISTA] chose to do this show,” said Robin Kravitz, who played Snoopy as part of the red cast on Friday. “We all have that kid inside that never really wants to grow up,” said Angela Ma-
rino, who plays Lucy Van Pelt. “[Being a kid is] one of the best times of your life— no responsibilities—everything is free and it’s just about having fun. Adults remember that and want to pass that experience on to their kids.” As a whole, the play is fun, touching, and comedic—people of all ages can relate to it in some way. Ian MacLaren described his character, Charlie Brown, as “a loner with very low self-esteem who is prone to believe everything that people say about him, but particularly ... Lucy.” He said he was like that as a child, so he merely uses his memory recall to get into character. About her extremely outspoken, sassy and bossy character, Marino said some of Lucy’s qualities resonate with her, as she recalls bossing her younger sisters around during her childhood and, like Lucy, receiving some sass back. “Lucy thinks she is perfect until she is told by Schroeder that she is a crabby person and then she realizes that she has to change,” said Marino. Snoopy—the good-natured, loveable Beagle—provides comfort and support to Charlie Brown. “Pets are a wonderful presence to have,” said Kravitz. “Snoopy is one of the funniest characters I’ve ever played—he is funny, philosophical and dramatic.” Peanuts, the comic strip, ended in 2000, but the themes it encapsulates con-
The characters of Peanuts are brought to life. Photo by Robert Gallant. tinue to resonate with contemporary audiences. You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown brings to life these characters, which many parents and grandparents have been telling younger generations about. The orchestra, conducted by Kiel Howden, is located off-stage and provides a rich music hall sound to the songs without detracting from the action on stage. The set is very minimalist and reminiscent of comics and crayons. Building blocks are moved around to set the scenes.
WISTA is a non-profit musical theatre company that was founded in 2006. Its mission is to provide an outlet for young adults up to the age of 29 to develop their skills in musical theatre. The company puts on several musicals annually, and volunteers are always welcome.
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown runs until Oct. 24 at the Louise Chalmers Theatre in Pointe Claire. Tickets for students are $20 and are available at wista.ca.
QUOTATIONS
Five famous mis-quotations and mis-attributions Highly-recognized phrases you didn’t know were said by someone else, or never said at all 1. “Take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic.” Have you seen this, heard this, thought this? (Though if you thought it, it’s probably because the sentiment seeped into your subconscious, not because you are some magnificent Voltaire). Frida Kahlo, right? The quote is usually—basically always—attributed to the Mexican painter. The truth is, the line came from a poem written by author Marty McConnell where she personified Kahlo, according to an interview on CBC. The quote is virtually huge and McConnell now takes steps toward correcting the issue, specifically when people are selling merchandise with her work on it. — SARA KING-ABADI 2. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Its sentiment is undeniably positive and inspiring, but is it actually what Mahatma Gandhi said? Negative. According to The New York Times, Gandhi’s actual words were, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him ... We need not wait to see what others do.” So technically the famous phrase is just a simplified para-
phrasing of a more complex thought, but it’s still a false attribution. Before you volunteer abroad for one summer and whip that quote out of all your Facebook friends, try to remember that just because it’s set in pretty typography online doesn’t mean it’s an accurate quotation. — LYDIA ANDERSON 3. “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” Who hasn’t seen this quote on at least one social media platform, usually pasted onto a vintage black-
Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.
and-white photo of Marilyn Monroe in fancy italics? It may be hard to believe, but the ‘50s actress never actually said that. This quote has been misattributed to several iconic women over the years, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Anne Boleyn. But who really said it? Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, a student at the University of New Hampshire and a Pulitzer Prize recipient, first used this phrase in 1976 in an academic paper on women’s accomplishments that had been overlooked in history. — BRIANNA BALLARD
4. “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” This famous line about freedom of speech is famously misattributed to Voltaire, but it was in fact written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall
(under the pseudonym S. G. Tallentyre) in The Friends of Voltaire, a biography of sorts on the life of Voltaire. Though the quotation itself never appears in any of the French philosopher’s work, the line does manage to articulate the essence of Voltaire’s views on the subject in a condensed and simplified manner. — PAUL J. TRAUNERO 5. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” Really? Einstein never said that? Or was it Benjamin Franklin? I’m never falling for an inspirational quote again. Seriously, if you can’t trust motivational posters and Internet memes, who can you trust? It’s not clear where the quote even comes from. There is no mention of it anytime before 1980, and no evidence that anyone famous ever said it. It was attributed to Jane Fulton in Rita Mae Brown’s 1983 novel Sudden Death, but that’s about it. Internet, I thought your job was to make our lives easier, not mislead and confuse us! — ELIJAH BUKREEV
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015 MUSIC EDITOR SAMUEL PROVOST-WALKER music@theconcordian.com
MUSIC
@theconcordian
RECOMMENDATIONS
A beginner’s guide to country music
Look no further than these picks for all of your newfound country music needs
Canadian country star Brett Kissel playing before a crowd of loving fans at the Phoenix Hall in Toronto. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.
DANIELLE GASHER Staff writer
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ontrary to popular belief, country singers don’t just whine about their mama’s cooking or the loss of their animals; though these are recurring themes, country music is so much more than dead pets and corn biscuits. There’s no denying that being an advocate of the genre can be particularly controversial. Talking about loving country music in public spaces may get you the same looks as the ones Harry Potter got when he first uttered Voldemort’s name. In a world where people speak publicly about their love for the Kardashian clan, there’s truly nothing to be ashamed of here. It’s absolutely possible to love classic rock, pop and jazz and still have a thing for country. The genre is warm and cozy, and a perfect soundtrack to whiskey-drinking or driving—not to be confused with doing both things simultaneously. It’s always recommended to start with the legends: Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings to name a few. Country music is more deep-rooted in American culture, hence why these picks are mostly from our southern neighbours. In Cash’s case, 1964’s I Walk the Line is the ideal starting point. The
album captures his essence pretty well, and holds quite a few fan favourites, including “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Big River.” From his deep, baritone moan to his vibrant guitar tone, Cash blends rock and country in a powerful, effective way. By slowing down the stereotypical fast-paced strumming thought to be a constant in country music, he instead transforms it into something hauntingly evocative. As for Canadian country icons, look no further than Neil Young. Young is more widely recognized as a folk singer than a country singer but the line between these two genres can often be very fine. Young has also dipped his cowboy boots and long hair in both worlds time and time again. A good introductory album in Young’s case is Harvest due to its strong country rock vibes. This classic record is home to such famous songs as “There’s A World,” “Old Man,” “Harvest” and “Heart of Gold”. Though Neil Young’s nasally voice has earned him a place next to Bob Dylan as far as polarizing voices go, his whine truly compliments his longing and loving ballads. Along with the assumption that country singers only sing about corn biscuits, there is also the assumption that modern-day country lovers only listen to Carrie Underwood. Contemporary country
has its fair share of Justin Bieber equivalents but it’s also home to a bevy of talented, underrated artists. If you like awesome guitar-rocking girl bands, check out Pistol Annies. The band is composed of country super-stars Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Subverting the usual flowery delivery commonly seen in contemporary country, these girls aren’t afraid to get dark and dirty both lyrically and sonically. Though the trio are currently on hiatus, their 2011 album Hell On Heels delivers the definitive Pistol Annies experience, with lyrics about revenge, smoking, drinking whiskey and being flat broke. If you happen to be angry at an ex, Melissa Lambert’s song “Gunpowder and Lead,” from her solo album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, oughta deliver the goods. There’s a good chance you’ll want to put a denim jacket on and never shun the country genre ever again. A big part of country music’s enjoyment stems from the context in which it is heard and experienced. Country music on its own is well and good, but the main reason most love it is because it reminds the listener of experiences they’ve had and amazing memories that have come with the music. Country music is about the people you’re with. Here’s some advice: buy a cowboy hat, put on a plaid shirt and buy some tickets to any coun-
try music festival or concert you can find. The festivals are mostly in the summer but they’re worth every penny. Ontario’s Boots and Hearts festival is the largest country music festival in Canada, resembling a countrified Osheaga; it lasts three days and is usually during the first week of August. The lineup for the 2016 festival will be out soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that! If you don’t feel you can commit to an entire festival, check out bars which host country nights. A favourite is The Great Canadian Cabin in downtown Ottawa; everyone is in plaid, stomping and dancing around, and the atmosphere is out of this world. Before venturing into the fading sun and leaving you all to your own devices, here are a few more country names worthy of a listen. For some American contemporary country rock, there are quite a few albums that serve as good gateway material; Brad Paisley’s Time Well Wasted, Kenny Chesney’s Hemingway’s Whiskey and Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party are all fine records to look out for. For some more laid-back ballad singer/songwriters, Zac Brown Band’s You Get What You Give, Billy Currington’s Little Bit of Everything and Old Crow Medicine Show’s self-titled album should all be mighty satisfactory. On that note, enjoy the best country experience: one complete with flannel, whiskey and tailgate parties.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
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ANECDOTES
My strangest, unexpected concert experience not limit itself to shredding metal riffs and belting into the microphone. His showmanship was also the opposite of what one would expect from a show named after what is synonymous with the height of class; he regaled fans with stories about having sex with his wife upon his return from the tour as well as Ozzy Osbourne’s erectile dysfunction. The irony of it all need not be elaborated upon. — ANDREJ IVANOV
themselves of the sweaty mess above, their nudging and tugging unintentionally caused the man to expose himself as he came barrelling towards me. Just in time, my flight instinct took over, causing me to combat roll out of the way and into an unsuspecting person. Goodbye childhood memories, hello deep-rooted anxieties! — SAMUEL PROVOST-WALKER Upon the release of Canadian folk band Timber Timbre’s Hot Dreams in March 2014, the band played a show in Montreal. Having previously vowed to never go to a show alone, I decided to attend against my instincts. Partway through the set, the lights went low, a disco ball was dropped and lead singer Taylor Kirk said something along the lines of, “We’re gonna slow things down … find yourself a partner.” The album’s title track, a rather smooth and sultry piece, began as I stood centre stage amongst the crowd. As everyone paired off, I was instantly alone in a sea of slow dancers and stoners. The anxiety one should only ever feel at an elementary school dance welled inside of me. I quickly made my way upstairs to sit with the 35-year-old crowd, vowing to never go to a show alone again. — ONEIDA CRAWFORD
women wearing biker cuts with patches and tattoos to actually use them. This is exactly the sight that hit concert-goers who attended “An Evening with Zakk Wylde,” an acoustic set orchestrated by the Black Label Society and Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist. “Uncle Zakky”, as he affectionately calls himself, played most of his hits on an acoustic guitar and piano, showing his musical prowess does
The Unicorns, the acclaimed Montreal-based indie pop band, were reunited, which ensured a night of nostalgic embrace at the Metropolis. I scurried to the front of the pack and, for the next 50 minutes or so, relived my childhood memories as I danced my butt off surrounded by close friends. As the band returned to the stage for the final song of the night, the entire crowd, myself included, thrashed about playfully. Suddenly, a man drenched in sweat and stripped down to his skivvies propelled himself before me, assuming a crowd-surfing position much to the dismay of those under him. I started to panic as he was pushed back, his legs spread wide open and aimed squarely at my now frightful gaze. As the annoyed crowd below were working to rid
City and Colour — If I Should Go Before You (Dine Alone Records, 2015)
Deerhunter — Fading Frontier (4AD, 2015)
Alex G - Beach (Domino USA, 2015)
Black Breath — Slaves Beyond Death (Southern Lord, 2015)
City and Colour, the solo project of Canada’s favourite geographical and huenamed singer-songwriter Dallas Green, is back with its fifth studio album. Green mixes his time-tested formula of blues rock, country rock and acoustic ballads to create an album that holds no surprises for fans. The nine-minute track, “Woman,” stands out as the most perplexing track on the album; though it may test some listeners’ patience due to its repetition, the tune is mighty effective as a relaxing semi-psychedelic profession of undying love. The album’s title track is a smooth blues song that hits all the right notes, with dark yet romantic lyrics to boot. If you’ve been chomping at the bit for more cathartic indie folk, then this one is for you. If you haven’t liked Dallas Green since he parted with Alexisonfire, your time is better spent elsewhere.
Thematically bleak yet musically comforting, Fading Frontier represents a logical progression for Deerhunter, embracing a poppier direction while injecting psychedelia back into the equation. Though many of the band’s odd experiments have been eschewed in favour of a more approachable sound, singer/songwriter Bradford Cox’s pop chops reign supreme, delivering some truly infectious pieces; “Snakeskin” is a funky palette cleanser of a song, whereas “Take Care” smartly has room to grow into a gorgeous whirlwind. The band’s first album since Cox’s severe car crash in late 2014, this Deerhunter is notably gloomier, presenting a skewed perspective of familiar themes. Though this introspection is warranted and often incredibly effective, Fading Frontier nonetheless displays signs of a power struggle throughout, its sonic ideas sparring with Cox’s personal discourse.
Finding focus in fragile vocals and wet, nervy guitar, Alex Giannascoli is the middle man between his tender world where he crafts his long melancholic melodies. Playing in a pool of tone and pitch modulation, Giannascoli isn’t writing songs alone in his Pennsylvania bedroom anymore. New characters carry these songs, like the little creature singing at the end of the instant buzzing hit “Bug.” Gifted with a neat trick, Giannascoli can keep a melody spinning like a basketball on his finger. He opens every chord in the hall until the refrain softly resolves itself. Beach Music ranges from comfortably settling into Giannascoli’s warm persona to jumping into eerie dissonance. The changing face of the album gives it a lively buoyancy, as if Giannascoli beckoned to the monsters under his bed and they thrashed about in a frenzy of new sounds.
By no means the most original band in their genre, Black Breath have nonetheless showcased an incredible knack for amalgamating death metal, crust punk and rock ‘n’ roll into a jolting cocktail of muscular vigor. On Slaves Beyond Death, the Washington quintet crank up the BOSS HM-2 pedals and deliver their best Entombed impression, doubling down on the chugging death metal riffs while also cutting their usual lightning fast tempos in half. Though a change of pace is commendable and singer Neil McAdams’ new vocal style is unbelievably authentic, Black Breath prove to be much less interesting when given room for closer inspection; what worked as a lightning fast flurry of aggression doesn’t exactly make for the most riveting of songwriting when slowed to a crawl. Though admittedly unexpected, Slaves Beyond Death is shockingly lacking in bite.
Trial track: “If I Should Go Before You”
Trial track: “Snakeskin”
Trial track: “Bug”
Trial track: “Reaping Flesh”
7/10
7/10
9/10
Zakk Wylde performing an entirely acoustic set. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.
Three writers confess, demonstrating just how odd shows can be
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he last thing one would expect when walking into a concert organized by one of the biggest guitarists in heavy metal is to find rows upon rows of chairs for seating. Even less so would you expect an army of men and
QUICKSPINS
JUSTINAS STASKEVICIUS
SAMUEL P.-WALKER
MIA PEARSON
6/10
SAMUEL P.-WALKER
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
SPORTS
SPORTS EDITOR PEGGY KABEYA sports@theconcordian.com @theconcordian
MEN’S FOOTBALL
Stingers drown Gaiters in massive blowout Concordia puts up 63 points in win against Bishop’s Gaiters Saturday at Loyola
Concordia defenders tackling the Bishop’s ball carrier in Saturday afternoons game. Photos by Andrej Ivanov.
ALEXANDER COLE Staff writer
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he Concordia Stingers football team blew out the Bishop’s Gaiters 63-0 Saturday afternoon at Loyola. Quarterback Trenton Miller had an impressive stat line which featured five touchdowns, 388 yards passing and 90 yards through the ground. “The key to this game’s success was the offensive line,” said Miller following the game. “They were giving me ridiculous amounts of time and were just destroying the other team’s defense. Today was 100 per cent on the offensive line.” The Stingers opened the game with a 68-yard drive down the field that ended in a 24-yard touchdown run from running back, Jean-Guy Rimpel. Later in the quarter, Miller would lead his side down the field and connect with
wide receiver, Yanic Lessard for a 15yard touchdown that gave the Stingers a 14-0 lead. The Stingers continued to put up points in the first quarter. Cornerback Connor O’Brien returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown score. By the end of the first quarter, the Stingers were up 21-0. In the second quarter, Miller continued to make plays down the field, making his running ability known to the Gaiters defense. While Miller’s rushing game was impressive, Stingers coach Mickey Donovan attributed Miller’s running plays to his ability to read the opposing defense. “It’s a read from trends,” Donovan said when talking about Miller’s rushing plays. “If the end is tearing hard off the edge, he pulls in and goes, if not, he hands the ball off. [Miller] was just on point.” Miller ended the second half with his second touchdown pass to Lessard af-
Stingers receiver James Tyrell taking to the open field. ter an incredible 69-yard bomb to receiver Justin Julien to make the game 35-0 for Concordia. The half would then end on a Gaiters safety which gave the Stingers a 37 point lead at half-time. Despite being up by 37 points to the 1-4 Gaiters, the Stingers didn’t ease up on their frail opponents. The team opened the second half with Miller’s fourth touchdown pass of the game. This time his target would be slot back Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren. “We were just the better team today,” said Gilbert-Knorren. “We were at home and we wanted it more. We still made mistakes though and we’ll need to play even better if we want to beat teams like Laval and Montreal.” Later in the quarter, Miller would throw an interception but redeem himself in the fourth quarter with Lessard’s third receiving touchdown. Another huge performance came
Upcoming Stingers games WEDNESDAY, OCT. 21 7:00 p.m.
Men’s Hockey at UQTR Patriotes
FRIDAY, OCT. 23 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.
Women’s Soccer at Bishop’s Women’s Basketball vs. Waterloo Women’s Hockey at Ottawa Men’s Basketball vs. Brock
SATURDAY, OCT. 24 2:00 p.m.
Football at McGill
4:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
Men’s Basketball vs. Windsor Women’s Basketball vs. Nipissing Men’s Hockey vs. McGill
SUNDAY,OCT. 25 12:00 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 3:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.
Men’s Basketball vs. Ryerson Men’s Rugby at ETS Women’s Hockey vs. Carleton Men’s Soccer at UQÀM Women’s Soccer at UQÀM
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from receiver James Tyrell who had 215 return yards and a 55-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter. For Tyrell, the key to his success in the game had much to do with the blocking provided by the special teams unit. The Stingers defense also came up big, holding the Gaiters offense to a total of 149 yards. The win improved the team’s record to 3-3 which moves them closer to a position for a playoff spot. For Donovan, Saturday’s game was crucial step forward. “It was a big win today,” Donovan said. “We needed to get this win to get one game closer to making it to the playoffs. Now this upcoming weekend with the Redmen coming, we got to get the win, and if we win, we’re in.” The team will get the chance to improve their record to 4-3, and secure one of the four playoff spots in the RSEQ division.
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Stingers win against reigning champs Underdog women’s basketball sting the Lancers, defending CIS champions CASEY DULSON Staff writer The Concordia Stingers defeated the defending five-time national champions, the Windsor Lancers, on Friday night in preseason action. The Stingers stunned Windsor by beating the visiting team, 70-63. This was the second time in the last four years the Stingers have beaten number-one-ranked Lancers at home. They beat Windsor in 2013 at the Concordia-Reebok tournament. A great game was played by forward Shanica Baker. She had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. The Stingers had a strong start to the game as they knocked down four straight baskets scored by forward Richelle Gregoire, Shanica Baker, Marilyse Roy-Viau and point guard Tamara Pinard-Devos. The Stingers in the first quarter had 11-2 lead on the Lancers. The Lancers, led by point guard Caitlyn Longmuir, hit back-to-back three-pointers to chip away at the Stingers huge lead. The end of the first quarter saw the Stingers ahead by four points, 18-14.
The Lancers scored the first points of the second quarter on a basket by center Cheyanne Rodger. The Stingers responded with a three-pointer by rookie point guard, Jessika Joly. Stingers’ Richelle Gregoire dominated the second quarter as she hit back-to-back three pointers at one point. Gregoire finished the quarter with ten points. The Stingers ended the second quarter leading 40-31. The second half started with a bang as Richelle Gregoire got a three pointer. The Lancers halfway through the third quarter had an 8-0 run to tie the game at 45. The run was led by forward, Andrea Kiss who scored five out of the eight points including a three pointer. Stingers’ shooting guard, Marie-Eve Martin, hit a late three pointer to increase
the Stingers lead. The Lancers were unable to close the gap before the game ended. Head coach Tenicha Gittens was extremely happy after the huge win. “It’s not every day you have the opportunity to knock off the number one squad in the country. I’m proud of these girls. They made the big shots and got the stops they needed,” Gittens said. Lancers head coach and Montreal native, Chantal Vallée, was impressed with the Stingers. “Concordia was well prepared, just wanted to congratulate their coaching staff on an outstanding job tonight,” Vallée said. Stingers forward Marilyse Roy-Viau was happy about her team performance. “We played our butts off, it’s our best game so far,” Viau said.
Stingers guard Latifah Roach dribbling up the court against their Winsor Lancer Opponents in Friday’s game at Loyola. Photo by Marie-Pierre Savard.
HOCKEY
Habs start the season on the right foot The Canadiens are 5-0 and new commitments to the Bell Centre are the talk of the town SARAH KOSSITS Contributor Last Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens played their first home game of the season where they defeated the New York Rangers 3-0. The game was filled with early penalties and incredible saves by goaltenders Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist that kept fans on the edge of their seats. However, it was what occurred prior to puck drop that was most meaningful. The Habs held their annual passing of the torch ceremony where all the passion, respect and pride that the Canadiens organization embodies is represented by a single flame. The flame is handed down from old timers and legends to the current team. This year, the torch was passed from Habs alumnus and ex-coach Guy Carbonneau to new captain Max Pacioretty, who held it high above his head at centre ice as the crowd rose to their feet. All of the players on the 2015-2016 roster were then introduced individually to raise the torch. Loud cheers emerged from the crowd as they met the team who has gone undefeated since then. Cheers were extra loud for fan favorites Brendan Gallagher, PK Subban and for Carey Price, who was the last player to be passed the flame. Captaincy appears to be suiting Pacio-
Statue of Maurice “The Rocket” Richard outside of the Bell Centre. Photo by Andrej Ivanov. retty well as he has been a major contributor to the Habs early success. The team has set a franchise record with four wins on the road to start the season and set another record by going 5-0-0. In the first five games, Pacioretty scored four goals and had two assists, proving that he can be a true leader. On Wednesday, the Canadiens president and CEO Geoff Molson announced that the organization is investing close to $100 million to renovate the Bell Centre. During a broadcast press conference, Molson said the renovations are being done in order to maintain the organization’s standard of excellence and he explained that the Bell Centre is “one of the busiest arenas in North America,” bringing approximately $338 million annually to the Quebec economy. Among the planned changes is the
replacement of all the seats, improved WiFi access, the renovations of the arena’s loges and turning avenue des Canadiens-de-Montreal into a pedestrian street. Cassidy Swetland, a Habs fan, believes the pedestrian street will make things easier around the arena. “I think the renovations will be great,” she said. “There will be less traffic around the Bell Centre after a game.” Kevin Galarneau, another fan, was happy with the new seats in the Bell Centre. “I like that they found the place for one extra seat,” he joked in reference to the now 21,288 seats in the building as opposed the previous 21,287. Between Pacioretty’s leadership, Price’s strong start, the team’s record and the arena’s renovations, Habs fans have a lot to look forward to this year.
SPORTS IN THE NEWS ALEXANDER COLE Staff writer
Habs start the season undefeated The Montreal Canadiens started the season with an undefeated record of 6-0—a first for the team. According to NHL.com, players like Max Pacioretty and Thomas Plekanec are already some of the top scorers in the league with nine goals between them. Alex Galchenyuk found his rhythm at center and has been put on a line with newly acquired winger Alex Semin and Lars Eller. All four lines have been clicking and the defense has been solid throughout the first six games. NHL. com’s stats page shows that goaltender Carey Price has allowed five goals in five games and is one of the leaders in the league. With the 6-0 start, the Habs sit atop the league as best team in the NHL.
ALCS and NLCS playoffs This past week, the MLB playoffs rolled on with the Toronto Blue Jays taking on the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS, while the New York Mets take on the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS. In order to get to the ALCS, the Blue Jays were up against the Texas Rangers, a team that they beat in a thrilling five-game series. The other ALCS team, the Kansas City Royals, had to defeat the Houston Astros, a feat they accomplished in five games as well. The first of the NLCS teams, the Chicago Cubs, beat the St-Louis Cardinals in four games while the New York Mets defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five. As of Sunday night, The New York Mets have a twogame lead on the Cubs while the Royals have a two-game lead on the Jays. The winner of each matchup will play the World Series.
NFL teams still undefeated Six weeks into the NFL season, the New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers, the Cincinatti Bengals, the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers remain undefeated. Both the Patriots and Panthers have played five games while the others have played six. This weekend, the Packers maintained their undefeated status by defeating the San Diego Chargers by a score of 27-20. The Broncos improved to 6-0 after defeating the Cleveland Browns 26-23 in a tight overtime game, while the Patriots went to 5-0 after beating the Indianapolis Colts 34-27. The Cincinatti Bengals, who have surprised everyone this season, beat the Buffalo Bills 34-21 and sit undefeated atop the AFC North. While the last of the undefeated teams, the Carolina Panthers, edged out the Seattle Seahawks 27-23 to improve to 5-0.
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015
OPINIONS
OPINIONS EDITOR MATTHEW CIVICO opinions@theconcordian.com @theconcordian
EDITORIAL
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WE HAVE A NEW PRIME MINISTER
he second Trudeau to ever hold office, Justin Trudeau steps in as our 23rd Prime Minister, as defeated Conservative leader Harper stepped off stage, too cowardly to announce his own resignation during his concession speech. “The people are never wrong,” said Harper during the live broadcast by CBC. And so ends the nine-year reign held by the Conservative Party of Canada spearheaded by Harper. Hallelujah. As Elizabeth May, leader of the Green party said in a in a video on CTV’s Twitter, “[we’re] very happy to start imagining the beginning of the post-Harper era.” And what a post-Harper era it could be. To start, contrast the loud shout of “NO” from the crowd when Gilles Duceppe, leader of Bloc Québécois mentioned Québec Solidaire, the provincial party known for their separationist ideals, to Trudeau’s comment of, “Ce soir, le Québec fait un véritable retour au gouvernement du Canada,” which translates into, “tonight, Quebec is returning to the government of Canada,” during his victory speech broadcast on CBC. Who just won the election Duceppe? Read the crowd, geese. Trudeau took to the stage beaming and waving to the the crowd—ducking to not just to shake the hands of the people cheering him on, but to hug them.
“This is what positive politics can do,” said Trudeau during his victory speech broadcast on CBC. “Canadians from all across this great country sent a clear message tonight: it’s time for change in this country tonight my friends, a real change.” Concordians, for the majority of their political memories, have had a Conservative government running their country. After approximately a week, when Trudeau is officially sworn into office, Canada will have a Liberal government for the first time in a decade. It’s a great time to feel like our votes actually mattered, that students can actually participate in politics. But it’s not time to check-out again from politics quite yet. It is important to remember how the Liberal party did not pledge to repeal the controversial Bill C-51, which was passed by the Conservatives and allows the government to collect information on it’s citizens. Trudeau does not support stemming pipeline development, or free tuition. We have a new Prime Minister. And Canada is entering a new era where we lean left rather than to the right. But this does not mean Canadians can turn away from politics. The Harper Conservatives changed our country, and rarely for the better. Now we have a Liberal leader and Can-
Photo by Andrej Ivanov. ada is back on track. But it’s not fixed yet, and it’s going to take our continued
attention and participation to help guide the Liberal party.
POLITICS
To vote or not to vote, that is the question Some considerations for the cynical and the disinterested student voters among us
GLORIA PANCRAZI Contributor Two weeks ago, I was absolutely certain I wouldn’t be voting in this federal election. I was meeting the expectations set out for our generation, who seem to stubbornly refuse to go out and vote. Truthfully, my alienation from politics came from my lack of knowledge on the subject. I never followed or had an interest for politics. I’ve never understood it, but mainly I just don’t trust politicians. I agree with the sentiments Ray Davies, former singer of rock group The Kinks, expressed in the song “Money and Corruption:” “Money and corruption are ruining the land, crooked politicians betray the working man, pocketing the profits and treating us like sheep, and we’re tired of hearing promises that we know they’ll never keep.” In a 2013 interview, comedian Russell Brand passionately explained why he doesn’t vote. I think he influenced a lot of young people with his words that day. He believed in an alternate political system and talked of politicians exploiting the people, the planet, servicing the needs of corporations, and being treacherous. I
agree with his point of view that politics do not make a difference. I also think a feeling of helplessness made me not want to vote at first—that we might be in over our heads and that voting wouldn’t change anything. What I’ve come to realize is that most of us who vote put all of our hope for change on politicians and then blame it on them when everything stays the same. Yes, it is their job to fight for change but it is also our responsibility. People are lousy at change. Thinking of environmental issues, we still act the same way we used to regardless of the fact that our planet is dying. This will probably come a shock but I really didn’t know anything about Stephen Harper, not even that he led the Conservative
party—don’t judge, I said I don’t follow politics. But as soon as I researched more about his time in office, I decided to vote. Yes, I think politicians are liars and I still don’t trust them, but by not voting I was only reinforcing the voice of those who are voting for things that I don’t stand by. My vote was more a vote “against” than a vote “for” anyone. I decided to
Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.
vote simply to try and stop Stephen Harper from being re-elected— no offense to anyone who voted for the Conservatives. At first I was going to spoil my vote to show my dissatisfaction, but that still wouldn’t help the most adequate party be elected and fight for a better Canada. Actually, Russell Brand also changed his mind on voting for the same reason I decided to vote: it’s a vote against the current party in power. He now urges young people to vote for the Labour party in the United Kingdom in order to step away from the Conservative party there. With a growing number of people not voting—especially young people—a voice is given to those who do vote and who might vote for parties whose main priority is the economy rather than environmental and social issues. I am on the same side as Russell Brand: I voted hoping for the most adequate party to win the election and I voted because I’m hoping for change. This change begins with a vote, but it certainly doesn’t end there. It’s with more action from individuals in their communities that will achieve true change—no matter which party is in government.
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POLITICS
Critiquing the discourse around the niqab What are the reasonable limits to freedom of expression in liberal democracies?
GLORIA PANCRAZI Contributor
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The first major rejoinder that is presented when asked about the niqab ban is that people
y looking at newspapers and mainstream media outlets in Canada, one can notice that the issue of the niqab is occupying significant space. Some could even argue that this particular debate has played a pivotal role in changing public opinion about cer-
Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.
tain candidates in the federal election. By closely observing public opinion polls and statements from politicians I found the tenor of discourse presented by the people against the niqab ban to be quite troubling. Therefore I see a need to present better arguments to better inform the public about this issue.
should be able to wear what they wish. I find this particular argument very weak, both morally and logically because it treats people in society as if they were isolated entities living in separate worlds. I believe that some symbols in society reflect ideologies and creeds that are beyond the limits of freedom of expression because they could be offensive to other people when shown in public. Clear examples of this can be wearing a shirt with a swastika on it or a slogan that justifies rape culture. The second major argument is that wearing the niqab is a personal choice. I think this argument is fallacious. I am rather ambivalent about the concept of personal choice when talking about religion. If I told someone that not wearing something will result in damnation, I would expect them to defend their choice about that, if it is one of their core beliefs. The process of formulating beliefs is very complex, sometimes based on fear, and is not based on decisions made in a vacuum or an objective, rational, educated selection. The previous point leads me to my third argument: why should a man tell a woman what to wear? I’m not sure if the majority of the people (politicians or not) who support a niqab ban are men. All that I know is that the ideology that urges women to wear the niqab and hijab was written by a man, or God—if you believe—who is always referred to as a male.
I also find it troubling that when someone expresses support for the ban of a religious symbol, they are often referred to as a racist. I would like to emphasize that religion is not a race but an ideology, and ideologies should not be free from criticism in a society that purportedly cherishes freedom of expression. Moreover, criticizing the niqab does not make you a conservative, because where I come from (the Middle East), progressive, socialist, anti-imperialist movements have also tried to ban the niqab in certain public spaces because they claim that it poses a challenge to equality in society. In the 1950s, Abdel Nasser’s reformist regime in Egypt pursued this kind of public secularism with the support of prominent feminist movements, and it was largely successful until the 1970s. I would like to see an enhanced level of discourse about the niqab in which the undertones are less judgmental, accusatory, and superficial and less based on an extreme concept of individualism. If this happens, the debate will become more productive and public opinion can be better shaped by a logical and educated discussion. Do you agree or disagree with this article? Contact opinions@ theconcordian.com to write a rebuttal for next week’s issue.
REFLECTIONS
Pumpkin Spice Lattes and broken promises Can a latte really deliver a season’s worth of meaning and feeling? MATTHEW CIVICO Opinions editor @mattCivico Lattes are liars, and Pumpkin Spiced ones are the worst. Knowledge of their duplicity doesn’t scare me off though. Every year it’s the same: I want them in a bad way. I’m pretty embarrassed about it but I think I’ve learned a few things about gourds and frothed milk and, somewhere along the way, about myself. I’m just a man. Weak, frail, and in need of comfort—warmly spiced comfort—when temperatures begin to dip below 10 degrees Celsius. Naturally, I put on a sweater and some wool socks. I also swear off ice cream and start eating more soups and stews. You see, I take my autumns very seriously. Now about that frothy fraud. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are dangerous. They’re like politicians really, and we swallow them down every year, reelecting them as ambassadors of autumn while oblivious of our collective amnesia. The PSL makes a lot of promises, but I’m on to it. It’s a seasonal drink though, and has Starbucks’ (and others) marketing muscle behind it, so it threw me for a loop
this year—it added real pumpkin. “Authenticity!” I cried out, but too soon, because PSLs know everyone is a secret hipster and I was just being pandered to. It’s still a disappointment. Still too sweet and too mainstream. No one loves a PSL the way I could love a PSL if I didn’t already hate them. I hate calling them PSLs. I want to love Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I want to find comfort and fulfilment in their warmth, the same way I want to find identity and fulfilment in early morning writing and afternoon walks amid bright, swirling leaves. Packaged, frothed, and consumable— that’s how I want my autumns, and I’m ashamed. Maybe that’s why I can’t decide whether I love or hate Pumpkin Spice Lattes. They offer me exactly what I want in the way I think I want it, but I come away unsatisfied every time. Sure, I could scour the internet for a gluten-free fair-trade non-GMO paleo alternative that would be better than the sugary gourd-slop Starbucks is peddling, but it wouldn’t matter. The pure, distilled spirit of autumn I want can’t actually be distilled, let alone into a cheap syrup. Maybe I’m an idealist, or maybe I just can’t get past how much more interesting metaphysics are than physics. One thing I know is that my perfect conception of autumn—and what PSLs should be—exists, it just doesn’t exist here.
The PSL in its natural habitat. Photo by Andrej Ivanov. But that’s what ideals are for. It’s why we idolize heroes and worship ephemeral experiences; we do this because it gives us something to reach for. I’m deeply disappointed with the broken promises of Pumpkin Spice Lattes but I’m
not cynical about what they offer. An unflagging idealism, or at least a willingness to dream beyond reality, is the only effective antidote against cynicism that I know. So go enjoy a warm gourd beverage, but don’t believe the hype.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK FEDERAL ELECTION RESULTS IN LIBERAL MAJORITY
The NDP received a devastating defeat, falling from the official opposition at 103 seats to just 44 seats for 2015. Photo by Keith Race.
Justin Trudeau is elected Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.
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Margaret Trudeau applauds her son’s election. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.
The Concordian’s editorial team We tell your stories since 1983.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MICHELLE GAMAGE editor@theconcordian.com PRODUCTION MANAGER PIERRE A. LEPETIT production@theconcordian.com NEWS EDITOR GREGORY TODARO news@theconcordian.com LIFE EDITOR CRISTINA SANZA life@theconcordian.com ARTS EDITORS LYDIA ANDERSON ELIJAH BUKREEV arts@theconcordian.com MUSIC EDITOR MIA PEARSON music@theconcordian.com
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Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper VOLUME 33 | ISSUE 8 | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015 Cover photo by Andrej Ivanov.
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