The Concordian Vol. 31 Issue 28

theconcordian Volume 31 Issue 28

Independent student newspaper at Concordia University. Since 1983.

April 8, 2014

And so it ends...

Editorial: pg. 16 Photo by Keith Race

In this issue // news life

arts

music

Anti-PQ protest p. 3 Young CEO seeks a clean city p.5

Exhibit: Looking at time p.8

Are athletes Soundtrack to your summer p. 11 heroes? p. 14

We tell your stories. Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian

sports

theconcordian.com

news 2

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Write to the editor: news@theconcordian.com

CITY Sloane Montgomery Co-news editor

>> Support for

sexual violence against men On Apr. 6 a group of drummers dressed in red stood outside the Montreal courthouse to support male victims of sexual assault. As reported by The Montreal Gazette, recent Quebec government statistics show that while sexual assault towards women is double what it is towards men, one in six men will experience sexual assault or violence in his lifetime. The march consisted of 140 people and was peacefully led by police down St. Laurent Boulevard. Evans Bédard the coordinator for SHASE, an organization designed to support male victims of sexual violence explained that discussion of male sexual assault remains taboo stating, “Our main reason that we are here today is to denounce the ignorance about this problem.”

>> Windsor Station will soon be surrounded by skyscrapers

Windsor Station, located on the corner of Peel and De La Gauchetiere, is Montreal’s oldest train terminal. The station was built in 1889 and became a National Historic Site in 1975, but CBC News reported on April 7 that the building would be renovated and transformed over the next 15 years.

The exterior of the building cannot be changed as it a landmark, but companies such as Cadillac Fairview have $23-billion portfolios on the table to transform it into a commercial building. Two of the nine skyscrapers planned for 2029 in the downtown area along Rene-Levesque have already begun construction.

City// news

Queer Concordia bows to anti-Israel pressure Event exploring LGBTQ experiences in Israel proves too hot to touch Milos Kovacevic Interim co-news Editor

It was meant to be non-political snapshot of Israel’s sexual minorities for the purpose of fostering dialogue and widening viewpoints.

Yet the documentary ‘Out in Israel’, hosted by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) and featuring noted speaker and activist Jayson Littman, instead caused protests and a last-minute pull-out by sponsor Queer Concordia.

“As soon as the event went live [on Facebook], people went nuts. There were really inflammatory posts, there were accusations of pinkwashing, and very very quickly the topic shifted from LGBTQ rights to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict,” said CAMERA fellow, Concordia student, and event organizer, Michelle

Soicher.

Pinkwashing is a term that refers to when a corporate entity or state brings attention to its LGBTQ-friendly policy for the purpose of drawing attention away from other abuses.

In the past, Israel has been accused of pinkwashing to distract from its track record with Palestinian human rights. Littman, an activist in both Jewish and gay communities and a worker with the organization A Wider Bridge, was on hand to speak of pinkwashing and Israeli LGBTQ experiences in general.

The pressure caused Queer Concordia, invited to co-sponsor the event as it touched upon issues of interest to its membership, to pull out.

The event carried on as scheduled only to be intruded on physically by a small group of very vocal protesters, allegedly claiming to be affiliated with Queers against Apartheid, a group in solidarity with

Palestine. For a half hour or so, the dozen or so individuals chanted and protested before leaving.

“What I expected was a bunch of people with contrasting views. I expected a great Q&A,” Soicher said in reaction to the disruption, clearly disappointed with the protesters who hadn’t stayed for the event and left as swiftly as they came.

Though Soicher insisted the event wasn’t political, she did have an opinion on pinkwashing.

“The LGBTQ rights in Israel are the results of LGBTQ fighting for them. They weren’t handed to [them] — you can’t create a culture of tolerance to distract from something else. As Jayson [said] it, Israel sells itself as LGBT friendly for tourism [purposes] and nobody is distracted from the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.”

When reached for comment, Queer Concordia reiterated the negative reaction to the event was behind

their cancellation.

“After discussing the situation as a board and considering the feedback we received from other on-campus organizations we work closely with, we decided participating in this event would not be a good representation of our organization,” said Queer Concordia Communication Coordinator Emmett Anderson. Other QC members were unable for comment.

Despite the negative attention, Soicher said it is important to have such conversations, despite their sensitive nature, in an effort to give depth to what she calls “a very complicated, long-standing conflict.”

“I think Concordia students owe it to themselves and owe it to the student body to have two sides — at least — of what’s going on.”

The Concordian attempted to reach Queers against Apartheid but received no response.

Campus // news

Stressed out?Anxious? Why not take a paws?

CSU will host two dog therapy sessions Amanda l. shore Editor-in-chief

Just in time for end-of-semester blues a bunch of puppies are coming to play with you. On Thursday April 10 and April 14, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. you are invited to spend some time with Blue Ribbon Therapy Dogs.

According to pawsforpeople.org, pet therapy benefits people both mentally and physically as well as helping children with reading and physical therapy.

Mental and physical advantages of pet therapy include: lower blood pressure, improved cardiovascular health, the release of endorphins which has a calming effect, diminished physical pain, lifting of mood and lessening of depression, decreased feelings of isolation and alienation, reduced boredom and lowered anxiety.

Several universities including McGill, Carleton University and

Dalhousie, have held dog therapy sessions and Ottawa University has incorporated pet therapy into their counselling and coaching services.

In February, Audrey Giles and her dog, Tundra, starting seeing students at Ottawa U and the program

has become very popular.

“Just petting a dog will decrease your blood pressure and relieve anxiety. You can be affectionate with them and they’ll be affectionate back. They love attention,”Giles told The Toronto Star on March 9.

>> Safety awareness for cyclists “Dooring” is a new term that refers to cyclists who are injured by car doors.

CTV News reported that last year 105 cyclists were hit by car doors, two of which were fatal. Taking into consideration that most bike accidents go unreported Geoffrey Bush of the Montreal Bike Coalition says the 105 reports are merely a “drop in the bucket.” Bike associations across the city have started “dooring” campaigns to generate awareness and warn bikers to stay at least a metre away from the car door at all times.

Photos from Blue Ribon Therapy Dogs’ Facebook page

Tuesday, APRIL 8, 2014

Milos Kovacevic Interim co-news Editor

Activists and politicians assembled Friday afternoon at Premier Pauline Marois’ doorstep on the corners of McGill College and Sherbrooke Street to show their anger and disappointment at what they consider the rising state-sanctioned exclusion against Quebec’s religious, linguistic, and ethnic minorities.

Conceived by Canadians for Coexistence (CfC), a group advocating for full Canadian inclusion, only a handful of the planned 200-some individuals came out to brave the wind and the rain. Although the weather might have chilled bodies it certainly failed to dampen the fiery rhetoric.

“We’re a group that believes in diversity in inclusion and the PQ is against our beliefs. They’re a group that very clearly believes in exclusion and division,” said founding member Norma O’Donnell, highlighting in particular the rights of Quebec’s religious and anglophone minorities.

When asked on her thoughts as to why anglophone rights aren’t more visible, she said there were many reasons; from sympa-

thetic francophones who remain quiet because of social pressures, to an inability to connect with students.

“It’s seems like students in Quebec are more concerned about their tuition than their rights and freedoms, which is extremely disappointing,” she said about the number of youth protesters, and referring to the recent Charter of Values which would prohibit ostentatious religious displays and clothing by government employees, and last year’s failed Bill 14, which would have strengthened the primacy of the French language.

“We’ve spoken to students, we’ve encouraged them to participate in these rallies. Students don’t seem to be interested ... and that’s where we have to try and bring the two together.”

Though interviewed well before Monday’s elections, O’Donnell said that one way or another, whoever wins, her group’s ambitions were only just beginning.

“Canadians for Co-Existence, as well as several of our other groups, are very much going to be working alongside these politicians ... because we don’t plan to accept the same-old, same-old.

We plan to see that whichever party gets into power, that things will be very different. We’re not going to be the same old Anglo groups who sat by quietly and let this happen.”

Echoing O’Donnell’s senti-

ments was Montreal’s Reverend Darryl Gray, former Kansas state senator and head of English rights group, Alliance Quebec, and current pastor of the Imani Family and Full Gospel Church.

“The reality that there needs to be a stronger voice in the anglophone community is something that concerns me. I think there are those who acknowledge that the PQ government has failed the anglophone community, it has failed communities of faith, it has failed students, it has failed people in ethnic and cultural communities.

I think that somebody needs to show up and stand up and speak up,” said Gray.“I’m not concerned about the Bills themselves. It’s about the mindset that would create such a thing.”

Gray, who says he has supported civil rights movements for decades, was careful to draw distinctions and not paint everyone with the same brush.

“There are many people in the PQ … that do not submit or believe in the policies and the behavior and the attitude of their leadership. I think that it’s important to say that. But, having said that, the leadership too often reflects and speaks on behalf of the body — and that is unfortunate.”

“I’m not here to represent the Liberals, or the Green Party, or the NDP. I’m here to represent the person who best speaks to the human condition. Mrs. Marois will have to understand that she’s go-

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City // news

Anti-PQ anger on the eve of election Protesters don’t mince words over PQ policies

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ing to have to stop running away from Montreal, that she’ll have to embrace Montreal for the diversity that it is. I’m here because I need to be here, I’m here because I want to be here.”

Additional speakers included, amongst others, Green Party leader Alex Tyrell and Muslim community activist, Salman Shabad Saidi, who organized Montreal’s first World Hijab Day back in February and has been, like Tyrell, a very vocal critic of the Charter.

“When they introduced the ban on religious symbols, I began to see what direction they [the PQ] were headed,” said Saidi of his motivations. “They were ... laying out the platform for the right demographic — and by right demographic, I mean white, purlaine, speaking the same language.”

Saidi calls the PQ tactics cheap attempts at raising division for political reasons, and mocked Marois’ vision of Quebec.

“We have our own ideas that are based on tolerance, intelligence, diversity, and productivity,” Saidi said, adding that his strong words were necessary to reflect the very real undercurrents in Quebec which are only now beginning to be voiced.

“They’ve unleashed a campaign of hate and intolerance against minorities, [and these tactics] never embodied any true Quebec values and went against much of the tolerance that this province has been showing.”

NATION Milos Kovacevic Sloane Montgomery

>> Calgarians not tipping

A research study done by mobile payment company, Square, on five Canadian cities has shown the nation’s most financially freewheeling city when it comes to tipping is Ottawa. The stingiest?

Calgary. Calgarians tipped an average of about 13.4 per cent, 62 per cent of the time, while Ottawans tipped 15.6 per cent extra, 76.6 per cent of the time. The CBC reported Montreal as topping Toronto because, while Toronto tipped more generously than Montreal, our city’s propensity to tip was proportionately greater.

>> A very Canadian police chase The Globe and Mail reported an alltoo-Canadian police chase last week involving an Alberta police officer on a snowmobile, a tractor-stealing thief in possession of stolen jewelry and guns, and three feet of snow with an expanse of prairie between them.

The manhunt lasted 45 minutes and saw the pursuit push eight kilometres an hour and ultimately ended with the flip of the tractor and arrest of the perpetrator. The police officer involved was later quoted as calling the experience “very, very memorable.”

>> Avalanche in Alberta

Speakers, bystanders, and security pose for a group picture at the conclusion of

the anti-PQ protest on April 4, 2014. Photo by Milos Kovacevic

Announcement of Annual General Meeting Le journal étudiant le concordian inc./The Concordian Student Newspaper inc. is holding its annual general meeting on May 31, 2014 at 5 p.m. at the Loyola office, CC-431. For more information please email the board of directors at directors@theconcordian.com

An avalanche of approximately 100 metres long and wide and over 50 centimetres thick buried a skier on April 6 near Canmore, Alberta. CBC News reports that two skiers triggered the slide around 3 p.m., burying one of them. The unburied skier saw his friend’s hand sticking out of the snow and began to dig him out immediately.

The buried skier was extremely lucky and suffered no injuries. Reports state that he was wearing an “Avalung” backpack that supplied him with an airbag and breathing tube, which helped save his life.

>> Salmonella in your fresh pepper

Several black peppercorn products have been recalled for salmonella contamination across Canada. The brand names facing the recall include: Frontier, Everyday Value (Whole Foods Market) and Simply Organic.

CBC News reports that there have been no proven illnesses or deaths so far in correlation with these products.

However, anyone who has these products are advised to return them to the store for a refund or throw them away.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, april 8, 2014

WORLD Milos Kovacevic Interim co-news editor

>> EU passes net neutrality law

The European Union has voted to usher in a number of new laws respecting the existence of an Internet without restrictions, interference, or customer discrimination. The CBC said the bill bans such things as roaming wireless fees and preferential bandwidth allocation. Internet carriers, on the other hand, were disappointed, saying specialized services at specialized prices were necessary to stimulate growth and generate revenue to compete on the international market.

>> Korean pop song banned over use of Japanese word

Campus // news

A series to inspire and promote change TEDxConcordia coming May 3 Sloane Montgomery Co-news editor

In the spirit of sharing ideas worth spreading, TedxConcordia Talks is coming to the D.B. Clarke theatre on May 3.

TED is not-for-profit organization that started as four-day conference in California 25 years ago.

Devoted to finding ideas worth spreading, TED now has multiple initiatives to support people who have world-changing ideas.

TEDx is one of these initiatives; the “x” stands for an independently organized TED event. The “x” program promotes local, selforganized events to bring together inspiring individuals to spark discussion amongst a group.

There will be 13 speakers in total, however only 11 speakers have been announced so far as organizers have not finalized the last two

speakers.

So far the speakers include Andrew Gonzalez who will be discussing scientific solutions that are necessary to reconnect nature’s networks to be more sustainable as a result of ongoing human pressure.

Diana Bronson, director of Food Secure Canada, will be there to speak about practical solutions to problems in our food system.

Francois Legare will explain how scientific research has changed and is helping us bring about a better future.

Henry Tsang, a professional and sustainable architect who is a member of Emergency Architects of Canada and Habitat for Humanity, will be speaking about reconstructing and rebuilding communities after disasters.

Nicholas Venelosi and Mehdi Sabzalian will be speaking about the importance of re-emerging space exploration in the 21st century.

Eric Spano is a former public accountant who is heavily involved in digital currencies. He

plans to discuss the advantages digital currency offers to finance, law and society as a whole.

Omen is an artist who specializes in street art and spray paint, he wants to share his ideas about creativity which he believes cannot be contained within a classroom.

Eliane Ubalijore is a scientist of research, policy and business and will be speaking about her plans to have her home continent of Africa viewed as a continent of opportunities rather than a continent of abounding problems.

David Roemmele will be speaking about our societies’ constant search for wealth and want for more and will explain how yoga can be the answer to this desire and “create true wealth.”

David Zangwill will be talking about his experience as a dancer and how the “Dancefloor” experience can be transcended into everyday moments.

Students and staff are required to register online before the event and are encouraged to do so as soon as possible since there is a

limit of 400 spots. Registration requires a brief self-description and two words you feel best describe you; these are the guidelines followed by all TED Talk events.

“Since space is limited the [TedxConcordia team] are looking for students who will spark conversation, who will come to the event to be inspired and who hope to someday inspire others,” explained the event’s curator Nicolas Feller.

The TEDxConcordia event is still looking for its final two speakers and it is possible to nominate a fellow student, professor or Montrealer. They are looking for intriguing, interesting and fascinating individuals who can share and deliver their idea or experience in an 18-minute TED Talk-style speech.

For more information on the speaker series, to register or to nominate a speaker; go the the TEDxConcordia website at tedxconcordia.com and check out the facebook page at www.facebook. c o m / T E D x C o n c o rd i a ? n o t i f _ t=fbpage_fan_invite .

The Wall Street Journal reports that a recent song by a Korean Pop group by the name of Crayon Pop has been banned by a Korean public television broadcaster after the lyrics were found to contain a single Japanese word. The word in question, ppikka, or ‘shiny’, was considered a “vestige of Japanese nationalism” by the station. Crayon Pop has since re-recorded a safer version of their song, substituting the native Korean term for shiny, ‘bbunjjuk’.

>> U.S. created social network to inspire ‘Cuban Spring’ According to The Guardian and documents obtained by the Associated Press, a Cuban Twitterlike social network, built in 2010 and functioning through text messages to evade strict Cuban Internet controls, was in fact a U.S. project to politicize Cubans into toppling the government. At its height, before its mysterious 2012 collapse, the program, called ZunZuneo after the Spanish slang for a hummingbird’s chirp, had over 40,000 daily users who used it for everyday communication.

In the end, though, it never quite managed to gain either the critical mass or dissident anger necessary to be turned into a political tool for undermining the Cuban government.

>>Priest assasinated Jesuit priest Father Francis Van Der Lugt was shot by a concealed gunman on Monday. Van Der Lugt was vocal about Syria’s civilians needing aid.

Provincial politics// news

Quebec brings the vote to Concordia

Polling stations, vote iniatitives arrive on campus Milos Kovacevic Interim news editor

The elections are finally over, and in addition to the drama, this year’s 2014 Quebec provincial election also featured a novelty: university polling stations, allowing students for the very first time to vote on university and CEGEP campuses.

According to the numbers released by the Chief Electoral Officer, 13 per cent of students took advantage of them this year.

“This is the first time it’s happened, so we have nothing to compare it to, so we have to take into consideration the number represents only educational institutions. There could have been students and youth under the age of 35 who decided to vote in their own electoral riding,” said Vote it Up! spokesperson Ro-

sanna Tomiuk, whose organization is an initiative of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) to encourage young English-speaking Quebecers to vote by involving community groups and raising awareness.

13 per cent may not be much, but the number will serve as the benchmark to which subsequent campus statistics will be compared to.

Tomiuk said that compared to some other campuses Concordia has

“

been particularly enthusiastic and has warmed up to their campaign.

“Concordia has been super, super active with Vote it Up!,” said Tomiuk, praising the CSU in particular for the awareness they raised through their own effort and a particularly clever video production.

Vote it Up!’s mandate does not end here. The group functions yearround and will be back for the next election.

“We’ll do what we can to be present to remind them,” said To-

There are two million youth in Quebec, aged 18-35, and that’s 25 per cent of the population. If you ever think your voice doesn’t matter and who you are as a younger generation doesn’t have an impact on what the future of our province looks like, then reconsider

- Rosanna Tomiuk, Vote it Up! Spokesperson

miuk, adding that the persistent troubles over domicile status that hindered many voters will be analyzed to make sure they don’t occur the next time.

Tomiuk said she was happy to see so much campus participation, and hopes it will continue.

She hopes the youth will continue to realize only their continued participation in the political process will make them a force to be contended with and factored into politicians’ plans.

“There are two million youth in Quebec, aged 18-35, and that’s 25 per cent of the population. If you ever think your voice doesn’t matter and who you are as a younger generation doesn’t have an impact on what the future of our province looks like, then reconsider.”

So, reader: did you take advantage of campus polling stations, or were you even aware they existed? Leave a comment or fire up an e-mail in our direction about the ease and accessibility of polling stations — we’d love to hear from you!

life

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2014

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Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com

Profile // Life

Young entrepreneur wants to turn Montreal into a clean city How Kelly Lovell is coaching youth to take part in her initiative Sabrina Giancioppi Life editor

At 22-years-old, Kelly Lovell isn’t busy walking into bars, she’s walking into boardrooms. Don’t be fooled by the curls, cute floral dresses and hair bows because her resume would make some executive profiles pale in comparison.

“I definitely get looks,” says Lovell. “It’s incredible to see the level of respect drop in some professionals’ eyes when they realize I am the CEO they are supposed to meet.”

As the youngest winner of the 2013 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award, Lovell has a roster of achievements, which includes her current CEO position for a national initiative called My Clean City, a leadership program built to encourage youth to get involved in building sustainable communities in Canada.

Born and raised in Waterloo, Ont., Lovell just completed two years at Western University with pre-acceptance into the Richard Ivey School of Business. However her loyalties lie in her mission to create, implement, and participate in projects that foster youth participation and leadership development.

“I had previously been doing individual consulting work where I was consistently being asked to assist NGOs in engaging youth,” explains Lovell. “I realized that many organizations struggled to bridge the gap.”

In the summer of 2012, after being named Canada’s Top 20 under 20, Lovell was inspired to create The Kelly Effect, a company that assists and teaches grassroot organizations to build sustainable initiatives by specializing in community engagement. She describes it as “creating a butterfly effect of change with a Kelly pizazz.”

Yet Lovell hasn’t always had that so-called

“pizazz.”

“I used to be like many of my disengaged peers and viewed volunteerism in a negative light,” she admits. “I never picked opportunities that matched my interests, rather I chose those that would knock off the most volunteer hours.”

My Clean City was born in light of Lovell’s unfulfilling volunteer experiences. “[It] was created to dissolve this negative stigma of volunteerism and break the cycle of younger people volunteering without having a meaningful experience,” she says.

During the 2013 annual international leadership summit, One Young World, one of the top six world issues debated was the environment and sustainability, which was voted as one of the most important among the youth.

Lovell decided to run with it.

In recent years, environmental awareness has not just been embraced by treehuggers and celebrities. There have been eco-documentaries, carbon emission studies, greening initiatives and Earth Day activities all dedicated to one of the world’s biggest tasks at hand: moving from a wasteful way of life to a more sustainable one.

According to a 2007 Households and the Environment Survey by Statistics Canada, being eco-friendly is trending. In the past decade, Canadian households have increasingly engaged in activities that are both energy saving and environmentally conscious.

Acknowledging the ‘new’ volunteer generation, My Clean City speaks to the youth demographic on its level.

“We provide a unified portal to access community programs over a social media powered interface,” explains Lovell.

Engaging the youth can be a challenge, which is why My Clean City introduces a volunteer experience full of rewards, both literally and figuratively.

“We use a merit-based model that recognizes youth for their actions by rewarding them with CleanCreds©, which are based on both effort and impact. Those with the highest cumu-

lative total at the end of our program will be awarded scholarships, mentorships and other daily rewards.”

Anyone with a business sense will advise that you need to first build a pilot and then go through the motions of a local model, then scale to a provincial and then a national level.

However, Lovell admits that she is one to “ride the bike before it is even built.”

“A common mistake of many entrepreneurs is they get so fixated on their idea and spend all their effort trying to make that idea work, even if it doesn’t fit the market’s needs.”

Lovell didn’t want to waste her time trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

“I was able to let the idea mould itself into the market’s demand.”

My Clean City was introduced to a national audience almost immediately and is edging its way to Montreal. Lovell admits that building a national, large-scale program without funding is an incredible feat, especially when trying to build partnerships to grow the program and garner credibility as a startup without financial backing. Therefore, the next step was to engage with leading brand companies, and Lovell had a vision.

“Kelly was the one to reach out to us,” says H&M public relations manager, Emily Scarlett.

H&M was the first fashion company to launch a global initiative called Garment Collecting, where customers are encouraged to bring in unwanted clothes of any brand and in any condition to help turn old textiles into new, recycled, ones.

“The My Clean City Campaign and H&M’s Garment Collecting Initiative were a natural fit,” Scarlett says. “Both campaigns aim at a more sustainable future so we were eager to link up and work together.”

H&M has decided to combine the campaigns.

“Participants sign up to take part in the program and get an account online. Then when they bring in a bag of clothing, the store will scan a QR code which translates to CleanCreds on their account,” explains Scarlett. “At the end

of the program people will redeem their clean creds for different things. H&M gifts cards being one option.”

Staples has also joined forces with My Clean City.

“Both Staples and H&M are youth-relevant brands that believe in our generation,” says Lovell. “Their commitment and dedication to inspiring environmental change while simultaneously supporting young leaders is what My Clean City is all about.”

Lovell believes that the youth “play a critical role in prompting change” and she is a testament to that.

“What started off as an idea to create a national program transformed into a full fledged startup and organization that has a heart and breath of its own. It is incredible what following your passion can produce.”

Lovell currently lives in Toronto. She is poised for a variety of philanthropic and leadership opportunities. She says her most memorable moment was speaking at TEDxYouth last year.

“I want to be able to share this experience with my peers.”

It’s not only about encouraging others to increase their green footprint; for Lovell, it is about leaving her mark on the world but also — and more importantly — with the people she meets.

People can get easily distracted from Lovell’s ambition because she enjoys watching comedies, likes to dance, bake, shop and really embrace her girliness.

“Being young has its advantages in connecting and understanding our target demographic but when it comes to the business world, ‘youth’ typically translates to inexperience or a lack of qualification,” says Lovell.

Despite this, “you always miss 100 per cent of the shots you never take” is the advice she still remembers from her fifth grade school teacher. It’s what drives her straight into the offices of large corporations, to stick out her hand, open her mouth and proudly introduce herself.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2014

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Thinking about pursuing graduate studies? Already applied? Come and explore your program of interest and meet a potential thesis supervisor.

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Campus // Life

Concordia’s household Café X serves up cozy vibe Keeping it local is what this student-run café is all about

take in the latest exhibit.

Aside from the friendly atmosphere, the food and drinks are the highlight of Café X. Everything is vegetarian with many vegan and

gluten-free options. According to Hudspith, over 14 local businesses and students cater the food that is served. The number of suppliers leads to a diverse, ever-changing variety of

Robin Stanford Staff writer

Stressed out by the end of semester rush?

Why not try the best kept secret on campus?

It’s a little safe haven slightly out of the way that sells coffee for a dollar, (when you bring a reusable mug), and the best homemade earl grey cake.

The history of Café X is a bit of an enigma.

No one’s quite sure how this student-run operation came into being.

According to co-manager Laura Hudspith, “it probably started as a kind of pirate ship operation in the Visual Arts building.”

No matter its humble beginnings, Café X has since grown to encompass two locations, one in the EV building, the other in the Visual Arts building.

The EV location is a little out of the way on the seventh floor and serves more as a take-out counter than café. Regardless of its location, it is filled with a steady stream of regulars who chat casually with the cashier about the latest treats on sale.

The VA location features the same counter space with a small lounge which is perfect to study and talk with friends. Not to mention the art gallery right next door where one can

Photo from the Cafe X Montreal Facebok page

food. Furthermore, the knowledge that every sale directly helps a Montreal company and not a corporate conglomerate is a bonus.

The prices themselves are very affordable.

The goal of Café X is not to achieve a profit.

Any and all money goes directly to staff and running costs as well as the occasional emergency repair. The cafe itself receives no money from the university. The only item donated is the space itself.

With all of this it is remarkable to think that the organization is run, in its entirety, by a group of fine arts students. The group itself changes over time but the spirit of the group remains.

At the present time there are no plans to expand beyond the current two locations.

Even so, groups from other faculties have expressed an interest in starting similar ventures. For the time being, however, Café X is the only student-run non-profit cafe.

The buzz surrounding the organization has escaped Concordia. Back in March, comanagers Allison Kelley and Hudspith sat down with the Montreal Gazette for an exposé. Hudspith looks back at this event fondly but stated that the goal was never to gain outside credit.

“Although the review in [the] Montreal Gazette was great, Café X has no interest in catering to outside clients. We are really about Concordia and its students.”

Visit Café X at EV 7.750 or VA-229 for operating hours see http://www.concordiafoodcoalition.com/food-on-campus/whereto-eat/

Review // Life

A night out with Czechvar and mounted ostrich heads Bar Bistro Bily Kun offers a different atmosphere and specialty beer Jessica Romera Music editor

Tucked between a frozen yogurt shop and a driving school on Mount Royal Avenue in the heart of the Plateau area sits Bily Kun. No, this is not the name of an exotic European city, but the name of one of Montreal’s best taverns.

Walking in you are enveloped by the warmth of the bar: the space is dimly lit by individual table candles and sparse lamps hanging from the noticeably high ceilings. Often described as ‘tavern-chic’, the decor is simple yet swanky; brick walls painted white with wood paneling, artwork that was more or less limited to a large painting of a willow tree and several mounted ostrich heads scattered about the walls.

After inevitably losing a staring contest to one of the birds, I realized that each had a distinguishing quirk: some wore hats, but all had names. I took my seat below Charles, a dapper little bird unfortunately losing the feathers on the crown of his head.

“So, why the ostrich heads?” I asked my waitress.

“Well, Bily Kun is kind of hard to pronounce, so the decorator wanted to add something that would make people talk about the bar and remember the place,” she said.

Fair enough.

Adding to the tavern’s atmosphere was the live music. On this particular Tuesday night jazz collective Trio Jerôme Beaulieu acted as a duo, playing the cello and the piano from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m..

When the jazz players ended their set for the evening, an eclectic playlist ranging from alternative indie to instrumental hip hop took their place. The music was chilled out, keeping in tune with the bar’s poised, yet laid-back ambiance and catering to the nearly full crowd of

20 somethings to early 30 somethings.

While physical menus were available, I was overwhelmed by the dozens of different beer, cocktail and wine options listed, so I scanned the chalkboard menus above the bar instead, hoping the house specialties would narrow my option pool. Realizing I recognized the names of about five per cent of the drinks on the menu, I figured I should just ask my waitress what she recommended.

Drinks ranged anywhere from seven dollars to $14 depending, with cocktails at the steeper end.

At a 70 per cent alcohol level, Absinthe was the first on the list of specialty drinks. Although coming highly recommended for being surprisingly “not as strong-tasting as you’d think,” I decided I wasn’t feeling very adventurous and opted for a Czechvar beer, the recommended house beer. Czechvar is a blonde, hoppy lager with a smooth yet slightly bitter taste.

According to the waitress, Bily Kun is the largest carrier of Czechvar beer in Canada. Ap-

Bily Kun, located on 354 avenue de mont. royal est., offers up great beer, delicious grub and quirky atmosphere. Photos by Nathalie Laflamme.

parently Czech beer is extremely hard to import, which is why the majority of the beer listed on the menu are from different breweries around Quebec, like the St-Ambroise Apricot.

Food is also offered on the menu, but instead of your regular old french fries and onion rings, Bily Kun offers things like hummus and pita combinations and beef (or vegetarian) empanadas. Overwhelmed by options once again, I froze, fumbled and ultimately ordered nachos; I should definitely never be shown more than two options for anything.

Despite this unoriginal decision, I figured you could never really go wrong with beer and nachos, especially when it’s imported Czech beer and nachos with homemade salsa.

With cinq à sept far behind us, an electronic musician was gearing up for his set, as is the case most week nights after 10 p.m. Two Czechvars later, I was feeling full and deeply satisfied and called it a night. Nodding goodbye to Charles the ostrich, I made my way to StDenis Street and into the early springtime chill.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

arts

Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com

Opinion // arts

Expo+ art contest winners are announced The STM revealed the top four most popular artworks that will adorn our bus shelters Robin Stanford Staff writer

What does a zebra, an eye, a black hole, and the Old Port of Montreal have in common?

Ten thousand dollars.

Last month, The Concordian reported that Quebecor Media, in collaboration with the Societé de Transport de Montréal (STM), launched the Expo+ contest. Over the course of the last four months, over 1,100 artists submitted their works for public voting, hoping to be featured on the new STM bus shelters.

The pieces up for voting were divided between art submitted by the general public and those offered by the advertising industry.

The final four winners were announced on April 4, with an unknown amount of votes gathered to have the images emerge victorious.

Compared with other submissions, the winners are not the most aesthetically bold images in the contest. The first features a black and white zebra flying above the ground with the help of a balloon. The second, a black holelike image in the middle of a swirling vortex of black and red. The third, a watercolour of rue St. Paul in the old port of Montreal. Finally, a Warhol-esque eye looking at the sky.

These four finalists have risen above the

rest to claim the $10,000 prize which is to be split among the two categories. Even though there was but one finalist from the advertising industry they will take home half of the prize, while the other $5,000 will be split among the three winners from the general public.

Arguably the prize money is not the real prize. Aside from the finalists, the top 20 art-

ists are being featured on Montreal bus shelters from March 24 to April 20.

For the advertising agencies this could have easily become free advertising space. Thankfully none of the images were pushing merchandise. No doubt the accolade of displaying one’s work on the new STM shelters will come in handy for these companies landing

From the thousands of artworks submitted, four were awarded the grand prize. Photo Courtesy of abribus.ca.

contracts in the future.

Predictably, there is little thematic homogeneity among the 20 finalists currently on display. They range from a fox sporting a bow tie to an abstract gear design.

Except for one image, they are all agreeable.

The exception, however, demonstrates what the STM should do in the future should they hold another Expo+ contest.

The image in question is of a police officer, in full riot gear, holding a rose above the Montreal cityscape. Although there is artistic merit in the work, it can be seen as a politically charged piece. In a climate where such an image may be viewed as provocative, perhaps it is not one that should be exhibited on the sides of bus shelters. There is a time and place for such offerings, but Montreal rush hour may not be one of them.

Should the STM launch another art contest, perhaps they should give it a theme — “art chez nous,” for example, would give the city a much needed cultural boost. It would also be wise to ask that political messages be excluded from competition as bus service is not the appropriate place for such images.

Contrary to what had been reported previously by Quebecor Media, the winning artworks will be removed from bus shelters on April 20, 2014.

For a full list of Expo+ contest winners visit: abribus.ca/en/contest/expo-plus

Exhibit // arts

Clocks have got all the time in the world The Clock is a 24-hour installation that traces through the history of world cinema and television Olivia Ranger-Enns Staff writer

Time. It is unavoidable, reflective, and theoretical. It is also much, much more.

As such, Christian Marclay’s exhibition, The Clock, highlights the myriad characteristics of time and the way it affects humans on a grand scale. Winner of the Golden Lion, the top prize awarded at the Venice Biennale, this exhibition is sure to make you look at your watch in a completely new way.

The Clock is a series of vignettes taken from films and television shows showcasing cinematic scenes where characters are shaped or altered by the concept of time. It took Marclay and his assistants over three years to produce this 24-hour-long cinematic chef d’œuvre which pulls the audience into the narrative fold with gratifying results. You are forced to ponder, theorize, deliberate and conclude. And start again.

The Clock works in a number of ways. First of all, it demonstrates the narrative quality of time. As the clips reveal, the time pinpointed in various clips marks the actual passing of time.

So, for example, if it is currently 11:20 a.m. and you are watching the clips, the scenes will

showcase films where the time is 11:20 a.m, and so on.

Audience members are invited to be actually part of the filmic narratives, whereby the passing of time is revealed. It’s genius, at best.

As Zadie Smith from the New York Review of Books said, The Clock is “neither bad nor good, but sublime.”

The audience is subjected to a wide variety of scenes, and to a variety of emotions at that.

Marclay shows how time can be theorized. We see a small boy earnestly drawing a watch on his wrist with a felt pen, then bringing his wrist to his ear and hearing ticking sounds.

On the other hand, time can also be objectified. A naked man lying in bed, surprised as his lover hands him a big watch as a thank you present. “You don’t have to bring me gifts,” the man objects. The woman responds, smiling: “But do you like it?”

Time is a memory-shaper. We see a woman standing over her dog. She has just realized that the dog had passed away. She glances at the clock on the kitchen wall, and the audience understands — she will never forget the exact hour at which her dog died.

Time also acts as an event-maker. We see a couple glancing outside and worriedly eyeing at their watches. “It should have happened by now,” mutters the man, referring to a bomb

detonating. and white shots of women with pearl necklacTime can seal someone’s fate. A blonde es, followed by clips of American men zoomwoman sits nervously smoking in a hall, check- ing off into the desert. All of the filmic genres ing the big clock on the wall. A uniformed are covered: romance, action, thriller, comedy, guard approaches her and declares: “You can gangster, musicals, adventure, historical. You come in now. The jury has decided.” name it, and it’s there.

Alternatively, we see an even darker side to The Clock speaks to us on many issues, but the power of time. A man is holding a gun to a it fundamentally succeeds in bringing people woman’s head, singing: “Ain’t got no alterna- to a more complex and thorough appreciation tive, ya got 40 seconds to live.” of those little ticking machines we wear on our Time is also, sadly for some of us, unavoid- wrists. Time exists, and merits our attention. able — hello, Monday mornings. The audience Although it is conceptual, time delivers a powgiggles when a man is brutally woken up by erful message: it is here, and it is here to stay. his alarm clock, emanating “Jingle Bells” mu- The Clock exhibit runs until April 20 at the sic. The man promptly throws the alarm clock Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art. against the wall and repeatedly sends empty beer bottles its way, screaming: “Fuck you!”

Finally, time can accentuate our boredom.

In one clip, we see actor Matt Damon walk into a room and suppress a sigh, as if once again being confronted by a state of utter monotony.

The clips are as diverse as can be, show- Marclay’s The Clock runs for 24 continuous hours, leaving each casing beautiful black viewer with a different experience depending on when it is seen.

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Dance // arts

Lights, camera, feathers: a night at the Moulin Rouge Taking a closer look at the internationally renowned show and a staple of Parisian culture Tiffany Lafleur Contributor

T

he energy left in the ballroom of the Moulin Rouge remained palpable.

Even after the curtain had dropped, the lights turned back on, and the tables had been cleared of their champagne buckets, the eclectic show left the audience buzzing with excitement.

The dancers of the Bal du Moulin Rouge had done it again, giving a spectacular performance involving singing, dancing, acrobatics and multiple costume changes, just as they have been doing every night for the past 124 years. Though the faces have changed and different choreographies taken to the stage, the historic heart of the show is still very much alive.

A Parisian beacon of culture and of the arts, the Moulin Rouge is characterized by the illuminated red windmill always turning on top of the building. Built in the same year as the Eiffel Tower, audiences worldwide have continually been swept away by the extravagance of the venue, the dancers and the show.

Thierry Outrilla has been with the Moulin Rouge for 38 years. He started out as a dancer with the Moulin in 1976, and has been there ever since. In 1989 he left the stage to instead carefully watch the show, noting how it could be improved. Outrilla is now creative director, responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly, working with the dancers on a continual basis and watching over anything related to the stage.

“We expect perfection,” said Outrilla.* This year, the institution will be celebrating its 125th anniversary.

The high-energy French can-can is the Moulin’s speciality, and although they still retain their traditional flavour, the incorporation of modern technological elements adds flare to the typically French style of dancing. The show now sports an aquarium containing five pythons, a descending staircase, and powerful, eco-friendly spotlights that enhance the thousands of glittering jewels encrusted into the costumes. When the dancers saunter on stage,

they shine.

The institution has sent representatives around the world, dancing for kings and queens, meeting presidents and shaking hands with celebrities.

Last June, Outrilla represented the Moulin Rouge as a judge for Vaudreuil-Dorion’s Festival International de Cirque. He was accompanied by Eugene Chaplin, son of the famous Charlie Chaplin.

“When our dancers travel, we really want for them to consider themselves as ambassadors,” said Outrilla. “We are aware of the im-

The Concordian sat down with Moulin Rouge’s creative director, Thierry Outrilla, to discuss the institution’s 125th anniversary. Photo by Tiffany Lafleur.

age we bring: it is the image of France and of Paris.”

However, Outrilla warns that to really appreciate the show, you have to see it in its original setting: “We have to be careful because it’s only a small piece of the Moulin. To see the real show you need to go to Paris, to really live it. And that’s something we cannot move around.”

Every year 630,000 spectators come from around the world and walk through the red velvet-covered lobby, consuming 240,000 bottles of champagne a year. There are 80 dancers, 800 pairs of shoes and 1,000 costumes.

Although the venue can hold 900 spectators, the placement of the stage makes the scene intimate. The dancers are not dancing for a crowd; they are dancing for every individual sitting in their seat.

“It is a mythical place. It is an image, a powerful symbol,” said Outrilla. “It is a place of festivity, spanning 125 years. A place where we are happy, and where we bring that happiness elsewhere.”

There is no individual element that makes the Moulin Rouge so phenomenal. It is the combination of the set design, the costumes, the make-up, the choreography, and most of all the talent and dedication of the 400 employees involved in making this Parisian gem ever brighter.

Albeit expensive, the show is a must for anyone travelling through Paris. With heartstopping acrobatic acts, intricate costumes and more feathers than you’ve ever seen in your life, a visit to the Moulin is worth the expense. *Quotations translated from French by writer

Film // arts

Huffing and puffing and blowing heads away Graphic and violent, Israeli horror-thriller, Big Bad Wolves isn’t a typical fairy tale Elijah Bukreev Staff writer Big Bad Wolves never really lives up to its opening scene, which serves as a beautiful introduction to a darkly tongue-in-cheek tale of revenge.

The camera follows three children, a boy and two girls, playing hide-and-seek in slowmotion. They run, first in a forest, then in what looks like an abandoned warehouse.

The accompanying music seems to indicate that the game won’t end well. In fact, one of the girls decides to hide in a closet; the next time it is opened, all that’s left of her is one red shoe.

We learn that a child molester is at large, and that this is one of many recent kidnappings that have ended in murder. Someone sedates the children, abuses them, tortures them, beheads them and hides the heads so that their parents can’t even bury them in accordance with Jewish law, which requires corpses to be intact — nothing too uplifting.

The cop appointed to the case is Micki (Lior Ashkenazi), a sarcastic and unscrupulous man who doesn’t see a problem with resorting to violence when questioning the prime suspect, Dror (Rotem Keinan), who is a school teacher.

He tries to beat a confession out of him, but fails. A boy wanders upon the scene and films the interrogation on his cell phone.

The boy then does what any modern kid would do — he uploads the footage on YouTube, and it predictably goes viral. Both men

get in trouble with their superiors — Micki for being a bad cop, and Dror because being a suspected child murderer doesn’t do much to improve the school’s reputation. They end up getting suspended from their respective jobs.

But this is only the setup for the major storyline, which involves Gidi (Tzahi Grad), the father of the latest victim, going on a quest to reclaim his daughter’s head and get revenge on the murderer. He buys a house in the woods, tests it for being scream-proof, and kidnaps Dror for torture purposes. Micki also ends up there, because the plot requires it.

What we have here is a mix of grindhouse horror and black comedy. There are also elements of Jewish humour, like when Gidi

keeps getting interrupted by phone calls and visits from his parents just as he’s about to take the next step in torturing his daughter’s alleged killer.

Oftentimes, you may find the humour inappropriate. The directors, Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, take a mostly light-hearted approach to very dramatic material. Is it really necessary for Micki to wisecrack when the headless, mutilated body of a child is found?

Some twists are clever, others are run-ofthe-mill, but still, the movie manages to create suspense in a story that is not of the most original kind. What makes it work is the fairy tale aspect of it. If you were unlucky enough to have read Grimm Brothers’ stories as a

child — the original ones, not child-friendly versions — the feeling of dread evoked by this film will be familiar to you. Everything is stylized to appeal to the darkest corners of your imagination.

Big Bad Wolves is set in Israel, but it could be set anywhere, because where it really takes place is the movie universe. The story, characters and situations are not realistic, nor are they meant to be. How else to explain a Palestinian cowboy? The directors have borrowed cues from various sources and created an odd, stylish amalgam of genres and tones. No wonder it was praised by Tarantino himself.

Big Bad Wolves will be out on DVD and Blu-Ray on April 22.

Hailed as the “best film of the year” by Quentin Tarantino, Big Bad Wolves is the follow up to Rabies, also directed by Keshales and Papushado.

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Dance // arts

Indie Queens — geek goddesses do burlesque The Suicide Girls pay tribute to pop culture in their Blackheart Burlesque show Frédéric T. Muckle Staff writer

and Game of Thrones, all enacted by the fringe beauties of Suicides Girls — the sum of it all is more than enticing, especially for a Sunday night.

Yet, Suicide Girls’ community and their burlesque show enthusiasts are not composed, like some people would expect, of Cro-Magnon men looking for cheap entertainment; actually it is quite the contrary.

“The girls on stage are having fun being sexy, exuding this joie de vivre and that is attractive to women. It is rare that you get to see … a women that is, not in a dirty or graphic way, having fun with her sexuality,” said Missy Suicide.

This explains why the majority of the Sui-

cide Girls participants, and the audience of the burlesque show, are women.

The Blackheart Burlesque tour recently had a successful run in the United States and Australia, and decided to end their journey in our — still — cold and white country. “[The Blackheart Burlesque show] is a super fun, sexy night that everybody will enjoy, [whether as] a couple or a single person, it is fun for everybody,” Missy Suicide said. Maybe that ought to finally bring us the spring we all have been waiting for, heating up our beloved Montreal.

Suicide Girls’ Blackheart Burlesque tour will be performing on April 13 at Cabaret La Tulipe.

If you wish to titillate your spring-produced, nature-driven, fertility-related desires, there is an upcoming show you do not want to miss: Suicide Girls’ Blackheart Burlesque show, set to pass through town this Sunday.

For those of you who have never encountered these stunning tattooed goddesses during a purposeless Internet escapade, Suicide Girls is a community of models that celebrates alternative beauty. With their empowered attitude, these women clash wonderfully with the typical soulless Barbies that serve as beauty standards in our normative society.

These contemporary amazons, with the help of renowned choreographer Manwe Sauls-Addison, decided to come back as a burlesque troupe after a sixyear hiatus. If you have been avoiding the alternative scene of the past decade or so, you may have missed the welcomed revival of the burlesque movement, now renamed neo-burlesque.

“It is all about the art of the tease, being sexy [and] having fun with [your] sexuality,” explained Missy Suicide, cofounder of Suicide Girls.

Burlesque is a moment of humourous, elegant, flirtatious strip-tease during which the women performing are meant to be enjoying themselves as much as their audience is.

Now imagine this kind of show, but with rock ‘n’ roll and electro rhythms, an electrified crowd and references to The show is choreographed by Manwe Sauls-Addison, who has worked with the likes of Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga. pop culture such as Kill Bill, Dr. Who

Opinion // arts

Cover stories — judging the book by its cover We stripped the titles off of each book and let our imagination run with the images Gail always knew she was different. Her friends didn’t seem to say as much, but something always felt off. They would flutter around in groups playing. Whenever she came near they dropped out of the sky. Why was that?

Her friends always sat a few branches higher, mumbling about where she was born when they thought she wasn’t listening. Charlotte Utilities wasn’t the nicest home, but what of it?

Her father seemed nice enough.

Well he was until the day he approached her with this odd look in his eye. He had this odd branch in his hand. It glistened, she could still see it in her mind. It hurt to think about it, about what he did to her. Is that what everyone was chirping about?

But she was just like everyone else. Well as long as they didn’t get too close. As long as they didn’t touch her. As long as …

Gail looked around, everyone had taken off. Hurriedly she stretched her wings to follow. Why are they always doing that anyways?

Ed note: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, by Philip K. Dick, is a post-apocalyptic tale about a bounty-hunter on a mission to retire androids.

-- Robin Stanford

This is the story of Death, the one we fear the most as he is the one who brings souls to the other side. His task is simple, he must bring one soul to the other side, every day, without exception. Today would be like any other day, except he must bring Caroline, the love of his life. He is unsure of how he will be able to perform such a task. After seeing her, he decides to take a new, different approach. Instead of just taking Caroline to the other side with him, Death wants her to have one last moment of happiness, one she will remember forever. They end up having such a great time together and lose track of the hour. Though Caroline is not scared of the other side, Death did not bring a soul today and he must pay the price.

Ed note: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is set in Germany during World War II. It is the story of an adopted young girl whose hobby is stealing books.

-- Mathieu Demers

A Life Behind Fences is the story of one anonymous John Doe and his ordeal through a minimum security prison in Massachusetts. After being incarcerated for repeated petty offenses, John begins his trek through the judicial system of America.

Although mostly written in the first person, journal entries litter the book, providing a very personal connection between the reader and John. The first part of the book allows readers to take part in John’s steady coming to terms with his life behind the fence. But the story takes a surprising twist, when John is finally released from incarceration and back into society.

The second part of the book follows John’s re-introduction into society after a few years behind bars. His journey takes us through his attempts at finding housing, work and a partner.

Upon meeting repeated obstacles and constant failure and rejection though, John ultimately relapses into a life of petty crime, and the book ends after his second arrest.

A Life Behind Fences is a ‘true-fiction’, a story told in real life that illustrates how the system treats its inmates and how it affects their chance at rehabilitation after doing their time.

Ed note: Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, is the famous story of Scout and her father, Atticus Finch, set in the deep American South.

-- Jocelyn Beaudet

music

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Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com

Profile // musIC

Meet your new summer BESTiE

Discussing their upcoming album and being mistaken for a Kpop band JESSICA ROMERA Music editor

“I was looking for the kPop BESTie lol.”

“This is not a talented and hot Kpop girl group. You guys should change your name the name is taken by a popular famous Kpop group already.”

These are just some of the things listed under the YouTube comment section of BESTiE’s music videos.

Unlike their Korean female counterparts, BESTiE is a Vancouver-based male quartet made up of musicians Andrew Janczewski on guitar, Daniel Ruiz on drums, Rob Cameron on bass, and Tristan Orchard on vocals.

“We certainly wouldn’t have named our band [BESTiE] if we knew there was another band with the same name in Korea,” said Orchard, the band’s frontman. “But you can never have too many besties,” he added cleverly.

Back in Vancouver, Orchard ran Goody, a jam space where different acts can perform and meet fellow musicians; it was here that the four decided to form BESTiE. Since coming together back in 2012, the self-described “post-wave, posi-core, tropi-vibes” band placed amongst the top five at last year’s Peak Performance Project which allowed them to play the Commodore Theatre, a renowned Vancouver venue. They have also been tirelessly working on their upcoming debut album No Bad Days.

“We’ve been working on it for quite a while, and it’s great to finally have some new music out,” said Orchard.

So far, they’ve released two singles with accompanying music videos: “Pineapple,” and “Asleep On The Bus.”

Often compared to the likes of indie-pop stars Vampire Weekend, BESTiE’s sound is an eclectic “mixture of music influences.” Janczewski grew up listening to African music, while Ruiz’s Colombian roots seep into the sunny, fast-paced nature of their playing. Orchard, who grew up listening to The Police, had not listened to the British band in roughly a decade but admits that their singles do have a “Police and reggae influence” to them. “[Janczewski] dictates the sound a lot,” he said, “but it mostly just comes about organically.”

“There’s a lot of pop music influences in our sound too, and maybe surf-rock. Ideally I’d like to say we sound like BESTIE, but being compared to Vampire Weekend is not a bad thing.”

Orchard would also describe themselves as something called “emoji-pop.”

“I like to make-up different genres just to keep it interesting,” he laughs. “I don’t know, I think ‘emoji-pop’ is fun, and happy...but maybe when you’re using emojis, you’re having fun, and when you’re listening to BESTiE you’re having fun, and when you’re talking to your actual bestie you’re using emojis?” he added, unsure of how exactly to describe this invented iPhone emoticon-inspired genre.

When asked what his personal favourite emoji was, Orchard paused to check his phone.

“I think the emoji with the shades is a pretty good one.”

The frontman’s love of all things in shades is apparent in the band’s artistic direction. Their album cover, for example, features a pup in a pair of multi-coloured frames.

“I was really inspired by Tumblr and dogs with shades,” said Orchard. “[The cover] combines all our favourite things: dogs with sunglasses looking cool in beach attire, eating ice

cream.”

The video for their first single “Pineapple,” was directed by Orchard and features some of the band’s favourite things including, you guessed it, pineapples and other tropical fruit.

After performing at this year’s edition of the South By SouthWest festival, Orchard was amazed by the fact that the crowd knew the words to the song.

“It’s not my favourite song to play,” he said, “but it has some catchy elements that people can hopefully associate with... like pineapples,” he joked.

Though it does not necessarily show through in their sound, the cold Vancouver winter can take a toll on the band members. “Our music is completely inspired by the thought of escaping the Vancouver winter and endless rain,” he said. “I think we’re just dreaming of summer and hotter places.”

Despite not always having the financial bounty to record or produce their music, BESTiE are beyond proud of their debut album No Bad Days out April 22.

“Just with the idea of ‘no bad days,’ you’re acknowledging that there will be bad days, but it’s the desire to only have good days. Our music is our source of happiness,” he said, “but we’re human, like anyone else and we have bad days: can’t have good days without bad days.”

Set to release some new music videos shortly, BESTiE are eager to release a sophomore record.

“Right now, it’s already time to think of the next album. We can’t wait for that and how the sound will progress. I think our follow-up will be a goth album,” he laughed.

BESTiE will be in Montreal on May 8 at L’Escogriffe Bar.

Natasha Taggart Online editor

>> Jack White to break a world record on Record Store Day A few days after announcing the release of his new EP entitled Lazaretto, Jack White says he plans on breaking a world record for “fastest released record” for the albums’ title track. Rolling Stone magazine reports that White will perform on Record Store Day, April 19, in the Blue Room at his Third Man Records storefront in Nashville. He will cut and produce a 45, including the sleeve which will show a photo of him performing the song. It will be sold at the store, exclusively on April 19, until demand ceases. A few select fans who are Platinum Members at Third Man Records will be able to purchase an “Ultra Ticket” to see White perform. The Lazaretto EP will be in stores on June 10. Jack White will be performing at Osheaga in August.

>> Cure frontman not happy with upcoming album The Cure’s frontman Robert Smith has admitted he’s less-than-excited about his band’s upcoming album, Pitchfork reports.

The new album entitled 4:14 Scream was recorded simultaneously with 4:13 Dream in 2008, and is set for release later this year. In an interview with XFM Radio, Smith says he wants to focus on recording with the band’s current lineup, as it has changed since the album was made. Veteran member Porl Thompson left the band in 2010, and two new members have joined after 4:14 Scream was recorded. Smith, who has been with the Cure since they were founded in 1976, says the band will likely never play songs from 4:14 Scream live in concert.

>> Michael Jackson to release new album

Placing amongst the top five acts at the Peak Performance Project, BESTiE will be releasing their debut album No Bad Days April 22.

It’s good to know dying doesn’t play a factor in being able to release new music, at least not for Michael Jackson who will release an eight-song album, executively produced by L.A. Reid, CEO of Epic Records. Timbaland, Stargate, and Rodney Jenkins also helped in the collaboration. The album XSCAPE will be out May 13. A deluxe edition will also be available with the songs in their original form.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

sity lives, it can be a bittersweet time: you’re closing a chapter in your life and you are most likely going to have to face the real world.

Whether you’re gone for the summer and will be back in the fall, or done university for good, there’s a track on this list for you.

10. “Photograph” - Nickelback- All The Right Reasons

End of the year songs Compiled by Justinas Staskevicius Staff writer The end of the year brings about different emotions for students. Most first year or second year students physically cannot wait to be done with their semester after weeks of sleepless nights and caffeine induced deliriums. For them, the end of the school year brings about pure joy at the thought of sweet, sweet freedom from anything and everything academic.

But for those in the final stretch of their univer-

While few people anywhere on the face of the earth would ever admit to being a Nickelback fan in public, most people have teared up listening to this song. This song speaks to your inner teen reminding you that growing up and leaving home isn’t easy for anyone, especially not for lead singer Chad Kroeger.

9. “Forever Young” - Bob Dylan- Planet Waves Staying young at heart is something that many want, but few can actually achieve. This song is good for graduation, but keep it around for the next few years in case your soul-sucking career gets you down and destroys any notion you had of sleep and free time.

8. “Fight For Your Right (to Party)” - The Beastie Boys- Licensed to Ill What many people don’t know is that this Beastie Boys song was meant to be a joke. But it turns out the joke’s on them because this tune is the perfect way to start any party. After a long year of test-taking, homework and class,

Top 10 // music

we can all use a party or two...or 17.

7. “Graduation (Friends Forever)” - Vitamin CVitamin C A good dose of teenage dramatics and early 2000s pop make this a timeless classic and musical masterpiece. Just kidding, this song is a cheese-fest but as the name suggests, it sums up the feelings of graduation pretty well.

6. “We Are the Champions” - Queen - News Of The World Whether you’re leaving Concordia with a B.A., a PhD or are simply proud of your semester, this song can make any scale of triumph a victory for the ages. Even if you failed a few classes, there’s always next semester and that’s something to celebrate.

5) “Stairway to Heaven”- Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin IV While there is no prom in university, if there was one, we can almost guarantee that this song would play at some point throughout the night. Whether your high school prom was in 1975 or last year, you definitely slow danced to this one.

4. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” - Simple Minds- The Breakfast Club Soundtrack This ‘80s classic ended The Breakfast Club in

style. Anyone walking out of their last final exam should pump up this jam and throw a fist in the air to celebrate. (Bonus ‘80s points if you’re listening to it on a Walkman while wearing a neon track suit and high-fiving a Ninja Turtle of your choosing.)

3. “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” - Green Day- Nimrod This song is so steeped in sentimentality that its name alone can be enough to conjure up a few tears. Any graduation or ‘moving-on’ ceremony would be incomplete without this song about the roads we take and the life they create.

2. “School’s Out”- Alice Cooper - School’s Out As Mr. Cooper so eloquently states “school’s out for summer” and for some of us “school’s out forever.” For those who simply cannot stand the thought of another minute spent in a classroom, this rock anthem understands you.

Party on.

1. “Doin’ Time (Summertime)” by SublimeSublime While the last few days of school are good and all, what really matters is the next four months of vacation. Welcome to the wonderland of beach parties, movie marathons and unpaid internships known as summer. Enjoy it, you made it.

Quick spins // music

Quick Spins

Kaiser Chiefs - Education, Education, Education & War (ATO Records; 2014)

Mac DeMarco - Salad Days (Captured Tracks; 2014)

Various Artists - Bob Dylan in the ‘80s: Volume One (ATO Records; 2014)

Coves 2014)

Flipping through the pages of their history books, Kaiser Chiefs attempt to recreate the angry, and slightly anarchistic sound that propelled them to alt Brit rock royalty in 2005, with their latest release. Education, Education, Education & War is their fifth record, and the first since drummer, primary songwriter and founding member, Nick Hodgson, left the group. Despite this reconfiguration, Kaiser Chiefs manages to revive the urgency and grit of their earlier work. Taking a note from fellow Brit rockers, the Chiefs weave in some Pink Floyd-inspired maniacal laughter and dialogue into the background of “Misery Company” and “Cannons,” creating in listeners a simultaneous unease and intrigue. Though the album’s first single “Coming Home” is an easy listening indierock ditty, the same cannot be said for the rest of the nine tracks that vocalize political frustrations in Britain, commenting on social and economic disparities. With Education, Education, Education & War, Kaiser Chiefs make a solid effort to reclaim a spot at the head of the alt-rock monarchy.

Once in a while we all need a little break from the loud, fast-paced music scene. If you happen to find yourself in this stage of your life, or even your semester, then Mac DeMarco’s sophomore record Salad Days is waiting for your ears. Released earlier in April, Salad Days touches upon themes of self-reflection and introspection, creating an over-all mellow vibe for most of the 11 tracks. With almost purely organic instrumentation, like acoustic guitar and oldschool type drumming, paired with honest lyrics, not a single song feels out of place.

The album has a warm, soothing vibe to it, making us nostalgic for summer. Like the popular single “Ode to Viceroy,” a track paying respect to the infamous cigarette company off his debut album 2, Salad Days has a happy, sunny energy to it.

DeMarco almost sounds like a new-school Beatle — this album is a serious work of art and definitely worth more than one listen.

In Dylan’s 2004 memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, he reveals his insecurities during the 1980s: “I felt done for, an empty burnedout wreck…in the bottomless pit of cultural oblivion.” These fears manifested themselves in a series of unfocused and commercially-unsuccessful albums.

Interestingly, Bob Dylan in the ‘80s seems to prove that collaboration may be the key to creating a fresh perspective. Comprised of 17 Dylan cover songs performed by modern indie musicians, including Elvis Perkins, Glen Hansard, Langhorne Slim, Dawn Landes and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, the generally obscure covered material preserves the essence of Dylan’s songwriting, all while infusing the songs with a new sense of harmony and relevance, and staying faithful to the each performer’s style. For first time listeners of the folk legend, Bob Dylan in the ‘80s is a great introduction to this obscure period of Dylan’s career.

Soft Friday lives up to its name; it’s a mellow potpourri of soothing indie-rock waiting to become part of your weekend soundtrack.

Composed of Beck Wood and John Ridgard, Coves began creating music back in 2011 in the U.K. NME attributes their psychedelic roots to bands like The Kills, Nico and The Velvet Underground, quoting their inspirations as a “tantalising combination.”

Soft Friday captures your heart in an existentially weird way. It immerses you into this aural adventure with psychedelic guitar riffs and hypnotizing vocals, blending each other harmoniously. “Wake up,” “Let The Sun Go,” and “Beatings” are just some great examples of that rationale.

Remember how Linus from Peanuts always has his security blanket? That may be the same reason why it’s called Soft Friday: this album will soothe your stressed soul anytime, and your ears will be grateful for keeping them company.

Trial Track: “Ruffians On Parade”

Trial Track: “Salad Days”

Trial Track: “Reggie Watts - ‘Brownsville Girl (Reprise)’”

Trial Track: “Let The Sun Go”

6.5/10

- Jessica Romera

9.5/10

- Jonathan Cohen

6.5/10

-Paul Traunero

-

9/10

Soft

Friday

(Nettwerk;

-Saturn De Los Angeles

sports

Tuesday, april 8, 2014

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Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com

Profile // sports

Patrick Boivin: recapping his first year The recreation and athletics director still adjusting in his new role Andrew Maggio Staff writer When Patrick Boivin was hired as Concordia University’s Recreation and Athletics director, he knew he was undertaking a major endeavour in rebuilding the school’s athletic department.

A lack of success on the field and the lack of facilities and resources off of it have resulted in a sort of “lull” in the school’s storied sports history. Boivin has used his first year on the job to assess all his teams and administrative structures. While only a few major changes have been implemented, Boivin has begun to slowly put his mark on the Stingers brand.

“I think it’s gone well,” said Boivin. “I think coming into any new job we are expected to make changes, there needs to be a period of inputting and there needs to be a period of taking-in not just what’s going on in general, but taking-in what’s good here, since not everything needs to be changed. I think overall things have been good so far, it’s not like I’ve been able to effect any real change so far on the field or on the ice — when I came in everything was done, recruiting was done — but luckily enough we’ve been able to start making some changes in football, where I saw an opportunity to make a change while keeping it in the long term perspective.”

Boivin believes the recreational side of Concordia is already in good hands, which is one less thing to worry about for him.

“The recreational side of things is really well off, the programming is well off…the facilities are what they are,” Boivin said. “We’re limited in the size, and the time that we have, and balancing anything that’s varsity and recreational, but Le Gym downtown is at capacity, if not overflowing, so there’s only so much you can do. As long as you keep improving, step-by-step, whether it’s in the offerings that you have or general service. The general load has been on the inner workings of the department, especially in relation to the varsity teams.”

One of the main things Boivin emphasized was the program’s inability to get the most out of the new PERFORM Centre. The impressive athletic complex is in reality only being used as office space by the school’s athletics program.

Since the PERFORM Centre is a research center first and foremost, anything done with the resources available must be done for research purposes, whereas the athletes would mostly need it for clinical reasons, such as treating and rehabilitating injuries. Boivin hopes that the school and the PERFORM Centre can ultimately come together and create a working synergy that benefits both sides.

All of the initial administrative changes made up to this point are just that – initial phases. There is still much more work to be done.

Boivin understands the plight of the student athlete in terms of balancing school, sport and life. His vision includes adding more study hall hours for athletes that work conveniently in their schedules, along with more specific academic counselling and advising that will be tailored to the busy student-athlete lifestyle, all things that Boivin says are disassociated with the games the athletes are playing

on the weekend.

In terms of real change, Boivin believes the most important change comes in the form of changing the overall culture of Stingers’ sports.

“The biggest change for me personally is the culture change going on,” said Boivin.

“I think we need to accept the infrastructure and financial reality that we are in. It doesn’t mean it’s not going to get better, we just need to accept where we are now and not continue to push on comparisons to other schools. Other schools have decided to put a priority on sports well before we have, in some cases 20 years before we did. I look back to [Université Laval], they’ve been at it since 1996. Being here now and saying ‘oh, look at [Université Laval], compared to them we haven’t done anything in the past couple of years’ is not fair. I’m bringing it back to football for example but it could be said of other sports too.”

Boivin also said that demographics have a lot to do with why Laval is so competitive year in and year out.

“We’re in Montreal, pretty big population taking into account the island and surrounding areas, but there are 50,000 students at Université de Montreal, give or take 46,000 here, about 35,000-40,000 at McGill, and UQAM [Université du Québec à Montréal] has, I would assume, about the same as McGill,” he said. “So you have four schools that account for over 150,000 students, so we’re all reaching out to the same Montreal audience. [Université Laval] has the whole of Quebec City to themselves.”

Despite the challenges he’s faced in trying to rebuild the school’s ‘Stinger Pride’, Boivin has pointed out a few moments that have been uplifting and important in the program’s

Patrick Boivin is slowly making his mark as Athletics director. Photo by Marc Bourcier, Concordia University Communications Services

growth and development.

“We had some good sporting moments; the women’s rugby team going 7-0 was big,” said Boivin. “Unfortunately they [lost] to McGill in the finals but they had a great season. It’s not often [that we] see teams dominating the way they did. So there are some bright lights already within our program that we want to continue to support and bring them to that next level. But there are different levels of progression for each team. For the football team, them going 0-8, it’s not as difficult to progress from that. At 7-0, with the rugby team, you need to find a way to make them progress the year after.”

Boivin highlighted the hiring of football head coach Mickey Donovan as the program’s biggest moment during his tenure. Being able to bring in a coach whose work ethic and energy will breathe life into a team that has lacked it over the past several years was big, according to Boivin. He is of the mind that Donovan is a “superstar in the making” amongst Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) head coaches, not to mention the fact that Donovan is a young, innovative players coach and a Concordia alumnus who bleeds maroon and gold, having been a Stinger himself; a man who accepted the job because he cares deeply about the school, the program, and its athletes.

Now that the first year has come and gone, Boivin has pinpointed what needs to be done going forward and he knows that in order to achieve his goals for the program, he’ll need the support of the entire Concordia community.

“Now the final thing is combining the communications, marketing efforts and bringing people to the games and creating a strong interest in what we’re doing, to get them involved and engaged,” he said. “Yes, it’s about getting people to games, to some degree, but it’s also about people getting engaged [in the Stinger teams]. It’s something that’s becoming harder and harder to do in today’s world just because there are so many more options out there, because everything is more accessible, more timely with the touch of a smartphone.

So I think we have a big job in trying to find a way to engage people, and you can be a casual fan and follow our success by coming to watch one game, but at least being interested in what’s going on.”

If there’s one thing Boivin wants to work on the most, it’s bringing more Concordians, whether it’s students, staff or alumni, to watch more Stingers’ games. Boivin said he learned a lot about how to create an entertaining game during his decade long tenure working with the Montreal Canadiens.

“It’s one thing to go to the Bell Centre and be entertained, it’s another thing to come here and be entertained, but a lot that can be done to make the event and the game fun and attractive to students, alumni, and families in the community around here, so that’s one of the big things we’ll be working on too,” Boivin said. “After that there’s a snowball effect, because your teams are being successful, people are talking about it, and it starts to roll.”

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Tuesday, april 8, 2014

Opinion // sports

Should athletes be considered heroes?

Andrew Maggio Staff writer

There are people who believe that athletes are paid too much money, that they are spoiled, arrogant and undeserving of the good life that most professionals are able to afford.

It’s probably true that athletes who simply play sports, even if it’s at the highest level, don’t deserve millions of dollars simply to entertain.

Why not use that money to pay surgeons, doctors, firefighters, police officers, and teachers?

For one thing, that money belongs to whatever wealthy businessman or businesswoman who owns any particular team any particular athlete might be playing for. They pay whatever they need to pay because they want the best people, the best athletes, the best teams. That is their prerogative.

If you think that doctors and first responders and the like deserve to have seven-figure salaries (and believe me, I do), then complain to their employers: the government.

The common misconception is that athletes cannot be heroes because they don’t necessarily do anything for anyone while actually carrying out their job. The job description does not call for an athlete to save a life or put out a fire.

However, it is also not in their job description to visit sick children in hospitals. It is not in their job description to donate millions of dollars from their massive salaries to help a worthy cause. It is not in their job description to allow a sick child into their world for a few hours and allow them to live out their own dreams, the way pro athletes do every day of their playing careers.

I could write a 10-page essay on acts of hero-

ism from athletes, but I will stick close to home; literally and figuratively.

Saku Koivu was, and still is, my favourite hockey player. I am almost 22-years-old now, but I would probably still be as awestruck around him today as I was when I first met him when I was eight-years-old at a Little Caesars pizza chain he used to co-own in the West Island. We chatted and took pictures. It was like talking to an older brother, (and remember, older brothers are often idolized by their younger siblings). I asked him if the Canadiens would be good this year.

He smiled and said, “Yes, we will.”

That’s all I needed to hear. A hero was born.

Koivu was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks later. I was crushed. But his will to live, his resolve, and his courage, not only carried him through that battle, but also spurred on his teammates to a playoff berth. Not only has he inspired millions by beating the cursed disease, he has helped raise millions of dollars for Montreal hospitals, enough for the Montreal General to purchase the city’s first Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner, a vital piece of equipment for patients fighting cancer.

No one told him, or paid him, to do it. It was an act of selflessness, that’s what heroes do. They think of others before they think of themselves.

All of this, however, is subjective. No one should tell a child who can and can’t be their hero. Everyone relates to whatever interests them.

Some of us have a deep-rooted passion for sports.

We look up to the people we aspire to become, or are inspired by. It is only natural. Someone’s parent might have the most menial of jobs. They are not famous. They receive no fanfare, no glory.

They do their job and they go home, but at home there might be a child there who idolizes them.

Anyone can be a hero.

Tim Lazier Assistant sports editor

Sometimes, at least to fans, they seem bigger than life. Whether it was Sidney Crosby scoring the golden goal, Usain Bolt living up to his name, or Michael Jordan reinventing the game, sometimes athletes affect more than just the scoreboard. They motivate people and can lift a nation, but should they be seen as heroes?

No. Now before you stop reading and turn the page, let me explain.

There is nothing wrong with young athletes dreaming of making the big leagues, but that doesn’t mean that they’re entitled to hero-status. Some athletes have clearly forgotten that. More and more often, some hero-like athletes have fallen from grace to remind us that they should not be praised and admired, but punished and disgraced.

Baseball is known as summer’s pastime, a sacred sport that brings people together.

But in reality, their record books are becoming more tainted with frauds and phonies.

Players like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire inspired a generation to swing faster and hit harder, only to let the sports world down by injecting themselves with steroids. Cheaters, not heroes. The New York Yankees are the most successful franchise in the major leagues, but when Alex Rodriguez dragged the pinstripes down in his recent steroid scandal, even his own club wouldn’t stand beside him.

If there is anything that steroids has

taught athletes it’s that, if caught, your downfall will be long and painful. Heroes are supposed to inspire, not disappoint. Right?

Easily the most obvious example of a fallen “hero” is Lance Armstrong. As a person, his organization has helped countless people battle cancer and he has been a beacon of hope. Beyond a doubt, what he has done off the bike is heroic. But as an athlete, he is just another disappointment who used drugs to get ahead.

Oscar Pistorius was the star of the 2012 Summer Olympics Games in London. He was the double-amputee sprinter who embodied adversity and was South Africa’s fondest athlete. Yes, a hero. But after Feb. 13, 2013, the world would have a very different view of Pistorius. That morning, he allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, after he claimed he mistook her for an intruder. A day later, the chosen-one would be formally charged with murder.

Yes, athletes are great at what they do, and no, not all of them are cheaters or murderers. But, they can be seen as supernatural athletes that are to be admired and applauded. Exciting, but not heroic. If you love sports, save that praise for your old man who works 40 hours a week, only to get up at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning to take you to practice. Save that praise for your grandpa, who taught you how to hold a seven-iron.

Save that praise for your older brother, who still invites you to play road hockey with his friends. Save that praise for someone who does what they do, without being given a penny. Save that praise for someone who won’t let you down.

Tuesday, april 8, 2014

Opinion// sports

Jeb Brovsky: Montreal’s unsung hero The Impact midfielder has embraced this city with a smile Samantha mileto Sports editor

In a city where the Montreal Canadiens are the number one sports franchise, where people live, breathe, and dream about the bleu, blanc et rouge, so much so that hockey is considered a religion more than a sport, sometimes the city’s other teams, and their athletes, can get overlooked.

In a city with so much past sports success (the Habs have won a record 24 Stanley Cups since 1909), there is always so much fan pressure to win. With the 24/7 hype that surrounds the Canadiens, some fans often fail to notice the work of some of Montreal’s finest athletes that don’t play for the Habs.

One perfect example is Jeb Brovsky, a defender for the Montreal Impact. If you’re asking, “Jeb who?” then the point has been proven. The Lakewood, Colo., native came to Montreal in 2011 when the Impact picked

him in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Expansion Draft from the Vancouver Whitecaps. When you look at Brovsky’s work and what he has done for this city, for the game of soccer and for kids around the world, it cannot and should not be overlooked simply because he’s not a hockey player.

Unlike many hockey players who are reluctant to come to Montreal, Brovsky arrived here with open arms. On his Twitter account, he often tweets in both languages, and according to an article in The Globe and Mail in May 2012, he was doing whatever he could to be more fluent. The effort itself should already have won the hearts of all of Quebec. If he were playing for the Canadiens, he would have received much more praise for the effort.

In the last minutes of a game against the Whitecaps back in May, Brovsky’s nose was broken after he accidentally collided with Vancouver defender Jordan Harvey, as they both were trying to go for a header. Brovsky left the field momentarily with a bloodied

Some athletes in Montreal deserve more credit than they get. Photo by Abdallahh (flickr)

face. However, he quickly returned to finish the game, getting much admiration from the team.

“He’s my hero,” MLSSoccer.com reports teammate Hassoun Camara said at the time.

“I mean, he strings games together regularly, and at a high level. I’m really proud to play with a player like him. With the mentality he instills in his partners, he’s an example.”

In 2010, Brovsky founded his non-profit organization called Peace Pandemic. He and his wife, Caitlin, have travelled around the world, mainly in Guatemala and India, “to teach leadership and nonviolence through sports camps and to facilitate cross-cultural connections between kids, all who can be future leaders of peace, giving them the chance to make an impact in their own communities,” according to the organization’s official website.

“Peace Pandemic’s mission is to empower youth through peaceful action,” Brovsky said, according to the Peace Pandemic website. “Peace Pandemic (or at least the idea of Peace Pandemic) began when I was younger. I was exposed to violence at a young age; tragedies like the events that occurred at Columbine High School where I grew up, were close to home and I learned some lessons the hard way.”

In November, the 25-year-old was nominated for the MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year Award, given to a player “for his outstanding work within the local and international communities,” according to the Impact official website. The award however, went to Matt Reis of the New England Revolution.

His work with his organization and his attitude coming into Montreal shows what kind of person he is. All athletes do charity work in the city they play in, including the Canadiens, but players like Brovsky should get just as much attention as CH players do.

Unfortunately, in a city like Montreal, where the Habs mean everything and anything, it’s hard for that to happen. But if you’re ever looking for inspiration Montreal, just know that instead of looking inside the Bell Centre, you should try going across town at the Saputo Stadium instead.

Streeter// sports

Concordians excited for 2014 World Cup The soccer tournament brings people together, at least for one fan Sam Obrand Contributor

With the 2014 FIFA World Cup set to kick off this June in Brazil fans around the world are gearing up to cheer for their respective countries.

As Canada will not partake in this year’s triumph to win the world title, we asked soccer fans at Concordia who they were rooting for, their thoughts on the grand tournament, and memories that came along with it.

For Concordia student Jason Ghetler and some of his friends, what soccer means to them is “get ready and drop everything.”

Ghetler always looks forward to the return of the World Cup every four years.

“We love to watch the World Cup together, it’s a newly found[ed] tradition dating back to the last World Cup in 2010,” said Ghetler.

Ghetler, who has been a longtime soccer fan, is a little more enthusiastic than his bud-

dies in regards to getting the opportunity to catch a match.

“We were in Las Vegas during the last World Cup and I’ll never forget that following a night of sheer adventures, I was able to sneak in a few hours of sleep before I went to the lobby by myself to watch the Netherlands take on Brazil in the quarter-finals.”

Ghetler remembers being alone upon arrival in the lobby and being greeted to endless televisions, mounted on a big wall, and airing all kinds of events and games. He sat himself down barely keeping his eyes open, drank a Red Bull, and was suddenly joined by approximately 20 soccer fans who were all interested in watching the same game.

“None of them were my friends,” Ghetler said. “But we were all friends as the match continued. Regardless of who we were even cheering for, it was a great game and I have never been part of an experience like that in my entire life. I hope that I’ll never forget it.”

This time around, the three friends are prepared and hopeful to watch all the match-

es they can together.

For another set of friends and Concordia students, Andrew Khawam and Roger Girgis, enjoying a soccer match may cause just a little bit of friction.

“My mother roots for Italy and my father roots for France, so when the whole family is together to watch a game, there’s a lot of complications, but we all know it’s in good fun,” said Khawam.

Meanwhile, Girgis cannot tolerate that his friend cheers for Italy and not France.

“He’s got both sides in his roots, but he chooses to side with Italy. I guess in the end it just adds some more excitement when we watch matches together.”

Both Khawam and Girgis are avid soccer fans and cannot express their excitement enough for the tournament to begin.

It is the 20th FIFA World Cup tournament in history, which will see 32 countries compete for soccer’s ultimate prize. The World Cup is scheduled to take place between June 12 and July 13.

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Sports in the News Chris Cordella Staff writer samantha mileto Sports editor

>> Impact salvage draw against the Red Bulls

The Montreal Impact are still winless in this young Major League Soccer (MLS) season, but managed a 2-2 tie against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday afternoon. Montreal got off to a hot start at the Big O, as five minutes into the match, Argentine striker Andres Romero gave the Impact a 1-0 lead. The Impact could have easily scored a few more in the first half but New York goalkeeper Luis Robles kept them in the game. The Red Bulls rewarded their goalkeeper with two goals three minutes apart. The goals came at the 31st and 34th minute by midfielders Jonny Steele and Peguy Luyindula, respectively, giving New York a 2-1 lead heading into halftime. The Red Bulls were given a huge opportunity in the 48th minute when they were awarded a penalty kick but Luyindula hit the post on the penalty shot to keep it a 2-1 game. Montreal then tied it in the 59th minute with a goal from midfielder Felipe Martins to rally back for a 2-2 draw. The Impact will play again next Saturday at the Olympic Stadium at 4 p.m. against the Chicago Fire, another team who haven’t won a game yet this season, with a record of one loss and four draws.

>> Final week of the NHL season

April 13 will be the last day of the NHL regular season. There are four teams in the east that have punched their ticket to the playoffs (the Boston Bruins, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning) and another four teams currently in a playoff spot, but who have yet to seal their fate in the postseason (the New York Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets). Three teams currently out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference are still in the hunt and have a chance at a playoff berth, albeit slim (the New Jersey Devils, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals). In the Western Conference, six teams have clinched a playoff spot, (the St. Louis Blues, the Colorado Avalanche, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Anaheim Ducks, the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks). The Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars are currently holding down the final two wildcard spots with the Phoenix Coyotes sitting in ninth place, just one back for the eighth and final playoff spot.

The playoffs are set to begin April 16.

>> Hamilton wins

Bahrain Grand Prix Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton narrowly beat out his teammate Nico Rosberg at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, finishing the race just one second faster than Rosberg.

Force India driver Sergio Perez rounded out the podium, finishing third. Despite the win for Hamilton, Rosberg is still leading the drivers’ championship in points with 61.

Hamilton is in second place with 50 points so far in this F1 season. The next race is in Shanghai on Sunday, April 20.

opinions

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Tuesday, april 8, 2014

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com

Editorial // opinions

And so it ends...looking back...

Another year has come and gone: a look back at the year that was for Concordia It’s been eight months; 28 weeks; 196 days, since we published Issue 1 of Volume 31 of The Concordian. In that time Concordia University and its student body have experienced both highs and lows.

The fall semester introduced a brand-new CSU that was quick to prove that it was nothing like the previous year’s CSU. The 2013-2014 CSU executive started the year off strong with an orientation that went off with very few hitches which pleased many who had been subject to the lackluster orientations of previous years.

They wasted no time in getting down to business, quickly filling vacant council spots and hiring a general manager. VP Finance Scott Carr was keen to get the CSU’s financials in order and council made a point of condemning the previous executives’ abundant spending on their Newtown dinner.

The CSU also earned the approval of students by succeeding in bringing Noam Chomsky to the university.

However, Concordia found itself in some

tough negotiations with several unions at the beginning of fall, eventually managing to settle things with most of them before December.

On campus, students were gifted with a sexual assault centre but unfortunately not before a man began bothering women in the Webster library by acting inappropriately.

Initially, campus security neglected to call police to report these incidents, but after student media coverage pointed out the negligence in the university’s stance on dealing with this type of issue, the university decided that protocol would change to make it mandatory for the police to be called every time an incident was reported.

The university also pledged to increase security personnel and begin working on safety and security training programs for students, staff and faculty. As far as The Concordian is aware, there has been no further reported incidents of this nature.

On a lighter note, students and staff began to prepare for the completion of the university’s contract with Chartwell’s by polling

Concordia members on what they want from campus food service.

Off campus, emotions boiled when the PQ announced plans for a secular Charter of Values. Protests in support and against the charter raged throughout the fall.

Come the winter semester, Concordia took an official stance against the proposed Charter of Values with the help of President Alan Shephard.

When it came to the school’s infrastructure, it was revealed that the Webster library would be getting a substantial makeover. In sports news, it was announced that former CFL player, Mickey Donovan, would be the next Stingers football coach.

In January, JMSB took home the top prize at the 2014 Jeux de Commerce.

The CSU had an even busier second semester. They hired a marketing intern to determine the best ways to communicate with students and argued over the best way to deal with the soon-to-be-vacant Java U space.

In March, the CSU held a contentious elec-

tion which saw members of the Community Matters affiliation take all the executive spots.

Furthermore, a controversial referendum question regarding whether faculties should be able to vote to opt out of certain fee levies was shot down with 1,526 votes against.

This year’s election also saw Kyle Arseneau, elected representative for the engineering and computer science faculty, disqualified for posting a message on Facebook that was deemed against campaign regulations.

However, members of the Concordia community weren’t done at the polls as a provincial election was called for April 7. Unfortunately many students, staff and faculty who originated from out-of-province were met with resistance as they tried to register to vote.

All-in-all it’s been a long year but not a bad one. We may have pulled a few all nighters and drank a bit too much, but another year has come and gone and now that we’re looking at the finish line, the year doesn’t seem like it was so bad. We might even do this again next year.

Celebrity // opinions

Backlash for Nick Cannon’s ‘whiteface’ photo Do we need to lighten up, or is this a celebrity’s upsetting display of reverse racism?

Antoni Nerestant Contributor

To promote his latest album that bears the cringe-worthy title White People Party Music, Nick Cannon, who is black, revealed a picture of himself on his Instagram in heavy makeup that made him look Caucasian. It has been dubbed as “whiteface.”

The picture was met with criticism and the public drew comparisons to the degrading blackface minstrel shows of the 19th and 20th centuries. With faces painted black and exaggerated lips, performers portrayed blacks as dim-witted, lazy and dishonest, among other stereotypes.

As a black man, I can personally attest to how those racist depictions are among the most hurtful and maddening visuals within our culture.

On the other hand, the attention-starved antics of the America’s Got Talent host spawned the following question: should a black person painting his face white draw the same ire as the opposite scenario? In my opinion, the answer is simple: Not at all.

The minstrel shows were instrumental in disseminating and upholding the crippling narrative of racial inferiority and that unfortunately continues to shape the black experience to this day. Whether it is on the basis of ethnicity, gender, economic class, sexual orientation or mental illness, heightened sensitivity is warranted for groups that have historically faced

institutionalized discrimination.

For example, given the ongoing fight for gender equality, I don’t believe that a woman saying that all men are dogs is nearly as bad as a male counterpart saying that all women are…well, you catch my drift. However, that doesn’t mean the question is not valid.

In fact, it is a progressive step towards regulating an odd and implicit social norm — members of disadvantaged groups having carte blanche to ridicule others without any fear of

reprimand. Cannon’s statements defending his actions only strengthen the point.

“Yes, we have issues with race in this country, in this world. It doesn’t have to be with hatred,” he explained during an appearance on Good Morning America. “There’s a big difference between humour and hatred.”

He seems completely oblivious to the fact that the stock he places in his intentions is completely irrelevant in other cases.

Madonna’s recent Instagram faux-pas — re-

ferring to one of her sons as the N-word in the caption of a picture — was harshly criticized.

Her claims that the intention behind the use of the word was not racist mostly fell on deaf ears, mine included.

But naturally, when Cannon casually claims that the spirit in which he performed the stunt should factor into how we interpret it, claims of a double standard are legitimized.

In addition to posting the picture, Cannon included hashtags that included “Dog Kissing,” “Good Credit” and “Fist Pumping.” Although I’m sure they are not necessarily as derogatory as the buffoonish portrayals of African-Americans during minstrel shows, such sweeping generalizations are ultimately counter-productive.

It is in fact fair for some to perceive that there is ultra-sensitivity on one end of the spectrum while unrestrained ignorance is allowed on the other.

Of course, when tastefully done, humour that revolves around our cultural differences has the power to bring us together. Considering the immediate reactions, it’s fair to say that Cannon’s attempt failed miserably in that regard.

In the end, I believe it is reasonable for everyone to have the right to determine what they deem offensive. Asking anyone to relinquish that right because of a perceived societal privilege is anything but.

Cannon remains confident that his actions were meant to challenge our society to discuss race, which is fair enough. But just as he wants us to lighten up, some of us need to tighten up as well.

Tuesday, april 8, 2014

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Literature // opinions

Does imaginative literature hinder a child’s knowledge?

Why fantastical childrens’ books should not affect future learning patterns or habits Marco Saveriano Assistant opinions editor

Growing up, I was obsessed with Marc Brown’s Arthur series. I owned every book, and read them religiously. I certainly didn’t grow up believing aardvarks could speak.

According to a recent study performed by four child psychology experts in Boston and Toronto, children who read books with human-like animal characters are less likely to absorb scientific facts.

Researchers created six stories, with il-

lustrations, about three lesser-known species. They all contained scientific facts, but half of them had fantasy elements included as well. The study showed that the children who read the fantasy versions of the stories were more likely to believe false information about the animals, such as their ability to speak.

Researchers concluded in the summary that fantasy storybooks for children were “likely to be counter-productive for learning scientifically accurate information about the biological world.”

First of all, if your child likes reading, you’re doing something right. In today’s

A study says kids who read fantasy books are less likely to absorb facts. Photo by Neeta *Lind.

society, where kids are more likely to pick up a video game controller than a book, we shouldn’t be discouraging children from reading at all. Whether it’s books about talking dogs or non-fiction ones about the animals of the rainforest, they’re still expanding their minds.

I was always encouraged to read as a child. For as long as I can remember, my parents would read me a story before falling asleep. When I was four years old and able to read all by myself, I would get in to bed every night with a book. Sixteen years later, I still have that enthusiasm for reading.

Nicholas Oldland, author of Big Bear Hug, is one of many children’s authors who disagrees with this study, and believes that fantasy books are just harmless fun.

“A 4-year-old reading a book about a talking bear, or in my case a bear that hugs trees, it’s an innocent little fantasy,” Oldland told The Star, March 28. “If a child loves picking up that book every night, I think the positive outweighs the negative — if there is any negative. I’d strongly argue there isn’t.”

My parents may have fuelled my passion for literature, but they also taught me the ability to differentiate between what is real and what is fantasy. I started reading the Harry Potter series when I was seven, yet I never once believed that there was actually

a wizarding world where magic was possible and dragons existed. That’s because I knew it was all fiction.

Our children need to be taught lessons.

Reading and watching TV can help them learn about all sorts of things, don’t get me wrong, but they can’t replace education. It is not a book’s job to teach your child to know the difference between reality and fantasy — it’s yours. Read books with your kids, and make sure that they know that bears don’t talk or wear overalls like The Berenstain Bears.

Are we sending children mixed messages? From the moment we’re born, we’re told to use our imaginations. Our teachers and parents told us that we could use our minds to envision anything we could possibly dream of, but now we’re telling kids they shouldn’t read the stories that help them strengthen their creative thoughts. Is imagination not as important to some people as learning science?

Whether or not this study is accurate shouldn’t even be relevant. We need to encourage the younger generation to be both imaginative and open to learning about the world around them.

And not to be boastful, but I turned out to be fairly good at science — regardless of how many Arthur or Winnie The Pooh books I read.

Television // opinions

‘And that kids, is how we ruined the finale’ How I Met Your Mother is subject to some serious criticism from long-time fans Alex Dimeglio Staff writer

CAUTION: if you have not seen the How I Met Your Mother finale, looked at any kind of social media, or you live under a rock but are eager to watch it, I am advised by the unofficial TV junkies rulebook to issue a spoiler alert when it concerns unwatched shows.

For the past nine years HIMYM fans, including yours truly, have been slowly picturing that dreadful day where we would no longer have any new episodes to look forward to because Ted will have finally finished recounting to his kids exactly how he met their mother. Aside from that, we have all been fantasizing and conjuring our ideal finale in our minds, hoping that the writers grant our deepest wishes or at least come very close.

The minute the screen went black, I was left feeling sad because it was over, as well as let down. The writers joined the ranks of other television finales such as The Sopranos, Seinfeld and Dexter, all of which had the worst possible finales to ever grace our television screens.

After a surprisingly strong final season, the final episode managed to cram way too much into one time slot by spanning the next 11 years of the gang’s life, which is something they should have done over the span of their final season to give the fans more information and context about why all these tragic things happened in the finale.

Barney and Robin getting divorced was a crushing blow that nobody saw coming, given that the writers spent an entire season proving how perfect Barney and Robin were for each other. However, I was perfectly fine with the divorce because it provided a

realistic perspective of life that most sitcoms fail to do because they insist on sticking to a Hollywood ending. Well, in the real world, you can’t have the good without the bad because life just doesn’t work that way.

This led to Barney’s character regressing into the same sleaze that he was in season one, losing all of his character development, which I thought was horrible. However,

when he accidentally gets a girl pregnant, Barney ends up holding his daughter for the first time and makes a face that is too priceless to even explain. This at least showed fans that the one girl to finally rid Barney of his promiscuous ways was his very own daughter.

When Ted finally met the mother on that train platform, it turned into one of the

sweetest moments in television history and solidified how perfect the mother was for Ted. However, Ted only got to spend 11 years with his soulmate, because she got sick and passed away. After Ted finished telling his story to his kids, we learn that the mother’s actually been dead for six years. This was something that many fans completely despised due to the fact that they adored the mother and killing her off so quickly seemed selfish and made the entire series superfluous. Especially when the writers spun it so that Ted’s kids told him to get back aunt Robin because that’s who their dad loves, leading to Ted standing under Robin’s window with a blue french horn.

Personally, I thought the death of the mother was a beautiful thing. After they killed her and Ted ended up with Robin, I realized how uncertain life could be sometimes and that you should just live each day without regret, because a life of regret isn’t a life worth living. Also, the mother managed to give Ted the greatest gift possible: she gave the best 11 years to him and made sure that he wouldn’t be alone for the rest of his life by pairing him with the one person he never stopped loving.

No finale will ever truly meet our expectations because we set them too high, which always leads to disappointment. I applaud the creators of HIMYM for providing a darker angle to the traditional sitcom finale, giving us something we will discuss for years and years to come. We’ll argue about our own takes on the finale and how we would’ve ended it, essentially making this show immortal. I think this is what the creators wanted, a show to stand the test of time and never be forgotten. And lets face it, isn’t that what they hope to achieve in show business?

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

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Word Search // ETC

so long farewell aufwiedersehen goodbye salut ciao

sayonara aloha shalom cheerio toodles arrivederci

Samantha Mileto Sports editor sports@theconcordian.com Lindsay Richardson Interim Opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com Keith Race Photo editor photo@theconcordian.com Natasha Taggart Online editor online@theconcordian.com Jennifer Kwan Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian.com

@CaptainRusso “How to ruin something Legendary in only 10 minutes” should be the real name of that last episode #HIMYMFinale #HIMYM

@JPYVKI there are two kinds of himym fans: those who hated the finale, and those who love it when poop gets thrown directly at their eye sockets @Khadeeja_Ahmed IF YOU LIKED ROBIN AND TED TOGETHER SO MUCH THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE ENDED THE SHOW AT S01 E01 #HIMYMFinale

Elizabeth Tomaras Christina Rowan Milos Kovacevic Copy editors copy@theconcordian.com

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@nataliegyv “NO ONE ASKED YOU TO WRITE THE LAST EPISODE, PATRICE!” FAN #HIMYMFinale

th� designer who wants to make games.

@SairasKaji My life goal is to become rich enough to hire all the actors again and recreate the finale the correct way. #HIMYMFinale

th� artis� who wants to design interactive experiences.

@soffyzafir maybe they should have just called it “how I met your stepmother” #himymfinale

Sloane Montgomery News editor news@theconcordian.com

Jessica Romera Music editor music@theconcordian.com

@Urban_Sanyaasi #HIMYMFinale Finally a love story even more disappointing than Twilight.

@jesseltaylor “Dad, did Mom die of boredom and disappointment like I am right now?” #HIMYMFinale

Nathalie Laflamme Production manager production@theconcordian.com

Roa Abdel-Gawad Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com

@LaComtesseJamie Suspect Robin involved in the mother’s death. Followup series “How I Murdered Your Mother & Made It Look Like Natural Causes.” #HIMYMFinale

@TedMcClelland How I Met the Love of my Life and Couldn’t Get Her to Sleep with Me Until She Was 45, Alone and Desperate #HIMYMFinale

Amanda L. Shore Editor-in-Chief editor@theconcordian.com

Sabrina Giancioppi Life editor life@theconcordian.com

@PunkyStarshine THEY DID NOT PUT ME THROUGH AN ENTIRE SEASON OF ONE FREAKING WEDDING WEEKEND FOR THAT. NO. #HIMYMFinale

@wyshynski Absolutely appalled by the #HIMYMFinale. I mean, her wedding dress was atrocious.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 Vol. 31 Issue 28

th� socia� scientis� seeking new ways to share information.

Besher Al Maleh Marilla Steuter-Martin Production assistants Milos Kovacevic Assistant News editor Angela De Cicco Assistant Life editor Jocelyn Beaudet Assistant Arts editor Jonathan Cohen Assistant Music editor Tim Lazier Assistant Sports editor Marco Saveriano Assistant Opinions editor Editorial office 7141 Sherbrooke St. Building CC-Rm 431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 514-848-2424 ext. 7499 (Editor-in-Chief) Pascale Cardin Business manager business@theconcordian.com Tyson Lowrie Cindy Lopez Ruben Bastien Board of directors directors@theconcordian.com

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theconcordian

We’ve reached that point in the semester where it is all about the farewells. Television audiences also parted ways with their favorite gang last week as How I Met Your Mother ended its nine-year run. As it stands, it was the televised trainwreck, and its loyal audiences are angered by the writers’ decision to (SPOILER) finally unite Ted and Robin. Here’s what people were tweeting/screaming about:

WAYS TO SAY FAREWELL

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