The Concordian

life Treat yourself to tasty truffles P. 7

sports Stingers stumble out of playoff spot P. 20

opinions Canadian Federation of Students losing credibility P. 22

Volume 29 Issue 21

Light it up with Montréal en lumière during reading week P. 12-13

Transparency is a rough ride

Editorial P. 21

Graphic by Katie Brioux

Reggie’s may be forced to increase prices CSU reports dire financial situation for the student-run bar Joel Ashak Co-news editor

A

grim report of Reggie’s financial state exposed at last Wednesday’s Concordia Student Union council meeting could possibly result in increased drink prices at Concordia’s student bar.

CSU VP finance Jordan Lindsay and CSU President Lex Gill reported that CUSACorp, the union’s for-profit subsidiary that runs the bar, held a deficit of more than $40,000 for the last four months. According to Lindsay, this deficit will most likely double by the end of the winter term.

“Right now we have to find a way to go from $121,833 of semester sales to nearly $300,000,” said Lindsay, who is also on CUSACorp’s board of directors. “The situation is fairly grim and we need to tighten finances.

We are going to do all we can to avoid increasing prices, but there is a 25 per cent chance that it will happen.”

Lindsay added that if such a scenario were to present itself, the increase would be minimal; “a matter of 25 cents here and there.”

During the meeting, Gill spoke of a worrying situation where, despite having no rent to pay for the bar and despite collecting a rent from the Java U café located next to Reggie’s in the

Hall building, CUSACorp still managed to run constant deficits.

“Historically, Reggie’s has lost an awful lot of money,” said Gill.

Lindsay said the situation has been going on for years and that the bar has often been “eating up” most of the Java U rental profits.

Gill explained that the losing money pattern was mainly due to “very poor” internal control, shifting management and high administration costs.

“Reggie’s is a fairly vulnerable institution,” said Gill. “It has a mix-mandate which is to be a bar, sell beer and make profits, but simultaneously to provide services and a community space for students. Therefore, the goal is not always to make money.”

Lindsay said that CUSACorp has not only planned to tighten expenses by controlling inventory and entertainment costs, but also to increase sales through better marketing campaigns, involvement of professional companies, use of social media, better lighting on Thursday nights, increased beer selection and organization of more theme nights.

Lindsay also insisted that Reggie’s was not condemned to bankruptcy, as he was confident the situation was fixable with better management of finances and increased sales campaigns.

However, the price increase seemed to be

Photo by Navneet Pall

theconcordian Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012

arts & music

a concern for several students informed of the possible outcome.

“One of the major draws that Reggie’s has for students is cheap drinks,” said communications studies student Michael Czemerys. “I think they’re going to lose a lot of business if they increase prices.”

theconcordian.com

news 2

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Got a news tip? news@theconcordian.com protest

‘The Internet is under attack’: protesters Digital activists protest changes to copyright law Marilla Steuter-Martin Co-news editor Approximately fifty people gathered in Norman Bethune Square on De Maisonneuve Boulevard last Friday to protest anti-piracy legislation currently making its way through the House of Commons.

Many digital activists are up in arms saying that Bill C-11, the Copyright Modernization Act, could change the way people interact with the Internet in Canada.

Nadim Kobeissi, a political science student at Concordia, is a digital rights activist and organizer of the protest. He develops cryptography software and says there’s significant cause for concern should Bill C-11 be made into law.

“This sets a terrible precedent for the future,” he said.

Under the Conservative government’s proposed changes, saving a legally-purchased DVD to a computer

would be illegal, he explained. He said even making copies of existing files for storage would be considered copyright infringement.

“The Internet is under attack,” said Kobeissi. “Even if you own something digital, you don’t own it anymore.”

Bill C-11 includes sections pertaining to copyright, performers’ rights, encryption research and non-commercial user-generated content, to name a few.

Kobeissi said the extensive limitations are not actually protecting anyone.

“It’s not like we’re infringing on other people’s rights by unlocking an iPhone,” he said.

At the protest, volunteers were circulating a petition in association with Open Media’s online petition. So far over 37,600 signatures have been added to the site, which automatically sends a short message of discontent via email to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Industry Minister Christian Paradis, among others.

Scott Mc Farlane, a prospective Concordia student, was especially eager to add his name to the petition.

“I came to help support awareness raising,” he said. “The government is trying to take control of the Internet and

Protesters sign a Petition to stoP Bill C-11 Created By oPen Media. Photo By navneet Pall they don’t care what people think.”

Ryan Marcoux, a Concordia psychology student, said this “SOPAlike” legislation could mean changes that will affect a lot of Internet users.

Photography is not just black or white Melissa Moncada Contributor Artist and professor Deborah Willis lectured on her book Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present last Friday, inviting students to take a closer look at the work of black photographers over the past two centuries.

The discussion was part of Concordia’s “Speaking of Photography” lecture series and focused on images of African-American beauty since the 1980s.

Willis told the crowd that the idea for the book started in the classroom, where she realized that there were no African-American photographers mentioned in any of her history books. Her professor at the time, Anne Tucker, suggested that she do a term paper on black photographers.

“I didn’t know the rules of how to research, so I went to the library and looked through newspapers and city directories. I had an unusual way of looking for and finding information,” she said.

Five years later, Willis got a call

ous.”

The second reading of Bill C-11 in the House of Commons finished Friday and the bill has now been sent to committee for further hearings and possible amendments.

CSU in brief

Lecture

Author talks African-American representation in art

“Internet service providers will monitor our downloads because they will be held responsible to ensure no copyright material is being downloaded,” he explained. “I’ve done enough research to know [Bill C-11] is danger-

from a publisher asking her to do a book on black photographers.

In 2009, the book was published, showcasing more than 250 photographs from different AfricanAmerican photographers.

Lecture series organizer Martha Langford has known Willis for many years and was pleased to invite her to speak at Concordia.

“She is an outstanding expert in

“

from various decades. One in particular was of Sarah Baartman, a South African woman who was exhibited as a freak show attraction in the 19th century. Willis showed a cartoon depicting Baartman halfnaked with exaggerated buttocks and with a cigarette in her mouth.

“The body of the black female was seen as labour, seen as grotesque and also seen as humour-

“I didn’t know the rules of how to research, so I went to the library and looked through newspapers and city directories. I had an unusual way of looking for and finding information.”

- Deborah Willis

African-American photography and the history of photography in general,” Langford said.

Willis spoke on the subject of black photographers and the process of examining photos featured in her book. She displayed a number of photos of African-Americans

ous,” explained Willis.

Concordia student Adrienne Johnston attended the lecture for a class and because she is an admirer of Willis’ work.

“I had been aware of Dr. Willis’ work, as she is a really prolific writer,” said Johnston.

Joel Ashak Simone de Beauvoir Institute supports general strike The last CSU council meeting began with a presentation from two representatives of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, a Concordia college dedicated to studying feminism and questions of social justice. The institute announced its full support for the fight against tuition hikes. The representatives said the institute “as a whole” decided to support the general strike set to take place by the end of March.

The two representatives said it was the first clear feminist approach to the general strike.

“What we really wanted to bring to the forefront was the impact of the tuition increase on women,” said SdBI representative Gabrielle Bouchard.

“Women today still make less money than their male counterparts so the impact of the tuition increase on women will be significant.”

Bouchard added that the stance will make the institute’s job easier to openly side with the students and to encourage other departments to join them in supporting the general strike. Several councillors congratulated and thanked the SdBI for their decision.

Two fee levy questions approved Two new fee levy questions will appear on students’ ballots during March’s CSU general election. CSU council approved the fee levy questions of Le Frigo Vert and the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy. The former is asking for an

eight-cents increase in its fee levy, from 25 cents per credit to 33 cents, while the latter is asking for a jump from 29 cents per credit to 39 cents.

Le Frigo Vert said they were delighted by the council’s decision to put their question on the ballot, as they are currently struggling with increasing rent and other fixed costs.

“We don’t get a university space and our landlord keeps increasing the rent every year,” said collective member Bronwen Agnew. “The CSU’s decision is a big relief.”

During the meeting, CSU VP finance Jordan Lindsay said the antimainstream food industry cooperative offered “the best food on campus.”

New appointment procedure adopted for BoG student rep The CSU adopted a new procedure for selecting the two representatives on Concordia’s Board of Governors. CSU President Lex Gill, who currently sits on the BoG, reported that the student body at large will not have its say on the selection anymore. Student representatives will be appointed directly by CSU council, but will not necessarily have to be councillors. “The representative could also come from the student body at large,” said Gill. The BoG voted in September to decrease the number of undergraduate student governors from four to one, with an “alternate” governor being added with speaking rights only. The changes come into effect July 1.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian

3

City in brief

mcgiLL

Kamila Hinkson

It’s not all fun and games

#6partylive

Photos by Navneet Pall

McGill occupiers evicted after six days Marilla Steuter-Martin & Joel Ashak Co-news editors

A

fter almost 115 hours, the nine students still occupying the sixth floor of the McGill James Administration building were evicted by Montreal police Sunday morning.

The Occupy McGill movement started last Tuesday when 23 students assembled in the office of Deputy Provost (student life & learning) Morton Mendelson to take a stand against the university administration’s decision to not validate the results of a student referendum.

The referendum, which took place in Nov. 2011, was in regard to the continued autonomy of campus groups CKUT radio and Quebec Public Interest Research Group-McGill. The referendum questions asked students to confirm whether or not they supported the continued funding of the groups and if they agreed that the opt-out period, in which students can choose to not pay fees to the groups, should be switched from online to in-person. Over 60 per cent of those who cast their ballots voted “yes” in the referendum.

Sami Fink, a McGill occupier, said that despite the eviction, the protest was not in vain.

“Occupy McGill is still a victory since we made the university use force to evict occupiers,” Fink explained. “It caught the attention that we wanted.”

McGill spokesman Doug Sweet explained

that officers of the SPVM informed students Sunday morning that they had five minutes to leave and no charges would be pressed.

“We wanted to get services back up and running for Monday,” said Sweet. “We needed to get the building back in operation.”

Sweet went on to say that the university had denied occupiers access to electricity and washrooms in an effort to “persuade them to leave of their own accord.”

Despite the firm approach, the university administration did provide water to occupiers, added Sweet.

“We didn’t take any measures that would endanger the health of students,” he reiterated.

Following the eviction, a protest of solidarity occurred on Feb. 13 where students expressed their discontent with a new set of provisional rules issued by the university concerning how students will be allowed to protest in the future. Over 60 people were reportedly in attendance.

The Occupy McGill organizers first entered the James building to orchestrate a “surprise resignation party” planned for Mendelson. Students peacefully started redecorating and preparing to celebrate in front of his office.

A second wave of about 20 students followed, but were welcomed by security who tried to stop Throughout last week, occupiers ran low on basic supplies and several students on the outside found creative ways to get around security. At one point, an estimated 40 pounds of food was delivered

up to the sixth floor window via a pulley system.

As time went by, the second group stayed in the lobby and a third group of students started camping outside the building to support the occupiers.

Caitlin Mason, an outreach coordinator at CKUT, said the station was not directly affiliated to the movement but agreed on the principle that McGill denied a right to students.

“The occupy movement caught us offguard,” said Mason. “We had reached a principle agreement with the administration an hour before students occupied the building. However, as a student organization we completely support the students’ freedom of speech.”

CKUT has agreed to another referendum in March, while QPIRG McGill has not chosen to accept the same deal.

QPIRG McGill board member Simone Lucas said the organization was “disappointed” with the way the administration has been treating students.

“This is a continuation of what has happened in the past,” she said, “student dissent met with punitive measures.”

Lucas said this is a clear indication of the administration’s unwillingness to listen to students.

On Feb. 11, QPIRG extended an offer to the McGill administration to engage in negotiations which include student protesters.

“We would like to have a dialogue with the administration and the occupiers,” said Lucas.

Students protest in 140 characters or less Alyssa Tremblay Staff writer

U

nlike the picket signs and loudlychanted slogans that accompany most protests, the majority of the dialogue on the student occupation at McGill took place online.

Under the Twitter handle “@6partylive,” the dozen or so students who occupied McGill’s James Administration building tweeted their demands to the university, updated the world on their food situation and set up interviews with major Montreal media outlets.

Clashes between those for and against the occupation were numerous on Twitter, accessible

to the world via the hashtags “#6party” and “#occupymcgill.”

“I decided to use Twitter because it is a relatively safe space in which to remain anonymous,” wrote one individual who tweets under the handle of @OccupyMcGill. Going by the name “James McGill,” he composed over 500 tweets last week rebuking the occupiers and replying to those supporting the sit-in online.

“My opposition to the methods and motivations of the protesters is based firmly on principle. The group of protesters are behaving in an ineffective and extremely childish manner,” he told The Concordian last week.

Concordia undergraduate senator and Mob Squad member Gene Morrow replied to many of @OccupyMcGill’s tweets, describing the volume and frequency of

@OccupyMcGill’s tweets as “just weird.”

“He was tweeting one after another by himself regardless whether or not anyone else was tweeting, just repeating the same messages over and over again,” said Morrow. @OccupyMcGill maintained, both in interview and on Twitter, that he was one person tweeting of his own volition.

Debate crossed over to Facebook in the form of an event called “The James 6th Floor occupiers do NOT represent me.”

With over 2,000 people listed as “attending,” the event claimed to represent McGill’s “silent majority.”

Beni Fisch and Diego Laguna, two of the event’s creators, said in an interview that they were amazed by the response and rewarded to discover that others felt

the same way they did about the occupation.

“This is not against their message, it’s against their tactics,” said Fisch, stating that the CKUT/ QPIRG referendum question is not their focus. Instead, the event came as a result of their ongoing frustration with the political discourse at McGill, which he and Laguna say has been monopolized by a radical minority. According to the event’s page, the aim is to create “positive change at McGill without the use of confrontational tactics.”

“It’s not slacktivism,” said Laguna, addressing those who have criticized the Facebook event as an empty gesture. Laguna and Fisch say the group is the beginning of a much larger mobilization that plans on taking action sometime within the next week.

Two coaches of a Longueuil high school hockey team were suspended last week after a hazing incident involving the team’s young players. The school’s principal issued a release last week after a report appeared on the French-language TVA network.

The Gazette, which obtained a copy of the release, stated the incident occurred during a tournament in Sherbrooke in November 2011, involved an act that was sexual in nature and that no adults were present when it took place. The school said it was only informed of the hazing at the end of last month. It has since suspended certain players, as well as the two coaches.

no one lIkes a bully

The Quebec government unveiled a campaign on Sunday to target bullying in schools. The new measures include a television ad campaign, website and a symbolic declaration that students can sign. The government is also expected to table new anti-bullying legislation this week. According to the Centrale des syndicats du Québec, a union representing education workers, among other professions, a 2008 plan to tackle bullying hasn’t had much effect. Réjean Parent, the union’s president, told The Gazette that a poll commissioned by the union found 75 per cent of its members had never heard of the plan. The death of Marjorie Raymond, a 15-year-old from the Gaspé, is believed to have been the catalyst that renewed interest in bullying prevention.

Quebec farmers In a pIckle

The production of pickles in this province is in peril. Outsourcing to India has led to a decline in the number of Quebec farmers producing the smoked meat sandwich’s preferred companion. Of the 12 farms that still produce pickles, three could drop out this year, meaning it wouldn’t be viable for the remaining nine to keep producing them. A cucumber producer told The Gazette that high labour costs make it hard for Quebec farms to compete with producers in India. But a food historian cited in the same article pointed out after a blind taste test that imported pickles taste just as good, if not better than homegrown ones.

shafIa

boyfrIend stIll mournIng loss

Ammar Wahid, the eldest Shafia daughter’s former boyfriend, wishes he had stood up to her father and brother when he had the chance.

In an interview with CBC’s the fifth estate, Wahid spoke about his relationship with Zainab Shafia. They started dating in 2008 after he sent her a valentine. A year later, she was dead. He helped her run away to a women’s shelter, but she came home after her mother, Tooba Yahya, told her they could get married. After a conversation with her mother and brother at the reception, the marriage was annulled. Mohammad, Tooba and Hamed were convicted of four counts each of first-degree murder last month. They will appeal the decision.

4

theconcordian

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

campus

ASFA president accused of ‘bullying’ Councillors question Alex Gordon over involvement in impeachment petition Marilla Steuter-Martin Co-news editor Arts and Science Federation of Associations President Alex Gordon’s explanation on his involvement in the impeachment petition of Concordia Student Union President Lex Gill was met with mixed reactions from the ASFA council last Thursday.

Gordon began by making a formal apology to any members who were

offended by his actions.

“It was not my intent to convey all the sentiments of every member of ASFA,” he said. “I realize it’s tough to disassociate myself from the position I’m in.”

He went on to say that he felt there are still questions to be answered but that, “I don’t expect that everyone in arts and science feels the same way.”

Gordon was one of three students to initiate the impeachment process

of Gill last month, along with former CSU councillor Tomer Shavit, and Commerce and Administration Students’ Association President Marianna Luciano, who could not be reached for comment. The group has since agreed to hold off on the petition and instead sit down with the CSU to discuss their concerns at a date yet to be determined.

During last Thursday’s council meeting, women’s studies councillor Hector Martinez openly criticized Gordon for his actions.

“I wonder how ethical it is for the president of ASFA to single out one

with

the tax experts

I GOT MY MONEY’S WORTH

person,” he said.

He claimed Gordon was creating a “smear campaign” of Gill’s reputation, which he likened to a form of bullying.

“Lex does not work alone. She is part of a group. Lex does not move the CSU. It moves as a collective,” said Martinez.

ASFA presidential candidate and councillor Charlie Brenchley stated during the meeting that he “wasn’t impressed” with the way Gordon handled the situation.

“It is bullying when you’re going after one person when you clearly have grievances against an entire organization,” he said.

Brenchley went on to inquire, “is this an ASFA issue at this point or an Alex Gordon issue?”

When the subject resurfaced in discussion, Gordon was given a chance to explain himself.

Nation in brief Sarah Deshaies

canada

gets Its own pandas

Stephen Harper went on a trade mission to China last week, and any talk about bringing Canadian pork and oil to the Chinese or the country’s human rights records could barely be heard above the din over news of a panda partnership. Panda pair Er Shun and Ji Li are coming Canuck-side for a few years as a loan, staying first in Toronto and then in Calgary. (Hopefully they’ll pop out some panda cubs while here.) “Since the 1950s China has been grooming this unique animal as a national treasure,” diplomatically doling them out to a select few nations, writes British journalist Henry Nicholls, in The Guardian.

no club space for you or your youth!

ACCT. MGMT. STUDIO MGR.

gImme shelter

Poor Attawapiskat, the town that will forever be synonymous with third-world living in a first-world country, has finally received just the first of 22 modular homes from the feds. The homes arrived in the northern Ontario community on Saturday, long after the government purchased the batch last December.

They were waiting in Moosonee, Ont. as an ice road was being prepped for heavy traffic. MP Charlie Angus, who first raised concern over the housing crisis, said the lots are not ready for installation. Preparations, he said, were stalled by a third-party manager hired by the government.

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Kids these days: all they want to do is play with their phones, get high, date Chris Brown (even if he beats them) and stick alcohol-soaked tampons up their butts. Well, at least that’s what Barry Hawkes thinks they’re up to. The concerned alderman from Wetaskiwin, Alta. told RCMP officials at a council meeting about the disturbing trend, which he saw on TV (of course). According to my reliable source, apparently doing this can get you very, very drunk. “They’re sticking them up their rectums and getting a quick fix off of that,” he told them.

Staff Sgt. Gary Rhodes answered that he hadn’t heard about it. Amid giggles from other people at the meeting, Hawkes retracted his statements.

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The University of Victoria Students’ Society has publicly slapped the school’s anti-abortion club on the wrist for a controversial demo on campus last fall. The Martlet reported that Youth Protecting Youth staged a protest where members held up large pictures of “aborted” fetuses with the question “Choice?” above. After a heated debate, UVSS voted 15-1 to censure the club and revoke YPY’s public booking privileges until spring 2012. “As much as I recognize that people are very upset with our actions, I believe that freedom of speech is more important than feelings,” said YPY vice-president Catherine Shenton.

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”I respect that it can be seen as bullying. It’s the democratic right of students to file this petition if we see fit,” he said.

Some councillors had also taken issue with the section of the website stoplexgill.com which states “ASFA’s comments coming soon.” In response, Gordon promised to have the ASFA brand removed from the site “as soon as possible.”

Vice-president internal Schubert Laforest indicated that the situation was ultimately a learning opportunity.

“Even though executives may have personal quarrels with other individuals in other associations, we’re elected [representatives],” said Laforest. “At the end of the day, we are always going to be regarded as executives of ASFA and in that regard we must be very careful in how we express our discontent.”

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian

5

Q&a

Lowy on the BoG Concordia’s president says Board of Governors is ‘as transparent as it should be’ Interview conducted by Jacques Gallant, Editor-in-chief

L

ast Friday’s Board of Governors meeting ended abruptly even before its open session began. The meeting came to a halt toward the end of its hour-long closed session, when three student governors, undergraduates AJ West and Cameron Monagle and graduate student Erik Chevrier, walked out in protest over a motion to discuss the presence of cameras in the meeting. The representatives said they felt the discussion should have been held in the open session, when members of the audience would have been able to observe. With the absence of the three student governors, the BoG did not have quorum to continue with the meeting.

While the majority of governors already voiced their disapproval of the idea in January when they voted down a motion put forward by Chevrier that would have mandated the BoG to offer live broadcasts, it remains unclear if individuals should be permitted to film the meetings with their own cameras.

The question will likely be brought up again at the board’s next meeting on April 19.

Concordia Student Union President and student governor Lex Gill has gone on record saying that allowing cameras in the boardroom would greatly contribute to upping transparency at the BoG, indicating that as it stands, “the board operates in a way that it’s accountable to no one.”

One person who disagrees with that statement, and who believes that the BoG is “as transparent as it should be,” is Concordia’s interim President Frederick Lowy, who was brought in last year to put out the political fires following the BoG’s ousting of Lowy’s predecessor, Judith Woodsworth.

The Concordian recently sat down with Dr. Lowy to get his thoughts on cameras in the boardroom and on what can be done to bridge the disconnect between Concordia’s Board of Governors and the student population.

World in brief Chris Hanna

stand by your man

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has at least one supporter: his wife, Asma. The first lady of the Middle Eastern country sent an email for publication to The Times in London in which she said she stands firmly by her husband.

The United Nations estimates that more than 5,000 people have died since the uprising in Syria started last March. This was Asma’s first public statement since the unrest began. A satirical website for the first lady launched this week. On asmaassad.com, “Asma” says she is

What was your reaction to the Feb. 10 board meeting ending the way it did? Could something have been done to bring about a different outcome?

Well I’m disappointed. The board is an important part of our operation. It has a job to do, and if it can’t do its job properly, things slow down.

The outcome, as you know, was a lack of quorum forcing the meeting to stop. That lack of quorum was caused by three out of the four student representatives [Gill remained in the boardroom] walking out and thereby depriving the meeting of legitimacy. If the students had not walked out, the meeting would have continued, so ask them [about other potential outcomes].

Do you have a personal position on broadcasting board meetings live?

I do. Although cameras are appropriate in courts of law and in parliaments, they are not appropriate at universities. And I know that my opinion is not an opinion that is in the minority.

Every single university in Canada, that we know of, does not permit filming or broadcasting of board meetings.

The issue of filming and broadcasting is also related to our ability to keep volunteer board members. Obviously they’re interested in the university to start with because they accept to be board members, but we have to persuade a number of people we want on the board to be on our board, because they have other boards to go on as well. So when there is a concern on the part of some of them that they’re not going to be able to speak freely in board meetings without their words being taken out of context, well, that’s an ongoing problem.

Most of the people who come to the board are not politicians, they don’t choose to be in a public forum. So there are two goods here of positive value: on the one hand, you have the good of

the Western-educated “wife of a vicious war criminal,” but that she stands by her man.

nana-juana

Australian Noelene Edwards, 74, is a grandmother of six who claims she had no idea how 42 individually-packaged bags of marijuana wound up in her handbag when police searched it last June. Edwards told a Sydney court last week she had never sold or used the drug, but the judge didn’t buy it, saying the only reason 38 grams of cannabis would be individually packaged was for it to be sold. She was sentenced to a two-year good behaviour bond, which in Australia is the Canadian equivalent of a

transparency, and on the other hand, the good of free speech, so it’s a question of balancing both of them.

But some would argue that BoG meetings are already being recorded, such as by journalists who use tape recorders.

We count on members of the press to be responsible reporters. What they’re likely to do, as they’ve done in the past, is report decisions, but they don’t report who said what, and with what tone of voice, and so on. Those things are private.

Unless somebody is actually being interviewed, reporters don’t pick up these kinds of nuances, people taking to each other in an unguarded fashion. Because what we want is for people to be able to talk in an unguarded fashion, rather than to measure all their words and be politically correct all the time.

Then in your opinion, is the board as transparent as it can be?

I don’t think it’s as transparent as it can be, but I think perhaps it’s as transparent as it should be. There’s more transparency than there has been before. And so long as there’s transparency that doesn’t at the same time inhibit people from doing what they’re there to do, then that’s a balance that I think is appropriate. Whether we’ve got the ultimate best, I don’t know. I’m not saying it can’t be improved, and if it can be improved, it should be, but we must find a way to improve without turning off people from becoming board members.

It’s become painfully clear that there is a disconnect between the student governors and most of the rest of the BoG. What can be done to bridge this gap?

We need to continue what we’re doing right now, namely talk to each other. I’m hoping, and

conditional discharge.

c-sectIon, undoubtedly

Wang Yujuan felt that her second pregnancy was different, but she didn’t know exactly how. The 29-year-old Chinese woman gave birth last week to Chun Chun, a boy weighing 15.5 pounds, a new Chinese record.

According to The Sun, the mother said her belly was much bigger than it was when she was pregnant with her now-six-yearold daughter, who was born weighing just under nine pounds, but she thought Chun Chun wouldn’t weigh more than 11 pounds.

Chun Chun was delivered through a caesarean section lasting about 20 minutes.

other members of the board I’m sure are hoping as well, to talk with student governors and other students about this and work out a way of handling our different opinions. It is in nobody’s interest to see the board come to a halt.

CSU President Lex Gill has said that the “board operates in a way that it is accountable to no one.” What is your reaction to that statement?

I don’t agree with her statement. I agree with her on a lot of things, but that’s not one of them.

First of all, board members are responsible to each other. The board is not a single monolithic bloc of people who all think the same. There are sufficient differences within the board to ensure this doesn’t happen. The board is ultimately responsible to the public through its representatives. The board issues reports on its activities each year, its open sessions are open to anybody and anyone who wishes has access to the board’s minutes online.

The board has developed quite a negative image in the eyes of students who have become increasingly frustrated with its operations. How can the board improve its standing among the student population?

I know they’re frustrated; it’s clear that many students don’t hold the board in high regard. That doesn’t mean that board members aren’t trying.

In fact, a tremendous amount of them are graduates of our university and have an important stake in the university. The board is changing. The membership, the composition is changing. And I think the board is aware of the problem [negative image among students] and I think they’re trying to fix it. Certainly it’s in everyone’s best interest that not only the board do its job properly, but that it be seen to be doing its job.

This interview has been edited for length.

femInIsts celebrate unemployment

A Bristol, U.K. branch of U.S. “breastaurant” Hooters closed after just two years, with establishment owners blaming poor business and increasing debts.

But Bristol’s Hooters had made enemies before it even opened. In October 2010, 700 signatures were gathered by protesters opposing the “retro-sexist” business which employed 39 people. The signatures were presented to the city’s licensing committee, but the restaurant was allowed to open because it was offering what the city called “something different.”

Sian Norris of the Bristol Feminist Network wrote in The Guardian that while she is “sorry that people lost their jobs,” she “believe[s] that the closure of Hooters is fundamentally a positive step.”

6

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

theconcordian

media

Le Huffington Post: hit or miss?

Arianna Huffington launches Quebec site in midst of controversy

“

Joel Ashak Co-news editor

Media mogul Arianna Huffington added the province of Quebec to her online empire last Wednesday, and the 10 bloggers who defected from her ranks shortly before the launch of Huffington Post Quebec did not make her budge.

Almost a year after starting her first international edition in Canada and less than a month after the creation of Huffington Post France, Arianna Huffington is looking to take La Belle Province by storm with an edition that will offer the same type of Internet news and blog aggregating, with content provided exclusively in French. Huffington hopes to see results as promising as the English-Canadian version that attracts 1.8 millions visitors per month and offers posts from bloggers such as David Suzuki and Conrad Black.

As successful as it is however, the Huffington Post is continuously facing controversy. Despite selling her website to AOL for $315 million in 2011, Huffington’s success is still made out of the work of more than 9,000 bloggers she does not pay. One of them is suing her on their behalf for $105 million.

Huffington addressed the growing concerns surrounding unpaid bloggers during a press conference to mark HuffPost Quebec’s launch at the Gault Hotel in Old Montreal last Wednesday.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding about the Huffington Post’s enterprise,” said Huffington to a dozen Quebec journalists. “We offer a platform that presents an exchange of services. The website offers content through skillful writers and we offer them a platform to express themselves.”

Huffington went on to compare blogging for the Huffington Post to tweeting or posting on Facebook. “The HuffPost provides the same type of distribution service,” she said.

Out of the 135 bloggers who were originally

dia as “the golden age of journalism.”

“Using social media and blogging is almost like auditioning,” she said. “If journalists are not able to get a job right after graduating, which [was] often the case even before the appearance of new media, they now have the new media to have their work out so people get to see how well they write and discover their work.”

Linda Kay, chair of Concordia’s journalism

“We offer a platform that presents an exchange of services. The website offers content through skillful writers and we offer them a platform to express themselves.”

- Arianna Huffington

Graphic by Katie Brioux

supposed to write for Huffington Post Quebec, 10 have so far retracted their offer. Some of them are prominent Quebec figures like MNA and former Parti Québécois member Pierre Curzi, Montreal city hall opposition leader and councillor Louise Harel, and Québec Solidaire spokesperson Amir Khadir.

Khadir’s press officer told The Concordian that the Québec Solidaire MNA did not want to validate the idea that “it’s okay that a ‘for-profit’ media organization [use] unpaid writers to create value for its site.”

Normand Baillargeon, an education professor at Université du Québec à Montréal who also defected from HuffPost Québec, explained that in his case he was not familiar with the Huffington Post before agreeing to write for them.

“When I learned [about the controversy],

I immediately retracted my offer,” Baillargeon said. “It was out of question to encourage a firm that exploited its bloggers in such a shameful way.”

During the press conference, Huffington called the bloggers’ defection “a drop in the ocean,” describing the media’s attention on the issue as “people’s love for controversy.”

“It’s not like we sign a contract with the contributors,” she added. “They can write whenever they feel like it and can also stop whenever they want.”

Khadir’s press officer went on to say that the Huffington Post’s business model had a negative impact on journalism as it would result in less paid jobs for aspiring journalists.

Huffington disagreed with such reasoning as she told The Concordian that she saw new me-

department, agreed with Huffington’s argument.

“The Huffington Post showed itself to be a viable platform,” Kay said. “I think the Post is a precursor of what future journalism is going to look like.”

Kay added that even if Huffington shared her profits with bloggers, the concept for the website was hers and it was up to her to do what she wished with the financial success that ensued.

Jean-Philippe Warren, research chair for the study of Quebec and the only Concordia professor said to be writing for HuffPost Québec so far, also supported the HuffPost’s media platform.

“Posting a blog on the HuffPost is not fundamentally different from publishing an opinion piece, giving a radio interview, or accepting to speak at a public event,” he said. “Every small step that attempts to make knowledge more relevant and accessible is worth saluting.”

During the press conference, Huffington promised local coverage that would reflect Quebec’s political and cultural uniqueness, and assured total transparency, notably on bloggers’ political inclinations.

She also told the press she was already looking into expanding the Huffington Post furthermore, referring to an agreement being currently negotiated with the Qatar-based Arabic news channel Al Jazeera.

campus

CSU votes down minimum agreement United campaign between national student associations in fight against tuition hikes rejected Joel Ashak Co-news editor A resolution proposing accepted terms between student associations to improve common action against tuition hikes triggered a heated debate during the Concordia Student Union council meeting last Wednesday.

After CSU VP external Chad Walcott and councillor Irmak Bahar went off on a lengthy exchange of arguments about the pros and cons of what is known as the “minimum agreement,” the motion to support it failed to pass, with 11 councilors voting against, three in favour and one abstention.

The minimum agreement was a proposition brought up during a national conference in May 2011 and consists of three clauses: solidarity, nonrecommendation and non-denunciation.

The minimum agreement would have required, among other things, that the union not negotiate with the government unless all umbrella

student groups were present, and that it not criticize the actions of other student associations in the fight against tuition hikes.

At the beginning of last week’s council meeting, Walcott read a recommendation to the council pointing out the inability to reach consensus over the three clauses and the outdated aspect of the resolution.

“Since the Nov. 10 protest, national student movements have developed parallel campaigns, and collaboration on a single campaign is no longer needed,” said Walcott. “There is a conflict in the goals of national associations and the minimum agreement is no longer an issue in the student movement.”

On the other hand, Bahar insisted the resolution would help student associations coordinate their efforts on a national level without necessarily hindering each association’s goals.

“I think we have different perceptions of the level of autonomy stated in the minimum agree-

ment,” said Bahar about Walcott’s point of view.

“The resolution is an act of good faith to show solidarity, to stand united in the movement and avoid denouncing each other’s actions in the media.”

The Association pour une Solidarité Sociale Étudiante is in line with Bahar’s point of view, saying the three clauses would help students all go in the same direction.

“The question of autonomy has never been an issue for us, as we understand each association’s autonomy in the strike,” said ASSÉ press officer Mathilde Létourneau. “It was a resolution created to establish a sense of harmony in the movement.”

During Wednesday’s meeting, Walcott used the example of a group of students who, two weeks ago, used a UQÀM student association’s name and logo to jokingly promote kidnapping and infrastructural damage. Walcott explained that the CSU and other student associations should be able, in a similar situation, to have the ability to speak out against such practices, something the minimum agreement would prevent them from doing in his opinion.

“It’s not meant to censor anyone,” replied Ba-

har. “It’s not a binding contract to stay quiet about other student associations’ actions but its purpose is to show we’re on the same page.”

At last May’s national meeting, the three clauses received a majority support by the associations present. Three out of the four associations that represent Quebec students on a national level still support the minimum agreement. Concordia is affiliated to the fourth one, the Fédération etudiante universitaire du Québec.

The FEUQ, a group representing 15 student associations, declined to comment or to take position on the minimum agreement resolution. They said they wanted to respect each student organization’s sovereignty as the decision came within the competence of local associations.

“We will take position whenever we get the final word of each association,” said FEUQ press officer Mathieu Le Blanc.

Correction There were inaccuracies regarding some of the events listed in the article “Concordia celebrates Black History Month,” volume 29, issue 20. The Concordian regrets the error.

life

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

7

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com food wars

The triumph of the top truffle

VelVety smooth truFFles From suite 88 anD Fous Desserts will help you Feel the loVe this Valentine’s Day. photos by naVneet pall

The bittersweet fight between Fous Desserts and Suite 88 Marta Barnes Contributor

I

t feels like the holidays just ended, and yet here comes another one: the infamous Valentine’s Day. If you’ve come up dry for ideas on how to spend some time with your special someone, then have no fear—here are two chocolate shops, Fous Desserts and Suite 88, where you can take your sweet-toothed sweetheart and that won’t disappoint.

Fous Desserts A quaint and snug store, Fous Desserts has walls full of tea and counters full of chocolate. It’s definitely the kind of place to go for a laid-back but romantic date.

The top chocolate pick of the cheerful staff is the praline noisette, and indeed, it definitely deserves to be first on the list. While extremely sweet in its creamy nougat-style flavour, the sugariness is subtly undercut by a crisp wafer bottom.

There are also quite a few close contenders for first place that are certainly worthy of mention as well. One is the classic cocoa truffle, which has a surprisingly aromatic flavour and a creamy inside. A win as far as truffles go.

Then there is the caramel à la fleur de sel, which is at once creamy, salty and sweet, transitioning smoothly through the taste sensations for mouthwatering results.

Not to be forgotten is the imaginative praline banane, a different yet delectable chocolate that proves banana really is the ultimate fruit that can make anything delicious even better.

Finally, there is the wonderful collection of tea-flavoured chocolate. There’s the Jasmine (fragrant and subtle), the Earl Grey (bested in its spot-on flavour only by the tea

itself), and the surprising Green Tea truffle (authentic in taste and very good). If your special someone is a tea fanatic, well, let’s just say you probably won’t find a better gift than a box of these babies.

In all it’s a wonderful little shop. “Homey, nice and cozy,” said satisfied first-time customer Francis McNamee, who favoured the praline noisette and caramel a la fleur de sel best.

suite 88 Next up is Suite 88. Styled with high-end modern decor, it might not represent your typical idea of cozy, but this chic chocolatier boasts some fairly incomparable truffles.

The extremely friendly and helpful staff all wholeheartedly recommended the tried and true favourites. “The praline croquante and the crêpe pralinée are definitely the most popular,” said the waitress with a smile.

While both were fantastic, the former a smooth delight rolled in a nut coating and the latter being wafery and light, there were some others that certainly gave these truffles a run for their money.

The newest addition to the chocolate collection is the explosion de cacao—rich, nutty and extremely tasty; a must-buy for any lover in love with chocolate.

After that ranks a tie between the nature, the original truffle, and the menthe.

There is a lot to be said for the nature—it is pleasant and creamy, a classic in every way. As for the menthe, it is simultaneously rich, fresh, cool and soothing (good to end a box of chocolates on). Best of all, the mint doesn’t taste remotely like the artificial flavouring put into your average cheap chocolate; as with everything at Suite 88, it is crafted to gastronomical perfection.

The best, however, has to be the Grand Mariner, melting and velvety from the first bite. An absolutely exquisite taste experience, it gives the kick you want from the orange without the overwhelming burn of the alcohol. A whole box of these wouldn’t be enough.

winner So if what you’re looking for is a teashop that’s lovely and warm instead of bright and modern, then Fous Desserts is where you’ll likely want to be leading your lovers. But between the two shops, Suite 88 is without a doubt the one that will have your taste buds head over heels in love.

Surprisingly, and despite the posh set-up that might have a student wallet’s nerves atrembling, Suite 88 is also half the price of

Fous Desserts, where it’s $1 per chocolate instead of over $2 with taxes. On top of that, it’s only a hop-skip-and-a-block from the SGW campus, making it the perfect destination for some after-class romancing.

And so, without hesitation, I declare Suite 88 the sweetest treat.

Fous Desserts is located at 809 Laurier Ave. E. and Suite 88 at 3957 St-Denis St., as well as at 1225 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.

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8

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

theconcordian

presents

Gifts for your Casanova This Valentine’s Day, why not break some gender stereotypes?

Natacha Medeiros Contributor

F

ebruary 14: just one more day among the birthdays and anniversaries that makes our boyfriends squirm with panic. Maybe it’s just me, but I like to think that girls are pretty easy to shop for. Keep it traditional with flowers and chocolates; keep it simple with a home-cooked meal and a night spent together, or spoil us with jewelry. See? Easy.

What’s not easy, though, is buying a nice Valentine’s Day gift for the men in our lives. You may think that we have everything perfectly planned out, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. We don’t.

Guys are pretty much the hardest to shop for because, well, you can’t really give a guy flowers and jewelry, can you?

Concordia graduate student Cheryl MacDonald is writing her thesis on masculinity and young men. According to her, flowers may not exactly be the perfect gift, depending on the guy. “Men will typically feel less masculine if given traditionally feminine gifts because our historical patterns of socialization have taught them to feel emasculated in these instances. We’re taught by our families, friends and others that certain gifts are meant for certain genders,” said MacDonald. She added that this is becoming less common, though.

MacDonald went on to explain that if it were not for the gendered pattern of socialization, more men would be comfortable receiving gifts typically given to women. “In fact, we’re currently seeing an increase in the number of men who are willing to break the gender barrier and reveal that they would love typically feminine gifts such as plants, flowers or spa treatments. This is not to say that

Graphic by Sean Kershaw

larly believe in gender roles. Besides, who doesn’t like jewelry or flowers? Guys are a lot more mushy than girls think,” she said. Vicky added that guys just want to know that their lovers really care for them and have made an effort to do something fun and personal. There’s no need to get a dozen roses, but maybe one simple flower will do the trick. Most importantly, Vicky says, is to just do what you’re comfortable with.

So we’ve heard what the girls have to say, but what about the guys? Concordia business student Steven Santillo said that he definitely wouldn’t expect a bouquet of flowers because “women usually get the flowers,” but he wouldn’t be bothered by it either. And he doesn’t mind jewelry. “Jewelry is great. It isn’t just an awesome gift for women, men like that stuff too.” The best gift he ever received for Valentine’s Day was a collage of photos of him and his girlfriend, with his favourite sweet treat, Ferrero Rocher, on the side.

The key to Valentine’s Day is to keep things simple. Sometimes all you need is a cute card with a heartfelt message written inside. The common thread is clear: focus on what your significant other is really interested in, and personalize the gift to show that you put a lot of thought into it.

So although it may be a Hallmark holiday, there’s no harm in having a little fun on Valentine’s Day with some thoughtful and unique gift-giving to win your loved one’s heart.

still stumpeD? all men feel this way, but there is evidence of men falling closer to the median on the gender continuum regarding this subject,” she said.

A great tip MacDonald has for seeking out the perfect gift is to focus on interests more than on gender associations. “It’s important to pay attention to a man’s likes and dislikes and show that you’ve taken the time to tune into them. When you view the gift-buying process this way, gender sometimes becomes less of a priority,” she added.

First-year English literature student Vicky Walling had similar things to say about Valentine’s Day gift-giving. “I usually try to get something for my boyfriend that I know he’ll enjoy. I think Valentine’s Day should be about celebrating love between two individuals, so I really want to spoil my man and get him something he might not get for himself.”

She said that she wouldn’t shy away from getting him more girly gifts, either. “I don’t particu-

Take him back to his childhood with a nostalgic iPhone case replicating an old-school Game Boy; the perfect gift for a tech geek.

Get him jewelry he won’t be embarrassed to flaunt. A nice watch, for example, is totally manly and a no-brainer if you’re still puzzled on what to get him.

Instead of chocolates or candy, opt for a cookbook, and spend the night heating up the kitchen while cooking a meal together.

tradition

What’s love got to do with it?

A look at Valentine’s Day as an obligation or an act of love Amanda L. Shore Assistant arts editor We’ve all heard it before, Valentine’s Day is a ploy on the part of Hallmark and the candy companies to get us to spend vast amounts of money on their products under the guise that we’re doing it because we’re in love.

Yet we shake our heads and say that we know better, or say that Valentine’s Day is a transparent consumerist holiday and we won’t be suckered in.

However, for some reason, the majority of us find ourselves bent over smelling roses, trying to pick the ones we think our partner will like, or desperately wracking our brains for something romantic to do. What is this power Feb. 14 holds over us?

Why do we as a society continue to observe a holiday named for a saint of dubious origins and significance?

Doctoral candidate and Montreal therapist, Stine Linden-Andersen, believes that Valentine’s Day can play an important role in the relationship of a couple. “It can be important for courting, to show a partner how romantically inclined they are, to solidify the relationship. As a relationship matures, it gets used a bit differently, some couples will choose to do small things and some will choose not to do anything at all because it has become too commercialized and doesn’t set them apart as a couple.”

But does that make it an obligation? One Con-

cordia student, who wished to remain anonymous, says that he only participates in Valentine’s Day because it’s what his girlfriend wants and expects of him. However, Dylan Stansfield, a creative writing and psychology student at Concordia, says that he relishes the opportunity to do something special for the person he cares about. “It’s something that’s fun if you’re in a relationship. It’s fun to celebrate that you’re with someone,” he said.

It would seem that the onus is on the men to plan something or come up with a present that’s significant. Creative writing student Lexie Comeau celebrates Valentine’s Day for the love of celebrating in general. “I think any reason to celebrate is a good one,” she explained, and feels that the onus is on the person who wants the celebration to occur to plan an event or buy a gift. “I think it should be whoever wants to take the initiative.”

According to a survey of 2,003 adults by American Express Spending & Saving Tracker, men are willing to spend more than women on Valentine’s Day. Men are willing to spend up to $151, whereas women are only willing to spend up to $114. Close to 48 per cent of women said they were not going to buy anything for their significant other at all.

Why is this? Aren’t we supposed to be in an age of equality between men and women? Are men spending as a result of societal obligation or does it stem from a personal desire?

Linden-Andersen says that often times in young relationships, men feel obligated to demonstrate just how much they care for their partner and Valentine’s Day is a crucial opportunity for doing so.

In the LGBT community, Michael Filion, a political science student in Concordia, feels that things are mostly equal, unless previously discussed. “Espe-

Graphic by Phil Waheed

cially in the gay world, it’s very common to feel almost like this equality has to be maintained. If not, there’s a male-female balance to it. If these gender roles have been established within the relationship, the one who has taken the male dominated role must be the one who pays. Otherwise, the majority of what I’ve noticed is there’s always an equality that’s trying to be matched,” he said.

In any relationship, whether it is brand new or several years old, Valentine’s Day is a good opportunity to open the lines of communication and establish the expectations each person has about this day. Linden-Andersen suggests talking about it lightly and with humour in order to get a better idea of how to celebrate in a way that is convenient for both partners.

She suggests asking leading questions such as “Have you ever been surprised?” and “What have you done before that you liked?” Most importantly

though, she says to remember “the way couples celebrate Valentine’s Day is not an indicator of their relationship.” Which means that just because you don’t make a big deal about Feb. 14 does not mean that your relationship is without romance. “You don’t really tell someone you love them only once a year, but it’s an occasion to publicly acknowledge it in a way,” said Donald Boisvert, a professor of religion at Concordia. “It’s like Christmas, there’s always a bit of an obligation. There’s a commercial element that we don’t really want to acknowledge we’re buying into. It doesn’t mean that because it’s commercially focused, people’s feelings aren’t genuine.”

Whether you choose to celebrate Feb. 14 as a special day, or dismiss it as capitalist hogwash, if there’s someone special in your life, we can all agree that you shouldn’t be expressing how you feel about them only once a year.

Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

food

Bar & Boeuf brings the charm

In the Spirit of Giving Back , we are seeking nominations for The Concordia Council on Student Life Outstanding Contribution Awards

Is your professor available to help you outside the classroom, to support your projects, listen to your problems and try to help?

Is there a staff member who has taken the time to go above and beyond their job to assist students with special projects or needs?

Has one of your fellow students shown initiative on campus to develop new projects, help out and make life better for students?

Does one of your friends volunteer in the community helping those less fortunate or working to address social ills?

Now is your chance to show how much you appreciate students, faculty and staff for being special and giving back by nominating them!

Guidelines and applications available online at: http://deanofstudents.concordia.ca/services/ccsl.shtml

rich taste combinations anD trenDy Decor promise an unForgettable Valentine’s Date.

Wine and dine your sweetheart in style Paula Rivas Life editor

As soon as I entered the door of Bar & Boeuf, I ran face first into a white curtain hung from the ceiling that is used to block the winter winds from sneaking in as diners enter. I thought for a moment that maybe I had entered the wrong building, but then the host untangled me from the long white monster and welcomed my boyfriend and I to Bar & Boeuf, leading us to our table.

This table was located next to the busy bar, which was a bit inconvenient because we were constantly being bumped by the 40-year-old cougars flirting with young men right next to us at the bar, sloshing their fruity drinks and getting rowdy. It was entertaining to watch, but annoying to deal with when you just want to have a romantic dinner.

The music was mostly made up of lounge music and it was a little loud, presumably to drown out the horrible cliché pickup lines being pronounced beside us. But overall, the music went well with the decor and I was able to speak and hear without having to read anyone’s lips.

The decor was modern and refreshing—a splash of pink lighting from the high ceilings shined down on the white furnishing and looked very classy. The crowd at Bar & Boeuf were in their 30s, and my boyfriend and I were evidently the youngest guests at the restaurant.

Once we got situated we received the menu. We were feeling fancy, probably from the illusion the restaurant gives you of being a trendy couple in a CSI: Miami episode, so we each ordered a martini. The lychee martini I ordered had the perfect sweet and exotic taste without the bite, and my boyfriend ordered the

extra fruity festive martini, receiving an eyebrow lift from our waiter.

We ordered our dinner and unfortunately had to wait for a very long time to receive it.

Since we were starving, we persuaded our waiter to scurry back and forth with warm bread and water refills, to keep us from running out and getting a Big Mac instead.

For dinner, I ordered the suckling pig with iced parsnips, sweet potatoes and turnip and I was not disappointed with my choice. The tender smoked meat of the pig in a delicious rich gravy sauce was perfectly complimented by the sweet potatoes and the crunch of the parsnips and the turnip. The presentation was flawless and not only a feast to the mouth, but to the eye as well. My only complaint is that the portion was rather small and, though it did not leave me still famished afterwards, I felt like I would have asked for seconds if I could.

My boyfriend ordered the Arctic char, which of course I stuck a fork in and then immediately regretted my decision, wishing I had ordered this instead. The fish is served with späetzle (tiny little German noodles or dumplings made with flour, eggs and milk, which often replace potatoes or rice), beets and pork.

I thought the fish and pork would be a bizarre combination, but I was mistaken since the taste of the späetzle and the beets created the perfect harmony between the two. The beets added a smooth sweet flavour and a romantic red colour to the dish, and the buttery taste of the späetzle melts in your mouth with every bite of the light Arctic char.

The bill for this meal was pretty pricey, but the genius engineering of the dishes proved it to be worth every penny. Bar & Boeuf even has a Valentine’s Day menu, so bring your special someone to experience the pink and white decor and mouth-watering dishes for themselves.

Bar & Boeuf is located at 500 McGill St. For more information, please visit www.baretboeuf.com.

Deadline for application: Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 5pm

The Concordia Council on Student Life (CCSL) makes funds available to support projects that enhance or contribute to the quality of student life at Concordia.

Do you have an exciting idea for an event that will engage your fellow Concordia students?

Are you planning on producing a journal to help Concordia students gain experience in publishing and exposure for their work?

Dreaming of starting up that new initiative to improve student life on campus but lacking the funds to do so?

GUIDELINES & ONLINE APPLICATION AVAILABLE AT: http://deanofstudents.concordia.ca/funding-and-awards/ccslspecial-projects

Winter Deadline: Friday, February 17, 2012 at 5pm Please contact the Dean of Students Office with any questions: SGW–H-637 ext.3517 / Loyola-AD-121 ext.4239 Or email to: jasmine.stuart@concordia.ca

9

arts 10

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com theatre

Levity is the soul of the skit Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers plays with tradition and desire Marissa Miller Copy editor A play isn’t really worth seeing without a compelling love hexagon, overt romantic tension à la eye gazing and cheek grazing and catchy operatic tunes that never detract from the piece’s subtle humour. Thankfully, writer W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan’s 1889 play The Gondoliers recreated by McGill’s Savoy Society offers exactly that.

The show is comprised of 33 carefully-selected triple threats that propel the plot forward through a blend of opera and acting, their fervour driven by what seems like either adrenaline or a 14-hour sleep and six-packs of Redbull. This nonprofit student-run show prances, leaps and twirls around the satirical notions of hierarchy, identity and social status in 1750s Venice, complete with a few valuable lessons that could easily apply today.

The production opens with the orchestra’s energetic, perky symphony that hints at what’s to come: a play that tells the tale of a duke’s daughter named Casilda (Chelsea Mahan) who was arranged to be wed when she was six months old to the Prince of Venice. Only after she has blossomed into a fully grown woman, already in love with her servant, does her family inform her of her imminent fixed marriage.

Just as you think it couldn’t get any more dramatic, no one can identify who the prince actually is. When he was a baby, he was entrusted to a gondolier for safety reasons, and the gondolier,

Photo by Gilda Poorjabar

being a drunkard, mixed up the prince with his own son. They suspected that the prince’s title belonged to either Marco (Stephen Baker/Ilir Orana) or Giuseppe (Mathew Galloway), two handsome gondoliers who happen to have gotten married merely minutes before. The Grand Inquisitor (Scott Cope/Robert O’Brien) then chose to treat them equally in order to resolve the conundrum and determine the real prince’s identity.

Miranda Tuwaig, who enthralled the audience as Fiametta with an operatic falsetto solo that kicked off the show, was especially appreciative of the initiatives that went into this year’s production. “Because of the [MUNACA strike], you couldn’t book rooms at McGill on the weekends, so we had to scrounge around for affordable places near downtown and pay for them with our budget,” she said. “We had

rehearsals on Friday nights, but everyone was so dedicated.”

The cast members’ dedication was an infectious force that permeated into the work of the volunteered coaches. Nicole Rainteau was to thank for the play’s choreography, as the dances seemed to require a certain element of athleticism and grace that was not present in last year’s Pirates of Penzance. “I’m trained in jazz, ballet and contemporary,” Rainteau said, “so I just meshed it all together. You’ll also see some ballroom in there.”

With over 10 hours a week dedicated to dance drills alone, each cast member looked particularly svelte in their authentic Venetian get-ups. The billowy cinched-at-the-waist dresses created the iconic curvy silhouettes that really take you back in time and out of McGill’s Moyse Hall.

Stage manager Emma McQueen had an idea as to why this show was more successful than its predecessors at the Savoy Society. “We’re trying something different where we do a bit of mic-ing so that you can hear everyone better,” she explained. “I think it’s working out and making a big difference.”

The cast’s enthusiasm and audio-enhancing sound system didn’t exactly make for a stagefriendly combination, according to producer Tabia Lau. “The only thing I would change is the mics because everyone was so loud and excited backstage that I was worried you’d be able to hear them from the audience,” she said.

In the midst of all the animated dialogue, the pitter-patter of jazz shoes as they marched and stomped through numbers, and the dynamic orchestra that weaved in and out of scenes, not a peep backstage seeped out into the theatre. Your attention is captivated solely by what’s happening on stage, and is in fact, distributed equally among the characters. “The cool thing is that Gilbert and Sullivan wrote [The Gondoliers] so that not one part would stand out, so it gives equal opportunity for every cast member to showcase their talent,” said Rachel Koffman who played Inez, the nurse foster mother who makes a chilling yet effective fashionably-late entrance in the piece.

The Gondoliers may not exactly embody the saying “brevity is the soul of the wit,” but in its defence, sharp humour and grandiose numbers require time to perfect.

Catch The Gondoliers Feb. 16, 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. at McGill’s Moyse Hall (853 Sherbrooke St. W.) Student tickets are $12. For reservations go to www.mcgillsavoy.ca.

Film

So what’s up, docs?

Cinema Politica looks at the consequences in semi-private and public health systems Brandon Judd Staff writer The 1980s may be remembered for Madonna, Tom Petty and Phil Collins—or are those the Superbowl halftime shows of the past decade?—but it was also a turning point for the perception of government in both the United States and Britain. As the great (sarcasm) Ronald Reagan said, “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”

This ushered in a new paradigm of absolute and obsequious commitment to the market.

America was built on competition, it was said, and its improvement was dependent on unfettered capitalism.

The market is a brilliant tool and an important facet of good democracies. But the overzealous commitment to wholesale privatization is deeply flawed. Competition amongst retailers and car makers forces innovation because these industries are based on consumer desires, and providing excellent products is a powerful incentive. These

tenets are absent in other fields, the most obvious of which is health care, an industry based on need and trust.

The idea that government-run health care is a bloated bureaucratic mess comes from this era (which also brought us shoulder pads, big hair and Sixteen Candles), and it was the decade in which Britain and Norway partially privatized their health care systems, exemplified by Margaret Thatcher’s famous “hospital of my own choosing” speech.

Havard Bustnes’ Health Factory documents the effects of this pseudo-privatization, where government funds create a faux market. In Norway, the state pays hospitals by the procedure; birthing a baby, for example, nets a Norwegian hospital 18,000 kroner. But should a slow-paced birth require a vacuum, the hospital pockets an additional 10,000 kroner. Needless to say, the threshold between “normal” and “requiring expedition” starts to wane fairly fast.

According to nurses in Norway, hospitals go as far as to chastise employees for an abundance of “normal births” in a given month.

A prominent Norwegian doctor sums up this state of affairs deftly: paying by the procedure incentivizes quantifiable items, shifting focus away from improving health. A hospital would rather treat 10 easy patients as opposed to five difficult ones, since the former has a better ratio of time to value. It also discourages the human side of health

care. What value is there in holding someone’s hand who is in deep crisis, he asks, and how long do you hold on before it becomes unprofitable?

The obvious ethical issue of ranking patients by profitability aside, a hospital market isn’t feasible because healthy markets require informed consumers. Consumers chose VHS over Betamax because they could easily deduce the former’s costbenefit superiority. This choice eventually drove Betamax out of existence (to the dismay of many picture-quality purists).

But making this kind of decision about your health care provider requires knowledge of a much more esoteric nature. And, as is argued in the film, consumers don’t necessarily want choice when it comes to which hospital to go to; they just want good care. Competition, it seems, is not the golden goose the Iron Lady made it out to be.

Obviously, public health care has its own major flaws; Canadians know this well. The Big Wait addresses one of these: the inability of international medical graduates to practice medicine in Canada.

IMGs, be they from Kenya or Serbia or India, arrive in Canada hoping to benefit from the country’s need for doctors. Owing to their degree and, for most, their experience, they can skip medical school but must pass the same licensing exams as new Canadian graduates. Then they must go through our residency program before becoming certified doctors, but this step represents a major

bottleneck. All Canadian medical school graduates are guaranteed a residency; IMGs must fight for a handful of these positions. If they don’t snag one, they must wait an entire year before reapplying.

Many languish in stopgap jobs for years before finally setting foot inside a Canadian hospital.

This logjam is driving many of these wouldbe doctors southwards, because the American private system is better equipped to offer a wealth of residency positions. For communities like Midland, Ont., where family doctors are rare and the walk-in clinic recently closed, the idea that trained doctors are being turned away is justly frustrating. Wait times are a national problem and more doctors are needed. Turning away potential fast-track doctors seems ludicrous.

The question, however, is whose warts are worse? Is inefficiency a worthy price to pay for a system incapable of prioritizing anything but need?

Or is expediency something to covet above the risk of monetizing patients, which in itself may not be endemic to privatization?

After these two films, you can at least say you’re informed enough to make an intelligent decision and, hopefully, have a healthy discussion.

Just don’t pay by the word.

Health Factory and The Big Wait are showing on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. in H-110. Visit www.cinemapolitica.org for more details.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

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11

dance

We can watch dance if we want to Wants&Needs offers something Short&Sweet for Valentine’s Day Sofia Gay Arts editor

It seems like the only time people want to see dancing is in the movies, whether it’s Patrick Swayze making knees sway in Dirty Dancing, or one of those many films where kids Step Up to the dance floor against the background of thinly-veiled class issues. But real-life contemporary dance? No, thanks—after all, you won’t understand it, right?

That’s the sort of scenario dance company Wants&Needs is trying to change. Started by childhood friends Andrew Tay and Sasha Kleinplatz, the company strives to give artists a smaller artistic venue as opposed to Place des Arts-sized spectacles that will invite people to break down the barrier of intimidation between themselves and contemporary dance.

Events such as Piss in the Pool— where choreographers take over empty pool Bain St-Michel—and Short&Sweet, where choreographers are given three minutes for their performances (the next instalment of which is taking place Feb. 16), are giving Montrealers less and less of an excuse to miss taking in some dance.

“We wanted to create an atmosphere that was more fun and unintimidating for people to see dance work.

That’s why our shows aren’t in traditional venues, they’re usually at bars or unique spaces, like Piss in the Pool is in an empty swimming pool,” explained Tay. “That was one of the goals. And another one is to expose dance to people who don’t normally see dance work, and I think again it goes back to some people are scared of going to see a show that’s gonna be an hour long and they’re gonna hate it, or they’re not gonna feel like they understand it [...] We want to expose dance to those people by making it more fun.”

Tay and Kleinplatz invite the choreographers to participate in the events; they encourage artists to send their work along to be considered for the next event. In the first round of Short&Sweet choreographers were allowed five minutes to present their work. The time limit was then changed to three minutes “to challenge the choreographers, to see what they could do in a short amount of time,” explained Tay. Why do such short shows in the first place? “[It’s all about] the idea of challenging yourself with what to say in the three minutes, what’s possible to be said in the three minutes and what different approaches you can do in the three minutes,” said Tay. “We thought that was fun for choreographers to think about. And also to create a format where people don’t edit

Childhood friends sasha Kleinplatz and andrew tay are the founders of wants & needs. themselves. A lot of the time when you’re choreographing bigger works, you’re like ‘oh, I shouldn’t do that,’ or you start to over-think, but when you have three minutes you can really just do one idea and that can be your three minutes.”

That’s not to say that performers haven’t tried to step out of the limit before, though. Past events have seen people trying things such as bringing their own lights to turn on and keep

things going when the lights at the venue turn off to signal the end of the performance.

This year’s theme is collaboration and will present a different dynamic than past shows. “People are collaborating with theatre people, with filmmakers, with visual artists, so there’s gonna be a lot of cross-disciplinary work, and we think that’s gonna be really fun,” said Tay. Next up for the company is to keep

trying new ideas and, of course, continue to put on the events it has become known for. But for now, the dancecurious can—Valentine’s reservations aside—put away the remote and check out something that’s Short&Sweet in real life.

Short&Sweet goes down Feb. 16 at Sala Rossa at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more details, check out www.wantsandneeds.ca.

articulate

I Choo-Choo-Choose You Opt for art this Valentine’s Day

Rebecca Ugolini Staff writer Simpsons fans, this reference is for you: Have you ever known a Ralph Wiggum? You know, the one who never got any redand-pink-cardboard Valentines when it was time to pass them around and invariably ended up with a coughing fit from eating too many cinnamon hearts at once?

Admit it: sometimes we all feel a little like him on Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re single, in a relationship or embroiled in some torrid love-rhombus, there’s nothing like the 14th of February to bring on the lonely blues. Maybe your special someone is out of town, or working; maybe you’re okay with being single, but don’t appreciate being bombarded with pink teddy bears clutching I-Love-You hearts and glittery Be-My-Valentine cards every time you pop into Pharmaprix to buy a party-size bag of Doritos and the latest copy of In Touch (there’s no shame—everyone has to cope).

Whatever your situation, there are about as many reasons to dislike Valentine’s Day as there are to like it. That’s why I’m proposing we make this week one of emphasizing the positives instead of the negatives, the love instead of the hate. Welcome to your Valentine’s Day arts survival kit. Don’t worry, Ralphie. We’ll get through this together.

live musiC If you’re reading this on Valentine’s Day and you’re dreading going straight home after classes—no fears. If nothing (and nobody) else is keeping you busy tonight, consider the following options: If you want something casual and fun,

head over to Café Campus’ Les Mardis rétro with DJ Miracle Mark for an old-fashioned, non-Valentine’s Day-themed, dancing good time. Like bumming around the Mile End? You can catch some great music and relax with a coffee and some meat-free fare at Le Cagibi’s Mardi Spaghetti Jazz Improv.

Maybe strike up your own hipster Missed Connection: “Saw you at Cagibi. Grey sweater, Dali tattoo, reading Kierkegaard.

Let’s have an existential crisis together.” Bonus points: “I usually never do this kind of thing.”

ie-Atelier Crystal Racine (1701 Gilford St.) Free admission.

Check out www.galeriecrystalracine.com for more details.

fetish If you’re up for a more…adventurous evening, Café Cléopâtre’s anti-Valentine edition of Club Sin is the perfect opportunity to ditch the Valentines and the social hang-ups that can make Feb. 14 so miserable. Atta girls!

Club Sin takes place at Café Cléopâtre (1230 St-Laurent).

Les Mardis rétro goes down at Café Campus (57 Prince Arthur E.). Entrance is free before 10 p.m., and $6 after.

Mardi Spaghetti Jazz Improv takes place at 9:30 p.m. at Le Cagibi (5490 St- Laurent) and costs $5.

photography For photography amateurs looking for the sexier side of portraiture, Galerie-Atelier Crystal Racine in the Plateau wants you to get in touch with your inner boudoir vixen at VI Photography’s Inspiration Burlesque exhibit. Featuring portraits of dolled-up, just-dressed-enough ladies who aren’t models, actresses, Russian gymnasts or under the age of 20, the exhibit proves that garters and coy smiles aren’t reserved for the likes of Dita Von Teese. Taking its cues from the burlesque rules of “having fun in your own skin, revealing that which is usually hidden, and most importantly…leaving a little to the imagination,” VI’s exhibit may just deliver the inspiration it seems to promise.

The exhibit runs most days from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m at Galer-

Charity If Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about love, there’s no reason it can’t be brotherly love. The Douglas Mental Health University Institute, the Wellington Rehabilitation Centre and Les Impatients artist group present the 14th annual Parle-moi d’amour exhibit at the Wellington Centre in Verdun. Educating the public about good mental health and spreading a message of hope and tolerance, the Douglas and Wellington have collaborated with celebrated artists like Julie Arkinson, known for her chalky, ethereal portraiture, and Léo Rosshandler, whose paintings evoke a slightly-twisted storybook feel, to organize a three-week silent auction that benefits mental health research and treatment projects. Promote healthy love and healthy minds by stopping by Parle-moi d’amour.

The vernissage takes place on Feb. 14 at 5 p.m. at Wellington Centre (4932 Wellington St.) The exhibition runs Wednesday to Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. Go to impatients.ca for more information.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Concordian’ A white hot night in Montreal Our picks of Nuit Blanche’s arts offerings Sofia Gay and Amanda L. Shore Arts and assistant arts editors It’s common knowledge that Montreal is a mecca for all things art. But on Nuit Blanche, happening this year on Feb. 25, the creativity often confined to galleries is set loose among the streets and social inhibitions are dropped as people mingle and proudly come out as fanatical art lovers. It’s also a chance for those hoping to break the schoolwork cycle and, for one night, eschew the lack of time excuse that hinders them from taking in art. So behold, our picks to make the most out of your Nuit Blanche.

visual art The staple of every teenage girl’s wall, collages are one of the most self-satisfying and least frustrating art forms you can partake in.

What better way to get down with crafting than a party? Galerie Monastiraki is throwing its third annual collage bash, where they invite people to fulfill all their collage whims and enjoy art by Jaynus O’Donnell at the same time.

The collage party goes from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Galerie Monastiraki (5478 St-Laurent). Admission is free.

If you’re looking to really cover some ground, make like Alice and explore the won-

derland that is Art Souterrain. With hundreds of installations and performances trickled along the six-kilometre passageway between Place des Arts and Complexe Les Ailes, you can turn your night into the artsy explorer’s trip of your choice. Not sure where to start? Diana Thorneycroft’s Chuckie flashback-inducing Doll Mouth Series will be at McGill metro; Martine Frossard and Isabelle Guichard’s hopscotch game installation will be at Square Victoria; and Paul Abraham’s Du rêve à la réalité installation, evoking a POP sensibility with its depictions of Superman, will also be at McGill metro. Lace up your shoes and don’t limit yourself, because with the hundreds of other exhibitions, it seems more is better.

Take a look through all of Art Souterrain’s offerings at www.montrealenlumiere.com and create your own map for your underground arts journey through the city.

Cinema No-show at last year’s SPASM? No problem!

The festival will be taking over Café Cléopâtre, presenting a best-of showcase from their 2011 edition. With categories including the expected comedy and horror fare, to more intriguing films that fall under “WTF” and “Trash,” SPASM will colour your Nuit Blanche weird, gory and exhilarating all at once. If the film roster doesn’t win you over, the presenters will—the night will be hosted by the café’s drag queens.

Café Cléopâtre (1230 St-Laurent Blvd.) opens its doors for La Nuit SPASM at 8 p.m.

Entrance is $5.

performanCe When it comes to boxing—and other gruelling, teeth-clenching sports, albeit this may be a generalization—artists will usually stay in the sidelines. The closest they’ll come to those sweat-stained gloves is to maybe make a film about it (here’s looking at you, Clint Eastwood). Well, the Art Matters folk are not only getting up and close, they’re stepping right into the rink with In Our Time, a late-night dance, film theatre and music performance being held at a boxing club. Oh, and just to completely bust your art radar with anticipation, there will be visual art, too.

Load up on the energy-boosting substance of your choice and head over to Blue Cat Boxing Club (435 Beaubien St. W.) at midnight.

Admission is free.

theatre Are you looking to be amazed? Maybe you’d like a dose of laughter to cure that stubborn winter cold? Look no further than the selection of free theatre performances available at this year’s Nuit Blanche. First on the docket from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m., Animagie presents a magical nighttime voyage guided by the Knights of the Order of Templars, where you’ll meet fantastical creatures straight out of Quebec folktales.

The show takes place at the Olympic Park and promises to be a larger-than-life experience.

Starting at 8 p.m., you can choose be-

tween an evening of madness with the Ligue d’improvisation montréalaise or an evening with vengeful lovers and the crimes that made them famous at the Musée du Chateau Ramezay. LIM is promising electrified sketches and continuous live performances featuring the best and wildest performers of song, intimate theatre and collective madness. The Musée, on the other hand, wishes for you to step into history with them as they remake three historical murder trials that scandalized Montreal between 1658 and 1702. LIM will be done largely in French and takes place at the Lion d’Or (1676 Ontario St. E.) and the madness lasts until 3 am.

The Musée du Château Ramezay’s trials will go on until 11:30 p.m., with representations every 30 minutes at 280 Notre-Dame St. E. All shows are free.

Comedy If straight up rolling on the floor laughing is what you’re looking for out of your Nuit Blanche experience, then French speakers will be satisfied with this year’s comedy selections.

En français, Rocambolesque is offering theatrical improvisation featuring competitive matches, humourous performances, improv, puppet shows and guaranteed magical moments. The laughs start at 7 p.m. and go until 3 a.m. at the Union Française (429 Viger Ave. E.) Also in French at the Place Deschamps, an evening of comedy and wine has been promised. Check out the laughter at 175 Ste-Catherine St. W. Both shows are free.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

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13

n’s guide to Montréal en lumière Never fear, Montréal en lumière is here!

Annual arts and music festival returns to defrost downtown Elizabeth Mackay Assistant music editor Spring is peeking over the horizon and Montréal en lumière has come to rattle winter’s hermits out of hibernation and remind them of all that the city has to offer.

Time to get out of bed, put your pants back on and quit staring at that stalled stream of Battlestar Galactica. The persecution of Internet pirates is in full swing and access to gratuitous new music may be waning, but Montreal’s got you covered.

Now in its 13th year, Montréal en lumière has become one of the largest winter festivals on the planet, tempting over 900,000 to indulge in cultural fusion.

This year, the festival introduces the RBC Dome, a free outdoor site that transforms the Quartier des spectacles into an urban playground.

The site features light displays, food and wine tastings, an illuminated Ferris wheel, performances by Bran Van 3000, Miracle Fortress, Stefie Shock, and DJs spinning nightly—all complimentary.

Impressed? It doesn’t end there.

As one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, Montreal is difficult to take by surprise.

The festival’s organizers have scoured the Earth to bring the city something new.

“We pick a different country every year and

invite some of its artists to perform at Montréal en lumière,” explained Laurent Saulnier, the festival’s vice-president of planning and production. “This year we invited Belgium.”

Performing at Metropolis is Stromae, whose club hit “Alors on danse” has been remixed by Kanye West and clung to number one on European charts for weeks. The Experimental Tropic Blues Band will crank up the punk rock blues and My Little Cheap Dictaphone will bring alternative rock in the vein of Arcade Fire and Radiohead.

“We are always looking for new things, not for exclusivity, but for premieres,” said Saulnier, explaining how artists are selected. “We ask for special projects, something different.”

Six beloved Québécois artists chose to wait to debut their latest material at homecoming shows throughout the ten days of the festival. Diane Tell, France D’Amour, Marie-Denise Pelletier, Antoine Gratton, Catherine Major and Brigitte Boisjoli will headline and perform songs from their new albums. Cœur de pirate and The Barr Brothers will also step off their cross-country tours to return to the city where they got their start.

“Theophilus London, for me, is one of the best new artists from the U.S.,” said Saulnier. Checking out his show is an absolute must.”

Nuit Blanche, the “all-night” highlight of Montréal en lumière, is so jam-packed with events all over the city that it’s an entirely different festival of its own. Nuit Blanche, originating in Paris in 2002, is a city’s nocturnal celebration of its culture through the allowance of public space for performances, art installations, social gatherings and more.

“All other versions of Nuit blanche all over the world are more focused on contemporary art, but the specialty of the Nuit Blanche in Montreal is it’s a real party here in town,” said Saulnier. “It’s about music, dance, theatre and even sports.”

On Feb. 25, Nuit Blanche will take over the streets of Plateau Mont-Royal, Mile End, Old Montreal, Place des Arts and the Olympic Park. With over 175 events, it is the busiest night of Montréal en lumière, and it gets more frenetic every year.

Conveniently, the metro will be open all night long, a free shuttle bus will circulate between venues, and there will be plenty of Porta-Potties. Plus, there’s a smartphone app to help you digest the slew of times, locations and events.

At Nuit Blanche, events are usually free of charge, so prepare for line-ups.

“The best parties in town will be at Club Soda and Metropolis,” hinted Saulnier. “It’s cool because the venues are very close, so you can walk from one place to another.”

Save the midterm sweat for Karnival, an annual Nuit Blanche party hosted by Poirier and his guest DJs at Club Soda. If you’re hankering for a thrashin’, Fucked Up is playing its Polaris Prizeshortlisted album, David Comes to Life, in full after a surprise guest at Metropolis and Bran Van 3000 will be “Drinking in L.A.” on the RBC Dome stage while DJ Mini will be spinning on the side.

It’s reading week; you aren’t searing on a beach somewhere, you’re praying for your tax return, and your sink is crammed full of dirty People’s Potato tupperware.

Escape...to Montreal!

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012 Film

theconcordian

Dial H for Hitchcock Cinema du Parc serves up the best of the Hitch Radina Papukchieva Contributor

T

here are directors, and then there are auteur directors— those whose creative voices resonate throughout all their work. Among the greatest “auteurs” are Howard Hawks, François Truffaut, Jean Renoir, and of course, Alfred Hitchcock.

Rightly credited as “the king of suspense” by critics and audiences alike, the stories “the Hitch” made were not only intricately webbed, but they were also filled with witty dialogue and the so-called “MacGufffins”—details in the story that revealed a larger theme in the film.

Hitchcock’s specialty was stories of humour and suspense where creepy male characters and gorgeous Venus blondes lose their minds and/or their lives. “Hitchcock always said that he likes to get the mystery out of the way so that he could focus on getting the audience emotionally involved with the characters and action, especially through the workings of suspense,” said Concordia film aesthetics professor Peter Rist. Films like Psycho and The

Birds have been embedded in the popular vernacular and scenes such as Janet Leigh’s piercing scream, or the birds’ vicious attack on Tippi Hedren while she is stuck in a telephone booth have become iconic. Not to mention that characters like Norman Bates and the bloody birds still provide excellent nightmare material.

Until March 1, Cinema du Parc is presenting a retrospective of Hitchcock’s work. Among the roster are most of his celebrated movies, such as Rear Window (1954), North

by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), Dial M for Murder (1954), The Birds (1963) and many of his more underrated works, like Suspicion (1941) and Saboteur (1942), which will be presented in 35mm—a rare treat for film connoisseurs that ought not to be missed.

Suspicion is Hitchcock’s first collaboration with leading man par excellence Cary Grant, and second with actress Joan Fontaine who previously starred in his Rebecca (1940). Fontaine’s role as a young scared wife in Suspi-

cion earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the only actor to win an Oscar for a film directed by Hitchcock. The movie tells the story of Lina McLaidlaw (Fontaine), a shy girl who is swept off her feet when she meets a handsome stranger on a train, Johnny Aysgarth (Grant). Soon, the two get married but there is something shady about Johnny’s past, and when his business partner is mysteriously killed, Lina becomes obsessed with the idea that her husband might be a murderer. She soon learns that women’s intuition is not always a lady’s best friend.

Rear Window, based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich, stars James Stewart as Jeff, a photographer with a broken leg who has been confined to a wheelchair and whose only amusement comes from looking out the window and into the homes of his neighbours. One morning, Jeff notices the wife of one his neighbours has mysteriously disappeared. Aided by his beautiful girlfriend Lisa (the sweet Grace Kelly), he decides to untangle what appears to be a gritty homicide. The entire film takes place in Jeff’s

apartment, and as Rist said, “It is arguably the most brilliant example of point-of-view editing.”

North by Northwest is Hitch’s most stylish spy thriller, and probably somewhat propelled the Bond image—a handsome womanizer (Cary Grant) on the run aided by his wit, and of course by a beautiful woman (Eva Marie Saint). Roger Thornhill (Grant) is mistakenly kidnapped by agents of an abstruse organization whose goal is to bootleg a microfilm containing government secrets. The organization’s boss, Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) believes Thornhill to be a spy named George Kaplan who has to be eliminated because his interference will damage Vandamm’s plans.

The story gets more complicated when a woman (Saint) is thrown in the mix.

Psycho (1960) is among Hitchcock’s creepiest. Starring Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, a young woman who, on the spur of a moment, steals $40,000 from a client of the firm where she works, the movie follows her run, tragically ended at a motel by a creepy young man named Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), who is tyrannized by the ghost of his mother. Bates is one of Hitch’s most memorable characters, and was later used in three sequels starring Perkins, which have since been long forgotten, but the original movie maintains its legacy as one of the best films ever made.

The 498 theatre course runs year-long.

In the first semester, students interviewed a number of business students, asking questions such as: What motivates business students, what motivates theatre students? Are there any similarities? Is there hostility, is there prejudice? What can we do to combat it? Interviews were recorded, transcribed and then edited for relevance. Following this, the theatre students selected the interviews and people who had the most dramatic potential and which fit the overall consensus of the story. These then became scenes, with actors taking on the physical characteristics of the people they’d interviewed, trying to re-create it as accurately as possible while also including a bit of a dramatic flair.

Manavit was clear that they were not caricaturing anybody. “This is a documentary; it comes from real life, from real words,” she said. “We don’t change the words that people use, we honour their language. But we do edit it, we don’t change the context, but we took out some of what was unnecessary.”

The scenes were then arranged in a sequential order, to create a successive narrative.

A verbatim play is a risk in any circumstance, but given the proximity of the actors/ writers to their subject matter, the risk is much higher. The play is intended to open up communication between business and theatre students, but there is a strong possibility that someone will get offended. Nonetheless, Manavit insisted their intentions are good, but they are willing to take responsibility for any fallout the play may incur. “We’re prepared to go forward, whatever happens.

We will all collectively take responsibility for what we’ve done,” she said. Despite potential negative reactions, Manavit and company are eager to have business students in the audience. “We want to change this environment or at least bring an awareness or a reconciliation between these two departments,” she said.

The Alfred Hitchcock retrospective is running at Cinema du Parc until March 1. For the full schedule, go to www.cinemaduparc.com.

theatre

Filling in the blanks ConU theatre students impersonate their business counterparts in original play Amanda L. Shore Assistant arts editor

Close your eyes and picture a business student and a theatre student side by side. What do you see? A guy in a well-pressed suit, briefcase in hand, not a hair out of place?

A girl with dyed scraggly hair, leotards and a laid-back manner? This would be stereotyping, but would it be that far off from the truth? Concordia’s 498 theatre class, under the direction of Annabel Soutar, takes on this question in their original play, Theatre ___ Business: Fill Us In. Two years ago, theatre students were transplanted from Loyola to SGW and placed in the MB building. The resulting interactions between the business students, who call the

MB home, and the immigrant theatre students, was the play’s source of conception.

“Every single day we’re living in this environment that isn’t 100 per cent theatre, it’s 95 per cent something else. So that created this interest in finding out ‘What are we doing here?’ and furthermore, ‘What can we be doing to make this a great environment, that harbours collaboration, friendship, community and a sense that this is a university and that we are all here and we’re all students together?’” explained assistant director Manon Manavit.

Soutar, whose theatre company Projet Porte Parole specializes in documentary theatre, thought the circumstances of having a group of theatre students in a business building would be ideal material for a documentary play. ”She came in and said ‘We want to write a play, let’s write our play about the fact that you guys are here, in this building.’

She came in with that suggestion, but because it related to all of us, that was something that we could all use as a starting point to fulfill our own individual questions,” said Manavit.

Theatre ___ Business: Fill Us In runs from Feb. 16 to Feb. 19 at the F. C. Smith Auditorium, and Feb. 28 and 29 at the D. B. Clarke Theatre. Tickets are $5 for students.

For more information, visit theatre.concordia.ca.

music

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

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Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com profile

Keeping the beat locked down There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to this Loyola security guard

“

DJ GorDon “Gee” Weekes brinGs Caribbean flair to CJlo’s airWaves. Photo by navneet Pall

I Jitika Shah Contributor

t’s not every day that toe-tapping soca beats come emanating from Loyola’s The Hive, but that’s exactly what students who caught DJ Gordon “Gee” Weekes at the Loyola Luncheon heard on Jan. 25.

What’s even more surprising is finding out that the DJ in question not only co-hosts a Caribbean music show on Saturdays at CJLO, but is also a coordinator of the security team for the Loyola campus.

At six feet tall with a quiet dignity and an easy smile, Gordon Weekes has a unique perspective on life at Concordia as he switches between his DJing gigs and campus security job with ease. He expresses himself with his hands and there is a glint of gold on his finger which he confides is a good luck charm—a ring that boasts a horseshoe with a tiny, carved horse head.

“Soca Man” by Baron (soca), “Cuban Pete” by Tito Puente (latin) and “Min Medikaman-an” by T-Vice (kompa) are just a few examples of the songs Weekes plays, but he prefers calypso because to him the words are imbued with comedy and double entendres even when the lyrics sometimes

deal with heavier issues. Calypso is more of a “thinking man’s” music whereas with soca you can get away with the same words or a sentence being repeated along with the drum beats and not necessarily have the song transmit a message.

Weekes wasn’t always found around the Loyola campus. After spending 23 years in the military, he found himself out of a job.

Luckily, back in 1925, a company called The Commissionaires was set up to help ex-soldiers find jobs and, coincidentally, Concordia hires security personnel from this company.

Over the past eight years, Weekes and his team of about five other guards canvas the Loyola campus, while another team of 13 work at the downtown campus.

“I would love people to realize that the image of a big, fat guy sitting behind a desk doing nothing is not what it is nowadays,” Weekes admits, confronted by the idea of a stereotypical security guard.

The security personnel, some of whom are pursuing advanced degrees or using the job as a stepping stone to join the police force or the armed forces, are highly trained in CPR and other necessary procedures to ensure the safety of all students and staff.

“We need to learn about fire control, we have to take courses in hazmat [hazardous materials],” he explained. “There are lot of

“I would love people to realize that the image of a big, fat guy sitting behind a desk doing nothing is not what it is nowadays. “ - Gordon “Gee” Weekes

chemicals in the labs here at Loyola, so if there is a chemical spill we need to know how to contain that spill.”

While theft is one of the most common issues he faces day-to-day, he points out that “Loyola has a much calmer vibe and is more quiet compared to the downtown campus.

The radio here is connected to downtown and those guys work very hard downtown, there’s something going on there every day,” he continued.

“The younger guys don’t like to work here because it’s too quiet,” he jokes. “They want to be transferred downtown where all the action is.”

When he’s not keeping up on the latest

in soca for his weekly gig at CJLO, the volunteer DJ likes listening to jazz and blues and maintains a keen interest on student life. He once considered studying exercise science, and this year he is planning on taking French language courses.

With his job as a security guard and his particular interest in Caribbean music, Weekes has carved himself a unique niche here at Loyola.

Listen to Caribbean Callaloo with Gordon “Gee” Weekes and his co-hosts Raphael McKenzie and Pete Douglas every Saturday from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. on CJLO 1690 AM.

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

theconcordian

Most romantic love songs Andrew Guilbert Staff writer

Want to woo your partner this Valentine’s Day? One of these songs should do the trick.

>>> We Will alWays love you

Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton on Feb. 11. The 48-year-old multi-award winning singer, songwriter and actress, whose vocals left an unforgettable impression on the industry, had a history of personal struggles, including addiction.

Her influence on the music world was echoed throughout social media within moments of her publicist releasing the news to the Associated Press. The 54th Grammy Awards, which took place on Feb. 12, featured Jennifer Hudson singing “I Will Always Love You,” which Houston famously sang in the film The Bodyguard.

The cause of Houston’s death is still unknown, but police do not suspect criminal intent.

George Menexis Assistant opinions editor

7. “your sonG” – elton John This is the perfect song to dedicate to someone as the big day approaches. Elton John captures the essence of what love is.

He originally wrote this song and dedicated it to his father, due to the fact that they had problems because of Elton’s homosexuality. Since then, it’s become one of the most romantic songs out there.

Best lyric: “I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words / how wonderful life is while you’re in the world.”

>>> ThaT’s Ms. Blue ivy CarTer To you

In a time-honoured tradition beloved by new parents everywhere, Jay-Z and Beyoncé are now going through the motions to have their newborn’s name trademarked. According to Rolling Stone magazine, the couple plan on using Blue Ivy Carter’s name as a brand for a line of baby accoutrements, including everything from diaper bags to baby cosmetics. Before you go thinking this move by the power couple is ridiculous, two people had already tried to trademark some variation on the child’s name within days of the birth. The claims were both denied when the Trademark Office recognized the name as belonging to the newborn. The trademark is currently pending, but will most likely be authorized, as U.S. parents are allowed to trademark the names of their children.

>>> NoT-so-deliCious Cake

Ex-Cake drummer Peter McNeal, who played with the band from 2001 to 2004, is currently facing child molestation charges. In a preliminary hearing last Friday, a Los Angeles court charged McNeal with a single felony count for oral copulation/sexual penetration of a child under the age of 10. Mike Doughty, a singer-songwriter and former bandmate, was shocked at the allegation, and asked that people refrain form judgment before hearing all the facts. “Someone accused of child molestation usually gets labelled as a monster permanently, regardless of what a jury decides,” Doughty said. “I beg everybody to remember that, even if he’s innocent, and acquitted, this could ruin so much of his life.”

This is not the first time McNeal has run into trouble with the law; he was charged with the attempted molestation of a young girl back in 2009, though the status of that case seems to be “unclear” according to a Fox News report.

>>> Feel Good iNC. Was sNeakers, appareNTly

aBouT

Gorillaz has teamed up with Outkast’s Andre 3000 and LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy on a new track to be released as a free download on Converse’s website next Thursday.

The track is part of Converse’s “Three Artists, One Song” series, which boasts previous contributors such as Kid Cudi, Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij and The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas. The song is also part of a larger partnership between the cartoon band and the footwear company, with Converse releasing four Gorillaz-themed pairs of sneakers designed by the band’s visual artist Jamie Hewlett.

what do come Valentine’s Day. Best lyric: “My hands are tied / my body bruised, she’s got me with / nothing to win and / nothing else to lose.”

6. “DroPs

10. “l.o.v.e” – nat kinG Cole Let’s start the list with Nat King Cole, legend among legends. Mr. Cole really made his mark on music as a leading jazz pianist. In this song, he cleverly assigns a lyric to each letter of the word “love.” It’s been at the top of love song charts since its release.

Best lyric: “Two in love can make it / take my heart and please don’t break it / Love was made for me and you.”

9. “home” – eDWarD sharPe & the maGnetiC Zeros This one may be a little unknown, but I promise an earful of joy and an instantaneous love life if you sing this to someone on Valentine’s Day. With a bit of western flare, the chorus makes the song No. 9 on the most romantic list.

Best lyric: “Home is whenever I’m with you.”

8. “With

or

Without you” – u2

U2 is one of my favourite bands, but their best song—one that has travelled the world, with couples in love arrogantly calling it “our song”—has to be “With or Without You.” The song recounts how a man who is deeply in love has to be with you— if not, life is impossible. Guys, you know

of

JuPiter” – train

Train has made a name for themselves as great romantic songwriters, making single girls cry all over the world, day after day. What many describe as a tender tour of the cosmos, lead singer Patrick Monahan actually wrote the song when he lost his mother, and wished, as he was mourning, that she could just “come back to the atmosphere, with drops of Jupiter in her hair.”

That line also wins best lyric.

sible it is to live without the one you love; how there’s something about her or him that’s impossible to get off your mind.

Frank Sinatra said it best when he called it “the greatest love song ever written.”

Best lyric: “Something in the way she knows / and all I have to do is think of her.

Something in the things she shows me / I don’t want to leave her now.”

2. “i’ll be” – eDWin mCCain These are words that every man wants to say to a girl one day. Yet, to describe what you can do for the girl of your dreams is something most men are nervous about.

Never fear, Mr. McCain has done it for us.

It’s a masterpiece of a song, and to this day, one of the greatest love songs of our time.

Best lyric: “I’ll be your crying shoulder / I’ll be love’s suicide / I’ll be better when I’m older / I’ll be the greatest fan of your life.”

5. “truly maDly DeePly” – savaGe GarDen Romance, no matter the situation, comes hand in hand with corniness—disgusting, ugly, makes-me-want-to-puke corniness.

Savage Garden captured all the corniness in the world the day they wrote “Truly Madly Deeply.” For this reason, this one definitely gets a spot on the list.

Best lyric: “I want to lay like this forever / until the sky falls down on me.”

4. “time after time” – CynDi lauPer This is where things start getting serious. This classic song took romance by storm with its sweet lyrics, and has since been taken up by other groups including Matchbox Twenty. The amazing yet simple lyric “time after time” tells you all a loved one will do for you, again and again, time after time.

Best lyric: “If you fall I will catch you--I’ll be waiting / time after time.”

1. “maybe i’m amaZeD” – Paul mCCartney Paul McCartney captures the true essence of what love is all about. It’s surprising, and at times, it can be scary. Scary to feel such a feeling for someone. Scared of getting hurt. But in the end, knowing that, no matter what, it’s all worth it. I dedicate this No. 1 to my girlfriend, and wishing all the couples out there a Happy Valentine’s Day, and a Happy I Hate Valentine’s Day to all you haters!

Best lyric: “Maybe I’m afraid of the way I love you.”

3. “somethinG” – the beatles

There are so many songs to choose from when it comes to one of the most amazing bands to ever walk the Earth. “Something,” however, perfectly depicts how impos-

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

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the belGian trio booGie snake, Dirty Coq anD Devil D’inferno are brinGinG their hiGh-enerGy live set to montreal later this month.

Belgian band serves up its ‘best burger’ yet Third LP Liquid Love is like a shot of audio adrenaline Allie Mason Music editor

Belgium is often associated with praline chocolates, waffles, beer and the unassuming cartoon hero recently rejuvenated in 3D, Tintin, closely followed by the Smurfs. Crazy experimental jazz musicians don’t usually come anywhere near the top of the “Best of Belgium” list.

But that’s all about to change when The Experimental Tropic Blues Band, born in Liège about a decade ago, bring their “best burger” attitude to L’Astral during Montréal en Lumière on Feb. 18.

“We just want people to have fun, express themselves, party with us,” explained guitarist and lead vocalist J.J. Thomsin, who goes by the stage name “Boogie Snake.”

Their most recent album, Liquid Love, is somewhere between a dance party, a mosh pit and a jam session and, while it’s sometimes physically confusing—you won’t know whether to dance, jump or just shake erratically— its high energy, hard rocking, experimental sounds will eradicate those doubts and fears as quickly as they came.

The album, which was largely influenced by the band’s time in the United States during 2010-2011, packs punch after punch of loud, homage-paying bluesy goodness into a mere 34 and a half minutes. Songs like “T.E.T.B.B. Eat Sushi,” written about the first time they ate sushi in New York City, and “The Best Burger” aren’t just about the differences in cuisine the band members experienced during their travels, they’re also about an attitude.

“We wrote [“The Best Burger”] after SXSW [Festival] in Austin, Texas,” said Thomsin, laughing. “It was funny. Everywhere we went people had this energy like, ‘we have the best bugers!’ They’ve got the mojo!”

Jon Spencer, who lives in New York City where he produced and mixed the band’s latest LP at NY Hed studio, helped to incorporate that attitude into Liquid Love, adding “cool instruments and ideas,” like the double bass featured on the album.

“It was the best experience we’ve had in a recording studio,” Thomsin added.

But our neighbours to the south aren’t the only ones with mojo. The gusto of Thomsin and his bandmates, Jeremy Alonzi (Dirty Coq, guitar/vocals) and David Dinverno (Devil D’Inferno, drums), comes through in their music and their nicknames.

“When we were kids—when we were 20— we came up with these stage names when we would play because our real names were not very fun, they were too serious,” said Thomsin. “Plus, in blues everyone has a nickname.”

Despite their leaning toward the “experimental” part of their name, T.E.T.B.B. carry the traditions of classic blues throughout their album. With sharp guitar licks, gruff vocals and hilarious anecdotal voice-overs about boners and partying, there’s more mojo in this album than you ever thought was possible.

And it’s that same mojo that’s fuelling their touring fire. They’re spending the majority of this year headlining dates all over Europe, Canada and parts of the U.S. Between jet-setting across the globe, the trio are writing new music for an upcoming self-produced EP along with creating acoustic sets too.

“People want acoustic songs for showcases, but our songs aren’t really made to be acoustic, so we really have to reinvent them,” Thomsin said, adding that touring is when they have the most fun.

“We just want to have fun and maybe the people who were there last year will come back and we’ll make more friends,” Thomsin said.

“We want to meet new people, new bands and make new fans so we can come back. We just want to have fun, that’s all.”

The Experimental Tropic Blues Band play during Montréal en Lumière at L’Astral (305 Ste-Catherine St. W.) on Feb. 18.

Liquid Love track listing 1. The BesT Burger 2. Keep This Love 3. Worm WoLf 4. TeTBB eaT sushi 5. Can’T Change 6. noThing To prove parT 1 7. noThing To prove parT 2 8. Do iT To me 9. BreaK up 10. sex games 11. hoLy pieCe of WooD 12. fansTasy WorLD

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theconcordian

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

mixtape

v

alentine’s

Day. the holiDay nameD for saint valentine, the Patron saint of over-

PriCeD linGerie.

it is a Day CouPles revel in. a ChanCe to atone for 364 Days of sexless biCkerinG. fellas, time to PurChase a $17.99 box of mass-ProDuCeD ChoColates at the PharmaCy, anD WhiChever three-PaCk of ConDoms offers the best Comfort-to-PriCe ratio. laDies, aPPreCiate the b-effort your laD is GivinG anD Wear that sexy nurse outfit your frienD bouGht you as a Joke four years aGo anD enJoy siDe a. sinGle PeoPle, i knoW this Day hasn’t been too kinD to you ever sinCe that boy/Girl you likeD in thirD GraDe DiDn’t Put a CarD in that WonDrously DeCorateD PaPer baG on your Desk, but Don’t let that Get you DoWn! think of all the DisCount ChoColate you Can eat tomorroW! until then, enJoy listeninG to siDe b While eatinG a miCroWavable burrito alone in the bathtub.

Valentine’s Day Compiled by Julian Mei Sports editor

siDe a: tieD DoWn

siDe b: riDin’ solo

1. “Sunshine” - Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor 2. “Girlfriend” - Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix 3. “S&M” - Rihanna - Loud 4. “Lovelier Than You” - B.o.B - B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray 5. “Right Thru Me” - Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday 6. “Feel Good Inc.” - Gorillaz - Demon Days 7. “Stadium Love” - Metric - Fantasies 8. “Angel” - Shaggy - Hot Shot 9. “Downtime” - The Gandharvas - Sold for a Smile 10. “Sexual Healing” - Marvin Gaye - Midnight Love

11. “Us Remains Impossible” - Matthew Good - Vancouver 12. “Black” - Pearl Jam - Ten 13. “Amsterdam” - Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head 14. “Heartless” - Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak 15. “Like Spinning Plates” - Radiohead Amnesiac 16. “The Passenger” - Iggy Pop - Lust for Life 17. “Wonderwall” - Oasis - (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

18. “Mr. Brightside” - The Killers - Hot Fuss 19. “Friend of the Night” - Mogwai - Mr. Beast 20. “Under the Bridge” - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Quick spins

Retro review

Fránçois & The Atlas Mountains - E Volo Love (Domino; 2012)

Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy (Barsuk Records; 2012)

Putumayo Presents - Brazilian Beat (Putumayo World Music; 2012)

Queen - A Night at the Opera (EMI Brigadiers; 1975)

The charming complexity of this album is a reflection of the complexity of the circumstances that brought together Fránçois & The Atlas Mountains. Having sworn off music in 2008, Fránçois was planning a life behind his canvases and brushes instead of behind his guitar, but after an intervention by friends, he re-emerged with a new zest for his craft. And thank goodness he did.

E Volo Love is a bilingual love story, speckled with melodic guitar, sweet and soft lyrics, delayed vocals and African influences in rhythm and instrumentation. “Muddy Heart” perfectly synthesizes this evolution, mixing catchy pop melodies with romantic—albeit borderline desperate— lyrics. Its rhythm creeps into your bones, leaving you with an overwhelming sense of relaxation spiked with utopia. Their sound is distinctly French pop, with Fránçois’ airy vocals perfectly complementing every note and beat. Think the French version of the Sea and Cake, but with a few more obscure musical instruments.

Nada Surf named their seventh offering after a favourite saying of guitarist/vocalist Matthew Caws’ father, a philosophy professor. It refers to the fact that though humans name and study stars, nothing we do truly affects them. But the main theme that emerges on this album is more about maturity than philosophy.

The opening track “Clear Eye Clouded Mind” boasts lyrics such as, “All I feel is transition / when do we get home,” and with the next two tracks named “Waiting For Something” and “When I Was Young,” Caws spends a lot of time reminiscing, almost to the point of melancholy. On “Teenage Dreams,” he reassures the listener, and maybe even himself, that “It’s never too late for teenage dreams / It’s never too late.” The songs, however, are mostly upbeat, which prevents Stars from sounding like a 38-minute pity party. All in all, it’s a solid offering by the New Yorkbased band.

Brazilian Beat might inspire a caipirinha cocktail or two, but listeners won’t feel compelled to squeeze their hibernating thighs into Speedos anytime soon. Putumayo World Music released the album in an attempt to expand their brand and introduce modern world music to the web-obsessed, multimedia-absorbing masses. The label has been releasing global music compilations since 1975, but waited until 2011 to issue a digital album. Brazilian Beat, Putumayo’s third digital release, features songs that hold true to the traditional style of bossa nova—the jazz-infused samba dance roots of Rio de Janeiro’s artistic beach and nightclub culture of the 1950s.

The album’s only “modern” twist is a little electronic mixing, synthesizer and some catchy songs that could pass for pop. It’s redundant and hardly innovative, most of the songs featured were released individually by the artists over five years ago. You might find yourself swaying along to it after a few too many.

Taking its name from a Marx Brothers’ film from the ‘30s, the album’s stereophonic imagery is lush and rich. A Night at the Opera is just over 43 minutes of groundbreaking operatic rock. One of the things that makes the album so remarkable is the clever use of layering with vocals and guitars. Tracks are diverse in narration, with one song acting as a hate letter, another a love letter and rock anthems split in between. This classic rock album rewards listeners with a symphony of instruments, ranging from piano to over-driven guitars—even a harp appears on the song “Love of My Life”—but really, it’s the remarkable voice of Freddie Mercury that speaks to listeners, with an almost Broadway-style theatricality.

The album, produced by the platinum and gold album slinger Roy Thomas Baker (The Cars, Journey, Motley Crüe), boasts one of the most iconic rock songs of all-time, “Bohemian Rhapsody” (à la Wayne’s World). Find a copy, slip your headphones on, and enjoy the musical adventure that Queen has given to rock fans to enjoy.

Trial track: “Edge of Town”

Trial track: “Clear Eye Clouded Mind”

Trial track: “Feriado Pessoal” - Bruna Caram

Trial track: “Bohemian Rhapsody”

7.0/10

5.0/10

8.9/10

- Allie Mason

- Kamila Hinkson

- Elizabeth Mackay

- A.J. Cordeiro

sports

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

19

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com basketball

See ya later Gaiters Stingers blow out Bishop’s 71-40 Julian Mei Sports editor

R

iddled by injuries in the past weeks, the Stingers went from a team drawing attention nationally to a team hovering near .500, battling for a home playoff game.

With the third place Bishop’s Gaiters visiting on Friday night, Concordia came out playing quality basketball and turned in its largest margin of victory this season, with a 71-40 win.

The Stingers built up a 13-point lead in the first half, but Concordia watched a halftime lead of the exact same margin dissipate last week in a loss to Laval.

Coach Keith Pruden was determined to keep his team from befalling the same fate against Bishop’s.

“I told the team [at half] it’s the same [lead] we had against Laval last week and that we had to maintain the intensity level we had in the first half and we just had to execute a little bit better and we did both those things,” he said. “I’m very happy with [the team’s] effort.”

Concordia held Bishop’s to just 15 points in the final half, including a fourth quarter in which the Stingers outscored their opponents 21-6, sealing the game with an exclamation mark.

Guard Kaylah Barrett, who has been battling thumb and lower-back injuries and struggling mightily lately, broke out of her slump, scoring 19 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.

“I’m busted up everywhere but I just try and play through it,” said Barrett, who has not been participating in full-speed drills in practice.

Concordia dominated Bishop’s statistically, outrebounding the Gaiters 53-34 and forcing 26 turnovers, while only turning the ball over 15 times themselves.

“We played with a lot of heart compared with the other games [during the losing streak],” said Concordia guard Magalie Beaulieu, who was second in scoring for the Stingers with 11 points. “Other nights we let teams back in the game, but tonight we played better defence and offence and with much more heart,” she said.

With the win, Concordia remains in sole possession of second place with a record of 7-5, which would give them at least one home playoff game in the first round of RSEQ playoffs, but will be jockeying with Bishop’s (5-7) for the coveted twoseed the rest of the season.

The Stingers will also continue to be without Natasha Raposo, one of the team’s best perimeter shooters, who is out with an injury. The team will be forced to move forward though, as they hope to build momentum going into the playoffs.

Concordia’s next game is a rematch with Bishop’s this Friday night, on the road at 6 p.m.

ConCordia thrashed Bishop’s at home. photo By navneet pall

basketball

Cellar dwellers topple division leading Stingers Last-place Gaiters upset first-place Stingers, 78-75

jump shot in the last minute of the third.

It was all Bishop’s in the beginning of the fourth quarter, as the Gaiters built a 13point lead with just over two and a half minutes to play. To give the Stingers credit, they refused to fold.

Kyle Desmarais, who led the Stingers with 18 points, made back-to-back threepoint shots on consecutive possession to pull Concordia within eight points.

Trailing 75-68 in the final minute of play, the Stingers went on a 7-2 run and had a chance to tie the game after Sean Monplaisir missed a free-throw that would have virtually clinched the victory for Bishop’s.

This allowed the Stingers to run one final play to tie the game. Concordia got the ball to Decee Krah, who struggled on the night, scoring eight points on just two-of-12 shooting. Krah, however, missed a difficult 25foot three-pointer, giving Bishop’s the upset victory.

Afterwards, Coach Dore stressed the importance of not overlooking weaker teams like Bishop’s. “You have to respect your opponents and come out ready to play every night,” he said.

Despite the loss, Concordia still remains in first place in the RSEQ, two wins ahead of McGill, but the Redmen only have three games remaining, while the Stingers have four.

Julian Mei Sports editor

P

laying the Bishop’s Gaiters, the RSEQ’s last-place team who only had one win coming in to Friday, it seemed the Stingers would be able to record their 11th win of the season. Instead, Concordia was upstaged on its home court by a hungry Bishop’s team looking to slay the Goliath of the Quebec conference.

While it is undeniable that Concordia is a more talented team than Bishop’s, the games are not won and lost on paper.

“They outworked us and they outplayed us,” said coach John Dore. “We weren’t prepared and they deserved to win. We played better in the first half, but just weren’t focused in the second half.”

The Stingers trailed by a point after the first quarter, but came out strong to start the second, going on a 12-3 run at the beginning of the quarter, taking a 37-26 lead midway through the second, and went into the break with an eight-point lead.

Whatever momentum Concordia had built up, though, was gone coming out after halftime.

Bishop’s outscored the Stingers 23-13 in the quarter and took a slim, two-point lead in the final quarter when Mukiya Post hit a

Jerome Blake is guarded By sean monplaisir in the stingers’ loss. photo By navneet pall

The Stingers will have a chance to avenge the loss as they face Bishop’s again this Friday night at 8 p.m., on the road in Lennoxville.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

hockey

Stingers left to reflect on what could have been Concordia fails to clinch playoff spot on final day of season Julian Mei Sports editor

A

n exciting season came to its heartbreaking conclusion on Saturday afternoon for the Stingers men’s hockey team, who will be watching the CIS

post-season.

Facing the Carleton Ravens, and needing a single point coupled with a Queen’s loss, the Stingers were blanked 7-0 by a Ravens team that had already locked up a playoff spot in the OUA East.

Though Queen’s lost on Saturday against Nipissing, they still held the tiebreaker over Concordia, which was goal differential in the two teams’ head-tohead match-ups. Concordia defeated Queen’s 6-1 earlier in the year, but a 9-2 loss was what inevitably gave Queen’s the final playoff berth.

Missing out in such a close fashion makes it easy to nitpick every goal or loss, but a few games stand out more than others for Stingers Coach Kevin Figsby.

“There’s probably three games this season I’d like to have back,” said Figsby, identifying a particularly frustrating December loss to Ottawa where the Stingers had their seemingly tying goal disallowed.

“There were a few games this year where I thought the players didn’t compete as hard as they needed to and I told them going into those games that those are the types of games that bite you in the ass.

And we got bit in the ass, and that’s the sign of a young team.”

Unlike the veteran teams it faced down the stretch, Concordia was stocked with first- and second-year players, many of whom felt the weight of the playoff

Captain eriC Bégin played his last game in a stingers uniform as ConCordia was eliminated from the playoffs. photo By navneet pall

pressure.

“When you come into this league as a 20-year-old, you’re facing guys [who have been in the league for five years], that have been where you are, so there is a learning curve there,” said Figsby.

He is also trying to not get frustrated by the fact that Concordia would have qualified, quite easily, for the playoffs if they were in the OUA West. He does think, though, that it is time for the OUA to look at making some changes to the present system that was created when the landscape of OUA hockey was much different.

“The part that’s frustrating is to see how balanced the league has become, and

see no changes to allow for the balance,” said Figsby. “The structure was created [to allow for weaker teams to compete], but we’re well past that.”

The end of a season for any team, especially at the collegiate level, often means saying goodbye to some familiar faces. For Figsby, missing the playoffs is as much disappointing from a personal level as a competitive level.

“The disappointing part is that we’re not going to be together everyday,” he said. “It’s the most disappointing because you come in and there’s a group of guys that are committed to each other and when the season ends you know some guys aren’t coming back and you’re not

going to see them.”

If Concordia can keep the core of its team together, it will be a dangerous squad next year, especially if it can improve defensively and the three rookie goalies develop after playing a full season.

Figsby did mention, though, that a few players are in talks with professional clubs, primarily in Europe, but would not release the players’ names at this stage of negotiations.

It will undoubtedly be a long offseason for Concordia, but if Figsby can land some of the recruits he has his eyes on, and the team keeps its core together, McGill may not be the only team in this city with championship expectations.

hockey

Stingers drop eleventh consecutive game Concordia blanked by Carleton at home Alex Giubelli Assistant sports editor

Crossing a black cat? Walking under a ladder? Breaking a mirror? Who knows what the Stingers women’s hockey team did, but the bad luck continued for the team, which lost its eleventh straight game last Sunday.

With the 3-0 shutout to Carleton, Concordia remains last in the RSEQ and the team is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

“That was just a disappointing effort,” said Coach Les Lawton. “I thought we went through the motions a little bit, it was very disappointing considering the goaltending that we usually get. The goals they scored, I thought, were goals that could have been stopped and we didn’t capitalize on our chances. I’m not pleased with

Standings W

L

OTL

PTS

McGill

17

1

1

35

Montreal

12

5

2

26

Carleton

8

7

3

19

Ottawa

6

12

0

12

Concordia

3

14

1

7

*Top four teams qualify for the playoffs

the way we played.”

The first period started with a lot of back-and-forth play with each team trading chances.

Concordia found some energy at the ten-minute mark, applying pressure on Ravens goaltender Victoria Powers. The Stingers created second

and third chances around the net, but were unable to get a shot past her. Despite good chances from both teams, both goaltenders stopped the shots directed at them, keeping it 0-0.

Carleton opened the scoring early in the second, only four minutes in as Ravens forward Kristen MacDonald made it 1-0.

Concordia forward Emilie Bocchia had a good chance to even up the score as she was alone to face Powers, but Carleton’s goaltender made the save. Inspired by the save their netminder made, the Ravens scored another goal a minute later, as defence Kelsey Vander Veen made it 2-0.

Carleton’s forward Sadie Wegner was the one who made it 3-0 with five minutes to go in the second period after Concordia missed a great chance to pull within a goal.

“It was a two-nothing game and we had a beautiful three-on-one play that we moved the puck properly and we hit the goal post and a few moments later they put it in the back of our net, that was the turning point,” said Lawton.

The Ravens were on a mission in the third as they blocked shots and cleared the rebounds from the crease, protecting their goaltender’s shutout.

Carleton’s defenceman Kelsey Vander Veen was called to the box for hooking, giving a chance for Concor-

dia to come back in the game. Even though the team had some good chances, they couldn’t capitalize on them as Powers made sure the back of her net remained untouched.

“I was really happy with the way our team competed today,” said Ravens head coach Shelley Coolidge.

“We did a really good job on our forecheck, creating chances early on in the first and that seemed to get the ball rolling for us. Our goaltender played well, our defence did a good job eliminating second chances, I really was happy [with] the way we played in all zones.”

Concordia’s team can’t say the same about its play and will soon be watching the playoffs rather than participating in them.

Concordia’s final home game is at 7:30 p.m. this Friday against the Ottawa Gee Gees, before playing its final game of the season Sunday at 2 p.m. against McGill at McConnell Arena.

opinions

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

21

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com editorial

Are cameras really that scary?

The BoG has turned filming into a much bigger issue than it needs to be

S

hould cameras be allowed inside the boardroom of Concordia’s highest decision-making body?

It depends who you ask among the representatives on the Board of Governors, but the vast majority will undoubtedly give you a very curt “no,” while the student governors will reply that it’s a nobrainer. And it’s the students who are right.

The Concordian already reported in January that the BoG voted down a motion put forward by graduate student Erik Chevrier that would have mandated the board to offer live broadcasts of its deliberations. This past Friday, the closed session (apparently)

became quite heated as governors then decided whether or not individuals should be allowed to use their own cameras to film the BoG’s open session. Emotions ran so high that three student governors, undergrads AJ West and Cameron Monagle and graduate student Erik Chevrier, left the meeting rather than be forced to vote on an (allegedly) camera-related motion. With the absence of those three governors, quorum was not met, effectively cancelling the BoG meeting before it even went into open session.

Whether West, Monagle and Chevrier made the right decision by leaving and bringing a halt to the last board meeting before April is a topic certainly worth debating, but their departure sends a clear message that Concordia’s student governors are passionate about bringing more transparency to the BoG, and will turn to some rather extreme actions to bring about change.

Of course, that change has yet to really

happen. The camera discussion will undoubtedly be on the agenda for the April 19 meeting, and will most likely be put to bed should more governors decide to show up.

But why all this hostility to cameras? Opponents, such as Concordia President Frederick Lowy, will tell you it’s because many governors fear that they will “not be able to speak freely,” and are concerned their words will be “taken out of context.”

Yet their words are already being transmitted to the general public through several channels. For instances, board meetings are broadcast on a large screen in an overflow room (where the audio and visual quality is often lacking), so governors are already spending some time in front of the camera.

And second, members of the press are permitted entrance to the boardroom, where they have reported on the board’s deliberations for years, which includes quoting individual governors.

Given all of this, it’s difficult to imagine why governors are so adamant that their words and faces be kept hidden from the very people they are supposed to represent.

Perhaps their decision is not so much based on the fact that they would be spending some time on the small screen, but rather that this initiative has come from the student governors, a group of representatives that has often faced quite a bit of hostility from other board members, especially Chair Peter Kruyt.

In the end, opponents, such as Dr. Lowy, will tell you that no other university in Canada offers live broadcasts of its board meetings. But isn’t Concordia the university with the mission statement that declares it as one of the most “innovative” post-secondary institutions in the country? Doesn’t innovative mean doing things differently? Perhaps governors need to read that statement a bit more closely before their next meeting.

ply because this issue is tricky, and most people don’t know how to handle such situations when a victim seeks help or assistance (hence why few people report those crimes). A few organizations in France (such as S.O.S. Femmes) try to raise the issue in public spheres like high schools and universities, but the results are not really encouraging.

These services are essential, vital even, to help victims recover from the traumatic experience of an assault. Talking about rape is essential for a survivor. Universities should take this issue seriously and take a firm position against sexual assault. It’s the only way to help people report and heal, and to prevent such crimes.

The article goes on to claim that our policies “[repeat] victim-blaming rhetoric and [appear] to discourage students from reporting/filing formal complaints.” In reviewing the policy, I see nothing to substantiate this claim. In fact, the Code allows for various options and preserves one’s choice as to how he/she proceeds following an incident.

Of particular concern is the quote from the programming and campaigns coordinator of the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy, Bianca Mugyenyi, regarding sexual assault on campus: “It’s under-reported here which means that people aren’t getting the help that they need.”

The university has a number of services which are administered and provided by professionals with the victim’s best interests being paramount.

Education and prevention are emphasized and resources are there to assist students in the unfortunate case of sexual assault or any other threatening or violent incident. Health services, counselling and development and campus security are there to assist and support.

This support however is not offered in isolation, but often in concert with resources external to the university. Montreal has several resources within the community for victims of sexual assault (both during and after business hours). These resources and services remain available to Concordia students and we should be cautious to not duplicate services that already exist based on incomplete information and without an appropriate needs assessment.

As for the notion that sexual assault is under-reported at Concordia, our doctors, nurses and counsellors are governed by rules established by their professional orders, and confidentiality is a primary rule. Although the health professionals will encourage the victim to file a police report, they will not forward information related to the case to police.

That being said, the university is always respectful of students’ concerns and is open to discussing possible initiatives. A working group was convened last year. It included two members from the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy, and representatives from security, health services, counselling and development and the Offices of dean of

students and of rights and responsibilities.

Two meetings have been held to date to discuss what resources are available to Concordia students on campus and the university looks forward to a continued and constructive exchange.

letters

RE: ‘Canadian Federation of Students demanding $1.8 million,’ volume 29, issue 20 I read with disbelief the article about the CFS in the last issue of The Concordian. The CFS is now demanding an additional $800,000 from Concordia students?

This blatant extortion needs to stop! How have we accumulated an extra $800,000 if we already passed a referendum to defederate from the CFS? Is the CFS arguing that while we are in a legal battle with them and obviously not enjoying the alleged “services” they offer, the meter has still been running?

I don’t understand how a national group that is supposed to protect and serve students can argue that stealing $1.8 million of students’ money is in line with those goals. What I think is extremely important is that the students who we elect to run our faculty associations and our union show a strong stance against the CFS. It would be a disaster if our student body unknowingly elected representatives who have ties to the CFS. Such representatives could work to affiliate our school with the CFS once again, an act that would cost us a substantial amount of money and autonomy. Get informed over who you vote for, and demand that your representatives keep up the good fight.

Camilo Diaz Independent student

RE: ‘Concordia sexual assault centre project stalling,’ volume 29, issue 20 The sexual assault centre issue strikes a chord. I’m not a Concordia student, or even a Canadian one, but we have more or less the same issue here in France. Our universities offer medical support and sometimes mental health help (mainly for people dealing with depression), but no mention of sexual assault anywhere. I guess one of the reasons why our universities don’t welcome such centres is sim-

Vanessa Deroo British and U.S. literature and civilization Université Paris 7, Paris Diderot

There are a number of points made in Alyssa Tremblay’s article which are either incorrect or the result of conjecture which need to be corrected. The resulting editorial, “Sexual assault centre at ConU was needed yesterday,” picks up on many of these points asking: “Is there not already enough glaring proof to demonstrate the necessity of having this service available to all Concordia students?,” yet provides no proof to substantiate its claim.

The university has and will continue to offer several services that support student victims of sexual assault.

Ms. Tremblay’s article says the university’s policies regarding sexual assault are inadequate and that this issue is being “neglected”. The university’s Code of rights and responsibilities is quite clear when it comes to what is deemed unacceptable behaviour and what the consequences of such behaviour will be. The Office of rights and responsibilities has a specific mandate that offers choices to complainants for internal redress. The Office should not be confused or compared to a crisis centre in terms of the types of services offered or numbers reporting. Complainants have a variety of options and recourse, though the Office is only one such option.

Roger Côté Vice-president, services Concordia University

RE: ‘First gay fraternity in Canada a model to follow,’ volume 29, issue 20 I am not opposed to the idea of a homosexual fraternity, but I believe one to be unnecessary. Homosexuals are constantly fighting to have equal rights and to be treated equally. I agree they should; however, if they persist in their differentiation from the general populace, why expect themselves to be regarded as the general populace? The idea should not be to create separate, exclusive establishments for themselves, but to include themselves into existing ones because if they want homosexuality to be accepted as “normal” behaviour, then they must be the first to treat it as such. I, for one, think there is nothing abnormal about it and that “homosexual” is as fundamental as “blonde” or “brunette.” Additionally, homosexuals must refer to themselves as just that: homosexuals. This is the proper term, regardless of how crude it may seem. Terms like “gays” or “queers” are not helping their position. Women did not gain power by calling themselves derogatory terms such as “bitches” or “hoes” because that just gives others the right to refer to them as such. There are existing fraternities that accept members regardless of sexual orientation and those that do not should not even be considered by homosexuals. In order to be accepted, one must first accept him or herself as they are. As Mahatma Ghandi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Mike Martella Specialization in biology

To read letters of endorsement for ASFA election candidates, visit theconcordian.com/section/opinions

22

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

theconcordian

world

UN intervention in Syria was needed last year Is the Security Council living up to its name?

George Menexis Assistant opinions editor The United Nations Security Council decided recently to vote on a resolution to ask Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down due to the escalating violence in his country over the past 11 months. Russia and China vetoed the resolution. If one of the permanent members (United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom and France) vetoes a resolution, it cannot be carried out.

Therefore, in a country like Syria, where, according to the UN, a little over 7,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the protests, there will be no international action taken because of the veto.

The Security Council is useless. It was built to “maintain international peace,” according to the first clause in the Security Council section of the UN Charter, something that clearly isn’t being done in Syria.

It is considered “illegal” in international law to intrude on another country’s sovereignty unless all five permanent members of the Security Council vote for it. This law has been ignored many times in the past.

“The U.S.A. has done it before, two examples being in Kosovo because they were afraid of a genocide, and the most recent one being in Iraq,” said Kyle Matthews, senior deputy director of the Will to Intervene Project at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, and ex-UN diplomat.

The fact that international law within

Graphic by Maya Pankalla

the UN is so lenient can be advantageous.

However, it leads to a certain instability in international law, knowing that the law can be bypassed so easily without any serious consequences.

“It’s a seriously imperfect system,” said Matthews.

China, on the other hand, has vetoed resolutions many times before, notably against Burma, which is in desperate need of international intervention. “China has never been a great supporter of human rights, and didn’t want to get involved in Syria after they did in Libya,” said Matthews.

Other members of the Security Council reacted with disappointment after the decision was made not to intervene in Syria; U.S. ambassador Susan Rice said that she was “absolutely disgusted,” and that “any more bloodshed in Syria was on Russia’s and China’s hands,” according to the Huffington Post.

The reason for this particular Russian veto is fairly obvious when you know the facts concerning the long-standing relationship between Russia and Syria. Russia and Syria have been allies since the 1950s, despite some tense moments along the way.

Syrian and Russian governments also share a distaste for the United States, another key reason for their alliance. There are, however, more important reasons.

“People don’t realize that about 98 per cent of weapons in Syria come from Russia,” said Matthews. “They’re Syria’s biggest weapons supplier, and they also have a massive naval base there.”

A veto against such an important weapons customer would mean millions of dollars in lost revenue for Russia.

Following the veto, Canada lodged an official complaint with Russia’s foreign ministry regarding the country’s weapons supply to Syria. People are dying day after day in Syria.

They need international help, and because of the way the Security Council works, Syrians won’t be getting any for the time being.

“It is a sad day for this council, a sad day for all Syrians, and a sad day for democracy,” said French ambassador Gérard Araud to the Council.

Many other countries, where basic human rights are threatened, are being ignored because of greedy Security Council members who have important financial interests in those countries.

Members of the Security Council have a responsibility to protect all countries that are being torn by violence, and this isn’t being done.

The Responsibility to Protect, a United Nations initiative established in 2005, focuses on preventing crimes such as genocides and ethnic cleansing. Syrians are in dire need of protection and it’s up to the UNSC to vote responsibly—with their hearts, not with their wallets.

campus

Ongoing CFS disputes hurting its reputation Biggest student federation in Canada needs serious retooling Myles Dolphin Opinions editor The Concordia Student Union voted to leave the Canadian Federation of Students in March 2010.

Despite the overwhelming number of students in favour of defederating, the CFS has not recognized the results to this day.

The CFS claims the CSU owes $1.8 million in membership fees, dating back to 1998.

The CSU’s options put forth by the CFS were slim pickings: repay the amount six weeks before a defederation referendum, get stuck in a 10-year payment plan or head to court.

Sound familiar?

The legal battles surrounding the CFS and its members are part of a systemic issue: the CFS’ inability to recognize the democratic will of a student population, as evidenced in a referendum.

The University of Calgary Graduate Students’ Association, Simon Fraser Student Society, University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union and University of Victoria Students’ Society also experienced messy break-ups with the CFS. It took three years and more than $450,000 in legal fees for the SFSS to officially leave.

The CFS stands to lose a substantial amount of money if a member defederates; it was reported that it would lose approximately $300,000 in annual membership fees if it recognized the legitimacy of the SFSS’ vote. The more associations that withdraw, the less money the CFS has and

Graphic by Sean Kershaw

the fewer students they can claim to represent.

These legal actions only serve to alienate prospective members and students across the country, who see all the negative press associated with the CFS in student newspapers.

The CFS is losing credibility, fast. Their image is not only damaged by past and ongoing disputes, but by student union leaders who rightfully disparage the federation for their lack of respect to their members. The CFS also faces

allegations of improper spending and failure to lobby the federal government on increased funding for universities.

Is a federation like the CFS really necessary?

The answer is yes, according to Robert Sonin, president of the Graduate Students’ Association at Concordia University: “There is a place for a federal level lobbying organization. That said, such an association needs to be truly representative, democratic and voluntary if it is to bring any

benefit to its members.”

Sonin is right. Student federations on a national level are important. They represent a powerful voice for students and they work on issues that are common to students nationwide.

In an ideal world, the CFS would tolerate the desire of a member to leave, and would seek various ways to end that relationship amicably, instead of winding up in court.

“Tuition fee levels, student financial assistance programs and funding for research are all set directly or indirectly by both levels of government. Thus, it is vital that students collectively organize at the provincial and national levels to ensure that students’ rights and concerns are fully represented,” according to the CFS’ mandate.

While this may be true, Quebec students are extremely well-represented, with several powerful unions protecting thousands of student interests. Quebec may not need the CFS as much as other provinces do, so the desire for Concordia’s CSU to leave should not come as a surprise to the CFS. The CFS needs to re-think its course of action when dealing with members, according to CSU President Lex Gill.

“Historically, the CFS has used mechanisms of ‘unpaid fees’ to prevent members from leaving the organization,” Gill told The Concordian.

“There is something wrong with an organization that won’t let its members leave without court intervention.”

Ultimately, it’s equally important for student unions and national student federations to realize that they are holding someone else’s money.

The disputes may not stop any time soon, but the CFS may want to start digging itself out of its expensive hole.

The Etcetera Page Drink of the week

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 Vol. 29 issue 21 Jacques Gallant

Editor-in-chief editor@theconcordian.com

Kamila HinKson

Managing editor managing@theconcordian.com

cHris Hanna

Production manager production@theconcordian.com

Joel asHaK marilla steuter-martin

It’s the simple things in life that are most enjoyable. A summer breeze, a juicy hamburger, a letter from a long-lost friend. On Saturday, Feb. 11, the Montreal Canadiens destroyed the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-0 and, in the process, moved to within seven points of their hated rivals for the last available playoff spot. Embarrassing the Maple Leafs on their home ice is one of life’s pleasures that is on par with getting an A on an assignment or finding out that your ex-girlfriend just put on 20 pounds.

Co-news editors news@theconcordian.com

Paula rivas Life editor

sHaimaa el-GHazaly

Assistant life editor life@theconcordian.com

sofia Gay

Arts editor

amanda l. sHore

Assistant arts editor arts@theconcordian.com

allie mason

Music editor

elizabetH macKay

Assistant music editor music@theconcordian.com

@BillWhiteheadFL: Can’t confirm that

Julian mei

cold breeze this AM is from Lars Eller swooshing by Dion Phaneuf or Dion’s flailing on #Habs 4th goal last nite. #NHL

Sports editor

alex Giubelli

Assistant sports editor sports@theconcordian.com

myles dolPHin

Graphic by Katie Brioux

@brendanshowbiz: Just a thought.

The secret to Habs getting into the playoffs.

TheLeafs collapsing. Hey I like this. @JBsportsface: how epic is this? Maybe

the catholic church was onto something...?

@BrianWildeCTV: Someone please get

Cunneyworth a French Rosetta Stone. If they’re gonna fire him, let’s at least make it hockey related.

@ArponBasu: One week ago #Habs were

last in East, 13 points back of 8th. Tonight, they sit in 11th and seven points back. Don’t call it a comeback?

Opinions editor

GeorGe menexis

Assistant opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com

navneet Pall

Jolly rancher

Photo editor photo@theconcordian.com

Katie brioux

½ oz melon liqueur ½ oz blueberry schnapps Sweet and sour mix ½ oz grenadine syrup 1 cherry

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Shake liqueur and schnapps with ice and strain into an oldfashioned glass over ice cubes. Fill with sweet and sour, add grenadine for colour, and stir. Throw in the cherry and drink.

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