The Concordian by The Concordian

theconcordian October 30, November 20,2012 2012

Independent student newspaper at Concordia University. Since 1983.

Volume 30 Issue 13

Breaking down byelections

The Judicical Board will have To examine The legaliTies of opening addiTional vacanT seaTs on council due To The growning numBers of resignaTions. phoTo By madelayne haJek

Concordia Student Union debates legality of opening VP academic and advocacy Kalina Laframboise News editor

The Concordia Student Union may have to rescind its decision to open the seat of VP academic and advocacy after the Judicial Board hearing set for this week. During a regular council meeting

Wednesday, councillors brought forth concerns regarding the legalities of the positions up for grabs in the upcoming byelections on Nov. 27, 28 and 29. Chad Walcott, former VP external and current councillor, suggested that all candidates be rendered ineligible for the VP academic and advo-

cacy position. Walcott was the councillor who initially motioned for the position to be opened despite reservations from the executive including President Schubert Laforest and VP external Simon-Pierre Lauzon during the meeting of Oct. 24. The motion was amended by Councillor Melissa Kate Wheeler,

who stated that it was not a matter of ineligibility but that the position was not legally opened to begin with. The opening of the position was not initially announced and revised posters had to be issued to rectify the matter. The executive took issue with the motion, including VP internal and

clubs Nadine Atallah, who stressed that backtracking now would set a “dangerous precedence” for the CSU by deeming candidates ineligible. Laforest agreed, stating that Walcott’s proposed way of solving the problem was not proper.

opinions

Continued on P.4

In this issue... life

arts

music

sports

Burger Bar sets the bar high P. 5

LGBT festival preview P. 8

Mtl talents, East End Radicals P. 12

We profile Shauna Charbonneau Commission P. 17 Zilversmit P. 15

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

theconcordian.com

news Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Got a news tip? news@theconcordian.com

City in International students airing grievances brief Mistreatment and intimidation of foreign students not limited to homestays CiTy CaMPUS

Robin Della Corte

>>Old quarrels Prime Minister Stephen Harper threw up his hands and said, “What can I say?” after being asked about the situation with the Canadian flag being removed from Quebec’s National Assembly. Le Soleil reported that the Parti Québécois has asked for the Canadian flag to be removed from the national assembly. Quebec Liberals believe it is “shocking and totally unacceptable,” CBC reported. When Harper made an appearance in Quebec City last Friday, he stated that he didn’t want to get involved with old quarrels and would rather focus on the economy.

>>I’m not loving this Police discovered a double-stabbing inside a McDonald’s restaurant on the corner of Villeray St. and St-Michel Blvd. at 4 a.m. Sunday that lead to the hospitalization of two men in their 20s, with one in critical condition. “[There are] many witnesses to meet with, and also in this case investigators will try to understand a little more about this conflict that degenerated between these three men,” Anie Lemieux, spokeswoman for the Montreal Police told CBC. The suspect, also believed to be in his 20s, fled the scene before police had arrived. Earlier that night, police were also called to a shooting near the intersection of Fleury St. and J. J. Gagnier St. in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.

>>Lawyer up, Quebec The provincial government is being taken to Quebec Superior Court this Thursday by several large retailers for the requirement to adopt French versions of their commercial trademarked names. The Office Québécois de la Langue Française want retailers to change their names to a generic French name or provide slogans explaining what their products are. While the law requires companies to have French names, this usually does not apply to brand names. Gap, Best Buy, Costco, Old Navy, Walmart and Guess will be represented by two law firms.

Matthew Guité assistant news editor The focus of the Chinese international student scandal widened this week as a workshop set up by the CSU-run Housing & Job Bank, also known as HOJO, and the Advocacy Centre examined how some students’ rights were being violated on and off campus. The workshops, offered on Wednesday and Friday, focused on informing students of their rights and the services available to them. It also sought to gather students’ opinions on situations that could be improved upon or addressed. The three speakers at the workshop were Walter Tom, co-ordinator for the CSU’s legal information clinic, Lisa White, co-ordinator for the Advocacy Centre and Leanne Ashworth, co-ordinator for HOJO. Each spoke briefly about subjects that students in attendance may have needed to know more about, such as their legal rights when renting apartments and what to

do if accused of plagiarism. Throughout the workshops a translator was present, repeating everything that was said in Mandarin, to ensure that Chinese students in attendance would be able to follow easily. International students were asked to fill out surveys that addressed the quality and usage of bathrooms in homestays and asked if individuals were ever “intimidated or bullied” by their hosts. The questionnaires also inquired if students received additional charges for requiring help for their transit passes, obtaining a cellphone or information about Montreal. Ashworth told The Concordian that the questions on the survey stemmed from real problems and complaints reported by students in recent weeks. The application form that international students are asked to fill out before arriving in Canada was another source of worry for Ashworth. “We saw the question ‘do you have any friends or family in Montreal?’ and we’re not sure what could be a good

use of knowing that for a homestay,” said Ashworth. “Seems disturbing.” Tom concentrated on tenants’ rights, a subject that he said is often neglected by international students. “So many things, a new place, new environment, your studies, all these adjustments, and then on top of that you have to deal with problems about where you’re staying,” Tom said. “Often these things are pushed aside because there are more immediate concerns, and unfortunately the problem with bad landlords is that they know they’re bad landlords, they know how to take advantage of people.” Tom referenced the ongoing allegations of mistreatment by Peter Low, the director of the Concordia China Student Recruitment Partner Program, an issue that was brought to light in the Sept. 25 issue of The Link. “A lot of that stuff, you would think that this would be part of the package that Concordia would provide to all international students when they arrive,” Tom added. “This is the shock-

ing thing: you have a representative of Concordia charging them for stuff that that representative should know is provided for free by his employer.” More than half the students in attendance said they had once stayed in a homestay. Now, however, none of them do. Most individuals chose to move out on their own but are still facing similar issues today. A common complaint from students at the workshop was that their landlord would not turn on their heating, or would not exterminate a bedbug infestation. At the workshop, Ashworth told students that many of their rights were the same, whether living in homestays or in apartments, and that they could not be punished for protecting them. “If you have a problem in your Madelayne Hajek apartmentPhoto or inby your homestay, you need a clear process to deal with that problem,” Ashworth said. “We help students, for free, deal with those problems, whether it’s a heating problem or a bug problem, that’s what we’re here for.”

Michael Applebaum for the win interim mayor of Montreal position to last until next November Robin Della Corte assistant news editor Now that the dust has settled in Montreal’s political spectrum, Michael Applebaum has been chosen to steer the city until next November’s election. Applebaum ran as an independent candidate, beating official Union Montréal candidate Richard Deschamps with 31 votes to 29, with three spoiled ballots in the council’s secret ballot vote last Friday. Applebaum, the former mayor of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-deGrâce borough, was sworn in as the 42nd mayor of Montreal yesterday morning. During his first 100 days as mayor, he stated that it will be dedicated to cleaning up the city.

“I will do everything to regain from you that which was stolen through corruption in the construction industry,” he told The Gazette. “I will do everything to regain your confidence and give you back your city.” In an interview with The Concordian Monday, Applebaum’s press attaché, Jonathan Abecassis stated that, in regards to Applebaum’s election win, “[they] received a lot of overwhelming support, a lot of messages and comments, all feedback that was extremely positive.” Applebaum is the first anglophone mayor to lead Montreal in the last 100 years. James John Guerin, who served from 1910-12, was the last English resident to serve as mayor. “Now is the time to re-establish

our bridges, to work together and to ensure that Montrealers can be proud of what we do as elected officials,” Applebaum said in council according to CBC News. “We will all work together, I assure you.” The 49-year-old interim mayor pledges to build bridges by allowing members of opposition on Montreal’s executive committee. Despite his loss, Applebaum is hoping to get Deschamps to come on board. “In order for this to work, I would like to see a coalition and that includes Richard Deschamps,” Applebaum said. However, Deschamps has not yet revealed whether or not he’s interested in the offer. During the interview, Abecassis

stated that “[Applebaum and Deschamps] are meeting together as we speak. Applebaum made it clear right away that he wants a coalition of political parties working with him.” During his candidate and acceptance speech, Applebaum spoke only in French. Abecassis stated that Applebaum understands that Montreal is a french-speaking city, so he will always speak French in council, unless addressed in English. Despite this, many criticisms have been made of his abilities to speak French. “People understand what he’s saying, he just has an accent,” Abecassis said. “Even one of the leaders of opposition said Applebaum is lucky and she hopes she can speak English as [well] as Applebaum can speak French.”

>>A lucky break On Sunday afternoon, a resident of Laval was able to walk away from a helicopter crash northeast of Ottawa with little injuries. While police state that the 48-year-old man crashed into Lac Britannique before 1 p.m., the reasons for the crash are still unclear and he was the only person inside the helicopter. After the crash, the man was able to escape the helicopter and swim to shore. Lac Britannique is located approximately 70 kilometres northeast of downtown Ottawa, close to the small town of Saint-Sixte, Quebec. An investigation is now taking place from the transportation Safety Board.

Come to our Annual General Meeting The Concordian will be holding its Annual General Meeting. When: Tuesday Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. Have your say and become a member of The Concordian’s non-profit organization. For more information, just email directors@theconcordian.com.

Photo by Rob Flis

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Tensions continue to rise at CUTV Meeting to decide membership, bylaws and plan future General assembly Robin Della Corte and Kalina Laframboise assistant news editor and News editor

Interest-free loans A concern brought to the Board of Governors meeting held Friday morning was the financing of KnowledgeOne, the company that runs eConcordia. Governor Lawrence Kryzanowski from the John Molson School of Business said he was “uncomfortable” with the lack of information surrounding an interest-free loan given to the company by Concordia. Considering that KnowledgeOne, which operates eConcordia, is losing money Kryzanowski asked for more transparency

Robin Della Corte

There have been reported problems with ticket machines in Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton. Individuals across Canada are discovering that the new $20 bills aren’t accepted everywhere. The new bill that was released earlier this month can’t process in certain machines. Both TransLink and Toronto’s GO Transit don’t accept the new bill. GO Transit discovered the problem while testing the bills and will need to upgrade their software in order for the machines to accept the new bills. New five and $10 bills are scheduled to be released by the end of 2013. The first meeting, held in the basement of Concordia’s School of Community and Public Affairs, was called by Marouf in the same letter in order to garner support to “save” it. In response, staff members of CUTV voiced their concerns and frustrations in their own letter. Staff members claimed that information was inaccessible to them and they were disappointed with the lack of communication and having to rely on external news sources for information. An article published in The Link detailed the legal challenges CUTV is facing and the authors of the letter claimed that “it has been disappointing and frustrating to watch from the outside as the station we contributed time and energy to seems to be crumbling.” Students and members of the Concordia community attended the meeting to discuss what kind of guidelines need to be implemented and a way to move forward. At times, the conversation was contentious due to the inability to render a decision on who was considered a member of CUTV, the need to put forth bylaws and eventually hold a general assembly. Marouf said membership should be defined by volunteerism, and that while students of the university pay into the fee-levy group, only volunteers at CUTV should have voting rights. This motion did not sit well with many in attendance, including Morgan Pudwell, the Concordia Student Union’s former VP advocacy and outreach. “Undergraduate students deserve to be in that discussion,” said Pudwell.

Unable to reach a consensus on what defines membership, the meeting ended at an impasse with a second meeting held Monday evening to discuss the same matters. The result of the second meeting was that voting rights at the upcoming General Assembly would extend to individuals who have been staff members since October 2011, donors and Concordia students. The General Assembly is to be held the first weekend of December, but the date has not been set. During both meetings, individuals suggested personal attacks were unacceptable, impeding discussions from moving forward. Thursday, staff member Emily Campbell said the current atmosphere left her and others feeling unsafe about going to the station. It was a reference to the mounting tensions between members within CUTV and the two letters published by different groups with opposing views. The letter issued on CUTV’s website claimed that the station was “under attack” by the CSBC who “positioned itself as the governing body of CUTV” and wanted to “shut it down.” Authors stated that CSBC President Justin Giovannetti was “engaged in a public campaign to undermine CUTV.” However, in an interview with The Concordian, Marouf contradicted the statement on the website. “The CSBC was not attempting to shut down CUTV. Its president, Justin Giovannetti, differed in his vision with CUTV members and staff and was not able to detach his inherent bias as both an employee of CTV, a corporate rival for our station, and his presidency on

the Board of Directors of The Link,” Marouf said. “He was wearing too many hats.” Giovannetti resigned from the CSBC Wednesday, marking yet another resignation. Giovannetti wrote in an email that “Few of you will be surprised when I say that I didn’t enjoy my past year as your president.” He went on to write that “Tonight I was forced to make a choice between my employment and continuing to volunteer for a campus organization.” Angelica Calcagnile, the CSBC’s vice-president, said that CUTV was now on its own. “CUTV is no longer part of the CSBC, and we are no longer responsible for their decision-making, so it is up to their membership to improve the situation at the station,” she said. “That said, we support the development of a strong, unified and financially stable organization with a clear legal structure and demonstrated responsibility to Concordia’s students.” The provisional BoD of CUTV that included Kneale, Marouf and staff member Abel Alegria dissolved in October. Wendy Kraus-Heitmann also stepped down as provisional emergency director of CUTV’s BoD earlier this month citing Marouf’s actions as the reason, and leaving Sabine Friesigner as the single director. “[CUTV] is only holding meetings now because the staff went nuts after being mismanaged into the ground for months on end, and Laith and [his] friends are desperate to look good,” Kraus-Heitmann said. “Laith Marouf is not attempting to save CUTV. Laith Marouf is trying to save his job.”

Board of Governors meeting in brief Kalina Laframboise News editor

Nation in brief >>Mo’ money mo’ problems

ollowing weeks of legal troubles and a handful of resignations, members of Concordia University Television held a meeting to discuss how to move forward. On June 1, a transitional agreement was put forth between CUTV and Concordia Student Broadcasting Corporation, the organization that supervised the governance of CUTV and the university’s student radio station, CJLO. This agreement meant CUTV would be seen as a new, independent not-for-profit organization. However, while in the midst of the transition process, CUTV faced an array of problems. CUTV currently has no tangible operating budget due to financial troubles that forced the university’s administration to step in and freeze the accounts in October. In documents obtained by The Concordian, the statements of a PayPal account owned by CUTV revealed financial instability. In the months where the student strike movement was at its height, CUTV recorded a gain of more than $30,000 in a single month alone. Conversely, the financial statements from Oct. 1 to Oct. 24 reveal that CUTV’s funds dwindled from $3,724.73 to $333.42 prior to the university’s intervention. The student-run organization also lost its station manager, Laura Kneale, and the growing number of resignations for its provisional Board of Directors has rendered it legally defunct. Legally, CUTV cannot appoint more members to its BoD since only one person remains as a director. Therefore, the station must either dissolve or have a judge legally appoint more members. During this changeover, members of the station neglected time limits concerning the transition agreement between themselves and the CSBC. They never managed to adopt any bylaws or hold general assemblies. In an open letter published last Tuesday on the station’s website, Laith Marouf, former program director and current executive director of CUTV, stated that the student strike movement lead to less time for “implementing government structure.”

on the issue. It also appears that Concordia’s $1.4 million interest-free loan issued to former Concordia President Frederick Lowy has not yet been repaid. It was addressed at the meeting and confirmed by university spokesperson Chris Mota that Lowy will reimburse the loan as soon as he is able to sell his condominium. The asking price for the Doctor Penfield Avenue penthouse is $1,399,000. fInanCIal questIons Governor Norman Ingram, the chair of the history department, suggested that Concordia’s senior administrators have

benefited from an increase of approximately 10 per cent in salaries. Ingram emphasized that this raise in income favoured non-academic positions and that the BoG “should be concerned” about the increase in some areas more than others. Governor Lex Gill agreed, asking for a document outlining provincial regulations regarding salaries and bonuses for senior administration. Chair Norman Hébert said that the BoG will present a report to “shed light” on the questions. a motIon for bICameralIsm The BoG passed a motion to approve changes to the university’s bylaws in

an effort to make Concordia’s governance more bicameral. In lieu of opening the charter, articles 36 and 62 were amended and earned the approval of Senate. The amendments ensure that BoG cannot invalidate a motion passed by Senate without the approval from a joint meeting between Senate’s steering committee and BoG’s executive committee. Furthermore, Senate will no longer derive its authority from the BoG and is the final authority when it comes to academic matters. This motion stemmed from a recommendation from the Shapiro Report issued in 2011 that suggested the BoG held too much power much over Senate.

>>I beliebe Thanks to a special gift from a generous young man, six-year-old Aleisha Hunter from Toronto will get to see Justin Bieber, her idol. Hunter, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at three years old, told CBC that listening to Bieber helped her endure her treatments. Thanks to five-year-old fellow Bieber fan, Jacob Leon, Hunter will get to see her idol perform on stage when he comes to Toronto. Leon said he gave his tickets away because he wanted to make somebody else happy. “Jacob is a different kind of five-year-old,” said his mother Devon. “He is the most giving, caring, helpful child.” It began when Jacob raised money for Pencils of Promise, a charity Bieber supports and led Leon to the idea.

>>Energy high After a scare in the U.S. in relation to health problems associated with the 5-Hour Energy drink brand, Canada wants to renew calls for strengthened supervision on energy drinks. The American Food and Drug Administration has categorized many situations potentially linked to the 5-Hour Energy drinks (and others) associated with death and cardiac arrest since 2009. “We’ve been quite concerned about overuse or abuse of these seemingly natural products that are not as regulated as we want them to be. We want some regulation,” said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, the CEO for the Eastern Ontario Health Unit. Health Canada has already started regulating new standards and energy drinks, reporting that as of this year, caffeine content will be mandatory.

>>Some constructive criticism Marisol Simoes, the owner of an Ottawa restaurant, was sentenced to three months in jail and a two-year probation after she was declared guilty of libel against a food critic. Simoes was found guilty in September for sending offensive emails to the boss of Elayna Katz after Katz had published bad reviews of Simoes’ restaurant, Mambo Nuevo Latino, in 2009. Following the verdict, Katz told CBC that cyberbullying doesn’t only affect adolescents. Simoes has to take an anger management course, receive counseling and perform 200 hours of community service.

theconcordian

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

World in Judicial Board to render decision from brief Continued cover Matthew Guité

>>Tensions mounting Renewed attacks between Israel and Gaza have left dozens dead and the death toll mounting each day. Israel began bombarding Gaza and has prepared troops for a possible ground invasion, and Gaza has continued to fire short-range rockets into Israel. Israel claims to have hit over 200 targets in Gaza, including political offices, rocket sites and military bases. The United Kingdom and Egypt have both warned Israel against a ground invasion, but U.S. President Barack Obama said that his government is “fully supportive of Israel’s right to defend itself.”

>>Adopt a gargoyle

“This is not done maliciously, it’s an error, but we have to recognized this error,” said Walcott. “Our standing regulations and bylaws were not followed.” Councillor Rami Khoriaty expressed concerns with the motion, stating it was a “political move” before Gonzo Nieto, former VP clubs and student space, tabled the motion to render the candidates ineligible indefinitely.

The issue of legalities regarding vacant positions being opened following the nomination period will be addressed by the Judicial Board this week in order to render a decision before the byelections. In addition, a mounting number of resignations from council left some wondering if these positions were now opened for potential candidates since it occurred after the announcement of polls. Three councillors resigned in the span of six days and currently council sits with less than half the seats filled. As it stands, three

EDUCaTioN

Tuition hike may not be gone for good Provincial government might be raising tuition fees for out-of-province students

A cathedral in Milan has put its gargoyles up for adoption in the hopes of raising much-needed funds for renovations. Anyone who wishes to ‘adopt’ a gargoyle will have their name engraved underneath for a donation of at least 100,000 euros. The cathedral’s management are hoping to raise 25 million euros after the government cut its funding to the cathedral as part of ongoing austerity measures. Eight donations have already been made.

>>A deadly collision Up to 50 children died in Egypt after a school bus taking them to kindergarten was hit by a speeding train. Barriers had not been lowered when the train was about to pass, resulting in the bus driving through just as the train arrived. The crossing guard who was allegedly asleep at the time has been arrested and Egypt’s transport minister has resigned along with the head of the railway authority. Eyewitnesses said that the force of the crash tore the bus in two. Families of the victims have begun searching for their children’s remains, but reports from the crash site indicate that many of the victims are unrecognizable.

>>For the love of nudity Pro-nudity activists in San Francisco gathered on the steps of city hall last Wednesday to file a lawsuit against a proposed law that would ban public nudity in some places. The law would make it a crime to be nude on sidewalks, streets and public transit but would not criminalize nudity during parades or on nude beaches. First-time offenders would be charged up to $100, $200 for the second time, and third-time offenders could be charged up to $500 and spend a year in jail.

>>Like giving crack to a baby Don’t throw the cocaine out with the trick-or-treaters. That may not be how the saying goes but it is the reality of one man in the United Kingdom who was arrested for accidentally giving out bags of cocaine to children on Halloween. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the children’s father was an off-duty policeman. Talk about bad luck.

seats for Arts and Science, three for John Molson School of Business, one Fine Arts seat and four independent spots are available in the byelections. However, if the last three seats that were vacated by an influx of resignations from Arts and Science councillors were to be opened for the byelections, six Arts and Science seats would be available. It’s up to the discretion of JB to decide whether or not this is legal. Members of JB will also have access to a lawyer for an hour of legal consultation from the CSU.

Marie-Josée Kelly assistant news photographer Concordia University refunded all students upon receiving official directives from the provincial government concerning the tuition fee rollback while McGill University’s international and out-of-province students are still waiting on adjustments to their accounts. The letter sent out to Quebec universities earlier this month confirmed the cancellation of the proposed tu-

ition fees increase. The document also cites that the Parti Québécois is considering raising tuition fees for out-of-province and international students. McGill chose not to reimburse its foreign students in anticipation of an increase. “We all got the same instructions,” said Chris Mota, Concordia University spokesperson. “We responded in one fashion and McGill chose a different route.” This was also confirmed by Chief

Financial Officer Patrick Kelley, who told The Concordian that the administration at McGill did not interpret the official directives from the the provincial government differently than Concordia but decided differently. Simon-Pierre Lauzon, VP external of the Concordia Student Union, said he didn’t agree with the direction that McGill chose to take. “McGill is kind of going in another direction and not doing what I think they’re supposed to be doing right now,” said Lauzon. “I find it very unfortunate that McGill students find themselves in this situation, it’s very unfair and I hope that it gets resolved quickly.” Joël Bouchard, the press attaché for Pierre Duchesne, the minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, confirmed that no decision has yet been made about increasing tuition fees and that the proposition is being studied. “If we are then told at a later date that we have to increase tuition for out of province and international students, we will do so,” said Mota. McGill University spokesperson

Carole Graveline explained that the university has not refunded the increase initially tabled by the Charest Liberals because of a potential increase for out-of-province and international students on the way. Although there’s no indication of precisely when the increase will be announced, if there will be one, and just how much it will amount to, it remains “very likely” according to Graveline. VP external Robin Reid-Fraser of the Students’ Society of McGill University said the process and wait has been disheartening. “People are frustrated and confused,” said Reid-Fraser. “The contact we have with the administration is that they’re waiting on the government to put out their budget and really finalize what the plan is with the international and out-of-province fees.” The Parti Québécois minority government will present a budget on Nov. 20. “I presume there will be something in the budget but there’s no knowing,” said Graveline. “We’re not waiting on the budget, all we’re doing is taking a different path.”

CaMPUS

Political science petition garners support More than 250 signatures gathered to date Matthew Guité assistant news editor A petition calling for significant changes within the department of political science was endorsed by the Concordia Student Union and the Arts and Science Federation of Associations this week. The petition, brought to both groups by its author Gene Morrow, contains six points covering issues such as grade changes in the form of bell curving, loss of space on campus and cutting popular courses without consulting students or faculty. The petition calls for immediate intervention by Brian Lewis, dean of arts and science, and has already been signed by 250 students. Lewis said that he is “talking to a number of people to

try to better understand the situation in political science,” and that discussions with faculty and student representatives were continuing. Schubert Laforest, president of the CSU, said that the issues raised in the petition are ones that have been followed closely by council. Council officially gave their support at the regular council meeting Wednesday with a motion that will promote and distribute the petition to students. “I think that the petition does bring out a lot of issues not just at the political science department but across the arts and science faculty,” he said. “I think this is just the tip of the iceberg, and we’re going to be sitting down with [Morrow] and ASFA to figure out what we need to do going forward.” James Tyler Vaccaro, VP communications of the Political Science Student Association said that while the association did not draft the petition, they had “acted as a source of information when called on by both ASFA and

CSU councils” and that he hoped the issues raised in the petition would be resolved soon. He also said that contrary to the sixth point on the petition, which deals with an apparent lack of availability and transparency by department chair Csaba Nikolenyi, the PSSA had not experienced the same problem. “We have not had any difficulties meeting him to discuss a broad range of topics this year,” said Vaccaro. Morrow, a student in the political science department, told The Concordian that he suspected he knew why the PSSA’s experiences had been different than those of some students. “The PSSA, because they are the institutional actor within the department, they are the appropriate contact point between students and faculty,” he said. “They have a much better time getting access to speaking with the chair, but they don’t necessarily have better access to the information than anyone else does.”

“For example a member of Senate tried to get minutes from the departmental council, and was told to file an access to information request,” Morrow said. “They were told point blank you cannot get access to this without filing an ATI request. Why is this necessary? Why does this have to be walled off and blocked?” Morrow went on to say that students within the department were often starved for information when it came to decisions made by the chair and faculty, including why they were made or who was involved. “People would be willing to tolerate that, but there’s never any communication from the department to students. There’s never any communication to students about what’s happening in the department. The general feeling is that we’re an afterthought.” New copies of the petition will be available at the offices of the CSU and the PSSA for students who did not have a chance to sign the first petition.

life

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com resTo

Burger Bar: a messy masterpiece side-effects may include jaw locking, addiction to deep fried onion rings, and food coma

Marissa Miller Production assistant

here’s a place downtown where veggie-lovers go to be converted to meat again. It’s called Burger Bar, and it’s aptly located smack in the middle of one of Montreal’s most prolific veins. The music, verging on ambient and jazzy, is punctuated by the occasional, and certainly most-welcomed, ‘90s hip-hop tracks, and when you walk in, you can’t help but ask what the trophy perched on the bar is all about. They won “Best Burger in Montreal” for their Hangover burger at this summer’s Burger Week competition. I’m familiar with sipping mojitos on their sunny terrace in July, inhaling second-hand cigarette smoke and people watching. Judging by my experience at Burger Bar this fall, they’ve managed to maintain that cool, humble vibe year-round. The worst part about BYOB (building

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your own burger), is that sometimes you’re not creative enough to maximize the grandiose-factor of what your burger has the potential to be. Not to worry, the Burger Bar masterminds have you covered with a variety of combinations and a price range between $11 and $25. The sandwich menu boasts a lovely variety of designer proteins from seared salmon to pulled pork, with a portobello sandwich as the go-to option for vegans. While some of you may be tempted to order a salad or sandwich, I can guarantee you’ll be overwhelmed with regret at the sight of a burger. Now onto the main event. Of course, All burgers come with a side salad, fries or

The Poutine burger looks like something that wouldn’t actually be sold commercially, but rather behind glass walls at a museum. It can compete with something on Epic Meal Time - it’s that intimidating.

coleslaw; I do urge you to get the coleslaw. I couldn’t quite put my fork on what made its flavour so distinct. In an attempt to retain a morsel of my former herbivore identity, I ordered the Baba burger, because you can’t go wrong with a CN Tower-high pile of grilled veggies stacked on a beef patty doused in baba ghanoush, balsamic reduction, and garlic mayo. My dining partner took great pleasure in his Wild Mushroom burger with sautéed wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, arugula, and roasted garlic mayonnaise, a combo that seemed to be a favourite among the customers. The man next to me was enjoying his breaded cheese sticks with spicy salsa so much, he had trouble articulating his words. Judging by his moans accompanied by widened eyes and a string of “Wow!”s, I can assume he enjoyed himself. Also, I would just like to warn you that most, if not all, the burgers are impossible to bite into without tearing a ligament in your face, making eating with grace almost inexecutable. Manager Ben Serapins was my knight in shining armour, coming to my rescue with extra napkins without even having to ask because, let’s be honest, no one wants to make eye contact when you’ve got a kegfull of condiments on your face. The Deconstructed S’more special exemplified the marriage between architecture and cooking. Imagine a three-tiered edifice in a cute little cup starting with a crumbled

Photos by Madelayne Hajek

graham cracker foundation, topped with a moist and barely-baked brownie, and held together by a cloud of roasted marshmallows. Poetry to my ears. There’s a real sense of humour in the execution of many of the plates. The Poutine burger looks like something that wouldn’t actually be sold commercially, but rather behind glass walls at a museum. It can compete with something on Epic Meal Time – it’s that intimidating. The Hangover burger is an ode to the Sunday morning crowd, and its array of bacon, eggs and cheese stacked on a patty. With six beers on tap and a laundry list of cocktails and wines, you’re getting the dining and bar scene experience all in one. My Crescent Pear martini was a delicate blend of Absolut pear, mango juice and an appropriate dash of citrus. If the archetypal girlie drink doesn’t float your maraschino cherry, my drinking buddy sipped on a Dark n’ Stormy, which was a more macho blend of ginger beer and dark rum. The combination of uber-friendly staff (but never obnoxious or in-your-face), plates that consistently exceed expectations, and an as-fine-as-casual-dining-gets vibe labels it as a real winner. Bring a date or a party of 25. You’ll end up in such a food coma afterwards, it won’t even matter who you’re with. Burger Bar is located on 1465 Crescent St.

theconcordian

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

healTh

The art of multitasking, and you We only have two hands, so why do we act like we have six? Taisha henry Contributor

s a university student, an ordinary hour for me consists of working or studying, driving, chatting on the phone or texting, checking emails, listening to music and eating. Looking around at my peers, I can say with confidence that we are all slaves to multitasking. But if you think you’re being more efficient by doing several tasks at once, you couldn’t be further from the truth. In 2009, Stanford University conducted a study comparing heavy media multitaskers versus low media multitaskers. The results showed that heavy multimedia taskers have trouble filtering out irrelevant information, are unlikely to ignore irrelevant representations in memory, and are worse than low media multitaskers at task switching. According to the study, heavy media multitaskers are distracted by the different forms of media they are consuming. For example, how many of you have been on a call, gone into the kitchen to get something and walked right back out without the item you went for? Or, have you ever caught yourself writing a paper and listening to music when suddenly you find yourself accidentally typing out the lyrics. Unfortunately, our brains aren’t meant to do two things at once. Technically, even when we think we’re multitasking, it’s really just our brain fooling us by rapidly switching between tasks. In doing so, we are overworking our brains and absorbing very little information. It also takes us longer to complete the primary task we set out to do. “We certainly have found that [heavy media multitaskers] are worse at all aspects of multitasking, focusing and memory management. There is no question that your work suffers when you multitask,” said Professor Clifford Nass, one of the researchers of the study. Although you might think you are accomplishing a lot in a short amount of time, you really are not. Nass went on to explain that, “in the short run, doing multiple things at once makes you do all of them less well and doesn’t save time. In the long run, it

Photo by writer

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

harms your brain so that even when you are not multitasking, you do worse.” So why do people multitask? Assistant professor of communication at Ohio State University, Zheng Joyce Wang, recently released her observations from her own study on multitasking. She concluded that people gain emotional satisfaction from multitasking, and revealed that we feel like we are accomplishing a lot because we confuse those positive feelings for productivity. The reality is that we aren’t being more productive, we just feel emotionally satisfied. So now that we are faced with the cold, hard truth of our bad habit, we must learn to properly manage our time. It might be the only alternative to multitasking. While I hate to admit my parents and teachers were right all along, time management might be the only way to get everything done, avoid high stress levels and save a time for our social lives. You’ll be surprised at how much free time you’ll have left over if you efficiently manage your schedule. Now put your phone back in your pocket, logout of Facebook and finish what you started!

To help you through the process, especially during the last weeks of the semester, we’ve done some research and put together some tips on how to manage your time. -Make a list of the tasks you need to accomplish and plan out each day -Prioritize your tasks and say no to nonessential ones -Delegate -Focus during your most productive time of day, whether it be morning or night -Breakup time-consuming tasks into smaller ones -Manage your time in increments, work in intervals of what suits you best -Evaluate how you’re spending your time -Limit distractions -Get plenty of sleep — six to eight hours — and eat properly -Take a break when needed -Plan a reward for yourself so you have something to look forward to

Do you want to be a part of our team? The Concordian is looking for photo and graphics contributors. We are also now accepting applications for the positions of assistant life editor, assistant arts editor, assistant music editor, assistant sports editor, assistant opinions editor, business manager and advertising manager. Send a cover letter, 2-3 clippings, and a resume to editor@theconcordian.com

The deadline to apply is December 5. Only staff writers are eligible.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Society

The truth about mean girls

Graphic by Phil Waheed

Some experts say biology is to blame for female cattiness Tiffany Lafleur Contributor

adies, this has probably happened to you many, many times. Just when you start feeling happy with your hair, body or complexion, some other chick comes along and knocks you off your wobbly little pedestal. Women are a strange species. We are a fickle and critical bunch, finding faults on ev-

ery inch of our skin. We are easily threatened by other members of the same sex — sometimes going to great lengths to criticize them and uncover their faults. In various scientific studies it has been found that while men are more likely to punch another male in the face in a moment of anger, women use the more subtle art of manipulation, preferring to attack one’s reputation through gossip rather than physical harm. This method of aggression is linked to evolution, and is not just a mean trait that women have picked up. Evolutionary psychologist Jesse Bering, columnist for Scientific American, wrote that this competitiveness is a natural psychological occurrence that usu-

ally flares up between the ages of 11 and 17. Bering goes on to say that “in the ancestral past, it may very well be that teenage girls and young women who weren’t particularly catty were disadvantaged in evolutionary terms, similar to men who were physically weak.” Another theory, dubbed as ‘parental investment theory’ and developed in the late ‘70s by Robert Trivers, argues that since mothers are the ones who invests the most in the survival of her child, women have evolved to be much more subtle about their mating strategies. Although males are very straightforward with their acts of sexual prowess through acts of strength or aggression, fe-

males compete for the attention of the male by cutting each other down and sizing up the competition through social means. This causes women to be in intense competition with each other, all for their goals of getting the guy. Through this sex-fueled drive, women will size each other up and compete by attacking their rival’s reputation. To sabotage a rival’s image as a viable reproductive partner, females will comment on her looks, weight, height, or promiscuity, all in the goal of undermining the challenger’s reputation. Although this does not mean that women in general dislike each other, it does however indicate that women harbor negative feelings towards other women, especially if the other woman is successful. By finding fault in rival women, females can boost their own self-image in tearing apart someone else’s. They do this to reduce the threat of their competition and increase their own attractiveness and appeal. Many women are motivated to pinpoint the differences between one another in hopes of feeling better about themselves. As described in Competition Between Women, Rhawn Joseph explains that “in order to gain favor and attention, many women try to maintain an optimal level of attractiveness, and believe that they stand to lose their share of the stakes when a woman more attractive is present.” So there you have it. It’s not that all women hate each other, it’s that we are all competitive and — to some extent — see all other women as rivals. Some say it’s a part of our biology that we can’t control, and it ties into the society we grew up in. So, ladies, next time another girl is glowering at you, you should be flattered. It means, to some degree, that you are being envied.

relATIONSHIPS

What’s your definition of cheating? Men and women have different standards of infidelity Christina Rowan Contributor “What do you think is the number one reason why people go to therapy?” asked my CÉGEP psychology professor. “Addiction? Paranoia? Money? None of the above. In fact, the answer is relationships.” It may not be your first guess, but when you think about it, it makes sense. Relationships take up a vast majority of the time in our lives. It starts as young as elementary crushes, first loves in high school, CÉGEP, and on to the most serious commitment a person can pledge to another: marriage. Until death do us part right? So, why is something that should bring a person happiness and completeness end up taking them to a therapist’s chair? That is because one of the most common problems with relationships is cheating. According to Statistics Canada, in 2005, an estimated 71,269 divorces occurred annually across the nation based on one of the following reasons: falling out of love, communication breakdown, unreasonable behaviour, infidelity, midlife crisis, financial issues and physical, psychological, or emotional abuse.

These days, as soon as the word infidelity — or the more commonly used term, cheating — comes up, people usually tend to think of physically cheating. However, there is another way in which a person can cheat on their partner, and that is emotionally. According to psychologist, teacher and selfdevelopment expert Michael J. Formica, emotional cheating is defined as any situation that creates or causes some degree of emotional unavailability on the part of one partner. “It’s an expression of either the need or the desire to absent oneself from one’s primary relationship, without actually leaving that relationship,” wrote Formica in his article for Psychology Today. “It’s a crush that’s reciprocated, but not acted upon.” So which one affects men and women more? Psychologist Erica Diamond, founder and editor-in-chief of her website womenonthefence.com says that men are more affected by physical cheating because men relate to everything in a physical way first. Men are protective by nature of their possessions, much like they were as cavemen. “The reality is that while men don’t care with whom you shop, talk, eat, or text, men do care deeply about who looks at you, smells your hair, holds your hand, and takes you to bed,” wrote Diamond. For women, emotional cheating affects them more. Women are more likely to forgive a one

night affair than an on-going connection. “The thought of a husband’s connection with another woman, telling her his intimate secrets, without even physically touching her is worse than a one night stand,” wrote Diamond. When it comes to cheating, perhaps the biggest concern of all is who cheats more and who will admit to it. Stereotypically, it is assumed men cheat more than women, but let’s look at the facts. According to a study in the College Student Journal in 2008, 1,394 undergraduate students from a large southeastern university were asked whether or not they had ever experienced sexual behaviour with others while in a monogamous relationship. The results showed that more men, 19.7 per cent, had cheated on their partner as opposed to women, 14.2 per cent. When asked whether or not they had told their partner they cheated on them, more men, 60.2 per cent said they hadn’t, as opposed to women, 46.8 per cent. Of course, this is just one study. Nevertheless, if the world debate concerned which gender cheats, men, unfortunately, would live up to their stereotype of being strictly physical beings. That is not to say that women are innocent in the matter. According to the 2012 U.K. Adultery Survey, although men are more adulterous in pursuit of an ego boost through sexual encounters, when women begin to steer away from their relation-

Graphic by Phil Waheed

ships, they are more prone to playing the field for emotional purposes and falling in love with their illicit lover. Interestingly, while men, on average, begin to stray away at age 42 and take on one to two mistresses, women become unfaithful at 37 with two to three lovers. The problem with a monogamous relationship is that on paper, and in the movies, it looks like a great idea. However keeping that faithful promise can be quite challenging as the years go by. Whether it be a monogamous college relationship or 20 years of marriage, there are always alternatives to cheating on your partner. Anyone up for some couple counselling?

arts

tuesday, November 20, 2012

Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com Literature

Language is everything Noah richler talks about his life and his new book What We Talk About When We Talk About War andria Caputo Staff writer For Canadian writer and journalist Noah Richler, maintaining a critical view of your country and its politics is paramount. Born in Montreal, Richler studied classics and archeology at McGill, then moved on to study politics and economics at Oxford University in England. Subsequently, he worked for BBC Radio and then returned to Canada in 1998 to work at the National Post as the paper’s books editor. Richler’s first book, This Is My Country, What’s Yours, won the British Columbia National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction in 2007. Although Richler has lived a great part of his life in England, he still feels very attached to his home country of Canada. “Going back and forth between Canada and Britain affected by outlook a lot,” he said, “because I feel very Canadian. ” Richler is no stranger to the Canadian literary world. His father, Mordecai Richler, Concordia’s most famous dropout, is one of Montreal and Canada’s most celebrated writers. Unlike his father, Richler sticks to non-fiction when it comes to his writing. “I think of myself as an essayist,” he said. Like every other writer, Richler dedicates a

lot of himself to his work. “I try to work at least five days a week,” he said. “I try to write everyday to remind myself that that’s what I do.” When asked about his writing process Richler said, “when you find a book, or a book finds you, it determines its own rhythm. You work like mad and everything you see in the world around you has to do with the idea that you’ve chosen.” Mainly preoccupied with Canadian identity Richler’s newest book, What We Talk About When We Talk About War, nominated for this year’s Governor General’s literary award for non-fiction, takes a critical look at the country Canada has become after multiple international wars. Richler says he was inspired to write the book when he saw an interview between CBC’s Shelagh Rogers and Master Cpl. Paul Franklin, a soldier who was wounded in the Afghan war. In the interview, Franklin’s wife said that if Canada had pulled out of the war, her husband would have lost his legs for nothing. “That’s true,” said Richtler, “but it’s also not an argument for staying.” Richler addresses many issues in his new book, like the way politicians and the military use language to convince Canadians that we are a warrior nation. “I was very upset at the language that was

being used,” he said. When asked about the impact he would like his book to have on his readers, Richler said, “My book will be successful if it brings people’s attentions to the way we use language to permit different things.” Richler often speaks in high schools because he understands the importance of reading. “I like speaking at schools,” he said, “it’s a very good discipline for me.” Richler recounts what it was like as a child to pick up a book, not like it and feel guilty about it. “You don’t like a book, don’t worry about it,” he said, “It’s not your fault. Just don’t stop reading because of it.” Writing a book on war is a sombre topic and Richler hopes that his book will incite readers to take a more serious outlook on war. “When we go to war,” he said, “we should do it with gravity and lament. It’s a serious thing. We should really regret having to do it.” With the recent success of What We Talk About When We Talk About War, which was published last April, one would expect Richler to sit back and enjoy the attention. However, he is already planning a new book.

Photo by Madelayne Hajek

What We Talk About When We Talk About War retails for $24.95 and is available from bookstores Chapters and Indigo, as well as online at Amazon.ca.

fiLm

Telling and sharing stories image+Nation shares films that reflect realities of the LGBt community michelle Pucci Contributor

ontreal’s international film festival, Image+Nation, opens this Thursday, marking its 25th year of sharing films that reflect the realities of the LGBT community. As part of the queer movement that swept across the western world in the ‘80s, Image+Nation was born in 1987 from a small group of volunteers who wanted to tell their stories and see themselves represented on screen. According to Katharine Setzer, programming director, “[The festival] is about telling stories and sharing stories [and] coming together as a community to see yourself on the screen and be among like-minded folks.” Image+Nation, along with other North American queer film festivals, has evolved from a small volunteer-run festival to a corporately sponsored organization. For 25 years, the festival has supported a growing history of queer cinema that has developed into a mature and sophisticated filming practice. “Queer cinema is moving away from the

typical coming out story to talk about different aspects of identity and being,” said Setzer. The festival selects films that are interesting, well-made and, most importantly, have a strong message. Setzer said when selecting films she considers, “What is [the film] saying? What is the intention and how well has the intention been resolved or put out?” Image+Nation opens with three critically acclaimed films: Ira Sachs’ drama about drug addictions, Keep the Lights On; Dee Rees’ coming-out and coming-of-age story, Pariah; and Paul Émile d’Entremont’s documentary about queer refugees in Canada, Une dernière chance. The festival closes with Matthew Mishory’s Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean which re-imagines the Hollywood icon’s sexual relationships. International feature-length film screenings at the festival include: Oliver Hermanus’ Beauty, winner of the Cannes Queer Palm, the story of a self-loathing man’s struggle with his repressed sexuality; Bye Bye Blondie by Virginie Despentes, the tale of Gloria (Béatrice Dalle) and Frances (Emmanuelle Béart), who try to rekindle their 30-year-old romance; and Negar Azarbayjani’s drama Facing Mirrors, the first Iranian film to deal with transgender issues. The Image+Nation’s documentary series includes Yariv Mozer’s The Invisible Men, highlighting the plight of political-asylum-

seeking queer Palestinians along with the collaboration between Louis Bouchard, Richard Bradley, and Guy Tay Tremblay, La face cachée des bars de danseurs nus de Montréal, a historical portrait of Montreal gay strip clubs. Once again, the festival presents its series of international short films Lesbomundo and Homomundo as well as the short works of Montreal filmmakers in the program, Queerment Quebec. Image+Nation’s Vanguard series pays homage to activists of the queer movement. The lineup this year includes: Les invisibles,

about gays and lesbians born between the two World Wars; Call Me Kuchu, the protest of an anti-gay bill led by David Kato, the first openly gay man in Uganda; and Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984-1992, a documentary on the visits made to Berlin by activist, essayist and poet, Audre Lorde. The Image+Nation film festival takes place from Nov. 22 to Dec. 2 at Cinéma du Parc and Cinéma Beaubien. Tickets are $11.75 ($8.75 for students with ID). For showtimes visit image-nation.org

Pariah, a coming-of-age story by filmmaker Dee rees, screens as part of image+nation.

tuesday, November 20, 2012

BLoCkBuSter or BuSt

Lincoln will make you laugh and cry a deeper look at the life and work of america’s 16th president Catlin Spencer Contributor

rom the looks of it, there’s an Abraham Lincoln craze going on. Six months ago, Timur Bekmambetov and Tim Burton brought us Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter; a horror and action film based on the novel of the same name. In this take on the Abraham Lincoln story, the narrator supposedly possesses a secret diary detailing Honest Abe’s life as if he were a male, top-hat wearing version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While the probability of Lincoln fighting the undead can be put up for debate, Steven Spielberg’s biographical film, Lincoln, is based on historical accounts of the president’s fight for equality and the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation that would officially abolish slavery. This historical drama follows Lincoln (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) in his final sprint to pull together the votes he needs to abolish slavery and end the war, while dealing with a less-than-perfect home life. His wife, Mary (played by Sally Field), is still grief stricken over the premature death of their son, William and is plagued by incurable headaches. Lincoln’s beloved eldest son, Robert (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) defies both his parents’ wishes when he decides to join the war, causing further grief to his parents. At one point, Mary lashes out at Lincoln,

blaming him for her unconsoled grievance and accusing him of only remaining with her because of Robert. Meanwhile, Lincoln is endlessly encouraging his men to scrounge up the last 20 votes needed to pass the 13th amendment to the constitution, while both the Democrats and his own Republican party try to convince him that it’s pointless. There is a very visible strain on Lincoln as he juggles war, politics and homelife while trying to keep himself, his party and his people optimistic. Cinematography-wise, the use of natural lighting, having the actors lit by light coming

in from windows and lamps, while harsh in some situations and dark in others, plays well to the mood of the era and film. The high contrast created also adds a certain artistic flair, sharpening expressions and adding grit. There are also several beautiful scenes in which not a single word is said. One such scene is of Lincoln and his youngest son Tad, where the camera work says more than words ever could about Lincoln being and having the time to be a caring father-figure as well as a powerful political leader. Near the beginning of the film, Lincoln finds Tad asleep in front of the fireplace and lays down next to him to

the film follows lincoln’s efforts to abolish slavery while Dealing with a Difficult home life.

wake him and carry him to bed. A heartwarming scene that shows the man as not only a dedicated leader but also a caring parent. The story follows not only Lincoln in his day-to-day work of meeting with fellow politicians, meeting with soldiers, giving speeches, working in war-rooms, but it also follows his men at work in the field, debating and watching debates in the House and sometimes simply discussing the possibilities of the future amongst themselves. In reality, there were a lot of people involved in the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation, meaning there are a lot of characters to follow in the film, which may play into why the movie was so very long. There are quite a bit of monologues and political dialogue, but it is well balanced with, believe it or not, humour, such as the oldschool political mud-slinging and slander in the House between the Republicans and Democrats, which makes for good comedy. Day-Lewis expertly goes from laid-back Lincoln to motivational-presidential-speech Lincoln to Stuart-McLean-this-reminds-me-ofa-story-Lincoln in nothing flat. The latter often giving Lincoln’s men, and the audience, a good laugh. That being said, viewers may find the film a bit of an emotional roller-coaster, going from serious to humorous to sad several times throughout the film. Despite the two and a half hour length and the inevitable, tragic ending, Lincoln is a blockbuster. The acting is captivating, the camera work is fantastic and the mix of Lincoln’s light-hearted quirky stories and the seriousness of the subject matter is just enough to keep the historical biography from being dry.

CiNema PoLitiCa

ACT UP against the system a look at the New York-based advocacy group that fought for health-care and aiDS awareness ayan Chowdhury Contributor

Initially, ACT UP began as a shelter for the marginalized, but the organization quickly channeled their youthful energy to become reat change often requires a self- agents of social change. They were in effect less, tireless and collective effort a “combination of serious politics and joyful on the part of citizens. living.” Jim Hubbard’s United in This is essentially a documentary about Anger: A History of ACT UP is a documen- documentarians. ACT UP members were tary which is relevant to our times. The film great record-keepers, and they also knew how chronicles the uphill battle faced by the advo- to sell their ideas and garner public attention. cacy group known as the The director AIDS Coalition to Unleash uses first-hand Power, or ACT UP. Formed footage from the i may not be able to in 1987 and comprised of protests, giving fight the virus, i may smaller affinity groups, not be able to fight the the film a sense this organized front dedisease, but i can fight of immediacy, manded affordable health while the viewer the system. care, social benefits and becomes a witreadily available medica- activist Rodger Pettyjohn ness to history tion to combat AIDS. This itself. This imcame at a time when sysmediacy reaches tematic indifference and general misinforma- a crescendo while viewing the footage from tion relating to the disease were all too com- the demonstration known as the “Day of mon. Desperation,” which was among the group’s Between 1981 and 1987, more than greatest public protests, culminating with 40,000 people died of AIDS in the U.S. alone. thousands of activists marching in the streets This brought on a sense of mass confusion, of Manhattan and shutting down Grand Censudden loss and total misery within a dev- tral Station. astated community suffering from a lack of Whether through public demonstrations, social infrastructure. Yet various levels of sit-ins, teach-ins or voluntary waves of argovernment, public health organizations and rests, the group’s modus operandi has always pharmaceutical companies seemed passive, been civil disobedience, which was inspired if not utterly unsympathetic to their plight. by the American civil rights and the women’s

“

rights movements. At its peak, there were diagnostic definition of AIDS. 147 chapters of ACT UP across the globe, but Above all, the words of composer, contoday there are far fewer. ductor and activist Rodger Pettyjohn perOne example of ACT UP’s collective stand fectly encapsulate ACT UP’s raison d’etre: “I is known as “Seize Control of the FDA.” While may not be able to fight the virus, I may not the The Food and Drug Administration typi- be able to fight the disease, but I can fight cally takes years, sometimes even a decade, the system.” to test pharmaceutical drugs before approving them for the general public, patients who United in Anger: A History of ACT UP screens were HIV-positive didn’t have the luxury of Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. in Room H-110, 1455 time. Many of them were ready and willing De Maisonneuve Blvd. Director Jim Hubto do the testing on themselves, hoping for a bard will be in attendance. This screening medical breakthrough or, more likely, a slight is co-presented with the HIV/AIDS Lecture respite from the pain. Series Concordia. When the FDA finally allowed the release of the first AIDS drug known as AZT, it cost nearly $10,000 per year per patient. Understandably, few were pleased. In addition, the female members of the group also fought for women’s health issues, such as campaigning for the Centers For Disease Control in order to change the act up’s civil DisobeDience, on Display at an aiDs Demonstration.

tuesday, November 20, 2012

fiCtioN

theconcordian

Tourne au Rouge Part 3 of an ongoing fictional story from our staff writer andy fidel

andy fidel Staff writer

arefoot, Todd chased after the shadow thief, nearly tripping over his pyjama pants. He didn’t know what it was or where it had come from, but it had stolen the horse leg from Anya’s carousel. He had to get it back. Without it, Anya would never forgive him. The sound of the storm outside muffled the pitter-patter of his feet as he scrambled up the attic stairs. But there was no sign of the thief when he rushed inside. The full moon shone through the window pane and lit up the room. His foot stepped on a rumpled piece of paper. He bent over and picked it up. It was one of Mary-Anne’s photographs. Todd stared down at the picture as he remembered the Sunday morning it had been taken. They were making breakfast. Papa had cracked the eggs on the edge of the counter while Todd guarded the sizzling bacon and toasting bread. “Morning, sunshine,” Papa said as Anya shuffled into the kitchen. Anya stretched her arms out and yawned. “What are you doing,” she had asked. “Pancakes,” Todd exclaimed, wearing Papa’s necktie around his head and an old pair of black sunglasses. With a flick of the wrist, she flipped the pancake. As soon as it splotched back onto the

pan, Todd rushed in front of her and smacked the pancake with his spatula. When both sides turned golden-brown, Papa gave them a thumbs-up and held out a plate. Papa said: “Watch out!” and pointed to the stove. While the children had their backs turned, he swiftly snatched the pancake. Anya ran after him, while Todd crawled under the table, but he had gobbled it up before they had caught him. Anya poured another spoonful into the pan. “Just try and get this one,” she warned, waving the wooden spoon. Todd tugged on Anya’s apron. “Can I try?” She nodded and lifted her arm to let Todd slip under. He placed his hands on the handle like Anya. At that moment, Mary-Anne had walked into the kitchen, holding her camera and had taken a picture of them just as they jerked upwards. Taken by surprise, Anya had burnt her hand and the pancake had landed with a splatter on the floor. Todd’s thoughts were halted by a flicker out of the corner of his eye. His hand clenched tightly around the photograph as he looked around the attic. All of Mary-Anne’s photographs had been ripped from the wall, crumpled in a ball or torn apart. Turning, Todd saw the shadow rear up to its full height. The scream welling in Todd’s throat was silenced by the shadow’s hand covering his mouth. It almost looked alarmed, shaking its head wildly and bringing a dark finger to the line where its lips should have been. Todd didn’t have

any more time to think as the shadow thief scooped up a white sheet and enveloped him, sending Todd into a world of darkness. The bag swung back and forth. Todd felt as though he were falling as his stomach looped several times over. He would have been sick if he hadn’t been able to maintain his sense of balance within his makeshift cage. Searching the sheet Todd found a small hole just big enough to see through. He gasped when he realized how high they were. The shadow was quickly sliding down a tree using his hooked feet and hands. Underneath them, a potbellied man sat on a tree stump with his long slender legs crossed. The man wore a scarlet tailcoat with golden buttons that looked a bit tight for him, a shock of red hair stood up from his head in every direction. He stirred his tea as though he enjoyed the sound of the silver spoon when it clinked along the edges of the cup. The shadow dropped Todd and plonked onto the hard ground, still trapped in the bag. “Did you find it?” asked the man, lifting his head. On the tip of his crooked nose perched a pair of golden spectacles. Todd felt the shadow leave his side and saw it approach the old man. The latter extended his hand, palm upraised as if expecting a gift. From his spot in the bag, Todd watched as Anya’s horse leg was exchanged between the two. For some reason, this old man scared him and he was glad to be in the bag. Even the shadow appeared to be quivering. Once the horse’s leg was dropped into man’s hand,

the shadow withdrew itself as though it were burned by fire. It hurried back toward Todd and seemed intent on taking him away. “Wait.” Todd felt the shadow freeze “What do you have in the bag?” The shadow said: “Stuff,” and backed away. “Empty it.” In an instant, Todd found himself rolling on the ground, but it was like no ground he had ever seen before. Puffs of mist formed as he breathed out into the chilly air. All around him was a forest of stumps.His eyes fell upon the only tree, a massive bulk with gargantuan branches. Hanging from the branches were various wooden picture frames that swayed in the breeze. The man pointed a finger at the young boy. “What is that?” “I panicked,” replied the shadow. “He followed me and— she was coming.” “So you took him?” “Let me keep this one,” pleaded the shadow. “This is not the child I asked for!” Todd felt the shadow recoil beside him as the man towered over both of them. He looked at his kidnapper and then up into the cold eyes of this man who appeared to rule a dead world. One thing dawned suddenly in Todd’s mind: Anya was in danger. Checkout the concordian.com to read parts 1&2 of Andy Fidel’s fiction serial.

music

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com q&A

Jonas Bonnetta talks Evening Hymns and inner light Ontario native behind Spectral Dusk on European indie success, family and woodwork school he bought a trucking company and I worked with him there for six years. We were business partners. And then he bought a sawmill, and I worked there for years. I didn’t go away to university. I drove to work with him every day. I took care of him. We were really close. C: What does your latest album, Spectral Dusk, mean to you? J: First of all, it was for me, my mum, my two brothers and sister. We are all really pleased with it. It’s a snapshot of my dad. That’s really all that I was concerned with. But every show we play, someone comes up to me saying that they really connected to it because they’d lost somebody. It’s 50 minutes of something peaceful and gentle to think about; to cherish the people you’re close to that are still alive and think about the people you’ve lost. I don’t think of it as dark, it’s more light. It’s a 50-minute reflection, more so on life than death.

Jonas Bonnetta (L) and syLvie smith (R) aRe in the midst of theiR second cRoss-canada touR. Elizabeth Mackay Music editor The Concordian spoke with Jonas Bonnetta, the folk singer-songwriter at the heart of Evening Hymns, ahead of his show at Le Cagibi on Saturday. The Concordian: What does Evening Hymns mean? Jonas Bonnetta: When I chose that band name it was meant to create a quiet place.

C: When did you start working with Sylvie Smith on Evening Hymns? J: I knew her from her old band, Habitat. We met three or four years ago when I was recording the song “Western Roads” as a solo artist, and I asked her to sing on it because I knew she had a nice country voice. It sounded really good, and we realized we should write more music together. C: Your father recently passed, what kind of relationship did you have with him? J: It was great, he was an awesome dad, couldn’t ask for anything more. After I graduated high

C: Evening Hymns has toured more in Europe than at home, in Canada. Why? J: We released a record in France. This really great magazine there, Magic Magazine, reviewed our first album and a label heard it, liked it and asked us to re-release it there. We then toured in France, all through Europe. There’s a bit of a ‘thing’ for Canadian music over there. I think we got in at the right time there. The right people heard us, we got lucky. The more you tour physically, the more your audience grows. But now we’re focusing on Canada. This is only our second full tour across Canada. C: What hole, if any, does music fill for you in life?

J: It’s my main creative outlet. I don’t necessarily want it to be my 100 per cent job. It would be nice if I could make enough money for me to take long chunks of time off to write and record, but I like working. I like having jobs to do. I probably will for the rest of my life, even if music does start paying a little bit more. I think working is important. I love working with wood. If I find work for a couple months doing that in between tours, it’s not a bad thing. It’s good; it helps me grow as a person aside from music. C: What is it you like about working with wood? J: I think it’s nice having something tangible to work with. I grew up in the woods and I have a nice connection to the woods. The smell of it and the way it works is amazing. It always makes me feel comfortable. C: Why has Evening Hymns remained, at its core, a duo? J: It just makes sense logistically to keep it stripped down. Can’t afford to bring a full sevenpiece band across Canada. We are touring as a four-piece band when we come to Montreal. I don’t really have an interest in recreating the record live, as a full band, we already recorded it that way. I want to continue to change it and keep it interesting for us. If I have to perform for two thirds of the year, the last thing I want to do is play the same thing every night. Its nice for us to try and reinvent the songs. Its fun and challenging. Trial track: “Arrows” Evening Hymns play Le Cagibi at 5490 St. Laurent St. on Saturday, Nov. 24.

FEsTivAl

On the road to Heavy MTL Hundreds of local bands in running for a spot in Montreal’s largest hard rock fest Michelle Pucci staff writer Until Dec. 2, artists can send in their applications for the chance to perform at Heavy MTL. The Montreal heavy metal/hard rock summer festival is one of the largest of its kind and has been headlined by some of the biggest names in the genre, including Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe, Disturbed, Slayer, Megadeth, KISS and Alice Cooper. The contest is the perfect opportunity for Quebec bands to showcase their talent and meet important members of the metal music industry. Twenty bands will be selected out of hundreds of applicants and will perform in front of a rotation of judges over five nights. From January to May 2013, En Route to Heavy MTL 2013, presented by Evenko and Dungeon Works Productions, will take place at Les Katacombes on the first Thursday of every month. Those selected for the competition will be announced Dec. 9 at the venue. In June, the five winning bands will battle it out at the Corona Theatre and the top two

groups will win spots on Heavy MTL’s festival line-up. Last year’s winners Dark Century and HolloW performed at Heavy MTL 2012, and the group with the third highest score, Bookakee, replaced the New Jersey thrash-metal band, God Forbid, after they cancelled their scheduled performance at the festival. Bands are judged on their overall performance, originality, musicianship, image representation, crowd reaction and interaction and this year’s edition will feature the category of time efficiency. The panel of judges will include representatives of Evenko and the Heavy Metal Music Association of Canada, as well as local press representatives, members of booking agencies and other relevant representatives of the local and international music scenes. Last year’s judges included band members of Annihilator, Megadeth, Testament, Heaven & Hell, and Cannibal Corpse along with local judges Jason Rockman and Mike ‘Metal’ Babins of CHOM and the former editor-inchief of the alternative weekly Hour Community, Jamie O’Meara.

According to Michelle Ayoub of Dungeon Works Productions, Evenko plans on diversifying the festival. This year, the organizers are looking forward to incorporating more genres into the contest, so bands that fall outside of the typical metal spectrum are encouraged to apply for a spot in the festival. Press kits, applications, and demos can be submitted at Labyrinthe Rock Boutique at 486 Ste-Catherine St. W. or online at www.heavymtl.com. For more information visit www.dungeonworksprods.com.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

theconcordian

profile

East End Radicals juggle school and big time success Concordians celebrate debut album with upcoming show at Petit Campus sabrina Giancioppi Contributor

Andrew Guilbert staff writer

>>>Big Boi’s one that got away

Outkast rapper Big Boi’s upcoming album Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors boasts an all-star cast of collaborators, with big names like Ludacris, Kelly Rowland, Kid Cudi and T.I. having already lent their talent to the rapper’s second studio album. As Big Boi told The Village Voice, though, there was one noticeable exception to the A-list roll call; his Outkast mate, Andre 3000. “He could’ve been on any song he wanted to. I gave the motherfucker about five songs, but I guess he was just too busy,” said Big Boi. “He said he had to do some Gillette shit.” Though the comment, referencing the series of Gillette ads the “Hey Ya!” hitmaker starred in, spawned laughter during the interview, Big Boi made sure they knew he was serious. “No for real. He said he had some contractual obligations.” Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors is set to drop on Dec. 11.

>>>DiD they try to shake him out?

In terms of embarrassing reasons to miss a gig, this one’s way up there. Florence and the Machine drummer Chris Hayden nearly missed his band’s BBC Radio 2 In Concert show because he couldn’t get himself out of the bathroom. “I didn’t know whether to say it on stage because I didn’t want to embarrass him, but he got trapped in the loo. He was screaming,” said singer Florence Welch. “He got really freaked out. We could hear him trying to bash the door down, and they had to take the door off its hinges, so my Dad did offer to stand in. But he did escape.” Thankfully, the band was able to play on time for presenter Jo Whiley’s Radio 2 show, but the question still remains: if you didn’t want to embarrass him, why did you tell the media about it?

>>>will it feature little pink haunteD houses?

After more than a decade of working on the project, John Mellencamp and Stephen King’s musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County will soon reach completion. The musical deals with two sets of brothers fighting over a woman, 30 years apart in the same cabin. Mellencamp originally hatched the basic idea in the late ‘90s while spending time in his cabin in Bloomington, Indiana — which he claims is haunted. As far as splitting duties goes, each man has a clear idea of what they contribute to the project. “It was Steve’s job to tell the story,” said Mellencamp. “It was my job to develop the characters through songs. That’s different than most musicals. The best example of that is My Fair Lady. They had a story with Pygmalion, so they just stuck songs in there.” Though an early version of the show ran in Atlanta earlier this year and there was a recent table reading in New York for investors, there are no plans to put the show on Broadway just yet. “John believes in reaching for the stars in everything he does,” said King. “But a lot of Broadway these days is fucking Disneyland. It’s blue-haired ladies from Westchester County. They come in buses and they want to see Aida or The Lion King. It’s almost like an amusement park.” If you’re interested in seeing the early version of the show, a CD/DVD deluxe edition, which will feature the soundtrack, handwritten lyrics and a mini-documentary about the making of the musical will go on sale March 19.

LocaL musicians, the east end RadicaLs, fRom Left to Right: eRic PetRaRoia, scott macLeod, BRent BLake, and matthew di gugLieLmo.

ast End Radicals worked themselves to the bone with the release of Carry On, a 12-song album debut that will surely melt your leather and get your fists in

the air. Stomp Records recently added this four-piece punk rock band from Montreal to their repertoire, calling their album a “wild, raucous and unapologetic middle finger salute to authority, oppression and the status quo in general.” The boys have shared the stage with the Planet Smashers, The Creepshow, The Real Mckenzies and the Mahones and toured Ontario and Quebec on their own in the summer of 2011. When asked about the tour, drummer and political science undergrad at Concordia, Matthew Di Guglielmo, said it was nothing short of amazing. “You meet tons of incredible people that more often than not, will give up their houses and showers for the night so you have somewhere to stay,” said Di Guglielmo. “The generosity and hospitality we have received is incredible.” Lead guitarist and film studies undergrad Eric Petraroia drops the names of Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, The Ramones and Social Distortion as some of the many influences from which they derive inspiration. Petraroia and Di Guglielmo have been playing music together since they were 12, and it wasn’t until the additions

of Brent Blake on bass and Scott MacLeod on vocals and guitar that East End Radicals developed a gnarly attitude, one that would get them signed to Stomp Records. About a year ago Matt Collyer, lead singer of Planet Smashers and manager of Stomp Records, took notice of the band on stage and approached them about a potential collaboration. East End Radicals sent in their demo, and three nail biting months later, Collyer called back with an opportunity that changed their lives. “It was and still is a shock. This is something I’ve wanted since I was a kid, and for it to finally happen is really a dream come true,” said Di Guglielmo. Today, East End Radicals have an album available in stores and on iTunes, along with plans to conquer North America and Europe on their upcoming tours. This great opportunity does come with some sacrifices for the band. Petraroia said that he is at “the finish line” of completing his degree, but believes touring to be a priority, for “music has always come first” for him. Blake and MacLeod have even sacrificed serious jobs to pursue this opportunity. Di Guglielmo revealed that making

the decision to postpone school and commit to the band’s career was not an easy conversation with his parents. “They are firm believers that school is very important, and to a certain degree, I agree with them,” said Di Guglielmo. “I think I would regret it more if I didn’t give music a shot because of school. I can always go back to school, I can’t always go back to getting signed.” East End Radicals’ album release show is at Petit Campus on Thursday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.

UNIVERSITY MUSICIANS!!! The Concordian wants you!

Looking for band members, singers, instrumentalists that moonlight as Concordia students or teachers by day for our ‘Campus musician profile series.’ Please email music@theconcordian.comif you fit the bill.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

PrOFilE

New Music Canada: METZ

Canadians making overpowering noise in resurging punk scene Alex Giardini staff writer

With a stellar debut album on the legendary Sub Pop label, highly positive reviews on blogs across the web and praise from notable peers like Arcade Fire, Toronto’s METZ are taking the Canadian scene by storm. “We always followed [Sub Pop’s] catalogue, they’ve always put out good stuff. It was easy to see them as a dream-type label,” said Hayden Menzies, the band’s drummer and a Concordia graduate. The label, known for launching groundbreaking bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Low and Wolf Parade, was impressed by the band’s offerings and did not alter the trio’s work in the studio whatsoever. “Because the record was already finished, it was being mastered and [Sub Pop] had no influence on re-recording it or re-writing it,” said Menzies. “They were 100 per cent behind us no matter what we did.” METZ initially comes across as noise punk, but offers something unfamiliar in the structure of their sound that is somewhat fresh and associated with heavier music. The screeches, howls and screams of Alex Edkins’ voice and guitar are drenched over Chris Slorach’s awkward bass

tone, complete with Menzies’ loud and furious drumming. The band’s punk rock songs would shatter the strongest of eardrums and bring forth something special in Canada’s revamped vibrant punk scene. Though Menzies says the record contains “themes of pressure, paranoia and feeling suffocated a bit by what’s going around,” there isn’t a primary concept that defines the album as a whole. “There’s no real underlying theme or anything. We write really natural; the three of us get together and write songs,” said Menzies. “The general idea was to write enough songs to fill the time an LP would require.” METZ has amassed a huge following in very little time, and despite their short existence, they have become hugely popular on the West Coast. With an 8.5 rating courtesy ontaRian Band PLays iL motoRe on nov. 22 and featuRes a concoRdia gRad. Photo By RoBBy Reis of the always-entertaining Pitchfork, their debut album dazzles in the most ferocious way possible. humbling, we feel really proud, but we kind of winning album under their belt. Menzies shares Menzies acknowledges taking it as it comes just roll with it. We kind of just work hard and the same sentiments as most musical pundits do but puts the band’s happiness first. rise to the occasion. We try to make sure we’re about our overly talented country. “We had no grandiose plans for all of this, still having fun and doing it for the right rea“Canada has a ton of greats bands coming the three of us wanted to write music and asked sons.” out now, it always has,” said Menzies. “Now ourselves ‘Are we happy with this? Are we happy Canada’s punk rock scene could be larger there’s more notice of stuff going on. Things go enough to leave the practice space and play these than ever right now, with emerging bands such in a cyclical nature and it’s natural that it’s going songs live?’ That’s the only concern we ever as White Lung, Solids, and Young Mother. To- to come back to a resurgence. I think Canada is in have,” said Menzies. “The other stuff is great, it’s ronto’s Fucked Up already have a Polaris Prize- a great state, whether it’s in [punk] or not.”

Quick spins 20 mixtape

Brian Eno - Lux (2012; Warp)

Charli XCX - Super Ultra - Free Mixtape (2012)

One Direction - Take Me Home (2012; Syco Records)

Aerosmith - Music from Another Dimension! (2012; Columbia)

The Latin word for “Light,” Lux is a return to Brian Eno’s ambient roots and a continuation of his ‘Music For Thinking’ project. This 75-minute, 12-part, four-movement ambient composition was commissioned as a sound art installation for the Great Gallery of the Palace of Venaria in Turin, Italy. Much like the experience of entering a gallery and immersing yourself in art, Lux transports the listener to a contemplative mindspace that continuously shifts and morphs in on itself, changing yet remaining constant. Relaxing, all while being compelling, Lux creates a soundscape of delicate synthesizers, strings and light piano notes that does not demand your attention, but lures you into a half-lucid state like the whisper of a dream.Eno is also releasing an app to accompany his new album. Bloom is an interactive composition program that allows the user to create a Eno-esque sound art installation of his or her own.

The 20-year-old British singer-songwriter Charli XCX is back with a crazier-than-usual mixtape, Super Ultra. The mix, which includes both original music and covers, is a strange blend of pop, rap, hip hop, indie and a touch of techno, all somehow coming together into what the singer calls “Angel Pop.” The intros are inventive, one of which even includes a dialog from Cruel Intentions. With their perverted lyrics and strange beats, her tracks are incredibly catchy. Lyrics go from angst to rebellious teenager. In “2 Moments in Love” she is a rebel, saying “I just want to get high with my best friend/kiss her on the tongue just like I’m your boyfriend.” But other tracks, like “Forgiveness,” have a little more depth. Although it is clear that Charli XCX is still trying to find her voice, she seems to be on to something. It’s a sugarcoated mess, but still worth a listen.

Despite being trite and formulaic, One Direction’s second album Take Me Home is painfully addictive. The tried and tested formula of cheeky guitar riffs, crowd-pleasing choruses and five-part harmonies creates an album that is essentially identical to their first one, except for deeper voices and riskier lyrics. The album’s strengths lie in irresistibly cheesy pop tracks like “Kiss You” and “Heart Attack,” which are the musical equivalent of over-indulging in sugary junk food. Meanwhile, most of the ballads feel out of place, including British singersongwriter Ed Sheeran originals “Over Again” and “Little Things.” Although they are the bestwritten songs on the whole album, they are awkwardly dissonant with the rest of the tracks. There are no surprises on this boy band’s latest effort. It is neither musically nor lyrically creative, but it is undeniably enjoyable if you don’t let your pretensions get in the way.

After an eight year hiatus, Aerosmith is back with their 15th studio album, Music From Another Dimension! In a year filled with comebacks from the likes of Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith has managed to maintain its signature sound thanks to Steven Tyler’s energetic and unmistakable vocals, paired perfectly with Joe Perry’s stellar guitar riffs. The first track, entitled “LUV XXX,” leads us to believe that the band is opting for a younger, more modern sound. Despite the tacky title, Aerosmith still possesses the same great energy and musicality that made them famous back in the ‘70s. Tracks like “Legendary Child” could easily be off of their classic album Toys in the Attic alongside the anthems “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion.” From the opening track to the closing track, Music From Another Dimension! will not disappoint diehard fans or even new listeners.

Trial track: “LUX 1/2/3/4”

Trial track: “Cloud Aura” ft. Brooke Candy

Trial track: “I Would”

Trial track: “Legendary Child”

8.0/10

- Paul Traunero

6.3/10

- Nathalie Laflamme

6/10

-Suzanne Lafontaine

8/10

-Jessica Romera

sports

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com

woMen’s Hockey

Concordia loses to the Carabins on the road Stingers women’s hockey team looked to build a winning streak David S. Landsman Staff writer After having snapped their five-game losing streak on Friday evening, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team traveled to CEPSUM arena for an afternoon tilt, losing 9-1 to the second place Montréal Carabins on Sunday afternoon. “It was definitely a step back,” said Les Lawton, head coach of the team. “We played with no emotion; had trouble everywhere. It was one of those days you want to forget and get past.” The last time the two teams met, the Stingers let slide a two-goal first period lead and conceded a 5-3 loss on Nov. 9. The Carabins were coming off a loss to McGill and were looking to get back to their winning ways against Concordia. Momentum was brief for the Stingers when their power play went to work just over five minutes into the game. The Stingers’ Jaymee Shell sent a swift pass back to the point where sophomore Veronique Laramee Paquette made no mistake sending a bullet at the net, deflecting off a Carabins player and past Montréal goaltender Elodie RousseauSirois to give ConU the 1-0 lead. Right before the next faceoff the Stingers goaltender, Chelsey Hodges, getting her first

start since Oct. 27, went off to repair an equipment malfunction. The officials urged them to switch goalies until the next whistle. So, Concordia head coach Les Lawton sent in Carolanne Lavoie-Pilon. Unfortunately for Lavoie-Pilon, her shift would be short and bittersweet, conceding a goal to Carabins’ Maude Gelinas on her only shot faced in 1:34 of ice time. Lawton then told Lavoie-Pilon to return to the bench and Hodges returned back between the pipes. Two minutes later on a delayed Stingers penalty Maxie Plante connected on a wrist shot from the slot behind Hodges, erasing the Stingers lead. Late in the opening frame in the span of 78 seconds, the Stingers took two penalties and gave up two power play goals to Montréal with Janique Duval and Josianne Legault connecting; for Legault her first of three on the afternoon. In the second stanza, the Carabins came out with full force by containing the puck in the Stingers zone for the latter portion. The Concordia defence stood its ground and

Hodges seeing the puck very well, made 38 saves in the loss. The Stingers couldn’t contain everything, however, and with just under six minutes to go in the period, when the Carabins managed to get three quick goals in a span of 2:52, making it a 7-1 game. “I thought for the first 12-14 minutes of the second we played solid,” explained coach Lawton. “But after that, we just seemed to falter.” Carabins’ Legault completed her hat trick at 18:33 of the third period, and sealed the game at 9-1. The Carabins offense seemed too much in

the end and the poor officiating didn’t hurt them either, still calling everything against Concordia, even with the score well out of reach. “The lack of communication between coaches and [the officials,] it’s inconsistent,” said Lawton. “And that makes it even tougher to play in games knowing their rules of what’s okay and not.” The Stingers close out the first half of the season next Saturday when they visit the Ottawa Gee-Gees. They will have a five week break until the Theresa Humes Tournament on the first weekend of January.

Photo by Marie Josee Kelly

men’s Hockey

Struggles continue for Stingers men’s hockey The Stingers are now winless in their last 10 games after suffering two losses this weekend

Anthony Abbondanza Staff writer The men’s hockey team blew a two-goal lead late in the third period, losing 3-2 against the Carleton Ravens. Less than 24 hours later, the Stingers couldn’t overcome a potent Gee Gees offense, losing 6-3 to Ottawa. Despite the two losses, Stingers head coach Kevin Figsby praised his team’s efforts. “We have a great group of kids,” said Figsby. “They’ve been working really hard. We’re moving from being frustrated to learning consistency and confidence.” The weekend’s hockey action began Satur-

second period, forcing Dube to make some impressive saves, most notably a breakaway stop on Potvin, who flew past two sleeping defensemen. Minutes later, Stingers goalkeeper Loic Boivin kept his team in front, robbing unguarded Ravens forward Jeff Photo by Marie Josee Kelly Hayes on his doorstep. day, with the Stingers hosting the Carleton Ra“He played great,” said Figsby. “He’s calm. vens at Ed Meagher arena. Both of our goalies are young and are learning.” The game got off to a physical start. Stingers Late in the second period, the Stingers capiforward Alex Monahan was involved in an alter- talized on an ill-timed Ravens penalty. Monahan cation with Ravens forward Tyler Taylor. potted his third goal of the season off a bad reThe early scrum inspired the Concordia bound. bench. Soon after, the Stingers cycled the puck With the score 2-1 later in the second period, in and around Ravens’ goalkeeper Ryan Dube the Stingers had the insurance goal in sight with for large stretches of the first period. several power play opportunities. Their failure to But it wasn’t until a penalty kill midway capitalize bred new life for the Ravens. through the first period that the Stingers finally Late in the third period, Ravens forwards found the back of the net. Forward Olivier Hinse Ryan Berard and Mitch Porowski shocked the redirected a Dany Potvin shot from the point for Stingers with two back-to-back goals, finishing his second goal of the season. the comeback. The Stingers carried momentum early in the The maroon and gold finished the game one-

for-seven on the power play. “We worked all week on a set power-play that we knew would work against Carleton,” said Figsby. “But 20 minutes before the game, the medical staff decided [defenseman] Alex MacDonald could not play.” According to Figsby, MacDonald’s presence on the powerplay is paramount to the team’s success. Twenty-four hours after the disappointing loss to the Ravens, the Stingers took on the Ottawa Gee Gees in Ottawa. Things got ugly early on; the Stingers were down 4-0 at the first intermission. But in the second period the Stingers turned on the heat and out-shot the Gee Gees 12-8. The Stingers’ Alexis Piette, George Lovatsis, and Potvin each scored a goal, narrowing the Gee-Gees lead to one goal. The Stingers thought the comeback was complete in the third period when a shot from the point found the back of the net; however, Mathieu Dubuc’s goaltender interference nullified the goal. The Gee-Gees went on to add two late markers, beating Concordia 6-3. The Stingers will try to end the 10-game winless streak on Friday when they host the Nipissing Lakers at the Ed Meagher arena. Puck drops at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

profiLe

Meet Shauna Zilversmit: team player and leader This concordia stinger is looking forward to her future Thierry Tardif contributor

hauna Zilversmit has never been happier. She has always wanted to play the sport she loves and study somewhere she knew she would excel. At Concordia University, her dreams came true. Zilversmit, 19, is on Concordia’s wom-

en’s soccer team. With perseverance and a lot of effort, she was able to see plenty of minutes on the field as a rookie. “In my first year, as a rookie, I got to play more than I could have hoped for,” said Zilversmit. She also expressed a positive attitude towards the team’s results this season. Concordia finished in fifth place in the standings, one spot short of the playoffs. The Stingers also beat McGill, which was the first time the team has accomplished this feat since 1993. She expects a great season next year and says she really believes in her teammates. “Being a part of a team that had such a

great season full of accomplishments was a great experience,” she explained. “What I loved most about it was not only our accomplishments as a team, but also the girls. Everyone on our team got along really well and we were on the same page towards what goals we wanted to accomplish this season.” Zilversmit believes if they continue with the same effort they had this season, the Stingers will be able to reach the playoffs. “I know that with the work ethic our girls have, we will continue to strive for excellence and hopefully find a way to get ourselves to nationals,” she added.

Photo by Brianna Thicke

Zilversmit’s love for the sport came from her parents Richard and Jo-Anna, who had enrolled her and her brother Shayne in soccer. From the moment she started playing, she got attached to the game. After many years of practice and games, she finally reached the elite AAA level. She attended John Rennie High School in Pointe-Claire and was enrolled in the SportsÉtudes program that was installed there. Zilversmit said being in the program helped her improve her game. The program makes every student athlete go to class, Monday through Friday, until noon, followed by training in the afternoon. After high school, Zilversmit attended Dawson College, where she studied in the cinema/video/communications program. She believed this program gave her the necessary skills in order to go into journalism, where she is now at Concordia. “The idea of combining the two things I love the most and making a career out of it by being a sport broadcaster makes me even happier,” she said. Zilversmit’s future in soccer dimmed as she suffered a torn ACL while playing for the Dawson Blues, her CÉGEP soccer team. She needed surgery on her damaged knee Marie-Josee Kelly and had to take a Photo wholeby year off to recover. The injury forced her to stay on the sidelines during the summer soccer season, however it didn’t destroy her motivation to get back on the field. “It was the first time I wasn’t playing soccer since I first started when I was seven,” she explained. “It was a long recovery, but I was determined to get back on the field so I trained hard to get back.” She made a return to the Blues at the end of the second season. Since then, she has passed on her talents and leadership to the Stingers, and cannot wait to play next year.

MeN’s rugby

Bittersweet finish for men’s rugby team Mcgill continues its reign with seventh straight championship after win against stingers paolo Mingarelli staff writer “The result is disappointing, but not the way we played,” said Stingers scrum-half Kevin Elliott. “We put everything we could into it and left it all on the field.” The most anticipated matchups in the regular season for the Stingers and Redmen are those they play against each other. The only way to surmount this intensity is to put them against one another for the league championship in November. Concordia and McGill renewed their rivalry in the RSEQ Championship game for the third consecutive year on Sunday. The tilt started at a fast pace. Each team was eager to get rid of their pre-game jitters and play to their liking. This consisted of an abundance of plays to the blindside for McGill, and from ConU the ever present speed and physicality, a staple of their brand. “They have been utilising that strategy for three years at least,” said Concordia head coach Clive Gibson. “We prepared for it, but we got caught napping a few times for big yardage.” McGill struck first by scoring a try, without conversion, in the 15th minute of play after capitalizing on a rare break from the ConU defence. Five minutes later, McGill was given

another chance to increase their lead with a penalty kick, however, it would be shanked from 28 yards out. Redmen penalties would help the Stingers break the goose egg with 10 minutes left in the first half when kicker Joey Fulginiti put one through the uprights from 29 yards out. Also, despite a visiting fan’s attempt to distract the kicker with a truck horn, Fulginiti remained ice cold and put up a great kick from 42 yards out sending the home crowd into an uproar as Concordia was leading 6-5 with four minutes remaining in the half. “Whether it’s 20 or 40 yards out, if the other team gets penalties you want to make them pay,” said Fulginiti. “When you make those kicks, it’s a huge momentum boost for the squad.” The lead would not hold up until the break. McGill scored a try when a clearing kick was caught and promptly brought back into their end with a quick juke and a well timed offload. The Redmen runner beat three defenders and put the ball down giving the visitors a 11-6 lead at the half. The second half began with a massive surge from the Redmen. ConU stopped a sure try from being scored very early on, however a scrum that went McGill’s way found one of their backs who would drive it forward for the try.

Photo by Leslie Schachter

Concordia did not quit and relied on its forwards to give them another chance to put up points. When a lineout was won, this turned into a maul that drove forward and was sealed by Kim Haze Vuong with the try. Despite a surge of momentum after the last try, ConU gave up another try with 17 minutes left when a wall played ball made its way along the wing and forward. Instead of shipping it back the other way, McGill took it

and cashed in what was eventually the game winning try. Even with a late game push by Concordia’s forward pack to force McGill to concede a penalty try, there was simply too little time left. The home crowd witnessed the very emotional Stingers side receive silver. “We never gave up once,” said Stingers captain Dario Pellizzari. “I’m proud of the boys for how they played today and all season.”

opinions 16

theconcordian

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com

ediTorial

Keeping it in the family: CUTV style Why a new start for Conu’s T.V. station could be a blessing in disguise

s Concordia University Television under attack? Probably not. Does it need a new leader to guide the organization out of this mess? Definitely. A little bit of context: employees of CUTV have been quitting left and right, locks were changed on the office doors, the organization’s finances have been frozen by the university, scathing open letters have been exchanged and only one person currently sits on the Board of Directors, leaving the organization in a tight spot legally. Basically, it’s been a rough couple of months for CUTV.

What CUTV should have done: for starters, there should have been more communication between members, staff and the people running the show. If the station was falling apart, the directors and the management should have addressed it much earlier. There is honestly no excuse for this level of confusion and blame-gaming. This whole situation was made worse now that the Board of Directors has only one remaining member. This shows a clear lack of forethought and organization now that no new directors can be appointed, there are no bylaws to work off of and no one seems to be aware of what to do next.

What CUTV is doing wrong: from what we’ve been hearing, it sounds like everyone involved could use a bit of an attitude adjustment. People quitting en masse because of “tensions” at the station indicates to us that those underlying problems were not so subtle after all. The amount of infighting and name-calling we’ve been privy to of late is really childish. This is a university and some of the people involved in this mess are too old to be acting like they don’t know when to keep their mouths shut and their personal vendettas in check. The solution: clean it up and clean it out. Some of the key players in this unravelling

saga have been at Concordia for nearly a decade and we wonder if some fresh blood might be just the thing CUTV needs to stay afloat. While there is something to be said for the benefits of institutional memory, those benefits are vastly outweighed by the problems facing CUTV right now. As far as we can tell, the station is not under attack from the outside; it’s collapsing all by itself. Now is the perfect time for a complete overhaul of CUTV. If the organization has been plagued by negativity and mismanagement, then it’s time for the veterans to step aside and see what a new generation of students can accomplish.

supersTiTioN

Doomsday: is it fact or fiction?

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The end of the Mayan calendar doesn’t mean end of the world robin della Corte assistant news editor Doomsday is a mere month away—if you believe in that sort of thing. Brace yourself. We can expect the apocalypse to occur on Dec. 21, according to the Mayan calendar that will end and begin a new term, which will begin our winter solstice. The day is said to be the last day of the 13th baktun, or 144,000-day cycle of the Ancient Mayan calendar. The Ancient Mayans saw the end of the 13th baktun as the end of a full cycle. Many people took this information and ran with it, saying that since the Mayan Calendar term ends on Dec. 21, 2012, this means that our earth will cease to exist. Wrong. Like any calendar, when a new year comes, we get a new calendar. Same exact concept here. A Mayan term has ended and a new cycle will now begin. It does not mean that the world as we know it will end due to the beginning of a new cycle. Some may ask why we link the Mayan calendar to our doomsday. The answer is simple; because “many people who would like to believe in something that science can’t explain look to alternative sources of information on which to base their ideas,” explained Concordia University professor Lorenzo DiTommaso, who teaches religion and studies global apocalyptism. DiTommaso supports the idea that nothing will occur that day because “it assumes that the universe works in ways beyond scientific explanation.” Marcello Canuto, the director of the Middle American Research Institute at Tulane

Photo from Flickr

University, told LiveScience website that the “13th baktun date was an important calendrical event that would have been celebrated by the ancient Mayans; however, they make no apocalyptic prophecies whatsoever regarding the date.” Besides, not all believers of the Mayan apocalypse believe the world will turn into ashes; John Hoopes, a scholar of Mayan history at the University of Kansas, believes the day will bring spiritual transformation. “If there is change, it will be because we decide it, not because somebody or something has foreordained it,” DiTommaso said. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been the source of many answers to people’s concerns and worries on whether or not the world will end that day. “Remember the Y2K scare? It came and went without much of a whimper because of adequate planning and analysis of the situa-

tion. Impressive movie special effects aside, Dec. 21, 2012, won’t be the end of the world as we know it. It will, however, be another winter solstice,” states NASA’s website. Although some people believe the world will end on Dec. 21, others believe that it won’t necessarily end, but that something negative will happen. The NASA website states that “nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than four billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.” It seems social media truly blew this one out of proportion. This whole issue has made me so enraged with people who don’t know how to simply fact check and will believe anything that they are told. To my knowledge, no one ever paid any attention to the Mayan calendar before, but suddenly it’s the one thing

remember the Y2K scare? it came and went without much of a whimper ... impressive movie special effects aside, dec. 21, 2012, won’t be the end of the world as we know it. it will, however, be another winter solstice. - NASA website

we are going to base our whole existence and future on. I’m sure everyone remembers the biblical “rapture” that was supposed to take place in May of this year. Well, like that day, I’ll be waiting for Dec. 21 to come and go, just to continue on with my life, nothing having changed.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

CiTY

The making of an informed people The Charbonneau Commission is on the right track George Menexis opinions editor They don’t have the power to put criminals behind bars. They don’t have the power to take people to court. They certainly don’t have the power to accuse witnesses of wrongdoing. However the Charbonneau Commission has the ability to inform the people and in a society like ours, an informed people is the greatest power of all. “The commission’s investigations are going well, in terms of one of the purposes of the commission, which was to make public the corruption in Montreal,” said Marcel Danis, Concordia University professor, lawyer, and former politician, in an interview with The Concordian. The Charbonneau Commission was created by Jean Charest’s Liberal party on Oct. 19, 2011. As I look at the past year, I must say, I’m fairly impressed with the work this commission has done. As a result of the testimonies made by witnesses on the stand at the commission, two major Quebec politicians, Gérald Tremblay, now ex-Montreal mayor, and Gilles Vaillancourt, ex-Laval mayor, have resigned amid corruption allegations. This is what Montreal’s corrupt construction industry, and the system as a whole, needs; a fresh start. The Charbonneau Commission,

chaired by Justice France Charbonneau is doing just that. Although they don’t have the power, like I said, to accuse people in court, they have shed substantial light on the process in which public contracts are given out, and many politicians, Vaillancourt and Tremblay among them, were ratted out in the process. The commission, however, does have certain drawbacks. Not only can they not make arrests, but witnesses who testify are completely protected. This, according to Danis, has pushed many people to come and testify. “One of the bad things about the commission is that when someone goes to testify at the commission, what they say cannot be used against them,” said Danis. “That’s why some police officers were against the fact of creating the commission in the first place.” However, one must not focus on that aspect of the commission, because it seriously undermines what the commission is actually doing, which is more valuable; scaring corruption out of the industry. Lino Zambito, ex-construction boss and one of the more popular witnesses at the Charbonneau Commission, said it himself that the “process really hasn’t been the same lately.” People are finally aware of how corrupt the process was, and measures are being put in place to try and fix the system. This, all thanks to the commission. “There’s no doubt that one of the good things of the commission is that it will scare people who are civil servants to work in the city of Montreal,”

Photo from Flickr

said Danis. “They’re more likely to be very careful at least for a number of years.” According to Danis, prices for public contracts have dropped substantially since 2009, having “gone down between 25 and 30 per cent for sewer work and sidewalk work.” More importantly, the commission is enlightening the people. Montreal is littered with corrupt politicians and a large mafia. Joe Pistone, also known as Donnie Brasco, infiltrated the New York mafia in the 1970s and ‘80s, and was invited to testify at the Charbonneau Commission.

His experience has taught him a lot about the inner workings of the mafia, and he put it simply enough. “Without that corruption, they really can’t operate,” said Pistone. “And as soon as the public realizes that, it lessens the impact that the mafia can have on us.” Montreal needs to get back on track as one of the best cities in North America. The first step is by cleaning up our streets, and we have the Charbonneau Commission to thank for the progress we’ve made this year.

druGs

Puff, puff, pass the ballot legalizing marijuana would benefit the united states fiscally Gregory Todaro Contributor The tides are changing in the United States. Along with the re-election of President Barack Obama, Washington and Colorado have also voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use. This huge step for American culture is facing both praise and criticism from the outside, but I think the legalization of marijuana is ultimately a move that, if done effectively, can have a positive effect. Why, then, is marijuana still illegal in the rest of the United States? Maybe it’s because marijuana is a so-called gateway drug? It makes sense that the government doesn’t want citizens experimenting with harmful substances. Too bad this notion is totally inaccurate. According to The National Academy of Sciences, “there is no conclusive evidence that the … effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs.” Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has reported that about 76 million adults have tried marijuana and did not become regular marijuana users or go on to try any other drugs. So, that can’t be it. Maybe the American government is afraid that if they legalize marijuana it will become more mainstream. Perhaps lawmakers feel that the only way to curb the use of the drug is to put in place firm laws against it, but that’s another misconception. According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse’s national working group on addictions, most marijuana users believe their use will go undetected, so fear of legal punishment doesn’t act as an effective deterrent. No matter

Graphic by Phil Waheed

how strict the laws, people have and will continue to use the drug. A study by the California State Office of Narcotics and Drug Abuse reinforces that “the reduc-

tion in penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use does not appear to [be] a factor in people’s decision to use or not use the drug.” So, that can’t be it either.

The bottom line here is that the ‘war on drugs’ cost the United States at the federal level $15 billion in 2010. On top of that, one person every 19 seconds is arrested for violating a drug law. In a country desperate to climb out of a deficit and with the highest incarceration rate in the world (730 per 100,000 people), legalization of marijuana helps take care of both problems. On the subject of money, the U.S. could make a lot of money from regulating marijuana use, and the longer it remains unregulated, the more money is lost. Harvard University economics professor, Jeffrey Miron, told CNN that if marijuana was taxed at similar rates as tobacco and alcohol, the United States would save about $14 billion per year, based on the decrease in spending against it as well as the taxation of it. As far as the arrest record goes, the FBI has reported that 52 per cent of drug arrests are marijuana related. That makes for a total of over 850,000 arrests in 2010 according to the FBI. Keeping these people out of jail will have a noticeable effect on the taxpayer’s money. It’s also worth mentioning that out of the 52 per cent, 88 per cent of those arrests are for possession. And that’s not even mentioning the positive effects marijuana can have medically. The American Medical Association was very vocal against the initial ban of the drug, which had been used for medicinal purposes for more than 5,000 years. Currently, more than 60 American and international medical organizations support the use of medical marijuana. And yet, despite all of this evidence in its favour, marijuana continues to be illegal in most of the United States. Much like the reversal of prohibition, this opposition against marijuana is going to give in eventually. Now is the time for the American federal government to step up and make this happen. Their constituents and their wallets will thank them for it.

theconcordian

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

relaTioNships

Sexual economics: putting a price tag on sexy time Why women need to start ‘raising prices’ on consumers Tiffany lafleur Contributor

y grandparents were married for more than 50 years. When my grandmother once threatened to break off the courtship with my grandfather because he’d been out drinking, my grandfather sat in a snowbank all night begging for forgiveness. She granted his wish, and the rest is history. My parents have been happily married for nearly 30 years. They met through mutual friends. My dad asked my mom out. Two years later he asked her to marry him. Today, things have changed. Men don’t have to work as hard to get the girl. In other words, the price for sex and intimacy has dropped drastically. This is especially true in university, where women outnumber men two to one. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that men are driven by a deep desire for sex. U.S. scientists have found that men think of sex about 18 times a day – almost as much as they think about food. Although this is a far cry from the original stereotype that sex crosses a guy’s mind every seven seconds, it’s still twice as often as women. With all this sex going around, guys in university are like big kids who have found the cookie jar, and they’re taking advantage of

Image by Jennifer Kwan

it. This happenstance has an official terminology; it’s called “sexual economics.” Sexual economics is the price or effort that a guy invests into achieving his goal of hav-

ing sex. Today, that price isn’t very high, what with the supply and demand leaning very much towards the supply — women. Margaret Wente of the Globe and Mail writes: “The

price [men] have to pay for sex — in terms of commitment, time and money — is at a record low. Plus, women are more inclined than ever to say yes.” There are some unforeseen repercussions, however, because of this openness for sex. Guys are less willing to settle down, and women less likely to get that diamond ring. As far back as I can remember, my mother has always said that “men like blondes, but they marry brunettes.” And no, it isn’t strictly a reference to hair color. In a survey conducted on her 2,500 Facebook friends, sports psychologist and olympian Nicole Forrester listed the top five things men look for in women they perceive as relationship-worthy: attraction, independence, fun, sanity and support. Notice that the willingness to put out isn’t up there. This brings me back to my point: things haven’t changed as much as we’d like to think. Sure, sleeping around has become more socially acceptable, almost expected, but it hasn’t changed the fundamental values that a healthy relationship is based on. Guys are enjoying this new willingness from women, but they are still keeping an eye out for that ‘one special girl’. A relationship based purely on sex is not nearly as strong as a relationship based on some of the more traditional building blocks: trust, respect, and love. Although we pretend to be past this double standard, behind closed doors everything’s the same. Women wanted a more level playing field, and we seem to have gotten it. And now we’re dealing with the casualties, mainly that diamond ring.

healTh

A new way to kick an old habit Warnings on cigarette packs should be larger and more graphic if they are to be effective

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Plain packaging would curb the industry’s use of the package as a promotional vehicle, would increase the effectiveness of package warnings, would curb package deception, and would decrease tobacco use

Photo from Flickr

George Menexis opinions editor There’s no doubt that one of the biggest mysteries in this world is why people deliberately smoke a substance that severely deteriorates their health. Right now, it seems impossible that one day cigarettes will no longer be a cause of concern for people, because it’s still such a serious problem today. What we can do as a society, however, is discourage smokers and potential smokers by making sure that the risks associated with smoking are made loud and clear. This is the ultimate goal of the warnings we see on all cigarette packages.

In a recent report done by the Canadian Cancer Society for cigarette package warnings, Canada has jumped from 15th for fourth place internationally. According to Health Canada, warnings on cigarette packs sold in Canada now cover 75 per cent of the front and back of the box, up from 50 per cent. Australia ranked first in the world in terms of effectiveness of tobacco warnings. Tobacco companies are banned from using any colours, logos or design elements on the branded part of the package, and the warnings cover a little over 82.5 per cent of the pack. “Plain packaging would curb the industry’s use of the package as a promotional vehicle,

- Canadian Cancer Association

would increase the effectiveness of package warnings, would curb package deception, and would decrease tobacco use,” the authors of the Canadian Cancer Association report told CBC. Although Canada has done well, jumping 11 spots in only two years, we need to follow Australia’s example and seriously limit tobacco companies’ right to advertise. The study did, however, applaud the country’s efforts but maintained that more still needs to be done. After all, Canada was the first country in the world to introduce graphic warnings on cigarettes boxes, and they should renew their efforts to become leaders in this particular

field once again. “We urge the federal government to take steps toward implementing plain packaging in Canada,” said Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst for the Canadian Cancer Society, to the Globe and Mail. “If Australia can do it and other countries are actively looking at it, Canada can similarly make steps to move forward.” Now, you may be questioning if the labels really have any kind of significant influence. The general reaction of most tobacco giants to larger warnings labels are lawsuits which is proves that these warnings help deter clients from using their products. Additionally, multiple studies have shown that they are effective at making a mark. One of the recent studies was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the U.S. National Cancer Institute Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research, and the U.S. National Institute of Health. Published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, the study put 200 smokers in a room and showed them static, text-only cigarette warnings. Then, they were exposed to graphic warnings. The results showed that 83 per cent of participants remembered the graphic ones, as opposed to the 50 per cent who remembered the plain ones. As of now, Health Canada has no plans of following Australia’s lead and forcing cigarettes to be plainly packaged with bigger graphic warnings. However, more needs to be done to discourage smoking — it’s something that would benefit our society as a whole, and should be seriously considered for the future.

Greek lemon and chicken soup George Menexis

Marilla Steuter-Martin editor-in-Chief editor@theconcordian.com

Paula rivaS

opinions editor

Managing editor managing@theconcordian.com

To be honest, and I don’t think I’m being that biased (I definitely am), Greeks have the most diverse cuisine in the world. The meats, the potatoes, the soups...all amazing, new creations that make my mouth water just at their thought. One of my favorite Greek soups is called avgolemono, and it’s also very healthy.

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Kalina lafraMboiSe News editor news@theconcordian.com

StePhanie la leggia life editor life@theconcordian.com

Here are the ingredients:

1 whole chicken 1/2 cup of white rice Salt and pepper 2 lemons 4 eggs

Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012 Vol. 30 Issue 13

aManda l. Shore arts editor arts@theconcordian.com

elizabeth MacKay

Photo by George Menexis

Music editor music@theconcordian.com

Start by boiling the chicken at a low heat for about 45 minutes in a pot. This boiling chicken, once cooked, will be the smoothest off the bone meat you’ll ever encounter. In the remaining broth, add salt and pepper, then pour the rice right in there also. After a few minutes, when the rice is done, add the eggs in with some lemon juice and whisk until the egg mixture is heated. The result should be heaven in a bowl.

sports editor sports@theconcordian.com

Most importantly, don’t forget to put some pieces of chicken into the soup, to mix with the wonderful aromas and tastes. You’ve got yourself a meal worthy of a Greek God.

opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com

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george MenexiS

Madelayne hajeK

Crossword: Friends trivia

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robin della corte Matthew guite

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Swedish striker and one of the greatest players in today’s game, did the unthinkable, over the weekend in a freindly game between Sweden and England. Not only did he score all four goals, but he also scored off a bicycle kick...from 35 yards out. Needless to say, fans were raving on the Twittersphere. @OptaJoke: “49,770 - Number of people who haven’t stopped playing FIFA since Wednesday night, trying to replicate Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal. Simulate.” @MI_Abaga: “Zlatan Ibrahimovic can finish a Sudoku using only six numbers” @FootballFunnys: “Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal: proof that God exists and plays FIFA with humanity.” @HeskeyHeskey: “Spent all day at training trying to do the Ibrahimovic bicycle kick... on my 874th attempt, still haven’t hit the ball... #standard” @LewisKerr88: “When Ibrahimovic’s 4th goal came on the tele, so did I” @SoonySaad: “Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s bicycle kick goal is the greatest goal of all time. #truth” @tomgunner14: “Arsene Wenger - Ibrahimovic is no normal athlete: ‘They say he’s a master in kung fu. You could see that’ ”

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Staff writerS and contributorS Tiffany lafleur, Christina rowan, Taisah henry, andria Caputo, Caitlin spencer, Michelle pucci, andy Fidel, ayan Chowdury, alex Giardini, sabrina Giancioppi, david s. landsman, anthony abbondanza, paolo Mingarelli, Thierry Tardiff, Gregory Todaro.

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From our kitchen

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Events of the weeK: Nov. 20 Tuesday +Music - The Who + Vintage Trouble - 19h30 - Bell Centre Wednesday +OPERA - The Flying Dutchman - 1930h - Place des Arts +MUSIC - Metric - 20h - Bell Centre +MUSIC - Old Man Luedecke - 20h30 - Divan Orange THURSDAY +TRAVEL TALK - OZ & NZ TIPS BY LAUREN FRASER , BURRITOVILLE 3RD FLOOR, 18H +FILM - United in Anger: A History of ACT UP - 19h - Rm H110 +FILM - Image + Nation screenings - 19h - Cinema du parc +MUSIC - East End Radicals - 20h - Petit Campus Friday +FILM - Image + Nation screenings - 19h - Cinema du parc +MUSIC - Neil Young & Crazy Horse + Patti Smith + The Sadies - 19h30 - Bell Centre SATURDAY +FILM - Image + Nation screenings - 15h - Cinema du parcSUNDAY +MUSIC - Other Lives - 21h - Cabaret du Mile End SunDAY +FILM - Image + Nation screenings - 15h - Cinema du parc +LITERATURE - Throw Poetry Collective - 20h - Divan Orange monDAY +MUSIC - The Sheepdogs + Yukon Blonde - 20h - Club Soda