The Sheaf 16/02/12 - Volume 103 Issue 24

volume 103 • issue 24

Sheaf the

February 16, 2012

Where do U of S grads live?

1980

1985

The University of Saskatchewan student newspaper since 1912

Newcomers storm Saskatchewan As province exceeds 1M population, a booming economy beckons ISHMAEL N. DARO and DARYL HOFMANN “A lot of the people that I graduated with, in the same program or in the same year as me, went to Calgary,” said Christine Stadnyk, talking by phone from Vancouver.

Stadnyk earned a masters degree in soil science from the University of Saskatchewan in 2010. After scouring the job market at home for several months, she packed up and left for the coast of British Columbia.

She said she could have stayed in the province and worked in forestry, but Vancouver had a greater range of jobs in the environmental sector. Now, she works for a groundwater and soil consulting firm.

But it was also a feeling that life in Saskatoon was becoming too predictable, Stadnyk said.

“I wanted to be somewhere that had a little more diversity in a concentrated area than what Saskatoon had.”

Her story isn’t new, but it’s becoming less common.

Reversing a longstanding trend, the last five years has seen more people move to Saskatchewan than leave, according to new census data that show the province making a sharp turnaround in growth after years of decline.

For the first time since 1986,

there are more than one million residents living in the province.

The rise in population, Statistics Canada says, is mainly the result of a wave of immigration and a spike in interprovincial migration, both groups likely drawn to the province’s red-hot economy and the high likelihood of landing a job.

In releasing the first batch of census numbers, Statistics Canada pointed to “the natural resources and energy sectors [generating] economic growth in various regions of this prairie province, which also had one of Canada’s lowest unemployment rates.”

From 2006 to 2011, Saskatchewan saw a 6.7 per cent jump in its population, compared to back-to-back losses of 1.1 per cent in each of the previous two census periods. The comeback makes Saskatchewan the thirdfastest growing province in the country, trailing only British Columbia and Alberta.

In a Feb. 9 interview with the StarPhoenix, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall noted that the province is living up to its motto of “from many peoples, strength.”

“They’re coming to this province from 192 countries around the world. From every other province in the country, they are coming to Saskatchewan and finding opportunity and bringing their families here and they’re

helping us live out our credo,” he said.

In addition to attracting people, the province may also be retaining more residents. This is particularly significant when university graduates decide whether to stay in Saskatchewan or move elsewhere.

“Given the strength of our provincial economy now, there really are more opportunities for graduates to make their careers here,” said Jason Aebig, president of the university’s alumni association, who graduated from the U of S with a political science degree in 1999.

“In the late ’90s, I think it’s fair to say that there was an overall exodus of young professionals from the province — not necessarily because they didn’t want to make a life and a career here, but frankly there just weren’t the opportunities.”

The U of S, which keeps updated statistics on graduates, provided the Sheaf with data that seem to show a long-term trend of people increasingly choosing to stay in the province after getting their degrees. Only about 55 per cent of graduates from the 1980s remain in the province, based on the current addresses the U of S has for them. The percentage of grads who ended up settling elsewhere in Canada hovers around 40 per cent for the same decade.

Census

2

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010 2011

Saskatchewan 54.4

Rest of Canada 39.1

51.8

40.9

55.0

39.1

56.3

37.9

52.3

40.2

55.2

37.7

51.8

39.6

51.5

40.8

53.2

38.5

53.1

38.6

55.9

37.8

56.4

37.2

60.3

34.1

62.9

31.2

62.1

32.1

65.4

29.9

63.6

32.0

61.7

33.0

62.7

31.9

62.2

32.7

63.2

31.1

63.9

31.3

68.4

27.3

68.5

27.0

70.0

26.5

72.1

24.4

72.6

23.9

74.0

23.3

76.3

21.7

78.7

19.6

80.2

18.5

83.3

15.5

over the last three decades, a growing percentage of University of Saskatchewan grads have stayed in the province. organized by year, reflecting current addresses.

cont. on

Brianna Whitmore/Graphics Editor

Is there a music venue crisis in Saskatoon?

Vive’s collapse raises questions about lack of all-ages shows Holly Culp Copy Editor At this time last year, it looked as though Vive had found its niche and not only was it going to get better, it was poised to single-handedly change the face of the music scene in Saskatoon.

And then it all fell apart.

First, the music promotion company lost Jale, its venue at Caffe Sola, for a scheduled expansion of the cafe; all tenants were told to vacate the premises by August. Then, Rich Taylor — co-founder of Vive — left the company.

“My reason for leaving at that point was that I had worked close to full-time on the Jale, maintaining the youth series that we were running....

It was incredibly draining and I got paid not very much in return,” said Taylor. “I left my full-time job and switched to part-time so I could do Vive and then we lost the venue.”

Samantha Braun

The loss of the venue was just the first in a series of events that toppled the promise that was Vive. At the time Taylor left the company, Vive was destined to carry on.

The Roxy Theatre served as an acceptable placeholder and for a while Vive put on some bigger shows, including Karkwa and Braids.

Phil Greer, the remaining co-founder of Vive, carried on business as usual and spent months looking for an alternative venue to take Jale’s place.

And then, as New Year’s rolled around, Greer “had an epiphany.”

“I realized that this project was taking up more time, energy and effort than my life could afford,” he said. “My new resolve to spend more of my limited free time with my family brought the end of Vive.

Vive

14

cont. on

2• News PANEL DISCUSSION

UPCOMING EVENTS

®

with the editors of Narratives of Citizenship and Orality and Literacy

thesheaf.com/news • the sheaf •February 16, 2012

What’s the big secret?

U of R students attempt to pry open the boardroom door

Wednesday, February 22, 7:30 PM

CHARLOTTE GRAY Signing Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike Monday, February 27, 2:00 PM

run February 16, 12.indd 1

02/05/12 4:06:46 PM

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The universities of Regina and Saskatchewan have board of governors meetings steeped in mystery and sorcery.

DARYL HOFMANN Associate News Editor Two months after the University of Regina Board of Governors voted to keep board meetings behind closed doors, the university’s student newspaper organized an unauthorized sit-in at a board meeting in a bid to refuel the debate.

On Feb. 7, editors of the Carillon, along with approximately a dozen other students, attempted to attend an early-morning board of governors meeting without the required approval. But, as expected, they were barred entrance by security and spent several hours protesting outside the doors.

As it stands, the U of R’s board policy states that only board members, top university officials and members of the public who have been invited to attend can be present at meetings. The minutes are subsequently available on the university’s website.

According to the Carillon’s editor-in-chief, John Cameron, allowing student press to attend university board meetings is simply a matter of keeping a publiclyfunded institution “transparent and

Census

cont. from

1

This trend starts to reverse in the 1990s and early 2000s, with more than 60 per cent of grads settling in Saskatchewan while those leaving for other parts of Canada drops to the low 30s. Finally, the numbers from the last several years show as many as three quarters of U of S

accountable.” Trying to understand the motives and tone of a meeting just by looking at the minutes, he says, is “borderline impossible.”

“They make decisions with an awful lot of money.... I think everybody who is a stakeholder in the [university] — meaning students and taxpayers — has a right to know what goes on with that money,” he said.

In addition, Cameron solicited letters of support from other student editors across the country — some from universities that allow them to attend board meetings — asking the U of R to rethink its decision. He handed them off to board chairperson Paul McLellan at the Feb. 7 meeting.

One letter from the managing editor of the University of British Columbia’s student newspaper, the Ubyssey, read: “The [board of governors] is the most important decision-making body at the university and if we didn't have the ability to attend these meetings, we would be severely restricted in our ability to understand how important decisions are made.…

We would not have been able to adequately report on a number of issues, including land use policy, tuition, transit policy and just about

everything else that matters to students.”

Cameron said he is already scheduled to give a presentation to the board at the next meeting on the importance of granting student press access to the boardroom.

At the University of Saskatchewan, whose operations are almost identical to the U of R, the board of governors appoints administration and controls the university’s property and financial affairs. This allows them to, for instance, oversee presidential search committees and set tuition prices.

The U of S board consists of 11 members — including the president of the university and the students’ union president — and meets about six times a year.

Currently, section 5.5 of the board of governors bylaw says, “Board meetings are open only to board members and resource officers.”

Board chair Nancy Hopkins, who has considerable background in governance that includes chairing the Saskatoon Police Commission, says from her experience, the best decisions are made by boards that meet in private sessions. She believes whenever a board is forced to make

public decisions they “play to the crowd.”

She said that by opening up the boardroom to the public, governing bodies lose a certain “trust, confidence and respect” necessary to make responsible decisions.

“But you also then have to figure out how you deal with accountability.”

To foster accountability, Hopkins says the board publishes summaries from each meeting, briefs its members on what they can and cannot speak about and hosts annual accountability meetings on campus, where the public can question board members.

“Good decision-making and accountability, that is what [we] want. And I think the balance in our legislation is correct,” Hopkins said. “We should be accountable for the ultimate decision we make, not the personalities that go into the decision.”

The U of S Board of Governors holds one public meeting each year; the next one is scheduled for March 6 at Convocation Hall.

grads with Saskatchewan addresses and only about a fifth with addresses elsewhere in the country.

Using current addresses of former students is an imperfect way to measure where U of S students go with their degrees, and as one goes further back, the number of grads whose current whereabouts the university simply doesn’t know increases significantly. However, of the grads the school still has contact with, there is a trend showing more of

them sticking around in the last decade, suggesting that the need or desire to move after graduating has greatly diminished along with the boom in the provincial economy.

“Well that’s most certainly the case,” agreed Aebig, who is a big booster of his home province and even has a photo of him and his wife proudly displaying a Saskatchewan Roughriders flag in front of the Great Pyramid in Giza.

“Both my wife and I are graduates of the U of S. We

actually met on campus and graduated at the same time. I think it’s fair to say we considered ourselves really lucky to have found career-track jobs in Saskatchewan when we did because the bulk of our family and friends who were at the same stage in life had already made the decision to move on,” said Aebig.

“What’s really remarkable over the last 10 years is that we have seen quite a few of those people return.”

News

February 16, 2012 • the sheaf • thesheaf.com/news

•3

After the oil

U of S prof wins $2.6-million research chair in oil sands reclamation TANNARA YELLAND Senior News Editor University of Saskatchewan professor Lee Barbour has been granted a five-year Industrial Research Chair through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to study water flow in reclaimed oil sands mines.

The IRC program is a partnership between academics and industry; in Barbour’s case, oil giant Syncrude will provide half the funding for the $2.6-million project, and NSERC will put up the other half.

Barbour, a civil and geological engineer with more than a decade of experience in oilsands research, will head a team of six masters students, two PhD candidates, two summer undergraduates and two postdoctoral fellows.

The official title of the research chair, which Barbour admits “can be a bit obtuse,” is Hydrogeological Characterization of Oilsands Mine Closure Landforms. He and his team will examine water flow through reclaimed and soon-to-be reclaimed land masses on mine sites in the hope of developing tools to predict water flow and contamination levels.

When excavation of a mine site begins,

the soil and up to 80 metres of other ground layers, such as clay shale, are scraped off and heaped in large piles and hills nearby. The sand left over after the bitumen and oil have been extracted is also often dumped on these hills, leaving masses of land that can contain unsafe chemicals in danger of leeching into groundwater.

Oil companies are required to put in substantial efforts to make the land they mine from environmentally sustainable and safe after they finish their work, and this is what Barbour and his team will be assisting.

“Eventually we’d like to be able to predict or estimate any kind of contaminant loads that might be coming out of these uplands into adjacent wetlands or streams, ponds, that sort of thing,” Barbour said.

The team will research primarily at Syncrude’s Mildred Lake mine near Fort McMurray, Alta. Opened in the late ’70s, Mildred Lake is expected to close down completely within a few decades. Syncrude has already begun reclaiming parts of the mine that are no longer in use, as per industry standard, according to Barbour.

“They really need to make sure that as they move toward designing the final [reclaimed] landscape that they don’t have too many surprises, that they’re able to deal with any

particular contaminant loadings coming out of” disturbed land, Barbour said.

Barbour’s work will have larger implications than simply helping one company clean up one mine site, though.

He says the industry shares environmental research freely, so that the work Barbour does here will almost immediately be shared across the oil sands industry, allowing other companies access to improved reclamation methods.

Reclamation is something all mining companies have to deal with, but oil sands mine reclamation is a new and especially troublesome beast. Mining less conventional and more expensive oil resources only became economically viable in the mid- to late-’70s, and oil sands mines have a much longer lifespan than most other mines.

“You’re looking at one mine site with a lifespan of 30 to 40 years,” Barbour said.

“Most metal mines, for example if you went to a uranium mine or a coal mine or so on, you’d find that [they’d be] maybe in the range of a decade or two.... Just the size of these mines and the size of the reserve, they definitely are moving us into a whole different time scale

170

.8

billion

barrels of proven oil reserves in Alberta

23

amount .8%of Alberta’s

greenhouse gas emissions attributed to oil sands mining and upgrading

140

,000 km

2

Alberta land area with oil sands underneath

67

km2 disturbed

land that has been reclaimed to date

University looks to boost reputation over next four years Third Integrated Plan emphasizes research, aboriginal engagement ISHMAEL N. DARO Editor-in-Chief The university’s spending and planning will see a heavy focus on research for the next four years, as outlined in the Third Integrated Plan.

The integrated plans, first introduced in 2003, set multi-year priorities for the University of Saskatchewan, with the third plan set to come into effect in early March once the university council and board of governors approve it.

In 2008, the last time administrators set a new four-year agenda, improving the student experience was the top priority. Now, with a third plan almost approved, the focus has shifted.

“Number one: research. It's about intensifying research and impact of research,” said Brett Fairbairn, university provost and vice-president academic.

The U of S spent more than $206 million on research in 2010-11, an increase of 47 per cent from just four years earlier.

Despite such high spending, however, the university still doesn’t have the reputation or the influence it wants. A draft version of the Third Integrated Plan available online laments that the U of S is 14th out of 15 medical-doctoral schools in awards of prestigious Tri-Agency funding from the federal government.

The document also says the university’s performance in rankings, which is important to recruitment efforts, “continues to stagnate in part because of our poor performance in citation indexes and reputational surveys.”

In other words, U of S research isn’t

being cited enough by other scholars and the school still isn’t perceived as the research powerhouse it has worked to become over the last decade.

“The University of Saskatchewan remains a work in progress,” said Fairbairn. “I think we are among the best universities in Canada. I think we'd like to keep making our institution more successful, increase our reputation and have our students' degrees be even better regarded than they are.”

In rankings and compared to others in the U15 — the country’s medical-doctoral schools — Fairbairn said “we do relatively better on teaching related measures. We do less well than we'd like on research and reputation related measures.”

The Third Integrated Plan, according to the provost, is about “ramping up and rounding out” — continuing to invest in the university’s areas of strength while building up other programs and their calibre of research. The U of S has picked six “signature areas,” ranging from water security to aboriginal education, in which it can gain a global reputation.

Key to its research goals, the university plans to aggressively pursue Tri-Agency research grants, which comprise natural science and engineering, social science and health science funding. But in a tight race for federal research dollars, Fairbairn says that securing those funds for U of S scholars is not just about money.

“It's a panel of peers who have identified that it's quality work.”

After boosting research, the Third Integrated Plan’s highest priority is aboriginal engagement, with an ambitious goal of

reaching 15 per cent aboriginal enrolment at the U of S by 2020. Currently, aboriginal students comprise only about nine per cent of the student body.

Some other goals to achieve in this category by 2016: increasing the number of aboriginal grads, with more variety in their graduating programs; building closer relationships with provincial aboriginal communities; and building the long-awaited Gordon Oakes–Red Bear Student Centre.

Asked why the U of S made aboriginal education such a high priority, Fairbairn

referred to what president Peter MacKinnon has called the university’s “foundational imperative” — namely that the institution should address the biggest social and economic issues facing the province.

“In the early 20th century, that meant that we focused on agriculture,” he explained. “In the early 21st century, it means the success of aboriginal people because of the importance to the future of the province.”

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4• NEws

thesheaf.com/news • the Sheaf • February 16, 2012

Know your acid Documentary explores Saskatchewan’s rich psychedelic history LEWIS CASEY The University of Saskatchewan has a long and obscure history with mental health research. In the ’60s, professors Humphry Osmond, Abram Hoffer and Duncan Blewett used LSD therapy on both themselves and their patients to produce groundbreaking research and discoveries into the nature of mental illness and addiction before the drug was criminalized in 1969.

Feb. 3 saw the launch of the Abram Hoffer Orthomolecular Collection Exhibition, an exhibit in the Murray Library showcasing collected writing and books from Hoffer.

The launch was accompanied by a screening of director Gordon McLennan’s The Psychedelic Pioneers, a short documentary chronicling the early use of LSD in psychiatric settings on our very doorstep: the U of S and the Weyburn psychiatric centre.

The film tells the stories of Osmond, Hoffer (not to be confused with LSD’s inventor, Albert Hofmann) and Blewett. The story concludes with the popularization of the drug through famous people like Timothy Leary and Aldous Huxley, widespread media backlash

and the inevitable scheduling of LSD as an illicit and dangerous substance.

The film was introduced by the history department’s Erika Dyck, a major consultant on the film who helped ensure its accuracy. After the film ended she led a discussion on the content of the documentary, and later met with the Sheaf to discuss her own work in more detail.

The Sheaf: What is it about psychedelics that piqued your interest initially to do all this work?

Erika Dyck: It started when I was doing my master’s research on [psychiatric] experiments on humans in Canada. I went to Toronto, started digging around in the medical school library, and found all this stuff on LSD in Saskatchewan. I was a little embarrassed growing up here and not knowing anything about that.

At that point I got really excited and started digging deeper into the LSD story. I realized that this had been something more than a few guys that had “dropped acid” at some point. There was a real rigour and method to what they were doing – they really believed it was progressive, it was scientific.

Native Prairie Speaker Series Wednesday, February 22, 2012 U of S Physics Building - Rm 129 12:10 - 12:50 pm

The Road Less Travelled...

by Rare Plants Looking for a Home Speaker: Darcy Henderson Environment Canada Canadian Wildlife Service Western Development Museum Palace Theatre 7:00 - 8:00 pm

Turkey Vultures: Parents in Absentia Speaker: Stuart Houston Speaker Series are FREE and anyone can attend!

Visit www.pcap-sk.org for a complete 2011-2012 schedule and archived presentation

See, kids? Acid is fun and tastes like strawberries.

Sheaf: The documentary goes into detail on some of the early work done with acid, possibly the most notable being huge success with enabling alcoholics to re-evaluate the nature of their addictions. It wasn’t long before serious skepticism, both inside and out of the medical community, arose. Can you explain some of the arguments used by people calling this drug dangerous?

Dyck: My PhD dissertation more or less deals with this topic.

I had to play devil’s advocate [to Osmond and his associates] a lot. One argument I heard a lot is that if you were a researcher and you took LSD, that would make your research invalid. You were no longer objective, and you were no longer controlling your experiments. The Addictions Research Foundation in Toronto had a study where they strapped their patients to beds and injected them with LSD, stating that it was an unbiased way to test the drug’s effects, but this didn’t give us any insight into the actual dangers of LSD. Other drugs were tested this way, and we know that doing this caused problems for people, but that could happen under a placebo effect too. I never found any medical articles that claimed LSD caused chromosomal damage, birth defects, etc. It was only in the newspapers. MPs at the time were citing “medical evidence” of the drug’s danger purely from sensationalist headlines from nonscientific authors. One of the people who was leading the [illegalization] charge in the Senate was Hartland Molson, [president and later chair] of the Molson brewing company.

Sheaf: You’ve written a book, researched a documentary and written at least 10 scholarly papers, not to mention numerous talks and interviews related to psychedelic drugs. Has the controversial nature of your topics caused any scrutiny or scorn from institutions, scholarly or otherwise?

Dyck: Not really, no. I started this project as a PhD student and I didn’t really know what I was doing. As I moved into this world and started having these discussions, I started contacting some of the people who were main players at the time, and was worried how they would want me to represent them. I did interview people who were on the negative, the “no” side, but due to the nature of the project looked more at the people who were directly involved in the experiments. I felt drawn to their side of things and I spent more time with them. I actually had to be careful not to “hype up” many of the theories which had allegedly been proven wrong. I don’t feel that I had undue influence from anybody.

Sheaf: As a historian, you’ve probably seen a lot of patterns in human behavior emerging here.

The revolution that was LSD seems to have been reborn in things like MDMA in the rave culture, or even more recently with the huge palette of novel psychedelic drugs invented by independent chemists like Alexander Shulgin.

These “designer drugs” often have a very small window from when they’re first prepared to when labs in China are mass-producing them

photo ilustration Raisa Pezderic/Photo Editor

for North American college kids to take. Is it inevitable that this cycle will continue until the government concedes it cannot stop psychedelic experimentation?

Dyck: I’d like to say yes, but I really don’t know if I believe that.

When I look back, there are lots of case studies of the government trying to control substances and really failing. A concept that I discovered in my research is the “Just Say Know” movement — a play on Richard Nixon’s “Just Say No” campaign. It’s a term that I’ve stolen for some of my own work. I was really impressed with some of the medical folks that I interviewed, who told me that the more we try to control drugs, the deeper they will be pushed underground. Not everyone will go underground, but not everyone drinks alcohol either.

The more you push the manufacture and distribution of these things underground, the less a society can know about the things we are putting into our bodies. It actually makes it more difficult to control things if we don’t allow them to be experienced. I found that view to be really compelling and if anything, that would be where my position is in this debate. I’m not saying it should be complete anarchy, and everything has the same priority. I think having some knowledge about drugs through education, having some knowledge about chemistry and its effects on the body, is a good thing. [It enables] people to make informed decisions about choices that they’re going to make anyway.

Interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Regina student rep charged with DUI JOHN CAMERON The Carillon (University of Regina) REGINA — University of Regina Students’ Union vice-president of student affairs Melissa Blackhurst has been charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol, the Carillon has learned.

According to court documents, Blackhurst was stopped in Regina on Dec. 16 and charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The documents, which are signed and dated Jan. 18, indicate that the Crown will proceed with a summary charge against her.

The Carillon can also confirm that

Blackhurst is currently on a voluntary leave of absence from her duties at URSU. However, students’ union president Kent Peterson declined to comment on the charge, saying only that Blackhurst had taken the leave to deal with “a personal issue,” and that Blackhurst had determined that it would be best to ask for a leave of absence.

“She cited a personal reason, and so I can’t comment on her personal reason,” he said.

Blackhurst explained via email that she also could not provide comment, as the case is still ongoing. She did, however, clarify that she took the leave of absence for the purpose of

dealing with the charge.

“I have requested a leave of absence from URSU... to keep myself separate from the organization until such matters are fully resolved,” she wrote. “I feel this is the responsible way to deal with this and is in the best interest of myself and the organization.”

Currently, Blackhurst is scheduled to return to her duties on Feb. 21, although URSU communications director Neil Petrich pointed out that date is subject to change.

Blackhurst appears in court in Regina on Thursday, Feb. 16.

News

February 16, 2012 • the sheaf • thesheaf.com/news

USask student fights for plastic bag ban Communities across the globe begin to phase out the bags

•5

Children of college graduates more likely to attend post-secondary NICOLE BARRINGTON

Raisa Pezderic/Photo Editor

These bags break down into tiny pieces that fish eat. Then we eat the fish. In short, plastic bags fuck us up.

Canadians use approx.

9 to 15

billion low-grade plastic bags a year

ANNA-LILJA DAWSON For a class assignment calling for students to create an “action plan,” Michelle Lee and her group chose to focus on the environmental side of social justice by taking a look at plastic bags and how they effect the environment.

This is how the current petition to ban plastic bags in Saskatoon began.

The idea came from a member of the group who has connections with the city council of Thompson, Man., a city that just recently implemented a ban on plastic bags. Now, municipalities across Canada are making the same move.

Thompson’s ban was based on the one in Fort McMurray, Alta. Other places in Canada that have implemented the ban on plastic bags are Esquimalt, B.C., and many small towns in Ontario, such as Sioux Lookout.

Vancouver recently rejected a push to ban single-use plastic bags, though retailers there are voluntarily attempting to decrease the number of plastic bags distributed by 50 per cent by 2013.

“Obviously it works better for smaller towns, but I believe it is possible in cities,” said Lee. Plastic bags are either restricted or completely banned in over a quarter of the world’s countries.

In the United States, cities and municipalities in California, North Carolina, Connecticut, Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii have fully banned the use of plastic bags. Meanwhile, Ireland has set a heavy tax on them.

The local petition has not yet been taken to city council. However, Lee hopes to present it by the end of March, once the research report has been compiled and there is more public awareness on the issue.

It can take up to years for a bag to begin to break down

1000

“Saskatoon has a really unique opportunity to be the first city in Saskatchewan to ban single-use plastic bags,” she said. “Many people see Saskatoon as a progressive city.”

Lee is unsure of the response from city council, but she anticipates resistance from the public and larger retailers.

But it is actually more profitable for companies to sell reusable bags than it is to give out single-use plastic bags. Companies can purchase bulk orders of reusable bags for about 25 cents per bag, and sell them for around a dollar. Even so, Lee expects larger companies, such as Wal-Mart and Safeway, will be more difficult to get on board.

The petition calls for the ban to be enforced through a bylaw that would entail financial penalties for stores that do not comply, with a grace period for people to prepare for the transition.

The ban would be on any kind of lowgrade single-use plastic bags and some paper bags. Exemptions could be carved out for paper bags from liquor stores and from restaurants, as well as the prescription bags from pharmacies. High-grade plastic bags would be an exception as well, as they can be reused.

When asked about why the group chose to petition a ban on plastic bags instead of a tax, Lee explained that a tax does not solve the problem. Canadians use approximately nine to 15 billion low-grade plastic bags a year, of which only one to three per cent are recycled.

The bags are petroleum-based, a non-reusable resource, and do not biodegrade over time. It can take up to 1,000 years for a plastic bag to begin to break down. Instead, plastic in the bags photodegrades – ultraviolet rays from the sun break down the plastic into smaller and smaller pieces that are toxic.

In addition, the pieces never leave the environment as they work into water

Cause of death for up to

100,000

marine animals each year

sources, soil and the food chain. Studies have shown that bioaccumulation, suffocation, consumption and blockage of digestive systems are just some of the causes of death of up to 100,000 marine animals each year due to plastic.

As education students, Lee’s group wants to stress the chance to affect how future consumers think about bag usage. But whether a bylaw ultimately comes about or not, she says attitudes are already changing.

Saskatoon “is moving in the direction of using reusable bags as it is,” said Lee. “It is nearly impossible to go into a grocery store without seeing a rack of reusable bags for sale.”

A new University of Saskatchewan report shows that money is not the most significant factor in the accessibility of post-secondary education.

The Accessibility and Affordability Report says that children from low-income families, rural communities, aboriginals and people with disabilities are less likely to attend a post-secondary school. But it also states the importance parents’ backgrounds play in their children’s future. The reasoning, according to the study, is that “having parents with post-secondary education creates a culture within the home that values higher education.”

The survey shows that those who are most likely to attend university include: youth who have parents with post-secondary education, the children of immigrants, students who are immigrants themselves and people from urban areas. These findings present a unique challenge to the U of S in terms of accessibility, as Saskatchewan has the highest low-income and rural populations in Canada.

Rather than focusing solely on financial support, the report suggests that engaging children as early as middle school and continuing to do so throughout high school is crucial in preparing them for post-secondary. Even in the case of two youths from low-income families, the child of parents with post-secondary education has a higher chance of attending university, according to the report.

The report, released Jan. 26, also highlights the different ways in which today’s students fund post-secondary education. Over the past 40 years in Canada, there has been an overall increase in students working while attending school and taking out loans, but a decrease in parental monetary contributions.

In fact, an estimated 57 per cent of students at the U of S seek student loans on a yearly basis.

This statistic doesn’t include those who benefit from tax-credits, scholarships and RESPs — a group that has grown significantly over the past 10 years. The study claims that for students who take advantage of these programs, rises in tuition are not as heavy-hitting.

The rise in the cost of education could discourage some prospective students from applying to attend university, the study shows.

However, the reality for those who plan on attending the U of S is more hopeful: from 2004 to 2010, there has been a 48 per cent increase in bursaries offered by the university, and most graduates are able to pay off 43 per cent of their loans after two years.

6•

thesheaf.com/hiring • the Sheaf • February 16, 2012

Are you interested in journalism?

Do you have an aptitude for design?

Can you draw or take a photograph?

Well then why not work for

?

If you are interested in covering student issues at the U of S, or thinking of a career in journalism (radio, print or television), photography or graphic design, journalism schools look more favourably upon those who have dedicated time working on a student newspaper. Apply for one of the 11 paid staff positions.

Editorial Staff positions include:

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Submit your résumé and cover letter together in a sealed envelope to: Hiring Committee The Sheaf Publishing Society Room 108 Memorial Union Building 93 Campus Drive Saskatoon, SK S7N5B2

Editor-in-Chief applications must be received by Tuesday, March 1st @ 3:00 pm Applications for all other positions must be received by Tuesday, March 15th @ 3:00 pm

Any undergraduate student may apply for an editorial position. All positions are term positions running from May 1, 2012 until April 30, 2012*.

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Opinions •7

February 16, 2012 • the sheaf • thesheaf.com/opinions

The ethics of Internet piracy Eight reasons you

should have sex

Should we really label it theft?

The many benefits of jumping a friend’s bones Hailie Nyari

“Mariah Carey’s entire catalogue? Don’t mind if I do!”

PETER SINGER Project Syndicate PRINCETON – Last year, I told a colleague that I would include Internet ethics in a course that I was teaching. She suggested that I read a recently published anthology on computer ethics — and attached the entire volume to the email.

Should I have refused to read a pirated book? Was I receiving stolen goods, as advocates of stricter laws against Internet piracy claim?

If I steal someone’s book the old-fashioned way, I have the book and the original owner no longer does. I am better off, but she is worse off. When people use pirated books, the publisher and the author often are worse off — they lose earnings from selling the book.

But, if my colleague had not sent me the book, I would have borrowed the copy in my university’s library. I saved myself the time needed to do that, and it seems that no one was worse off. (Curiously, given the book’s subject matter, it is not for sale in digital form). In fact, others benefited from my choice as well: the book remained on the library shelf, available to other users.

On the other hand, if the book had not been on the shelf and those other users had asked library staff to recall or reserve it, the library might have noted the demand for the book and ordered a second copy. But there is only a small probability that my use of the book would have persuaded the library to buy another copy. And, in any case, we are now a long way from the standard cases of stealing.

I asked the 300 students in my ethics class which of them had not downloaded something from the Internet, knowing or suspecting that they were violating copyright. Only five or six hands went up. Many of the rest thought that what they had done was wrong, but said that “everyone does it.” Others said that they would not have bought the music or book anyway, so they were not harming anyone. It did not seem that any of them were prepared to stop.

The case for enforcing copyright laws was strengthened by the details that emerged following the arrest in New Zealand last month of Kim Dotcom, founder of the website Megaupload (now closed down by the FBI).

Megaupload allowed its 180 million registered users to upload and download movies, television shows and music, and some of the money earned by Dotcom (from advertising and subscriptions) was on display at his mansion near Auckland, where he kept his Rolls-Royce and other exotic cars.

Dotcom’s lawyer claims that Megaupload was merely providing storage for its subscribers’ files, and had no control over what they were storing. But Megaupload offered cash rewards to users who uploaded files that proved popular with other users.

Last month, the United States considered

Kettiby/Flickr

legislation aimed at stopping Internet piracy.

The bills had been written at the urging of Hollywood studios and the publishing and recording industries, which claim that violations of copyright on the Internet cost the U.S. 100,000 jobs. Opponents said the proposed law would reach far beyond sites like Megaupload, making Google and YouTube liable for copyright infringement — and allowing the government to block (without court authorization) access to websites that it deemed to be facilitating copyright infringement.

For the moment, Internet activists, together with Google, Facebook and other major online players, have carried the day, persuading the U.S. Congress to shelve its anti-piracy legislation. But the fight will continue: last month, the European Union and 22 member states signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which establishes international standards and a new organization to enforce intellectual-property rights. The agreement has already been signed by Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and the U.S. Now it must be ratified by, among others, the European Parliament.

I am an author, as well as a reader. One marvel of the Internet is that some of my older works, long out of print, are now far more widely available than they ever were before — in pirated versions. Of course, I am more fortunate than many authors or creative artists, because my academic salary means that I am not forced to rely on royalties to feed my family. Nevertheless, it isn’t hard to find better purposes for my royalty earnings than Kim Dotcom’s environmentally damaging lifestyle.

We need to find a way to maximize the truly amazing potential of the Internet, while properly rewarding creators.

Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand and many European countries now have a public lending right, designed to compensate authors and publishers for the loss of sales caused by the presence of their books in public libraries.

We need something similar for the Internet.

A user fee could pay for it, and, if the fee were low enough, the incentive to use pirated copies would diminish. Couple that with law enforcement against the mega-abusing websites, and the problem might be soluble.

Otherwise, most creative people will need to earn a living doing something else, and we will all be the losers.

Peter Singer is Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne. His books include Practical Ethics, One World, and most recently, The Life You Can Save.

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2012. www.project-syndicate.org

There are a lot of myths and misinformation about sex. But think about it guys: did you ever get those hairy palms you were promised? In reality, sex is the answer to many of our problems, helping with mental health, body issues and confidence. It’s time to debunk the rumours and go deep under the sheets.

Sex is healthy and natural; it may be condemned by some because it’s not always within a marriage, but 79 per cent of you are already doing the deed so you might as well do it for the right reasons. But if you’re not doing it, don’t feel pressured. I only want to offer some things to remember so that when you do start, you can have an excuse to do it whenever or for whatever reason.

1

Fewer heart problems It is always said that a way to a guy’s heart is through his stomach, but there are definitely other ways to calm a man’s heart.

Recent studies conducted at the New England Research Institute have demonstrated that men who make love more than once a month are up to 45 per cent less likely to develop life-threatening heart conditions than men who have sex once a month or less.

2

Weight loss Your boyfriend or girlfriend can give you just as good a workout as your old treadmill.

So go eat all you want without feeling guilty.

Give into the urge of the chocolate-dipped doughnut because 30 minutes in the sack burns about 200 calories.

3

Boost your immune system Recent research at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania shows that having sex twice or more a week will boost your antibodies, which help to fight off illness. Of course you can still take a “sick day” to stay home and let your partner “comfort” you.

4

Regulate Your Period Women can’t stop Mother Nature from doing her worst, but they can mitigate her effects. Endocrinologists at Columbia and Stanford found that women who have sex at least once a week have more regular menstrual cycles than those who have sex less frequently.

5

Sleep Better No sleeping pills are required to give you a good night’s rest. Just a few minutes of rolling in the hay can help you rest easy.

Having sex releases sleep endorphins, causing you to fall asleep easier and get a longer night’s sleep — unless you’re up doing other things.

6

Stress Relief Instead of screaming about that midterm you almost failed, why not scream about something happier? Go take control and cause a ruckus in the bedroom. The horizontal hula is a great stress reliever. It’s less expensive than drinking and won’t get you arrested — unless you do it in public.

7

Pain Relief No more excuses, ladies. Headaches, rather than preventing you from getting down, should have you running to the bedroom.

After your big O, you’ll have more than enough oxytocin to relieve any pain bugging you, including your menstrual cramps.

8

Happiness Sex makes you happier than money does, according to the U.S.-based National Bureau of Economic Research. It’s also an endorphin releaser. All it takes is a little romp in the sack to start your day off right.

8• Opinions

thesheaf.com/opinions • the Sheaf • February 16, 2012

Homophobia tarnishes our nation’s character

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Canada must move past discrimination against LGBT community Alexander Quon You can walk through any high school in North America and hear the words “dyke” and “faggot” spoken as if they were OK to use when it quite obviously isn’t.

The prevalence of this language is attributable to homophobia: something that has been present throughout history and has not yet diminished as much as other forms of discrimination such as racism or sexism.

Western society often views itself as superior in all aspects of life, whether it’s economically, culturally or socially. But that’s not always true. The United States often calls itself the leader of the free world, while a quick glance reveals it to be anything but. The U.S. has clearly had a history of oppressing various groups, as demonstrated in the struggles of African-Americans through slavery and the civil rights movement; women during the suffrage movement; and now, with a culture that views homosexuality as some sort of threat.

Canada doesn’t have a much better track record than the U.S. on these issues. Canada also battled against the women’s suffrage movement and, although Canada did not support slavery,

the government discriminated against Chinese workers by not allowing many into the country, treating them deplorably in unsafe working conditions and charging them a head tax. And of course, the government’s mistreatment of Aboriginal Peoples over the centuries stands out as a lasting source of shame.

Some people believe that, although we used to be racist and sexist, we have somehow changed and become a better society that doesn’t discriminate.

This is simply not the case, as either through our ignorance or our purposeful intentions we have allowed one group to slip through the cracks of our allegedly egalitarian system.

I refer of course to the LGBT community.

I am straight. I have friends who are straight, gay and bisexual. Still, I’ve personally seen and heard my friends being discriminated against as well as being the ones doing the discrimination. It just disgusts me that one person can think they are better than another on the basis of sexual orientation.

A person’s sexual preference doesn’t change who they are.

Friends have come out to me and not one thing in the world changed. They were still my friends and all I learned is that

they preferred people of the same gender as themselves.

Canadian acceptance of homosexuality, at least at a federal level, has been around for almost a decade. Canada instituted the Civil Marriage Act in 2005, which legally allowed the marriage of same-sex couples. And yet, the stigma still remains that homosexuality is somehow evil or unnatural.

The bullying and homophobia directed toward the LGBT community has a high price, as seen on Oct. 18, 2011 when an Ottawa teenager took his own life. Jamie Hubley was 15 and the only openly-gay boy at his high school. After enduring abuse at the hands of his peers for years, Hubley took his own life.

In a heartbreaking note to his family, he wrote, “Its just too hard. I dont want to wait 3 more years, this hurts too much.”

His death was not the first caused by homophobia, nor will it be the last unless our attitudes change.

Hillary Clinton has said that “gay rights are human rights.”

Indeed this is true, and as such we must see that nothing, even one’s religious beliefs, can excuse violence against LGBT people.

Being single rocks!

Cherish your freedom while it lasts Kimberley Hartwig

For more information, visit bigrockbeer.com/eddies

I have never been one for commitment. I can spend hours mulling over a simple decision, weighing the pros and cons, before finally making a choice and (maybe) sticking to it. It shouldn’t come as any surprise then that I can’t commit to a significant other.

My lack of commitment has never fazed me but lately it seems that all I see is people jumping into relationships. This isn’t helped by the fact that I work at a bridal salon. Nothing is a better reminder of life-long commitment than being surrounded by big, poofy white dresses all day long.

But, rather than making me long for Prince Charming/Ryan Gosling, the constant barrage of happily-ever-afters only makes me want to say “I do” to being single.

The single person has the ability to be absolutely, unapologetically selfish. Being single means not having to compromise and not having to share. It means not compromising your taste in music, your taste in movies or your taste in books.

And you never have to pretend to like something you secretly hate. It means no sharing the couch, the bed or the covers — especially important at this time of year when every square inch of material counts. Singledom also means being slutty without feeling guilty. There’s absolutely no problem with showing your affection for multiple people as long as you’re unattached and safe about it. Being single means no guilty morning-after, frantically trying to piece together the memories of last night’s drunken escapades and never having to apologize for any indiscretions you may or may not have committed.

When you’re single there’s no one to impress. There’s no need to pretend to be some suave, mysterious femme fatale or Casanova. You can bust out your “best” moves on the dance floor without fear of being reprimanded and you can be your regular old sweatpants-wearing, Justin Bieber-loving, macaroni-eating self with no risk of completely turning someone off.

Being single also means not having to settle. It means not

having to date someone who isn’t your type or someone who likes cats when you like dogs or someone who wears bad shoes.

Being single gives you the freedom to be picky, shallow and say no to anyone even for the pettiest of reasons — but good taste in shoes is never petty.

Couples often tend to settle into a routine: Wednesday is date night, tomorrow is pancake Thursday, yesterday was taco Tuesday.

Singles, on the other hand, have the ability to shake things up. Ever realize how many great stories come from single people?

Whether it’s about breakups, hookups or blind dates gone horribly awry, single stories are always saucier.

Most of us want to wind up with someone in the end, but the road to that someone is part of the fun. It should be a little crazy, at times discouraging and always interesting. Everything worth having is worth working for and spending time toiling away at. Being a single person means paying your dues to make that final walk all the more worthwhile.

Opinions

February 16, 2012 • the sheaf • thesheaf.com/opinions

•9

The music world gets worse every year And we’re largely to blame

Brianna Whitmore/Graphics Editor

Michael Cuthbertson Opinions Editor Do you love music? Well, do you love music enough to pay for it? Or even sit down and listen to an album for 30 minutes? In 2012, not many people can answer these questions affirmatively.

We all love having huge music libraries at our fingertips. Everything from Grooveshark to iPods to YouTube lets us make unique playlists from just about every song we can think of. It seems innocent enough, but our playlist culture is actually preventing the world’s best musicians from making a living.

In the past, record companies and bands held exclusive power to choose what tracks we heard on the CDs, cassettes and records they sold us. Because of this, we often played a whole CD or a whole record. But thanks to our digital gizmos, we hardly ever sit down and listen to full albums anymore.

The inattention of our playlist era is telling bands and companies to focus on individual “hits,” which are instant cash cows. Hit-making now trumps the industry’s old model of signing bands that made great albums. And the music industry’s growing emphasis on quick returns has done away with another virtue of labels: letting bands slowly develop their sound and fan-base.

Labels now put their faith solely in dipshits like LMFAO. Because even though sideshow acts like this haven’t proven — and never will — an ability to write great albums and hold a loyal fan base for decades, they have proven as quick and shameless a business venture as prostitution.

Even the indie world is guilty of running on one-hit wonders and 15-minutes-of-fame acts. In recent years, indie rock has sold itself out to countless car commercials. Just one example is when The Flaming Lips sold their song “Do You Realize” to Land Rover.

So don’t be fooled by their sheepish demeanor: indie rockers will take money wherever there’s money to be had. And they’re smart enough to know the indie world isn’t a place where fans stay devoted to you very long.

In the past, a jazz musician like Miles Davis, or a rock band like the Beatles, remained famous for decades. And their artistic reputations were earned legitimately, by putting out consistently great records.

With indie rock, however, you only need one cool video — or one hot review on a

site like Pitchfork — to suddenly become this year’s biggest thing. And all too often, a hot indie band will play the big festivals and be touted on the Internet one year, only to be flushed down the shitter the next.

It’s obvious why serious musicians are being replaced by these marketing-savvy, Elvis-Costello-look-alike novelty acts. It’s because we don’t pay for music anymore!

We all love stealing songs. But the saying “you get what you pay for” holds true in music.

No music label can survive without sales. And without thriving labels, bands are forced to devote more of their time to self-promotion and less toward actually making music. Face it: when we steal music we aren’t just robbing greedy businessmen; we’re robbing impoverished artists. Our theft, instead of making music less about money, actually heightens the financial worries of bands and labels.

At this point, I’m reminded of a question posed by the punk-band Propagandi: “Anyone remember when we used to believe that music was a sacred place and not some fucking bank machine?”

Apparently not.

You can be the most soulful singer in the world today, and nothing will come of it unless you can market yourself. If, however, you’re RedFoo — the musically challenged former stock trader in LMFAO — you will become the hottest act out there.

And if you’re the best band in the world today, but you have a bunch of fat, ugly members, the music world doesn’t want you. It’s despicable how music has become as much a visual medium as an auditory one. Sometimes I open a magazine like Exclaim! and feel like vomiting because the hip bands within its pages look so disingenuous. I know musicians always cared about image but it’s clear that, nowadays, many bands spend more time on their hair than their recordings.

With every passing year, the potential saviours of music fall deeper into poverty while musical hacks make more and more money. And the industry doesn’t give a damn. Being on life support, they’re only worried about the next financial quarter, not their next masterpiece.

So the responsibility falls on us — the music lovers — to ensure that good bands get on top again. We need to return to buying the music we believe in. Not only will this send a powerful message to the music industry, but it will also give our beloved bands the resources they need to make great albums.

Many people have said the Beatles’ later albums are some of the best pop recordings of the 20th century. Granted, the Beatles were living in Abbey Road Studios at this point. They stopped touring, making movies or even hobnobbing with the media.

But because fans purchased Beatles records — by the shitload — the band could spend all their time doing the only thing real musicians want to do: making music.

Not every great band can achieve such financial security. But when a band doesn’t make any money, it’s outrageous to ask

them for a masterpiece. And face it, if you don’t pay for music, you’re admitting that music is literally worthless to you.

If you sincerely feel this way, I have no objections, as long as you only pirate shitty music.

Of course for some of us music is everything: a way of life, a religion, a fantastic drug and a freeing escape from the passionless, pointless world we drag our asses through every day. It just doesn’t seem right to let music suffer so badly.

10•

thesheaf.com/advertise • the Sheaf • February 16, 2012

Sports •11 Huskies look to avenge playoff loss February 16, 2012 • the sheaf • thesheaf.com/sports

Women’s hockey ready to face off against Alberta Pandas

KEVIN MENZ Sports Editor The Huskies women’s hockey team beat the Alberta Pandas three out of four times this season, but that does not mean the Dogs have avenged last year’s first-round playoff loss to their Canada West rivals.

Last playoffs, the Pandas swept

Saskatchewan out of contention early in just two games at Edmonton’s Clare Drake Arena.

The Huskies started off the 2011-12 season with those losses in mind, sweeping Alberta in a late-October weekend series.

Those games, however, came down to both overtime and a shootout. By no means did Saskatchewan dominate the Pandas and, as evidenced by the teams splitting their

following weekend series, the Huskies had not had the last laugh.

The Dogs will look for vengeance Feb. 17, 18 and, if needed, 19 in the same arena where they lost last year as they kick off their 201112 playoff campaign.

Players to watch

photos by Raisa Pezderic/Photo Editor

Julie Paetsch Julia Flinton Breanne George Mackenzie Rizos forward defence forward goalie Julie Paetsch is coming off what is likely her best season yet.

Although the Huskies’ assistant captain and fifth-year forward scored 36 points to finish third in the Canada West’s 2009-2010 scoring race, her 34 points this season were enough to land her the conference’s scoring title.

The most notable difference between the two seasons, however, is that Paetsch has improved her ability to put the puck in the net. Two years ago, 26 of her 36 points came from assists. This season, while she still led the league in assists with 20, she also scored a career-high 14 goals.

When the Dogs take on Alberta in the first round of playoffs, it won’t be surprising to see Paetsch not only set up Huskies top goal-scorers Cara Wooster, Danny Stone and Breanne George, but to also pot game-winners of her own.

Julia Flinton made an immediate impact this season in just her first year of Canadian university hockey. The rookie not only emerged as one of the Huskies’ top defencemen, she also established herself as one of the best offensive blueliners in the league.

She finished third amongst all rookie scorers and fifth amongst all defencemen with 11 points.

Flinton is more than capable of changing the game. For instance, when the Huskies took on Alberta earlier this season, Flinton scored a 2-1 overtime winner after blasting a point shot past the Pandas goaltender.

While she can be the overtime hero the Huskies might need this weekend against Alberta, Flinton will have to limit her time in the penalty box if she wants to see the ice in extra time.

She led the Huskies with 38 penalty minutes this season.

Breanne George may be the most decorated Huskies women’s hockey player ever. She has been a CIS first team all-Canadian, a Canada West first team all-star and has represented Canada at the Winter University Games.

She is also the Huskies all-time points leader with 144 points.

Relative to her standards, this season has been extremely slow for George in terms of scoring. She scored a career-low 18 points and, for the first time in her last four years of Canada West competition, did not finish in the top five scorers at season’s end.

George, however, does not view this as a negative going into playoffs.

While in previous post-seasons she felt pressured to score a lot of the Huskies’ goals, this year she is more relaxed knowing that the Dogs have several players capable of putting up big numbers.

When 2007-08 Canada West second team all-star Vanessa Frederick took a year off from university hockey last year, University of Lethbridge transfer and 2008-09 second team all-star Mackenzie Rizos stepped up in her place.

This season, when Frederick returned to the Huskies for her fifth and final year, the two netminders found themselves splitting playing time until, eventually, the fourth-year Rizos emerged as the starter.

While this shared playing time and competition for the starting position not only pushed Rizos to step up her game, it also ensured that the Huskies have two well-rested goaltenders going into the post-season -- a luxury that both all-star netminders likely aren’t used to.

Against Alberta, Rizos will come in fresh as Frederick saw the start in the Huskies final regular season games Feb. 10 and 11 against UBC.

12• Sports

thesheaf.com/arts • the Sheaf • February 16, 2012

Dogs set for undefeated Cougars

Women’s basketball tips off against no. 1 Regina to finish regular season KEVIN MENZ Sports Editor With only one game remaining, the Huskies women’s basketball regular season is far from over.

The Dogs take on provincial rival and undefeated powerhouse University of Regina Cougars in their last match of the regular season Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Physical Activity Complex in Saskatoon.

While the match means nothing on paper, the game will be the Huskies’ most difficult test of the year.

Regina, sporting a 19-0 record, has been the no. 1 ranked team in Canadian Interuniversity Sport this entire season. They easily secured a Canada West home playoff date and they will finish in top spot in the conference’s prairie division standings regardless of if they win or lose Saturday.

When the two teams met on Nov. 5 in Regina to kick off their 201112 seasons, the Cougars won 7968 — a closer finish than even the Huskies expected.

Now, however, the Huskies are hot.

No. 3 ranked Saskatchewan is riding a 10-game winning streak and has only lost one game since starting the season with threestraight losses. Their current 15-4 record, which guarantees their second-place finish in the prairie division standings as well as a home playoff date, comes in a season that was declared a rebuilding year by head coach Lisa Thomaidis.

“We really have come along nicely and faster than I expected,” said Thomaidis. “A lot of the new players, whether they be rookies or transfers, have stepped in and played a huge role for us.”

Sophomore point guard Kabree Howard, who took over the position this year following Canada West first-team all-star Jill Humbert’s graduation from the team last year, said the Huskies are much more confident now than they were at the start of the season.

“Before, we were just hoping to win,” she said. “Now there is that

expectation every night to go in and win.”

In order to do that, the Dogs will have to be much stronger on defence than they were against the University of Manitoba Bisons Feb. 10 and 11 — their previous regular season games.

The Bisons, who concluded their season against the Huskies that weekend and will finish seventh of eight teams in the prairie division, nearly upset Saskatchewan in close 73-62 and 76-67 matches.

Thomaidis said that the Huskies were lucky their weak defence didn’t cost them a win.

“We left three-point shooters open and they were able to stay in the match. Thankfully we [made] some shots in the end and we were able to secure the victory.”

“We had a tough time with defensive match-ups” against Manitoba, added Howard. “Defence has to be our go-to every weekend.”

Against the Cougars, Saskatchewan will need its defence to pressure Regina’s strong outside shooters including Michelle Clark and Carly Graham — the Canada West’s highest scoring three-point shooters.

The Huskies will also have to focus on their own ball control and limit the amount of turnovers they surrender to the Cougars, as Regina scores a lot of their points on fast breaks.

Saskatchewan’s men’s basketball team will also take on Regina that night at home following the women’s game. The Cougars men’s team sports a 5-14 record and sits in seventh in the men’s prairie division while the Huskies are guaranteed to finish first with their current 15-4 record.

Tip-offs for the women’s and men’s games are set for 6:15 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., respectively, at the University of Saskatchewan’s Physical Activity Complex Feb. 18. Both Huskies teams will open playoffs the following weekend, Feb. 24-26, at the same venue.

Raisa Pezderic/Photo Editor

Sophomore guard Riley Humbert looks for the lay in against Manitoba Feb. 10.

•13

Sports

February 16, 2012 • the sheaf • thesheaf.com/arts

Huskies win five golds

Dogs bring it all at Canada West wrestling championships

file photo by Raisa Pezderic/Photo Editor

Kathleen Kent, who was one of five Huskies to win gold at the Canada West championships last weekend, in action earlier this season at the Huskie Open.

COLE GUENTER Ryan Myrfield was on everyone’s radar Feb. 10 and 11 in Regina for the Canada West wrestling championships.

The reigning Canada West and Canadian Interuniversity Sport 72-kilogram champion executed in much the same fashion as last year, easily taking the conference title without losing a match.

First-year Huskie Jacob Phillips surprised the competition by winning the largest, 130-kilogram weight class while fourth-year Landon Squires placed first in the 90-kilogram division.

Brady Lange, Theo Dow and Chad

Caron of the Huskies also wrestled their way into the top three of their respective weight categories.

Saskatchewan’s men’s squad, which saw nine wrestlers put up top five finishes, landed third in the team standings with a combined 34 points — 11 points behind the hosting Regina Cougars who edged out Alberta by a single point for the title. Calgary finished fourth with 20 points while Winnipeg finished last with only three points.

On the women’s side, the Huskies put up a strong showing despite their large number of rookies — four of the team’s eight wrestlers are in their first year of CIS competition.

Fourth-year Koren Pitkethly

Canada West Standings Men’s basketball Standings

Standings

Prairie

1. Saskatchewan x 2. Alberta x 3. Lethbridge x 4. Calgary x 5. Manitoba 6. Brandon 7. Regina 8. Winnipeg

Prairie

1. Regina x 2. Saskatchewan x 3. Calgary x 4. Alberta x 5. Winnipeg 6. Lethbridge 7. Manitoba 8. Brandon

15-4 14-6 11-9 10-10 8-12 7-13 5-14 4-16

Pacific

19-0 15-4 14-6 13-7 9-11 6-14 3-17 0-20

13-4 13-4 13-5 10-8 6-12 3-15 x - clinched playoff spot

League Leaders

1. UBC x 2. UFV x 3. TRU x 4. Victoria 5. TWU 6. UBC Okanagan

14-3 12-6 9-9 8-9 8-10 2-16 x - clinched playoff spot

League Leaders GP 16 17 17

FG 137 131 110

3FG 10 26 50

FT 86 70 65

Points 370 358 335

Scoring 1. Diane Schuetze - TRU 2. Nicole Clarke - AB 3. Katie Miyazaki - SASK

GP 16 18 15

FG 101 101 87

Rebounds 1. D. Emmerson - SASK 2. Sarah Wierks - UFV 3. Diane Schuetze - TRU

GP 17 17 16

Assists 1. Jorri Duxbury - TRU 2. Joanna Zalesiak - REG 3. C. Goodis - UVIC

GP 16 17 16

No. 42 48 45

Steals 1. Lauren Taal - LETH 2. S. Carkner - TWU 3. C. Goodis - UVIC

GP 18 17 16

No. 63 55 48

No. 29 29 28

Blocked Shots 1. Zara Huntley - UBC 2. D. Emmerson - SASK T3. Kailey Colonna - TRU

GP 16 17 16

No. 24 24 18

Rebounds 1. Michael Lieffers - SASK 2. Kamar Burke - UBC 3. Jordan Baker - AB

GP 19 17 20

Assists 1. Jamelle Barrett - SASK 2. I. Bonhomme - BRAN 3. Tristan Smith - TWU

GP 17 20 18

No. 118 119 102

Steals 1. Nathan Yu - UBC 2. Kevin Oliver - MAN 3. Stephan Walton - MAN

GP 17 20 20

Blocked Shots 1. Balraj Bains - UBC 2. Tyler Fidler - CGY 3. D. Coward - LETH

GP 17 20 20

Off. 84 49 56

Def. 132 134 153

Total 216 183 209

which put up 26 points, narrowly beat out Calgary by three points to take third while Winnipeg bottomed the competition with six points.

The tournament, which wrapped up Saturday afternoon, was followed with a banquet supper where the conference’s individual awards were given out.

Regina’s Connor Malloy, who claimed a gold medal in the men’s 76-kilogram event, was named Canada West male Wrestler of the Year. Erica Wiebe of Calgary took female Wrestler of the Year honours.

Wiebe, the women’s 72-kilogram champion, also got the nod for the conference’s female nominee in the CIS’s Student-Athlete Community

WOMen’s volleyball

Men’s volleyball

Standings 1. UBC x 2. Alberta x 3. Winnipeg x 4. TWU x 5. Calgary x 6. Manitoba x 7. TRU x 8. Brandon 9. UBC Okanagan 10. Regina 11. Saskatchewan

18-2 14-6 14-6 13-7 11-9 11-9 9-11 9-11 6-14 5-15 0-20 x - clinched playoff spot

League Leaders

Pacific

1. UBC x 2. Victoria x 3. UFV x 4. TWU x 5. TRU 6. UBC Okanagan

Scoring 1. Justin King - TRU 2. Jamelle Barrett - SASK 3. Ryan Mackinnon - UVIC

woMen’s basketball

and third-year Kathleen Kent led the charge, winning gold in the 59-kilogram and 63-kilogram categories, respectively.

Rookies Katie Dutchak and Hannah Franson both clinched second in their weight classes, while teammate and fellow first year Lisa Brise grappled for third in the 67-kilogram weight range.

Team captain and fourth-year Natasha Kramble rounded out the medal total by winning silver in the 48-kilogram weight class, the lightest of the divisions Collectively, the women managed 32 points and a second-place finish in the team standings — just two points shy of first place Alberta. Regina,

Off. 66 63 52 No. 93 94 84

3FG 5 23 10

FT 99 65 55

Def. 115 106 95

Points 306 290 239 Total 181 169 147

Blocks 1. K. Osadchuk - TRU 2. Jordana Milne - MAN 3. Alicia Perrin - TWU

GP 70 56 66

Solo 13 9 10

Kills 1. Kyla Richey - UBC 2. Kristi Hunter - MAN 3. Ozana Nikolic - WPG

GP 55 68 73

No. Avg. 196 3.56 225 3.31 238 3.26

Digs

GP 57 75 67

No. Avg. 258 4.53 308 4.11 270 4.03

1. Erin Walsh - AB 2. T. A-Wasylik - WPG 3. Sara Petterson - TRU

Ast. 79 63 72

Total 92.0 72.0 82.0

Men’s volleyball Standings 1. TWU x 2. Manitoba x 3. Alberta x 4. Calgary x 5. Brandon x 6. UBC x 7. UBC Okanagan x 8. Winnipeg 9. Regina 10. Saskatchewan 11. TRU

19-1 18-2 15-5 11-9 11-9 10-10 8-12 7-13 4-16 4-16 3-17

Service Award. The Huskies’ Squires was selected as the male nominee.

The award, which will be presented at the CIS tournament, is given to the wrestler who most exemplifies the combination of outstanding athletic ability, contribution in the community and classroom success.

Both Squires and Myrfield, as well as all wrestlers who landed in the top three of their weight categories, will get a chance for a national title at the CIS tournament hosted by Lakehead University Feb. 24-25 in Thunder Bay, Ont.

With files from Kevin Menz.

Men’s hockey Plus/Minus

League Leaders

GP 25 2. Derek Hulak - SASK 26 3. Blair Macaulay - MAN 26

Total +21 +21 +20

Penalty Minutes 1. Brett Leffler - REG 2. Teigan Zahn - CGY 3. Chad Erb - MAN

Total 81 75 73

1. Sean Ringrose - AB

Blocks 1. D. J. Van Doorn - TWU 2. Cary Brett - UBC 3. Joseph Brooks - MAN

GP 48 49 67

Kills 1. Mitch Irvine - AB 2. Nate Speijer - UBCO 3. Dane Pischke - MAN

GP 61 58 67

No. 248 235 265

Avg. 4.07 4.05 3.96

Digs 1. Ian Perry - UBC 2. Derek Nieroda - MAN 3. J. Offereins - TWU

GP 63 67 52

No. 235 223 170

Avg. 3.73 3.33 3.27

Solo 12 10 13

Ast. 65 59 79

Total 77.0 69.0 92.0

Men’s hockey Standings 1. Manitoba x 2. Alberta x 3. Saskatchewan x 4. Calgary x 5. UBC x 6. Lethbridge x 7. Regina

x - clinched playoff spot

League Leaders GP 26 26 26

Goals 10 14 16

Goals 1. Blair Macaulay - MAN 2. Dustin Moore - LETH 3. Kyle Ross - SASK

GP 26 25 26

No. 22 16 16

Assists 1. Derek Hulak - SASK 2. Kyle Bortis - SASK 3. J. Schappert - MAN

GP 26 26 26

No. 30 22 17

Ast. 30 22 16

WoMen’s Hockey Standings 1. Calgary x 2. Alberta x 3. Saskatchewan x 4. Lethbridge x 5. Manitoba 6. Regina 7. UBC

20-4-0 14-3-7 16-6-2 14-8-2 12-8-4 7-15-2 1-21-2 x - clinched playoff spot

League Leaders

18-5-3 18-6-2 17-6-3 15-11-2 12-11-3 7-16-3 5-18-3

Points 1. Derek Hulak - SASK 2. Kyle Bortis - SASK 3. Kyle Ross - SASK

GP 20 27 17

Totals 40 36 32

Points 1. Julie Paetsch - SASK 2. H. Wickenheiser - CGY 3. Sarah Hilworth - AB

GP 24 16 24

Goals 14 17 11

Goals 1. H. Wickenheiser - CGY 2. Iya Gavrilova - CGY 3. Julie Paetsch - SASK

GP 16 21 24

No. 17 15 14

GP 24 2. Cara Wooster - SASK 23 3. Sarah Hilworth - AB 24

No. 20 18 18

Plus/Minus

GP 21 2. H. Wickenheiser - CGY 16 3. S. Ramsay - CGY 22

Total +24 +23 +20

Penalty Minutes 1. H. Wickenheiser - CGY 2. N. Brown-John - UBC 3. Nicole Pratt - AB

Total 60 54 54

Assists

1. Julie Paetsch - SASK

1. Iya Gavrilova - CGY

GP 16 18 24

Ast. 20 15 18

Totals 34 32 29

14•Arts

thesheaf.com/arts • the sheaf • February 16, 2012

Celebrating the Carnage of upper-middle class hypocrisy Roman Polanski film is hilarious, but lacks vitality AREN BERGSTROM Arts Editor

Some plays are so insightful, so vivid and so entertaining that they demand to be turned into films. Or so some producers must think.

Unfortunately, what works in the theatre may not always work in the cinema.

Such is the case with Carnage. I suspect the Tony Award-winning play by Yasmina Reza may be far more hard-hitting and hilarious than its cinematic counterpart. Nevertheless, while it may not be as vicious as it tries to be, Roman Polanski’s Carnage has enough dark humour and mischievousness to make up for whatever was lost in translation. It’s a film about facades and how a deep selfishness exists under the guise of Western politeness and political correctness. It’s also a showcase for its all-star cast: Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly.

One day after school, the son of Nancy (Winslet) and Alan (Waltz) Cowan hits the son of Penelope (Foster) and Michael Longstreet (Reilly) with a stick, knocking two of his incisors out. In order to clear up things between their sons, the Cowans and the Longstreets, being good, fair-minded Western liberals, meet at the Longstreets’ apartment in the middle of the afternoon in order to settle affairs as such good, fair-minded people are wont to do.

Of course, pretences only last so long. A word here; a phrase there — eventually the vitriol lurking just beneath the surface of bourgeois respectability seeps out and these supposedly

Raisa Pezderic/Photo Editor

Nancy (Winslet), Penelope (Foster), Michael (Reilly) and Alan (Waltz). good, fair-minded parents find themselves verbally attacking each other.

As a way to break the ice and clear up the tension, Michael mentions that he got rid of his daughter’s hamster that day, dumping the animal onto the streets of New York City. Nancy is horrified that Michael intended the anecdote to be humorous. Michael’s anecdote leads to thinly veiled hostility on Nancy’s part. This is an example of how a simple parental meeting over a schoolyard disagreement between their sons turns into a passive-aggressive frenzy where everyone’s grievances are erred.

Oh, and there’s a fixation on cobbler.

Penelope makes a mean apple and pear cobbler, as Michael constantly insists, and Nancy and Alan just have to try some. Alan wolfs it

down, being the kind of cellphone-attached powerbroker who never gets a chance to enjoy meals. Nancy also devours it, but it doesn’t sit well with her, and a little warm Coca-Cola only aggravates her stomach. Everything in Carnage plays like a farce, but like all good farces, there is more than a hint of reality in it.

The entire film takes place in the Longstreets’ apartment and hallway. Polanski does nothing to expand the setting of the play, beyond showing the Cowan and Longstreet boys in the park during the opening and closing credits. His cinematography and editing are immaculate, at the least, and the film is never visually boring, but the filmmaking needs do little more than let the actors run the gamut of their expressions.

As a film built on the strength of its cast, the

Vive

cont. from

1

“The organization was not developed enough in terms of human resources and structure to survive my departure,” Greer said.

The loss of Vive comes not only as a blow to local music fans, but more devastatingly to the city’s music community.

“The city is definitely in crisis mode for venues,” said Sarah Charters, bass player for the local band Feral Children. “It’s just really hard for new bands. I feel for them. You need a lot of buzz to get going now.”

She says that with no default all-ages venue, it’s going to be that much harder for younger musicians to get experience and for young fans to see local music.

“I loved playing at Sola and it’s really sad to see the one true all-ages venue in the city close because I’ve seen so many new faces,” said Charters.

Alternatively, touring bands also have a hard time finding space to play in Saskatoon. If a band is not well-known or established enough to play Amigos, Louis’ or even Lydia’s, it can be hard to find an alternative venue where people will actually pay.

Jonathan Ostrander is a musician originally from Saskatoon who currently lives in Dawson City, Yukon. His band Three Chords and the Truth has been booking dates across Canada for the upcoming spring, and finding a venue in Saskatoon has proven difficult.

“The venue situation does seem a little dismal in town these days,” he said. “In booking this tour, I’ve managed to find gigs in nearly every major center in Canada other than my own hometown.”

Taylor, the Vive co-founder, says the need for an all-ages venue is strong enough that something new is bound to take shape.

“There’s an ebb and flow to it all. [The venue] is not here right now but it will be back in some capacity. Kids aren’t going to stop playing in bands,” he said.

The largest problem for such a venue is that

movie works quite well. Winslet and Waltz, especially, thrive in their roles. There are few faces as emotive as Kate Winslet’s, and in the early moments of the film, her subtle expressions do much to reveal the discomfort of the situation. Waltz is dynamite as a character who finds the whole situation ludicrous and more-than-a-little humourous. His character may not be given as many emotions to play as Winslet or Foster, but he really sells the performance.

Foster and Reilly are also quite good, for the most part, although their performances seem to descend into comical grotesques near the film’s end. All of the actors must have jumped at the chance to play in this film. It offers them the opportunity to run through most every emotion conceivable all in the space of 80 minutes, and is quite evenly focused on all four of them.

Carnage’s most noticeable and unfortunate problem is that it seems better suited to the stage. As a theatrical performance, the laughs would come faster, the actors would seem more vivid and the whole enterprise would be more immediate and vicious.

There is nothing in Carnage that really demands it be a film. Still, as an indictment of the facades of the Western upper-middle class, the film still cuts deep and is funnier and more nuanced than most schlock that passes for comedy these days.

Carnage plays at the Roxy Theatre starting Feb. 17. all-ages shows do not make money. Even in terms of a 16-plus show versus a 19-plus show, a venue will almost always be inclined to accept the latter.

“You can’t really make money doing shows,” said Jason Kovitch, Louis’ food and beverage manager. “You can’t roll into a high-traffic neighbourhood like Broadway or downtown and set up shop with an all-ages venue that’s going to make it. None of them make it more than a year or two. The key component is always some super passionate person who is going to promote those shows, and then they come to their senses after a few years and say ‘I can’t keep doing this’ and they move on. And then someone else takes over, someone young, usually. And that’s not a Saskatoon thing. I would go so far as to say that it is a global thing.

Kovitch says he gets many complaints from younger concertgoers about the dearth of allages shows at Louis’, but he says people over 19 are often even more forceful in wanting to avoid such shows. Still, he recognizes that people who attend shows early on will continue doing so once they are older.

“A music scene in any city is always at its healthiest if there are all-ages shows present,” he said.

All-ages shows will continue to exist, whether they have a stable venue or not. It’s a hard niche to satisfy and yet most people are certain that there will be a new manifestation of Vive stepping up to the plate sometime in the near future. But it likely needs to be soon, before young musicians are pushed back into suburban basements or more artistically accommodating cities, never to be heard from again.

“The Vive project was not complete,” Greer said. “Such a venture is never complete. I’m proud that I accomplished all that I did in my four years with the organization.... Now it’s someone else’s turn.”

The lights go out at Vive Music right after their last show, a co-promotion with the Broadway Theatre on April 24 (Said the Whale w/ Chains of Love).

•15 Watching the return of Watchmen Odd Future collaborators The curious case of the artist losing control of his creations release album Arts

February 16, 2012 • the sheaf • thesheaf.com/arts

The Internet’s Purple Naked Ladies shows promise

supplied

NICHOLAS KINDRACHUK

supplied

THILINA BANDARA On Feb. 1, DC Comics revealed that they are rebooting the venerable Watchmen franchise with a series of prequel graphic novels based on each iconic lead character, called Before Watchmen. Recruiting some of the industry’s best writers and artists, it is the long-awaited expansion of the graphic novel that changed an industry forever.

Named one of Time magazine’s 100 best English language novels, Watchmen (1986) was a watershed moment in the comic world. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons crafted a macabre story in which superheroes struggle to find relevance in a world undeserving to be saved. Moore’s story is wrought with existential themes and complex characters, steeped in Cold War paranoia and delivered through Gibbons’ (and colourist John Higgins’) distinctive artistry.

Ever since the original book’s success however, contract disputes

between the creators and DC left Moore and Gibbon’s far removed from the property, with Moore being the most public with his contempt regarding the fallout.

Fast-forward to 2009. DC’s darling was out of Moore and Gibbons’ hands, and Zack Snyder’s film interpretation of Watchmen (which suffered its own stretch of development hell) finally came out to mixed reviews. Moore publicly disowned the movie project, stating that Watchmen was “inherently unfilmable” and subsequently had his name removed from the credits.

Judging by his comments in a New York Times interview about the announcement of Before Watchmen, Moore is as unhappy about DC’s handling of Watchmen as ever.

“I tend to take this latest development as a kind of eager confirmation that they are still apparently dependent on ideas that I had 25 years ago,” said Moore.

He added: “As far as I know,

there weren’t any sequels or prequels to Moby Dick.”

Regardless of Moore’s feelings, expect the Before Watchmen books to drop later this year. With the impressive pedigree attached to the project, like Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, there is plenty to be excited about, but remember that somewhere, the father of the Watchmen universe is grumbling.

While it may ultimately prove to be inconsequential in terms of quality and sales, the fight between Alan Moore and DC is an unfortunate backdrop to the revitalization of these beloved iconic characters.

Or perhaps Watchmen is just too timeless of a story. Perhaps even Moore himself should not be allowed to let his own creation — one that has resonated with millions of readers — be buried in the past.

Tyler, the Creator and his cohorts have taken over The Internet.

That’s the name of the newest project to come from hip-hop collective Odd Future and Purple Naked Ladies marks the first album to be officially released under their own record label. It is a collaboration between two of the gang’s producers, Syd Tha Kid and Matt Martians. Martians is also a member of producing duo The Jet Age of Tomorrow who have released two free mixtapes of primarily instrumentals. Still, this is really the first time that these two members have taken a more primary role in the group.

The album is a sort of experimental hip-hop/soul-jazz fusion that comes off really well in the production, with lots of interesting and original combinations and patterns that build and slow at all the right moments. It is easily the bestproduced album that Odd Future has released and it’s clear the producing duo put a lot of work into it. Each song is textured so well that it feels fresh even with multiple listens. This type of production is not often heard in music such as this and it is what makes the album worth a listen.

Vocals and lyrics are where Purple Naked Ladies loses its momentum. Syd is the primary vocalist on these tracks other than the occasional guest spot. She is by no means a bad singer, but she just sings in an extremely light tone with no real pitch shifts or passion to take note of. For some songs it works very well — for others, not so much. In the end, hearing that same tone of singing with only slight alterations for the album’s solid 41-minute runtime definitely wears out its welcome.

The other vocalists featured on the album are much better singers than Syd and it’s almost

embarrassing how much she is overpowered. Perhaps this would be a much stronger album if the vocals were done primarily by guest artists offering much more variety and stronger vocals to complement the pretty fantastic production. While listening to the album, I often wished for it to be an instrumental LP, because most of the time it feels like the vocals are just in the way of the music.

Lyrically, there is absolutely nothing going on here to sink your teeth into unless you really enjoy hearing clichés. Most of the tracks are just Syd singing about much she loves some girl or how she just wants to have fun with another girl.

The song “Cocaine,” written by rapper Speak! who also co-wrote Kreayshawn’s “Gucci Gucci,” has to be the most boring and pointless drug song I have ever heard. The gist of the lyrics comes down to, “Do you want to do some cocaine?” or stereotypical ways of pressuring the girl Syd is hitting on into doing coke. It is just all around pointless and doesn’t even really display the strong pro-drug message it’s trying to promote. Odd Future is a collective known for their hardhitting, aggressive lyrics. While this song is admittedly not trying to be aggressive, there is still no impact to the words at all. Such a lack of lyrical impact makes a lot of the songs forgettable.

The production is still pretty excellent and is able to outshine a lot of the weaker points in the vocal and songwriting departments. The Internet is an interesting debut that shows a ton of potential but they need to sort out whether Syd is strong enough to front the project or if they need to rely on guest vocals.

Either way, The Internet should be on your radar for the coming years as they grow. This album is definitely a solid base for them to build on.

16• arts

thesheaf.com/arts • the Sheaf • February 16, 2012

The Sheaf’s predictions for the

84th Annual Academy Awards by

After the vast number of silly nominations (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, anyone?) and appalling snubs (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2) the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science has made over the years, it’s worth asking: Do the Oscars even matter anymore?

Not really, but even with their diminishing cultural relevance, they’re still fun to talk about.

If you get past the fact that films that win Oscars are rarely the best films of the year but merely the films the movie industry can pat itself on the back about, and that actors win Oscars for their entire careers as opposed to their individual performances, then you may get some enjoyment out of the whole enterprise by flexing your prognostication savvy.

As usual, this year’s Academy Award nominations consist of safe, middlebrow entertainment that is seemingly progressive and unapologetically sentimental — see: The Descendants and The Help. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some great films nominated this year (The Tree of Life, Hugo), but just like in years past, the Academy’s picks are not the entirety of the year’s highlights.

Two films celebrating the early days of cinema led the 2011 Oscar nominations. Martin Scorsese’s Hugo about the early silent film pioneer George Meliès garnered the most nominations with 11, but most of its wins will be relegated to the technical categories. French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist, a black-and-white silent film about a movie star in the late 1920s, followed with 10 nominations, and is this year’s frontrunner.

Making your Oscar picks is half guesswork and half reading the trends from other awards ceremonies. It’s impossible to get into the mindset of the Hollywood insider, so for those of us who look in on Hollywood glamour from the outside, we have to look at things like the Golden Globes, the critics groups and the various guilds to see who has a chance of winning on Oscar night.

Like in many years past, 2012’s winner for Best Picture seems fairly locked. The Artist came out of the Cannes Film Festival with a Best Actor win for Jean Dujardin and has wooed viewers ever since. The film has peaked in recent weeks with its wins from the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild, the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes and a whole gamut of critics’ groups. Its wins for Best Picture and Best Director — the winner of the Directors Guild almost always wins Best Director at the Oscars — are sure bets.

Although Meryl Streep is up for her 17th Oscar nomination for her turn as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, the film has been coolly received and Streep hardly needs another Oscar to bolster her career. On the other hand, Viola Davis from The Help has won the Screen Actors Guild and is due for an Oscar. Octavia Spencer for The Help and Christopher Plummer for Beginners might as well accept their Best Supporting Actress and Actor awards now and save us some time in the broadcast.

While George Clooney seemed a sure bet to win Best Actor a few months ago for his role as a cuckolded husband and father in The Descendants, Jean Dujardin from The Artist has been charming the awards circuit and picking up trophies from the Globes, the SAG and the BAFTAs. Expect to see him, not Clooney, stroll up to the podium on Feb. 26.

The water is a little murkier for the screenplay categories than with the acting races. Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris is his highest grossing film ever and, although it is deeply loved, it has little chance to win in the Picture and Director races. Expect the Academy to reward the film with Best Original Screenplay. For Best Adapted Screenplay, you’d think The Artist would continue its roll with a win, but its lack of dialogue may have some people turning to The Descendants, the likely winner.

Aren Bergstrom

Aren Bergstrom and Colin Gibbings

N

eed some help predicting this year’s Oscar winners?

The Sheaf has you covered.

Oscar prognosticators Aren Bergstrom and Colin Gibbings both give their picks on who will win at the 84th Academy Awards. So take notes and get ready to win that Oscar pool come Feb. 26.

E

xpect The Artist to be a big winner at this year’s Academy Awards.

Biggest Snub Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Best Picture

The reason the Oscars made the switch to more than five Best Picture nominees back in 2009 sure was to ensure films like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 got nominated — the kind of impeccably made, immensely popular blockbusters that everyone could appreciate but didn’t have the same prestige as the typical year-end awards contenders. Alas, the Academy missed out on awarding a nomination to 2011’s best film and the end to the most impressively consistent franchise in Hollywood history. After eight films that got better with each installment, the Academy had no legitimate reason not to award this final one with at least a token nomination.

The Adventures of Tintin

Best Animated Feature

Every year there are snubs and this year did not disappoint.

For me I found my anger reserved for the lack of Tintin in the Best Animated Feature category. Too European for the Oscars?

For shame! It’s one of the most fun, exciting and entertaining movies in years but the Academy seems to disagree. It seems like they have a serious problem with motion capture.

Dark Horse In Darkness

Best Foreign Language Film

All the critics’ groups are unanimous in considering Iranian film A Separation one of the best films of 2011 and the surefire Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, but never discount the heft of a Holocaust film in wooing Oscar voters.

Thus, if there’s going to be a big upset on Oscar night, expect Polish film In Darkness to swoop in and steal A Separation’s thunder.

The Help

Best Picture

If there’s one area where a huge shocker could appear, it’s in the Best Picture category. While The Help really underperformed in the nominations (no director, editing, costume or screenplay nominations), it still maintains an enormous fanbase and was a giant hit at the box office. If it wins Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, it could benefit from a draw between The Artist and Hugo and take the win. This isn’t likely, but don’t be flabbergasted if it happens.

arts

February 16, 2012 • the sheaf • thesheaf.com/arts

2012 Oscars Cheat Sheet

Best Picture The Artist the Descendants Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Actor Demián Bichir

— A Better Life

George Clooney — The Descendants Jean Dujardin — The Artist

Best Actress Glenn Close Gary Oldman — Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Brad Pitt — Moneyball

Best Supporting Actor Kenneth Branagh — My Week With Marilyn Jonah Hill — Moneyball Nick Nolte — Warrior

Christopher Plummer — Beginners Max von Sydow — Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Directing Michel Hazanavicius — The Artist Alexander Payne — The Descendants Martin Scorsese — Hugo

Woody Allen — Midnight in Paris Terrence Malick — The Tree of Life

Puss in Boots Rango

Foreign Language Film Bullhead Footnote In Darkness

Monsieur Lazhar A Separation

Midnight In Paris Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2

War Horse The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Costume Design W.E. Anonymous Hugo

Original Score The Adventures of TinTin Hugo

Sound Editing Drive Hugo War Horse

Sound Mixing Moneyball War Horse

Makeup Albert Nobbs Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 The Iron Lady

— The Help

Meryl Streep

— The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams — My Week With Marilyn Rooney Mara — The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Best Supporting Actress Jessica Chastain

Bérénice Bejo — The Help

Melissa McCarthy — Bridesmaids

— The Artist

Janet McTeer

— Albert Nobbs Octavia Spencer — The Help

The Descendants — Payne, Faxon & Rash Hugo — John Logan The Ides of March — Clooney, Heslov & Willimon

Moneyball

— Zaillian & Sorkin Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy — O’Connor & Straughan

Original Screenplay Bridesmaids

— Mumolo & Wiig

Margin Call

— J.C. Chandor

The Artist — Michael Hazanavicius

Midnight in Paris — Woody Allen A Separation — Asghar Farhadi

Hell and Back Again Undefeated Pina

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory If a Tree Falls: A story of the Earth Liberation Front

Documentary Short

Cinematography The Artist Hugo The Tree Of Life

Viola Davis

Documentary Feature

Art Direction The Artist War Horse Hugo

— A Better Life

Adapted Screenplay

Animated Feature A Cat In Paris Chico & Rita Kung Fu Panda 2

The Help Hugo Midnight in Paris Moneyball The Tree of Life War Horse

Jane Eyre The Artist The Artist Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy War Horse Transformers: Dark of the Moon The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Hugo Transformers: Dark of the Moon The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Colin’s pick

God is Bigger than Elvis Incident in New Baghdad Saving Face

Editing

Hugo Moneyball The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo

The Artist The Descendants

Visual Effects Hugo Real Steel Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom The Barber of Birnmingham

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Short Film (Live Action) Pentecost Raju The Shore

Time Freak Turn Atlantic

Short Film (Animated) Dimanche/Sunday La Luna A Morning Stroll

Aren’s pick

Wild Life The Fantastic Flying Books of mr. Morris Leftmore

Original Song “Man Or Muppet” The Muppets “Real In Rio” - Rio

•17

The Oscars are rapidly approaching! And this year’s ceremony will be one where surprises will happen at every turn. Why am I so confident, you ask, clearly humouring me? Because the awards season so far has been so ungodly boring, with The Artist winning everything under the sun (and probably the sun itself), I refuse to believe the universe will allow the one thing I get really excited about every year — the Oscars — to also make me weep with boredom over predictable victories.

Prepare for upsets, snubs and shockeroos at every turn. This year will keep us guessing right until the end and make us all feel better for the rather bland cinematic year of 2011.

The Artist has been sweeping everything so far: the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs and the industry guilds.

The odd thing is, The Artist has always been sort of a weak frontrunner. People have been voting for it, but not very enthusiastically. Last year The King’s Speech hit a note with viewers and was rewarded with a wide release and a haul of over $400 million at the international box office. The Artist by comparison has done OK. The opportunity is ripe for it to stumble at the finish line, but which movie will overtake it? After seeing Hugo I leaned over to my girlfriend and whispered, “This will win Best Picture and I shot JFK.” I know that I’m probably wrong but Hugo is well-loved by everyone who sees it, and has the most nominations with 11. And it is Scorcese, after all. So call me nuts, but I’m going with my gut.

Look for Martin Scorsese to take home Best Director for the second time. He faces stiff competition from Michel Hazanavicius, director of The Artist, but that despite Hazanavicius’s big win at the Directors Guild of America, he’ll likely stumble when faced with the snooty Academy. Yes, Tom Hooper won last year despite being new to film, but he was already well-known in television, and as mentioned before, The King’s Speech was huge!

Personally, I’d rather see Terrence Malick take it this year for The Tree of Life, but his chances of winning are very slim.

Best Actor is an interesting category. For a while it was a three-way battle between Brad Pitt, Jean Dujardin and George Clooney, and Clooney seemed to be way out in front. But a late surge by Dujardin at the Screen Actors Guild has put him slightly ahead of the superstars.

What caused this shift? Many figure the vote splitting between Pitt and Clooney led to Dujardin breaking through. I predict a similar shock for the Oscars, but with different results. The vote split between Clooney and Dujardin will cause a late Pitt surge! Besides, Pitt remains Oscar-less while Clooney already has one. It’s Pitt’s time.

For Best Actress, it’s a clash between Meryl Streep and Viola Davis. And really, it’s anyone’s guess who will triumph. Streep took the Globe while Davis took the SAG. It has been quite some time since 1982 when Meryl won her second Oscar, but Viola Davis is a fine actress who gave a marvelous performance in The Help and deserves her moment in the sun.

However, before I incur the wrath of Meryl Streep fans, let me say I’m predicting Streep to win, even if The Iron Lady will be forgotten seconds after she wins for it.

Jonah Hill will win for Best Supporting Actor for Moneyball. No, wait, that’s ridiculous. Christopher Plummer is guaranteed to win for Beginners.

This year, The Help’s Octavia Spencer seems to be racking up the wins big time for Best Supporting Actress — thus, the perfect opportunity for a dark horse to pull through. Melissa McCarthy was the best part of Bridesmaids, and practically already won an Emmy for the performance (in a roundabout way). I suspect the Oscars want to spread a little anarchy this year so I’m going with a way-out-there prediction and saying McCarthy will pull it off.

Colin Gibbings

Competition

In order to add some excitement to these Oscar predictions, Aren and Colin have formulated a contest in which the writer with the fewer correct picks come Oscar night has to write an embarrassing article in the Sheaf the following week. And not just mildly embarrassing, like Aren going to all the Twilight movies opening night, but full-on embarrassing. Think Aren or Colin writing a film log of watching a bunch of recent Adam Sandler movies like Jack and Jill and Grown Ups back-to-back. These ideas may not end up happening, but they give you an idea of just how embarrassing the article will be — practically the equivalent of walking around with a “Kick Me” sign pinned to one of their backs.

18• Comics

thesheaf.com• the Sheaf • February 16, 2012

Across

1- Barbershop request 5- Aromatic wood 10- Tooth 14- Hokkaido native 15- Small egg 16- Collar type 17- Temperance 19- Gaucho’s weapon 20- Standards of perfection 21- Regent 23- Rare-earth metallic element 25- Eagle’s home 26- Truman’s Missouri birthplace 28- Falls-jumping fish 31- Animate existence 34- Children’s author Blyton 36- Handle

37- “Much _ About Nothing”, play by Shakespeare 38- Building 40- _ de guerre 41- Intrinsically 43- Pond organism 44- Fit to _ 45- Spanish rice dish 47- Bird that gets you down 49- Oozes 51- Large New Zealand reptile 55- Wingless 58- Faultfinder 59- Pole, for one 60- Sedative 62- Trick 63- Farewell 64- “ _ sprach Zarathustra” 65- Electric fish 66- Makes a loan 67- Not e’en once

Down

1- Implied 2- _ Janeiro 3- Type of sanctum 4- Chameleonlike 5- Ate 6- Holiday start 7- Manure 8- Foil maker 9- “Speed” star 10- Feverish 11- Reconciliation 12- _ contendere 13- Growl 18- Bones found in the hip 22- Clear the board 24- Craze 27- Long arm 29- Plains native 30- Iditarod terminus 31- Scandinavian 32- Brain wave 33- Anticipate 35- Toe or finger 38- Conger catcher

39- Winged staff carried by Mercury 42- Arm coverings 44- Craftsperson 46- Having no distinct feet 48- “…countrymen, lend me your _ “ 50- Jacket material 52- Start of a Dickens title 53- Wash lightly 54- Bogie, e.g.

55- Even _ speak...

56- Ballet bend 57- Whirl 61- Roulette bet

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Misc

February 16, 2012 • the sheaf • thesheaf.com

CAMPUS CHAT

•19

What do you most look forward to doing in the spring?

“Is that when the birds come out and stuff ?”

“Work and get a constant flow of money.”

Leo Bear

Brandon Anderson

“Smelling dog shit.”

“Puddle Jumping.”

Sam Ferguson

Lindsay Gibbings

xkcd.org

whiteninjacomics.com

smbc-comics.net

20•

thesheaf.com/advertise • the Sheaf • February 16, 2012