The Silhouette- Jan. 28, 2016

S The Silhouette Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

INSIDE >> DIVERSITY WEEK pg. 3 Housing horror stories of Westdale-Ainsliewood pg. 21 Homegrown basketball talent staying in Hamilton pg. 25

POKEH FULL OF

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What does it take to open a restaurant in Hamilton? Behind the Scenes with Hamilton Farmers’ Market’s Pokeh and Barton Street’s Golden Brown // Page 18

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Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

EDITORIAL BOARD editor-in-chief | thesil@thesil.ca

Amanda Watkins @whatthekins managing editor | managing@thesil.ca

Ana Qarri @anaqarri production editor | production@thesil.ca Michael Gallagher @michaelradar online editor | online@thesil.ca Shane Madill @shanemadill

LOOKING FOR MORE PRESIDENTIALS COVERAGE? Visit us online at thesil.ca/category/msu2016 for regular blog posts, critiques, videos and more.

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Rachel Katz @RachAlbertaKatz news reporter Patrick Kim @patrickmkim news reporter Alex Florescu @alexxflorescu features reporter Daniel Arauz @DanielArauzz opinions editor Talia Kollek @TaliaKollek sports editor Sofia Mohamed @itssofiaAM sports reporter Jaycee Cruz @_jayceecruz lifestyle editor Jason Woo lifestyle reporter Michelle Yeung @yeung_m andy editor Tomi Milos @tomimilos andy reporter Vannessa Barnier @vjbarnier news editor

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Jonathan White @j_white.jpg (Instagram) photo reporter Yung Lee video editor Philip Kim social media coordinator Esther Adjekum @esturr

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Steven Chen, Sunanna Bhasin, Christine Chow, Trisha Gregorio, Charlie Coë sales ad manager | sgiordan@msu.mcmaster.ca

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The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at thesil@thesil.ca. Please include name, address and telephone number for verification only. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters and opinion articles. Opinions and editorials expressed in The Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, the McMaster Students Union or the University. The Silhouette is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union. The Silhouette Board of Publications acts as an intermediary between the editorial board, the McMaster community and the McMaster Students Union. Grievances regarding The Silhouette may be forwarded in writing to: McMaster Students Union, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn: The Silhouette Board of Publications. The Board will consider all submissions and make recommendations accordingly.

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NOV. 16, 1995

Sorting out the trash In the early to mid-1990’s, an OPIRG working group set out to complete a waste audit for McMaster. Around eight students got together and sorted through seven tonnes of garbage from buildings across campus to determine how effective McMaster’s students and staff had been at sorting their waste. Buildings and student residents were charged a waste fee at the start of the year, and if less waste was produced that year than in previous years, the fee would go down.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

New research provides insight on the Black Death Page 4

The Silhouette

News

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DeGroote Women’s Professional Network strives for equality in the corporate world Page 6

Telling our stories

This year’s MSU Diversity Week focused on sharing voices often left unheard within the university community

Canadian campus news Emma Mulholland Contributor

New Civilization and Culture Center The University of Toronto is building a new Center for Civilizations and Cultures in downtown Toronto. The center will be located where the university’s McLaughlin Planetarium currently resides. The project will be a collaboration between New York and Toronto based architectural firms, although plans and budgets have not been released yet.

Keynote speaker Kim Katrin Milan gave a workshop discussing the importance of intersectionality and taking ownership of one’s story.

C/O MIKE BEATTIE Crystal Lobo Contributor

Jan. 18 marked the start of MSU Diversity Services’ annual “Diversity Week.” This year, the theme of the week was “Constructing Our Stories,” a theme meant to emphasize the importance of sharing stories and narratives as a method of personal and societal growth.

The service collaborated with many organizations such as Perspectives on Peace, Soul Foods, and external speakers, to present workshops relating to Diversity Services’ four pillars of diversity: multiculturalism, interfaith, abilities, and Indigenous affairs.

“We tried our best to reflect our pillars … Each of the workshops were sort of reflective of one of those topics in a nuanced way,” said Ryan Deshpande, Assistant Director of MSU Diversity Services.

“One thing we really tried to get away from is the idea

of having a day for a pillar …

That's not how people work and that was something that was definitely one of our major objectives, because being truly intersectional isn't going ‘these two things exist,’ but going ‘oh these all exist and they're all part of the same narrative,’” said Sophie Geffros, Abilities Coordinator.

On Jan. 20, one of the week’s primary events took place at TwelvEighty when keynote speaker and notable activist Kim Katrin Milan hosted a workshop.

“She built her talk around the theme [of the week] but talked specifically about issues of marginalization, identity, intersectionality and how we can own our narrative,” said Deshpande.

“She really captivated the audience. We had a full house in TwelvEighty. I got multiple messages afterwards of people being like, ‘That was so amazing. I'm so happy I came to see

that.’”

Both Deshpande and Geffros stated that they viewed Diversity Week as a success. “I think everything went according to plan. The week was very successful and I don't think anything happened that I wasn't anticipating,” said Deshpande.

Geffros was enthusiastic as well, “Events like this week are a really great opportunity to recharge your batteries because you get people who are both educated and not educated in these issues but who want to learn and talk and genuinely believe in these things, and it’s amazing,” she said.

While the event was successful, Deshpande and Geffros both cited ways that Diversity Week could improve for next year. Deshpande cited promotional strategies as an area that could grow. He believes that promotions have improved from last year, but is hoping to continue to promote the event to a wider audience. Geffros

explained her hopes for a more ambitious Diversity Week in the future. “I think we should go bigger,” she said.

“Going forward I would like to have more complex conversations.”

Overall, MSU Diversity Week created multiple workshops and events for the McMaster community pertaining to its theme. “We want people to own their narratives and take charge of their identities in a way that empowers them,” said Deshpande.

“There is a great Junot Díaz quote, which is, ‘The only people who don't see reflections of themselves are monsters,’” Geffros said. “That is what taking diverse people out of the narrative does. It makes us monstrous because if you don't see yourself then you're almost dehumanized. So allowing us to come together and build those stories for ourselves I think is important.”

UNBC confirms new chancellor The University of Northern British Columbia has confirmed the election of James Moore, a former federal cabinet minister, as the university’s new chancellor. Moore’s election has been criticised by some members of the community, including the UNBC Faculty Association, due to his past roles within the former Conservative federal government.

York U mural under fire Paul Bronfman, a high-level donor at York University, has threatened to withdraw his support from the school unless they remove a new mural he finds offensive. The piece depicts a figure wearing an image of the Palestinian flag and a borderless map of Israel. Bronfman has condemned the poster for its anti-Semitic message.

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NEWS

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

A common pest(is) A group of researchers tracing DNA back in time found that the bacteria responsible for the Black Death in Fourteenth century Europe stuck around for longer than originally thought

Alexandra Florescu News Reporter

McMaster researcher Hendrick Poinar and an international team of researchers have uncovered telling secrets from the grave. The research focuses on the recovery of DNA from fossil remains such as teeth from individuals who died from the bubonic plague in Marseille, France. DNA sequences can be used to trace the past and answer questions about the evolution of infectious disease.

“We are very interested in how diseases emerge and then continually re-emerge. We want to know if reservoirs are local or more distant. Are these epidemics repeatedly stemming from trade routes like the Silk Road from China and the Golden Horn from Kazakhstan or are they a localized epidemic?”

Poinar explained.

This involves tracing back to Europe in 1346, during the time of the Black Death, when the bacteria Yersinia pestis

wiped out a third of the European population.

“That was an epidemic like we have never seen before and hopefully will never see again,” said Poinar.

After an initial flare, the plague seemed to disappear in Europe. What followed its supposed demise is a series of little outbreaks that Poinar labeled as the “shouldering effect.”

“If you look over the course of decades, you see relatively nasty outbreaks. You have basically 400 years of repeated epidemics in Europe, until it disappears. The question has been if these are repeated epidemics that occur every 30 to 100 years, is the source of these epidemics a migration of pathogen from the East to the West.”

By analyzing the global phylogeny, a method of relating disease sequences and strains to each other, researchers observed that rodents are at the start of many diseases that reach human populations. The aforementioned rodents seem to have these basal strains or

Poinar ‘s most recent evolutinary research tracks the history of the bubonic plague.

ancestral strains appear in the highlands of Mongolia and China and Kazakhstan. These sources are farther east from the European outbreaks, supporting research that the initial flare of Black Death was brought from the East along trade routes.

At least in the case of the plague that overtook Marseille, the pathogen was found to be a descendant of the Yersinia pestis strain. Contrary to the constant dribble of plague down trade routes, the pathogen must have remained in a reservoir closer to home. What these reservoirs are thought to be is the next big question. Rats could be to blame, or soil, however no answer is currently known.

“We have had major outbreaks in Eastern Europe up until the 1800s. In mainland Europe, it hasn’t [popped up] since 1720. We have about 400 years that were clear of outbreaks.” This could be as a result of attenuation in the variance of the bug, or a rise in resistance among humans. One of Poinar’s students is working on just that,

looking for signs of selection within the human genome. This involves searching for resistance to the epidemic in the genes of those of European descent whose ancestors survived to pass on their protective genes.

Interestingly, having resistance to the Black Death can also give someone resistance to various other pathogens. A genomic mutation known to give people resistance to the HIV virus by blocking the virus from entering the cell has been found in higher frequency in Europe, despite the virus’ origin in Africa. You would expect the exact opposite, where populations exposed to the virus in greater amounts would undergo greater selection and therefore greater resistance.

“When you try to date the [onset of resistance], most of those dates show up around the time of the Black Death. So there is the issue that those that underwent a selection against plague and survived because of this genomic deletion, they were protected from the

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“We are very interested in how diseases emerge and the continually re-emerge. We want to know if resevoirs are local or more distant.

Hendrick Poinar McMaster Anthropology bacteria of the plague and now protected from the virus of HIV,” explained Poinar.

Rising concerns about antibiotic resistance has shifted a focus towards what causes the reappearance of bacterial infections. By attempting to dig up the roots of infectious diseases, researchers like Poinar are looking to uncover more about pathogens and their fluctuating attacks. @alexxflorescu

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

NEWS

Presidential polling

We took to the halls of the student centre to ask who you think will and who you think should win the MSU presidential election

Rachel Katz News Editor

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Yung Lee Photo Reporter

@mcmasterthesil Can’t get enough presidential coverage? Add us on Snapchat! Follow our live updates today!

Who do you think will win the election?

Mohammad Jaffarian

Gabrielle U.

Matthew Mroz

Kelly Dong

Biomedical Engineering II

Kinesiology III

Political Science I

Health Sciences II

?

or

or

Mike Gill

ill

Mike G

Who do you think should win the election?

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e naco-Barn Justin Mo

Sarah Jama

Mike

Gill

Justin Monaco-

Barnes

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NEWS

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

The net effect

The DeGroote Women’s Professional Network was launched on Jan. 19 amid cheers of support.

On Jan 19, the DeGroote Women’s Professional Network brought people together in support of female advances in the workplace

C/O MIKE LALICH

Lauren Beals Contributor

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The newly formed DeGroote Women’s Professional Network wants to tap into the potential of bringing like-minded women together to work towards a common goal.

A collective of female leaders in the McMaster and DeGroote communities, the network is committed to bringing together passionate students, alumni, academics and local corporate partners to advance women in business and society.

Evolved from a breakfast series on women in business, the network was formally launched on Jan. 19 to a crowd of 200 attendees at the Burlington Ron Joyce Center.

Linda Morgan, President of the Clic Effect Inc., offered an exciting perspective on change management in a keynote address that included a four-step framework for change assessment and plenty of audience participation.

“It was a lot of fun,” said event coordinator and DeGroote School of Business Advancement Officer Kristine Leadbetter. “She looked at the different takes of people in the workplace and how they adapt to change. She also had the surprise element of dancing to demonstrate how when people are moving it is impossible to determine where they will go next and that unless you have a

On a larger scale, the network hopes to tackle broader issues faced by women in professional settings through education and mentorship. clear set of objectives you can lose focus from your ultimate goal.”

On a larger scale, the network hopes to tackle broader issues faced by women in professional settings through education and mentorship, laying to rest the storied “old boys’ club” of the corporate world. Encouraging woman to pursue leadership positions and nurturing ambition are also high priorities. “[The network] is opening up the doors to have those conversations without needing a meeting with someone per say, that will hopefully encourage all woman to go for whatever it is that they want to do,” said Leadbetter.

More often than men, women must juggle to prioritize education, work and family, a balance Leadbetter is confident mentorship will help create.

“Being a part of the network means finding like-minded women. Whether you are in the

time of your life when priorities are close to home or are solely focused on your career it is great to talk to women who are going through the same situation and see if they have solutions, tips or advice. Even just running ideas off of someone outside your core group of friends can be helpful.”

Leadbetter was also quick to specify that despite the network’s name, the events are not offered exclusively to women.

“We do have men that attend our events which is totally fine.

It is great to have men that support our initiative, it is a very important part of it actually.”

In addition to the launch event, a wide range of opportunities to become involved are currently available, including a “Knowledge@DeGroote” lecture series with industry leaders and cocktail networking evenings.

Students are offered free event registration and are encouraged to attend not only for employment connections but also for career advice and exposure to seasoned perspectives. They can also connect with the network through social media and professionally online through LinkedIn. However, for women in business the path to equality is still paved with many obstacles.

“We still have a way to go … a lot of initiatives right now are showing that there is change, but also that change is still needed,” said Leadbetter.

NEWS

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

Fire safety Rafik El Werfalli Contributor

Mostacci suggests that any general message for students is to, “Be responsible and never disable the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms.” According to new legislation that came into effect in 2013, Bill 77, the Hawkins-Gignac Act, it is mandatory that all homes with fuel burning appliances be equipped with carbon monoxide alarms.

Mostacci mentioned that some of the signs of carbon

monoxide poisoning are difficult to recognize. Some of these symptoms include feeling lethargic, confused and having flu like symptoms. “It is really important to recognize the symptoms of carbon monoxide” he said. If the carbon monoxide alarm is going off and you are experiencing these symptoms, Mostacci advised students to keep the windows shut, leave the house and to call 911.

Never go back into the house in search for items.

“Items can be replaced. Lives cannot,” Mostacci said.

Have a working smoke alarm, and carbon monoxide monitor in your home at all times.

After six fire-related deaths in Hamilton in 2015, Claudio Mostacci, Public Information Officer of Hamilton Fire Department, gives five tips to university students to help prevent fires

Keep a fire extinguisher in a convenient location in the house.

Never leave anything on the stove unattended. If a fire ignites in the pot use a lid to cover it and never carry it outside.

Develop a plan with housemates for an escape route if a fire breaks out.

Do not place extension cables near/under flammable material such as carpets.

McMASTER SEMINAR ON HIGHER EDUCATION:

THE ENGAGED UNIVERSITY

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate Thursday, February 4

Time: 6:30 to 7:30PM • Book Signing: 7:30 – 8:00PM Doors open at 6:00pm, seating is limited Location: CIBC Hall, McMaster University Student Centre

mcmaster.ca/presidentsoffice/lectures.html

| 7

Speaker: Naomi Klein

Free Admission all are welcome!

Free parking available – please email saulles@mcmaster.ca to make arrangements

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HUMANS

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

What defines you?

Doris Li Infection and Immunity Master’s Candidate I

Like, my CV? Just kidding. I’m generally a person who gets lost in my own thoughts too much.

I don’t even realize what I am thinking for like 30 minutes straight. Sometimes it’s reactionary for me to just go inside my head so much. So, I’d say I am a person who spends a lot of time in my own head. But, the problem is, I think so much about preparing for my future, and I often forget to be in the present and enjoy the moment.

YUNG LEE/ PHOTO REPORTER If you were to give one piece of advice to anyone, what would it be?

That’s tricky … I always feel like I will never qualify to give advice. But, one thing that does pop into my head, and know that would be helpful for people like me, is to just take it easy.

That’s the one theme that I’ve been hearing a lot. Like finding balance — I don’t think I will ever feel like I’ve found balance, but trying to get that in your life is important. Life is not just about work, but it’s also about leaving time to explore other

Yung Lee Photo Reporter

dd

Nikesh Pandey Health Sciences II

parts of your personality, your interests … Leave room for that.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your past self?

Once again, just take it easy … enjoy life outside of class a bit more. Don’t be fixated on grades. If anything, a bachelor’s is just an opportunity to just try a bunch of stuff. Everything is still very low risk, you know? If I could go back, I’d give myself the opportunity to find what interests me and suits me beAre you afraid of losing anything?

I remember once in middle school, a group of us were playing “would you rather” because that’s what we did in middle school. I thought I was so tough because I wasn’t afraid of any of the questions that came up, until someone asked, “Would you rather be blind or deaf?”

What most people may not know about me is my passion for music. If you were currently not talking to me, I probably would be listening to music.

And for those few hours when I’m talking to someone, I’ll still have a song playing at the back of my head. I kind of live my life through music. Music settles my emotions, it makes my brain function in such a special way and it simply makes me have fun. But, because of this, music kind of separates me from the

cause there’s a world of possibilities. During my undergrad, I prioritized class and grades way too much. My logic was, okay, if I was not doing as well as I liked on a certain course, then I should spend more time on it. But, the thing is, working all the time sucks out all the joy of your day. I think by taking it a little easier, you are doing yourself a favour by letting yourself explore your own interests and I think you just perform better as a person too.

external world. I live life so much in my mind that I am less focused on society than most people. But to be honest, I kind of prefer it that way. I live life for myself, not for others. I like having my thoughts wander.

That’s why I was terrified when I imagined what it would be like to be deaf. Losing my sense of hearing would be like losing what makes me, me. And that’s what everyone is afraid of.

You can view more photos online on the Humans of McMaster Facebook page: facebook.com/ HumansOfMcMaster

The McMaster Students Union

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

It’s spring, the birds are chirping, and the sun is out. You are in your final year here at Mac, and you just finished your last exam. As that pen leaves paper and you walk out of IWC, your heart flutters as one of your peers asks you what’s next. However, you quickly remember you know what you are doing next year: you have a Student Opportunity Position with the McMaster

of The Silhouette’s Students Union.

Manager are responsible for content, as well Student Opportunity Positions staffing, marketing, profitabilas for the paper’s (SOPs) are one-year contracts that the ity, inventory controls, and human and fiMSU offers to recent graduates. There accounting procedures at Unnancial resources. are seven SOPs, and each provides a derground Media + Design and These posiunique opportunity to develop skills in Union Market, respectively. The tions only have an exciting work environment. These Clubs Administrator provides one qualification: opportunities provide recent grads, general support for MSU clubs passion. No prejust like you, the opportunity to learn through event and activity vious MSU expeleadership and organization skills while planning, managing Clubspace, JOSH PATEL rience is required gaining important real-world manage- mediation, and managing the Clubs Administrator for a Student Opment experience. Whether you want to Clubs Department budget. flex your creative There are also roles This job has allowed me portunity Posimore focused on content to manage a substantial tion. The MSU is muscle or manage budget and support looking for dedia business with a creation, though still hundreds of student cated and enthusix-figure annual with a strong leadership leaders. siastic individuals budget, the MSU focus. The CFMU Comhas a spot for you. munity Outreach Coordinator with exciting new visions for their reOn the admindevelops stories for 93.3 CFMU spective departments, as well as for the istration and manFM on McMaster, the MSU, and entire MSU. With seven positions, spanning an agement side, the surrounding events. The ComCampus Events munications Officer facilitates array of interests and responsibilities, Office Manager INGIE METWALLY all marketing and communica- there is a Student Opportunity Position CFMU Community manages the detions for the MSU. The Com- for everyone. Applications for all sevOutreach Coordinator I munications Officer produces en roles close February 21 and can be partment office I couldn’t imagine a much of the MSU’s video and found at msumcmaster.ca/jobs. Make and resources, and better job right out of handles schedphotographic material, includ- sure you apply! Feel free to visit me in university. ing design and layout elements MUSC 201 or send me an email via vpuling for events and staff. The Underground Service for this very page. The Editor-in-Chief finance@msu.mcmaster.ca if you have Coordinator and the Union Market of The Silhouette is responsible for all any questions.

The President’s Page is a space sponsored and used by the McMaster Students Union (MSU) Board of Directors (BoD) to communicate with the student body. It functions to highlight the Board’s projects, goals, and agenda for the year, as well as the general happenings of the MSU.

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EDITORIAL

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Editorial On background checks McMaster’s recent Parking and Security hire is against what our student body is trying to stand for

@whatthekins

Send us a letter to the editor Email thesil@thesil.ca

905-522-9799 FINDLAYLAW.CA

Not too long ago, McMaster made a new hire.

The university was in need of a new director of Parking and Security Services and looked to the community for an option.

The person who was eventually hired was Glen De Caire, the former Chief of Police for the Hamilton Police Service.

Looking at title alone, De Caire sounds more than qualified to fill a security-related role at the university, but looking deeper into his background, one surprising detail sticks out.

Under De Caire’s leadership at the Hamilton Police Service, the organization began, and actively chose to continue, the controversial practice of carding. For those unfamiliar, carding is, in general, the checking of someone’s identity card to confirm an identity, age or address. But in the context of Hamilton Police, and many other police services alike, carding refers to the practice of arbitrarily checking the personal identification details of random citizens, often used as a tool of racial profiling, predominantly seen among black men. Carding is currently being challenged as a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and was declared to be “wrong and illegal” by the Ontario ombudsman in a 2015 report.

According to a CBC Hamilton article, De Caire pushed Hamilton Police to continue carding as he claimed Hamilton would be “less safe, and crimes [would] go unsolved” if carding were abolished as a practice. In other words, he felt that profiling black men would help stop crime, as he perceived them to be the primary culprits.

When someone with a

A hire like this runs contrary to the messages of inclusivity and diversity that McMaster pushes. How will racialized students who have been profiled be able to openly tell their story knowing that the security enforcement will not believe them?

20 HUGHSON ST. S. HAMILTON

Amanda Watkins Editor-in-Chief

background like this is hired at a university with a diverse student body, I can’t help but wonder, how?

De Caire’s hiring involved a board of current university staff from different departments. It even included a representative from the MSU, our current student body president, Ehima Osazuwa.

At what point did this detail about De Caire’s career come up? Did it ever come up?

How are the hiring practices at McMaster created without factoring in potential human rights violations at previous places of employment?

McMaster does a perfectly adequate job at hiring competent people. Our university runs smoothly for a reason, and that is in part due to the strong hires running across the faculty and staff. But a stain like this on an otherwise mostly clean record of hires makes it even more alarming.

This year’s Diversity Week emphasized the theme of “Constructing Our Stories.” Its goal was to help the McMaster community better understand the importance of being able to share your narrative and have people accept your story as an intersectional truth. A hire like this runs contrary to the messages of inclusivity and diversity that McMaster pushes.

How will racialized students who have been profiled be able to openly tell their story knowing that the security enforcement will not believe them?

During these last few weeks, students and staff have seen firsthand how critical it is to have a space where we all feel safe and can tell our stories without being silenced. A hire like this is a step backward on a campus that is trying to move forward.

to election results. to tiny food. to concrete sandwich definitions. to solid teeth to gum ratios. to alternate political dimensions. to senor Katz. to Square One. The mall of all malls.

to strange-looking love children. to timeline tricks. to sleep debt. to “what’s the point?” to reality hide and seek in MSUC B110. to forced campaign resignations. to office nihilism.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

Is Netflix’s Making a Murderer racist?

The Silhouette | 11

Opinion

When is yoga innapropriate?

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Page 13

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

Like, get over yourself Sunanna Bhasin Opinions Columnist

“Like” has become one of the most useful words in our vocabulary. So useful in fact that we only notice how ubiquitous it is in colloquial speech if we’re specifically listening for it or if it’s emphasized for comedic effect.

But what’s so funny about ‘like’?

Considering that people who use the word do so for a host of linguistically valid reasons — to approximate, exaggerate, and even quote someone — it’s a little strange that overuse of the word is still associated with less-than-intelligent immature women.

It is particularly associated with teenage girls portrayed as uninterested in any sort of

intellectual pursuit and are, like, always talking about their hair and make-up! Just listen to Frank Zappa’s “Valley Girl,” a hit from 1982. The first YouTube comment on the video was about how scary it is that some girls still talk like this.

Oops, I just used the L-word “correctly,” but why is it so much more acceptable there than in other contexts? New words fill our dictionaries every year, so why do we grapple with the fact that “like” now has multiple usages? Maybe it has nothing to do with the word itself and everything to do with the stereotypical image attached to its excessive use: the California-loving valley girl Zappa refers to, or maybe the giddy young woman talking to her friends about her crush. Notice anything in particular? For

some reason, “like” is often ignored for its merits and shoved aside as a word for the illiterate, and more often than not, the illiterate female.

Not surprisingly, language remains a great tool for misogynists, but here’s the thing: I’ll bet that the people who ridicule those who use “like” have their own crutch. One use of “like” is to fill the silence while one is thinking of how to complete a thought, but other filler words, such as “um”, “uh” and “er” don’t get nearly as much flack. One could argue that those aren’t actual words to begin with, so in defense of “like’” at least it is considered an actual word and not just a Neanderthal sound.

Of course, “like” can be used to express hesitation as well, but it wouldn’t be right to completely discount the thought that

Its time to embrace linguistic change, especially one so useful

follows just because the person was more comfortable using a filler word rather than a pause.

It can also be a way of expressing imprecision. Say you are recalling a conversation you had with a friend; rather than say “He said things were good,” you might prefer to approximate his exact words by using “like”: “He was like, things are good.”

In a way, you’re conveying to your listener that you are not quoting your subject directly, but are recalling to the best of your ability.

I think it’s time we acknowledge that using “like” in everyday conversation is useful, and at this point, ubiquitous.

It’s not limited to the negative stereotypes we associate it with.

Some people may choose to use different words for a similar effect, but we can’t deny that

Other filler words, such as “um,” “uh” and “er” don’t get nearly as much flack “like” is a convenient way of enhancing our speech in ways we may not even be aware. It’s time we stop attaching negative and sexist associations with the word and embrace its versatility.

For those who are worried that we use “like” way too much for our own good, at least these non-traditional uses are limited to conversation and don’t come up in our written work. Well, with the exception of, like, this article. @SunannaB

12 |

OPINION

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Black History Month is for White people Ismaël Traoré Contributor

As Black History Month approaches I am troubled at the lack of institutional reflexivity and the talk-and-shake-myhead event model that will mark this twenty-first year of commemorating bougie-Blackness. There will be a few panel discussions, public forums,

workshops and film viewings where audience members will show shock at the following cliché messages: a) racism exists b) White privilege is real and c) [insert wise comment about] ‘incremental steps’ towards progress. If lucky, we may also learn about the three holy grails of being a White ally: shut up, listen, and educate other White people.

This seasonal prepackaged mass production of BHM activities at McMaster is mainly for White people and the majority of the events are organized with the White gaze in mind.

Events tend to reflect respectability politics, an ethic of politeness that reinforces Whiteness by virtue of Whites defining the contours of a ‘polite’ racial discourse, and efforts

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Interested in challenging White privilege at our university? This list of ways to improve anti-racist activism on campus is a good place to start to prevent potential backlash or ‘White fragility’. We are afraid to disturb this White-dominated institution.

Even in groups and activities created to replace racism with racial equity, Whiteness remains intact.

Here is a cursory list of the workings of Whiteness I have observed at McMaster that limits the scope and breadth of its commitment to inclusivity and diversity. Students, staff, faculty, and the administration must be vigilant to not let Whiteness be the logic or reference-point guiding their racial equity work.

Such is the only way to pay homage to BHM. Here are six things to avoid when talking about racial equity during BHM: 1. Loving the word: Declarations of commitment to inclusion and diversity do not inclusion and diversity make.

Being against racism does not indicate transcendence of racism. Equity is love in action. We must love to act.

2. Lack of priority and urgency: Racial equity is a peripheral concern for the stakeholders-powerbrokers at the university. Can you believe that it is only last year that the Sociology department hired its first non-white faculty?

This explains the incremental, sluggish nature of racial equity.

Barely any resources go to racial equity. Racial equity should be one of our top priorities.

3. Outsourcing the work and taking credit: The administration of the university has a tendency to take credit for the often unpaid antiracist labour of individuals and groups in the university that often have no real power beyond advising and awareness-rising. Administration should do the work.

4. External and downwards orientation: Racial equity work in the university often focuses on the student body, faculty, and the general Hamilton community. This is “external and downwards” in that the powerbrokers and stakeholders of the university are often not the intended target of this work and rarely do they come even when invited. Plus, the university is infrequently the subject

Even in groups and activities created to replace racism with racial equity, Whiteness remains intact. of critique and change-making. We need an internal and upward orientation.

5. Event as opposed to project oriented: We need less emphasis on the event-based approach and more emphasis on long-term institutional change projects. Faculties should recognize social justice work in their curriculum and hiring criteria. Lakehead University and the University of Winnipeg students must now take a course in Indigenous Studies to graduate. Why not McMaster University?

6. Lack of transparency: Mainly for economic reasons, the university is invested in portraying itself as nonracist. It is hard to find documents and data about the university regarding racism, racial diversity, and racial equity. Hiding behind obscurity prevents genuine progress by creating institutional historical amnesia, fostering selective representation, and hindering grounded and levelheaded critique, assessment, and appraisal. Documents regarding these variables must be made public and user-friendly.

All in all, McMaster is at the “tolerant stage” of its development. It is “tolerant” of racial and cultural differences at the surface, such as the student body, but at the centre, the powerbrokers and stakeholders, it remains White.

Though the President’s Office makes public commitment to inclusion and diversity and generously sponsors events on racial equity there needs to be a systematic assessment of its organizational culture, policies, and decision-making processes.

There is an unintended paternalism in its tolerant approach that takes the form of “helping” the marginalized rather than turning the investigative gaze on McMaster’s Whiteness.

OPINION | 13

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

C/O NETFLIX

(White) crime and punishment What is Netflix’s Making a Murderer missing?

Talia Kollek Opinions Editor

If you have a Netflix account — or like myself, shamelessly log in to a friend’s — you have probably heard of the series Making a Murderer. I was told to watch it because, and I quote, “you will never be more likely to yell at your computer screen. As someone who frequently directs angry outbursts towards her laptop, I was intrigued.

For those who don’t know, the show is a documentary series about a man named Steven Avery and his dubious relationship with his local police department in Wisconsin. The series provides a pretty compelling case that law enforcement framed Avery for rape and murder. The show is gripping.

Kudos to Netflix for making what should be boring material fascinating; there are not many things that could convince me to voluntarily sit through hours of court proceedings. While watching I did indeed direct some choice words towards my computer.

I was not alone in my rage.

The hashtag #FreeSteveAvery exploded on Twitter, I’ve seen Tinder bios include people’s passionate feelings about the case, and an acquaintance posted a photo on Facebook of them holding a sign reading “Steve Avery is innocent!” at a hockey game. So if the Avery case has forced us to admit that maybe — just maybe — we have systematic failings in our criminal justice system, then why aren’t we able to admit that race may also play a part?

When talking about law enforcement we should be keeping the Black Lives Matter movement in mind, especially when discussing police misconduct. As of last month, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reported that Black inmates made up 37.8 percent of America’s prison population, but only 13.2 percent of the general population.

Don’t let yourself believe this is only an American problem.

According to Statistics Canada, Indigenous adults represented 26 percent of those taken into custody in 2013 and 2014 while making up only three percent of

the population. This is not due to a higher number of Black or Indigenous people committing crimes, but instead flaws in our social and judicial systems that perpetuate systemic racism.

Steve Avery is White, which is not to say that he did not have barriers between him and a just trial. Avery comes from an impoverished family and has an IQ of 70. Throughout the series he is acutely aware of the constraints he faces due to class.

The problem is that while his story is a compelling example of the miscarriage of justice, he is not unique. His case is not even the only preposterous high profile example of police and judicial misconduct in recent memory. In 2013, George Zimmerman was acquitted for shooting of the unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

In 2014 a grand jury decided not to indict the police officer that held Eric Garner in an illegal chokehold until he died.

In 2015, a grand jury elected not to issue an indictment in connection to the death of Sandra Bland, a woman who died in jail — allegedly a suicide

— after being pulled over for failing to signal when changing lanes. If there are countless examples of People of Colour being mistreated by the police and the courts, many of which are just as scandalous or more so than Avery’s case, then why is Making a Murderer about a white man, someone who is statistically underrepresented in American jails?

The answer is that we are much more comfortable relating to, pardoning, and fighting for White criminals, fictional or not. We love our Walter Whites, our Peaky Blinders, our Sopranos, our Boardwalk Empires, our Deadpools, and so on. We aren’t even that concerned if our dubious heroes are less savoury characters. Making a Murderer shows Steven Avery’s disturbing letters to his ex-wife, threatening her with violence, but we forgive him because we are invested in a very specific narrative: a White man being the victim of a miscarriage of justice who deserved better.

Next month is Black History Month, and it would be foolish of us to assume that our

if the Avery case has forced us to admit that maybe — just maybe — we have systematic failings in our criminal justice system, then why aren’t we able to admit that race may also play a part? work regarding racism is done.

It is uncomfortable to think that the people we have been told will protect us — officers, lawyers and judges — may not be as unbiased as we would like to believe. However, if we are willing to defend Steven Avery then we should without hesitation stand up for the Trayvon Martins, the Eric Garners, and the Sandra Blands in our midst.

@TaliaKollek

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OPINION

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

C/O PENINSULAPILATES.COM

Decolonizing yoga Annie Mills Contributor

Yoga instructor Jennifer Scharf had been offering free weekly yoga instruction at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Students with Disabilities for the past seven years. 60 students were enrolled, with and without disabilities, to take part in this year’s class. That is, until Scharf received notice in September that the class had been suspended. The rationale from the centre was that yoga had become too controversial due to “how it is being practiced” in regards to cultural appropriation. In response, Scharf offered to change the name of her class to “mindful stretching,” but in the end, the class was cancelled regardless.

There is no doubt in my mind that the practice of yoga has been culturally appropriated. Cultural appropriation is when a dominant culture, often historically the oppressor, borrows elements of a marginalized, historically oppressed culture without considering its cultural significance. Yoga is a practice that millions of

Yoga has transformed from an upand-coming “exotic” practice to a mainstream fitness regime.

Westerners now turn to as a means of improving their health, wellness, and fitness.

It is a trendy, commercialized practice, and is now a multi-billion dollar (Westernized) industry. Between out-of-myprice-range elitist yoga studios and stylish Lululemon yoga apparel, it appears that yoga has transformed from an up-andcoming “exotic” practice to a mainstream fitness regime.

This has completely erased the cultural significance of yoga and its history.

It is part of a disturbing trend of the significant practices and symbols of marginalized cultures being tweaked into something considered trendy and fashionable. Examples include the prevalence of First Nations headdresses in the

Is there a way to make the benefits of yoga accessible while respecting its cultural roots?

fashion industry, celebrity Selena Gomez donning a bindi in concert, and Kendall Jenner putting her hair in cornrows.

Yoga is a prime example. It has been misrepresented and altered in Western society, illustrating the power imbalance that exists between those who have wealth and privilege, and those who have been marginalized. The cultural rights of those who practice yoga are not being respected, and this cannot be ignored.

Yes, yoga has been culturally appropriated; however, here comes the infamous “but.”

Defending yoga against desecration is one thing, but halting the benefits it incurs is another thing entirely.

Suspending a free yoga class provided to students with disabilities is not an effective means of addressing the cultural appropriation of the practice of yoga as a whole. While it is crucial that the commercialization and misrepresentation of yoga be addressed, stopping its practice by westerners altogether only serves to further misconstrue its true purpose.

Yoga was globalized before the

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practice became a multi-billion-dollar industry. In its fundamental form, yoga was originally intended to prepare one’s mind and body for unity with the spirit, and to liberate a person from every worldly attachment, and ultimately attain enlightenment. While significant to religious worship such as Hinduism, yoga was not necessarily meant to be an exclusive practice. While some are thrilled at yoga’s newfound popularity, not all Hindus are as content with the practice of yoga in the West. The Take Back Yoga movement is speaking out against the commercialization of yoga. It aims to bring to light yoga’s Hindu roots, and convey the underlying meaning and philosophy of yoga that they feel are being lost.

Clearly this appropriation needs to be addressed. However, this cannot be accomplished through generalizations that treat all Western practices of yoga as identical. Instances of cultural appropriation are varied in nature and thus need to be evaluated on a case-bycase basis.

In some instances, the

appropriated practice may need to be stopped altogether; other cases need only be practiced in a more respectful, and educated manner. What is important is that we take into consideration the voice of those who feel something from their culture is being appropriated, and make changes accordingly. It is possible to do this by incorporating an educational aspect into non-religious yoga, where teachers explain the historical and religious roots of the practice.

Incorporating religious symbols and meditation is not necessarily positive, and in fact if practiced incorrectly, could lead to further cultural appropriation. Rather, mutual understanding and respect for the complex historical practice, and considering its lack of accessibility due to commercialization are positive steps towards allowing people to respectfully enjoy the practice.

The practice of yoga by Westerners does not need to be eradicated; it needs to be decolonized.

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The Silhouette | 17

Lifestyle MEET YOUR SIXTH

PRESIDENTIAL

JASON WOO/ LIFESTYLE EDITOR

CATDIDATE Esther Chatul

Honours Animal Behaviour Level IV

Jason Woo Lifestyle Editor

Esther Adjekum Social Media Coordinator

Esther Chatul is not your typical MSU Presidential candidate.

Despite having more likes on Facebook than two of the candidates in the running this year, she is not on your presidential ballot. This is not because she doesn’t have a platform, but because of blatant speciesism.

Esther Chatul, to put it simply, is a cat.

In The Silhouette’s one-onone interview with Esther, we learned a lot about the feline behind the non-human equity movement sweeping the campus. For an animal so vocal on social media, Esther is incredibly quiet and shy in person, burying herself in the lap of her human assistant. Perhaps this is because the five-year-old domestic long hair has had a rough upbringing. She has half a tail after an accident early in her life, and has been through three foster homes before finally being adopted from Pride Rescue by her current owner.

Her owner, Sophie Geffros, helps run Esther’s social media accounts, and translated Esther’s meows into English

during the interview. Esther’s human assistants are very committed to the cause, helping her with day-to-day life, and doing everything from taking Esther on the bus to scooping litter boxes. After all, not having opposable thumbs in a world for people with opposable thumbs is very difficult. “We raise her voice, because there’s nothing wrong with being a cat. It’s not that she is any less of a qualified candidate than any of the human candidates.

It’s that the world is simply not built to accommodate cats,” said Esther’s human assistants.

Esther’s troubled past, however, has not deterred her from pursuing the presidency. Her ambitious platform includes leveling the entire campus to make it accessible.

On this controversial platform point, Esther purrs, “The one thing we don’t know is just where the [expletive] we’ll have classes. It’ll be very difficult to accomplish, but definitely worth it once it happens. It’s sort of like building another student centre that you swear is totally going to get done.”

While her opponents have pigeonholed Esther as solely fighting for non-humans, this is not true. Another pillar of Esther’s campaign is to close the demon portal in the basement of KTH to protect humans who have classes there. Cats can see the demons, but cannot be

affected by them. “It’s a bit of a tricky situation where the only animals who can blow the whistle are not in fact the victims of the situation. So it’s really important for me to speak up in these situations. I believe very strongly in responsible whistle blowing. [Upon learning about the demons], students became very distressed so I decided to include providing services for survivors of the demon portal in my platform. I believe in demon portal survivors.”

Esther’s critics have also drawn attention to the fact that the feline inclines to use profane language on Twitter.

In response to these criticisms, Esther pawed angrily, “It is inappropriate for people in positions of privilege to tone police me. When you are not in a position of privilege it is your right to make your voice heard in whatever way you can. Before I started using more profane language, I simply wasn’t being heard. It’s unfortunate that it took that much for people to recognize my concerns as legitimate.”

Esther struts with the compassion of an animal who has experienced injustice borne from being a cat in a world made for people. She also has the strength and aggression borne from being a cat. Esther Chatul may not have claws, but her “claws” are out in the fight against injustice.

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18 |

FEATURE

NEW ON THE MENU Pokeh and Golden Brown showcase the potential for more diverse culinary and cultural experiences in #HamOnt

Daniel Arauz Features Reporter

POKEH Hamilton Farmers’ Market

To call it an addiction may be a bit much, but week after week my regular visits to a little stand in the Farmers’ Market “Real Food Court” suggests a certain level of infatuation with chef Salar Madadi’s bowls of hot rice.

Salar’s 20 different toppings ranging from purple kale, green mango and raw fish have got locals hooked since their early November open.

Pokeh is one of the first dedicated poké bars in Canada, serving the staple Hawaiian appetizer best described as “sushi in a bowl.” Salar, who also runs the Meatwagon food truck along with his wife Jeannie Crawford, brought one of their favourite culinary discoveries from their honeymoon in Venice Beach. The Pokeh team is extremely excited to bring to Hamilton a dish that Salar believes to be one of the next big food trends.

The appetizer gives customers the freedom to play with a variety of proteins and flavors ranging from the classic bowl of base ingredients, to complex and layered notes of spice, citrus, or a variety of Eastern culinary staples. Ordering the

chef ’s choice is not only an excellent introduction to this array of options, it also lets Salar and brother Shayne’s culinary proficiency shine.

Salar’s love for cooking is synonymous with his own love for building, learning and creativity. Prior to starting with Meatwagon, Salar worked in IT full-time for 13 years. “With IT and coding I never really felt like I got the same satisfaction of creating something or really building something. I build programs but there’s something about physically working with my hands that I like.”

Salar learned about Poke during his travels, but in true foodie form, he studied, selftaught, and was able to bring to the Hamilton Farmers’ Market what has now become a staple for many regulars.

“There’s so much to learn about food and so many different cultures, ingredients, it’s really like endless,” explains Salar.

“No one will ever know everything about food. I love learning, I love to read a lot of what I know is self-taught, like I read all the time: random cook books, stuff on the internet, and I always watch random YouTube videos.”

Salar’s culinary journey started with a gifted slow cooker purchased at a garage sale, and eventually transitioned to national level barbeque competitions, where he and his team was crowned the 2014 National Bacon Champions and competed in an international competition in Las Vegas.

Barbequing and meat carts may

Pokeh is the first dedicated poké bar in Canada, serving the staple Hawaiian appetizer best described as “sushi in a bowl.” be in separate culinary worlds from the Eastern inspired raw food dishes, but Pokeh’s excellence exemplifies the skill and flexibility that Salar and his team possess.

Pokeh is open in the lower west side of the Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. For more information visit their website at pokeh.ca and follow their Instagram and Twitter @pokehbar.

From top: Pokeh employee Shayne putting together a bowl; meat and topping preparations; Pokeh’s storefront. JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

FEATURE | 19

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

GOLDEN BROWN 28 Barton Street East

With our faces buried in our scarves, a close friend and I trekked towards what most people think of as the end of the James Street foodie strip. A colourful rustic sign invited us to walk further down James to reach our destination.

Walking past a few beaten storefronts and an old Pizza Select sign, we found ourselves in a small restaurant whose interior design could be described as a meeting of painted wooden interior and crochet.

Hand painted plates and mugs lined refurbished wood shelves, alongside jars of pickled veggies and Korean cookbooks. A painted board reading “Home-Made with Love” and “Golden Brown” looks over the space.

Golden Brown is a Korean take-out restaurant that serves a variety of classic Korean dishes and contemporary favourites.

Julia and Jake Park, the restaurant’s owners and mother and son duo, are the visionaries behind the latest addition to the James Street food scene, offering homemade kimchi, bulgogi, jeyuk, namul rice balls, gimbob and their signature Korean fried chicken. Despite the novelty of these dishes in Canada’s food culture, there is something

distinctly cozy and comforting about each and every one of Julia’s dishes, which was no accident on her part.

“Just like how our catchphrase is ‘Home-Made with Love,’ I want to provide or make an area that can feel like home and try to make food that feels like moms made it, mom’s food.

I wanted to have this area to be comfortable for everyone to share the home cooked food,” explained Julia, as translated by her son.

Julia is passionate about her Korean heritage and culture, and has consistently tried to preserve that culture through her career as an interior designer. During her undergraduate studies in Korea, she worked with a group of artists to restore old pieces of art for various exhibitions.

Since she moved to Canada, she has had the opportunity to hold educational sessions and exhibitions across the country.

For this family, Golden Brown is as much a restaurant as it as an opportunity to showcase Korean food culture in a welcoming environment. The James St. area was a perfect fit for Julia who loves to explore local art culture. In the near future, Jake and Julia hope to host open educational sessions during art crawls highlighting different aspects of Korean food culture.

The maternal and nostalgic atmosphere of Golden Brown is one of the central parts of its spirit and charm. Julia and Jake have received a warm reception from the local community and fellow restaurateurs, and the de-

For this family, Golden Brown is as much a restaurant as it as an opportunity to showcase Korean food culture in a welcoming environment. sign and art-oriented community has also taken notice of their unique presentation. Its truly rare to find a new restaurant that can appeal to a younger, trendier audience by bringing tried and true dishes that creates a longing for home-cooked meals.

“Everyone, when they grow up they go out exploring for their dreams, but when they’re alone, they will always miss mom’s food,” reminisced Julia.

“I’m trying to provide that here.

Even though I’m old, I still miss my mom’s food. All the foods we have here are like what my mom’s been making for a long time, what my grandmas have made for a long time.”

Golden Brown is located on 28 Barton Street East. For menu offerings and more information about take-out and delivery, follow their Instagram at @untilgoldenbrown .

@DanielArauzz

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Golden Brown’s fried chicken dish; Golden Brown’s unique and homemade decor JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR; Pear kimchi C/O GOLDEN BROWN

20 |

LIFESTYLE

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Losing hair, losing confidence Christine Chow Lifestyle Writer

Stress manifests itself in many ways. During my transition to first year, I worried so much about my grades that my acne breakouts became worse than ever before. I lost ten pounds from eating irregularly and never had a proper sleep schedule. But none of these things particularly worried me: I had concealer for my pimples, breaks in between classes for naps, and losing weight, despite the probable long-term health consequences, was more preferable than the dreaded “freshman fifteen.” What plagued me the most was that I seemed to be losing a great deal of hair.

My hair would come out in clumps in the shower, to the point where I’d be glad for my near-sightedness. It littered the sink whenever I used my blow dryer. It created massive hairballs that collected on my carpet, and every time I cleaned out my comb. I began dreading visits to my hairdresser, mainly because he would always comment on how much less hair I had in comparison to the last

time I had gone to see him.

I consulted my doctor, only to find she was equally baffled; my blood tests suggested everything was perfectly ordinary.

She initially suggested iron supplements, but told me to stop after my iron levels became adequate despite no visible effects on my hair. I spent two and a half hours waiting in a walk-in clinic to get a different opinion, only to have my concerns dismissed. I switched shampoos, included more protein in my diet, and even stopped using straighteners and hair curlers altogether. But no matter how hard I tried, losing hair was the one thing I just couldn’t compensate for. I became acutely afraid of the inevitability of premature balding, for which there appeared to be no cure.

Most websites suggest hereditary reasons as the main cause of baldness. In addition to inheritance, they mention illness and of course, stress, which also tends to be the main explanation I get from friends after haranguing them with my com-

plaints. But then I stumbled across a Marie Claire article on dealing with female hair loss, which mentioned roughly 24 percent of women equate losing hair to losing a limb. I began to wonder: what exactly constituted the exaggerated fear of losing all my hair? It wasn’t so much vanity as the abnormality

with which we viewed female baldness.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I told myself how much easier it would be to deal with hair loss if I were a man.

This is not to say that it isn’t also a concern for men, but to point out that male-patterned baldness is generally more accepted, particularly as we age. Dwayne Johnson is bald.

Patrick Stewart is bald. Homer Simpson is bald. Even Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender is willingly bald. The problem is that my mind stalls when I try to think of female icons without ample amounts of hair as a part of their regular appearance. If 40 percent of people who deal with hair loss are women, then why do we have this perception that women losing hair is both uncommon and unseemly?

Yes, losing hair is an issue.

It may even be an important indicator in terms of signalling that something is wrong with our physical health, or that something is wrong with our lifestyle, and it should definitely be addressed to the best of our

I’ve lost count of the number of times I told myself how much easier it would be to deal with hair loss if I were a man. This is not to say that it isn’t also a concern for men, but to point out that male-patterned baldness is generally more accepted, particularly as we age. abilities. What needs to change, however, is the level of apprehension with which we view it.

In the words of Cersei Lannister as she commences her walk of shame; hair grows back. And if it doesn’t?

I will not cringe for them.

LIFESTYLE

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

| 21

Your horror stories

(As gathered from a public Silhouette poll) “My friends and I were house hunting last January...

One of the houses we looked at literally looked like a murder could have taken place there. The house was pretty dark and the landlord seemed persistent about so many things. At the end of the tour, we told him we would get back to him about the house since we were looking for an eight month lease rather than 12 months like he was asking for. It was actually scary how demanding and annoying he was being about how he didn’t want to wait and how quickly he would be able to get documents ready.”

“Landlord finished the tour of the house with “and here’s where my mother died,” then proceeded to stare into my very soul for a good minute and a half.

I excused myself and said I needed to look at a few more places that day; she replied with a frown and said that she wished that young adults were more respectful these days while slamming the door in my face.”

“Pretty sure we saw a crack pipe casually lying on the kitchen counter at a six-bedroom house on Stroud.”

C/O KEVIN BAUMAN Jennifer La Grassa Contributor

Searching for a decent student house to live in within the McMaster area is like searching for a needle in a haystack — you’ll simply never find it, or by the time you do it turns out that the needle belongs to someone else. Most of the student-rented houses in Hamilton have unmaintained, cookie cutter interiors that attempt to cram eight to ten students in what should comfortably fit four people at most. A prominent issue among most of the student-rented houses is that they’re old and poorly maintained. Most of them seem just about ready to collapse in on themselves and appear more run-down than they should. As a landlord, if you don’t have the money or the time to upkeep the houses that you rent, then you shouldn’t be in the business. Being a post-secondary student that lives away from home is stressful enough, let alone having to live in a house that feels like the farthest thing from a “home.”

If health and safety officials

were to actually take the time to inspect all the houses that students are presented to live in, the majority of them would have to undergo serious renovations. Safety features such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, a ventilation fan above the stove, and proper locks on the front door are rare to come across. Another alarming commonality among houses are those whose front and back doors open up into a bedroom.

Tenants shouldn’t fall asleep at night fearing that someone will knock on their front door or break into their bedroom. As for basement rooms, if there isn’t a standardized window and properly insulated walls, no human being should be expected to actually rent it. I realize the goal of a landlord may simply be to maximize their profit, but they need to stop building bedrooms out of living spaces.

During my house-hunting adventures at the beginning of this year, landlords kept insisting that their house would “go fast” and attempted to rush my housemates and me into a decision. If it’s three weeks into

the New Year and your house is still on the market, then it clearly hasn’t gone fast and in that case others might be seeing an issue that we have overlooked.

Another landlord requested that we make her “an offer” on the rent of the house. Remarks such as these that make me feel like landlords believe they can take advantage of students by making them bargain for the rental of a subpar house.

Just because we’re students doesn’t mean that we don’t deserve a decent place to live in. I strongly feel that if funds were available, the McMaster Off-Campus Resource Centre should expand and work with city officials and the university to better the housing options presented to students. Having more apartment buildings near campus that could house students or even just enhancing the ways in which student houses are managed would both be ideal solutions. These could encourage more students to live away from home and help those that have to live away feel more comfortable with their new surroundings.

“One of the first houses I ever saw during my house hunting experience is one that [still] scars me...In order to enter the hobbit hole bedroom you had to crouch through a narrow hallway until you made your way into a tiny room that barely held a bed and a desk. I think Harry Potter had a better crib than that!” “ When we toured [the apartment], everything seemed fine -- it was clean, well-lit, no visible signs of infestation. When we moved our things in in August, the super told us that the previous tenants had ripped the baseboards out, then gave me a roach motel and left. That night, it became apparent that they’d ripped up the baseboards to try and get at the roach nests – the apartment was infested, and they were crawling behind and beneath every surface. There was a hole in the bathroom tile that went to the outside, taped over with a tarp-- we were on the 11th floor! We ended up breaking our lease and moving to another apartment, but six months on I still break into a cold sweat when I see a shadow or a bit of fluff from the corner of my eye and mistake it for a roach. 0/10 do not recommend.”

“ HOUSE WAS SH!T.”

Canada In Africa: 300 Years Of Aid And Exploitation

MSU Charity Ball 2016 “A Masked Affair”

When: January 28, 2016 from 05:00PM

until 02:00AM

until 07:00PM Where: McMaster University Medical Centre Room 1A3

When: January 29, 2016 from 08:30PM

Where: Hamilton Convention Center Each year the McMaster Students Union (MSU) hosts a gala event known as the

strength and dedication in the fight against this devastating disease. There is no registration fee, but participants are encouraged to fundraise in order to contribute to the cause and raise awareness. Together, our fundraising will help bring support and care to those with Alzheimer’s as well as support research initiatives.

Book launch and discussion by Yves

McMaster Charity Ball. In the last 17 years,

Engler. Presented by OPIRG McMaster

the event has raised over $240,000 for

with the generous support of McMas-

local Hamilton and area charities. This

ter’s School of Graduate Studies and the

year marks the 18th anniversary of the

Institute on Globalization and the Human

event, and an estimated 2000 students

Condition.

will be in attendance at the Hamilton

When: February 01, 2016 from 01:00PM

Convention Centre to dance the night

until 05:00PM

“A haunting chronicle of the bloodletting,

away on Jan. 29, 2016 and an anticipated

Where: CIBC Hall

destabilization and pillaging of Africa

$15,000 plus will be raised.

by agents and governments of Canada.”

Nnimmo Bassey - Winner of the Right Livelihood Award For more info: opirg@mcmaster.ca.

The event features three themed rooms, live entertainment starting at 9pm, late night hors d’oeuvres, a virtual gaming centre, a silent auction and more!

First Year Feedback Forum

Transitioning in to university isn’t easy; we want you to help make it easier.

Feel free to just drop in for 30 minutes or so. Food and beverages will be provided.

Anyone is welcomed to join Charity Ball!

Howeber, McMaster students can be all

Bridges - MacBEAT Jam When: January 28, 2016 from 08:00PM until 11:00PM Where: Bridges Cafe MacBEAT invites you to a musical get-to-

ages with a valid Mac ID, but guests or students who are not from McMaster have to be 19+ with a valid government ID.

Walk for Alzheimer’s

gether wherein students collaboratively

When: January 30, 2016 from 12:30PM

create music! All music lovers, players,

until 02:30PM

and singers are welcome! For more infor-

Where David Braley Athletic Centre,

mation, contact macmusicnet@gmail.com

Upper Trackl

and check out our Facebook group here for more information on the event!

The Walk for Alzheimer’s unites the entire community — family, friends, co-workers, and more — in a display of combined

VISIT: msumcmaster.ca/calendar to view the full calendar of events!

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

The Silhouette | 23

Sports Young guns get Gryphons For the second time in two weeks, McMaster Men’s Volleyball beats Guelph in straight sets

LEAGUE AT LARGE Men’s Basketball CIS Top Ten 6. CALGARY 7. MCGILL 8. THOMPSON RIVERS 9. UBC 10. DALHOUSIE

1. RYERSON 2. OTTAWA 3. CARLETON 4. McMASTER 5. BROCK

Women’s Basketball CIS Top Ten 1. SASKATCHEWAN 2. McGILL 3. REGINA 4. SAINT MARY’S 5. RYERSON

6. ALBERTA 7. LAVAL 8. McMASTER 9. OTTAWA 10. QUEEN’S

Men’s Volleyball CIS Top Ten T6. UBC T6. LAVAL 8. QUEEN’S 9. TRINITY WESTERN 10. SASKATCHEWAN

1. McMASTER 2. ALBERTA 3. CALGARY 4. MANITOBA 5. WINNIPEG

Women’s Volleyball CIS Top Ten T1. UBC-OKANAGAN T1. TRINITY WESTERN 3. TORONTO 4. ALBERTA 5. MONTREAL

C/O ALISTAIR BOULBY

Jaycee Cruz Sports Reporter

The volleyball team’s first- and second-year players are now jokingly calling themselves the “all-blacks.” This joke started on their trip to Poland when Nike sent McMaster Volleyball three sets of uniforms this season and one of those kits is all blackblack jerseys and black shorts.

The nickname sounds familiar, but Head Coach Dave Preston wants to clear something up.

“We didn’t steal it from the New Zealand rugby team.

We needed the black jerseys in Poland because we had three matches in three days.

That’s when those younger guys termed themselves the all-blacks,” said Preston. “That’s where it came from.”

Some of those “all-blacks” played most of the Guelph match and handled Guelph’s starters handily. Stephen Maar even thought the young guns played Guelph better than the upperclassmen did a week ago.

They ran the Marauders offense and there was no disparity

between them and the usual starters. McMaster matched Guelph’s starters with first-years Matt Passalent, Craig Ireland along with second-years Jeff Driediger, Peter Khodkevych, Connor Santoni, and Calvin Lee. The only upperclassman that played the entire match was third-year libero Pawel Jedrzejewski.

“We didn’t have to modify our system. We didn’t have to do anything different because we had different people out there. Our rhythm was pretty good,” said Preston. “We played with character. I thought we played gritty and disciplined.

It just goes to show that those kids are paying attention all week. They ran the systems that we wanted to run. It was good.

I was pleased. I’m happy for them.”

I don’t think this should come as a surprise. The wider McMaster community is just seeing more of how good this team really is and how much depth it possesses.

Driediger and Khodkevych held the fort for Mac in the middle. One of Guelph’s strengths is to play through the

middle of the court, but both Marauder middles neutralized one of Guelph’s strengths to keep them at bay. Outside hitters Craig Ireland and Connor Santoni led the Marauders in scoring with 12.5 and 10.5 points respectively. Matt Passalent and middle Peter Khodkevych added nine apiece.

Ireland stood out. If you’ve ever seen Ireland play, his attacks are vicious and his vertical is bouncy.

“Craig Ireland has really stepped up. His ball control is phenomenal. There’s a reason why he’s one of the best beach players in the country and it shows. He’s developing himself into a really solid indoor passing/power-hitting player,” Preston said. “I really like what he has done especially since he broke his wrist earlier this season. He didn’t play the first half at all. He has kind of been thrown into the fire since December. I think he has responded quite well.”

Another player that stood out for Mac was setter Calvin Lee. Lee passed well and even kept Josh Green in check — one of Guelph’s best offensive

threats.

Coach Preston described Lee as an extremely creative and deceptive setter.

“He also changed Green’s shots and made him uncomfortable that way. It kind of set the tone for our defense a bit. I thought Calvin was outstanding especially when he needed to be early. He served extremely well too,” said Preston.

McMaster travels to Windsor and Western this weekend.

This week will be about getting healthier and polishing up some details in their execution. First serve at Windsor is on Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. First serve at Western is on Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. In their previous meetings with both of these teams in November, McMaster won in straight sets.

“We’ve got to get some guys reintegrated into our lineup that we’ve been resting for a bit.

We’ll do it slowly but our return-to-play process is coming around. We have to work on our transition game. We’re going to make it a lot smoother,” said Preston.

McMaster enters this week with a perfect record of 14-0. @_jayceecruz

6. McMASTER 7. UBC 8. DALHOUSIE 9. SHERBROOKE 10. McGILL

Men’s Wrestling CIS Top Ten 1. BROCK 2. McMASTER 3. ALBERTA 4. CALGARY 5. SASKATCHEWAN

6. WINNIPEG 7. GUELPH 8. REGINA 9. CONCORDIA 10. WESTERN

Athletes of the Week Ahmed Shamiya, McMaster Men’s Wrestling > The fourth-year won gold at the Western Open last weekend in the 76kg division defeating Montreal’s Sam Barmish. Shamiya was the CIS gold medalist in the 72kg division last March.

Taylor Brisebois, McMaster Women’s Volleyball > The fifth-year Marauders middle was a stud against Ottawa and Guelph this weekend. Brisebois scored double-digits in both matches and accounted for 40 percent of the team’s block totals.

Wrestling brings home medals The Wrestling team took part in tournament at Western University. Ahmed Shamiya led his team with a gold medal. There were three other Marauders that landed on the podium for McMaster. Second-year Robbie Smith was awarded the bronze in the 54kg division, while Kevin Barret took home bronze in the 48kg division. Fourth-year veteran Monica Wood was the only medalist on the women’s team, winning silver in the 48kg division.

24 |

SPORTS

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Big wins at home

McMaster Men’s Basketball are on an 8 game winning streak as they take two big wins in front of Marauder faithfuls

McMaster Marauders vs. Western Mustangs January 23, 2016 - Burridge Gym

77 - 61

JON WHITE / PHOTO EDITOR McMaster Marauders vs. Windsor Lancers January 20, 2016 - Burridge Gym

106 - 74 Facing the team that eliminated McMaster from the playoffs last season, the Marauders handled business at home. Fifth-year guard Aaron Redpath set a career high of 27 points. Troy Joseph also had a solid performance, adding 23 of his own for the night.

Marauder Weekend took place last weekend and the McMaster Men’s Basketball team gave fans something to cheer about. It was a physical game right from the beginning, but the Marauders were able to close it out with a win. Leon Alexander led the squad with 21 points. The second leading scorer was Trevon McNeil who scored 16 points.

THIS WEEKEND Currently ranked fourth in the country and holding a record of nine wins and two losses for the season, the Marauders travel to Thunder Bay to continue their winning streak.

Marauders play at Lakehead University on Jan. 29 and 30. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. for both nights. Marauder fans can watch from home as streaming for the game is available on OUA.tv.

C/O ALISTAIR BOULBY

PHYSIOTHERAPY MASSAGE THERAPY CHIROPRACTIC Offered at the David Braley Sport Medicine & Rehabilitation Centre located in the Athletic Centre.

Open to ALL staff and students.

SPORTS | 25

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

Homegrown talent

Hamilton holds basketball talent and it shows with the McMaster Women’s Basketball team

C/O ALISTAIR BOULBY Lauren Beals Contributor

In Hamilton, basketball is more than just a sport — it is a way of life. Generations of players are carefully raised through house league scrimmages to rep team triumphs, honing their skills against local players known for their discipline and grit.

For women basketball players, local Hamilton high schools

St. Mary’s and St. Thomas More have won every Ontario high school basketball championship in the AAA and AAAA division, save a single year, for the past five years straight.

Here at McMaster, the woman’s basketball program has been the landing ground for these talented prospects for years, giving young stars the perfect platform to build their legacy in the steel town.

Racheal Holmes, a fourthyear player from Ancaster, is just one of the five female basketball players hailing from the Hamilton area, alongside Danielle Boiago, Hilary Hanaka, Michaela Ionni and St. Thomas More alumni Erin Burns.

A product of the Hamilton Transway rep basketball organization, Holmes originally thought she would travel for school. “Staying close to home

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS McMaster University invites nominations for the President's Award of Excellence (Student Leadership) This annual award recognizes deserving undergraduate students who have made a significant contribution in improving and developing the intellectual, social, cultural and/or athletic fabric of the McMaster community.

Nominations are open to undergraduate students who are in their graduating year.

Nominations may be made by faculty, staff and students.

For more information on the award, or to obtain a Nomination Form, visit: studentaffairs.mcmaster.ca/president_award_student.html

The deadline for return of Nomination Forms is FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2016

was something I decided to do later in my career. For a long time, I thought I wanted to go far away and get out of the Hamilton bubble, but when it came down to making the decision Mac was the perfect fit.”

For Marauder second-year Erin Burns, the choice was clear from the very beginning.

“I always dreamed of being a McMaster Marauder. I would spend my weekends in the Burridge Gym watching the Mac Alumni play, I always wanted to be on the Mac basketball team.”

McMaster’s strong academic reputation also played a key role in their ultimate decision, with both athletes currently enrolled in the Life Sciences program. “It’s the best of both worlds,” said Burns.

Her experience came full circle last weekend when alumni, coaches and dedicated fans filled the gym for an exciting Marauder weekend.

“Prior to our game there was a Mac alumni game,” Burns said. “When I was in elementary school I was watching these women play and saying I want to be like them, and yesterday I got to say I am one of them now. Having them in the stands makes me want to work even harder. I can be like them because they were here before, and now I am.”

Many Hamilton alumni have done more than cheer from the bleachers, inspiring these young athletes to reach their greatest potential. “It is one of the biggest drivers” said Holmes.

“You obviously want to be successful for yourself and for your teammates, but to always have your family there backing you up and to know how much effort they have put into what you are doing, it’s really special

to have them there. It makes you want to be the best for them.”

The call to Maroon has proven successful for both athletes, as they enjoy McMaster’s 8-3 record against Ontario competition and current position atop the central division.

Holmes has been a stronghold for the Marauders this season, starting in ten games with an impressive 22 steals. Burns has also shows promise for a strong collegiate career.

But in Hamilton, basketball does not end with a player’s time on the university stage.

Some athletes go on to play for Canada at the national level or professionally in Europe. Many others coach in local schools, volunteer with youth development leagues or lead their own rep teams to greatness, a trend we can expect to continue with Holmes.

“I think I would love to be a coach when I get out of university,” said Holmes. “I definitely see myself being immersed in the basketball community, and hopefully helping to foster the community that I was so fortunate to grow up in.”

Coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Western Mustangs, both athletes are confident for the coming months. “We aren’t going to let up,” said Burns.

“There will a lot of blood, sweat and tears on the court, in practice and in games,” Holmes added. “We are a passionate team and a hard-working team.

You can expect some big games and some tough competition.”

The team looks to bounce back from the loss suffered last weekend as they head to Thunder Bay for two games against the Lakehead Thunderwolves.

26 |

SPORTS

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Pleading the seventh No. 6 McMaster Women’s Volleyball beats Ottawa and Guelph despite stark contrast between crowd noise

C/O ALISTAIR BOULBY

Jaycee Cruz Sports Reporter

For those of you familiar with football, you’ll recognize the phrase “the 12th man” as referring to a home team’s loud crowd. Opposing teams get especially rattled playing in the home stadiums or gyms of teams with big fan bases.

Home crowd environments can be a team’s most valuable aspect off the court. This advantage isn’t a new phenomenon in sports. In the case of volleyball, the crowd can be something like “the seventh man” that supplements the six players already on the court.

Last Saturday night, McMaster beat Ottawa in straight sets in what was arguably the Marauders’ most dominating performance of the season. The next day they beat Guelph 3-1 in a matinee match, but there

was a noticeable difference. The crowd was electric during the Ottawa match.

Third-year outside hitter Maicee Sorensen knows how much of an impact noise has on a team.

“A huge part of our energy in the Ottawa match is credited to our bench. They found some new creative ways to entertain the crowd and motivate the players on the court. Every person on this team is contributing, whether they are on the court or not,” said Sorensen.

The energy during the Guelph match was noticeably lower.

“It was a peculiar environment,” said Louks. “When that whistle went that crowd sat on its hands. It was peculiar.

The whole festive environment seemed to be not festive.”

This is not a team making excuses about performance, but about a phenomenon that

really does have an impact on the game being played. When a gym is filled with people in a school’s color and cheering loudly for the home team, there are positive effects. In contrast, if a gym is barely populated and you can hear a pin drop, something changes. Coaches and players notice it. They’ll still play the game and fight to win, but there’s an extra kick missing — a teammate, even.

“Sometimes when the crowd isn’t producing you need to take matters into your own hands. This sometimes means making a fool of yourself, but when you see your teammates’ reactions it’s totally worth looking silly,” Sorensen said. “One of the most important parts of volleyball is getting the person beside you to play their best.

Every player is motivated in different ways, but crazy celebrations are one way to motivate all personalities.”

In their match against Guelph last Sunday, McMaster jumped out to a two-set lead before struggling to put Guelph away until the fourth set. They needed to hit an extra gear to finish Guelph off. They needed their seventh man.

“We were tired because it was our second game in a backto-back, but we didn’t know we were going to be that tired.

When you’re in that situation you need to ride that ‘seventh man’,” said Louks. “That has to help get us over the hump sometimes. We needed some help because we knew we were going to be a bit tired.”

Crowd energy isn’t essential to a team’s success, but it doesn’t hurt them either. It gives positive energy to the home team, while rattling the visiting team. Ultimately, as a spectator, you hope that the small things you do in the bleachers have just enough effect to help swing

“Sometimes when the crowd isn’t producing you need to take matters into your own hands.”

Maicee Sorensen Outside Hitter, McMaster Women’s Volleyball the match in your team’s favor.

It’s a real thing and sometimes it’s what a team needs to finish their job and hit that fifth gear when they feel they have nothing left.

Up next for the Marauders are road trips to Windsor on Jan. 29 and Western on Jan. 30.

Both matches start at 6 p.m. @_jayceecruz

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

andy

The Silhouette | 27

Exhale Music Group An interview with the Hamilton music group looking to change concert culture in the city

Vannessa Barnier Andy Reporter

Hamilton’s Exhale Music Group was born from a desire to bring people together through free expression and thoughtfully curated events.

Over the past four years, Exhale has grown into “a multi-faceted arts facilitator; booking tours, engaging in artist development, and putting on events to support local and touring artists.” Buzzwords associated with Exhale include, but are not limited to: creativity, collaboration, and inclusivity.

I had the chance to chat with the events and promotions manager, Emily Lise. We spent some time on the phone in a busy coffee shop, while she sat comfortably at home.

Emily is one of six who play a role in this collective.

Alongside Matt Carson, Dan Dell, Luke Cummins, Blake Mancini, and Taylor Heres, Lise works to keep Exhale running as smoothly as possible. Once plans are settled, dates are decided on, and people are booked, everything else seems

to proceed with relative ease.

Unique to Exhale, all of their events are exclusively in nameless places — they are all at residential venues. This was inspired by the fact that when Lise started with Exhale, she was 17, and none of her friends could get into bars where the bands were playing. Bars are often inaccessible for their younger audiences.

The other factor is that there isn’t the level of intimacy that Exhale is looking for.

“Sitting in a bar and waiting for a band to play doesn’t build the same kind of community as being in someone’s house would.”

Exhale got together with people like Matt Thompson, who is a big community builder in the Beasley neighborhood.

He hosts shows in his house, regularly opening his doors to the community. The intimate house shows started when Exhale started bringing bands to Thompson’s house. This opened doors for their Eternal Summer series, which With shows every few weeks, last summer Exhale hosted a number of bands at a number of locations down-

town Hamilton. They sent out requests for Hamiltonians to offer their houses as venues, and their calls were answered. The positive reception proved to Exhale that their want for community building is something that Hamiltonians share.

Venues are kept secret.

In order to get the address for any of their shows, you have to e-mail them. When I asked Lise why, she gave me the expected answer: as a privacy issue, Exhale looks to protect the homeowners, but there’s also the mystery factor. “It gets people to reach out and say, ‘hey, I want to come to your show.’ ” The audience in Hamilton has continued to grow in the past four years. There were only ten people in attendance at first, all mostly friends of the Exhale crew, but then those friends invited their friends, and so on.

Word of mouth was important, because it reached Hamiltonians and visitors to the city.

Exhale’s last event, held this past Saturday, had a truly all-ages audience. There were senior women sitting behind 17-year-olds at the secret venue, which isn’t something the usual

“The ability to create isn’t depression, it’s the inability to exhale.”

Emily Lise Events and Promotions Coordinator, Exhale Music Group show-goer sees.

I asked Lise what the future of Exhale looked like, and she excitedly spoke quickly and backtracked over what she was saying, purely because of all of the exciting things planned.

Exhale just finished calls for submissions for this year’s Eternal Summer, which she told me is “going to be bigger and more fun than last year’s.”

In addition to this summertime-show-crawl, Exhale’s other big event is their fourth anniversary party in April.

Aside from the larger events, Lise said there are a number of shows coming up in the next few months. Names like Vulva Culture, Kurt, Jaunt,

Esmerine, and Foxes in Fiction, to name a few, are popping up on posters around town. She told me that a lot of their plans are under wraps, and was hesitant to disclose more.

As a final piece, I asked her how Exhale got its name. Lise told me that it came from the collective’s founder, Carson, and his struggle with having an inability to create. She told me the story of Carson sitting by a fire with friends, kind of feeling down, talking to his friends about depression and how it affects your ability to create things. “His friend was saying the ability to create isn’t depression, it’s the inability to exhale.”

The name just seemed to fit with Carson’s vision. Everyone in the Exhale group is breathing into the project everything they can’t do outside of it, putting what they can into their project creatively.

As a member of the community they are trying to foster and solidify, I can safely say that they are answering a call Hamilton didn’t know it was asking, and I trust that they are the group to do it. @vjbarnier

C/O VANNESSA BARNIER

28 |

ANDY

COMING UP IN HAMILTON MUSIC ABSINTHE

JAN 29 > The Cold Atomic FEB 4 > illScarlett FEB 13 > Pinkerton Tribute THE CASBAH

JAN 30 > The Werks

FEB 4 > The Sadies HOMEGROWN

JAN 29 > Sam Klass JAN 30 > The Donefors

FILM WESTDALE THEATRE

Currently Playing

> Room (JAN 29-FEB 4) This week’s quick pick

Jessy Lanza “It Means I Love You” Since Jessy Lanza released Pull Your Hair Back in 2013, she’s toured the world in support of her record and played at massive festivals. Since then, she’s been quite quiet, but now she has something to show for her labour. Fans of the Hamilton native were treated to a single in the form of “It Means I Love You,” and the announcement that she will be releasing a fulllength album entitled Oh No, out on May 13. Lanza also announced that she’ll be touring North America with Junior Boys in tow this coming spring. Keep your eyes peeled for more from the talented songstress/ producer.

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

BREAK THE INTERNET

Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa got into a bizarre Twitter spat after the latter dissed West’s new album title, Waves. Ye threw an immature fit, but Amber Rose (both Kanye’s and Wiz’s ex) managed to be the voice of reason.

ANDY | 29

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

Review: Daughter - Not To Disappear

The Verdict Elena Tonra, Igor Haefeli and Remi Aguilella make up Daughter, a UK band.

C/O 4AD

Trisha Gregorio Andy Writer

Solemn. Melancholy. Almost cacophonous in its softness.

Daughter’s music has always had the ability to somehow silence my thoughts, but these were nonetheless what went through my mind during my first listen of Not To Disappear.

Daughter is a three-person band from England, and since their formation in 2010, they have released two albums, four EPs and three singles. Not To Disappear is their second album, released three years after 2013’s If You Leave. Despite the gap, Not To Disappear retains the eerie melancholy that has defined Daughter’s contribution to the indie folk genre.

One could not be blamed for dismissing Daughter’s music as depressing. It is. With songs characterized by loss, vulnerability and loneliness, it’s hard to come upon one that will make you want to get up and dance.

If You Leave was the epitome of this notion. Featuring soft, slow tracks with words that were better off imagined as whispers had they not been sung, the album inspired a hazy, dreamy feeling framed by endless lyrical metaphors.

Not To Disappear is a reflection of this same idea, but Daughter has taken a few steps in a different direction. When they first announced their second album in September 2014,

Where If You Leave was soft and somber even at its most emotional, Not To Disappear abandonds the listless loneliness and replaces it with a more blatant desperation. guitarist Igor Haefeli claimed that the band was playing with a “rockier dynamic” this time around, influenced by all the touring they’ve been doing over the year, and this attempt becomes apparent in stronger crescendos and more insistent guitar and drum lines.

Where If You Leave was soft and somber even at its most emotional, Not To Disappear abandons the listless loneliness and replaces it with a more blatant desperation. The new dynamic brings the album somewhere as gritty as the indie folk genre can allow it to go. This second album works with themes of nostalgia and memory, is more reflective than cathartic, and while previous songs were hazy and dreamy, Not To Disappear feels grounded. The music is still solemn, still hardly ever above a whisper, but somehow louder and more defined.

The album begins with

“New Ways,” a song that feels a lot like being wound up tight, but instead of this feeling being drummed up into a climax then released in a song equivalent of a denouement, the feeling continues throughout the whole album, leaving the whole picture exposed and raw. The songs themselves have their own climax and denouements, defined by fluctuating tones that take you somewhere low and dark one moment before erupting in weeping tracks and higher voices, or vice versa.

The lyrics are more honest, relying less on similes and more on personal confessions. The album’s frantic tone creates a feeling of helplessness, manifesting as a plea for help in some songs and as a resigned acceptance in others.

Not To Disappear takes a bolder approach to Daughter’s music, while nonetheless retaining the same intimacy and vulnerability I’ve slowly come to appreciate. Criticisms can be made out about the band’s repetitive nature, but those fade easily behind the lucidity this album has managed to achieve. It’s mature, it’s numb, and though some songs felt like they could have easily belonged in a previous album, I got what I came for, and more, when I heard Daughter had released a new album. @tngregorio

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ANDY

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Review: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

The Verdict David Denman, John Krasinski, Dominic Fumusa and Pablo Schreiber star in Michael Bay’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.

Joe Joboin Contributor

Michael Bay is a filmmaker that casual action fans love and critics love to hate. In his past films, he has ignored character development to objectify women, and ignored plot to film an endless number of explosions.

His directing style is fun and cool to look at, but the problem is that he thinks that all his films deserve to be two and half hours long, even though the action and violence quickly become mind-numbingly repetitive. He also has a terrible sense of humor that appeals exclusively to 12 year old boys, and ranges from being mildly annoying to incredibly offensive.

Luckily, since 13 Hours is based on such a tragic and heroic true

story, Bay actually decided to treat the material with some respect. Unfortunately, the film still ends up falling flat.

The movie tells the story of a small group of soldiers trying to protect themselves during an attack on an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The story takes places during some of Libya’s most dangerous years, following the ousting of Gaddafi during the Libyan Civil War that saw the rise of numerous militia groups. On Sept. 11, 2012, a group of Libyan militia attacked the American compound and attempted to murder an American ambassador. Six American soldiers disobeyed orders and attempted a rescue mission, but got caught up in a brutal struggle for survival. This is serious

Watching this movie is like watching your friend play Call of Duty for over two hours. It’s no fun and you can probably find something better to do with your time.

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and mature subject matter, which has not only attracted criticism from the CIA, but requires a great deal of respect to the people who died during this tragic event.

The film’s biggest strength lies in its technical aspects. The cinematography was well done, and the sound and visuals of the action scenes were surprisingly realistic and impactful. Some of the effects were obviously fake, like the explosions that tend to resemble fireworks, and the prosthetics of people’s wounded limbs. Even so, the experience of watching the fights had a very intense and real element to it.

However, 13 Hours had so many needless fights that it became impossible for me to actually enjoy it. Firstly, the character development was

almost non-existent, and when it was present, it was very cliché and impossible to take seriously. Secondly, the action at certain times was impossible to follow, and there were long periods where all you could see were random soldiers shooting at people, and random people getting shot. There weren’t many opportunities for the viewer to be emotionally invested in the events. Just like Bay’s other films, the action scenes became uninteresting and boring and the dialogue failed to contribute substantially to the movie’s narrative.

Overall, watching this movie is like watching your friend play Call of Duty for over two hours. It’s no fun and you can probably find something better to do with your time.

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ANDY | 31

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

Get back on the country horse A look back on essential country artists who should make anyone re-think the genre

Sebastian Johnston-Lindsay Contributor

You need to be careful of who is within earshot when you admit to being to being a country music fan. Common reactions range from a disheartened eye roll to wild shrieks of enthusiasm and (often vague) accounts of last year’s Boots and Hearts.

I do consider myself a country music fan, but I am perpetually ill at ease with the label. I think that it’s important to be able to trace differences between vintage country music and the country music of our time, which is largely characterized by pre-packaged formulaic production and blatant promotion of light beer consumption and truck-balls.

This article is for those people who think they might want to like country music but just don’t know what might constitute country, or indeed even where country music came from. I have selected artists that I feel represent the early formation of the sound we might call country.

The first major figure in the history of country music for our sake is Waylon Jennings.

Jennings was an outlaw countryman by any stretch of the imagination who is characterized as much by his larger-thanlife baritone voice and hard driving country originals as by his image: he often donned black leather vests and hats in performance.

He bridged the gap between the rock music of the 1950s and the discernable country sounds we recognize today. He got his start playing in Buddy Holly’s touring band until the Holly’s infamous death in Feb. 3,1959 in a plane crash.

Waylon avoided the accident by giving his seat up to a sick band mate and opting to take a bus to the next show. In the sixties Jennings continued to work as a solo artist releasing 11 albums between 1964-1969.

His initial release Waylon at JD’s (1964) contains versions of Roy Orbison’s “Crying” and Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice It’s

Waylon Jennings and Buddy Holly, two of the author’s noted vintage country artists. C/O HISTORYBYZIM.COM

Alright.”

As his career progressed, he adopted a harder edge in his music. His 1976 album Are you Ready for the Country?, named after Neil Young’s song by the same name off the album Harvest (1972), typifies Jennings’ signature sound. It includes a cover of Young’s song with a straight forward mingling of twanging guitars and heavy drums with powerful hooks.

Jennings had a close working relationship with fellow well-known “outlaws” Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash. The four men formed The Highwaymen, a supergroup that recorded and toured from the mid-1980s through until Jennings’ death in 2002.

The individual discographies of these four artists in particular represent the foundation of the genre we now recognize as country from the

1970s onward. Their willingness toward collaboration and tendency to cover and adapt each other’s songs became an important aspect of the genre.

Kris Kristofferson, is an especially interesting figure, having written numerous songs that were later made famous by other artists. Examples include “Sunday Morning Coming Down” which became an integral part of Johnny Cash’s concert performances. In addition to this, his song “Me and Bobby McGee” was covered and made popular by Janis Joplin and The Grateful Dead.

Finally we come to Townes Van Zandt. Born in Fort Worth Texas in 1944, his life was spotted with bouts of bipolar disorder aggravated by addictions to both alcohol and heroin for his entire adult life until his death at age 52. Despite this, his was prolific and vastly influential singer-songwriter. He came

into the spotlight in the early 1970s along with fellow Texas singer Guy Clark, with whom he lived for a few drug-addled months in the early part of the decade.

While he is not as widely recognized as some of his peers, including those listed above, his influence on artists like Steve Earle and Bob Dylan is well documented.

Throughout his life, he was notorious for shunning the spotlight and was uncomfortable with the idea of celebrity.

His debut album For the Sake of the Song (1968) contains the original recording of his most well known song “Waiting ‘Round to Die,” a burning chronicle of a life spent wandering and stealing, all the while looking for the next fix. The song ends with the revealing and prophetic lines: “I got me a friend at last, he don’t steal or cheat or drink or lie. His name’s codeine, he’s the nicest thing I’ve seen. Together we’re gonna wait around and die.”

Fans of Breaking Bad will recall Canadian folk-country band The Be Good Tanyas’ cover of “Waiting ‘Round to Die” in the episode “Bit By a Dead Bee” from the second season of the series, which brings this often covered classic to a new audience. Other key songs by Van Zandt include “Columbine” off of his self-titled 1969 album and the narrative tune “Pancho and Lefty” off The Late Great Townes Van Zandt (1972).

I think that it’s important to be able to trace differences between vintage country music and the country music of our time, which is largely characterized by pre-packaged formulaic production and blatant promotion of light beer consumption and truck-balls.

Townes Van Zandt is for music fans that appreciate high-poetics and simplistic production techniques. He is the Nick Drake of country music; his specter looms large in the underground folk and country scene.

I want to stress that if you find yourself in despair at the state of country music, having given the above artists a try, there is hope. Many manifestations of the original aesthetic have survived and are alive today. I urge every reader to seek out The Dinner Belles, a Hamilton outfit who released The River and the Willow this past year.

Country music is not a singular genre. It is a combination of many different styles of music that incorporate geographic, social and economic realities. This article represents nothing more than the jumping off point into a large pool of musical discovery, and maybe some Bud Light.

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