The Silhouette - Feb 16

MCMASTER HOSTED THE OUA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS ON SATURDAY, WHERE JASON BUCKLE WAS NAMED THE PROVINCE’S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR.

SEE S3.

www.thesil.ca

McMASTER UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER / THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

The Silhouette

YOUR VOICE ON CAMPUS

Est. 1930

VOLUME 82, NO. 22

Phoenix relocation delayed again Brian Decker & Sam Colbert Executive Editor & Managing Editor

The Phoenix will not be moving to the Refectory until well into the summer break.

The move, which was originally planned to take place over the past Christmas break, had already been delayed until some time after Reading Week. Now, new circumstances are postponing the move once again.

The major complications stem from the process of completing major construction projects without disturbing the business of Bridges Cafe, the Refectory’s other tenant.

“We needed to go through the basement of Bridges. There was no way to do this construction without Bridges closing in April,” said Graduate Students Association (GSA) president Jessica Merolli. “This is why we decided to do the project in two phases.”

The original plan included major construction taking place while Bridges was closed for the winter break, but an undiscovered pipe in the kitchen area delayed the project.

“We had delays that were not unexpected. We hope for the best, but things happen,” said Merolli, who added that the latest Bridges construction complication included the additional movement of the GSA offices from Wentworth House to the Refectory.

One unnamed source, though, came forward with the news that there could be more to the delay than technical problems.

• PLEASE SEE SETBACKS, A3

TYLER HAYWARD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

INSIDE THE SIL

WHAT WE’VE BEEN TOLD: Projected move dates for the Phoenix

SPORTS

Phoenix relocation announced for Winter 2012 THE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM CLINCHES A HOME PLAYOFF GAME IN TORONTO.

Relocation set for Jan. 2012 Delayed until Mid-February

SEE S2

Delayed until Summer

ANDY ANDY TAKES A LOOK AT HOW THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY IS LOOKING LIKE A VIDEO GAMER’S DREAM. SEE D4

INSIDE OUT HELPFUL TIPS FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH MILK-BASED PRODUCTS. SEE C1

BUSINESS WHEN THE DEMAND OF LOVE MEETS THE SUPPLY, ONES WALLET IS BOUND TO SUFFER. SEE C9

THIS WEEK

2011

JUNE

NOV.

2012

JAN.

McMaster Libraries

FEB.

Students Union

Collection of popular Committee media donated to Mac to work on reform as Coca Cola and Pepsi, as well as preperatory materials from comSenior News Editor & Silhouette Intern mercials like Becel’s “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” series. It also The past 20 to 25 years in advertis- features celebrities such as Leslie ing history have seen some of the Nelson, Bob Newhart, Ellen Demost popular trademark slogans. Generes, John Cleese and Jay-Z. Many such popular advertisements The collection contains some of the past few decades originated “behind the scenes work” of many in Canada through the work of famous advertisements, said WyckPirate Toronto, who donated an ar- off. chive of over 50,000 radio and tele- “The biggest reason we wanted vision advertisements to McMaster to donate it, was that we wanted it University’s Libraries. to be used as a teaching tool and The donated collection is “the be preserved,” said Pirate Toronto single largest archive that we’ve co-founder Terry O’Reilly, who exrecieved yet,” said Wade Wyckoff, plained that he and his colleagues Associate University Librarian for wanted to put their work toward the Collections. The archive consists betterment of the next advertising of over 700 boxes and includes material from iconic brands such • PLEASE SEE ADVERTISING, A3 Farzeen Foda & Sam Cumerlato

Dina Fanara

Assistant News Editor

The Student Representative Assembly’s (SRA) recently-formed ad-hoc Committee on Democratic Reform is aiming to find a suitable change to the MSU’s system of representation.

Initially brought forth at the 2009 MSU General Assembly by SRA-Humanities member Chris Erl, the project is being supported

by MSU president Matthew DillonLeitch and Bylaws and Procedures Comissioner Jean-Marc Metrailler.

The idea behind the committee is to create a body that could more effectively bring concrete policy • PLEASE SEE ASSEMBLY, A3

This is a paid advertisement by the MSU

the

PRESIDENT’S PAGE Katie Ferguson VP (Administration)

Duncan Thompson VP (Finance)

Matthew Dillon-Leitch President

Alicia Ali VP (Education)

Blue Chair: a seat to some, a symBol for others annual campaign aims to ensure that post-secondary education is available for all who are qualified

alicia ali VP (Education) vped@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 24017

From March 5 – 9, McMaster University will be taking time to reflect on the importance of access to post-secondary education. The Blue Chair Campaign is an annual initiative wherein our campus will be packed with blue chairs. The empty blue chairs represent the lost potential of our university and on campuses across the province of Ontario.

When post-secondary education becomes unattainable and altogether inaccessible, everyone suffers. In short, the empty blue chair represents the student who is not able to enter post-secondary education. Students from across our province are regularly faced with the challenge of accessing post-secondary education for a myriad of reasons, which can include;

financial, motivational, geographical and informational barriers (to name a few). The Blue Chair Campaign is a grassroots, student-led initiative that seeks to expand access to higher education, as an equalizer of economic prosperity and social vitality. In an attempt to raise awareness amongst students and decision makers, the campaign aims to educate and advocate on behalf of those who cannot, in the hopes of reducing barriers to postsecondary education.

The commonly used statistic of future employment qualifications indicates that within the next 10 years, 70% of jobs will require a postsecondary credential. This means (now more than ever) it is essential for additional students to be given the means and motivation to access higher education. I’m a huge fan of the mantra “If you get the grades, you get to go”, because it designates universities as places of higher learning that are not tied to financial backgrounds.

So the debate continues. Is the opening of three new campuses the answer to the accessibility question?

Not entirely. There needs to be a stronger focus on delivering innovative forms of education to students who may not have traditionally had any opportunity to pursue post-secondary education. Early outreach mechanisms, coupled with generous forms of financial assistance and a fair tuition framework are approaches to solving the accessibility problem, but they are definitely not standalone solutions.

Most students and decision makers are surprised to learn that Ontario’s current university participation rate of 18-24 year olds from high-income households is 49 per cent, compared with only 18 per cent from low-income households.

Take time out of your day during OUSA Blue Chair Week to sport the colour blue as a means of showing your support of access to higher education.

Also, visit the MSU Advocacy Street Team in the Student Centre to learn more about the students who aren’t sitting next to you in your Biology or History lecture. The week will include contests, a gigantic blue chair, many normal-sized blue chairs, pancake

breakfasts and more.

So, why should you care? Well here are a few facts to consider: • The average student debt after graduation is $26, 680 • Rural students are 60% less likely to attend university than urban students • Only 9% of aboriginal students attend post-secondary education • Students from higher income families are twice as likely to attend university While thousands of students have found a way to make attending university possible, there is still a severe lack of representation at our institutions. Financial accessibility continues to remain the largest deterrent to university attendance.

Thousands of qualified people don’t have the means to access post-secondary education. Whether it be financial, cultural, geographical, motivational or informational, the barriers to education are vast. Take some time during March 5 – 9 and check out the events taking place in the Student Centre and help Ontario students find their seat.

survey will help Determine what replaCes travelCuts in stuDent Centre

matthew Dillon-leitch President president@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 23885

You have likely noticed by now that Travel Cuts no longer operates in the Student Centre. The space left behind is currently vacant and the search for a new vendor has begun.

A few proposals have been received by the MUSC Board of Management (the group in charge of operating the Student Centre, comprised of student and University representation), but we need your help to make a decision.

The importance of the Student Centre is not simply that it provides a space for all of us – but also because of what the MUSC represents. The McMaster University Student Centre is physical proof of the capability of students. The building’s history can be traced back to the 1970’s when the MSU began the process to turn Hamilton Hall into a student centre.

During the 1980’s, the MSU realized that this space would not suffice and in 1988 a levy was instituted to pay for a new student centre. In 2002 the current

Student Centre opened, over twenty years after students started paying for the building. For over twenty years students paid for a building that they would never get to use, and they did this because they believed it was something future McMaster students needed.

The Student Centre is a representation of student vision and accomplishment. As such, I want to ensure that the vendor chosen to fill the current vacancy is relevant and desired by students. The best way I can advocate for you is if you vote for what you would like to see in the Student Centre. To do this, please visit http://studentcentre.msumcmaster.ca and fill out our brief survey. The current options are: • Food Services (sandwiches/wraps/ soups, coffee house etc.)

• Merchandise (clothing and/or retail, etc.)

• Financial Services (Bank, Credit Union, Financial advice, etc.)

• B e a u t i c i a n ( S a l o n / B a r b e r , Optometrist, Aesthetician, etc.)

Please help us decide what should be in the Student Centre. Help us plan for future students and help honour the tradition of McMaster students who have aspired to make this campus better.

there is a vacant space in the student centre…

FOR WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN ITS PLACE. take the

STUDENT CENTRE SURVEY

There are four classifications of potential vendors, they are indicated below.

Vote online to select which vendor class you want to see:

OPTIONS ARE: Food Services Merchandise Financial Services Beautician

http://studentcentre.msumcmaster.ca

The President’s Page is sponsored by the McMaster Students Union.

It is a space used to communicate with the student body about the projects, goals and agenda of the MSU Board of Directors.

www.msu.mcmaster.ca

The space on the first floor of the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC), currently occupied by Travel Cuts, will soon be vacant.

The MUSC Board of Management is currently looking for a new tenant.

THE SILHOUETTE • A3

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Advertising history finds home in Mills • CONT’D FROM A1 generation.

“I would have killed to have something like this available when I was in university,” said O’Reilly.

Pirate Toronto was founded in 1990 and has since undertaken numerous “milestone projects,” said O’Reilly, such as the first cell phone commercials in the late ‘80s as well as election campaigns and some of the first commercials that began addressing the AIDS epidemic, which was silenced for sometime before public awareness on this issue surfaced in the mainstream media, he explained.

The donation of the archive to McMaster was put in place in 2011, and the University’s libraries have been working on organizing the archive for use by students and faculty. The collection is now ready for use, and is located on the lower level of Mills Library in the Division of

“We wanted to preserve the works, rather than allow it to be lost in the sands of time.”

Terry O’Reilly, Co-Founder of Pirate Toronto Archives and Research Collections, explained Wyckoff.

The first installment of the donation consisted of 50,000 radio and television commercials, followed by an additional 25,000, noted O’Reilly.

The collection contains television and radio advertisements from 1990 to 2007, but also includes some of O’Reilly’s earlier work dating as early as 1982.

The archive has been received with enthusiasm from McMaster faculty looking to integrate the resource into course work.

“This is exactly the kind of thing we need to be doing in our department,” said Communication

Studies and Multimedia professor, Philip Savage. “It’s a lovely sort of communications crossover resource,” he said.

While housing the enormous database of advertising history, McMaster students now have access to final commercials from the pivotal time period, as well as all of the component parts that comprise a final television or radio advertisement, including but not limited to original and edited scripts, auditions as well as all files and correspondence between those involved in the development of each commercial.

Upon his decision to donate the company’s historical collec-

tion, O’Reilly contacted numerous universities across the country. He was met with immense enthusiasm, but had three criteria for the donation: the university would have to express a strong desire for the collection, provide an explanation of how the archive would be used and a large enough space to house the collection. McMaster was able to demonstrate fulfillment of all three criteria.

“McMaster had a deep desire for the archive,” said O’Reilly, explaining that the University was clear in their goals to put these archives toward studies in Business, Psychology, Communication Stud-

Setbacks expected for Phoenix move

ies and Multimedia, as well as English, among others.

The collection will allow students in a range of faculties and disciplines to “follow the development of commercials… and study how media and advertising has evolved,” said Wyckoff.

A next step for the archive is the digitalizing of the donation through an online project on behalf of The Canadian Advertising Museum, to build a web-based archive of the Canadian advertising industry.

“We wanted to preserve the works, rather than allow it to be lost in the sands of time,” said O’Reilly.

A formal reception was held at McMaster’s Ron Joyce Centre on Feb. 15 to celebrate the inauguration of the collection, where O’Reilly and his fellow colleagues discussed their thrilling experience creating what would become one of the greatest masterpieces in Canadian media history.

Assembly committee awaiting first meeting • CONT’D FROM A1

TYLER HAYWARD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

The Phoenix will now move to Refrectory Building this summer.

• CONT’D FROM A1

In addition to construction issues, the move may be pushed back by concerns from residents in the area. According to the source, one resident in particular plans on “holding up the liquor license” because of frustrations over the behavior of students who come out of the bar and into Westdale.

“I know that there are some people that, from a community point of view, are looking at it more intensely than others,” said

Jay Parlar, president of the Ainslie Wood/Westdale Community Association. “They’ve come to the Board, asking the Board for support for what they’re doing, and we can’t.”

The Association has, in the past, taken issue with students coming out of campus bars, particular TwelvEighty (or Quarters, as it was formerly known), and causing damage or noise in surrounding neighbourhoods.

“The official stance of the Association is that we’ve got no problem with this,” said Parlar of the Phoenix move. He explained that, in his experience, it generally hasn’t been Phoenix partons that have caused problems.

The “Decision to delay the move is because of construction,” asserted Merolli in response to questions about delays caused by displeased local residents.

“There are no exceptional circumstances going on here,” said Peter Self, assistant dean of graduate student life and research training. He did, though, acknowledge the tribunal process. “This is a normal process that happens when establishments are trying to get a liquor license.”

Self explained that, with the move being pushed back further and further, it made sense just to move the bar and GSA offices at the same time. Construction of the offices would disrupt the operations of Bridges Café, and needs to wait until the summer, when Bridges is closed.

“It was never a great option that the GSA wasn’t going to be there on location. The whole premise began with ‘everyone move at once,’” said Self.

As for whether the tribunal was responsible for delaying the move, Self said, “If the place isn’t ready, you can’t open it anyway.”

He expects that the tribunal will be complete and the Phoenix will have its license by the time it re-opens over the summer. “If you have total hindsight, would you start [to acquire a liquor license] earlier? Maybe. But the reality is that it should be in place by the time it’s open anyway.”

“The moving and delays truly reflect the fact that we are doing it in the right way,” said Merolli.

“We don’t want to do anything that denies that project. We don’t want to delay the process, but ultimately, it is the right thing to do.”

With files from Kacper Niburski.

changes to the SRA and even the Board of Directors, “as opposed to just the ideas,” said Erl. “[The committee] could look at different ideas, come up with proposals, have Bylaws and Procedures look at it, and then ultimately go to the Assembly to make a decision The structuring of the committee, which will include the MSU Speaker, the chief returning officer (CRO), the MSU president, the bylaws and procedures commissioner, two SRA members and an MSU member-at-large, has been in the works since November. Neither the Speaker nor CRO will hold voting privileges.

A proposal was brought to the table in December but sent for revision over the holidays, and was subsequently brought to life at the SRA meeting immediately following the presidential election.

Erl said the committee would focus on issues such as the number of seats in the SRA as well as the process by which the three vice presidents are elected.

Some members want to see that number increased by 25 seats.

As for the vice-presidents, they are currently elected by the SRA, as opposed to the student body as a whole.

“The old argument is that the vice-presidents should not be elected by the students because the students are incapable of choosing somebody that’s going to deal with the finances of the organization,” said Erl. He continued to say that they should be democratically elected by the 20,000 full-time undergraduate students that make up the body of the MSU. Dillon-Leitch is also in support of reform, saying “I think the structure of the MSU has changed over time . . . there’s a lot of different elements of the governing structure that are out of date or not necessarily the best practice anymore.”

The president said he hopes that the committee will find a way “to make [the MSU] more democratic and more efficient.”

One potential consideration of the new committee is the concept of having one member of faculty society executives sitting on the SRA, be it the president or another designated executive.

“We need to accept the fact that as an organization that we are not the be-all and end-all on campus,” said Dillon-Leitch, who would like to see the Assembly “take the leaders of those organizations and bring them together,” because “the system we have right now does not involve all of the important stakeholders.”

This marks the first time that an ad-hoc committee has been formed in several years. The committee will be dissolved at the end of the term unless the SRA chooses to incorporate its permanence into the MSU bylaws.

A4 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Downtown Health Campus

Mac facility on track despite delay Farzeen Foda

Senior News Editor

The McMaster Downtown Health Campus project began in 2007, and experienced a standstill soon thereafter. The goals of the University and the City of Hamilton, however, remained unchanged.

The City of Hamilton is looking to revitalize the downtown core, which may be accomplished through the establishment of an innovative medical facility, which will increase access to quality healthcare in the area while attracting cutting-edge talent to the city. McMaster has also expressed an interest in expanding its presence in the city, and is under considerable pressure to increase its residency spaces in family medicine, a feat that would require expansion beyond the confines of McMaster’s main campus.

The project gained momentum again in 2011. The timeline for the revived project anticipated completion of the project by 2013, with construction to begin in January 2012.

“As the University has been finalizing the purchase of the site, a transaction that is now essentially complete, a great deal of pre-construction work has been underway,” said Gord Arbeau, Associate Director of Public Relations for McMaster.

Construction is now set to begin in the spring of 2012, with an anticipated completion in 2014.

Currently located at 100 Bay St. is the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board office. With McMaster’s transactions largely complete, the relocation is awaiting confirmation on the agreement between the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and the City, “on the space it will occupy while it builds its permanent education centre,” explained Arbeau.

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Meanwhile McMaster is eagerly awaiting the new beginning on the horizon. “All the teams and departments that will relocate to the health campus have been actively involved in planning their moves, providing guidance to the design team and working to make sure we are on track,” said Arbeau.

The project is an enormous undertaking for the City of Hamilton and McMaster.

It will see 4,000 students and approximately 54,000 patient visits each year, as well as 450 full-time employees.

The new building will house McMaster’s

McMaster Museum of Art

A fusion of opposites Exhibit showcases social and ethical issues in scientific advancements lines were first isolated, to last month where a phase one trial was constructed by growth factor. Jacobs cautioned that “some of the “Art refracts science, not reflects it,” accord- doors [stem cell research] opens are frightening to McMaster Health Science professsor ing if we go through them too quickly without emeritus Patangi Ranganchari. thinking,” making it imperative that research Ranganchari spoke at the opening of the ers carefully evaluate the applications and new exhibit at the McMaster Museum of Art. consequences of their research.

The show, entitled ‘Perceptions of Promise: On the panel, Besant commented on Biotechnology, Society and Art’ is a collab- the similarity between scientists and artists, orative artistic project exploring the complex saying that “the failure of scientists is comsocial, legal and ethical issues associated with parable to the failure of artist,” and “if you breakthrough developments in life sciences don’t fail, you don’t learn anything.” technology, with a particular focus on stem Schlüter employed a metaphorical decell research. scription of her art, explaining it as looking Curator Lianne McTavish said that the through a microscope. “The further away exhibit “makes a lot of sense from the image, the more abat Mac.” McMaster has been stract, but the closer you go, Some of the considered a “world leader in the more clear,” she said. stem cell research,” and with She also talked about her doors [stem cell last week’s generous donaexperience with attaining an research] opens tion of $24 million from the image of her chromosomes. are frightening Boris family to go toward She had asked the scienthis budding research field, tist she was collaborating if we go the exhibit content undoubtwith what her chromosomes through them edly intersects with the work looked like, and she said the going on at the University. action of having to draw it out too quickly, The science-inspired helped him to more deeply without art exhibit opened on Feb. 9 understand his research. Now, thinking.” and will be on display until her chromosomes can be spotMarch 31. ted in her mixed-medium art The launch of the exhibit on display. was accompanied by a panel discussion with Originally a pharmacologist, Rangachari professors Roger Jacobs and Rangachari, argued that there is a certain permanency as well as artists Derek Besant and Daniela to a work of art, contrasting with science Schlüter. Sean Caufield, an artist and profes- where, “sooner or later someone will find you sor of Art at the University of Alberta, moder- wrong.” The constant progression of scientifated the panel discussion. ic discovery allows for, “the brilliance of sci Caufield started the panel discussion with ence for one generation to become the lame an emphasis on the impact of art and social science experiments of the next,” he said. media on the illustration of scientific ideas Art gives scientists and society alike a to the general public. He noted that the title different viewpoint into complex issues. Cauof the show was influenced by the fact that field reaffirmed that “art is a building box of “there is much promise in stem cell research, visual language that can sometimes tackle big but also pressure from the public to complete questions.” it quickly.” Jacobs expanded on this point. There is a sense of anxiety and hope “Science has gone from manipulating our en- among scientists, which in turn is conveyed vironment to manipulating the temple of the through art and finally received by the public. body.”

Stem cells are tangible evidence of the mys Stem cell research is rapidly advancing, tery that lies within us, and no one knows from just fourteen years ago when stem cell where this mystery will lead us.

Katija Bonin The Silhouette

Department of Family Medicine, the Shelter Health Network, the Women’s Maternity Clinic, as well as research and continuing education programs through the Faculty of Health Sciences.

“Among other things, the McMaster Health Campus will provide both important learning opportunities for the students of many health professions, as well as an innovative family health clinic for Hamilton citizens,” said David Price, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine for McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

Construction is now set to begin in the spring of 2012, with an anticipated completion in 2014.”

THE SILHOUETTE • A5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Financial Support

Interac Online provides chance to win back tuition

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Empty wallets are a common occurance due to the squeeze of University.

Farzeen Foda

Senior News Editor

When it comes to tuition, it never seems like there is anyone out there willing to actually take care of it for you, regardless of your grades or financial status.

Maybe luck will be on your side with a new contest by Interac Online, in conjunction with the Student Accounts and Cashiers Office at McMaster.

The contest began on Feb. 6 and will continue until March 15. Students who make payments to their account using Interac Online can win up to $5,000 toward their tuition.

This possibility applies solely to students who make up to five payments of any amount to their statement using Interac Online, and will consequently be eligible to win a sum of money proportional to their tuition, up to $5,000.

Students can click on “Pay Now” through their account statement, which can

be accessed through MUGSI, noted Liz McDonough, Coordinator of Customer Service for the Student Accounts and Cashiers Office.

For students without an outstanding balance on their accounts, the contest is still available through the Interac website.

This initiative is designed not only to give students a well-deserved break, but to promote the use of Interac Online for tuition payments.

For the University, it is the preferred method of payment, noted McDonough, because it is, “safe, easy and quick.” The March 15 contest closure date is meant to encourage students to get their payments in on time, as that is the deadline for payments.

Students who make their payments using Interac Online will be tabulated using a tracking number, thus no personal information about students will be shared with Interac Online. Once the winner is randomly selected, the University will use the tracking number to identify the winner.

Newsbites Complied by Katija Bonin and Kacper Niburski Graphics by Joy Santiago

Shoppers Drug Mart to be constructed on Main and Emerson For those who have been missing close access to their medication coupled with a mochaccino, the wait is almost over. A new Shoppers Drug Mart and partnered Starbucks is being built on the corner of Main and Emerson. The location will make it the closest Shoppers to campus, and the only Starbucks within a 30-minute walk.

University Pharmacy closes at five and is not open on weekends. “The pharmacy in MUSC closes too soon,” said Jessica Teicher, a second year Arts and Science student.

As the two centers will be centered around students, an obvious concern would be the high prices of Shoppers and Starbucks. But after talking to students living south of Main, it seems that convenience outweighs cost. One student commented that “sometimes you just feel like a Starbucks, and Williams and Tim Horton’s just doesn’t cut it.”

Construction has started, however the intrinsic details of the timeline and type of Shoppers have yet to be released.

Feminist icon to speak at Mac during Reading Week For those who consider the modern feminist movement as nothing more than a sham of its virile 20th century cousin, Michele Landsberg, a prominent Canadian feminist and former Toronto Star columnist, would have a few words of disagreement.

In fact, on Feb. 24 she will be coming to McMaster to argue the character of the new generation of feminism, one which she adds, “has more to be done.”

To her, the vibrancy of feminism is still strong, alive and most importantly, ongoing.

Fighting for the same egalitarian principles as it did in its inception, Landsberg suggests that universal equality for females is far from being obtained, social justice is a perpetual concern, and human dignity must be considered in all aspects, gender or not.

As a recipient of an honorary degree in Nursing from McMaster, Landsberg discussed her particular fondness of Hamilton. Back in the late 1970s, McMaster medical school, a proud pillar of progression in educational standards, was one of the few institutions in the nation to have an equal number of female and male students.

“McMaster holds a special place in my heart,” she said.

Tickets to the event entitled “Feminism Forward,” which will be housed in MDCL 1305, can be purchased online or by contacting 905-765-5487.

Mac ranked relatively highly on National Survey of Student Engagement In an annual report that charts the behaviours of undergrads and their experience at university, McMaster University has scored well – relatively – compared to other Canadian universities.

In the 2011 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which collects information about how students engage in the aspects of university and how the institutions either reflect or fail to reflect an environment that fosters learning and development, McMaster ranked among the highest for level of academic challenge while scoring relatively low for student-faculty interaction.

On the other hand, it scored NSSE national averages for a supportive campus environment, collaborative learning and enriching educational experience.

Besides just being a sample set of raw data, the NSSE survey results can be used by institutions to identify and subsequently enrich the areas of focus that the student body believe are lacking.

A6 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

EDITORIAL

editor’s extension: 22052 letters: thesil@thesil.ca

From the Editor:

The Silhouette

Don’t Toews me, bro

McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

TheSil.ca

“He can either stand with us or the child pornographers.”

Directing his words at the Liberal Party’s public safety critic this week during Question Period, Conservative MP Vic Toews defended a bill he introduced, which aimed to increase law enforcement access to the online lives of Canadians.

The legislation would force telecommunications companies to hand over customer information to authorities without a warrant. Critics are saying it is too intrusive and violates the civil rights of Canadians.

Toews, in his Question Period comment, didn’t care for that debate, though. Instead, he offered up a George Bush-like comment (remember the “you’re either with us, or the terrorists” beauty?) that completely ignores the discourse and says you’re either with a highly questionable violation of privacy or supportive of a heinous, unacceptable crime.

He’s since attempted to backtrack and say his comments have been taken out of context. But regardless of whether he still stands by his gross comparison, the undeniable fact is that Toews used a piece of bogus, demeaning rhetoric.

Toews’ job is, ostensibly, to defend his bill in front of the house. Instead, he chose what modern politicians all too often do: appeal to an outrageous, cheap piece of talk in the hopes that the opposition will balk at arguing, unwilling to risk being accused of defending child pornography.

We deserve better than this. Child porn is one of the lowest atrocities in our world. The fight against it deserves serious attention from our law enforcement and public officials.

Instead, Toews used it as a buzzword and a cheap pawn in an attempt to give his bill a security blanket from detractors.

The bill is extreme. It’s so bad that the Conservatives are worried about public backlash and are now compromising on amendments – this from the party that twice sent parliament packing because it was too close to making them look bad.

It’s also particularly confusing. The Conservatives railed against the long-form census as an invasion of personal privacy, but apparently unmitigated access to people’s online lives (Search warrants? Who needs a stinkin’ search warrant?) is totally fine.

Clearly, this is an issue in serious need of some debate – not just from scheming parliamentarians, but from Canadians who will hold them accountable for making rhetorically charged comments. A protest like the massive online outrage directed at SOPA and PIPA south of the border probably isn’t realistic, but it’s at least reasonable to expect people to be upset that the federal government is trying to get inside their laptops.

If this bill really is aimed at preventing child pornography, it needs some serious adjustment. All it does right now is reduce our freedoms and give Vic Toews another platform to make a fool of himself.

•

Editorial Board Brian Decker Executive Editor Sam Colbert Managing Editor Jonathon Fairclough Production Editor Farzeen Foda Senior News Editor Kacper Niburski Assistant News Editor Dina Fanara Assistant News Editor Andrew Terefenko Opinions Editor Fraser Caldwell Sports Editor Brandon Meawasige Assistant Sports Editor Natalie Timperio Senior InsideOut Editor Cassandra Jeffery Assistant InsideOut Editor Sonya Khanna Business Editor Jemma Wolfe Senior andy Editor Myles Herod andy Entertainment Editor

Brian Decker

Josh Parsons andy Music Editor

Letter to the Editor:

Tyler Hayward Senior Photo Editor

Challenging the status quo As a member of the McMaster Students Union, I wish to express how deeply disappointed I am after reading Joe Finkle’s (‘A Message, Loud and Clear,’ Feb. 9). The article attempts to bully and belittle genuine student efforts to create positive, sustainable and meaningful change on campus. Students across the globe are at the forefront of demonstrations which attempt to bring light to important social justice issues. Many socially and politically aware McMaster Students are concerned about poverty, equitable access to education and the subjugation of minority groups. Participating in peaceful activities and discussion that promote awareness about such issues should be encouraged rather than stifled and mocked, as Joe Finkle strives to do in his article.

• Shermeen Farooqi

do you want to work for the sil?

Renée Vieira Assistant Photo Editor Joy Santiago Multimedia Editor

Silhouette Staff Bushra Habib, Christine Pugliese, Julia Redmond, Chanéle Jordan, Amanda Teseo, Katherine George, Aaren Fitzgerald, Ben Orr, Maggie Cogger-Orr, Ryan Mallough, Rob Hardy, Erin Chesney, Paul Fowler, Nolan Matthews, Jason Scherer, Jenna Shamoon, Sandro Giordano, Jeremy Voisin, Chocolate Milk

you poor, sick bastard. after reading week, we’ll be opening up applications for all 2012/13 editorial positions. get your cover letters ready.

to taint bernards. to sack russell terriers.

Legal

Contact Us

Section Meeting Times

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 expressed in The Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, or university officials. 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.

McMaster University Student Centre, Room B110 McMaster University 1280 Main Street West Hamilton, ON L8S 4S4

Photo Fridays at 2:30 p.m. photo@thesil.ca

News

Thursdays at 2:30 p.m. news@thesil.ca

Business

E–Mail: thesil@thesil.ca Production Office (905) 525-9140, extension 27117 Advertising (905) 525-9140, extension 27557 10,000 circulation Published by the McMaster Students Union

Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m. business@thesil.ca

Sports

Thursdays at 2:30 p.m. sports@thesil.ca

InsideOut

Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. insideout@thesil.ca

andy

Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. andy@thesil.ca

Opinions

Fridays at 12:30 p.m. opinions@thesil.ca

did we upset you this week? are we blatantly offensive and unworthy of print? is this paper only good for making into a pirate hat? let us know. send us a letter and we’ll publish it right here on the editorial page. just don’t be too mean to us. thesil@thesil.ca

to the liberal use of sexual dog puns.

to minature peenschers.

to several empty ketchup bottles.

to terefenko.

to office growths.

to linsanity.

to budgets.

to vic ras. get well soon.

to bad tips.

to pc cerveza.

to cutouts.

to ringolos.

to all this friggin’ salt.

to motown next week!

to

to diet coke. damn your tasty addictiveness.

to phoenix delayed, again. boo urns.

to loud singalongs to ‘the weight.’

to getting waaayy to close to deadline.

to workin’ on the night moves.

to actual manipulated votes. that sucks.

to murrayland.

to bieber. always.

too random snacks with strangers at 4 am.

to nicki minaj. even gaga thinks you’re weird.

to pork roasts. to paul mccartney, you sly bastard. to kornheiser.

to hating on the beach boys. to concerts at the ship. really cool!

THE SILHOUETTE • A7

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

production office extension: 27117 opinions@thesil.ca

A polluted derision decision Andrew Terefenko Opinions Editor

“So long, and thanks for all the breaths.” Canadians, get used to adding this phrase to your daily diction in a decade, if this dastardly decision is not dismantled.

Environment Canada is pulling scientists away from monitoring the air pollution in various regions of Canada. They claim it is to assign them to “other priorities,” which are unnamed, but given that last year EC feared that as many as 700 jobs would be affected by budget cuts, those other priorities are likely more financially suitable for the organization. It’s a bad omen to consider any priorities higher than those of clean, breathable air.

This move did not come without criticism, of course, as many global environment research leaders strongly discouraged EC from going forward with this plan, but to no avail.

This move might very well knock Canada off it’s perch as a forerunner in environmental research, given our country’s diverse

ecology and relatively low levels of decided to fight air pollution only smog, among major world capitals. once it was a readily visible and im In addition to losing valuable mediate problem, and given that the smog-fighting manpower, EC has city boasts an average of two days also shut down five of six total light a week of blue skies, the fight was ranging stations across Canada that started a little too late. have been integral to evaluating This is the dilemma that I feel the damage done our nation is facing. by airborne fossil We are reprioritizfuel emissions. It There will always ing the problem of is outrageous to pollution because it think that facilities be other problems. is not in our faces, that exist solely the Now is not the time screwing with our further the greater 2012 daily routine, to shelve the health of the Canwhich seems to be importance of our a requirement for adian populace gaseous lifeline.” meaningful popular are lying dormant across Canada, support. with easily operat Worst yet is that ed equipment gathering dust at the we do not know what Environcost of our successors’ livelihoods. ment Canada’s plan is moving If you want a window into to- forward. We have yet to hear what morrow’s Canada in this grey new these “other priorities” are, which world, look no further than the might help in defending their unimedia’s smog staple, Beijing. Just versally detestable decision. Their under a year ago, Beijing air pollu- spokesman has also come forward tion was far above standard measur- to assure the world that EC will able levels, and citizens were urged “still [provide] world class analyto stay indoors, as even an hour sis,” which seems like a tall order outside would be a severe health for a recently downsized organizarisk. It is an example of a city that tion with less manpower in the field

after today.

What is truly incomprehensible is the theory that these scientists have been relocated to the oil sands and other potential fuel-bearing regions as a measure in bolstering Canada’s export economy and evaluating the risk of environmental damage caused by new drilling maneuvers. Would that not be contributing to the problem instead of remedying it?

We have more immediate problems; that much I can comprehend. There is a global financial crisis that we are obligated to tread about carefully. There is ongoing strife in the Middle East that we are expected to combat. There are twenty thousand metric Rob Fords of garbage that have no place to go while we pad the ground with it. No doubt additional problems will surface while those persist, as is their tendency. But there will always be other problems. Now is not the time to shelve the importance of our gaseous lifeline.

We breathe what we sow, and at the moment the seeds we are spreading are awfully grey.

FROM

1990 to 2005 THERE WAS TOTAL

TWELVE PER CENT

INCREASE IN ALL GROUND-LEVEL OZONE, AN INDICATOR OF SMOG.

AND THOUGH WE HAD A STABLE CHANGE UNTIL 2006, WE WERE STILL OVER THE AMOUNT REQUIRED BY THE KYOTO PROTOCOL BY A WHOLE

30 %

Cheaping up the place Drones for home Shashanth Shetty The Silhouette

TYLER HAYWARD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Rob Hardy

Silhouette Staff

It’s not until very recently that our evolution as a human race has finally allowed us to begin enjoying a life of relative material wealth – one where death by starvation or exceptionally poor shelter are no longer the norm. Though that level of poverty is still the case for many countries around the world. Gone is the era of Dickensian school days where much of the class arrived in rags and sat hungry in their seats.

(Though, to be fair, one in five American children are still living in poverty.) But what is different about today’s age, what perhaps partly makes officials and economists hesitate to label us approaching anything close to an economic depression, is the fact that society is absolutely swimming in “stuff.”

Back in the Great Depression of the last century, as many lives were thrown into tremendous economic devastation, one of the maxims of the days was “to make do” – and for some this meant literally scrounging for food scraps in the streets of New York. The rise of consumerism during the 1920s began to shame more frugal types who refused to give up making their own clothing, not spending some extra discretionary income simply because it was available for the time being. For those with that attitude,

the “Dirty Thirties” saw no cessation of quilting bees and ingenuous ways to make your dollars go further. The end of the Second World War, however, saw yet another increase in consumerist attitudes that have never really ceased.

Faced with the prospect of financial annihilation in our current hard times, as many have already experienced, the face of frugality and preparedness look much different today. One of the benefits of the times we are living in, despite a slash-and-burn job market, is that even though money coming in may be tight, resources and strategies for being in the black are abundant.

Recently, shows like Extreme Couponing have shown that by sacrificing all your spare time and storage space, you too can buy three cartloads of groceries for nearly nothing. To be serious, though, as much as some of these families “pay” in other ways for their hard-earned goodies, the idea of sacrificing and doing the leg work to get a better deal often mean the difference between living well or maxing out your credit card. Though retailers on this side of the border are allergic to the concept of double-coupon days, there is much wisdom to be gleaned from these tales.

Taking it to the next level, Extreme Cheapskates focuses on those who not only want to save money at the store, but to avoid going there at

all cost. Message boards regarding this program are buzzing with tips and discussion on how to best scrimp and save, though also when being cheap simply crosses the line.

One man dries his paper towels on a clothesline inside to reuse. One mom avoids the tissue aisle completely: her brood uses washable cloths she throws in the washing machine to save $20 a month on toilet paper.

Whichever side of the fence you’re on, it’s clear that a lot of the things we throw away today are actually useful in themselves.

Oftentimes, we are already getting two-for-one deals on much of our purchases. Margarine comes in a useful container that you can save for something else later, and bread bags can be washed out and re-used for other things, so you can bypass paying another nickel (six cents when you add the tax) for more plastic bags you don’t really need at home.

One of the less pleasant Canadian traditions from days of yore that’s rarely ever mentioned is the stacks of Sears catalogues that used to stock outhouses from coast to coast. Given the new trend in scavenging for needs by looking for what’s already available instead of flushing cash straight down the john, one might view that stack of fliers delivered to your door every week in a whole new light.

Way back when, about three of four years ago, a couple of buddies and I went to see a movie called Eagle Eye. Terrible movie. Never rent it.

Don’t even bother pirating it. It was a complete waste of the eight-dollar admission fee. The storyline was completely unrealistic, as was the acting of a clearly groggy Shia “I’ve-seen-more-pathos-from-those-robots-you-always-hang-around” Lebouf.

Basically, the plot went a little something like this: Man trusts machine, machine loses trust in man, machine attacks man, man ultimately defeats machine. The main villain in the movie was a super computer named ARIA, and “her” plot was to kill the president of the U.S. How did she intend on accomplishing such a difficult assassination? Interestingly, she relied primarily on using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or a drone. Obviously, in the end, she was not victorious. Lebouf’s character ended up defeating Aria/Megatron/T-1000/whatever and the earth was saved. I promptly went home and spent the day trying to erase the contents of the movie from my mind. What had initially been described as “this year’s number-one sci-fi thriller” had turned out to be something less.

That’s not to say that the movie was a complete loss. It did spark an interest in me that was to follow for quite a while. It got me interested in drones.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no misanthropic criminal mastermind, nor likewise, an engineer. I have no inclination, nor intent, to ever build or fly one of these. I’m interested in drones solely because I see value in them, because they truly are the future. Not only the future of warfare, but contrastingly, of human rights protection as well.

Let’s start off by doing a bit of explaining, though, shall we? Despite your startling good looks and your clearly impeccable grasp of the English language, I’m inclined to assume that you don’t know much about drones. I’m also inclined to assume that much of what you do know about drones comes from either news reports, or for the less involved, I guess maybe Call of Duty.

Drones have moved far beyond their objective war capabilities, and are now being used for all sorts of purposes, especially the reconnaissance drones. At the same time, drones and drone technology have simultaneously moved from the exclusionary hands of the U.S. Army into the private sphere. Customers can now buy drones from contractors for a pittance. What was once priced at upwards of a million dollars is nowadays priced at less then $600,000 to $700,000 thousand U.S. dollars. Not the predator drones, mind you. Those still cost a fortune. The reconnaissance drones, however, are another story.

You might be thinking, well what of it? What use do I have for a reconnaissance drone? Well, there are several, to be honest. Some of them are drawing investment right now. Greenpeace, for example, has purchased some of them, with the stated purpose of using them to watch Japanese whale hunters.

But why stop there? With a highly focused bird’s eye view of nearly any location, the possibilities become limitless. Think high-def surveillance of the African Savannah, capturing and documenting the hunting grounds and trade routes of poachers. Think fly-byes over the Amazon – some of the world’s most remote locations, now open to discovery.

Think video footage of the massacres in Syria, actual real-time evidence of the atrocities Assad and his bunch of thugs are capable of.

No longer would we have to count on the shaky cell phone films for an estimate of the dead and wounded. With drones, we could count the number of dead ourselves, and we could ensure that no face is ever for• PLEASE SEE UNMANNED, A9

HEAD TO HEAD

On the tail end of a recent celebrity death, the debate team challenges the idea that they should not be venerated of wrongdoing after death.

Page A8

Feedback

INSIDE

With reading week only a few mere days away, how are McMaster students planning to spend their precious free time?

Page A9

A8 • THE SILHOUETTE

HASHEEL LODHIA

HEAD TO HEAD DEBATE:

Should

VP FINANCE MCMASTER DEBATING SOCIETY

H: In almost every society, there exist celebrity role models. Particularly in North America, there are hundreds of celebrities that are looked upon by millions of people of all ages. It is even more evident that younger generations are constantly bombarded with impressions of what to be and how to act. However, with this power should come a high level of responsibility and consequence. Kate Moss, Whitney Houston (R.I.P.) and many other high-profile stars have a history of cocaine use. Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and several others have a history of drinking and driving. In many of these cases, little or no action is taken.

They can expect fines (which don’t put a stress on their wallet in the slightest) and occasionally a custodial sentence. In the rare case that they are condemned as equals to the rest of society, their highpaid lawyers have no problem settling things out for them, and they continue doing what they do best – flaunting their lifestyle. What message does this send out to our youth? What internal and international image does it give of our country for placing people above the law due to their wealth and fame? Celebrities need harsher and more realistic punishments to show the public that their crimes are in no way acceptable.

A: I do not agree with Hasheel’s argument that celebrities, due to their status as “role models” and the fact that they tend to have more resources than the average person, should be punished more harshly. First of all, I take issue

be held to standards as role models?

with the blanket use of the term “role model” when referring to celebrities. A role model is someone that people look up to, that they want to emulate in a positive way. Celebrities who have problems with the criminal justice system are not role models. These celebrities have displayed socially inappropriate behaviour, and even if they are not punished harshly for their offence, they are not given positive affirmation for their actions. In fact, it is always the opposite; their behaviour is deemed unacceptable. Also, though the media is a powerful force of socialization, people have many other influences in their lives, such as teachers, parents, peers, etc. It is more likely that a person steals a car because all of their friends are doing it than because they see a celebrity, who has done the same thing, receive a fairly light sentence for their actions. The celebrity is still being punished if they are fairly tried and convicted of a criminal offence. Celebrities aren’t the only ones with more resources than the average person. Wealthy people who are not in the public eye do too, and they also have access to better lawyers etc. Shouldn’t they be punished more harshly too, according to Hasheel’s argument? But, that doesn’t seem fair. This is a slippery slope, as every person is supposed to be equal in the eyes of the law.

H: Yes, celebrities who have problems with the justice system shouldn’t be considered role models, but the fact remains clear that they are. No pre-teen saw Lindsay Lohan in any less of a light after she got a DUI. Nor did their opinion change of her when she was given less than two hours of jail time, a small slap on the wrist, for a repeat offence (something that would not have been the case had any layman done the same). The purpose of the law is to reprimand those who have wronged society in a way that is proportional to the damage that has been done. I think it is extremely safe to say that an unknown homeless man doing crack in a back alleyway does not do nearly as much damage to society as a star of Jersey Shore snorting lines of coke on a hooker’s belly at a party, driving home drunk, feeling fly like a G6, and then having the details and pictures of their night plastered all over the media by the paparazzi. Yes, there are more influential roles in an adolescent’s life, such as parents and peers, but it is extremely ignorant to say that celebrities aren’t role

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

With only FIVE issues left of the Silhouette this year, your chances to contribute are slowly fading! If you have any strong opinions of recent events, ongoing world problems or even everyday annoyances, don’t waste another second and pitch your idea TO US. OPINIONS@thesil.ca

WE’LL TAKE ANYTHING.

celebrities

WELL, ALMOST ANYTHING.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

AMANDA MIHOUB WRIGHT VP PROMOTIONS MCMASTER DEBATING SOCIETY

models regardless of the bad personal decisions.

A: I disagree with Hasheel’s argument about the purpose of law. Laws are integral to the functioning of society; they facilitate social order. The concept of punishing someone in a way that is proportional to the damages that they have caused to society is not necessarily compatible with the idea of punishing celebrities more harshly for their crimes. The drug dealer who strategically befriends a vulnerable person just to hook them on drugs, or the drug cooker who actually created the drugs, is just as much, if not more, responsible for drug-related deaths and criminal offences than a celebrity who gets caught on camera taking drugs. Punishing a celebrity more harshly because they are in the public eye creates two different justice systems, which is detrimental to the functioning of society.

H: A celebrity is anyone deemed to be a national or international phenomenon, the world “celebrity” and “media” go hand in hand. The International Narcotics Control Board has openly stated that when celebrities take illegal drugs, it glamorizes them. Celebrities are not “normal” people. They are elevated above everyone else by choice. They enjoy greater benefits of society, but as a result, do more harm by condoning certain actions.

However, it is not only the act that is im-

portant when deciding punishment, but the surrounding issues and context of the crime. A woman who takes drugs in front of her children is not only committing a crime, but setting a bad example, and should therefore be reprimanded further. Punishing individuals proportional to the damages to society is very much relevant to celebrities, who choose to live a life under the public eye. Just like how politicians are often scrutinized for their every action, past or present, the same goes for celebrities.

A: While some celebrities may glamorize drugs, others also demonstrate the horrors of addiction and drug use, and serve as powerful examples of the horrors of drug abuse. “Celebrity” is also a term that is hard to define; would it apply to everyone in the public eye? Locally known people as well as internationally known people? A two-part justice system would be difficult to implement; one could not come up with a fair criteria to make the distinction in every case between celebrity and non-celebrity, or to distinguish the level of influence that a particular person is exercising on others. It just simply shouldn’t be relevant whether or not a person is a celebrity or not; the punishment should fit the crime. When judges sentence a criminal offender, depending on the charge, there are certain guidelines that they must follow. The legal system has to remain fair and unbiased for society.

THE SILHOUETTE • A9

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Unmanned bonanza

Drones are the way to bring a technologically-adept future to Canada

?

Compiled by Andrew Terefenko and Renée Vieira

What are your plans for reading week?

might have something to lose.

They’ve gone so far as to threaten to shoot down any drones that enter their airspace. But as drone prices go down and casualty numbers go up, you can be sure someone will be willing to take the risk to capture definitive proof of human right violations. Drones have changed the nature of the game forever.

And what, you might be asking, is Canada’s position on all this?

Well, that remains to be seen. As far as I know, we don’t currently have any drones, reconnaissance or predator, despite all their advantages.

Certainly, few of our news organizations and none of our NGOs could afford one. So, we are faced with a choice: as Canadians, we can either embrace drones wholeheartedly, or fall behind forever. Rest assured, those remain our only two choices. We’ve entered the age of drones, and now, there’s no going back.

Feedback

• CONT’D FROM A7 gotten. And because drones can be operated from neighboring countries, the use of these drones would pose no risk to their controller. NGO organizations would no longer have to choose between keeping their volunteers safe and actually getting results. News organizations would no longer have to worry about protecting their reporters and their camera crew.

Legally, this still remains a murky subject. States are not allowed to use reconnaissance drones against one another; it’s considered a violation of sovereignty. But as control of these drones shifts from the state to the private sector, the legality becomes increasingly less clear and more open to interpretation.

Some nations are dead set against the use of drones in any situation, including reporting, but, of course, those are the states that

“I’m going skiing in Broston, BC.”

-Justin FullerThomson, Mat. Eng. II

“Going to Montreal, to party and chill.”

-Projoy Roy, Math IV

“Going to the MTA Mac formal.”

-Thulashi Soorayatas, Life Science

“I have an interview to teach English in Japan.”

-Emily Fuginski, Biology IV

SpeculatoR A10 • THE SILHOUETTE

The Hamilton

Thursday, February 16, 2012

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

WEATHER High:

Threat of taint jabs.

Low:

Tolerance for taint jabs. SCRAP!!!

Putting googly eyes on plants since 1968

F

WASPs fighting back against laws

The Westdale Advocates of Steamy Playgrounds (WASPs) want to show you a good time. Ohhhhh yeah, baby.

Kinglsey Morris Speculator

The Westdale Advocates of Steamy Playgrounds (WASP) is reeling this week with news that the Conservative Party of Canada will be passing legislation that gives greater rights to law enforcement agencies in cracking down on child pornography and other senior-related activities.

Westdale, a self-proclaimed hotspot for the seedy and morally decrepit, is preparing for a flurry

of protests and raffle fundraisers in order to raise awareness for what they describe as “a gross display of the government meddling in our affairs with impressionable children.”

Blair Nelson, an Aquarius, jazz clarinetist and virile sodomite, appeared noticeably upset when the Speculator sat down with him at Your Cat Fiona’s in Westdale this past Tuesday. Grasping a bag of cinnamon hearts and a handful of chocolates, Nelson, President-elect of the WASPs, had just come back from a private meeting with his

closest advisors who had told him the grim news of the Tories’ proposed legislation.

“What I put on my Dell is my business”, Nelson remarked. “It’s not like the old days, when all you needed was a priest’s collar and a Polaroid camera. Things have changed, bub.” After a drawn-out conversation on Boy Scout protocol, we finally ended the interview.

He then refused to share his cinnamon hearts, stating that it was afternoon recess at Dalewood Middle School in 15 minutes.

SKIZZY IMAGES

Although the majority of Westdale residents (predominantly WASPs) are against the legislation, the Conservative Union for National Toddler Safety (CUNTS) believe that the Internet spying bill is a godsend to parents and Internet activists alike. Leslie Weathernick, one of the more notable CUNTS in the Westdale community, sat down with us to discuss the implications of the new Conservative legislation.

“Vic Toews said it pretty clearly”, remarked Weathernick.

“You’re either on our side, or on

the side of the child molestors. I don’t think anybody, in Westdale or elsewhere, can really disagree with that.” Weathernick cited the American Patriot Act and the lesser known “Peeping Tom Pyongyang Act” of 1991 as examples of how effective Internet regulations and security can be in furthering the international reputation of morally bereft, power-abusing countries.

But the new online surveillance bill won’t affect just the WASPs and CUNTS of Westdale; at the end of the day, this will affect us all. Porn sites will most certainly be paying the toll with their diminished Internet traffic, ensuring that the “teen princess” videos that we all enjoy are actually of legal-aged men and women. Other factions expected to be affected by the Conservative bill will be Catholic Archives of Children and Kindergartens (CACK) and the Boy Souts Association of Canada. Both are reported to have stockpiles of post-confirmation party and pow-wow photos that have been protected up until now by the former Internet privacy bills drafted by Jean Chretien’s desperate cousin, Louis.

Regardless of whether this privacy bill passes or not, we all need to think long and hard about the status of government in our everyday lives, as well as the status of the hard drives on our computers.

Maybe the WASPs are right, maybe the CUNTS are right. Either way, I need to figure out how to use a proxy server correctly.

Reinventing the colour wheel Tiberius Slick Speculator

The world is abuzz as a Norwegian research team based in Oslo has made a breakthrough in the colour spectrum exploratory field.

The team is claiming to have discovered a previously hidden sector of the spectrum, a colour they are temporarily dubbing, “Noro” in likeness to the pale shade that is exhibited in the taints of food poisoning victims.

Hans Tvervög, the lead researcher of the now-renowned team, released a statement that shone a light on the accomplishment, stating that, “Norway can finally be proud of discovering something other than the most foul-smelling ways to prepare fish.”

Tvervög is personally retaining all rights to reproduce the colour, which is causing a stir in the colour-reproduction lobby. Crayola spokesman Jay “Olive Green” Johnson retorted the decision, citing “the intense desire for my organization to spread this colour to all the children in the world, so that they may accurately draw pictures of their neglected, hungry turtles.”

A separate research team hailing from China, Illinois is threatening to pursue litigation against the Oslo team as “the colour was discovered on the taint of one of our researchers at a recent Spectrum Explorer Conference, and thusly should belong to us as intellectual property.” The taint-bearer of the U.S. team is also planning to seek additional damages for “intense, passionate

trauma without calling back after.”

“We do not feel it is currently appropriate to discuss legal matters in light of such a world-shattering discovery,” said Tvervög when asked about the sudden legal matter.

“If they have a dispute with our claims, then they can come to Oslo and inspect our taints, a process necessary to claim ownership of such a hefty hue.”

“We don’t see the appeal of this discovery,” replied James Gordo, president of the NAAC, the North American Alliance of the Colourblind.

Norwegian Public Health officials are concerned about the new colour, as they feel it “inspires intense vomiting in the few citizens who have had the chance to see it through contests and raffles,” and that, “more testing should be conducted before releasing the visual equivalent of being downwind of a week-old ass sandwich.”

The art world is already eager in anticipation for using this colour in raw and unfiltered representations of the “truly shitty human spirit.” Notable painter and fair trade café owner Carl Wert assures skeptics that “Noro is just too real for the mainstream. It is a perfect colour to shine a light on how readily the public accepts the thousands of colours that don’t invoke strong gastronomic motions.”

The colour has already been banned in the sketchy parts of Germany, you know the ones, and costs twice as much theoretically in Australia to use and reproduce. On the tail of this discovery, the team is also claiming to be on the verge of discovering a new sound, but most feel that it is probably just the by-product of potent alcohol.

SAL “MEATBALL” MARINARA

Noro, seen on this colour wheel, is expected to revolutionize the traditionally exclusive niche of colour theory, and revolutionize our lunch in the process. It’s also supposed to smell really bad, become incredibly contagious, ruin keynote speeches and turn a really ragin’ party into a pukeapalooza.

“Did you hear?

The ‘M.D’ stands for

massive dong!”

Disclaimer: Stories printed in The Hamilton Speculator are fact. Any resemblance to persons real or dead is likely intentional and done out of spite. Opinions expressed are those of The Speculator and if you disagree with them you are wrong. And stupid. Possibly ugly as well.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012

THE SILHOUETTE • A11

A12 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2012

Approaching your amour Tyler Welch The Silhouette

Do you remember the days when letting out even the slightest hint of a crush would lead to a merciless interrogation by your classmates and peers?

Do you recall those days, maybe in grade five or six, when your life would become miserable as your friends chanted, “Phillip and Suzy sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G”?

(This, of course, would only have been the case if both your name, and the name of your prospective suitor, was either Phillip or Suzy, but you get the point.) My fear is that many of us, despite our advancements in age, education and life experience, have failed

Simply showing interest in getting to know someone further should no longer be reason for ridicule. Give your friends some time to transition.” to grow out of this immature attitude toward the prospect of romantic involvement.

Even in university, a place where we are supposed to grow up, find ourselves and be moulded into responsible adults, the knowledge that one of your friends “likes” another will cause their words to be examined, their actions scrutinized and both involved to become a popular topic of discussion.

The problem here isn’t the discussion, it’s the manner of that discussion. No matter what, other people’s love lives will always be an interesting topic of conversation.

However, it’s not as though we gather with our friends and maturely evaluate the outlook of potential romantic intertwinements. Rather, we spend much of the time pointing out flaws in either (or both) partners, laughing at our friend’s newfound joy

and excitement, or making crude jokes about their possible physical interactions.

I believe part of the problem is that our friends and peers have no time for transition. Their minds have to jump from knowing you as single, when school and friends are your top priority, to knowing you as pursing, or in, a romantic relationship, with very other priorities.

For this reason, I’ve created a term to bridge the gap and to describe the confusing intermediary period between singleness and romantic attachment: PRI (potential romantic interest), which can be used to describe someone, without embarrassment, as a person you have met and could possibly see a romantic future with, but by no means are you losing sleep over the prospect.

A person can acceptably have more than one PRI at a time. This is a great middle stage in romantic development. A person can become a PRI early or late, when you first meet or years into a friendship. Once a person is placed on the PRI list, he or she can be further examined and observed, and effort can be made to get to know them better.

From this stage, one can be dropped from the list, remain a PRI or move up to a full-fledged RI (romantic interest). A prospect can remain on the list for decades, or be dropped/moved up in a matter of hours.

The beauty of the PRI is that it’s nothing to be embarrassed of. No one can respectfully tease another person for having a PRI – we all have them.

There is not one person who doesn’t have at least somebody they could possibly see romantic interest in.

Now, when a bro turns to another bro and says, “Hey bro, what’s the deal with that girl?” it’s fine to hear a reply saying, “Oh, she’s a PRI”.

Romance takes time; it takes persistence and patience. Simply showing interest in getting to know someone further should no longer be reason for ridicule. Give your friends some time to transition.

Use the term ‘PRI’ and the romantic waters will be easier to navigate.

YOUSIF HADDAD / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Putting the moves on potential beaus can take a lot of deliberation as friends look on.

The Personal Injury Lawyers

Our Team... On Your Side.

STEPHANIE WERNER

PAT LENNON

ROB FINDLAY

SARA JONES

KATIE SANDFORD

Auto Insurance: The government regulates the prices insurance companies can charge for auto and other insurance. On September 1, 2010 a lot of changes were made to your auto insurance. Even though there are now far fewer benefits available to help you recover if you are injured in a car accident, you probably didn’t see you premiums go down. For a complete list of the changes and the contact information for your Member of the Ontario Parliament, call us! We can help.

NOT FEELING WELL? CAR ACCIDENTS & OTHER INJURIES

TRUTH • JUSTICE • SAFETY

VISIT OUR PHARMACY FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS! 1579 MAIN ST. WEST (AT RIFLE RANGE RD.)

www.FindlayLaw.ca

S1 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

The Silhouette

Rookie wrestler Jason Buckle grabs the OUA Rookie of the Year award along with a gold medal in the OUA Wrestling Championships. See S3.

SPORTS

YOUR SOURCE FOR MCMASTER MARAUDERS SCORES, STORIES, UPDATES AND ANALYSIS

YOUSSIF HADDAD / SILHOUETTE STAFF

COMEBACK COMPLETED

SWIMMING

Mac’s swim teams garner 27 medals at the OUA Championships. See S3.

FRASER CALDWELL / SPORTS EDITOR FRASER CALDWELL / SPORTS EDITOR

MEN’S BASKETBALL

FRASER CALDWELL / SPORTS EDITOR

After reeling off an eight-game winning streak, the Marauder women’s volleyball team clinched a home playoff game on their final road trip of the season in Toronto. See S2.

The Marauder men’s basketball team cracks the national top ten. See S7.

PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

S2 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Women’s Volleyball

Men’s Volleyball

Remarkable run brings home playoff

York looms in playoff future

Fraser Caldwell Sports Editor

Just over a month ago, it seemed almost unthinkable that the Marauders would host a playoff game this season.

The team was 3-6 as they resumed conference play, having struggled through the growing pains of a young squad searching for a collective identity.

Indeed, a playoff spot of any variety was in danger as McMaster faced a daunting second half with matches against all four of the conference’s top teams.

Yet, as the OUA season wrapped up on Feb. 12, the Maroon and Grey knew that they were to return to the Burridge Gym. From the province’s middling ranks, the Marauders had rocketed to its upper echelons on the back of a winning streak that reached eight matches.

Even while their incredible run came to a halt in their final match at York, no score line could rob the McMaster team of their accomplishment.

Speaking in the midst of quarterfinal preparation, Marauder coach Tim Louks indicated that the prospect of a home playoff contest was the proverbial carrot constantly dangled in front of his battling players.

“For the players, it was that specific comment that kept them on track,” said Louks.

“We still had a lot of ground to cover, but at the same time, to give them a little bit of focus we threw it out there. We were going to need some help and at that time you didn’t know what help it was going to be.

“It wasn’t out of reach, and lo and behold, here we are.”

The crucial victory that cemented McMaster’s remarkable comeback came at the expense of the Toronto Varsity Blues on Feb. 11, as the Marauders leapfrogged their longtime rivals into the fourth spot in the OUA standings with a four-set win in the big city.

For his part, Louks believes that his team’s performance was far from perfect in their Saturday afternoon triumph, and indicated that the Marauders will address their attacking • PLEASE SEE LOUKS, S8

Fraser Caldwell Sports Editor

For a Marauder team that had sealed the second seed in the OUA playoffs a week before, the season ending tilt at York on Feb. 12 meant little to nothing. But don’t tell that to Marc Begin.

The rookie member of the Maroon and Grey had seen little to no time on court this season, being buried on a stacked depth chart and struggling to adapt to the university game. But with his team trailing two sets to one against the Lions, Begin was inserted into the lineup to test his luck against the Marauders upcoming quarterfinal opponents.

More than simply playing out his rare cameo, Begin excelled. Although he has practiced and been penciled in throughout the season as a libero, the Marauder rookie played on the outside of the McMaster formation and provided an instant attacking spark.

In less than two full sets, Begin notched seven total points and converted six of nine hitting attempts. His renaissance lifted the Marauders’ spirits, and the visitors would win the final two sets to snatch a five-set victory from the jaws of defeat.

Winning the game ball from his coach and teammates for his late-game heroics, the Marauder rookie expressed his surprise at his sudden discovery of form.

“I’d say that I was surprised,” said Begin of the Sunday afternoon performance. “One of the main reasons that I wasn’t getting as much time was that I’d been struggling at practice. This being my first year I’ve felt like I’ve been having trouble getting into the swing of things.

“Sunday was the first time that I really felt comfortable. Everything seemed to be going right for me for the first time since the season started. It was just one of those days.”

Part of Begin’s battle this year has been a problem known to any first-year varsity athlete: the challenge of learning to adequately balance school and training. But while he admits to suffering early in his university career under the burden of scheduling, the rookie Marauder is confident that he has established a workable routine that does justice to both his school and workout requirements.

“I definitely like the scheduling format better than high school,” said Begin of the more free-flowing class schedule of the uni-

FRASER CALDWELL/SPORTS EDITOR

Michael Sjonnesen finishes a kill during Mac’s 3-2 win at York on Feb. 12. versity level. “But it’s still not easy though, because you’ve got to fit your studying into some pretty awkward times. And with my program, all of my classes are conflicting with practice.

“I’ve had to miss some practice time and that makes it hard to get the reps in and keep up with the rest of the guys sometimes. But I think I’ve figured a routine out and it seems to be working for me.”

On court, Begin’s adaptation to the more

demanding university game hit early snags, and saw him drop down the depth chart at the libero spot. More seasoned Marauders Sean Lowe and Chris Spack were performing well as a defensive tandem, and the rookie appeared to be the odd man out.

Interestingly, it is because of his difficulties at libero that Begin earned the opportunity to cut his teeth on the outside.

• PLEASE SEE POST SEASON, S8

THE SILHOUETTE • S3

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Swimming

Wrestling

Team effort brings silver

Buckle claims Rookie of the Year award Fraser Caldwell Sports Editor

that we truly were a team,” said the Marauder coach. “We had some marquee swimmers but the effort was across the board. When you look at the sheer number of lifetime-best performances and the number of athletes who performed in the moment, it was a total team effort.”

The foundation of that broad-based success is to be found in the Maroon and Grey’s training, a regime that Cole sees as having transformed his swimmers over a period of several years. While that progression has largely flown under the radar without results on the provincial and national stages, the Marauders’ newly achieved benchmark has raised eyebrows across the conference.

“No one saw the work that we were doing,” said Cole. “People may have heard of our improvements but unless you’re winning they don’t pay it much mind. Our swimmers have been working diligently and quietly – training year-round with me – and the results are plain to see.

There was considerable expectation surrounding the Marauders as they hosted the OUA Wrestling Championships at the Burridge Gym on Feb. 11. Beyond the natural pressure of hosting the provincial title tournament, the Maroon and Grey boasted the top-ranked men’s contingent in Ontario.

Attaining the fourth position in the final CIS top ten of the season, the Marauder men were widely viewed as the team to beat in the OUA. Unfortunately for the hosts, they would be narrowly edged out in combined points by the Western Mustangs to finish on the second rung of the podium.

While such a finish would be an accomplishment worthy of bragging to many programs, McMaster’s wrestlers express their disappointment with their inability to claim the top spot. Veteran competitor Kevin MacLellan – himself a repeat gold medalist in the 82-kilogram weight class – voiced his own frustration with the result, while admitting that the Marauders could have done little else.

“There was a lot of disappointment throughout the team,” said MacLellan. “We really wanted to be first, but based on our performances, I think the guys did everything they could. You couldn’t really ask for anything more from our guys.”

Jason Buckle, a rookie standout in the 57-kilogram weight class who garnered a gold medal and the OUA’s Rookie of the Year honour echoed his teammates sentiments and spoke of the team’s confidence leading into the event.

“Other schools thought we were pretty strong going into that tournament,” said Buckle of the Feb. 11 event. “We weren’t one hundred per cent sure of winning, but we felt pretty confidence especially given the guys we had lined up at the different weight classes.”

Despite the disappointment of missing out on a team-wide gold medal, MacLellan acknowledged the achievement involved in his squad’s rising to fourth in the country.

For the fourth-year wrestler, the team’s posi-

• PLEASE SEE RESULTS, S4

• PLEASE SEE GRAPPLERS, S4

FRASER CALDWELL / SPORTS EDITOR

Konrad Bald has been one of the most improved Marauder swimmers this year and won gold at the OUA event.

Fraser Caldwell Sports Editor

For several years, the dual powerhouses of the Toronto Varsity Blues and Western Mustangs have ruled over the ranks of OUA swimming. But over the course of the threeday conference championships that ran from Feb. 9-11, the Marauders caused a reordering of the traditional power structure.

Led by veteran Cameron Bailey – who would be named the OUA’s Male Swimmer of the Year at the conclusion of the meet – the Marauders garnered 27 medals as a team and eight of the golden variety. And while the McMaster women fell just short of Western to finish third as a team, the Marauder men overcame the Mustangs to clinch squad-wide silver.

On the topic of the men’s ability to break into the top two, McMaster coach Andrew Cole indicated that his team had long believed that such a development was possible.

“We all knew that we could do it,” said Cole of the achievement. “We knew as we

went through the meet that if we took care of the process and if everyone stepped up and raced their race, we could pass [Western] on the last day.

“We knew that the 400 individual medley and the last relay were going to be strongholds for us, and the guys did the job in the morning to get all of the second swims in the finals. It was a great crowning glory, but it was also a little bittersweet because we haven’t beaten Toronto yet. You notice that the operative word there is yet.”

It would be quite easy to point to Bailey as the source of the Marauders’ breakthrough. After all, the man racked up five gold medals and one silver in three days of competition, and was named the OUA’s Athlete of the Week for his efforts.

But Cole emphasizes that while leading swimmers such as Bailey have been integral to the squad’s success, the Marauders’ success at the provincial level came as a result of team-wide effort.

“It is a team event, and anyone that watched the meet as it streamed could tell

THE SILHOUETTE • S4

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Wrestling

Swimming

Grapplers look forward to CIS

Results follow from healthy attitude • CONT’D FROM S3

YOUSSIF HADDAD / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Jason Buckle capped an impressive rookie season with an OUA gold medal in the 57-kilogram weight class. back. But this year brought a different kind relaxing it and the trainer ran in and told me • CONT’D FROM S3 of excitement that definitely wasn’t any less to get back out there. I wasn’t thinking about tion represents the highest it has attained in and might have been greater than the first. it at the time so it caught me off guard.” his time with the program.

“That’s because it was at home, and With the national tournament in sight, “I was surprised with the number four my family, friends and high school coaches both MacLellan and Buckle stress the imranking because the highest I’d seen before were here along with the alumni and fans. portance of adhering to their established while I’ve been here was number seven or Winning at home was a really special feel- programs if they are to taste further success. so,” said MacLellan. “It’s been a long time ing.”

“A big part of the success for me over since we’ve had such a solid team and have Buckle by comparison was enjoying his the weekend came from sticking to a game sent as many guys to the CIS event as we very first taste of the conference champion- plan,” said MacLellan. are.” ships after a stellar rookie season chalked “So over the next week or two the coach For the Marauders’ heavyweight stand- full of podium finishes. es and I are going to develop the game plans out, the gold medal won within the friendly His season-long success would be needed to face the guys that I’ll be seeing at confines of the Burridge Gym represents his capped off in the best possible way on Feb. nationals, and I’ll stick to those.” second consecutive triumph in the 82-kilo- 11 as the first-year Marauder won his weight “We have a week and a half left to train, gram weight class. MacLellan believes that class and was named as the most outstanding and Nick and the staff have plans ready for each medal is significant for its own reasons, rookie in the province. each of us personally,” added Buckle. “I’m and that the latest may be even sweeter than Buckle expressed his surprise with re- confident that they know how to prepare us the first. gard to the honour, which caught unawares properly for the CIS event.”

“Last year was exciting because it was in the wake of competition.

The Marauders will test those preparamy first gold, and I beat a guy that had beat- “I didn’t expect it at all,” said Buckle of tions when they travel to Lakehead to paren me earlier in the year,” said the Marauder the award. “I was in the trainer’s room just in ticipate in the national tournament from Feb. veteran. “That one got the monkey off my my singlet with a heating pack on my back 24-25.

“Konrad Bald for example went from being a 1:10 100-metre breaststroker to a 1:01 100-metre breaststroker. There isn’t another athlete in the country that has improved like that. McMaster swimmers are good, solid kids coming in and they’re becoming international-quality athletes.”

Integral to the progress enjoyed through training is a belief in the process, and Cole lauds his athletes for maintaining the faith even while results had yet to come their way.

“The tough part is that you have to put in the work first – years of it,” said the Marauder mentor.

“Our athletes have tried to believe that if they put the work in, they’ll see the results. A lot of athletes expect the results first. They’ll put a little more effort in when they see a little more from the results.

“Our swimmers have worked extremely hard and it’s great to see them get these results. There were 17 team records that fell this weekend. It’s been our best performance in my time here, and what’s even more rewarding for me is that these swimmers weren’t necessarily stars coming in.”

While the current crop of Marauder swimmers may not have entered university as stars, they are certainly beginning to fill that role.

However, despite the success enjoyed at the provincial level, Cole remains adamant that the goal at the upcoming CIS Championships will be further progression rather than silverware.

“We’ll go into the CIS Championships next week just focusing on the process of what we need to do to swim fast, and we’ll continue to improve,” said the coach. “It would be nice to win some medals next weekend, but that’s not the focus. The focus has to be on continuing to try to improve as elite level athletes.”

The Marauders will look to demonstrate that progress when those members of the Maroon and Grey qualified at the national standard make the pilgrimage to Montreal for the CIS Championships.

The national meet will run from Feb. 2325 at the University of Montreal.

THE SILHOUETTE • S5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Feature

Puskas brings pro experience to Mac Maggie Cogger-Orr Silhouette Staff

Many of the Kinesiology students at McMaster will tell you they have aspirations to be physiotherapists. For lots of those students, the ultimate opportunity is to work for a professional sports team.

For seventeen CFL seasons, Chris Puskas lived that dream as an Athletic Therapist for both the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger Cats, winning two Grey Cups.

Puskas began his journey towards athletic therapy at Laurentian University in Sudbury, where he graduated with an Honours degree in Physical and Health Education. From there he returned to South Western Ontario to attend Sheridan College in Oakville, where he graduated from Sports Injury Management in 1996. In addition, Chris also has a Doctorate in Acupuncture and in 2004 was certified as Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

February marks Puskas’ one year anniversary with McMaster, as it was announced in February of 2011 that Chris would be leaving the Tiger Cats to come to McMaster as the Head Athletic Therapist. This role sees him as the primary therapist for the McMaster football team as well as responsible for all medical field coverage of all McMaster varsity teams.

The move from working with professionals to student athletes is one which obviously brought many changes, Puskas’ had this to say about the adjustment.

“With the Ti-Cats, it was their job obviously, so 24 hours a day could be football related if needed. So if you didn’t see an injury in person, you could see video of the injury from all different angle and immediately start treatment. Whereas here, with student athletes, the challenge is because everyone has so many other things to do, so you don’t always get the time you need with them – whereas pro sport is the ideal situation.”

In his brief time at McMaster, Puskas’ has obviously enjoyed immense success with the Football Program. Winning the Yates Cup, the Uteck Bowl and the school’s first Vanier Cup is something which without a doubt can be considered a huge reward, but that’s not all Puskas’ has found rewarding about working at McMaster.

“Winning is always nice, but there are

TYLER HAYWARD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Football lineman Chris Pickard (left) is one of many Mac athletes to get regular attention from Chris Puskas. a few things that make it so rewarding. The school and the department convinced me they were committed to excellence, not only academically but also athletically...as I have seen, their facilities speak to that and the staff speak to that. Most of all their commitment to continuing to improve academically and athletically when they already are at such a high level, speaks to that. I can only do things one way, I hate losing. I wanted to be somewhere where people around me

were going to put the same effort in.”

The move to McMaster has also seen Puskas’ grow and develop in many aspects of his life: “To be able to work with other allied health care professionals, that are equally passionate about what they do has been a big growing area for me on a professional level. On a personal level, working with all the different sports has been huge.

Not that I’m not a football fan, but I like being around all the other sports too; so you

grow, you see different things, all the different stresses of the different sports, makes you more rounded as a therapist, keeps you entertained,” he says.

Not only has Puskas’ benefitted from the move to McMaster but his three sons, Noah (age 8), Benjamin (age 6), and Joshua (age 4) have also enjoyed the change. “With [my sons], the opportunity to be around a uni• PLEASE SEE PHYSIOTHERAPY, S6

S6 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012

Women’s Basketball

Mac searches for .500

Feature

Physiotherapy proves to be crucial for Mac athletes • CONT’D FROM S5

PRESTON KWAN/SILHOUETTE STAFF

A couple of key losses have the Marauders looking to recover and finish the season with an even record.

Ben Orr

Silhouette Staff

The theme of the Marauders’ last two games has undoubtedly been retribution. Unfortunately for McMaster, those measures of revenge have come at their expense.

Over their past two games, the Maroon and Grey have fallen at the hands of teams they conquered in previous tilts this season.

On Feb. 11 that squad was Guelph, and four days later the Western Mustangs took their turn.

First, the Guelph Gryphons welcomed the Marauders to the Mitchell Athletic Centre with all the hostility of a hornet’s nest, earning a 76-68 win.

After trailing by six after the first quarter, Mac managed to get within three of their hosts by the half, led by fifth-year captain Taylor Chiarot. However, the Gryphons would clamp down on defence and Ali Dzikowski and Marlee Freeman would dominate offensively for the home squad, outscoring the Marauders 22-18 in the

fourth stanza. The effort was good enough for the eight-point victory. The loss dropped the Maroon women to a .500 record, a mark they have struggled to improve on this season.

The Marauders would remain on the road for their penultimate clash of the season, heading to London to take on newly anointed Western University on Wednesday night. The Mustangs visited Burridge Gym one week earlier and had been sent home unhappy after a 14-point loss.

With revenge on their mind, the ‘Stangs shot lights out in the first quarter on their way to an impressive 31 points in the opening period. Katelyn Leddy led Western, shooting 62 per cent from the floor and totaling 25 points.

With a 17-point deficit heading into the second, the Marauders would outscore Western 18-17 in the quarter, but still faced a daunting task at halftime.

Chiarot would again lead her squad in scoring with 24 points, and her supporting cast was impressive as the comeback be-

gan in the third quarter. Hailey Milligan (10 points) would dominate in the paint and Liz Burns (12) and Vanessa Bonomo (13) shot well as the visitors would draw within 12 heading into the final quarter.

The comeback would simply run out of time, however. Despite the Marauders pulling within three points midway through the fourth, the Mustangs’ Lacey Knox was clutch in the final minutes and the home side clinched the 77-70 win.

The pair of losses drops McMaster to 10-11, and both games had serious playoff implications. The Marauders currently sit in fifth place in the OUA West, one spot behind the Mustangs and one ahead of the Gryphons. The top six teams from both the OUA West and East qualify for the playoffs, and the top two teams from each division earn first-round byes.

The Marauders will welcome the Laurier Golden Hawks to Hamilton for their final game of the season on Feb. 18. Game time for the Saturday afternoon contest at the Burridge Gym is 12 p.m.

versity setting has been a great opportunity they might not end up there, but they’re already talking about how “They wanna go to Mac.” Having them see the demands of university athletics, but also the academic requirements to be able to play – it’s a great balance for them to see. Over the past year, they’ve been athletically exposed all the different sports, picking up every ball or stick they possibly could.”

As his one year anniversary at McMaster approaches, Chris is already thinking long term, and has a variety of things he wants to bring to Marauder Athletics in the future.

“I want to bring a little bit of the professional approach to the department. We’re definitely well on the way, there is no question. In large part, what I have to offer to McMaster is my experience, both personal, from getting a variety of surgeries and living through the rehab, and having played sports at a fairly competitive level throughout my life.”

“Being around the various post secondary schools I have attend being surrounded by athletes who are competing for so long, has all moulded me into the therapist that I am...which is the experience and what I think I bring to Mac.” As McMaster continues to work to be at the forefront of athletics in Canada, Puskas is aware of how sports medicine at McMaster needs to adjust for that. “The goal really is for McMaster, from a sports medicine point of view, to apply the model we use for the football team to as many other varsity teams as possible.”

All the varsity athletes have enjoyed the past twelve months with Chris in our midst; he was always willing to lend a helping hand to the student therapists, whether it was with taping or assessments.

His family, including his sons, who have stolen many female varsity athletes’ hearts) and wife Crystal have fully embraced the Marauder community and hopefully will be part of it for many years to come.

THE SILHOUETTE • S7

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Football

Men’s Basketball

Mac receiver takes admin job with CFL

National attention for Mac

Brandon Meawasige Assistant Sports Editor

For any member of the 2011 Vanier Cup winning McMaster Marauders it has been a year that will always never be forgotten, not only for the players and coaches but also for the entire McMaster community.

Some of the players on the team next year will provide an opportunity to defend the national title and once again represent the Maroon and Grey. Players that will not be returning, on the other hand, will have to experience what life is like after McMaster and Marauder football.

Fifth year senior receiver Matt Peressini, who played a larger role in the championship season and is tied for the most touchdown receptions in program history, is one of these players. In what would seem to be an ideal situation for a former player, the Canadian Football League has hired Peressini.

He’ll be taking over as their new coordinator of football operations.

“Basically my position deals with anything that has to do with the game and the players. I will be involved with player transactions and organizing events,” said Peressini of his new position off the field.

The transition from player to executive is a natural evolution that allows for Peressini to incorporate his personal experiences on the field in order to make an impact at his new position.

“It helps that I have a strong passion for football. I just want to be able to help make the league better and help as many people as possible along the way,” continued Peressini. The receiver applied for the job shortly after hearing about the opening at the position. Within a month, he received word of his hiring. The job “came out of nowhere” for the long time Marauder.

“I consider myself pretty lucky, it feels great. For some guys when you are done playing, you’re done with the game forever so I consider this a blessing,” said Peressini.

Peressini says his hiring sets not only an example for McMaster athletes as to how to progress after graduation but also for student athletes everywhere who must brave life af-

PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

Guard Joe Rocca had a career high 27 points against Guelph.

Brandon Meawasige Assistant Sports Editor

Before the 2011/2012 OUA basketball season, the powerhouse teams of Carleton, Lakehead and Laurier held a firm place in the CIS top ten national rankings, a list that did not include a fourth OUA team until Tuesday when the usual suspects were joined by the surprising McMaster Marauders.

Although touted early as a young and developing team given their inexperience at several positions, the Marauders in fact have been the benefit of tremendous play from a number of rookies. With most of the attention being drawn to rookie guard Adam Pre-

sutti, it had been easy to forget the contributions from other freshmen.

That is, until first-year guard Joe Rocca scored 27 points on Saturday during an 8779 road win over the Guelph Gryphons.

“All the people associated with Joe expected that to happen sooner than later.

Looking at the stat sheet, one thing you don’t see is how he plays defensively,” said Head Coach Amos Connolly.

“The offensive output by Joe is not a surprise. He did it all through high school and at this level we need him to contribute consistently on defense in order to stay on the court and be a factor.”

With the win, the Marauders stretched

their unbeaten streak to six games in a row and in doing so garnered national recognition for their efforts by clinching a berth in the CIS top ten for the first time since the 2009/2010 season and the first time with Connolly as bench boss.

The challenge for the Marauders will now be staying focused in light of their new position amongst the Canadian university basketball elite, something Coach Connolly believes his team is capable of.

“I haven’t heard anything from the guys, they haven’t addressed it. They are pretty focused right now and realize the importance of today. Even though it is a milestone for our program, maintaining our composure and staying focused is our biggest concern right now,” said Connolly before Wednesday night’s road game in London against the Western Mustangs.

The last time these two teams played one another McMaster defeated the Purple and White by a score of 77-63 in Burridge Gymnasium. Unfortunately, not all things were going the Marauders way as third year guard Victor Raso went down with an injury in that contest.

Raso is the team’s captain and emotional leader, a role that will need to be filled in order to close out the remainder of the season.

“It is Cam Michaud time. He is an OUA all star and though he had a bit of a slump, this is the opportunity for him to take over and lead this team without Victor in the line up,” said Connolly.

“We have very good leaders and very good followers on this team and those roles change at different times but there is no ego attached for us.”

Building a culture without emphasis on individual success is part of the culture that Connolly is trying to institute into this program.

“Character and respect are a big part of what we do here. Ego is out of it and when our role model guys communicate the younger guys listen,” Connolly said of the chemistry within the team’s locker room.

The Marauders have proven themselves as a legitimate contender in the OUA. With a top ten ranking and a variety of rookie contributors, it shouldn’t be a surprise if the culture being built within this program sticks around for a long time.

S8 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Women’s Volleyball

Men’s Volleyball

Louks looks for improvement

Post season next up for Marauders

• CONT’D FROM S2 choices as they look forward to a rematch with the Blues in their upcoming conference quarterfinal on Feb. 18.

“On our side, I thought we were okay, but I don’t know if we executed as well as we could,” said Louks. “I think we were a little inconsistent. Our hitters hit some balls in places that will be better this weekend.

We’re going to continue this week to address some of the decision-making that I thought could have been better.”

In his evaluation of the Toronto victory, the coach reserved special praise for hitters Lauren Skelly and Patricia Raso. The two outside players have struggled with injury and been held off court for much of the season, but exerted positive influences in McMaster’s all-important win.

“I thought Skelly was great and so was Raso,” said the Marauder bench boss. “Both of them had windows of opportunity and they opened those windows. Skelly was tactically very good and had a big impact. Raso was neutral – didn’t hurt us and didn’t help us – but put enough stress on our opponents and played some good defence.

“You’ve got to keep your eyes open throughout the week and see how these players respond. Are they going to press the envelope? All of this only makes us better.”

With Toronto looming in the quarterfinals, McMaster will be given a unique opportunity to institute lessons quickly from week-to-week.

Louks argues that one such lesson will be the necessity of serving tougher to the Blues, who were able to pass efficiently in the face of unchallenging service.

“We allowed them to pass that well,” said the coach of Toronto’s ability to move the ball well on Feb. 11. “Their hitting pieces were mediocre at best. We won’t go in with a reliance on that [on Feb. 18]. They beat us here in October with similar personnel.

“We’re going to serve tougher, and when I say tougher I mean crisply. Some of our service over the weekend was a matter of caution, and some of it was getting firstyear kids into some tough situations.”

In order to overcome the caution that dulls his players’ game, Louks believes that the team must create the conditions for a more assertive mindset.

• CONT’D FROM S2

FRASER CALDWELL / SPORTS EDITOR

Meagan Nederveen (right) notched 19 digs in her team’s Feb. 11 win.

“We’re going to create a more dynamic environment to help us be more aggressive,” said the coach of his aims heading into the playoffs.

“We’re going to bunch up and really spring out outside hitters to get into some swing blocking that we’ve been rehearsing.

Get our blockers attacking the hitter, and getting hands across rather than up.

“We’ve got enough in the tank that I think people can enter with a real intent and not caution or fear. But you’ve got to put players in a situation to take advantage of that.”

Having earned the right to host a quar-

terfinal match, Louks emphasizes the need for his players to stay grounded and not be carried away by their regular season success.

“From the beginning of the year, my expectation was that we would be in the postseason. 11-7 was a fabulous league season, but you take a deep breath and then you let it out. This is where the fun begins. This is where you start playing for the right to call yourself the best.”

McMaster continues their quest to earn that right on Feb. 18, when they welcome the recently beaten Blues to the Burridge Gym for their quarterfinal rematch. The Saturday night tilt is set to begin at 6 p.m.

“Because of injuries, I’ve been filling in on the outside,” the rookie Marauder explained. “I’ve always played that position so it wasn’t a problem for me. But I tried out here as a libero, because I knew that my natural skill set would help me in that role.

“Ironically, I’ve been having more trouble with those skills, and guys like Spack have really stepped up and filled that role.”

Fitting in among a close-knit group of players is a trying process for any newly recruited rookie, but it has been particularly tough for Begin this season. Struggling to find his game meant simultaneously struggling to endear himself to his teammates.

But the Marauder rookie believes that his breakthrough effort against York has gone a long way toward breaking down that barrier. With teammates and coach alike heaping praise upon him, Begin was the centre of attention in the wake of the Sunday afternoon win.

“It felt great obviously,” said Begin of the reaction of his teammates. “In one of the chats I had with Dave after the first half of the season, he told me that in order for the guys to be more comfortable with me on court I was going to have to make an impression and step it up.

“I feel like I’ve finally done that and the guys saw what I could do. Hopefully they’ll have a little more trust in me and I really want to keep that up.”

Begin knows that the onset of the playoffs most likely spells his return to the sidelines, but remains focused on the task at hand alongside his teammates. Hosting a quarterfinal rematch with the Lions team the rookie so recently torched, Begin indicates that the Marauders are fully focused on the opening stage of the OUA postseason.

“We’re taking it one step at a time,” said the rookie of his team’s approach. “Right now we’ve got York in front of us again, and even though we just played them on Sunday, we’ve told ourselves that it’s a clean slate.

We’re going to treat it like any other playoff game.”

THE SILHOUETTE • C1

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

INSIDEOUT

production office extension: 27117 insideout@thesil.ca

Tolerable intolerance Have no fear, dairy lovers: a solution for your lactose anguish is here Cassandra Jeffery

“Sorry, I can’t eat that.” Those afflicted with lactose intolerance deny the sweet aroma of chocolate cheesecake with a pleasant, but nervous smile. Although we can rejoice in the refusal of a few unwanted calories, what we’re really thinking is, “You have no idea how badly I want that scrumptious dairy product, but if I give in to temptation, my body will start a mutiny.”

And worse yet, being lactose intolerant means giving up a North American delicacy: greasy pizza.

The ability to digest dairy products is often taken for granted. As young children, our bodies contain a vast amount of lactase, which is the enzyme required to break down lactose in the digestive system. However, as we age the amount of lactase in our system decreases, altering the amount of dairy we can digest.

Dr. Jan Young, the Medical Director for the McMaster Health and Wellness Center, suggests that this digestive phenomenon is a result of our biological make-up. Even more interesting, “the darker our skin, the more likely we are to have a significant decline in the amount of lactase we have. Caucasian adults tend to have, as a general population, fewer problems with lactose intolerance then, say, African populations or Asian populations.”

Regardless of race, the amount of dairy an individual can handle varies. For example, someone can overload their lactase enzymes by consuming large quantities of dairy that their body is not accustomed to.

“Common symptoms of lactose intolerance would be bloating, softer, loose stools and abdominal discomfort,” says Young. In addition, an article by the PubMed Health association suggests that other various symptoms can include nausea, gas, acid reflex and diarrhea.

There are no real health risks from avoiding dairy products, though Young emphasizes the importance of retaining enough calcium.

Despite this dairy dilemma, Canada’s food guide has dairy listed has an essential food group, but as Young reminds us, “the milk marketing board has a big input in developing Canada’s food guide, and also milk has been a very commonly known source of calcium for Canadians. We have to recognize that there are lots of sources of calcium aside from diary, so in a sense we should be talking about getting in your daily intake of calcium not your daily intake of dairy.”

Calcium can be found in a variety of soy products, such as soy beverages or tofu.

way,” states Young.

For those of us who have to be mindful of the amount of dairy we consume, it’s important to make the necessary dietary alterations to ensure optimal health. Young was sure to stress the importance of calcium for both men and women, although for women in particular the necessity of calcium is vital. “Our maximum bone density is around age 30, and after that there’s a fairly steady decline, despite the amount of calcium that we consume, and so if our maximum bone density is nice and high and there’s a steady decline we won’t hit fracture threshold until were well into old age.”

Thankfully, those who are sensitive to lactose can maintain the health of their bones by consuming calcium through non-dairy product. But let’s face it, dairy just tastes great, and to completely boycott the substance is un-necessary.

For those who wish to enjoy their favourite dairy products without discomfort and pain there are numerous precautions that can be taken. Young suggests that we begin by experimenting with the amount and type of dairy products we can consume without side effects. The effects differ between people, so the only way to find out what works and what doesn’t is to try it out.

Another solution: purchasing lactose-free products. “Most milk companies make products where the lactose has already been degraded. My understanding is that most of those products are not 100 per cent free, but it can bring the lactose level of consumption down for most people to tolerate,” says Young.

Lactose-free products are a great idea, but sometimes you find yourself craving the real deal – the authentic Greek salad loaded with feta or a delicious bowl of ice cream. If this is the case, you can take lactase pills that will help you digest dairy products. This over-the-counter solution is easily accessible, cheaper than a latte at Second cup. These convenient little pills of magic will be your new trusted companion. Take one before your cheesy meal and you’re in the clear.

Arguably, the biggest misconception of lactose intolerance sufferers is the belief that something is inherently wrong with them. “People tend to think they have a disease. But, it’s really a part of our normal biology, that our dietary habits and our society have in a sense superseded our biology,” says Young. It’s important to remember that sensitivity to lactose products is rather common.

Assistant InsideOut Editor

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

There are also many vegetables that are high in calcium, including broccoli, garlic, arugula, raw spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and sweet potatoes.

Also, new to the market are fortified products with calcium, such as orange juice. We

have endless possibilities in terms of ensuring that we receive the adequate amount of calcium without consuming dairy. Although, “because dairy has historically been the primary source of calcium for Canadians, it’s difficult for us to wrap our brains around getting calcium any other

Reading Week Prep

Homemade brownies

Make sure to take care of yourself this reading week and have some fun!

Try these delicious chocolatey treats that are also treating your waist line

Pg. C3

Pg. C7

C2 • THE SILHOUETTE

Photos by Tyler Hayward

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

ThreadCount Abha Athale

Fourth Year Arts & Science Top: Forever 21, $20 Scarf: Gift

Favourite quote: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Gandhi Favourite singer: Shania Twain Describe your style: Boho chic and trendy What do you look for in a signficant other?

Honesty, openess and a nice smile

THE SILHOUETTE • C3

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Are you Reading Week ready?

Spend your vacation time rejuvenating mind, body and soul Katherine George Silhouette Staff

Reading Week is the perfect time to become reacquainted with some much needed rest and relaxation. For some, it’s just enough for a mini holiday getaway, but for those who are vacationing at home, it doesn’t have to be as boring as it seems.

Realistically, it’s no sunny beach with palm trees and fruity drinks, but it’s a great opportunity to be selfish and take some time to invest in you.

An entire week of freedom from the daily routine of class and due dates is the perfect period to indulge in activities that will help you get organized in every other aspect of your life, mentally, physically and emotionally.

Time away from a hectic school schedule allows some freedom to partake in the leisurely activities that may not normally be attainable during the school semester.

It is important to keep somewhat busy, though, especially for those whose friends have retreated to a more southern location for the week while the only rays you’re catching are the florescent ones from your ceiling light.

A great strategy to keep preoccupied is to plan events or small trips with other friends who have also stayed home for Reading Week.

For example, schedule a day of relaxation at the spa with a friend, family member or even a significant other.

Reward yourself for all the sweat and tears you pour into school work throughout the semester and unwind. Indulging in a manicure, pedicure and massage will surely make it difficult to be upset about not being away on vacation.

A little less expensive of an outing would be to go for a casual dinner with friends, drinks at a nearby restaurant or even just a laid-back trip to the movies. If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, plan a beach-themed party for you and your friends at home. This way, you can still share the fun of partying in the tropics, even if it is simply in the comfort of your own home.

Invest some time into getting in shape.

Exercising is another activity that may not always be at the top of the to-do list during

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Whatever your plans are this reading week, remember to take time for yourself, catch up with family, and have fun! the school semester, so schedule a workout plan for.

Exercising builds confidence, and it keeps your mind active and body healthy.

In addition, take the chance to reconnect with family.

Family is an important aspect of a person’s life and often school takes away from

scheduling in this essential time. A great way to repay your parents for all the hard work they invest in you is to take a night to plan and cook dinner for your family. If you’re not much of a cook, you could simply put together a movie night or game night.

Lastly, plan ahead for the rest of the school semester by getting a head start on as-

signments and reading. This may not seem like the most fun activity to occupy you during Reading Week, but it will pay off later on in the semester.

Vacationing at home might not give you the bronzed tan you were hoping for, but it definitely has some alternative benefits that could be just as fun and relaxing.

Putting yourself in their shoes Danielle Gibbons The Silhouette

We’ve seen students camping out on campus before, putting themselves in the shoes of the many homeless in Hamilton. But this time, Hearts For Homes, an event organized by McMaster student Emily Landon, didn’t take place on campus. Instead, it was a one-night event complete with a live band and barbeque at the Salvation Army Meadowlands Church in Ancaster.

The students raised $800 for the Salvation Army’s homelessness-related initiatives.

Salvation Army operates a shelter and a soup van, along with a number of other services to help homeless and low-income individuals. The ten students received donations from friends, family and local businesses.

Accompanied by a local band, The Common Descent, and a barbeque for the participants and onlookers, this event effectively raised awareness in the community.

“I think I even take for granted what I have, and I wanted other people to be thankful,” said Landon. A recent study by Salvation Army surveyed Canadians attitudes on homelessness. Forty per cent of Canadians believe that people who live in poverty “still have it pretty good,” and 41 per cent believe the poor would take advantage of any assistance given to them and “do nothing.”

Sometimes it’s necessary for us to step out of our element to gain a little perspective.

The participants of Hearts for Homes willingly put themselves in the shoes of the homeless to better understand what a struggle life on the streets would be.

RENEÉ VIEIRA / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Hearts for Homes sought to help those who are less fortunate than themselves.

C4 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Fitness

Zest it up with Zumba

Word of the Week

Get fit with a mix of aerobics and dance

Postphagotory narcosis

Dina Fanara

Assistant News Editor

After trying countless fitness and dance classes, as well as working out alone in the gym surrounded by muscle men, I’ve found an excellent fitness class which combines my love of dance while also providing me with an excellent workout.

Zumba is a fast-paced dance fitness classes that is typically led by one instructor, whose moves the participants are meant to follow.

It is an excellent combination between aerobics and basic dance, with a Latin-style influence.

The music is typically fast-paced, popular music, mostly Top 40 in the classes offered at the Pulse fitness centre at McMaster, but with some Latin music tossed in as well. While the music gets everyone excited, so does the high energy level of the instructor.

While the dance moves may feel silly and awkward to newcomers at the beginning of class, once the pace quickens and the class progresses, I could feel the benefits of the specific moves that we were doing.

While fun and silly, the workouts are also designed to tone muscle, improve balance, as well as core strength.

The instructor keeps the class constantly moving for about 40 minutes, which leaves participants feeling both exhausted and reenergized all at once. One thing that really encouraged me to stick with this class was the

fact that all of the participants, with the exception of maybe one or two in the group of thirty to forty, are female.

This allows the class to be catered towards the needs of females in terms of physical activity, and creates an empowering atmosphere for women of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, sexual orientation or what have you. Everyone is accepted into the class equally, regardless of these factors – men are always welcome into the class as well.

These classes are designed for people of all physical fitness and experience levels with Zumba, and no prior knowledge or practice is required of those who wish to participate in this class. The routines are always rotating as well, which allows the participants to remain on the same level.

I find that participating in this class leaves me feeling so healthy, and leaves many muscles feeling slightly sore the next day, as they should after a good workout.

I’ve only been able to take classes offered through the Pulse fitness centre at McMaster, but I’m very pleased with the results.

For those who have a membership at the Pulse, these classes are free – who can argue with that? Zumba classes through external dance or fitness studios can get quite expensive, just as any similar classes may be.

I would highly recommend Zumba classes to anyone, male or female, of any fitness level or age.

There is a place for everyone in this style of fitness class.

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Zumba will get your heart racing, your feet moving, and the sweat dripping.

Definition That really tired and lazy feeling one gets after stuffing oneself with food.

From: post, meaning after; phag, meaning eat; and narco, meaning sleep.

Used in a sentence “After eating away my feelings on Valentine’s Day I continue to suffer from postphagotory narcosis.”

THE SILHOUETTE • C5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Use your reading week wisely and write for IO Section Meetings: Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.

MUSC B110 insideout@thesil.ca

Mac hosts panel discussion on LGBTQ activism Julia Redmond Silhouette Staff

On Feb. 9, McMaster’s Office of Human Rights and Equity services hosted an evening panel discussion in Gilmour Hall council chambers entitled “Educate, Agitate, Resist.”

Six local activists, many of them with strong ties to the University, made up the Queer Activism Panel. Vilma Rossi, program coordinator for the Office of Human Rights, and Riaz Sayani-Mulji, a fourth-year McMaster student and SRA representative for the Bachelor of Health Sciences Program, facilitated the talk.

Each of the panelists offered an opening speech to kick off the evening. Although the experiences they recounted were diverse, their life stories shared a common theme of years of activism and dedication to fighting for LGBTQ rights.

Ruth Cameron, a native Hamiltonian and Mac grad, spoke about the relationship between health and activism. “For me, activism is integral to health,” she explained during her telling of how she came out.

Before pursuing a career in health research, she spent years as part of the army, where she found a measure of “personal freedom” because “everyone was treated equally badly.” Although much of her current work is in the academic world, she concluded that activism “can’t just be front line, and it can’t just be academic.”

Next, Cole Gately, organizer of HammerPride, who identifies as a transgender man, explained the history of activism and his own personal history in the area. He spoke fondly of the LGBTQ community in Hamilton, but reminded the audience with a chuckle that, “there’s nothing homogeneous about [the queer community] – aside from the ‘homo’ part, I guess.”

The panelist with perhaps the strongest

ties to McMaster was Rui Pires, a McMaster graduate who founded the first LGBTQ association on campus and who, in his fourth year, ran for the presidency of the McMaster Students Union.

Although he was not elected, Pires continued in his activist work, later becoming involved in AIDS support and awareness work, a queer prisoner pen pal program, and even placing second as a candidate in the Davenport riding in a recent federal election. He admitted that this wasn’t always easy: “Critical thinking can really get you down,” he said.

But he encouraged everyone to keep “gratitude, optimism and hope.”

The other three panelists also had a lot to say. Shar Reimer, a PhD candidate in queer theory at McMaster, spoke on the academic side to the LGBTQ community.

A keen activist, she unabashedly admitted to the room that she tries “to disturb as much shit as possible in the classroom.” Ian Jarvis, a prominent artist in Hamilton, talked about the need for a distinct queer community with its own values. “Straight people are terrified,” he claimed. “But we…can teach them lots.”

And finally, Will Rowe, who holds a Masters in social work from McMaster, shared his stories of being transgender and being “perceived as the enemy,” a white heterosexual male.

After the initial remarks, the floor was opened up for discussion. The audience, which was made up of McMaster students and a number of people from the greater Hamilton community, raised issues ranging from transgender and transsexual people going “stealth” to the role of McMaster’s Queer Students Community Centre.

Through all of the talk, the panelists’ main message was clear: the queer community has a lot of progress to be made in becoming established, and activism is what will make progress possible.

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

McMaster’s office of human rights and equity services sparks conversation.

C6 • THE SILHOUETTE

Eye Oh Tidbits Aye aye, captain!

High in vitamin C, lemons prevent scurvy, a disease that causes bleeding gums, loose teeth and aching joints. To this day, the British Navy requires ships to carry enough lemons so that every sailor can have one ounce of juice a day.

In the news today: trees It takes about 63,000 trees to make the newsprint for the average Sunday edition of The New York Times. Just think about how many trees it takes to print 10,000 copies of The Silhouette each week!

Roacherly love

Some female cockroaches are devoted mothers, carrying their offspring in little pouches like kangaroos.

One species even nourishes her young in the uterus with a milk rich in protein, carbs, and fat.

Blubber me blue

It has been estimated that during the feeding season in Antarctica, a fully grown blue whale eats about four million krill (small, shrimplike creatures) per day.

That’s 3600 kg every day for six months. Having a layer of fat from this feeding, they then fast for several months.

Al dente a tooth

The expression cooked ‘al dente’ means ‘to the tooth.’ What this means is that the pasta should be somewhat firm, and offer some resistance to the tooth, but should also be tender.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

How Just $top celebrated a green V-Day Randal De Souza Just $top!

What comes to your mind when you think of Valentine’s Day? Do you think about candle-light dinner?

Romantic comedies? Or do you crave delicious, love-filled chocolates? Valentine’s Day is all of these things and much more. Feb. 14 is a day to express your love.

However, this day has been known to transform into an expensive and wasteful one. With that in mind, here are eight little things that the team of Just $top! did this Valentine’s Day to show our love and appreciation for our Mother Earth.

1. Love is one of the most wonderful of all the feelings in this world. On Valentine’s Day, one of our members gave their loved one a hand-made card with a hint of creativity, a lot of love, and a little bit of effort.

2. Chocolates are a treat we all enjoy. A member of our group gave their loved one a box of fair trade chocolates, which have organic ingredients that come from environmentally responsible farmers. Knowing that 90 per cent of the cocoa comes from third world countries, the term ‘fair trade’ ensures that the farmers receive a reliable wage for their work.

3. One very creative member of our team made relationship memorabilia. Small things that are tokens of their precious memories, like restaurant receipts, bus ride transfers and small notes, were compiled to express their love.

4. It’s the age of technology.

A tech-savvy lover presented their loved one with a Valentine’s Day s-card instead of an expensive Hallmark one (definitely not made from recycled paper). He said, “E-cards don’t have to be cliché, there are plenty out there. If all else fails, open up that Paint program on your computer and draw something nice.” This thought inspired him to put a smile on his loved one’s face with a personalized Valentine’s Day e-card!

5. How about a romantic candlelight dinner with naturally scented and biodegradable soy candles?

Love should increase freshness and beauty of the nature rather than destroy it. And that is exactly what a few of us did this Valentine’s Day. 6. A beautiful flower pot was presented by one of our members to allow for their love to ‘blossom,’ which proved to be a simple but very meaningful gift.

7. The best way to a guy’s heart is through his stomach. One of baked heart-shaped cookies at home for their loved one.

8. One of our adventurous members gave a suggestion of booking a trip to Wildlife Reserve or even heading down to Cootes Paradise (right in our backyard). He said, “Share with your loved one what the earth has been sharing with us for so long.”

THE SILHOUETTE • C7

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

IntheKitchen

Brownies for your waist line I’d equate the taste to the low-fat substitute of any other of your favourite desserts: perhaps not as delicious, but definitely not as calorific.

1/4 cup agave syrup 6. Add the chips and stir well.

2 tbsp vanilla extract Spread onto baking dish.

2 tbsp semisweet mini chocolate 7. Bake for 20 minutes, until toothIngredients: Brownies chips, melted pick comes out clean.

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained 8. Let cool at room temperature. and rinsed Directions: Brownies If you don’t, cleanly spreading the 1/2 cup agave syrup 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees icing will be almost impossible.

1/2 cup self-rising flour Fahrenheit.

1/2 cup egg whites 2. Spray (don’t grease) a baking Directions: Icing 1/4 unsweetened cocoa dish with non-stick cooking spray.

1. With a whisk attachment on an 2 tbsp vanilla 3. In a processor, mix all brownie electric beater, blend all ingredients 1 tsp baking powder ingredients (except chips) together. until light and fluffy. Again, if you 6 tbsp semisweet mini chocolate If you don’t have a food proces- don’t have an electric beater then chips sor then get out the ol’ muscle and manually whisk. manually mix.

2. Spread evenly over the top of the Ingredients: Icing 4. Chop on high, until smooth. cooled brownies.

6 oz. fat-free cream cheese 5. Blend for another 20 seconds.

3. Using a spoon, swirl the 2 tbsp melted chocolate chips on top.

4. Allow it to set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

sert. But allow me to describe what a black bean brownie tastes like: exactly like a regular brownie, but perhaps with a slightly drier texture and a less sugary taste. The point here is that you can’t taste the black beans (hallelujah!). I’d equate the taste to the low-fat substitute of any other of your favourite foods and desserts: perhaps not as delicious, but definitely not as calorific. So make a batch for your friends but keep ‘the secret ingredient’ quiet and see if they notice any sign of it – chances are, they won’t. Just tell them it’s a low-fat, calorie-wise recipe because, well, that’s exactly what it is.

This brownie recipe is made healthy by other ingredients as well. For example, agave syrup Nothing goes better with a glass of is used here as a replacement for milk than a rich chocolate brownie. corn syrup, which typically is very Of course, indulging in a dessert sugary. Another healthy substitute like this is perhaps not the best of in this recipe is egg whites as an choices for the calorie-conscious. alternative to whole eggs, as egg So, how to enjoy a brownie without yolks are typically high in cholesenduring its fat-inducing side ef- terol and fat. Though these ingredifects? The answer: black beans. If ents may be a little more costly, it’s you’re a frequent viewer of Dr. Oz without a doubt worth it, particuor simply a health fanatic, then this larly if you’re looking to lose or ingredient will come as no surprise maintain weight while still enjoying to you. If not, then note that black a dessert favourite. beans are the secret ingredient in These brownies and no more making the healthy brownie – yes, time consuming than your typical these words can go together. recipe, unless of course you include Trust me; I too curled my lip premade boxed brownie recipes. at the initial thought of mixing a Just don’t shy away from what lunchtime/dinner food with a des- could be your new favourite dessert.

Natalie Timperio

Senior InsideOut Editor

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

You’ll feel good about eating these scrumptious brownies.

Well known journalist and author Dr. Salim Mansur will be discussing his new book on Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 7:00PM in the Hamilton Spectator Auditorium, 44 Frid Street, Hamilton.

Sponsored by the International Free Press Society – Canada and The Never Again Group.

Doors open at 6:30PM.

INTERNATIONAL FREE PRESS SOCIETY- CANADA

Free admission and free parking.

Please visit:

http://www.ifpscanada.com/1451-2/ for updates.

Spice up your sex Looking for some fun in the bedroom? Try these toys tonight The author of this article, a SHEC Media columnist, wished to remain anonymous.

Is your relationship hitting that post-Valentine’s Day slump? Looking for something to bring the spark back to your sex life? Sounds like you could be in the market for a sex toy. You’ve heard our advice on choosing your first sex toy, but in this very special edition of the SHEC column, we’ll talk about choosing a toy for you and your partner.

Most of the types of toys mentioned in this article can be purchased at the Love Shop or the Stag Shop, both of which have several locations in Hamilton. But if you don’t feel comfortable visiting these stores in person, there are many places to purchase toys online.

Most ship in discreet packaging and will appear on your credit card as a vague entertainment charge, but be sure to check before you buy.

Vibrators. Vibrating cock rings are an excellent toy for a beginner to the world of partner sex toys.

These toys usually have a stretchy ring that can be put around a penis, or strap-on with a vibrating attachment, designed to stimulate the clitoris. They are mostly used for vaginal or anal intercourse, but many include bullet vibrators that can be removed and used for other activities as well.

Vibrating panties and remotecontrolled vibrators are a great way to experiment with voyeuristic tendencies.

These usually come with bullet vibrators, which are mostly used for external stimulation, but can be inserted into the vagina or anus.

Typically, your partner can use the remote to control the vibration from up to 25 feet away.

Bondage. A relatively inexpensive place to start if you and your partner are interested in light bondage is with reusable bondage tape.

This tape is made of PVC and only sticks to itself, so you don’t have to worry about leaving sticky residue or catching anyone’s hair. You can buy a 65-foot roll for about $10 at most places that sell sex toys.

Another option for restraint is handcuffs, which can be used to bind your partner to a bed, chair or other piece of furniture. Most of these handcuffs have built-in safety releases, so you don’t need to be concerned about losing the keys.

Remember, in any situation where you or your partner will be restrained, you must have a safe word. This should be any word you wouldn’t otherwise say during sexual play (like “Mississippi”), and if either partner uses the word, sexual activity should stop immediately. It’s especially important when experimenting with your partner to ensure that you are both 100 per cent comfortable with what’s going on.

Anal Play. If you’re looking to experiment with anal stimulation, fingers (and lots of lubrication) are a good place to start. But if you’ve tried and enjoyed this, butt plugs can be a good next step. Unlike vibrators or dildos, butt plugs have a flared end to make for easy retrieval - this is important for safety. They can be worn by either partner during oral or vaginal sex, and many people find this increases their pleasure.

Since the anus doesn’t self-lubricate, you should always use lubrication during anal play.

Maintenance. Once you’ve picked out your ideal toy, you should find out how to clean it.

Unclean toys can harbour bacteria, spreading infection to places that you absolutely do not want infected.

Waterproof toys can be washed with soap and water, or else a dilute bleach solution if they are shared with a partner whose STI status you don’t know.

Most places where you can buy sex toys also sell antibacterial cleaners if your toy cannot be exposed to water. Be sure to use a fresh condom to cover the toy for each partner, as STIs can be spread by sharing toys.

C8 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

THE SILHOUETTE • C9

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

BUSINESS

production office extension: 27117 business@thesil.ca

Lover’s bliss or financial miss?

Love-struck consumers push Valentine’s spending to a ten-year high

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Sonya Khanna Business Editor

In the words of the love-obsessed cartoon skunk Pepe Le Pew, “le sigh,” love is in the air.

I might be mistaking the aura of love with the scent of cash oozing out of the wallets of love-struck men and women splurging on the hallmark holiday, but at the end of the day, aren’t the two pretty much interchangeable?

As consumers actively seek out l’amour, retailers are cashing in on the business of love.

A recent survey by the National Retail Federation on Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions for 2012 suggests that the average consumer will shell out roughly $74.12 on their spouse or significant other, up from last year’s $68.98.

The average male is expected to spend a total of $168.74 for the holiday on all his gift recipients, roughly twice as much as women, who will fork out an average of $85.76.

Maybe in theory your love doesn’t cost a thing, but hypothetically, speaking as if we were to place a price tag on it, let’s ballpark it at $126.03.

Items responsible for drilling holes in the wallets of Valentine’s enthusiasts include everything from token items, such as flowers, chocolates, jewellery and greeting cards, to special menu items at restaurants and clothing.

Categories that experienced the largest year-over-year growth in sales were candy and jewellery, which experienced a jump of 15 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively.

According to the President and CEO of NRF, Matthew Shay, an upward trend on consumer spending for Valentine’s Day suggests

positive economic movement, with the survey results reaching the highest level in a tenyear history.

“As one of the biggest giftgiving holidays of the year, it’s encouraging that consumers are still exhibiting the desire to spend on discretionary gift items, a strong indication our economy continues to move in the right direction,” said Shay.

Consumer activity isn’t limited to merely adults. “Celebrated by

children who give Valentines to their teachers and classmates, family members who make sure to send greeting cards across the miles and couples who wish to show their appreciation for each other, Valentine’s Day means more than what’s simply on the surface,” said Pam Goodfellow, Consumer Insights Director at BIGinsight. “This year we could very well see some consumers searching high and low and stopping at nothing to make sure their loved ones receive the perfect gift.”

The bulk of consumer traffic is expected to be through discount stores and department stores; online retailers will also acquire a humble share of holiday spending frenzy, clobbering up nearly 19.3 per cent of the consumer activity.

Spending in Western Canada seems to trump that of in other regions of the country, with Saskatchewanians professing their love in a financially cumbersome fashion, spending 19.3 per cent more than in 2010.

Although an upward trend in consumption has been exhibited, BMO economist Jennifer Lee forecasts stagnating future trends due to the sluggish Canadian job market and continued uncertainty in global markets.

British Columbia and Newfoundland, for example, hosted seemingly romantically challenged consumer behaviours, with Valentine’s Day spending from 2010 to 2011 decreasing 0.2 per cent and 0.62 per cent, respectively.

These negative Valentine’s Day consumption trends seem to be mere outliers as nation-wide data suggests the opposite to be true, with Canadians basking in the joys of the holiday.

Control your social Uniiverse Toronto-based tech firm changes the landscape of social networking Sonya Khanna Business Editor

With various forms of social media popping up left, right and centre, the newly launched Canadian startup company, Uniiverse, has vowed to reshape the definition of ‘social.’

The Toronto-based company launched this month with a presence spawning both within and south of the border, from Toronto to Montreal and San Francisco to Boston.

With roughly over $750,000 in seed funding, the firm is pinpointing the desire to implement a platform for collaborative living.

“Uniiverse is building the sharing economy, where access and experiences are more important than ownership,” says CEO and Chairman of Uniiverse, Craig Follett. “This movement will help the environment, global financial issues and build stronger communities.”

Uniiverse operates as a marketplace between users to share services and activities. The primary difference between this site and others is that it offers one key component linking like-minded individuals together. Individuals hold a mosaic of personal interests and this site aims to encourage offline interactions through the online posting of interests, activities and services.

“Uniiverse allows anyone to

share any kind of real-life activity or service,” says CEO and president of Uniiverse, Ben Raffi. “And it’s free to post.”

According to the tech firm’s site, its ultimate goal is to build trust while making money simultaneously, engaging in personal interests and banding together individuals based on common interests.

Although social media aims to connect people, our virtually obsessed methods have defied this intention. Uniiverse’s vision is to stick to the true meaning of social media, placing emphasis on the “social” aspects of it.

How does it work? Hosts set their availability, highlighting what is to be offered and what the charge is, whether it may be renting out your home for a period of time or seeking out art lessons.

Interested in finding about social events in your area? Check out the site for different events that cater to your interests, whether it may be discovering discussion groups geared towards redesigning your lifestyle or expanding your social circles by going group thrift shopping, the site offers something for everyone.

The process is straightforward and the method is familiar, reminiscent of sites such as Craigslist.

Users can book and pay through the

site, with reviews strongly encouraged in order to provide future users with information.

Building trust is a crucial component, as it diminishes the fear of the unknown. Buyers can rate and review a listing after it has occurred; the Trust Scores are representative of the unique level of trust between each user.

The numbers are based on a combination of variables ranging from identity verification to social interaction apparent on sites such as Facebook. Through growth in positive reputation among users, greater opportunities to collaborate and connect are discovered and wouldbe strangers are connected.

Users can discover a mosaic of activities and opportunities to dabble in. You can view things your friends have participated in and discover new forms of participation through the user-friendly landscape of the site.

Your interests are categorized in an intuitive format, interlinking listings of goods that are similar to items that you have purchased or looked at in the past.

As technology continues to expand, Uniiverse aims to band society together through offline interactions, diminishing the superficial undertone of social media, one Uniiverse offers a user-friendly method to social networking. status update at a time.

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

C10 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, FRBRUARY 16, 2012

Separating friends from financial foes Lending money shouldn’t prompt you to have a nervous breakdown Sonya Khanna Business Editor

Picture this: your server slips the bill on your table; everyone reaches for their wallet to chip in, with the exception of one stingy individual, who instead scuffles around in search of some non-existent form of payment. Next thing you know, everyone finds themselves scrounging for cash to cover the balance.

I’m sure the characteristics of this individual are similar to someone we all know – a frivolous spender of money that isn’t theirs, and a stingy lender at heart. The easy answer is simply to just say, no. One word, completely painless, but the ramifications of saying no can be a tad bit unnerving, particularly if the person is close to you.

When a good friend asks you for money, fumbling around for the appropriate response can be a cumbersome task.

Test the security of repayment. How well do you know your friends? Are they compulsive money squanderers, or would they be categorized as money-conscious individuals, spending only when deemed necessary?

Lending cash is just a small piece of the financial burden that you’ll be taking on. Obviously, this is not to suggest that you should be too cynical to lend money at all, but be cautious. Some friends are better at giving money back than others.

“I’ve loaned money to friends before and, for the most part, they’re pretty good at repaying money, but sometimes there will be those odd friends who just don’t seem to put any importance on it,” said fourth-year McMaster student, Jessica Garcia. “It becomes pretty disheartening when you put a lot of faith in close friends and you notice they really don’t care.”

Most students bear similar financial circumstances, so if you know upfront that lending money encompasses a greater long-term financial risk for you if the repayment is delayed, then don’t give it out.

Ask yourself, is the money being Saying no to a friend can put you in an awkward situation. put to a necessary expenditure?

It is important to assess unexpected changes that may come about with your finances, and as such, loaning funds when you are unable to satisfy your own financial obligations will lead to frustration on your part and amplify the awkwardness factor.

“I once had a friend ask me for a couple bucks at the bar. She didn’t take into account the intensity of her drinking expenses for the night, so I loaned her money under the unspoken condition that it would be returned when she got money again,” says Garcia. “I guess it was my fault for making that assumption, but after over two weeks went by and I still hadn’t received any money, it definitely got me questioning whether I made the right decision.”

After cash has been loaned, weeks have passed and as the financial burdens pile, you wither in ball of anxiety stemming from the realization that your source of funds is scarce. To avoid the risk of being rude, you may shy away from confrontation. However, in the long run, getting it off your chest will lessen the burden on your end and clear your mind.

“What it comes down to is not so much about the money as it is about principle surrounding it,” said Garcia. “If I loan you money, be respectful. I’m not asking for money immediately, but when I see you using cash to buy yourself a couple of beers, I’m asking myself why you couldn’t have given me money instead. We’re all students here.”

To put a damper on the inevitable awkwardness of financial matters, confront the situation by asking your friend what the money is being put toward – a piece of information that you are entitled to.

Keeping things transparent from the get-go will help you determine whether loaning the money is a smart idea. Whether financing a night of binge drinking is an important investment is your call, but once you have been made aware of what the money is being put towards, you can’t hold that against the recipient.

Although putting a time frame on repayment may stir some uneasy feelings on both ends, discussing this ahead of time will offer an ease of communication in the future.

Insisting on adhering to a fixed repayment schedule might seem a

JONATHON FAIRCLOUGH / PRODUCTION EDITOR

tad excessive, but it might prevent arguments that could damage your friendship.

Follow up casually with your friend after a few days have passed to avoid aggressive and demanding communication methods. Friendly reminders are a far more effective means of sending a message across.

If the chance of repayment seems slim, depending on the amount of money, it may be better to cut your losses, consider the money lost and move on.

In that unfortunate scenario, it’s up to you to decide whether to continue on with the friendship under the implication that a barrier will be placed on your financial generosity.

Also keep in mind that things come up. Just as you have certain financial burdens, consider the fact that your friend might share similar financial difficulties. Asking you for money might have been their last alternative to seek funds. Take this into consideration and go easy on them instead of hassling them.

STUDENT RENTALS West Village Suites

A Green Community for Students

Dundurn Student Residence

BEST

THE OF OFF CAMPUS HOUSING

905-528-1717 STARTING AT $399/MONTH ROOMS AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE MOVE-IN Dundurn Property Management 1685 Main Street West Suite 25 rentals@dundurnpm.ca

905-528-1717

w w w.westvillagesuites.ca

C11 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

HAMILTON & DISTRICT EXTEND-A-FAMILY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES “ S H A R E A S P E C I A L FRIENDSHIP!”

B U DDY PROGRAM We have over one hundred children and teens with special needs waiting to spend time with a volunteer buddy. Matched buddies spend eight hours a month pursuing a hobby, playing sports, or enjoying other activities in the community.

Gain volunteer experience, have fun, and share a special friendship with a young person with special needs!

R E C R E AT I O N P RO G R A M We offer a minimum of six recreation events each month, providing respite and opportunities for fun and friendship in the community.

We bowl, play laser-tag, go rock-climbing, and challenge each other in all sorts of fun ways.

We have a great bunch of volunteers who assist at these events and are always happy to welcome more!

INTEREST E D ?

V I S I T OUR WEB-SITE, FIND U S O N FAC E B O O K O R CONTACT U S ! www.extendafamilyhamil t o n . s y n t h a s i t e . c o m 905.383.2 8 8 5 eaf@execulink.com ( B u dd y P ro g r a m ) e af.connect@gmail.com ( R e c re a t i o n P ro g r a m )

Every Canadian citizen had the right to vote through the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

1:3 Canadian women and 1:6 Canadian men will experience sexual assault in their lifetime.

45% percent of female college and university students say they’ve been sexually assaulted since leaving high school.

The victim and the accused are known to each other in 82% of cases – as friends, acquaintances or family

But… I am not alone!

SACHA (Sexual Assault Centre, Hamilton& Area) is there with 24-hour confidential support, information or accompaniment @

905-525-4162

www.sacha.ca

Voting is frequently inaccessible to those with physical and sensory disabilities.

DOES PUBLIC ATTITUDE LIMIT FREEDOM OF CITIZENSHIP? Student Accessibility Services 905-525-9140 ext 28652 | TTY 905-528-4307 sas@mcmaster.ca | sas.mcmaster.ca McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) B107

bowie vs. iggy • febuary in games albert nobbs • inner city elegance

andex

thursday, february 16, 2012

Senior Editor: Jemma Wolfe Entertainment Editor: Myles Herod Music Editor: Josh Parsons

Contributors: Paul Fowler, Jay Scherer, Aaron Joo, Bronwyn Cash-Barlow, Sumeet Khanna, Christopher Haddad, Kingsley Morris

Cover: Tyler Hayward

coming up

feb.19

Wax Mannequin The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

The Let Downs This Ain’t Hollywood 8:00 p.m.

The Balconies The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

The Memory of Water Player’s Guild of Hamilton 8:00 p.m. 80 Queen St S. Hamilton, ON. (905) 529-0284 The Pitmen Painters Theatre Aquarius 8:00 p.m. 190 King William St. Hamilton, ON. (905) 522-7529

film

Undefeated Thin Ice Ghost Rider

now

feb.18

Motem This Ain’t Hollywood 9:00 p.m.

feb 10-25

feb .17

Andrew Sisk Homegrown Hamilton 9:00 p.m.

theatre

feb 8-25

feb. 16 feb. 16

Burnin’ Ethyl This Ain’t Hollywood 9:00 p.m.

feb.21

Tom Waits Tribute Night The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

feb.19

music

andy’s ticks

opening

in the hammer

fugazi walking dow the street, coffeeeee, mr. t, the eyes of man, david bowie delight, slam-poets vs. hipsters, natalie the hacker, whitney: prescrpition drug casualty. cyberpunk haircuts, orville redenbacher, zack and kelly’s las vegas wedding, crisper, jemma drugged up?, ac slater, Charles Bradley’s gold jacket, “jooooo”

“When you think

about it, Adolf Hitler was the first pop star.”

this week in music history...

1972: Pink Floyd began a 4-night stand in London. During the stand they premiered “The Dark Side of the Moon” a full year before it was released

David Bowie

i pity the foo’ who don’t... ...write for andy! meetings are held on wednesdays at 2:30pm in musc b110 e-mail your submissions to andy@thesil.ca

editorial

thursday, february 16, 2012

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D3

The mysterious relationship between David Bowie and Iggy Pop, musical and otherwise, has intrigued the public for over three decades. This week, two ANDY editors duke it out, defending the superstar who they believe has had the deepest impact on shaping the face of the music industry.

Be it Ziggy Stardust or the Thin White Duke, David Bowie’s career has been ever-evolving.- defining glam, embracing funk and experimenting with post-punk when everyone dug disco.

His influence extends beyond that, though. In 1972, he and axman Mick Ronson co-produced Lou Reed’s Transformer, exposing him to a whole new world. Earlier, Bowie tossed “All the Young Dudes” to Mott the Hoople.

Then there was the glam rivalry, which pitted Ziggy Stardust against T-Rex’s Marc Bolan.

Yet, perhaps his most fascinating period comes at his most fucked-up. Indulging in a mid-‘70s Los Angeles, Bowie decided that his diet of milk, red peppers and cocaine was resulting in a slow, toxic death. Pairing with Iggy Pop, the two ventured to Berlin, where they curtailed their addictions. With inspirations coming from the likes of Kraftwerk, Bowie was reborn, producing Iggy’s most revered albums while crafting his own masterworks in the Berlin Trilogy.

Bowie is the definitive rock star because he encompasses the voice, the style, the writing ability and the presence. He knew the right people (Brian Eno, Tony Visconti) and the right time to quit. If nothing else, though, he’s the only artist to admit recording an album without remembering it – 1976’s Station to Station, born amidst a cocaine blizzard. Now that’s rock and roll

Iggy Pop has often been called the godfather of punk rock, a title he has earned through sheer persistence, blood, sweat and tears. He’s been slicing open his own chest since Johnny Rotten was in diapers.

His career as the erratic Iggy Pop began as the savage singer of the Stooges, which tore its path across America in the early ‘70s and left a scarring trail of broken glass and blown eardrums. Since then, his skin-andbones stature and trademark howl have become pieces of Americana.

In the mid-1970s, Iggy left the Stooges, hell bent on becoming a superstar. He produced two incredible solo albums in Germany, working alongside David Bowie, which catapulted him to the level of success that he so viscously sought. Before it became synonymous with a cruise line, “Lust for Life” was an international hit.

Although he demanded superstardom, Iggy’s last influence is most obvious under the radar of the mainstream. Over the past four decades, thousands have attempted to compete with the intensity of Iggy’s infamous stage antics, and merely a handful has even come close. At 64, Iggy is still shocking audiences, crawling on all fours while provocatively chanting the 1969 classic, “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” • Josh Parsons, Music Editor JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

• Myles Herod, Entertainment Editor.

the big tickle

what does “glam” mean to you?

compiled by josh parsons, myles herod & renée vieira

“lou reedtransformer”

“david bowie” kyle fisher

isabelle dobronyi

“sparkles”

“marc bolan” cooper long

“embrace of a largerthan-life mentality” tina cody

sean hardy

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D4

video games

thursday, february 16, 2012

gamers get ready

why february is turning out to be an interesting month in the world of gaming by jason scherer

Playbook Canadian-based company Research in Motion (RIM) confirmed the release of operating system 2.0 for the Blackberry Playbook this month. The release of the Blackberry Playbook was followed by much disappointment for gamers who purchased the console. It was powerful and sleek with a 7-inch screen, yet it was missing one piece that rendered it virtually useless for serious gamers: the Android market. Days after Thorsten Heins was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the troubled company, the PR team announced that anyone who repackaged their Android apps to Blackberry Appworld by Feb. 4 would receive a free Playbook.

Due to huge applause from the programming community about this announcement, RIM has rewarded its faithful followers by extending the offer to all Native SDK, Air and Android programmers, postponing the deadline to Feb. 13. For Playbook owners, this means your tablet will soon be one powerful gaming machine.

Diablo 3 Fans of Diablo 3 will be disappointed to find out that the game will not be released in early February as online communities had recently suggested. Rumours started about its release after a Best Buy in Minnesota accidentally leaked an advertisement falsely stating that fans would be able pick up Diablo 3 in February.

The Blizzard Entertainment website listed Feb. 1 as a release date, but that has since been taken down. A more realistic release date is, at minimum, nine months away due to heavy overhauling and balancing of game content. Mike Morhaime, Blizzard’s CEO, is known for extending deadlines when the quality and performance of a game is not polished to Blizzard’s standards. Diablo 3 will be no exception.

Portal Battlefield 3: Boot Camp Battlefield 3 and Steampowered.com are bringing a new service to gamers entitled Battlefield 3: Boot Camp. This service is an online hub which sells lessons for gamers to become better at surviving on foot, how to operate vehicles and the best way to destroy tanks.

Subscribers can watch professional gamers perform extreme stunts and take part in 360-degree interactive tours of the franchise maps. The company boasts that you will be able to crush your competition and learn to fly a helicopter the right way. The lessons start at 99 cents.

Of the many candidates for best game of all time, PC Gamer Magazine has decided the award goes to Portal. Portal is a 2007 puzzle game released by Valve in The Orange Box, which outshone Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Team Fortress 2. Criticized for its short duration and praised for its tothe-point, sparse environments, PC Gamer’s decision to put it well above Minecraft, Quake and Warcraft 2, and one place above Skyrim, is certainly a bold and arguably unjustifiable move.

film

thursday, february 16, 2012

dressed down

androgyny Albert Nobbs Starring: Glen Close, Janet McTeer Directed by: Rodrigo Garcia

HHH Some of the best moments of Albert Nobbs come from a look or a pause. They are moments devoted to capturing the posture of its working class, the silence of a secret or the embarrassment of an intimate exchange. Put together, the parts that function best come to form a portrait of a woman in 1850’s Ireland – a woman disguised as a man.

Based on a novella by George Moore, and spearheaded by actress Glenn Close for its adaptation, the film tells the peculiar tale of gender and survival. As the attentive waiter of Dublin’s Morrison Hotel, Albert (Close) is extolled as the archetype of prim and proper.

With skin strangely tight, hair carefully coiffed, and a demeanour bereft of gender, Closes’ studied portrayal is no less an uncanny feat of androgyny. Conscious of guest’s secrets, we never get the tipoff that they are on to hers - with one patron even remarking, ‘what a kind, little man.”

Placed in and around the hotel, the film’s tendency to dwell on servants and sophisticated clientele is obvious and rather simple. The heart of the matter, as personified in its title, is the question of identity.

Serving under an undetermined amount of time, Albert’s hotel tenure has afforded her the ability to save and fantasize for an economic escape. Beneath her bedroom floor lays a treasury of coins, preserved from years of strict diligence.

Like her other, more solemn secret, Albert’s reasons for hiding are more enigmatic than the screenplay lets on (implying rape under her hush tone of naivety).

For some, Close’s performance may be dismissible as mere make-up and male drag. It isn’t. With complete dedication, she restricts herself from overacting and in turn crafts an homage to Charlie

Chaplin with childlike poise and manner.

Circumstance transpires and one day the unblinking Nobbs is instructed to share her bed with Hubert Page (Janet McTeer), a painter with an unreadable countenance. Albert remains terrified, mind you, vehemently guarding herself amidst the awkward predicament.

The plot thickens, and in lieu of bearing a flea-ridden bed, Albert violently stumbles, relieving herself of a confining girdle to Hubert’s knowing eye.

In the wake of fear and concealment, Albert’s gender bending unveil does little to damper Hubert’s nights rest. Turns out Mr. Page has been living a similar secret, but for her own reasons.

Having successfully impersonated a working class man, the painter’s confidence awakens Albert’s own, allotting the asexual being to explore emotion, femininity and even the thought of marriage.

Together, both actresses establish a charismatic bond that comes to define the picture’s strength. Janet McTeer as Hubert Page is an absolute marvel.

Duly awarded an Academy Award nomination (along with Glen Close), her performance is star making, and beautifully unannounced from left field.

Unfortunately, the rest of the picture plods with an ensemble cast straddling class prejudices and whiny melodramatics.

The overarching story of a Victorian Hotel is a familiar, further tarnished by two supporting parts that emanate a whiff of amateurism.

Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Johnson seem to exist only to shove the story to its inevitable conclusion, playing lovebirds within the Hotel’s working staff - one a brutish urchin, the other an object of Albert’s desire. Neither work.

As a whole, the film travels unevenly, fastened by two superb performances. With Meryl Streep receiving her 17th Oscar nomination for the Iron Lady, it comes as a shock that this is only Glen Close’s sixth. Considering her 23-year gap between 1988’s Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs reinstates why she rivals America’s finest living actress.

•

Myles Herod, Entertainment Editor

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D5

video games

D6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

student poetry

thursday, february 16, 2012

off bythe web jemma wolfe, senior ANDY editor

HUMAN

polaroid

know your meme knowyourmeme.com

Adriaen Brouwer, The Bitter Draught, c. 1635-38, oil on wood panel

a tiny princess barefoot on the bottom stair cheeks as rosy as the red turtleneck glaring from beneath her dress her white dress her bride’s veil rosy cheeks and a pink flower bouquet

Ever wondered who the real Scumbag Steve is, or where the image from First Day on the Internet Kid came from? Well now you can know. knowyourmeme.com is a database of sorts that documents and researches viral images on the Internet.

Especially interesting are seeing the reactions of people finding out for the first time that they’re a meme laughted at by thousands of people every day. Not always pretty.

Of her thoughts, I requested from a young woman, who twirled a lock of hair with a single digit so furiously while standing next to me, that I could not help but assume the action signified a riveted concentration.

“It’s quite crude, the brushstrokes here and here,” she indicated with the same finger, “I mean, just the image itself and the subject leaves me feeling…standoffish to say the least”—and here I had to interject: “but observe the expression!” to which I was assured, “yes, but there were other Flemish artists who better captured that.”

Unfortunately I did not share in her knowledge of Baroque paintings, being the farthest thing from an expert myself, so I turned to ask her yet another question,

but she had already broken away from the moment, drawn by something less vulgar (for lack of a better term), leaving me to tend to the portrait alone.

And I thought: it’s all true, I cannot disagree with her criticisms,

• Bronwyn Barlow Cash

there is nothing divine here, an artist’s recreation of a drunk (is it?) and nothing more... but perhaps therein lies the bitter truth, that other expression: ‘Human, all too human.’

The face is now one that evokes offense and distaste, not all unlike the woman’s, who’s slowly making her way into the other room, still twirling her hair.

• Aaron Joo

wild suburban desert

Wordplay

wild suburban desert:

Twisting and tumbling through sentences and paragraphs Growing semantic leaves on branches of lexicon One wonders once or twice whether argumentation Or conversation Is a fight Or a dance Whether war is waged Or a game is played If the spoils are victory Or progress Unless the bumbling or the cantankerous Are matched together Lest victory be mutual loss And progress be backwards And everything we’ve worked toward be dashed to the ground For more often than not Wordplay does not create, but conceals Tosses meaning into a tempest of misdirection and circumlocution Then nobody knows where it starts or ends And in the billowing bulging blimp of balderdash Thrown into the crowd The truth is ripped apart, mixed and mashed Until all that is left is cliché Because it’s cliché that wins elections Cliché that moves the masses Cliché that drives the market Cliché that breaks us down Into shells of distinction Shadows of our former selves Dichotomized by language Enemies by default

i cycle ‘round and hear it all. hear; strip-malls tinkering minds up an escalator, down walls painting each other with hues – of unrest. hear; schools on a microphone daring to tread the line. hear; the rings of a cassette neon. cool! radical! an epic of alloy wrought from sand; to you suburb, give us birth.

• Sumeet Khanna Untitled #2

It occurrs to me, on days like this, when snow has thawed and lost its teeth.

That as of yet,

I’ve yet to miss, The 52 to University.

It’s not as if my feet

are tired, or Sterling street has

lost its shine My patience weak, my

logic fired, I rather ride than walk the line.

• Kingsley Moris

• Christopher Haddad

procatinator procatinator.com What could be better than gifs of crazy cats moving to the rhythm of classic tunes? Not much, I tell you. Caution: for times of extreme bordeom only. Otherwise, steer clear or risk never getting work done ever again. wizard of hoz chickenmcthuggets.tumblr.com My favourite tumblr, hands down. This mix of nostaliga, pop culture and random obscenity provides hours of entertainment and inspiration. Holla at the girl who manages it: you do great things, lady.

saturday morning breakfast cereal smbc-comics.com If you are one part bored and two parts cliniclly insane, look no further than this daily helping of unmitigated madness. It’s also kind of funny, I guess.

• Andrew Terefenko, Opinions Editor

cd reviews

thursday, february 16, 2012

featured throwback review

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D7

David Bowie “Heroes” 1977

y’s d n a ks pic

HHHHH Although “Heroes” is often overshadowed by its older sibling Low, the second installment in Bowie’s magnificent “Berlin Trilogy” is just as challenging and rewarding as the ground-breaking album that preceded it. Like Low, the first half of “Heroes” pushes the boundaries of traditional pop song craft while the second side features a series of swirling instrumental soundscapes.

The fractured riffs and churning synths of the opening tracks, “Beauty and the Beast” and “Joe the Lion,” build upon the European synth-pop and German experimental music that inspired Bowie throughout his “Berlin Triology”.

The centerpiece of “Heroes” is its soaring title track, a work so devastatingly emotional that it’s impossible to question its status as one of the greatest pop songs ever recorded. Backed by a slippery guitar line, Bowie delivers the most majestic vocal performance of his career, building from a gentle croon to an unrestrained wail over the course of six spellbinding minutes. About halfway into the song, Bowie finally lets his growing desperation take complete control, delivering the most spine-tingling moment in his entire catalog.

The story of two lovers who embrace at the Berlin Wall as a torrent of gunfire flies above them is simultaneously uplifting and crushingly depressing. As “‘Heroes’” reaches its stunning finale, Bowie’s voice cracks underits own emotional weight and the beautiful refrain, “We can be heroes, just for one day” is replaced with the realization, “We’re nothing, and nothing will help us.” Love may conquer all, but it won’t last.

The subdued, Eno-inspired electronics of the second side of “Heroes” provides a perfect contrast to the avant rock that opened the album. On “Sense of Doubt,” the foreboding call of a darkly descending piano is answered by an icy synth that eventually covers the whole track with its chilling gloom. Bowie gently plucks a Japanese koto on “Moss Garden” as a soft bed of synthesizer creates the sensation of floating through a serene dream. “Neukoln” pits Bowie’s squawking sax against a desolate guitar drone.

The ambient half of “Heroes” combines with Bowie’s schizophrenic rock to create a truly thrilling experience. The album doesn’t just rank as one of Bowie’s crowning achievements, it is among the greatest pop albums ever recorded – absolutely essential listening.

1. “Heartaches and Pain” Charles Bradley 2. “Seeland” NEU! 3. “Son the Father” Fucked Up 4. “Fallen Angel” King Crimson 5. “Roses and Bluejays” Buck 65 6. “In Dark Trees” Brian Eno 7. “Some Weird Sin” Iggy Pop 8. “Berlin” Lou Reed 9. “Fantastic Voyage” David Bowie

• Paul Fowler

First Prize:

$50 gift certificate to Titles!

Second Prize:

$25 gift certificate to Titles!

Short story contest 2000 words maximum on the theme of greed Submissions due March 5, 2012

D8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

All Square

music

thursday, february 16, 2012

Toronto’s Inner City Elegance talk about tough-times, touring and taking time to reflect on success Bands often overstate the particular circumstances that brought about its formation, mythologizing the non-existent forces that drew them together. For Inner City Elegance, this certainly isn’t the case.

There is little explanation short of fate that could explain the unlikely circumstances that catalyzed the inception of the band. How else could you explain the peculiar mixture that makes up Inner City Elegance: one part Newfoundlander, one part Albertan and one part Brazilian?

This week, ANDY had the opportunity to catch up with bassist Justin Parsons, drummer Spencer Kathrens and guitarist Bruno Rodrigues, providing some insight in to the challenges that the band has faced over the past few years.

Just over a year ago, Inner City Elegance made the tough decision to relocate, leaving everything they had in Calgary and moving to Toronto.

“We sacrificed a lot to come out here, leaving friends, family and our jobs behind. Being in a totally new city and having nothing but our band and our music made us tighter as a band, and as friends,” admits Kathrens, the drummer of the band.

Within just a few months, the band had played all across the city and started stirring a considerable buzz within professional music community. By the summer, they had mapped a four-month tour that would unexpectedly take them across Canada twice.

“Touring is a crazy time for any band. Endless hours of driving, flying, crappy road food and sleeping where ever you can lay your head for a few hours,” said Parsons. “The biggest highlight for me of all our tours is getting to experience the world with my two best friends while playing the music we love.”

Since finishing up in Moncton last August, the band has not played a single show and has focused entirely on writing. “It’s been kinda weird after pretty much 2 years non stopping but it was definitely a good thing. It gave us a chance to finally look back at what we’ve done,” said Rodrigues.

He was confident that the tour break has allowed the band to fine tune its musical direction: “We feel like we’ve all stepped up our game on these new songs. The old albums are much more instrument oriented while this time we focused more on the song as a whole and just tried to write a good song, rather than a bunch of cool parts.”

Inner City Elegance have just recently release their first single single of the year, All Square, available online.

“For the first time we were able to totally immerse ourselves in songwriting and

only songwriting. I think because of that the music is a lot more focused now,” Kathrens’ affirmed.

After several years of pouring an incredible amount of time and effort in to the band, the guys of Inner City Elegance have acquired an acute eye for the do’s and don’t’s of the music industry.

“Concentrate on becoming good at your craft and writing the songs you’d want to listen to,” Parsons expressed. Riffing off that, Kathrens added some advice: “I think if it’s genuine, it’ll show in your songs and your performance. I think people do a pretty decent job detecting bullshit, so if you’re in it for the wrong reasons your ship will sink eventually.”

Download their new single, ‘All Square’, at www.innercityelegance.com • Josh Parsons, Music Editor