The Silhouette - February 28, 2013 by The Silhouette

Spring Awakening features a myriad of dark themes The latest from the McMaster Musical Theatre troupe successfuly sheds light on the macabre. See C8

The

Silhouette

McMASTER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013 VOL. 83 NO. 23

Ontario Volleyball Champions SEE B7

PCs would end tuition rebate INDEX White paper contends that Liberals’ 30% Off program doesn’t cut it Anqi Shen Online News Editor In a white paper released earlier this month, the Ontario Progressive Conservatives took aim at the Ontario Liberal government’s “30% Off Ontario Tuition” grant, among other initiatives in the post-secondary sector. A chief concern that has been raised about the grant is that only about 200,000 students received it

last year. That is about two-thirds of eligible students and one-third of all post-secondary students. To give students more time to apply this year, the deadline was extended from the end of January to Friday, March 1. Launched in 2012, the grant offers 30 per cent off the average tuition for university and college to lower-middle income students. The Ontario government has set aside about $400 million for the

program per year. It is estimated that 300,000 students are eligible for the grant. However, many students are either unaware that it exists, or unaware that they do not need to receive OSAP in order to apply for the grant. The PCs “Higher Learning for Better Jobs” paper argues that the Ontario Liberals have been spending public money on the program to “fix a problem that

doesn’t exist.” “The Ontario Tuition Grant can thus simply be summed as an idea sold as a benefit to all students, when only a fraction receive it,” reads the paper. In lieu of the grant, universities and colleges should be “empowered to administer a student financial aid system that grows as tuition increases,” according to the PCs. EXCLUSION, A4

Book burning survivors immortalized at Mac The McMaster Library is host to some extremely rare books that have in the past been subjected to book burnings and censorship. Turning, A3.

Standards for Honours Commerce relaxed The DeGroote School of Business has eased the requirements for entering the Honours Commerce program to be more in line with other faculties. Honours, A5.

How Argo affects the Middle East Ben Affleck has won critical acclaim for his breakout proHollywood flick, but what does that mean for the Western view of the East? Argo, A7.

YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

PHOTO: CROSSING LAKE MCMASTER

Wednesday afternoon, four Engineering students, Steven Toniollo, Yassin Strinic, Ross Willett and Corey Bastarache, braved what has been called “slush-mageddon” to take a leisurely canoe ride – in the middle of campus. Bastarache, a second-year Mechatronics and Society student, portaged his aunt’s canoe through Westdale to drop it into the pond on the BSB lawn. The students canoed around the ‘lake,’ eventually offering passers by ferry rides across to get to their classes. The oversized puddle blocks most of a walkway leading to BSB and JHE. Bastarache described floating around campus as a “great way to relax.” Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma, Senior News Editor

Is Adderall the answer to questions of focus? See the effects of Adderall, caffeine and energy drinks to judge if the little red pill is worth the trouble it takes to get your hands on it. Stay Focused, B1.

Jobs for students are few and far between A first-hand account of one Mac student’s encounter with job hunting. Job, B3.

Mac students caught in Garneau’s orbit Former astronaut and federal Liberal leadership candidate visits McMaster Women’s basketball team moves to playoffs

Julia Redmond Assistant News Editor Some people say politics is a tough business, but the truth is, it’s not rocket science. Federal Liberal leadership hopeful and former astronaut Marc Garneau visited McMaster on Feb. 26 to meet with students. Garneau became Canada’s first man in space in October 1984 when he worked as a payload specialist on the shuttle Challenger. He entered politics in the mid-2000s and currently serves as MP for the WestmountVille Marie riding in Montreal. Garneau is widely considered to be in second to frontrunner Justin Trudeau in the race for leadership. The down-to-earth mechanical engineer was greeted by a dozen students in The Phoenix and discussed issues ranging from education to oil sands. While his

Despite a clear loss to Windsor, the Marauders are adamant about getting some payback in this playoff season. Marauders, B7.

Swimming season over, high hopes for 2013-14 After a strong showing at this year’s nationals, the Marauders swim team is making plans for their encore performance. Mac’s, B9. YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Garneau visited campus on Feb. 26, stopping by the Phoenix to discuss his platform with students.

policies vary from those of his competitors, Garneau’s message was much the same as other candidates. “As a party we have made some mistakes in the past few years, and we’re rebuilding,”

he explained. “We have a huge amount of work to do.” The Liberal Party has faced a major drop in support over the past decade. The number of seats held by Liberals in the House of Commons has been on the de-

cline since 2000. Of the 308 seats, only 35 are currently held by Liberals. Garneau is keen to see that change. GARNEAU, A4

The Arkells make a Hamilton comeback Playing a surprise show at This Ain’t Hollywood, the Arkells make their first performance in the Steel City in over a year. Homecoming, C4.

the

PRESIDENT’S PAGE Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance)

Huzaifa Saeed VP (Education)

Siobhan Stewart President

David Campbell VP (Administration)

SRA GENERAL ELECTIONS Nomination period is now open; MSU Board of Directors reflect on their experiences as Student Representative Assembly members Now is your chance to get involved with the Student Representative Assembly (SRA). The SRA General Election is coming, and nominations are open until March 4th. For more information on the process and required documents, please visit: www.msumcmaster.ca/elections. The governing body of the MSU, the SRA is composed of 35 undergraduate students elected by their peers, inside each academic faculty. Together, they work to provide the best possible MSU services and departments, address the concerns of undergraduate students and lobby to improve McMaster’s academic quality. The SRA exists to represent you and to help build a better community for all students. During the academic year, the SRA meets bi-weekly in Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111). SRA meetings are open, public forums, which anyone can attend without invitation or reservation. To ensure that students’ needs are being met, the SRA offers standing committees on Bylaws and Procedures, External Affairs, Finance, Operations, Services and University Affairs. We asked the MSU Board of Directors to talk about their experiences in the SRA. For many of them, it was

where they got their start in student politics, as well as where many developed important or valuable skills. Here are some of the highlights of their answers. Q: How did you first get involved with the SRA? David Campbell: I initially ran for the SRA mostly by coincidence. The “SRA ex-officio” seat, an observer from the Arts & Science program who attends meetings along with the voting SRA Art/Sci member, came open. Some friends of mine encouraged me to run. I had always been interested in getting more involved on campus, and so I took the plunge! After that, I was on the SRA for more than two years before becoming VP (Administration). Q: Highlight some of the projects you worked on / accomplished during your time as an SRA member. Jeff Wyngaarden: One project I’ve worked on is updating the MSU’s health insurance. This year we reduced premiums while increasing coverage, resulting in a substantial net benefit to everyone who is on the plan. Ultimately I hope this will result in substantial increases to benefits with no extra cost to students, a win-win situation.

Q: What have you gained from you SRA experience? Siobhan Stewart: I really learned that every person in a team makes a difference and that everything starts with a bit of initiative. The MSU is a complex place, but my SRA experience helped me learn about it and helped me feel more connected to the MSU which contributes significantly to student life. Q: Describe your best and worst memories associated with being an SRA member. David Campbell: My worst memory of the SRA is a particularly long meeting, where some members filibustered the meeting to avoid some motions which were unfavourable to them. The political system can be an incredible tool for change when used properly, but also can be very stagnant when abused. My best memory is running breakout groups at an SRA training weekend this summer. Hearing all the different perspectives and the willingness to collaborate in order to improve campus was incredible. Q: In which Committees were you involved? What did those committees do for McMaster students? Huzaifa Saeed: My first committee

was the Operations Committee, through which I was able to participate in three major MSU projects: the implementation of Google Mail to replace the old McMaster emails, the project to implement the new MUGSI/ SOLAR and the creation of online voting for MSU elections. I also sat on Bylaws and Procedures where we implemented several internal governance reforms. I was also the Commissioner for External Affairs where I helped represent McMaster students at the municipal, provincial and federal levels via various policy, research and survey projects. Q: What projects or business do you think next year’s SRA will tackle? Siobhan Stewart: I think it would be a beneficial exercise for the Assembly to examine the ways in which meetings are conducted. The only time that Assembly members get together to discuss issues in groupsis in Standing Committee meetings or with the broader Assembly during training. It would be great if there could be breakout sessions for the Assembly during the year to continue these conversations. For each BoD member’s full responses, visit the Board of Directors page at www.msumcmaster.ca/BOD.

Nominate an outstanding peer for an MSU Award Simon Gooding-Townsend Speaker, SRA speaker@msu.mcmaster.ca

Each year the MSU holds a recognition event where it presents several awards to deserving members of the McMaster community for outstanding service and dedication to student life. Whether it’s through student leadership, volunteer service, charitable giving or school spirit, the recipients of these awards represent McMaster’s best and brightest. Some awards, like the Rudy Heinzl Award of Excellence, are decades old and commemorate the amazing dedication and service rendered by some of McMaster’s great names of the past. Others, like the MSU Spirit Award, recognize outstanding achievements by campus groups in promoting McMaster pride and demonstrating dedication and enthusiasm to increasing school spirit. Also available are the MSU Merit Scholarship, awarded for outstanding service to McMaster’s clubs, societies, charities, and/or campus groups. The J. Lynn Watson Award is presented to the campus group that has made the greatest one-year contribution to charitable giving. Much like the

Rudy Heinzl, these awards recognize students, faculty, staff and campus groups that demonstrate a continued commitment to excellence in leadership, to volunteering & charity, and to improving student life at McMaster. Worthy of special mention is the Honour M Award, the highest honour that the MSU bestows on its members. Presented annually since 1932, the Honour M recognizes student leadership, volunteer service, and special achievement in extracurricular activities. Recipients become part of the Honour M Society and have their names added to the growing list of laureates posted on the second floor of the Student Centre. All the awards – the Honour M, the Rudy Heinzl Award of Excellence, the MSU Merit Scholarship, the J. Lynn Watson Award, and the MSU Spirit Award – are granted after careful consideration by committee and presented at Student Recognition Night, scheduled for March 20th of this year. Nominations are due March 6th, for more information check out the Awards page on the MSU website (msumcmaster.ca/awards) or contact the MSU Speaker directly via email at speaker@msu.mcmaster.ca.

GREEN ROOF INITIATIVE UPDATE: DESIGN CONCEPTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR STUDENT REVIEW AND FEEDBACK

www.MSUMCMASTER.CA/GREENROOF

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.msumcmaster.ca

NEWS

News Editors Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma, Boodhoo-Leegsma Julia Redmond and Anqi Shen Section Meeting Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. Contact news@thesil.ca

Thursday, February 28, 2013

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Turning the page on censorship McMaster Archives celebrates Freedom to Read Week with a look into its historically controversial books Archivist Renu Barrett handles some of McMaster’s more controversial works, including Galileo’s Dialogo, which was burned by the Catholic Church in the 17th century. TYLER HAYWARD / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor The McMaster Libraries Archives is more than just a museum for books. Their collection includes original works that once provoked mass outrage and book burnings. Freedom to Read Week is an annual celebration sponsored by the Freedom of Expression Committee that runs this year from Feb. 24 to March 2. The week was initially founded as a result of attacks on Alice Munro’s Lives of Girls and Women in 1978. McMaster Archivist Renu Barrett took The Silhouette through three particular works that McMaster owns as part of an exploration of formerly banned books. McMaster owns a first edition of Ulysses by James Joyce, which is no. 332 of the first 1000 published. The work was considered so contentious that publishers refused to distribute the work, so it was originally sold by subscrip-

tion. Ulysses was banned from being published in the UK. Barrett speculated that Ulysses was considered so controversial because Joyce wrote it from his stream of consciousness and was very free with his language. The work is so full of obscenities and sexually explicit language that Joyce was warned during an early review that he would need to revise his work. Joyce refused, and in 1932, U.S. Customs seized a copy and declared it “obscene.” Eventually, in a landmark censorship decision, the novel was declared not pornographic and was allowed to be published. McMaster also owns a copy of Dialogo by Galileo. Dialogo is considered to be extremely rare given that most copies were seized and burned following it being banned by the Catholic Church in 1633. The work was considered heretical for endorsing a heliocentric view of the universe, which ran counter to Church teachings. McMaster acquired this particular

work in the 1960s. Barrett gave Margaret Laurence’s The Diviners as an example of a more contemporary work that was highly contested for its language and exploration of sexuality, race, class and abortion. In 1974 The Diviners won the Governor General’s Award, Canada’s top literary prize. But by 1976 the book was banned by local school boards. In the 1980s the book was again subject to criticism, this time from the Catholic Church. McMaster has part of the original manuscript in Laurence’s handwriting. Barrett explained how Freedom to Read Week continues to remain an important part of both retelling literary history and discussing current works, stating that “it highlights the value of access to information and allows ideas that may be unpopular or unorthodox to be voiced.” Barrett reiterated how, as an academic library, McMaster, has never banned works from its collections.

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“[In a more subtle way] a public library may take a book off of the must-read or top-read list if community groups rally against a certain book.” Renu Barrett, McMaster Library Archivist But she also noted that censorship in public libraries can still exist in more subtle an innocuous ways explaining that “a public library may take a book off of the must-read or top-read list if community groups rally against a certain book.”

In the past few years, works such as His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman or the Harry Potter series have attracted intense controversy. But Barrett notes that the internet provides a valuable tool for mediating knee-jerk reactions and calls for book banning. “Censorship is a less prevalent issue because of the access available through the internet or book downloads. So in one way we have less control over publication, but on the other hand, the Internet can provide a forum where different groups can engage in dialogue to reasonably discuss their objections.”

CANADIAN CAMPUS NEWS Ronald Leung Silhouette Staff

Students back at table at Lakehead tuition hike discussion

Gender-neutral washrooms introduced at University of Regina

Sexual complaints arise over Greek organization at Memorial

BC universities feel left out over grants awarded to trade schools

UOttawa lecture series highlights bilingualism in Canada

The chief representative for students at Lakehead University has regained the right to vote on tuition hike issues. Student governor Daniel Basca was originally muzzled in an April 2012 ruling that declared student governors in a conflict of interest and stopped them from participating in any meaningful matter at board of governor meetings regarding tuition hikes. This outcome was swiftly met with challenge from the Lakehead University Student Union (LUSU), which threatened legal action. The Lakehead Board of Governors reversed their decision at a Feb. 1 meeting.

After two years of campaigning by the group University of Regina Pride, talks about choosing the location of ten gender-neutral washrooms on the UR campus are underway. While not new to Canadian institutions, with universities such as Dalhousie having their own gender-neutral bathrooms, the introduction of these spaces represents the fruits of the labour of student-administration communication at UR. The new project is aimed at reducing harassment and providing an alternative to those who find it uncomfortable to use washrooms for men or women.

The Memorial University of Newfoundland Students’ Union (MUNSU) is dealing with controversy over whether it should officially recognize the Greek Philanthropy Society (GPS). Although the GPS pledged to focus on raising funds for charitable causes, allegations of sexist behavior clouded its case. One MUNSU board member brought up an example of parties hosted by the GPS that charge a lower cost to women, who are then encouraged to wear togas. The MUNSU purports to expect all member clubs to support sex and gender equity.

The B.C. government is sticking to its plan to support trade and technical programs in spite of complaints from research universities. Faced with an overall $41 million in cuts, people such as UBC President Stephen Toope have argued that trade schools don’t help students become “versatile and agile leaders.” However, Minister of Advanced Education John Yap told The Ubyssey that “taxpapers invest $5 million … to support the B.C. post-secondary system,” and that the four major research universities – UBC, SFU UVic UNBC– “receive more than half of the operating grants.”

The University of Ottawa has worked with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism in Canada. It was established in 1963 in order to address language issues between Anglophones and Francophones. The Commission led to the establishment of the Official Languages Act. U Ottawa, being a strongly bilingual institution, sees itself as a child of the original commission. The lecture series will be featured across Canada.

S A4 NEWS

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Garneau keen to change Liberal image FROM A1 His platform is based around a focus on the knowledge-based economy, a sector he feels has been neglected. “My professional life has really been focused on the high tech sector,” he said. “I understand how innovation happens. We have the ingredients in this country – the people with good ideas. But we’re not helping them develop those ideas into commercial successes.” He went on to say that the traditional Liberal focus has been on natural resources, rather than the knowledge economy. But he doesn’t want to discount the role of the West, in particular the oil sands, in Canada. “I understand that they have become the economic centre of gravity of this country,” Garneau explained. He underlined the importance of “getting Westerners on board” with the party’s direction in order to be successful, citing his three-year term on the board of an oil company as relevant experience. His platform has also resonated well with students for its policy on student loans. Garneau has proposed that students be able to defer repayment on the federal portion of their loans until they are employed and earning $40,000 a year. “I think the best indicator [of this policy’s popularity] – and I’m not being facetious here – is that three days later, Justin [Trudeau] adopted the same policy,” he said with a laugh. “I think it’s a smart

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“I think the best indicator of this policy’s popularity-and I’m not being facetious here- is that three days later, Justin Trudeau adopted the same policy.” Marc Garneau, leadership candidate for Federal Liberal Party

thing to do … it’s a good investment.” Canadian media have been keen to hail Trudeau, son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, as the new hope for the Liberal Party. But in the midst of Trudeau’s rise to stardom, Garneau claims to be more grounded. He has publicly accused Trudeau of being focused too much on vision and not enough on specific policies or strategies to accomplish his goals. “The leadership of the Liberal Party is too important a position to be handed to an untested candidate who is hiding behind a carefully crafted public relations campaign,” he said at a Feb. 25 press conference. He challenged the Papineau MP to a one-on-one debate, which Trudeau declined. The two candidates will join their six competitors, including former Toronto MP Martha Hall Findlay and Vancouver MP Joyce Murray, in Halifax on March 3 for a debate. The convention to choose the leader will take place on April 14.

Exclusion problematic for many students FROM A1 The paper also cites a briefing note from the Canadian Federation of Students. “Students are concerned that the Liberal tuition fee grant excludes two-thirds of students in Ontario.” Ontario’s new Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Brad Duguid, said axing the program is “unacceptable”. He also expressed concerns about a two-tiered education system. Duguid took over from MPP John Milloy earlier this February. “We think that is economically irresponsible, and I consider it to be socially reprehensible,” said Duguid. He added that the PCs’ proposal to end the grant could have repercussions for several groups The specific groups included lower-income students, aboriginal students, student-athletes and students with disabilities. Duguid confirmed that, as of Wednesday, the number of students who have received the 30 off grant so far this year surpassed last year’s number.

The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) supports the 30 off grant. However, they have also recommended that the Ministry expand eligibility requirements and change the tuition framework. OUSA has argued that adjusting the grant to inflation is not enough especially since tuition rates are rising at a faster rate than inflation. “In nine years, though the value of the grant will grow to over $2,000 annually per-student, eligible students will be paying exactly what they pay today,” according to an OUSA policy paper released in 2012. “I understand the concern, but we haven’t set the tuition framework yet for the next number of years,” said Duguid. “I’ll certainly be taking the students’ views under consideration as we work with post-secondary institutions as well to set an acceptable tuition rate.” Duguid said a new tuition framework would be announced “fairly soon.” “As a new minister, I want to reach out a little more before we make any final decisions,” he said.

Julia Redmond Assistant News Editor At a university with an ever-growing student population, you might expect that academic distinctions would get more competitive. But a recent policy change in the DeGroote School of Business will now make it easier for more students to earn an honours degree. At the Feb. 13 meeting of University Senate, a motion was passed to change the average requirement to enter the level three honours stream of the Bachelor of Commerce program from a 6 (67-69 per cent) to a 5 (63-66 per cent). According to Giri Kanagaretnam, Associate Dean at DeGroote, the change is only meant to “make entry and exit requirements consistent.” To graduate with an Honours B. Com., a cumulative average (CA) of 5 is required. A CA of 5 is also the standard for passing from Level I to Level II of the program. Kanagaretnam was unsure as to why the averages were different in the first place, but he said the standards have remained the same since the separation of the Honours stream about 20 years ago. “One of the biggest complaints is that we have these two programs that are the same length,” he said of the B.Com. and Honours B.Com., which are both four-year degrees. The difference between the two, aside from the distinction itself, is the availability of electives. While Honours students have their choice of business electives, regular B.Com. students must choose from courses offered outside the department. It is unclear as to how many students this will affect. The cur-

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“Given that [the Honours degree] would be the students’ first choice, why not extend that [option] to them?” Giri Kanagaretnam, Associate Dean at DeGroote School of Business

rent Level III B.Com class has 81 students, 61 of whom passed into the Honours stream with an average of at least 6. “We cannot promise anything until we review their grades in May,” Kanagaretnam said of the effect on current second-year students. The department also chose to allow third-year students who fell just short of meeting the requirement of a 6 to switch into the Honours stream in Sept. 2013. Applying the change only to incoming students was an option, but Kanagaretnam explained the rationale behind the decision, saying that “given that [the Honours degree] would be students’ first choice, why not extend that to them?” Though the motion was passed before reading week, when the Silhouette went to press, students had yet to be notified of the change. The Academic Office at DeGroote reported that it would be alerting students to the new policy by email later in the week. The shift in requirements will be put forward in Sept. 2013 and was described as a “minor structural change” done in preparation for changes to the B.Com. curriculum which aligns with the Forward with Integrity priorities.

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Honours Commerce changes degree requirements

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NEWS A5

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

EDITORIAL

Executive Editor Sam Colbert Email thesil@thesil.ca Phone 905.525.9140 x22052

Thursday, February 28, 2013

A6 S MENTAL ILLNESS

Talk versus treatment to anqi kardashishen.

to getting cut off by jaws.

to the bold and daring voyage across lake mcmaster.

to slush days.

to coffee after beer, inspiring editorials since 1930. to finishing the globe and mail’s cryptic crossword. to jennifer lawrence’s response to what she did to get ready for the oscars. damn journalists.

Despite the good efforts from services like SHEC and the Peer Support Line to address student anxiety and depression, there’s a gap in professional support on campus

to no one being happy about indexed tuition. to people who wear yankees hats with blue jays jackets. to mixing up the backstreet boys and nsync. what kind of ‘90s kid am i? to baldwell’s evil twin.

to windsor’s proximity to detroit. to detroit’s proximity to windsor. to caldwell’s fine cable 14 commentary.

to learning after burning.

to waiting in the pizza line with patrick deane.

to birthday cake becoming just too old to eat.

OFF THE PAGES

Listen to our radio show Every Friday at 3 p.m., tune into 93.3 CFMU or visit cfmu. mcmaster.ca to listen to the Silhouette’s weekly radio show. Our witty and insightful editors will discuss the week’s top stories.

NOW HIRING

Apply for a job at the Sil Want to join our editorial team? We’re currently hiring next year’s Managing Editor and Production Editor. The deadline is March 11. Visit msumcmaster.ca/jobs for descriptions. Apply through the online portal or by emailing your resume and cover letter to thesil@thesil.ca. Jobs for the remaining editorial board positions will be posted later this month. The Silhouette: Celebrating Quentin Tarantino’s writer’s year, man.

Sam Colbert Executive Editor I didn’t see Silver Linings Playbook when it came out. I’m a month older than Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper is pushing 40. Watching the two in a romantic comedy wasn’t my idea of entertainment. But then it got nominated for a bunch of Oscars. I’m a sucker. Now I’ve got to see the bipolarboy-meets-sex-addict-girl love story. If not for the romance, at least I’d better watch it for the commentary on mental health. Because when Hollywood is willing to associate a famous and good-looking cast with serious topics of neurosis and depression, it’s probably worth a watch. McMaster’s Student Wellness Centre ran Stop Out the Stigma events last fall. They sought to acknowledge how common problems of student mental illness were on campus. Along with Silver Linings Playbook, it asserted that helping people first means making it okay to admit that they’re in need of support. Other efforts, particularly out of the MSU, have tried to help students going through a tough time.

The Student Health Education Centre (more than free condoms) launched a campaign this week to promote their peerto-peer counselling services. The student-run MSU service asks, “Want to talk? We want to listen.” Also running is the new, and only somewhat redundant, Peer Support Line, whose members are also “here to talk” to students. Meanwhile, the Student Wellness Centre is offering counselling services and online resources to students. But there’s an important piece missing. Someone can talk to their peers or try to self-help all they want. But, for a lot of people, recovery won’t start until they get one very meaningful thing: a diagnosis. And it’s not just about treatment. It’s about attitude. Maybe your girlfriend/boyfriend broke up with you. Maybe school’s a lot of work. Maybe you’re homesick. Or maybe life’s fine, but for some reason, you’re not happy in it. Getting anxious or depressed as a result doesn’t mean you’re weak. But it might mean that you’re sick. That’s a meaningful distinction to give someone. Yet professional, medical approaches to student mental health are lacking on campus. Wait times

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Someone can talk to their peers or try to self-help all they want. But, for a lot of people, recovery won’t start until they get one very meaningful thing: a diagnosis.

are too long at the Student Wellness Centre, and the office doesn’t have the resources to do much other than refer students to other doctors when the going really gets tough. The will to help is obviously present at McMaster. And SHEC and the Peer Support Line are offering necessary services. But for every service that’s “here to talk,” there needs to be one that’s “here to treat.” Someone needs to be able to respond quickly and completely when a student’s mental state turns to illness. Students aren’t going to be the first ones to admit, or even realize, that what they’re going through requires more than a talk from a peer. Anyway, I hear Silver Linings Playbook is still playing at Westdale Theatre. Anyone want to go?

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ATTENTION FIRST YEAR STUDENTS

Are you considering a level II program in the Faculty of Humanities for September 2013? If so, visit us at the

HUMANITIES

MAJORS FAIR

Wednesday, March 6, 2013 11:30 am – 2:30 pm McMaster University Student Centre Marketplace

Find out about the following programs:

ART HISTORY CLASSICS COGNITIVE SCIENCE OF LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION STUDIES CULTURAL STUDIES & CRITICAL THEORY ENGLISH FRENCH HISTORY LINGUISTICS MULTIMEDIA PEACE STUDIES PHILOSOPHY THEATRE & FILM Meet with the academic advisors, faculty and undergraduate students from the various departments to discuss:

Program information Clarification of course content Career and post degree opportunities Study Abroad

Representatives from McMaster Humanities Society, Student Success Centre and Centre for Continuing Education will also be there. Level II program selection on SOLAR will be available: March 5, 2013 to April 30, 2013 Brought to you by the Faculty of Humanities Academic Advising Office located in CNH/107.

OPINIONS

Opinions Editor Mel Napeloni Section Meeting Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. Contact opinions@thesil.ca

Thursday, February 28, 2013

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COLUMN

Argo has got to go Same old directors, same old tropes

Mel Napeloni Opinions Editor Did you know that during the inception of the Iraq war, films that expressed concern and outrage received low box-office sales? Did you know that a large percentage of American citizens supported it? In the last four or so years, a new political climate has penetrated mainstream media between the American west and the Iranian east, exploding after an allegation made by U.S. officials regarding Iran’s supposed nuclear program and (later) their unenriched uranium supply. The implication is that this is somehow a new age of mistrust for the two sides. A new flick slid onto the Hollywood stage in 2012. Directed by a white, upper-middle class American filmmaker, Argo projects the Persian spirit as a drooling, rabid dog whose bloodlust is fuelled by the screams and cries of its hostages. Of course, this isn’t anything new; since the inception of high-quality reels in the ‘20s, what Hollywood (meaning American and Israeli directors) has invented of the Eastern world is abysmal. The Marx Brothers in a Night in Casablanca, Never Say Never Again, Kazaam, Bowery to Bagdad and The Mummy are but a few among hundreds of films that molded our perception of the “Arab” – an uncompromising reel of agonizing tropes. Oil wells, turbans, terrorists with confirmed Islamic backgrounds and unconfirmed Islamic-sounding names. Jack Sheehan, a professor of Communications at Southern Illinois university, once said, “Pause and visualize the reel Arab. What do you see? Black beard, headdress, dark sunglasses. In the background – a limousine, harem maidens, oil wells, camels. Or perhaps he is brandishing an automatic weapon, crazy hate in his eyes and Allah on his lips. Can you see him?” As expected, the 2012 film was a huge success. Especially among youth, Argo has been referred to as gripping and highly engaging. The claim (as always) is that as long as it’s well directed, written and acted, any further criticism is a shot in the dark – movies are meant to exaggerate reality for entertainment’s sake. I can’t help but wonder how many white diplomats have sat and thought what a blessing it is that so many people remain unashamed of their country. Racist artistry that incites hegemonic support and proudly factions out its weakest links clings to the heart of Western nationalism. The way these tensions will permeate in the next few years interests me. When we’re still coaxed by films that reek of misinformation (especially regarding Canada’s involvement in the crisis) and biased, ruthless depictions of the East, how much further will the rabbit hole go? How will this eventually affect my family in America, my family in Iran? What’s your next move, assholes?

Egotistic or just ignorant? Cultural insensitivity under the guise of humour begs questions Aelya Salman Silhouette Staff Sometimes (not often enough for me to worry about it constantly but not seldom enough for it to go unnoticed by me) when I’m speaking in English, especially if I’m excited or talking fast, I’ll replace a W with a V or my “neutral accent” will slip up and one word will sound heavier than the other. Sometimes (again, not

often enough for it to plague me) I sound, even if only subtly, like a foreigner. I’ve been teased about it before even though the teasing was in good humour from a person I’m very close to. It didn’t bother me too much then and in some ways it doesn’t bother me much now, but the fact that something like that was given attention makes my cheeks flush both with anger and embarrass-

KAREN WANG / GRAPHICS EDITOR

Bigotry against trans persists

Institutional oppression of trans teens is a grim reality male or male, and there is no other option. Every time you create an account on the Internet, fill out a questionnaire or sign government papers, you are only given the options of female or male – it’s a stab to your self-esteem. It’s not true that, because transgender individuals might identify as a certain gender, they can enter the corresponding washroom or check the corresponding box. Some transgender individuals may prefer to identify as simply transgender. With no option for an unspecified gender category, an unfair practice is still taking place in our community. Speaking of self-esteem, it is incredible how often I hear transgender-related insults. If comments like “Ew, is he a cross dresser?” and “That’s totally a tranny” in the hallways make me uncomfortable, I cannot begin to

Erica Greaves Silhouette Intern As a high school student, I see transgender discrimination everywhere I go. An exaggeration, perhaps? Take this for example. at my school there are girls’ washrooms and boys’ washrooms. Does this sound normal? It is. But I encourage you to imagine being a transgender youth and having to choose which washroom you’ll enter. Those of us who prefer not to identify as either gender aren’t considered. Some students might not be comfortable expressing which gender they truly identify as by entering a certain washroom. A legal form of any sort requires you to face the infamous gender boxes; you have the opportunity to check off either fe-

imagine how it makes my transgender peers feel. Comments like this aren’t “just a joke;” since when did a kick to someone’s gender identity become an acceptable form of humour? By allowing these slurs to pass, we allow discrimination, and sometimes hate, towards transgender/transsexual persons. We encourage fear and anxiety in transgender/transsexual people. We turn a blind eye to those suffering as a result of transphobia. The Hamilton community must work in unison to stop the stigma. We need to recognize inequality among the genders, realize the way in which it affects the transgender/transsexual community and reiterate that the deliberate and non-deliberate discrimination is not acceptable and only makes society weaker.

FEEDBACK

Is Argo a problematic film? Compiled by Mel Napeloni and Yoseif Haddad

I don’t think it’s problematic. The situation was like that at the time - it’s a realistic portrayal.

Entertaining film, but the fact they glossed over a lot of details is pretty absurd. It is problematic.

Don’t say it’s based on a true story and manipulate the facts. It’s portrayal of Iranians is disgusting.

Mohammed Niazi, Commerce I

Marc Lamoureux, LifeSci, IV

Yoseif Haddad, LifeSci, III

Anger because it shouldn’t matter. I speak English at a level that’s higher than many, read at a pace and absorb at a rate that’s gifted. I speak English as well as speaking Urdu and English isn’t even my mother tongue. British Christians taught me English. Golden Books and Jack Nicholson taught me English. My grandparents and my cousins and my parents taught me Urdu. I see only my parents now and only for less than a quarter of the day. It shouldn’t matter that my “accent” shows sometimes or that I say a word funny. I can read and write and speak and sing and cry in English. I can read and speak and sometimes write and can’t sing and always cry in Urdu. As a result of numerous circumstances, as well as being entangled within a community that engages in selfloathing to an appalling degree, I’ve had to be more English than Urdu. I’m angry because the people who have (even though it was

harmless) teased me about my slip-ups are Canadian born and bred. Or they don’t know their mother tongues. Or they too, hate themselves. And I don’t need that. I don’t need your fucking negativity when it comes to figuring myself out, when it comes to conversing with my grandmother over the phone, when it comes to being all that I am capable of being. I’m angry because a Francophile speaking abhorrent English is apparently a hell of a lot cuter than my uncle who speaks great English with his Pakistani accent. I’m angry because this happens to South Asians all the fucking time. You’re not English enough, you’re not assimilated enough and you’re not enough for anything - not even your own culture. So while I navigate this vast grey area between Here and There, I have zero tolerance for self-aggrandizing assholes who probably couldn’t out-write, outspeak, or out-perform me in either language anyway. Pricks.

“

I’m angry because the people who have teased me about my slip-ups are Canadian born and bred. Or they don’t know their mother tongues.

ment. Embarrassment because it’s a natural reaction to anything that calls attention to you in a way you’re not entirely comfortable with. Embarrassment because, well, why did it even happen? I’ve been speaking English my whole life. I watched Hollywood flickers and Nickelodeon as a kid. Damn it, I had Titanic memorized before the age of ten. Why do I (sometimes) have an accent? “Fobs” have accents. “Confused” people have accents. People who don’t know how to use the TTC or people who don’t adhere to Western cultural signifiers (such as dress) have accents. I’m none of “those” people.

S A8 OPINIONS

Thursday, February 28, 2013

vs.

ARGUING

FOR THE MOTION

Karthicka: Marie Antoinette famously said, “Let them eat cake,” showing complete disregard for the poverty facing her citizens or the needs to be met for their survival. To her, it didn’t matter if French citizens couldn’t maintain a quality of life they previously had, it just mattered that they survived by the lowest standards. On that radical note, I propose that we – in an equally radical manner – get rid of all food banks and reallocate social spending elsewhere, so that society can start addressing the needs of people, not by the lowest standards, but by the standards at which we all expect to live. While food banks provide a lot of good, they provide people with only the most basic food needs when there is absolutely no other alternative. Thus, a lot of people end up at food banks when their welfare runs out, or because their employment insurance has stopped coming in or some scenario in which society has failed them. This failure is caused by disregarding the need for the provision of financial assistance that can be managed on an individual basis – so people have enough money to buy the food they want from the first social support they seek out. Instead, they face stigma as

Karthicka S. Junior VP Internal MacDebate Club

they give up their dignity and pride, waiting in lines, often times for pre-determined packages of food that will not meet specific dietary or cultural needs. It would be nice if we lived in a society that did not stigmatize those individuals as they lined up, but we do. We victimize and blame them. We fail to address poverty and allow for an increasing privatization of social provisions like food banks that tend not to get a lot of government funding and often rely on donations of food or money. A food bank should be a system that not a lot of people need to access – one that catches the few that fall through an otherwise solid social safety net that prevents that position of desperation. The reality is that too many people are put in the disempowering position of needing food banks because the current social system lets too many people fall through the cracks. Food banks have become a crutch and an excuse to pretend we handle the issues related to food insecurity – but in reality, we could be doing so much more.

ARGUING

AGAINST

Andrea Tang

THE MOTION

Vp External MacDebate Club

Andrea: Last Christmas, students at my old high school ran an annual Food Donation Drive called Operation St. Nick which raised over 16,000 items for two local food banks in the GTA area. Not only were the students and families of the school encouraged to donate to a good cause in the community, but also tonnes of non-perishable food items were raised to help the people in the GTA who really needed it around the holiday season. Last year in Canada, 882,000 residents accessed a food bank, and 35,000 of those were Hamiltonians. Food banks are necessary, and we can’t get rid of them. Yes, we can talk about government funding and increasing welfare, but these things are not nearly as feasible as actually physically providing food – a necessity – for those people that need it. Currently, the middle-upper class of communities all over the country are personally donating to food banks to keep them running and to help the people in the community. Regardless of what

Should we get rid of food banks?

kinds of food are being donated and what their motives for donating are, the food at food banks is available at all times and the people eating it are appreciative. The government doesn’t have the money or the means to ensure that everyone living under the poverty line gets enough welfare and can afford groceries at a local grocery store. They also have no way to ensure that if they just give out money to people, that they would even use it for food. Under the current system of privately run food banks, people who are starving or need food will and can walk into a food bank and receive the food they need. The idea of the government handling the provision of social services and spending such as food banks, when these services are already being handled successfully by private non-profit community organizations, just seems like a step in the wrong direction. Overall, food banks are simply beneficial to the large group of food-insecure persons that access them each year. The food banks do no harm and are being successfully run by volunteers and generous donations given by middle-upper class people in communities all over the country. I see no feasible reason to get rid of them.

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

OPINIONS A9 S

White knights in the modern day Experience is not enough to stifle legitimate discussion on social issues

KAREN WANG / GRAPHICS EDITOR

The food crisis JAVIER CALCEDO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Ariel Garlow The Silhouette Social activists tend to argue that those who can speak best about oppression are those who have experienced it first-hand. And indeed, it may make more sense to have someone who has been in an abusive relationship, in a low-income household and a racially profiled neighbourhood to explicate the nature of the harm these injustices cause rather than someone who has never known that hardship. Because who knows pain better than the inflicted? It is one thing to suggest that those who have experienced harm may bring a necessary perspective to the table. But there are obstacles; there are always obstacles. The first obstacle is admitting – often to strangers – that you have been in such a situation. The second obstacle is when mere experience of pain is valued over fair and equal discussion of all involved. I will be speaking from personal experience. I often see a friend, acquaintance or fellow classmate (to note: often male, middle-class, white or possessing features praised by white western values of aesthetics) speaking about a social activist topic, attempting to broaden their perspective, becoming an ally for the underprivileged and showing that they are a truly progressive individual. There are many topics the intersectional friend may pick up on – sexual abuse, classism, racial inequality, gender, body politics. Now, let’s say they say something about rape or race or

women’s rights that I feel myself disagreeing with. I approach them, ask to talk about the subject, offer my disagreements and gauge their reaction. Respond, listen and repeat. How I imagine a good discussion to carry out is when all parties are honestly and sincerely listening to the concerns of the other without prejudice. I’d like to know that when I speak, people will judge my words on, well, my words. Consider whether they hold any truth. Consider whether my ideas are worthwhile; perhaps even change their perspective. How I imagine a lacking discussion to go? Someone telling me I “can’t possibly know what it’s like” and should “not insert myself into the discussion.” That I “need the experience X to have a valuable opinion.” Social justice activists first speak out for the oppressed and then tell you not to do the same. In reality, I think we’re both inserting ourselves into a dialogue that may not be our own. Whether you claim to be “an ally” or are arguing a point, there’s a chance you’re arguing on a battle that isn’t yours. It doesn’t mean you can’t care or you can’t try or the struggle is not worthwhile. It means that you can’t pretend other people don’t have the right to speak “for the oppressed” while you’ve been granted the high position of social justice white knight. That leads up to my first obstacle: when an “ally” of some form of “justice” throws an accusation in your face that you’ve never experienced something, do

you really want to make them feel so awkward and ashamed by admitting that yes, you actually have experienced that? “You’ll never know what it’s like, you have white privilege!” Oh, do I? Let me call up the Canadian government and ask them to change my last name to “Smith” or “Jones,” because I think they made a mistake giving me a name that was also given to Canadians who were forced to attend residential schools. “You’ll never know what it’s like, sexual abuse against women is a uniquely horrifying experience!” says the male “ally” to the female rape “victim.” The only thing I’m victim of at the moment is awkwardly backing away from my too-quick-to-judge conversational partner. “None of us will understand the struggle of the lower class” because obviously nobody’s here on scholarship, and it’s not like most Hamilton-born students are, like, poor or anything. How crazy. Okay, so I can joke about it. But when it comes down to it, do I want to play into their politics, use my experiences as a means to control the conversation and have to admit very personal and even traumatic events just to win a damned argument? No, I bloody well don’t. Which is why it angers me when people claim the only worthwhile voices are those who are strong enough to admit the pain they’ve been through or are visibly underprivileged. To judge someone’s hardships by first appearance is completely lacking of any empathy or reason. Even if my discussion partner is an able-bodied, cis-gendered, heterosexual white male in ex-

pensive clothing, I do not get to assume their entire life narrative thus far. If I want to earn the socialjustice “okay” to speak about injustices, I first have to bare my entire life open to the scrutinizing eyes and hands of people who I already know disagree with me and are politically and socially motivated to want to tear me down. Do I really want to share personal experiences with someone who thinks I’m a horrible person because I don’t approve of their movement? Should I relive my own pain for the sake of a white knight’s approval? And why do I need to seek their approval in the first place? It seems that those who claim to be “allies” of my experiences, of the experiences of others, usurp movements of “progressive equality” to empower themselves, particularly in the case of male feminists. Feminism is by and large seen as the movement that empowers women with a strong voice to be heard. When men claim feminism, they also claim that empowerment. They use line after line of “check your privilege” and other ally-isms to give themselves power over others - a power that their privilege already affords them. They’ve decided that they get to dominate the discussion, the movement and your oppression because they can speak the language of the social justice ally. Why would I put myself on the line for some asshole that uses my experiences to further raise himself on a pedestal of immunity?

Multiplex cinema in Burlington closes The old theatre-going experience has drastically changed for the worse Rob Hardy Silhouette Staff Last December saw the demise of a much beloved institution for many in Burlington and the surrounding area: the closing of the multiplex cinema at Upper Canada Place. The cinema first opened in 1985, run by Cineplex Odeon. As changes in the industry occurred, it was taken over by Encore Cinemas in 1999. For those of you who have never had the pleasure, let me say a bit about what made the movie-going experience there so great. First of all, the site was located in the heart of beautiful downtown Burlington. Personally, I absolutely loved the layout of this multiplex. It was comfortable and cozy, with a wonderful atmosphere, friendly people and amazingly clean restrooms. The first film I saw there was the Oscar-winner Dead Man Walking. With eight screens, it was big enough to find something to suit your taste and had frequent show times. For those of you from the area, many of whom felt the same, you know what I mean and may be disheartened to hear this news if you weren’t already aware. The loss has many implications. For one, the ticket prices, as well as concessions, would have knocked some on their backside if they arrived there unprepared for how economical a night at the movies could still be. It was also a wonderful venue for family movie days, especially those who couldn’t afford being

fleeced by the consumer mausoleums that now charge nearly fifty bucks for two tickets and “value” combos. Furthermore, it was a great alternative to those who like a quieter atmosphere and didn’t mind seeing films that were a month behind their release date. (I mean, who cares?) The reason it closed is that the film industry is now moving away from projectors and switching to digital formats, an upgrade that wasn’t financially viable for the theatre. Although that’s understandable, no time was wasted in making plans to gut the place. Even though many people now have home theatres, the appeal of going to the movies has always been so much more than the film itself. It is the actual “going out” part and being in a social setting that makes for a swell night. Knowing that rents have to be paid and foreseeing dwindling prospects, the decision was made to close up shop. So where does that leave us? Well, despite population increases, we have seen a drastic decline in the number of area movie theatres. Famous Players in Stoney Creek closed down its Fiesta Mall location in 2001, saying it was looking for new opportunities. The replacement that was eventually built years later was not the sort to offer bargain ticket prices, and was snugly set in a shopping consortium that hopes to snag even more of your consumer dollars. It is also many miles away from the previous site – too big of a challenge for those

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

without transportation to get to. Since then, the location at Upper James has closed as well, along with the cinemas at Centre Mall and Limeridge Mall, Burlington’s Harvester location and the older movie house on Concession Street. What we are left with, aside from the trio of bigger area Silver City buildings all cajoling for our business is Jackson Square and the single-screen Westdale option. There are times when it’s nice to sit in newer auditoriumstyle seating, but we also like having choices. And considering the Hamilton/Burlington area has nearly three-quarters of a million people, there are surprisingly almost none now other than the

cookie-cutter chains that have helped create this scarcity. And since going to the movies is no longer old school or authentic, you’re then bound to have the same routine of eye-popping prices, ear-popping speakers and less of an intimate experience every time you go. Maybe that’s why I not only haven’t been to the movies in over a year, but find myself less interested in them period. Because after all, many movies are now also produced to cater to the movie-going environments being promoted these days, thereby alienating those of us whose idea of a night out isn’t putting on glasses and feeling like we are in a video game.

We are alienated from what we consume Nichole Fanara The Silhouette The Western world has put itself into a food bubble – an impenetrable array of thoughtless eating habits that steer away from the natural world and celebrate neat little packages. How did we become this? Every time I watch a food commercial, it’s for little chocolates in baggies that control calories, or chip companies giving you the chance to create a flavour of your choice like chicken and rice. Do you have any idea what goes into the flavour-making process? I can’t help but wonder if there is any real chicken or rice used in the chemically induced flavour making process. There has been a persistent news story that is developing into worse versions of itself. The scandal of horsemeat being used in the place of beef has been all over Europe and the United States, found in packaged foods from little companies to wellknown corporations like Ikea and Nestle. It is affecting both poor and wealthy nations alike, in supermarkets and school lunches, and as fast as these companies are trying to get to the bottom of the issue, the ignorant community of citizens (us) remain content to continue with our days. I wonder what the food regulations in Canada are like. Do you know? Processed foods (like those contaminated with horsemeat) have different regulations than fresh foods. When Mad Cow was distributed, it was through fresh foods. The governments in both Europe and North America cracked down on food regulations for fresh food. But this one aspect is not enough to encompass all means of food production. The level to which we are disconnected from our food is startling. In Dominican Republic, a local family showed us Westerners how they kill their chickens (yes, by hand). They know exactly where their food comes from, where it has been, what it has eaten and the sanitation (or lack thereof) necessary to produce a hearty dinner. But what do we know up in Canada? If you don’t live on a farm, you know squat. And the sad thing is that if something were to happen like Mad Cow that could seriously cause illness, we would not know until the illness spread and it was too late. There is no way for us to tell if our food is safe, real or uncontaminated. We completely put our trust in the hands of corporations. They make the rules. They decide for us. Perhaps the system of processed and “fresh” (which is still processed to some degree) foods is better than the alternative of growing and killing our own source of food. Perhaps the good old Western way helps you to sleep at night knowing you haven’t hurt a fly today. But in reality, if we cannot trust the hand that feeds us and we cannot bite it for fear of the law, then how are we to sleep at night knowing that the hurt fly is actually us? In a world obsessed with rules and control, can we survive all the mistakes made by the boss? There is a lot of room for play in our society. We play with our food all the time. But how far is too far, and how much more disconnected can we get in our desire to control everything from nature’s gift of food to our own bodies and weight? Is it really so barbaric to grow your own food when the food we create in a factory is so mass produced we lose a sense of connection to the earth, to life and to our health?

S A10 OPINIONS

Thursday, February 28, 2013

The overwhelming affliction of addiction The Internet is in few ways good, but in most ways a detriment to our health and state of mind Justin Raudys The Silhouette Being part of what one of my professors calls “a special generation” – that is, the first generation to grow up online – it’s becoming hard for me to recall those bygone days when an unanswered problem or question wasn’t instantly turned into a Google search Pre-Internet world is a hazy, distant past to the many millions of people around the world who were, like me, born in the 1990s. I can ring off countless things about the Internet that are not only lovable but utterly extraordinary: one can hear the words and voices of the greatest teachers and musicians and philosophers that ever lived at the click of a search button; one can instantaneously see and hear loved ones thousands of kilometers away, free of cost; the poorest person in the world could, with that magical connection, tap into all imaginable fields of education in existence. The Internet is here to stay, and it’s allowing previously unthinkable things to be achieved. But as much as I love the Internet, I equally loathe my incapacity to tear myself from its grasp. I suppose you could say it’s a virtual love/hate relationship. This dichotomy of hate obviously doesn’t come from the abovementioned examples of the positive and constructive capacities of online connections. It comes from something that the Internet does to us when, as it’s so easy to do, we overuse it. The Internet is ever-increasing in its ability to immerse us and is rapidly becoming more and more integrated into the daily affairs of all people, especially those

in my age group. But I don’t often see the questions asked, what should we make of this increasing immersion in the digital world? In what ways is this increasing reliance on the Internet changing us? Are these changes for the worse or for the better? I fear – and many of my colleagues share this sentiment – that the quick-fire mode of online data consumption and the condensation of information into ever-smaller and ever-easier-toconsume fragments have undermined my attention span. Indeed, as an English major I feel blasphemous in conceding that I often find it hard to simply sit down and read long passages of text – even a news article can seem, after prolonged Internet use, tediously long. Why? It seems to me as though it’s largely because I have trained my mind day after day, month after month, year after year to become accustomed to the fast-flashing, bite-sized, viralvideo-serving conveyor belt of quick, cheap entertainment and information that often comes with the likes of Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Reddit and so on. Now, to argue that my “hate” – my addiction to the Internet and its effect on my mind – doesn’t stem from my own vices would be idiotic. It smacks of the lawsuits obese Americans have made against McDonalds, charging the golden arches for being responsible for their personal plight. But I encounter this problem among many of my friends with increasing frequency and am convinced that the Internet is undermining many people’s ability to stay focussed on one thing

YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

and, by extension, to truly savour moments that are worth cherishing and to take the time to ponder things that are worth pondering. After all, how often do we see a large group of young friends completely invested in spending time with each other in the moment without at least someone veering off into the world of distraction on their phone? How often do we see people constantly reading vacuous things on the Internet instead of reading books? Sitting at the back of one of my large English classes, I surveyed what is now surely a common sight in universities: of the upwards of fifty laptops in the class, more than half of them had

Facebook open. I may sound old fashioned, but something about that image just doesn’t sit right with me. Are we so neurotically obsessed with staying up to date and up to the minute with all our Facebook friends that we can’t even sit through 50 minutes that are supposed to be reserved for actually focusing and learning things? I must admit that I have often, like many people I know, made checking Facebook one of the first things – if not the first thing – I do in the day. I know the phrase “take it slow” reads as utterly cliché, but that doesn’t mean it’s not of value, and I think that it’s precisely what a lot of Internet over-users like me

could benefit from doing. I know I profit every time I take a moment to circumspect, to breathe in, to think a little more deeply, to reflect on who I am and to take time to think about what I’m doing – and I know that jumping on the Internet every ten minutes isn’t exactly helping me do that. The levels of Internet use are only increasing, and what I see as the problem of Internet addiction is only going to get worse. Cornel West says that the Internet’s “clever gimmicks of mass distraction yield a cheap soulcraft of addicted and self-medicated narcissists.” I’d have to say I agree. The irony? I saw it on his Facebook page.

McMaster Security Services

EMERGENCY SYSTEM TESTING FRIDAY, MARCH 1, FROM 10:20–10:40 SYSTEMS TO BE TESTED TEXT MESSAGES

! All community members who have opted in for our on campus text messaging system will received an emergency test text message.

LCD SCREENS

! A test emergency message will be sent to override all current TV Screen programming.

For information on how to register – go to:

security.mcmaster.ca/campus_emergencies_notification.html

SIRENS

The three outdoor sirens will be activated for 30 seconds (during class change).

ASSISTANCE PHONES PA SYSTEM

10 newer upper campus assistance phones are equipped with a public address system. A verbal test message will be sent out.

EMERGENCY SIREN ALERT SYSTEM WHEN YOU HEAR THE LOCKDOWN SIREN:

EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

For information on what to do during a real emergency go to:

If you want us to send an instant notification message when there is an emergency, you may want to keep your cellular information up to date on MUGSI.

emergency.mcmaster.ca

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FOR SALE: UGLY DOG HE WON’T SHUT UP. Practically giving away this dumbass dog that my ex kept crying about. His name is Scruffy and if you can ignore the incessant yelping he makes a good footrest. Slightly battered. 647-114-6523, no trades. 02-17-13

STARSTRUCK YOUR TRUNK WAS BUILT like a spaceship, but our love never lifted off. Please drop the restraining order and maybe you can get to know the real me this time, with no bushes or windows in between us. Don’t call, you can find me no less than fifty metres away. 02-08-13

SCRATCH THAT KEYING MY CAR is not a mature way to get my attention. Get a grip on yourself Ashley. 02-01-13

ON DEMAND JUST BECAUSE I slept with your sister doesn’t mean you can just change the Netflix password. 11-21-12

Acting like an asshole at sporting events helps morale, drunk fan says TIBERIUS SLICK Senior Speculator

Unverified studies conducted by inebriated sources concluded that acting like a total douche at sports games improved team morale. “If you aren’t acting like a total dickwad then you might as well go join those pussies when they leave with their tails between their legs,” said a sobrietychallenged sports fan at a recent event. A counter study has been initiated by everyone else that hopes to prove the hypothesis that, no, acting like an asshole at games only ruins the experience for the rest of us, asshole. Read the rest of the interview and more study details on D13, burps and all.

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F&%KING POTHOLE, H2

What did you learn this week, Timmy? “I learned,

“Maybe” is a nice way of saying “I completely disregard your worth as a human being”.”

hesis that, no, acting like an asshole at games only ruins the experience for the rest of us, asshole. Read the rest of the interview on D13, burps and all.

Asshole, seen here, is taking the fun out of sports, a beer at a time.

Urge to herbal

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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.

INSIDEOUT

InsideOut Editors Sam Godfrey and Amanda Watkins Section Meeting Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. Contact insideout@thesil.ca

Thursday, February 28, 2013

B1 S

AMANDA WATKINS / ASSISTANT INSIDEOUT EDITOR

The recreational use of prescription ADHD medication is rapidly increasing among students Matthew Greenacre The Silhouette Imagine realizing that you haven’t consulted your textbook since before the midterm and your final exam is in 18 hours and counting. A knot forms in middle of your gut as you realize that you drank, YouTubed, or Twittered away all the time you had to read those 12 chapters, and you really cannot afford to get a two in microbiology. You then remember a friend who was in the same situation and got through it by taking a “pill” that allowed him to fixate on his work like a hunter does on their prey. Four text messages later followed by a short walk to and from the house of a friend of a friend, and suddenly you’re sitting

in front of your book, the knot rapidly melting away. Euphoria comes over you as read your textbook. In fact, it’s the only thing you want to do. You have no desire to go on Facebook, text your friends, or even eat or sleep for the next 12 hours. This story is not one of a kind. According to a recently published review from the University of Tennessee, one in five university students claim to have abused prescription stimulants such as Adderall, Ritalin, or Concerta. Out of these students 90 per cent have not been diagnosed ADHD. The use of these drugs as study aids has become more and more common. Over time it has become more socially acceptable, given rise to ADHD diagnoses and has sparked a growing

debate about whether this type of “cognitive enhancement” should be considered no different from drinking coffee or abuse of anabolic steroids. In an unstable economy, CEOs are taking Ritalin to work longer hours and some among the aging baby-boomer population consider Adderall a viable way of competing for jobs with the younger, more vigorous generations. Along with worries about grades and future careers, some students justify Adderall or Ritalin abuse by claiming that they have undiagnosed ADHD. The gaping hole in this logic is that one should then see a doctor for a diagnosis and legal prescription, but perhaps their condition prevents them from doing so. Those with ADHD find

it extremely hard to filter and prioritize the information that they are receiving from the outside world, or the thoughts inside their head. As one sufferer said, “I would sit in class without being able to understand anything…I could hear it but I would feel like there was a thin film of white noise hindering me from absorbing the information. So I would sit in class and leave without learning.” If your mind cannot decide what to pay attention to, and you have to continually consciously sort through thoughts and distractions, it’s easy to understand why you might miss a doctor’s appointment or not think to make one. However, unless a person has been coping with this disorder

since childhood, there is a strong possibility that the symptoms that he or she is calling ADHD are actually caused by stress and anxiety. When a person has ADHD, the reward system of their brain is dysfunctional. This means that when he or she is thinking of doing something, they will have a great deal of trouble gauging how rewarding it would be in comparison to something else. This makes their brain unable to tell them which of their possible thoughts and actions should be encouraged. The network of brain cells that calculate one’s incentives rely on a chemical dopamine used to communicate between the cells. SUBSCRIBING, B4

STUDY STIMULANTS

Comparing and contrasting common study session fixes Ronald Leung Silhouette Staff

CAFFEINE

ADDERALL (and other psycho-stimulants)

ENERGY DRINKS

SLEEP

Availability

Found in most tea bags, coffee products (not decaf, obviously), and your local coffee shop.

Legally only distributed as a prescribed medication. Not meant to be used as a studying stimulant.

Readily purchasable at supermarkets and convenience stores.

No money required for purchase. Only investment needed is a time commitment.

Effectiveness

Depends widely on each individual. Some live by caffeine, some feel it does nothing to boost energy. Caffeine tolerance can also build, requiring increasingly large portions.

Has varying effects, but most users describe having the ability to zero-in on a task with stringent focus for hours on end.

Energy drinks are simply heavilycaffeinated drinks, so they would have the amplified effects of a cup of coffee.

Requires multiple sessions of adequate sleep, but the effects pay off by allowing for more energyfilled and focused study sessions.

Side-Effects

Twitching/uncontrolled muscle movements, sleep problems, loss of appetite.

Headaches, inability to fall asleep, dry mouth, restlessness. More serious side effects include difficulty breathing, migraines, seizures, depression.

Dizziness, insomnia, irregular heart rate, agitation, breathing problems, tremors.

(In healthy amounts) better memory, mood and immune system. Balanced appetite, more logical thinking process.

S B2 INSIDEOUT

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Ben Barrett-Forrest Third Year Arts and Science

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JESSIE LU / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Jennifer Bacher Silhouette Staff Spring is on its way. How do I know this? It’s not because the birds have started chirping at 6 a.m. or that the days seem longer. It’s not even because the snow is beginning to melt. What marks spring for me is when the stores debut spring fashion. This year it is going to be pastels, lace, florals and stripes.

Pastels are always popular with the coming of Easter and are even easy to wear right now. Look for tints of jade green and lilac in cardigans and skinny jeans, which are easy to transition and versatile throughout spring. Knitted tops and blazers are perfect for layering during the colder months. Lace is the perfect feminine fabric to add an elegant sophisticated touch to any colour palate. Look for lace in dresses, acces-

sories and tops in any colour. This year, cream, sky and rose are all favourites for lace. This trend is another piece that can be winter ready. Why not try a lace tank peeking out from under a blazer? Stripes, a classic, can be used year-round. Stripes can be used to offset an otherwise monochromatic outfit, or to have fun by mixing with other prints. Whether they’re horizontal, vertical, wide or thin, anyone can pull off

stripes. Try a thick striped skirt with a solid top for a simple look or a navy striped top with red jeans for a nautical look. As the perennials come out, so do the floral prints. Wear the colorful prints with dark pieces now and plan on pairing with other pink and orange hues in a few months. This year’s trend for floral is pairing a bold sweater or cardigan with a crisp collared blouse and chic oxfords.

2013 UNDERGRADUATE

spring valedictorian

nominations are here!

Nominations are due by Monday March 4th at 4:30pm at your respective faculty or program office

Nomination forms are available in the MSU Main Office (MUSC 201), or online: www.msumcmaster.ca

late nominations will not be accepted

Thursday, February 28, 2013

INSIDEOUT B3 S

The poverty disease

The consequences of being poor – beyond the dollars and cents

Alon Coret Student Health Education Centre During this past Reading Week, I participated in the Mac Serve Program, right here in Hamilton. The six days were densely packed with learning opportunities and exposure to some shocking realities. Our group explored issues surrounding food (in)security and youth poverty, volunteering at places such as the Good Shepherd, Living Rock (youth center), community healthcare clinics, food drives and more. One theme that seemed to thread throughout the week was the relationship between health and poverty, and how each affects the other. What I realized more than ever before was that poverty shapes our health in terms of our access to proper nutrition, sanitation and a safe place to live. At the same time, our health affects our financial situation; succumbing to

disease and disability may prevent us from being able to work and integrate in society, and treatments can be costly. A 2010 study known as the Code Red Series shows the health-wealth connection better than any other. To determine the health status of different areas in the city, the average age of death was compared among Hamilton’s neighborhoods. One West Mountain area had an average age at death of 86.3 years (2006-2008), while another near Wellington and Barton stood at 65.5 years. This staggering 21-year difference represents nearly a whole generation, and the main cause for the disparity is income. To put this in context, the West Mountain neighborhood’s life expectancy is five years higher than Canada’s national average. Meanwhile, the low-income North End neighborhood’s life expectancy is comparable to Nepal, Pakistan and Mongolia. While visiting a community

health center on Rebecca Street (Hamilton Urban Core), we learned about issues pertaining to medical services, specifically within the homeless and welfaredependent demographic. It turns out, universal healthcare is not always so universal; most family physicians are paid on a fee-forservice basis, and often choose not to deal with more ‘problematic’ patients – the elderly, the homeless, the mentally ill or the severely handicapped. These groups mean more work for the physician, so it’s more efficient to take on young, healthy patients. Moreover, many Hamiltonians living in deep poverty do not have health cards. The majority of these are homeless individuals who could not replace a lost card, simply because they have no permanent address. To assist this demographic, the Hamilton Urban Core provides monthly health card replacement sessions (through the Ontario Health Ministry), and allows the home-

less to use the centre’s address as their own. Additionally, the staff working at the Urban Core are salaried, meaning they are paid the same amount irrespective of the number of patients they see. This is an important difference that separates them from other healthcare providers as there is no incentive to quickly ‘process’ as many patients as possible. Instead, the staff can tend to the complex problems of their target population. Common issues include mental illness, intellectual disability, physical handicaps, STIs, addictions or perhaps a combination of these. Another key health-wealth connection was evident in the food banks we visited. Despite the immense quantities of food being donated, quality and variety appeared to be major issues: it’s always the same brands, the same foods and the obvious lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. Food banks house piles of Kraft Dinner and canned tuna, but these

nonperishables do not meet our nutritional needs. It is not easy, of course, to supply fresh produce and dairy products given quick expiry and the need for refrigeration. Nevertheless, I could not stop thinking about the lack of quality food for populations in need. Even the hot meals served by food banks seem to be variations on a theme: pizza, pasta, tasteless salad, some meat and pastries (carbs, carbs and a bit of protein). Clearly, living off the food bank diet is not good for longterm health. Our minds, our bodies and our social position are all intertwined; taking away from one can have serious ramifications on the others. The Romans were keenly aware of this connection – mens sana in corpore sano (a sound mind in a healthy body). When thinking about poverty, it is important to keep in mind its consequences beyond material well-being.

SEXandtheSTEELCITY

Silence can be golden Stephen Clare The Silhouette Like all good Sex and the Steel City articles, this one starts with a calculus analogy. Imagine graphing a date, with time on the x-axis and quality on the y-axis. The function is a polynomial, with intriguing conversations on the peaks and bad jokes and boring stories on the down slopes. Now look for the inflection points: the changes in slope of the graph, when the date goes from good to bad (or vice versa). Those moments are quiet ones. The dreaded awkward silences, the bane of every hopeful suitor’s existence. Many people feel the need to fill every minute of a date with conversation, thinking that even a few seconds of silence betrays their insecurity or plainness. That’s not true, though. In fact, moments of silence can be the best part of any date. Yes, they can be awkward, but they also represent opportunity. When is there silence? At the end of a conversation, or before an answer to a question, or when both you and your date are taking a moment to think about how things are going. All of these are times when you have an opportunity to change the tone or direction of a date. A chance to bet a little more. So use them. Don’t just sigh and say “So... what do you have planned for the summer?” That is

boring and awkward. That’s why people fear the awkward silence. Try to deepen the conversation by asking something more meaningful. Once you’ve got the hometowns and summer plans out of the way you can get more intimate in conversation (though of course you have to get comfortable through less personal talk first). Use the silence to make this transition. The ultimate thing to do in a momentary silence is go DEFCON 1 and lean in for the kiss. It is your best opportunity, and if you keep waiting until the “perfect moment” you will go home disappointed. Now obviously this takes some finesse. Don’t go for it in the awkward beat after your date just finished telling you about how their dog got hit by a car or they didn’t get the job they wanted or something like that. But if an intense conversation just trailed off, and the room is quiet but also there’s this intense buzzing in your ears, and they’re kinda looking at you in that certain way where their head is tilted a bit to the left and their eyebrows are pricked slightly up, and nobody seems to want to talk anymore... well. And that’s why I like awkward silences: they’re not a dead end, they’re an intersection. So don’t miss your exit. Make sure the slope of that graph keeps climbing.

.io

Dear Job Hunting...

YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Brooke Hamilton The Silhouette Thank you for consuming my reading week. It was a pleasure being woken up every morning to spend time with you. Thank you for showing me what the sunrise looks like, but I think I prefer to get my eight hours of sleep. As I write this, you are still sending me regular e-mails under the identity of my mother. I’ve gotten your messages. I’m still getting your messages. My inbox is full of Craiglist postings that

are in ALL CAPS and Kijiji ads that say “Make money fast now!” I would have thought there are better ways to earn money than selling window cleaning services door-to-door or insurance over the phone, but you persist. I understand that I was not born to royalty. I understand that I am an undergraduate Humanities student. I understand that as such I am destined to constantly be on the lookout for gainful employment. And like any “mature adult” (as defined by my lovely mother), I count my blessings

every day that I have the opportunity to spend time with you, Job Hunting. You are the cornerstone of capitalism. Of course, you’re not as attractive as your sister, Job Having, but for now we’re stuck together. So here’s hoping that this visit ends soon – that it turns out to be the kind of visit that was so short and so rewarding, you could have sworn you had fun (yeah, right). Temporarily Yours, Jobless

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S B4 INSIDEOUT

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Subscribing to prescribing FROM B1 If dopamine activity is hindered, the cells cannot communicate and the brain cannot calculate what it should pay attention to. People with ADHD have reduced dopamine activity. This might be due to their genes, such as when ADHD that shows up in childhood, but chronic stress and the resulting depression are also correlated with reduced dopa-

mine activity. Regardless of how it happens, anyone that has difficulty paying attention and functioning effectively should speak to a physician before taking what is potentially a harmful drug. The chemicals in the drug trademarked Adderall are amphetamines that act similarly to drugs like cocaine and crystal meth. The same is true of methylphenidates, commonly known

as Ritalin and Concerta. They increase the amount of dopamine being used to communicate between cells, which balance people out if they have ADHD, but in the average person these drugs produce a strongly addictive euphoria by acting on the reward system. That is every time you take Adderall when you do not need it, you teach yourself that it is a pleasurable thing that you should keep doing.

One might say that an addiction to a drug that turns you into a study-monster could actually be a good thing. The problem is that amphetamine addiction causes brain damage. Aside from the cognitive problems brought on from killing brain cells, high doses lower dopamine, mimicking ADHD. Some studies have shown damage to reward systems, others have not. However, studies have conclusively shown that

taking Adderall is bad for your heart. It increases blood pressure and heart rate and puts the user at significantly greater risk of cardiovascular disease. So after considering the risks of taking Adderall, one should probably consider that regular exercise also greatly increases attention span, relieves stress by keeping your dopamine levels down and is also being beneficial for your heart and general health.

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

INSIDEOUT B5 S

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SPORTS Protecting home court

Sports Editors Brandon Meawasige and Scott Hastie Section Meeting Fridays at 2 p.m. Contact sports@thesil.ca

Thursday, February 28, 2013

B7 S

PHOTOS C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

McMaster men’s volleyball team takes the OUA championship after a difficult week of playoffs at Burridge Gym John Bauer Silhouette Staff In some ways, the McMaster men’s volleyball team’s journey to Canadian university volleyball glory is drawing to its epic conclusion. In other ways, the real battle is just beginning. After a doling out a measure of revenge to the York Lions team that ruined their perfect season, the men dismantled Western to take their fourth OUA title in six years. They now stand three wins from their first CIS volleyball title, having lost their last shot in 2007. Friday’s straight-set win

over York showed the volleyball world that the Maroon’s stunning season-ending loss to the same team was a fluke. From the very beginning, McMaster dominated play, dropping the Lions 25-17, 25-15, 25-20. Ray Szeto, who two weeks ago picked the Marauder defense apart, was limited to a mere six points and ended the day with more errors than scores. In a bit of foreshadowing, Jayson McCarthy let his return from injury be known with five aces, and Jori Mantha lead the team with sixteen points. The domination was so thorough

that Mac did not make a single substitution all game. Saturday brought a more formidable adversary to Burridge in the Western Mustangs. While the game was close as one would expect a championship game to be, it was remarkably sloppy, with the teams combining for more than a hundred errors. The final was a four set war going to the home side 25-27, 26-24, 32-20, 25-20. Both teams also hit doubledigit ace totals, with McCarthy again serving up five untouchable balls. On a day when it was hard to find any of Mac’s big offensive guns not firing, one stood out

above the rest. Mantha chose the right game to put up a team and personal season high 28 points. Dany Demyanenko was another key contributor to the barrage with 15 points of his own. The team has little time to celebrate however. Since they’ve been billed as one of Canada’s best since the beginning of the season, the OUA crown was all but expected of them. For the first time all season, they enter a set of games not as the favourites, receiving the number three rank in Quebec. The Brandon Bobcats, against whom McMaster’s tallest split a two-game preseason series,

draw the number one seed. The Trinity Western Titans, two-time CIS defending champions who actually managed a better record than Brandon only to fall in the Western final, are ranked number two. Rounding out the eight-team field are Alberta, Laval, UNB, Western and Montreal. The Maroon begin their title search at 12:30 p.m. on March 1 against the number-six ranked University of New Brunswick Reds. The semifinals run the evening of March 2, and the final game is 4:30 p.m. on March 3. All games are offered free on the CIS TV website.

Marauders set to take on Canada’s best Scott Hastie Assistant Sports Editor While most students were finishing up their reading week break, the McMaster Marauders women’s basketball team was putting in work in a playoff match-up against the Brock Badgers. Mac defeated the nationally ranked St. Catharines school on the road. While some may have pegged the Maroon win as an upset, Mac fans know better after the 25-point hammering given to the Badgers in late January. The victory puts the Marauders in the OUA West Final, where McMaster will meet another nationally ranked team: the #1 Windsor Lancers. Windsor took both of the regular season matches but the Marauders gave the Lancers their toughest match-up of the year in January. Windsor scored a seasonlow 56 points and only defeated McMaster by eight points in their first game. It’s an impressive feat for the Marauders, but even more jarring when you consider the Lancers average the most points per game in the CIS. The rematch at Windsor was a different story. Mac was blown out, losing 74-56 on the road. Hailey Milligan and Danielle

Boiago put up respectable numbers at Windsor, but the team was missing their point guard Vanessa Bonomo. The gap at the position allowed Windsor’s full-court pressure to force 26 turnovers. But with a healthy roster, it will be a different story in this playoff match-up. Boiago solidified herself as a scoring threat in the Brock game, dropping 30 points and a clutch game clinching three-pointer. But the rookie sensation will have a tough time against an experienced and deep backcourt. They play a tough, in-your-face defense that preys on mistakes and turnovers. Boiago has struggled to keep the turnovers down against the Lancers, averaging five giveaways a game. Offensively, this game could come down to how well Mac can run the pick-and-roll. Bonomo and Milligan have been terrific as of late, with Milligan getting great paint position when she rolls to the basket or Bonomo getting to the lane to either find a cutting teammate or hit the lay-up. But against the length of Windsor’s Miah-Marie Langlois and Jessica Clemencon, McMaster will face the best pick-and-roll defense of the year. In the home match-up, the

Lancers would hedge hard on the screens to cut off a pass to the paint. Windsor also cheated on passing lanes to jump any swings to the wing. From a defensive perspective, the Marauders will need to start with their own offence. Cutting down turnovers will limit the lethal transition game of the Lancers. Mac can also live with threepoint attempts as the No.1 ranked team only shoots 27.6 per cent from behind the arc. Limiting Langlois’ production is another key to the Maroon defense. Mac faces their toughest test of the season against the Lancers, but the Marauders play well against elite competition. They competed hard against the Carleton Ravens earlier in the year, and the playoff defeat of Brock solidifies their spot as an up-and-coming team in the women’s university hoops. Windsor’s court is notoriously difficult to shoot in given its high ceiling and surrounding indoor track. A defeat of the Lancers is unlikely, but not impossible. It will take everything McMaster has and some unexpected on-court contributions to grind out a win. Expect a gritty game from both teams as they vie for the OUA West crown.

C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

Vanessa Bonomo (#5) will be a key factor in the pursuit of the OUA West final.

S B8 SPORTS

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Mac falls in Thunder Bay

C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

Scott Laws #4 (left) and Taylor Black #10 (right) were the Maroon workhorses in the final game of the 2012-13 season. Their efforts were not enough to overcome the Thunderwolves. Scott Hastie Assistant Sports Editor The Thunderdome was electric. The line for tickets to get into the McMaster and Lakehead playoff battle was rumoured to be an hour-long wait. From tip-off, the Thunder Bay, Ont. stadium was a standingroom-only crowd. Home-court advantage is desirable in OUA basketball, but even more so for the Lakehead Thunderwolves. Despite a 12-point deficit at halftime, the Thunderwolves were able to rally and comeback to defeat the Marauders 81-76. The loss ends the rollercoaster campaign for the Maroon and Grey, where they finished with a regular season record of 13-8.

Mac was without their starting point guard Adam Presutti, who suffered another injury in the last practice before the playoff match-up. Head coach Amos Connolly gave credit to Thunderwolves guards for turning the momentum of the game. “Ben Johnson’s three 3s, all in the second half. And Greg Carter can absolutely dominate the game: nine assists, nine steals, two fouls,” said Connolly. “[Carter] was the difference. You could tell the conversation he either had openly or in his head at halftime: ‘I’m taking over.’” Connolly’s crew had their share of incredible performances. Taylor Black played a season-high 37 minutes, shooting 10-16 from the field and 5-5 from the line for

29 points. The third-year forward also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists. In his final game as a Marauder, Scott Laws played the type of game that his coaches and fans have come to expect. Logging 37 minutes of play, Laws played tough defense on a deep Lakehead backcourt while pulling down six boards and notching three steals. Time has not made the loss any easier to swallow, as the Mac bench boss still has a sour taste in his mouth after the playoff exit. “The things I was happy about on Saturday night, I’ll be happy about for a long time. The things I’m angry about from Saturday night, I’ll be angry about for a long time,” explains Con-

nolly. “Whether I feel better or not about the loss is an up in the air question.” One of the major positives was the effort level the Marauders showed throughout the game. Lakehead featured six seniors, compared to only one for Mac, but that difference only existed on paper. McMaster did not allow the age difference to be a factor on the court and they competed as hard as a coach could ask. All eyes now turn to the off-season and the Maroon coach says he already has guys itching to get in the gym. “I think we are poised to be very good. The only way to be very good though is to make sure you improve in your offseason.”

“

[Lakehead’s Greg Carter] was the difference. You could tell the conversation he either had openly or in his head head at halftime: ‘I’m taking over.’ Head Coach Amos Connolly

Thursday, February 28, 2013

SPORTS B9 S

Mac’s good look

SWING Winning volleyball championships while beating Western at the same time. The Score TV covering the men’s CIS basketball championships. To all the graduating athletes. Thank you. PHOTO C/O ATH. REC.

Great results at nationals show a bright future for Cameron Bailey and the Marauders in the water Brandon Meawasige Senior Sports Editor For the Marauder swimming teams, reading week marked the culmination of a long and successful season. With such a young roster, the outlook was uncertain for the squads in September. Fastforward several months, however, and the Mac swimmers have plenty to be proud about. During regular season competitions the Maroon and Grey enjoyed outstanding performances by rookie swimmers on both the men’s and women’s

sides, propelling Mac to CIS top ten rankings each week they were published. Coming off extremely successful results from a year ago, it was a pleasant surprise for the Marauders to set the bar even higher this season. The OUA championships in early February were a testament to the talent on this team and just how hard they worked all season. Mac swimmers not only set personal marks and team bests but broke provincial records as well. Toronto was a great showing and though concluding a season

on such a note would be more than satisfactory, all roads lead to Calgary where the teams would have to face the nation’s best. In a field that included Canadian Olympians and junior champions, Mac held their own. After the first day of competition, the Maroon and Grey managed to reach the podium in multiple events, including a teamrecord breaking performance by Konrad Bald in the 100m breaststroke in which he captured a silver medal. When all was said and done, Mac managed to finish ranked

in the top ten on both sides. The men finish the season in the No. 7 spot and the women end up at No. 8 overall. At the tournament UBC repeated as women’s champion and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues captured the men’s title. McMaster’s men finished in seventh and the women finished in eleventh place. Looking to return many key parts to the roster, next season has a bright outlook for Mac’s swimming program. As one of the top CIS competing teams on campus, plenty more hype can be expected to follow such favourable results.

54 points. Well done Mr. Curry.

AND A

MISS “Upsetting” the Brock Badgers. We beat them by 25 before. Give us a little credit. Two straight missed dunks, while down by 4. Battle on Warriors. Western students doing a dance from Harlem.

What is a Thunderwolf?

UP NEXT MEN’S VOLLEYBALL at CIS CHAMP. MAR 1 | 12:30 PM

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL at WINDSOR

MAR 2 | 7 PM

WRESTLING PHOTO C/O ATH. REC.

at CIS CHAMP.

MAR 1

OUA championships provide big stage for Mac Laura Sinclair Silhouette Staff At the OUA track and field championships from February 21-22, the Marauders track team performed outstandingly and achieved podium finishes at the most competitive meet in the province. The talented group includes six Marauders that will be competing in the CIS Championship meet in Calgary from March 7-9, based on finishing within the top three at OUA’s, and meeting the difficult CIS standard. There were also five other athletes that finished top 10 overall in the province. Several other great finishes and contributions from other Marauders on the track helped in making it an overall great meet for the fast and accomplished team. The meet got under way on Thursday night with the women’s 1000m, where veteran Jill Wyman finished 10th overall with a time of 2:56. In the women’s 3000 m, the race played out much the same way that the CIS cross country championships did, with the top three finishers in the cross country race achieving the same place and same medals on the track. Marauder Victoria Coates came in third place with a time of 9:45, which currently sits her at sixth

PHOTO C/O PETE SELF

in the country. Teammate Courtney Patterson finished the 3000m race in ninth place, with a time of 10:24. In the men’s 300 m, the powerhouse sprinter Scott Hutchinson finished in second place with a time of 34.53. The time that he achieved in the 300m race three weeks ago at the Tomlinson Fieldhouse in Montreal still sits him in second place in Canada. Fellow Marauder Rudy Baronette finished in eighth overall in the same race with a time of

36.10. On the Friday of the OUA meet, Jessica Tat opened up the successful day for the Marauders with a 10th place finish in the 600m. She ran a 1:34. An hour later, the men’s 4x200m relay team comprised of Scott Hutchinson, Rudy Baronette, Connor Mabbott and Garrick Mok finished in second place with a time of 1:31.19. Jill Wyman out-leaned teammate Victoria Coates in the women’s 1500m race, running

a time of 4:37.30 and finishing in seventh while Coates ran a 4:37.31, making it a photo finish in eighth spot. In the men’s 1500m, Taylor Forbes finished in seventh place overall with a time of 3:57. Finishing off the outstanding day for the Marauders was the men’s 4x400m relay team of Rudy Baronette, Connor Mabbott, Brandon Huzevka and Scott Hutchinson who finished fourth overall. Their time of 3:21 qualifies them for the CIS Champion-

ships, which places them ahead of other top finishers in the east coast of Canada. Next on the schedule for the Marauders track team is the CIS championships March 7-9 in Calgary where Victoria Coates, Scott Hutchinson, Brandon Huzevka, Rudy Baronette, Connor Mabbott and Garrick Mok will represent the Maroon and Grey. They’ll aim for a top ten finish overall, and a new personal best.

COME MEET ALUMNI AT OUR INFORMATION SEMINAR DECISIVE. RESILIENT. COMPASSIONATE. THE DEFINITION OF A ROSS GRADUATE. Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) has proudly graduated more than 9,000 physicians who are practicing across the US and Canada. RUSM provides clinical rotations at teaching hospitals across the US. Our graduates have attained more US residencies than those of any other medical school in the last five years. Provincial loans and scholarships are available to those who qualify.

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LILIAN SARFATI, MD ’12 Family Medicine Resident

Speak with alumni and our admissions staff. Bring your family and friends who are helping you make this important decision; refreshments will be provided.

RUSM-Print 2013-McMaster University-12w.21h.indd 1

2/13/13 4:45 PM

Thursday, February 28, 2013

SPORTS B11 S

Season comes to a close for Mac

A tough loss to the Ryerson Rams brought the season to a close for the Marauders who made it to the OUA quarterfinals after a rocky regular season. C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

Alexandra Reily Silhouette Staff The McMaster Women’s Volleyball season came to an abrupt and upsetting end this past Saturday as the team played their ﬁnal game against Ryerson with the Rams’ home court advantage proving to be an important factor in the Marauders’ painful defeat. The Marauders opened the first set on a strong note take an early 5-3 lead as Lauren Scully’s left side block found the floor on the Rams’ side. McMaster regained a slim 16-15 lead heading into the technical timeout after McMaster’s Kailee Stock caught the Rams off guard with a deep roll shot. The Marauders found themselves looking strong as a win in the first set was in their reach. The Rams trailed 22-20 before finding consecutive momentum

to reel off four consecutive points bringing them back in the game. After a few minor errors from the Marauders the Rams found themselves victorious in the first set with a final score of 25-23. McMaster’s passing proved to be problematic early in the second set allowing Ryerson to claim five of the first six points. McMaster would soon climb back, tying the set at 14 a piece when Shannon McRobert tipped the free ball to the floor. The Marauders would only gain further momentum coming out the technical timeout as Lauren Mastroluisi’s two aces helped the Marauders gain a 20-16 lead over the Rams. Amanda Weldon would then end the set with an ace at the line giving the Marauders the second set with a score of 25-18 and tying the game at 1-1. McMaster proved to be the sharper team early in the third

set, taking an 8-3 lead after some failed attempts to stay in bounds by the Rams. The Marauders’ front court took over and consecutive aces from Taylor Brisebois gave McMaster a much needed eight-point advantage. McMaster would only stretch their lead into the double digits leaving the Rams frustrated. Ryerson came close, reducing the lead to just seven points, but Amanda Weldon would put their chances of a win to rest as she seized an attacking opportunity, allowing the Marauders to take the third set 25-16. With the Ram’s season in the balance they knew they had to win the set and maintain their composure for the duration of the game. The Rams were able to pull through and come sailing back early in the fourth set. They took a strong 7-2 lead after Mastroluisi’s attempt from the left side rolled

just long. Ryerson maintained the upper hand as the teams headed into the technical timeout. The Marauders would shortly power back bringing the score within reach at 20-16, forcing the Rams to call a timeout. The Marauders would not be able to power back with enough strength to finish off the Rams as Ryerson would take the fourth set 25-20, bringing the game to a tie. A fifth set would prove to be the deciding factor of the game and the Marauders’ future this season. The hosting Rams took the lead to open the final set with a score of 4-1 before McMaster called a timeout. The Rams would power on carrying a four-point lead into the changeover. The lead would only increase for the hosting squad standing at 14-9. An ace would prove to be the deciding factor for the Rams as they came out victorious in the final

Free

set, reserving their place in the OUA Final Four. Despite an early take over from the Marauders, Ryerson was able to find its range and maintain a strong defense throughout, securing their comeback and their win in the OUA quarterfinal match. Playing in her last game for McMaster, fifth-year Shannon McRobert put up 17 points in the match and converted 12 of her 30 hitting attempts. Kierstyn Bakker added 14 points on 12 of 36 hitting attempts and had a teamleading total of 18 digs. The result moves Ryerson into next weekend’s OUA Final Four, while the Marauders’ season came to an abrupt end. Congratulations go out to the coaches and players of the McMaster women’s volleyball team as they conclude their 2012-13 season.

Weekly Shuttle Bus Starting Sept. 26th

Wednesdays 6pm | 6:30pm | 7pm Last pick-up from Fortinos at 8:00pm Pick-up From Mary Keyes Residence At The Cootes Dr. Entrance

Look For The Big Yellow School Bus

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MSU CLUBS PRESENTS

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NEW DONORS NEEDED UPCOMING BLOOD DONOR CLINICS: Tuesday, February 12 Tuesday, February 26 Tuesday, March 5 Tuesday, March 19 In MUSC CIBC Hall (3rd Floor) 11am − 5pm BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT TO SAVE A LIFE. Online: www.blood.ca Call: 1 888 2 DONATE (1 888 236 6283)

arkells the sessions spring awakening

andex

c2 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, february 28, 2013

Senior Editor: Nolan Matthews Assistant Editor: Bahar Orang

Contributors: Lucas Canzona, Tomi Milos, Thaddeus Awotunde, Sarah O’Connor, Michael Skinnider, Sonya Kahlon, Brody Weld

Design: Karen Wang Cover: Bahar Orang

Landscrapes you me gallery About the Mind McMaster Museum of Art No Overnigh Camping Hamilton Artists Inc. Deaths/Memorials/Births Centre3

march 8 march 14 march 20 march 25

Shout Out Out Out Out Casbah 8pm

march 28

St. Alvia This Ain’t Hollywood 9pm

film opening

art

Two Hours Traffic Casbah 8pm

21 and Over Jack the Giant Slayer Phantom

feb. 28

march 7

Corpusse This Ain’t Hollywood 9pm

Haolin Munk Casbah Lounge 9pm

Silverlinings Playbook Westdale Theatre 7:30pm

march 13

feb. 28 march 1 march 2 march 6

Masta Killa This Ain’t Hollywood 9pm

Hollerado This Ain’t Hollywood 9pm

Amour Jackson Square Cinema 7pm

march 27

We’re accepting works of fiction until tuesday march 5th. we ask that submissions be between 1200 - 1500, though you could really make it as short as you’d like. email stories to andy@thesil.ca

Slender Loris The Brain 11pm

until march 3

win prizes and get fame! this year’s theme: “STARTING OVER”

The Dirty Nil Casbah Lounge 9pm

until march 30

ANDY short story contest

Burnt Sugar This Ain’t Hollywood 9pm

until march 31

I think I’m going to the Vanity Fair party, so that’ll be quite nice. But I’ve got to get up at six, so one glass of champagne and I’m gone these days.” “It came true.” - Adele - Anne Hathaway

music

until march 30

“My unlimited gratitude goes to Dr. King Schulz - his creator and the creator of his awe-inspiring world, Quentin Tarantino. We participated in a heroes’ journey. You scaled the mountain because you’re not afraid of it.” - Christopher Waltz

Barbara Jackson Square Cinema 7pm

editorial

thursday, february 28, 2013

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c3

flipping through old photo albums As I watched the best picture nominees from the Oscars this year, the films all felt strangely familiar. And I realized that truly powerful movies – like Amour and Life of Pi – have the unique ability to become a part of my own personal visual narrative. Watching a movie is remarkably similar to looking through my own memories. Most of our lives are like a series of images. They pass us by like towns on a highway. But sometimes, for some reason, a moment stuns us as it happens and we know that this moment is more than a fleeting image. We know that this moment, and every part of it, will always be imprinted in our minds – like the most moving scene in a film that you’ll always remember. My earliest memories can only be described in this way – as a collection of snapshots. Like a messy, nonlinear scrapbook with colourful pictures and missing dates. And instead of stamps or stickers or receipts to adorn the pages, there are scents and sounds and certain kinds of weather – like gently falling snowflakes, or the first spring breeze – that can suddenly overwhelm me with a memory that I never knew I had. I can remember moments, but I cannot remember days. I remember that there was a bright red balloon. I do not remember how I got it, or why, but I remember thinking it was absolutely perfect. I wrapped it around my wrist, asked my dad to double knot it twice, and I gripped it tightly for several hours. It is a still a mystery to me how it

became undone. But somehow, one second it was attached to my arm like a fifth limb, and the next it was drifting away at an unstoppable pace. It looked like an airborne cherry – floating off into the distance with an inexplicable kind of purpose. I remember the smell of a summer beside the lake, the smell of a moonlit beach, the smell of a family dinner of chicken souvlaki and sweet potatoes. I remember my grandmother’s hands. I remember that she wore two rings on her right hand, and one on her left. The one ring on her left was a gold band with a round, auburn coloured stone. One ring on her right hand was turquoise, and the other was a silver flower with a black centre. I am told that the most striking thing about her was her hazel eyes, but for some reason I remember her hands. The only pictures I have of her are those that are black and white, so it seems that I may never be able to appreciate her eyes. But my memories do add some shades of colour to those pictures, and the ones in my mind are as vivid as ever. I remember the soundtrack of quiet Sunday mornings. My brother – reading Calvin and Hobbes while munching on cheerios. My mom – coming home from her early morning run and turning the key in the front door. And my dad – whistling to himself as he marked his enormous pile of papers.

the big tickle

mila kunis - gwen corm

ier

n jason batema luigi babalo -

I remember falling in love with Conner Rumen because of his fluffy golden retriever, daydreaming whole novellas in the half a second it took me to fall. I remember where I used to hide my first journal – in the left corner of my bed, underneath my mattress. And I remember the wonderful relief of running to my room, lifting the mattress, and knowing that my friendly little notebook was still there. Would it be cliché to say in a writing paper that I always loved to write? Probably. But I liked connecting words with people, and I felt like a momentary genius when I would find the perfect words to explain something. And I always thought that to live in an undescribed world was too lonely. Memories are a strange thing. They are close enough to touch, but not quite close enough to hold. There are memories that are buried deep, but they all have triggers, and suddenly – a complex vision can leap out from under the dusty mass of years. There are memories that are with us all the time, like a tiny newspaper cutout slipped into our wallets – where you can always feel its warmth in your pocket. My mind feels like a camera sometimes. I can never hear the click of a photograph being taken but I’ll eventually remember the picture in perfect detail, though it may be a little blurred around the edges. •

Bahar Orang, Assistant ANDY Editor

who would you choose to play you in the movie of your life? compiled by nolan matthews and youseif haddad

ellen degeneres - samreen fatima

jennifer garner - shanna steele

arzenegger shore arnold schw - jimmy gart

hometown heroes

c4 & c5 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

arkells play first hamilton show in more than a year C/O CATHERINE KHOM

The evening of Sunday Feb. 17 a homecoming of sorts took place in downtown Hamilton. 227 people eagerly flooded into This Ain’t Hollywood to see Arkells play their first hometown show in over a year. The show was a secret one only announced on Friday morning, and proceeds benefited Boys and Girls Clubs of Hamilton. It was sweaty, loud and passionate show - everything the band has come to be known for. The show was dubbed “a celebration of downtown Hamilton,” and as such, tickets were only available in hard-copy from downtown icons Dr. Disc and Cheapies Records. As if there was any doubt in the show’s buzz, it sold out in less than 15 minutes. Thanks to a break in classes, a spur-of-the-moment decision and a dash across Main to catch a bus, I managed to get my hands on two of them. New Hands, young natives of - you guessed it - Hamilton, were chosen to warm up the crowd just after 10 p.m. Their new-wave indie-rock goodness got plenty of heads bobbing and rightfully garnered some new fans. Midway through their set, vocalist Spence Newell asked, “So who’s excited to see Charlemagne?”, eliciting a few cheers and laughs from fans who knew Arkells’ former moniker back from their McMaster days. The headliners were introduced by the amiable venue owner Lou Mollinaro, with a short story about booking Charlemagne when they were just a fledgling quintet. Mike, Max, Nick, Tim and Anthony followed to take the stage to overwhelming cheers. Here was a band who, just four days prior, had opened for Canadian heavyweights The Tragically Hip at a sold out ACC, playing to 13,000 people. After the show frontman Max Kerman told me what the change in audience was like: “tonight was much more fun. And more sweaty, too.” They got right to it: launching into “Tragic Flaw,” a song that has been around since their Deadlines EP, followed by the infectiously-cheerful “Michigan Left” and 19 other songs that spanned almost their entire catalogue. The band’s raw, energetic, soulful sound was proudly and loudly exhibited. Picking highlights for a show that cemented itself as the best you’ve ever been to is difficult, but my standouts are: “Abigail” (and its necessary ode to the Jackson Square food court), “Oh, the Boss is Coming!”, “Ticats Are Hummin’”, “Where You Goin’” and a cover of the Clash’s “Rock the Casbah”. Max constantly exhibited his impressive stage presence, talked about the HSR and sung a verse of “Whistleblower” with me.

The show’s encore saw New Hands and some venue staff on stage for two covers; the crowd-pleasing, dance-inducing “Book Club”, where the audience contested Max for the loudest singing of its retrospective lyrics and Hamilton name-drop; and lastly a send-off with John Lennon, an ode to nights at McMaster and living in Westdale, among other things. The audience danced through the entire set. The sober people sang, the drunk people sang, and genuine smiles flashed across the faces of the five as they played their hearts out. It all started not so long ago. Arkells met through a collective love of music and an ambitious dream to make it their jobs. They got kicked out of the basement of Woodstock for jamming too loudly. They lived in student houses. They took courses, wrote papers and did and didn’t go to class. They named themselves after the Westdale street where a couple of them lived and rehearsed. They devoted endless hours to their craft and weathered the early struggles it brought. A change of keyboardist didn’t slow their momentum. Today it seems they’ve figured out what works: talking to fans after shows, sending out signed postcards at Christmas, interacting through social media, releasing surprise recordings and collaborations. Arkells have had quite an evolution since the 2006 McMaster Campus Music Explosion. Guitarist Mike DeAngelis explained his initial hopes for the band: “I didn’t have big expectations at first. Back then I just wanted to open for another band at the Casbah, that’s it. When Max called me and told me we got a spot doing that, I couldn’t believe it. I thought I couldn’t do it.” Even with their seemingly-endless tour schedule which has brought them across continents and a fan base that has quickly multiplied, Arkells are always quick to acknowledge their humble roots and be grateful for where they’ve risen to. They have proudly taken on the role of Hamilton’s rock ambassadors while hitting new stages and crafting new material. Even though each is originally from another city, the band was born in Hamilton, and they’ll undoubtedly continue to tell that to the world. Their tenacity and ambition has garnered them their deserving success, past, present and future. If you weren’t aware of it yet, the future of this band is definitely something to watch. • Lucas Canzona

thursday, february 28, 2013

reel short reviews

the master

holy motors

silverlinings playbook argo

life of pi

It’s a masterpiece.

Amazing work of surrealist cinema. Not that easy to grasp for everyone, but it’s not as abstruse as it first seems. Weird, funny, and highly original. There is only one segment that drags.

Mostly a traditional rom-com elevated by eccentric multidimensional characters, and great performances.

It’s a little too spiritual, but it has some powerful scenes and rich visuals. Interesting character dynamic between the boy and the tiger. Film goes on a little too long.

Decent period piece/thriller, interesting premise, light injections of humour. It’s very Hollywood, especially the latter half.

• Thaddeus Awotunde, Video Editor

we found love in an iron lung the sessions starring: john hawkes, helen hunt director: ben lewin

Mark O’Brien was a virgin until he was 38. He was a poet, journalist and activist; he also had a rare form of polio that completely paralyzed him from the neck down. The Sessions is based on O’Brien’s life, particularly a period of it he wrote about in a personal essay published in The Sun magazine entitled “On Seeing a Sex Surrogate”. O’Brien writes that for most of his life he viewed his sexuality with a mixture of intense envy and guilt, and the emotion is perfectly captured in an early scene in The Sessions. Mark, expertly and subtly played by John Hawkes, is bathed by his attendant, and as she reaches his groin a look of disgust flashes across her face. A look of embarrassment passes over his. The lightness with which The Sessions deals with its heavy subject matter is perhaps its greatest accomplishment. Despite Mark being confined for most of the day to a gigantic iron lung that allows him to breath, the balance between the heavy and the lighthearted is apparent from the start. The Sessions begins with a narrated poem written by O’Brien describing the sad irony that so little of the air all around him is actually useful. The poem is interrupted by Mark trying to figure out how to scratch an itch. The iron lung defines Mark’s life, a reality he challenges by deciding to figure out his sexuality instead of accepting its non-existence. He decides to contact a sex therapist, someone who works through the psychological and the physical aspects of sexuality. Mark’s therapist, played by Helen Hunt in an Oscar-nominated role, informs him that her goal is for them to have sex. Her main rule is that the number of sessions they can have is limited to six, the implication being to prevent

the emotional attachment of her patients. But of course it’s not that simple, and instead of shying away from complicated emotions The Sessions embraces them and tries to make sense of it all. The scenes of intimacy between Mark and his therapist involve a lot of nudity and, at least initially, plenty of awkwardness. But they gradually become a powerful depiction of mutual love that is far more complex than sex scenes we’re used to seeing. It’s a reminder of the profound emotional experience that sex can be. Director and writer Ben Lewin avoids any sense of over-dramatization or voyeurism in his portrayal of O’Brien. Despite the inevitable sad ending, the film lets us down easy, allowing the emotions to speak for themselves. The movie has drawn some criticism for depicting a muchsimplified version of the end of O’Brien’s life, which in some sense is true. More so than the film, O’Brien’s writing reveals that his therapy resolved his fear of sex but did little for his fear of love. A good documentary provides an accurate depiction of its subject. Good fiction, on the other hand, is something we can relate to. In pulling us close, The Sessions inevitably pushes O’Brien a little bit away, which actually helps realize what he wanted all along. To paraphrase O’Brien, stories about people with disabilities end up being about what they can or can’t do. The reality is that they’re simply human. If the Oscars had a “most important film” category The Sessions would’ve won it. • Nolan Matthews, Senior ANDY Editor

c6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, february 28, 2013

reading into movies From Harry Potter to Twilight, it’s a very common thing to see your favourite book become a movie. It can be exciting and terrifying, waiting and dreading that movie - wondering if Hollywood will do the book justice or ruin it like so many other movie adaptions you’ve seen. It’s difficult to know for sure which was the first book to become a movie, but is generally thought to be either The Passion of Christ, Dracula, Frankenstein or A Christmas Carol. This trend of turning popular books into movies has always been a huge economic opportunity for moviemakers, and while remakes of popular books continues to this day (e.g. the recent Anna Karenina starring Keira Knightley), it’s also surprising to see the number of unknown books being adapted into movies. In 2012, adaptations of particularly popular books included The Hobbit, The Perks of Being A Wallflower, Life of Pi and The Hunger Games. But a surprising number of movies were released that were based on far lesser known books. Such movies include Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, Cosmopolis by Don Delillo, and Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. I ignorantly felt certain that they were original, unique stories written by a screenwriter in Hollywood, especially Silver Linings Playbook, since it was nominated for an Oscar. There is a long list of books to become movies for 2013. Some well-known ones will be The Host by Stephenie Meyer, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and a remake of Carrie by Stephen King. Some of the lesser known books-to-movies of 2013 include Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion, How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, Serena by Ron Rash and World War Z by Max Brooks. It would seem that Hollywood has lost its spark, and relies on novels to adapt into movies instead of releasing something entirely new and creative. Don’t get me wrong - it isn’t uninteresting or totally uncreative to adapt books to movies. I love a well-adapted book to movie as much as the next person. But

a dangerous thing can happen when books become movies. Sometimes, the movies are remembered and the books forgotten. If you think this is a silly statement here is a list of movies that I was surprised to find were books: Jaws by Peter Benchley, Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith, and Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger. Worse than a book being forgotten is an author who is disgusted or even goes so far as to wish they hadn’t written their novel. While watching Disney’s Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers cried (from unhappiness) during the screening, Roald Dahl hated the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and refused to let Charlie in the Glass Elevator be turned into a movie, and Anthony Burgess wished he never wrote A Clockwork Orange. My favourite is J.D. Salinger, who was so mortified when his short story Uncle Wiggly in Conneticut (renamed My Foolish Heart in its film adaption) was adapted into film that he swore his books would never again be turned into film, and to this day they haven’t. It seems that Hollywood doesn’t want to make movies that accurately depict the inspiring book. Hollywood takes for granted the money it will make from readers who want to see the movie because they already love the book, but Hollywood can make even more money by making the movie for the movie-going public. The result is popular actors and actresses in starring roles, poorly written scripts and completely random plot twists that catch the excitement of the movie-going public but disgust the readers. This trend of books being adapted into movies will continue, and it should. It is a chance for the author to gain more readership and help publishing sales. But it would be nice if Hollywood had some unique ideas of their own - something original. But I guess that’s too much to ask. • Sarah O’Connor

thursday, february 28, 2013

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c7

andy’s album reviews Album: Beta Love Artist: Ra Ra Riot It took a month of listening to Ra Ra Riot’s new album, Beta Love, to realize that the faint hopes I have entertained since 2008 will linger in limbo for eternity; the band will never make another record like The Rhumb Line. The melancholic cello and violin backdrops that defined that album are a thing of the past. Having been closely affiliated with Vampire Weekend (lead singer Wes Miles formed a band called The Sophisticuffs with Ezra Koenig in grade school), the group now seems to be doing all they can to distance themselves from the Ivy League-influenced chamber pop roots that first drew critics to compare the two. For what it’s worth, Ra Ra Riot has done

Album: AMOK Artist: Atoms for Peace Thom Yorke has spent much of the last two years rearranging a 2010 jam session he conducted with his touring band, made up of bass legend Flea, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, drummer Joey Waronker of Beck and REM, and Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco. It’s a live band that’s been labelled a supergroup, but Atoms for Peace’s debut full-

Album: The Lives Inside the Lines in your Hand Artist: Matt Pond PA My first time listening to Matt Pond (or Matt Pond PA, which is his official title with an accompanying band) was not monumental. I downloaded the song “Lily Two,” a single from what I now know to be their 2004 release, Emblems, and sort of wrote the group off as a passable acoustic band. A thorough listen to their latest album, The Lives Inside the Lines in

Album: Jesus Piece Artist: The Game When I first bought this album, I didn’t think I would love it as much as I do now. Jesus Piece is The Game’s fifth studio album and was originally going to be called Soundtrack to Chaos, which was changed to F.I.V.E (Fear is Victory’s Evolution), before finally settling on Jesus Piece. The album features many artists including Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and Kanye West.

an admirable job of adjusting to life without departed cellist Alexandra Lawn. This time around, Miles may have drawn inspiration from Discovery, his side-project with Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend’s keyboardist/ producer). Beta Love is rife with fluttering keyboards and futuristic synths, and inspired lyrically by the band’s reading of Ray Kurzweil’s novel The Singularity Is Near. The title track is an embrace of the band’s newfound affinity for technology, and is one of the strongest moments on the album with Miles showcasing his high vocal range. “Is It Too Much” finds bassist Mathieu Santos repurposed as a keyboard player and coyly toying with fans of the old baroque style. But just when one is tempted to start reminiscing about Rhumb Line, Miles interjects with cacophonic, distorted vocals. Other tracks struggle with the band’s

ambiguous desire to use every production tool at their disposal as the instruments are placed in a bitter fight to shine through the convoluted mess. When Rebecca Zeller’s violin is heard, it couldn’t sound more dissonant. But that isn’t always the case, as her impassioned playing on “Angel, Please” lends Miles’ playful pleas of “please stay with me” a light-hearted, airy quality that brings to mind the earnest pursuit of a first love. The album’s flaw lies in its top-heavy nature; the last five tracks are slow to build and far from gratifying. Barring those exceptions, Beta Love’s first six songs would be a great addition to any party’s playlist.

length is very much Thom Yorke’s project. Accordingly, AMOK largely picks up where 2006’s The Eraser left off. Yorke remains big on disguised vocals — slurred, reverbed, or chopped up — and rarely raises his voice above a low mutter. Now, though, the skittering hats and glitchy IDM are anchored by deep, Afrobeat-inspired funk grooves. Flea’s presence looms large throughout the LP: the percussion being as twitchy as it is, his brooding chromatic basslines are often the only thing left holding down the groove. AMOK is an incredibly sonically rich

album — especially the lush layers of percussion, which blend laptop and analog. When sound takes precedence over songwriting, as on “Judge, Jury and Executioner,” the results are static. But at its best, AMOK shifts seamlessly between dense, mutating electronica and minimalist, sinewy rock, blurring the boundaries between rock and beat music.

your Hand, is starting to make me wish I’d made more room for the group in my iTunes library the first time around. For the unfamiliar, Matt Pond was one of the many artists to ride into the limelight on the pre-hipster wave of spacey, acoustic folk-pop (see Rilo Kiley, Joshua Radin), which means you’ve probably heard one or two of his songs in the background of an O.C. episode or a Starbucks commercial. Don’t let that fool you, though - this music was not made to be filler and this album is a testament to how complex and intricate the genre can get. The first song to grab my attention, “Love

To Get Used,” is a very cool balance of thick, driving bass and a deliberately cheap synth drum loop. Tracks like “When the Moon Brings the Silver” and the title track, “The Lives Inside the Lines In Your Hand,” show that Matt Pond can pull off a light and jumpy pizzicato-laden production just as well as a richly textured ballad.

The album is based on the idea of trying to find a balance in the struggle between The Game’s gangster persona and his faith in God; between smoking a blunt and going to church. The cover of the album features a dark skinned Jesus, which some have seen as controversial. He is depicted with a teardrop under his eye, wearing a “Jesus Piece” chain and gangster versions of his traditional clothing. A red bandana shows his affiliation with the Blood gang of Compton. The name Jesus Piece written as Je5us Piece at the bottom, is a nod to the iconic writing of Louis Vuitton. While the

album cover designed by Vlad Sepetov has been labeled as blasphemous, it fully represents The Game’s attempt to unify two very different worlds. The Game is one of the most successful people from G-Unit, and Jesus Piece is his best work so far. It’s more than just a rap album – it’s a tribute to his past and his present.

• Tomi Milos

• Michael Skinnider

• Brody Weld

• Sonya Kahlon

c8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, february 28, 2013

springing to stage

mcmaster musical theatre’s production of spring awakening is a sensitive and energetic show

“

It’s not commonplace to have sex, domestic violence, suicide, a gay makeout scene and group masturbation all explicitly take place on stage.”

A refrain throughout the hit musical Spring Awakening is the melancholy verse, “O, I’m gonna be wounded / I’m gonna be your wound / I’m gonna bruise you / you’re gonna be my bruise.” These poignant lines capture the pain of love and life; a pain that McMaster Musical Theatre’s production of the controversial play powerfully portrays. Set in Germany circa 1892, Spring Awakening chronicles the struggles of sexually censored and socially oppressed young adults who express their anxieties and frustration in modern rock musical numbers. The clash between setting and musical style in the production, which is directed by Mac student Brad Dunn, is refreshing and gives the issues the characters experience timeless relevance. And what a slew of issues they face. In a mere two hours, Spring Awakening covers incest, masturbation, child sexual abuse, suicide, queer sexuality, domestic violence, teen pregnancy and abortion. It’s an ambitious agenda, and can be both dislocating and exhausting for the audience. With so many heavy subjects to cover, not enough time can be afforded to each, leaving some depth to be desired as the play jumps from one topic to another. Stringing the tragedies together into a linear plotline is the doomed teenage couple of Wendla and Melchior. Played sensitively and sang beautifully by Haley Midgette and Shane Bowley, this ill-fated pair suffer more than their fair share of sadness. In the context of a society that demands innocence and ignorance, this duo find each other and unintentionally shake up the status quo of their conservative town. Their friend Mortiz, commandingly portrayed by the immensely talented Jason Wolwowicz, is also haunted

by sex, family relationships and ultimately suicide. His story, along with that of several supporting subplots, covers vast territory in the world of teenage tribulations. Amidst the heavy drama, it’s the beauty of the musical numbers and the moments of comic relief that prevent the show from being bogged down by its subject matter and keep it within the sphere of entertainment. Expert choreography by Jennifer Enchin makes each song visually engaging and assists in powerfully conveying such significant messages. A sparse set design also makes the dance and dramatic physicality feel natural to the scenes. The band behind the musical numbers also deserves commendation. Their wellchosen placement upstage in clear view of the audience adds interest to the background of the set and better fosters audience appreciation on the live music that they’re hearing. Putting on a production of Spring Awakening is an act of bravery. It’s not commonplace to have sex, domestic violence, suicide, a gay makeout scene and group masturbation all explicitly take place on stage, never mind to be able to pull it off. But somehow, McMaster Musical Theatre takes a heavy, complicated show, and does just that. Spring Awakening continues this weekend in Robinson Memorial Theatre (CNH 103) on Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 2 p.m. (8 p.m. is sold out), Saturday at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. (8 p.m. is sold out). Tickets are $12 for students, $20 for general admission and $25 for on-stage seating. Email mmt.tickets@gmail. com to reserve tickets, or purchase tickets at the door. • Jemma Wolfe, Managing Editor C/O SANDY ROSE