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www.thesil.ca
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Ex-US Presidential candidate talks imperialism at Mac Former Congresswoman McKinney makes speaking appearance on campus
FROM CAMPUS TO YOU AND BACK AGAIN
MORE STUDY SPACE SAM COLBERT
It is not often that one gets to spend Valentine’s Day with a former candidate for the Presidency of the United States. Students Resisting War and Occupation, and the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War co-sponsored a campus talk by sixterm U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney on Monday, Feb. 14. The Democrat-turnedGreen Party member, who represented Georgia in the US House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003 and again from 2005 to 2007 before running as a Green candidate for President in 2008, discussed American imperialism in relation to the recent uprisings in the Middle East. “What brings us here today,” she said, “in a somewhat celebratory mood, is the fact that, at this particular moment in the 21st century, we see men and women all over the world saying ‘We want to be free!’” To provide some background as to her own experiences with American imperialism, she discussed her struggle to win election to the U.S. Congress. McKinney understands this topic well, as she has the distinction of being the first African-American woman to represent Georgia in the House of Representatives. “Once I got to Congress, which was a challenge in and of itself, there was the matter of the U.S. Pentagon budget and I am proud to say that I was in the congress for 12 years and I voted against every budget,” she said to thunderous applause. This speaks to McKinney’s record, which has ultimately made her an icon in the peace movement. While McKinney was a congresswoman, she became known as a leftist Democrat and a passionate advocate for peace and social spending. On the topic of national imperialism, McKinney directly challenged the Canadian government, critiquing the current prime minister. “There are people who have successfully confronted empire and they are with us, just not here in Canada,” McKinney noted, before quickly saying, “because y’all have Harper,” which elicited significant applause from the crowd. As an African-American woman from the deep south, McKinney experienced prejudice and intimidation, even as a congresswoman. “My father told me to remember, ‘You’ll never be an insider.’ Look at me! How can I take this,” she said, motioning to her body, “into what you know is Washington, D.C., into the United States Congress?” When she did discuss the upheaval in the Middle East, she
With MSU Presidential Elections concluded, the focus now turns to the platform points and student concerns raised during the campaign period; in particular, to the two buzz words that echoed throughout: study space. Jeff Trzeciak, McMaster’s University Librarian, said that he has been meeting with both the current and incoming student union leaders, Mary Koziol and Matt Dillon-Leitch, on the matter. “We’re in an environment that is changing rapidly,” said Trzeciak about responding to student concerns. Just a few years ago, he explained, students were asking for laptop rentals. A recent poll on the MSU website has asked students whether library resources would be better spent on laptop rentals or study space. The results have so far been overwhelmingly in favour of the latter, he said. Laptop rental will continue in Mills Library, though in a limited capacity. Striking a spatial balance between quiet study areas, collaborative spaces, computer terminals and book stacks is an ongoing concern of McMaster’s libraries. The student population of McMaster is outgrowing the capacities of the libraries, but demand is increasing. “Our spaces can’t be all things to all people but we do try to meet a variety of needs,” said Trzeciak. When the Lyons New Media Centre opened on the fourth floor of Mills Library last fall, it was met with mixed feelings. The high-tech facility was a clear step into a new era of library use, but sits in an area previously used as quiet study space. Some students groups and academic programs, particularly those in communications and multimedia, have been able to take advantage of the Centre, though others complain that the move hurt the larger student body. It is true, though, that the Centre is still young and may have yet to reach its full potential in terms of student use. Further, seating was not actually lost in the change; it was just moved to the periphery of the building. Trzeciak did acknowledge, though, the need for a more consolidated and visible chair and table arrangement. Come September, it is expected that more seating will be available. The third floor of Mills and the second floor of Thode Library will be rearranged to that end. This will largely be achieved by reducing room taken by book stacks. McMaster’s libraries are moving toward electronic resources rather than print ones. They currently purchase significantly more online material than hard-copy, which is largely ordered only on request. They are also in the process
• PLEASE SEE MCKINNEY, A3
VOLUME 81, NO. 20
Campus libraries respond to student need for
CHRIS ERL
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
EST. 1930
SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
of getting rid of unneeded materials. Trzeciak, though, wished to assure library-users that nothing is being lost entirely. “There’s no doubt that the physical footprint of our book stacks will decline but I don’t want anyone thinking we are willy-nilly getting rid of books,” he said. “We will never get rid of anything that is unique.” He added that, the archives, which include original texts from Bertrand Russell, “are never going to go and, indeed, will expand.” Collections of journals to which McMaster has permanent online access will be first to go. Approximately 90 per cent of current journal purchases are electronic. The move to electronic resources, along with the addition of spaces like the Lyons New Media Centre, is part of a larger effort to adapt McMaster libraries to new uses. The University libraries are moving beyond traditional strategies of supporting student learning. “I think the library’s future is in showing people how to be effective information-seekers,” said Trzeciak. In the presidential cam-
paign of Dillon-Leitch, the open hours of Innis Library were targeted as aparticular student concern. The decision to close Innis on weekends was based on usage statistics and limits to staffing levels, though ad-
ministration will look into revaluating this decision. Trzeciak expressed his commitment to listen to student concerns and provide diverse, comfortable and effective libraries.
1,476,552
Total print volumes at the end of 2009/2010 in Mills, Innis and Thode Libraries
24,587
Net loss in print volumes during that year
12.7%
Increase in turnstile count one-day sample from 2008/09 to 2009/10 in Mills, Innis, Thode and Health Sciences Libraries.
[This Week in the Sil] Grapplers go for Gold McMaster’s wrestling teams compete at OUA Championships, with two wrestlers taking gold medals. Pg. B1
Porn industry gone limp?
Bardem is Biutiful
Has the advent of free pornographic outlets led to the slow death of the porn industry? Pg. C7
Best Foreign Film nominee contains hypnotic visuals and a mesmerizing performance from Javier Bardem. Pg. D2
This is a paid advertisement from the MSU.
THE SILHOUETTE • A3
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
University Applications
McMaster highly sought after In the past year, the increase in the number of applications to Mac has exceeded that of most other Ontario universities
JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
The number of applications to McMaster this year has increased by 5.7 per cent from the same time last year. This increase is among the highest in Ontario, with the University of Ottawa being the only major institution to have seen a greater percentage increase during the same time period. Overall, applications are up 1.7 per cent in Ontario from this time last year. MADIHA KHAN THE SILHOUETTE
Over the last 10 years, the number of applications to Ontario universities has increased by approximately 46 per cent and it is expected to increase by another 50,000 students in the next five years. The data suggest that the provincial government will soon meet its goal of ensuring 70 per cent of Ontario’s population achieve post-secondary level credentials. Although applications to universities have increased as a whole, preliminary data from the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) presents an interesting shift in demand for universities, with some universities increasing in popularity faster than others. Based on recent data, applications to McMaster University from graduating highschool students have increased by 5.7 per cent compared to an average of 1.7 per cent across the province, while the number of students selecting McMaster as their first choice is up 6.2 per cent. The relatively rapid increase of applications to McMaster may be a reflection of an improving reputation in teaching, research and student experience. McMaster received the fifth largest number of applications overall, with a combined total of 33,000, including first, second, third and supplementary choices. The University of Toronto, Ontario’s largest post-secondary institution, received the highest number of applications with
46,000, followed by York, Ryerson and West- Some feel that this is already the case and ern. a decreased quality of education is in fact a Increasing demand for a McMaster cause for the increasing numbers of “deservUniversity degree has benefits for the school, ing students” applying to universities. but it also presents a challenge. With 21,000 In an article in the journal Higher full-time undergraduates, the university is Education Perspectives, full-time Sociology at or near capacity and will have difficulty Professor at the University of Western Onin accommodating a larger student body. In tario James Côté argues that more than 60 per an effort to ration seats, the cent of high school graduates university may need to raise leave with an A average due the required cut-off grades Given the current to a growing climate of acafor admission. An infusion of demic disengagement. Higher resources and capital from the Ontario govand higher grades are given ernment, though, may elim- increasing demand for increasingly less work to inate the need to do so. for post-secondary keep students “happy and in “It is very difficult the system.” to say where the impact will education, universi- The same situabe felt most acutely,” said ties in the long-run tion is being seen at universiPatrick Deane, president of need to re-think they ties where academic requireMcMaster University. Like ments are “watered down” to way courses are Deane, other Ontario univeraccommodate more students sity leaders are also waiting typically taught.” than the system can handle. to see what the province has “It is a very valid planned for its next five-year point,” said Deane when funding cycle, as the government tries to re- asked to comment on Côté’s argument. “Alsolve the conflict between improving access though the argument may certainly be true in to post-secondary education and dealing with some cases, people cannot deny that there are its $18.7 billion deficit. The last plan for post- some very bright students that may be affectsecondary funding, Reaching Higher, ended ed by higher cut-offs.” Deane went on to exin 2010. plain that universities benefit different people If cut-off requirements are not raised and, consequently, the community in different and enrolment at universities is increased ways. without access to more government funds, “I am a strong advocate of social inthen it is likely that universities will be unable clusion,” said Deane. “Anything that decreasto maintain their current quality of education. es access to higher education is problematic ...
universities have an obligation to their communities, not just to produce elite scholars or professionals that will stimulate the economy, but also to promote personal growth in individuals in a way that will benefit society as a whole.” Deane acknowledged that the situation is complicated and that university leaders and government officials alike are actively trying to resolve the conflict between increasing the system’s capacity without increasing the strain on individual institutions. The provincial government is considering a number of possible solutions, one of which suggests encouraging students to attend colleges instead of universities for a period of study before obtaining transfer credits in to the third or fourth years of an undergraduate program. “The idea of offering more online courses is also attractive to the government, however this can be quite challenging and costly to implement,” said Deane. “Given the current resources and increasing demand for post-secondary education, universities in the long-run need to re-think the way courses are typically taught. For example, not all learning needs to occur on campus; adding practicum components to courses such as those already seen in Social Work or Nursing, where students learn within the community, is one way to tackle this problem.” Deane further noted that “practicums not only provide valuable experience, but also increase the capacity of programs by decreasing the physical resources needed on campus.”
McKinney discusses political challenges Congresswoman advises students to get involved in governance • CONT’D FROM A1 was wary of the problems associated was wary of the problems associated with uprisings, but was cautiously optimistic about their resolution. “People have organized themselves, and utilized the power of the vote, and won. They won,” she said of other pro-democracy movements around the globe, also mentioning that the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt must remain faithful to democracy and democratic principles, lest the United States government co-opt them. In an interview with the Silhouette, McKinney spoke to a number of topics, including youth engagement and her plans for the next American elections in 2012. To students wanting to get involved in politics, McKinney was frank. “I would en-
courage them and tell them that they are very special, because they are willing to tackle the toughest issues in the toughest venue, inside the political arena itself.” She continued by discussing the ways youth should be getting involved. “One way is to do it as an intern. Seek internships in places that are political. You can become a volunteer,” she said, before mentioning one way many students should be getting involved is by taking the plunge into politics directly. “You can actually put your name on the ballot and run for office!” she said, with a beaming smile. When questioned about if another Presidential race is a possibility next year, McKinney was more coy. “There will be lots of races on the ballot in 2012 and I might be in one of them,” she said with a wink.
CHRISTOPHER CHANG / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
The former U.S. Congresswoman and Pres. Candidate came to Mac on Feb.14.
A4 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
International Students
International students an asset
The benefits of a diverse student body are both monetary and social, benefiting research, student life and teaching alike. ALANNA WALLACE
CUP ONTARIO BUREAU CHIEF
WATERLOO, Ont. (CUP) — In an increasingly globalized world the sharing of information, including education, has become more relevant. Many Ontario universities have formulated plans to increase the amount of international students their campuses will accommodate. One such plan includes the University of Waterloo’s “Sixth Decade Plan,” which mandates that 20 per cent of the institution’s undergraduate population will be international students by 2017. Although much discussion surrounds the monetary gains that international students provide for universities, there is also much to be said for the other benefits that international students can provide an institution. Individuals who are foreign-born and educated abroad administer numerous Ontario institutions. These institutions include the University of Western Ontario, whose president Amit Chakma was born in Bangladesh, but received his undergraduate education in Algeria, as well as the president of McMaster University,
Patrick Deane, who immigrated to Canada from South Africa. Both Chakma and Deane, among others, have a unique and insightful view into the realm of internationalism on today’s Ontario campuses and how we can and must foster it. “I was very interested in exploring other ways of thinking and learning,” said Deane of why he came to Canada from South Africa in 1978. “The range of reasons runs from the purely career-driven to the curious and I think all motives of that sort ought to be encouraged.” The creation of other realms of learning were highlighted by many of Ontario’s foreignborn administrators, including Geoff McBoyle, who received his education in Scotland and now serves as vice-president academic and provost at UW. “I brought the view of my discipline that was a European view, which was a different,” he said. This exchange of knowledge and creation of a realm of international thoughtprocesses have led many, like acting principle and vice-president of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus Lesley Cooper,
must recruit from abroad because the numbers for graduate programs like those in the fields of science and technology are so low domestically. “So how are we going to be competitive?” asked Bird, who was born in India and received her master’s and PhD at the University of Guelph. “Might as well take We also need to advantage of those people who are increase the numseeking those opportunities and ber of international coming from other countries.” Bird went on to explain graduate students so that in developing countries like that we can increase India, many students lose out the mixing of on opportunities when they lack the funds to attend their local movement forward institutions. in research and She said recruiting talent innovation.” from abroad in this case is “the approach we have to take” as educators in Ontario. McBoyle explained three but go abroad for work and our education system must prepare ways that Ontario universities can foster an atmosphere of them for this case. “We need to have an internationalism on their campuses international and global outlook to — one that will be beneficial to both foreign and Canadian students. what we’re doing.” “We can take in more In a world where those seeking education and employment international students and as a will do so internationally, Ranjana result of that hopefully get a mixing Bird, vice-president of research of cultures within the university at the University of Windsor and different cultures have a explained that Ontario universities greater appreciation of each other’s to encourage a “global outlook” to education in the province. “We have to be openminded to thinking about education more broadly,” said Australian-born Cooper, highlighting that many students will not stay in Canada,
SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO
cultures,” he explained, the second way being to increase the number of Canadian undergraduate students who have exchanges overseas. “We also need to increase the number of international graduate students so that we can increase the mixing of movement forward in research and innovation, particularly at the graduate level,” he concluded. Drawing on his experience as a graduate student at the University of British Columbia, Chakma said, “You create an international setting within your campus and you invite students to go explore opportunities elsewhere and then you facilitate that.” International experiences can come at a high expense, as pointed out by Deane, who encouraged alternative ways that Ontario institutions can foster an expanded the international experience for students who stay within the province. “It’s possible to erect national boundaries into a kind of a false threshold,” explained Deane. “You can provide an international experience through providing contact with international world views and international students and faculty.”
THE SILHOUETTE • A5
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Municipal affairs
Hamilton to need new landfill in 25 years Saturation level nearing in Glanbrook, approx. 15 years needed to find new site
Newsbites Compiled by Farzeen Foda and Jon Falcone Bio active paper could be hitting market soon The sentinel Bioactive Paper Network received $7.5 million from the federal government on Feb. 11 to facilitate the commercialization of a recently developed bioactive paper. This project was lead by McMaster University. The Network consists of 28 researchers, 10 universities and five industrial partners in collaboration with NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada). The bioactive paper consists of a biologically or chemically sensitive component that can provide quick and easy detection of pathogens and toxins in samples of food, water and air. This bypasses the lengthy process of sending samples to labs for simple testing before products can be sold.
Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington embraces religious diversity In light of diversity in all its forms that can be found in every workplace, the Dean of the DeGroote School of Business, Paul Bates, alongside his wife Sally Bates, have created the Paul & Sally Bates Interfaith Centre in the Ron Joyce Centre, located in Burlington. The Interfaith Centre has been open for use since September although the Centre officially opened on Feb.14, providing a quiet space dedicated to prayer and reflection for those of any religion. As multiculturalism continues to play a vital role in Canadian society, its impact certainly spreads to the nation’s labour market, making it crucial for workplaces to foster this diversity by providing services that allow all people to feel comfortable and welcome in every respect.
Faculty of Science looking for new Associate Dean
JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
FARZEEN FODA
box and yard waste program. McMaster University has certainly put forth several efforts to reduce waste The past 10 years have seen significant production on campus. In 2009, McMaster transformations in the waste management University reached a solid waste diversion efforts in Hamilton as the city realized that rate of 63 per cent according to a 2009 Waste efforts to reduce the production of solid Audit Report. McMaster was the second waste must be taken seriously to prolong the university in North America to refrain from inevitable saturation of the Glanbrook landfill providing single-use plastic bags, and among site. It has been projected that within the next several other initiatives, some water fountains 25 to 30 years, this landfill site will reach have been changed to facilitate refilling water capacity and an alternate location or method bottles, in an effort to reduce the use of of waste disposal must be found. We are in a disposable plastic water bottles. critical time right now, according to an article The city’s target reduction was 65 per in The Hamilton Spectator because it takes cent by 2009 and this goal has not been met, about 10 to 15 years to develop a new landfill leading to speculation that either Hamilton site. residents are negligent, or Possibilities of the goals set by the City are investing in an incinerator The city has been unreasonable. Unsurprisingly, have been explored, according to residents quoted aiming to reduce in the Spectator article, the which may serve as a source from which energy waste reaching the goals put forth by the city are could be harvested. Many too optimistic and demanding landfill by 65 fear, however, that this of residents. In 2010, the per cent, but has one-bag limit on garbage could simply result in an overwhelming financial pick-up was enforced and consistently burden for the city with no many residents have found produced waste substantial gain, based on it exceptionally difficult to far exceeding this comply by this rule. speculations presented in the article. For university students goal.” Over the past 10 living off-campus, the one-bag years, Hamilton has enforced limit is especially frustrating. increasingly stringent rules about garbage With many houses having five or six or more collection in an effort to control waste students living in one house, it is difficult production in the city. The city has been and often impossible to limit garbage to just aiming to reduce waste reaching the landfill one bag on the curb each week. “I live with by 65 per cent, but has consistently produced five other girls, and it’s really hard to confine waste far exceeding this goal. Nevertheless, our garbage to one bag. It’s one large and Hamilton has made substantial progress in densely packed bag on that curb each week,” diverting solid waste away from the landfill. said Sonia Sohal, a third-year Life Sciences Based on the City of Hamilton’s student at McMaster. Solid Waste Management Master Plan As the city continues to grow and Review, the city was able to reduce waste sent the university does what it can to divert solid to the landfill by just 21 per cent in 2002, but waste from landfills, the city must quickly with rigorous recycling and garbage pick-up decide on an appropriate course of action restrictions, the city’s residential solid waste that sets realistic expectations for Hamilton diversion reached 47 per cent by 2009. This residents, while finding a suitable way to success was attributed to the use of the blue dispose of solid waste. ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
An Associate Dean of Science is one who overseas research programs within the faculty, drawing on expertise from research, academia, as well as the public and private sectors. The Faculty of Science is currently seeking a new Associate Dean of Science (Research and External Relations). The dean is vital to advocating on the national and international level on behalf of the faculty and the University, while bringing together graduate and undergraduate research efforts of the faculty within the University.
Two Iraqi librarians shadow McMaster libraries Academics in the war-stricken nation of Iraq are turning to Canadian universities to pick up a few pointers to help rebuild university libraries in Iraq. Two librarians from the Specialized Institute for Engineering Industries (SIEI), located in Baghdad, have come to McMaster to gain better insight into the inner workings of a functional library to better serve their institution in Iraq. The focus of the two librarians will be the Mills and Thode Libraries.
Doctor shortage likely to persist despite efforts Ontario’s health care system has been experiencing significant strain as a result of the shortage of doctors and that problem is likely to persist if more people are not able to gain admission to medical school, according to an investigation by CTV. There is no shortage of people who want to be doctors, but the problem lies in the number of qualified candidates that are unable to pursue a medical degree because of the limited number of spots available in medical schools across the country. Not only is it difficult for Canadian university students to pursue a career in medicine, but internationally trained doctors find it extremely difficult to practice in Canada, as current standards require such doctors to essentially go through medical school again. According to the report, with the number of doctors retiring in the near future and the projected population growth in southwestern Ontario, two doctors will be needed to replace each retiring doctor in order to satisfy demand.
EWB banner presents roles of engineers A 10’ by 10’ banner was unveiled in the Engineering Technology Building (ETB) on Feb. 11 by the University’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB). The banner displays an image of a computer-generated word cloud in the shape of the Faculty of Engineering’s fireball logo, the contents of which was taken from the responses of first-year Engineering students to the phrase, “My role as an engineer is to…” The words were collected during the Root Causes of Poverty Workshop held by EWB for first-year McMaster Engineering students enrolled in ENGINEER 1P03- Introduction to Professional Engineering. Erica Barnes, former President of McMaster University’s EWB chapter maintained that events such as this work in collaboration with the goals set out by the Faculty of Engineering. She also explained that events similar to the unveiling of this banner show the faculty that planning for future students is not enough. Current Engineering students are people that “we need to be providing with an education for so they can be the best engineer that they can be.”
Corrections In an article published the week of Feb. 10, entitled “Four of five referenda pass, dental plan up in air,” some factual errors were reported. •
The current Dental Plan fee is $95, not $115 as was reported
•
The HSR Bus Pass agreement was between the MSU and the HSR, not the university and the HSR
•
The ballots cast in favour of the Constitutional amendments is 85 per cent if one counts only the valid YES and NO votes. If abstentions and spoiled ballots are factored in, the YES total is 53 per cent.
•
The position of Vice-President (Administration) was not introduced by the Constitutional amendments, rather the position was made available to all MSU members.
A6 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
EDITORIAL
editor’s extension: 22052 letters: thesil@thesil.ca
Quit pickin’ on God
The Silhouette McMaster University’s Student Newspaper
TheSil.ca
Editorial Board Executive Editor... Peter Goffin Managing Editor... David Koots Copy Editor... Katherine Marsden Senior News Editor... Sam Colbert Asst. News Editor... Chris Erl Asst. News Editor... Farzeen Foda Opinions Editor... Cassandra Jeffery Sports Editor... Brian Decker Asst. Sports Editor... Fraser Caldwell InsideOut Editor... Natalie Timperio Asst. InsideOut Editor... Kaitlin Peters Senior ANDY Editor... Roxanne Hathway-Baxter ANDY Music Editor... Dan Hawie ANDY Ent. Editor... Myles Herod Senior Photo Editor... Christopher Chang Multimedia Editor... Joy Santiago Asst. Photo Editor... Jonathon Fairclough Business Editor... Simon Granat Asst. Business Editor... Santino Marinucci Web Editor... Jason Lamb
Silhouette Staff
JONATHON FAIRCLOUGH / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
Kevin Elliott, ANDY Do you know they were handing out bibles for free on campus last week? Dig that. Ruminate on it for a little while. Free bibles. Pretty ones, too, in nice Naugahyde cases. The Jesus people are getting desperate, Jim. But as a mark of distinct personal growth, I didn’t make any jokes about it. Because I’m on this new kick, see: I try not to harp on religion. It’s a bit of a brisk change for me, but I’m laying off the sacrilegious ridicule, not out of respect, but rather because religion’s leg has become such a popular one to pull these days. I may not support or subscribe to any kind of spiritualism, but I don’t like to kick a kid when he’s down. And religion is the downest kid I know. Take, for instance, the situation that converted me to my policy of non-derision in the first place. Pope John Paul II, the, um, dead pope, is up for sainthood. The sticking point for him, though, is miracles. To qualify as a saint you have to have performed at least two such acts in your holy lifetime. And, of course, in this day and age we aren’t exactly up to our asses in miracles, so it was looking kinda tough for him. But wait! Turns out, John Paul did perform at least one miracle. Honest. He cured a nun of Parkinson’s disease. Two months after he died. Now, a miracle healing from beyond the grave is a deal of moderate bigness, but we never really heard about it until now. Like, it was never in any of the papers. Apparently the Vatican’s getting modest. Or, I don’t know, maybe they’re just tired of the damn pilgrims coming around wanting to touch everyone’s feet and all that crap. “Get up off the floor, goyem, you’ll scuff the marble.” Anyway, the fix is in for the ex-pope to become a saint. And at first, that seemed like a golden opportunity for lambasting. I mean, even the being dead stuff aside, John Paul had to be granted a bypass through the standard five-year waiting period in order to be up for sainthood. Sort of like if he wanted to buy a gun or get a fishing license. It’s just a little ludicrous. And that’s when it hit me. Of course it’s ludicrous. It’s painfully, obviously, screamingly ludicrous. And everyone knows it. Religion is low-hanging fruit. The easy punchline. But it’s no longer a worthwhile punchline. There’s no fun in an obvious joke. And it no longer requires great effort or creativity to criticise religion. It’s all there out in the open and most of us recognize that. To be anti-religion now is to be with the majority, one of the crowd. It no longer requires any daring, it’s no longer a sign of irreverence to make fun of the church, because the church is no longer majorly revered in this country. The church is not the ivory-towered giant it used to be. Bibles are abandoned in hotels’ bedside drawers as guests turn to mini-bars and pay-per-view. Jehovah’s Witnesses can’t get people to open doors for the Lord. Even the Krishnas, those non-Christian punching bags, are having trouble getting new recruits now that the Internet has given impressionable young university students something to live for. Religion has taken enough heat, especially around liberal old university, where it’s widely considered not only ignorant but devastatingly unhip to believe in God. That doesn’t mean that religion is any less oppressive or flawed than it ever was, just that it isn’t worth discussing anymore. We know it already. Religion is just one more faded lady, easy to deride. But who would want to? There’s still a lot to make fun of, but the jokes are less like stones hurled at Goliath than arrows at an already crucified body. And, because of that, they aren’t funny anymore. In fact, they’re ranging on sad. Humour has this beautiful potential to criticize, to uncover, to effect change. But humour should also seek to knock down the big and the strong, not pile on to the already beaten. Humour should push boundaries, not plod the same territory again and again. So from here on in, I’m leaving religion be. I’m moving on. No more sexual innuendo, no more scoffing at biblical tales and papal decrees. There are bigger, more deserving targets for our scorn. Our humour, our beautifully caustic, potent, earth-rattling humour is better directed somewhere else.
•
Legal
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YOU THERE! GET TYPING!
Write for the Silhouette e-mail thesil@thesil.ca or come down to MUSC B110
PETER GOFFIN EXECUTIVE EDITOR
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TheSil.ca Actually, won’t have our Sex & the Steel City magazine on it so, just this once, stick with the print copy. Unless you don’t like nudity. In which case, we can’t help you.
AND ALSO... Tune in to the Sil’s radio show every Friday at 2 p.m. on CFMU, 93.3 on your dial, cfmu.msumcmaster.ca on the web.
Trevor Roach, ANDY Victor Pek, Sports Sandro Giordano, Ad Manager
to sex and the steel city (the magazine, out this week!)
to missing the dominatrix seminar at 1280. i was tied up. hi-yo!
to david duchovny and his impact on my sexual education.
to the death of uncle leo. “jerry! goodbye!“
to dogs playing poker. to film prints.
to the lingering stains. to the wipeout.
to tyler hayward. to discount valentine’s candy. to v.d.
to the exciting but baseless rumour of campus fires. to evolution. i’m waiting for all the evidence to come in.
to reading week. to breaks.
to both herpes and hair piece. it’s the same fucking word!
to rock band. to cleansing souls, colons, and everything else. to refreshment.
to the lingering smell.
to looking like a roadie. to disgusting free food. you ruin regular free food.
Section Meeting Times Photo Fridays at 3:30 p.m. photo@thesil.ca News Fridays at 1:30 p.m. news@thesil.ca Business Tuesdays at 12 p.m. business@thesil.ca Sports Fridays at 11:30 a.m. sports@thesil.ca InsideOut Mondays at 1:00 p.m. insideout@thesil.ca ANDY Mondays at 2:00 p.m. andy@thesil.ca Opinions Mondays at 1:15 p.m. opinions@thesil.ca
THE SILHOUETTE • A7
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
OPINIONS
production office extension: 27117 opinions@thesil.ca
Don’t need a tip drill CASSANDRA JEFFERY OPINIONS EDITOR
“I said it must be ya ass cause it aint yo face, I need a tip drill, I need a tip drill.” Ladies and gentlemen, words of wisdom from the one and only Nelly, hip hop extraordinaire. Now, if you don’t see the immediate issue with such discriminating song lyrics then I believe it’s about time to embrace the so-called equality of the 21st century. Although women in Canada now have political rights, a number of social constraints are still apparent in today’s culture. Case and point: the obvious negative portrayal of women and their bodies in the media. Music videos such as “Tip Drill” by Nelly desensitize issues of sexism, creating the illusion that the discriminating and sexualized actions we see on a daily basis are a normal aspect of our society. These actions are only considered normal because we are overtly exposed to sexist content to the point in which a ten-year-old can turn on Much Music and see a significant amount of ass and tits. Listening to the song “Tip Drill” prompts a number of thoughts, one being: what the fuck is a tip drill? Female sexuality is constantly represented through a woman’s body. Depending on what she wears, how she talks, how big her chest is, or how much make-up she wears, a woman’s body is represented as an animate sex object. Their bodies are exposed to be desired by men and women, but what society tends to forget is that female sexuality can be represented in a number of ways and women do not have to strip down to be desired. The women in Nelly’s music videos are not standing around in their brassieres to engage in intelligent conversation, essentially, they’re standing around to be fucked, clearly justified through the wads of cash thrown in their face. In my opinion, if Snoop Dog needs 15 women in his music videos while he openly refers to them as bitches and hoes, then he’s obviously compensating for something. • PLEASE SEE IT MUST, A9
[This Week in Opinions] Unique originality
Tattling through Avenue
The Spatula catch-22
Has the value of creativity evolved to the point in which figures such as Lady Gaga are no longer considered original?
The constant Facebook distractions in lectures have caused an anti-laptop frenzy. Students are voicing their concern through Avenue.
If the Humanities were recognized as essential to the working world then perhaps there would be alternatives to flipping burgers.
Pg. A8
Pg. A10
Pg. A11
A8 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Have we overdone originality? When Lady Gaga is no longer considered unique, something must be wrong JENNA SHAMOON
towards the comments. I began to read their comments, seeing that many were comparing the single We live in a world of ideas. Every to Madonna’s “Express Yourself.” day, people come up with their Considered one of the most original own ideas, have their own dreams, artists in modern music, even Lady create their own style; creating the Gaga was being slammed for being elements that makes them who they uncreative and ripping off another are. Music history is a great example artist. I guess there weren’t so many of the ever-flowing uniqueness of people going goo-goo for Gaga. As an artist myself, I different artists. Throughout its history, come to this very problem in my musicians have provided us with own work. My paintings begin to some of the most original (and lean more towards the styles of the unusual) ideas, concepts, fashion, artists I admire, making me feel as if and music. There are, of course, I am copying ideas and putting them the artists that everyone deems into my work. I’ll start a painting and “unique” or “extraordinary”. David Bowie, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Pink say “That’s too Warhol. Start over.” Floyd and Madonna are just a Even in my writing, I struggle for few. There are even some modern originality; to talk about things that no one has talked artists who can be about. The truth brought into this realm of creativity, This brought me to is that it’s more such as The White difficult than people Stripes, Beck, and a powerful question: think. Florence and the is it possible to stay There are over Machine. Each of six billion people original? Has these artists had in the world. Does creative culture their own musical the world expect developments progressed to the everyone to come up and have made with a completely point where i n c r e d i b l e unheard of idea? My contributions to everything has been assumption is that music. the majority of the done?” However, world’s “unique” it seems to me ideas have already that people in modern society been thought of many times over by have become more critical over many different people. what they deem as innovative and With new technologies creative. People are constantly allowing an easier flow of picking at ideas and songs, trying to information, ideas are spread all compare them to former musicians over the world. It’s impossible to who have done something similar. have heard of something that has Once they find these similarities, not already been heard of before. people begin to criticize modern So, is it right for people to musicians for their lack of creativity slam an artist for being unoriginal and originality. or a copycat? No. It’s not easy to The public has gotten into come up with a new and fresh idea. the habit of condemning whatever It may be damn near impossible. they can and trying to bring down Perhaps this has become ideas of artists. This brought me to the point in history where innovation a powerful question: is it possible to is overrated and originality is stay original? Has creative culture extinct. progressed to the point where However, there will everything has been done? always be the people who push What brought me to write boundaries and at least attempt to this was the release of Lady Gaga’s provide something new and fresh. new single “Born This Way.” Gaga’s And at least if their ideas have been “Little Monsters” all over the world portrayed before, they take the older were hungrily awaiting the song’s ideas and reinvent them into the release. Last Friday, she decided new. to release her single to the public. The important thing is Once, I was listening to the track that they want to give something on YouTube, and like any other different and creative to the public, Lady Gaga is slammed for being a copy cat of Madonna’s, “Express Yourself,” in her latest hit. viewer of YouTube, I scrolled down unlike most artists in music today. SILHOUETTE STAFF
SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO
THE SILHOUETTE • A9
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
It must be ya ass, cause it ain’t ya face
?
What do you think of overly sexualized music videos?
“They’re a negative representation of what our society has become.” Natasha Wickert
Feedback
“Sexy.” Derek Watson
“There are better ways to represent the bodies of women and men. The way they exploit men and women is not necessary.” Alisa Margarelli
“If everyone is agreeing to be in the music video, then it’s fine. It’s free will.” Benjamin Fok
“Pretty hot.” April Hibbard
Compiled by Cassandra Jeffery and Christopher Chang
• CONT’D FROM A7 Pitbull’s song “Get Freaky” insinuates that sex is physically with a women’s body and not an actual person. His lyric “face down, ass up, that’s the way I like to fuck,” closely relates to Nelly’s above mentioned lyric, suggesting that the identity of a woman does not matter as long as the man is receiving pleasure from the situation. Is this idea of women as solely sex objects truly a representation of femininity and female sexuality? The media often portrays women’s bodies to be overly sexualized in the form of having the perfect figure: small waist, small hips, big boobs, and a tight ass. In reality, we know that most women do not fit the above mentioned criteria for a perfect physique. Depicting unrealistic women in mainstream media is significantly damaging and suggesting that our non-perfect bodies are for the benefit of men is even more disturbing. In our society, hip-hop caters to a huge demographic, as the distinct style is a predominant aspect in modern culture. With such an influential culture I am not suggesting that we should stop listening to hip hop music or banish our TVs, because there are genres of hip-hop that do not exploit women and there are forms of media that do not promote sexist content. I am merely advocating for sexism in the media to be acknowledge.
Ignorance of such issues only implies that sexist behaviour as acceptable. For example, I recently watched a video on hiphop culture for my Modern Counter Cultures class. The video depicted young men who believed it was okay for them to refer to women as bitches on the grounds that they were dressed in a bikini — it was the middle of summer and they
Depicting unrealistic women in mainstream media is significantly damaging and suggesting that our non-perfect bodies are for the benefit of men is even more disturbing.” were attending a beach festival. The negative depiction of women in some rap videos, wearing little to nothing, promotes the idea that all women who show skin are classified as bitches or sluts, and that those who cover up are of course prudes. Moreover, the predominant imagery of men groping women in music videos often alludes to the idea that forms of innocent sexual assault are tolerable. We should remember that women in music videos are paid a lot of money to have men smack their ass. A friend of mine was
recently subjected to such an incident. A group of us were at a club when an annoying, far too drunk man, sat down and proceeded to make conversation with said friend. The man then placed his hand on the leg of the friend and when she became offended, his response was, “Oh well, it’s your fault, you’re showing too much skin.” Her attire was a simple, black dress, cut slightly above the knee. Regardless of what she was wearing, sexual assault is never justified. The video “Tip Drill” at one point depicts Nelly sliding a credit card into a women’s ass. First of all, it’s videos like this that suggest women and sex are commodities that are not only bought, but rightfully obtained through a patriarchal hierarchy. Secondly, the negative portrayal of women and the overly sexualized representation of females in the media desensitize the extremity of sexism. This desensitization deprives women of their sexual identity and suggests to men that it’s okay to sexually assault someone, as long as they appear slutty. Lastly, I Googled “Tip Drill” but I’ll let you kids figure out that one on your own, if you don’t already know, because apparently I’m one of the few who just recently came across the meaning. Thanks for everything Nelly, what an inspiration you are.
Nelly says, write for Opinions, bitches. Section Meetings: Mondays at 1:15 p.m. MUSC B110 opinions@thesil.ca
A10 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Tattling through Avenue Profs are receiving numerous complaints of the distractions in lecture LISA DZIKOWSKI OPINION
updates. I can sympathize if the lecture is über boring and you can’t As I stroll into class, trying to help but divert your attention to squeeze myself by in the over- something more inspiring such as cramped aisles, I once again find the light-blue web page on someone myself amongst 200 other students else’s screen. Although, I must admit, being addressed for the infamous when in one of those monotonous classroom distractions. Last week I had precisely lectures without my own status to all four of my communication pro- update, I may find myself cheering fessors copping us for complaints on the person sitting in front of me playing Solitaire. made by other students. I do in fact find it rather One professor was grief- stricken by students’ lack of atten- distracting when someone chittion on his lectures – it became all chats over your shoulder during lecture. As if I paid the more real to half a grand to hear him when people your whisper about started tattletalOut of all Meaghan ing over Avenue to distractions voiced, how barely made it home Learn. laptop use was last night. Yes, I can He undoubtedly the most hear you! stressed his conI also cern yet again this popular. Witnessing week after receiv- someone update their find it rather obnoxing more comious to be speaking Facebook status has when someone else plaints, and proposed a solution: clearly outraged quite is speaking, at least closing our laptops. the Facebook chata few.” Having the two ters are more disicons at the bottom creet when carrying of the screen that say “Firefox” or out their trivial conversations. “Safari” are like power switches to You have in fact paid the distraction. big bucks to hear these lectures, so He stated that we’ll have you might as well try to get your to get back to basics and begin re- money’s worth or at least let others cording his lectures “the old fashion by taking it to the student centre. way, maybe not chiselling but by For all those who get disclosing your laptops.” tracted by others’ web surfing, He even suggested we would you propose we get back to make better use of our time and go basics? to the bar instead. Improve the learning en Out of all distractions vironment by disconnecting WiFi, voiced, laptop use was undoubtedly or maybe even write everything the most popular. Witnessing some- down with paper and pen? one update their Facebook status The possibilities are endless, has clearly outraged quite a few. I but for the time being I suppose we personally think you must have a deal with the inevitable and convery short attention span in order to tinue to lurk over our classmates’ get severely distracted by Facebook shoulders. The distraction of Facebook isn’t as bad as having to listen to someone chit-chat in class.
JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
THE SILHOUETTE • A11
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Having a bad day? Try being nice NICHOLE FANARA OPINION
Having a bad day? Let me take a guess. You woke up this morning, and nothing seemed to go right. You’re sick, for starters, which means you’re already on the fritz. You’ve got a midterm tomorrow, a paper due, and you’re damn onagain/off-again relationship is just too confusing. Actually, what you’re having is a bad dose of reality. Well guess what? You’d be glad to know that there is a cure! For whatever it is that’s got you all in a tizzy, there exists a miracle! It’s called… wait for it… ____. I know, right! How did you not think of this before? It’s been banging on the inside of your brain all day trying to get your attention. It’s the one thing you know will make everything better. Now note that it has no name. Are you wondering why? If so, then do me a favour. Sit down and think real hard about what it is that makes you happy. Forget other people and what they can do for you. Forget ideas of grandeur and expectancies, because they will not happen. Oh sure, sometimes thoughtfulness does occur, but you can’t rely on other people to turn up the volume, no matter how much you complain. That is something you can change on your own. Here is a perfect example of a crappy day turned around. Actually, it stemmed from a most unfortunate week, although I cannot entirely complain because it wasn’t my week. It was a “friend’s” week. This particular day was … weird. This friend (let’s call him … Charlie) was already sick with a cold. He had missed his morning class because he had slept in, and had only a long day of numerous tutorials to look forward too. The zombie boy arrived at school. Early, he scoured the poster sale for one he had his eye on, but to his dismay, it was sold out. The rest of the day passed in a delirious state, and he felt like a complete loner for avoiding everyone. As he boarded his bus coming home, an older lady sat across from him. She clearly wasn’t in the best of health, and was squashed beside a surely teenager who was trying very hard not to notice her. The
woman looked confused, her eyes bugging out under her thick lenses. Her short legs swung nervously back and forth under the chair, and she kept looking around. Finally, she turned to the uncomfortable girl sitting next to her and asked her where Jack Astor’s in Ancaster was. She had thought she got on the right 5C earlier, she began, but the driver had kindly directed her to the correct bus. She proceeded to tell the girl the story of how she got the invite, but something unfortunate happened then. As the fellow sitting beside the girl got off, the girl shifted seats away from the poor lady, leaving her without a clue as to where she was going. Now, I know what your thinking – why does any of this matter? Some old lady lost her way; she’ll figure it out eventually. Not your problem. But consider this: does a bad day justify the role of the careless girl who scooted away from that lady? Imagine the loneliness it takes for a woman to narrate her entire day’s events to a girl who couldn’t care less. As she proceeded to ask for directions, our hero Charlie leaned forward and explained to her the whereabouts of the restaurant. When her stop came, he got off with her and walked her there, taking the time to listen to her story, asking polite questions, and wishing her a good day as she found her friends. Barely five minutes later, Charlie was on his way home. It’s not about realizing that there are people worse off than you. Helping people, Charlie realized, made his problems fall away. Not one other person would look at that lady on the bus, but when the young man paid attention, her smile shone with gratitude. For that one bus ride, he got to focus on someone else, and suddenly the day didn’t seem all that useless. We all have bad days, more often than we care to admit. But as easily as they become bad, they can be turned to good. Charlie probably made that woman’s day with his thoughtfulness. The smallest acts of kindness can make an incredible difference. Through this, I think it is important for us to never underestimate the power we hold in turning a frown upside down. When you’re having a bad day, try out some good karma and show compassion to others.
SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO
Will Hummers really be wielding spatulas? JEMMA WOLFE SILHOUETTE STAFF
There is something to be said for the derogatory welcome week “spatula” chant. As much as I hate to admit it, the Engineers insulting the Humanities students with the insinuation that their future careers will be limited to flipping burgers is a reality I’m quickly beginning to face in the pursuit of a substantial summer job. Ideally, as is every student’s dream, I will find a job that pertains to my area of study and will act as a stepping-stone on my way to future post-graduation employment. When your area of study is the arts, however, it’s not as easy as it sounds. As a combined English and Theatre & Film Studies major, my prospects are slim. Even at the recent Who’s Hiring 2011? career fair that McMaster hosted on Jan. 27, the majority of the companies catered to engineering students,
with some opportunities for science and business students. The only employers that were interested in hiring me were the YMCA and the RBG to be children’s camp counselors – not exactly relevant to my degrees. The internships out there for Humanities students are few and far between, and there aren’t a lot of resources out there to help us get them. The DeGroote School of Business here at McMaster, on the other hand, has a renowned internship program that provides third year commerce students with the opportunity to interview for prestigious positions at companies such as BMW, Fujifilm, and Mercedes-Benz. This internship program often leads to postgraduate employment and provides students with invaluable realworld experience. So where is the internship program for Humanities? In a competitive world where to get a job you need experience and to
get experience you need a job, arts students especially are caught in an endless catch-22. While recognizing that not as many options for internships are out there for writers and artists as there are for accountants and the like, more resources still need to exist for connecting Humanities students to employers and jobs that will help develop skills relevant to their future career path. It’s easy to write off the arts as a useless pursuit and say, “Well if you wanted a job then why did you go into Humanities?” Yet the Humanities are an essential part of the working world, however under-recognized. Once Humanities gets the appreciation it deserves and isn’t reduced to a future limited to “spatula” work, then Humanities students will be able to break out of the catch-22, find relevant and legitimate employment, and assert themselves in the real working world.
SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO
We wouldn’t be flipping burgers if the Humanities were recognized.
A12 • THE SILHOUETTE
SpeculatoR
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
INSIDE THE SPECULATOR
The Hamilton
Ultrasound images. Yes, that’s a gerbil.
Thursday, February 17, 2011 F Picking things up with our foreskins since 1930 .
Storming to profitability Dead dictator stock on the rise on NY stock market BUCK HOROWITZ SPECULATOR This week, Adolf Hitler went up 19 points on the New York Stock Exchange, making him the most commercially viable dead celebrity in the world. This sudden rise is believed to have been caused by a couple in England buying one of the Fuhrer’s early watercolours, “Das Fruiten Bowl”, for 900 pounds. The skyrocketing price of Hitler stock has caused a veritable frenzy on the trading floor. “It’s palpable,” said market analyst Brian Hackney. “You can actually feel the price changing. It’s days like these that put products like Hitler in the history books.” Hitler, which for many years was considered a risky investment, has seen its price skyrocketed in recent months, causing a frenzy on the trading floor. Once considered a risky investment, Hitler matured into a stable option when the History Channel aired the ninth installment of its documentary series, Hitler Goes to the Park. By the time Hitler appeared as a product placement in a rash of viral Youtube videos, lawyers were advising that Hitler incorporate
itself. The result was a Gracelandesque licensing empire, selling everything from Hitler t-shirts to Hitler mugs, to Hitler hats with the humorous “Point pistol here” slogan embroidered on them. In the wake of Hitler’s payout, similar companies have expressed the hope that their stock will rise along with Hitler’s. Napoleon and Genghis Kahn saw brief spikes in buyer interest, though Rasputin stalled, and Stalin fell six points. The success of Hitler has lead to the emergence of several individuals and groups claiming to be the rightful heirs to the corporation. An embittered legal battle has ensued. “The company’s ours, the money’s ours, plain and simple,” said Martin Hitler of Homan, Indiana. On the other hand, Bo Hitler of Hartselle, Alabama said, “I am aimin’ to
claim my grandpappy Adolf’s company for m’self and I ain’t ’ceptin’ nobody else’s claim to it.” Craig Hitler of Hamilton, Ontario also threw his hat into the ring, as did 12 other people by the name of Hitler, 14 Hittlers, six Hilters, four Shitlers, three Titlers, and a Singh. Without a crystal ball, there’s no telling how high Hitler could rise, but it is
definitely a winner. This upswing could well last a thousand years.
And now, a letter Dear Editors, I am writing this letter as a means of warning the readers of the Speculator, nay, the people of the world, of a danger for which I have always felt great fear, but only recently have gotten any attention for. Computers have always been considered a necessary evil of our society and, from the earliest abaci to today’s most modern hyper-industrial knitting machines, we have allowed artificially intelligenced mechanisms into our homes, let the near our children, shown them where we eat our food and go to the bathroom. The appearance of Watson the Super Computer on a recent episode of Jeopardy!, as well as his subsequent victory of same, should only serve to remind us how powerful these such machines have become and that what little hope we have of protecting ourselves from them is quickly evaporating. It has always been my assertion, and the assertion of many, I believe, that when the inevitable war between humans and computers does come to pass, it Alex Trebek will be one of our primary weapons. In light of even his inability to curtail Watson’s prowess, however, I find myself challenging the comforting thoughts I once had of Trebek, once again mustachioed, thrashing the circuited daylights out of some berserk Pentium III. In short, if we are to expect any kind of future for the human race, we should, without any hesitation, put to death any and all forms of computers and return to simpler, unintelligent, non-threatening forms of communication, organization and pornography distribution. Sincerely, George Packard President – Sasquehana Typewriter Company
p.s. I have enclosed the photograph seen at left as a representation of I believe computers will do to us if left unfettered to their own devices. For the purposes of this photographical illustration, humanity is represented by the novelty-sized burger, and the jovial fellow in the helmet represents computers. It is important to note that this illustration is not to scale, as com puters, due to their great numbers and great power, really should be bigger than our friend here, or else this burger should be much, much smaller.
“What Did You Learn This Week, Timmy?”
“I learned that you can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my real dad.” 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.
THE SILHOUETTE • B1
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Not enough: Kenan Etale goes for 35 points but McMaster falls to No. 9 Windsor Please see B6
SPORTS Wrestling
OUA Gold medals come to Mac BRIAN DECKER SPORTS EDITOR
Kevin MacLellan and Ryan Blake have been wrestling teammates since the beginning of high school, and they’ve been friends the whole way. After last weekend’s OUA Championship in Thunder Bay, the pair now share something else together: OUA Gold medals. MacLellan and Blake led McMaster’s wrestling teams in a successful weekend, winning their individual categories and helping Mac to a fifth-place overall finish. Now, with the CIS Championships approaching two weekends from now, the grapplers are hoping to continue their success. “It was a lot of focus on the OUA as not the ultimate goal, but definitely the first step towards the ultimate goal. I’d always been preparing for it and always had my eye on it,” said MacLellan at practice this week. Seven Mac wrestlers qualified for the CIS Championship and will head back to Thunder Bay next weekend. MacLellan won the 82kg division, while Blake took home the 72kg title for the second year in a row. Other medalists for Mac included silver medalists Alysha
PHOTO C/O MARIE-PIER PICARD
McMaster’s Kevin MacLellan and Ryan Blake (centre back) won OUA Gold in their individual categories last weekend. Anderson, Adam Benish and Sean House, while bronze medals went to Adam Middleton and Kevin Barret. “This year we’ve had a lot of guys train nonstop, when last year it was just a few of us. We’ve had a lot of guys showing up to practice every day dedicated and that makes a big difference for the overall atmosphere in the training room,” said Blake, who says the team’s overall commitment helped
Men’s Volleyball
push him to his own success. For MacLellan and Blake, each other’s success is no surprise, given that the two have been wrestling together for more years. “He’s been wrestling harder and harder and harder. He’s the guy who shows up at 7 a.m. and does an extra workout. He deserves everything he’s gotten this year,” said Blake of MacLellan. “Last year he really came
out his shell, but this year he’s really peaking. He beat a lot of tough guys and it’s really good to see a teammate I’ve grown up with since high school do well,” countered MacLellan of his teammate. Blake won the bronze medal at the CIS Championships last year. Both are in their third year with the team. As the national matches approach, MacLellan says the time is ripe to harvest the hard work the
Marauders have put in this season. “We’ve done all of our technical stuff the last six months. Now it’s about getting our bodies ready to go as hard as we can.” Blake echoed that sentiment, saying there’s no room for secondary effort at the national championship. “You have to wrestle like it’s your last match, because if you don’t it might be.”
Swimming
Big Win: Mac takes down Queen’s
See B5
Swim teams fight for OUA Bronze FRASER CALDWELL
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
It was a bronze medal weekend all around for the McMaster Marauders swim teams. Competing in the OUA Championship meet over the course of three days this past weekend in Guelph, the McMaster men’s and women’s squads each achieved third place finishes as a group. The top finisher for the Marauder men was rookie swimmer Cameron Bailey, who claimed five medals, including three golds. In addition, Bailey’s efforts in the individual medley earned him the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi Award as the top performer in that event. Following close behind was team captain Michael McDonald, who managed four podium fin-
ishes of his own. McDonald struck gold in the 400m and 8000m freestyle relays, claimed silver in the men’s 200m freestyle, and a bronze in the 100m variation. Other medal winners for the male Marauders were Matt Vogelzang, Ben Stubbs, Glendon Brown, Nathan Cox, David Landry, and Jeff Braches. On the women’s side, sophomore Sarah Taylor led the medal haul with four podium finishes over the course of the weekend, including a gold, two silvers, and a bronze. Rookie competitor Erin Macfadyen was impressive in her first trip to the provincial championships, reeling in a gold medal in the 200m breaststroke on day one before adding a bronze in the 200m variant the next day.
Other medal winners in the women’s field were Alexandra Vanommen and Natasha Strass-Hundal with three each, Brooke Buckland and Meg Sloan with two, and Sara Thompson finished with one medal. In addition to her podium finishes, Brooke Buckland was the recipient of an OUA Award of Distinction for her efforts this season. In the wake of their weekend performances, the Marauders have now qualified 21 swimmers for the CIS Championship meet in Calgary. Those competitors will fly out west to partake in the yearend event over reading week, as the meet runs from Feb. 24 to 26. Their level of success in Guelph will no doubt lend considerable confidence to the Marauders as they prepare for the best competition that the country has to offer.
CHRISTOPHER CHANG / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
[This Week in Sports] Don’t fear Fedor The sports editorial looks at the career of Fedor Emelianenko, and why he can no longer compete with the best in mixed martial arts. Pg. B2
No playoffs for you
Crowned in Kingston
Women’s basketball will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1995. We look at some of the success and failure they’ve had since then. Pg. B3
Women’s volleyball serves up disappointing performance in season-ending road trip, falling 3-1 to the Queen’s Gaels in Kingston. Pg. B4
B2 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
THE SKINNY
What You Need To Know This Week In Sports Sports Editorial
Male Performance of the Week
The PRIDE of a dying breed FRASER CALDWELL
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Saturday night saw perhaps the final act in a great career – one that has arguably defined a sport through much of its infancy. The body of work in question is that of Fedor Emelianenko, the man long considered the greatest athlete to ever grace the sport of mixed martial arts. *** The Russian sambo expert known affectionately by fans and notoriously by opponents as “The Last Emperor” ruled the heavyweight class of the MMA world for much of the last decade. Emelianenko began his career in much the same fashion as the other fledgling fighters of his generation, with a pair of barely regulated scraps in backwater Russian beer halls. But the submission chops that the balding superstar put on display in those turn-of-the-century outings was enough to raise a few eyebrows in Japan, the one locale where MMA was thriving. While the UFC was enduring what President Dana White has often referred to as its ‘Dark Age’ in the face of a conservative political backlash, the multifaceted fistic tradition in the Land of the Rising Sun was exploding in popularity. Naturally then, it was Japan that attracted the fast-rising Emelianenko and enjoyed the finest years of his work. Rocketing through the ranks of the Rings organization, “The Last Emperor” made the most important choice of his career in 2002 when he moved to the largest of Japan’s many MMA outlets: the PRIDE Fighting Championships. It was here, in the golden years of the PRIDE Grand Prix events that the heavy-hitting Russian enjoyed his most famous victories. He made hamburger meat of Heath Herring, dealt an almost criminal beating to “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge, and survived a suplex of tectonic proportions to submit Kevin Randleman. Suddenly, the sambo practitioner from the tiny Russian outpost of Stary Oskol was the most feared fighter on the planet. *** Emelianenko’s reputation continued to grow and mutate into legend of nearly Biblical proportion as the decade progressed. By the time of his eventual foray into the United States in 2008, he stood as the premier heavyweight on the depth charts of all but the most medicated of MMA analysts. But after three stoppage victories over questionable competition, Emelianenko’s career hit a considerable roadblock in June of last year. Only a minute into the opening round of his Strikeforce contest against jiu-jitsu ace Fabricio Werdum, the seemingly invincible Cossack found himself doing the unthinkinkable: tapping out. He had been caught in a masterful triangle choke by his Brazilian counterpart. Much like his beleaguered brain, Emelianenko’s career had abruptly had the wind taken out of it. In the aftermath of that shocking defeat, many in the MMA community were quick to dismiss the result as a fluke. Surely, a man who had found himself incapable of holding down a place in the UFC’s heavyweight stable could not have outdone “The Last Emperor”? Maybe Fedor had taken a swig of some tainted Gatorade. Maybe his dog had died the day before. Hell, maybe the moon had been full that night. *** But on Saturday, even those who had provided the myriad excuses for Emelianenko’s June slipup could have nothing to say on his behalf. Over the course of two grueling rounds, the Russian was bullied, beaten, and bludgeoned to a pulp by Antonio Silva before a ringside doctor mercifully put an end to the spectacle. This was no fluke: Fedor Emelianenko had been physically dominated by a tougher, more technically adept, and more athletic opponent. Cruising through the many chat rooms that have long served as the locus of MMA fandom – particularly in the years during which enjoying a proper throwdown was grounds for public humiliation – I notice a disturbing trend with regards to that Saturday loss. In a word, that trend would be nostalgia. A dangerous nostalgia through which longtime lovers of “The Last Emperor” seem to be bent on convincing themselves that his recent dive in form is the result of age, rather than the brutal reality of a rise in quality of competition. Those who tout “Prime Fedor” as a god among men fail to realize that the period of Emelianenko’s dominance was an entirely different era in the history of the fledgling sport of MMA. As proof, simply consider the fates of several of his most famed victims. Take Mirko “Cro-Cop” Filipovic for example, the Croatian head-kicking specialist whose string of thrilling shin-to-temple knockouts earned him a shot at the Russian kingpin in 2005. Since dropping a lop-sided decision to Emelianenko in that bout, Filipovic has become a plaything for the leading lights of the UFC. Just ask Frank Mir, whose ferocious knee in September folded the PRIDE legend up like a discarded deck chair. How about Nogueira, the Brazilian terminator with a mythical gas tank and Jiu-Jitsu prowess that would make a Gracie blush? After a promising start to his UFC career that culminated in his stealing the heavyweight strap from the hulking Frankenstein figure of Tim Sylvia, “Minotauro” has lost two of his last three bouts. More than anything, he has proven that endurance counts for very little when someone has the gall to rob you of your consciousness. *** The point of this comparison is not to denigrate these men, who will undoubtedly retire as legends and pioneers in the sport of mixed martial arts. Rather, it is to indicate that Emelianenko and his ilk can no longer compete with the best in the field. They are simply of another era. Today’s leading heavyweights are behemoths. They combine incredible size and strength with a deceptive level of athleticism and technical skill. Antonio Silva for example, the man who most recently felled “The Last Emperor” was 55 pounds heavier than his foe on that night and easily four inches taller. By comparison, the questionably fit and undersized leaders of the Emelianenko generation just cannot match up. They reside among the modern day gladiators of mixed martial arts simply as gatekeepers, a highprofile test for promising youngsters or journeyman fighters who get the wrong end of the scheduling stick. It all leads me to believe that Fedor’s nickname is particularly apt. Because he is “The Last Emperor.” The last of a storied dynasty.
Ryan Blake and Kevin MacClellan - Wrestling
Mac’s dynamic duo of grapplers took home a pair of OUA Gold medals last weekend, winning their respective weight divisions at the OUA Championships in Thunder Bay. Blake took top honours in the 72kg division, while MacClellan won the 82kg division. The team finished the competition in fifth place overall.
PHOTO C/O MARIE-PIER PICARD
Female Performance of the Week
Taylor Chiarot - Basketball The Marauders’ veteran forward once again led her injury-depleted sqaud on the score sheet on Wednesday night. The third-year sociology major posted a game-high of 25 points against the Windsor Lancers, while tossing in nine rebounds. That performance follows a similarly impressive 17 point effort against Laurier on Monday.
BRIAN DECKER / SPORTS EDITOR
Top 5 Photo of the Week
Top 5 Dynasties Since 1980 1. Chicago Bulls (1990s) 2. New York Yankees (1990s) 3. Boston Celtics (1980s) 4. Liverpool (1980s) 5. Edmonton Oilers (1980s) BRIAN DECKER / SPORTS EDITOR
Marauder guards Kenen Etale (9) and Scott Laws (4) before McMaster’s 96-92 victory over the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday.
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THE SILHOUETTE • B3
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Women’s Basketball
Strange Season
With a 5-16 record in 2010-11, the McMaster women’s basketball team will miss the playoffs for just the fourth time in Coach Theresa Burns’ 18-year coaching career at Mac. Here’s a look at how her previous Mac teams performed, arranged by win percentage. .955 2007-08
21 wins, 1 loss
.955 2006-07
21 wins, 1 loss
1998-99
.857
12 wins, 2 losses
2000-01
.810
17 wins, 4 losses
1999-00
.810
17 wins, 4 losses
2005-06
.773
2002-03
.714
15 wins, 6 losses
2001-02
.714
15 wins, 6 losses
1995-96
.714
10 wins, 4 losses
2004-05
.682
2009-10
.591
1997-98
.571
8 wins, 6 losses
1996-97
.571
8 wins, 6 losses
2003-04
.545
1994-95
.500
7 wins, 7 losses
2010-11
.238
5 wins, 16 losses
1993-94
.143
2 wins, 12 losses
1992-93
.143
2 wins, 12 losses
17 wins, 5 losses
MAC’S WIN PERCENTAGES BY SEASON
15 wins, 7 losses 13 wins, 9 losses
Won OUA Championship Made Playoffs Missed Playoffs
12 wins, 10 losses
.648
TOTAL = 217-118 RECORD
Losing streak stretches to six BRIAN DECKER SPORTS EDITOR
For the first time since 1994, the McMaster women’s basketball team will not be a part of the OUA Playoffs. A 56-51 loss to the Guelph Gryphons last Saturday eliminated the Marauders from playoff contention, officially putting the nail in the coffin of a season gone horribly wrong. “It’s been a season of missed opportunities, and right now we don’t have the right mental focus as athletes to compete with the in-
juries and illnesses we’ve had,” said Mac coach Theresa Burns after the Guelph loss. The Marauders also fell to the Laurier Golden Hawks and the Windsor Lancers this week, pushing their losing streak to six games. Things were always going to be tough this season with last year’s graduation of Taylor Smith, Mac’s all-time leading scorer and assist getter. But with season-ending injuries to four key players, the Marauders have been undersized and playing with a short bench all year. “It’s been the battle of
all battles getting through this season… this is just a blip on the radar,” said Burns, who added that her team has played hard this year but simply hasn’t had the right mix of talent and focus to compete in some contests. “It’s about making reads and not committing turnovers, and right now we aren’t quite where we need to be as athletes in terms of our mental focus to compete.” That lack of focus was apparent in each of Mac’s losses this week. Flashes of brilliance were apparent in each, but not frequent enough to earn victories.
Last night, the Marauders took on the brute force of the CIS no. 2 Windsor Lancers for the second time in 11 days. Mac was able to hang with the bigger, deeper Lancers for much of the first half, but a third quarter Windsor run put away the game for good. Taylor Chiarot posted a monster game of 25 points and nine rebounds, but couldn’t overcome the Lancer attack of Jessica Clemencon and Miah-Marie Langlois, who combined for 25 points. Monday’s contest saw a rescheduled matchup with the Laurier Golden Hawks after their contest
was snowed out two weeks ago in Waterloo. The Marauders were able to hang with the Lancers for the first half, taking a 20-12 lead after one quarter. But just as they did against Windsor, the playoff-bound Golden Hawks pulled away in the second half, this time using a fourth quarter run to put away a 64-58 win. Chiarot once again led Mac with 17 points. The Marauders will close out their season this Saturday at home against the winless Waterloo Warriors at 12 p.m. at Burridge Gym.
B4 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Women’s Volleyball
Battered Mac heads to playoffs FRASER CALDWELL
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The Marauders completed their prolonged limp into the playoffs this past weekend in more than one way. Travelling to Kingston to close out their conference season with the first seed in the OUA post-season on the line, McMaster stumbled to the finish line and suffered what could be prove to be a debilitating injury. Opening their doubleheader weekend against the Queen’s Gaels, the Marauders slumped to their most disappointing loss of the season in four sets (25-27, 25-17, 25-19, 25-16), and lost veteran hitter Kaila Janssen to a serious ankle injury. McMaster began Saturday’s match at the ARC well enough, with sophomore outside Kailee Stock providing the offensive spark in the early going. Queen’s kept pace throughout the first set, largely through the hitting prowess of their duo of Natalies, Gray and Fisher. With the score knotted at 21, Kaila Janssen would notch a textbook winner to move her team ahead. However, only mere moments later, the veteran outside would be unable to stand under her own power. After an awkward leaping swing attempt, Janssen fell awkwardly on her ankle and would be forced permanently off the court with the help of teammates. While a pivotal block from middle Shannon McRobert would clinch the opening set for the Marauders, they were seemingly disheartened by the damage done to their compatriot. That concern would have dire consequences for their form in the subsequent sets. Within the opening nine points of the second frame, McMaster found itself trailing 8-1, after a shocking slew of defensive errors. While the Marauders showed several flashes of their usual brilliance over the course of the match, they would never regain their composure for extended periods. As a result, the host Gaels breezed fairly routinely through the final three sets of their four-part victory. Mistakes were the primary difference between the two squads, as McMaster committed an inexcusably high total of 14 receiving errors on the afternoon.
The usually stoic defensive pairing of libero Meagan Nederveen and outside Larissa Puhach were uncharacteristically generous, each rewarding the Gaels with five free points from their reception. Kailee Stock was awarded a bittersweet honour as the Marauders’ player of the game, having garnered 12 points in the losing effort. The loss to Queen’s meant that McMaster could no longer hope to host the OUA Final Four. Suddenly Sunday’s seasonending contest against the RMC Paladins had become pivotal. To make matters worse, the already worrying injury situation created by Janssen’s tumble on Saturday was compounded later that night, when starting setter Amanda Weldon developed what appeared for all intents and purposes to be a violent bout of food poisoning. With Weldon unable to play the following day, McMaster’s lineup became dangerously thin, with the Marauders resorting to playing Nederveen for long periods at the setting position she had not occupied since high school. It is no surprise then that the maroon and grey’s form in their final conference match could only be described as choppy. But to their credit, the reeling Marauders managed to eke out a five set decision (25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 21-25, 15-9) over a squad that has enjoyed a well-publicized renaissance this season. The story of the game for the visitors – beyond the commendable creative patchwork provided by the combination of Heather Deboer and Nederveen – was the play of Larissa Puhach. The talismanic outside had struggled along with the majority of her teammates the previous afternoon, but found her form on Sunday. Puhach led the Marauders with 15 points in the victory, and contributed 24 digs on the defensive end. Salvaging their weekend preserved McMaster’s position as the second seed in the OUA’s Western division. As a result, the Marauders will open their playoff journey with a home quarterfinal against the Western Mustangs on Saturday night. The knockout contest at the Burridge Gym will begin at 6 p.m. Kaila Janssen (7) was dealt a serious ankle injury during McMaster’s road trip.
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THE SILHOUETTE • B5
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
MARAUDER SCOREBOARD M. V-BALL
W. V-BALL
W. B-BALL
M. B-BALL
MCMASTER - 3
MCMASTER - 3
MCMASTER - 65
MCMASTER - 73
RMC - 2
WINDSOR - 79
WINDSOR - 77
STANDINGS
STANDINGS
T. ALEXANDER - 21 PTS, 6 BS
RMC - 2
P. DEMERS - 21 PTS, 21 K
L. PUHACH - 15 PTS, 24 DIGS
D. VORTISCH - 20 PTS, 24 DIGS
PLAYOFFS
PLAYOFFS
T. CHIAROT - 25 PTS, 9 REB
M. LANGLOIS - 18 PTS, 7 AST
K. ETALE - 35 PTS, 8 REB
I. KUON - 20 PTS, 4 REB
OUA
OUA WEST
OUA WEST
OUA WEST
1) x WESTERN 18-2
1) x GUELPH 16-3
1) x WINDSOR 19-2
1) x LAKEHEAD 16-4
3) x BROCK 14-7
3) x LAURIER 13-8
2) x MCMASTER16-4
2) x MCMASTER 16-3
2) x WESTERN 17-3
4) x GUELPH 15-5
4) x BROCK 12-7
4) x LAURIER 14-7
4) x MCMASTER 11-10
6) x GUELPH 9-12
6) GUELPH 9-12
3) x QUEEN’S 16-4
5) x WINDSOR 10-10
3) x WESTERN 15-4 5) LAURIER 8-11
5) x LAKEHEAD 13-7
7) WINDSOR 4-15
7) MCMASTER 5-16
6) x WATERLOO 9-11
6) WATERLOO 7-12
x - clinched playoffs
x - clinched playoffs
NEXT GAME: SAT. VS LAURIER
NEXT GAME: SAT. VS WESTERN
7) x LAURIER 8-12
x - clinched playoffs NEXT GAME: SAT. VS WATERLOO
2) x WINDSOR 15-6
5) x WESTERN 10-10 7) BROCK 8-13
x - clinched playoffs NEXT GAME: SAT. VS WATERLOO
Men’s Volleyball
Marauders rise to the occasion FRASER CALDWELL
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The Marauders could not have drawn up a more satisfying conclusion to their conference season. After the bitter disappointment of a defeat at the hands of the Guelph Gryphons a week before, McMaster clinched a famous road victory this past weekend. Confronting the Queen’s Gaels in the hostile environment of their recently completed Athletics and Recreation Centre, the Marauders vanquished their fierce rivals over the course of five razorthin sets on Saturday (19-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 15-9). Kingston turned out in full force for the marquee matchup, with the confines of the ARC packed to the rafters with fans, cheerleaders, and highland dancers. The university had done all that it could to guarantee that its squad’s penultimate contest would be a spectacle, and the players themselves would not disappoint on that score. As one might expect from the feverish buildup, the home side emerged from the opening whistle in absolutely frightening form. The Gaels’ high-flying outside Bryan Fautley led the way early, finding the floor with worrying regularity as Queen’s was nearly flawless on both sides of the ball. Their vicious form led the Gaels to a commanding 16-9 lead at the second technical timeout, although McMaster would stage a powerful comeback. After Tyler Santoni managed an emotional solo block to close the gap to two points, Queen’s called a timeout in desperate need of a late set rally. This is exactly what they would get, winning six of the next eight points to lock up the opening set and place the pressure squarely on their Hamiltonian visitors. As they would repeat on multiple occasions on Saturday, the Marauders reacted to the initial statement of intent from the Gaels with an even greater measure of strength in the second set. Where they had struggled defensively through spells of the first frame, outsides Jori Mantha and Kevin Stevens buckled down in the second, and that development underpinned a general toughening of the visitors’ resolve. While the set remained
perilously close until the dying stages, a crucial refereeing decision would give McMaster the decisive edge at 21-19, when Queen’s middle Michael Amoroso was deemed to have encroached at net. Only a few points later, the central combination of Michael Sjonnesen and Santoni would level the match when the latter provided yet another thunderous block. Despite losing their early advantage, Queen’s would emerge from the changeover with renewed resolve, and led convincingly for much of the third frame. The Gaels would seal the set and regain the lead by a five-point margin after Kevin Stevens steamed a line drive long of the mark. Having once again fallen behind, and with the overwhelmingly pro-Queen’s crowd raining down vitriol in their direction, McMaster seemed to be in an insurmountable position. However, it was just at this moment that the Marauders would conjure up their most inspired volleyball. Beginning to decidedly overmatch their opponents in several key positional battles, McMaster enjoyed a classic rally to take a pivotal lead at 12-7. After consecutive blocks forced Queen’s to attempt a third assault on the Marauders’ defence, Josh Lichty produced a heroic last-ditch dig to keep the point alive. His effort would not be for naught, as Stevens provided the brutality necessary to clinch the physical rally in McMaster’s favour. From here, the Marauders kept a firm hold on the fourth set, and would once again level the match after consecutive kills from the seemingly unstoppable Sjonnesen. Where the match had been defined by set-by-set momentum swings to that point, McMaster Kevin Stevens and the Marauders overcame the Gaels in Kingston to clinch second in the OUA. would retain their control of the With the Marauders play- player of the game, having notched five sets on Sunday. proceedings into the fifth and final ing undoubtedly their finest vol- 19 points on a stellar 16 of 22 hit- The weekend results frame. It soon became apparent leyball of the season, Sjonnesen ting and a combined total of five clinched the second seed in the OUA for McMaster, which leads that the Marauders were in top gear, provided the death blow to Queen’s blocks. McMaster followed up them to a home quarterfinal matchand in no mood to cough up their hopes of a last-gasp comeback. At 14-9, the third-year their Saturday glory with a far less up this weekend at the Burridge burgeoning lead. Gym. Their position means that the A string of exemplary middle hammered down one final convincing win over RMC. Despite looking disinter- Marauders will welcome the sevpoints from McMaster’s cannon- kill to subdue the crowd at the ARC armed Manitoban Stevens led the and induce championship-calibre ested for the majority of the contest enth-placed Laurier Golden Hawks visitors out to an early lead in the celebration amongst the Marauders. against the winless doormats of the to Hamilton on Saturday night. For his efforts, Sjonnesen OUA, the Marauders reengaged in That quarterfinal match is deciding set, and they would not be was recognized as McMaster’s the match to salvage a victory in slated to begin at 8 p.m. caught. JEFF TAM / SILHOUETTE STAFF
B6 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Men’s Basketball
Etale’s career night not enough BRIAN DECKER SPORTS EDITOR
Since the injuries to Scott Brittain, Taylor Black and Geoff Noble, it would have been easy for the McMaster Marauders to lay down and give away their season. It would have been easy for them to take the easy way out and give up competing despite a glaring lack of depth and a serious shortage of scoring power. But apparently, easy isn’t in McMaster’s vocabulary. The Marauders have gone 4-3 since Brittain went down and have positioned themselves to control their own destiny for a home playoff berth. “I’m so proud of this basketball team,” said coach Amos Connolly after a 96-92 win over the feisty Guelph Gryphons last Saturday. “We keep getting hit [with injuries and foul trouble], but I’m very fortunate to have a group of players like this.” Mac could have clinched a home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs with a win over the Windsor Lancers Wednesday night, but instead fell 77-73 after a furious Lancer comeback overcame McMaster’s second half lead. Windsor’s win came despite a career night from guard Kenan Etale, who scored a careerhigh 35 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Etale’s three pointer with two minutes left gave the Marauders a 68-65 lead, but Windsor went on a 9-3 run from there to take a 74-71 lead and lock down the win. Etale had a chance to tie the game with 21 seconds left, but missed inside and subsequently fouled out, effectively ending Mac’s chances. The Marauders held dangerous guard Isaac Kuon to just 6-for-19 shooting and 20 points and kept Windsor at just 33 per cent shooting for the game, but were
BRIAN DECKER / SPORTS EDITOR
McMaster’s Kenan Etale averaged 30.5 points per game over the past two games, including a career-high 35 points last night. undone by foul trouble. The Lancers made 26 of 29 free throws, and foul trouble dogged Etale and forwards Matt Wilusz, Scott Laws and Cam Michaud all night. Etale also played a massive role in Saturday’s win in Guelph, scoring 26 points and keying a late
surge that helped the maroon and grey prevail in a shootout that saw both teams shoot 51 per cent. Connolly was effusive in his praise of the Marauders after the win, lauding the effort the team has come up with in the absence of some of its players.
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“The future is bright for this team… this win was emblematic of the development of this team,” said Connolly. Despite the loss, the Marauders can secure home court advantage with a win Saturday over the Waterloo Warriors. Mac sits at
11-10 on the campaign, while the 10-10 Western Mustangs would need a weekend sweep of the 16-4 Lakehead Thunderwolves coupled with a Marauder loss to steal homecourt advantage. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Burridge Gym.
THE SILHOUETTE • C1
INSIDEOUT THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
production office extension: 27117 insideout@thesil.ca
Birth of a pick up artist PUA boot camps turn wallflowers into players in just one weekend NATALIE TIMPERIO
Hollywood said that he first became involved in the business of PUAs through a blog of his own. n overwhelming sense of curiosity “Once I graduated I got a job in the came over me as I read the words, financial sector,” he said. “I wasn’t really “You don’t know me, but I’m sure happy with it, so blogging just became an you will after you Google my e-mail address.” outlet for me. I turned that into writing weird Who could be so nervy as to begin an e-mail stories that just happened to me. And then I like that? Some everyday prankster? Some started running a fan base. Guys asked me, regular Joe seeking attention? ‘Well do you want to hang out and pick up I had to find out about this mystery girls?’ Weird, but sure. From there on I started man. After all, it’s not every day I get such getting e-mails from other people saying that audacious correspondence. there is this whole community where men I tracked down my mystery man’s learn to pick up girls.” website which, to my amusement, informed With an influx of men eagerly me that he may just be the most interesting wanting to learn more of Hollywood’s pursuits, man in the world. Having now learned more he began to cultivate his growing popularity about him, I would not dispute that claim. into something more. Now Hollywood works The elusive character I speak of goes as an instructor for truCharisma. by the name Jackson Hollywood and he is a truCharisma, a renowned team self-described master pickup artist. of dating instructors, trains men on the art Being a woman, of picking up women. As I was slightly put-off upon the truCharisma website finding out what Hollywood declares, “We train our Across Canada does. My initial intrigue clients in the theory behind morphed into utter disdain there exist legions of building attraction and as I demanded to know how men who convene in creating comfort in social picking up women could be situations. We then put our ‘lairs,’ where considered an art. Moreover, creditability on the line by how could someone claim taking our clients out and they exchange to be a master of picking up showing them the effect of informationon women? our techniques and methods routines for Then again, I in real life.” thought about how difficult Hollywood plays attracting and it may be for some men to host for weekend “boot seducing women.” camps” at which, over the pick up women, whether for one night’s enjoyment course of a Friday, Saturday, or a lifetime commitment. and Sunday, he coaches I recalled all the instances in which I had, less socially adept men to become everyday without a second thought, rejected men who PUAs. had approached me in an attempt to seduce “We’ll have hotel conferences me. None of those acts of rejection had fazed during the day where we’ll go over theory. me at the time. But, I now wondered, what You know, ‘Don’t be a complete creep, here’s had become of all those men who had failed what you do’... And then at night after all the to attract me? theory is done, I’ll take them out to bars or This is where Hollywood comes in, clubs, and whatever they were taught they go playing an important role in the lives of the out and train, essentially.” shot-down and rejected. He teaches men of Hollywood noted that most men all ages how to pick up women, transforming tend to crash and burn during their first field them from washed-out wallflowers to pick up test, which generally takes place in a night artists, or PUAs, as Hollywood refers to them. club. The message starts to sink in after a In my interview with him, Hollywood little constructive criticism, though. After told me that across Canada there exist legions several attempted pickups over the course of of men who convene in organizations known the weekend, the clients start to get the hang as “lairs.” These lairs are buried in online of Hollywood’s methods. forums where PUAs exchange information “Most of them come out completely on routines and tips for attracting and different than how they came in,” he seducing women.With anonymity considered said. “There’s a complete change and an to be of the utmost importance, these PUAs understanding of how the social dynamics use nicknames to conceal their true identity work and why [certain methods] don’t work.” while still being active members of these But the boot camps extend far beyond lairs. Hamilton is home to a lair itself, which the art of picking up women. What is learned is known as the Hamilton Social Network. in these crash-courses can be applied to any Hollywood further explained that, situations that require social interaction. After more than simply exchanging tricks of the all, social relations are not solely confined to trade, the routines taught by PUAs are field those that involve the opposite sex. tested. This means that men actually take what My closer look into the mores of the is learned in the lair and put it into practice. underground PUA world lead me to profoundly “They’ll try it and report back in the reconsider the social underpinnings of maleforum, meaning that this isn’t just bullshit; female interaction and how much of a skill it actually works,” Hollywood explained. picking up really is. The next time I’m at the “Eventually you’ll have enough routines bar, I’ll be sure to look for a PUA. You should where people establish entire systems from do the same. point A, where you meet a girl, to point Z, Gentlemen, you may just consider where you have a relationship with her.” joining the ranks.
A
SENIOR INSIDEOUT EDITOR
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[This Week in InsideOut] Get turned on with tunes
Pangaea
The evolution of the jean
Add the magic of music to your sexcapades next time you’re getting groovy.
Together as one, McMaster celebrates its annual multicutlural event, Pangaea 2011.
What’s the deal with denim? Discover the history of this ever-popular pant.
Pg. C3
Pg. C5
Pg. C2
C2 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
SEX and the STEEL CITY
Music to set the mood
MARYANN ASHLEY SHEC MEDIA
Have you ever been getting it on when a ridiculously heinous song comes on that completely ruins the mood? It happens often enough. But it’s also an incredibly easy problem to fix. All it takes is a little bit of time and a clever name for your new “sex playlist.” Valentine’s Day has just come and gone, with sweet nothings having been whispered into ears all around the globe. And now here at McMaster it’s time for the Sex and the Steel City magazine, with reading week just about to begin. Needless to say, sex is everywhere. Now’s as good a time as any to start your playlist. You can always rely on the classics like “Let’s Get it On” and “Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye. Barry White songs, which are designed for some serious seducing and loving action are also pretty dependable. Then there are the songs that seem to be played during every movie sex scene ever, like “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak or the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” from the pottery scene in Ghost. So sexy. Your playlist doesn’t have to be entirely serious, though. Sometimes it’s fun to just play around a bit. Some good songs for that include “Get Down” (B4-4), “Business Time” (Flight of the Conchords), and “The Bad Touch” (The Bloodhound Gang). You may want to strategically place these songs at the beginning of the list, though, because if any of these pop up during a real
hot and heavy moment, it might be a little bit too hilarious. Actually there is a perfect soundtrack for just about any sexual situation. Here are a few suggestions for each stage of your night.
Songs to get you started “Alive with the Glory of Love” (Say Anything), “Crash” (Dave Matthews), and anything by Muse. I have a friend who likes to play Kings of Leon. I know not to go knocking if I hear “Sex on Fire.” Songs to strip to “My Pony” (cover version by Far), “Scream” (Timbaland), and pretty much any Britney Spears or Pussy Cat Dolls song. Songs to climax to “Love to Love You Baby” by Donna Summer, orgasms included. Any song will do as long as it’s got a really good build-up and then a scream near the end. Songs to finish with Cuddle time may not always be required, or desired, but if it is, “Your Rocky Spine” by Great Lake Swimmers sets the mood pretty well. Nat King Cole is perfect for the afterglow as are Damien Rice, and some Iron and Wine. People’s tastes in music are as diverse as their tastes in bed. Variety is what makes life exciting. But obviously you may not like any of the songs mentioned here. So if none of these suggestions helped you out, you can always search through your iTunes and make your own Sexy Time playlist. Or, if you go to 8tracks. com and type in “sex” you’ll have a bunch of pre-made playlists at your
JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Creating the perfect playlist can really set the mood for a night of romance. disposal. The fact that neither you or your partner knows what’s on the list will make for an exciting surprise. One final suggestion: if you often find yourself in the throes
of passion but without access to your own computer, you can make an account on Grooveshark. All you need is a user name and password and then you can access your online playlists
ThreadCount
Brittany Du Duca Fourth year English
Favourite quote: “There are only two things I love in this world: Everybody and television.” - Kenneth the Page Favourite artist: Drake Describe your style: whatever’s comfortable What do you look for in a significant other?: Good looks Coat: Wilfred - $300 Hat: Urban Behaviour -$8 Scarf: Alexander McQueen - $400 Ring: Aldo - $11
Presented by Farhang Ghajar
anywhere and at all times. I’ve already made one to get you started. The username is “Shexytimes” and the password is “mcmaster”. Feel free to add to it. Happy listening and happy sexing!
THE SILHOUETTE • C3
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
A collaboration of cultures Cultures convene at Pangaea, McMaster’s annual multicultural event
YULIN HU / SILHOUETTE STAFF
Pangaea participants prepare for the year’s annual celebratory dances. Here, we see an Afghani dancer amongst others. CASSANDRA JEFFERY OPINIONS EDITOR
Pangaea is the hypothetical ideology which suggests that the earth was once a large landmass connecting what are now the seven divided continents. McMaster’s version of Pangaea is the perfect analogy of diverse cultures and communities coming together to embrace the many different nations that represent our school. Pangaea is the idea of culture convergence, as in we are all interesting and distinct, but we can work together and celebrate culture as a group. This past Sunday was the annual McMaster Pangaea cultural festival. A variety of clubs shared the second and third floor of the Student Centre to educate and inform participants on their diverse culture and traditions. The aroma of exotic spices filled the atrium and the sounds of traditional instruments were too good to resist exploring further. Each cultural group created a display of objects and information packages depicting aspects of their association and cultural traditions. For example, the McMaster Polish Society displayed a number of
Polish books, traditional clothing, and of course authentic Polish food. The pierogi and homemade beet soup was a great start to an endless buffet of amazing food. All food groups were covered from the Indian samosa to the authentic Palestinian Hummus and the rich German chocolate cake. For most participants, including myself, the food was the best part of the day; however, the presentations were interesting and informative. The organizations educated participants on a number of topics including various language sessions, mythology, religion, and historical events. The McMaster Sri Lankan Association provided Saree tutorials and the Armenian Students Association and the McMaster Ukrainian Students Association created awareness on the devastating issue of genocide. Despite the tragic historical persecution of some of the cultural groups, the Student Centre was filled with laughter and high spirits. Organizations were eager to share their culture and participants were excited to indulge in educational opportunities and of course, great food. The Jewish Students
Organization was extremely welcoming towards participants and eager to get McMaster students involved in more cultural events outside of Pangaea. The organization holds yearly dinners, the Interfaith Shabbat Dinner, in which all ethnicities, cultures,
McMaster’s version of Pangaea is the perfect analogy of diverse cultures and communities coming together to embrace the many nations that represent our school.” and religions are welcome to attend. Students have the chance to immerse themselves in Jewish culture and religion and to engage in conversation with an array of diverse individuals over good food. According to Paula Schuck, events planner for the German Club of McMaster, Pangaea 2011 was a great first year for the
Feb. 26 Cabaret Encore! Mohawk College Community Choir performing broadway and jazz music 7:30 p.m. @ St. Paul’s United Church (29 Park Street West, Dundas) Tickets - $20 Visit www.mohawkcollege.ca/mohawkchoir for more info Feb. 27 Hockey game: Hamilton Bulldogs versus the Grand Rapids Griffins 4 p.m. @ Copps Coliseum Visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com for more info
newly-established club. “Pangaea is fabulous, you get to mingle with other cultures at the school,” declared Schuck. The German Club also welcomes all McMaster students and enjoys German movie nights and language sessions for those interested in learning a new language. Pangaea is not only a great opportunity for students to celebrate other cultures, but for individuals to embrace their own culture. For Sri Lankan Sameera Prematilake, Pangaea is “a feeling of belonging.” Pangaea is a festival that provides a chance for individuals to embody who they are through learning about their diverse culture. At the end of the day, most groups participated in a performance depicting their culture through a traditional dance, song, or story. The Filipino McMaster Students Association provided both a modern and traditional twist of Filipino culture through the authentic Tinikling dance and a modern hip-hop routine. The McMaster School of Bhangra had the audience energized and amazed with their traditional Indian dancing and
beautiful, bright clothes. Moreover, the Afghan Students Association put on a fabulous performance of a customary folk dance known as Attan. Afterwards, the group celebrated a job well done with more dancing, singing, and of course, eating. Massi Sherzay, performer for the Afghan Students Association, suggested the whole experience of Pangaea resulted in cultural pride, as he stated, “it reminded me of my country and my people.” To conclude the performance segment of Pangaea, a band known as Dream Rhythm played an excellent array of culturally diverse songs. The band is comprised of numerous ethnicities and performs both traditional and modern forms of music. For example, the band did a lovely job at performing a Bollywood film song, “Muay Muay” and also performed a modern Dream Rhythm original hip-hop song on the current issues in Egypt. The Student Centre on Feb. 13 was truly the site of a fun and exciting way to bring groups together to celebrate and embrace different cultures.
March 1 Made by Mac Creative Challenge - The Final Showdown 12 p.m. @ MUSC See the top five finalists show off their projects in the hopes of taking home the grand prize Visit www.madebymac.com for more info March 2 Astronomy in the Movies 7 p.m. & 8:15 p.m. @ BSB B149 Come along to the McCallion Planetarium to learn about astronomy through the eyes of some of our favourite movies. www.physics.mcmaster.ca/planetarium for more info
C4 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
FashionWatch
Fashion forward to the up-and-coming Alex Folzi CHANELE JORDAN
era when almost everything we do is online. Aside from all that, we recently just got an invite to showcase at African Fashion Week in New York this year. We are very pleased and honoured. Showcasing alongside designers like Deola Sagoe, it’s just overwhelming for us.
SILHOUETTE STAFF
In a time when individuality in clothing seems to be non-existent, we always notice designers who make it their sole purpose to be as innovative and unique as possible. Alex Folzi, the brand created by Nigerian-Canadian twins Fela and Fola Fagbure, has successfully entered the fashion industry and introduced pieces that stand out among the rest. Having started the line a little over a year ago, the students have not only begun to make a name for themselves but they have also established a worldwide fan base. The two describe Alex Folzi as “An elegant brand inspired by vintage looks, and the iconic design styles of the army, airforce, navy, sailors, and in general the Northern American/European couture.” In this interview, Fela outlines the background behind the brand and the twins’ journey so far. Chanele Jordan: What was your inspiration to create the brand Alex Folzi? Fela Fagbure: It was a trip to New York after the Christmas holiday. After spending time with family and moving ’round the city, we decided to start our own clothing line. We always had that passion for fashion and that business flair as well. We basically had designs already drawn on paper, so we decided to make them reality. CJ: Is there a meaning behind the name? FF: A meaning? Well, not really. But there is story behind it. “Alex” is Fola’s English name and Folzi is a nickname that comes from his native name “Fola”. Back in junior high/high school, that was what he was called: “Alex Folzi”… We used Alex Folzi as the company brand name was because he came up with the idea first.
CJ: What designers inspire you? FF: Brooklyn Circus, Rugby by Ralph Lauren, Billy Reid, and Karl Lagerfeld. CJ: What advice do you have for others who are looking to start up their own clothing line? FF: We think that passion or drive has to be there. A lot of people start but along the line they give up. Maybe because they face difficulties or there is a block somewhere, but if you are determined and there is passion involved, we believe all should go well. Although there are going to be hard times, [those times] make you strong and successful at what you want to do, be it a clothing line, business or whatever you set out to do in life. CJ: Living in Canada, do you feel as though you have to work even harder to achieve your goals? FF: You would have to work hard anywhere, it’s the only way [business] would pay. Living in Canada makes it even better because there are few competitors compared to the States or any other big country. CJ: What is your opinion on the Canadian fashion industry? FF: It’s growing, compared to the States’. From time to time there is lots of exposure coming into the Nigerian-Canadian twins and creators of Alex Folzi, Fela and Fola Fagbure . country … Everything seems to be at the same time is not as easy as we complishment thus far? going well, based on trends, [and] CJ: What has been your biggest thought it would be but as time goes FF: Hitting over 8,000 fans on styles. challenge thus far? by we get better and better at merg- Facebook and 2,000-plus fans on To find out more about FF: School has been pretty tough ing them together, it’s a gradual pro- Twitter in a few months is just over- Alex Folzi, visit them on the web at for us so far, trying to keep up with cess for us. whelming for us. That says a lot www.alexfolzi.ca. good grades and running a company CJ: What has been your biggest ac- now that we are moving into a new SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO
THE SILHOUETTE • C5
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
The bygone days of blue jeans Reviewing the significance of the iconic denim we all wear LEANNA KATZ THE SILHOUETTE I put them on this morning without a second thought, as did countless others at McMaster, in Hamilton and around the world. Jeans, of course. We wear them day in and day out, on a wide range of occasions, at a young age and into old age, as do people in countless countries, and as people have done for centuries. But jeans are more than an article of clothing; jeans have shaped the direction of our society. Jeans are and have been a part of daily uniform and a symbol of cultural movements and social values for decades. Now ubiquitous in our society, jeans had humble beginnings. The fabric from which jeans are made dates back to the 1600s in the French town of Nîmes (“de Nîmes” – denim, get it?). But jeans as we know them were invented in the nineteenth century, an era when America was growing rapidly with an influx of European immigrants. Among the new arrivals were Loeb Strauss and Jacob Youphes, also known as Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis who would go on to create the first jeans. At first, jeans were worn by labourers and sailors because they were reputed for their durability and affordable price. Because jeans were so practical, they became a staple among soldiers in the Second World War, and thus gained an association with strength and national pride. This began the subtle transition from jeans being perceived as functional to desirable, and they began to be worn among the upperclass. In this way, jeans represented an inversion of the classic “trickle-down” theory, where a product is only purchased by the wealthy until the price falls enough for the general public to afford it. The rise in the status of jeans coincided with the growth of Hollywood. The corresponding rise in popularity was seen as cult celebrities, including James Dean, Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe wore them, making jeans an iconic article of clothing. Jeans became a fundamental part of pop culture and society. As jeans grew more popular, they became inextricably linked to youth culture and individualism. During the Cold War, jeans were nearly impossible to find behind the iron curtain. To the Soviet government, jeans represented western decadence and individuality, forces from which the government wanted
CHRISTOPHER CHANG / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
Jeans have come to symbolize the mindset of a generation; originally denim was seen as a sign of revolt. to shield its citizens. Soviet governments aptly recognized the rebellious spirit that had become woven into jeans. In fact, jeans had become such a symbol of revolt that they were banned from some theatres, restaurants and schools. These restrictions did not discourage rebels from wearing jeans, and rather the restrictions fuelled counter-culture movements to make jeans a symbol of rebellion. Hippies in the 1960s used jeans as a mark of their fight for anti-conformism, sexual liberation and peace by personalizing their jeans and flaunting styles including hip-huggers, bell-bottoms, baggies and elephant ears. Then in the 1970s, punks emerged as a reaction to the perceived “sell out” by the hippie generation and punks forged their own
style with jeans, often torn and accessorized with fishnets, spikes and safety pins. Jeans stand for some of the values upon which we pride ourselves: capitalism and democracy. While young rebels, hippies and punks wore jeans as an anti-consumerist individualist statement, jeans today are often mass-produced, mass-marketed and massconsumed – in other terms, the embodiment of the capitalist spirit and the idea that “I own, therefore I am” Jeans also stand for democracy and promote equality in that they are worn by people of all ages, classes, genders, regional, national and ideological lines. Further, jeans are democratically-priced, ranging from around $10 for a pair on sale, to designer jeans worth thousands. Yale professor and au-
thor of The Greening of America, Charles A. Reich once said: “Jeans express profoundly democratic values. There are no distinctions of wealth or status, no elitism; people confront one another shorn of these distinctions.” Perhaps Reich goes a little too far in saying that jeans camouflage all class distinctions, for there are clear differences between fitted designer jeans and a worn-out second-hand pair. But the fact that different strata of society wear varied types and styles of jeans does not minimize the fact that nearly everyone wears them. Today, jeans are worn by rappers, hipsters, discount shoppers, politicians and celebrities, demonstrating that jeans are popular in vastly different segments of
Kaitlin Peters
Overnight Oats (vegan) Ingredients 1 cup Almond milk (or your choice) 1/3 cup regular oats 1 tbsp cocoa powder 2 tbsp ground flax Tiny pinch of salt
Directions: 1. Mix the dry ingredients (oats, cocoa powder, ground flax, optional walnuts, salt) in a medium-sized bowl with a whisk. 2. Now pour in the milk and pure vanilla extract. Whisk well until all clumps are gone.
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
3. Finally, stir in the chopped ripe banana.
1-2 tbsp walnuts, chopped (optional, or use other
4. Place in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight. You can cover
nuts)
it, or leave it uncovered. When ready, give it a good stir and
1 ripe banana, chopped Maple syrup to drizzle, to taste (optional)
enjoy. 5. Drizzle a bit of maple syrup on top if you want. Or get creative with toppings like coconut, almond butter, dried fruit etc.
With
files
from
Ohsheglows.com
society.
More than fashion, jeans personify our culture and can symbolize a range of values: individualism or conformism, consumerism or anti-consumerism, social class or anti-status, depending on the type of jeans. The ability of jeans to not only represent, but embody our culture, in all its subtleties and contradictions is remarkable, and it proves that jeans have not only been a clothing article present throughout history, reflecting trends and ideologies, but they have been a catalyst, inextricable from social movements and culture. Who knew so much history and complexity was wrapped up in the fabric of your jeans? I bet you didn’t think about that when you put them on this morning.
C6 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Etiquette between the stacks With limited space, courtesy for fellow library-goers is essential
Mills library in particular has become notorious for being a poor place to study due to a combination of noise and lack of space. NATALIE TIMPERIO
some childhood playground. Of course, this is not to say that all of us treat campus library Campus libraries: for generations facilities with absolutely no regard these sanctuaries of higher learn- for their intended purposes. But, ing have been home to lovers of it seems an increasing majority of academia both young and old. Our students around campus have somelibraries house thousands of texts, how lost all reality of what constiplay host to our late night crash- tutes library etiquette. course study sessions, and offer a Especially now that Mac quiet learning space for our most students are practically sitting on adventurous educational pursuits. top of each other in an attempt to get Ha, ha, ha. I’ll be the first some study space, we should try to to admit that the preceding sentenc- use some basic courtesy so that eves ring slightly less than true. The li- eryone can focus on their academics brary — a humble abode to studious rather than the scintillating breakpatrons of knowledge? It’s a foreign up details of their desk neighbour. concept to most of us, I know. Although we may have Rather, campus librar- little control over what diminutive ies nowadays are something more library space there is available for along the lines of outdated store- an ever increasing student body, houses of books, social spaces we are more than capable of treatto catch up and, yes, pick up, and ing our libraries with some respect. mock-cafeterias where people have That is, for the space itself as well forgotten what those bins labelled as for others around us. “waste” are meant for. And, so, great literary Cell phone? To HELL phone! works are simply seen as lacklus- We have more than likely tre decor on ceiling-high shelving all experienced the fierce vibrating while work spaces are treated like or shrill ringing of cell phones from SENIOR INSIDEOUT EDITOR
the person sitting next, or close to us. Texting? Okay. Unless you have sworn off the use of modern technology, you’ve probably been guilty of sending a text or two while in the library yourself. So, while texting from a cell phone may not be too big an issue, talking on one is while in the library. Contrary to popular belief, despite your attempt at whispering, everyone can still hear you say “No way! I can’t believe he did that, what an idiot.” The worst part is you tantalize us with these juicy details, but we can only hear half the conversation! If you absolutely must talk on the phone, quietly remove yourself from the vicinity and park it in a talk-friendly zone, such as a stairwell, for example. If you have a laptop, or other valuable items that you don’t feel comfortable leaving unattended, then, here’s a thought, take your prized possessions with you! And if you don’t want to lose your spot, as we all know library space is easily filled, then leave behind a notebook in the mean time — how-
TYLER HAYWARD / SILHOUETTE STAFF
ever only if your conversation will empty pop bottles, coffee cups and be short-lived. Which brings me to half-eaten lunches makes for an my next point: unpleasant working environment, particularly for those using that Zoning and “owning” same study space. Campus librar Since available library ies are not the sty you shamelessly space is rarely available, it’s tempt- call your bedroom, they are publiing to lay claim to a spot once you cally used facilities for the purposes have secured the space for yourself. of studying amongst other related By this I mean that many people of- things. ten leave behind obscure belongings Maybe some of you are on their designated seating area, say thinking that creating a wall of a notebook and a pen or two, while refuse will be an effective block they are in class or what have you. against sound, but the only thing Sure, you’ll be guaranteed a spot your leftover lunch is doing is causafter you have finished with your ing others to privately vomit in the duties, whatever those may be. But bathroom. to falsely occupy study space when There are an abundance you are not using it is terribly in- of waste baskets encompassing the considerate; nothing makes that seat surrounding area, why not exert more yours than it does anyone else. what little physical effort it takes to Consider other people’s feelings be- toss that paper cup in the garbage? fore declaring bogus ownership of a These may be amongst the study spot. most common of boorish library behaviours; however they are merely Garbage Grinch few of many. But, keep in mind that In case it wasn’t clear from campus libraries are there for not a wee age, cleaning up after your- just you, but for everyone. Being self, especially in a public space, mindful of this can help turn around is proper conduct. Leaving behind your library misconducts.
Lifestyle Tidbits Apparently, “60 per cent of men would rather date a woman with great hair over a women with large breasts.” This groundbreaking fact was discovered by Pantene who are committed to scientific and objective research. British artist Lydia Leith is selling hand screen-printed “Royal Wedding Sick Bags” for those tired of hearing about Kate’s tiara options. They sell for £3 each and are guaranteed to arrive before April 29. Elizabeth Davies, a nursery school teacher in Wales, allegedly accused Bangladeshi children of smelling like onions or curry, then sprayed them down with air freshener. Davies was subsequently fired. U.S. police say a teenage burglar told them he poisoned and killed three goldfish as he “didn’t want to leave any witnesses.” A further testament that criminals are not typically the brightest crayons in the box.
Word of the Week Love Definition: nature’s way of tricking people into reproducing. Used in a sentence . . . “I love you because I can’t find anything better.” Q: what made you cut those marks into your chest? A: Love.
THE SILHOUETTE • C7
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
BUSINESS
production office extension: 27117 business@thesil.ca
Killing me softly Is free porn slowly killing adult entertainment’s hard on?
JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
SANTINO MARINUCCI
M
ASSISTANT BUSINESS EDITOR
any people are familiar with the pornography industry and the massive successes it has had since the introduction of VHS tapes in the early 1980s. Since then, porn has boomed from a taboo industry to something that is fairly commonplace by today’s standards. However, with the advent of Internet and other alternative means of acquiring pornographic material for free, are big adult film companies are starting to feel the heat? There has been an ongoing debate surrounding the growing availability of free pornography and its effects on the industry. This is because the more traditional forms of acquiring porn are becoming obsolete with the growing accessibility, privacy, and instantaneousness that free Internet porn provides. These more conventional methods I’m referring to are DVDs and magazines, the sales of which have been on the decline. It is estimated that Vivid Entertainment, one of the industry’s leading companies has reported a 20 per cent decline in video sales this year, signalling that there is most definitely a problem. However this is not anything new, since 2007 industry insiders have reported that revenue for most adult production and distribution companies has declined 30 per cent to 50 per cent and the number of new films made has fallen sharply. While the film industry has been facing declining
numbers, Internet traffic has been consistently increasing, showing that free pornographic material may be slowly replacing conventional porn methods and pay sites. Because let’s face it, who wants to pay for something that you can get for free? To investigate deeper, I did a bit of my own research. No, not that kind of research. Using the Internet traffic website alexa.com, it became clear that in Canada it was the free porn websites that received the most traffic. To give you an idea of online porn’s success, the website livejasmin.com, a free pornographic site, showed up as the forty-fourth most visited website in Canada, just three spots below The Globe and Mail. Not too far down on the list are the portals for free pornography, referred to in the industry as “tube sites”. Most of the content on these free tube sites is amateur work, uploaded by users and some is even acquired from cheap back catalogues, and much of it is pirated. Sites like Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube attract more users than TMZ and The Huffington Post. The porn sites are even bigger than Pirate Bay; the top portal for illegal downloads of movies, TV shows and music. Also victimized by the rise of online porn is the adult pay-per-view industry, the sales of which have declined over 50 per cent from its peak five years ago. It does not help that hotel chains like Marriott have also begun to phase out payper-view pornography in their hotel rooms due to poor sales. So what can the adult industry do in order to reinvent itself? What can they do to make their industry more econom-
ically viable, when their biggest competition is giving away their product for free? To better align themselves with the current market they should lower their prices significantly for their pay websites, or possibly use a pay-by-the-video or picture method instead of forcing consumers to buy into full subscriptions. This would be like using the same idea as Apple and their App Store, but for porn. With the music example and piracy, I believe that the adult entertainment industry should most defiantly follow their example. I say this mainly because it is a very similar problem that both industries face, and if the porn industry can create a pay system similar to what Apple’s iTunes store has done then they may save their film industry. If companies lower the price, make a system that consolidates all their material and ensure quality, like some of these free sites do, then it may prove more viable for the consumers to pay for porn again. In short, the adult entertainment industry has seen its share of ups and, more recently, its share of downs. However, free porn online does not have to be the final nail in the coffin for porn producers. If they make things even cheaper, and develop a way to download pictures and movies individually instead of making people buy subscriptions, it may stiffen the competition between piracy and the industry. So do not give up on the porn industry just yet. They may be limping along right now but have faith, they will erect themselves once again.
[This Week in Business] Industria Revolution Did team Industria come out on top again this week? Or did team Infinity recoup their losses? Pg. C8
Cost of development
Social media cashing in
Will Chinese foreign investment lead to successful development in Africa?
Are the methods that Twitter and Facebook use for generating profit sustainable?
Pg. C10
Pg. C11
C8 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Raging Bull
Unemployment, not normal
The Industria revolution MARS Apprentice team makes it 3-0
American economists justify joblessness SIMON GRANAT
pletely deregulating, and not taxing any part of the American economy. They should just let people create Never has Canadian sovereignty their own unregulated black market. been so important since the 2007 re- Face it; if they did, they wouldn’t be cession hit, as it is now. Economists in much worse shape than they are from the United States Federal Re- now. serve have started to doubt that the But that’s what North old ‘normal’ unemployment rate. Americans want, right? We want to Current economic thought do what we want, without anyone believes that there is a ‘natural’ or getting in our way. The pure, un‘normal’ unemployment rate. The abashed pursuit of greed has its goal behind this is to control in- price and it’s our future. flation. The thinking goes that if Where does this leave enough people are out of work, Canada? Would we follow suit with inflation will be much harder. This the elephant to the South and agree, is just one tenet of an economic mass joblessness is normal? Is it mantra that was developed in the okay for the government and the 1970’s and has been unchanged and Ministry of Finance to let you and used without quesyour family starve tion ever since. simply because The previit’s what economThat’s what North ous ‘normal’ unics says is normal? Americans want employment rate Normal, yes but unright? We want to acceptable. for the United States economy W h a t do what we want, was around 5 per about students? without anyone cent. Now econoThere’s no reason mists are saying getting in our way. to believe that after that any number as The pure unabashed you graduate, you high as 6.5 per cent are or should be any greed has its price more immune to could be normal. being unemployed and its future.” Why would the than anyone else. United States abanAnd heck, even if don the unemployment rate that was you are employed, does that even normal for decades? mean that it will be a good, mean Has the theoretical engine ingful job? If we let ourselves beof our economy changed? No, neo- lieve growing unemployment is liberalism still prevails. The fact normal, where does that leave good is that the wheels have fallen off jobs? Chances are that you’ll end our economy. The current US un- up working at Wendy’s or at best employment rate sits around 9 per Starbucks, but don’t worry. That’s cent and 7.8 per cent in Canada normal. Even when you have a for the month of January. Even the family at home and you’re unemUnited States housing market posted ployed, don’t worry; it’s normal. Oh dismal numbers for last month and and about your degree, it’s useless. their government is in debt to the The moment that the free tune of over a trillion dollars. market tells you that you have to This new ‘normal’ un- starve, it is no longer free. By then employment rate is simply pol- I’m not sure what it will be, the itical manoeuvring. There is no only thing that comes to mind is a reason for the economy to adopt a communist state where the governnew ‘normal’ unemployment save ment tells you if you can work or for the true meaning of the word not. normal and even if we accept this Maybe even the high unrate as normal, standard or a fact of employment rate will force the govlife proves that the American econ- ernment to give out free daily raomy is up the creek, and has decid- tions of bread? Then the free market edly left the paddle at home. will arrive at the very thing it seeks If this is normal, where to avoid. will the line be drawn? When almost If the free market is to one in ten people are out of the work be truly free, there should be no economists should consider com- ‘normal’ unemployment rate. BUSINESS EDITOR
CHRISTOPHER CHANG / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
Industria steamrolls through team Infinity in a real gamechanger in boardroom meeting #3. SANTINO MARINUCCI
ASSISTANT BUSINESS EDITOR
The stage was set in the third MARS boardroom for a comeback by team Infinity, who have been struggling throughout the entire competition to get themselves back on the board. The sponsor of the event this week was Bell, which was reenforced numerous times throughout both presentations through the generous donations the corporation has made to both teams. The task for both team Industria and Infinity was to develop an effective marketing plan specific to ethnic enclaves within Canada on a $2 million campaign budget for a year’s time. Both the teams had to reach a goal of 15,000 mobile phone activations within these ethnic enclaves as part of the challenge. Team Infinity was the first to present on the night, and coming off two losses they brought an enthusiasm and genuine effort to the boardroom that impressed both the judges and the audience. They began with outlining their marketing strategy and how they were planning on segmenting the market to reach specific ethnic minorities. Team Infinity’s idea was to set up booths at cultural events that
are important to specific cultures. These would be events like Diwali or Chinese New Year. The goal of setting up their booths at these events was to give the impression that Bell is sensitive towards the culture and is accommodating to the needs of minorities. Infinity also created a referral program targeted at the South Asian market based off word-ofmouth so that for every referral that someone gives, the referee gets $15 off his or her bill. They chose this program because Infinity found through market research that 63 per cent of Asian communities buy based off of the opinions of other people in their own communities. This program would give a further cash incentive for this ethnic group to choose Bell and refer their friends and family to the company. After their presentation finished, Industria took the stage and began their marketing strategy for Bell. Both teams seemed to have similar ideas surrounding marketing ideas towards these ethnic enclaves. However Industria did manage to bring something new to the table, as they wanted to create the customer service experience for minorities who speak different languages smoother and with shorter
wait times. They suggested having a Chief Cultural Officer within the company, and on top of this, reduce waiting times for people who speak different languages. Industria also suggested marketing campaigns in native tongues and ad placements in prominently read ethnic newspapers to increase exposure. It was close for both teams however there can only ever be one winner and this week Industria won again, consolidating their lead with the score standing at 3-0. Since there are only five boardroom challenges, this win for Industria places them as winners of the competition. This places team Infinity in a very precarious position, the rules will either have to be changed in order to make it fair for the other team to compete, or splinter the teams in order to make it fair. Regardless of this win, Industria has shown its dominance and has consistently brought great ideas to the table, placing them as consecutive winners. Next week the challenge will be sponsored by PepsiCo and the teams will have to develop a marketing plan for one of their smaller brands, putting a greater challenge on the competitors.
THE SILHOUETTE • C9
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Your Money
No expense account needed Around This reading week travel like an exec, without the bill
the World Australia
In what will be another blow to the Australian economy, the financial rating service Moody’s has announced that they will be downgrading a handful of Australian banks. Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank and Westpac face downgrades because of lending issues, and being able to inspire investor confidence. The banks currently hold an Aa1 rating, Moody’s second highest rank. Despite the downgrade and failing investor confidence the rating agency says that the bank is stable.
Iceland
Iceland, the country that was one of the economic recession’s first and greatest casualties looks like it will now agree to repayment terms. When hit by the recession, Iceland was lent money by the United Kingdom and Dutch governments to repay 400,000 citizens who lost money when Landsbanki collapsed. The new deal was just approved by the Icelandic government and dictates that the Nordic country will repay the two countries at a 3.3 per cent interest rate between 2016 and 2046. The previous deal was approved by the Icelandic parliament, but was shot down by the President. Investors are confident that the President will approve this new deal.
Japan & India
Japan and India have signed a free trade agreement. The agreement will apply to 94 per cent of goods that currently have a tariff. The deal comes after recent figures reported that bilateral trade between the two countries has dropped 23 per cent, or US$10 billion last year. The agreement will target textile, service, auto and drug industries but it will not apply to agricultural goods because the Japanese government believes these industries are too sensitive.
There are many different ways you can save effectively for a cheap trip this reading week.
SANTINO MARINUCCI
ASSISTANT BUSINESS EDITOR
Usually around this time, students from all around are waiting for a glorious week off in the middle of the semester so they can relax, catch up on TV shows and “catch up on readings.” As much as you would like to believe that you will actually get work done this reading week, it is highly unlikely. So be honest with yourself and plan something cool to do. No money? No problem. Well, actually you do need some money, but by no means does this have to limit you from having fun this break. So what are some low-cost ways that you can have fun this break without spending more than a couple hundred bucks? Well, for starters if you are
big into skiing and snowboarding why not go up North for three or four days? Ideally you would need someone with a car or a cottage nearby for ultimate savings. This means that all you pay for are your lift tickets each day. Depending on where you go, prices for lift tickets range from $30 to $60. Also factor in alcohol, and gas for the trip, and you should come out with an awesome few days for a very low price. Even if you are not into skiing or snowboarding, getting a few friends together for a weekend at the cottage with a 24-pack of beer is a super cheap way to make your reading week a little more memorable. If a budget like that is still too high, there are other things that you can do on a limited budget. Another inexpensive adventure you can take to make your break more
memorable is a trip down to the United States. This is preferable to students in Canada because our spring break is at a different time than American students’. This means that flight and bus costs will not be inflated and you will be more likely to find a trip at cost. This idea suits students who may have a little more to spend this break. For example, if you want to take a trip down to New York City for a few days, it costs $163 for a round-trip bus ride to NYC for one person. This is compared to flying out of Pearson, which costs $878 round-trip. The bus seems like a steal. It may mean spending 12 hours on the road, but when you are with your friends and with a water bottle full of “juice”, it does not really matter as much. A cheap hotel room in Manhattan can be found for $84 a
Bear:
Rogers Communication Inc.
(TSE: RCI.B)
Pop Quiz! The old traditional Canadian telecommunications companies are afraid of opening the market to foreign companies because: a) They are racist, b) They keep their noses out of foreign markets and it’s only fair others do likewise or c) they can’t handle the competition. Answer: c. Rogers released their results from Q4 last year and it wasn’t good. The company fell short of analysts’ expectations and profit declined by 3 per cent. The drop is due to new competitors Wind Mobile and Mobilcity honing in on market share.
United Kingdom
Despite cuts by the ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition government, the United Kingdom’s economy has yet again posted an increase in unemployment. For the month of January, unemployment night. If you stay two nights, rose by 44,000 people, leaving it your total costs, including round- sitting at 7.9 per cent. The youth untrip transportation and hotel, will employment rate was also revealed to be sitting at 20.5 per cent. Prime end up at $331. Not everyone will be lucky Minister David Cameron called this enough this reading week to have “a matter of great regret.” the money to spend on a few days away with friends. You can still have a good Ivory Coast trip and a good time without spend- As tensions from a previous election escalate, two large internationing large sums of money. You can have the best of al banks, Paribas and Citibank have both worlds and if you have home- decided to suspend operations in work to do, you can still do it. the Ivory Coast. In late November, Going away for two or three days a United Nations-backed election still leaves you time to do all the found that candidate Ouattara won, things you need to for school while but a legal decision reversed the election results and the incumbent having fun in the process. Hopefully you can get out President remains in power. The of the house this reading week and banks ceased operation out of fear have a good time, instead of sitting that if they continued to do business alone for seven days reading Ad- in the country, they would be seen as supporting the current President. vanced Functions. NATASHA PIRANI / SILHOUETTE STAFF
Bull:
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT)
For the past couple years, some analysts believed that Microsoft could soon be a sinking ship. Sure they’re entrenched in the tech industry like nobody’s business, but with Apple nipping at their heels, some shareholders were starting to get scared. But never fear, Nokia is here. The largest cell phone manufacturer announced that they would be scrapping their own in house cell phone software and adopting Microsoft’s mobile phone platform. The deal is a big win for Microsoft as it gives them market exposure.
C10 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Chinese Investment
In The cost of development Brief
Chinese investment could help develop Africa economically SIAVOSH MOSHIRI SILHOUETTE STAFF
$260,000 for a BMW 3 Series?
Apparently in Singapore they do not have the same car prices that the rest of the world has. According to reports some luxury cars cost almost five times the price you would pay in the United States. This is because of outrageously high costs of owning a permit for your car. New laws in Singapore have shot the price of car permits up 24 times due to the government trying to cut spending on new autos. This means that a BMW 330i convertible that would cost $77,000 in the US, costs $260,000 in Singapore. If you’re a Toyota lover, to buy a Yaris it costs $68,000, where in Canada and the US they go for around $19,000.
Madoff plays the victim
Bernie Madoff, swindler extraordinaire is claiming that banks showed a “willful blindness” to his Ponzi scheme saying that they must have known that he was robbing them blind. This is an interesting argument to have when you are the one behind bars, “hey let’s take down every bank I tried to rob”. He also alleged they failed to examine discrepancies between his regulatory filings and other information.
Businessman faces death
deported
A Chinese businessman in Canada is facing deportation due to his committing of corporate fraud to the tune of $8 million CDN. The deportation order, lodged by the federal Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, was affirmed by Justice Richard Boivin of the Federal Court. It ended Han Lin Zeng’s seven-year battle to avoid being tried in China. He had good reason to appeal this, considering that he faces torture and death when he is deported. The Canadian Federal Court also added insult to injury when the refrained from asking China for assurances that Han Lin Zeng would not be tortured or face a firing squad.
Companies not hiring the unemployed?
Businesses have a new way of weeding out job applicants, and it is probably the most unconventional one yet. U.S. lawmakers and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have reported that companies are discriminating against hiring people without jobs. Lawmakers are attributing this to the recent influxes of unemployed and an overall lack of laws protecting the unemployed. This is seen as a barrier to the government’s push to help millions of Americans find jobs.
RIM’s first PlayBook App Research in Motion has released its first App for their tablet PC the PlayBook. However this would not appeal to many people in the 18-25 demographic. This new App, which was written by Sun Life Financial, was developed to prod people into buying a corporate pension. This being the first App written, hopefully it does not become a trend for BlackBerry, because at this rate all the grandpas on the block will have one.
China’s emergence as an economic superpower in the past decade has been marked by two factors. The obvious one is the fact that the standard of living has greatly improved. In the past, many goods that were considered foreign luxuries are now freely available and have been for some time. However, there is a second factor that does not receive as much attention: China’s role as a major economic investor in the world. For a country that was once so dependent on foreign aid and investment from corporations, China now finds itself constantly being wooed by potential clients. This has lead to billions of dollars worth of investment in many diverse areas. Surprisingly, one of these areas is Africa. Prior to recent developments, the relationship between Africa and China was not particularly well developed or rich. But in the past decade, there has been a large boom from Chinese investment in Africa. So much so that American and British companies
are being crowded out. lack of infrastructure. This influx In Uganda, China recently of investment can help remedy replaced the United Kingdom as the this issue. The number of jobs crenumber one foreign investor. ated has also been touted as a major In 2003, China invested success; construction and mining US$490 million into Africa, the ma- industries are now hiring in large jority of it was devoted to mining numbers. and resource extraction, as countries Certain Africans have such as Zimbabwe gone as far as to and South Africa say that these new Certain Africans are well known for investments are far their large deposits superior to Amerhave gone as far of copper and gold. ican and British In the six as to say that these lead endeavours. years since then, new investments are Juma Mwapachu, that number had the East African far superior to grown exponentialCommunity Secly to US$9.33 bil- American and British retary General, lion. With this staglead endevaours.” was quoted by gering increase, the the Xinhua News Chinese investors Agency, saying, have also diversi“The EU and Amerfied their interests. While mining is ica consistently dragged their feet still a mainstay, factories that pro- with investment and implemented duce Chinese toys, computers and many conditions.” This meant that it clothes are being built all over east- took too long for funds from Europe ern Africa. and America to properly reach the Analysts are divided on African economy because of all of whether or not a Chinese-African the bureaucratic work that was inrelationship is healthy. Proponents volved in the process. see it as classic win-win scenario. Opponents to the relationFor years and years, African coun- ship point to Africa’s bureaucracy tries have been criticized for their as a classic case of exploitation as
funds are often siphoned off before they can make any meaningful impact. The lack of bureaucratic oversight in many of these deals has made many question the quality of the negotiations. Civil rights groups claim that these investments have only lead to lower costs for Chinese companies and more money in the pockets of the upper class of African countries. They also claim that working conditions set in many Chinese controlled mines are dangerous, even by the relatively poor standards that the African workforce already suffers from. Such accusations gained even more notoriety recently; in Zambia, the Chinese managers of a mine fatally shot two workers who were protesting over pay and the lack of safety underground. The managers have since been charged and a trail is underway but negative feelings for Chinese investors will not go away anytime soon. And so African economies are torn between direct, useful Chinese investment and the health and wellbeing of their workers.
THE SILHOUETTE • C11
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
World Wide Web
Cashing in on our free time Social network websites use unconventional ways to make money
Selling ads and search results plays a large role in earning Twitter and Facebook revenue.
SIMON GRANAT BUSINESS EDITOR
How much of your day is devoted to Facebook and Twitter? Come on, be honest. One study, done by Neilson and released in August of last year, found that about a quarter of your computer time is taken up by the social networks. This adds up to about six hours a month. Now six hours a month may not seem like a lot to the average university student. At times it might seem students spend six hours on social networking in a single day, but Facebook is making money off every click. The difficulty social media has is that making money is tenuous at best. They are stuck in a digital realm somewhere between provid-
ing a service and not being able to charge for it. As such, Facebook and Twitter have been forced to try and make money from users indirectly. Since Facebook is a private corporation, its financial records are not available to the prying eyes of the public. However, some information is known about where Facebook makes its money. Facebook’s largest revenue comes from advertising. It is estimated that the social networking site raises well over half a billion dollars a year in revenue. The majority of which is directly paid from advertising. It is believed that the majority of this comes from what Facebook calls Self Serve Ads. These are ads that appear on the sidebar of whatever Facebook page you’re on.
The advantage of Self Serve ads is that you can set them up yourself and they are flexible enough to target who you want, when you want. These ads are tailored to users’ interests, likes and dislikes. According to sources, this portion of ads accounts for over US$450 million of revenue. One of the largest customers is expected to be Zynga, the developer of Facebook games like FarmVille, CityVille, Mafia Wars and CafeWorld. Facebook has announced that they have entered a long-term partnership with Zynga. The financial terms of the deal are unknown but Zynga’s success can attest to the success of Facebook advertising, “Facebook was a pioneer in opening their platform in 2007 and in just three years tens of mil-
JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
lions of Facebook users play our games everyday, from FarmVille and Cafe World to Treasure Isle and Mafia Wars,” said Mark Pincus CEO of Zynga. Facebook also had a deal in place with Microsoft to provide the social networking site with banners on the website, however Microsoft has recently steered away from this approach. Additionally, Microsoft has a less talked about agreement with Facebook in which Microsoft search results were integrated with Facebook. Although the terms of the deal were never released, it is known that at this time Microsoft provided the company US$250 million at a US$15 billion valuation. While Facebook has been making hundreds of millions of dollars from user search results and
Put your money where your mouth is in the ....
The Silhouette Stock Challenge
data, Twitter has been spinning its tires. After years of constant badgering by the media Twitter has recently released some semblance of a business plan. The microblog has agreements in place with Microsoft, Yahoo and Google to share and broadcast relevant tweets in real time according to search requests. It is estimated that these deals total US$25million. Additionally, Twitter has rolled out what they call Promoted Tweets. This function enables businesses to be able to make sure that their Tweets sit at the top of a search. Twitter is a prime example of social media’s problem, that for these websites, making money is tenuous at best.
Why you should write for business: Create synergy Chicks dig it Dudes dig it
It is pretty easy to sign up, just follow these simple steps and you’re on your way to making cold, hard, fictional cash. Go to the website:
www.wallstreetsurvivor.com/Public/Members/Register.aspx?partnerTournamentid=4835
Fill out your personal information in the boxes provided; chose Canada as your country and Hamilton as your city. You must register with a valid McMaster email address and handle. You must enter ‘mcmaster11’ as the promote code. Otherwise you will not be able to compete. You will then be sent an email confirmation. Follow the instructions to confirm your registration. From here you can start trading and be one step closer to smelling some prize money.
Hurry, contest ends on March 1
Business meetings Tuesdays, noon MUSC B110
C12 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2011
HAMILTON & DISTRICT EXTEND-A-FAMILY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES “ S H A R E A S P E C I A L FRIENDSHIP!”
BUDDY PROGRAM
FRIENDSHIP CLUB
We have over one hundred children and teens with special needs waiting to spend time with a volunteer buddy. Matched buddies spend eight hours a month pursuing a hobby, playing sports, or enjoying other activities in the community. Gain volunteer experience, have fun, and share a special friendship with a young person with special needs and gifts!
We offer a minimum of six recreation events each month, providing respite and opportunities for fun and friendship in the community. We bowl, play laser-tag, go rock-climbing, and challenge each other in all sorts of fun ways. We have a great bunch of volunteers who assist at these events and are always happy to welcome more!
INTERESTED? VISIT OUR WEB-SITE, FIND US ON FACEBOOK OR CONTACT US! www.extendafamilyhamilton.on.ca • 905-383-2885 eaf@execulink.com (Buddy Program) rec .eaf@gmail.com (Friendship Club)
great bloomers • pitchfork biutiful• jersey shore
andex
thursday, february 17, 2011
Senior Editor: Roxanne Hathway-Baxter Entertainment Editor: Myles Herod Music Editor: Dan Hawie Contributors: Mike Hewak, Mike Gallant, Ariel Fisher, Colin Leggett, Jemma Wolfe, Chris Hoy, Mia Johnston, Phil Wood, Catherine Brasch
Cover: Christopher Chang
this week
feb.18
Wax Mannequin This Ain’t Hollywood 9:00 p.m.
feb.18
The Salads The Casbah 8:00 p.m.
feb.19
Goo Goo Dolls Hamilton Place Studio 7:30 p.m.
feb.19
a dancer showing off her exotic grooves at the pangea festival held this past sunday
music
The Joys This Ain’t Hollywood 9 p.m.
feb.19
weekly photo
in the hammer
Funkhaus The Casbah 9 p.m.
feb.19
the good old days, a.a. bondy, pay it downward, onion bhajis, herpes/ hairpiece, beating the average, stylish duct tape: so hip right now, the coffee and cigarette diet, helvetica that’s ariel, reading week: yes, hamilton’s cock fightin’ history, goldfish (crackers), excited to feel, meatball “orgasm” bread, volunteers
Freedom Train Corktown Pub 8 p.m.
feb.19
now
andy’s ticks
Ride ‘Em Cowboy The Casbah Lounge 9 p.m.
feb.17-18
theatre Dinner With Friends Theatre Aquarius 190 King William Street Hamilton, ON L8R 1A8 (905) 522-7529
opening
film I Am Number Four Big Momma’s: Like Father, Like Son Unknown
the right thing is to write things
preferably in this publication
meetings are held on mondays at 2:00pm in musc b110 e-mail your submissions to andy@thesil.ca
just in case you were wondering: the average person inhales a liter of anal gasses everyday. bon appetit, babe.
musc b110 JEFF TAM / SILHOUETTE STAFF
thursday, february 17, 2011
f.u.b.a.r.
Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”? Definitely not. Even as I write this, a quick glance over my shoulder reveals editorial column a faded Limp Bizkit myles herod poster preserved on my bedroom door. It just I see myself as unique. A special wouldn’t feel right to type of individual who will happily take it down, ya know? stand in line, rain or sleet, for the High school changes evprivilege of entering the unwelcom- eryone. And as the web rapidly being confines of a darkened venue. came a fundamental fixture of my Yes, I’m a concert addict. life, it sparked a chronic curiosity I wasn’t always like that within me. I discovered online muthough. Prior to the Internet and sical databases, raiding the career my license to drive, my youth was discographies of any band imaginhaplessly misguided in terms of mu- able. First were The Rolling Stones, sical preference. The late ’90s were then The Beatles, and finally, David a different time. Grunge had mu- Bowie. Not Ziggy Stardust though. tated into a deformed child known I was more drawn to his Berlin peas Nu-Metal while the pop echelon riod, when he kicked cocaine and of Britney and boy bands inundated really got into Kraftwerk records. the middle ground. Much Music’s Mr. Lucey’s grade 11 MeFriday countdown subscribed to dia Class introduced me to Pitchthat mediocrity and was, to me, a fork and the term “indie”. Lucey beacon toward to its manufactured played music relentlessly and truly sheen. embraced unconventional tastes. I clutch onto mixed mem- The Strokes’ “Under Control” is a ories. Sure its contribution recalls song that instantly takes me back to a stagnation of artistic progress those nostalgic times. but it also makes me smile instanRadiohead also shared taneously. Would the grade eight a collective bond amongst feldance have been the same without low classmates. While The Bends ‘N Sync’s “Bye, Bye, Bye” or the reigned supreme, my friend Carlo last gasp balladry of Aerosmith’s “I and I were forever connected our
column
the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D3
transfixion on the metallic sound of a pop can one afternoon, which seemed uncannily reminiscent of their post-Kid A work “Packt Like Sardines In A Crushed Tin Box.” Yet it was in the basement of my friend Dave’s house that The White Stripes’ video for “Seven Nation Army” premiered, igniting our hunger for anything alternative. It was decided then and there that we must partake in this strange and wonderful world by attending our first concert. Coincidentally, Toronto’s SARS-stock would result that July, drawing half a million freaks and middle-aged rockers. When the day came, my friends Dan, Andy, Dave and myself were dropped off at a designated strip of highway where we trekked with legions more against the summer sunrise. My lasting memory of those 24 hours is the sight of so many people. We bodysurfed our way to the front stage and soaked in the sun, tunes, and smoky air. In today’s environment there is something unmistakably cultish about the large indie cliques that gather in smaller establishments, waiting anxiously to marvel at Pitchfork’s latest endorsement. Given the location, whether Lee’s Place, The Phoenix, or Kool Haus, these purveyors of horn
the big tickle
rim and horizontal stripes are here to stay. Well, at least for a little longer. And yet, for all my mocking, I can’t help but feel I’ve become one of them. Although my appearance and attitude would speak otherwise, my taste in culture reflects a connection with the arty kids who frequent Toronto and Hamilton’s remarkable scene. It’s interesting to observe the crowds nowadays, with their iPhones and Blackberrys at the ready. It comes with the territory to witness a concert compadre record a performance, then immediately upload it to YouTube. What really fascinates me is how meta it can all become, reliving a concert online and actually seeing yourself in it! My love f o r m u s i c wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the Internet. With Pitchfork as my guide and Canada’s largest city in close proximity, I take pride in all the wonderful acts I’ve seen over the years. I’m happy to stand up with the city’s skinniest denizens and flex some muscle against drunken frat boys and their mainstream ways. Then again, sometimes I think back and recall what I liked. Remember “Butterfly” by Crazy Town? Man, that was a good tune.
andy’s picks
1. Blood Bank Bon Iver 2. Harlem River Blues Justin Townes Earle 3. Speak of Trouble Great Bloomers 4. Nightclub Jitters The Replacements 5. Thirteen Big Star 6. Under Cover of Darkness The Strokes 7. Sweet Mary Equalizer
8. Our Hell Emily Haines 9. Smoke Detector Rilo Kiley
what’s the best concert you’ve been to?
compiled by jonathon fairclough & myles herod
“tool”
“the police” kyle richardson
“broken social scene” sim bansal
lauren brandon
“devendra banhart” elizabeth ouellette
“susan boyle” angus mcleod
D4 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine
fed by the forkful a look into the sweeping influence of online media critics inside the music industry
music The music industry is in a state of flux, where big money and major label support are becoming less decisive factors in predicting a band’s success. If you don’t believe me, consider Arcade Fire’s Grammy win for Album of the Year. Arcade Fire, a Canadian band who shuns corporate sponsorship and operates under an independent label, beat pop giants Eminem, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry in what was a huge win for not only the group, but for independent music as a whole. Independent music has long been considered synonymous with obscurity, but the drastic changes happening in the music industry are proving that this may not be the case. This transformation of the music industry is a result of a cascade of events that stem from the Internet revolution. Internet piracy, a major issue facing music labels today, has provided millions of listeners with free access to media. This access, independent of financial restraint, allows listeners to explore and take chances on artists they might not have considered if there had been a price tag attached to their download. Free access to music has stolen the reins from the major labels, forcing artists and labels to evolve. Many major labels, ignorant to the demands of a rapidly changing market, have remained stagnant, allowing the industry to slip from their grasp. This shift of control, from the label to the listener, has led to a drastic change in the way that music is consumed. With the listener in the driver’s seat, there is a shift in importance from budget to quality. Quality music, whether from an independent or a major label, has begun to rise to prominence over predictable sounds and assembly line pop. This paradigm shift simply means that major labels can no longer get away with producing mediocre music. In 2010, artists such as Vampire Weekend and Arcade Fire, relative unknowns in the grand scheme of popular music, hit number one on the U.S. charts. The popularization of intelligent,
thursday, february 17, 2011
thoughtful music represents a period of music consumption that rewards effort, creativity, and innovation, rather than financial support. In a period where musical consumption is limited only by bandwidth, music criticism should take a back seat to the listener’s personal opinions on the music. Music blogs and websites have replaced critical music magazines such as Rolling Stone, telling of the music consumer’s desire for an authoritative opinion on the strength of an album, even when they can listen for themselves and decide. By far the most prominent of these online publications is Pitchfork Media, a website centred on music criticism and news. The site has built trust in its readers through 16 years of meticulous album ratings, well-written articles, and timely news updates. Pitchfork Media — known to its readers simply as Pitchfork — has become the essential critical voice of the Internet. The site is noted for its ability to pull a band from obscurity and place them in the spotlight with a single good review, but also for its ability to damage artists’ reputations with a single bad one. The site, whose central focus is independent music, aims to use its massive reader-base (a staggering 30 million page views per month) to help expose bands that would otherwise go unnoticed. Although Pitchfork is an incredible resource for new music recommendations, news, tour dates, and other media, its sweeping influence can be worrying. Its reviews, often controversial, are taken as gospel by many music consumers, creating a hive-mind mentality in some independent music communities. It is important to remember that, while Pitchfork is a useful resource, its scope is narrow; listeners should aim to acquire a more holistic opinion by listening to the music and parsing the good from the bad themselves. The music industry has seen dramatic change in recent years. The power of the Internet has allowed the helm of the music industry to be handed from the major labels to the listeners. And yet, with all the power at their fingertips, many listeners have still allowed taste to be dictated by the opinions of others. So, my fellow audiophiles, I challenge you to take advantage of the unique opportunity our generation is presented with. Discover new sounds, think critically about what you like, and immerse yourself in music that you love. The future of the music industry doesn’t belong to major labels or music critics; it belongs to you. That’s an opportunity that sure as hell shouldn’t be passed up. •
Mike Gallant
GRAPHIC BY JOY SANTIAGO, MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
feature
thursday, february 17, 2011
the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D5
wisdom from the book of franco As he is about to take on the daunting task of co-hosting the Oscars, Hollywood’s most prestigious evening, it seems that nearly overnight James Franco has become a distinguished man of many talents. However, this would be a devastating understatement. A bit of a modern Renaissance man, Franco is not only bursting into the scene as a marketable and substantial acting talent, but simultaneously as soap actor, author, PhD student at Yale University, a painter, and a budding director. In the past 14 years Franco has appeared in 37 films, nine television series’ (including two major starring roles on Freaks and Geeks, and General Hospital), four short films, and has seven films currently in preproduction, as well as Your Highness, the new Danny McBride and Ben Best film to be released April 8 of this year. In the mix with this incredibly vigorous acting career, Franco managed to complete his Undergraduate degree at UCLA in creative writing in 2008, as well as his MFA in Colombia University’s writing program in 2010, which he did while attending the Tisch School of the Arts, the Brooklyn College of Fiction Writing and North Carolina’s Warren Wilson College for poetry. He is currently doing his PhD at Yale University while simultaneously attending the Rhode Island School of Design. While doing his Undergrad at UCLA he managed to finish with a GPA greater than 3.5, and took 62 units of classes in his last quarter. The suggested limit for any student is 19 units per quarter. Called “the coolest guy alive” by Time magazine, the question becomes one of authenticity and substance. Is James Franco a true talent and brilliant mind who just so happens to be a workaholic, or is he simply a workaholic trying to fill the void of time between (and during) projects? The two thoughts are not mutually exclusive. Having taken up acting as a means to overcome incomparable shyness, it quickly became a passion for the young Franco. He started off with bit roles on various different TV shows, as well as a bit part in the Drew Barrymore rom-com Never Been Kissed (1999). One of his earliest supporting roles came in the form of a romantic teen comedy, Whatever It Takes (2000) alongside fellow teen heartthrob Shane West. Following this came his turn in Freaks and Geeks (from 1999-2000, the show only lasted one season), and a leading role in a TV movie as the incomparable James Dean (James Dean, 2001). Released the same year as Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly regarded these television movies as “a revolutionary force in the television movie genre,” and Franco won a Golden Globe for his performance, as well as a nomination at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. These were surely the roles that put him in the industry’s face, and from there he became recognizable as Harry Osborn in Spider-Man (2002). Accepting roles in the Nicholas Cage-directed Sonny later in 2002, he started to ram rather than place his foot in the door.
From 2002 until 2007 Franco managed his highest output in his career to date. That was until 2010, at least. A series of YouTube interviews helmed by his younger brother, Dave Franco, put a very uninhibited image of James before the camera, shedding light on the man “always having to do something.” When acting was his sole focus, Franco admits to having felt rather competitive. However, now that he’s started to branch out into directing and writing, the competitive nature has subsided. In a Sage-like moment of clarity, James advises Dave to “only do the projects that you feel comfortable with or believe in.” Evidently, James practices what he preaches. In an interview for Milk, Franco explained that he’d been a fan of Gus Van Sant long before he’d entered the acting world. Upon being asked by Van Sant if he’d be interested in the project, James did a feverish amount of research on the first openly gay man to be elected into public office in California, and found himself deeply moved by his story. Franco promptly sent word to Van Sant that he would be willing to play a pizza boy if it meant he could be involved in the film. With his turn as Aron Ralston in 127 Hours, Franco has emerged seemingly overnight as a leading tour de force in cinema. After its release, discussions sparked around his previous work in films like Pineapple Express, and this wealth of knowledge regarding his scholastic endeavors began to surface. Before anyone knew what was happening it seemed he had secured himself the position of Oscar co-host, and news of his decision to adapt and direct William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian was flooding the Internet. The man shows no sign of slowing down, in fact with his turn on General Hospital it would appear he’s keener than ever to load his plate as full as he can manage. We should look forward to far more of this Renaissance man in the coming years, and the expectations will surely be high. • Ariel Fisher
D6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine
big city love
music
thursday, february 17, 2011
andy chats with toronto roots rockers great bloomers Since releasing their full-length debut, Speak of Trouble back in 2009, Toronto’s Great Bloomers have found themselves flourishing inside of the city’s right outlets at the right times. With a collaborative spot in the city’s ever-growing Bellwoods musical community, a berth on Maple Music’s eminent label roster, and a heap of “must-see” accolades over a rollicking live show, including a hyped spot in Audio Blood Media’s holiday showcase to round out 2010, the quintet has streamlined a pennant that howls big city love, even if their latest 7” release “Small Town Love/ Awake” says otherwise. Vocalist/guitarist Lowell Sostomi remains humble when pinpointing the source of the band’s exposure over the past few years. “It’s hard to say, really. We’ve been lucky enough to work with a lot of likeminded artists in the Bellwoods scene,” he explained in an interview earlier this week. “There’s an honest and genuine vibe coming out of it, and I think critics are starting to pick up on that. A lot of the bands around us are being well-received lately, so we’ve definitely surrounded ourselves with the right people to play music with,” he continued.
No doubt the band’s had the fortune of attracting some helping hands in the past. Their close friend Gavin Gardiner, of The Wooden Sky, took the production helm of the band’s last album, and they’ve since earned quite a bit of mileage trekking across the country with Gardiner and his group, as well as The Rural Alberta Advantage, Yukon Blonde, and others. After a brief hiatus through the winter to whip up a new set list and resolve some lineup changes, road time has once again taken priority on the band’s agenda. An upcoming tour across Ontario with Hamilton riff-rockers Huron, followed by a solo run out East will see the Bloomers jumping right back into a well-worn lifestyle. “We’ve spent a bit of time getting our newest keyboard player up to speed, and getting back on our feet with a final lineup,” explained Sostomi. “So now we have a bunch of new material to hit the road with, which we couldn’t be happier about. “A really good chunk of last year was spent headlining on our own across the country, and to be honest, I think we’ve played BC more than the smaller parts of Ontario – so this upcoming tour is cool for us because we get to check out some new places,” he added.
Though the band has been critically heralded for its sun-bleached take on a very Canadiana sound, earning nods from both CBC Radio 3 and university radio stations alike, Sostomi defines the band’s new material as a departure from any sort of pigeon hole. He clarified, “It’s not as if I don’t appreciate the label of being ‘Canadiana’. That was perfect for the last album. But, I can honestly say that our next album is going to stray from that, which I think is important for us to do now, especially when it comes to pulling from a much wider range of genres.” A newer musical direction doesn’t necessarily imply a retreat from the old, however. The Bloomers have recently released a much-anticipated video for “The Young Ones Slept,” which, between snapshots of the cityscape, follows an afternoon spent cycling with the band and mates to Toronto Island. The video is meant to showcase Sostomi’s fondness for the city. He explained the filming process: “Some people approached me to shoot a video for the song, and I thought, ‘What’s something I love doing more than anything in the world if I’m not playing music?’ which was to get a bunch of friends riding our bikes
to Toronto Island and spending a day hanging out there. “A lot of people don’t realize that there’s an island right downtown which, in my case, takes ten minutes [sic] to get to from Bloor and Spadina and puts me right in the middle of the wilderness. Sure, we may have missed the mark for a song that’s slightly dated, but I’m glad that we did it just to show this side of the band,” he added. With a solidified lineup, a series of tours lined up, and hopeful plans of taking the band’s newer material into the studio later this year, Sostomi is confident that he will fulfill the ambitions he brought with him when migrating from Fort Erie to Toronto years ago. He explained, “I always knew that I was meant to play music up here. And with a set lineup of such great friends and musicians, I think that now is the right time to be doing it. I’d say that if I had a plan, which I didn’t, but if I did back then, I’d say that things are going according to it.” Great Bloomers will be performing in Hamilton on Feb. 26 at the Casbah. •
Dan Hawie
thursday, february 17, 2011
television
the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D7
in defence of jersey shore Jersey Shore is under siege. The MTV reality show is the basis for countless jokes, spoofs and criticisms. It’s looked at by many as, at best, an appallingly low form of entertainment and, at worst, the degradation of modern television, perhaps even modern youth. But why is this exactly? Granted, Jersey Shore is not necessarily ground-breaking or award-winning, but it does not deserve such demonization either. The show may be controversial, but I’m going to jump to its defense in the courtroom of society. Jersey Shore must be taken for what it is. It has been labeled as trashy, lowbrow and just plain stupid, but isn’t that exactly what reality television is all about? It has never been marketed or promoted as educational. Viewers shouldn’t be tricking themselves into believing they are watching a BBC documentary about the social practices of twenty-somethings. If you choose to watch the show, you are choosing to watch a train wreck, albeit an interesting one. Viewers are watching a group of carefully casted friends get drunk, party and bring random partners back to the seaside house. It’s not an enlightening romp, it’s simple entertainment and it shouldn’t be
disguised or construed as anything else. The antics of the group are often judged harshly because of the message that Snooki and the gang are perceived to promote to the show’s audience. That underlying message is that you certainly do need alcohol to have fun and that two months of black-outs and anonymous sex is the key to an ideal summer. But is that really Jersey Shore’s intended message? Sure, there have been arrests, sure there have been litres upon litres of vomit, but that’s not to say it’s what the show is promoting. The cast members are not saying you should party until you puke and sleep with as many strangers as humanly possible. They’re simply doing it because they’re getting fame and a whole lot of money to do so. A good percentage of university students are doing the same thing weekend after weekend without getting paid, without getting the fame, and at the expense of their marks. Are they doing this because they have been taught by our favourite posse of New Jersey natives that it is acceptable behaviour or have they been doing it all along? Jersey Shore definitely did not invent wild partying
and over-indulgence. If there were a casting call for a university version of the show, ostensibly the producers would not be hard-pressed for people who wanted to take part. Who among us wouldn’t like, even just the tiniest bit, to be paid to party? Of course, there would be inevitable drama that would unfold at our campus-side house and a few pounds might be gained because of the surplus of alcohol and food that would be at our fingertips, but we would be flash-in-the-pan celebrities. That’s really the dream, right? There was a great deal of angst amongst Italian-American advocacy groups concerned that Jersey Shore promoted negative ethnic stereotypes. The show incorporated the terms “guido” and “guidette” into the popular North American vernacular, terms which, prior to the premier of the series, were seen as extremely disrespectful. It’s true that the terms and the stereotypes presented in the show are not necessarily positive can even be seen as abjectly problematic, but the members of the show are embracing these images. The cast members are proud of their Italian-American heri-
tage and, in perhaps a cock-eyed way, their use of terms like “guido” is just a demonstration of how much they value their culture. Even the most marginally enlightened or informed viewer would be intelligent enough to realize that the image Jersey Shore is promoting is not representative of the Italian culture as a whole. It’s a mere sub-set that the cast is amplifying and using to label their specific group, rather than all people of Italian descent. Jersey Shore is not flawless, nor is it particularly intelligent. What it has in spades, though, is entertainment value. Audiences should not have to feel embarrassed about the fact that they enjoy watching the group party and sleep around. Maybe The Situation isn’t someone you should necessarily aspire to be, but there’s no harm in watching him take home a “grenade” or get rejected several times at the club. Take the show as a guilty pleasure, label it as the best thing ever created, or steer clear of it entirely.The good news is its popularity does not indicate that our society is careening towards a vodka-soaked sun. • Roxanne Hathway-Baxter
D8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine
feature
thursday, february 17, 2011
the new age of radio andy looks at the very best comedy podcasts In the past few years, there has been a digital revolution. No, not that whole Twitter democracy thing, I mean comedy podcasting. Several wellknown comedians from the Los Angeles and New York comedy scenes have taken to recording interviews, sketches, and live shows in order to create downloadable content for your listening pleasure. With a few exceptions, these podcasts are absolutely free, and highly entertaining. Here are the top four comedy podcasts available for download on iTunes right now: • Colin Leggett
Comedy Death-Ray Radio
Doug Loves Movies
Nerdist
WTF
Hosted by Scott Aukerman and updated every Thursday, CDR Radio is one of the funniest podcasts you will ever listen to. Every episode features a variety of guests from film, television, and of course LA’s comedy scene. Some guests frequently play characters, adding to the element of improv that is omnipresent throughout the show. Paul F. Tompkins has appeared on the show as Ice T, the Cake Boss, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and many others. The show is intercut with novelty songs, making it sound more like a radio show than other podcasts. The mix of improv games, sketch comedy, and real conversation make for an interesting and hilarious experience. The show has also featured live musical performances from LA based indie band Loch and Key, and comedic metal revival band Steel Panthers.
This podcast is a must for movie buffs and comedy fans alike. Hosted by the permastoned comic Doug Benson, the show is taped live at UCB Theatre in Los Angeles and features three guests discussing movies and whatever else pops into their heads. Benson is the perfect host, often interjecting with his unique brand of humour featuring bad puns and incorrect movie titles. Each episode concludes with a round of the Leonard Maltin game, where guests compete by naming movies based on a series of clues and names of cast members to win prizes for audience members of their choosing. Guests have included Scott Pilgrim director Edgar Wright, Zach Galiafanakis, and even John Lithgow. The live atmosphere can sometimes make the show frustrating (physical humour is frustrating on an audio recording), but it also adds an air of spontaneity, such as when Elizabeth Shue told a story about how much of a sleazebag Paul Verhoeven really is.
If you consider yourself to be more on the nerdy side of being a comedy nerd, then listening to the Nerdist should be high on your list of priorities. Nerdist is hosted by self-proclaimed nerds Chris Hardwick (who formerly hosted the MTV show Singled Out), Matt Mira, and Jonah Ray, and features interviews with comedians and other celebrities alike. Guests have included OK Go, Jon Hamm, Stan Lee, and even the Muppets! The show is a straight interview format, but the relaxed atmosphere allows the guests to tell some great stories and for the hosts to riff off each other, often getting lost in their own bits. The eclectic line-up of guests means this podcast should appeal to those who would rather just hear nerds discussing their favourite topics, especially Dr. Who. It’s completely obvious that these guys are great friends and are passionate about comedy and pop culture.
The title says it all. This podcast, hosted by Marc Maron, is another straight interview format, but goes far deeper than the other comedy podcasts out there. Each episode is prefaced with a short segment where Maron discusses his life, shows, and anything else that happens to be on his mind. He never holds back about his own self-loathing, his history of drug abuse, or his failed marriages and relationships. In his interviews, Marc Maron creates a relaxed atmosphere while discussing heavy topics with comics and other celebrities that he has known and interacted with over the years. Sometimes Marc has to face someone that he hasn’t talked to in years, or someone who he holds a grudge against. The interviews are never tense, as most comics are just happy to talk about something real with someone who knows the business inside and out. WTF is a great podcast for anyone who wants to get past the jokes and get to know the person behind the microphone.
under the radar
thursday, february 17, 2011
off the web
awkward boners www.awkwardboners.com I assume that there’s nothing more awkward and embarrassing than an unexpected boner. This website is a compilation of images of tented pants and up-tucks in swimming pools, schools, and the ever-awkward group photo. • Roxanne Hathway-Boner
the beat get your scene points!
bonified bonnaroo bill If both Coachella’s and Sasquatch Fest’s lineup announcements over the past few weeks didn’t provide enough of a half-chub, then this summer’s Bonnaroo Festival bill released earlier this week is bound to make you the poster child for awkwardboners.com. An equally diverse mix of hip-hop and indie rock icons alike, this year’s Bonnaroo has roped in the likes of Eminem, Lil Wayne, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, The Decemberists, Primus and more. Best of all, the likes of Dr. John, Gregg Allman, Neil Young, and Robert Plant will be descending from the heavens in what will likely be dubbed “The Arockalypse.” Awesome.
the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D9
off the rack
listverse www.listverse.com
oh no they didn’t community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/
Listverse is self-described as a site “focused on lists that intrigue and educate, specializing in the bizarre or lesser-known trivia” which is organized into categories, with a new list provided every day. Good for filling periods of boredom or quizzing friends, it is the ultimate webpage for lists of trivia. If you’ve ever wondered the top 10 bizarre things cars have been covered with, 15 common astronomy myths, or top 10 horrifying video game enemies, check out listverse.com.
Itching for the latest celebrity gossip? Look no further than Oh No They Didn’t, a site dedicated to dishing the dirt on industry heavyweights, music moguls, and every has-been in between. Supported by legions of online insiders, ONTD subscribes to stories that dig deeper than most cyber blogs, promoting breaking news and daily interviews with love rather than cynicism. Adhering to an interface of simplicity and a purple colour scheme, the celebrity searching ends here with ONTD remaining one of the web’s best-kept secrets. How good? Apparently Perez steals from it. In A Mercy, Toni Morrison takes readers back to the 1680s during the slave trade in the • Myles Herod Americas. The novel depicts the life of Florens, a girl who is rejected by her mother and searches for comfort and love in other places. She first looks for it in an older servant wombefore the brand an named Lina and then in a handsome AfriAs a possible face-saver for folk icon Bob can blacksmith who has never been enslaved. Dylan’s crusted-throat Grammy performance, Florens comes into contact with others like an archaic, never-before-seen-or-heard set of her who are also struggling to find a niche in footage from a 1963 gig at Brandeis Univer- the uncertainties of the New World. This novel is an important reminder sity in Waltham, MA surfaced earlier this week. Discovered in the cavernous depths of of the history of slavery. Being such a recent Rolling Stone co-founder Ralph Gleason’s ar- novel, it seems to wipe the slate clean with chives (who also released those rare John Len- regards to other novels about slavery or postnon tapes last December), the footage shows slavery. It returns to the very beginnings of a 21-year-old, hip-as-fuck Dylan performing a slavery, which fosters a greater understanding chunk of his Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan mate- from the reader about these horrific events. At times, Morrison’s work can be rial to a crowd of aspiring beatniks. Author of The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, Michael Gray, confusing to read, however her novels are a notes this performance as Dylan’s “last live very rewarding literary experience. Her work performance ... before he [became] a star.” So can be challenging because she shows multhere’s your incentive to pick up this footage, tiple perspectives on the same events, and which will be available as a CD, LP, and digi- sometimes it can be difficult to differentiate which character is speaking. However, this tal download on April 12. device makes Morrison’s novels unique, be• Dan Hawie & Roxanne Hathway-Baxter cause it allows for a full picture of the grand narrative. This is not a very fast, nor easy read. However, it is a very meaningful novel that is more than worth the time.
• Jemma Wolfe
and on her farm she had some nuts We can sleep easy tonight; Roseanne Barr is coming back to television. The leading lady of the former sitcom Roseanne is going to be the star of her very own reality show. Since leaving the spotlight she has spent her days toiling in the fields of her Hawaiian nut farm. According to the Lifetime television network, this is exactly what the sad, cat-lady demographic of their station wants to see. I had no idea that so many people wanted to watch Roseanne get sweaty and dirty with a plow. take off your clothes, open your mouth, and swallow The Playboy Mansion is full of disease, and for the first time since its construction, the disease isn’t sexually transmitted. The Los Angeles County Health Department has been investigating a recent outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease that is everywhere, from the Grotto to the Bunnies’ dildo-testing lab. Not to worry though, Dr. Bunny and her slew of sexy nurses will have the situation under control faster than you can say “Viagara.”
• Catherine Brasch
D10 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine
music
thursday, february 17, 2011
double take
andy explores the booming electro trend of dubstep “What the fuck is dubstep?” is a question I asked myself a few years ago when I stumbled upon Burial’s Untrue, near the top of some blog’s best-of year list. It sounded like one of those weird musical sub-genres that was designed expressly so pretentious people could toss the word around at parties. Really, dubstep is the hotdog of the electronic music world: the musical scraps culled from other forms of electronica, dropped into a blender and processed into something gross in theory, but awesome in practice. From inception to present manifestation, dubstep has evolved significantly. In London’s underground club scene during the late ’90s, it emerged as the offspring of Jamaican dub music – reggae with a heavier focus on bass and rhythm – and UK garage twostep – best described as a slower, shuffling, more “house-y” version of drum ’n’ bass. Its early style exhibited steady, creeping two-step rhythms set to minimal dub samples and slimy fizzling bass. The true genesis of dubstep can be traced to an underground club called “FWD>>” in Croydon — a suburb of London, England. Quickly becoming renowned for the uniquely dark styles of garage and grime they regularly played there, FWD>> acted as the chief outlet for dubstep pioneers such as
Zed Bias, Oris Jay, and Kode9 to showcase their new tracks. Constantly mutating over the next half-decade, the mid-2000s saw the genre take shape as the pirate radio station Rinse FM, operated by the management of FWD>> and hosted by Kode9, became popular and exposed dubstep to an audience outside of the club. Legends of the genre such as Benga and Skream (who happened to work at the same Croydon record shop while teenagers) gained traction and rose to fame through the escalating popularity of Rinse FM and FWD>>, as dubstep began to go international. BBC DJs began showcasing dubstep producers on prime radio space, and underground clubs in major North American cities like New York and San Francisco began popping up with a focus on this new sound. Suddenly, incorporating everything from the hyperactive syncopated rave rhythms of drum ’n’ bass, breakcore, and jungle, to the more traditional mid-tempo beats of house, glitch, and two-step, dubstep began to blur the lines between genres, eluding true definition and becoming less about what the music sounded like and more about the energy it evoked. The invention of a programming trick called “wobble bass” – a sustained dis-
gusting chainsaw of a bass note digitally pitchshifted to create a backbone of melody – gave modern dubstep its trademark. Many newcomers on the scene, such as remix king Mt. Eden, Toronto-based duo Zeds Dead, and former emo band frontman Sonny Moore (Skrillex) have capitalized on this sound, gaining notoriety through word of mouth; their more accessible take on dubstep lending an explosive, party-like energy to their live shows. Having become a staple in the modern rave scene, the final frontier for dubstep has been its introduction to the masses. Perhaps the critical moment responsible for its segue into the mainstream was two years ago, with the popularization of the Skream remix of La Roux’s chart topping hit “In For The Kill” – the first dubstep remix of a popular song to make it onto an official single. In more recent months, Magnetic Man’s “I Need Air” and vocalist Katy B’s exceptional debut single “Katy On A Mission” broke the UK top 10 singles chart, making them the first dubstep tracks to do so. English artist Rusko, having gained reputation for remixing fringe-pop hits by artists such as Santogold, has produced tracks for M.I.A, Rihanna, T.I., and most recently the new Britney Spears single “Hold It Against Me,” marking dubstep’s true integration into pop
music. In a testament to its viral growth, dubstep has even begun to leak into the indie scene, with minimalist dubstep producer James Blake recently winning runner-up in BBC’s annual “Sound Of” poll for 2011, a contest which garners the opinions of over 100 prominent music critics on which up and coming indie music acts are most likely to succeed in the coming year. Blake’s highly anticipated debut album dropped last week to universal acclaim from a variety of music publications such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. Within five years, dubstep has matured from niche club experience to something of a musical zeitgeist — difficult to escape if you are even a casual fan of electronic music. Its modern incarnation has yielded criticism from dubstep O.G.’s and purists, displeased with the way it has become dumbed down and stripped of its soul to satisfy neo-candy kids and saucer-eyed electro hipster types. Despite these lamentations, the beats continue to be danceable, and the bass grows ever dirtier. For those looking to move, that’s all that really matters. • Michael Hewak
in stereo
thursday, february 17, 2011
the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D11
featured review The Cave Singers No Witch
HHHH Having signed with Jagjaguwar Records last year, the long anticipated third full-length from Seattle trio The Cave Singers will officially be released on Feb. 22. The Cave Singers’ music is a fusion of folk, rock and roll, and blues, which seamlessly mesh very well together on No Witch compared to earlier work. In the album opener, “Gifts and the Raft,” the band introduces a set of distinctly gritty guitar riffs over a bed of stringed instruments, whereas with “Black Leaf,” straight up elements of driving rock and roll show off the band’s musical roots. The melodies of both the band and vocalist Pete Quirk are catchy, but also contain substance and weight to them that certainly resonate. This album is grand and lush with respect to each song; which is best achieved with its greasy guitar sounds, blues and gospel choir vocal influences. •
Catherine Brasch
Armistice Armistice EP
Stay Ahead of the Weather We Better Get Goin’ If We’re Gonna EP
Corinne Bailey Rae The Love EP
HHHH
HHHH
HHHH
After Beatrice Martin, known as Coeur de Pirate, and lead vocalist Jay Malinowski of Bedouin Soundclash recorded the duet “Brutal Hearts,” the two managed to further their mutual musical explorations and resurface with their debut EP, Armistice. With five tracks, they have put a new twist on standard Indie music by adding a Flamenco flavour to their sound. While some songs, such as “Neon Love” and “City Lights Cry,” are upbeat, there is a constant smooth and sultry touch throughout the album. For Malinowski, he has left reggae behind, adding a more delicate tone to his raspy delivery. This clashes with Martin’s charming and alluring articulation, which adds seduction to the songs, apparent in “The God Will Get His Man.” These two contrasting voices collide surprisingly well to create a unique and passionate sound for their debut as a duo.
Featuring members of prominent Chicago bands like Native, CSTVT and Into It. Over It. and backed by No Sleep Records, a young label home to many of punk rock’s best new acts, this “super group” starts with a seemingly solid footing with their debut EP. Stay Ahead of the Weather is sort of a culmination of Midwest emo and punk stylings, playing a brand of jangly poppunk with a rough melodic edge. The most striking thing about this EP is the chemistry and cohesiveness of a band less than a year old. In a sea of pop-punk, they don’t rely on gimmicks like other groups, but instead just play solid, catchy songs, with a sincere passion not unlike that of early Moneen. Although just a fun side project, Stay Ahead of the Weather lives up to the calibre of their members’ other bands, and may even prove to be greater than the sum of its parts.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Corinne Bailey Rae has released The Love EP. This five track release was recorded while she was on tour in support of her sophomore album The Sea. In fact, the final song on the EP, “Que Sera, Sera” is also the finale of her live set and included here is an extended live version from a show in Washington. It’s based on a reading of the Doris Day classic by Sly and the Family Stone. The other songs are similarly tributes to her influences. They include Paul McCartney’s “My Love” sung a la Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” and an earthy version of Belly’s “Low Red Moon.” Arguably, the best track is Prince’s “I Want To Be Your Lover,” which sounds even better from a woman’s point of view. Corinne Bailey Rae is one of the best of the crop of British neo-soul singers and this EP is definitely worth a listen.
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Mia Johnston
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Chris Hoy
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Phil Wood
D12 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine
film
thursday, february 17, 2011
beautiful horrors Biutiful Directed by: Alejandro González Iñárritu Starring: Javier Bardem
HHHH
bleak and bewitching, bardem proves powerful in any language
There’s a hypnotic quality working here, one that meets you about half way in. You don’t realize it at first. You watch and contemplate the reality of Barcelona’s crime and poverty, aspiring to interpret its challenging subject matter. Nothing really happens though. That’s to say, nothing in terms of Hollywood’s standards. And yet this film swallows you without even knowing it. Biutiful, which received a Best Foreign Film nomination for this year’s Oscars, exists within the margins of society. It’s everywhere we don’t want to live; it’s everyone we don’t want to meet. To behold the talent working here is to experience its tenacious power. His name is Javier Bardem, and with the help of an unknown cast, director Alejandro González Iñárritu and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto compose a world for Bardem’s Uxbal to live his final days. Not only a departure but a confirmation, director Inarritu treads familiar themes, studying lives gone awry in regards to his envisioned misery. The change comes with the absence of screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, having moved to other projects since their 2006 collaboration, Babel. Biutiful proves two things however: firstly, Inarritu is a master of constructing memorable images that hit the soul; secondly, Javier Bardem’s performance intensifies those mere visuals into a certain poetry. At the centre of it all is his creation of Uxbal, an ailing black market dealer and father of two. Balancing a harsh existence, the film entrusts him with the ability of clairvoyance. He “sells” peace to bereaved relatives, having the capability to communicate with the dead. His gift is never questioned, for we live in his hell – where ghosts leer from ceilings without explanation. Never jarring, it serves eerily appropriate to the film’s subterranean essence. With all his supernatural powers though, Uxbal is helpless in the face of cancer eating his body. Given two months, he is forced to reflect on life as he tries to make amends. But for all the efforts, his grim existence lives in the realm of thankless endeavours, immigrants enslaved to locked corridors,
and street brutality. His lone happiness comes from his family. Scenes of domestication provide needed stability for the films loose methods. The addition of his estranged wife Marambra (Maricel Álvarez) builds a lived-in dynamic. We study not only their pain but also their unique faces as we wish more American films would cast according to real life. Biutiful thrives in moments like these. A family breakfast shows glimpses of joy, beautifully cast in natural light. Bardem’s interaction with both children is sublime. Other sections seem to excel through cinematographic choices and musical accompaniment. For instance, a walk atop a city bridge finds Uxbal tightly framed as the camera steps back to reveal birds scattered amidst a stunning sky. Unfortunately, there are elements that seem to avert the film’s focus for long periods, most notably in the representation of two Chinese sweatshop owners whose subplot delivers conflict and horror to the impoverished they employ. Making them both homosexual is a curiously errant choice as well. The geopolitical stance throughout the picture is intriguing, shown through Bardem’s quest to protect the illegal workers he claims he doesn’t exploit. Although a penetrating examination remains underdeveloped, a culminating plot twist of dead bodies comes with tragic irony. At 148 minutes Biutiful could’ve easily been trimmed to a more rounded 120 and still conserve its potency. Dealings with his brother seem arbitrary in retrospect and would have been best left on the cutting room floor. What counts is Bardem’s accomplished performance, one of those rare occasions when an actor becomes the character. His Oscar nomination comes justly deserved. Perpetually sympathetic but also complex, the legacy he passes onto his children is what lives on in our hearts, perfectly illustrated alongside his daughter in both opening and closing bookends. Yet apart from the film’s compassion, one image of fearless realism lingers as its foreboding catalyst. Upon rejecting the medical hands of a certified nurse, Uxbal takes possession of a syringe and single-handedly draws blood in one gripping take. Although its relevance remains minor, its tremendous imagery never diminishes, as both Bardem and Biutiful never look back. • Myles Herod