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McMASTER UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER / THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
The Silhouette YOUR VOICE ON CAMPUS
Est. 1930
VOLUME 82, NO. 2
Liberal arts building poses questions Enrolment, campus space at centre of university planning INVESTMENT by the Numbers $65-million:
The expected total cost of construction of the new Wilson Building for the Liberal Arts.
$8.5 million:
Remaining cost to McMaster after the donations and investments for the building.
1,275:
Estimated number of new students the Wilson Building will hold.
2013:
Year construction will likely begin on the project.
“We’re moving into a phase in which management of enrolment is going to be much more important than in the past.” - President and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane
JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
The $65-million Wilson Building will help make space for nearly 1,300 students at Mac. BRIAN DECKER EXECUTIVE EDITOR
The provincial government’s $45.5-million investment at McMaster for a new liberal arts building opens up a door of possibilities for the future of the university. But before construction begins in 2013, a number of tough questions need to be answered. On June 22, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities John Milloy came to McMaster and announced the investment as one in a series of over $600 million in post-secondary education funding announcements across the province this summer.
The investment sets in motion the development of a project that was conceived in 2007, when Chancellor Lynton ‘Red’ Wilson, for whom the building will be named, made a $10-million donation for the development of a liberal arts building. “I think [improving the Social Science and Humanities facilities] has been a long-standing need. It’s widely acknowledged in the university that we had a need of that sort,” said McMaster president and vice-chancellor Patrick Deane in an interview last week. Now that the bulk of the funding for the project has been
secured, Deane and the university administration must address a number of questions about how the project will move forward. The Wilson building project unveiled at the June 22 announcement comes at an estimated cost of $65-million. With the province’s investment, Wilson’s donation and a $1 million gift from the Association of Parttime Students, approximately $8.5 remains as a cost to the University. “We’re confident that the monies are all in place and we can get on this project straight away, and we’ve got a number of options for bridging that gap,” said Deane. “We certainly don’t want to be
adding on to our institutional debt load.” While the president was effusive in his praise for the government, he did note that the investment is geared exclusively as a capital cost toward construction of the new building. That presents problems with the university’s original plan, which not only included the new building construction but renovation of the outdated existing social science and humanities facilities. “Despite the magnitude of the investment, which has been a great thing for us to see, it has occurred in a very kind of constrained way,” said Deane, who says the government did not have as much money to put towards the project as hoped. The
original proposal, composed by university officials in tandem with student advocacy leaders, aimed for an $85-million government investment. With the government money available for new construction, Deane says a number of options are on the table for bringing in or scaling down the size of the construction and renovation project. “It’s a continuing process, and if current government stays in power, it’s perfectly possible to continue to work with them [on continuing renovations].” While Deane says the money is in place to finance the project – Wilson’s $10 million • PLEASE SEE ENROLMENT, 3
Inside the Sil this week... Downtown Health Campus approved ........................... pg. 3 Libya mess needs fixing............................................... pg. 5 Creative summer cooking ........................................... pg. 7 Mac track team keeping up the pace ........................... pg. 9 ANDY’s Tree of Life review........................................... pg. 12
THE SILHOUETTE • 3
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
Enrolment growth a concern • CONT’D FROM 1 donation has been reserved specifically for the new building – questions remain about the effect the building will have on McMaster’s campus. In keeping with the province’s post-secondary attainment goals, the new building will create space for 1,275 more students, meaning the investment is partly to ensure the province’s education sector will be able to absorb more students. Expansion raises questions about how the university will accommodate a larger number of students in an already crowded campus. “Obviously, whenever you decide to take on more students you know you have ramifications across the institution,” said Deane, who said the university will need to take a careful approach to “strategic growth” as plans for the new building develop. “Now as we’re looking forward to the beginning of the design and construction phase, we’ll obviously have to think of what the impact on enrolment’s going to be and how we’ll accommodate it in other ways than the direct academic needs that the building will fulfill.” While the Wilson building will provide classroom space, offices and a number of other services for students and faculty, an increase in students would require the university to address its ancillary services such
as parking, cafeterias, residence and library space, among other things. “We’re going to have to enter into an agreement with the government as to our size, and once we do that we will be held to it. We’re moving into a phase in which management of enrolment is going to be a much more important thing for the university than it has in the past,” added Deane. Deane also emphasized that enrolment growth is not a priority for the advancement of McMaster’s profile and influence. “Some universities believe that to increase your weight in the system, you need to grow quite dramatically. I’m not of that view. I would welcome a change to the funding formula that allows us to decouple funding from growth,” said Deane. Currently, Ontario universities receive $10,222 per student from the government. “Part of the strength of this institution is a very sensitive balance between a certain area of undergrad experience and a level of achievement in research. It’s a complex relationship. If you just grow the student numbers it will not only mean it’s very difficult to give people a great experience, but begin to have other kinds of complicated issues,” added the president. “I’m determined to raise our profile and our standing academically. My preferred route would not be to do that through growth.” For now, the achievement
SAM COLBERT
MANAGING EDITOR
JD HOWELL / MCMASTER DAILY NEWS
The provincial funding was announced at Mac on June 22. of the university and student leaders in securing the start of the project is worth celebration. Deane says it’s a great story from every point of view, and that the relationship between the administration and
student leadership has never been stronger. But once the celebration is over, the university will have some work ahead of it before the Wilson building breaks ground.
Solving the comp sci brain drain Software Hamilton brings together the city’s user interface experts DINA FANARA NEWS EDITOR
Kevin Browne thinks Hamilton should be concerned about the brain drain on its computer science experts. Upon graduation, the majority of McMaster PhD students in mobile user interface design leave the city in search of jobs elsewhere, often in cities such as Waterloo, the home of Research in Motion (RIM), or Toronto. Browne has been a student at McMaster since 2002, when he entered as an undergraduate into computer science. In 2007, Browne decided that graduate school at McMaster University was the best choice for him. Browne was given the opportunity
to work out-of-city in both Waterloo and Markham, but continues to live in Hamilton, where he was born and raised. “One really great thing about studying at McMaster has been meeting so many bright colleagues and all the students for whom I have been a TA,” said Browne. “Some people might be really surprised how often a McMaster graduate is the brains behind the latest technology feature or product from companies like RIM, Microsoft or Google.” One solution that Browne sees to the loss of so many talented McMaster graduates from the Hamilton community is to show them Hamilton’s potential in the computer science sector. He founded a non-profit organization
City funds Mac Health Campus
called Software Hamilton, through which he holds events at various locations in Hamilton, which are “created by the community and for the community.” Software Hamilton aims to create a buzz around Hamilton’s technological community by showcasing the immense pool of talent which already exists in Hamilton. The goal is to create job opportunities which are of such a high standard as to be able to compete with those offered outside of the city. Software Hamilton invites some of the city’s great minds to demonstrate their contributions to the world of technology through its DemoCamp Hamilton series. To date, two of these events have been held, with one set to
take place at McMaster in September. At each event, approximately five innovators are chosen to demonstrate their software. Each is given five minutes to demonstrate, as well as five minutes to answer questions posed by the audience. After the demonstrations have concluded, all in attendance are invited to share ideas, speak with the presenters and network. According to Browne, a common DemoCamp expression is: “the community is the framework.” Through www.softwarehamilton.ca, employers in the computer sciences field can post jobs as they become available in the Greater Hamilton Area, giving those who wish to seek employment in Hamilton an opportunity to do so.
Good news, prospective family health students: Mac’s government-supported expansion plans don’t end with the liberal arts building. On July 4, Hamilton city councillors voted to help fund a McMaster Health Campus downtown. The eight-storey, 217,000 square foot LEED certified building will house McMaster’s Department of Family Health and family medicine residency training program. The facility will sit on the corner of Main and Bay, the current location of Hamilton public school board headquarters. It will serve more than 4,000 students and have 54,000 patient visits a year. The space will also hold Hamilton Public Health clinics and offices. McMaster president Patrick Deane and dean of health sciences John Kelton called on the City in the spring to give $20-million to the project. City Council has committed half of that amount from the dwindling Future Fund, while the sources and stimulations of the other half are still up for debate in Council. The university will foot the bill for the remainder of the $105-million building. The new campus has been in the works since 2007, when $10-million of a David Braley donation was designated for a family medicine training centre, but McMaster is now putting a rush on the project. Provincial funds that will help build the Health Campus are attached to a promise that new spaces for students will be ready by 2013. The Ontario government recently announced a $600-million spending spree on postsecondary infrastructure projects in the province so that more students will have access to higher education. The Wilson Building for Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, which will be built at McMaster partly using a portion of those provincial funds, will allow for an additional 1,275 students. The Hamilton Wentworth District School Board announced in March that its downtown location is surplus space and that it was looking to sell. Although McMaster is ready to buy the land, competing bidders have until July 16 to make an offer ahead of Mac, according to provincial regulation. University administration has been optimistic that the deal will go through and that construction can begin before the end of this year.
4 • THE SILHOUETTE
EDITORIAL The Silhouette
McMaster University’s Student Newspaper
TheSil.ca
Editorial Board Brian Decker Executive Editor
Sam Colbert Managing Editor Jonathon Fairclough Copy Manager Farzeen Foda Senior News Editor Dina Fanara News Editor Kacper Niburski News Editor Andrew Terefenko Senior Opinions Editor Fraser Caldwell Senior Sports Editor Brandon Meawasige Sports Editor Natalie Timperio InsideOut Editor Cassanda Jeffery InsideOut Editor Jemma Wolfe Senior andy Editor Josh Parsons andy Music Editor Myles Herod andy Entertain. Editor Tyler Hayward Senior Photo Editor Ricardo Padilla Photo Editor Joy Santiago Multimedia Editor Sonya Khanna Senior Business Editor
Silhouette Staff Sandro Giordano Ad Manager
Contact Us McMaster University Student Centre, Room B110 McMaster University 1280 Main Street West Hamilton, ON L8S 4S4 Fax: (905) 529–3208 E–Mail: thesil@thesil.ca facebook.com/TheMcMasterSilhouette twitter.com/theSilhouette Production Office (905) 525-9140, extension 27117 Advertising (905) 525-9140, extension 27557 6,000 circulation Published by the McMaster Students Union
Write Us Opinions: Up to 600 words Letters: 100 to 300 words Submit via email by 5:00 p.m. the Monday before publication.
editor’s extension: 22052 letters: thesil@thesil.ca
‘Thanks, province. It’s nice to hear from you again.’ Birthdays are great on Facebook. It’s that one day a year when every friend you never talk to takes time from their day to write you a sincere, heartfelt, “HBD, hope it’s a good one” on your wall. It’s that one chance all those thoughtful friends of yours take the opportunity to let you know they’re still there. Sure, they might only know you from that trip to Mexico in ’07 or that one history tutorial in second year, but it’s worth it for them to let you know they’re still there. Besides, what if they need you for something soon? What if they need a place to couch surf or need a reference letter? Or, what if they need to get elected to the Provincial Legislature in October? Two weeks ago, the Government of Ontario announced a $45.5-million investment in the capital costs of a new liberal arts building at McMaster. Surely, the timing of this generous investment has nothing to do with the election upcoming October on Oct. 6. Right, Ontario Liberal Party? Firstly, credit is due to both the government for ponying up the cash and the student groups who lobbied for this to happen. This is a nice show of priority in education for the McGuinty Liberals and a great accomplishment for the student advocates who played no small role in making this deal happen. But to simply say this is a nice job done by all and call it a day is just a little bit conspicuous. It’d be like saying your pal Dan is a true friend because he writes “have a good one” on your wall once a year. Does the government care about the students of McMaster University? Of course; after all, they helped vote in a pair of Liberal MPs in the Hamilton area in 2007. But there’s just something about an upcoming election that’s making them feel extra friendly these days. This isn’t to say the investment by the government isn’t generous. They would truly like to see the University’s facilities advance and develop. Similarly, it’s not as if when ol’ Dan says Happy Birthday, he’s secretly hoping your cake gets stepped on and none of your friends show up to the party. But let’s be clear about what this investment means: it’s a $45.5-million capital investment (to be spent on construction and development) for a project that’s expected to cost $65-million. Again, it’s a great investment, but giving 70 cents on the dollar for this project doesn’t mean they’re sending this building down from the heavens. McMaster is lucky, too; the government can’t be expected to give away free buildings here and there and everywhere just as election season is coming. Except that they have. This announcement is part of a $600-million government splurge on universities and colleges that Dalton McGuinty and his pals have been dolling out as of late, that of course has nothing to do with the upcoming election. With the Liberals’ popularity hovering somewhere near that of Atilla the Hun, they need to bring some young blood to the polls this fall. And as one Hamilton MPP told the Hamilton Spectator, this is the “election gift wagon.” Just like a Facebook birthday, election season makes your old friends extra friendly again. You might hear a caveat about this particular investment: it’s for a liberal arts building, a hugely unpopular thing for a government to invest in when most constituents see it as training for future unemployed welfare-suckers (the humanities jokes from Welcome Week apparently stick with some people). But consider some of the other investments being handed out: $72.6-million for Laurier’s business and math building; $60-million for Sheridan’s Institute of Technology; $56.4-million for Ryerson’s health sciences programs; $52.5-million for science at UTM; $50-million for engineering and science at York. All those science and engineering programs got a birthday phone call, while it would seem Mac’s humanities and social sciences get the lowly ‘happy birthday’ Facebook post. It’s easy to get caught up in the joy and accomplishment of a huge announcement like this. But even when you ignore the obvious questions (Where does the rest of the money come from?) and the serious limitations for current students (construction won’t even begin until 2013), you have to ask, is this about advocacy and investment, or is it about just about buying some more votes? I’d tell you the answer, but I have to go wish some people a happy birthday.
Legal The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at thesil@thesil.ca. Please include name, address, and telephone number for verification only. We reserve the right to edit, condense, or reject letters and opinion articles. Opinions expressed in The Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, or university officials. The Silhouette is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union. The Silhouette board of publications acts as an intermediary between the editorial board, the McMaster community, and the McMaster Students Union. Grievances regarding The Silhouette may be forwarded in writing to: McMaster Students Union, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn: The Silhouette Board of Publications. The board will consider all submissions and make recommendations accordingly.
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
•
EXPLORE THE INTERNETS!
SEE US AT
BRIAN DECKER
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
TheSil.ca
Worth repeating: Editor’s note: the following is a response to the article ‘Phoenix headed for Refectory,’ from the June 2 edition of the Silhouette. Dear Editor, The news of the demolition of Wentworth House will undoubtedly affect the GSA as well as other groups on campus. One club, however, that the Silhouette failed to mention and will be greatly affected by the demolition is the McMaster Muslim Students’ Association. Nowhere within the article does the writer mention the prayer room situated in the building. The prayer room is used by hundreds of Muslin students and faculty members numerous times a day. The MSA’s prayer room as been located in Wentworth for over 30 years. The prayer room, currently neighbouring the GSA office, was relocated multiple times within the building when more space was required to accommodate the growing Muslim population on campus. Failure to mention the prayer room within the article shows a lack of journalism on the Sil’s part. We are hoping that the Sil will do a more professional job when reporting future updates on Wentworth House, without excluding prominent residents of the building. Regards, Salma Hindy, PR External, McMaster Muslim Students Assoc.
to patios: mankind’s greatest invention.
to whiskey barrell swish.
to sunny days.
to swamp crack.
to volunteer editors. You guys rock.
to not saving pages.
to mini-u. damn, those kids look they’re having fun. to motown. to the jays . to don henley. to long, relaxing bike rides.
to bands that will never tour again. to NFL and NBA lockouts. bite me. to the royal couple. meh. to no arizona. the cans, not the crazy state.
to sailing in the harbour.
to beers at jays games. no, i don’t have a zillion dollars.
to gino’s. may you rock on forever.
to summer midterms. what a bummer.
THE SILHOUETTE • 5
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
OPINIONS
production office extension: 27117 opinions@thesil.ca
The anatomy of an everyday opinion ANDREW TEREFENKO SENIOR OPINIONS EDITOR
What would you qualify as a proper opinion? Does a person have to be well-versed on a subject to chime in on a conversation? Would you allow someone their two cents even if they couldn’t locate the war-torn country on a map? The sad truth is not everyone is going to know enough about a particular thing to give an expert opinion, but that does not mean their thoughts on the matter are null and void. The non-educated opinion can still offer insightful perspective on an issue, where one may be able to see the forest for the trees instead of focusing on the dictator burning it down. It is ill-mannered to shoot down someone’s comments regardless on their research beforehand, even if it is preferred and sometimes necessary. John Smith from down the hall might not know exactly how severe school funding cutbacks have been in the past several months, but his increasingly borderline tuition payments suggest that his opinion would be stronger and more relevant than a self-proclaimed political guru’s barking at anything perceived as a poor government decision. Opinions come in all shapes, sizes and degrees of passion, but all deserve merit where it is due. They also change, and the people formulating those opinions change as generations progress as well. Our parents and parents’ parents would surely have opinions different than our own, given the fighting war and cold war-climate they grew up in. They would feel much more strongly about wanting troops to return after an extended leave than we would, because some of them might have been those very troops. We don’t so much care, not because we are heartless vagrants, because the issue is not personal to us. So do our opinions matter less than our forefathers because we can’t comprehend the severity of an issue? Of course not! Our opinions are just as valid as our parents because we offer an unbiased perspective on issue they
may hold too close to their hearts. Which leads us to a reason that not all opinions are born equal: bias. One opinion can potentially be drastically different from the next because of past experiences, political affiliations or the opinions of those closest to them. This can lead to some opinions being unwaveringly leaned in one direction with little hope for compromise. I believe that is what makes the opinion such an interesting organism. It is prone to change, susceptible to corruption, but it is an opinion nonetheless. It is still what one person believes, sometimes as fact, and is complex beyond recognition. It is composed of hundreds if not thousands of life moments and knowledge leading up to one intricate thought that may even be as simple as a favourite fruit. So what qualifies as a proper opinion? Aside from the cases of opinions concocted for the wrong purposes (trolling an easily-goaded person for example), all opinions are proper in their own right, and deserve a venue to be heard. The anatomy of an opinion is just as important as the opinion itself, so don’t disregard an opposing opinion, dissect it! Find out how that opinion came to be and poke and prod until you understand how and why the other side thinks, and it may just be enough to reflect on your own thought. Or enough to use against them in the unavoidable arguments to come. Opinions are as potent to carry around as a stick of dynamite and everyone else is got a match ready. Take care not get caught in the explosion.
An opinion is similar to a 1000-piece puzzle; the difference being you’re only giving other people a single piece.
ANDREW TEREFENKO / SENIOR OPINIONS EDITOR
It’s time to clean up the mess we’ve made in Libya RYAN MALLOUGH
Persian Gulf in the early 90s to fight the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait; we knew that we went into Afghanistan in 2001 to fight those For the Western world, the ‘why’ behind a who were harbouring terrorists; we knew (in theory) that we went into Iraq in 2003 war usually garners a lot of attention. We knew that we were in the to seize weapons of mass destruction. Wars have causes, and those causes are used to justify them to the public. It has been nearly four months since the NATOled no-fly zone was put in place over Libya, and the level of NATOled intervention increases weekly, but the question remains: Why are we there? It’s not for oil. Oil exports account for 95 per cent of the Libyan Mummar Gaddafi is likely just as tired of this ongoing economy and conflict as we are. We need to stop drawing it out now. Europe is Libya’s OPINION
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
largest customer, supplying a peak 14 per cent of total European oil imports in 2006. Comparatively, at its peak in 2007, Libyan oil accounted for 0.009 per cent of total American oil imports. While European imports in Libyan oil are greater - France (8 per cent, 2008), Germany (11 per cent, 1998) and Britain (per cent, 2010) – only Italy is truly dependent, peaking at 40 per cent in 2007, though that number had dropped to 22 per cent by 2010. With the exception of Italy (which is by no means the decision-maker in NATO) these numbers do not reflect a high enough dependency to start a war, particularly when supply is meeting demand. Even if we accept that 14 per cent of total oil imports are worth going to war over, it is difficult to believe that America would sanction it based on their relative strength within NATO and their lack of dependency on Libyan oil. Furthermore, if Europe is relying on Libyan oil then it would make more sense to aid Gaddafi and end the conflict quickly, or to declare full out war, than to aid rebels at a distance and let the conflict drag on.
It’s also not to depose a leader. Mummar Gaddafi has been the leader of Libya for 42 years. Of those 42 years he’s been certifiably insane for approximately 42 of them. Throughout his tenure as military dictator and “Leader and Guide of the Revolution of Libya,” Gaddafi has been a well documented supporter of antiWestern terrorism around the globe and a gross offender of international human rights conventions domestically; and yet, he’s remained leader for 42 years. With the exception of a brief period of attack during the Regan administration, very little has been done in the West to forcibly oppose Gaddafi, despite ample cause and opportunity. In fact, since U.N. sanctions were imposed on Libya in 1993, Gaddafi has become a staunch, if eccentric, business partner for the West (as evidenced above) in the oil trade. Why depose him now and gamble oil imports during a time of widespread economic instability? Not to mention, as America has experienced, the cost of a prolonged war effort far exceeds any price • PLEASE SEE NATO, 6
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
NATO needs to shape up • CONT’D FROM 5 reduction from a new regime. It’s not to protect. This is the one we all want it to be. We want to believe that, for once, the West arrived on a white horse, sword and shield in hand, to protect the common folk from their tyrant. When news first broke that Gaddafi was using aircraft to bomb peaceful protestors everyone expected that the West would step in. But they didn’t. It took days, if not weeks, for NATO to act. By that time the situation had escalated from a government firing on civilians, to a rebellion, to where it sits today: a civil war. NATO’s role in Libya is not as protector or peacekeeper, but as equipper and funder of the Libyan rebel forces. They keep Gaddafi’s air force grounded, but government tanks continue to roll-over rebel forces as the two sides see-saw in a stalemate for Libya.
Meanwhile, Western missile strikes come up empty and forces sit on the sidelines as millions are spent watching a battle that the West seems to have a stake in only because they chose sides in the first place. Intervention theory tells us that more often than not the third-party determines the winner. With NATO increasing its support of Libya’s rebels both on the ground and in the diplomatic sphere the final outcome of the Libyan civil war has already been determined. It is a matter of when, not who. With the impending victory of an unknown force with undetermined leadership, a side with no set plan for the formation of a government, in a state with little by the way of infrastructure, will come the two most crucial words of the war: what’s next? Without knowing why we’re there, it’s an impossible question to answer.
A perpetual predicament VANESSA ANNAND
Foundation sponsors scholarships at five universities to aid students interested in journalism and the arts. On May 26, the Webb-Bowerman Foundation CALGARY (CUP) — It’s a tough time for Amber announced that the $1,000 scholarship words beginning with “p.” “ P u r s u a n t , ” “ p r o m u l g a t e , ” it awards annually at the Southern “preclude” and “practicable” have been Alberta Institute of Technology is now an banned by the United States government endowment. No matter what happens to the in documents produced for the public. foundation, the $28,500 it has presented The already limited usage of these words to SAIT ensures the award will live on will probably diminish or drop off entirely indefinitely. Infinitely. In perpetuity. That certainty will affect not because of this move to zero fat, plain only the lives of innumerable students, language. I worry that “perpetuity” might but the healing of those affected by Webbbe next on that alliterative hit list. Some Bowerman’s passing. Webb-Bowerman’s mother told would argue that you could just say something will “last forever” rather than me that she was apprehensive about the foundation starting a scholarship program. “exist in perpetuity.” She thought at the outset, But perpetuity “If it drops off in two years, packs more punch. “Perpetuity” conveys Language, although it didn’t work.” a solemn permanence. not comparable to But it has worked. And will It’s the bait on the end a human life, does continue to. Webb-Bowerman was of humanity’s timeline. take on a life of its a great lover of language. The word assures us not Before her death, she had only that something will own. been studying Mandarin exist forever, but that with her brother. “forever” itself actually “After she died, the Chinese went exists. Perpetuity is a sturdy noun; forever, a mere adverb or, at best, a “quasi- by the wayside,” said Webb-Bowerman’s noun” according to the Oxford English mother. “He said he’ll learn French Dictionary (and according its usage in the someday.” If a word or a language can call to previous sentence). Pitting synonyms against one mind not just denotations or connotations, another may seem trite. But recently, but powerful and even painful recollections I found myself considering the bigger of a loved one, how wary should we be of picture and the greatest differences in limiting our vocabulary? When a life is cut short, making denotation. Like “truncation” versus “perpetuity.” When you apply these words something that lasts may combat a sense to life — to one woman’s life, especially of fragility and futility (hence tombstones, monuments and in this case, scholarships). — degrees of meaning matter. Almost exactly three years ago, However, the comfort we glean from a young journalist who worked at a CUP something permanent comes only in part paper, The Weal, had her life truncated in from the thing itself. We are consoled by the a multiple murder-suicide that left the city language we use to express its infallibility. What sounds inflated to some is integral to of Calgary reeling. The friends and family of Amber others. Language, although not Webb-Bowerman responded by building something that would last. Something in comparable to a human life, does take on a life of its own. It is not any person’s or perpetuity. The Amber Webb-Bowerman government’s place to curtail it. CUP OPINIONS BUREAU CHIEF
If you have a practicable opinion that you want to promulgate, we won’t preclude your chance to shine! Send an e-mail with an idea to opinions@thesil.ca and be heard in perpetuity.
THE SILHOUETTE • 7
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
INSIDEOUT THREADCOUNT
Tyler Richardson Biology III
production office extension: 27117 insideout@thesil.ca
Enjoy cooking without breaking your budget Get creative to beat the heat CASSANDRA JEFFERY
will be sure to satisfy your craving and quench your thirst without causing heat stroke or a break in The sun is high in the sky, the the bank. days have grown long, and once First up is the easy, quick, again summer vacation is in full and delicious beef stroganoff with swing. Students have given up red wine. Stroganoff can be a the dreary days of lecture and complicated and time consuming assignments and have pledged a dish, yet there are ways to prepare full commitment to four glorious this fancy dish without overheating months of bathing suits and sun- your kitchen. kissed skin. All you need to create this However many benefits easy summer sensation is sliced seem to coincide with the hot beef, sour cream, water, pasta weather, a number noodles, onion, of obstacles rear garlic, fresh basil When the heat and and salt and pepper. their ugly head during the worst hunger get to you, In preparation, take of times; deciding remember to stay your sliced beef on a feasible, and slightly brown economical, and creative. There’s no the outside of the shortage of food meat in a saucepan delicious meal is one of these alternatives to keep over medium-heat; obstacles. using the stove to W i t h cool throughout the brown the meat summer.” temperatures will only take soaring past thirty approximately five degrees on the minutes, which less-humid days, staying cool is means over-bearing heat waves a challenge. And anyone who’s can be avoided. After the meat used an oven or stove on a hot day is browned, place water, onion, would know how excruciatingly garlic, basil, and beef in a crook pot sauna-like your small, un-air- on low heat, leave for three to four conditioned student house can get; hours. Before serving stir in your rise and crust pizzas, no matter sour cream and heat thoroughly; how tasty and cheap, just don’t serve over pasta noodles or for a seem worth the sweat. To ease slightly cooler alternative, over your pain, the Silhouette’s guide to • PLEASE SEE COOL, 8 summer eats is at your disposal; it INSIDEOUT EDITOR
. Describe Your Style: Hipster chic Favourite Band: Neil Young
Favourite Ice Cream: Bubble gum with a mixture of cotton candy Who’s Richard? My synchronized swimming coach, he’s the best. Glasses: Dolce and Gabana. Shirt: Gift
Pants: Sears, $40
Shoes: $20, Boathouse. Button: My coach Richard. It was a sign of our love
Words by Cassandra Jeffery Photos by Brian Decker
Want to be profiled in ThreadCount? Contact us at insideout@thesil.ca
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Summer cooking can be both enjoyable and inexpensive.
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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
Tasty foods too keep you cool • CONT’D FROM 7 grilled potatoes hot off the BBQ. To finish off, season to taste and pair with a bold tasting red wine. This easy version of beef stroganoff has a smooth, rich texture; however it doesn’t have that heavy and overly filling taste like most cream-based sauces. The meat is incredibly tender from the slow cooking method and the garlic adds a bold, strong taste to the sour cream, yet with the fresh basil the powerful garlic taste is slightly tamed to create just the right amount of kick. It’s important to note that beef stroganoff is economically feasible. As tasty as Kraft dinner is, the cheap pasta tends to get a little boring night after night. Thus stroganoff fulfils your taste bud requirements without blowing your budget. Pairing stroganoff with red wine truly amplifies the taste of the beef and garlic. Any red wine would taste lovely however a dry, bold tasting wine seems to be best suited with this particular dish. This summer, try the bold taste of Voga Italia to accompany the strong tastes in beef stroganoff. Voga is a Sicilian wine which comprises a blend of four enticing flavours: shiraz, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and pinot noir. The wine has a full body taste and is exceptionally dry, however, the fusion of different variations of wine creates an intriguing flavour which accents the bold taste of garlic and basil in the beef stroganoff. Another bonus? It’s relatively cheap, coming in at a reasonable $15 a
bottle. If you’re looking for a way to satisfy your hunger without cooking huge quantities of food, try creating scrumptious appetizers with delightful summer chillers to drink. Tzatziki is probably one of the easiest yet yummiest summer dishes to prepare. Full of flavour without added sugars and calories, tzatziki is a creamy dip which can be easily paired with veggies, crackers, cheese, and breads; the opportunities are endless. This Greek delicacy is relatively simple to prepare with a few fresh ingredients: one cucumber, half a teaspoon of salt, one cup of drained goats milk yogurt, two tablespoons of fresh mint, two gloves of minced garlic, and one table spoon of extra-virgin olive oil. To prepare tzatziki, grate cucumber coarsely into a bowl; sprinkle with salt and let stand for thirty minutes. Next squeeze cucumber in batches, to remove as much moisture as possible. Stir in yogurt, mint, and garlic. The mixture must be refrigerator for up to two days for ample flavour; before serving drizzle with olive oil. Homemade tzatziki has a tangy, authentic, and creamy flavour, and pairs well with western Australian red wine Fifth Leg. This blend of merlot, shiraz, and cabernet sauvignon has a smooth and tangy taste. Different from the dry bold taste of Voga, it accentuates the savoury and unique taste of tzatziki. When the heat and hunger get to you, remember to stay creative. There’s no shortage of food alternatives to keep cool throughout the summer.
Enjoy summer while it lasts NATALIE TIMPERIO
SENIOR INSIDEOUT EDITOR
If this were the distant future where cloning oneself was a very real possibility, you can bet I’d be one of first to do so. In the midst of summer, I’ve been consumed with this thought. Naturally, I’d command my clone to do all the things I do not want to do. I’d like to tell you there are very few things I don’t like to do but, in fact, there are too many to name here. However, in time I’m sure my clone would scheme against me because of this and, of course, my genius plan to make a slave out of a replica-me would be all for naught. Whoever said the truth is hard to face was a wise person. Entering my final year of undergrad has taken me for a loop. I’m not quite sure when the incessant fear to grow up first developed, but it goes without saying that I’d much rather bury my head in a hole and make pretend I’m in my teen years once again. This is exactly what I’ve been doing this summer—and I don’t feel guilty. Summer slowly takes on a gloomier tone as we grow up. As university students, we have a four month summer (amen!). For a fortunate few, the summer cycle of no work and all play continues on just like so many years before. Yet, the majority of us are stuck working a job we’d much rather not be, wherein our free time is often limited. But, of course, we have no choice but to work or else fall even deeper into that moneyless pit. September grows more daunting by day as the summer months wear on.
We all know that it marks the beginning of yet another school year. And for some like me, it also marks the final school year. It can be likened to nails on a chalk board— cover your ears and close your eyes, even try screaming for a bit to drown out what’s really happening right in front of you. Emily Field, a fourth year Nursing student, expresses her concerns entering her last year as an undergraduate student at McMaster. “It’s bittersweet,” Field said. “It’s exciting that I’m going to have an undergraduate degree in my hand in another year. But it’s sort of scary because I have to start looking for jobs and it’s going to be strange being out in the world on my own.” The very thought of having to take on “real life” is without a doubt a scary reality. Plotting to somehow magically create a clone of oneself is not at all helpful either. But it does shed some light on what we, as blooming adults, are lacking in our lives right now—fun. “I can’t believe the summer is going by so fast. It’s already July, and school is definitely always in the back of my mind,” Field explained. Although having fun during these few short months may seem like a simple enough thing to do, the truth is that fun too easily fades from our lives as we grow older. The days when summer was better spent doing the things you actually wanted to do, rather than had to do, are days that need not be forgotten. Perhaps if we only momentarily set aside fears of growing up and whatever else that plagues us, then what’s to come may not seem so troubling after all—now isn’t that what summer is all about?
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
There’s no shortage of red and white wines to satisfy your summer taste.
THE SILHOUETTE • 9
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
SPORTS
production office extension: 27117 sports@thesil.ca
Winnipeg? Why not Hamilton, too? Something’s got to give for Southern Ontario NHL fans
Mac Track getting a head start this summer FRASER CALDWELL SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Hamilton’s Copps Coliseum, with some renovation, would have the capacity to play host to an NHL team. BRANDON MEAWASIGE SPORTS EDITOR
The idea of having a seventh franchise introduced to Canada by the National Hockey league has been shared for the better part of this millennium by municipalities around the country who feel worthy and prepared to host one of North America’s major sports leagues. Quebec City and Winnipeg were two of the names in the hat to adopt one of the southern United States’ many struggling hockey franchises. With a few very serious bids coming from Research In Motion owner Jim Balsillie, who planned to bring a team to Hamilton, thoughts of an NHL team one day finding its home here had many people fanatic with the endless possibilities. Unfortunately, the possibilities had very real boundaries, coming in the form of a stingy commissioner in Gary Bettman and the even more
generous Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. In reality, the powerful markets of Toronto and Buffalo voiced a lack of support for a Hamilton franchise. Matters that were not made any better by Bettman’s refusal to endorse the ownership potential of the perfectly suitable international technology giant, Balsillie. After months of suspense and waiting, the National Hockey League awarded a franchise to the city of Winnipeg. With all due congratulations to their former western rival, residents of Steel Town were thus sentenced to years more of emotional roller coasting. Still, there are many who still believe Hamilton is more deserving of an NHL team than Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba, an argument that seems to carry with it some validity. For starters, the city of Hamilton is, by itself, a market of over 500,000 with the potential to draw on a population of an additional 4-5 million people in
and around the GTA. The potential fan base could easily dwarf the population of the whole province of Manitoba (1.25 million), let alone Winnipeg by itself. Granted, the Winnipeg MTS Centre sold out within seconds of tickets going on sale, but that arena holds only 15,015 fans. Copps Coliseum in Hamilton has a capacity of 17, 383, needing only to be 86 per cent full to compete a Winnipeg sellout. Numbers (and Copps Coliseum) aside, Hamilton hockey fans have never had an NHL franchise any closer than Toronto or Buffalo. Winnipeg hockey fans have had their chance to have a team compete in the NHL bringing true meaning to the phrase “a house is not always a home.” Fans in that city abandoned their team when the going got tough, something that doesn’t seem to faze the Steel Town faithful, who have a knack for standing by their teams no matter what. One needs to look no further than the resilient
attendance at Ti-Cat games in recent years despite the presence of a sometimes-horrible football team. Painfully close to one of the leagues wealthiest, oldest and most storied franchises, Hamilton hockey fans have had to suffer in the shadows of the Toronto Maple Leafs – and not deservedly so, either. Anyone who has ever been to see the Blue and White play at the Air Canada Centre can tell you one thing: the fans filling up the majority of the seats are not an apt representation of hockey fans in Southwestern Ontario. Selling out 18, 000 seats every night does not even skim the surface of the population unable to go regularly to Toronto for their favorite sport. The league owes a chance to millions of people awaiting an NHL hockey team in Southern Ontario. With so many factors in Hamilton’s favour, fans should keep a message in mind: something’s got to give.
Despite being in the midst of the CIS offseason, McMaster’s track athletes are continuing to make inroads on the national stage this summer. While many of the Marauders remain in Hamilton to participate in the summer training regimen instituted by Coach Paula Schnurr, others have found their way into championship events in recent days. With regards to her summer program, Schnurr is pleased to report that a record number of athletes stayed behind to train on campus. The result is a very positive training environment, and one that allows the on-site Marauders to indulge in a short summer track season. “For sure, this is the biggest group that we’ve had,” remarked Schnurr. “I think after their first or second year, a lot of the athletes like to find jobs that relate to their major and end up staying here and training with me.” “It’s a nice condensed season, and they’ll all shut it down in the next couple of weeks and start their cross-country preparation in mid-August. It makes a lot of sense in terms of the bigger picture.” Beyond their locallybased training regimen however, several Marauders have had the opportunity to compete in a number of high-profile events during the short but valuable summer season. Among those excelling at the national level is Scott Hutchinson, who turned heads with impressive performances in the 200m and 400m events at the National Track and Field Championships in Calgary at the end of June. Hutchinson, who will be entering his third year at McMaster this upcoming season, posted a personal best time of 48.10 seconds in the 400m category en route to a place in the semi-finals. The achievement is especially remarkable given the quality of event in which Hutchinson mustered his performance. • PLEASE SEE YORKE, 10
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Yorke, Hutchinson among many keeping active this summer Coach Schnurr encouraged by progress
PHOTO C/O PETER SELF
Members of Mac’s track teams have been in top form this summer. • CONT’D FROM 9 The meet in Calgary was a crucial qualification step towards international competitions such as the Summer Universiade to be held in August, and the Pan-Am Games slated for October. As such, the event drew the very best of Canada’s track athletes and pitted Hutchinson against his toughest possible competition. Interestingly, despite his achievement in Calgary, Coach Schnurr insists that Hutchinson – who broke the school record at the 300m distance this past year – is better suited to longer distances. In fact, his competition at the 200 and 400m distances was primarily designed as a means to improve his speed. “His goal was to improve his 400m time and to improve his speed,” said Schnurr. “To achieve a personal best in the 200m and come back on the same day to manage 48.10 in the 400m was really impressive. From a performance perspective, it’s a huge breakthrough.” His time in the 400m qualifiers made him the 13th fastest man in the country at that distance, and yet Hutchinson remains disappointed not to have dipped below the 48 second mark. “He was frustrated that he didn’t have the opportunity to break 48,” said Schnurr. “But it gives him some great confidence, especially when nobody knew
who he was before that event in Calgary.” While Hutchinson made great personal strides at the national level, another Marauder was unable to make her competitive return at the event due to injury. Lindsay Carson, who transferred to McMaster from the vaunted Guelph Gryphons program last year, was hopeful of making her first appearance in competition in over a year at the Calgary event. However, after suffering a lower back injury in training earlier in the month, Carson was shelved as a precaution against further setbacks. Now having returned to training in earnest, Carson and her coach are equally optimistic in their belief that she will be fully ready for the onset of the new crosscountry season in September, and may even see limited action on the track to close the summer. Meanwhile, another Marauder standout has been garnering attention on the international triathlon circuit. Andrew Yorke, who enjoyed a breakthrough season as a member of the McMaster cross-country squad last season, will be competing in a World Cup event in Edmonton on July 10. Recently named as the top triathlete in the country under 23 years of age by Triathlon Canada Magazine, Yorke has the opportunity to qualify for September’s World Championship event with a quality finish in Alberta.
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
CD Review
by Matthew Kerr
Little Hell, by City and Colour City and Colour’s third studio album, Little Hell, shows Dallas Green moving in different – and slightly unfavourable – directions. In contrast to this sensitive minstrel’s previous two albums, which almost exclusively featured an acoustic guitar and Green’s famously plaintive vocals, Little Hell branches out in rhythm-heavy numbers. “Fragile Bird,” the album’s first single, is the best song on the album, bringing in a grittiness and distortion previously unheard of in City and Colour. Even “Fragile Bird” gets tiresome to listen to, however, and I found myself hitting the next button rather quickly. Too much of the album feels like filler - “We Found Each Other In The Dark” being the best example of this. It’s a song that would better suit Green’s original acoustic style, but instead he clouds it down with too many instruments, ruining the track’s potential and reducing it to the status of another ordinary track. This record does provide interesting insight into Green’s personal life, and moves Green’s lyrics from pining for lost lovers to deep family issues and the “little hells” experienced throughout life. Loyal City and Colour fans will still find this album an interesting listen. Overall Rating: 3.5/5 For Fans Of: Iron and Wine; Mumford and Sons
fucked up’s foul mouthed quest for success by Josh Parsons
Over the past year, Toronto’s Fucked Up have proven time and again that they can bend the iron bars of censorship and receive critical praise in a landslide of top-notch publications. It seems that for a time, their expansive creativity and off-kilter esthetic has overshadowed the F-bomb in their name. Perhaps we can enjoy this brief ray of hope shining through the dismal landscape of the musical mainstream. In case you haven’t heard, Fucked Up have seen an astronomi-
cal rise in popularity over the past six months. Frontman Damian Abraham landed a spot as VJ for Much Music’s the Wedge amid immense hype for their punkrock opera David Comes to Life. Once the album dropped, a horde of critically acclaim ensued, leading to a wildly entertaining feature set at this years NXNE festival in Yonge and Dundas Square. Recently, they announced something that sounded nearly as fishy as their infamous April Fool’s jokes, namely that they would be opening for the Foo Fighters this
summer at the Air Canada Centre. Turns out it’s true. Imagine the face of thousands of commuters looking up at the scrolling marquee visible from the Gardiner Expressway. But despite the seemingly imminent success of Fucked Up, watchdog groups scouring the entertainment industry have continually proven their ability to sniff out “obscenity” and stop it dead in its tracks. While the Internet has been a safe haven for press, it remains virtually impossible for them
to breakthrough traditional outlets such as radio and television. On the other hand, the printer press has been surprisingly warm toward the delinquent success of Fucked Up. The Guardian defended their decision to publish a review of the latest album uncensored, despite heavy public criticism. The review ran untouched and the Guardian restated their publishing policy regarding obscenity: “when absolutely necessary to the facts of a piece, or to portray a character in an article”.
While people are often quick to jump on all the possible negative effects of obscenity, Fucked Up’s guitarist and conceptual director Mike Haliechuk has pointed out how they’ve actually helped to clean up the term. A year ago, searching “fucked up” on Google would most certainly be nausea-inducing, but now nearly the first fifty hits are related to the band. Even prudish parents must admit that punk rock is a better find that whatever could have been found months before.
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poetic, baffling, and over spilling with wonder terrence malick’s latest film pushes cinema into regions uncharted since 2001: A Space Odyssey The Tree of Life Directed by: Terrence Malick Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn
HHHHH Terence Malick’s The Tree of Life is hard to describe, let alone review. It is of a piece in which infinite care, intelligence, imagination, and courage have been devoted to what feels and looks like a prayer put to screen. Unlike other American filmmakers of his generation – Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola, and other contemporaries of the 1970s, Malick, with only five films to his name, has remained an enduring poet of the medium. Those familiar with his work know his legend and unorthodox style: stories, whether lyrical or epic, unfold to the constant interruption of a naturally photographed world. Images and sounds of running water, swaying trees, and limitless animals inherently co-exist with the human actors of his universes. The Tree of Life, despite its biblical allusions, celebrates its past and present with weight and reality. Centering on the
O’Brien family of Waco, Texas, the film chronicles the parents and their three sons (reflecting Malick’s own childhood of the 1950s), periodically jumping forward to an unnamed American city of modern day, with skyscrapers and elevators seeming to reach beyond the clouds. Yet, before it all, we first begin in the 1960s, as Mrs. O’Brien (Jessica Chastain) receives tragic news from the postman, with word traveling to her husband (Brad Pitt) that their middle child has died. Decades later, their adult son Jack (Sean Penn), now an architect, seems to carry the weight of the world, and his family’s anguish into a climatic reunion of heavenly proportions – either representing the last days of earth or a glimpse into his turbulent mindset. Due to its non-linear and ambiguous nature, the film demands interpretation, with its life and death segments divided between a cosmic intercut that takes us out of suburban Texas and into a visual re-creation of the universe – with galaxies, molten rock, and dinosaurs fully realized. With its extended history of evolution and the cosmos, the film eventually settles down to an extended period as we meet the younger Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien
and their three boys in post war years, most prominently the young Jack (Hunter McCracken), who we witness grow from birth, rebellious childhood, and finally, into Sean Penn’s adult form. The conflict between father and son, child and expectation, thoughts and whispers, are in constant transition, with Brad Pitt’s Mr. O’Brien at centre stage. Real life fatherhood has indeed given Pitt the context to pull off his character’s complex balance of disciplinarian and loving patriarch, resulting in a splendid showcase of his prowess. It’s his best work to date. Malick’s careful direction of actors remains crucial however, particularly in McCracken and Pitt’s scenes, which evoke varying parts love, confusion, and terror – common of any father and son bond. The film uses a subjective and free-floating camera to observe Jack and his brothers’ adolescence with remarkable sensitivity as both parents instill their contrasting philosophies, following paths of nature and grace, with Mrs. Obrien’s Christlike aura floating throughout the film as the latter. Her angelic beauty and nurturing love act as a metaphor for the film’s fragile innocence. Sheer wonderment aside, Malick’s
film is cryptic. An operatic score heightens meditation, with cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, presenting the viewer with shots of nature as set designer Jack Fisk engineers an uncanny sense of nostalgia through detail of time and place. Malick, however, has chosen to let the viewer resolve their own conclusions, as his impressionistic film, so beautifully crafted, will certainly have its legions of lovers and haters. At 138 minutes, broad and excessive visions of space, mortality, prehistoric creatures, and intimate family legacies place The Tree of Life with what we understand film not to be. Not different in degree, but in kind. In time, it will be seen as a visionary masterstroke from an individual who became a filmmaker almost by accident – someone who has been willing to mystify and challenge his audiences, a man who had fallen silent for decades, only to come back to prove himself as important as Stanley Kubrick. While The Tree of Life reminds us that we live and die, it also emphasizes how special our existence and memories really are. • Myles Herod
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