The crude truth:
The next steps for Alberta’s oil sands. See page C1
www.thesil.ca
McMASTER UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER / THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
Est. 1930
Peter George’s last lecture
VOLUME 80, NO. 22
Mac left in the red
Budget report reveals job cuts, deficit SELMA AL-SAMARRAI SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
McMaster Hall, the original home of McMaster University that was located in Toronto and was part of U of T before it housed the Royal Conservatory of Music. “I started out with Mac under my desk [and] continued with Mac all around me,” said George. “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans,” he quoted, as he explained how the year he spent in Africa at age 28 was an unexpected lifechanging experience for him. “In order to really understand who we are in our souls, we need to break down the barriers between us,” spoke George when describing
“Staggering,” “layoffs” and “inflation” are among the many terms used in the recent McMaster financial update, released Feb. 25 by McMaster President Peter George and Provost Ilene Busch-Vishniac. The pair indicated that the next academic year of 2010-11 will be the fourth consecutive year where the University has spent more than it has earned. The report stated, “The reality is that the financial health of the University has been materially affected… As an institution we must now make significant changes in the way we operate in order to keep paying the bills.” Further elaborating on the expenses the university will be facing in the upcoming academic year, the report states that in addition to ongoing expenses, $22 million is required to cover the cost of inflation, which is largely composed of increases in salaries and benefits, $8 million to cover pension deficit, $14 million to cover post-retirement medical and dental benefits for future and current retirees and a $4 million increase in prices of utilities, regulatory requirements and insurance. In addition, an estimated 50-100 position cuts are expected for the next year, and most job cuts will be at service levels as opposed to teaching areas. The report also clarifies that the administration is not yet sure of the level of provincial funding or the tuition guidelines for the upcoming academic year. Roger Couldrey, McMaster’s Vice-President (Administration) and the former chair of the Audit and Finance Committees of McMaster University, explained that the administration is attempting to
• PLEASE SEE GEORGE, A5
• PLEASE SEE INCREASE, A5
CHRISTOPHER CHANG / SILHOUETTE STAFF
McMaster President Peter George gave his last lecture, titled “The last lecture: 45 years at McMaster” on Wednesday, Mar. 3. LILY PANAMSKY
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Peter George’s last lecture given on Wednesday, Mar. 3 commanded a respectful and attentive silence from the audience at Convocation Hall. The speech that the McMaster president gave, titled “The Last Lecture: Lessons from 45 years at McMaster,” touched upon, among other topics, the excellence of the university, the overwhelming potential of the students, and the imperativeness of being an engaged and informative citizen of the world. George received a standing ovation at the end of his half hour speech.
Peter George, who has been in office for three terms and 15 years, is McMaster’s sixth President and Vice Chancellor. Having skipped two grades during his early education, George enrolled at the University of Toronto at the tender age of 16—the first person in his family to go to university—and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He began teaching at McMaster University as an assistant professor of economics at in 1965 at 23 years old. Since then, George has served as the associate dean of graduate Studies from 1974 to 1979, the dean of the faculty of social sciences from 1980 to 1989. Outside of the McMaster sphere, he has been the Chair of the Council of
Engineers Without Borders vote joins SRA election ballot SELMA AL-SAMARRAI SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
Another McMaster Student Union election and referendum has arrived. On Wednesday, Mar. 10 and Thursday, Mar. 11, the annual Student Representative Assembly (SRA) General Election will be held on campus at faculty specific polling stations. Like the MSU presidential elections, all undergraduate and full time students are eligible to vote for their faculty representatives. The number of SRA representatives differs per faculty according to the size of the faculty. There are a total of 35 SRA members, composed of the MSU Board of Directors, one Arts and Science faculty seat, three Commerce seats, five Engineering seats, two Health Sciences seats, four Humanities seats, two Kinesiology seats, two Nursing seats, six Science seats and six Social Science seats. Nominations for SRA representatives’ seats ended on Tuesday, Mar. 2 at 6 p.m. This year’s SRA general assembly candidates who are running for the faculties of Arts and Science, Engineering, Kinesiology and Nursing are all acclaimed. Acclaimed means that the number of students running to rep-
resent a specific faculty is the same amount (or less) as the amount of seats available in the respective faculty. Therefore, all those running in the above faculties will be guaranteed a seat in the SRA before the election. Nevertheless, there will still be polling stations for faculties with acclaimed representatives in order for the faculty members to be able to participate in the referendum vote. Furthermore, the faculties of Engineering and Kinesiology have less students running to become representatives than the amount of seats required. Jonathan Sheiding, the Chief Returning Officer (CRO) described the low candidate registration as “inexplicable” given the 75 per cent increase in voter turnout in this year’s recent MSU presidential elections, compared to last year. In addition to voting for one’s faculty representatives, at the polling stations students will also be presented with another piece of paper, asking them to vote for a referendum. This referendum will ask students if they would accept or reject a 35-cent increase in the student Ancillary Fee, which is a part of a student’s supplementary fees, • PLEASE SEE LOW, A5
Deans of Arts and Science in Ontario and a member of the Ontario Council of University Affairs. George’s lecture was an animated and touching speech filled with jokes, anecdotes, personal experiences, old proverbs, and even a brief rendition of a couple of lyrics from Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”. “I never dreamed of being president of a university, especially this one that I love so much,” admitted George. “I have given my life to education because I believe it to be the most worthy endeavour.” “McMaster” was a theme that ran through George’s entire lecture. He explained to the audience how his childhood dog was named Mac and how he walked through
Canada breaks Olympic record
PHOTO C/O MIKEKANE.CA
This year’s Vancouver Olympics commenced Feb. 12 and concluded Feb. 28, with Canada receiving a recordbreaking 14 gold-medal win. LILY PANAMSKY
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
As the 2010 Vancouver Olympics came to a close on Sunday Feb. 28, Canada had much to celebrate about. Canada came out victorious in the US-Canada hockey game on Sunday, with Sidney Crosby scoring the winning goal in overtime. That final gold medal was enough to give Canada another win which contributed to Canada grabbing the world record for the most
gold medals won at a Winter Olympics. Canada had a total of 14 gold medals; the previous record for gold medals at a Winter Olympics was 13, set by Norway in the 2002 and the former USSR in 1976. In total, Canada’s pulled in 25 medals, the third highest number of medals at this year’s events. The US came in first with 37 medals and Germany came in second with 30. Former McMaster University student Jesse Lumsden finished fifth in the 4-man bobsleigh event on Feb. 27; his bobsleigh team was
headed by Pierre Leuders and it included Justin Kripps and Neville Wright. The other Canadian 4-man team, which included Lyndon Rush, David Bissett, Lascelles Brown, and Chris Le Bihan, came in third in the same event. Vancouver’s duties as Olympic host city are not over yet. The 2010 Paralympics, which begin on Mar. 12, will take place in Vancouver. The Paralympic Torch Relay commenced in Ottawa on Mar. 3 and will continue for 10 days.
A2 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2010
THE SILHOUETTE • A3
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
A 10,000 kilometre bike ride Three health enthusists - two McMaster Alumni and one of their fathers - are biking across Canada this summer to raise money and awareness for the Heart and Stroke Foundation
AVA DIDEBAN / MUTIMEDIA EDITOR
PAIGE FABER / FEATURE EDITOR
F
Cardiovascular disease is especially important to university-aged people, who are the most physically inactive statistical group in Canada today, said Steve Taylor.”
the Heart and or four months this summer two McMaster Alumni, largely attributed to technology, said Steve. He explained that is linked to dation is to Duane Vaughan and Brett Taylor, along with Brett’s father people used to be physically active in their daily lives, but Stroke Founphysical acSteve Taylor are going to bike across Canada in a 10,000 since the advent of technology, sedentary lifestyles are the help promote Canadians. kilometre bike ride from Vancouver to Saint John’s to raise norm. When information is at everyone’s fingertips there are tivity among As the three advenmoney and awareness for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. no longer rewards for staying physically fit and active, Steve turous bike riders make As a physician, Steve knows the high risks associated with explained. journey from the The Heart and Stroke Foundation does a lot of work from their cardiovascular disease and the consequences of unhealthy Atlantic they lifestyles – he has been witness to it for his whole career. the community level to the federal and corporate level. They Pacific to the Cardiovascular disease is especially important to university- lobby and work with the government to help try and elimin- will be winding through the Rockies, through Prince Rupert, aged people, who are the most physically inactive statistical ate or reduce trans fats from our diets. They try to seek policy Jasper, and Banff, they will be making a stop in each capital group in Canada today, said Steve. Due to Duane, Brett and change for health issues in Canada, explained the team. The except Edmonton, where they will instead stop in Calgary. Steve’s incredible interest in health and active lifestyles, a Heart and Stroke Foundation also funds three university They will be camping along the way and carrying all of their bike ride to support the Heart and Stroke Foundation seemed chairs here at McMaster and twelve across Canada. They are gear on their bikes. On average, the team will bike approxia big influence in Canada relating to health and fitness educa- mately 100 kilometres each day, which will take them about quite fitting for them. Their relationship started during Duane and Brett’s ca- tion and promoting the lifestyles that will help to correct the five to six hours. During the course of their May to August journey, they will reers at McMaster, where the two were housemates. After upwards trend of cardiovascular diseases amongst Canadians. Duane, Brett and Steve thought that this bike trip was be track-able on their website (crosscanadacardiochallenge. they graduated in 2007, Brett went to Europe where Duane com), their blog, Facebook page, and joined him; they discussed doing a their soon-to-be Twitter account, all big cross-country bike ride in Europe, of which not only track their progress which Brett completed from Germany but have a plethora of information on to Romania. Once Brett returned home the Heart and Stroke Foundation, as he suggested the idea of a cross Canada well as many facts and interesting tips bike ride to Duane and Steve, who were on physical activity and cardiovascuinstantly interested and the team was lar diseases. Their website also has a formed. “Donate Here” button, for those who From there, the team decided that are interested in helping the Heart and this type of bike ride would be best Stroke Foundation. suited in conjunction with the Heart The “2010 Cross Canada Cardio and Stroke Foundation. Brett said that Challenge” team will be raising it was a natural choice for them. Steve money and all of the proceeds are noted that cardiovascular disease was going to the Heart and Stroke Foundathe number one disease causing death tion. The team members are funding or disability when he was in medical their trip themselves. The team has school, and unfortunately it still is today the funding goal of raising $30,000. In and will continue to get worse unless addition to donating money, the team people start to change their habits. So, can also use some new additions to the team pitched the idea to the organiztheir volunteer team to work with the ation and became an official Heart and rest of their team at home, while they Stroke Fundraising Team. are on the road this summer. There are The reason that the Heart and many different ways that people can Stroke Foundation is so important in help out this cause and the team said Canada and to this bike riding team is that if you think you have some skills because of the incredible risk of disease or expertise regarding this cause, they for Canadians. Steve said that if Can- Duane Vaughan, Brett Taylor and Steve Taylor are biking across Canada this summer. would love to hear from you. adians were to do moderate physical Duane, Brett and Steve will be contributing to increasactivity for two to three hours per week then the risk for heart going to be amazing for two reasons. First, from Brett’s exattacks could be reduced by 50 per cent. The goal of their perience biking across Europe, he knows that it is the best ing awareness and promotion of healthy active lifestyles that bike ride is to raise awareness about this and about other ways way to see the places that you are traveling. Brett explained are fundamental to combating Canada’s number one cause to promote physical activity, especially in children aged 5-17 that during long distance biking, you get to see so much more of death and disability. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of who are not active enough for their proper healthy develop- of the country. The three of them shared interest in seeing Canada is one of Canada’s largest organizations based around ment, said Steve. the natural beauty of our country and to discover where they cardiovascular diseases and their cures. The number one soluThese major concerns in the health of Canadians can be are from. The second reason for their trip, and the one that tion is getting active. RYAN JANSSEN / SILHOUETTE STAFF
A4 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
$1 million donation Mac’s Global Citizenship Conference to DSB to create financial Chair SAM COLBERT
SILHOUETTE STAFF
WILL VAN ENGEN / PHOTO EDITOR
Mackenzie Financial Corporation and Power Financial Corporation each donated $500,000 to the DeGroote School of Business. ROY CAMPBELL SILHOUETTE STAFF
McMaster University recently received a $1 million donation for the DeGroote School of Business. The gift will be used to establish a financial Chair at DeGroote that is dedicated to promoting financial knowledge and planning. Mackenzie Financial Corporation and Power Financial Corporation each donated $500,000 to create the chair. The donation is a part of the $400 million fundraising campaign at McMaster University, which aimed to achieve this amount by June of this year, and is currently at an estimated $375 million. Their contributions will create the Mackenzie Financial Chair in Evidence-Based Financial Planning, an innovative research project. Paul Bates, Dean of the DeGroote School of Business, said that potential research topics for the chair include retirement savings options, the reduction of risks in financial planning, long-term investment strategies, portfolio diversification, the psychology of investment decisions, and the average Canadian household’s
habits of saving and investing. The information gathered will be used to increase the understanding of investment, banking and financial issues. “Mackenzie Financial… and Power Financial Corporation are great friends of McMaster,” said Bates. David Feather, President of Mackenzie Financial Corporation, is an alumnus of DeGroote and is currently a cabinet member of the Campaign for McMaster University. Mackenzie Financial has also provided various kinds of support for McMaster students over the years. The Campaign for McMaster University has received several large donations, which contribute toward a target of $400 million. “We are grateful for the wonderful support that will help us reach our goal,” said Bates. McMaster has matched the two companies’ donations, making it a gift of $2 million. The Campaign for McMaster University is the university’s largest fundraising campaign ever, with the goal of promoting research, teaching and learning of all kinds and furthering the school’s capacities.
This weekend, more than 500 McMaster, Mohawk, high school students and community members will converge on campus for the 5th annual Global Citizenship Conference (GCC). Delegates will attend lectures, workshops and panel discussions as they discover their role in current global issues. Leo Johnson and Michael Pett, co-founders of Empowerment Squared, formerly CURE Canada, will deliver the Opening Keynote address on Saturday morning, while Adam van Koeverden, McMaster alumnus and Canada’s torch bearer at the 2008 Olympics, will conclude the day. Chair of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction Mark Chamberlain will give the final keynote speech on Sunday. The vision of the conference, according to the GCC website, “is to recognize the power that all
people possess as members of our global community. Delegates will use their roles as socially conscious global citizens to empower themselves towards learning, collaboration, and ultimately, positive social change.” During the two full days of the conference, delegates will select which of the various sessions to attend. Topics include human rights, health and sanitation, war, international trade and globalization. Notable alumni and faculty of McMaster will lead some of the sessions, while several organizations, from campus-wide to international, will lead others. Amnesty International, War Child McMaster, Engineers Without Borders and UNICEF Canada are a few such organizations. The weekend also includes an “Art for Change” night, which features live music and an art auction of pieces from around the world. MSU funding is given to the
Global Citizenship Club, the organizer of the conference. In addition, the other sponsors of the conference, which include OPRIG McMaster, Empowerment Squared and various faculties, programs and academic societies, allow many students to purchase tickets at subsidized costs. Conferences of the same name and purpose are running at other Canadian institutions, including Wilfrid Laurier University, which first held a GCC three years ago after the success of McMaster’s first one in 2006. Combined, such institutions have hosted thousands of participants. The conference comes at the end of Citizenship Engagement Week, which comprises a separate but related series of events at McMaster. The Global Citizenship Conference will be held at the Michael DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery on Saturday, Mar. 6 and Sunday, Mar. 7, 2010.
East Asian skeleton unexpectedly discovered STEVE RUNNING THE SILHOUETTE
Excavation of a 2000-year old Roman grave site in southern Italy has unexpectedly uncovered the skeleton of an East Asian woman. This is the first evidence of an East Asian being inside the Roman Empire. Tracey Prowse, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, has been leading the team excavating the grave site since 2002. The skeleton is located in Vagnari, an area of the Roman Empire that is poorly understood by historians. The remains are believed to date back to between the 1st and 3rd century CE. Scholars may now be forced to re-evaluate assumptions about this time period. Historians know that Rome was aware of East Asia, but there was very little evidence of any kind of regular cultural or economic interaction between the regions.
“We have to be careful because this doesn’t necessarily mean that that individual was born in East Asia, it means that that person was of East Asian ancestry,” said Prowse. It is possible that the individual’s family migrated towards that region over a period of generations. All that is known for certain is that the individual’s maternal lineage has East Asian routes. The skeleton showed no obvious signs of its ancestry and the burial site offered little information regarding the skeleton’s unique ancestry. “The burials all look the same, so there’s nothing distinctive about the burials; there [are] no clusters of burials that have specific attributes [to make us] say ‘Okay these might be foreigners,’” said Prowse. However, Prowse is hopeful that they will be able to find skeletal characteristics that are unique to the East Asian individual. DNA and isotopic evidence have shown the gravesite to be
remarkably genetically diverse in that it contains individuals from northern Africa as well as northern Europe. Vagnari is known to have had lots of contact with the Mediterranean region and various populations were known to have occupied the area at different times. The genetic diversity in this region is remarkable because all the individuals studied so far all date back to within a 100-year period, a fact which eliminates the possibility of diversity because of migration. Some of the gravesites hint that there were other individuals who were not born in Italy. However, more research is required to determine their origins and perhaps offer more information about this remarkably diverse site. “This was a preliminary study,” says Prowse. “What we need to do is analyze more of them; we’ve only done ten of those 75 individuals.”
THE SILHOUETTE • A5
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
Increasing deficit anticipates service cuts Newsbites that has recently occurred to the Arts History program is expected focus any potential service cuts given the current financial state at internally to the McMaster “We’ve university, with the done probably half aim to “minimize The reality is that a dozen of those the impact on stuin the last couple the financial health of years; typically dents.” of the University smaller programs. Regarding the effect that provin- has been materially You might see some cial funding has on more of that. GenerMcMaster’s finan- affected... We must ally we’re trying to now make cial state, Couldrey keep these cuts inexplained that it is significant changes ternal to the fabric usually provided of the university.” in the way we to Universities at At the end of the end of the fiscal George and Vishoperate.” year in March. niac’s report, it At that point, is stated that the McMaster’s expenditures had al- Budget Committee will have a ready been committed, and there- clearer understanding of the budget fore the budget can not be prepared near the end of March. The pair rein conjunction with provincial fund- ported that the McMaster communing. ity will continue to be updated and However, Couldrey added that informed of the budget developprogram changes such as the one ments.
Compiled by Nicole Siena
• CONT’D FROM A1
RYAN JANSSEN / THE SILHOUETTE
As McMaster’s deficit enters its fourth year, service and employment cuts are expected to cut between 50 and 100 job positions.
Low SRA interest incites George’s final speech as Mac’s president referendum concerns Last year’s low SRA voter turn out raises questions over quorum turnout to support the Engineers Without Borders program. The Engineers Without Borders program arranges and fundraises to get two McMaster students to spend a summer volunteering with a nongovernmental program in Africa. The purpose of the program is to provide the students with the ability participate and gain experience in the field of international development, followed by raising awareness about the issue upon return to the Hamilton community. The program is available to students of any faculty, as long as they are involved in the MSU registered club. By voting, you can be a part of the decision to support or to not support paying an extra 35-cents for the initiative. Sheiding explained that last years voter turn out for the SRA general election had approximately
1,600 votes. In order for quorum the set number of voters to create legitimacy - to be achieved for the upcoming Engineers Without Borders referendum, ten per cent of students need to vote, which is an estimated 1,950 students. Sheiding expressed skepticism and concern over the required increase in voters, “I’m going out on a limb to make sure that this referendum gets promoted… I have a personal discomfort with seeing a pile of ballots that students have filled out in good faith and not be able to count them. It makes me feel like we’re not concerned with student voices.” “For this referendum to be binding it would require 1,950 votes. If we compare that to last year’s generals we need an increase in numbers and I’m a little bit skeptical as to whether we’re going to see an increase,” said Sheiding.
• CONT’D FROM A1 what he learned from his time in Africa. George stated that, similar to the beginning of his career, postsecondary education is suffering funding cuts, but that “We made it through that first storm, I have no doubt that we will weather the next and weather it well.” George did not hesitate to admit that there have been criticisms and complaints directed at him, but that one must be able to handle both praise and criticism. “I have learned that you can’t avoid mistakes… it’s what you learn from them that counts…In the true McMaster style, make new and innovate mistakes,” encouraged George. During several moments of his speech, George departed from his scholarly, yet inspirational tone to gather a few laughs from the audience. He referred to his “uptight WASP upbringing”, his inability to understand commitment phobia in relationships, and the fact that, “Once you become an administrator, you go from being ‘Socrates to
bureaucrates.’” Throughout his entire lecture, George consistently imparted wisdom to the audience and powerful words specifically to the students. “Right here and now you have an education that is the envy of the world,” George stated to students as he shared stories of current alumni who have gone on to do extraordinary work in important organizations such as War Child and Doctors Without Borders and other important fields. George’s last lecture occurred on the second-last day of Citizen Engagement week, an event which runs from Feb. 26 to Mar. 4 and that aims to demonstrate how the various departments, clubs, and organizations on campus are actively engaging in social and community issues. Philip Wood, vice president of student affairs, described George as “the most engaged president in the country when it comes to involvement with students.” George stated that he prided his 15-year presidency on his open-door policy and on his accessibility to students.
Bride tries to run over an old flame of the groom A newlywed couple from Hyannis, Massachusetts started their honeymoon off on a bad foot when they were forced to spend their first night as man and wife in separate jail cells. Marissa Ann PutignanoKeene, 22, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after she allegedly tried to run over another women and her son. The intended victim told police that she had previously been in an intermittent intimate relation ship with the groom, Timothy Keene, 37, who was also charged with disorderly conduct and was taken into protective custody. A police officer was driving in the area when he spotted what appeared to be a disturbance. The couple had been intoxicated when they drove by the women and proceeded to roll down their window and began swearing and using sexually-charged language. Distracted driver crashes into house In Lewiston, Idaho, a couple escaped unharmed after a pickup truck came crashing through their kitchen wall. They happened to leave the kitchen moments before the vehicle crashed into their house. Lewiston police said that the driver was drunk, and was apparently participating in sexual activity with the passenger when he lost control of his 2003 Dodge pickup. The driver was arrested on a misdemeanor drunken driving charge. No one was harmed, but damage to the home is about $50,000. Pet-owner fined A pet-owner has been fined in London, England after he took his pet dog for a walk while he drove next to him in his car. Prosecutors said that Paul Railton, 23, was driving at a low speed while holding his dog’s leash through the car window as the animal walked alongside. Railton pleaded guilty to not being in proper control of his vehicle. Railton was ordered to pay a 66 pound ($100) fine, plus cost. He also received three penalty points on his license and is now barred from driving for six months. Two Teachers, one chair Two high school teachers at Churchill High School, in Winnipeg, were sent home after they performed a lap dance in front of about 100 students during a school-sanctioned pep rally. As the event took place, a student took a minute-long cell phone video and posted it on the Internet afterwards. In the video, the teachers, a male and female, can be seen grinding against each other while the woman sat on a chair in the middle of the gym floor. At one point, the male teacher simulates oral sex by bobbing his head several times over the woman’s genitals. The Winnipeg School Division is investigating and both teachers have been sent home without pay, but have not been officially suspended. The Manitoba Teachers’ Society refused to comment on the incident.
A6 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
EDITORIAL McMaster University’s Student Newspaper
The Silhouette
executive editor: extension 22052
The end of an era
TheSil.ca Editorial Board Executive Editor Jeff Green Managing Editor Bahram Dideban Senior News Editor Selma Al-Samarrai Assistant News Editor Lily Panamsky Features Editor Paige Faber Opinions Editor Peter Goffin Sports Editor Brian Decker Assistant Sports Editor David Koots Insideout Editor Lindsay Jolivet Assistant Insideout Phyllis Tsang Photo Editor Will van Engen Staff Photographer Terry Shan Multimedia Editor Ava Dideban Production Editor Katherine Marsden Web Editor Jason Lamb Health Editor Sarah Levitt Distribution Coordinator Jonathon Fairclough Business Editor Simon Granat Business Editor Santino Marinucci Ad Manager Sandro Giordano
Senior Andy Editor Grace Evans Music Editor Corrigan Hammond Entertainment Editor Myles Herod
Silhouette Staff
Fraser Caldwell, Ben Orr, Sam Colbert, Joey Coleman, Kevin Elliott, Noah Nemoy, Julie Compton, Jenifer Bacher, Michael Hewak, Christopher Chang, Lauren Jewett, Jacqueline Flaggiello, Natasha Pirani, Amanda Fracz, Aaron Joo, Katherine Snider-McNair, Farhang Ghajar, Ben Small, Jemma Wolfe, Michael Hewak, Dan Hawie, Josh Parsons, Roxanne Hathway Baxter, Catherine Brasch, Trevor Roach, Remek Debski
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We’ve known it for five years. In a speech made five years ago, Peter George celebrated the announcement of his third term as president of McMaster, and said it was the last one, “I promise.” True to his word, George will end his 45-year association with Mac at the end of June. His “last lecture” was touching, simple, and so very Peter George. He reminded Mac that this is the end of an era for us, the economist with a beard who has been the face of Mac for the past 15 years, will leave the ship with a party, barely alerting the rest of us that the ship is sinking. Sure, I would love to be teary-eyed about watching the man we’ve affectionately referred to as the “Cookie-Monster” leave. He gave his life to this school. The school was by his side for some of the worst moments in his personal life. He touched on those things and more in his last lecture, but the thing that made it oh-so Peter George, was that he did it with such a charm you forget that you’re knee deep in a sinking ship. Peter George’s February 25 Financial Update reminded the University that they have run a deficit the last four years. And for next year? According to the report, in 2010/11 “our expenses could well exceed our revenues by $100 million.” Sounds like a good time to jump ship if you ask me. Of course, this is always the problem for universities. They are caught in an annual increase in cost and increase in fees loop; this was the case before Peter George, and will be the case after Peter George. George should be remembered for his greatest strength, his uncanny ability to draw large donations from a small group of people to keep the university afloat.Within one year of becoming president, a $4 million donation came in for the Student Centre (which would eventually be built in 2002). He gathered enough donations to build an athletics centre, and half of McMaster’s Innovation Park. Sadly he will be remembered for his “Golden Handshake,” the $1.4 million retirement package (the maximum his contract would allow) to be paid over the next 14 years; and the deficit that he left the university’s books in. A year before Peter George took office The Silhouette ran an editorial on March 23, 1995, that said, “Who knows, maybe someday we’ll go to a university where student dollars go to better student interests, rather than fertilize the presidential rose garden.” Student debt is still on the rise, tuition costs are up, the University expects to be $100 million in the hole next year; and Peter George will laugh all the way to the bank. It is the end of an era, but what’s changed? •Jeff Green
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thesil@thesil.ca
Letter:
High praise for Dr. Kim’s work in IntroPsych Dr. Joseph Kim’s introductory psychology course materials are a unique contribution to undergraduate pedagogy that puts McMaster University at the forefront of this important field. I’ve been covering post-secondary issues professionally for three years for Canada’s two national media outlets that specialize in coverage of the higher education sector. During this time, I’ve attended lectures in dozens of different courses at universities in four provinces. Further, I’ve attended introductory psychology lectures at two community colleges in Ontario. Introductory psychology courses are a benchmark that enables myself, as a journalist, to easily compare teaching environments at different institutions. For this reason, I’ve spent a great deal of time researching methods of delivering these courses. Dr. Kim’s method is the most effective that I’ve seen at any university in the country and his materials are such that I’ve cited them as an example of best practice for undergraduate instruction. (http:// www.globecampus.ca/blogs/colemans-campus/2009/09/28/undergraduate-education-needs-movedifferent-direc/)
Dr. Kim’s release “trailers” are highly popular among his students and build exciting for the learning experience. It is increasingly rare to meet undergraduate students who are looking forward to the learning experience, Dr. Kim’s seemly tangent “trailer” videos help build an aura of excitement among his students for the learning experience. I’ve observed Dr. Kim’s supplementary lectures held on Thursdays in BSB 147. It is rare to see a lecture theatre completely full during a non-mid-term or final exam preparation period. Dr. Kim’s theatre is near over flowing. I’ve observed both from the front and the back of the lecture theatre during Dr. Kim’s live lectures. I’ve come to expect that in any lecture, the back third of the room will be engaged in activities other than learning - be that Facebook, YouTube, online gaming, or their mobile devices. When I observed Dr. Kim’s class in late January, however, there were only five students that I could spot engaged in these other activities - a fact that speaks to the effectiveness of the course materials Dr. Kim and his team have designed. Dr. Kim’s course package is exceptional and it is for this reason that I have no hesitation writing this letter of support for the nom Dr. Kim’s use of research in the ination to receive the McMaster development of his teaching ma- University President’s Award for terials is unique among faculty. His Course or Resource Design. research is focused on the psych- Granting of this award will sigology of pedagogy and he applies nify to the McMaster community his discoveries in the development that great undergraduate educaof his course packages. The Psych tion is possible in high enrolment 1X03/1XX3 course created by Dr. courses. Hopefully, the attention Kim fully engages visual, audio, and that will result from the granting kinesthetic learners all at the same of this award will spark other detime. The traditional instruction partments and faculties to invest method is unable to engage kines- in the creation of similar packages thetic learners and, arguably, is lack- for their high enrolment first-year ing in its ability to engage visual or courses. audio learners. As knowledge of his research Dr. Kim’s online lectures speak and the practical application befor themselves and are worthy of comes more widely known, Dr. this award on their own. That writ- Kim’s work will revolutionize ten, I write this letter of support for undergraduate pedagogy in Canada. the nomination of Dr. Kim and his This award will be the first of team’s work because of the entire many that Dr. Kim will receive for course package they designed. his innovative teaching methods. There is more to his course packing As knowledge of Dr. Kim’s work than just the online lectures. Living spreads among academia, McMaster in Hamilton and using McMaster University will gain a reputation as University as my transit hub to a university which does both reconnect to GO Transit has enabled search and instruction at the cutme to overhear many a conversa- ting edges of modern knowledge tion between Dr. Kim’s students and ability. while riding transit. I’ve often been surprised to overhear students dis- Joey Coleman cussing their introductory psychology lecture material among them- Freelance Columnist selves; even more surprising is to GlobeCampus - The Globe and Mail overhear students speak of their www.globecampus.ca/joeycoleman anticipation for the release of new Undergraduate Arts Student - The University of Manitoba online lectures.
to crosby, obviously. to intramural hoop dreams. to the olympics, and patriotism. to the murder at the juice joint. to j.j. - photoshop tips ftw.
to no more olympics, and the ctv lineup. to menstrual jokes to racial cloaking. to mint girl guide cookies. to less thumbs- i hope you like the overheard at mcmaster.
Overheard at McMaster... guy talking to a group of his friends “ever since i moved out, they’re just so happy! its like a freaking viagra commercial... its disgusting!!” Dr. Heathorn, about the beginning of WWI: Franz Ferdinand...was stabbed, or shot... or something. He’s dead, that’s all that matters. Staircase of student centre: girl1: i wish there was a faster way of going down stairs girl2: i could push you girl1: but then id be hurt girl2: hey, you wanted faster way down
THE SILHOUETTE • A7
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
OPINIONS
production office: extension 27117
opinions@thesil.ca
30 million fans... and one lonely student Peter Goffin OPINIONS EDITOR
I can’t win.The biggest hockey game in eight years and I had a yet-unbegun proposal due the next day. And of course I wasn’t going to miss the game to work on it. But nor was I going to head to the bar or a friend’s house, like every single other sentient Canadian. No, I wasn’t going to do any of that to watch the national team play the Americans for the ultimate in international sports acclaim. What I was going to do was sit in my basement apartment and watch the game alone so that I could work immediately before and immediately after it. He shoots, he scores. Let me tell you something: you are never more removed from the game, from the ice, from the players, from the fans, from the stadium popcorn, from the “get your beer here!” than you are in a basement alone. Pipes rattle, the furnace starts up and someone stamps around upstairs. And thank God Canada ended its fifty-year drought of Gold medals in 2002, making that Olympics the benchmark of hockey achievement. Because if this game became the beall-and-end-all of hockey history I was going to have a lot of explaining to do to my future kids who, when asking “Daddy, where were you when it happened?” would be confronted with tales of subterranean solitude. Somewhere men were laughing and somewhere did children shout, but there was no joy for me. And I can’t express to you the meeting of patriotic joy and lonely, envious disappointment that occurred in
Yeah 2010 was glorious, but the 2002 edition of Team Canada was my favourite. me that evening. It was like two weather fronts colliding, resulting in a thunderstorm situated directly over my head. Had I been 13, I probably would have cried. Dig that. Eight years ago, at those 2002 games, Canada won the gold medal and man, was that an Olympics. I watched every hockey game that year. And I bought the team sweater. And the commemorative issue of Hockey News and, afterwards, a book about the tournament. And I wrote an Englishclass assignment about it too. I even got my had-to-be-there moment back then when my whole grade eight class demanded to watch the semi-final game on a Friday afternoon and two teachers
scrounged a TV. Of course in 2002 I was too young to be in a bar so come the actual gold medal game and I tuned in from my family’s living room with my dad. And that was all I needed. I got all welled up with elation and psychotic excitement. And then, when it was over, I snuck down to the basement to watch a replay of the medal ceremony for the second time, with the national anthem playing and a stadium full of Canadian fans. And there was the pre-recorded version of Mario Lemieux wrapping himself in a flag and Wayne Gretzky slipping around the ice fool-laughing and Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman and all those household names that were on the hockey cards in my closet
Boy, that Olympics got me. That’s my year. That’s the one my kids are going to hear about. And not so much because I never got to go to a bar this year, or watch the game at a friend’s house or hold a flag out the window of a car. More because 2002 was the year I recognized every face on the team by sight. It was the year I was younger than all the players on the team. I was young and day-dreamy enough still to all think about how I would accept my medal in the hey-whoknows chance that I was on the 2010 team. I lay emotional claim to the 2002 victory because it simply meant more to me. It had to. As much as I still love Olympics and medals and hockey and all that in-
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nocent stuff, it just mattered a lot more when I was 13. That year was just a better time for it. It was a better time for fun. Maybe 13 was just a better time. So don’t worry about me. I wouldn’t have wanted anything to challenge the standing of the 2002 Olympic games in my bank of fond memories, anyway. I might have been better off alone. Sure it was a depressing way to watch an amazing game, but I’m not so disappointed. Nothing I did could ever top the feeling of watching the first gold medal win in half a century just as I crested early adolescence, with all the wonder and fixation that age afforded me. Damn that was a good time to love hockey.
Don’t own the podium, own some pride Kevin Elliott OPINION
Do we as Canadians even understand our own patriotism, yet alone our own country? A recent nationwide poll revealed that over half of respondents voted the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as the defining moment in Canada’s history. Reflect for a moment on every thing that has ever happened in our history. Okay? Now: most Canadians currently consider the 2010 Olympics as the most significant one out of all of them. The top ten finalists of The Greatest Canadian must be rolling in their graves except, I suppose, for David Suzuki and Wayne Gretzky who are merely rolling their eyes because they’re still alive. And I’m not even going to mention Don Cherry – hell, he probably orchestrated this poll. Oh wait, there are a few French Canadians on the men’s and women’s national hockey teams. Boycott! Boycott! Canadian patriotism astounds me. Of course it takes an outsider to recognize just how ambiguous it really is: in the week prior to the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremon-
ies, an American commentator, in what appeared to be a mostly unbiased opinion, pointed out the irony in the name of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s “Own the Podium” program, because generally Canadians give primacy to modesty, equality, and diversity. You know, the types of traits not usually associated with a superiority complex. Instead, according to this commentator, Canadians generally have an inferiority complex. But now, all of a sudden, we’re hosting an Olympic Games, so fuck you all! We will conquer the world with our hockey sticks and bobsleighs! Before any of you cry foul, it should be noted that at the end of the first week of Olympic competition, even the Canadian Olympic Committee practically issued an “our bad” statement over the “Own the Podium” campaign. Of course, that’s not going to stop them from auctioning off blocks of Olympic podiums at the end of the Games, so you can literally own the podium. And here you thought buying your patriotism meant purchasing a couple of red mittens. Even our old buddy Stephen
Harper, at the start of the Games, addressed the BC provincial parliament with a speech urging Canadians to transgress the bounds of our inferiority complex (of course he never used that term, explicitly) during the Olympics, because there is nothing wrong with wanting to be the best . Unless you’re conducting a joint-press conference with Barack Obama, that is. Don’t get me wrong, the Olympics were fun as heck to watch, and I wanted Canadians to win medals as much as the next guy. But if there’s one thing the Olympics have revealed to me, it’s that our patriotism is incredibly fragile and highly prone to manipulation. It seems that we pride ourselves in being a unique country only in the sense on how we’re different from Americans. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the United States, we probably wouldn’t even have a national identity, and that’s just sad. So this is what I honestly think the problem is: we do have an inferiority complex but it operates under the guise of a superiority complex. Therefore we spend our daily
lives in a limbo, caught in a national paradox. But it’s okay, because we have the Olympics to solve the problem, to give us an identity! So in return, we’ll vote it as the most
important event in our history, and when we watch a hockey game, we’ll take it as seriously as if our lives depended on it. Give me a break.
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The games were great, but the greatest Canadian moment? Really?
A8 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
Palin is not so indefensible after all Give the Matt Dugdale OPINION
John Galt, in his February 25 Silhouette opinion article makes an honest attempt to show us that Sarah Palin is a straightforward politician, that she is hard working and stands up for her views even if they are wrong. Therefore, he argues, she does not deserve the ridicule that most of the world has directed her way. This seems like a very well-founded and well-argued position. However there is one problem: it is wrong. Sarah Palin is the worst thing to come out of American politics since President Chester A. Arthur’s mutton chops, which ruined that fashion statement forever. Mr. Galt asserts that Palin’s “sporting determination” and “unique views” make her immune from criticism. However, in the same article he lashes out at the likes of Barack Obama and Pierre Trudeau for getting by on a free ride for their style and lack of substance. Perhaps it was their “sporting determination.” It depends what part of the article you are reading I guess. Sarah Palin may be on the GOP ticket and she may be the Presidential candidate in 2012 but to win she is going to need more than thousands of people showing up with pictures of Obama as Hitler or parading nationalized health care as the cause of the Holocaust. She is also going to need more than the 58 million votes (less than 20 per cent of the American population) on her side in order to win. She is going to have to drop the textbook ideas of “responsible, constitutionally-limited government” and come up with something original. Something along the lines of budget tax cuts, but less overused. Oops, that was something we are not supposed to do. Nor are we supposed to make fun of Palin for where she puts her speaking notes. But wait, no one was making fun of Palin for writing stupid notes on her hand.
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What’s the deal with this one? They were ridiculing her because the very same night she was busted for palm notes, she ridiculed Obama for using a teleprompter (which she used during the 2008 campaign). Which reminds me why I am really writing this article: to show everyone why Palin deserves to be laughed out of the building. Answer the following question. Sarah Palin is dangerous because she: 1. Is a traitor to the US. 2. She in un-intelligent or simply stupid. On point one, Palin and her husband attended meetings with the Alaskan Independence Party (AIP). Her husband was a full member until 2002 and Palin was a supporter. This party is and has been an in-
dependence party seeking to break the United States apart by allowing Alaska to become its own nation. The governor of the state and potential president of the United States has any business affiliating with an organization whose sole purpose is to break the union and create internal turmoil. If this does not qualify as a treasonous act I am unsure what does. Moving onward to point two, Palin has shown time and time again that she is uneducated to the point that her contradictions turn into downright non-sense. Her inability to simply name one newspaper she reads regularly to Katie Couric, her inability to comment on any relations she had with the Russian government other than repeating the
fact that Alaska was close to Russia and has said that the Iraq war is a task from God. Yes, I believe the other side might feel that way as well. She demands Obama fire Rahm Emanuel after he called liberal activists “fucking retarded” but it’s okay when Rush Limbaugh says on air that “our politically correct society is acting like some giant insult has taken place by calling a bunch of people who are retards, ‘retards’.” He went on further to say that Emanuel would be hosting a “Retard Summit” in Washington to describe his meeting with disability advocates. Of course Sarah Palin’s official statement is that Limbaugh used it as “satire” so that makes it acceptable. Further proof of Palin’s double standard, she is more interested in not crossing party lines and less interested in working towards the common good. Or perhaps Colbert was right when he wrote on his hand “Retard = Sometimes funny.” Sarah Palin’s sporting determination is simply a cover for her lack of original ideas and lack of knowledge on the issues. Her “unique set of views” is nothing more than a smoke screen to cover up the fact that she has no views. We are not discussing one political gaffe which makes her look stupid, this is a woman who repeatedly screws up, who repeatedly shows us that she has no clue what she is talking about and contradicts herself at every turn. Unfortunately she does deserve the ridicule of the political world, as does any politician. Their words are recorded, their movements monitored and their friendships investigated. Being a public figure means you stand as a role model for others who vote for you because the voters see something of themselves in you. Therefore if Sarah Palin ever becomes President because the American people vote her in, then I will officially lose faith in all humanity.
whales a break
Trainer death should be a wake-up call Kathleen Frendo-Cumbo OPINIONS
What started as a routine “Shamu” show ended in tragedy. A killer whale, named Tilikum, drowned experienced trainer, Dawn Brancheau, on Feb. 24, 2010. SeaWorld has cancelled some of its upcoming Shamu shows in response to the recent death that has attained mass publicity. This is not an isolated case, and it begs the question: can you really take the wild out of a wild animal? My answer is no. Furthermore it should not even be attempted. It is troubling to think that only after the death of a woman, only after it affects us directly as humans, do we take this animal’s well being into account and question its captivity. There has been uproar of those who want the whale to be released or to shut down the SeaWorld brand entirely, but I want to know why these places of animal confinement, simply for our entertainment, even exist in the first place. The way humanity views freedom is a paradox.When people do bad things, crimes, we send them to prison. We take away their lives. But what did Tilikum and the countless other beings we confine ever do to deserve their freedom being taken away? The sad reality is they are innocent. Unfortunately, in the name of profit, “the show must go on”.
THE SILHOUETTE • A9
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
What makes for an effective politician? Democracy is at its best when good people fill the big jobs Chris Erl OPINION
I see politics differently than most people do. Fragmented memories of campaigns long gone, fleeting observations from within and outside movements, scenes from every election emblazoned on my mind, all melded together in my psyche to create some unique descriptions for what constitutes legitimate government and pure democracy. Government is a synonym for “the people”. It is the tangible manifestation of the general will, the legal apparatus by which humanity makes rules that keep us safe, healthy and on the road to progress. All legitimate governments are formed, in part, by democracy. The way I see politics tends to explain my unique way of describing the perfect leader. I call said leader the charismatically devout perpetual idealist. Our SRA elections are fast approaching. With less than a week to go before the important vote, candidates have weighed their options, looked into the future and embarked on the journey to the polls with enthusiasm, openness and sanguinity. Yet who among them fits that description of the perfect politician? Granted, my definition may not be everyone’s preferred style of leader, as some of our peers are
perfectly content with who they what they believe in and attend have representing them right now. social gatherings out of a sense of If for nothing but arguments solidarity, not compulsion. sake, let me provide you with the The MSU, to them, is not a failed character sketch of who I think institution mired in bureaucracy would be best suited to serve on and incompetence, but rather the your SRA. engine by which they can advance This charismatically devout the cause of student activism. In perpetual idealist is someone who their fellow students, they see a viis running, not to fill a representa- brant and underappreciated wealth tive’s chair until the next job op- of talent, intelligence and human inportunity presents itself or to pad genuity. These idealists understand out a resume they the limitations they will present to grad have within student school, but to play “Government is a politics, but push their part in the forward regardless, synonym for rejuvenation of stuknowing that they “the people”. It dent activism and will do their best is the tangible representation of manifestation of the with what they are the diverse needs given. general will, of their constitu Their charisma the legal ents. They under- apparatus by which is honest, their destand their talent votion is to their humanity makes with rule and reguschool, their perrules that keep lation setting, and petual idealism is us safe, healthy can speak to people and on the road to grounded in facts, without hesitation. figures and the progress.” To them, voices of their concensorship of ideals stituents. is unheard of, and Now let me be they will not tone down their opti- the first to admit that these charmism to win the votes of skeptics. acteristics are hard to come by in This model politician is bright, everyday people, let alone politor if not a stellar student, than icians. Yet we need hope on the simply expertly versed in the issues SRA, and only a slate of electable, concerning their area of inter- sensible and optimistic people can est. They attend SRA meetings to bring us the hope we need to unite understand the process, school and push forward with the change organization meetings to fight for students desperately need.
Regardless of what your own personal passions may be, we all must come to the realization that nothing will be accomplished politically regarding students until a coherent vision comes from our leaders. How can we unite to challenge HSR service cuts, speak out against ballooning tuition and fight anti-student bylaws if, when we speak up, none of the people with the power listen? Worse yet, what happens when the leaders we do have do not even have legitimacy? How believable and secure is a government that was elected by only a quarter of eligible electors? People with honest charisma and a solid vision for the SRA and student activism will undoubtedly boost voter turn-out and turn the apathetic back into informed, passionate voters. To the candidates, the voters and the observers alike: we need charismatically devout perpetual idealists. We need 31 of them on the SRA, 4 of them on the executive and scores of them in the community, pressing forward with issues of importance to students. We need to elect as many charismatically devout perpetual idealists as possible. When that happens, close behind will come the day when we will all see politics differently.
Ten tips for better student government Rohan Nair OPINION
Enterprising and ambitious students enter the SRA with lofty goals and strong year-plans. Then September comes, school begins, and timelines are stretched. Eventually, it is March and the SRA members are jaded, but seek re-election, and rebuild their ambitions, restarting the cycle. It’s a cycle that has made the SRA nearly obsolete. The cycle needs to end, and can end easily. 1. Don’t have a platform. Within the MSU, individual projects are never going to be successful. The MSU needs a team of students to complete the projects for the organization, at committee level. If you want to make 1280 run better, work towards it on the Finance Committee, keeping the MSU’s goals as a priority -- not solo. 2. Understand your limitations. You are entering a political
arena, and nothing is at it seems. The honest people are treated with disdain, while the truly manipulative appear as the driving forces. Trust nobody, but learn from everybody. 3. Refuse to vote on business until you understand it. SRA members have a right to understand everything to make a decision. When an issue blows up, study the details of it, and the motives of those involved. When you have an actual opinion, allow a vote to happen. Abstaining is the same as apathy, and you were not elected to be apathetic. 4. Empower those you elect. Don’t impede the work of a VP or President on principle, or because they didn’t follow due process.They were elected to make important decisions on behalf of the organization. However, make sure their decisions are informed, well-thought out, and communicated properly. It is the job of the SRA to understand every issue and decision within the
MSU, and it is the job of VPs and the President to be open about their work. 5. Never be afraid to reprimand someone for conduct, or performance. This year has seen numerous individuals go unpunished for mistakes that would have gotten them dismissed at any other business. Fire Vice-Presidents who fail to do their job properly, and reprimand SRA members who represent the Assembly negatively. 6. Consider all criticism, and evaluate yourself. Many times, people will be oblivious to the impact of their actions, believing themselves to be correct. Don’t be that person. 7. Do not confuse Twitter or blogging for communication. True communication entails accessible documentation about projects and updates. Any and all projects need to be accompanied by a published policy stance, so students can find and understand what the MSU is
doing. 8. Do what is best for the MSU. Sometimes this means letting another take lead on a project, and sometimes this means leaving the Assembly altogether. In any case, you come into this to make positive change happen, so conduct yourself accordingly. 9. Never let accountability slide. If something goes wrong, someone is to blame. Find out who that person is, find out how the mistake was made and make a strong decision on how to proceed with the situation. Many times, this inquiry will help the MSU prevent it in the future, and sometimes it will reveal people who harm the organization. 10. Embrace the Silhouette and MacInsiders. These are the places that will keep you honest. The people behind them are stating their opinions and perceptions. Sometimes, they may be wrong, but you need to learn how to properly address their mistakes, so they better understand the situation. Most of the time problems arise due to a lack of communication (see step seven). Follow these ten principles; the MSU will prosper, students will be happy, and you will have made a real difference. It is important to be positive, and to work hard, but to also make tough decisions for the good of the students of McMaster.
Feedback “Did the Olympics make you more patriotic?”
“Yes, all I did was talk about the Olympic sense of unity.” Kyle McCooey
“Yes, because it was nice to see the embedded Native culture.” Michael Nak
“Definitely, because so many Canadians were involved and, plus, we were winning.” Naomi Fast
“Yeah. I’m already patriotic and this just proved it.” Michelle Behas
A10 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
Vote to support Engineers Without Borders Meaghan Langille OPINION
“Interested in volunteering overseas?” is a widely used question to promote various summer placements in developing countries through numerous organizationsall seeming to work towards a common goal of acting globally and helping others. So what makes the Engineers Without Borders Junior Fellowship (JF) program different from the rest? Furthermore, I hope to compel you, the students to vote in favour of a 35-cent student fee to cover the cost of the program? What many people don’t realize is that the JF program, though offered through the McMaster Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), is not a program exclusive to engineering students- but is open to all students who will be returning to Mac following their summer overseas. Second and more importantly, this is not an overseas placement where you simply go overseas to volunteer then return home and carry on with life as usual. It is an 18-month commitment to helping build the capacity of local African organizations and governments and creating a connection between Canada and Africa. McMaster Junior Fellows are selected in October through an application process held at McMaster. The following 7 months are an opportunity for the JF to prepare for their placement in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Zambia or Malawi working in water and sanitation, agriculture and food processing or rural infrastructure by doing independent research and reflection and communicating with other EWB volunteers from across Canada. Dhaval Bhavsar, McMaster’s current JF, is in the last couple months of this process and has the following to say about his upcoming overseas placement, “I am extremely excited
about going overseas to Northern Ghana this summer. I know it will be one of the most life changing experiences I will have, and am eager to bring what I will learn back to the McMaster community.” Dhaval’s statement is one that many past JF’s can attest to and shows that this program not only seeks to be beneficial to rural Africans, but also the individual and McMaster community. Junior Fellows depart for their placement in May and return at the end of August. “Arriving in Malawi, Africa was a huge step outside of my comfort zone. I was brought to my partner organization, Malawi Freshwater Project, and moved my belongings in with an elderly Malawian woman named Sarah. The culture, work environment, people and lifestyle were all new to me and I was confronted with the challenge to find my place in it all. (Erica Barnes- McMaster’s JF in 2008) EWB JF’s work with local people and on the ground challenges in existing organizations and governments. Their goal to is to look at the organization as a whole and identify gaps and opportunities where their skills and external perspective can play a role. By executing these activities, JF’s ensure that the ideas implemented are ones that can carry on when they return to Canada. This focus on implementing long-term sustainable solutions to existing challenges is what makes EWB’s approach to overseas volunteering so unique. “It is always critically analyzing the work done both in Canada and in Africa to decide if [EWB] are being effective and having impact,” as stated by Kyla Fisher, the JF for the summer of 2009. Kyla continued by stating, “I learned to ask myself about the impacts of my actions and to analyze my role as a part of EWB. Work-
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EWB volunteers doing construction work in Africa. ing with EWB in northern Ghana was a tremendous opportunity to support EWB’s work there as well as to gain knowledge and understanding to help our chapter’s work in Canada. EWB really pushed me to have a real, sustainable impact both in Ghana and here in Canada. In Ghana I was able to support a program by EWB’s long-term volunteers, which is helping to build the capacity of district governments in the Northern Region. I worked as EWB’s representative in the Gushegu district and helped with data management and computer use skills.” This is just one of several account of an overseas experience that has had a holistic impact on all individuals involved within the experience. As a student you probably are wondering, “what does any of this have to do with me?” That is where the critical post-overseas period becomes relevant upon the JF’s return from overseas they have the responsibility of sharing their ex-
periences with EWB and students as a means of educating individuals. Like past JF’s, Kyla is in the process of her post-overseas period and is making the most of it. She states, “Since returning I have been highly involved in the McMaster EWB chapter and outreaching to the McMaster community through presentations and workshops related to my experience. I have drawn from what I learned working with EWB in Ghana to inform both the chapter and the McMaster community.” At the EWB chapter we do over 80 presentations and workshops in a year to students at McMaster and in the Hamilton community. We feel this fee directly supports our ability to run these programs by adding to the knowledge and experience of our team. Here we have tried to provide you with some brief background on Engineers Without Borders and the JF program, but the decision is up to you to vote towards implementing
a 35-cent student fee to cover the cost of the program. The fee goes entirely towards the program costs of sending 1 student volunteer to work overseas in Africa and bring the knowledge back to McMaster; none is staying with our chapter. It is small price to pay to help ensure an opportunity for you, the students, remains available. Over the next week we, Mac EWB will be campaigning on campus and we encourage you to come to us with any questions or comments. Then on Mar. 10 and 11 cast your vote; make your opinion heard, because next year the JF could very well be you. Vote yes for student opportunity, for the chance to act as global citizens, and to create a long-term impact for those living in poverty. 35 cents; it’s the cost of a gumball but who knew it could do so much for McMaster students?
THE SILHOUETTE • A11
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
How ‘bout that patriotic pride? On the search for a place to belong Derek Ritsma
The want and need to belong to something bigger than your self is also why shows like American Idol Our contemporary Western ex- are so popular. It’s a shared experiperience is one of complete abun- ence. It’s the idea that you along dance in regards to both choices with millions of other people are and possibilities. watching the same program and will Liberal ideals concerning free- collectively choose a winner, and, of dom of the individual, coupled with course, laugh together at those who the astounding amount of surplus make a fool of themselves during goods and services that only cap- the auditions. italism can provide, have given each This is also why I love, and will and every one of us the ability to always love, the Olympics. micromanage our When daily lives and live you think about just the way we it, it’s very easy Let’s face it, unless want to live. to criticize the you’re one of those When global“too cool for school Olympic Games. ization, free They are a rabid and all of you” kids thought, human out there, we all want display of namigration, and an to belong, we all want tionalism, they endless supply to fit into something cost billions and of media and billions of dolbigger than technology are ourselves, something lars for the host then added to country and city, we can share with this scenario, we no one really other people, and are left with a something that we can cares about binear unparalleled athlon, skeleton, be proud of.” amount of indicurling, and many vidual experienof the other ces and freedoms. sports until they What we wear, where we have roll around again at four year interbeen, our religion, our backgrounds, vals. our likes, our dislikes, what we eat, Vancouver did begin with the think, feel, watch, do on the week- now infamous and tragic death of ends, and even want, all this and Nodar Kumaritashvili and we did more is unique to each and every hit a few snags in the opening cereone of us hyper-individuals. monies. But the fact remains that as While most of us forward think- we as a culture, society, and even a ing academics in the making would species become increasingly more hail this as a sure sign of progress, complex, diverse, and individualistic, it is important to consider that this it becomes harder and harder to might just well be a double edged engage in anything collective. sword. The sheer amount of possibilWhile liberating us as au- ities involved in post-modern life tonomous persons, these choices have created a situation where althreaten to breed a culture of isola- though you and I are likely around tionism through a complete lack of the same age, both reside in the shared experiences. same country and even attend the Let’s face it, unless you’re one of same school, likely part of similar those “too cool for school and all economic and social backgrounds, of you” kids out there, we all want we are fundamentally dissimilar to belong, we all want to fit into and might never enjoy something something bigger than ourselves, beyond a degree with “McMaster” something we can share with other written on it together. people, and something that we can The Olympic Games are one of be proud of. the few experiences that we can still Every time we indulge in one of share with one another, something our endless choices, as well as when that transcends all of the pointless anyone else does, this becomes in- details, preferences, beliefs and idiocreasingly difficult to do. syncrasies that divide us. They are a This is why things like religion, brief opportunity to come together race, and ideology have the poten- as a country and even as a species tial to be so dangerous; they bind to celebrate. people together as one and create Foregoing race, language, relia collective identity, something that gion, class, and nationality, we are is almost non-existent in our daily able to find common ground in our lives. love of competition and sport. The easiest way to create this is They are also a way of placatby putting yourself in juxtaposition ing our inherent need to belong to to another group, which is when something collectively in a world these methods of belonging can where the lines between identities become harmful and violent. are increasingly blurred and fragIf you don’t see where I’m mented, if even there at all. coming from just look around our But now that they are over own campus and I’ll bet you can we must return from whence we find at least one kid wearing a came, back to our usual small talks “Wuck Festern” t-shirt; it’s a way regarding weather, weekend events of building identity by locating and past and future, and school assignexploiting a collective scapegoat. ments. But don’t feel too discourIt’s also, in this case at least, pretty aged, London will be here before funny. you know it. OPINION
Finding unity in ethnic diversity Cassandra Jeffery SILHOUETTE STAFF
Canada is a country based on cultural diversity. Our population incorporates an array of ethnicities, races, cultures, and beliefs. We are a multicultural nation. As a Canadian, I enjoy the opportunities that our culturally diverse nation offers. As Canadians, we have the opportunity to experience and learn from one another the values and traditions of diverse groups. We are entitled to acknowledge our own ethnic heritage and to appreciate ourselves as diverse individuals, and most importantly, we gain a sense of unity even though we share differential cultural values. An admirable example of this national unity was prevalent in the past two weeks, during the Vancouver Olympics. Although many of us value Canada as a diverse nation, there are those who presume to see the cultural differences between many Canadians as a negative characteristic. Multiple disputes, ethnic tensions, and racism have been in the past, and continue to be, an atrocious aspect of Canada. Although there are numerous cultural issues that still remain within
Canada, our appreciation of diversity has grown tremendously. Looking at McMaster, we have many groups and organizations that represent the multiple facets of diverse students who attend our school. Furthermore, such events as the Pangaea Cultural Festival allow students to engage in the values and traditions of other cultures. Even within Hamilton, we are exposed to learning experiences of our diverse population. For example, the Hamilton Art Gallery stimulates a sense of cultural acceptance as well as awareness of diverse groups including painters, artists, sculptors, writers – all diverse Canadians who influence and support the world of art. Considering diversity is a large aspect of Canadian culture, I find it irritating that we, as a country, do not always embrace this particular characteristic. It seems as though, because Canada is composed of multiple cultures, that we at times tend to use those differences to create distinct, homogenous groups instead of incorporating several aspects of them to create heterogeneous societies. Canada has come a long way
with the acceptance of cultural diversity, as witnessed when a significant number of Canadians, despite ethnicity and culture, portrayed a sense of national pride during the Vancouver Olympics. It’s not uncommon for our country to show support to our athletes however, this year I felt as though a lot of the differences and conflicts between Canadians we’re put aside as we came together to cheer for a Canada where all cultures are accepted and incorporated into our traditions. This past Sunday, at the eighth annual Pangaea Cultural Festival there was a perfect example of Canadian pride and national unity: the evening’s performances were put on hold, as a vast array of diverse McMaster students gathered around a big screen TV to cheer on Canadians in their game against the United States. Hopefully the sense of nationality that this past winter Olympics has influenced will not fade away, now that the athletes are off their podiums because despite racial and cultural differences, we are all considered Canadians. Diversity is what gives Canada a unique sense of nationality, different from most other countries.
A12 • THE SILHOUETTE
SpeculatoR The Hamilton
Thursday, March 4, 2010
F
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2009
INSIDE THE SPECULATOR B1: R4:
Bucking up: a mid-March tradition
W9:
How to open mail and get away with it.
Self-disgust: a memoire
Kissing hands and shaking babies.
Classmates: the Venn Diagram Compiled by Buck Horowitz
THE ARTS
ENGINEERING The Shaky Coffee Addict
The Leather Jacket Fonzie Wannabe
The Pre-Law Debate King
The “Devil’s Advocate” Shit Disturber
The Nerdy Bro
The Aspiring Beatnik Poet The Token Girl
The Art Sci The Boy Genius
The Stoned Philosopher
The Empty Chair The “Don’t Tread on Me” Activist
SCIENCE
The Shut-in
The Lab Rat
The Pre-Dentistry Guy with the Weird thing for Teeth The Pre-Med Workaholic
Mac to go green. Or, at least, teal. SERGE VENIER OPINION McMaster’s Office of Sustainability announced its 2010 plan to make our campus a greener place this week. Building upon 2009’s extensive ELM reforestation efforts, highlights of the 20 page report include a new education campaign and large investments in renewable energy technology. These efforts come as part of McMaster’s response to its abysmal C- rating in the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s 2009 College Sustainability Report Card. Addressing comments made by the right-leaning media mouthpiece Kermit the Frog, Mac Sustainability intends to prove to students that it is easy being green. The outlined campaign, intended to raise student awareness of environmental initiatives at a grassroots level, will complement the more expensive development of alternative energy sources also set to begin this year. Although it is yet to be confirmed, it is rumoured that the educational component may include talks by well-known environmental activists ranging from Dr. David Suzuki to the Lorax. While renewable energy isn’t a new idea on campus, thus far, attempts at harnessing the
power of the sun and wind have proven relatively unsuccessful. Advocates promise that recent technological breakthroughs will allow for great strides forward, but critics are quick to point out the many shortcomings of McMaster’s current usage of solar technology. Michael Discotheque, the head designer on McMaster’s Solar Car Team, explains, “solar and wind have great potential, but like anything, they have limits. They are dependent upon things like sunlight, lack of physical obstructions and an ample supply of fast moving hot air.” Although space is at a premium on our comfortably small campus, thanks to our relatively southern latitude and vibrant department of cultural studies, sunlight and hot air are easy to come by. Additionally, while solar energy may contribute well during sunny periods, its very nature makes it ill-suited for responding to peak demand. When demand grows too great, as it has during our last few hot Junes, scorching Septembers and gelid Januaries, McMaster’s SOLAR system has proven completely inadequate. Despite these difficulties, workers at the Sustainability Office remain confident in the future of solar, saying that, “60 per cent of the time, it works every time.”
We’re running on pure sunlight maaaaaa-aaaan.
“What Did You Learn This Week, Timmy?”
“I learned that I hate myself, but at least I’m clean.”
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, MARCH 4, 2010
INSIDEOUT
Men’s volleyball prepares to host OUA Championship B7
production office: extension 27117
e-mail: insideout@thesil.ca
Europe on a shoestring
Lonely Planet’s latest edition of their “big trips on small budgets” guide book doesn’t miss a beat
JONATHON FAIRCLOUGH / DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR
How-to-do-it
How to return to real life after the Olympics JONATHON FAIRCLOUGH DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR
Well, the holiday’s over. No more medal montages, spandex, sports analysts, or overzealous Korean speed-skaters. Life is more mundane than it’s ever been and daytime television really is bad. What to do? There are several answers to this dilemma, the first one the simplest: denial. Refuse to believe that life has gone back to normal. Live in seclusion, grow your beard (or leg hair, ladies), buy the Olympics DVD, watch on repeat, and ask your friends if they saw Bilodeau beat the sociopath Australian. If they point out that Bilodeau won gold 2 weeks ago, substitute their reality with your own... punching is also optional. Secondly, if denial is too much for you, how about creating a luge track? Coote’s Paradise would be an excellent start. Make sure to build it on the steepest embankment possible to maximize speed while making the corners unbearably cumbersome. Pay no regard to the possible consequences of your actions and their inherent danger to human life. More speed, more fun.
ThreadCount
Thirdly, perform your own Olympic opening ceremonies. Make sure to include props and structures that do not have erectile dysfunction, as it reflects poorly on one out of four Canadian citizens. Lastly, the best way to curb the withdrawal symptoms associated with the lack of Olympics on the television is to get out of the house. Get a gym membership, practice your crossovers, get jacked like the speed-skaters, and become an Olympic athlete yourself. Do not live vicariously through them in 2014, have others live vicariously through you. Try to find a sport that not many Canadians have tried before. I’d recommend the biathlon or ski jumping, as they’re dominated by the Norwegians and their ridiculous fjords and social programs. If all goes well, in four years you’ll be as happy as a German shock trooper leaving the Russian front in wintertime. We hope this helps. We hope to see you in 2014, clad in spandex and Roots attire. We hope our country’s expectations aren’t as strong as they were this year. I hope you don’t let an entire nation down like Jen Heil, and do us proud. But really, feel better. We feel your pain. There’s nothing to do anymore during the day. Back to real life, and maybe some classes.
Yellow toq ue Blue hood : $5 ie: $30 Grey dres s shirt: gif t Jeans: $3 0
al style? How would you describe your person Fairly laid back. I like a lot of colour. er? What do you look for in a significant oth us. neo nta Someone who is really fun and spo around I don’t like worrying about what I say someone. What’s your favourite quote? “I’m nuts like a blue cashew.” Favourite song/band: ee “Watch us explode” by Polyphonic Spr
TERRY SHAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER MICHELLE NG / SILHOUETTE STAFF
B2 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
Spreading kindness over campus Random Acts of Kindness Week sought to inspire NATALIE TIMPERIO THE SILHOUETTE
YULIN HU / THE SILHOUETTE
Even a small act of kindness like helping someone reach a high shelf can make a difference.
Nowadays, kindness can be hard to come by. However, the Student Community Support Network (SCSN) at McMaster University would say otherwise. SCSN “is a student run service aimed at expanding and strengthening positive relationships between students and various members in the local community,” as described on the MSU website. In the spirit of this guiding principle as well as World Kindness Week, SCSN hosted their second annual Random Acts of Kindness Week from Feb. 22-26. The inspiration for Random Acts of Kindness Week was drawn from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1995. The Foundation seeks to “[inspire] people to practice kindness and to ‘pass it on’ to others [by providing] free educational and community ideas [and] guidance,” as the Foundation’s website explains. Laura Stevens, SCSN Director, informed that during this event SCSN had a booth set up in the MUSC Atrium in which students were encouraged to share their stories of random acts of kindness by writing them down and then posting them on a board located at the booth itself. For doing so, students received energy efficient light bulbs as well as reusable water bottles. The purpose of Random Acts of Kindness Week is exactly as it seems, with acts of kindness varying from shovelling a neighbour’s sidewalk to something as simple as saying hi to a passer-by on the street. According to Stevens, these acts “go a long way to breaking the negative stereotype that some residents have about students. It is [also] a great way for students to get involved in the community and...inspire others.” During this time of year, “winter blues and midterm season,” as Stevens referred to it, that we often lose sight of what’s import-
ant in life. This is not to say, of course, that school isn’t important, as we are all attending this well-established institute of higher learning with some purposes, but it’s quite easy to forget about the meaningful gestures that have the potential to turn someone’s day around or to put a smile on a stranger’s face. Hagop Terzian, a third year Economics student, claimed that although he did not hear about Random Acts of Kindness Week, he felt it was still a great idea, because “[it] encourages everyone to help others. However,” he added, “I believe people should always be kind and not just during a specific week [or] once a year.” Aimée Holmes, a first year Humanities student, responded in a similar manner. “I think it’s an interesting concept and definitely has the ability to produce positive results.” Yet whether we are aware of it or not, acts of kindness really do persevere in trying times. Terzian noted his volunteer work for the Pangaea Cultural Festival this past weekend as an example of his attempt to help others. Acts of kindness, as already mentioned, can also be done on a smaller scale, as in Holmes’s case, who hasn’t done anything “too spectacular or out of the ordinary,” yet strives to be polite and considerate to those around her. Although some students were unaware of the event itself, Random Acts of Kindness Week puts forth a sincere and significant message for the student body at McMaster University. Stevens said “[SCSN] wants to remind everyone that little acts of kindness do make a difference...the goal of Random Acts of Kindness Week is to inspire an attitude of friendliness and helpfulness that hopefully continues all year.” Certainly, SCSN raises an intriguing point that is, unfortunately, often forgotten. However, let it be the little acts of kindness performed in our everyday lives that remind us that kindness is something we can find wherever we, or others, reach out.
THE SILHOUETTE • B3
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
SEX&THE STEEL CITY
Travel down to a science
Pornography’s grip on society Internet Pornography Sales:
Pornographic websites:
Illegal child pornography websites:
$4.9 billion
4.2 million
100,000
(12% of total websites)
PHYLLIS TSANG
ASSISTANT INSIDEOUT EDITOR
What do you think of a society where its pornography industry is larger than the revenues of the top technology companies (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, and Apple) combined? Every second, $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography. Every second, 28, 258 internet users are viewing pornography. Every 39 minutes, a new pornographic video is being created in the United States. Our free market society, where supply and demand determine the price of goods and services, does not always concern itself with producing moral and social goods. Carl Trueman, a history professor at Westminster Theological Seminary once aptly questioned, “Could it be that pornography is the ultimate free market industry — creative of, and driven by, an insatiable need for change to create new demands and new markets with personal solipsistic gratification as the all-consuming and ever elusive goal? There are elements of it which are symptomatic, rather than constitutive, of a much wider cultural problem and which thus require more radical cultural criticism than ‘it’s bad for women and it’s dirty,’ true and serious as these undoubtedly are.” Trueman concluded that porn addiction “becomes merely an extreme example of the general way we live today and of the worldly expectations which our culture infuses into us as natural and acceptable.” The acceptance of pornography reflects an underlying
worldview to which our society subscribes: a shared, radical individualism, which embraces “victimless crimes” like traffic violation and illicit drug use. As long as no one is hurt and/or the involving parties have reached consent, people should have the freedom to go about their business. But victimless does not equal harmless. Pornography creates unrealistic expectations. When that expectation is brought into a relationship, it can lead to a lack of dissatisfaction, a sense of betrayal, a breakdown of trust, and a loss of one’s sense of acceptability physically and sexually. A victimless crime backfired. French Philosopher Michael Foucault wondered, “How is it that in a society like ours, sexuality is not simply a means of reproducing the species, the family and the individual? Not simply a means to obtain pleasure and enjoyment? How has sexuality come to be considered the privileged place where our deepest “truth” is read and expressed?” The bottom line is, sexuality is more than the physical gratification to which pornography caters. Porn transformed sex into a liquid consumer good, satiating a much deeper need for human bonding with a short-living quick fix. The truth about pornography is the antithesis of the truth about our sexuality and relationship. The blooming industry of pornography is unlikely to stop blooming; but are pornographic images what we want to present our generation, sexuality, and humanity?
Europe on a Shoestring is a beginner traveler’s best friend
JONATHON FAIRCLOUGH / DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR
Lonely Planet’s Europe on a Shoestring is an insightful resource for budget travellers. LINDSAY JOLIVET INSIDEOUT EDITOR
With the last stretch of the schoolyear marathon coming up fast, those susceptible to the travel bug will be feeling their fevers rise. One way to start planning is to peruse the shelves for a travel guide that brings the world within reach. But more importantly, one that brings you within reach of fitting in anywhere in the world. Enter: Lonely Planet. Their sixth edition of Europe on a Shoestring: Big Trips on Small Budgets, published in October 2009, is ideal for students with limited funds and big dreams. It may not work as a pocket guide in all its 1324 page glory, but the book certainly covers all its bases. Starting with a “Snapshot” into current events, history, culture, science, food, religion, sport and environment across Europe, the book outlines general information to acquaint tourists with the continent’s state of affairs up to date. In our fairly globalized world, many probably won’t find the information in this introduction shocking. It outlines briefly how the uncertain state of economic affairs at press-time in October affected some parts of Europe, notes Kosovo’s independence from Serbia, and discusses the impact of Barack Obama’s election. In terms of time-sensitive material, some may find it worthwhile to purchase the latest edition of this guide simply because of its up-todate news and currency information. However, this information is readily available online, so the fifth edition from 2007 would be just as useful for maps and general travel tips. The introduction also outlines important historical facts and mentions world-famous individuals, notable cuisine, and of course, football. To start travellers off properly, the beginning of the book provides valuable tips for cheap flights from the U.S. and Canada and a “Get-
ting Started” guide with yet more advice about seasons and prices (and a packing guide!). The country-by-country format provides a thorough guide to visiting each European locale with everything down to phone numbers at tourist sites and the prices of main courses at specific restaurants, not to mention maps. While it may not be practical to carry this brick with you wherever you go, tearing out a few pages to make sure you know the operating hours of Slovakia’s “Pizzéria Albas” wouldn’t be a bad idea. Don’t forget to tease them about hockey while you’re there. Each country’s guide to accommodations, eating, and having fun is also prefaced with a brief history leading up to current affairs and a summary of the culture. Although, the writers tend to stereotype with statements like “Lithuanians are an outgoing, cheeky bunch.” The truth of such statements is questionable, but it might be helpful to know how others perceive each culture, at least. O t h e r helpful information includes clothing and behaviour requirements for certain tourist sites such as churches and monasteries. D e spite its tremendous amount of information, Europe on a Shoestring manages to keep its info palatable and easy to access on short notice. It provides
prices for almost everything and an estimated budget for each day spent in each country. Information is organized and reorganized into various formats to suit many purposes. A main sample itinerary for a year-long trip to the continent provides highlights for each month and the book includes sample itineraries for a number of trips that tourists could basically copy and paste into a flight schedule. This is no-excuse, we’vedone-all-the-work-for-you travel. Possibly the best part of this guide for young travellers is its money-conscious approach. Europe is not the cheapest continent to explore and every penny saved adds up—even if it only makes an extra pint once you get to Ireland. There is simply too much information in this book to recount. Its practical, honest approach and the cutesy quotes sprinkled throughout make it the perfect way to get excited about a summer abroad. TERRY SHAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
B4 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
JESSIE CHAU / SILHOUETTE STAFF
Pangaea Cultural Festival brings different cultural clubs and groups together to share artefacts, food, performances, history and clothes.
A festive experience of culture CASSANDRA JEFFERY SILHOUETTE STAFF
This past Sunday, Feb. 28, the overwhelming aroma of authentic food and bright imagery of cultural decor filled the second and third floor of McMaster’s Student Center while eager Pangaea advocates prepared for the day’s events. The eighth Annual Pangaea Cultural Festival, as committee council director Soojin Kim explained, is a chance for “different cultural groups to come together to share their artefacts, food, performances, history, and clothes.” The annual, multicultural event celebrates the diverse cultures, values, and traditions of an array of groups and clubs on campus. Tickets for the event sold at $10 in advance or $12 at the door, all profits funding the festival events and reimbursing the clubs and committees performing at Pangaea. During the day, pavilions ran from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with afternoon performances from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The evening performances were scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. However, in Canadian Spirit, a sense of national unity put the evening performances on hold as an eager crowd of volunteers, participants,
and spectators gathered around the large screen television on display in CIBC hall, third floor of MUSC to watch Canada’s gold medalist victory over U.S.A. Following Canada’s Olympic victory, the festivities resumed with over 20 original and culturally diverse performances through numerous facets such as dance, song, language, acting, and audience participation. Each group performed a unique and culturally different act representing both traditional and contemporary values. With every performance displaying a distinct cultural tradition, the event kept the audience captivated and interested. A number of clubs performed traditional dances. One of these was the McMaster Association of Serbian Students, who sported traditional outfits with more than 15 performers dancing to authentic Serbian music. Also, the McMaster Sri Lankan Association represented their culture through dance and dress, although very different from the traditional dance of Serbia, both were enticing and exotic to the audience. The Filipino McMaster Students Association received a round of applause for their performance of a dance known as Tinikling, which incorporates fast passed foot
movements with bamboo poles. The group displayed the traditional dance with an added modern twist that sent the audience into cheers. But the Filipinos were not the only group to modernize tradition. A member of McMaster Asian Focus sung a customary Korean song in traditional attire, followed by a current Korean hip-hop performance presented by three talented Asian Focus members dressed in jeans and black dress coats. Furthermore, the McMaster Japanese Connection creatively put together a fashion show, displaying a multitude of clothes, traditional and contemporary, worn throughout Japan. To conclude the performance section of the festival, the McMaster Ukrainian Students’ Association had the audience on their feet with their talented, traditional, Ukrainian dance. Throughout the day, the different pavilions interpreted multiple aspects of diverse culture; submerging spectators into the feel of being in a particular country with distinct traditions. Samantha Liang, the operations director on the Pangaea committee, discussed the incentive behind the pavilions. “If you don’t know about the culture, it’s a good way to experience it,” said she. Serving exotic, mostly home-
made delicacies such as Ukrainian Beat Soup and Palestinian Zaatar, a pita type bread with spices, as well as dressing in traditional attire were just a couple of ways the different groups displayed aspects of their respective cultures and kept guests interested. Besides the experience gained from the cultural displays, participants, including those directly involved with Pangaea, were aware not only of other cultures, but of the importance of individuals as well. Shawn Novaowski, a member of the McMaster Polish Society, commented: “In a school like this where we all come together and try to fit in with each other, it’s good to learn about other cultures and remember where your ancestors are from and how you got to where you are.” For some individuals, such as Basel Jarrad, who is a representative for the McMaster Palestinian Society, Pangaea is an experience to “learn about different cultures, making it easier for people to understand each other.” Pangaea has influenced such clubs as the McMaster Sri Lankan Association to become more actively involved, composing events for students to participate in cultural activities, such as the Sri Lankan
Association Formal being held this Friday. Whatever the reason for participating in Pangaea, cultural groups, volunteers, and guests look forward to the festival annually. The clubs involved in Pangaea look forward to expressing their culture, values, and traditions with McMaster students, and anticipate the experiences gained from submerging themselves within other cultural groups on campus. Guests have the chance to learn how diversity within McMaster is incorporated into our daily lives as students and more importantly, how to communicate with one another on a more informative and appreciative level of acceptance. The eighth annual Pangaea cultural festival was a successful event in part by its sponsors, MSU Diversity and International Student Services, the significant number of guests who attended, the talented performers and cultural clubs, and of course the enthusiastic volunteers . As Liang stated: “people get too caught up with saying we’re a distinct culture...we’re all distinct, but not together, so this event is to experience all cultures, at the same time. Pangaea means we’re all one.”
THE SILHOUETTE • B5
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
Interactive Crossword Across 1- Idle away time 5- Category 9- Autos 13- Conductor Klemperer 14- ___ New Guinea 15- It’s blown among the reeds 16- Asian sea 17- From Bern, say 18- ___ majeste 19- Lunatic 21- Aliens, for short 22- Lecherous look 23- Zwei cubed 25- Golfer Ballesteros 27- Lasting for an extended period 31- Bind with a tourniquet 35- Comics canine 36- Film ___ 38- Sherpa’s home 39- Brit. lexicon 40- Like a ___ bricks 42- Actress Peeples 43- Cram 46- Rain cats and dogs 47- Dispatched 48- Compositions 50- Star-shaped 52- Rebuff 54- Biblical birthright seller 55- Draw with acid 58- Buddy 60- Reverence 64- Actress Petty 65- Fine fur 67- Make indistinct 68- Langston Hughes poem 69- Perrier rival 70- Canadian gas brand 71- In stitches 72- Nailed obliquely 73- Spoils; Down 1- Rich soil 2- Other, in Oaxaca 3- ___ impasse 4- Leafage
Sudoku
Use your logic to fill in the boxes, rows and columns with the numbers 1-9.
1
7
9 7
5
5 3
By Sandy Chase / CUP Graphics Bureau Chief
Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com (http://www.bestcrosswords.com). Used with permission.
5- Cutting tool 6- Mayberry moppet 7- Corrodes 8- Pendent ornament 9- School 10- Busy as ___ 11- Ascended, flower 12- Clairvoyant 14- Crown of ancient Egypt 20- Perform in a play 24- Band 26- Bordeaux, e.g. 27- Unfettered 28- “Awake and Sing!” playwright 29- Nest 30- Legendary ruler of Crete 32- Sleep disorder 33- Spoil 34- Delight
37- Path 41- Add more ice? 44- Mode 45- Island of Denmark 47- Doze 49- Group that is part of a larger group 51- Philosopher ___-tzu 53- “Hooray!” 55- Some Ivy Leaguers 56- Carry 57- Black bird 59- Off-Broadway theater award 61- “______ sprach Zarathustra” 62- Sudden blast of wind 63- Archer of myth 66- Boy
Tidbits
Breadbin
Easy peasy crème brûlée 3. Slowly pour the cream into the egg mixture while stirring it so that the cream doesn’t cook the egg 4. Pour the mixture into a ramekin or an oven-safe container and leave it in the oven until it “jiggles” like jelly in the middle when you shake it (about 15-25minutes) 5. Let the Crème brûlée cool at room temperature. Once it’s warm, sprinkle the top with brown sugar and broil it in the oven. Leave it in for about 2-3minutes; you want the sugar coating to caramelize, not burn. 6. Enjoy! *Makes 2 Servings •
8
9
4
3 9
4 1 2
8 6 1
Hella Big Universe A physics student in California is appealing to the International System of Units to name the unit of measurement that represents a trillion trillions a “hella.” If he prevails, the universe officially becomes hella big. And Google’s storage will have a hella many bites.
Solution to last week’s puzzle
Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 300o F; beat together the egg yolks, white sugar and vanilla extract 2. Heat up the cream in a pot until the cream starts to steam; make sure it doesn’t solidify at the bottom of the pot
1
6
Solutions
Ingredients: 3 egg yolks 2 tbs white sugar 1 cup of heavy cream/whipping cream (unwhipped or thawed) a little bit of brown sugar a pinch of vanilla extract
3 4
5
9 7
7 2
5
9
4 1
Airey Lau, Mac Bread Bin Volunteer
3 9 1
1
4
7 9 8
5 8 7
9
5 6
3
1
4
9 1 8
6
3 4
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B6 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
THE SILHOUETTE • B7
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
SPORTS Great expectations production office: extension 27117
Marauders play host to OUA Final Four with a berth to the CIS Championship on the line
CHRISTOPHER CHANG / SILHOUETTE STAFF
Jeremy Groenveld (pictured) and the McMaster Marauders will need their attack to be at its best in order to beat Guelph, who have beat Mac in their previous two matches. The winner will play for the OUA banner.
FRASER CALDWELL SILHOUETTE STAFF
After sitting on the sidelines for the past week and watching their OUA rivals sweat through the quarterfinal round, the Marauders are finally ready to have their say in the conference playoffs. Finishing at the pinnacle of Ontario’s volleyball ranks had afforded McMaster a bye to the semi-finals and the luxury of extended training time. On Friday, the erstwhile kings of the OUA will begin their title run in earnest, hosting a team which has enjoyed surprising success against them over the course of this campaign. Having beaten the Windsor Lancers this past weekend in their quarterfinal eliminator, the Guelph Gryphons return to Burridge as conquerors. Indeed, the Gryphons have proven to be McMaster’s kryptonite this season, winning both of their previous contests in amazingly routine fashion. Guelph’s dominance has seen them take six of the seven sets that the two teams have played, with McMaster being entirely blanked on the road. Over the course of their two meetings, the Gryphons have shown an uncanny ability to stifle a Marauder attack that has confounded many better teams. In their last visit to Burridge, Guelph was led by the impeccable front court game of Andrew Bartram, who repeatedly denied the usually dominant assault of McMaster wingmen Paul Podstawka and Jeremy Groenveld. In that contest, it was McMaster’s apparent predictability on the attack which cost them dearly. As Coach Preston has acknowledged, the Marauders’ speed is a vital sign of the quality of their play. Against Guelph, McMaster was sluggish and repetitive in their offensive attempts, and this apathy translated directly to a lopsided score sheet. By contrast, in their greatest triumphs this season, such as their two titanic beatings of Queen’s, the Marauders have been quick and clinical on the offensive. In those victories, McMaster built effectively from the back line, channelling the ball to the wings with speed and allowing their fearsome front line to lay waste to the Gaels. They will need to do the same against the Gryphons if they are to play for a title on Saturday. Where McMaster should hold a significant advantage is in enjoying home court. The Marauders have proven throughout this season that they are a side which plays best when emotions run high. A boisterous Burridge audience should
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provide constant impetus in this regard. One question to consider is whether the force of expectation and the desire of a home crowd could cause nerves on the part of the Marauders, as they seemingly did for McMaster’s women’s team this past week. On that score however, the men are adamant that home support can only be positive. In speaking to the talismanic middle presence of Tyler Santoni, the all-star argued that he and the squad took great strength from the atmosphere. Said Santoni, “Personally, the crowd is a huge positive for me. I feed off the energy, emotion, and noise of the crowd and it helps me elevate my game.” Regarding the touchy topic of nervousness, Santoni replied, “I don’t see nerves being an issue for our team. We have been in this position before and we absolutely love to play in Burridge.” The added training time which McMaster gained from the bye week should be invaluable as well, allowing the Marauders to work out whatever kinks remained in their collective game. On the topic of the down time, Mac’s serial killing wingman Jeremy Groenveld commented that, “These past two weeks have been about sharpening all our skills in general, as well as taking care of our bodies with therapy and rest so we’re ready for the playoff push.” How about the problems which Guelph has caused the Marauders thus far this season? Groenveld recognized that the Gryphons posed a dangerous test for his squad, and that they had done some damage to the maroon and grey. But the all-star hitter hinted that the playoffs were an entirely different proposition, and that his squad has consistently stepped up in clutch situations. Groenveld noted, “Whenever we have been challenged and needed to win a match, we have risen to the challenge and done what was needed.” Regular season struggles aside, Groenveld believes that this weekend provides a clean slate, adding, “It’s [the] Final Four now, and all four teams have the same record, 0-0.” Regardless of the outcome, Friday’s contest will prove to be an enthralling one, and a fitting start to another big-ticket weekend at Burridge Gym. The winner will face the survivor of the marquee matchup between the Queen’s Gaels and Western Mustangs, with the OUA banner and a ticket to the CIS Championships on the line.
Mac falls to Toronto in OUA Final FRASER CALDWELL SILHOUETTE STAFF
The season could not have ended on a more heart-breaking note for the McMaster Marauders’ women’s volleyball team. After a dominant season which had seen them claim top spot in the OUA and become Ontario’s only entry in the CIS National rankings, the ladies dropped a deeply disappointing straightsets decision to the Toronto Varsity Blues in Saturday’s OUA final (2520, 25-23, 25-19). The loss sees McMaster fall painfully short of their goal of reaching the CIS national championship tournament, and brings several Marauders’ varsity careers to a bitter end. For their part, the jubilant Blues will now travel to Edmonton as Ontario’s sole representative at the CIS festivities. Saturday’s titular contest had all the makings of an epic, but proved to be nothing of the sort as the night
wore on. Where the Blues brought their best form, and maintained it throughout, the Marauders began in nervous fashion and never truly recovered. In truth, it appeared that the occasion got the best of the McMaster ladies, who were under a considerable burden of expectation as the OUA’s pace-setters. With Burridge packed and expectant, the match began tightly but would open up in Toronto’s favour after the first technical timeout. The teams were trading salvos in the opening rallies, with Larissa Puhach demonstrating her typical killer instinct with a cross court effort at 6-7. However, the Blues could only be held back for so long, and they would create what proved to be a fatal lead after a Heather Bansley smash proved too hot for Meagan Nederveen to handle. As the set progressed, it became increasingly apparent that Toronto was on a separate level from the • PLEASE SEE MARAUDERS, B10 Meagan Nederveen’s strong defensive play was not enough to claim gold versus the Toronto Varsity Blues.
RYAN JANSSEN / THE SILHOUETTE
B8 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010
THE SILHOUETTE • B9
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
MEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The toast of the OUA West Four Marauders take OUA honours Keenan Jeppesen takes Player of the Year BRIAN DECKER SPORTS EDITOR
nearly 59 per cent and averaged 13.3 points, proving a worthy finisher in the paint and taking advantage of being a prime benefactor of Smith’s passing ability. Of any players who represent the Marauders’ young core, however, none represent McMaster’s hope for the future more than Rosenkranz and Nimec, the twintower duo of rookies who showed flashes of brilliance at times this season. Both are athletic forwards with height and quickness to boot. McMaster experienced modest success this season with a 13-9 record, including an 8-2 mark at home. Two of those victories came over the CIS No. 2 Windsor Lancers and the Western Mustangs, who duked it out Wednesday night for the OUA West title. Windsor prevailed 66-61, punching their ticket to the CIS Tournament. Still, if McMaster wants to move on to becoming a contender, they will have to learn to deal with adversity. Mac struggled on the road coming into the playoffs, going just 5-7 away from home and dropping six of their final seven. That includes a 72-66 loss to Brock last week which ended their OUA season and left them looking to the CIS Tournament as the campaign’s final destination. Mac’s home record suggests they may give teams a run for their money next weekend. Whether they do or not, it will be the final game for one of Mac’s greatest. And if their All-Star supporting cast has learned anything all season, it’s that that game will represent one last chance to learn something from a great leader and lead the team as it grows in future years.
After McMaster hosts the CIS Tournament next weekend, the Marauders will see one of the greatest players in team history leave the court for the final time. Fortunately, there will be plenty of All-Stars to take Taylor Smith’s place and fill the void she leaves. The OUA West All-Star teams were announced on Tuesday, with McMaster players making four appearances. Smith led the way and was named a First Team All-Star after a season that saw her become Mac’s all-time leading scorer. Third year forward Taylor Chiarot was named a Second Team All-Star, while Jaklynn Nimec and Nicole Rosenkranz were named to the AllRookie squad. Smith, a standout point guard from St. Thomas More, passed Chiara Rocca’s record of 1192 points on Feb. 3, and averaged career bests of 14.2 points and 7.2 assists per game, the latter of which led the CIS. She will play her final game in a Marauder uniform sometime next weekend when the Burridge Gym hosts Canada’s national tournament. The multitude of Marauders to receive postseason honours underlines a young, growing team on Keenan Jeppesen was named OUA West Player of the Year after averaging 19.7 points and 8.6 rebounds. the heels of a modestly successful season. While Smith may be gone after the season, McMaster has a BRIAN DECKER shoulder injury, faced many ques- of the Year. tions marks coming into this season. McMaster guard Victor Raso young core of talented players who SPORTS EDITOR That all changed when Jeppesen de- was named to the All-Rookie team had a lot to learn from the veteran Keenan Jeppesen’s career didn’t cided upon hometown McMaster to after a campaign that saw him point guard. end the way he wanted. While he sat pursue graduate studies. become one of the most depend- Chiarot may have learned as on the bench with a knee injury, his The forward was the catalyst able performers in the Marauder much from Smith as any Marauder. Marauders fell in a first round OUA of the Marauder offence, playing lineup. Always one of the most The third year forward led the conplayoff match up to the Waterloo a point-forward and serving as the well-prepared and vocal players on ference in field goal percentage at Warriors last week. But although number one option on any play. the court, Raso played beyond his McMaster is done for the season, Though he preferred to play on the years towards the end of the season Jeppesen is still going out on top of wing, as was the case at Brown and and proved his worth as a theethe OUA West. Western, Jeppesen adjusted to play- point marksman, shooting over 43 TAYLOR SMITH - FIRST TEAM ALL-STAR The Stoney Creek native was ing the post in the size-deprived per cent from beyond the arc for the TAYLOR CHIAROT - SECOND TEAM ALL-STAR named OUA West Player of the Marauder lineup. season. Year on Wednesday, providing a Head Coach Joe Raso called the The conference final will take NICOLE ROSENKRANZ - ALL-ROOKIE TEAM bittersweet ending to his collegiate forward “the most versatile player place this weekend when the Lakebasketball career. Jeppesen aver- I’ve ever coached,” praising his head Thunderwolves take on the JAKLYNN NIMEC - ALL-ROOKIE TEAM aged 19.7 points and 8.6 rebounds ability to pass the ball out of the Windsor Lancers on Saturday night. KEENAN JEPPESEN - PLAYER OF THE YEAR, FIRST TEAM ALL-STAR on the way to leading the Marauders post and improve his teammates. The winner of that game will take to a 14-8 record, good for third in Jeppesen went down for the on the victor of an Ottawa-Carleton VICTOR RASO - ALL-ROOKIE TEAM the division. The 6’7” forward also season with a knee injury on Feb. grudge match in the nation’s capital. averaged nearly three assists per 10, ironically in London in his firstgame while leading the division in ever game against the Mustangs. steals per game at 2.4. Raso said he would have been avail Jeppesen came to the Maraud- able to return to action this weekend ers for his fifth and final season of if the Marauders had managed two eligibility after two seasons in the playoff victories and made it to the NCAA with the Brown University OUA West final. That dream died Bears and two more with the West- when Waterloo rallied for a victory ern Mustangs. His arrival immedi- at the Burridge Gym last week. ately transformed the Marauders The veteran forward was also from rebuilding youngsters into title named to the OUA West All-Star contenders. team, along with Isaac Kuon of McMaster finished the 2008- Windsor, Andy Wedemire of West2009 campaign a respectable 13-9, ern, Jamie Searle of Lakehead but with All-Star centre Mouctar and Clinton Springer-Williams of Diaby lost for the season with a Brock, who was also named Rookie PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK
MAC BASKETBALL ALL-STARS
B10 • THE SILHOUETTE TRACK & FIELD
OUA Bronze for McMaster
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Marauders come up short
Team earns CIS berth BEN ORR
SILHOUETTE STAFF
After a promising month of February, the McMaster track and field team headed to Toronto to close out the month at the OUA Championships. Held at York University, the meet was highlighted by the performance from the women’s 4x800m relay team. On the weekend, the team of Lisa Giles, Jillian Wyman, Sarah Haliburton and Katie Anderson captured bronze in the 4x800m relay, with a time of 9:13.98. The performance earns the team a berth in the CIS Championships. The men’s 4x800m relay team comprised of Jeremy Walsh, Robertson Gibb, Andrew Douglas, and Noah Fleming missed duplicating the women’s performance by 1.1 seconds, finishing in fourth with a time of 7:49.94. In the shorter distances, the promising men’s 4x400m relay team of Matt Pawelke, James Harrington, Noah Fleming and Jimmy Tat, ran to a sixth place finish. They won their section with a time of 3:24.63. On the women’s side, the 4x200m team of Jessica Tat, Dana Hislop, Morgan Van Mierlo and Latisha Rhooms set a Marauder record finishing sixth. In the women’s 1500m, McMaster captured fifth and sixth spot, with Wyman and Anderson running characteristically strong races. The top individual finisher for the men was Fleming, who ran to a 12th place finish in the 600m. In the team category, the Windsor Lancers captured both the men’s and women’s titles. The win marks the 12th OUA crown in a row for the men and the fifth in the past six years for the women. The Marauder women finished tied for seventh while the men finished ninth. Next up for the Marauders’ track team is the CIS Championships, which will be hosted by Windsor beginning Mar. 11.
RYAN JANSSEN / THE SILHOUETTEE
McMaster’s Kaila Janssen (left) and Geneveive Dumas (right) couldn’t stop the Varsity Blues at the net in the OUA Championship game. • CONT’D FROM B7 host team, who were struggling to compete in nearly every facet of the game. By the second technical timeout, the lead had increased to five, and the Blues gave no sign of slipping. Despite a late comeback attempt, which saw Mac climb to within three after sophomore middle Shannon McRobert killed well down the center, there would be no stopping Toronto. After the Blues killed off of Marauder fingertips to bring the set to the brink, the Marauders gave it away when a miscommunication lead to a harmless Toronto lob landing inbounds. The second stanza began in disaster for the hosts, who surrendered the first six points and looked completely out of sorts. However, aided by a combination of Toronto errors and brilliant shot-making, the Marauders managed to level the set at eight. After Jennifer Holt produced perhaps the play
of the year, an astounding tip which landed just inside the back corner, the ever-present Puhach smashed off the block to complete the comeback. After squandering this resurgence, McMaster would engineer another similar recovery in the late stages before being edged by the slightest of margins. Toronto had led ominously mid-set, but a net violation on the part of the visitors levelled things at 19, before Shannon McRobert actually managed to give the home side the lead with a signature put-back down the middle. Unfortunately, in a virtually suddendeath scenario at the set’s conclusion, it was McMaster that would blink first and put themselves in a world of trouble. The Marauders appeared nervous, and after a shaky dig from Kailee Stock, Kaila Janssen would fire long to seal the set for the Blues. Despite having a considerable mountain to climb, McMaster began the third set in their best form of the night, taking an encouraging early lead. After a stylish cross court swing from Sarah Kiernan, the Blues would dump an attack and call time, trailing by three. Unfortunately, the Marauders once again proved unable to capitalize on their momentary gains. Soon enough, mistakes were taking over the hosts’ game, with Janssen and Lauren Skelly both misjudging digs. Mac would keep it close into mid-set, with Janssen producing consecutive kills to
maintain hope among the Burridge faithful. When Kiernan and Holt combined for an emphatic block to tie the set at 17, the hometown audience erupted, anticipating a long overdue momentum swing. But it was not to be, and Toronto would fatally pull away in the late stages. The Blues’ hitters had found their stride, and three consecutive kills saw them within two points of the championship. Holt would produce one last bit of flair for the Marauders, with an impressive solo block which only delayed the inevitable. On the next point, Toronto found the far corner with a drilled effort and the match was theirs. The favoured hosts could only look on in disbelief as their opponents celebrated an OUA title, and the right to represent the division in the CIS championships. For her valiant all-around effort, which included 25 assists and 12 digs, graduating all-star Jennifer Holt was named the Marauders’ player of the game in what was her last outing for the squad. The result will be a bitter pill to swallow for Holt and her fellow graduates, who had high hopes of leaving their varsity careers on a winning note. However, the team should be very proud of their season, one which they utterly dominated for long periods. If nothing else, the campaign serves as a promising sign of things to come, and provides the Marauders’ returnees with invaluable playoff experience.
THE SILHOUETTE • B11
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
Olympics give us reason to be proud Highlights from Vancouver DAVID KOOTS
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
PHOTO C/O JEFFREY BAKER
Alexandre Bilodeau (pictured) won Canada’s first gold medal at the Olympic Games in the moguls event.
Robson Square. Vancouver’s ground zero of Canada’s Olympic experience and a crowd numbering in the thousands has gathered. Half an hour earlier, Canada’s men’s hockey team had opened the 2010 Olympic tournament with an 8-0 drubbing of Norway, a sign of good things to come. The crowd is dressed in red and white, with hundreds of Canadian flags scattered throughout. Suddenly, the crowd begins a chant of “We want the gold! We want the gold!” which is followed shortly by the crowd breaking into “O Canada.” This was the scene that greeted me on my second night at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. I could only smile as I worked my way through the crowd towards Canada Hockey Place, where I had a ticket for the Russia vs. Latvia game. Vancouver was awash in Olympic fever. I’ve been to a number of large sporting events, some with equally large crowds, but none of these were anything like the crowds I saw in Vancouver. The raw excitement was familiar, but the unity and sheer joy was pumped up to a level I had never before seen. You could not walk along the street without seeing fans in Canadian hockey jerseys or Canadian Olympic gear. Day or night, the crowd was out and dressed in support of Canada. Fans supporting foreign nations were common, but were drowned out by the sheer number of Canadian supporters. I would hazard a guess that a third of the fans at the Russia-Latvia game were true Russians, but even so the most common jersey in the crowd was that of team Canada’s. What was especially impressive was the way in which the crowd acted. A lot of times a huge crowd will let the mob mentality take over and so I would have expected friction, disorder and heckling towards opposing nations. But this was not the case, as international fans, whether they were supporting Russia, the USA, Germany or any of the other participation countries, were treated with respect and greeted in friendship. And then there were the police. Anytime you have a crowd this big being watched over by so many police officers, it is normal to expect some tension. The last time I saw so many officers at one time was when I went to visit friends during Queen’s Homecoming. In Kingston, it felt like at any time the crowd would get out of control and the police would instantly step in and so I felt watched, not protected.
But here in Vancouver the police were equally caught up in the Olympic spirit, exchanging cheerful conversation with the equally cheerful crowd. As I was leaving my second hockey game, one of the police on duty asked me about the final score, and so we got to chatting not only about the game but the Olympics as a whole. He told me he has never given so many high fives in such a short period of time. I only wish the entire country could have experienced the joy felt in the crowds in Vancouver. I also wish we could bottle up this feeling that the Vancouver Olympics have given Canada. National pride is near an all-time high and it is difficult to not smile when thinking back on Canada’s recent athletic achievements, which is all very impressive for a country with a global reputation of self-depreciation. The crown jewel of the entire event was Canada’s men’s hockey gold on Sunday. The game had an average audience of 16.6 million Canadians, while over eighty per cent of the country watched at least part of the game. This is almost twice the number of people who voted in the 2008 federal election! Here in Hamilton, the streets were barren during the game while after, car horns, flash mobs and screaming fans were a common scene. But this amazing feeling that most of us have will steadily die down as we get further and further from the Olympics. Canada will once again question whether it is prudent to invest so much money while there is inadequate funding addressing serious social problems. For my part, I feel that the money spent on the Games is justified. Every once in a while it is alright to feel good and have a fun time. Six billion dollars (or whatever the final costs of the Olympics may be) would have done a lot of good, but it would not have come close to solving all of Canada’s problems. Instead of making a small dent in our country’s social problems, we chose to invest in national pride and contentment, something that can be enjoyed by most of Canada’s 33 million citizens. From Robson Square to Westdale, Hamilton, the Olympics let us know it is alright to cheer for Canada, to be proud of where we come from and where we are going. We are a proud nation that has much to celebrate, and the Olympics, especially when hosted at home, are one of the very best ways of channelling this pride. All I can ask is simply ‘when will the Olympics be back to Canada?’ Because when they are, I know I would not miss out on it for anything in the world.
B12 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
HEALTH
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in partnership with SHEC
Food can be deadly due to allergies In the past decade, allergies have increased drastically in North America LAURA MCGHIE SILHOUETTE STAFF
McMaster student Kayla Gilchrist knows only too well about the serious risks associated with allergies. This fourth year Political Science major has been allergic to nuts and eggs her whole life. Now, at age 24, she is both soy and lactose intolerant, suffers from celiac disease and has “a host of environmental allergies.” Although transitioning to university was hard, she made it work by opting not to live in residence and being smart about what she ate on campus. “[In first year] I ate only things that were safe for me,” Gilchrist explained. “I would have liked to eat sandwiches, or from the salad bar, but I was afraid the egg salad had not been separated.” Cross-contamination has always been a concern, so now, in her fourth year, she makes food at home and eats only rice on campus. Although Gilchrist’s situation may be extreme, she is not alone in her struggle against allergies. Health Canada estimates that three per cent of adults and six per cent of school-aged children have food allergies. While this percentage may seem unrealistic, those with severe allergies, like Gilchrist, make up only a tiny portion of the population. Every year allergies cause approximately 30,000 cases of anaphylaxis, 2,000 hospitalizations and 150 deaths in North America. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, allergies cost the United States ap-
proximately $7 billion dollars every year and the prevalence of allergies appears to be on the rise. In 1997, approximately one in every 29 children had some form of food allergy. Today, that number has risen to approximately 1 in every 26. No one completely understands why this incidence rate is rising, but a leading argument suggests that the highly sterilized world in which children now play is making their immune systems more susceptible to environmental allergens, causing an increase in allergic reactions. Allergies are relatively easy to test for. Two allergy tests are currently used in Canada. The first is a skin test, which involves pricking a person, placing a sample allergen on the exposed skin and then measuring the reaction against controls. The second method, known as RAST, measures specific allergic antibodies in a person’s blood. The efficacy of this blood test has improved in recent years, but the number of allergens RAST tests for remains limited. In both cases a positive test does not necessarily indicate that a person will react badly to a certain allergen. While someone may test positively during an allergy test using dog dander, he or she may not notice any negative effects while in the presence of the family’s golden retriever. Similarly, a person may have multiple positive tests for food allergies, but will be able to eat these foods without any problems. There are currently no known cures for food allergies. Consequently, avoidance is the key to
JONATHON FAIRCLOUGH / SILHOUETTE STAFF
Depending on their severity, allergies can cause anaphylaxis, making it difficult for individuals to breathe. preventing a reaction. In Canada there are nine priority food allergens, which account for nearly 90 per cent of all food-allergy reactions: peanuts, sesame seeds, tree nuts, eggs, cow’s milk, fish (including shellfish), soybeans, sulphites and wheat. If a severe reaction does occur, a person may require an injection of epinephrine. Generally, people with known food allergies carry these injections, often called Epi-pens, in case of an emergency.
Health Canada advises people to always wear a MedicAlert identifier specifying one’s allergies in case of an accident. Most eating venues at McMaster, save the Tim Horton’s, are peanut-free. For people with additional concerns, special eating arrangements can be made upon consultation with University staff. Still, one can never be too safe and often developing an allergy-friendly lifestyle simply takes time.
When asked what advice she’d pass on to other students, Gilchrist stresses vigilance. “You obviously need to take precautions. Educate your family and friends about your allergies and tell them what they can do to keep you safe.” Currently living off-campus with friends, Gilchrist relies on other people to take small but important safety measures. “My housemates are careful not to leave the peanut butter knife lying around,” she joked.
Meat should not be eaten in excess
our bodies in functioning condition. Furthermore, iron, a vital nutrient for the cardiovascular system, is Animal products provide many es- best obtained through meals that insential elements of our diet. Meat is clude red meat. Though delicious, if high in protein, an important sub- meat is consumed to excess, it can stance to consume, as our bodies have harmful effects on our health. break down the protein in order to In short, there could be serious conbuild our own muscles and keep sequences to having one too many JENI YOUNG
THE SILHOUETTE
Willy Dogs or cheeseburgers. Unlike in plant derivatives, all animal products contain cholesterol. Our liver is able to synthesize all the cholesterol it needs (about 300 mg a day) and this organic method is a healthier way of obtaining the substance than people’s diets that often contain too much animal fat. These
JONATHON FAIRCLOUGH / SILHOUETTE STAFF
When our bodies breakdown meat, toxins are released that can harm our health.
excessive dietary fats can lead to many health problems such as obesity, atherosclerosis, and even hormonal imbalance and impotence. Cholesterol itself is important for our bodies to work properly, but we must be careful not to eat too much of it. Many diets emphasize meat and label carbohydrates as villainous. However, dietary amino acids cannot be stored in the body, so they get broken down and flushed out in our urine. In general, amino acids cause a net movement of water into our urine, which we end up peeing out. The weight loss seen in meatdiets is generally just water weight, and is in no means long-term. Furthermore, calcium can also be excreted alongside the amino acids, as acidic protein residues remove calcium from our bones. Our bodies then see this calcium as a waste product, and it is excreted from our bodies through urine. Carnivores’ intestines are incredibly short because their bodies know that when eating an all-meat diet, the peptides will get broken down into toxins that need to be excreted quickly before they damage the intestines. Humans, as animals that eat both meat and plant substances, have rather long intestines (comparable to that of any grazing animal) and whenever we eat meat, the metabolic by-products get stuck
in our intestines for days, breaking down into carcinogens. Carcinogens are substances that have a cancerous effect, so an extreme excess of meat is not the healthiest dietary choice. Like meat, dairy animal products also have their benefits and drawbacks. Calcium is an essential mineral for building our bones and ensuring proper muscle function, but recent studies have shown that milk is consumed at such high levels in the Western diet that excess milk calcium can actually deposit in certain soft tissues like the aorta, making it more difficult for our arteries to pump blood. Many people are also lactose intolerant, meaning their digestive systems are unable to break down milk products to release their nutrients. However, lactose intolerant individuals need not fear they will be lacking important nutrients; soy milk – a delicious and nutritious alternative – contains no cholesterol, and is high in isoflavones, which have been shown to protect our bones from losing calcium as we age. We should start implementing proper nutrition into our diets today. The build-up of meat toxins in our bodies is reversible at any time simply by reducing the animal products in our diets. Making these small changes now will lead to long-term health benefits in the future.
THE SILHOUETTE • C1
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
BUSINESS
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business@thesil.ca
The crude truth.
Tapping into new extraction technologies in the Albertan Oil Sands Simon Granat Business Editor
“The fact is, by itself, the oil sands is worthless. It has no value… other than the value we create,” remarked Kirk Bailey executive Vice President of Oil Sands for Suncor in a speech made to the Professional Association of Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicts of Alberta on Jan. 15, 2009. If Bailey is right, then Suncor could potentially be the most important corporation in Canada and to our economy. Suncor, Shell and Husky are the three biggest oil companies in Alberta. On Feb. 11, 2010, Suncor produced approximately 156,000 barrels of oil per day for January of this year. In comparison according to the Government of Alberta, the province as a whole averaged approximately 503,000 barrels of oil per day for 2008. According to the Government of Alberta, the Albertan Oil Sands are one of the largest oil deposits in the world, second only to Saudi Arabia. The province has an estimated 173 billion barrels of oil recoverable in the oil sands. This area is approximately 500 square kilometres, or about the size of Florida. “Canadians stand to benefit in a variety of ways through increased jobs, government tax revenues and royalties as well as investments in the communities where we operate. And that’s no small thing,” said Bailey who predicts that Suncor will generate over $1.7 trillion for the Canadian economy in the next 25 years. • PLEASE SEE ALBERTA, C2
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AVA DIDEBAN / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
When gambling has lost its lustre
As we crawl out of the recession and back into the market, did you learn you any lessons? Michael Cardillo The Silhouette
Recent economic events of the past year and half have been some of the most turbulent in modern economic history. Promiscuous lending policies in the United States and Europe led to a massive housing bubble in America that eventually burst, leading to stock market devaluations and more importantly systemic joblessness. Bank bailouts and golden parachutes were the new reality and the worst part about all this was that the average panic stricken retail investor or debt ridden student had no idea what was truly going on.
Our colleagues, siblings and even parents were loosing their jobs. We quickly learned to be thrifty with our cash and finally understood the value of stashing away some coin. Eventually, the worst of the recession passed. Recently, credit has begun to flow again and stock indices have returned to near pre recession levels. Fraudsters like disgraced financier Bernie Madoff have been exposed for who they are and their escapades exhibited for the world to see. It may be difficult to relate to any of what has gone on in New York and Washington, since most of us are occupied with our studies,
but the lessons learned from those who lost their shirts on Wall Street can serve us well here on Main Street West. Recent events may have prompted you to save some extra money, cut back on using your credit card or perhaps you may be thinking about investing some of your earnings. While solidifying your financial independence, it is important to consult with those around you, who you feel comfortable with. Those people who you feel are responsible with their money. This can be as easy as talking with friends about how they spend their money. Casual social banter can make you feel more at
ease, and reassure you that others share your anxieties. Talking to your parents about money may be uneasy at first, but seeking their counsel is a very wise decision because you can be certain they have your best interests in mind. For a more focused approach you may choose to speak to a financial adviser or financial planner at your local bank branch. Leaving your comfort zone and speaking to a complete stranger about your finances will be hard at first. The key to success is to go in with a plan or a set of questions. This will help make sure you stay on track and keep your inter-
ests in mind while talking to the bank. An unscrupulous banker may take advantage if you go in unprepared. They may try to sell you investments or accounts that may be of no use to you. Although the bank may advertise honesty and integrity, a potential sales commission is never far from a banker’s mind. At the end of the day you have to be comfortable with the decisions you have made. Impartial, practical, and time tested advice is often your best bet. And Remember, if you are not 100 per cent sure about a decision, walk away and reflect on it some more.
C2 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
around the globe
Raging bull
India
Recently Apple has dubbed itself the be all-end all when it comes to social responsibility. The technology giant began censoring racy applications and removing some of them from the app store. But last time I checked, Apple was not Big Brother and I did not tell him to take away my beloved applications. Removing sexually explicit content has been seen by some analysts as a move to clean up their image before they venture into a younger market. Considering Apple has dropped applications from smaller developers, but has not changed apps from Playboy and Sports Illustrated. Double standard? I think so. Apple’s moral ascent may be short lived, mainly because of all the money they could potentially loose from dropping these developers. On the Go Girls, is a California developer who specializes in making sexy apps. According to a recent Financial Post article, the 60 applications offered by On the Go Girls have been downloaded over 3 million times by iPhone and iPod Touch users.
India’s Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is facing a lack of support from law makers within the country surrounding foreign investment in India. There is currently legislation within the country barring insurers from investing in the country. India currently only has $20 billion of foreign investment active within the country as of 2009; this is small compared to China’s $68 billion in outside investments.
Qatar SolarWorld AG, has entered a joint venture with Qatar Solar Technologies located in the Persian Gulf. The company will begin producing silicon for solar energy panels, feeding an up a coming market for solar energy in the Middle East. This location for the silicon manufacturing facility was done to capitalize on the abundance of cheap natural gas, infrastructure, and chemicals. The construction is set at a cost of $500 million and will start production in 2012.
Australia Tatts Group Ltd. (ASX: TTS), Australia’s third largest lottery company bought New South Wales Lottery Corp. for $850 million (A). This will add over $120 million in added earning for Tatts by 2014. The total amount that will be paid out to the state government will be $1.01 billion. This is the largest acquisition since New South Wales paid over $530 million for another lottery company Golden Casket in 2007.
Japan Unemployment in Japan fell amid skeptical economic forecasts to 4.9 per cent, from 5.2 per cent in December. Tuesday Japan saw their stagnated economy increase in spending and a massive influx of new jobs added this year. Japan added over 540,000 jobs in January and expects business to hire more university graduates. Japan is faring better than its European and American counterparts who are still battling high unemployment despite their efforts.
However this large opportunity will pass by Apple if they do not re-consider their options as to what they can really gain from basically selling sex and waving goodbye to future profits. Why will this be the case? Well if Apple is trying to shift its focus more into the educational sphere while limiting the sexy applications, they are still missing out on an entire market that can make them money. This is a scenario where they can have their cake and eat it too. Apple would have to put other measures in place, like parental controls, to distance themselves from the apps, while still providing them to the public. They can reap the benefits from the new market they are moving into as well as embracing the sexy apps. Apple will not just axe sexually explicit applications they are also pushing providers to limit the use of other types of offensive content. This not only puts further restrictions on what developers can create and sell, it limits our options as consumers. For example, as much as an older audience would not find an app that spews flatulence as
its main and only function entertaining, there are probably millions of teenage boys just waiting to embarrass someone in the mall with it. Again, another opportunity wasted. Large developers like On the Go Girls may choose other avenues to market their products after they are unexpectedly dropped from Apple. There are plenty of opportunities with other upcoming players in the tech market willing to embrace the eclectic app developers that Apple has so clumsily thrown away. Unlike Apple, the new Android software that will drive the upcoming Google phone, the Nexus One, developers will be given more latitude because of the open source nature of the program. Giving developers more discretion may give them an incentive to go to Google. As much as we all love Apple, the cracks are starting to show in this company made of steel and they may be hurting themselves in the end if they do not embrace the racy and vulgar app market. Because if they don’t, someone else will. • Santino Marinucci
Smaller is better
Microfinance, and its impact in developing markets Andrew Vrana The Silhouette
The world’s largest financial institutions are recognizing, one by one, that their future lies in the hands of emerging economies. In order to adapt to the changing currents of an evolving economy, these institutions will have to reorient themselves dramatically. This will involve more than shifting operations to the developing world; however to truly take advantage of this opportunity banks may need to change their entire business model. The future of big finance is small. The recent knighting of Fazle Hasan Abed, the first Bangladeshi to receive the honour since 1947, is an important bell-weather of these changing times. Mr. Abed is the founder and Chair of BRAC, the Bangladesh Rural Assistance Committee, the largest and fastest-growing non-governmental organization (NGO) in the world. While BRAC engages in a number of activities in both Bangladesh and abroad (the organization runs a university, packaging factories, and tea plantations among other things), its principle business is microfinance. While the provision of financial products to people is usually not deemed creditworthy, microfinance has caught on in a big way in
recent years. Since it was founded in 1970, BRAC has grown to disburse over $1 billion a year in microloans, doing more to help lift Bangladesh out of poverty than any other organization- including the government. While a plethora of other NGOs are engaged in microfinance, the businesslike attitude of BRAC (its operations are 80 per cent self-funded) has piqued the interest of entrepreneurs and financial institutions from around the world. It is the enormous potential for growth in microfinance which attracts both philanthropists and capitalists. With the prospect of charging interest rates of nearly 100 per cent per year has prompted the incorporation of a number of for-profit microfinance institutions, raising howls of condemnation from critics, including Nobel Prize winner Mohammed Yunus, another Bangladeshi microfinancier. When one such institution, CompartamosBanco in Mexico listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange in April 2007, raising approximately $1 billion in investor capital, the outrage was greater than ever. Compartamos, Mr. Yunus argued, would sacrifice the original intentions of microfinance- sustainable development. However, as the Mexican firm pointed out in an open letter several months
later, Mr. Yunus’ argument does not consider a number of facts. For one, its customers approach the bank voluntarily. Second, most of their loans are used for expanding small businesses, and are largely repaid on time, despite high interest rates. Third, Compartamos has used the high interest rates to expand furiously, achieving economies of scale which have allowed it to lower the interest it charges by more than a third. Finally, Compartamos’ customers tend to fall into an income category above that which is typically serviced by non-profit microfinance organizations, yet still considered un-creditworthy by ordinary financial institutions. The recent entry of finance heavyweights like London, England-based banks Barclays and Standard Chartered- both with significant experience in the developing world- into the microfinance business marks a shift in both mainstream finance and microfinance. The convergence of these two parallel, yet vastly different industries have the potential to change both finance and development. Whether banking executives in New York and London will seize this opportunity to redeem themselves or if it will continue to be business as usual remains to be seen.
Alberta’s black gold could be in the technology that extracts it • CONT’D FROM C1 Of this economic activity, Bailey stated that 54 cents on the Suncor dollar is paid back to the Albertan and Canadian governments in the form of taxes and royalties. Over the same period, the amount is estimated to total at least $306 billion. It is only in the past decade that oil has become the true lifeblood of the Canadian economy. This is because the Alberta Oil Sands are primarily composed of heavy oil. Heavy oil is thicker, is more difficult to refine and more costly to extract than its counterpart light, sweet crude. The composition of the oil sands has pushed the three sisters of Albertan oil to invest in new extraction technology. Currently, of all the oil extracted in Alberta, 80 per cent is removed through in-situ production methods. In-situ extraction is used to extract bitumen, a form of heavy oil. It is thick and difficult to process. The difficulty of extraction facing companies such as Suncor underscores the need for cheaper, more efficient oil extraction methods. The current method used by many producers is Cyclic Steam Simulation and Steam Assisted Gravity Damage (SAGD). These methods use steam to liquefy the hydrocarbons, which allows them to freely
flow from their suspension in the ground. The difference in many of the extraction processes is in the efficiency, with SAGD allowing for a more efficient extraction than Cyclic Steam. The still experimental Vapour Extraction Process (VAPEX) uses liquefied ethane or butane to release the oil. Since VAPEX processes use petrol based solvents, they do not pollute the oil reservoir. They also use less energy and water than steam methods. “In in-situ operations, technologies such as using recyclable solvents instead of heat or controlled underground combustion hold the potential to reduce natural gas use and associated greenhouse gases,” said Bailey. According to Bailey, innovative technology will also make Suncor more competitive in the market. “The best thing we can do to remain competitive in the long run is to focus on the variables we can control. We must maximize every possible efficiency through solid operating practices and project management; and we must continue the push to apply new technologies that will improve our productivity and reduce our overheads”. For oil producers like Suncor, Shell and Husky the only thing more valuable than liquid gold is the technology that extracts it.
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THE SILHOUETTE • C3
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
executive silhouettes
Behind the scenes of Hamilton Entertainment CEO of HECFI talks what it takes to get ahead without a business degree Simon Granat Business Editor
Duncan Gillespie is proof that good business doesn’t always require an MBA. Gillespie is the current Chief Executive Officer of Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Incorporated. HECFI is the organization responsible for Hamilton’s major entertainment scene at Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Place and the Hamilton Convention Centre. Gillespie graduated from McMaster 1976 with a BA in psychology. After Gillespie graduated he decided to attend teachers college despite being warned not to. “After that [my degree] I was counselled not to go to teacher’s college, even though that’s what I wanted to do. So I went and then when I graduated I realized why I was counselled not to go into teaching because there were no teaching jobs. The year that I graduated teacher’s college the Hamilton Board of Education hired one teacher. There was just no turn over then,” Gillespie said. “Given my experience coming out I was a qualified teacher. I had the teaching certificate, I had the special education certificate, and I graduated from a specialized program. I had great marks, I’m coming out saying, “I am going to save the world,” but there were no jobs.” Instead of moving to Baffin Island for a teaching job, Gillespie, “turned around and did something else.” He worked for the John Howard Society, a not for profit social service association. Gillespie worked with children who were having difficulty with school, “I was the liaison for these kids and regular school.” Gillespie stayed with the John Howard Society, and eventually became the Chief Executive Officer. There, outside of the classroom and in the workforce, is where he received a substantial business education. “As a manager, senior manager, CEO of a not for profit organization I would go to seminars with business people to learn finance, budgeting, marketing and all kinds of other things, and it came clear to me pretty quickly that I run my organization on an absolute shoestring.” Money was tight in the not for profit sector, and for Gillespie that gave him a unique perspective on business. “When you run an organization on the not for profit organization, if you run it well, you learn how to be a good businessman very quick because you have no money.” “I was sitting there in these seminars with these people who are making huge mistakes saying, you know it was a learning experience. If I made that kind of mistake, my organization would go belly up and people would be out of work and the clients that I service would no longer be serviced. I can’t afford to make those kinds of mistakes,” Gillespie said. For Gillespie, the downside to running a not for profit organization is that it tends to mean that executives in that field are less willing to take risks, simply because there is no room for error in the organization’s budget. He did not graduate with a business degree, and despite taking some business classes Gillespie had to adjust and learn as he moved from a not-for-profit
business to take the helm of a for-profit venture. When he did inherit the reins at HECFI, Gillespie had to learn to take risks. “I had to learn to be a little more willing, to be blunt; to lose money on a venture because I had to. I could gamble, for lack of a better term. The schooling that I got in managing and running a not for profit organization was invaluable. You get to be very good, very quickly.” When hiring employees, Gillespie looks for people who can apply prior knowledge in a flexible and creative way. “Technical skills are valuable, and it is good to have them, but they can be learned. Knowing how to apply skills is far more important than having the skills. So having knowledge isn’t important, it’s using information. For this CEO, it is also important to find someone who is a risk taker, because for him that is someone who is going to propel the company ahead in the future. “I encourage risk in this organization because you don’t move ahead if you’re not taking risks. If you’re not taking risks then you’re not going to fail. If you’re failing that means you’re taking risks. It means you’re doing well.” For students in particular, it is important to learn hard work and diligence before setting foot in the workforce. “You need to lower your expectations, and not assume that you are going to come out with BAs, or MBAs and walk into senior management jobs right away because, we [my generation] still has them and we’re not giving them up. We all thought that we would be retired by now, but we all had our rug pulled out from under us,” Gillespie said. For Gillespie the degree is a prerequisite. The key to getting jobs is for potential hires whether they are students, or seniors to show the employer what that employee can bring to the table. “The degree in and of itself will get you a look in, but what will get you jobs and careers is your job to demonstrate how you can, improve, how you can benefit an organization.”
Bear:
American International Group (NYSE:AIG) Banks can’t make money all the time, right? Even though the American economic train may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, AIG might be riding the tail end. On Feb. 26, 2010, the bank reported losses of $8.9 billion (US) for Q4, 2009. While this number is an improvement over their $38.5 billion loss in Q4 for a year prior, this year’s loss was still greater than analysts had expected. After the report was released share prices fell from $27.51 per common share on close Feb. 25, to close at $24.77 at the end of trading on Feb. 26, 2010. This 9.96 per cent drop just means that AIG’s ride became just a little more bumpy.
the water cooler
Compiled by Santino Marinucci
$1 billion target set for Microsoft Stephen Elop, head of Microsoft’s (NYSE: MSFT) business division is expecting to see sales of over $1 billion for their web based office program within the next 3 to 5 years. Microsoft believes that the sales of web based programs will jump in the near future. Microsoft plans on implementing these web-based versions of the Office and Microsoft email software to directly compete with Google Inc. (NYSE: GOOG) who already has similar products online. Google’s experimental band network
broad-
Google (NYSE: GOOG) has announced that it will spend a large undisclosed sum of money on an experimental broadband network that they say will revolutionize high speed internet. Google says that this test project will reach speeds of up to 1 gigabits a second, 20 times faster than the fastest internet provided right now. The project includes building a fibre optic network that goes directly to the consumer’s homes. Gatorade drops Tiger Gatorade (NYSE: PEP) has officially dropped Tiger’s endorsement deal, a spokesperson from the energy drink company announced. This was done amid the sex-scandal that has surrounded Woods in the past couple months. Other sponsors like Nike (NYSE: NKE) have announced that they will stick by Woods through the scandal, claiming that their sponsorship of the star is based on his athletic ability rather than his personal image. Kazakhstan may have better credit than California Kazakhstan may surpass California for paying down its payment of bonds to the state treasurer. California, which according to Bill Lockyer, “has never missed a bond payment in its history,” will be taking on a $20 billion deficit in the next year because of a recent rise in credit default swaps in the state since October. The credit swaps in California currently cost 100 points more than those in Kazakhstan showing that they are doing better than the industrious state. Chilean stocks tumble after quake Following the devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile on the January 30 stocks tumbled over 2.3 per cent, the largest drop among 93 primary stock indexes. Chile is planning on using its $11.3 billion in reserve funds to stabilize the peso, which took a big hit after the disaster. This is also attributed to the closing of major ports, airports, and highways throughout the country that have made the economy falter after the disaster. Prudential buys out AIG Asia In the largest deal in insurance history, London based Prudential (LSE: PRU) will buy out American International Groups (NYSE: AIG) Asian division for $35.5 billion. This sale was done partially in an effort to pay down AIG’s massive debt that it has accumulated through the recent financial crisis, allocating $16 billion to paying down its debt to the Federal Reserve and $9 billion to paying down its federal credit which currently sits at $25 billion reported Reuters.
Bull:
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSE: CM) For the last couple years CIBC must have felt like the ugly duckling. Canada’s fifth largest bank has consistently been in the bottom rung of Canadian banking. While this is relatively good when compared to the rest of the world, stiff domestic competition may have left investors feeling a little out of the loop. However, this past week CIBC turned into prince charming, after announcing that Q1 net income beat analysts’ expectations. The bank also announced that they are the first Canadian bank to pioneer an online banking app for the iPhone, investors took notice. Shares prices jumped from $67.82 to $70.01 in three days.
C4 • THE SILHOUETTE
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
Canadian economy on the mend
FROM THE GOULD TRADING FLOOR
AIG finds itself between a rock and a hard place ANDREW VRANA THE SILHOUETTE
Monday’s announcement by American International Group (NYSE: AIG) that the firm would sell its Asian subsidiary, AIA Group, to Prudential PLC of Britain for $35.5 billion marks the beginning of massive asset sell-off by the once venerable institution. The sale also represents a crisis of conscience for a financial institution bailed out by their governments during the worst of the recent credit crisis. AIG is faced with choosing between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, it is morally and legally obligated to pay off their debts to the government while, on the other hand, its only option for raising these funds is selling the company’s most prized assets: high growth subsidiaries in the emerging economies. While the bailout of AIG undoubtedly dwarfs those of its peers, $182.5 billion the most expensive in history, governments also own significant stakes in Citigroup, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Heritage Financial Group. With taxpayers still furious over banking executives’ role in causing the financial crisis, these companies are finding themselves in similar positions. In government hands they face fierce public pressure to pay back the govern-
ment and cut compensation. Meanwhile, these same institutions are facing increasing internal resistance to pay cuts, and the loss of their most talented employees to rivals. In order to end what AIG and its peers perceive as governments’ stranglehold, they must pay back their debts, quickly, forcing them to generate the necessary cash by offloading assets. Ideally, this would involve the disposal of non-core assets, allowing the troubled firms to focus on improving their performance in their home markets. In what can best be described as a “Catch22,” AIG’s only saleable assets not only happen to be its most profitable, but also its best hopes for future growth. Founded in Shanghai in 1919, American International Group has always had a global orientation. As growth in emerging economies, specifically those in South and East Asia accelerated towards the end of the 20th Century, the company found itself in a unique position. With decades of experience in local markets, well-known brands, and significant clout as the largest foreign financial institution in the region, it was leagues ahead of its rivals. Firms of all stripes including financial institutions are seeking growth in the emerging economies. Especially since growth
StatsCan reports more jobs and growth in Q4 REMEK DEBSKI
in developed economies has been exacerbated by the recent global financial crisis and recession. By increasing domestic consumer spending, these countries have managed to “decouple” their economies from America and Europe, maintaining their levels of growth well above those in developed economies, making operations in these countries a lucrative venture for foreign firms. HSBC, Barclays, and Standard Chartered, three British banks with a significant presence in these economies have, as a result, stayed relatively healthy, a stark contrast with the troubled AIG. The sale of AIG and RBS’ emerging economy subsidiaries is a decision with limited long-term value at best. Not only have these operations provided substantial amounts of cash for their parent companies while divisions in the United States and Britain have continued to bleed funds, they are, in a very real sense, their best hope for a viable future. By disposing of these assets, American International Group risks stagnating growth which will either lead to its eventual dissolution through complete acquisition by foreign rivals, or its use of exotic and risky financial products, a major reason it fell into trouble little over a year ago. Unfortunately, the United States government does not seem to care.
Gould Trading Floor Market Outlook JOBLESS NUMBERS in the United States are expected to have increased by 10,000, bringing the country’s unemployment rate to 9.8 per cent, a 0.1 per cent increase from only one month earlier. Meanwhile, several gauges of America’s economic growth, including factory orders and the ISM Manufacturing Index will likely confirm analyst’s suspicions of slow recovery.
Growth in public administration did not occur at all levels. The federal level saw growth 1.3 per cent, muA rise in profits started the week of nicipal and regional administration February 23 to 26. On February 24, 0.3 per cent, but provincial and terStatistics Canada financial statistics ritorial administration fell 0.1 per reported $60.1 billion in profit in cent. Further, declines of 0.1 per the fourth quarter for enterprises. cent were seen in hospital adminAlthough this was a 7.9 per cent in- istration. This group falls under crease from the previous quarter it public administration and not the is still significantly below the $77.3 health sector. Overall earnbillion in profit ings have grown in posted in 2008, Canada to $837.08 just before the ecoOf the 22 per week, includnomic downturn. This does mark the industries reported ing overtime. This is a 2.8 per cent insecond consecuin this index, 15 tive growth since saw higher profits” crease over the last 12 months starting the index reported December 2009. a low of $50.2 bilThe highest conlion. The financial industry saw the tributors to weekly earnings includhighest growth this quarter. The ed health care and social assistance, industry increased 19.7 per cent, accommodation and food services, which translates into $15.2 billion public administration, retail trade, in profits. Much of the profits came educational services, and manufacfrom cutting expenses in banks and turing. All provinces experienced gains insurance companies. Of the 22 industries reported in weekly earnings. Newfoundland in this index 15 saw higher profits. and Labrador experienced the highThe non-financial industries in- est growth in the country. Weekly creased 4.4 per cent in profits this earnings in the province increased quarter .The highest growth seen in 5.6 per cent. Lowest gains were that group was in wholesale. The seen in Alberta at 1.2 percent. Despite these steady gains, payindustry saw profits hit $4.3 billion, roll employment remains 380,000 an increase of 12.1 per cent. The week continued with the off its peak. Key numbers will be released in payroll employment, earnings and hours report for December 2009, the week of March 1 to 5 in both released February 25. Gains in pay- Canada and the US. The week will roll employed continue to be steady start All three numbers are expected for the fourth month in a row. De- to come in positive. The Bank of Canada is excember saw an increase of 22,000 pected to keep interest rates steady non-farm payroll jobs. In December 2009, 61 per cent at 0.25 per cent March 2. The week of industries saw job growth. Much should round of with building perof the growth was seen in health, mits and Purchase Managers Index public administration and educa- (PMI). With permits expected to drop month-over-month and PMI tion. Health saw an increase of 2.3 expected to increase month-overper cent for a total of 3.0 per cent month. The US has a busy week ahead growth since August 2009. The driving force of this growth was the of them. The numbers to watch will ambulatory sub-sector, which cur- be the core price index, personal spending, personal income, conrently employs 400,000 people. Education grew 2.2 per cent struction spending, total vehicles since August 2009 after being sales, non-farm payroll changes, stalled from October 2009. Public jobless claims, unemployment rate, administration grew by 2.7 per cent. and consumer credit. SIL ANALYST
IN EUROPE, shareholders of Yukos, a Russian oil company dismembered by the Russian state a number of years ago, will appear before the European Court of Human Rights on Thursday March 4 in the hopes of receiving some $100 billion in compensation from Russia’s government.
Our resident experts say it best.
“Ross University was the only medical school I applied to. It has a great track record and I’m just one of thousands of success stories.” – Armin Kamyab, MD '08 Toronto Surgery Resident
“I learned an appreciation for veterinary medicine and have been inspired every day to be the best I can be.” “I am who I am today because of Ross University. I’m a doctor, I attained the residency I wanted, and I made friends for a lifetime.”
–Priti Karnik, DVM '01 San Diego Small Animal Surgeon
– Paola Portela, MD '07 Chicago Pediatrics Resident
“Ross gave me the opportunity to pursue the profession I have always dreamed of. It was an experience I’ll never forget.” – Michael Higgins, DVM '01 Vancouver Veterinary Neurologist
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the comedy issue merit • demetri martin • moist revwear • anthony mlekuz • aristocrats
index
D2 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine
thursday, march 4, 2010
Senior Editor: Grace Evans Entertainment Editor: Myles Herod Music Editor: Corrigan Hammond Contributors: Catherine Brasch, Michael Clemens, Jordan Collver, Julie Compton, Harrison Cruikshank, Kevin Elliott, Roxanne Hathway-Baxter, Dan Hawie, Michael Hewak, Chris Hoy, Derek Hung, Aaron Joo , Noah Nemoy, Josh Parsons, Trevor Roach, Ben Small, Katharine Snider-McNair, Jemma Wolfe Cover: Will van Engen
this week
we formed an improv troupe with your parents... write for andy. musc b110.
jan.16-may.9 dec.5-april.11 jan.16-may.9
Jackson Square Cinema
Liquid of Rain and Rivers Art Gallery of Hamilton 123 King St., Hamilton 905-577-6610 info@artgalleryofhamilton. com Ritual Evidence Art Gallery of Hamilton 123 King St., Hamilton 905-577-6610 info@artgalleryofhamilton. com
Cop Out Fri - Sat: 6:40, 9:20
theatre
Crazy Heart Fri - Sat: 6:15, 9:00
mar.4-mar.5
Coco et Co The Casbah 9:00 p.m.
Brooklyn’s Finest Fri - Sat: 7:20, 10:40
Posing Beauty Art Gallery of Hamilton 123 King St., Hamilton 905-577-6610 info@artgalleryofhamilton. com
Merit By Parker Martin McMaster Musical Theatre 1280 Main Street West mcmastermusicaltheatre. com
mar.10-mar.28
Two Hour Traffic The Casbah 8:00 p.m.
Alice in Wonderland Fri - Sat: 7:40, 10:00
Doubt: A Parable By Marcia Kash Theatre Aquarius 190 King William St. 1-800-465-7529 boxoffice@theatreaquarius
The Wolfman Fri - Sat: 9:10 The Crazies Fri - Sat: 6:50, 9:30 Festivals Ancaster 2010 Film Fest The Last Station (Apr. 12) Mon: 7:15
Impromptu Splendor Theatre Aquarius 190 King William St. 1-800-465-7529 boxoffice@theatreaquarius
andy’s pick now
Brasstronaut The Casbah 9:00 p.m.
opening
Sons of Butcher The Casbah 9:00 p.m.
ancaster
Death Point Absinthe 9:00 p.m.
Silvercity Ancaster
Avatar Fri - Sat: 6:30, 10:00
jackson
Dragonette Hamilton Place Studio 8:00 p.m.
Alice in Wonderland The Ghost Writer Brooklyn’s Finest
Shutter Island Fri - Sat: 6:40, 9:50
festivals
mar.12 mar.13 mar.16
Jay Malinowski The Casbah 9:00 p.m.
mar.17
Jeff Martin Hamilton Place Studio 5:00 p.m.
mar.23
mar.12
Blue Rodeo Hamilton Place Theatre 7:30 p.m.
mar.26
mar.11
Hippymafia The Casbah 9:00 p.m.
Carrie Underwood Copps Coliseum 7:30 p.m.
mar.26
mar.10
Wax Mannequin This Aint Hollywood 9:00 p.m.
Sixteen Layers Ceilidh House 9:00 p.m.
mar.26
mar.10
Kinnie Star The Casbah 9:00 p.m.
Ghostkeeper The Casbah 8:00 p.m.
mar.27
mar. 9
Kae Sun 1280 5:00 p.m.
Boats The Casbah 9:00 p.m.
mar.30
mar. 9
Timbre Timbre The Casbah 9:00 p.m.
Marianas Trench 1280 9:00 p.m.
apr.10
mar. 4 mar. 6
Woodhands This Aint Hollywood 8:00 p.m.
mar.12
This Aint Hollywood 8:00 p.m. Eagle Fight Absinthe 9:00 p.m.
mar.12
mar. 5
United Steel Workers of Montreal
art
film
music
mar.16-mar.27
in the hammer
prince. especially raspberry beret. compliments from owen pallett. suck it, warren zevon. i’m sorry, i didn’t really mean it. chocolate cake. healing.
“i became a moaner.” go see the vagina monologues
march 17, 18, 19, 7:30 pm @ robinson memorial theatre
column
thursday, march 4, 2010
f.u.b.a.r. editorial column myles herod
Comedy is in rough shape. I find the generalization of today’s standards inadequate, that or my tastes have lost touch with mainstream mediocrity. Take Saturday Night Live for example, once a viable source of fresh writing and charismatic talent, now a perpetrator of hackneyed political satire and painfully unfunny shtick. You know that uncomfortable feeling you get when something is intended to be humorous, but you just sit there, waiting – well SNL is it. A program so jaw-droppingly bad, it has the arrogance to maintain a leisure confidence when fumbling in its own amusement. The Sarah Palin thing was cute, but that’s because Tina Fey resembled her, somewhat. Aside from that, you didn’t think it was actually funny, did you? The worst part is, shows like the aforementioned wreck are desensitizing a nation with its comedic ineptitude of uninspired writing, riddled of clichés and annoying catch phrases. I put no fault on actors though; typically these things are out of their hands. Now more often than not I find myself laughing at sitcoms I resented as
an adolescent. Strangely Friends makes me laugh, previously never having done so. Should I feel guilty? Probably not. I would be more embarrassed to admit adoration for Two and a Half Men or Accidently on Purpose, which holds true of anyone with a semblance of dignity. Luckily there is smart television, too. The Office is terrific. And, in terms of satire, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have refined American humour; witty and intelligent pseudo news that’s more probing than one might think. What about the cinema though? I sometimes ask myself, what was the last good laugh I had in the theatre? The answer? Borat and Superbad, two of the best American comedies of the last decade. Sacha Baron Cohen is a brilliant provocateur, fearless in where he’ll take an audience. Director Greg Mottola of Superbad fame is a name to watch; his perceptive eye and ear captures the intrinsic nature of high school teens better than any other director working today. The next John Hughes? Well, he’s certainly off to a good start. To me the greatest comedy of all time is Animal House. Call me old fashioned, but John Landis’ ode to college debauchery keeps me in stitches with each repeated viewing. I think Roger Ebert described it best, summing up its comedic brilliance as “a precarious balance between insanity and accuracy, between cheerfully wretched
the big tickle compiled by tyler hayward
“anything, I laugh at everything.”
sabrina rashid
& christopher chang
excess and an ability to reproduce the most revealing nuances of human behavior.” What’s the old adage? Often imitated, never duplicated? Well, that’s pricelessly the case here. Yet, with all its clones: Old School, Van Wilder, and American Pie – Animal House’s influence is almost taken for granted, due in part to its once original, now diluted premise. I bet you didn’t know its place of origin stems from our very own University though. Yes, chalk one up to McMaster and the once infamous Whidden Hall as inspiration for toga parties and drunken sing-alongs to “Louie, Louie.” I couldn’t be prouder. Hollywood’s long-standing formula for comedy has been to typically clench onto a director or actor whose become hot over night, preferably male of course. Look at Jack Black or more recently, Judd Apatow. Striking gold with The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, he has created a subculture of mainstream humour where male affection has become embraced, with sex and women presided as an afterthought or elusive goal. “Bro-mance” has entered our lexicon describing homosocial intimacy of male friends, laying groundwork for such recent pictures as I Love You Man, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Pineapple Express, just to name a few. Are these films suppressing a homosexual yearning, or am I being over
omar masad
analytical? Whatever it may be, one thing is certain, Apatow creates good, sometimes great pictures, employing a cast of actors who have become stars in their own right: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, and Jonah Hill. Before that though we had the “Frat Pack,” a less insightful mixture of males, which centered around Will Ferrell, a man of immeasurable talent who simply became an oversaturated commodity. Remember Land of the Lost? With films like Wedding Crashers, Starsky & Hutch, and Anchor Man once dominating the box office, the Frat Pack seem like a distant memory as Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller have moved onto more serious projects. It all comes in cycles though. Keep in mind that Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker were popular at one time. Yeah, comedy has gotten way better. What about women though, aren’t they funny? Yes, very. When Tina Fey isn’t asked to solicit her talents to the dire Saturday Night Live, she is genuinely effective with 30 Rock as writer and star. It’s a man’s business though. With the poor box office performance of Amy Pohler and Tina Fey’s film Baby Mama, Poheler’s next feature, Spring Breakdown, comprised entirely of female leads, didn’t even see a theatrical release. I’ve been told it’s far superior too. And that’s no joking matter.
q: what makes you laugh?
“when people fall.”
“I don’t know.”
the silhouette’s art + culture magazine • D3
mahsa ghayou ui
“people getting hurt.” kevin dasilva
“family guy.” charles wu
D4 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine
feature
thursday, march 4, 2010
when you can’t say f*ck
“A guy walks into a talent agency and says, ‘Have I got an act for you…’” So begins the vilest joke ever conceived. That’s the basis of the joke, and the only part that remains the same from one telling to another – at least aside from the name of the guy’s act, which is the Aristocrats. That’s it. Of course the talent agent usually asks what the act looks like, and of course the guy tells him. And of course it’s a family act teeming with incest, bestiality, and necrophilia, floating in blood, sweat and various other bodily fluids. And it’s always disgusting. There you have the now-infamous Aristocrats joke, used for years as an inside joke between comedians, as a means of honing their improvisational skills and oneupping each other with material they would never dare use in front of an audience. But then in 2001, mere days after the World Trade Centre attacks, Gilbert Gottfried used the joke on stage to recover after an ill-timed bit about 9/11 and comedy’s dirty little secret started to gain cult appeal. By 2005 the Aristocrats had gained enough attention to have an eponymous documentary made in which several well-known comedians, from Paul Reiser to Sarah Silverman and Bob Saget, tell their own versions of the joke. Neither terribly funny nor easy to watch, The Aristocrats gets downright appalling by the fourth or fifth telling of the joke. So what the hell? Why do such a large and acclaimed collection of entertainers commit to such depravity as to risk being un-entertaining? And it isn’t just this one film. From George Carlin’s “Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television,” to Richard Pryor’s profanity-lace and racially charged humour, obscenity has always had a large appeal in the world of comedy while simultaneously drawing immense criticism. It begs the
question: “Why are comedians, and their audiences, so drawn to smutty humour?” Well for one thing, there is almost always more to it than dirty words. Lenny Bruce was nightclub comedian renowned for his pioneering political and sexual humour until his arrest for using the word “cocksucker” on stage in 1961. Throughout the next five years and several obscenity-related trials, Bruce testified in court and on stage about the merits of dirty humour. “There’s a difference,” he said in a 1966 performance, “between a big piece of art with a little shit in the middle... and a big piece of shit with a little art in the middle.” For Bruce, who, despite dying before his trials came to an end, is credited with most of the free speech laws surrounding public performance in the United States, it was a matter of the bigger picture, the message that was conveyed through obscene words and risqué imagery. Sometimes a valid message is best conveyed with the forcefulness and conviction of obscenity. Dismiss dirty language and you may be dismissing valid commentary. “Take away the right to say ‘fuck’,” Bruce once said, “and you take away the right to say ‘fuck the government.’” Oftentimes, meaning and vulgarity go hand-inhand – the dirtiest comedy acts being the most poignant and thoughtful. Carlin’s Seven Words routine was rife with jabs at the hypocrisy of television censorship. Pryor and his disciples, such as Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle, have cursed their way through hours of material on racism and equality. It’s all part of the inherently irreverent, edgy, rebellious culture of comedy. As long as a comedian is testing the limits of topics
such as race, gender, religion, politics and sex, why not throw in a few curse words? In an industry which revolves around pushing boundaries and getting a reaction from the crowd, obscenity is part of the professional jargon. If there is any value to The Aristocrats film beyond perverse education, it is as a portrait of professional comedy. Dig beneath the sensationalism of the cussing and there is a legitimately relevant and fascinating world being portrayed in this film. In this sense The Aristocrats has more in common with a Discovery Channel nature documentary than a standup film. It captures the elusive comedian in his natural habitat and examines the social mores of the species. The way that they speak to each other, the way they formulate their acts. In watching the differences between each telling of the joke, you can come to understand at least part of the competitive camaraderie of the stand-up profession. And profanity runs roughshod over that entire world (keep in mind too that the joke’s recent popularity came about as a political statement). Faced with the challenge of tiptoeing around the tragic events of 9/11, Gottfried confronted the issue of taste and appropriateness head-on, seeming to say not only, ‘nothing is sacred,’ but also, ‘it’s still okay to laugh.’ On the surface, a foul-mouthed comedian may seem like a sideshow attraction, gratuitous and undignified, comparable to the act described in the Aristocrats joke. But very rarely is there any such thing as filth for the sake of filth. Whether it is a means of projecting the right image, or getting an important point across, obscene humour carries power and depth. It makes a statement. •Peter Goffin
thursday, march 4, 2010
television
this is demetri martin
I have a confession: I sometimes use go-to material. Are you charmed by my joke? Odds are, so were the first one hundred people that heard it too. Ever since, let’s say grade nine, the trusted ol’ standby has been the classic Paxton/Pullman routine: “So when you think about it, Bill Paxton and Bill Pullman are practically the same person, because, let’s face it, you’re always confusing the two, aren’t you?” Works every time. And for good reason. While watching an episode somewhat recently of Comedy Central’s Important Things with Demetri Martin with…um, Demetri Martin, there was a skit that featured a couple having S/M sex. The audience is told from the get-go that the couple’s safety word is Bill Pullman. Probably wouldn’t have been my first choice. So not long after the girl commenced with the ass whipping, the guy decided that he couldn’t handle the pain anymore. So he begins to yell out what he thinks is the safety word: “Bill Paxton! Bill Paxton!” Of course, the ass whipping continues as he very desperately cries aloud, “That guy who was in Twister? Uhh…Independence Day? Oh God, please, it was one of those movies!” Great minds think alike.
Up until that point, I had only ever been a casual Demetri Martin fan. But as soon as you watch Important Things, you realize just how unusually funny he is, even if he is stealing my material. The fact that the show was renewed for a second season, which began airing just last month, is an affirmation for non-sequitur comedy. Sure it had its roots maybe in Monty Python and, if you want to go even further back, the BBC’s The Goon Show, but those acts were more surrealist than anything. The generation of the Steven Wrights from a couple decades ago created an almost languid, deadpan irony in one-liner comedy, but this grim style bordered on depressing. I’m not even going to talk about Andy Kaufman; his comedy was more genius than weirdness. It wasn’t until Mitch Hedberg hit it big in the late 1990s when non-sequitur jokes were told with a sort of exuberance. Jumping back and forth between jokes and topics so quickly, sometimes you couldn’t decide if what he was saying was what was so funny, or if it was more so the fact that Hedberg revelled in his delivery as if he were a child on Christmas morning. He just always seemed so…happy.
the silhouette’s art + culture magazine • D5
So with Hedberg leaving a void, in comes Demetri Martin, now the non-sequitur King of Comedy (without the drugs too!). Don’t let my opening anecdote deceive you; Martin’s skits aren’t his innovative qualities. He first caught people’s attention by often playing a guitar during his performances. Now, music in comedy is nothing new, but unlike most other comedian musicians, Martin doesn’t play satiric or joke songs with amusing lyrics—in fact, he doesn’t even play songs at all. That’s right, he’s simply telling jokes and he just happens to be playing a guitar at the same time. He almost has the same straightforward delivery as Wright, but it’s okay: there’s an upbeat guitar melody to accompany! It’s this stark, simplistic contrast that Martin does so well, and in turn you can’t help but to appreciate the warming charm that he exults. But it’s the actual operation of comedy which Martin has truly revolutionized. He has in the past done whole comedy skits using charts and diagrams, literally graphing out, for example, the relationships between cuteness of a girl vs. tolerance for cat stories, and the thickness
of your neck vs. the number of books you’ve read. His show unsurprisingly is very categorical. Each episode is about an important thing: coolness, money, power, chairs, anything really. And for the next twenty-two minutes, Martin will present a kind of stream-of-consciousness thought experiment full of musings that involve more charts and graphs to illustrate his point. He’s almost the Aristotle of comedy: he will begin each episode by defining the important thing with an organizational chart displaying the different meanings of the word, and will then proceed to deconstruct or elaborate them. How could you make someone sound less powerful? Well, Martin shows us with cue cards to simply put the acronym DJ in front of their name, such as DJ Abraham Lincoln. What’s the difference between a “rocking chair” and a “more rocking chair?” Martin draws a picture of both: the former is just a rocking chair; the latter is a rocking chair playing a guitar and drums. He still stole my Paxton/Pullman bit though. •Kevin Elliott
feature
D6 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine
thursday, march 4, 2010 • D7
bring a towel
andy talks to the never-dry improv comedy troupe moist theatre As I arrive in the student centre, I am met by three fine gentlemen who inform me that they’ve just been enjoying fake sword fights with toy swat gear and will continue to do so until their cohorts arrive. They make good on this promise. After a bit of casual conversation, a few more members arrive and I am escorted up to the office they have in the Club Space on the second floor of MUSC. It is quite small, and we barely all fit, but the boys are happy to squeeze in close for an interview, and I am happy to interview them. Improv is something completely different from regular acting, which is also entirely different from sketch comedy. From my experience, these boys have all three down to a science; I saw them perform at a coffee house, and I was in hysterics. Moist Theatre consists of upper year and recently graduated McMaster students Matt Andaloro, Martin Capdevila, Carson Gale, Ben McCutchen, Cliff Murphy, Colin Murphy as well as an exchange student from Leeds University, Patrick Turpin (and yes, ladies, he’s single). With the exception of Patrick, all of the boys are from Ontario and none of the boys are studying Theatre and Film (their studies range from commerce, to mechanical engineering or health sciences). It was my great pleasure to spend the next hour talking to these boys about their craft, and comedy in general. So, how did you guys get together in the first place? It all started out of MIT, McMaster Improv Team, and a group of us wanted to start something on the side as well where we could put on more professional quality shows, practise different things on our own and separate from the club. This was around
mid-October, and are first big show was on Nov. 30th at 1280, though the first time we performed as Moist was at the Moonshine Cafe in Oakville with the Bad Dog Theatre Company.
a good means to create something that is good, because ultimately you want to create comedy that you’d want to see.
So, why Moist Theatre?
In a perfect world, something like this would be how you make your living. We’d like to keep doing this as long as possible. If the venue is there, we want to keep doing this post-grad, even over Med-School or Teaching or anything else. With the exception of Patrick, none of us are in theatre and I think we all had that moment in high school where we were like, ‘Oh I sorta wanna go into theatre,’ but never had the courage to do that. It’s a risk, but it’s like dangling in front of us, this tiny little bait on a hook that’s like, ‘Ooh, you could be happy . . . but poor.’
We were trying to figure out names for a month. There was ‘Say Yes,’ ‘Say Yes to Everything’ . . . then there was ‘Just Us’ and we were like, what about ‘Justice?’ Because it sounds like ‘Just Us!’ Then we were like, what about ‘Just Justice’ and I mean really . . . the list of names we had was just shit. But then, Matt was in a scene in MIT of One-Word Letter [a game with two people in a scene writing a letter to someone by going back and forth word by word], and we were sitting there talking about Robinson Memorial Theatre, so when someone said ‘Moist’ Matt said ‘Theatre’ and everyone laughed. So Matt suggested it to the team, and everybody had a one liner to say back to it. So everybody ended up enjoying it, so it just kind of happened that that became our name. When it comes to comedy, who would you say influences you? The people you meet in your life that just seem like characters, people that don’t even feel real and then you take them and put them on stage and they get big laughs. [The group also draws from] Steve Martin’s early stuff, Whitest Kids You Know, Derrick Comedy, Picnic Face, College Humour, SNL, other various internet sources and Tim Key. It’s also always good to see comedy you don’t like. See if you can be critical and identify exactly why you don’t like it. If you see something you don’t like and you can identify why that is, then you can often use that as
So what are your goals with this troop?
Any final words? Moist Theatre is absolutely amazing, everything we’ve been looking for. We all get along so well and our audiences are amazing. Thank you to anyone who’s come out to see us perform anywhere, who’s become a fan on our Facebook page, who’s told their friends about us, who’s watched our videos online, any of that stuff, because we really appreciate all the support. It just encourages us to do it more; we wouldn’t be around without our supporters. Check out facebook.com/moisttheatre, and keep in mind that they’re always looking for opportunities to perform, so if you are need of some improvisational hilarity give these boys a call! Keep an eye on their website for details of their next show, which will likely be in April. •Harrison Cruikshank
Photos: Will van Engen
D8 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine
theatre
creative differences
honours performance series continues with a look at artistic merit
Merit Directed by: Parker Martin, Jason Ng, Justin Nusca Starring: Tracy Hamilton, Jeremy Forsyth “Art is whatever you want it to be,” said Christian, one of the main characters of Merit, the current Honours Performance Series playing this week. Merit looks at the power of self-doubt and pretentiousness in the way they interfere in the creative process and the reception of art. Directed by Parker Martin, Jason Ng and Justin Nusca, Merit asks the question: “If you are working directly towards your commercial interest, how does it affect your artistic merit?” The play looks at the idea of commercial interest and creative passion, trying to locate what is considered to be “real, actual legitimate art.” The play follows Carolyn, who is working at a small art gallery and feels disinterested in her work. She is lacking creative energy; her daily activities have been reduced to mulling over which shade of black turtleneck to wear to work. The art gallery plays host to two different diva artists and their entourage, and Carolyn’s boss puts pressure on Carolyn to please their visiting artists and to find someone new to fill the vacant space between showings. Carolyn thinks of her friend from school Christian, and reconnects with him while trying to promote his art and help him gain visibility in the art community. Between the demands and eccentricities of conceited artists, the interference of pompous critics, Carolyn might miss the chance to develop her creative energy again, with the support of Christian. The best part of the play is located in the relationship cultivated between the characters Carolyn and Christian, played by Tracy Hamilton (Casket Cases) and Jeremy Forsyth respectively. Christian’s characters professes profound epithets in the style of Oscar Wilde’s Sir Henry in The Picture of Dorian Gray such as “Creation is a messy process.” The chemistry between Christian and Carolyn is what makes this play compelling, and their easy conversation and natural physical comfort around each other was nice to watch.
Other characters include the forceful Bonnie, the gallery owner, played by the powerful, sharp Rakhee Sapra. Jim Molloy plays the pretentious Dorian Zontal, “the artist that taught farm animals to paint,” alongside his wife Gwen, played by the hairtossing Alessandra Gage. Molloy’s character had some unfortunately unfunny moments earlier in the play, but comes through in the second half with some genuinely comedic moments. The Critic, played by Matt Bandura, is horrendously pretentious and obnoxious, proclaiming his opinions dripping with condescension, such as “Pretty, my dear, has no merit in any serious institution.” After a while, his obnoxiousness became a little overbearing. The security guard, Emiliano Badillo-Bravin, provided comic relief and had a great sense of natural co-worker camaraderie with Carolyn. In terms of the staging, a lot of creativity and innovation were evident in the set. The backdrop to the play is comprised of three white walls with various blank white canvases positioned on them. Paintings were projected onto the individual canvases, which made changing scenes and portraying different shows extremely easy and looked amazing. The use of multimedia in the play worked really well, although sometimes the directors might have gone overboard. Sometimes between scene changes they could have just turned off the lights, but instead attempted a visual display. But overall the projections added a lot; at two different points the setting is Christian’s apartment, and projecting a wallpaper pattern with windows over the blank walls easily facilitated this. Overall, Merit is a cohesive production that uses multimedia in innovative ways, but what makes it compelling is the chemisty between Tracy Hamilton and Jeremy Forsyth. Merit plays Thursday Mar. 4th at 12:30 p.m. & 8 p.m., and Friday Mar. 5th at 12:30pm & 8 p.m. at Robinson Memorial Theatre, CNH 104. Admission is free, and I suggest you check it out. •Grace Evans
thursday, march 4, 2010
thursday, march 4, 2010
under the radar squish the screaming beans simonpanrucker.com/beans.html
off the web help i need help helpineedhelp.com/bored.html Sometimes you just need help. But don’t worry, your friend The Internet is there for. Are you racist? Are you too nice? And so on and so forth. You’ve been helped. This site has a solution for you. •Corrigan Hammond
There are many ways to cure the long winter blues. Playing videogames, talking with friends, or putting on your favourite episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos. Now you can add squishy, helpless, screaming cartoon beans to the list. As shallow and pointless as this site may appear to be, does it reveal a darker, more sadistic side of humans? Ah, who the fuck cares, it’s funny, just enjoy. •Dillon Li
the silhouette’s art + culture magazine • D9
the best of craigslist craigslist.org/about/best/all
you look nice today youlooknicetoday.com
Behold the juxtaposition of intellect and ineptitude, equal parts satire and ignorance. If you have not yet wasted hours on end reading the pages of absurdity that comprise “The Best of Craigslist,” you are not experiencing all the fine rants, mistakes, and ridiculous sales the world has to offer. Examples include: an up-for-grabs collection of one thousand ladybugs, accidentally purchased when drunk; and an open letter to the man shaving on the Dufferin bus. This truly is the best of the worst of Craigslist. •Julie Compton
Devoted to discussions surrounding “emotional hygiene,” You Look Nice Today is self-described as a program for listeners of the awkward age of adulthood. Despite having found their comedic soulmates on Twitter through 140 characters or less, these three guys have they have plenty of wit to dish out about co-workers, innocent passerbys, children, and pathetic nostalgia. Storytelling punctuated with contagious laughter, they are your three best guy friends who never grew up, and continue getting funnier. •Julie Compton
D10 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine
fashion
thursday, march 4, 2010
trashy threads
revwear promotes eco-friendly fashion at mac “It’s not about what you create, it’s what you acquire,” is a phrase uttered in the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning. It seems to sum up the world around us perfectly, doesn’t it? We live in a society consumed by consumption with an inherent desire for material wealth. Wealth is defined by the amount of possessions we have, a pattern that is slowly killing our planet. The campus club’s RevWear hopes to challenge this present standard of over-consumption and promote the concept of change through revolutionary and eye-opening fashion pieces. RevWear, in association with MacGreen, promotes the idea of eco-friendly fashion. This year’s show is set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia where humans have destroyed the earth through over-consumption and carelessness. The club’s aim is to open our eyes to what could happen to the world if we continue down the same path we are treading. Change is necessary and it has to happen soon if we ever hope to reverse the damage that we have done to the planet. Thirty designers, many with no prior experience, are creating something beautiful out of what most of us consider to be nothing. They’re making Gucci out of garbage. They are using staples instead of thread and paper instead of fabric. Designers have blended many artistic elements to create both ready-to-wear pieces and wearable art made out of entirely reusable items. Many themes, besides the elimination of
excess waste, are present in this radical show, including the prevention of animal cruelty, gender struggles and antiviolence. The fashion show will feature both standard runway modeling as well as choreographed dance numbers that will all come together to make it an extremely powerful show with an even more powerful message. First-time designer, Sarah Timmons, had this to say about the message RevWear hopes to promote: “If we put in some effort we can really reduce our waste. We don’t realize how many items we can reuse for a different purpose. After joining the club I began to look at things differently, many everyday items can be used in ways we wouldn’t normally think of.” The show is designed to make people think about how much they waste and what they can do to change these destructive habits. Every little bit counts, whether it is buying second-hand clothes or bringing a reusable coffee mug to Union Market for the morning caffeine fix. Our actions have consequences, both positive and negative, and we need to be more aware of this fact. Sure, we can’t all make a dress out of milk bags, but we can recycle this newspaper after reading it instead of throwing it in the trash. In the past, RevWear has put on a daytime fashion show in the Student Centre, but this year the club decided to take it in a different direction. This past Thursday, Feb.
25, an art crawl occurred in and around the McMaster Student Centre giving students a glimpse into what the evening fashion show will entail. Animated models toured around buildings on campus raising awareness for the show while piquing the interest of many who witnessed it. More than one student was almost certainly intrigued by a person trolling about the Student Centre with an old television as a mask. The art crawl opened up more potential for students to interact with both models and designers and witness a sort of moving art exhibit. The 7th annual RevWear fashion show will be held on at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 6 above Jackson Square in what used to be a Bank of Montréal space. Tickets are available in advance for $10 at Compass in the McMaster University Student Centre or at Déjà Vu Used and New Clothing Accessories (262 King Street West). The show will be followed by an after party at Candy Bar in Hess Village, and free entry will be given to those with a RevWear admission ticket. Proceeds from the show will be going towards projects that promote eco-friendly fashion workshops in the Hamilton community. So give it a shot, you might just get hooked. Or, if you have a flair for design or modeling, get involved! Perhaps you will be on the runway or behind the scenes for next year’s fashion show. •Roxanne Hathway-Baxter
thursday, march 4, 2010
in stereo
the silhouette’s art + culture magazine • D11
featured review Aziz Ansari Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening
HHHH
One of the first issues that comedian Aziz Ansari delves into on Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, is an investigation conducted by Southern Living Magazine on the thread count of his new (supposedly 304 thread-count) bed sheets: “If that was a drug deal, I would’ve shot Hotel Luxury Linens in the face! You didn’t think I was gonna count that shit, motherfucker?” The resulting standing ovation and cross-audience nod proves that this up-and-coming American shock-comic is well on his way to stardom – and this is only five minutes in. Known as the offbeat, bearded Indian guy from Parks and Recreation, and acclaimed MTV series, Human Giant, Ansari doesn’t shy away in this new Comedy Central special from his usual observational musings. Harassing his cousin Harris on a Facebook study group page, recalling a roommate who believed to be possessed by Scar from The Lion King, imagining his obituary after dying from googling his name while driving; Ansari provides a satirical take on current pop culture which makes for hilarious stand-up that anyone can connect with. •Dan Hawie
Guiltmaker Dilemmas
Ian Kelly Speak Your Mind
Zeus Stay Us
HHHH
HHH
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On the surface, Guiltmaker’s Dilemmas could be lumped into the seemingly all-encompassing umbrella of posthardcore. But to do so would be a great injustice to what lies just beneath the surface here on this Tampa, FL band’s sophomore release. Instead of short emotive bursts, Guiltmaker’s music plays like a thunderstorm in slow motion. Haunting, delay-heavy guitars dance around chugging bass lines and soaring vocals to create a sound that finds beauty in chaos. The songs seem drawn out, but have an almost symphonic quality to it, as its extended forms seemingly shift movements rather than just switch tracks. This is a difficult record to review, let alone classify. Dilemmas is raw and passionate enough for hardcore fans, yet pretentious enough to please post-rock scenesters. Bottom line though, this relatively little known record may be one of the best new releases that no one’s talking about. •Chris Hoy
Ian Kelly’s latest album Speak Your Mind offers listeners contemplative, somewhat sombre lyrics ranging from laments about unrequited love to our current ecological crisis. It is a good album to listen to if you are in the mood to philosophically reflect on human nature, however I wouldn’t recommend playing this album to get a pre-drink started. Almost every song begins with an acoustic guitar and Kelly’s vocals, mirroring Jack Johnson’s style. However, the tempo then increases and as more and more instruments are added – ranging from a pleasantly folksy sounding banjo and piano combination in “Take Me Home,” to the muddled, somewhat campy use of a turntable and techno beat in “Wonderful Humans.” Many of the songs’ lyrics are quite reflective but the pop-rock build-up in the chorus of several songs prevents the nature of these lyrics from being properly realized. •Amy Graziani
Adding to Arts & Crafts’ impressive repertoire of bands is Zeus, a Toronto based band offering their first full length album with Say Us (and that’s certainly what the band desires, hoping to leave listeners telling their friends about Zeus). Made up of the same four guys who comprise The Dark Horse, Jason Collett’s backing band, Zeus offer listeners a great debut album. If the Genesis cover on the EP wasn’t a clear enough hint towards the direction of Zeus, then Say Us proves the classic rock pop influences on their style. A cohesive and enjoyable offering, the album combines upbeat and catchy pop inspired tunes like the opener “How Does It Feel” (already featured in Nissan Sentra television ad) and “Marching Through your Head,” to bluesier rock sounds found in “Heavy on You ” or “River By The Garden.” Put this on repeat. •Ashley Robbins
D12 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine
feature
laugh out loud
thursday, march 4, 2010
is anthony mlekuz mcmaster’s next comedy great? “I saw something really weird the other day…I was walking down the street and I saw a poster up on a cable [pole]…and it said ‘lost bird.’ And it had a phone number. And I was like, lost fucking bird, who’s going to go around looking for birds? And how do you even lose a bird? You’re like I’m just going to clean your cage, and you leave a window open, and you’re like, ‘Bird?… birds can fly!” Anthony Mlekuz’s energetic delivery of these lines left crowds laughing at his set at the Hamilton Yuk Yuk’s on Jan. 7, 2010. Anthony Mlekuz is a Hamilton born, McMaster student on the rise in the stand up comedy industry. A few weeks ago he was named Hamilton’s Funniest Amateur Comedian at the Yuk Yuk’s regional finals of the Great Canadian Laugh-Off Competition. In late March, he is competing at Yuk Yuk’s in the Toronto Comedy Brawl. 820 AM’s Mike Nabuurs referred to Mlekuz as “one of the funniest young men he had seen in a long time.” During his set at Yuk Yuks Hamilton, he spoke about joking with his deaf ex-girlfriend, and how the dynamics of fighting were drastically altered because of her hearing impairment. He joked: “What I used to do was, we used to get in arguments and what I’d do is start a point and then I’d just walk out of the room and she’d say ‘I can’t read your lips, you prick!’… but now I’m, now I’m alone.” Though Mlekuz’s transitions from bit to bit were a little random and rough, his set was short, so he probably cannot be faulted for that. Some of his humour is less savory, using the behaviour of cerebral palsy and mental retardation as sites of comparisons in jokes. Other than that, his range of topics is broad, ranging from anal sex, to ghosts. When creating his material, Mlekuz says he looks to include his personality in everything: “I never want to force funny, because people are smart and can tell when someone is forcing something. I am a huge people watcher and beyond being a creepy habit it does make for some interesting finds, and with McMaster having a lot of people it is only natural that some of it would sneak into my act.” Mlekuz began his comedy career this past August, and has averaged a show a week, the vast majority of which is unpaid. He explained that amateur nights are the best way to get started, because there is no real pressure: “If you suck people just leave
thinking ‘well he was an amateur what did you expect?’” A Hamilton native, Mlekuz espouses the advantageous of the steel city’s comic scene: “We are really lucky here in Hamilton because we have a great comedy scene right now, a lot of the comics are younger and it makes for very topical shows that usually flow really well. On top of that we have a number of really well run rooms, so there’s always a show in town.” Of the industry, Mlekuz says that it was easy to break into, but extremely difficult to gain ground: “Seinfeld once said comedy is the only job that you start right in the middle and it’s your work that either takes you up or moves you down in the business. Anyone can get on stage, the difficulty lays in sustaining a presence, not only for your five minutes but more so over time. The industry as a whole can be fickle, and you really only build yourself through persistence, luck, and timing…especially persistence.” McMaster has produced several successful, comedic minds such as that of Eugene Levy, Martin Short and Dave Thomas. Of Short, Levy and Thomas Mlekuz said: “The best part about these three guys is that they are all different in the way they approach comedy, yet all found a way to make it work and find success. Their time together on SCTV, which I always watched reruns of as a kid, produced some of the funniest characters ever.” In terms of his personal comedic influences Mlekuz said: “Right now I have been listening to a lot of David Cross, which is weird because I couldn’t be less like him onstage. But he has this ability to tell a joke, and whether good or bad he is unfazed by the audience; it’s like he’s doing a job and love him or hate him he’s going to keep doing it his way. I never want comedy to feel like a job for me, but the ability to control a room for as long as he can is something I respect.” Ultimately, Mlekuz hopes to continue performing: “The goal for me is to keep doing stand-up, if all that other stuff comes it would be great, but I love being onstage that’s why I started…The focus for me right now is to keep working on my material and hopefully take as much away from my entrance into the YukYuks Great Canadian Laugh-Off as possible.” You can catch Mlekuz’s show Friday, Mar. 5th at 1280 starting at 9 p.m. •Grace Evans