The Silhouette - November 10

www.thesil.ca

McMASTER UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER / THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

The Silh uette

YOUR VOICE ON CAMPUS

Est. 1930

VOLUME 82, NO. 13

Phoenix relocation set for January on the main floor of the Refectory building, above Bridges Café.

“We’ve been working on this If all goes according to plan, the project for three years,” said Jessica transition will be seamless.

Merolli, president of the Gradu As it normally would, the Phoe- ate Students Association (GSA). In nix will close for the holidays after the same way that the MSU owns December exams. When it reopens TwelvEighty, the not-for-profit for second term in January, the Phoenix is owned by the GSA. Pheonix will be in its new location The renovation will be funded Sam Colbert Managing Editor

Tuition hike on the horizon for Ontario students Payment framework expires at end of year

from other campus establishments, like TwelvEighty.

“We’re building on the older feel,” said Merolli. “It’s not a modern-looking restaurant; it’s kind of that mix, like a gastro-pub. We really want to keep the pub element of the look of the Phoenix.”

Though the new kitchen will allow for more specials and menu

additions, the Phoenix menu won’t change drastically in the move. Burgers, for example, will continue to be a staple, especially with the addition of a charbroiler to the kitchen.

“We’re still going to have the microbreweries on tap – we’re still going to have a lot of beers on tap, a lot of variety,” added Merolli.

• PLEASE SEE GSA, A4

GO MAC GO FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2004, THE MCMASTER MARAUDERS WILL PLAY FOR THE YATES CUP. FACING THE DEFENDING CHAMPION WESTERN MUSTANGS WON’T BE AN EASY TASK, BUT A WIN WOULD CAP ONE OF MCMASTER’S BIGGEST-EVER WEEKS IN CIS SPORT.

Brian Decker Executive Editor

The Ontario Liberals’ plan to give a 30 per cent discount on tuition may end up costing some students a little bit more.

The Liberals’ election promise, which offered a 30 per cent decrease in the cost of tuition to students from households earning less than $160,000 per year, may be followed by a rise in the overall cost of tuition starting next year.

The current framework that dictates tuition fees expires at the end of the 2011/12 school year.

“Universities can’t really withstand having no new revenue, because they’re going to spend $420 million on this new grant,” said Sam Andrey, Executive Director of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance.

Whether tuition increases at the current rate of five per cent per year is still to be determined.

Andrey said OUSA is advocating for a lower increase rate, but that no increase at all is unlikely.

“We know changing [the tuition increase rate] to something lower is on the table. That’s something we’re going to be advocating for.”

“With the 30 per cent reduction, I think there is a very low appetite on the part of the government to compensate an outright freeze.”

The plan to offer students a tuition discount is set to take place in January, but many of the details of how it will be implemented and distributed are currently pending confirmation.

Residents of Ontario in fulltime, first entry programs (excluding law, medicine and graduate programs) will be eligible to apply for a tuition break for the winter semester, but the process of how and where students apply has not yet been determined.

Andrey said for the winter 2012 semester only, approved students will likely receive a cheque equivalent to 30 per cent of tuition, and that a true 30 per cent discount on tuition won’t start until September.

“In all likelihood, it will be something like an $800 cheque for most students,” said Alvin Tejdo, OUSA’s Director of Communications, of the 30 per cent discount in January.

Tejdo said many students could potentially be caught unaware of the cheque’s availability. “It’s going to be really important to tell people to apply for it,” he said.

The process by which students’ financial means are approved – determining whether their household earns less than $160,000 – is yet to be established.

The slow implementation of the remaining details is partially due to the change in governing officials. After the Oct. 8 election, Glen Murray became the new Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, replacing John Milloy. There are also new education critics to be appointed in the opposition.

Andrey said other changes coming to Ontario campuses in the coming year include increasing the availability of mental health counsellors and the construction of three new campuses in the GTA, with the sites still to be determined.

by graduate student fees, which means that prices will generally be unaffected.

The new location will feature a higher capacity, a larger patio and an expanded kitchen. But given the success of the Phoenix in its current Wentworth House location, project managers have tried to maintain the rustic feel that differentiates the bar

OUR SPORTS SECTION HAS YOU COVERED. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HOW MCMASTER AND WESTERN MATCH UP IN THE BIG GAME IS IN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR BRANDON MEAWASIGE’S PREVIEW.

GOING TO THE GAME? EXECUTIVE EDITOR BRIAN DECKER MAKES THE CASE THAT THIS GAME MATTERS TO EVERYONE IN THE MCMASTER COMMUNITY.

S4 AND S5

FOOTBALL ISN’T THE ONLY VARSITY SPORT MAKING A SPLASH THIS WEEK. CHECK THE REST OF OUR SPORTS SECTION FROM FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT MAC’S SPORTS TEAMS ARE UP TO.

C1

S1 TO S8

A6

ER opens its doors

THIS WEEK...

OPINIONS

KNOW UWO? INSIDEOUT EDITOR NATALIE TIMPERIO TAKES A LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT STUDENT CULTURES - AND STEREOTYPES - OF WESTERN AND MAC.

INSIDEOUT

Kacper Niburski

Assistant News Editor

THE COMMONWEALTH MAY COST US MORE THAN WE CAN AFFORD.

COMPARING MAC AND WESTERN ON THE SOCIAL STAGE

SEE A7

SEE C1

BUSINESS

ANDY

FOLLOW THE LAUNCH OF CANADA’S NEXT TOP AD EXEC

SAM ROBERTS AFFIRMS HIS OPENENDED MUSICAL VISION

SEE C9

SEE D4

...IN THE SIL

Watermelons. Helium balloons.

Cookies with pink icing.

While such novelties could very well describe the perfect picnic, these instead were present at the Children’s Emergency Department open house on Nov. 5.

Having closed their doors to anyone older than eighteen years of age since Apr. 4, the open house served as an invitation from the hospital to the broader community to showcase both what has been built and what currently goes on in the Children’s Emergency Department at McMaster Children’s Hospital.

Visitors were given a look into various areas of the Emergency Department, from the trauma rooms to the casting areas for broken bones.

Additionally, demonstrations of IVs and cast moldings were performed for children.

The entire emergency has been tailored to meet the needs of children. Waiting and treatment areas are more spacious to accommodate

family comfort, from bulky strollers to worrisome grandparents.

Separated ambulances and walkin entrances, as well as an isolated trauma bay and treatment room, serve to minimize a child’s exposure to the more gruesome aspects of medicine.

Dona Teles, Clinical Manager for the Children’s Emergency Department, stressed this design layout, saying “the point of the Children’s Emergency Department’s infrastructure was to limit the experience with needless trauma.”

Unique to the hospital is an overwhelmingly child-friendly environment. Bright colours highlight an otherwise bleak hospital exterior. Areas have been designed as to mirror the urban landscape.

Interactive screens with a variety of games function as apt distractions.

Together, these unique features further assist the children and families during the stressful time of a hospital emergency.

“We did not want it [the Emer• PLEASE SEE ER, A3

the

PRESIDENT’S PAGE Duncan Thompson VP (Finance)

Katie Ferguson VP (Administration)

Matthew Dillon-Leitch President

Alicia Ali VP (Education)

MSU RepS Attend OUSA GeneRAl ASSeMbly Complete the Quality of education Survey to help shape future policy work and you could win a $200 gift card

Alicia Ali VP (Education) vped@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 24017

This past weekend, students from McMaster travelled to Windsor for the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) General Assembly (GA). GA is held twice annually at OUSA member schools through a rotation consisting of Queen’s, Brock, Waterloo, McMaster, Trent, Western, Windsor and Wilfrid Laurier.

OUSA is our provincial lobbying partner and represents the interests of over 145, 000 professional and undergraduate, full- and part-time university students at nine student associations across Ontario. Our vision is for an accessible, affordable, accountable and high quality post secondary education.

In order to achieve this vision, we come together to develop solutions to challenges facing higher education, build broad consensus for our policy options and lobby government to implement progressive changes.

From Movember 4th – 6th

students from associations across Ontario came together at the University of Windsor campus to discuss policy papers on Tuition, Accountability and System Growth. These three papers are now standing policy papers of the organization and will be used to effectively lobby the government at the OUSA Lobby Conference in December.

The Tuition paper calls for a return to the two to one cost sharing model and addresses issues such as flat fee tuition, indexing tuition increases to CPI, and the relationship between OSAP delivery and the tuition payment processes.

Our Accountability paper asks three massive questions: To whom should universities be held accountable?

For what should universities be held accountable? And finally, how should universities be held accountable? The paper addresses issues such as student representation on Boards, the role of the University Ombuds, and tying university performance to the levels of funding they receive from the government.

OUSA’s policy on System Growth is a broad based look at the future structure and function of Ontario’s postsecondary system going forward.

The policy addresses eight broad areas of the Ontario post secondary system:

funding, cost-inflation, differentiation, McMaster. The McMaster Students satellite campuses, online learning, Union and the McMaster Association pathways, infrastructure, and of Part-Time Students (MAPS) will instructional capacity & quality. co-host the Spring General Assembly Throughout the course of the where four papers will come forward on weekend, there was serious debate on Northern & Rural Students, Students differentiation (focusing university with Dependents, Student Health and efforts in either undergraduate teaching Credit Transfer. or intensive research, likely at the Until Movember 21st, students expense of the alternate) and its effect wishing to help shape the policy on strategic mandates, with particular submitted to the provincial government reference to multi-year accountability can go to president.msumcmaster. agreements and government influence ca to fill out the MSU Quality of when university targets are not Education Assessment. In partnership with OUSA, the met.

McMaster MSU is running the is not currently undergraduate survey pursuing a system of differentiation. in order to measure Across Ontario... opinions in terms of The MSU believes our vision is for quality and affordability M c M a s t e r an accessible, of education. This data University is a great affordable, will then be used to example of teaching accountable and research measure quality across and high quality the province, with functioning well in post secondary particular emphasis on combination, and education. comparisons between we do not believe institutions.

Also, differentiation is completing the survey enters you to appropriate for Mac. All three papers were passed win one of five $200 Amazon gift with unanimous consent at General certificates. For more information about Assembly. There were focus groups on the Quality of Education Assessment, communication strategies, advocacy please contact MSU President and future policy for the organization. Matthew Dillon-Leitch at president@ In the spring, four more papers will msu.mcmaster.ca or visit Matt’s website be coming forward, but this time at at president.musmcmaster.ca.

“

MAC’S StUdent leAdeRS SHOUld be WORKInG tOGetHeR

Matthew dillon-leitch President president@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 23885

One element of life at Mac that I have always found interesting has been our sense of community. In my time at McMaster I have noticed that there are many different ways for students to get involved within many different communities. There are over 280 MSU clubs, in which thousands of students participate.

Moreover, the Inter Residence Council (IRC), the Society of Off-Campus Students (SOCS), the Maroons, and Faculty Societies are just some of the numerous examples of student involvement and leadership opportunities.

Thus far, I have been hard at work attempting to bridge the gaps between these different groups, in an effort to establish a better connected McMaster community of which we as students, regardless of our specific involvement, can all feel a part. I believe it is the

role of the MSU to act in this capacity.

We must bring these different student groups together, not only to help build our shared community but also to solidify a student voice into a cohesive entity.

There are a few ways that I intend on addressing this issue; a better support system for our Faculty Societies during Welcome Week, extend the collaborative event planning process deeper into the year, a council that brings together representatives from a number of established student groups, a plan for the future of education at McMaster, and a student government that brings together these different stakeholders.

As a student union we should be constantly striving to build a community that is inclusive, engaging and dynamic.

This is our purpose and one I intend to achieve. I would be thrilled to discuss your thoughts on this matter.

How do you see your club, group or association fitting into the larger campus system of student involvement/ leadership? Your ideas and perspective are more than welcome and I would be very pleased to discuss the matter.

Don’t hesitate to contact me, that’s why I’m here!

QUEER STUDENTS COMMUNITY CENTRE PRESENTS

MAC PRIDE WEEK NOV. 14TH TO 18TH

CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!

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

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

www.msu.mcmaster.ca

THE SILHOUETTE • A3

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Pediatrics Centre

ER controversy not yet mitigated JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

The open house showcased the child-friendly enviroment of the ER. • CONT’D FROM A1 gency Department] to look so medicalized right when you entire the room. We didn’t want people to be looking at it as a hospital, but as a welcoming playland,” said Teles.

But not all was gumdrops and lollipops, despite the fact that the infantile atmosphere may remind some of exactly that.

Teles noted that, “The ER change was very controversial in the beginning, when we were separating the hospitals and putting them into their centres of excellence. We became the centre of excellence for children.

“It wasn’t that we were building a centre for children. It was that we were taking something away from the adult population, and in a sense we did,” said Teles.

Plans to do just that began in 2008 when Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) introduced the “Access to Best Care” (ABC) plan, which served to ensure healthcare was coordinated to be at the highest quality possible.

To do this, the hospital planned to strengthen its centre of excellence in Pediatrics, which culminated in a pediatric Emergency Department, Pediatric Critical Care Unit, and an inpatient mental health unit.

Last summer saw the application of this plan as the Hamilton Health Sciences began construction of a new Children’s Emergency Department. The opening of the Emergency Department represented the very butt-end of nearly $650 million in investments.

Despite this, controversy swelled. Ward 14 Councillor Robert Pastua was worried that besides some people being unaware of the change, others would have to drive further to receive the same care.

Other politicians chimed in, including Flamborough Ward 15 Councillor, Judi Partridge, who went so far to say that, “The pressure on the system created by this closing appears to be ill thought out – the risk is someone may die.”

In response to the criticism, Jeff Vallentin, vice president of HHS in charge of Communications and Stakeholder Relations, said, “The days of every hospital being exactly the same as the others are long gone. Modern medicine and the need to have high technologies in places means you can’t have one of everything in every place.”

While both sides boomed their voices of concern, lost in the verbal fireworks was that the switch not only altered the way in which immediate care was carried out, but implicitly refashioned the entire hospital’s method of care, from how it operates to how it delivers other services.

To this point, the 270 staff members, 102 beds, and numerous departmental changes were observed. Much of the staff and medical equipment was partitioned between other Hamiltonian hospitals such as the Juravinski Hospital, which received 185 of the staff members, or Hamilton General Hospital, which received six of the beds.

Irrespective of these changes, the explicit benefits of whether or not the move has been advantageous remains to be seen. Certainly, the youngest of the population are being cared for. But lingering questions still remain to those left behind, especially considering that the hospital is situated in a University with some 20,000 students that are not eligible for immediate care.

Perhaps in an attempt to answer the enduring concerns, or perhaps to appease the bitterness some community members may still hold, Teles boldly concluded with, “It is the best and only place we should be bringing our children to for care.”

And with an entire emergency department retrofitted for children and familial needs, from distracting games to a child-friendly environment, this may certainly be true.

Children may not want to just be brought to the hospital. Instead, they may want to stay there too.

A4 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Cultural Education

Students share language experiences Christina Pugliese Silhouette Staff

Keen on learning a foreign language?

Before hastily reaching for pen and paper, one might first consider availing oneself of an arguably more valuable tool – the power of conversation.

Indeed, it was such a premise upon which this year’s biannual Language Café was based; an event hosted by McMaster’s International Student Services at Bridges Café on Nov.8.

With 15 language workshops to choose from and an array of appetizing vegetarian dishes, the evening served as a venue for both local and international students as well as members of the greater community to exchange knowledge and explore their interests in the realm of language.

An idea put forth by a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Health Science program in March 2010, the interdisciplinary event acts as a foregathering of various student cultural societies, including the McMaster French Club, McMaster Japanese Connection, the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS), as well as individual exchange students from around the world.

During the one hour Language Café, participants were offered basic instruction by volunteer facilitators whose role was to guide conversation within small group settings.

A myriad of language workshops were available for those in attendance, including English, French, Spanish, Mandarin, German, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, Punjabi, Urdu, Farsi, Polish, Hindi, Malay, and

American Sign Language.

Matthew Kubicki, one of the primary organizers of the event and Polish workshop facilitator, feels that the casual atmosphere encompassing the Café is instrumental in fulfilling its mission.

“Learning a language formally in a classroom can be stressful, whereas here you are learning among people who are your age in a more informal environment. It’s more conversational,” explained Kubicki.

Although one can hardly expect to emerge speaking fluently after merely an hour-long tutorial, Kubicki noted that this is “not necessarily the goal.” Rather, the Language Café aims to “expand people’s views of the world and broaden their exposure to different languages and cultures.”

In this regard, the event served as a springboard for individuals to

Psychology of Sound

The art of music... ...the science of cognition Julia Redmond The Silhouette

Victor Hugo once said that, “music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” As it turns out, he was right—the mind can interpret more meaning from music than people might have thought, according to Dr. Stefan Koelsch.

Koelsch, professor of Psychology at Germany’s Freie Universität Berlin, visited McMaster on Nov. 5 to share his knowledge on music cognition. The seventh annual public integrated lecture and concert was hosted by the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind (MIMM). “[MIMM] deals with a kind of science we can all relate to, all understand,” said Dr. Gianni Parise, Associate Dean of Research and External Relations for the Faculty of Science.

The concert portion of the evening began with a performance by the piano duo of Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann. The two have performed together for more than two decades, playing in various cities across

Europe and North America, earning much acclaim along the way.

Seated, facing each other, at two grand pianos at the front of Convocation Hall, they performed their first selection: Franz Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz. Koelsch used this as a platform for his introduction of extra-musical meaning.

Koelsch explained that a lot of music tells a story. This is done by providing iconic, indexical, and symbolic meaning. The meaning elicits emotion in the listener, and this reaction is a key element of music cogenics and the central focus of Koelsch’s research.

To demonstrate the significance of emotion in music, Koelsch described an experiment that was conducted on a native tribe from Cameroon in which the participants, who had no prior exposure to traditional Western music, listened to clips of music and had to identify them with photos demonstrating emotions.

The results of the study showed that even with no background knowledge, the participants could properly identify the feeling of the music, lending insight into the universality of music.

Phoenix Relocation

GSA to move in May

JEFF TAM / SILHOUETTE STAFF

• CONT’D FROM A1 “When we went into the project, we knew that these are the kinds of things the Phoenix does really well, and we want to continue to do them really well.”

Even since the 1980s, there has been discussion of demolishing Wentworth House. With the Phoenix and other organizations gradually moving to other locations, it looks like the building is finally on its way to being torn down.

“It’s important for the Phoenix to get a permanent space on campus.

We’re taking over the space, and it’s not like Wentworth House, where you can never get a straight answer of what’s happening to that building … so it’s nice to have a building that can’t be torn down, because [the Refectory] is a heritage building.”

Originally, the Refectory housed the campus cafeteria. More recently, the space has been used for exams, among other things, while being reserved from any permanent use in anticipation of the Phoenix move.

Along with the bar, the Graduate Students Association offices are

moving out of Wentworth House and into the Refectory building. But, because the GSA move would interfere with the operations of Bridges, they will wait until May, when Bridges closes for the summer.

A big priority for Merolli has been moving the bar and the offices to a wheelchair-accessible location.

“There are grad students that can’t get to our office which is, for me, unacceptable. It is a lot of money to be spending, but I’m excited to set up the GSA as an organization that is accessible,” she said.

Merolli is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Political Science. She’s been president of the GSA for two and a half years, and the project started just before her three-year term did. “It’s really nice to see that it is actually happening.”

There is a chance that the move from one location to the other, which will require transport of the point-of-sale system, among other equipment, will spill into the first week of second term. A second debit/credit machine will likely also be added to accommodate the extra patrons. Because major renovations will be complete, the move won’t take long.

Koelsch further explained the neurology behind musical interpretation. The part of the brain that processes music is the same part that interprets semantics, further supporting the concept of music as a language.

The lecture was punctuated with more musical selections. Margaret Bardos, an Ontario-based vocalist, joined the Bergmann duo onstage to perform such pieces as Climb Ev’ry Mountain and Send in the Clowns.

Flutist Laural Trainor, director of MIMM, along with McMaster Music professor and flutist David Gerry, played the rather quirky song Cats in the Kitchen, composed by Philip Bimstein.

Even before the show was over, Koelsch brought the audience to their feet, encouraging a physical interpretation of the meaning in music while the Bergmann duo played selections from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.

Koelsch extended concluding words of advice, “you don’t necessarily constantly have to think about musical meaning,” he said, “Sometimes you can just enjoy music and your brain can do the rest.”

discover what various cultures have to offer and to learn from their likeminded peers.

Andres Krisch, member of OLAS and third-time Language Café Spanish facilitator, mirrored this sentiment.

“It’s really cool to be able to educate people on the culture and the language, to provide that spark of interest,” said Krisch.

Having come a long way since its inception in 2010, event coordinator Amy Tang hopes to see the Language Café expand in subsequent years.

She further discussed preliminary plans “to create an online database that would allow students to speak different languages and interact with each other.”

Whether a beginner or fluent speaker, “there are many ways [for students] to get involved,” she noted.

THE SILHOUETTE • A3

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Visual History Archive

Holocaust collection launched

YOUSIF HADDAD / THE SILHOUETTE

Branko Lustig shared his Holocaust experiences at the Nov. 3 event.

Farzeen Foda

Senior News Editor

The Holocasut has been extensively documented in numerous forms, through print, film and documentaries, yet all modes share a common theme; they focus heavily on the stories and recollections of just a few of the millions of people affected by the tragedy that has been seen as one of humanity’s greatest failures.

In an effort provide a more in depth insight into the Holocaust and the experiences of the survivors who have lived to tell their story, The USC Shoah Foundation, founded by world renowned producer Steven Spielburg and Branko Lustig, a Holocaust survivor and Oscar Award- winning producer, donated the Visual History Archive to McMaster.

The archive, offered through McMaster University’s online network for access from the University campus, as well as through remote access to McMaster’s Virtual Privacy Network is intended for use by students, faculty and researchers.

The archive is one of the largest of its kind, and McMaster is the only Canadian university to offer the collection of nearly 52,000 testimonies from Holocaust survivors coming from a variety of groups targeted by the genocide.

The archive contains testimonies from Jewish survivors, as well Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, liberators and liberation witnesses, rescuers and aid providers, political prisoners, Sinti and Roma survivors, participants of war crime trials and survivors of Eugenics policies.

Interviews were conducted in 52 different countries with approximately 3,000 of those interviews in Canada, 34 of which were conducted in Hamilton. The Visual History Archive houses interviews from survivors as well as letters written by Holocaust victims in a variety of languages.

Bringing a collection of this sort to McMaster has been an ongoing effort since 2009,

and to commemorate those efforts, a launch event was held on Nov. 3 in CIBC Hall. The event saw prominent speakers from within the McMaster, Hamilton and the Jewish community.

Some of the many included University president Patrick Deane, University librarian Jeff Trzeciack, Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina, the Consul General for the Republic of Croatia, and the president of the Hamilton Jewish Federation, as well as Lustig himself, who served as a strong driving force behind the USC Shoah Foundation Institute’s Visual History Archive.

Many of the speakers drew on their own experiences, emphasizing the impact of the Holocaust within Hamilton and the obligation to preserve the individual stories of each survivor. Mayor Bob Bratina spoke of his journey to his grandfather’s home town where he learned of how the Holocaust swept through the town, taking with it some of his own ancestors.

Lustig, who was met with a standing ovation following his speech, explained the gruelling experience he endured during the Holocaust as a preteen boy, and how it led him to embark on a career in film and create the Visual History Archive.

Lustig sees his efforts as his way of giving back to the people he sadly left behind during his traumatic experiences in the concentration camps. “I do my best to fulfill my promise to these people in Auchwitz,” he said, after explaining his tumultuous experience between numerous concentration camps around Europe.

From these letters and interviews, history is made. Although written in different languages, it is these pieces of history that compose, outline, and chronicle humanity’s greatest example of unquestionable vileness and wretchedness.

And yet within each paragraph, each sentence, and each letter, comes the hope of eventual unity and peace that transgresses any boundary, any language, or any culture.

Newsbites Compiled by Farzeen Foda, Alex Rockingham and Karianne Matte A mess in Hess: overcrowding leads to fines One crazy night in Hess Village stirred up months of chaos for owners of two downtown Hamilton nightclubs. Last winter, two Hess establishments faced legal action for overcrowding during an all-ages event, which violated fire code regulations. The investigation concluded on Oct. 31, resulting in a final penalty of $1,000 for the operators of RokBar Night Club, and $2,000 for the owner of Elixir Night Club & Lounge, both located on Hess Street South. Fines for such violations may reach tens of thousands of dollars, but because the nightclubs admitted to their faults, the fines were reduced.

No suspects in Westdale muggings A series of potentially related muggings in the Westdale area has Hamilton police seeking the help of residents in identifying culprits. On Oct. 27 around 11:30 p.m., two similar street muggings occurred, with matching suspect and vehicle descriptions, while three Nov. 1 muggings also had matching descriptions. Police are investigating the Oct. 27 events in the area around Longwood Rd., King St. W., Haddon Ave. S. and Main St. W. Though the suspects were armed with what’s being described as a tire iron or pipe, no victims were injured, and in all three cases, the suspects fled empty-handed. Anyone with insight on the matter is encouraged to contact Det. Jo-Ann Savole at 905-546-3818 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 Bad drive ends up in bunker At 8:30 a.m. on Nov 5., Hamilton police found a man passed out and intoxicated behind the wheel of a small SUV in a sand bunker on the Hamilton Golf and Country Club course.

Police say that the man, heavily intoxicated, drove onto the course, crossed a green and a fairway, hit a shed and then finally ended up trapped in the bunker. The 22-year old accused, who was charged with impaired driving, blew more than two times the legal alcohol limit.

Poppy thief A thief who is specifically targeting donation money meant for Canadian veterans is menacing the city of Hamilton. The so-called “Poppy-Box Thief” began a spree of robberies on Tuesday morning at a Tim Hortons in Stoney Creek at around 5:30 a.m, ordering a coffee then stealing the poppy donation box. The suspect has since repeated the act at three more Tim Hortons locations in the Hamilton area, making off with half a dozen boxes.

A6 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

EDITORIAL

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

This is your chance, McMaster

The Silhouette McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

TheSil.ca

I used to think that McMaster lacked school spirit.

For the first three and a half years of my undergrad here, I thought that we were a lot more toned down than the frat boys of Western and the drunken engineers of Queen’s. I thought we didn’t care as much about our school because we didn’t have a common identity and didn’t celebrate a sense of community.

One football game changed it all.

When I was the Sil’s sports editor last year, I covered last year’s OUA football semi-final against Western in London. Normally, Marauder games are attended by a few die-hard alumni fans, parents, younger kids and a handful of students who have wandered accidentally into stadiums and gyms.

As soon as I arrived at Western’s TD Waterhouse Stadium last year, dozens, then hundreds of boisterous, maroon-sporting young people starting filling the stands.

By the time the game began, students who had taken fan buses from Hamilton and come to cheer on their Marauders as they took on the Mustangs were dominating the noise inside the stadium.

It was a magnificent sight: fans were cheering on a team against a hated rival. Fans who were uniting under a common identity. Fans who were suddenly celebrating their membership in the McMaster community.

Say what you want about Athletics and Recreation profiting from the bus tickets, or prospective alumni office donation collectors licking their lips at future donors and their sense of nostalgia. This was a massive group of students who came to support a football team because it represented them. They were proud of who they were.

I realized after that game that I was wrong about McMaster’s school spirit, and that at the mandate of some football game, people united under a sense of brother- and sisterhood. Improbably, McMaster had an incredible, strong, feisty spirit. It was robust and nearly palpable.

This Saturday, a year and one week after that game, the Marauders will make the same trip to London and play those same Mustangs. This time, however, the game is for the Yates Cup – the oldest football trophy in North America.

Perhaps you haven’t followed the Marauders this year (and in that case, you’ve missed quite a show).

Perhaps you don’t care about McMaster’s sports teams at all. But even for those who haven’t cared in the past, this Saturday is a chance to celebrate being a member of a community.

The reasons to get behind this team are many, if not innumerable. Maybe you’re a CIS football fan and know that this is the best chance the Marauders have had to win a Yates Cup – or even the Vanier – since Jesse Lumsden was the big man on campus, or that you’ve watched this year’s team steadily become the pick of many experts to win a national title.

But even for those who haven’t cared a lick about Mac sports, this is a chance to embrace and show that you care about the community we’re all a part of.

Some of you might ask why this game (or even this team) is the avenue we should choose to display our sense of school pride.

Again, there are limitless reasons why you should choose this game (Did I mention they’re playing Western?) as the time to show community support. It will be on national TV. With apologies to the other varsity teams, it’s the biggest game a McMaster team will play this year. It’s the biggest, most visible platform McMaster’s students will have this year to show exactly how proud they are of their collective identity.

Just like last year, I’ll be covering the football game in London this Saturday. I’m hoping that just like last year, I’ll be pleasantly surprised – maybe even shocked – about how strongly McMaster students show their school spirit.

•

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Executive Editor... Brian Decker Managing Editor... Sam Colbert Production Editor... Jonathon Fairclough Senior News Editor... Farzeen Foda Asst. News Editor... Dina Fanara Asst. News Editor... Kacper Niburski Opinions Editor... Andrew Terefenko Sports Editor... Fraser Caldwell Asst. Sports Editor... Brandon Meawasige InsideOut Editor... Natalie Timperio Asst. InsideOut Editor... Cassandra Jeffery Business Editor... Sonya Khanna Senior ANDY Editor... Jemma Wolfe ANDY Music Editor... Josh Parsons ANDY Ent. Editor... Myles Herod Senior Photo Editor... Tyler Hayward Multimedia Editor... Joy Santiago Asst. Photo Editor... Ricardo Padilla

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to yates cup action. this is gonna be awesome.

to penn state students. wow.

to mac’s 11 football all stars. congrats fellas.

to mushy apples. pretty sure everyone hates these.

to all mac sports athletes. good job fellas and ladies.

to smokin’ joe and heavy d gone.

to peeling potatoes.

to rain storms. boo.

to jimmy gringo’s.

to having the gringus.

to parsons’ pale ale.

to fraser’s pale ass.

to brazilian males.

to male brazilians.

to being a lesbian, again.

to expensive plane tickets. we leave by train. tomorrow.

to ferocious masturbation that borders on the holy.

to jemma’s burrito glance.

to turtlenecks and backpacks.

to sodomy. you’re right, alex. there’s a line.

to january 13. can’t wait.

to a 53-47 split.

to steve french.

to jujubes circa the future doughnuts era.

to jello. why not?

to firmware.

to working hard and playing hard. wuck festern.

to sick editors. good thing they’ve got us quarantined down here.

THE SILHOUETTE • A7

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

OPINIONS

production office extension: 27117 opinions@thesil.ca

Down with the crown Andrew Terefenko Opinions Editor

When was the last time you felt the relevancy of our sovereign mother in your daily life?

Our connection to the British crown is as flimsy and wholly traditional as the ceremonies with which we glorify it. Why then do we still look to the monarch for stability and safety in the event of a national catastrophe?

The growing crisis in the EU has forced me to examine the relationship Canada shares with the union it is a part of, the Commonwealth of Nations; a collective of 54 independent countries and states (one of which is suspended) that “unite” under the banner of the British empire that at one point or another ruled over 52 of them.

Membership in the association is said to promote peace, equality and free trade, and member countries are encouraged to fight against poverty and ignorance. I say encouraged because the Commonwealth does not often do more than point a stern finger at violators of human rights, and in the present day acts more as a private club for heads of state.

If you would like to be painted a picture of just how inactive the congregation is in matters of combating injustice, 41 of the 54 Commonwealth member states have laws against openly practising homosexuality. The single suspended member mentioned earlier was Fiji, and the suspension came after a particularily ugly coup d’état on the government, not for some “trivial” human rights shenanigans.

Heading this ragtag group of do-nothings is the Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, the very same Queen we call Mum and for whom we clear the streets when she graces us with her presence. Most of the actual responsibilities fall to the Commonwealth’s Secretary General, who at this moment is the illustrious Kamalesh Sharma, a man elected and re-elected from India, and

seconded by Pakistan, two countries that, while fighting homophobia on a daily basis, are still very much in the dark about global acceptable of LGBT culture and homosexual rights as a whole. When his greatest accomplishments are mostly businessoriented in nature, how can we count on him to make the key cul-

tural and x socialxxx decisions h that are so very needed within the Commonwealth?

Earlier this year a panel proposed a slew of changes that the Commonwealth should adopt, including the organization adopting a rigid

charter outlining its goals and appointing a commissioner to track human rights violations within member nations.

These changes were considered and promptly “kicked into the long grass,” as one panel member put it, when the heads of the Commonwealth deferred the issues to further research by xxstudy

groups. xxWhy do we exist within such a disorganized, disingenuous organization that serves us little to no purpose other than a feeling of belonging to something larger than ourselves. An ironic statement, given that only one other

country is actually larger than ours, going by land mass alone. When we celebrate the Commonwealth games, we play side by side with countries that accept the homophobia and gender inequality that litters their nation.

We talk a big game when we call out China for hosting the Olympics despite having severe human rights abuses within their borders, but then we turn a blind eye to the same abuses occurring within nations that we play rugby with every four years in a grand tribute to “world peace values.”

So is the crown relevant in our daily lives? Do we really need these thin traditionalist ties to a force that does nothing to fight for the values that we are so very lucky to enjoy each and every day?

It may be sensationalist to think that association with the crown is tantamount to supporting human rights abuses, but in this day and age we are expected to be disgusted with ignorance, and that very same crown is the symbol of an organization that sweeps it under the rug.

A member of the Commonwealth may voluntarily withdraw from the association at any time for any reason, and it may be time for Canada to re-evaluate the costs of such a membership, and whether we can afford it moving on into the majority of the 21st century.

It might just be a figurehead of our past, a symbol of our roots, but those roots have grown into something gruesome. We’ve been a part of the Commonwealth for 80 years, are we prepared for another 80?

There is a sort of tinge of inconsequentiality to the issue, but much more is at stake when matters of the state are concerned. How we define ourselves as part of a larger union will shape global opinion of our country for decades to come.

We promise on a daily basis to stand on guard for thee, Canada, and it’s about time we got started on that, because the anthem does not ask me to guard the crown.

Defining the definition Edward Lovo The Silhouette

Ask yourself about the point of a dictionary.

Is the function of a dictionary to give you the standard usage of those words or is it to give you the correct usage of those words? By “standard usage” I mean how society at large uses those words. But then how does this differ from “correct usage”?

If you are at all similar to me, you won’t be able to see how to make sense of the correct usage of words without reference to their standard usage. Yet my fellow philosophical friends insist that there is a difference.

I asked them what the standards of correctness for the usage of words would be other than their standard usage, but one of them answered something along the lines of “It’s a complex matter,” which I understand to be shorthand for “I wouldn’t know how to make sense of it.” Really, then, they are unable to provide a positive account for the correct usage of words, whereas I can identify the correct usage of words with their standard usage. I will return to this point, however, and interpret them in a favourable light.

Let me tell you what motivates them in thinking that there is a distinction between the standard and correct usages of words. They see the dictionary as having a regulatory function, with which I can agree. Our agreement, however, is brief, since I understand them to hold a strong regulatory function for the dictionary whereas I see it as having a weak regulatory function. It’s undeniable that since the emer-

INSIDE HEADTOHEAD

gence of the dictionary the spellings and mean- turns the case in my favour. Let’s allow them to ings of words have become more stable, but say that the dictionary has the “correct” usage only relatively so. of words. Now suppose the mismatch between This will be all I mean by the dictionary’s the dictionary and society becomes great and “weakly regulatory function.” As time pro- that a non-English user is interested in learngresses, certain definitions of certain words ing the language, since speaking the language will become obsolete and the word will have is the most efficient means of communication a different attached meaning for society that it anyway. didn’t have before. My friends see a threat in Naturally, the person will attempt to this. As we’ve seen, the Old English in which expand their vocabulary by taking a look at Chaucer wrote his Canterbury Tales is almost the dictionary, which, according to my friends, unrecognizable to us today. has the correct usages of those My friends want to avoid words. The problem is since this happening again, so they rift between the dictionIn its aim in becom- the say that the dictionary exhausts ary and society is so great the the English language and thus ing prescriptive the non-English user is still incapthat there should be no amend- dictionary becomes able of communicating with ments to words that are already users. Hence, in its obsolete, uninforma- English in the dictionary. This leaves aim in becoming prescriptive open the addition of new words. tive, irrelevant which the dictionary becomes obsoRather than describing how the lete, uninformative, irrelevant, means that the English language is used the means that the dictiondictionary ought to which dictionary should prescribe how ary ought to be descriptive of be descriptive of the the language. it is used.

With their motivation now In other words, the dictionlanguage. in the open I think we can put ary ought to reflect the usages words in their mouth to say of words by society rather than what a positive account of the correct usage prescribing its own usages. of words would be. The dictionary-makers, My friends fear societies not understanding or simpler yet, the dictionary stipulates what their own languages of the past, but I fear the the correct usage of those words are. Now this even greater danger of the dictionary’s capacity leaves open a potential mismatch between the to become obsolete if it is to be prescriptive. usage of those words according to the diction- If the dictionary were to become obsolete, then ary and the usage of those words according to this would impede enriching one’s vocabulary society.

The possibility of there being a mismatch • PLEASE SEE WORDS, A10

The European Union is beginning to question the strength of their weakest links. What is the next step?

Page A10

Feedback Is the monarchy relevant in your daily life? Students delve into this question.

Page A8

This Week in Opinions Bomba Anniversary

Church v. State

Diabetes Details

Fifty years ago the Russians shook the world with nuclear testing. We examine the effects of the blast in the present day.

There is a time and a place for everything, but not at the same time and same place, when matters of the state are becoming too non-secular.

Living with a diabetes diagnosis is not as difficult as you may think. Find out some of the lesser-known facts behind the ailment.

Pg. A9

Pg. A9

Pg. A10

A8 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

?

The right to Youtube “I don’t have any relation to the crown at all.”

Does the crown have any relevance in your life?

-Nick Dion, History II

Feedback

“We are deeply rooted to the crown, but as an individual I have no need for it.”

-Sarah Salise, Sociology IV

“The Queen is more of a symbol, there isn’t any more use for her than that.”

-Alex Chang, Pol Sci & Geo II

“In western society monarchs aren’t really relevant anymore. Should we keep to our roots or not?”

-Arielle Nawarra, Pol Sci & Geo II

Compiled by Ricardo Padilla and Andrew Terefenko

“I feel like it is not relevant because she is indirectly represented in gov’t, but she is good as a symbol.”

-Anna Foster, Health Sci II

Erin Chesney The Silhouette

Last week an article in the Silhouette discussed the rise to fame of some supposedly unworthy YouTube stars, “Unsubscribe to this terrible trend.” Although the author did express the advantages of the notorious website, she felt that society should stop subscribing to certain videos that seem to promote dishonourable values.

The proposed example of such a monstrous representation of our generation’s ideals is shown through the YouTube series, “Epic Meal Time.” Last week’s article asked the question, “Since when is compiling grotesque and gargantuan meals of fatty foods considered entertainment?”

The easy answer: it is not. The guys behind Epic Meal Time did not plot a scheme to make them rich and famous. They were just a bunch of frat boys who decided to do some wacky food experiments and filmed themselves. I’m sorry to break it to everyone, but they really didn’t care if they were liked or not. They were just having fun. Yes, having a tour is a bit of a sell out, and they do attest to that. However, they truly are just having a good time in a harmless way. So the real question is: who are we to stop them?

The truth is, most people wouldn’t. Another aspect that needs to be pointed about Epic Meal Time, as well as many other videos that might be categorized in the same genre, is that these videos are trends.

A trend implicitly means that a large amount of people enjoy this form of entertainment.

Now I am not an economics student by any means, however I am aware of the basics of supply and demand. Epic Meal Time would

not be popular unless there were thousands of people out there who genuinely enjoyed it.

I, too, attended the Epic Meal Time show at McMaster a few weekends back. I find it very interesting that so many people have been giving it a bad review because from my seat, everyone seemed to be having a fun time. By no stretch of the imagination was my intellect stimulated at all. But in all honesty, who cares? If you bought a ticket to Epic Meal Time, you should have realized it would be something resembling their videos.

YouTube stars are utilizing their right to freedom of speech and audiences of these videos are utilizing their right to freedom of choice. It is unfair to criticize either of these demographics, for doing so would be to make individuals feel guilty for acting as autonomous agents. In my opinion, it is a slippery slope.

For now, it is just starting to instill an obligation to unsubscribe to certain YouTube videos, but what is next? Books? T.V shows?

Sorry, you are no longer allowed to go see the new Harold and Kumar movie because it does not meet society’s standards of values in a film. A viewer is making a choice when they click that start button on a YouTube video and it is not Big Brother’s business what choice is made.

In certain parts of the world, the Internet is regulated. In some places, people are restricted to navigating only the websites the government deems appropriate. We live in an amazing part of the world where we have access to the unlimited possibilities that is the Internet.

So people, let’s embrace the freedom of YouTube, not criticize it.

THE SILHOUETTE • A9

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Representative religion Ryan Mallough Silhouette Staff

Freedom of religion is one of the most fundamental tenets of a Western democratic society. It is so vital that in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, freedom of conscience and religion is listed first before freedom of speech and expression.

Within the right to freedom of religion is the implied separation of church in state – the idea that one’s religious practice is a private affair and will not inform public policy. However, in the practice of so-called “secular” Western democracies, particularly American democracy, this is rarely ever the case.

Last week Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Dean del Mastro (Con. MP – Peterborough) called out Liberal MP Justin Trudeau (Lib. MP – Papineau) on his Catholic faith, asking “if there are any tenets of Catholic faith that Justin supports?

Trudeau was justifiably outraged, as were many members of the public.

After all, Canada is a secular society and in a truly secular government the religion of politicians – religion in general – should not play a role in policy making or the public life.

What came as a surprise to no one is that these comments came from a conservative.

At some point political conservatives coopted religion; they made themselves the champions of God, and at the same time

marked political liberals as the heathens.

Furthermore, they made it policy to run on their faith. The message is that conservatives are Christians with Christian values and therefore are good, moral people. They are members of good, moral parties.

It is logical that orthodoxy or extremists would support a party making conservative policy decisions; however, the moderate believers, the “modern” Christians or Muslims, Jewish and others who practice religion but do not centre their lives on it, what about them? Why does their worship in a church, mosque or synagogue assume the perception of social conservatism?

Are there no gay Muslims? Are there no pro-choice Christians? Are there no Jewish persons who fight for women’s rights?

Why does practicing and legislating acceptance of all people or believing in a woman’s right to choose brand you a person of bad or no faith? It is the 21st century.

Western civilization has overcome slavery, tyranny, and the brink of global nuclear destruction, yet 2,000 years later we still cannot separate ideology from public policy.

It is not impossible for a secular society to be formed by people of faith. Such a society was what the founding fathers of America – the pinnacle of democracy – envisioned. It was never intended to be “one nation under God,” but a society where the policies are informed by the people.

Opinions is always looking for passionate, long-eared writers. Send an e-mail to opinions@thesil.ca or come to the meetings Fridays at 12:30 in MUSC B110 and get your voice out there. (Or just come on down and let us pick your brain.)

The explosion that shook the future

• PLEASE SEE CHURCH, A11

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

A replica of a bomb that created an explosion five times larger than Hiroshima.

Rob Hardy

Silhouette Staff

The world recently experienced a notable anniversary of a fairly significant event not wellknown to the average person today. That such things are forgotten by the larger populace, and not taught to newer generations, is also notable.

Fifty years ago, on Oct. 30, 1961, The USSR topped off years of nuclear testing with a dubious crowning achievement – the detonation of the largest thermonuclear bomb ever tested. Known as the Tsar Bomba, its name derived partially from the Russian tradition of aiming for grandeur, this 50-megaton atomic bomb was an important point in the timeline of the decades-long Cold War. Though its aims were political and utilized scientific progress toward demonstrating Soviet might, the implications of humanity’s ability to both conceive of, and utilize, such a devastating weapon are the legacy of this historic milestone.

The “King of the bombs” was detonated approximately 4,200 metres above Novaya Zemlya, in the Russian Arctic. Exponentially more powerful than earlier bombs dropped on Japan during WWII, the height of the blast pierced the Earth’s mesosphere and blasted windows over 900 km away. With this intensity, third degree burns would be the reality for any person 100 km from ground zero and the bombs’ brightness was seen at a distance over 1,000 km away, not so surprising considering its power. As the blast’s impact circled the earth, it is not enough to say that this hydrogen bomb destroyed all flora and fauna within a vast radius, but that it also completely decimated the geography of the islands within this area as well.

This northern island was well-established as a huge military test site, and continued to see much activity for years to come, though, upon the decision to conduct this experiment, the resulting shock of the test’s magnitude and Soviet boldness halted the progress of further testing at least for a time. The world, and America specifically, were already on high alert as fears of further nuclear devastation ran high during the early 1960s. The Tsar Bomba was a confirming reminder that man was still definitely capable of creating weapons that not only served as strategic

military arsenal, but that could completely annihilate large swaths of populated areas, leaving nothing but absolute destruction in their wake.

Having been to both Nagasaki and Hiroshima, it startles me to think of the ease with which those events, years earlier, were justified by many at the time, and the acceptance and eventual fading which have followed.

Understanding something about Japanese culture, which is still evident as they rebuild after this year’s catastrophe, it is the way of its people to face adversity and unspeakable tribulations with a kind of calmness, practicality and an unmatched fortitude, representative of its Buddhist roots.

As for the rest of us, I really don’t see much evidence that atomic events on the scale of such past atrocities have really transformed the way we interact with each other, and the larger society. To prove this point, one needs to simply witness a clip from a British television show circulating on Youtube which, incredibly, documents scores of Americans in New York who could not name the day, month, or even year of 9/11. Though scored with canned laughter between responses, to see the rate at which even critical modern history is being forgotten these days is positively breathtaking.

To fully understand the significance of an event is not simply to understand its trivia, but to develop an appreciation for its context. Though studying history is an acquired taste that may take a long time to develop, it’s quite clear that there are patterns and parallels to our own times, as we begin to see that humans centuries ago were in many fundamental ways very similar to us today even though the external dramas have changed.

There is the adage, often heard and survived by its wisdom, “those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it.” In fact, there are scientists today who study these cyclical patterns, hoping to shed light on where we are today in this larger picture. I also find it interesting that the word chosen was “doomed;” because as much as we’d like to think we have magically leapfrogged well past all of our ugliest evils, some of it relatively recent, after some critical examination one could reasonably conclude that, unfortunately, this still very much remains to be seen.

A10 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

SUMEET KHANNA Co-President, McMaster Debating Society

AND AMANDA MIHOUB WRIGHT VIce President Promotions, McMaster Debating Society

DEBATE:

HEADTOHEAD Amanda: The European Union, as it functions today, was formally established in November 1993. It is an economic and political alliance between 27 member states originally created to foster economic cooperation, allowing for the free movement of goods, people and services. The Eurozone consists of 17 of the European Union member states that are united by the common currency of the Euro. The European Central Bank controls inflation and implements the Eurozone’s monetary policy. The risks associated with membership in the EU far outweigh the benefits. This is evidenced by the current financial crisis involving Greece. A nation with a previously closed economy in need of structural reforms when it joined the EU, Greece was able to take advantage of low interest bonds (loans) due to its EU membership. For years, the Greek government spent more money than it had and borrowed money to cover its deficit. It was revealed in 2009 that the Greek government’s deficit was actually 12.7 per cent of its GDP rather than the 6 per cent that had been purported. Spain, Italy, Portugal and Ireland have also faced financial troubles since the 2008 recession - Ireland is currently being supported by the IMF. There is a lack of cohesion among EU members in terms of their longterm interests, a lack of fiscal cohesion, and a lot of disagreement among member states as to how much power individual countries should have over their own economies. Also, there is currently no mechanism in place that allows for a Eurozone member to leave the Eurozone, one of the many structural flaws of the EU. Sumeet: Amanda worries about the current situation in Greece, and rightly so. However, there are two things to keep in mind.

First, the bail-out package produced by the EU has the potential to mitigate a lot of the harms that Amanda alludes to, at least in a reactionary sense. The European Foreign and Social Policy pools capital in order to allow member banks of the European Central Bank (ECB) to start buying government and private debt securities. Second, investors still have remarkable confidence in European markets, and we’re not seeing a “dominoeffect.” Why? Because investors know that even though the Euro may be at the centre of financial panic, the consequences of this panic may negatively affect other currencies, like the U.S. dollar, and result in a relative stabilization of the Euro in the long-term.

A parallel can be drawn to the 2008 financial crisis, where insecurities in the dollar

caused a ripple-effect that paradoxically made the dollar rise in value. Moreover, government investors are still buying euros to hedge against risk that can be found in the U.S. and their own economies. Amanda does highlight some key structural issues with the EU, but EU is also uniquely armed to prevent its own economic meltdown.

A: Membership in the EU does have its advantages, as Sumeet has pointed out; however, the risks of EU membership for the weaker nations from this point on due to the financial debt crisis far outweigh the benefits. Not a single EU member nation has offered to put money forward to solve the debt crisis, though many of them have the capital. Instead, they are currently in negotiations with outside nations such as China and Brazil who have made it clear that any contributions that they make will not be to an EU operated rescue fund but will instead be channelled through the IMF. What purpose does an economic union serve if the member states act in terms of their own individual interests instead of working towards unified economic goals? In particular, the strongest nations such as Germany and France, who have benefited immensely from the competitiveness afforded to them by the weaker Euro. Can such an arrangement even be referred to as a Union? As Sumeet mentioned, the proposed solution is a reactionary one, essentially a band-aid solution. The current proposed plan doesn’t deal with the structural problems of the EU and is not a long-term solution. The plan doesn’t address the economic imbalances that exist within the EU or the feasibility of the austerity measures that will be put into place on the

citizens of the countries in debt crisis.

S: Agreed. The issue of sovereign interests conflicting with the collective stability of the EU is a systematic problem, but there are two options by which it can be addressed. One is that the EU can simply excommunicate irresponsible countries like Greece in order to keep investors attracted to EU member markets. The second option is for the EU to impose tighter regulations at the fiscal level to avoid over-spending in member states, which is an attractive idea.

Fiscal unity is beneficial to all EU members when managed properly, and without the EU, individual members lose the benefits associated with a shared economic zone.

In terms of purchasing power, the Euro still stands strong relative to its implementation.

The European labour market has created 14 million jobs in the past 12 years, as opposed to 8 million created in the U.S. The current budget deficit in the U.S. is 10 per cent. It’s 4.5 per cent of GDP for the EU cumulatively. So as easy as it is for critics like Amanda to denounce the EU as a failed project, let’s not lose sight of the promise it holds.

A: The EU has benefited European citizens in the past, but membership within the EU has also been detrimental to many of its member states due to the internal imbalances that exist within the EU. Spain, for one, has an unemployment rate of 21 per cent overall and of 40 per cent among youths. Germany, however, has gained export competitiveness from a weaker euro. The structure of the EU is fundamentally flawed and this has been made clear recently by the economic crisis in Greece. The member countries are inter-

Do the various risks associated with membership in the EU outweigh the benefits? twined to the extent that an economic crisis in one country negatively impacts the other countries, but they are not close enough that they can control each others economies in order to prevent economic crisis (as evidenced by the fact that Greece successfully hid the true amount of their debt for years). There is too much disagreement among EU members as to how much control each country should have over its economy.

The EU should have been more integrated fiscally from the beginning, with less power attributed to individual nations. There should have been more cross-border infrastructure development. Instead, many of the EU countries have consistently acted in their own interests, without thinking of how their actions will impact the rest of the EU members. It does not make sense that there are so many countries in the EU that are struggling (Italy, Portugal, Greece, Ireland, Spain etc.) and yet others are powerhouses. These internal imbalances are detrimental to all members. The EU powerhouses are reluctant to contemplate restructuring the Euro or the break-up of the EU, but it may be the best solution for the weaker nations.

S: Amanda argues that weaker countries are subservient to the interests of stronger countries; however, the EU has no mandate that all countries become equally wealthy.

To validate her claim, Amanda would have to prove to us that Greece or Italy would be better off without the EU, which I don’t think is the case given that their problems stem from internal conflicts. Second, the fact that greater fiscal unity is even being considered is a mark of progress. Finally, Amanda forgets the reason the EU was established in the first place. It wasn’t to evenly distribute wealth to its member states, but instead to create opportunities for those states to prosper in circumstances that they wouldn’t be able to otherwise. Common polices on trade, agriculture and fisheries harmonized industries that had been inefficient for decades. Further, the creation of a single market that allows for the free circulation of goods, capital, people and services within the EU is a net benefit to every member if its privileges are not abused. The EU is the first entity in history to fully realize that nations are interconnected with each other regardless of whether they belong to a larger union, and so it makes more sense to engage with the global market as a collective bloc. We cannot dismiss the EU wholesale; it has largely been a success, and the union is flexible enough to accommodate change.

Defeating a diabetes diagnosis Damanjot Otal The Silhouette

During a regular check up with your family physician, you learn you have pre-diabetes, a condition where your blood sugar levels are relatively high, putting you at risk of developing type II diabetes. This takes you by surprise, but you’re not too concerned: no one dies from type II diabetes, it’s practically inevitable for many around you.

It’s really not that big of a deal...right?

Unfortunately, this mentality surrounding diabetes is common in today’s society. Despite research showing it has deadly consequences, type II diabetes, a preventable disease, is not perceived as serious as others and its incidence in North America is on the rise.

Type II diabetes is caused by the body’s resistance to insulin, a hormone that regulates sugar uptake by the cells. It effectively lowers the amount of sugar in the bloodstream. Without insulin, sugar builds up in the blood instead of being used as energy.

This has numerous implications on health, some of them severe. Diabetes has the ability to deteriorate the entire body, from head to toes, affecting everything from vision and hearing to sexual function and sleep. Not only that, type II diabetes can triple the risk of heart attack and stroke. It is the leading cause of blindness, amputations and kidney failure in North America.

Paralysis of the stomach, loss of bowel control,

poor circulation and a loss of feeling in the extremities are all precursors to the extreme measures listed above.

If the consequences of type II diabetes are so severe and so unsettling, why does this laid-back attitude towards the condition exist? It stems partly from the fact that diabetes is a manageable disease, without the constant aide of a doctor.

One key underlying element is missing: diabetes is manageable and does not interfere with the lives of those affected if they make a lifelong commitment to change their diet, activity level, and monitor their blood sugar levels. A lifelong commitment is not easy or simple; it requires time, effort, and energy.

One of the most effective ways to offset prediabetes and manage type II diabetes is changing diet to lower blood sugar levels. Diet and nutrition are directly related to disease prevention and overall wellbeing. For diabetes, this means consuming fewer calories, specifically limiting intake of carbohydrates. Healthy foods such as whole grains, vegetables, and lean meats are recommended. The public needs to get educated and actively think about what they are consuming and their activity level, something that is more likely to happen when a true appreciation for the consequences of diabetes is achieved.

Moreover, incorporating exercise into your life complements eating healthy and is an effective way of coping with type II diabetes. By keeping weight down through exercise, the body’s need for insulin is reduced. Exercise increases

the body’s sensitivity to insulin, allowing glucose to be used more effectively. In fact, for prediabetics, losing 5-10 per cent of their total body weight can significantly reduce their chance of developing type II diabetes. Similar to diet, in order for exercise to be effective in treating diabetes, it must be done regularly and is entirely dependent upon the individual and their motivation.

Finally, monitoring blood sugar levels is an important part of diabetes management and is predominately self-directed. A blood glucose meter can be used at home to test if blood sugar levels are in the appropriate range. This tool can help patients make decisions about food consumption based on the blood sugar levels they observe. The healthcare system has developed many resources so patients can manage diabetes on their own, and not be bogged down by countless doctors’ appointments. This allows patients to live a more normal life but also demands selfdirection in coping with their disease.

Managing type II diabetes and living a good life is certainly possible; however, it requires discipline and commitment from those afflicted, something that is often hard to achieve.

Ultimately, each individual is in control of his or her health and thus, risk of developing type II diabetes and its complications. It is only when people begin to understand the seriousness of diabetes that they will take action in prevention and management. And only then will we see a decline in this life-long, progressive disease.

Words can be wronged • CONT’D FROM A7 to communicate even more efficiently with society. The cost of being incapable of communicating with society is greater than the cost of not understanding languages of the past.

The only way my friends can possibly defend their account now is to claim that if the dictionary were in fact to be strongly prescriptive then both problems would be avoided.

I’ve never taken any such argument seriously that says just because fire has burned forests in the past doesn’t mean it will do the same tomorrow. Some philosophers would like this, but I have no sympathy for those philosophers (there is a division in philosophy between the scientific philosophers, among whom I count myself, and the unscientific ones). At last, then, the dictionary is for the people and does not work against the people as my friends envision it.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

If you have any ideas for debate topics or just want to complain about an article we published, send an e-mail to opinions@thesil.ca and have your say!

THE SILHOUETTE • A11

Church law in effect We must deal with the discomfort in religion’s involvement in politics

view and practice our politics. If the United States, Canada, and the rest of the Western world truly want to And yet it has become difficult to categorize modern set an example for fledgling democracies, then the sepAmerica, be it under a Republican or aration between church and state must a Democrat, as a secular nation with a be enforced. secular society. Lost in the fanfare of Religion is an impor- That we automatically associate the having elected the first African-Amertant tool in shap- Canadian Conservative Party or the Reican president was the fact that Joe publican Party with religion is a perceping many people’s tion that desperately needs to change.

Biden became only the second nonprotestant (a Catholic) ever elected on Conservative values should not be asmoral values; the presidential ticket, the first being however, it should sociated with religious ones; liberal John F. Kennedy. values should not be perceived as unremain a private, religious ones.

It is therefore hypocritical for a nation whose leaders have all been of personal matter far Religion is an important tool in a single faith, save the one exception, many people’s moral values; outside of public shaping to flare up at the lack of secularism in a however, it should remain a private, policy making. nation like Libya founding their constipersonal matter far outside of public tution on a religious doctrine. Is there policy making. Religious or not, we are really so much difference between all entitled to our beliefs under the same “one nation under God” and “one nation under Allah?” government.

There needs to be a paradigm shift in the way we It is time that our political parties agreed.

• CONT’D FROM A9

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Where does the line get drawn when there is virtually no distinction between church and state?

NOV. 16 - 18 STUDENT CENTRE

Wed. 9am Fri. at 5pm

A12 • THE SILHOUETTE

SpeculatoR The Hamilton

Thursday, November 10, 2011

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

WEATHER

High: Low:

Expectations after 10-years of internet porn Sperm-count, kill-count, Count Chocula appetite

Infuriating irate theologists since 1968

F

The bible two, with ten new taboos Tiberius Slick Speculator

The God-fearing world slowed to a halt last night as bookstores worldwide were instantaneously stocked with copies of the sequel to the Bible, The Newest Testament.

The tantalizing tome starts with a chapter entitled Jesus and the Chamber of Secrets in which Jesus is forced to meet new challenges in his second year at Cloudborne School of Daemons and Deities.

Livid supporters of J. K. Rowling are petitioning for the new bible to be stricken off of store shelves, as they feel it is blatant and unrepentant thievery of the Harry Potter series. Rowling has yet to make a public statement, as we have not been successful in reaching her for a comment, from wherever it is undeserving billionaires spend their free time.

The new new testament elaborates on some of the more controversial elements and stories of the original two books, putting an end to many long-standing debates within the theological community.

One of the first revelations readers will find is the existence of a third city between Sodom and Gomorrah, Nippletown, which was left un-smited in order for God to appear not as “Old Testament crazy” as critics have pointed out.

The story goes on to explain the town’s role in inventing motorized boats and social conventions for watching when a mother breastfeeds.

Later on in the literally holier-than-thou book, Jesus goes through a Buddhist phase and

reincarnates into a resident of New Jersey, a journey that lasts all of half a fortnight before he promptly misses being dead. This comes as a surprising addition as the previous testaments did not recognize other religions’ validity, which this volume tells us was “a grievous clerical error.”

The Westboro Baptist Church has found itself at a difficult impasse, as the organization is finding it hard to justify a picketing of a legitimate biblical volume.

Several rogue members have done so anyways, with signs flouting such phrases as “It was Adam and Eve, not their third cousin Bieb,” and “Noah did not have an affair with the pairs.”

The glorified gospel is enjoying a healthy 4-star rating on Amazon, though it is receiving a slew of 1-star comments due to its “undue references to named individuals that have garnered divine hatred, and are unknown to the majority of readers.”

In an example of this, Jeb Holladay of Fairbury, Illinois has been condemned to an eternity of painfully awkward conversations, on page 67, for mentally undressing Jim Cavaziel while watching Passion of the Christ.

It is unknown whether there will be further testaments in this new coming of biblical texts, but religious experts and catholic priests unanimously agree that, “I sincerely hope not.”

The Newest Testament has reached the second slot in the New York Times bestseller book titles, surpassed only by the final book in the Eragon quadrilogy, Inheritance, which fans agree is, “significantly less descriptive of male genitalia.”

SAL “MEATBALL” MARINARA

In the final chapter of the sequel we learn of the tragic day when DJ Jesus died for our spins.

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOM (Picture unrelated to headline)

Kingsley Morris Speculator

The University of Western Ontario is in utter shock tonight after longstanding coach and botanist Steve French was forced to resign after allegations of immoral conduct and criminal negligence were reported against him by international watchdog Amnesty International.

French, debatably the greatest coach in wheelchair badminton history, served as Western’s head coach for over 50 years – starting as a humble “wheel greaser” before blazing through the ranks to end up as head of the Western “Hot Wheelz” at the glorious age of 34.

While Amnesty International has yet to release specific information about the allegations, many speculate that French’s resignation is linked with his teams recent tour of EasternEurope and Lebanon.

“All we can say at this time is that the allegations have something to do with a popcorn maker, seven poor unskilled workers, a Sovietera 8mm camera, and a poorly built Halal rotisserie”, remarked Frank

Lipps, a spokesperson and selfprofessed gymnast from Amnesty International.

“Steve French knew very well of the activities of his staff and the Hot Wheelz team, and his negligence and careless attitude has resulted in unspeakable losses of in countless brothels and movie theatres in more than 4 EUdependent countries.

Steve French, known as “Dimples” by his closest friends is a beloved figure in Western’s tradition and culture. He was the first varsity coach in any sport to wear alpaca fur vests to his away games – a tradition which has spread to other B-universities such as Guelph and Brock.

Dimples is also remembered for his fist-fight with crooner Paul Anka, in which he famously beat Anka within an inch of his life with a 3-foot novelty shoe-horn.

Despite the efforts of Western’s students and administration, French was ordered to resign this past Wednesday, causing great upset and a 12hour long, ill-conceived, “Occupy Western” protest before everyone

went to a frat party and forgot all about him.

This couldn’t have come at a worse time, since the “Hot Wheelz” play their most important game of the season against the McMaster “Wheel McCoy’s” this Saturday for the title of the Bates

Cup.

Both coming in at 7 and 1, McMaster now poses a serious advantage over their competitor - as they still have their head coach and one of their players has an electric buggy.

It’s uncertain what lies

next for Steve French. Until more information is released by Amnesty International over what his apparent misconduct is, it’s mere speculation from here.

And we’re the Speculator. So we think he violated one or more food machines, or even a pastry… who knows.

“Did you read in the news?”

“The last lockout gave us poker...

now it’s professional darts. ” 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.

S1 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

The women’s soccer squad falls short of a bronze medal for a

second consecutive year.

Details on S2.

The Silhouette

SPORTS

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

MEN’S SOCCER

MAC LAYS OUT QUEEN’S

The men’s soccer team captured the OUA championship for the second time in three seasons. See S8.

BASKETBALL

The McMaster basketball teams will launch their 2011-12 conference seasons. Sil Sports has previews for both sets of hoopsters on S6-7.

The Marauders are off to the Yates Cup after crushing the Queen’s Gaels 40-13. We bring you a preview of the conference championship. See S4-5.

S2 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Women’s Rugby

Women’s Soccer

Fifth-place finish for Marauders

Mac falls short of bronze at the hands of the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Van der Hoop was wistful as she thought of the Nov. 6 defeat, knowing that the consolation match represented a massive missed opportunity for the Marauders.

“On Sunday I think we could honestly have done a lot better, and that game was why we were so disappointed,” the captain conceded. “We held them off for a long time, and the 4-0 score shouldn’t have happened. We were right in there but they finished their chances and we didn’t.”

Despite the losses, the Marauders can take solace in the fact that they matched their Final Four progress of last season and have announced the arrival of a long-dormant McMaster squad in the top-tier of the OUA.

McMaster’s accomplishment is particularly impressive given the coaching and systematic change that the team endured this

Ben Orr

Silhouette Staff

The Marauders completed their season with a win on Nov. 6, but the victory came in a round McMaster never intended to play.

By defeating the host Trent Excalibur for the second time this season, the McMaster women claimed fifth place at the CIS Championships in Peterborough. The squad earned a berth in the tournament by reaching the OUA final, but lost to Quebec champion Laval and OUA champion and eventual national champion Guelph in pool play.

The Marauders opened the tournament against the Rouge et Or on Nov. 3.

Sporting a 7-1 record on the season, the Marauders were confident heading into a match against an unknown opponent.

They were pegged back early, however, as the Rouge et Or capitalized on foul trouble and converted three penalty kicks, giving them a 9-0 halftime lead. The Marauders were unable to connect on multiple chances of their own in the half.

Laval would sprint out at the beginning of the second frame, scoring an early try and penalty to extend their lead to 17-0. The Maroon and Grey would finally find the score sheet when Natasha Turner notched a try.

OUA and CIS Rookie of the Year Cindy Nelles would add a try of her own, but the comeback would be short-lived, as Laval countered and took the match by a score of 24-10.

The loss of the opening game meant that McMaster had to overcome their divisional nemesis, the Guelph Gryphons, in order to stay in medal contention in Peterborough.

After falling to the Gryphons in the OUA final, the Marauder women looked to exact revenge at the national level. The provincial champions had other ideas, however, as they once again proved why they are the premier team in Ontario. Guelph’s Jane Kirby ran for a try in the third minute, and Guelph would continue to roll, taking a 24-12 lead into the half.

The Gryphons would explode for

It’s hard to go out there twice and stand there after the game while the bronze medals are handed out to someone else. The tables clear and there’s nothing left for you.”

JEFF TAM / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Mac rode impressive form to the Final Four, but could not manage a medal.

Fraser Caldwell

The tricolour squad demonstrated Sports Editor the cutting edge that led it to the top of the OUA East standings this season and has The Marauders had reeled off an impressive Kingston fans hopeful of another championlate-season run to reach the OUA’s Final ship trophy.

Four, but that streak came to the most abrupt Marauder captain Mel van der Hoop of ends on Nov. 5 and 6. acknowledged that the Gaels had been the su Facing the top two teams in the OUA perior team throughout the Nov. 5 contest.

East and two squads consistently ranked “Queen’s is untouchable,” remarked among the country’s elite over the course of the veteran midfielder. “They’re such a good the past weekend, McMaster failed to register team, and we knew what we were getting a win or a goal at the provincial tournament ourselves into. They were the better team that at Laurier. day and they deserved to win.”

They opened their weekend account It was the result the next afternoon against the defending national champion that truly disappointed the members of the Queen’s Gaels in the semifinal round, and Maroon and Grey, as McMaster lost out on a were simply outclassed through 90 minutes bronze medal and a trip to the national championship tournament with a crushing 4-0 loss • PLEASE SEE YOUNG, S3 en route to a 3-0 defeat.

season, a radical turnover that saw the squad struggle in the early going.

“The fact that we pulled things together so fast was impressive,” said van der Hoop of the team’s adjustment. “It wasn’t entirely a surprise because I knew that we had the character to do it. But these things take time to develop.”

However, the team’s admirable performance does not change the harsh reality of faltering on the brink of a provincial medal.

For players like van der Hoop who endured the same fate last season, the disappointment is undesirably familiar.

“It’s hard to go out there twice and stand there after the game while the bronze medals are handed out to someone else,” said the captain.

“The tables clear and there’s nothing left for you.”

THE SILHOUETTE • S3

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Men’s Rugby

Women’s Rugby

Mac kept from title game

Young squad learns from event • CONT’D FROM S2

TYLER HAYWARD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Andrew Ferguson contributed a convert and a penalty, but Mac fell short in an OUA semifinal against Queen’s.

Maggie Cogger-Orr Silhouette Staff

As the final whistle blew on Nov. 5 at Tindall Field, the Marauders’ dreams of repeating as OUA champions came to an end.

McMaster, who was on the wrong end of a 47-3 lost to Queens in the regular season, could not stem the Gaels’ scoring tide on the day and would lose the match 3210. The Maroon and Grey would be able to hold the contest close for the majority of the game, with Mike Paris scoring a try and Andrew Ferguson converting and also adding a penalty kick.

Unfortunately it would not be enough on the day as Queens would see a big performance from Liam Underwood with 12 points, and individual tries by four other players. Missing from the lineup for the Marauders was sophomore standout Cam Stones, who suffered a torn tendon in his hand in the quarterfinal round versus Brock.

Stones’ offensive prowess and de-

fensive work rate were sorely missed during the game. The powerful back row player was scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday and make a full recovery with physiotherapy.

Third year eight man Tyler Ardron, who recently won a gold medal at the Pan Am Games with Canada’s Sevens team, helped to fill the gap that Stones left but would not be able to put any points on the board for the Marauders on the day.

The 2011 season is not over yet however as McMaster will take on the Guelph Gryphons in the OUA bronze medal game on Nov. 13 at Back 10 Field. That match up will pose one last challenge for the Marauders as they did not take on the Gryphons in the regular season due to Guelph’s forfeiture of two games after hazing allegations.

The Gryphons have had a break out year this season, with their rookie class being widely accepted as the best in the OUA, lead by flyhalf Jonathan West. It is safe to say that McMaster’s own standout rookie Taylor Wilenski will have his sights set on

West from the flank position come Sunday’s game.

The game will also see a faceoff between two members of the Paris family. McMaster’s third year fullback Mike Paris will not only be playing for a bronze medal but also for bragging rights when he faces off with his younger brother Robert on Sunday.

The younger Paris is in his second year at Guelph and will be suiting up in the number 8 jersey for the Gryphons.

Not only will these two brothers being facing off for a medal but a third member of the Paris family, youngest brother Taylor, recently returned with Ardron from the Pan Am Games as a gold medalist.

Although there is no championship on the line, the game this Sunday will still be a passionate battle as McMaster will look to continue to assert its dominance as an OUA powerhouse while the Gryphons look to prove that there will be a change of the guards in the upcoming seasons.

Kick off is at 1 p.m. on the Back 10 fields of McMaster.

four more tries in the second frame, and would finish the day with a commanding 5319 victory.

The winless round-robin record booked the Marauders a date in the fifthplace match with the 0-2 Trent Excalibur, who qualified for the national tournament automatically as hosts for a second consecutive year.

The Marauders were not to be denied on Nov. 6, as Nelles got the ball rolling with a try and a convert in the fourth minute.

Turner and Maggie Cogger-Orr also scored in the half, with Hannah Braithwaite and Sara Berry adding a try each to take the lead to 33-0 at the half.

Mac would continue to roll after the interval and would close out the match for a 64-5 win to cap off the Peterborough event and the Marauders’ season.

The win was good enough for fifth place at the national tournament, in McMaster’s first trip to the event since earning a silver medal in 1998. Trent would finish sixth for the second consecutive year.

Following his team’s final game, Marauder coach Cam Mitchell expressed his satisfaction with the Marauders’ performance on the year and hinted at the value of experience at the national level.

“I’m happy the girls got a win in their last game, and it’s nice for our seniors to finish with a win,” said Mitchell.

“This season was a building year for us and I was happy with our outcomes all season and especially today. We had a chance to let all of our girls experience the national tournament today and that should help moving forward.”

While many members of the Maroon and Grey will look to build on this year’s breakthrough, the end of the season marks the end of the careers of several Marauder seniors who have contributed to the success of the program.

OUA All-Stars Natasha Tuner, Varsha Tripathi and Kim Ngai will all end their careers having finally reached the national stage. Turner also received All-Canadian honours for her efforts this season.

S4 • THE SILHOUETTE

104th Yates Cup Preview

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

104th Yates Cup Preview MARAUDERS (4) V. S. MUSTANGS (3) Saturday, November 12, 2011 @ TD Waterhouse Stadium

(7-1) 2nd in OUA Brandon Meawasige Assistant Sports Editor

By defeating the Queen’s Gaels 40-13 at Ron Joyce Stadium last weekend, the McMaster Marauders not only clinched the program’s first trip to the Yates Cup since 2004, but gave the team’s senior players an opportunity to play at least one more football game sporting the maroon and grey.

Stand out linebacker Ryan Chmielewski, who leads the team in tackles, is one of nine seniors faced with this reality of OUA football in November: each game could be the last.

McMaster’s veterans seem not only able to cope with this reality, but seem to draw inspiration from it.

“We need to play like it is not our last game. I think all of us expect to play three more games,” said Chmielewski.

“We expect to win.”

This attitude translated into results, evident by the play of McMaster’s defensive unit, which features six seniors, during the semi final game.

The Marauders “D” neutralized a powerful Gaels offense by containing the nation’s leading rusher Ryan Granberg and paralyzing the passing game.

Queen’s quarterback Ryan Mitchell threw six interceptions, including four to cornerback Joey Cupido and the Marauders converted the turnovers into enough points to put the game’s outcome out of the question early on.

THE SILHOUETTE • S5

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

A similar performance would go a long way towards a victory on Saturday at Western’s TD Waterhouse Stadium, where they will contend for the 104th Yates Cup.

Standing in their way are the defending champion Mustangs, who have had a dominant season of their own. Although both teams finished with identical records of 7-1, it is Western who got the better of the head-to-head matchup defeating the Marauders by a score of 48-21 in the second week of the season.

Western had the element of surprise on their side in week two as rookie running back Tyler Varga, who ended up leading the CIS with 15 touchdowns, had played in only one CIS game, making it very difficult to gauge his ability to impact a game.

“It was tough to put into context how tough Varga was. We walked into the hornets’ nest and found out first hand how good they were,” said McMaster head coach Stefan Ptaszek.

This time around, the Marauders know what to expect from Varga, the 18-year old phenom.

“They are the premier rushing team in the nation and can flat out run the football. That is going to be a huge challenge for us. [Stopping the run is] not a weakness of our defense, but our strength is certainly in the back end which they won’t attack too often,” said Ptaszek.

The Marauder secondary has intercepted opposing

JEFF TAM / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Mac heads into the OUA title game with the confidence of a seven game win streak.

#12 Kyle Quinlan

#2 Tyler Varga

Position: Quarterback Height: 6’3” Weight: 215 lbs.

Attempts: 153 Completions: 99 Touchdowns: 13 Interceptions: 2

Position: Running back Height: 5’11” Weight: 218 lbs.

Attempts: 135 Yards: 799 TD: 15 Average: 5.9

Highly regarded as one of the nation’s premier pivots, Quinlan is a dual threat quarterback. Not only can he take control of the game with his efficient passing, he can also make an impact on the ground, rushing for 229 yards and one TD this season.

As a rookie in 2011, Varga has demonstrated why he was the top recruit in the conference. Combining a mix of speed, power, vision and determination, Varga looks mature beyond his years. He breaks tackles, keeps his feet moving and will fight for every yard.

Marauder Injuries

Mustang Injuries

Kicker/Punter Tyler Crapigna is listed as day to day with an undisclosed illness. The cornerstone of a consistent Marauder special teams unit, Crapigna’s ailment forced him to miss the semi-final against Queen’s.

Starting quarterback Donnie Marshall has been sidelined with a leg injury and was not cleared for contact at practice earlier this week. It remains questionable that Marshall will play in Saturday’s game.

1st in OUA (7-1) quarterbacks 25 times in 9 games, which would certainly suggest that Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall will continue with his run-heavy strategy. In their semi-final victory over Windsor, the Mustangs had more turnovers (7) than pass completions (6).

To answer, McMaster will need to see disciplined and ferocious play from the front seven. In the eyes of coach Ptaszek, the leadership on the defensive line will be an integral part of any success.

“We need the fifth-years on our defensive line to have the best games of their entire career. We need Roberto Filice and Mackenzie Dent to have the game of their lives to help contain that run game,” said the coach.

On the offensive side of the ball, Marauder quarterback Kyle Quinlan must continue to move the ball with the same efficiency that helped McMaster lead the CIS with an average of 530.5 total yards per game this season.

Held to only 21 points in the first meeting between these conference juggernauts, the McMaster offense has grown into the most formidable unit in the country.

However, it is not the 50-yard bombs or 30-yard rushes that will be the deciding factor in this game.

“Taking care of the football and turnovers will have a huge impact. Both [McMaster and Western] are high powered offenses, so keeping the other offense on the sideline by sustaining drives and ending with touchdowns instead of field

goals will decide the winner of this game,” said Ptaszek, adding “it’s going come down to the subtle differences”.

Comparable in essentially every categorical comparison, there is a looming intangible factor that may play a roll in the outcome of this game. A key difference between McMaster and Western is the playoff experience.

Coach Ptaszek does not have one player on his roster with Yates Cup experience, compared to a Western team that returns a many of its key players from their 2010 championship team.

“Our opponents are defending champions and have won two of the last three. They have way more experience in this big game, that is an advantage we will have to address” said Ptaszek of the challenge presented to his team.

Western advanced after a 33-27 victory over Windsor.

Varga ran for 209 yards and a touchdown.

Mustang starting quarterback Donnie Marshall, who has been out since an Oct. 10 win over York with a severe ankle sprain, did not play. It’s still unclear whether he will play vs.

McMaster.

The Yates Cup, which kicks off at 1 p.m., will not only produce a provincial champion, but a legitimate national championship contender as well.

The winner will play the AUS Champion in the Uteck Bowl for a right to play in the Vanier Cup Nov. 28 in Vancouver.

JEFF TAM / SILHOUETTE STAFF

“You’re not going to stop him, you’ve got to limit the damage he does” says Stefan Ptaszek of Varga.

S6 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Men’s Basketball

2011/2012 Season Preview

Age is just a number for Mac’s young team Brandon Meawasige

Player To watch: Forward, Cam Michaud 6’ 6” 205 lbs.

The 2010-11 second team OUA all-star and has the talent to be the best scorer on the floor.

Assistant Sports Editor

After finishing last season with a record of 11-11, coach Amos Connolly and the Marauders enter the 2011 season with high hopes - and the talent to back it up.

This year’s roster will feature a mix of veteran leadership playing alongside arguably the strongest recruiting class in the country.

The Marauders made a splash last spring by bringing in five of the nation’s top100 recruits: guards Adam Presutti, Joe Rocca and Aaron Redpath and forwards Nathan McCarthy and Brett Sanders.

With potential all-stars in Cam Michaud and Victor Raso returning, the Marauders have a nice combination of youth and depth, one that could form a contending team – if they can come together before the season’s end.

The long-term potential of these players is more or less a guaranteed positive.

Whether they can adapt to the university level of play is the question that may dictate their fortune this year.

“We expect the older players to groom our young guys with the culture of expectation that we have here at McMaster basketball,” says Connolly. The Marauders

Breakout Rookie: Guard, Adam Presutti 6’ 2” l75 lbs.

Making the transition from shooting guard, Presutti will man the Marauder point this season. A vocal player, Presutti is mature beyond his years and will use his athleticism to run the offense.

Impact Bench Player: Forward, Nathan McCarthy 6’ 8” 220 lbs.

A perfect compliment to Taylor Black in the paint, McCarthy will be a rebounding machine off the bench.

Starting Lineup C

Taylor Black 6’ 7” 215 lbs.

PF Cam Michaud 6’ 6” 205 lbs.

SF Aaron Redpath 6’ 4” 175 lbs.

SG Victor Raso 6’ 3” 186 lbs.

PG Adam Presutti 6’ 2” l75 lbs.

PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK-

Guard Victor Raso is the team’s emotional leader and best shooter. will kick off their season on Friday at home against a perennial powerhouse in the defending national champion Carleton Ravens.

Sporting a pre-season record of 7-3, this season offers a bright outlook coming off a 2010-11 result that was perhaps disappointing given the high preseason expectations.

Forward Scott Brittain, who transferred from Boston University and made an immediate impact on the team, was lost for the year with concussion problems and has moved full-time to the coaches’ side of the

bench.

McMaster also struggled with a few close games last year their record of 1111 (16-16 including non-conference games) does not indicate that the Marauders were 5-7 in games decided by less than 5 points.

An improvement on the winning percentage in those close games will play a pivotal roll in the success of this team.

“It has been in my head since the season ended,” Connolly admits of his team’s play in close games down the stretch.

Games decided by fewer than five

points are often controlled by disciplined and fundamental basketball that is typically the mark of veteran players.

This year’s Marauder team will be expected to mature quickly in order to make the improvements necessary to contend.

“They’re getting thrown into a fire,” Connolly said of his team’s youngest members, adding that “youth cannot be used an excuse for poor performance.”

The 2011/2012 season is going to see its fair share of ups and downs. However, if this team can quickly live up to its potential and develop chemistry on and off the court, they have the chance to surprise some people.

Tipping off at 8 p.m., Friday’s Carleton game will probably be the toughest test of the year.

The Ravens went undefeated in the regular season last year, losing Aaron in the OUA final to Lakehead before turning in a masterpiece performance to win the CIS Championship.

While it will be a tough test, Friday’s game will provide a brief glimpse of the level of play to be expected from the Marauders this season.

THE SILHOUETTE • S7

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Women’s Basketball

2011/2012 Season Preview

Marauders look to weather growing pains fifth-year player to play. Vanessa Bonomo is doing a fantastic job at the point position for us.

“She might be our most improved player over the last 12 months.”

With the preseason behind them, the Marauders are wasting no time in launching into the deep end of the OUA pool, as their opening opponents on the season both debut inside the CIS top-ten.

Despite the difficulty of the task ahead, McMaster’s bench boss indicates that her squad will not shrink in the face of the Ravens or Gee-Gees.

“We have to try to make those teams uncomfortable,” said Burns. “They’re both veteran teams and Carleton is ranked third in the country right now. Any time you face a team like that you have to respect them but not overdo it.

“I think what happens sometimes with a top team like that is that people lie back a little bit and play scared and defensively.

“You have to attack those teams and put your best game on the floor and go after them.”

Burns and her club will hope that such an assertive attitude pays dividends on Nov. 11 and 12. Both games will tip off at the Burridge Gym at 6 p.m.

Player To Watch: Taylor Chiarot 5’ 11” Though often shorter than opponents, Chiarot creates space with her strength and will be relied upon as a scorer

Impact Bench Player: Alyska Lukan 6’ 2”

Lukan has the ability to stretch defences and hit the jumper with consistency.

Fraser Caldwell Sports Editor

It may take them a little while to show it, but the Marauders fully intend to compete with the best in the OUA this season.

A young McMaster lineup will see its first conference action on Nov. 11 and 12 as they welcome the Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees to the Burridge Gym to open the OUA basketball season.

After a difficult preseason slate saw the largely untested Maroon and Grey drop six of eight exhibition contests, the squad will find itself back at square one to begin the competitive schedule.

While their early endeavours rarely ended in victory, McMaster coach Theresa Burns argues that the trials of exhibition play were beneficial for her inexperienced charges.

“We purposefully planned a tough preseason,” said Burns. “That was all planned in order to get a lot of young players some tough experience up front. Nine of our 15 players are in first or second year, so we’re still a very young team and we needed to get those players up to speed as quickly as we could.

“We saw great minutes from some people and a lot of players contributed.”

After a 2010 campaign that saw catastrophic injury concerns for the Marauders, the team is looking to be a much healthier unit this year and will enter competition on the weekend with 14 of its 15 competitors

Starting Lineup PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

Forward Taylor Chiarot will be counted fit to play.

The notable exception will be veteran guard Liz Burns, who remains sidelined with a nagging ankle injury.

With the sheer number of young players in the lineup, the Maroon and Grey expect some growing pains as they begin their 2011 journey. Coach Burns indicates that her team may struggle early, but will look to do its damage when it counts most.

“We’re going to be very processoriented this year,” said the coach pragmatically. “Obviously we would love to win games – that’s what we’re in this to do. But what we really want is to be ready when it’s

upon to lead a young Mac squad. playoff time. We’re going to take the ups and downs as the season goes on.”

Helping the squad through the inevitable adversity of the OUA season will be its core of veteran leaders, including fifthyear post Taylor Chiarot and forwards Alyska Lukan and Jackie Nimec.

Burns singled out Chiarot for particular praise at this early stage, and indicated that fellow veteran Vanessa Bonomo has assumed an encouraging role as well.

“Taylor has been a workhorse for us so far,” said the coach. “In our last three games she put up twenty-plus points in each.

She’s playing the way you would expect a

C Hailey Milligan 6’ 3” PF Taylor Chiarot 5’ 11” SF Jackie Nimec 6’ 0” SG Liz Burns 5’ 7” PG Vanessa Bonomo 5’ 3”

S8 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Men’s Soccer

Marauders back in CIS fold Fraser Caldwell Sports Editor

It didn’t come by way of penalties, but the Marauders’ most recent OUA Championship lost none of its luster by wrapping up in 90 minutes.

Playing against the same Varsity Blues squad that they defeated from the penalty spot two seasons ago to claim the provincial title, McMaster notched their second OUA crown in three years with a 3-1 victory in the Nov. 6 final.

The Sunday triumph came in a radically different fashion from that of 2009, as the Marauders convincingly played their way to the top of the provincial field. Unlike their Cinderella run of two years ago, the Maroon and Grey entered play at this season’s Final Four in Ottawa as a known force.

McMaster had comfortably beaten the upstart Guelph Gryphons in their quarterfinal contest a week before, and continued their strong play into the provincial championship tournament.

After a hard fought semifinal encounter with the Carleton Ravens saw the team pull through from the penalty spot, the Marauders came up against familiar opposition on the OUA’s highest stage.

Thanks to a pair of goals from sophomore striker Paterson Farrell and a solo effort from rookie Brandon Gutierrez, McMaster’s latest tilt against the Varsity Blues would be much less suspenseful than its last.

For several Marauders, the celebratory scenes on Sunday were reminiscent of those that erupted at the conclusion of the team’s improbable 2009 title run. Team captain Anthony Costa – who was named to the All-Canadian First Team on Nov. 9 – believes that both championships are valuable for their own reasons.

“Our first title was built on the concept of working very hard defensively,” said the fifth-year senior. “Having said that, we had a very strong team spirit as well, and in the first two playoff games we had to come back from behind to win them in shootouts.

“This year, we realized that attack was our best form of defence. I feel that our team perfected the three pillars of football: fluid attacking, solid defending and swift counter-attacking. We made sure that everyone was loved and cared about, and the scenes at the final whistle really highlighted

PHOTO C/O MCMASTER ATHLETICS AND RECREATION

The Marauders’ OUA triumph in Ottawa marks their second conference championship in the past three years. that.”

For Costa, the manner of his team’s victory this time around highlights the quality of a squad that has been among the most lethal in the province for the entirety of the 2011 campaign.

“I don’t mind winning games in shootouts, but I was glad that we ended the final this year in regulation,” said the captain.

“That should silence the doubters if there were any at this point. We clinched the title in 90 minutes and fully deserved it.

“Our football this weekend was exquisite at times.”

The result of that quality play sees the Marauders jet across the country to Victoria to take part in the CIS Championships beginning on Nov. 10 and ending with the conclusion of the final rounds on Nov. 13.

The Maroon and Grey will take added confidence into their westward journey this weekend as the squad boasts seven players with experience of the team’s 2009 appearance at the national level.

Costa believes that the value of that experience lies in knowing the level of focus and determination needed to compete with the best teams in the country.

“Previous experience in the CIS championships will only emphasize how difficult the tournament will be and that concentration will be needed as soon as the flight lands,” said McMaster’s stalwart defender.

“These are the eight best teams in Canada and everyone has an equal shot at the title.

We know what needs to be done, and having beaten York and Toronto this season, we feel our chances are good.”

The Marauders’ first opponents will hail from the east coast, coming in the form of the Cape Breton Capers.

The Nova Scotian squad finished their conference season with only a single loss to their name, and was ranked second in the final CIS top-ten of the campaign.

The two teams also have a measure of history, as the Capers dealt McMaster a defeat in the consolation round of the 2009 tournament. Despite the stiff challenge

ahead, the Marauder captain argues that opposition counts for little at an event as prestigious as the national tournament.

“To be the best you have to beat the best,” said Costa.

“CBU are a very talented team. We lost to them in the consolation round two years ago and they still have a handful of players from that team, including one from an English academy and a couple members of the Bermudan national team.”

“But our style has brought us here as OUA champions, so we need to execute those three pillars of football to the best of our ability. If that happens, I don’t see why we can’t return as national champions.”

Costa and his teammates will be hoping that such execution will be good enough to propel them past the best in the country this weekend. They begin their bid for the national title on Nov. 10 against the Capers.

Game time is 7:30 p.m. EST and the contest can be seen online at SSN Canada.

THE SILHOUETTE • C1

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

INSIDEOUT

production office extension: 27117 insideout@thesil.ca

Rethinking school stereotypes Mac may have a thing or two to learn from UWO’s “party” rep

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Western isn’t all about the party. In fact, it’s their sense of community that puts them on the map, which is something lacking at Mac. Natalie Timperio

Senior InsideOut Editor

University isn’t all fun and games, is it?

Sure, we spend countless hours buried in the books, routinely depriving our bodies of sleep, all for that sought-after degree on which we base our livelihood. Academics, after all, are of utmost importance for many universities. In fact, schools are often ranked and categorized based on the quality of their education.

Yet, academics don’t necessarily work alone in shaping a university’s reputation. Much of it also has to do with a school’s social scene. And though this may not always be openly, if at all, endorsed by the university itself, it seems to find a way to prospective students.

In May, Playboy announced its annual list of the Top 10 Party Schools in North America. Rankings were based on malefemale ratio, winning percentage of sports teams and other, similar categories.

Schools located near beaches, ski resorts and music venues were given bonus points.

Data was collected from Playboy’s Facebook pages, surveys by student reps and interviews. “And as always, we factor in academic excellence, because the work hard, play hard ethic is the DNA of any party school,” according to Playboy

editors.

The University of Western Ontario (UWO), located in London, Ontario, was ranked number four and was the only Canadian university to make the cut. Playboy’s take on UWO? “The bar scene is kicking. On Tuesdays students cram into Ceeps to play Sledgehammer Bingo, which is basically an excuse to strip and drink (as if one were needed) ... the on-campus scene is just as lively. One of the school’s dorms became so notorious for partying it was nicknamed the Zoo.”

But, let’s face it; it’s not as if we needed Playboy to tell us that UWO parties are of the highest quality. Across Southern Ontario, UWO is said to be the party school.

And so it may be. Anyone who has had the opportunity to party like a Mustang can attest to this fact. The party culture seems to be very much ingrained in UWO as a university, which leaves something to be said about our very own school.

“The difference [between UWO and Mac] is that there is almost no ideal way to describe the social scene at Mac because it’s so diverse,” said Matthew DillonLeitch, President of the McMaster Students Union (MSU). “It’s everything for so many different people.

The hardest thing to say sometimes is, ‘What is a Mac student?’”

McMaster’s diverseness is perhaps one reason why the social scene is of a lesser priority for Mc-

Master in comparison to UWO. “The stereotype is almost self-perpetuated [at UWO]. At Mac, we work hard, we play hard. We just have different ways to have fun,” said Dillon-Leitch.

Yet the work hard, play harder mentality does not necessarily dominate the UWO agenda.

Andrew Forgione, President of the University Students’ Council (USC) at UWO, said, “I think people con-

Perhaps Western’s reptuation is simply inflated. Sure, UWO may attract that party-goer we recall so well from high school – and so what?” fuse London with UWO. [London] has a large number of pubs and clubs, and combined with Fanshawe has an influx of 50,000 students every year.” In fact, he added, Western “had to refuse acceptance to a large number of students as well, which shows that students know UWO is a great academic institution and also the city allows for great social life.”

In fact, UWO is possibly best recognized globally for its high

level of student satisfaction. “Our orientation program, clubs system and multiple services ensure that students have a number of opportunities to get involved and to grasp the experience that they wish to take throughout their university career,” said Forgione.

Yet, reputations can be difficult to shed, particularly when magazines like Playboy help to perpetuate the stereotype. But perhaps Western’s reputation is simply inflated. Sure, UWO may attract that party-goer we recall so well from high school – and so what? Even then, it’s not as if every UWO student possesses the party persona.

“I strongly believe that we do not ‘party’ any more than any other university in Canada, but since the city is so concentrated with its Richmond Row core and people have such a great time when they come to UWO, it may be misconstrued. Students know when to have a good time, and when to buckle down, and this is evident if you try to find a seat in any of our libraries on a Friday night.”

Conversely, McMaster campus is nearly deserted on weekends. This is no doubt a result of the fact that McMaster is largely a commuter campus which, in turn, severely impacts McMaster’s social scene. While UWO has far fewer commuters than McMaster, so too is UWO less disconnected with its home city in comparison

Depression hurts

IntheKitchen

Join a student in his journey through depression.

Our assistant editor cooks up a delicious dish of chicken enchiladas.

Pg. C4

Pg. C5

to McMaster. In fact, Hamilton is quite divided, with extreme disparities, between not only areas within downtown Hamilton itself, but also the lower city and the Hamilton mountain, which is often seen as foreign territory for McMaster students.

Speaking from personal experience, Dillon-Leitch said that “when you’re growing up at Mac, Hess is the line between Mac and downtown ... but there’s so much more to Hamilton than Hess and Westdale.” Encouraging students to engage with the Hamilton community is one of Dillon-Leitch’s top priorities. Rebuilding McMaster’s social scene is something that Dillon-Leitch said he feels very passionate about: “We have students involved in all these different pockets on campus ... but you don’t necessarily always feel a part of this greater McMaster community ... It’s something that needs to get better.

But it’s been improving even just in time I’ve been here.”

At a second glance, Western’s reputation may have little to do with our conventional understandings of partying and may be more so a reflection of the strong communal ties among its students.

After all, people who play together stay together. Though this is something that McMaster lacks. Rather than grudgingly acknowledging UWO’s existence, perhaps we have a thing or two to learn from them.

C2 • THE SILHOUETTE

ThreadCount Melissa Bauce Fourth Year History

Photos by: Tyler Hayward

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Shirt: Forever 21 - Gift Jacket: H&M - $20 Scarf: Homemade gift

THE SILHOUETTE • C3

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

FashionWatch

Winter wonderwear Fashion tips to help keep cozy this winter season while looking chic

r

RICARDO PADILLA / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Just because the temperatures declining doesn’t mean your fashion sense has to.

Cassandra Jeffery

Assistant InsideOut editor

The leaves are changing colours, the frost is creeping in, and the weather outside is approaching frightful. Once again, the snowy season is upon us, and that means it’s prime time to start putting away those flip-flops.

As Canadians, we understand the unpredictability of the winter weather – we can bundle up from head to toe and still not be adequately prepared for the blizzard that erupts out of nowhere, or we can trip on the icy walk-ways despite our heavy-duty Alaskan hiking boots.

We’re used to preparing for the worst, yet remaining disappointed every time we stumble blindly out the snowy storm. But, despite the bitter cold, your fashion sense does not have fade this winter season.

Layer, layer, layer! If you’re looking for ways to keep in the heat while remaining chic remember that piling on the clothes means that you can just as easily de-layer. All too often we’ve had to trek through a blizzard for early morning classes only to realize, that we’re sweating buckets by the time we reach lecture hall.

Before making a break for it, layer up. Wear a light, baggy tank-top or t-shirt, and over top sport that trendy new cardigan or long-sleeve shirt.

To ensure warmth throw on a thick, hooded sweat-shirt, something similar to your McMaster sweatshirts. With your winter coat, the cold air won’t feel so bitter and you can safely make it to class.

Layering is key for the survival of university students, however there are various other staple fashion items that can help keep in the warmth over the winter months.

Consider the off-the-shoulder flashdance sweater. Although most typically worn by women, these thick, knitted sweaters are perfect for the cold weather. Wear over top of a basic tank top or long-sleeve shirt and you’re good to go!

Wear wool socks. Whether you’re wearing them as a fashion statement or just

to keep your toes warm, thick wool or fuzzy cotton socks are a must this winter season.

They come in plenty of different colours and can be worn under a pair of sleek, black boots for added insulation.

Colourful scarves are a great item for both sexes, and work as both accessory and neck warmer.

Choose boots that are actually winter-ready. Finding a pair of winter boots that are both fashionable and warm is almost impossible.

Either your toes have frost bite from thin suede boots or you look like you’re about the jump on a dog sled with big, clunky, mammoth boots.

Although it seems like a never-ending battle of fashion versus comfort, proper, warm, comfortable and aesthetically appealing boots can be found. Good boots can be expensive, but if taken care of properly, they can keep your toes cozy for many snowy seasons to come.

Jackets are key for the winter months, though wearing an Eskimo-style parka is a bit of a fashion faux-pas. In order to be a trend setter this year, search for a jacket that’s both warm and fashionable. In style this season is the cute, cropped-style pea coat.

For women, these fashionable jackets nicely show off your figure and can double as a formal coat. Although not as warm as the typical parka-style jacket, a well designed pea coat will suffice during the Canadian winter months.

Formal style coats look great on men as well; paired with a great pair of black dress shoes, you’ll be reaching gentleman status.

Another great coat design is the bomber style jacket. Also a unisex accessory, the bomber coat will be sure to keep you warm while staying chic.

The winter season has it’s faults, but if you dress for the weather the dreary months can be a fun time!

Purchasing a couple of staple items will allow you to enjoy skating and making snow angels while looking incredibly fashionable.

C4 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Shed some light on depression Touching on a typically taboo subject that affects many students Ryan Prance The Silhouette

Wasted Wednesdays, thirsty Thursdays, wicked weekends and some pretty miserable Monday mornings were recurring parts of my first-year university experience.

I was having fun, and, quite frankly, I was living the healthiest I had lived. Ever.

I won’t beat around the bush and say that I had been completely mentally healthy up until that point. In fact, I was far from it. One might think that the talk of suicide and depression rising in young males is simply nothing but some convoluted statistics.

Sadly, I regret to inform you that this is not the case. I am one of those young males, and that doesn’t exactly make life easy.

I didn’t have many friends in high school, let alone too many people who talked to me or even gave me notice. I was essentially an outsider because I was reserved and did not express the same type of bone-headed masculinity that the other guys at my high school so exuberantly put on for the world.

I wasn’t a social butterfly, but you can’t say that someone deserves to be ignored or belittled because they aren’t extremely extroverted. In a similar way, I was criticized for not behaving the way a “man” was to behave.

Nevertheless, high school graduation finally came with a feeling that was akin to being released from jail, and I never looked back. People tell you that university is a place to recreate yourself, and I took that to heart.

Gone was the person who sat at home on Friday nights re-reading George Orwell’s 1984 for fun, that person spent too much time feeling scared and alone and needed to be removed. Point blank, I stopped feeling sorry for myself. Indeed, it’s quite a surprise the things a person

RICARDO PADILLA / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Pushing your emotions aside and not dealing with depression can will do when they give themselves sort of problem for myself – after no sympathy. all, I’m sure some people reading

Move-in day came, and I this may have torn the page in half knew what I had to do: give people when I said I was able to go out a different impression of myself. In regularly and do well in school. all honesty, it wasn’t hard. A little However, I always held cheeriness went a long way, or so it on to this feeling that, since I was seemed. a “man” now, I could not bear to let

I made friends instantly, these new people see the sad little and with a blink of an eye, my life person inside me that used to spend completely changed. Over the weeks Friday nights alone. Thus, I pushed and months that passed I found that I my feelings down and away from had actually built a stable of people everyone.

– friends – who I hung out with Ultimately, this created a regularly. I actually felt included tension inside me that that was akin in something for once in my life, to shaking a beer can; too much and man, did it feel amazing. I was pressure was bubbling and I was going out regularly, doing well in ready to burst. Somehow I felt as if school, and doing much better with people would not accept me for the the opposite sex than I had used emotional faults that I carried deep to. Nonetheless, while it maybe an in my thoughts. overused expression, all that glitters On the outside I carried is not gold. myself pretty well, and I could not

Sure, one could say that bear to ruin my recent rise in my it does not sound like I created any social life by revealing things that I

seriously hinder the relationships thought would cause people to judge me. In actuality, there were people who may have actually cared, but there was this overwhelming feeling that releasing my emotions would only result in emotional embarrassment

I was depressed and already on anti-depressants before I came to university, and I felt as if those around me, even though we spent a lot of time together, would lose respect for me, see me as a weak person for my past history of emotional trials or any sort of indication, whether spoken or nonspoken, of the damage that lingered in me.

Despite this, I just kept stuffing it all deep down inside, never trusting anyone because I felt that, because I was supposed to be a “man” – someone completely in control of their emotions and life – I could not open up.

you form with others.

I was never much of one to care for the lone gun-slinger image, but it seemed as though that I trapped myself into this fantasy world in which I had to keep up this strong outward masculine identity that bordered on something like that. Not as some sort of bone-headed, beerchugging, sex-crazed young male like some of my contemporaries, who think that constitutes maturity or manhood, but rather that I had to hold it together as person who seemed to not have problems.

All in all, turns out that the only weakness I had was that I just couldn’t speak up about my emotions, and I am not the only young male that has dealt with this problem and will deal with it in the future. It is an issue too often ignored in society. Take it from me, when you have faith in no one, you wind up having no one to depend on.

THE SILHOUETTE • C5

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Tech Free Zone Nov. 10 12 p.m.

MUSC Clubspace Shut off the cell-phones and close the lap tops, it’s tech free time!

Threadwork / Mac Green Clothing Sawp Nov. 14 11a.m.

MUSC Atrium Bring your gently used clothing and swap witth others; it’s truly vintage

Face the Flu. Get the Shot Nov. 14 9 a.m.

MUSC b101 Fight the virus this winter season and get your flu shot

Dare to d’stress at moksha yoga Nov 13 2 p.m.

University plaza Take a breather from studying and exercise those joints

IntheKitchen

Chicken Enchiladas Taste: Exotic Cost: Relatively cheap, some long-lasting ingredients Convenience: Easy and fun to make

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Have some fiesta fun tonight and try these delicious, spicy chicken enchiladas.

Cassandra Jeffery

Assistant InsideOut Editor

Ingredients: 4 boneless chicken breasts 8 flour tortillas 3 cups of chicken broth 2 cups tomato sauce 2½ cups Monterey Jack cheese 1 medium-sized onion 2 fresh oregano springs 1 bay leaf 2 teaspoons hot cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons chilli powder 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon ground cumin ¼ cups cilantro (optional) Preparation: Preheat the oven at 275 degrees, wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and warm. Use a large, deep skillet to boil the broth, bay leaf, oregano and onion. Add the chicken, bring to a simmer, cover the skillet, and let it sit for ten minutes. Once finished, set the broth and chicken aside.

Creating the Sauce: Combine the tomato sauce, hot sauce, cinnamon and chilli powder.

Shred the chicken into a bowl and add ¼ cup of the broth. Combine with the tomato paste, chilli powder and cumin.

Finishing Touches: Once tortillas have been removed, switch the oven to broil. Pour a little of the enchilada sauce at the bottom of a large, deep baking dish. Place

the chicken mixture in the tortillas and roll. Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese, and place in the oven until cheese is thoroughly melted. If desired, sprinkle cilantro over the enchiladas when ready to serve.

The End Result: The combination of a warm, crisp tortilla, spicy chicken and creamy tomato sauce creates a blend of exceptional tastes and textures. If you’re on the dangerous side and enjoy the flare of spicy food, this dish is made for you. The chilli powder, cumin and crushed cayenne pepper mix together beautifully to add just the right amount of spice to the enchiladas, without completely overpowering the sweet and sultry taste of the cinnamon and oregano.

If you’re looking to cater to a large party, chicken enchiladas are a great choice. This recipe makes eight enchiladas; the enchiladas are fairly big, so depending on your appetite, one to two enchiladas per serving is appropriate.

Moreover, this recipe is extremely easy to double, another great reason to serve chicken enchiladas at your next big dinner party. To liven things up a little bit, try pairing chicken enchiladas with sangria. Easy to make at home, sangria would turn your basic dinners into a night of fiesta fun!

If you’re making these enchiladas just for yourself, you’ll be happy to know that they’re easy to freeze. Put frozen enchiladas in the

oven for approximately ten minutes at 350 degrees. Chicken enchiladas also taste great straight from the refrigerator.

Alternative Options: Chicken enchiladas can be a relatively healthy option for a student.

Compared to a rich pasta or a greasy pizza, chicken enchiladas seem to have more of a nutritional value, and as students, we know that a healthy, inexpensive and tasty meal is hard to come by. If you’re looking to bring your enchilada to the next level in terms of health, try using whole wheat tortillas, cut down the cheese and lower the level of tomato sauced used. Also, adding a variety of veggies will definitely help in the nutrition department.

For a vegetarian option, substitute the chicken for tofu or use a variety of vegetables; try adding in some chick peas for added protein and fibre. For an added twist, squash up some avocado for a homemade twist on guacamole.

Cost: Chicken enchiladas are not too pricy to make, plus you’ll have leftovers for days; it’s a win-win situation. Enchiladas have basic ingredients (such as chicken, tortilla wraps, chicken broth and tomato sauce/ paste), which are relatively cheap in your local supermarket. The only items that may be somewhat costly are the numerous spices you’ll need in order to successfully cook this dish.

C6 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Love should never hurt Neepa Parikh SHEC Media

So you think you’re in a perfect relationship. You’re clearly in love with your new partner and you are both really close. But how do you know if you’re relationship is a healthy one? Fear not, I have some answers for you.

First, let’s define a healthy relationship. It’s one that has trust, honesty, mutual respect, support, fairness and equality. It’s one in which both partners have separate identities, and in which there is open communication. In contrast, an unhealthy relationship is one in which a partner is mean, disrespect-

ful, controlling or even abusive.

Unhealthy relationships can manifest themselves as dating violence. Violence usually begins with verbal and emotional abuse, which can be difficult to identify at times, and can progress to physical and sexual abuse. Some questions to ask yourself are, does your partner try to control you? Does your partner make you feel bad about yourself? Does your partner attempt to keep you from seeing your friends or from talking to other people?

Does he or she criticize the way you look or dress? Do they ever raise a hand as if to hit you during an argument? Do they force you to perform sexual acts?

Dating abuse is more common than you think. Often, people who are experiencing abuse don’t talk about it. The silent victims may come from a violent home and thus do not see the violence as abnormal. They might feel that the abuse won’t happen again. They might even feel embarrassed or be afraid to tell anyone.

It can be really confusing. The qualities that might make a person abusive might even be qualities that you admire at first. It can be tempting to make excuses or misinterpret violence, possessiveness or anger as an expression of love. Sometimes you might even think that you’ve done or said

SEXandthe STEELCITY

Got hair? Here’s your fix

RICARDO PADILLA / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Bodily hair can be quite the hassle, but fret not, there are tons of solutions to fix your hair sitch.

Jenna Shamoon Silhouette Staff

All of us, both guys and gals, have had concerns regarding hair removal procedures, their costs and, most of all, their results. Some types of hair removal are easier to talk about than others. Women, for example, commonly remove hair on their legs, armpits, upper lips, and eyebrows. However, there are also women who remove hair on their bikini area, face and arms.

Men are not exempt from the world of hair removal, since there are men who remove hair on their eyebrows, chest, back, arms and legs. Some even get male Brazilians – yes, they do exist.

Most people use the old razor and shaving cream method.

Although this method is extremely affordable and easy to do by one’s self, the results are not always what people want. Sometimes the hair grows back too quickly, grows back thicker or causes ingrown hair during growth, which result in pain and be unsightly to some.

There are many methods aside from shaving that offer longer lasting results and are just as simple.

Threading is one of the oldest hair removal methods, deriving from the time of the ancients. Threading requires taking a cotton thread, twisting it, and moving it across the skin.

The thread takes the form of a lasso that contracts and pulls hair from its follicles.

Threading is an effective method of hair removal, removing all of the hair and even preventing future hairs from growing back, since the hair follicles become so damaged over time. It is also very sanitary, since the threads are disposable and are the only things coming in contact with skin.

However, threading can irritate those with sensitive skin and can cause redness in the threaded area.

In terms of pricing, threading costs almost the same as waxing and is usually done in the same salons that waxing is done in. Threading eyebrows, for example, ranges from five to ten dollars, depending on the salon. So if you’re willing to suffer a bit of pain for results, threading is the way to go.

Advice: If you want to choose threading, look for someone who has lots of experience with

Threading is an effective method of hair removal, removing all of the hair and even preventing future hairs from growing back.” the method. The skin on your face is more delicate than other parts of your body so it deserves extra care!

Another hair removal method is waxing, which is a little more common than threading. For one thing, waxing can be done on all parts of the body. You can get it done professionally at a salon or you can buy wax strips from a local beauty supplier or drug store and do it yourself at home. Another plus for waxing is that it removes dead hair follicles from the skin, leaving skin smoother than before.

But, for those with thicker hair, waxing can cause irritation in the skin from the strong hair being pulled so quickly out of the hair

follicle. It can also be very painful.

Plus, if you do it yourself and you are not experienced, it can cause some problems regarding waxy residue and bruising.

Waxing one’s eyebrows ranges from five to ten dollars, while a Brazilian may cost from $25 at a local salon to over $100 at a high-end spa. But the results are long-lasting and, depending on where you go, it is affordable for most. If you are going to do it yourself at home, try and have someone with you to wax the harder-to-reach places.

A hair removal method that is gaining more popularity is laser hair removal. It consists of using laser technology to burn and destroy hair follicles, permanently preventing any hair from growing back. Laser hair removal can be done on all parts of the body, and its results are promising. However, the process does not work on everyone, particularly those with a lighter hair colour, since the laser cannot easily detect hair follicles.

Laser hair removal can cost hundreds of dollars, depending on how much skin is treated, and it requires multiple sessions, usually up to three. But even though the cost may be high, the results are well worth it.

Before you get your hair removed via laser, be sure to get your hormone levels checked out. It can be helpful in determining how effective laser hair removal will be for you, since unbalanced hormone levels can cause increased hair growth.

Of the many hair removal options, choose what works for you.

And remember, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Hair removal is a multi-million dollar business, so you’re not alone.

something wrong and that it is your fault. Try to remember that this isn’t the case. Nobody deserves to be abused verbally, emotionally, sexually or physically. Abuse is always the abuser’s fault.

The longer you stay in an unhealthy relationship, the more damage it will do to your self-esteem. Ending an unhealthy relationship always beings with admitting to yourself that there is a problem.

Once you’ve overcome that hurdle, talk to someone about how you can end the relationship. If you’re not sure if you’re in an abusive relationship, try talking to a friend or family member. Someone on the outside might be able to see the signs of

abuse more clearly.

Not sure exactly who to talk to about your relationship?

There are plenty of resources in at McMaster and in Hamilton to help you overcome abuse. Both SHEC peer volunteers (MUSC 202, ext.

22041) and the Campus Health Centre (MUSC B101, ext. 27700) offer counselling services. If you know that you are being physically or sexually abused, you can also visit the Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Care Centre located in the McMaster University Medical Centre (905-521-2100 ext. 73557), which can provide free and confidential counselling and, if necessary, medical care.

THE SILHOUETTE • C7

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

How-to-do-it

Buy clothes on a dime Students on a budget can check out these cheap clothing tricks

RICARDO PADILLA / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Sometimes buying clothes can leave you broke, unless you know how to shop.

Katherine George Silhouette Staff

It’s not uncommon for university students to be unemployed, slaving away at minimumwage jobs or drowning in student debt. As a result, leisurely activities such as shopping can easily become stressful activities. Fortunately, shopping for high-quality clothing does not always have to come at great expense.

Both men and women can make minuscule changes to their shopping habits that will allow for increasingly better purchases on a penny-pinching budget.

The most obvious way to save money is to avoid shopping at designer or brand-name stores. These stores may have high quality items, but they tend to be overpriced. Instead, choose department stores such as Winners or Marshalls. Department stores are often overlooked by individuals because people do not have the patience to search around in stores that seem to operate in a disorganized manner. But, they carry brand names and high fashion items for a substantially lower price.

Shopping on a budget is also about replacing money with time. In order to find that right piece of clothing, the shopper must

be willing to search through piles clothing in order to find that special one. Keep in mind what you’re looking for when you venture out looking for an outfit. This way, you will avoid purchasing items on impulse that are not needed.

In addition, before you leave to go shopping, take an inventory of what you already own. This will also prevent any unnecessary purchases.

If you are shopping for a specific night, whether it is a formal event or even just a weekend out with your friends, you do not necessarily have to purchase an entirely new outfit in order to create a new look. While you are shopping, consider an accessory to an outfit, like shoes, jewellery or, if you’re male, a tie or dress pants.

Finally, hit up the clearance rack.

Push aside the shame of walking towards the red sale sign and dig through looks from earlier in the season. Just because an article of clothing is not fresh on the racks does not mean that it is not worth your time.

With help from these few small tips, shopping for high quality clothes does not have to come with burning a hole through your wallet. It can be affordable and maybe even leisurely again!

Write for the Silhouette’s annual

Sex and the Steel City

magazine

Email insideout@ thesil.ca

C8 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

THE SIL’S

DRUNK FOOD DUKE-IT-OUT

THE FINALS

After three weeks of brutal sandwich-to-sandwich combat, it’s all over. The winner has been determined - there is a king of drunken, latenight food around the McMaster campus. But before the winner is celebrated, it’s worth noting the valiant efforts of the others who simply could not stand up to the champion.

SANA GRILL: May your long trek away for those who don’t live in the West Village Suites never prevent your glory from being known.

PITA PIT: Let us hope that the phrase ‘Chicken Crave’ is obscure to the masses nevermore.

SUBWAY: Your fresh bread invites us. Your affordable, delicious choices surprise us. Your healthiness confuses us.

WENDY’S: We may not all ever try a Baconator, but we all hope that more burgers named for Action Heros are on the way.

BASILIQUE: May your obscurely-named combos become known to everyone in search of a late-night bite.

MCDONALD’S: You may not need the recognition, but the McGangBang is a true shining light on Man’s ingenuity.

GINO’S PIZZA: We would feel a hole in the fabric of our community without this greasy spot so close to campus.

WINNER

JIMMY GRINGO’S BURRITO FACTORY 1010 KING ST. W, HAMILTON

Perhaps it’s the homey feel of a Mexican place in Hamilton. Maybe it’s the fact that nothing can compare to the feeling one gets post-burrito (actually, that might not be a good thing). But one thing is sure: Jimmy Gringo’s has cemented itself as a classic favourite of the McMaster student body. It’s something that we have in Hamilton that no one else can boast. For all the imitators, there can only be one Jimmy G’s. And there can only be one drunk food king.

SHAWARMA SANA GRILL

While Pita Pit stays open late each night, the Sana Grill shawarma has a cult following that proved too much for to overcome.

VS.

SHAWARMA

$5 MED. PIZZA

SANA GRILL

GINO’S PIZZA

PITA

BACONATOR

PITA PIT These two late-night heavyweights put in quite a battle, but in the end, the greasy and chewy yet wholesome and hearty appeal of the burrito (not to mention its massive cult appeal) garnered the most votes. To be sure, the shawarma is a late night legend. But Jimmy G’s isn’t just a restaurant - it’s an institution.

WENDY’S

VS.

$5 MED. PIZZA

VS.

Even though the burger packs a punch, there might not be a better bang for your buck than a whole pizza for your leftover change.

$5 MED. PIZZA

GINO’S PIZZA

GINO’S PIZZA

VS.

BURRITO

JIMMY GRINGO’S

VS.

BURRITO

JIMMY GRINGO’S If this weren’t a drunk food debate, Subway may have stood a chance. As it is, Jared’s slim sammies couldn’t keep up with Jimmy G.

12” SUB SUBWAY

VS.

BURRITO

JIMMY GRINGO’S

It would appear the voters went with the sure thing In the battle of the cost-effective late night meals. The McGangBang packs a wicked punch for a measly price, but its name and odd makeup probably threw off too many voters. And hey, who doesn’t like pizza?

MCGANGBANG MCDONALD’S

MCGANGBANG MCDONALD’S

VS.

For the unenlightened, the McGangBang is a whole McChicken sandwich stuffed inside a McDouble cheeseburger.

It costs $2.93. ‘Nuff said.

FALAFEL BASILIQUE

THE SILHOUETTE • C9

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

BUSINESS

production office extension: 27117 business@thesil.ca

GM and DeGroote cruise on Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec sets the bar high in the quest for innovation

RICARDO PADILLA / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

DeGroote paves the way for eager students to compete in pursuit to help the Spark achieve 40% market share of segment.

Sonya Khanna Business Editor

A crowd of eager individuals thirsty for a challenge attended the Nov. 9 launch for the national advertising and marketing case competition run by McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business.

The competition is anticipated to draw in over 700 submissions this year, spreading its wings across Canada with participants from roughly 32 universities.

The competition prides itself on the ability to service participants with real world gains aside from the seemingly cliché thrill of acquiring a tangible medal.

Up for grabs for the winning team is the brand new 2013 Chevrolet Spark as well as scholarship opportunities coupled with the opportunity to gain crucial industry exposure unparalleled by other business competitions in Canada.

What sets this competition apart from others is that students are exposed to real-world experiences providing them with an avenue to

implement the skills they have acquired, giving participants a jumpstart into the proverbial corporate circus.

“It’s about the freedom to get to the job they’ve been dreaming about, it’s a big social win in your peer group, it’s a bundle of paybacks that does not happen with any other program of this nature,” said Mandeep Malik, professor at DeGroote School of Business and founder of the competition. “Students always wonder of the value of their education. They can put it together, bring it to play and use it to bring a solution that is unanticipated.”

Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec requires the avid challengeseeking business enthusiast to meticulously prepare a marketing campaign for a new Chevrolet vehicle.

This year participants are allotted a promotional budget of $5 million about the amount that an organization would spend in urban markets.

“By opening the competition up beyond the walls of the

campus and looking at key urban centres across Canada, a $5 million budget is a blessing in disguise,” said Paul Bailey, Advertising Integration Manager with General Motors of Canada. “You have to plan out how to use the money because that’s what we do in Chevrolet; every dollar spent is examined closely, so is how it’s used and what the return is.”

Creative freedom and flexibility of decision making is the name of the game.

I bet you were wondering when the endless caffeine filled cram sessions in Mills Library would finally pay off as your mind collects dust with the oodles of theoretical knowledge you have acquired throughout your undergrad.

Students are provided with realworld challenges enabling a less theoretical, predominantly hands on approach allowing for the implementation of acquired business skills in real world scenarios.

“To have that opportunity to offer advice, have real world numbers and real world problems

is huge and you won’t find it anywhere else,” said Bailey.

Students have a broad resource base to seek a helping hand and kick start the brainstorming process.

“Students can read our competitor overviews and I would encourage students to do research every night and learn about the brand,” said Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec co-chair and second place winner, Patricia Wozniak. “Probably the most essential thing is that you need to have a campaign based off the brand. Learning about it and indulging yourself in it and becoming an advocate yourself is essential.”

Brainstorming is one of the key drivers to success and students are encouraged to be persistent, keep at it and to not be discouraged.

Each idea is valuable in the brainstorming process and contributes greatly to the overall process of the plan implemented. For students to be successful in the competition developing a process that is compelling and relevant to Canadians and

reflects the overall brand personality of Chevrolet is crucial.

“My challenge to the students is making sure that every dollar relates back to their original objective,” said Paul Bailey.

“Every dollar should make sense given the plan they have developed, and every dollar spent relates back to making the Spark known, understood and relevant in the market place.”

“There’s a lot of market research that has to be done like developing your market segmentation and identifying your top competitors,” said CNTAE co-chair Ed Shin. “Students should take advantage of all the resources available at your school. Most ideas that fail are because not enough research is put into it. The prize should really be students implementing what you learn in the classroom to this real world case.”

The competition is divided into three phases with the initial phase scheduled to take place in January and the final presentation phase set for March 2012.

The shaky economy strikes back

The Canadian economy putters along as unemployment rises Sonya Khanna Business Editor

With the global economy teetering on the brink of presumed destruction, economic turmoil continues to be the hot topic.

Destruction might be a slight exaggeration, but nevertheless dismal unemployment figures in Canada have experts urging swift action by the government.

CAW President Ken Lewenza has indicated that the sharp drop in unemployment negates slight employment gains displayed in September, which should set off warning signals to governments that shrewd caution and better job market support must be implemented to avoid the threat of an underperforming Canadian economy.

According to a survey of national unemployment figures by Statistics Canada, the Canadian economy lost 72,000 full time jobs in October.

“Focusing a national strategy that aims to create, including

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

The manufacturing sector took a hit, with 48,000 job losses. through public investments, and improve the quality of existing jobs is something that all governments in Canada can do, right now, to put our economy on a more secure footing,” Lewenza said.

Lewenza believes inadequate reform by governments has hindered the ability to resolve the issue of unemployment, and has indicated that further action must

be implemented by the Harper government to organize a national good jobs summit, including representatives of labour, business and government.

Lewenza notes that a shaky global economy has stirred economic woes worldwide and Canada has certainly taken a beating from the brute force of instability in the economy; however, the

Euro crisis cannot be blamed for all of Canada’s problems. According to Statistics Canada, the labour market in Canada is far more unstable than it was prior to the 2008 recession.

“Canadian politicians must stop using the economic problems of other nations to justify inaction here at home,” Lewenza said. “Certainly, Canada is not sheltered from international economic storms, but

that doesn’t mean we should sit back and do nothing to avoid another economic crisis in the meantime. Stronger job market performance is a good place to start.”

The bulk of employment losses in Canada were evident in the manufacturing sector, with 48,000 jobs lost in October alone, adding to the 24,000 jobs lost in September.

Evidence of unemployment in the goods-producing sector is generally a red flag for the economy as the manufacturing sector stands firmly as the foundation of the Canadian economy.

“When we see such huge job losses in these areas, it’s a clear sign of a faltering economy and worse yet to come,” said Lewenza.

“It’s time to re-envision the economy and what kinds of employment we want to be creating for the future.”

Further data indicated increasingly sluggish growth toward the end of the year, with building permits in September plummeting as well as dwindling purchasing activity in October.

C10 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2011

C11 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Personal Finance

Credit Cards: handy companion or debt inducing foe?

Shama Kassam The Silhouette

Do students need credit cards? Of course we do. We need it for when we absolutely ‘must have’ something but just don’t have enough money, right?

The correct answer is, if you don’t have the money for something, don’t buy it.

That’s pretty much the problem in a nutshell. More than ever before, applying and being approved for a credit card is as difficult as going through a burger king drive-thru.

With credit cards being more accessible than ever, students like us are inclined to get credit cards and banks are more than inclined to allowing credit limits of up to $10,000.

At the tender age of 18 you can independently sign up for a credit card without a parent cosigner of any sort. I’m sure, at 18, it is pretty easy to spend more than you earn.

Students have it really hard. We don’t make much, we often don’t have much time to work yet our expenses are huge.

Tuition and books alone come out to at least $7,000 for the average student without even taking into consideration living expenses, food and other necessities that come along with not living at home.

Even if a hardworking student spent the four months of summer working 40 hours a week, perhaps he or she would be able to make and save $4,000-$5,000.

This means most conscientious spender or saver would still technically be short $2000 at least every school year.

This doesn’t even take into consideration that some programs have higher tuition, some students take summer school, some people are unable to find a job or have other commitments that require them to either work less, or allocate their earnings to a different priority.

OSAP can only help so much.

Even with a generous OSAP cheque, upon graduation you are responsible for the full amount plus interest.

Students graduating with simply an undergraduate degree are often still not qualified for high-paying jobs and either do further schooling or work in minimum-wage jobs making it extremely difficult to make a dent in school loans.

The average starter credit card, such as the RBC student VISA, has an interest rate of approximately 19 per cent and you are expected to pay a premium of $20 for the ability to extend the payment date.

An interesting study conducted by TD Canada Trust revealed some results that felt quite close to home.

Approximately 58 per cent of students between the ages of 18-24 are worried about money. Sixty-four per cent of these students are expected to graduate with debt and 25 per cent of them are owing more than $25,000. The clincher is that irrespective of these astounding numbers, 47 per cent of student’s still list “credit card” as their main way to pay any day to day expenses of which the top three listed categories were eating out, transportation and technology.

There is also the issue of online shopping. Online shopping has become extremely popular over the past few years and in 2009 alone over 95 million orders were processed.

Online is where you can find the best deals on some stuff including textbooks and has become extremely easy and convenient. iTunes is completely payable by credit card along with Indigo and Chapters as well as phone bills and without a credit card, you are closed off to an extremely pervasive market.

Credit cards seem to be a necessary evil and the most important thing to do is spend wisely, spend within your budget and according to your income, and try as best as you can to not let balances transfer over to the next month.

It’s important to know how to spend, and to understand the consequences of spending outside of your budget. With extremely high interest rates, students can put themselves into a debt hole that will take years to pay off, unless you have some extremely rich and nice parents.

It is important to know how to spend and to understand the consequences of spending outside of your budget .”

C12 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011

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

Help fight Poverty and Restore Dignity

Saturday December 3rd, 2011

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

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

National Presenting Sponsor

Register on-line @ www.santashuffle.com

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

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

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

But… I am not alone!

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

905-525-4162

www.sacha.ca

RECREATION PROGRAM We offer a minimum of six recreation events each month, providing respite and opportunities for fun and friendship in the community.

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

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

INTERESTED? V I S I T O U R W EB-SITE, FIND US ON FACEBOOK OR CONTACT US! w w w. e x tendafamilyhamilton.synthasite .com 905.383.2885 e a f @execulink.com (Buddy Program) e a f . c o n n e ct@gmail.com (Recreation Program)

sam roberts • the skin i live in kardinal offishall • framed

andex

thursday, november 3, 2011

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

Contributors: Nolan Matthews, Jason Scherer, Simon Marsello, Cooper Long, Sean Hardy

Cover: Jonathon Fairclough

coming up

nov.26

The Sheepdogs Copps Coliseum 8:00 p.m.

nov.28

Guns N’ Roses Copps Coliseum 8:00 p.m.

dec.2

Chelsea Wolfe The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

The Tea Party Hamilton Place 8:00 p.m.

Framed: A Story of Artists McMaster Theatre & Film Studies Fall Major 8:00 p.m. Robinson Memorial Theatre (CNH 103) Queen Milli of Galt Theatre Aquarius 8:00 p.m. 190 King William St. Hamilton, ON. (905) 522-7529

film

J. Edgar Jack and Jill Melancholia

now

nov.21

Sara Jones The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

nov 11,12, 16-19

nov.19

Chantal Kreviazuk Hamilton Place 8:00 p.m.

theatre

nov 9 - 26

nov.12

The Sam Roberts Band Hamilton Place 8:00 p.m.

nov.4

music

andy’s ticks

opening

in the hammer

fall back (fuck that), dustin beaver, samosas, rain, don henley: baby making music, soula coaster, victoria?, unexpected november warmth, r. kelly, montreal holiday, framed, darude’s sandstorm, what did you learn tonight from the paper?, dink, steve french, squish/squash, raking leaves

“doIdrugs. don’t I am drugs.”

this week in music history...

November 10, 1990: Vanilla Ice started a 16-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘To The Extreme.’

Salvador Dali

andy’s advice: write for andy meetings are held on tuesdays at 2:30pm in musc b110 e-mail your submissions to andy@thesil.ca

editorial

thursday, november 10, 2011

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D3

sounds of our youth

In retrospect, most of us can remember an album that forced us to rethink what music really meant.

This week, ANDY reflects on some of the records that fundementally changed the way we hear music.

Cat Stevens Tea for the Tillerman (1970)

David Bowie Low (1977)

Ramones Ramones (1976)

It’s hard to think back to a time before I took music seriously, before I was moved by lyrics or affected by rhythm. Music is so intricately tied to memory that associating a time and place without what I was listening to at the moment is difficult to do.

What I can say definitively, however, is that some of my earliest memories are of being with my mother and listening to Cat Stevens. We only owned the one record – Tea for the Tillerman – but we listened to it on repeat, and it’s still a favourite at our house.

There’s something about Stevens’ distinctive voice and gentle lyrics that both sooth and energize. Songs like “Where Do The Children Play?” and “Wild World” made me fall in love with Stevens’ music and inspired me to seek out more artists that could equally capture my attention. Tea for the Tillerman introduced me to great music, and made me sit up and take notice of what the world of music had to offer.

• Jemma Wolfe, Senior ANDY Editor

I remember it vividly. It was 2003, and I sat in my room downloading what was purported to be David Bowie’s most seminal statement, Low, an album that still sounds like the future.

Silently stoic, my ears perked to the glacial synths and funk fragments as Bowie’s comatose croon punctuated the mechanical air. Was this Ziggy Stardust? No, it was something different – more stark, experimental and anxious. It was David Bowie doing electronic music. For me, Low is remarkable. It’s structurally unique, sonically so radical, you wonder how its strange vision didn’t extinguish Bowie’s recording career. Yet, it apparently saved his life, and luckily, opened mine. Released amidst Punk’s Year Zero of 1977, Low prevails, marked by Brian Eno’s ambient flourishes and a lead singer overcoming depression and cocaine with the artistic fortitude to push ahead. Every time I put it on, I hear something new, and think the same thoughts. As “Subterraneans” disappears into its haunting coda, the only place you want to be is circling back to the otherworldly intro of “Speed of Life”. To me, that’s Low: 40 minutes that echo forever, just like the memories of my youth.

The first time I heard the Ramones self-titled debut record, I instantly realized that all music I’d heard prior was now obsolete.

It wasn’t just the music, but the entire style and attitude the group took to music. It was the first time I realized that musicians could break all the rules and still rock. The Ramones had done something simple, edgy and fresh, and they didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought. I was fascinated over the simple and iconic cover: four freaky looking guys clad in uniform leathers jacket, hanging by a brick wall and looking bored as hell. If they could get a record deal, anybody could. I was spell bound when I finally put the album on. The songs were so short, just long enough to ram a single hook into your head. Verse, chorus, verse, done. At the age of thirteen, nothing excited me more than the Ramones’ bubblegum pop buried beneath narratives of disaffected youth and buzz-saw guitar.

• Myles Herod, Entertainment Editor

• Josh Parsons, Music Editor

the big tickle

what album changed the way you listen to music?

compiled by ricardo padilla & josh parsons

“slipknot- vol. iii (the subliminal verses)” Berkin Can

“kanye west- college dropout” fahad mohamed

“red hot chili peppersblood sugar sex magik” josh wiener

“queen- news of the world” tabitha sayegh

“michael jacksonthriller” melissa lang

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D4

music

thursday, november 10, 2011

without a map

sam roberts humbly affirms his open-ended musical vision By now, Sam Roberts is used to life on the road. He has to be – he’s spent the last several years releasing album after album, touring the world in support of each. Nearly a decade after his breakthrough record, the recently retitled Sam Roberts Band has accumulated four Juno awards and has become one of few Canadian rock bands to achieve international success.

The band is currently in the midst of a cross-Canada tour, headed toward the GTA en route from the West Coast. The high-profile tour is the band’s second trip across Canada this year, supporting their critically acclaimed 2011 release, Collider.

Amid the hectic touring schedule, Sam Roberts found the time to sit down and chat with ANDY about his successful career.

“We started off this year with a tour of the U.S. and then spent a couple nights in Toronto at Massey Hall. Then the summer

kicked in a we just played festivals all over the place, bouncing around from coast to coast.”

He was happy to be back to the straight-cut, linear autumn touring circuit.

Roberts was reminded of his band’s first major tour and decided to reflect for a moment on the band’s rise to fame. “When we were on our first tour with the Tragically Hip, our song ‘Brother Down’ was doing really well on the radio. To solidify ourselves in the Canadian musical landscape, we really needed this tour to be a success. Opening for the Hip is daunting,” he laughed.

The tour generated a tremendous amount of positive response from Canadian press. Roberts was keen to cite journalist Mike Bell, of the Calgary Herald, as integral to the success of the tour. “[Mike] talked about us as a new band that was worth the time to come and see,” Roberts said happily.

“That kind of language really helped us out.

It was never hyperbole.”

When asked about his recent work, Roberts was candid and sincere, eager to chat openly about Collider. “I don’t know if it’s necessarily a conscious decision that you make to shift direction,” Roberts suggested.

The album has a markedly different sound than his previous albums, pushing the recognizable style of the band into fresh and experimental territory.

“It’s scary to think that I have no method,” he admitted. “But it’s also beautiful in that way. Every time I put pen to paper, I’m venturing into the unknown. I try to leave it completely open-ended and just let the song come out – almost as if you’re trying to interfere as little as possible.

“Defining yourself is where your creativity starts to dwindle. The more you open up your perception of yourself, the further you’re able to go and the more varied

you can be,” Roberts said confidently.

Although Collider marks a turn for the band stylistically, Roberts was self-assured that the songs fit comfortably into the bands live shows. “Its always scary to see how the fans are going to react to a new record. Fortunately, these songs translate really well on to the stage; they’re rhythmic, they make people move. It keeps the audience engaged, whether or not they know the melody or words to a new song.”

Evident by virtue of another highprofile tour, the Sam Roberts Band remains as dedicated to quality music as it was a decade ago.

The Sam Roberts Band is playing Nov. 12 at Hamilton Place.

• Josh Parsons, Music Editor

thursday, november 10, 2011

film

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D5

spanish maestro plunges into new gothic depths The Skin I Live In Directed by: Pedro Almodovar Starring: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya

HHH Spain’s Pedro Almodóvar could not make a boring picture if he tried. Equally lauded and chastised – sometimes for the same film – his distinctive oeuvre illustrates a man seduced by suggestive sexuality and evocative colours.

The movie camera, to him, hides nothing.

Truthfully speaking, The Skin I Live In left me speechless. Call it uncomfortable, ashamed, whatever – I sat at the screen startled, and yet, strangely delighted. In many ways, Skin represents Almodóvar at his most demented and transgressive, breaking loose from two pictures of prestige and world recognition, Talk to Her and Volver.

Cinema history is littered with the remains of mad scientists driven by desire, or damned with the consequences of their

perverted souls. Breaching the bounds of pathological decency, The Skin I Live In adapts Thierry Jonquet’s lurid novel Tarantula, a tale of revenge, gender identity and unbridled power.

Channeling his best Cary Grant, Antonio Banderas stars as Robert Ledgard, a suave plastic surgeon whose heavy brow seems apt for obsession. Situated in an immaculate clinic in suburban Toledo, the doctor broods over personal tragedy as he deliberately constructs beauty onto a kidnapped body.

The darkly alluring Elena Anaya plays Vera Cruz, Robert’s young prisoner and plaything, a mysterious woman whose skin is experimentally replaced patch by patch. Alone, and encased in a fetishistic body sheath, Vera practices yoga to the knowing surveillance of the doctor and his elderly housemaid, Marilia.

From the beginning, Almodóvar lets us know something odd is afoot. He manufactures a film so vividly rich and baroque

in imagery that its style alone leaves one curiously transfixed.

One of the other chief pleasures of The Skin I Live In is its concoction of operatic emotions and a serpentine screenplay. It is a story that slowly teases with its mysteries, flashbacks and violence that climax in horrific fashion and spinning sexual intrigue.

Although the film’s touchstones are more aligned with two specific influences – Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face and James Whale’s Frankenstein, Almodóvar also ventures further afield to David Cronenberg territory, constructing a kinky, body-horror thriller.

Banderas, working with Almódovar for the first time since 1990’s Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, gives a deceptively charismatic performance, imbuing Ledgard with a debonair facade and undertone of menace. Even while Ledgard’s medical colleagues disapprove of his experiments with synthetic skin and forced operations, his secretive work contin-

ues as the film compels us to review the context of his God complex.

Elena Ayana’s role is even trickier, since we know little about Vera other than her dislike for feminine garments. The film does not play her as a victim, though. Instead, she comes to participate in Ledgard’s strange experiments and intimate desires, gradually

disclosing her history and state of mind.

Few directors have the skill at swerving from confident camp to overwhelming chills like this. Though the film ranks as slightly frivolous in Almodóvar’s cannon, it contains enough carnal nourishment and melodrama to keep one glued until its outrageous third act.

By then, The Skin I Live In has fully embraced its wayward weirdness, declaring itself tragic, devilish and, yes, even a tad silly.

• Myles Herod, Entertainment Editor

D6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

theatre

thursday, november 10, 2011

framing the artist new student play explores the complex role of artists in society Are artists getting framed? Do you feel framed by society? Framed, this year’s Fall Major production by McMaster’s School of the Arts, premieres this week to much anticipation.

Framed was conceptualized by upperyear Theatre & Film Studies students who wanted to address the way in which artists are perceived and often framed by our present society. The director, professor Peter Cockett, explains, “Framed is about artists, the way they are perceived in our society, the difficulties they face and their ability to reframe our world.”

The play subtly interrogates public attitudes towards the importance of art in its many forms. Six different artists (a ballerina, a sculptor, a street artist, a singer and two digital designers) are mysteriously drawn to the Alternate Dimension coffee shop. There, an unusual barista, with otherworldly insight into the plights of the artists he encounters, magically compels his customers to confront their artistic pasts and come to terms with the circumstances that made them give up on what they loved.

The types of artists’ lives explored in this production were thoughtfully chosen.

Cockett explains, “We chose kinds of artists that allowed us to explore different aspects of our central idea. The street artist, for example, allowed us to explore the issue of legitimacy in the art world. Who defines what is art and what is not?”

This production plays on the many meanings of the word “framed.” “The frame has a double meaning in our show. Our artists have been framed by social expectation, and thus the frame is a restrictive presence that limits possibilities. But frames can be moved, and one of the principle values of art for me is its ability to re-frame experience and allow us to see the world in fresh perspective,” explained Cockett. One of the most striking aspects of Framed’s set design is the clever ways that it plays with frames and layers of perception.

Framed is the result of the combined

effort of three different classes: the summer term’s Performance Research and Planning, Performance and Community Outreach and Major Production Workshop. These classes gave students a realistic experience of what the realities of creating and staging a play really are.

Cockett was eager to sing the praises of his student cast and crew. “I asked this cast to engage with a complex topic and I have been impressed with the maturity of their response and their commitment to the creative process.”

The first image I saw when I walked into the dress rehearsal was the whole cast and crew standing in a circle together, holding each other’s hands. This pre-show ritual is representative of the relationship between the creative team members that devised the show.

Devising, as a theatre process, is all about unity, cooperation and the fusion of collective ideas. There is little hierarchy, and everyone involved, from actors to designers, share the responsibility of inventing the premise, formulating dialogue, building sets, etc.

The benefits of devising processes, as Cockett explains, are that it “brings a multiplicity of perspectives to bear on the issue you are dealing with. It also encourages active engagement from all participants and a sense of collective responsibility within the creative process.”

Framed is a thought-provoking production that both entertains and challenges audiences. Viewers cannot help but consider the power and potential of art to reframe our world, and what is lost when passionate artists lose hope.

Framed is playing on Nov. 11, 12, and 16-19 in Robinson Memorial Theatre (CNH 103) at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at COMPASS and at the door.

•

Jemma Wolfe, Senior ANDY Editor

TYLER HAYWARD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

music

thursday, november 10, 2011

featured throwback review

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D7

Alice in Chains Jar of Flies EP

HHHHH Often overshadowed by the rise and climactic downfall of Nirvana and the stubborn longevity of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains are one of those scene-specific gems you have to dig to find. Emerging from Seattle’s grunge subculture in the late 1980s, AIC hit their peak at the height of the movement’s popularity, with the release of 1992’s commercial success Dirt, packing such fringe-mainstream hits as “Rooster”, “Would?” and “Down in a Hole”. However, it is arguably Dirt’s follow-up, the 1994 EP Jar of Flies that is the more worthwhile listen. The first EP ever to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, Jar of Flies is acoustically driven and mellow, a dramatic departure from the grunge-metal roots of Dirt and of their 1989 debut Facelift. In a situation not unheard of amongst rock musicians, vocalist Layne Staley was burdened with a crippling heroin addiction. While Dirt aptly channels Staley’s angst and self-hatred, Jar of Flies’ relaxed, complacent tone and lyrics can be seen as Staley’s resignation that the addiction would eventually consume him, which it did in 2002.

The album’s standout track, “Nutshell”, is an acoustic masterpiece. Perfectly constructed bass runs and impeccable soloing mold themselves around beautiful acoustic-electric chords while Staley muses on the utter hopelessness of his situation. “Nutshell” is perhaps the most beautiful song to emerge from the grunge scene, eclipsing such lateperiod Nirvana works as “Dumb”, “All Apologies” and “Heart-Shaped Box”. Other high points include the melodic arpeggiation of “I Stay Away”, the sharp percussion and ringing open chords of “No Excuses”, and the sad-cowboy blues of “Don’t Follow”. The album is one of my all-time favourites, and should already be in your books if you consider yourself a grunge fan. If you aren’t much for grunge, give this one a listen anyway. You might be pleasantly surprised.

• Simon Marsello

cd reviews Puscifer Conditions of My Parole

Surfer Blood Tarot Classics EP

Coldplay Mylo Xyloto

Evanescence Evanescence

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The ever-present Maynard James Keenan’s latest release comes in the form of Puscifer’s second full-length album, Conditions of My Parole.

Given the track record of the eccentric Tool and A Perfect Circle frontman, and with Keenan’s description of Puscifer as “a playground for the various voices in [my] head,” I knew that anything on the musical spectrum could fall within the ambitious 52-minute span of Conditions. I was still quite unprepared for what turned out to be a rather impressive sophomore release. The album begins with the ominous “Tiny Monsters,” a creative blend of computerized beats and eerie guitar riffs.

Most of the highlights occur on the first side, from the slow-building epic “Green Valley,” reminiscent of APC’s “The Noose,” to the synth-driven, uplifting “Monsoons” and the delightfully percussive “Horizons,” a nod to the 2004 APC remix album aMotion. Some tracks on the second side disappoint, but the disc is overall a very solid second effort from Keenan’s desert-borne oddity.

With winter fast approaching, now is an ideal time for a new release from Surfer Blood, whose 2010 debut, Astro Coast, rode waves of acclaim for its summery surf-rock.

Although this foursong EP may be underwhelming for fans awaiting a full-length follow-up, the sturdiness of every track makes it difficult to complain. The interwoven guitar lines of “I’m Not Ready” open Tarot Classics promisingly. Even stronger is “Miranda”; with its shout-along chorus, this EP highlight is the best Weezer-like song in 15 years. These tracks mostly retread Astro Coast’s sunny formula, but Surfer Blood broaden their sound on the EP’s second half. Synths add lushness to “Voyager Reprise” and particularly to closer “Drinking Problem”. The latter also blends chirping crickets, birdcalls and feedback for an uncharacteristically somber, yet still tropical, atmosphere. The year and a half since Astro Coast has certainly not left Surfer Blood adrift. The new waters charted by Tarot Classics should only intensify eagerness for a proper sophomore LP.

More than most bands these days, Coldplay really seem to polarize the listening public. For every fan who works tirelessly to have the band’s music recognized like its the second coming of Christ, a self-professed music aficionado inevitably joins the fray, ready to expose them as plagiarizing lightweights.

Whether you love or loathe them, Coldplay does, at times, hit the target that they set for themselves. On their newest offering, Mylo Xyloto, this is the case perhaps more often than ever before. Songs like “Paradise”, “Hurts Like Heaven” and “Charlie Brown” move with the airy confidence of music played for music’s sake, resulting in a dynamic that is at times both grandiose and understated. No matter how you feel about Coldplay, check this one out.

The world can be a cruel place. Spend any amount of time in developing countries and you’ll know what I mean. But if an experience on this scale is currently beyond your reach, don’t fret.

The kindly folks of Evanescence are here to offer up a healthy dose of perspective in the form of a new, self-titled album. One listen and you’ll be convinced: only in a truly unjust world could a voice as spectacular as Amy Lee’s be wasted on such a joyless attempt at musical melodrama.

The bottom line is that if you’ve heard any previous selections from Evanescence’s catalogue, their newest effort will be unlikely to surprise you. You know the drill by now: vaguely pentatonic riff followed by now-standard wailing from Lee, then an ominous-sounding string section, followed by an eventual inability on my part to pay attention. Pass.

• Simon Marsello

• Cooper Long

• Sean Hardy

• Sean Hardy

D8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

music

thursday, november 10, 2011

kardinal offishall rocks twelveighty andy sees the humble side of a hip-hop star Kardinal Offishall rocked TwelvEighty on Nov. 4, bringing hits like “Body Bounce” and “The Anthem” to McMaster. Though the bar wasn’t totally packed, both Kardinal’s and the crowd’s energy was high. Even through the smoke machines and strobe lights, it was pretty easy to see why Kardinal Offishall dominates the Canadian hiphop scene.

“I’m from the T-dot-O, rep it everywhere I go,” sung Kardinal on recent single “The Anthem.” His Canadian roots have always been an important part of his music. “We all came up during this whole independent surge … and for the most part it was a strong scene, and that’s really what, for my generation, sealed the love for Toronto,” said Kardinal in an interview with ANDY after the show.

The “independent surge” Kardinal describes happened in the late 1990s, and was responsible for bringing Canadian hip-hop international recognition. “That was a crazy time for us and we were super blessed … our crew had super talented people. It wasn’t just like it was one of us that was doing big things at the time, there was a gang of us that was doing shit.”

With the help of the track “Dangerous”, Kardinal went from being a Canadian success to being known just about everywhere. “Dangerous” became the first song by a Canadian hip-hop artist to chart on the American Billboard Hot 100 singles list, and much of the song’s appeal comes from the catchy R&B chorus sung by Akon.

But the partnership between Kardinal and Akon has led to more than just an international hit song. “He really just mentored me and opened doors to a lot of different things … Akon is a really cool dude and just taught me a lot over the years about breaking into the mainstream in a big way.”

Kardinal has definitely broken into the mainstream with his album Not

4 Sale, but it took years for him to reach this level of commercial success.

“When you saw someone else who was doing their thing … they had to put thousands and thousands of dollars into getting their music out there. You emailed somebody and a DJ emailed you back and was like ‘that shit is crazy,’ you had to buy that plane ticket, literally carry your fuckin’ 12 inches to LA, and give each DJ two copies.”

Though it’s been about three years since Not 4 Sale, the wait for a new Kardinal Offishall album isn’t due to a lack of inspiration. “I just keep making so much music and it’s from so many different influences. I worked with people from Paris, England, Amsterdam, the States, Canada, literally everywhere … Fans don’t understand it, they’re like ‘where the eff is the album?’ but I’m just having too much fun and its hard to decide what you want to come out with.”

Despite travelling the world and making hit records, Kardinal keeps it modest. “Some people want to make ‘x’ amount of money, some people want to achieve a certain amount of fame, but for me this is the best blessing, to be able to pay all my bills, be comfortable, and just rock out like tonight and have fun.”

But rocking out isn’t all Kardinal does. “We actually went to Africa, to Kenya, and visited the droughtaffected regions and … this past year I worked with so many different people from Free the Children, to One by One, to World Vision, the list goes on … it’s really nothing to be able to spread my blessings and to help other people.”

After the show, Kardinal remarked, “McMaster was dope.”

Thanks, Kardinal. We thought you were pretty dope too.

• Nolan Matthews and Jay Scherer

JEFF TAM / SILHOUETTE STAFF