The Silhouette - October 25

ANDY digs up the most unwatchable of holiday “horror” films.

SPORTS

ANDY

Halloween Issue

Coming off of their perfect season, the Marauders prepare for the playoffs.

See C1-C8

See B1

The Silhouette

MCMASTER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

www.thesil.ca

Thursday, October 25, 2012

EST. 1930

Let’s get ghoulish.

Vol. 83, No. 12

LRT plans go off the rails

Direction needed from City as it awaits response from Metrolinx

PSE panel criticizes MTCU plan NDP association hosts Mac talk Ryan Sparrow The Silhouette

$5.1 Million.

ANDREW TEREFENKO PRODUCTION EDITOR

Anqi Shen

Online News Editor

With millions invested in preliminary research on a light-rail transit system in Hamilton, the City is under pressure to move the project forward.

Over the past five years, Hamiltonians, councillors and McMaster representatives have been making the case to the province for LRT in Hamilton.

LRT would provide train access every two or three minutes to downtown Hamilton. The system is expected to benefit Hamilton com-

OPINIONS

muters and frequent users of the B-line bus route. As part of a downtown renewal plan, LRT also has the potential to draw more students to the downtown core.

Recently, Mayor Bob Bratina has come under heavy scrutiny by community members for not pursuing the initiative more aggressively.

Complicating matters further, Dalton McGuinty’s resignation last week as leader of Ontario’s Liberal Party means LRT supporters likely have to wait even longer for action.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now. I wish I could say this

could happen very soon, but with the economy and Ontario’s political situation, I don’t think we’re going to hear back definitively from the province until 2014,” said Brian McHattie, Hamilton city councillor for McMaster’s ward.

Given the amount of time and money already spent on the initiative, many are seeking clarity on whether LRT is on track to happen.

Research suggests there are social and economic benefits to having light-rail transit in Hamilton.

According to a 2010 operational review by the HSR, bus ridership in the east-west direction that

LRT would encompass was roughly 13,000 per day.

“The B-line is by far the busiest line we have in the city,” said McHattie. “Sometimes you’ll see buses pass by their stops because they’re too full. LRT would be able to carry many more passengers, and it would be faster.”

To date, $9 million has been invested in preliminary research to make the case for LRT. The province has designated $3 million for a required Environmental Assessment.

SEE PROVINCE, A4

The path to moving forward How is experiential education framed in Forward with Integrity?

Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor

Sepia tones of wealth There’s more to being rich on Instagram ... or is there?

See A11 INSIDEOUT

It’s been just over a year since McMaster’s president Patrick Deane issued his visioning letter, “Forward With Integrity,” to the McMaster community.

The letter introduced new strategic priorities for the University. It planted notions of “a student-centred research intensive institution,” “internationalization” and “experiential learning experiences” in the forefront of the campus’ consciousness.

FWI stated that McMaster had an obligation to engage with the community and enhance student experience by increasing self-directed and interdisciplinary opportunities.

Following the release of the letter last September, four task forces were formed to examine McMaster’s current environment. The task forces were responsible for making recommendations to improve the institution’s standing in the fields of

Community Engagement, Student Experience, Internationalization and Research.

The task forces concluded their work in May 2012 and compiled their findings and recommendations into four separate reports.

Broadening Experiential Opportunities The Student Experience Task Force report explored how to increase experiential opportunities.

The term “experiential education” often implies a co-op or internship type experience that involves “learning outside the classroom.”

The report sought to broaden this definition and re-envision how experiential opportunities could be offered to all students, regardless of faculty.

Several faculties already provide experiential opportunities. The Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Life Sciences provide academic or co-op placements, while opportunities for co-curricular activities

exist in Arts and Science, Integrated Science and Health Science.

Smaller programs and faculties such as Arts and Science and Integrated Science have had experiential components embedded in their curriculum since their inception.

Both of these programs have also been at the forefront of submitting proposals for new interdisciplinary courses that feature field work and co-curricular experiences.

Carolyn Eyles, director of the iSci Program, spoke about the new ARTSCI/ISCI 3EI1 course, which was developed as a result of the renewed focus on interdisciplinary and unique experiential courses.

Students taking the course participate in a field trip to the world’s largest known cave system in Kentucky.

For Eyles, courses like these are about being flexible in providing learning and research opportunities to students not normally available in lecture-based format.

SEE LEARNING, A3

TIMELINE OF INTEGRITY ►

Haunted Out Urban exploration of Hamilton can be haunting.

See B7

President Deane publishes Forward with Integrity letter

Task Force reports on general progress

SEP 2011

MAY 2012

Emerging Landscapes follow-up report to FWI

Mac’s Strategic Mandate Agreement submitted to the Ministry

JULY 2012 SEP 2012

On Oct. 23, representatives from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) - Ontario, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) - Ontario, and McMaster faculty member, Peter Graefe, all spoke out against the purposed changes to the post-secondary education sector. Also on the panel was NDP politician, Theresa Armstrong who is the NDP critic for the Ministry of Training, Colleges and University (MTCU).

The panel was organized by the NDP Riding Associations of Ancaster-Dundas-FlamboroughWestdale and Hamilton Centre.

The event was attended by approximately 40 people. While there were some students in attendance, there was a noticeable lack of participation from McMaster New Democrat Club with only one member of the club who attended and then left early.

Janice Folk-Dawson, Chair of the Ontario University Workers Coordination Committee of CUPE - Ontario criticized the Ministry’s plans and called “for the establishment of a true consultation process with wide ranging discussions including chronic underfunding to post-secondary institutions and a discussion of tuition and auxiliary fees.”

Peter Graefe, a Political Science professor, criticized the three semester a year plan stating, “As much as people think I’m at home sunbathing myself during those [summer] months, I’m here most days involved in work related to research.”

He also addressed the Ministry’s suggestion about three-year degrees.

“Three year degrees, is there a demand for that? We have been seeing three year degrees shut down across the province for a lack of demand for a variety of reasons.”

“When we talk about scarce public resources we have to realise that it is a myth, the income tax for people making over 500,000 dollars was introduced and next thing you know we got an extra 500 million in revenue” said Mike Yam, CFS-Ontario researcher.

“I know a lot of labour unions and progressive economists talk about reversing corporate tax cuts; for sure if they were back to 2009 levels we’d have an extra two billion plus dollars in government coffers that could provide for all undergraduates in Ontario to go to school for free.”

Theresa Armstrong, the NDP Critic for MTCU, gave a uniformly scripted speech, which provided little insight into the Ontario New Democrat’s plans outside of re-stating their election promises.

Dan Fahey, a third-year Integrated Science student, felt upset with the lack of a comprehensive vision presented by the NDP stating that he, “felt underwhelmed

by Theresa Armstrong’s performance, when the stakes are so high with the attack to education that we are facing.”

“I thought Mike Yam said the right things. That we need to build solidarity between students and staff on campus and it’s going to take a lot of work.”

the

PRESIDENT’S PAGE Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance)

Huzaifa Saeed VP (Education)

Siobhan Stewart President

David Campbell VP (Administration)

LOWER CATERING PRICES FOR STUDENTS

Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance) vpfinance@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 24109

You may have heard that the MSU has been working with Hospitality Services over the summer to see if prices for catering can be reduced for student groups running events on campus.

While we are certainly interested in making food as affordable as possible, this is a more complex issue than simply asking for lower prices. Hospitality Services maintains a large presence in the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC), in exchange for which Hospitality Services helps to subsidize the occupancy costs for the other occupants. That is, some of the revenues from Paradise Catering, La Piazza and other food services locations on campus, help to pay for the offices, meeting rooms and lounge spaces that we enjoy on a daily basis.

However, in working with Hospitality Services, the MSU drew their attention to the fact that many student groups find Paradise Catering

unaffordable. I know from personal experience that events are often held off campus to cut costs, not because the space is expensive but because of the high cost of food. In response, as of this November, Hospitality Services will be enacting the following changes: First, student clubs and associations that are recognized by the MSU will notice a 15% reduction in costs when placing and confirming an order with Paradise Catering. This includes MSU Clubs and Services, as well as Faculty Societies.

Second, a special catering menu targeting student groups is being prepared for November. This menu will include low-cost items and can be used if costs are an issue in planning an event.

Third, Paradise Catering will be reviewing its regular menu, including costs, at the beginning of 2013. There will be an early bird discount for groups that book and confirm in advance of this review.

The MSU will continue our lobbying efforts on this front to ensure that catering costs on campus are reasonable and affordable for students. If you have any questions or concerns about food services on campus feel free to contact myself, any member of the MSU Board of Directors or your representative(s) on the Student Representative Assembly.

MAC BREAD BIN TAKES A BITE OUT OF CAMPUS HUNGER Gillian England-Mason Director, MAC Bread Bin macbreadbin@msu.mcmaster.ca msumcmaster.ca/macbreadbin When you type ‘Hamilton food’ into Google, at least half of the options suggested are local food banks. Other obvious search topics include restaurants, local farmers’ markets and recipe ideas.

Why is it that search results relating to food in Hamilton are split equally between ways to get food if you can afford it and ways to get food if you can’t? It seems that the issue of hunger in our community hasn’t yet been satisfied.

MAC Bread Bin is the MSU service that encompasses the student food bank and a volunteer team that is responsible for health and hunger awareness initiatives on campus. Keep a lookout for our upcoming Trick or Eat event, where we’ll be collecting donations and raising awareness throughout Halloween afternoon and evening. Individuals and groups can signup online at www.trickoreat.ca to get involved. All donations support Living Rock Ministries, a local food bank and shelter, as well as stocking the MAC Bread Bin cupboards. Through this and more, we hope to offer you a fresh perspective, one that doesn’t require a search engine.

Today’s students face uncertainty when it comes to job opportunities, career

direction and financial plans. With rising costs of living and tuition, sometimes it can be difficult to make ends meet. Many students find themselves racking up debt, without a clear plan on how to repay it. It can cause someone who has paid thousands of dollars to a post-secondary institute to be unable to afford groceries. This may be difficult to digest, but it’s a reality and the reason why food banks exist.

At MAC Bread Bin, our main goal is to provide healthy and affordable options for you. We sell Good Food Boxes every month through the MSU Accounting Office (MUSC 201). This program offers $20-$30 of fresh produce from local farmers at a subsidized price ($12 for regular orders, $10 for Bread Bin users).

We welcome new clients!

We also offer an emergency food voucher system that can be found online on our website, msumcmaster.ca/macbreadbin.

Requests are filled within 72 hours and can then be picked up anonymously from a locker on campus. To compensate for any additional aid required, Hamilton Food Share is a great local resource that will provide food supplies to individuals in need.

Finally something you can really sink your teeth into, MAC Bread Bin is truly an example of students helping students. If you have any inquiries or would like to get involved feel, free to contact macbreadbin@ msu.mcmaster.ca or visit our website.

DON’T LET THE VAMPIRES GET ALL YOUR BLOOD THIS HALLOWEEN! CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES NEEDS IT TOO...

THE NEXT BLOOD DONOR CLINIC IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH IN CIBC HALL

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

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

www.msumcmaster.ca

EWS

Thursday, October 25, 2012 News Editors: Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma, Julia Redmond and Anqi Shen Meeting: Thursdays @ 4:30 p.m.

Contact: news@thesil.ca

Women’s leadership summit engages community Anqi Shen

Online News Editor

It’s rare to see an all-woman panel filling the seats in the City of Hamilton’s council chambers, but that was the sight on Saturday at the Leadership Summit for Women.

About 200 people attended the conference, which was held this year at City Hall rather than on McMaster’s campus, where attendees convened last year.

“We wanted to extend the discussion to the community,” said Alicia Ali, conference organizer and former VP (education) of the MSU. A lineup of women leaders took to the mic to share their experiences and to facilitate discussion on how women can advance themselves professionally.

Ann Decter, director of advocacy and public policy at Hamilton’s YWCA, opened the discussion by pointing to a reversal of the ‘gender gap’ in higher education.

In 1971, women comprised 32 per cent of Canadian university graduates aged 25 to 29, and by 2006, the number had shot up to 60 per cent.

“Boys are not falling behind or even declining in education – they are improving,” she added.

“But they are outpaced by girls. This is not cause for hysteria.”

The morning panel had a strong McMaster presence, and included Theresa Burns, head coach of McMaster’s women’s basket-

ball team, Susan Fast, director of McMaster’s graduate program in gender studies and feminist research, Dawn Martin-Hill, co-founder of the Indigenous Studies program, and Anisa Mirza, former president of the McMaster Muslims for Peace and Justice organization.

While the overall mood of the conference was optimistic, concerns were raised about the challenges women still face in Hamilton and beyond.

“I want to see female athletes have a voice,” said coach Burns, who said the women she coaches often get less media coverage than their fellow male athletes.

Fast, who served as panel moderator, pointed out that only 20 per cent of female faculty at Canadian universities are at the rank of full professor.

Evelyn Myrie, executive director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, spoke highly of the diversity among women leaders in Hamilton, but also said they are underrepresented in the city’s leadership.

“Hamilton is ascribed as a male-dominated town in all areas except in the social service sector, where at some level there are [more women in leadership]. We do have a long way to go,” said Myrie.

The conference generated significant buzz on Twitter, with several community members weighing in on the discussion.

Attendees were asked to share their pledge “to help more women become leaders in their community,” and many took to Twitter with the hashtag #LSW2012.

Learning portfolio key part of FWI planning FROM A1 “[It’s about] how to recognize and validate the student experience … and creating linkages between different groups,” she said.

But the Student Experience task force also aimed to fundamentally alter how McMaster understands experiential opportunities. In their findings, they proposed not only new systems to organize these experiences, but also looked to introduce a more reflexive approach to offering experiential education.

Dr. Susan Denburg, Associate Vice-President Academic Health Sciences and Strategic Advisor to the President noted that there are many forms that an experiential program can take on, whether it is inside or outside the classroom.

“We can create an experiential learning environment … by having [students] reflect on their learning goals … if we [make] it a habit of identifying learning goals, if students think about why they’re here and what they hope to achieve in their various courses or extracurricular activities or volunteer work they undertake,” she said.

Creating a “Made-in McMaster” Solu-

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

A diverse array of women participated in the 2nd Annual Leadership Summit for Women

MSU president Siobhan Stewart, who was on the conference’s planning committee gave the closing statement.

“In my work, it’s often noted that I’m the first black female president of the MSU. My hope is that we will one day live in a world where that would not be notable,” she said.

McMaster alumni on the planning committee include former MSU president Mary

Koziol and the Student Success Centre’s social media manager, Kathy Woo. The same day, young professionals met to talk downtown renewal at the Hamilton HiveX conference one block away at the Sheraton Hotel.

Both HiveX and the Leadership Summit for Women are in their second annual run.

Old Phoenix set to house new lounge

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Patrick Deane issued FWI in Sept. 2011.

would function as a holistic marker of a stution dent’s “learning journey” through university.

Denburg stressed the need for a “McWhat differentiates the learning portfoMaster-made solution” lio from simply being that incorporates expeIn discipline-centered learning, the a tracking mechanism riential components into is that learning portteacher has filtered the informathe entirety of one’s time folios could be selftion, [with] information they feel at McMaster. She asserted the student should know. In PBL... directed and would that these opportunities students wrestle with the informa- include self-tracked could be delivered within learning goals. tion themselves the classroom.

Although in its Problem-based infancy, the learning Dr. Patangi Rangachari learning (PBL), another portfolio concept has Professor Emeritus Medicine McMaster-made solution, spurred numerous is one specific method of incorporating expe- potential initiatives. One example suggested riential opportunities into the classroom. by the task force was a learning goal journal, The teaching method, while impossible where students would track and reflect on to define and open to various interpretations, their experiences. Other examples included advocates plunging students into issues with a multi-year course that stretched across the limited frameworks and allowing them to duration of a student’s time at McMaster and present their conclusions. implementing a mentorship network to aid in “In discipline-centered learning, the supporting students’ learning goals. teacher has filtered the information, presentThe learning portfolio and the push toing a body of information they feel the student wards incorporating more experiential opshould know. In PBL … students wrestle with portunities is compatible with what has alinformation themselves,” said Dr. Patangi ready been going on for years in the instituRangachari, Professor Emeritus of Medicine. tion, but could also kick-start some new ideas.

The PBL model is not discipline-cenThe University has put out a call for protered, but has typically been associated with posals related to programs that will provide smaller programs and class sizes. However, self-directed or experiential learning opporRangachari reiterated that PBL-type methods tunities. These projects are meant to be acacan easily be applied to larger environments. demically oriented and focused on advancing Similarly, Dr. Denburg discussed the im- the learning portfolio. portance of engaging students in large classes Proposals from faculty, staff and students and how opportunities in the learning portfo- can be submitted to be reviewed by the FWI lio can do this.

Advisory Group. The first deadline is Nov. 15 “You can change a large group experi- for pilot projects to tentatively be launched in ence into something very personal and very the spring, and there is also a second-round group-oriented with not that much difficulty,” deadline in January. said Denburg.

The prioritization of experiential learn“We’re seriously committing to a lot of ing was most recently re-iterated in the Sept. faculty professional development … people 28 submission of McMaster’s Strategic Manare going to need help in new ways of teach- date Agreement to the Ministry of Training, ing. It’s a question of how…we scale up.”

Colleges and Universities. The letter specifically proposed a partnership with the provDeveloping a learning portfolio ince to establish an Experiential Learning A major recommendation to come out Centre. of the task force was the creation of “learning portfolios.” Learning portfolios are meant to encompass both the co-curricular and Next Week: Exploring more flexibility academic experiences that students com- in the student experience and community plete throughout their degree. The portfolios engagement

“The Lodge” will be housed in the Wentworth House until it is demolished in the spring.

Julia Redmond Assistant News Editor

It’s well known that McMaster’s enrolment is high and the campus is short on space, but this month, off-campus and commuter students at McMaster will be given a new place to hang out.

A new lounge is opening on campus, dedicated to off-campus and commuter students. The lounge, named “The Lodge,” will occupy the space in Wentworth House that was formerly taken by The Phoenix.

The aim of the space is to help commuter students of all years connect to Mac by giving them a place to relax and study.

Jennifer Kleven, Director of the OffCampus Resource Centre, thinks the lounge will make a noticeable difference to off-campus and commuter students, who may not feel the sense of community that residence students do.

“Sometimes they feel this disconnect,” she explained. “And it’s been shown that the more connected they feel to the school, the higher their grades will often be. And we think that’s really important.”

The project of establishing the lounge was started early in 2012, and it has been a joint effort between the Off-Campus Resource Centre and McMaster’s Office of Student Affairs, with input from the Society of Off-Campus Students (SOCS).

Gina Robinson, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and a major advocate for the lounge, had a hard time hiding her excitement about the project.

As a Mac grad and a former commuter student, Robinson appreciates the needs of students today.

“I’m really passionate about the commuters,” she said. “I can remember being a commuter student—it was difficult at that time.”

She described how students once used Hamilton Hall as a communal space, before the student centre was built. With straightforward amenities—tables and chairs, a couple TV’s, and a microwave—it felt to her like a home away from home. She hopes current commuter students can have that same feeling.

Robinson and Kleven looked at research on commuter students from American

schools such as the University of Ohio and University of Miami, as such research hasn’t been produced by Canadian universities, despite the trend of “refocusing on off-campus and commuter students.”

Although the idea has been widely praised, questions have been raised about the choice of location for the lounge. The old Phoenix, while it can accommodate a large number of students, is in Wentworth House, which is set to be torn down this spring to make way for the university’s new Wilson Building for Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences.

Kleven explained that they saw the space as a good opportunity to launch the initiative as a pilot project.

“We all know space is tight on the campus,” she said. ”So why not take advantage of it while we can? It was going to sit vacant, nobody was going to be using it, so why not use it?”

“We wanted to create a space now,” explained Robinson, emphasizing that there is a pressing need for a lounge.

With a temporary space, however, they needed to be careful with money.

“When we were spending money we were trying to do it very carefully,” said Robinson.

The project received $25,000 from the Student Life Enhancement Fund for the project, which will be spent on furniture for the space. The remaining $20,000-$25,000 that have been budgeted will come from the Office of Student Affairs.

Although some of the costs are onetime—for example, the wireless will cost about $5000—Robinson and Kleven believe it’s worth it.

“It’ll be good money spent if this is a successful initiative, and then we can find more permanent space,” said Robinson.

Finding permanent space for The Lodge is something the team can only hope for at this point. Although Kleven and Robinson have appealed to the university administration for a permanent space, it’s not easy to find on such a packed campus.

Explained Kleven, “we’re hoping that we’re going to get hordes of students…[so] this will be an obvious example to the administration that we need this type of space on a permanent basis.”

A4 • News

The Silhouette • Thursday, October 25, 2012

Province hasn’t put a number on LRT funding

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Earlier attempts by the MSU to mobilize students in the LRT campaign didn’t produce significant results. Meanwhile, more HSR buses were added this year, extending service for students.

FROM A1 Estimates for the cost to build the LRT B-line are much higher, ranging from $900 million to $1 billion.

“Initially, and until they say otherwise, the province has earmarked $2 billion a year for 25 years for the MoveOntario plan,” said councillor Jason Farr. “That’s all we know at this point.”

In September 2011, City Council requested full provincial funding on two LRT lines in Hamilton.

Other cities in the GTA are also pursuing provincial funding for LRT systems. Toronto recently secured full capital funding from Metrolinx for its $6 billion Eglinton-Scarborough cross-town LRT, prompting many to insist Hamilton deserves the same treatment.

“In October 2011, Metrolinx

said we were ahead of the pack,” said Farr. “Since then, we have heard they may be looking at alternative funding sources, and that could be anything – it could mean creating a new tax specific to the MoveOntario initiative or to Hamilton’s LRT plan.”

“It doesn’t mean LRT is dead, though – it does not mean that,” he said.

In August of this year, Ontario’s minister of infrastructure and transportation Bob Chiarelli finally confirmed that the City would have to raise a portion of the funds on its own.

It is uncertain how much Hamiltonian taxpayers will have to pitch in.

This uncertainty prompted Mayor Bob Bratina to express hesitation in a Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Stoney Creek earlier

this month.

Bratina said he was reluctant to move ahead with LRT plans before funding details are released.

Councillor McHattie said the City intends to join the Chamber of Commerce’s LRT taskforce committee, on which McMaster University has representation. He added that the Council would also be interested in working with the McMaster Students Union.

Last year, the MSU launched a “We need LRT” campaign. Former VP (Education) Alicia Ali and SRA representative Chris Erl brought forth a motion to amend one of the MSU’s transit policies. A twoline edit to the policy reads that the MSU supports the LRT initiative in Hamilton.

Students were asked to give feedback by tweeting with the hashtag #WeNeedLRT whenever they missed a bus or were unsatisfied with HSR service, and about 100 tweets were tracked up until September.

Since then, several additions have been made to HSR bus service to McMaster.

“We haven’t heard as many complaints on social media about missed buses in the morning,” said Huzaifa Saeed, current VP (Education) of the MSU, who worked with the City’s transit department in the summer to increase HSR service to the Ancaster Meadowlands.

Saeed says he hasn’t abandoned the LRT initiative, but needs student backing from the SRA and interest from the student body before he could push for LRT on behalf of McMaster students.

“I think the momentum [in the LRT campaign] has died down at the city level, and the province isn’t saying anything yet.”

If LRT were to be implemented down the road, Don Hull, director of transit at the City, said the system “would likely replace some of the bus network we have near McMaster, most notably the B-line. It would call for the restructuring of

[HSR] service.”

But that is a long way off – ten to fifteen years ahead, said Hull.

“We’re currently working on a fall report for Council that would provide details of how LRT could be implemented,” said Hull.

Over the past few months, work has also been done to determine a preferred site for a bus terminal on campus, and a recommendation has been made to locate it near the parking lot at Cootes Drive and Main Street.

“That work is continuing,” said Gord Arbeau, director of public and community relations at McMaster.

“McMaster is a supporter of the LRT initiative and will continue to work with the City to make a case for this investment.”

Aside from the MSU’s endorsement of LRT and a short-lived student campaign last year, there has been minimal student feedback on a major transit initiative that would connect McMaster to the rest of Hamilton.

Thursday, October 25, 2012 • The Silhouette

News • A5

Student keeps community out of the cold

Warm Up for Winter clothing drive helps hundreds in Hamilton

C/O JAMES CLARK

Megan MacLeod finished her third annual clothing drive and collected more than 6,000 items.

she described as “such a great response.”

The reaction from those people who Assistant News Editor picked up the clothing was also positive.

Mid-October tends to be the height of mid“Some people shy away from reactions term season for university students. After like [hugging],” she said. “But a lot of peoweekends in the library and late, caffeine- ple were very appreciative of it, even if they fuelled nights, clothing often becomes the last didn’t…say it, you could tell…a burden was thing on people’s minds. But on Oct. 19, one just released from them just because they McMaster student could hardly think of any- didn’t have to put out hundreds of dollars to thing else. clothes.”

Megan MacLeod, a MacLeod’s community fourth year honours health involvement is not limited “Children were coming to the studies and gerontology to Warm Up for Winter. In after school program with student, has just finished fact, this is the third clothinadequate winter clothing...I ing drive she’s organized. her third annual Warm Up definitely felt that I could do for Winter clothing drive.

The first was a shoe The campaign, which drive for people living in something to fill that need.” she started herself in her Haiti at the time of the second year at Mac, colearthquake, in which she lects and distributes winMegan MacLeod sent 4,000 pairs of shoes to Fourth year McMaster student help with earthquake relief. ter clothing for children and adults.

She also organized MacLeod was inGlitz, Glamour, and Graduation, an initiative spired to start this initiative after volunteering that provided grade 8 girls with dresses and and working at the Norman Pinky Lewis Rec- beauty services for their graduation ceremoreation Centre in North Hamilton. nies.

“I saw a need in the community for warm All of her campaigns were clothing winter clothing,” she explained. drives, but she didn’t plan that.

“Children were coming to the after school “I didn’t think about any of them,” she exprogram with inadequate winter clothing… plained. “They were all spur of the moment, [and] I definitely felt that I could do some- and because there was a need—I didn’t just thing to fill that need.” create it because I wanted to. It was unfortuShe certainly did her best to fill that need. nate that I had to create all these drives, but it As of the distribution on Oct. 19, she had col- benefits a lot of people.” lected 6,000 items, far more than the 3,000 last She plans to continue this kind of comyear and 1,000 in the program’s first year. munity service in future—and not just with The clothing was stored at MacLeod’s Warm Up for Winter. family home in Caistorville, a small town of After completing her health studies proabout 100 people, where a team of her friends gram, as well as a certificate in not-for-profit and family sorted and packed the thousands business offered through the new Social of items to be transported to the Hamilton Sciences-Mohawk collaboration, MacLeod community centre. hopes to pursue a Master’s at McMaster and And because of her promotional efforts, eventually work for an NGO. only 200 items were left over at the end of the “A dream job would be to take what I’m day. doing right now and turn it into a career…

The network of community organiza- something along those lines, giving back to tions and school principals helped bring a the community. I would love to eventually do record crowd to her distribution day, which that.”

Julia Redmond

ST GEORGE’S CHURCH • Reformed Episcopal • Anglican Church In North America 134 Emerson Street at Royal Avenue 4 blocks South of McMaster Medical Centre www.stgeorgehamilton.ca Prayer Book worship. Reformation theology.

___________________________________________________

Sunday 28 October REFORMATION SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER - 10:30 a.m. with light lunch following “The LORD our Righteousness” STUDY AND DISCUSSION – 7:00 p.m.

"Glory Veiled and Unveiled” a guided study in the parables Tuesday Evenings – 6:00 to 7:30p.m.

ESL FRIENDSHIP GROUP Conversation and Canadian Culture

___________________________________________________

Bring your faith. Bring your reason.

In God’s universe they belong together.

MSUMCMASTER.CA/1280

DITORIAL

Thursday, October 25, 2012 Executive Editor: Sam Colbert Contact: thesil@thesil.ca Phone: (905) 525-9140, extension 22052

SRA getting it right with women and trans centre to “prom-duction” night 2012. to the party planning committee.

to scary movies. they’re like really spicy foods - why bother? to caffeine contraceptives.

to sodium nitrate. to the pumpkin mask.

to not being perfect yet.

to the smell of my dress shoes. reminds me of a cologne i used to wear back when i was young, optimistic, emotional, in love, etc. also leather.

to being 13.

to healthy snacks.

to cup collections..

to three extra larges.

to most wednesday nights. why can’t every week be promdcution?

to charlie brown still being my muse. to vitamin c. to good hauls from the dollar store. to lincoln alexander.

to halloween on a wednesday. to msg in chips. i really can’t eat just one.

to the rich kids of instagram. i want their lives. or do i? yes, i do.

It was almost a year ago that the MSU’s Student Representative Assembly passed a motion to “stand in support” of Quebec students, who were fighting tuition increases proposed by the province’s then Liberal government.

The block of SRA members who brought it forward shook their fists, got a majority of the 35 people in the room to agree that tuition was probably too high in Ontario and then sat back to admire what they’d done.

But not much changed. Students didn’t take notice, and the MSU continued to pay membership dues to a far less militant lobbying group than those in Quebec.

The sound-and-fury faction of the SRA was responsible for the “stand in support” motion. They had pet projects. They were radical. They didn’t consult much with their student constituents. They spent too many hours in petty arguments with each other.

They were full of rhetoric and short on action.

They could have (by constitutional authority granted to the SRA) reshaped the multi-million-dollar organization that is the McMaster Students Union. But they didn’t.

Say what you will about the place of social justice issues in the governance of the MSU. Whatever it is an SRA member hopes to accomplish, there’s a right way and a wrong way to represent students.

And where some of last year’s representatives got it wrong, Elise Milani got it right.

Milani brought a motion to the Oct. 14 SRA meeting, proposing that the Assembly create a committee to investigate bringing a Women and Trans Centre to campus. It passed.

This wasn’t a pet project. It wasn’t even a new one. McMaster hosted a women’s centre from 1979-1985. A referendum reopening the discussion went out to students in 2009. Last year, McMaster’s women’s studies department gathered information from other schools on how their centres operated. The SRA talked about it then, too. Milani and other supporterss of the idea are channelling the interest that exists here at Mac. Work went into the proposal. Milani has been, and has committed to continue, consulting with the relevant student groups, University organizations and community stakeholders.

And she didn’t – as past members might have – try to push a vote through the SRA that said something like, “the MSU wants a women’s centre.” A committee has been founded to do the legwork, and to find out if this project is wanted or worthwhile. It recognized the complexity and the context of this issue. Like a good committee should, it will make meaningful contributions to a quality project, and will help clarify substantive next steps.

Last year was not a unique year. The effectiveness of the SRA has been in question for decades. There are times when it seems structural – when it seems like something major has to change in the MSU constitution’s SRA section.

But there are other times, the Oct. 14 meeting included, that are much more encouraging.

• Sam Colbert

to sil alumni that are too far away for a hug.

The Silhouette McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

Editorial Board Sam Colbert | Executive Editor thesil@thesil.ca Jemma Wolfe | Managing Editor managing@thesil.ca Andrew Terefenko | Production Editor production@thesil.ca Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma | Senior News Editor news@thesil.ca

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Undergrad Council should grant fall break Re: “Clock ticking on fall break” by Anqi Shen [Published Oct. 18 in News] The life of a student is stressful, hectic and challenging. Mental health has become an increasingly important issue on university campuses across Ontario, and McMaster is no different. The idea MSU President Siobhan Stewart put forward of a ‘Fall Break’ during her campaign last year is by no means new, but it is absolutely necessary. Not only will this idea benefit the student population, it will also target first years who are still adjusting to this strange new environment. Here at McMaster, our administrators are quick to cite their healthy relationship with the student body and their commitment to the best undergraduate experience. It is time to put that claim to the test.

On Dec. 11, I truly do hope that the Undergraduate Council will listen to this student concern and alter next year’s sessional dates in favour of a ‘Fall Break.’ It’s the right thing to do.

• Matthew Dillon-Leitch, MSU President 2011-12

Julia Redmond | Assistant News Editor news@thesil.ca

Get facts straight when writing science

Anqi Shen | Online News Editor news@thesil.ca

Re: “Eyes turned skyward” by Mel Napeloni [Published Oct. 18 in Opinions]

Mel Napeloni | Opinions Editor opinions@thesil.ca Brandon Meawasige | Senior Sports Editor sports@thesil.ca Scott Hastie | Assistant Sports Editor sports@thesil.ca Sam Godfrey | Senior InsideOut Editor insideout@thesil.ca Amanda Watkins | Assistant InsideOut Editor insideout@thesil.ca Nolan Matthews | Senior ANDY Editor andy@thesil.ca Bahar Orang | Assistant ANDY Editor andy@thesil.ca Yoseif Haddad | Senior Photo Editor photo@thesil.ca Jessie Lu | Assistant Photo Editor photo@thesil.ca Javier Caicedo | Multimedia Editor photo@thesil.ca Karen Wang | Graphics Editor production@thesil.ca Ammar Hanif | Distribution Coordinator thesil@thesil.ca Sandro Giordano | Ad Manager sgiordan@msu.mcmaster.ca

“Eyes turned skyward” took what I once thought was an interesting, scientific idea and turned it into a few paragraphs of ignorant garbage.

You seem to want to naively go out and occupy planets now. “There are planets out there.” Yes, this is true. “We can occupy them.” This is most certainly not. Without considering any planet except for Mars (too hot, or not a solid surface to stand upon), this colonization is far into the future.

Free falls in space are in fact “neat feats” – we now have developed safety technology for astronauts in the high atmosphere. I guess you would rather us send people up now without assuring the preservation of life.

Moreover, “We shouldn’t have been to Mars fifty years after being on the moon. That’s just lazy.” The moon is a mere 384,400 km from Earth. Mars is, on average, 80,000,000 km. Lazy? And I hope you don’t think this is the first we’ve been to Mars. A quick Google search would tell you we’ve sent over 20 space-crafts to Mars in the past 40 years.

You want colonization now. Would you rather, contrary to your first few paragraphs, appeal to humanity, just send us up now with a blind eye to safety and science? The purpose of the current Mars rover is to study how life can or will survive on Mars.

All procedures you have deemed “neat feats” or “lazy” are the exact ways we are working towards colonization. I would love to read more science in the paper, but not written after you down that Mickey and bag of Fritos and decide to write on a topic you’re unqualified to do so. You want us to colonize space, and we are trying.

What would you propose?

• Reuben Gazer

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PINIONS

Thursday, October 25, 2012 Opinions Editor: Mel Napeloni Meeting: Wednesdays @ 2:30 p.m.

Contact: opinions@thesil.ca

First as tragedy, then as farce Mel Napeloni Opinions Editor

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Michel Foucault is a French critical thinker and social theorist who opened doors to new ways of thinking.

Sometimes, it shocks me to see how many intelligent people fail to see the limits of their political discourse.

People immersed in the current American presidential debate who project an air of confidence in their political beliefs, who understand issues related to social reality, who respect discourse and debate, are generally the same people who will relay the same outdated syntax.

It’s the unnerving sentiment of the early ‘90s – if we take things slow, if we establish foreseeable regulations, if we implement nicer foreign policies, if our progressive taxes are slightly higher, if we vote for the better party, then, hallelujah, a new world will emerge.

This way of thinking is, and has always been, infectious. Avoid looking deeper, it says. Ignore bigger questions, contest any notion outside the pragmatic, self-gratified scope.

And yes, as an Editor of a newspaper, it might be uncouth to say that we need a dose of humility in our discourse. But it’s true, isn’t it? It’s all anyone hears. Justin Trudeau – is he ready for leadership? Obama – will he remain president? Andrea Horvath – where is she taking the provincial party?

As important and relevant as these questions are, who’s asking whether we should have a party system to begin with? Who’s arguing how fair our democracy is under capitalism? What does it mean to be a leader in our rugged commonwealth? Judith Butler and Michel Foucault are two theorists who asked the hard questions and expanded minds about political discourse.

However, the subject of societal development is larger than whatever some politically charged minds have salvaged.

Are we so cynical of our intelligence that we continue to let a two-party campaign guide our discourse? Are we so void of analysis that we ignore the fact both parties are so fiscally conservative and hegemonic? Are we so entrenched in party-politics and civil authorities that we let it deprive us of bigger questions?

Where are all the people humble to seek solutions beyond the unquestionable stagnancy of two rich men debating our livelihood?

Politics isn’t a floating ideal; it’s in every facet of our damn lives. If we can’t learn to conceptualize it appropriately, how can we come to any consensus?

Where, in the hell, are our thinkers?

Degrading stereotypes on Halloween Let’s be more critical of the offensive norms we promote this season

KAREN WANG GRAPHICS EDITOR

Talia Kollek The Silhouette

A few years back I attended my first university Halloween party. I fully expected it to be just like the movies, with togas and a never-ending supply of beer. What I actually encountered was questionable attire.

My one friend had decided to dress up as an Indian. The tasseled costume was complete with lines of face paint, cleavage, a hand made headdress, and the occasional joke about alcoholism. At the time, I remembered being taken aback. My friend had never displayed any racist tendencies before, so what about that night had made her actions feel acceptable to her? Why had this particular costume crossed from “dress up” to discrimination?

Unfortunately, my friends’ costuming was nothing new.

Non-Natives have been impersonating First Nations people since as far back as the 1830s. An image of the First Nation’s lifestyle was built up by Europeans and perpetuated through artwork, stories, and media. To be a real Indian included living in harmony with nature, tipis and wigwams. This concept of the Noble Savage painted all First Nations people with one brush, ignoring the immense diversity of tribes across North America. It reduced an entire continent’s culture to one incorrect image.

To take this offensive caricature and wear it on a day designated for silly dress up has deeper meanings and ramifications than just a costume.

When it comes to Halloween costumes, an important issue to address is inappropriate sexualization. As if mockingly representing a culture with a costume is not offensive enough, outfits will often exploit sexuality and simultaneously skew gender roles.

Similar to the image of the Noble Savage, the image of the Sexy Squaw (or any hyper-sexualized Native woman) is a terrible misrepresentation and fetishization of a demographic. To reduce First Nations women to sexual objectification ignores the fact that they are three times more likely to be victims of violence and sexual assault (according to Statistics Canada). There is also a prominent history of sex slavery and subjugation of Native women by European colonizers.

Mockingly dressing up as an at-risk population should not be considered appropriate Halloween behavior.

However, an important distinction should be made between cultural appropriation and cultural sharing. A fantastic example of cultural sharing on Mac’s campus was the Powwow held in September.

The event was organized by the McMaster First Nations Student Association and was open to the public in the spirit of sharing and education. In contrast, cultural appropriation would be for a non-Native individual to take an item with significance (such as something resembling a headdress) and wear it in jest or as part of an ensemble. Dressing up as another culture does not necessarily relate to genuine appreciation.

Suppose you disagree with me. Suppose you think that dressing as Pocahontas, a “sexy gypsy” or painting your face to look more like Kanye West isn’t offensive. Even if you don’t think that it is doing anyone any harm, there are still other aspects to consider. Most importantly, you have to keep cultural identity in mind.

You have had your own unique experiences in your lifetime, and each of those experiences is somehow influenced (for better or for worse) by your age, gender, sexual orientation, location and culture. Halloween rolls around, and it all seems like fun and games.

You get to dress up and “play” as an “exotic” culture, and then at the end of the night you get to go back to whomever you were in the morning, without experiencing any of the oppression or discrimination faced by others. Before ignoring the experiences of other people and wearing their identity as a costume, please consider that you may cause someone to feel alienated or deeply insulted by your light-hearted or wellintending theatrics.

At this point, you may be wondering exactly what you can dress up as this year. The options are endless. If all else fails, cut your losses and buy some eyeliner to draw on whiskers and go as a cat.

If you are truly having trouble thinking of dressing as anything other than a Native American then it may be time to reassess your creative thinking process.

A good start is to avoid anything that reaffirms cultural stereotypes. Is your costume something specific? Or is it a generalization of someone else’s heritage? If you are dressing up as favorite cartoon character you are doing a great job, if you are dressed as a “sexy insert-culture-here” it is time to go back to the drawing board.

What I would like you to take away from this article is the idea that costumes have significance. Do yourself and everyone else a favor this Halloween and choose something respectful.

Dressing up as another culture isn’t appreciation, it isn’t just a pretty outfit, and it isn’t something to be taken lightly or as a joke.

When people dress as a stereotype they are perpetuating deeply rooted racism and the misrepresentation of a population that is still dealing with discrimination, partially as a result of actions such as Halloween dress up. This year, please dress respectfully.

A8 • Opinions

The Silhouette • Thursday, October 25, 2012

Democracy in a capitalist world Qualitative reform that transcends the voting polls and focuses on the underpinnings of global democracies Edward Lovo The Silhouette

There is a view of education that requires challenging. It’s rather natural to be anxious about the prospects of one’s choice of study.

One worries about what career path one will take after completing a liberal arts degree, for example. However, the view of education that ought to be challenged sees education solely as a means to these prospects; in other words, education is an investment.

Living in a (more or less) democratic society, education is more than just an investment; more than what many regard as a privilege rather than a right.

Education is a social good that is integral to the ideals of a democratic society. Two such ideals are political equality, and open and fair discussion.

Democracy, in the first place, implies that all citizens come together to reach a decision on questions that concern them all.

Accordingly, the second of the democratic ideals, open and fair discussion, expresses each citizen’s right to the opportunity to articulate their views and supporting reasons, and to listen to an array of other viewpoints on matters of public concern.

Political equality requires that all citizens are equal participants in decision-making.

Political equality is a robust conception that goes beyond the empty formality of filling out a ballot. Open and fair discussion presupposes a substantive equality between citizens.

Thomas Christiano, a democratic theorist, gives the following example by way of illustration: “Consider a citizen who has a vote and is not forbidden to say something in the process of deliberation.

But suppose that because of poverty, lack of education and lack of organization this citizen is unable to understand the issues involved in the decision-making or have a clear idea of what [their] interests are or how to articulate them to others. Such a citizen is not the political equal of the citizen who is

Democratic reform is more than the voting poll. Social and economic equality is just as crucial.

wealthy, well educated, whose interests and points of view are supported by organization, and who is able to understand issues as well as clarify and articulate [their] interests...most of us would believe that [this society] does not live up to the democratic ideals of political equality and participation in rational social deliberation.”

So, political equality does not end with the uneducated worker being able to cast a vote in the same way the educated employer

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for whom he works is able to cast a vote.

This is merely equality on paper and not equality in our substantive relations with one another.

Education, as well, ought not to be restricted to a select few, such as to those who can afford it, as this exacerbates the inequality between the classes.

Limited accessibility reflects in society an inequality in power among classes that privileges an educated elite not only in the

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

process of deliberation but also in the fulfillment of political roles.

Education, then, is fundamental to a democratic society, which promotes political equality among its citizens. It serves as a grand equalizer of its citizens, and a society that limits its accessibility is not living up to its ideal of political equality.

Upon these considerations, one should see that education is not an investment in a democratic society - it’s a right.

Opinions • A9

Thursday, October 25, 2012 • The Silhouette TECHNOLOGY

Feedback Robots are the future Is Lance Armstong a villain or hero?

Let’s welcome our new robot overlords

Compiled by Mel Napeloni and Jessie Lu “Cheaters have no place in our society. He’s a villain.”

Samira Sayed-Rahman, Political Science IV

“He’s not the only person to cheat. His image as a philanthropist transcends his sport career.”

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Artificial intelligence is the future. There is no downside to a future with robot servants.

Abdullahi Sheikh The Silhouette

Kyle Diab, Kinesiology III

“He generated a lot of awareness and donations for cancer research. That’s heroic.”

Would it surprise you to learn that there is an initiative to attain immortality by the year 2045? A Russian entrepreneur Dmitry Itskov and his team of scientists seek to bring about exactly that. Although it may sound like a pipe dream, just like flying cars were to the ‘90s, maybe you should give it some more thought. We live in a world today where the line between humans and technology is slowly blurring, and it doesn’t seem to be on the road to becoming any clearer in the future.

For example, I doubt you’re aware of a little thing called Project Aiko. It’s a Canadian-made robot from my hometown of Brampton, intended to perform normal house functions and generally serve as a companion.

Although it’s no Megaman, it

certainly is an interesting endeavor, and one that only serves to underscore the fact that we truly live in a cyberpunk age. The author of Nueromancer, the quintessential cyberpunk novel, has even been recorded as saying that modern day Tokyo fits his image of a cyberpunk city perfectly.

Now, this is all fine and dandy for a scholarly article type bit, but where’s the opinion? Well I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.

In all honesty, I can’t see any sort of downside to this. Well, at least not one that’s important enough for us to turn back. The thought of our children or our children’s children enjoying life in a world with robots bearing artificial intelligence aiding their day to day life, playing video games in virtual reality and doing God-knows-what-else speaks to both the child and the romantic in me.

I mean, these are things that have captivated me since I was a child, and to this day still make me tremble when I think of how close we are to reaching them.

Things that we have thought were impossible and even unthinkable are now just within the realm of possibility. It may take a decade or two, but the simple knowledge that these developments are within reach is incredibly satisfying. Now personally, I think immortality is a bit much to be aiming for but if you aim for the moon and miss, you still hit stars.

So even if that specific goal is just a bit too high up to reach, who knows what else we will find while we’re up there?

Our parents may not have had the opportunity to see us drive around in flying cars, but maybe we’ll be able to see our kids pilot theirs.

Tina Cody, Commerce III MEDIA

Make your own moment Why Drake rightfully hates Tumblr Samhita Misra The Silhouette

“He lied. That’s villainous.”

Matt Hyland, Multimedia, II

“On the fence - he didn’t earn his records, but he also did great things for cancer research.”

Fergus Chan, Kinesiology III

In the days that I used to be an avid blogger, I had a pet peeve. And that pet peeve was bloggers who posted editorials, look-books, collections or daily “inspiration.” I get it - once and a while you’re really busy, your inspiration has literally run dry and you know all your followers are going to love the new Mario Testino editorial with Karlie Kloss. (Note: I exclude mostly original content creators, writers and collage-makers from this group). So, why not guarantee a few comments without having to do much work?

Well, because there are those who despite their subpar resources – such as dated laptops and ancient digital cameras - go out and make their own stuff, or conceptualize each post, which requires a lot more thought than mindlessly digging through fashiongonerogue. I felt like this for a while, until at last, Drake himself put my sentiments to words: “I’m really scared for my generation, you know. The thing that scares me most is Tumblr. I hate what Tumblr has become…Instead of kids going out and making their own moments, they’re just taking these images and living vicariously through other people’s moments.

It just kills me.” And before it was killing Drake, it was killing the independent blogger spirit.

When you think of bloggers who consistently post material that isn’t theirs, if it’s not theirs, then whose is it? Using the case of fashion, since it is one of the top three Tumblr tags, these images belong to

the likes of Style.com, Vogue, TeenVogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and Marie Claire, owned by media conglomerates Condé Nast and Hearst Corporation, respectively.

To make matters worse, although Condé Nast does not allow their media properties to share content, rival Hearst Corporation, does.

This means they can save money by sharing the same photographer, writer or videographer at the cost of limiting perspective and the diversity of content. Given that media content is already controlled by the few, reblogging their photos is really just perpetuating the status quo, especially since according to Tumblr CEO David Karp, fashionrelated Tumblr posts are reblogged on a much greater scale than general Tumblr posts.

So, how exactly is this crushing the independent blogger spirit? For starters, it defeats the purpose of digitization, supposedly eliminating entry barriers to the media market by blurring the line between producer and consumer in what is known as the “prosumer.” It was supposed to be all about regular people fighting corporations with their own materials and giving the market variety.

Instead, we’re using our Tumblr accounts to reblog unoriginal content owned in one form or another by conglomerates. This might give us instant gratification, a few more followers, notes or comments, and corporations free advertising platforms and dominance. It’s ironic given how much we complain about how pervasive advertising is when we willingly spread it ourselves.

A lot of this is rooted in the fact that sharing is fundamental to the

micro-blogging experience that is Tumblr. It takes away the incentive to do it yourself; there is no need to with the plethora of high-quality images at your fingertips. It’s the same thing that happened way back, when the introduction of the written word discouraged people from memorizing the stories they were used to, because they didn’t have to anymore.

Despite the fact that ‘we don’t have to,’ if original and diverse content matters enough to us, we’ll listen to Drake and start making our own moments.

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

A10 • Opinions

The Silhouette • Thursday, October 25, 2012

OPPRESSION

Feigning intelligence with inaccessible language The road to freedom must be paved with the language to articulate it Ryan Sparrow The Silhouette

So, the other day I ventured to the Phoenix the Grad students’ pub at McMaster for those who are unfamiliar - with some friends of mine.

Someone who I had just recently met joined us. This self-identified educator seemed to have good values, but when actual-

ly speaking to him, he wanted to show just how much more intelligent he was by saying something incredibly simple in the most jargon-ridden and inaccessible way possible.

Now, I am not new to reading dense political theory laden with terms and concepts that may be a bit inaccessible and take some specific knowledge within a field to understand, but this fellow started using terms and concepts in a way I didn’t understand.

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

If we want to end oppression, we need the appropriate language to articulate ourselves.

So I asked this fellow, which up until this point I considered a nice person, to tell me what he meant in ‘laymen’s’ terms.

His response was, “I’m not going to dumb down what I am trying to say.” This is a pretty big contrast from his “to ending all oppression” cheer he gave when we got our pints.

I’m sure all of us have encountered some of this elitist language being thrown around.

In our course packs, peer-reviewed journals, and academic books, some of the academics throw in as many big words (i.e. jargon-laden language which is only meant for academics to understand) as possible just to appear like they have something relevant to say.

Academics, who state their quest to ending oppression, should not be stuck up.

They should learn how to relay a message in a way that the people, victims of the said oppression, can understand. Otherwise they are just being oppressive.

In the struggle to fight oppression, language itself is a battleground. It’s not just what you say, but how you say it, and who you say it to, which matters.

If you are using language that only a privileged minority of the population can understand, you are, I’m afraid, excluding a wide range of people.

If you only plan on writing in a way that only those who belong to the Ivory Tower can

understand, it is important to mention that they are predominately not poor folk from marginalized backgrounds. I’m afraid that you, in this act, are reproducing privilege and excluding working people from the conversation.

And yes, sometimes it is not 100 per cent possible to avoid the use of big words, as there are concepts that do require a big word or pre-understood concept to discuss more indepth on a topic.

So, this is not to say we should not use “big words” or “academic-speak,” but much like salt, use it only when necessary. When you use a “big word” please for the sake of democratic and accessible language, explain it if at all possible.

I get it; you want appear smart to impress someone. Some do this by using “big words” and advance concepts to show how intelligent they think they are. But I will go on record and say it - if you cannot explain it, you look ridiculous.

If you refuse to, you look like an elitist jerk. You can appear twice as smart by following the KISS principle, i.e., “keep it simple, stupid”.

If you truly want to help end oppression, keep in mind that one big part of it is to broaden the conversation so everyone has an ability to participate, listen, learn and speak. It’s all part of ending oppression.

Opinions • A11

Thursday, October 25, 2012 • The Silhouette SOCIAL MEDIA

Rich kids of Instagram What are some of wealth’s social implications and why is RKOI so popular?

Rob Hardy The Silhouette

They’re rich, they’re cool and they have the whole world at their feet: they’re the Rich Kids of Instagram, or #RKOI for those of you hip to hashtag. But don’t hate them because they’re rich, or for all the other things that being rich affords a person. They didn’t ask to be famous or born into the upper class. Well, that’s partially true.

For those of you not in the know, this summer saw rise to one of the latest reality trends burning up the blogosphere, and has quickly captured the imaginations of people all around the world. But it all started innocently enough for the parties involved. The RKOI phenomenon rode the wave thanks to the explosion of Instagram (basically Twitter with pictures), inspiring both exhibitionists and voyeurs as it shows life on Earth circa 2012. Tumblr was the format used to create the RKOI blog, whereby certain pictures from Instagram, notable for their depictions of young people living luxurious lives, were lifted for broadcast to feed our appetites for the good life.

That being said, the blog’s postings have increased rapidly over the slower pace of July when it first began to get noticed. This, as well as talk that it may spawn a reality show, caused a slew of posters to submit photos – a new class of opportunists specifically hoping to get featured themselves.

The blog, and the conversations it has started, are engrossing and raise several issues. What is it about these pictures that really draws people in, and can they actually be faked? I have to say that if one were honest, there is something that many of the subjects have in common collectively. Aside from the fact that many of these pictures demonstrate considerable wealth, the people in the photos themselves, mainly of the young Ivyleague crowd, show a presence and pedigree that is undeniable. You just don’t take them for wannabes who may actually eat fast-food every day and lack a certain kind of breeding.

On the other hand, though, apart from some of the obvious benefits wealth buys, there is something far more accessible being

demonstrated. In many ways, spending time on this blog is no different than leafing through an old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue. If the appeal is that it simply sells another version of hyped-up fantasy, then in some ways its purpose doesn’t differ much from numerous other media outlets doing the same thing, despite its unique format.

So going deeper here, and bypassing both the embittered outcries about the rich as well as the tired claims of shallowness, is a simple analysis. What we are really seeing here is people having fun. Yes, some truly enjoy material wealth, even if they do not wholly identify with it. But in the end, it is the happy faces and the promise of optimism, which is making people check their smartphones during lunch breaks to see the latest uploads.

And ultimately for all of us, life is what you make it, regardless of how many Swarovski encrusted skulls you may have.

It’s a thought not easily understood by many, but as others have previously noted, money does not increase your level of happiness proportionally after the main necessities of life are taken care of. I wonder at the reports of lottery winners who decry their winnings as the ruin of their lives, but I can’t honestly say that being in the same situation would do much to improve my own life. I’d still have the same problems and my deepest concerns wouldn’t be assuaged.

Most of what a person really needs is provided for with hard work, a little luck and some concerted momentum to change your life. Those resources wind up translating to other kinds, which we wind up attracting from there on. That’s not to say the economy doesn’t absolutely suck, but will your world really be a better place by sleeping in the finest bed while those around you and society at large are slipping further? The answer should clearly be no.

As I wrote above, life is what you make it, provided you have enough to actually make something with (not everyone does). Though dreaming about rich socialites partying in New York, studying at Harvard and vacationing in Newport or the Hamptons is fun, it is a big lie to buy into the idea that something separates one class of people from another. If

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Rich Kids of Instagram raises a lot of questions relating to wealth and its social implications.

money is about value, we must also remember that values change, and that the concept of what class even is has been often redefined over time.

The final thoughts here are that, minus the depiction of opulent riches, it might be possible for some of us to land on this blog if we really tried, since images have always carried with them an element of deception

and subjectivity. Also, genuine entrance to a better life can equally be granted if we choose to better ourselves. The concept of an ivory tower partially exists in so much as we believe it to be a barrier.

Likewise, as realities also alter, who’s to say we won’t see some of the RKOI one day on the opposite end of prosperity bemoaning their fall? Only time will tell.

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“Trick or treat, smell my feet, don’t eat shit off of the street.”

“Life is too short to not chuck shards of glass at geese.”

“Bars are more fun if you give waitresses just the tip.”

Until then, police urge caution Sometimes the most important information can come at the end since people don’t read anything in between SLICK, TIBERIUS Senior Speculator

Police urge any and all citizens who may have evidence towards incarcerating these attackers to step forward.

“If you want to avoid being a target, then portray yourself as a blatant pedophile. These criminals seem to not harm the offenders themselves, but instead diminish the property value of their homes in an effort to perhaps make their rival neighbourhoods look safer in comparison,” said Kurt.

Kurt offers advice for any late-night walkabouts in the form of helpful tips.

“I figured we’d be safe, y’know? We’re not kids, these weirdos aren’t going to diddle our fiddles as long as we’re at

INSIDE TODAY

the age of consent,” said Jackie Hartman, friend of a recently deceased victim of the Sterling murders.

Police caution anyone from walking near or inside any known sex offender households, as it may put you at risk of being targeted by the new violent vigilante movement.

“I think it is becoming some sort of ritual sacrifice. Maybe they are trying to summon some kind of vengeful demon to exact nubile justice on these sickos,” said Kurt.

Kurt referred to a similar case earlier last week where three university students were assaulted and killed by a machete-wielding psychopath on a sex offender’s property.

Sgt. Spooks Kurt of the Hamilton Police Services felt that “too many random shootings are happening on known pedophile properties these days.”

Police have no suspects but eyewitness accounts paint the

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shooter as “probably black, possibly hispanic, maybe a weird kind of ethnic blender thing going on but he was definately not white.”

“I then heard a seventh gunshot as well, sorry I forgot to mention that,” said Randy.

“I was just minding my own business, setting up false bottoms on candy bowls to set on my lap come Halloween, when I heard six gunshots in a row,” said Randy Randy, owner of 12 Sterling and an unusual double name.

The home, commonly referred to as “Randy’s Candy Shack” for it’s popularity during the Halloween tradition of trick or treating, was the site for the brutal homicides, which left the owner deeply disturbed.

Seven people were shot and killed outside of 12 Sterling Street last night.

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Disclaimer: Stories printed in The Hamilton Speculator are fact. Any resemblance to persons real or dead is likely intentional and done out of spite. Opinions expressed are those of The Speculator and if you disagree with them you are wrong. And stupid. Possibly ugly as well.

TOP STORY IN INSIDEOUT THIS WEEK: EXPLORING HAMILTON’S SPOOKY UNDERBELLY SEE B7

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

(Almost)

Sports Editors: Brandon Meawasige and Scott Hastie Meeting: Thursdays @ 1:30 p.m.

Contact: sports@thesil.ca

PERFECT JESSE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Brandon Meawasige Senior Sports Editor

The sound of the final whistle at Ron Joyce on Saturday Oct. 20 signified the end of the 2012 OUA regular season. The Marauders, victorious by a margin of 43-0 over the visiting Laurier Golden Hawks, have finished the season without suffering a loss at home, or a loss on the road for that matter. For the first time since 2003, McMaster has gone undefeated. In fact, Mac is the only team in the entire country to have won each game it played this year, holding on to the No. 1 CIS ranking from the first week.

Stepping onto the field this year as defending national champions, the Maroon and Grey carried with them the pressures of a repeat from a school that has fallen in love with the idea of winning and a community that for the first time in its storied 125 year history, knows what it feels like to be at the top.

Once at the pinnacle however, there is very little room for improvement. The Marauders won the Vanier Cup last year after a regular season result of 7-1, a singular loss that separated Mac from perfection. Naturally, there was one thing to fix.

Coming into this season, McMaster suffered only minor losses from their championship-winning roster to graduation. Also, Lineman Jason Medeiros and star Quarterback Kyle Quinlan were invited to CFL camps with a chance to begin their pro careers.

Both players made Mac proud by strong showings at the Hamilton Tiger Cats and Montreal Alouettes training camps respectively.

Though, by the time Marauders camp rolled around in August, both players were ready to defend the National Championship for their school. The stars seemed aligned for the team to return the Vanier Cup to 1280 Main St. West.

Unfortunately, nothing in sports is guaranteed. As the first weeks of the season progressed, several Marauders went down to injury.

Star receiver Michael DiCroce, widely considered to be amongst the best players in the country, was forced to sit out the regular season due to injury.

Furthermore, sophomore running back Christopher Pezzetta, who was outstanding as a rookie, especially in the playoffs, suffered a season-ending knee injury. In turn, Pezzetta’s backup Kasean Davis suffered a season ending injury of his own against the Western Mustangs during week five.

Somehow, the Marauders found a way through adversity, much like they had the year before. And they did it in record-breaking fashion.

The team has not recorded a loss since September 10, 2011, breaking a CIS record for consecutive victories, previously held

by Laval (who Mac beat in the Vanier Cup Final). The defense led the entire CIS in interceptions for the third straight season and the offense was the best overall in the country.

Individually, linebacker Ben D’Aguilar set a CIS record for quarterback sacks in a season with 12.5. Perhaps the most notable record however, is one set a little closer to home.

Midway through the second quarter of Saturday’s game against Laurier the game was stopped for a brief moment. McMaster had just scored a touchdown thanks to Kyle Quinlan throwing his 19th touchdown of the season.

While that mark put the Mac pivot atop the nation in that category this year, it was

something else that had brought the game to a pause.

With a one-yard touchdown pass to first year receiver Josh Vandeweerd, Quinlan had set a new school record for passing touchdowns in a career with 60. Ben Chapdelaine who played for Mac in the late 90’s and early 2000s held the former mark of 59. Quinlan, who has brought to McMaster its first and only national championship in school history, now has placed his name at the top of statistical categories for his position. To boot, in his final year as a McMaster Marauder, Quinlan has a chance to win another title. No team has won back-to-back Vanier Cups since Laval accomplished the feat in 2003 and 2004.

After an 8-0, first place finish, the Marauders have the week off with an automatic Yates Cup semi-final birth, awaiting the lowest remaining seed of this weekend’s Quarterfinal match-ups.

Though the team is surely going to take this playoff run day to day and game to game, one cannot help but notice that the Maroon and Grey are only three wins away from making an appearance in the Vanier Cup final on Nov. 23 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

Even more to their advantage, each of the games remaining leading up to the Vanier should McMaster progress - will be played in very familiar surroundings: Ron Joyce Stadium. The Marauders have won eight straight games at home dating back to last season, winning by no less then two scores in each of those victories.

The Yates Cup Semi-final will kick off at 4 p.m. on Saturday Nov. 3, and just who Mac will be playing is going to be decided by this weekend’s games pitting Windsor against Western and Queen’s against Laurier. Now it gets serious.

ANDREW TEREFENKO PRODUCTION EDITOR

B2 • Sports

The Silhouette • Thursday, October 25, 2012

McMaster opens playoff season with victory Scott Hastie

Assistant Sports Editor

Playoff action hit Ron Joyce Stadium for the first time this athletic season with the McMaster Marauders women’s soccer team hosting the UOIT Ridgebacks in the first round of OUA Playoffs.

The Wednesday afternoon game ended 2-1 in favour of the Marauders, but the game was a tale of two halves.

McMaster struck early in the game off of a corner kick, with Kathleen Perri putting away the ball to earn the lead. The first goal would give the team confidence, and the Maroon and Grey controlled the half with good passing and a maintained presence in the UOIT defensive third of the pitch.

Throughout the first, Mac would send long passes wide with the intent to find forward Stephanie Davis in the box. The Marauders offense would create a number of chances resulting with shots on target, including a hard strike from Emma Mangialardi that was stopped by the UOIT keeper. At the first half whistle, Mac led 1-0 and had all the momentum in their favour.

UOIT’s defensive would be feel the pressure early in the first half with the long ball passing leading to more offensive opportunities.

In the 59th minute, Mangialardi received the ball just right of the 18-yard box and cut inside, edging the ball past a sprawling defender. The UOIT player caught Mangialardi’s leg and drew a foul in the box to give McMaster a penalty kick and the opportunity to push the lead to two.

Mel Van Der Hoop confidently put away the penalty and McMaster held a daunting

YING SHAN THE SILHOUETTE

The match at Ron Joyce Stadium was a heated contest, with aggresive play from both sides.

lead. The Ridgebacks did not back down, though, and they controlled the game from this point on, keeping possession in the McMaster half. UOIT would attempt to attack from the wings, sending crosses to the back post to try to narrow Mac’s lead.

Their attempts would be vindicated after a cross found a UOIT player just inside the 18.

Her shot would bounce off of defender Cristina Leonardelli and into the mesh at the back

of the Marauder’s net.

Re-energized by the goal, the Ridgebacks would continue to put up a fight and challenge the Marauders for every ball. The tension on the field was tangible, with nearly every battle for the ball ending with someone on the ground.

The intensity would reach a plateau when Mangialardi and her defender both earned yellow cards because of dangerous tackles

from either side.

But Leonardelli and her defensive crew were solid for the Maroon and Grey, preserving the 2-1 lead.

The victory sends McMaster to the OUA quarterfinals. The Marauders take on the Western Mustangs, with whom they’ve split their regular season games. Mac took their most recent match up with a score of 1-0. The game is set for 1 p.m. in London, Ont.

MEN’S SOCCER

Mac men end regular season on 12-game undefeated streak Scott Hastie

Assistant Sports Editor

The McMaster Marauders finished their 2012 OUA season over the past week, playing the York Lions, Windsor Lancers, and Western Mustangs.

The first match against the Lions saw the top two teams in the OUA West conference square off.

The Marauders dropped the previous match on a 3-1 score and York moved to being ranked No.1 in the country after their defeat of Mac. Surely the Maroon and Grey were looking for revenge against the

Lions, while York looked to prove still worthy of the No.1 CIS ranking.

But both teams would walk away with unfinished business, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.

Scoring opportunities were abound for both squads in the first half but the Lions would draw first blood in the 38th minute. OUAleader in goals, Adrian Pena, finished off a York attack by heading a cross past McMaster goalkeeper Angelo Cavalluzzo.

McMaster orchestrated a stronger second half, putting nine shots on goal to pressure the Lions’

defense. Their offensive efforts would be rewarded in the 85th minute after a free kick from Ryan Garnett beat York’s wall and found the back of the net.

In the waning minutes of the game, Dan Niksic forced York’s keeper to make incredible saves to preserve the tie.

After a disappointing result in their previous match, McMaster responded well against the Windsor Lancers.

Mac controlled most of the match, with majority of possession taking place in the offensive third

of the pitch. The Marauders would break the seal on the Lancer goal in the first half from Niksic’s second goal of his career.

The second-year player’s tally would be the eventual game winner, as McMaster would maintain the lead for the rest of the game.

In the final regular season match, the Marauders headed to London to take on the Western Mustangs.

The Sunday afternoon showdown was expected to be a tough match-up after Western lost the first game to the Marauders earlier in the

Free

season and trailed McMaster in the OUA West standings.

The Mustangs were on the scoreboard first, with a strike in the 19th minute that beat the Mac defense. The Marauders would respond with a goal in the 36th minute off a penalty kick and the 1-1 tie would stand for the duration of the game.

Mac finished the 2012 season with a 12-1-3 record, good for 2nd place in the OUA West conference.

Their position earned them a bye to the OUA quarterfinals, which will be held on Oct. 28.

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Sports • B3

Thursday, October 25, 2012 • The Silhouette

In defense of our game Brandon Meawasige Senior Sports Editor

With the CIS football regular season coming to a close, the CFL, NFL and NCAA in full swing, I felt it might be a good time to defend our version of one of North America’s most popular games.

Depending on which side of the 49th parallel you reside, football can take completely different forms.

On the surface, the games seem similar and to the untrained (or apathetic) eye, the games are not that different at all. The premise is the same: score more touchdowns than the other team and you will undoubtedly win the game.

That being said, the games are no more similar than Republicans and Democrats.

For starters, the game to the south is

played with four downs (plays) to gain increments of 10 yards moving up the field, the field is 100 yards in length from goal line to goal line and about 53 yards wide.

The football itself measures 11 inches from tip to tip, 22 inches around at the centre and weighs about 14-15 ounces.

The American game puts 11 players on the field and they have 40 seconds to put together an offensive play from the finish of the previous play.

By contrast, the Canadian game is played with three downs (plays) to gain the same 10 yards, the field is 110 yards in length and measures about 65 yards wide.

The Canadian football, one of the more notable differences, is larger; measuring the same length of about 11 inches, however, the circumference is much larger at about 28 inches, weighing 15 ounces.

There are 12 players on the field and each team has only 20 seconds to start a new offensive play.

Evidently there is a difference between the two games. At face value, these numbers would dictate that the Canadian game is faster paced, open and back and forth; this is true.

I write this for those of you who turn your nose up at the prospect of watching a CFL game in favor of three-yard runs and terrific beer commercials.

I’m aware that the spectacle of five-hour coverage and 65,000 seat stadiums make it hard to turn to the more modest game to the north.

However, the NFL is quickly moving away from the heart of the sport.

A hard hit can produce a fine and the long list of teams that do not have a shot at the title every year is larger than the entire CFL,

The comparison is obvious, why are more fans not interested in Canadian football?

which consists of only eight teams (compared to the NFL’s 32).

Based on entertainment value, it depends what you want. Flashy graphics, superstar endorsements and alumni with fake tans calling the games can be fun to watch.

However, if it is about football for you, like it is for me, the CFL consists of big plays (out of necessity) and exciting competition.

Going into a CFL season, everyone has a chance.

The difference trickles down to the CIS level as well. For those of you who are counting down till Sunday for your dose of the gridiron, I make my appeal to you to look just a little bit closer, for the CIS playoffs on Saturday and even Wendy’s Friday Night Football (CFL).

I promise you will not be disappointed.

Just give it a chance.

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

PHOTO OF THE WEEK Rohan Boney rises up for a dunk while a St. FX defender tries to avoid getting into the rookie’s first poster. Watch out for #Boney2012 to be a major component of the Marauders highlight reel this season.

C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

THREE DOWNS 1 2 3 Scott Hastie, Assistant Sports Editor

Over the weekend, McMaster completed its perfect regular season and became the only team in the country to remain undefeated after the University of Calgary dropped a lowscoring game to the University of Regina. The Calgary Dinos are a major competitor in the CIS football, along with the Laval Rouge et Or. Calgary is in the top-five in nearly every offensive category while Laval is among the leaders in defensive statistics, including second in defensive touchdowns. The victor of the Yates Cup could be in for a rude awakening when they meet these out-of-conference opponents.

Credit where credit is due: the Score TV has done a great job bringing OUA football to cable TV every week. The features they’ve put together, with the latest segment discussing recruiting, have been phenomenal and made the university football in Ontario a great experience. With OUA basketball gaining a decent following, evidenced by a strong crowd in Burridge Gym this past week for a pre-season game. The Score already covers the Wilson Cup tournament and hopefully there will be more regular season matches in the near future.

Some more bad injury news over the weekend from OUA football as another major player suffered an injury. Ryan Granberg, running-back for the Queen’s Gaels, got injured with 27 seconds left in the game. He was 40 yards shy of a 1,000 yard rushing season and his status is still unknown for the upcoming playoff game against the Laurier Golden Hawks. With Western Mustang QB Donnie Marshall out and the Queen’s possible loss of Granberg, the first round of the OUA playoffs are wide open. Don’t pay attention to the rankings - these games could both be incredibly close.

Sports • B5

Thursday, October 25, 2012 • The Silhouette WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Rookie guard shining in preseason

Marauders overcome St. FX test

Scott Hastie

Assistant Sports Editor

It may only be preseason, but the McMaster Marauders women’s basketball team is not taking any games lightly.

Through two exhibition tournaments and one exhibition, the Mac ladies have put together solid performances despite being a relatively young team.

The first game of the preseason was against Algoma University, a team set to join OUA action in the 2013-14 athletic season. McMaster won the game handily, 83-46.

The game was a healthy mix of defense and offense from the Maroon and Grey, featuring a 23-4 score in favour of Mac after the first quarter.

The team is learning how to play without one of it’s biggest parts, as Taylor Chiarot, a former OUA All-Star, graduated from Mac and earned a pro basketball contract with a German club.

The transition from the Chiarot era has been smoothed over by rookie Danielle Boiago, who has already earned the honour of McMaster’s female Athlete of the Week.

Boiago, a homegrown Hamilton student-athlete, has strung together standout performances throughout the preseason and is an early candidate for the OUA Rookie of the Year.

Boiago & Co. represented McMaster at the Darcel Wright Memorial Classic tournament, hosted

by Ryerson University at their new athletic centre.

The Marauders kicked off tournament play against the Saskatchewan Huskies. Despite an early first half lead, the Marauders battled through a 17-point deficit to challenge the Canada West opponent, but fell at the hands of the Huskies 73-63.

Veteran Heather Milligan put together a solid game, with 15 points and seven rebounds, but it was Boiago’s performance that jumps off the box score.

The point guard dropped 30 points on a staggering 17-32 shooting performance, which also included 4-8 shooting on three pointers.

The next game was a strong collective defensive performance by the team, forcing the Ryerson Rams into 32 turnovers. Milligan put her mark on the game in the paint, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds to aid McMaster to victory over the tournament hosts.

In the fifth-place match, the Marauders met a strong Brock Badgers squad, whose defensive intensity resulted in the Maroon and Grey posting a 31.6 per cent field goal percentage.

In the fourth quarter, the Badgers brought the offense, scoring 25 points to seal the victory.

McMaster’s Milligan would again be a standout player for the Marauders scoring 23 points and hauling in 16 rebounds, while Boiago offset a tough shooting day with 12 points coming from free throws.

This past weekend the Marauders hit the road and headed to Laval to take on a mix of teams from across Canada in another exhibition tournament.

After defeating the University of Prince Edward Island and York University, Mac met the tournament hosts in the final game.

The final saw a continuation of a common theme for the Marauders’ victories this season, with defense leading the Marauders to victory over the Rouge et Or. The Marauders were able to shut down the Laval offense, which held the Quebec team to an ugly 27 per cent field goal percentage.

It was the same names leading the charge for McMaster, with Milligan and Boiago leading the scoring charge yet again.

McMaster’s preseason action continues over the weekend, where the Marauders will play two more non-conference opponents.

First, on Thursday Oct. 25, the women will host the University of Victoria, the opening home game of the 2012 season and it will tip off at 7 p.m.

On Sunday, Oct. 28, McMaster hosts Mount Royal University, from Alberta. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.

Matthew Jordan The Silhouette

3-point dominance was the key for the McMaster men’s basketball team as they defeated the St. Francis Xavier X-Men 98-78 on Friday, remaining undefeated in preseason action.

The Marauders came into the game animated and energized, feeding off of each other and the crowd to sustain their solid play on both ends of the court.

McMaster owned the game from 3-point range, shooting an impressive 44 per cent from beyond the arc. Guard Joe Rocca and Forward Nathan Pelech combined for nine 3-pointers, firing up the crowd in the process.

Rocca scored a game-high 28 points, with multiple Marauders scoring in double digits as well.

The gameplay began at a slower pace than the Marauders are used to, with both teams trying to adjust to each other’s playing styles.

St. FX struck first with a slam dunk two minutes after tip-off, but Mac responded quickly, using a pair of treys from Pelech to help vitalize the pace of the game.

Aggressive play on both sides led to both teams being in the penalty for the final few minutes of the first quarter.

Foul shooting was shaky for both the Marauders and X-Men, who went into the second quarter still neck-and-neck at 24-22 in favour of the Maroon and Grey.

St. FX strategically switched its defensive style in the second quarter, opting for a highly effective 2-3 zone to shut down the Marauders.

McMaster Head Coach Amos Connolly made the wise decision to call a time out, re-energizing his visibly fatigued players, who came back into the game with a scoring burst from 3-point range to lead 51-43 at the half.

The second half was notably quicker paced than the first, with both teams using an aggressive full-

Forward Rohan Boney has been a standout player in McMaster’s preseason.

court press to minimize the opposition’s scoring.

McMaster was able to capitalize on the boards, grabbing rebounds and running an efficient fast break to quickly score off many of the XMen’s missed field goals.

Nathan Pelech continued to impress as a shooter, rebounder, and defensive presence on the court, and his hustle contributed significantly to Mac’s dominant second half.

He finished the game just shy of a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 9 boards.

The scoring margin began to grow in Mac’s favour during the third quarter, where they led by as many as 19 points.

Both sides’ benches began to become more vocal during the second half, ultimately resulting in a technical foul on St. FX Coach Steve Konchalski. The Marauders seized that opportunity to widen the score difference and finished off the period 78-62.

The X-Men came into the final frame on the attack, and opened with a pair of 3-pointers, while again using a zone defense to their advantage.

Frustration from the McMaster coaching staff and bench was visible as the Maroon and Grey scrambled offensively, eventually leading to the second technical of the game being called against the Marauders bench.

When gameplay resumed, McMaster returned to a fast-break style of play, allowing them to quickly regain their 16-point lead.

The win was sealed with a fullcourt pass to rookie Rohan Boney, who elevated to the rim for a monstrous slam dunk, bringing the crowd to its feet.

Boney, who finished the game with 16 points, was the top-rated prospect last year and has been a crucial part of the Marauders’ success thus far.

In the final minutes of the game, McMaster’s starting point guard and

The exhibition games against Cape Breton and St. FX saw the debut of the highly anticipated Air Jordan jerseys.

C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

2012 CIS Rookie of the Year Adam Presutti toppled over after some heavy contact from a St. FX player, forcing him to leave the game with an ankle injury. His incapacity to play would undoubtedly be detrimental to the team, as his presence on the roster is an important part of the team’s chemistry.

Coach Connolly took out the starting lineup from the court in the dying minutes of the game, which drew a large round of applause from the crowd. The team’s second unit closed out the game effectively, holding a 20-point lead for a final score of 98-78.

If the Marauders can keep up the 3-point prowess and fast-pact scoring that helped them with this win, they will continue to be a major threat to any opposition in the CIS. Friday’s game was merely a preview of the successes that this team can achieve this season, as well as a testament to the solid fan support here at McMaster.

YING SHAN THE SILHOUETTE

Cape Breton falls to the Maroon and Grey Laura Sinclair

son and Brock, and were looking to keep the streak alive on Marauder The Silhouette territory.

The intensity level was high at They started off with a bang in the Burridge Gym on Sunday after- the first quarter, getting themselves noon where the Marauders Men’s to a 5-0 lead early.

Basketball team managed to pull off The Marauders used time to a win against another top AUS team. their advantage and retaliated with The final score was 79-74, but a couple of key baskets, surpassing the win for the Marauders was any- the Capers lead and making it 10-4. thing but easy.

Aaron Redpath kept the MaThe Cape Town Capers were rauder team alive, scoring 8 points, coming off of two wins against Ryer- while Joe Rocca and Nathan Pelech

C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

McMaster’s coaching staff has high expectations for 2012-2013.

kept their 3-pointer streak going, scoring a couple of key ones heading into the second quarter.

It was all Maroon in the second quarter, with the lead getting up to 20 points, and the defense stepping it up to keep the Capers on their toes. It was a 43-27 lead for the Marauders heading into the intermission.

The third quarter of the game saw the beginning of an amazing comeback from the Cape Breton Capers.

After some incredible defense that led to a series of turnovers, they shrunk the Marauder lead to two points, just trailing them with a score of 57-55.

Contributing to the comeback from the Capers included James Dorsey and top recruit Shaquille Keith, who scored 21 points each.

Keith, who is the 15th ranked prospect from the class of 2012, missed a crucial 3-pointer that would have given the Capers the lead.

Nathan Pelech of the Marauders took control on the next possession, and was successful in his 3-pointer attempt, giving the Ma-

rauder team some leeway heading into the fourth quarter.

The score at the end of the quarter was 63-55 for the Marauders.

In the fourth quarter the Marauders led by 13 points with the help of some key baskets from Aaron Redpath. The determined Capers team refused to give up, diminishing the lead to two points, yet again, with only one minute of play left in the game.

The Capers fouled in the final play of the game, which led to a free throw by Aaron Redpath to settle the final score.

The leading scorers for the Marauders included Aaron Redpath with 25 points, Nathan Pelech and Joe Rocca who scored 14 points each, and Taylor Black with 12 points.

The Marauders head west to play teams from across the country, including perennial powerhouse UBC. Mac will also face a test in Fraser Valley, a team who played in the 2012 CIS championship tournament. Following the trip, McMaster will host the Midnight Madness event to kickoff their season.

Date: October 2012

Studio Docket: 31013704

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Colour: 4 colour

Internal Revisions:

Agency Docket: 31013533

Job Description: Syringe Ad

Publication: McMaster University-Silhouette

OUT

Thursday, October 25, 2012 InsideOut Editors: Sam Godfrey and Amanda Watkins Meeting: Thursdays @ 4:30 p.m.

Contact: insideout@thesil.ca

AMANDA WATKINS ASSISTANT INSIDEOUT EDITOR

FIGHT-OR- FLIGHT?

InsideOut re-tells the tale of their urban exploration through haunted Hamilton - but who stayed to fight, and who took flight?

Sam Godfrey and Amanda Watkins Senior and Assistant InsideOut Editors

AMANDA: We had planned two visits for our urban exploration: a tuberculosis sanatorium and part of an allegedly haunted insane asylum. We were a strong team of five, equipped with multiple flashlights, emergency weapons (don’t worry, nothing illegal) and I, wielding a camera to capture our findings on film.

Prior to our urban exploration, we decided to hit up Screemers - Hamilton’s staged haunted manor. It was a fun time and left us with little fear in our hearts. But I’ll be honest, once we left, I was still pretty jumpy.

We literally climbed a mountain to get to our first destination: the boarded-shut and long abandoned tuberculosis sanatorium. It was a trek, especially for me and my slow ass, but we eventually made it up and I was more than pleased to see that it was conveniently placed next to a bus route and overlooked the night lights of Hamilton. Pleasant. Or so I thought. As we moved closer to the dark and lonely building, we realized we weren’t alone. Cue ominous music. A sketchy car pulled up a few feet away and suspiciously turned off its headlights. “I’d kill the lights if I were you,” our outdoor adventure guide warned me. I turned off my flashlight and put away my camera and we took shelter behind the unlit, recklessly abandoned walls of the sanatorium. As we watched as another car pulled up, it occurred to me that our only option of escaping this possibly dangerous situation would be to run into the creepy as hell building through a semi-opened window leading to the basement. Oh fuck. This is how girls end up dead. My life has just

Miranda Babbit The Silhouette

Walk outside, take a breath. What you smell and what has seeped into your soul is sheer evil, my friends. Hamilton isn’t a place for sissies no more. Maybe London is better for you.

Or Waterloo. But not Hamilton.

Walking into the enormous confines of Screemers, Canada’s #1 Haunted Scream Park, you may see a lone, eighteenth century girl slowly stagger by you, or be joyously greeted (in his own charming way) by a chainsaw wielding serial killer. This is all part of the fun, or at least what adrenaline junkies define as fun. A pleasant sign then warns you that you there are no refunds for chickens.

Strangely enough, throughout the night, this fear you feel, these sweaty palms, the quickened beat of your heart, the creeping paranoia about what or who is behind you, it becomes something of a challenge. You begin to want to challenge your nerves. As you pass by the various haunted houses in this empty factory like building, you can hear screams all around you, and the cackles of disturbed clowns, and yet you’re literally being drawn into these dark entrances.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m often not one to willingly say, “Yes, please terrify me to the point of jumping into the arms of my friends and/or strangers in front of me,” let alone journey through four or five haunted

become a horror movie.

My heart was racing and my pupils dilated. But soon enough, the suspicious vehicles pulled away and our adventure was back on track. Young Sam Godfrey assured me along with the two others who were freaking out that we were just psyching ourselves out, so we continued to explore the grounds, and I hesitantly took photos. “Look, that window’s completely open. Funny, it wasn’t like that the last time I was here,” our outdoor adventure guide exclaimed. The silence of our fear was interrupted by the sound of creaking floorboards echoing through the night air. Three out of five of us lost our breath and took off at high speed towards the closest sign of human life beyond the empty grounds.

And so it continues! Our second destination: Century Manor.

SAM: Somewhere along the way I lost my hat, which was tragic, but at least we didn’t loose our cool facing Century Manor. A smaller annex of the larger Hamilton Asylum, Century Manor has remained intact since opening in the mid 1870s, being open to the public as a museum as recently as the 1980s. When we got there though, the building was thoroughly boarded up and equipped with obviously new doors, locks and a security system (ADT, for anyone who wants to know).

Most of the windows were either boarded shut by nails in anchors, or covered in metal grates. There were two that were completely devoid of blockades, but they were second-story, nowhere near stairs.

We found some sort of PVC piping hole that let us see into one of the rooms, and when we looked we saw a tiny

houses in one night, but something flickers inside of you each time you bolt out of the exit, declaring yourself “lucky to survive.”

If you’re thinking, “Oh, pshaw, haunted houses are just full of actors anyway,” then I dare you, bold sir, to enter into what is known as The Black Hole. Let’s see how brave you feel when the only thing to guide you is a single red dot in the distance, and the walls creep closer and closer towards you until you’re inching sideways towards the exit… or what you think is the exit.

And even with the mindset that everyone around you is an actor, every clown with his mouth falling off is just another high school boy, or every maniacal creature with eyes darting through the holes in the mask is just a mother on her day off, somehow this isn’t enough to bring your heartbeat back to the casual jogging pace you would like it to be at.

For the first time in my life, I can confidently say that I was relieved to see the two prepubescent boys, with their hats delicately placed at an angle to convince us of their evident swag, book past us at a startlingly confident pace, acting as our first line of defense against the creatures lurking behind each corner.

Entering into Screemers shows you just how you’d cope in a horror movie. Will you freeze or will you run? Will you scream or will you shout? Will you laugh or will you cry?

Your horror movie persona awaits you.

room with a rusty sink. It wasn’t much, but it creeped us out a little. Aside from that we managed to get a couple peeks inside through the few ground-floor windows that were grated instead of boarded, but we only saw empty rooms. The only things we found to be odd were the obviously new eaves and drainage pipes, and the fact that we could tell, from the sound, that the building was still getting gas.

We trudged, defeated by the security system, back to the main road and split a taxi home.

Maybe next time we’ll see a ghost, or get cut climbing through a broken window, but that night, the scariest thing was our cabbie’s apparent ignorance for speed limits.

AMANDA: As I walked towards my front door, a bunny hopped out from behind a tree and I freaked out. I headed inside and locked my camera in a drawer to prevent myself from curiously reliving the creeptastic event. It was 1 a.m., I called my mom (naturally) and tried to fall asleep to the lulling sound of a romcom playing on my laptop. But even the voice of Hugh Grant couldn’t help me fall asleep until 6 in the morning.

Overall, the haunted Hamilton experience was haunting to say the least. I eventually regained my sleep schedule and I no longer need to lock my camera in a drawer. And even though I was freaking out at the time, I would do it again, and maybe even dig deeper into the frightening secrets this city has to hold.

If you’re looking for a spook this Halloween, try an urban exploration and live the dream of a horror movie of your very own.

AMANDA WATKINS ASSISTANT INSIDEOUT EDITOR

B8 • InsideOut

The Silhouette • Thursday, October 25, 2012

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20- BASEBALL’S BANDO 21- SACRED SONG 23- AFFIRMATIVES 24- BLENDER BRAND 26- GREEK FABULIST 27- KILLICK 29- FLAT-TOPPED

HILLS 31- FINAL FOUR ORG. 32- STOPWATCH-HOLDER 33- CHINESE “WAY” 36- IN SPITE OF 40- END FOR SIAM 41- FOOD AND WATER 42- PIANIST GILELS 43- PAD USER 44- CURD STUFF 46- WAR HORSE 48- BLOW ONE’S TOP 49- MORE TENDER 50- LOW CARDS 52- LITURGICAL VESTMENT 55- BALTIC FEEDER 56- BLACKEN 57- FORBIDDEN 59- HORSE HAIR

60- BURT’S EX 61- PALE REDDISH PURPLE 62- CORNERSTONE ABBR. 63- EXHORT 64- EXCESS FLUID IN AN ORGAN

DOWN 1- POOR ACTORS 2- INTER ___ 3- LUXATE 4- SOME MIT GRADS 5- SHAPE UP 6- CHUCKED WEAPON 7- SMALL MOUNTAIN 8- TABLOID TIDBIT 9- FANNIE ___ 10- FONDLE 11- YOU ___ RIGHT!

12- PRECIPITOUS 13- SOUNDS OF DISAPPROVAL 22- SUN. DELIVERY 23- LONG 25- “SAINT JOAN” PLAYWRIGHT 26- AWAY FROM PORT 27- DIARIST FRANK 28- SGTS., E.G. 29- BOTCH 30- CPR EXPERTS 32- NOT NOW 33- SCHEDULE 34- BLACK CUCKOOS 35- EYEBALL 37- BURY 38- PREPARED TO DRIVE

39- PROFOUND 43- HIT THE ROOF 44- WEEP 45- DISCO BALLROOM DANCE 46- FOUNTAIN TREATS 47- LOTT OF MISSISSIPPI 48- SO SPOOKY AS TO BE FRIGHTENING 49- UNSPECIFIED IN NUMBER 50- GOD OF THUNDER 51- PEALED 53- RICH SOIL 54- ___ RATON 56- ACTOR GULAGER 58- HELP

InsideOut • B9

Thursday, October 25, 2012 • The Silhouette

C OLUMNS

SEXandthe STEELCITY

RANT OF THE WEEK

Dear Neighbors,

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Jamie Hillman The Silhouette

As a retired trick-or-treater, I have experienced many a Halloween throughout the years. And through this, I’ve managed to develop a route in my neighbourhood that only includes the ‘good houses.’

By that, I’m referring to those awesome neighbours that give out cans of pop, and the full-size chocolate bars. Score. And I am confident I can speak on behalf of all the candy-hunting witches, ghosts, and vampires when I say that there is absolutely nothing worse than eagerly knocking on a door, full of hope and a need for sugar, only to discover a bowl full of apples greeting you on the other side. We can all share in that sensation of disappointment as we put on a fake smile, and mutter a monotone, “thank you,” before running off to the next house.

We know you have the best intentions, but Halloween is the one night of the year that we are allowed to indulge in sweet treats without punishment from our parents. Apples just weigh down our bag, and I hate to break it to you, but they always end up as puréed mush on the side of the road once we’re out of sight. It’s not just fruit that can ruin our Halloween haul though; I know I always dreaded getting those McDonalds coupons that expired within a week, and

those awful brown, chewy candies that get stuck in your teeth. Also, we could really live without a ballpoint pen obnoxiously advertising your company, or even worse - a toothbrush.

There are so many great options being thrown in your face as you walk into the grocery store, so there really is no reason why unsuspecting children should end up with a handful of loose peanuts and scotch mints at the bottom of their bag at the end of the evening.

Even though you might be the sweetest old lady on the block, we’ve been programmed since our very first Halloween not to accept any homemade goods as they’ve obviously been poisoned. It may seem ungrateful to complain about free candy, but let’s face it, there are just certain products that merit more when making trades at the end of the night. So, when debating what to hand out at the door this year, don’t rummage through your cupboards for some old boxes of raisins - just stick to the basics, and hopefully you’ll make it on to the ‘good house’ list for next year.

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Sincerely, Ex trick-or-treater

Go bananas with EWB’s Reverse Trick-or-Treat From the party to the “after party” Arnav Agarwal The Silhouette

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Amanda Watkins Assistant InsideOut Editor

Halloween has always been a fun and festive time of the year where it is finally socially acceptable to put on a ridiculous outfit and demand free candy from your neighbours.

And although many a student these days refrains from the routine knocking on doors and sugar seeking, All Hallows Eve can still merit a good time via costumes and the handing out of candy, rather than the gathering of it.

By taking on the task of giving instead of receiving, trick-or-treating receives a breath of new life and a positive spin for students, as Engineers Without Borders (EWB) puts on their costumes and struts the streets with a determination to promote fair trade goods in and around the McMaster neighborhood.

After multiple years of travelling around Hamilton, “Reverse Trick-or-Treating” returns on Wednesday Oct. 31, as EWB commits to their fair trade initiative by handing out Camino brand, fairly-traded chocolate and information packages to homes neighboring Mac’s campus.

“We try to change our route every year to cover more ground and spread the message farther into the community,” explains Dany Mejia, Fair Trade Director of the EWB McMaster Chapter. “We’ll hand out choco-

lates to students during the day on campus, but we mainly try to target family homes while reverse trick-or-treating.”

EWB is set-up with a variety of different teams catering to the different goals of the organization, including a specific branch for fair trade initiatives. For this particular activity, not only will the FT group be setting out into the community, but the entire Mac chapter will be sporting creative fair trade costumes and helping with the cause.

“A few of our team members will be dressed in banana costumes with giant fair trade logo stickers,” states Mejia. “The costumes help develop the theme of the evening and encourages discussion about what we’re promoting.”

This activity is just one of the many events EWB hopes to present this year in order to help achieve a Fair Trade Campus status for McMaster. Mejia, who is currently spearheading the initiative for a Fair Trade Campus, explains that last year brought about discussion with the Sustainability Office, the Dean, and Hospitality Services while looking into the promotion of this ideology. Mejia along with her team are currently looking into further developing these conversations and continuing the campaign to promote fair trade goods and services on campus.

Run through Fairtrade Canada, the Fair

Trade Campus status was first achieved by the University of British Columbia in January of 2011. To achieve this status, a series of standards must be met that fall under the categories of Availability, Visibility and Committee.

In terms of Availability, EWB is working to have on-campus restaurants provide fair trade options. For instance, the MSU’s Union Market has already adopted the sale of fair trade tea, coffee and chocolate.

Working towards the goals of Visibility, EWB’s ventures, such as the reverse trick-ortreating along with their other events, like the fair trade candy grams that were handed out last year at Valentine’s Day, are used to promote information about the cause and make their efforts visible to the Mac community.

And for the Committee aspect, EWB, specifically their fair trade team, is working hard to keep up their game and continue to have a community representing their goals and aspirations for the cause.

As Engineers Without Borders continues to work towards the promotion of fair trade, look forward to hearing more about new product offerings and information on upcoming events and activities. And next Wednesday, remember to also keep your eyes peeled for do-gooder bananas handing out chocolates in a neighborhood near you.

While many couples like to match up for a spooky Halloween celebration, the idea of complimentary couple costumes does not settle well with everyone. A costume duo might be cute to some, but many find the combo a little bizarre and too much to handle.

“We trick-or-treat together every year,” said one young couple in Mississauga. “It only makes sense to costume-code. It keeps us feeling young. And getting candy, of course. Who doesn’t like candy?”

From Peanut Butter and Jelly twosomes to NASCAR match-ups, and Air Pilot and ‘Sexy Flight Attendant’ duos, shops are stocked with just the right couple-related Halloween gear to draw some serious attention (and candy, for those who never tire from trick-or-treating). If the classic pairings don’t suit your taste, feel free to throw in some contemporary mixes like Zoolander and Mugatu, Gwen and Amazing Spiderman, Red Foo and Skyblu from LMFAO, or Red and Yellow Angry Birds, and that should be enough to get any party on the road!

And although many a couple pairing may be cheesy and weird, matching costumes can up their perks under the covers. The fun doesn’t have to stop on the streets and dancefloors, couples can often take their role-plays one step further: All Hallows’ Eve need not spare the bedroom setting.

“What’s Halloween without a little bit of spicing up?” said a Hedden Hall McMaster student in response to the costume ideas.

“If we’re dressing up, let’s dress for double trouble. By the way, this is kept anonymous, right?”

For all the femme fatales and Prince Charmings out there, a chance to dress up might be far more than a Halloween costume stunt; it is a chance to step up the intimacy in the bedroom with their significant other even after the festive night has passed. While having fun with role-play, the heaps of candy and the spooky tunes of Halloween might be drowned out for many couples, for whom the attention will be on the “afterparty” of the traditional celebrations.

By getting creative with intimate attire, frisky fantasies and holiday excitement is just one step away. Who needs the candy when there are plenty of goods already waiting at home?

InsideOut • B11

Thursday, October 25, 2012 • The Silhouette

FASHION & FANDANGOS TREVOR READE First year Engineering

Shirt: Mexx - $40 Pants: Buffalo Jeans - $45 Jacket: Nevada - $30 Shoes: Perry Ellis - $30 Tie: Arrow - $20

JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

COSTUMES: 2012 POP CULTURE EDITION Bahar Orang

Assistant ANDY Editor

HALF BLACK SWAN-HALF WHITE SWAN: It’s creepy enough to become a classic.

WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED: One white wing, one black wing, a black corset top, a white tutu, a black garter, a white garter, a black flat, a white flat, red contacts, a creepy vibe and bloody, bruised feet for good measure EFFIE TRINKET (from the Hunger Games): I considered including a Katniss-boho-type costume in this list, but opted for a colourful, clown-phobia-inducing Effie instead.

WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED: A giant, curly, blonde wig, excessive face powder, queen-of-heart-lipstick, sparkles, puffy sleeves, colours that clash profusely, a knack for finding the most ironic moments to say (chillingly), “may the odds be ever in your favour” THE LADIES FROM MAD MEN: You’d be mad to resist this costume. A madman.

WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED: Pearls, orange-red lipstick, smooth up-do hairstyle, bright cardigan, collared, sleeveless dress shirt, high-wasted plaid skirt, ‘60s-style full-skirted dress, pumps, vintage sunglasses, a date wearing a suit with slicked back hair GANGNAM STYLE: This is only for those who can “dress classy and dance cheesy.”

WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED: A periwinkle suit, loads of hair gel, grey dress pants that ride up oh so slightly when you jerk your leg up and down, sunglasses, animated facial expressions, the ability to adapt the gangnam dance to every song, a groupie of girls in white tops and sparkly shorts LANA DEL REY: Lana Del Hey, you’ve got a sweet costume!

Let’s play some video games.

WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED: A YouTube video with instruc-

Gearing up for

Pride Week How to be an awesome ally

SJ Jany

Queer Students Community Centre

As we approach McMaster’s annual Pride Week (Nov. 5-9), you might be curious about what you can do to show your love and support for your queer and trans* friends. Good intentions are half the battle: here are some pointers on the ways in which you can be an ally to this fabulous and diverse community.

Tip 1: The golden rule The absolute number one tip to keep in mind here is this: be nice. Seriously, it’s often that simple! It’s okay if you don’t know all of the lingo and the history and the bajillion fancy flags; if you try your hardest to be kind and respectful to the people around you, you can’t go too far wrong!

Tip 2: Don’t assume It’s very common to assume that everyone around us is heterosexual and cisgender, since that’s what we’ve been told for a very long time. Part of being an ally is refraining from making these assumptions.

Tip 3: Pronouns! Quick grammar lesson… Pronouns are those words we use (e.g. I, it, he, we, they) to take the place of nouns. Most of the time, we judge someone’s gender from their appearance and use the pronouns we think fit. However, in conjunction with Tip 2, to be an ally to those with diverse gender identities and expressions, it is important to find out someone’s preferred pronouns. Ask people (politely!) what pronouns they prefer and make sure you use them.

Tip 4: Respect privacy Although it’s totally cool to ask questions when you’re confused or uncertain about something, there are some topic areas that should be avoided unless you’ve specifically been given the green light by the individual with whom you’re chatting. For example, it’s invasive and rude to ask people about their genitals (including genital surgeries) or about how they have sex.

Now you know a little bit more about being an ally to the queer/trans* community. Remember that part of being an ally to any group is taking the time to learn new things, so always keep your mind open to new information.

624

tions to get those killer waves, nails long and frightening enough to be their own Halloween costume, lipstick the same colour as your skin, a football jacket, high-waisted shorts, ‘80s style Madonna hoop earrings, sneakers, startlingly pouty lips GOTYE OR KIMBRA: Let’s not let anyone forget that song that has finally stopped playing on the radio.

WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED: Somebody that you used to know, body paint, somebody that you used to know who is willing to draw those geometric shapes from the music video all over your body, a Bristol board to hold behind you with matching geometric shapes – don’t forget to collect all your records, change your number and become addicted to a certain kind of sadness CARLY RAE JEPSON: Bring along a date with ripped jeans and skin showing.

WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED: Bangs, a stack of slips with your number on it, a microphone, the unique and annoying talent to somehow end every sentence with “so call me maybe,” and be sure to greet new people with “Hey! I just met you!”

INSTAGRAM: Bring along an accessible Instagram app that you can hide and “take photos” of other people.

WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED: A giant box with arm, head, and leg holes that looks like the “Instagram” camera – creamcoloured with rainbow lines across the side PINTEREST BOARD: You could be half-Pinterest board, half-troll face.

WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED: A giant bulletin board with the “Pinterest” logo at the top as well as beautiful images of million-dollar-shoes, salads, fairly useless DIY’s, cupcakes, cashmere, candles, corny “inspirational” quotes about exercise, anything pink or pastel-coloured

TERMINOLOGY TIME

gay || queer

This list should give you an idea of some of the most commonly used terms related to the queer and trans* community. This is by no means exhaustive, so Googling may still be required!

Gay is an adjective used to describe someone who is primarily attracted (romantically and/or sexually) to people of the same gender. Some gay women prefer the term lesbian.

Straight/heterosexual people are mostly attracted to people of a different gender than themselves.

Someone who is bisexual is attracted to people of two different genders.

Pansexuals are attracted to people of any gender.

Polysexuals are attracted to people of several (more than two, but not all) genders.

Asexuals are people who do not experience sexual attraction to people of any gender. Someone who is asexual may or may not experience romantic attraction.

The term trans* or transgender is an umbrella term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from their assigned gender at birth. Included under the umbrella are

trans women (women who were coercively designated as male at birth) and trans men (men who were coercively designated as female at birth), genderqueer people (people who identify as a gender other than male or female), agender people (those who do not identify as having a gender), bigender people (those who identify as having two distinct genders), and many more!

Someone who is cisgender identifies with the gender that they were assigned at birth.

The term queer has a tonne of definitions. You’ll most likely hear it used in reference to the community comprised of everyone who is not heterosexual.

Sometimes, it also describes anyone who is not cisgender (although some straight trans people do not identify as queer). You might also hear people using it as an insult which is mega-douchey, so don’t do that!

bisexual

pansexual

agender

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

the halloween issue first scary movie • scary videogames paranormal activity 4 • sinister

andex

c2 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

Senior Editor: Nolan Matthews Assistant Editor: Bahar Orang

Contributors: Matt Morehouse, Marco Filice, Alexander Sallas, Palika Kohli, Isabelle Dobronyi, Justin Jairam, Sarah O’ Connor, Jasper Johar, Kyle Fisher, Sam Godfrey, Brody Weld

oct. 28 nov. 2

Born Ruffians Casbah 9:00 p.m.

nov. 10

The Organ Entertains The Church of the Ascension 7:30 p.m.

nov. 28

Old Man Luedecke Pearl Theatre 8:00 p.m.

nov. 30

Diamond Rings This Ain’t Hollywood 9:00 p.m.

opening

Pastel Sabbath Cheyenne Federiconi The Baltimore House

Death from Above 1979 The Molson Canadian Studio 9:00 p.m.

Cloud Atlas Chasing Mavericks The Loneliest Planet

oct. 25

oct. 25

Design: Karen Wang Cover: Yoseif Haddad

Searching for Sugar Man Westdale Theatre 8:50 p.m.

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

thursday, october 25, 2012

editorial

thursday, october 25, 2012

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c3

to infinity and beyond terrifying Toy Story is a terrible film for children, no matter what the “G” rating would suggest.

When I tell people that watching Toy Story was a traumatic experience for the four-year-old me, they always think it’s ridiculous. If they are feeling particularly sympathetic, they may entertain the idea that Sid and his sadistic manipulation of toys could be a little scary if his victims weren’t still just toys.

But it wasn’t Sid that I had a problem with. I was most disturbed by the idea that toys could come alive at all. I’m not sure why it came as a surprise to me that Toy Story involved living toys. Maybe I had to watch the film to truly grasp the profound implications.

Toy Story made me cry so much that my parents had to take me out of the theatre. With the immediate terror having been dealt with, an insidious paranoia soon replaced it.

When we arrived home, I announced through sobs that every toy that might ever think about eating meat had to be imprisoned in the basement.

This dietary discrimination included almost all of my dinosaurs, which I had, up until then, loved dearly.

But I had become wise. I would not be the late-night snack of a miniature raptor. This kind of thinking is both absurd and annoyingly logical in a way that only children can be, but apparently I didn’t stay in the theatre long enough to see that the dinosaur in Toy Story is so sensitive that he actually needs lessons on how to be scary.

The one exception I made was for my grey teddy bear named Tippy. I’d had Tippy since I was born, and we had been through too much together for him to turn on me. We were brothers. I thought I could trust him. But that trust was put through the toughest challenge it would ever face.

I awoke the next morning (assuming I had slept at all, which is questionable) without even a single bite mark. I felt bad for ever doubting him. Slowly I learned to give my trust back to the rest of the meateaters.

Scary stories affect us in ways that normal stories just can’t. As we grow older, we know that the images of a horror movie aren’t real, and yet they still have an incredible power to terrify us. Or make us laugh, when an attempt to be taken seriously falls flat. Maybe the appeal of scary stories is that they allow us to feel like children again, where there are big, bad and scary things in this world that we don’t understand but that we allow ourselves to believe in for an hour and a half. Or maybe it’s the exact opposite, and we like to feel that we are mature enough to handle anything.

In honour of all things scary, we present you with ANDY’s annual Halloween issue. We’ve got more stories of people’s first experiences seeing scary movies, what makes a good scary video game and a couple of reviews of new horror films. ANDY is all treat and no trick.

•

Nolan Matthews, Senior ANDY Editor SILHOUETTE STOCK PHOTO

what is your biggest fear? compiled by nolan matthews and yoseif haddad

not living up to my own standards - erica mckenzie

the passing of my relatives - henry so

zombie apocalypse - amy claire

mice

spiders - amy pachai

- walaa alwan

c4 & c5 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine The year of my brother’s twelfth birthday was the year that stole my horror movie virginity. I was ten years old, and very eager to watch whatever family-friendly film our mother had taken us to the theatres to see. Plot twist number one:a it was sold out.

Plot twist number two: my brother was pretty content to see The Grudge as a backup.

If you’ve seen The Grudge, you know that it is arguably one of the worst horror movies to watch if you’re trying to ease a fragile ten-year-old mind into the genre. Minimal plot, maximum jump-out scenes, and this awful tendency to totally deprive the characters of safety (that creepy little girl would show up in the shower, the bedroom, the attic, the stairwell).

Needless to say, I was horrified. I had scratches along my hairline from watching the entire movie through cupped hands. The worst part is that it didn’t start until 10 p.m., so we came home to a pitch-black and empty house. I remember staying up for another hour reading Garfield comics with the lights on. Here’s to my brother for probably taking a year or two off my life.

• Brody Weld

When I was in grade 3 my friend Jennifer invited me over to watch a scary movie. My mum tried to warn me. “Are you certain that you’re ready?” she said.

Sure, I still closed my eyes when Itchy and Scratchy came on the Simpsons; sure, I still couldn’t watch the part of Pinocchio where he goes inside the whale; okay, I still got afraid of sharks when I went swimming ever since watching Jaws.. But I was definitely ready.

I arrived at Jennifer’s house and out Mummy, starring Brencame a VHS of The Mummy, dan Fraser. Almost right away a scarab beetle crawled under a man’s skin and started eating his flesh. I felt a little uncomfortable, but I could deal, at least for the moment. I huddled with one of Jennifer’s six cats (which is too many cats; what was up with that?).

The rest was a blur. There were sand storms, insects flying out of mouths, and ancient pharaohs with skin missing. I don’t remember everything, but I was legitimately terrified.

I tried to play it cool when I got home, but when my dog brushed my leg I jumped three feet in the air, which may have given me away.

“I told you …” said my mum. Thanks, mum.

• Isabelle Dobronyi

av

It won’t be that Scary, they said.

October is a time of year where people look for any opportunity to watch a good ol’ scary movie. I, on the other hand, go to great lengths to avoid such movies. You see, I’m not the biggest fan of scary movies. In fact, I hate them.

Let me take you on a trip to my aunt’s house back in 2001 where my sister and my cousin thought it was a good idea to watch the movie It with me. I was six. As you can imagine, six-year-olds and Stephen King storylines don’t go very well together.

If you don’t know, the movie is about a crazed clown named Pennywise (I know, even its name is scary) who transforms into the fear of its victims. Long story short, I was extremely spooked and I have not seen a single scary movie since that day (does Scary Movie 3 with the Wayans Bros. count?).

So now you know why I’m not the biggest fan of scary movies, but if you like them then great! Just know that I’ll be here, still changing the channel every time a commercial for Paranormal Activity comes on. Happy Halloween!

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Justin Jairam

ANDY writers s

My scary movie expe perhaps in many w that I had a totall movie. It was late cottage when we the characters fli in mute fear. An Scary Movie Yes I can h was terrified! I The Ring. I have The Ring; I’d die of fright i did! I don’t care if Scary Movie 3 is a comedy, any creepy girl crawling out of a T.V. is horrifying.

• Sara

thursday, october 25, 2012

I can barely watch as the film reel tells its story.

In a pin-droppingly silent movie theatre, I sit clutching my chest in anticipation of something popping out at me. Wedged between two of my older cousins, it is of utmost importance to prove that I’m not scared of the room on the 13th floor. John Cusack isn’t afraid and he’s in the damn room, so why should I be? I decide to get up and feign going to the washroom to avoid any potential embarrassment. The eeriness of the music rises, and I quicken my pace down the stairs of the theatre. I turn the corner while looking back at the screen to ensure nothing is about to startle me. Without looking, I stick out my hand to push the door open. Instead of being met with the cold, hard metal of the door my fingertips feel the flesh of someone’s arm. I instinctively jump and yell. The sound of my voice fills the silent movie theatre, and I hear what feels like a million people laugh. My scream startled a poor girl opening the door and caused her to drop her popcorn. Speeding out of the theatre, I apologize profusely to her in absolute embarrassment. I haven’t seen a scary movie in theatres since.

• Jasper Johar

hare their stories

nce may seem pathetic to you, and s it is. But I will stand by my belief egitimate reason to be afraid of this night and I was sitting in my cousin’s tched it. They laughed and joked at ering on the screen while I watched what is this horrific movie?

you laughing. But I an, they parody even seen bably I

O’Conner KAREN WANG GRAPHICS EDITOR

Everyone has a memory of the first movie that made them feel shit-your-pants scared and that every other horror film was a joke (or at least not nearly as frightening). Oddly enough, the first movie that brought me to that level of terror was the original Ghostbusters.

This requires a little backstory.

As a three-year old I was really terrified of the boogieman. I thought that he lived at the end of a long, dark hallway in a terrifying laundry room in the basement. My dad had the bright idea to watch Ghostbusters with me in the basement, and he ran upstairs right before the opening scene where the ghostly librarian scares the crap out of the Ghostbusters. She scared the crap out of me too, and I ran as fast as I could up the stairs only to be stopped by a stupid child-proof door block. Fuck those things. That was the worst. I didn’t sleep for days.

• Kyle Fisher

When I tell people that the movie that scared me msot as a child is 101 Dalmatians, I usually get either laughed at or a wedgie (though, come to think of it, I tend to get those even when I don’t mention that fact...). However, with another Halloween rolling around, it is time to own up.

I was about three or four years old when there I was, watching 101 Dalmatians, and the nightmarish face of the evil Cruella De Vil appeared on screen, and I lost it. Glenn Close has never looked scarier (except maybe when she isn’t wearing makeup). Crying as though the NHL was in lockout (oh wait) I proceeded to flounder about the floor, shrieking and pleading for the TV to be turned off. A few days later, I was walking through a Wal-Mart with my dad when the unthinkable happened: I saw Glenn Close! And she looked back at me! In full Cruella De Vil gear! From the cover of a 101 Dalmatians DVD! Transfixed, I stared at it until my dad, realizing I was paralyzed with fear, told me to punch the box. This, he reasoned, would eliminate my fear of the vile witch character and release me from her Medusian clutches.

Digging deep, I pulled my arm back, clenched my fist, and slammed it right into Cruella De Vil’s face. Ever since then, I have found her laughable rather than pants-pissable. So remember, kids: punch stuff! It helps!

•

Alex Sallas

c6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

Truthfully, I have no taste.

I eavesdrop conspicuously on every ANDY meeting, sitting not-so-silently from my desk, trying to acquire some artistic and cultural knowledge by osmosis.

But so far, it has not been successful.

At the end of the day, I still like bad horror films.

Sure, well-produced, intelligent thrillers are great, don’t get me wrong: I love a good scary movie.

But I adore a bad one. The predictable plots, the clichéd camera trickery, and the truly atrocious acting. For years now, I have been on the hunt for the kitschiest horror film the internet can bring me, and my search has not been in vain.

Here, for you, is a list of the best worst scary movies my mind has not repressed over time, scored arbitrarily because I can’t decide what I love most: (For those of you that genuinely want to be scared, I recommend The Strangers or El Orfanato (The Orphanage), to be watched alone in an empty, darkened house with a cranky heating system.)

The Stepfather (2009) – 12 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – I’ve-watched-it-four-times In a misguided attempt for originality, the movie begins by divulging the identity of the killer to the audience. The storyline is, as a result, fantastically predictable and the murders themselves, while varied, are uninventive.

When a Stranger Calls (2006) – 9 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – 4 out of 10 stairs Do not run up the stairs. That is never a good idea. The killer can, and will, grab your ankles.

Come on.

It (1990) – 64 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – 1 out of 2 parts One among many Stephen King novels brought to the screen, this was initially released as a miniseries, but I watched It as a two-sided DVD. The scariest part of the movie is an unfortunately memorable make-out scene.

Red Riding Hood (2011) – 11 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – 3 quarters of a waxing moon Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the director of Twilight. That is all.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) – 15 percent on Rotten Tomatoes - 5 out of 5 rake-fingers This remake earned an impressive 80 per cent lower than the original. I can’t decide whether this is because the acting is so bad or because – no.

Never mind. I can decide. It’s the acting.

Jennifer’s Body (2009) – 43 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – 4 out of 5 points of the pentagram This movie went out to be a film pandering to teenagers, and hit all the marks: a soundtrack of

thursday, october 25, 2012

all pop-music, unimaginative humour and moderate necking. Not to mention the plot, which focused on the demonic possession of Megan Fox. Also her cleavage.

Prom Night (2008) – 8 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – 3 out of 4 wrist corsages Yet another remake. But this time, not even the original was good. The characters are even less dimensional than actual prom-goers.

The Roommate (2011) – 4 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – 3 out of 5 stars Rotten Tomatoes says “The Roommate isn’t even bad enough to be good,” but I wholeheartedly disagree. It is plenty bad enough. Only slightly less scary than an actual dorm experience, but at least it doesn’t last eight months.

Sleepaway Camp (1983) – 70 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – 6 sleeps out of 10 I don’t want to spoil anything, but this movie may or may not have the weirdest twist ending I have ever seen. To this day, I do not know whether this movie is a good horror movie, or a bad horror movie, based solely on this ending. I am so conflicted.

Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2009) – 20 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – 1 bird .gif out of 2 That’s right. Two bird .gifs. That is 100% of the movie’s special effects. I guess it makes sense though when you consider they apparently only had enough budget for one camera. And a tripod on rent.

Hannibal (2001) – 39 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – 4 out of 5 fava beans A sequel to one of my all-time favourites – Silence of the Lambs – this movie does it no justice. There is a scene with someone eating their own brain though, so that’s fun.

Paranormal Activity (2007) – 80 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – 7 ghosts out of who knows how many A bit of a controversial choice on a bad movies list, I know, but bear with me. The documentary style drags the movie to a crawl and the plot is non-existent. The only thing about this movie that scares me is that enough people felt it warranted three sequels.

Children of the Corn (2009) – no score on Rotten Tomatoes – 8 out of 10 kernels A made-for-TV remake of a movie based on a Stephen King book: going in we know this is going to be good (and by good I of course mean awful). Though both fundamentalists and children are things that scare me, this movie did not. The creators inexplicably added a juvenile sex scene though, which was very unsettling.

• Sam Godfrey, Senior InsideOut Editor JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

thursday, october 25, 2012

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c7

a how-to guide for scary video games If you (like me) are a glutton for fear, you’ve probably got a soft spot for video games in the horror genre. There’s something about the interactivity of it that scares us in a way that the arms-length feel of a scary movie never could.

Unfortunately, it’s also a very fragile illusion.

All it takes is one flaw to pull you back out of that world and leave you wondering how the game developers could make such an obvious mistake. My brother and I grew up on these games, and on occasion even my father would dip his feet into the waters of virtual terror, so I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what the exact formula is for the perfect horror game.

Here’s my recipe.

It starts with atmosphere. This ranges from chilling sound effects (remember the iconic moans of the zombies from Half-Life 2?) to effective plot, deliberately poor lighting or sudden shifts in setting. Atmosphere is what made Resident Evil 4 one of the most memorable survival-horror games of all time, and a lack of it made the sequel fall so short. I remember my Dad’s shoulders tensing up as the old PC game Return To Castle Wolfenstein changed from a historic shooter to a zombie-infested dungeon crawl in moments, or my brother’s hair JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

classic album review thriller by michael jackson When Michael Jackson’s Thriller was released in 1982, it’s safe to say that both critics and general audiences were thrilled. Lauded for the considerable growth since his previous album Off the Wall, Thriller became (and remains to this day) the best-selling album of all time.

As a self-professed MJ lover living in contemporary times, I sorted through all of his tracks on my iTunes and listened to the album in its entirety, for perhaps the first time. My love for lesser-played tracks was renewed as I listened to certain nuances that had escaped me before.

Michael’s breathy whispers throughout “Wanna Be Startin’ Something;” his subtle harmony with Paul McCartney throughout “The Girl is Mine;” the relevancy of the message in “Beat It”, and the memorable beat of “Billie Jean.” And then, of course, there’s “Thriller,” the album’s title song. There are very few people who don’t listen to this song at least once around Hallow-

een, but what about its impact on the music industry?

The album pushed for racial equality, pressuring MTV to broadcast the videos for “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” despite previous discrimination. Thriller also established the popularity of music videos, as Michael made music video production an art unto itself, with the title song encapsulated in an unforgettable lucky-numberthirteen minute video.

So this Halloween, when you inevitably hear “Thriller,” raise a ghost-like gloved hand and shiver in remembrance at the impact of this album, as Michael Jackson once again rises from the dead.

Freakiest Track: “Thriller” Favourite Track: “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” • Palika Kohli

standing on end when F.E.A.R. would transform a seemingly safe room into a bloody mess in moments.

Step two is helplessness. The player has to feel at least a tiny bit ill prepared. A lot of games use nearly undefeatable enemies to achieve this (Bioshock’s Big Daddies) or else severely underequip you, forcing you to run and hide. Silent Hill is famous for handing you a broken piece of wood when you wouldn’t mind a machine gun.

Finally, there is something to be said for format, or the things that make the game play the way it does. The endlessly open world of Dead Island can be just as effective as the rinseand-repeat circuits of Nazi Zombies because they both have a functioning format.

Now, throw all of these things in the virtual pot. The end results are titles like Amnesia: The Dark Descent or Siren: Blood Curse.

I’m not saying it can’t be done and I’m not saying it’s flawless, but if you can manage to hit all three bases, you’ll almost surely create a game worthy of damp palms (and maybe boxers).

• Brody Weld

c8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, october 25, 2012

horror movies for halloween 2012 paranormal activity 4 starring: ethan hawke, juliet rylance director: scott derickson With the Halloween season in full force, the Paranormal Activity franchise has released yet another installment of lowbudget horror. It seems the series has hit a creative roadblock, producing a movie that seems like a highlight reel of the first three chapters.

Paranormal Activity 4 begins with a recap of the second film and struggles to find its own identity. Many of the scares feel recycled and predictable, though they still manage to compliment the plot.

The movie centres around a boy named Robbie, who, after his mother is taken to the hospital, is invited to stay with the neighbors for a few days while she recovers. By welcoming Robbie into their home, the family has also, seemingly, invited the demons. The story then follows the traditional Paranormal approach, documenting nightly happenings in the house, though this time with the use of webcam.

The film’s story is similar to its predecessors, which could be either stale or pleasantly familiar for die-hard fans.

Consistency can turn into success at the box office, and it has worked for Paranormal Activity three times before.

Paramount recently announced their plans for a fifth episode in the aging horror series, and while the franchise has shown with the latest movie that it still has a few tricks up its sleeve, those tricks are running dry. With the steady decline in both audience and quality, one has to wonder if this film is the beginning of the end for Paranormal Activity.

•

Matt Morehouse

sinister starring: katie featherson, kathryn newton director: henry joost, ariel schulman It’s pretty hard to find a decent horror movie nowadays without noticing clichéd and overused tropes. Themes like the haunted house, evil spirits, possessed children and the newly popularized “found footage” are everywhere. Sinister, directed by Scott Derrickson, is a successful yet daunting fusion of all these horror film standbys.

Written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, the screenplay is believable and doesn’t fall into the genre’s trap of attempting to scare you at predictable moments. The jumpy thrills are, in fact, unexpected and happen exactly when they need to. The atmosphere is mostly dark, which is one of my complaints about the cinematography because it’s hard to make out what’s happening at times. Nonetheless, it does fit the mental state of the main character.

Played by the underrated Ethan Hawke, Ellison Oswalt is an author of best-selling true crime books. Obsessed with fame and success, Oswalt seems to be living a lie as he tries to convince his family and himself that he is writing for good.

Unable to let go of his attachment to images, he seems to be possessed by them, as he obsessively studies them for further validation. This is the game of the classic tale of Faustus: by accepting the devil’s offer, the demonized victims play by sinister rules. Oswalt and Faustus both become victims of evil in order to achieve material success.

The music is perfect for the setting. As the story follows Oswalt’s investigation into his new home’s horrific history, there are few locations in the film besides this seemingly perfect place for a loving family. The score, mostly slow yet unnerving ambient sounds, builds to a mind-shattering climax that resembles a madman’s final break with reality. I think Trent Reznor would feel at home with this film’s soundtrack.

But what affected me the most are the movies within the movie itself. Oswalt finds a series of short films stored away in an attic, labelled with cute little monikers given by what seems to be innocent children. However, as you’ll notice right from the opening credits, they are a family’s hell: all the videos are snuff films - recordings of the murders of happy families.

Sinister fantastically fuses realist drama with the found footage genre, fitting the movie into the postmodern niche called “metafiction.” We, the audience, are in the same position as the protagonist as we both watch the snuff films. As such, there is no distinction between ourselves and Oswalt, and whatever horrors he experiences are our own.

Sinister is horror film at its finest.

•

Marco Filice

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR