Vol. 56 Issue 6

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

VOL. 56 ISSUE 6 • DEC.15 2013 • WWW.THESTRAND.CA

2 FIRST STEPS: IRAN-US NUCLEAR DEAL

8 WE’RE TALKING FINALS & MENTAL HEALTH

11 SERIOUSLY FUNNY: THE BOB IN REVUE

12 DAVID CRONENBERG AT TIFF

Iran nuclear deal marks changing tide for diplomatic relations

US STATE DEPARTMENT

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ELIANA STANISLAWSKI On November 24th, Iran and six world powers including the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany signed a six-month interim agreement demanding the containment of Iran’s nuclear program. In exchange, certain sanctions will be lifted.

The deal marks a significant change to Iran’s traditional political stance; not only is it the first time in a decade that Iran has agreed to curb its nuclear activities, but it is also the first concrete result of an evolving US - Iranian relationship. Since the election of Iran’s more moderate president, Hassan Rouhani, the United States has formally begun negotiating with Iran for the first time since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

The result of these negotiations has generated a variety of responses, ranging from satisfaction with what U.S. President Barack Obama expressed as being an “important first step” - to dismay with what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a “historic mistake.”

Until now, Iran had been enriching uranium to 3.5%, the necessary amount for nuclear energy, and to 20%, an amount making the process of accumulating fuel for a weapon faster. To make a weapon, Iran would have to enrich their uranium to 90%—they have the capacity to do this, but they have not yet done so.

The deal prohibits the installation of new centrifuges and the start up of installed, but not currently operating, centrifuges. The country will no longer be allowed to enrich uranium beyond 5%, and must dispose of its 20% enriched uranium.

In addition, there will be increased transparency and monitoring of the program. The time lines of these conditions are still in discussion.

In exchange, the U.S. and its partners will provide between $6 and $7 million in sanctions relief. A lifting of restrictions placed on exports and oil purchases will ease pressure on the struggling Iranian economy, while $400 million in governmental tuition assistance will be released from restricted funds to help pay the tuition fees of Iranian students.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed his opposition to the deal and to the relaxing of sanctions against the Iranian government. "Today the world has become a more dangerous place because the most dangerous regime in the world took a significant step towards obtaining the world's most dangerous weapon,” Netanyahu said.

However, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has defended the deal by reminding opponents that it will allow signatories to “have insights to their program that [they] did not have before.”

Kerry emphasized the importance of frequent inspections of uranium production facilities, stating that the participating parties will “verify and verify and verify and verify” that Iran is not building up the capacity to produce nuclear weapons.

Despite Kerry’s assurance, an Israeli team led by national security adviser Yossi Cohen is to travel to Washington to discuss their opposition to the deal. Israel, meanwhile, is the only country in the region that has not signed the nuclear non proliferation treaty. It is widely believed that Israel has its own undeclared nuclear arsenal, while the Israeli government has not allowed any inspections of its nuclear facilities to take place.

The deal has also caused a number of disputes within the United States Congress. Congressional Republicans are sceptical of its effectiveness, also viewing it as a way for Iran to advance their nuclear program. Republicans are now pushing to increase sanctions on Iran, violating the recent deal.

Obama has urged Congress against this mode of action, stating "doing so would derail this promising first step, alienate us from our allies and risk unraveling the coalition that enabled our sanctions to be enforced in the first place.”

Aid efforts continue after typhoon devastion CATRIONA SPAVEN-DONN Three weeks ago, Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines with wind speeds of up to 200 mph, making it one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever to make landfall.

Over 5000 people have been killed, while towns such as Tacloban were completely destroyed. Aid efforts are still trying to reach up to 11.5 million people, many of whom are isolated from the main response teams due to the extent of the damage.

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The UN released emergency funds of $20 million, while other nations such as the US, the UK and Japan have also donated large sums and deployed military personnel on the ground. Canada pledged $20 million in aid and has also announced that Citizenship and Immigration will prioritize applicants who have been directly and significantly affected by the typhoon.

Many emergency tents were set up in the first weeks after the disaster; these temporary hospi-

tals are still in constant use. As the country tries to rebuild its infrastructure, Médecins Sans Frontières and other NGOs have been crucial in providing tetanus and flu shots for the many people who are now forced to sleep outside, on the rubble of their former homes.

ARIARIX, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

“Neo-Nazi” elected in Slovakia amidst rising anti-Roma feeling across Europe

Luník IX , the largest Roma settlement in Slovakia

DAVID KITAI One of eight regional elections held in Slovakia last Sunday has yielded an unexpected result.

Marian Kotleba, a member of the ultra-nationalist Our Slovakia party, has been elected to the post of Regional Governor of Banska Bystrica in central Slovakia with 55.5% of the vote.

Kotleba was formerly the chairman of the banned Slovak Togetherness-National Party. His party engaged in intimidation and abuse of Roma citizens and expressed support for the Nazi puppet government of Jozef Tiso, president of Slovakia from 1939 to 1945. Under Tiso some 52,000 Slovak Jews were deported to Auschwitz.

President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Joseph Daul remarked “The result on Banska Bystrica is a serious blow to democracy in Slovakia but hopefully it is only a temporary one.”

Kotleba has made a number of controversial statements, calling NATO a terrorist organization and demanding that Slovakia dump the Euro.

Sunday’s elections were in part a result of the tension that exists between different ethnic groups in Slovakia. The country has a large Hun-

garian minority in the south and, as with much of Central Europe, a large and undocumented Roma population. Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose Social Democracy party won six of the eight elections, was criticized for using these ethnic divides to score political points. The Prime Minister declared that Kotleba’s victory was not a reflection of rising ultra-nationalism. He stated that his candidate, Vladimir Manka, lost because for right wing Slovakians “Antichrist, Satan, Hitler, Mussolini” would be better than Manka.

Increased austerity and slow economic growth in Slovakia has strengthened the Nationalist and Eurosceptic stance taken by figures like Kotleba. Slovakian Roma have been made the easy scapegoats of economic difficulties. They face endemic racism in Slovakia, accused of laziness and parasitizing the Slovak welfare state. As in neighbouring Hungary, ultra-nationalist rhetoric focusing on the vilification of the Roma, has mobilized large numbers of ethnic Slovaks, especially in rural regions like Banska Bystrica, to join right wing and nationalist political movements.

This radicalization has caused many Roma families to leave Slovakia for other countries in Europe. The UK has recently seen a rise in antiRoma feeling, especially in Yorkshire, where one local community has created so-called “vigilante” groups to patrol the streets. Since Slovakia joined the EU in 2004, thousands of Slovak Roma have moved to this part of England, but here too, tensions divide the different ethnic groups. Recent news reports have even cited the potential for riots to ensue, with Sheffield MP and former Home Secretary David Blunkett stating that “the incoming community” have to “change [their] behavior” in order to avoid an “explosion” taking place.

Similarly, major evictions of Roma camps in France have pointed to the endemic racism equally present at government level in Western Europe. Amnesty International has decried the “climate of hostility” that exists towards Roma people in Europe; however, it seems that tensions across the continent are continuing to worsen.

NEWS AT A GLANCE INTERNATIONAL Last Sunday’s elections in Honduras were predicted to produce no clear winner; however, with 35% of the votes still uncounted, the country’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal named Juan Orlando Hernández of the ruling conservative National party as the new President. The opposition leader, Xiomara Castro of the leftwing Libre party, has called for a recount, saying that dead or absent hondureños were included on electoral lists. She has accused the conservative party of fraud.

Voting was monitored by external bodies, such as the European Union, but they have responded by assuring that the election process was transparent. Honduras has had some of the highest crime and drug trafficking rates in the world since the 2009 military coup that overthrew the leftwing and democratically elected leader, Zelaya; the husband of Xiomara Castro.

NATIONAL The Canadian Federation of Students’ AGM took place on November 23rd to the calls of protestors who stood outside the Gatineau venue with placards and billboards. Representatives from Concordia University and McGill spoke about the difficulties of defederation, which multiple universities have petitioned for in recent months. Representatives from the U of T, Ryerson and York have all expressed disillusionment with the governance of this organization and its control over campus affairs.

UTSU, however, support the CFS as “a democratic organization,” according to CUP Bureau Chief, Jane Lytvynenko. The internal conflict of the CFS comes amidst criticism of the UTSU AGM and its dismissal of certain agenda items which were said to contravene its by-laws if included in the agenda.

Toronto Mayor needs no introduction; he has recently become a familiar feature of local, national and international news due to his controversial “criminal” behavior. The City Council is legally unable to remove the mayor from office; however, Ford was been stripped of his powers and continues as mayor in name only. Despite Ford’s statement, “I have nothing left to hide,” a string of scandals follow in his wake—use of crack cocaine, drunk and disorderly behavior and drug dealing are some of those recently reported. Ford has confessed to many of the above, including being intoxicated while at work in the City Hall. The police investigation is still underway over Ford’s alleged drug use; meanwhile, Toronto’s international image is, arguably, not what it once was.

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WHY POOR PEOPLE’S BAD DECISIONS MAKE PERFECT SENSE

by LINDA TIRADO

There is no coherent structure to understanding mental processes, and I often think that we look at the academic problems of poverty without examining the reasons why. We know what and how, and we can see systemic problems, but it’s rare to have a poor person actually explain it on their own behalf.

Rest is a luxur y for the rich. I get up at 6AM, go to school (I have a full course load, but I only have to go to two in-person classes) then work, then I get the kids, then I pick up my husband, then I have half an hour to change and go to Job 2. I get home from that at around 12:30AM, then I have the rest of my classes and work to tend to. I’m in bed by 3. This isn’t ever y day, I have two days off a week from each of my obligations. I use that time to clean the house and soothe Mr. Martini and see the kids for longer than an hour and catch up on schoolwork.

Those nights I’m in bed by midnight, but if I go to bed too early I won’t be able to stay up the other nights because I’ll fuck my pattern up, and I drive an hour home from Job 2 so I can’t afford to be sleepy. I never get a day off from work unless I am fairly sick. It doesn’t leave you much room to think about what you are doing, only to attend to the next thing and the next.

Planning isn’t in the mix.

When I was pregnant the first time, I was living in a weekly motel for a while. I had a minifridge with no freezer and a microwave. I was on WIC [Women, Infants, & Children Program of Food and Nutrition Services]. I ate peanut butter from the jar and frozen burritos because they were 12/$2. Had I had a stove, I couldn’t have made beef burritos that cheaply. And I needed the meat, I was pregnant. I might not have had any prenatal care, but I am intelligent enough to eat protein and iron whilst knocked up.

I know how to cook. I had to take Home Ec to graduate high school. Most people on my level didn’t. Broccoli is intimidating. You have to have a working stove, and pots, and spices, and you’ll have to do the dishes no matter how tired you are or they’ll attract bugs. It is a huge new skill for a lot of people. That’s not great, but it’s true. And if you fuck it up, you could make your family sick. We have learned not to tr y too hard to be middle-class. It never works out well and always makes you feel worse for having tried and failed yet again. Better not to tr y. It makes more sense to get food that you know will be palatable and cheap and that keeps well. Junk food is a pleasure that we are allowed to have; why would we give that up? We have ver y few of them.

The closest Planned Parenthood to me is

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three hours. That’s a lot of money in gas. Lots of women can’t afford that, and even if you live near one you probably don’t want to be seen coming in and out in a lot of areas. We’re aware that we are not “having kids,” we’re “breeding.” We have kids for much the same reasons that I imagine rich people do. Urge to propagate and all. Nobody likes poor people procreating, but they judge abortion even harder.

Convenience food is just that. And we are not allowed many conveniences. Especially since the Patriot Act passed, it’s hard to get a bank account. But without one, you spend a lot of time figuring out where to cash a check and get money orders to pay bills. Most motels now have a no-credit-card-no-room policy. I wandered around SF for five hours in the rain once with nearly a thousand dollars on me and could not rent a room even if I gave them a $500 cash deposit and surrendered my cell phone to the desk to hold as surety.

Nobody gives enough thought to depression. You have to understand that we know that we will never not feel tired. We will never feel hopeful. We will never get a vacation. Ever. We know that the ver y act of being poor guarantees that we will never not be poor. It doesn’t give us much reason to improve ourselves.

We don’t apply for jobs because we know we can’t afford to look nice enough to hold them.

I would make a super legal secretar y, but I’ve been turned down more than once because I “don’t fit the image of the firm,” which is a nice way of saying “gtfo, pov.” I am good enough to cook the food, hidden away in the kitchen, but my boss won’t make me a server because I don’t “fit the corporate image.” I am not beautiful. I have missing teeth and skin that looks like it will when you live on b12 and coffee and nicotine and no sleep. Beauty is a thing you get when you can afford it, and that’s how you get the job that you need in order to be beautiful.

There isn’t much point tr ying.

Cooking attracts roaches. Nobody realizes that. I’ve spent a lot of hours impaling roach bodies and leaving them out on toothpick pikes to discourage others from entering. It doesn’t work, but it’s amusing.

“Free” only exists for rich people. It’s great that there’s a bowl of condoms at my school, but most poor people will never set foot on a college campus. We don’t belong there. There’s a clinic? Great! There’s still a copay. We’re not going. Besides, all they’ll tell you at the clinic is that you need to see a specialist (seriously?), which might as well be located on Mars for how accessible it is. “Low-cost” and “sliding scale” sounds like “money you have to spend” to me,

and they can’t actually help you anyway.

I smoke. It’s expensive. It’s also the best option. You see, I am always, always exhausted.

It’s a stimulant. When I am too tired to walk one more step, I can smoke and go for another hour. When I am enraged and beaten down and incapable of accomplishing one more thing, I can smoke and I feel a little better, just for a minute. It is the only relaxation I am allowed. It is not a good decision, but it is the only one that I have access to. It is the only thing I have found that keeps me from collapsing or exploding.

I make a lot of poor financial decisions. None of them matter, in the long term. I will never not be poor, so what does it matter if I don’t pay a thing and a half this week instead of just one thing? It’s not like the sacrifice will result in improved circumstances; the thing holding me back isn’t that I blow five bucks at Wendy’s. It’s that now that I have proven that I am a Poor Person that is all that I am or ever will be. It is not worth it to me to live a bleak life devoid of small pleasures so that one day I can make a single large purchase. I will never have large pleasures to hold on to. There’s a certain pull to live what bits of life you can while there’s money in your pocket, because no matter how responsible you are you will be broke in three days anyway.

When you never have enough money it ceases to have meaning. I imagine having a lot of it is the same thing.

Poverty is bleak and cuts off your long-term brain. It’s why you see people with four different babydaddies instead of one. You grab a bit of connection wherever you can to sur vive. You have no idea how strong the pull to feel worthwhile is. It’s more basic than food. You go to these people who make you feel lovely for an hour that one time, and that’s all you get. You’re probably not compatible with them for anything long-term, but right this minute they can make you feel powerful and valuable. It does not matter what will happen in a month. Whatever happens in a month is probably going to be just about as indifferent as whatever happened today or last week. None of it matters. We don’t plan long-term because if we do we’ll just get our hearts broken. It’s best not to hope. You just take what you can get as you spot it.

I am not asking for sympathy. I am just tr ying to explain, on a human level, how it is that people make what look from the outside like awful decisions. This is what our lives are like, and here are our defense mechanisms, and here is why we think differently. It’s certainly self-defeating, but it’s safer. That’s all. I hope it helps to make sense of it.

FLICKR/AUGUST ALLEN

Op

What we know about poverty is often academic. It’s rare to have a poor person actually explain it on their own behalf.

So this is me doing that.

THE END OF SOVEREIGNTY SAM LEVY According to the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ document (drafted, in part,

by U of T’s own Michael Ignatieff), sovereignty is a privilege, not an absolute truth. This represents the current consensus on the controversial topic of intervention. The shift from nation states as the ultimate actor in international relations is significant, for it implores us to have a vested interest in not just our troubles, but in issues around the world. In situations where there is a government-supported humanitarian crisis (such as the recent crises in Libya and Syria), where the only hope for those afflicted lies outside their borders, this mindset is both valuable and imperative. However, there is another side to intervention that has come to light in recent years, namely invasive technologies.

These technologies, such as drones, cyber-warfare and electronic data

collection, pose both a psychological and geostrategic danger to our everyday lives.

I cannot hope to adequately capture the debate surrounding invasive technologies in this op-ed, but hopefully the risk of these technologies needs little explanation. In light of what has surfaced because of Edward Snowden, we have every right to be shocked and troubled by how vulnerable we are to outside organizations.

Of course it would have been naïve to think this wasn’t going on, in all nations, to some degree, yet the extent that the NSA is willing to go to (ostensibly) combat terrorism is unprecedented. Cases of spying on the call records of millions of people in Spain, or the individual cell phones of world leaders, demonstrate not only an overzealous doing of one’s job, but an overall abuse of the incredible techni-

cal power the NSA wields.

Some may suggest that organizations have had access to our digital information for years, and it has not brought us harm yet. Sure, maybe not us university-goers, but the problem extends far beyond the GTA. The scarier element of Barack Obama’s foreign policy is not just his ability to collect information using spyware and drones, but his administration’s willingness to act upon the intelligence collected. Drone strikes have increased exponentially, and it seems like anyone of any nationality is fair game. Thus, even in a place rocked by conflict, foreign intervention is a double-edged sword. Drone strikes can target those responsible for the conflict, yet how can one feel truly safe when at any moment you could be targeted from 15000 feet above the ground? The downing of the RQ-170

drone in Iran, and the Snowden leaks, are strong evidence that the United States still does not have a handle on their invasive technologies. Thus, what would happen if these capabilities got into the ‘wrong hands?’

If we knew that numerous states not only had the ability to monitor us, target us and, yes, even attack us within our own country, how safe could we possibly feel? Invasive technology has been successful in the fight against al Qaeda, the mission to prevent Iran going nuclear, and who knows what else; its success keeps us from being more concerned and vociferous. However, the Snowden leaks offer the perfect opportunity to have this important discussion, on the role invasive technologies are to play in the world, and the limitations that can, and I believe should, be placed upon them.

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Ed

OUR MASTHEAD Editors-in-Chief editor@thestrand.ca

Patrick Mujunen Paula Razuri Blaire Townshend

News

Catriona Spaven-Donn

Opinions

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Features

features@thestrand.ca

Amanda Aziz Emily Pollock

Arts & Culture

Claire Wilkins

Film & Music

Dominique Béchard

Stranded

Emily Deibert Olesya Lyuzna

news@thestrand.ca news@thestrand.ca

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stranded@thestrand.ca

Production

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production@thestrand.ca

Design

Jade Bryan Sarah Crawley

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Copy

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copy@thestrand.ca

Photo

Victoria Chuen Thomas Lu

photo@thestrand.ca

Art

Wenting Li

Web

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Distribution

Nigel Maynard

art@thestrand.ca

Editorial Assistants

Anthony Burton Rhianna Jackson-Kelso Eanna Morrison Barrs Lauren Van Klaveren

Contributors Eliana Stanislawski, David Kitai, Linda Tirado, Sam Levy, Andrea Ingles, Cheryl Minnis, Vittoria Tesoro, Megan Fedorchuk, Cassandra de Masi Photos Warren Goodwin, Sepehr Jamali Cover Photo by Thomas Lu Illustrations Wenting Li, Emily Pollock, Sarah Crawley

The Strand has been the newspaper of record for Victoria University since 1953. It is published 12 times a year with a circulation of 2000 and is distributed in Victoria University buildings and across the University of Toronto’s St. George campus.

The Strand flagrantly enjoys its editorial autonomy and is committed to acting as an agent of constructive social change. As such, we will not publish material deemed to exhibit racism, sexism, homo/trans*phobia, ableism, or other oppressive language.

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CONFESSIONS OF A PEOPLE PLEASER

MEGAN FEDORCHUK UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN

Do you find yourself saying yes to things you have no time or energy to complete? I think it’s time we all started saying no from time to time just to maintain our sanity.

Tuesday 7:40 p.m.: Travis Homenuk, Opinions Editor for the Sheaf, sends out the weekly text message in hopes of securing volunteers for next week’s issue. When you receive his plea, you are neck-deep in group work, final projects, presentations and creative journals — not to mention a lengthy student-exchange application that has already taken far too much of your precious time.

You would push these tasks into the evening, but your two part-time jobs and a committee meeting have you booked right up. You think to yourself, “It would be crazy to dedicate myself to an article this week.”

As you rationalize, you look down at your phone. What’s this?

You’ve already responded with an “I can try?” What does that even mean?

Oh wait, you’ve now clarified that indeed it means yes, yes you can write an article for next week’s issue. Swell.

Scenarios like these are textbook for the modern day people-pleaser.

Of course, I do not mean to say that every effort separate of an individual’s own personal wants and needs warrants assessment. After all, creating good karma will only further

benefit us in the future, right? So then what exactly qualifies someone as a people-pleaser?

As a self-diagnosed peoplepleaser, I have a few theories. The first is perhaps the most obvious: you do not wish to foster feelings of unhappiness.

When approached with a task, you feel that refusal will make you solely responsible for another person’s despair. Not wanting to bear the weight of such guilt, as you know how it feels to be stressed beyond reason, you respond with a reassuring “yes” regardless of your own anxieties.

Another theory is one that stems from the innate drive to belong. A positive relationship can be assumed between a number of commitments and a number of acquaintances.

A people-pleaser may initially involve his or herself to fulfill this drive. Then, once becoming a member of a team, committee or board of sorts, the previous theory may apply.

Before you know it, you’ve entered the trenches of an extra-curricular warzone, each involvement competing for your time, efforts, sleep and sanity.

The third theory more strongly relates to the social side of people pleasing, and is commonly known as a fear of missing out.

Pub-crawls, house-warming par-

ties, potlucks — you name it! All events including one or more people you may know are anticipated to be the event of the century. Decline an invitation to one of these wingdings and you can pretty much throw in the popularity towel.

Finally, and to end things on a depressing note, perhaps the reason certain individuals suffer from the “disease to please” is because they value others’ time, gains and goals above and beyond their own.

Their unhappiness is less significant; their time is not as precious; their recovery and recuperation is not as validating as mediocre social gatherings. Is it that we — the doormats, the pushovers, the spineless — do not feel we deserve time dedicated to ourselves?

Competitive in nature, I am immediately irritated by the giant spotlight shone over my hierarchy of todos, revealing my own aspirations, lonely and weathered, at the bottom.

Will people-pleasers finish last, after all? Are all these efforts for naught?

Ironically, it was Travis himself who suggested I write an article on how to say “no” when you are too busy. People-pleasers both far and near, find the strength to say “no” during this busy season. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.

THE SELF-DEPRICATING HUMOUR CONUNDRUM CASSANDRA DE MASI CONCORDIA UNIVRESITY Self-deprecating humour is a tool I use a lot in my daily life. Chances are, you’ve heard me make fun of my unfortunate clumsiness and sometimesawkward demeanor.

As I grow older and start to take on more important tasks in my life I have begun asking myself whether my self-deprecating ways are actually affecting the way people view me. Does this talk allow manipulative people an opening to take a jab?

Does it open the window for people to make unwarranted criticisms and scrutinize me for the sake of their own egos?

The role of self-deprecation is an actual topic being discussed and studied. Researchers at Seattle University recently conducted a study on their undergrads in which they were presented a list of descriptions about a new boss joining a fictitious company. The description that showed his self-deprecating side was most popular with the students, because they felt he seemed to be “a more likable, trustworthy, and caring leader.”

According to the article in INC. Magazine, “Self-deprecating humor enhances perceptions of leadership ability because it tends to minimize status distinctions between leaders

and followers.”

I am always meeting new people, and often find myself in leadership situations. This type of humour is my way of trying to make myself approachable and open to others. I also want to be likeable…there, I said it.

However, this is where I have noticed it can become dangerous. I can’t help but feel that these comments, quips, and jabs at myself should only be used around those who I know are sincere, and when I have control of the situation.

I find it important to be able to poke fun at yourself. I usually feel more comfortable around people who can, because it shows a sort of acceptance of one’s weaknesses, which we all have. Someone who thinks they know it all and jumps at your throat the minute they get the chance to correct or criticize are the most exhausting to be around. This is not called “tough love,” it’s being rude.

Maybe the reception of the humour also has something to do with gender? The Guardian reports that linguistics expert Dr. Judith Baxter did an 18-month study into the speech patterns of women and men from seven big companies in the UK. She studied the language used at 14

meetings led equally between women and men.

She found that most of the time, humour used by men was met with better reception than humour used by women. Also, women were much more likely to use self-deprecating humour, as it is a safer option to poke fun at themselves. Baxter also mentioned the fact that men have traditionally held the “leader” position in the business world, and women are still claiming their place.

This suggests a broader issue in terms of a woman’s place in the work field. However, in terms of using selfdeprecating humour overall, I think there is a general rule: there is a time and place for everything, regardless of who you are.

It’s a double-edged sword, because I want to be myself around others, however this also opens me up to the wrath of megalomaniacs. I personally see nothing wrong with using a little bit of self-deprecating humour, being funny is an asset. However, I just can’t help but feel it is important to be careful of your environment and whom you’re speaking too. You also don’t want it to be misinterpreted as self-doubt; no one wants to be the human version of Eeyore.

SARAH CRAWLEY

As the year draws to a close we’d like to wish you, dear reader, a very happy holidays filled with rest, merriment, and getting ahead on your second semester readings.

When looking at 2013, and the isntances that occured on university campuses across the nation, it’s interesting to note what could be perceived as a positive movement to a more socially conscious student body. From the response to the St. Mary’s frosh week cahants to Victoria College’s very own protests against pedagogy, there is a definite shift in the way we look at one another.

When the Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at University of Texas Austin announced they would be holding a “catch an illegal immigrant”game back in Novemeber 2013, the response was wild with out-

rage. Pretty impressive considering the game had taken place in 2005 with a protest of just 40 people. Similar games took place in 2006 and 2007 in other campuses across the USA, but they hadn’t met such a strong force of opposition. It would seem that quicker action is being taken against public displays that engage in oppressive discourses, and this is both a sign of our rapid communication and the popularization of social consciousness.

Looking forward, then, it’s encouraging and thoughtprovoking to see the way the public-at-large responds to such “questionable” behavious. We’ve seen it ourselves with the rapidity with which the college responded to the Professor David Gilmour’s Hazlitt interview. So here’s to a new year, wahatever it may hold.

Happy Holidays from

the Strand 7

It’s Personal

FE

AMANDA AZIZ and EMILY POLLOCK

What we talk about When we talk about Finals: How our success-obsession is Killing us

When it comes to finals, it seems as though we change our mode of communication to that of one basking in the typical university competitive culture. We keep our conversations about our personal lives to a minimum, and reveal the juicy details about the all-nighter we spent writing that 10 page essay. So we talk in exam speak, shielding ourselves with small talk in to hide our distress, as we measure our intellect on whether we are juggling our workload and personal life better than the person we are talking to.

“What’s up?”

“Oh, the usual. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Ha, same here. I was writing my essay.”

“Yeah, I had to do an essay, all while studying for my test. But, whatever.”

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We know that we don’t suffer alone, but suffering aloud is another thing. There is this preconceived notion that the university system finds its pride from the fact that the best, and only the best, students thrive in the academic institution. As those who struggle to keep up with the workload? If they can’t handle the schoolwork, then they can’t handle real life.

Get a degree, or get depressed trying.

The old joke about how many U of T students it takes to change a light bulb – two, one to change the light bulb and one to crack under the pressure – has a bitter ring of truth around exam time. Students joke about having been up for days and having five essays due in the same week with a tone of hysteria, unwilling to admit that they can’t cope with their schoolwork.

So how is this affecting our mental health? A study done this year, surveying over 30, 000 Canadian students, found that 90% felt overwhelmed by how much work they had, and half of students felt hopeless about their chances of success.

Almost 2/3 of these students said that they felt extremely lonely and isolated.

And this is especially pronounced among students at U of T. The university is proud of its status as a world-class institution (it’s made the list of top twenty universities worldwide for three years now), and its reputation as a study-intensive university. But the dark side of this success is the culture of fragile perfectionism present in its students.

Simply put, the university acts as a magnet for the kinds of perfectionists who think that asking for help is a sign of weakness and getting B’s are something

that happen to other people. And when these students hit exam season, they’re in trouble.

The pressures of being a university student are somewhat inevitable, but the way we deal with it isn’t. At U of T, our student culture glorifies all-nighters and turns personal suffering into a measure of success.

Students prioritize finals over their mental health, and don’t do the things – like reaching out to other people – that would help them deal with it. This anxiety often manifests as a weird passive-aggression towards other students. In especially highpressure fields like the Life Sciences, students often have to pay their classmates to get notes for lectures that they’ve missed, because the bell curve turns every student against one another in the fight for good marks. In other words, students do exactly the opposite of what they should to protect their mental health.

And a lot of the advice about student stess isn’t helpful. Telling people to take time to exercise or stay hydrated during studying won’t help people who literally think that their lives hinge on their Semiotics grade. The problem that we don’t talk about is the underlying university culture that promotes success over mental wellness.

The idea of mental wellness goes beyond not being in the middle of a crisis.

Born from the positive psychology movement of the 1990’s, mental wellness focuses on maintaining your psychological well-being and staying better than okay.

It can be much more useful concept than “mental illness”, which makes it sound as though only people with medication and a DSM diagnosis need to think about their mental health. It isn’t just students who have quote unquote mental illnesses who might benefit from an increased focus on mental wellness. It’s everybody.

Given all of these problems, what can we do to change how we think about stress?

Some of the change has to happen on the institutional level. The university can’t tell students that their mental health is precious while chronically underfunding mental health services. Students who know firsthand the service shortages and months-long wait times for an appointment at the university’s Counselling and Psychological Services are unlikely to swallow the university’s platitudes about how mental health is their first priority.

Fortunately, the university has started taking baby-steps in the right direction.

Services like Peers are Here, a student-led mental health group, are a stepping stone towards changing the culture of silence.

And both the university and the colleges organize Exam Jams, where students can ask their professors questions, de-stress and get advice on how to maintain their mental and physical health during exams But another, tougher shift is the one that needs to happen at the level of the individual. We, as students, need to get help when we need help, reach out to people when we’re stressed, and realize that suc-

cess isn’t everything.

A+ doesn’t have to stand for all-nighter, nor does the hard-working student status have to be only granted through the painstaking process of acquiring blood-shot eyes. Nor do we have to enable a dog-eatdog environment, one-upping another with how much heavier a workload we have in order to gain that temporary satisfaction that validates how we have it harder than the rest. And we don’t have to submit ourselves to empty exam speak, ending our heavily masked venting through talking about every single aspect of an upcoming assignment that we have to do, and polishing the ending with a “whatever.”

We also need to take time and not forget that while people around us aren’t talking about being under distress, it doesn’t mean that we don’t have to. We should ask our friends, genuinely and caringly, how they are doing. Try supporting one another by listening and empathizing, creating a non-judgmental environment for you and others to feel safe in admitting that sometimes the pressure is just too much. As human beings, we sometimes need to take a breather and recollect ourselves before jumping back in a chaotic environment.

University, after all, is a learning institution. Learning has to be trial and error process. Making mistakes, changing majors, dropping classes, and handing in assignments late do not mean that you have failed. Remember to give yourself more than one chance to get back up and try again.

(((( This is a part of our series on mental health, “It’s Personal”. Once a month, we’ll be talking about what’s going on inside our heads - but instead of writing a pSA, we’re making it personal. ))))

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WHAT 2013 DID TO 35 MM FILM

WARREN GOODWIN

The format isn’t dead, but this year will be the last in which studios distribute 35mm prints

PAULA RAZURI The times they are a-becoming quite different; for years now, we’ve watched inevitable changes in technology and movies marked by the increasing digital dominance in the ways we consume our entertainment. Just this November, Blockbuster USA announced the closing of its American stores to be finalized by early 2014. Canadians saw the change back in 2011 in which movie enthusiasts who worked for Blockbuster were replaced by the Redbox systems that now defiantly stand outside grocery stores and pharmacies (but I’m not bitter about it, I swear). The phasing out of video store rentals is just one symptom of the foreseeable climate changes in the entertainment industry and the unpredictability of its future.

As we approach the end of 2013, we also see another change in the way we watch movies as theatres phase out their use of 35milimetre and move forwards to digital projection.

By the end of 2013, film studios will no longer be printing their films to 35mm. This change has been happening over some time now, since it was only two years ago that Twentieth Century Fox announced that it would cease distribution of 35mm prints by the end of this year.

But for many, the change is rapid and exponential. For instance, during the latest run of the Toronto International Film Festival, only 3 out of the 288 feature-length films that showed were in in 35mm form. For projectionists and owners of small theatres, there is certainly a nostalgia or sense of loss that accompanies this transition, as well as a financial difficulty that comes with the need to digitize. Depending on the amount and size of screens housed in a theatre, the costs of upgrading to digital projectors can go from the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. These smaller theatres can continue to show old 35mm prints, but the need to stay 10

competitive through showing new movies can be overwhelming for small businesses and require them to make some major changes.

Faced with the threat of closing in 2007, The Royal on College St. partnered with Theatre D Digital in order to upgrade its facilities to keep up with the demands of the digital age.

In the case of The Royal, the theatre is now both a movie house as well as a post-production studio for film and television. Another independent theatre company outside of Toronto, Encore Cinemas, was forced to close one of its locations in December 2012 because it could not cover the costs of digital conversion.

Their second location was under similar threat up until late November this year in which an independent investor offered to cover the cost of digital conversion.

A fourth year film student at York University who was laid off during the closure of the aforementioned theatre remembers what it was like to work with 35mm prints. “It took two people to move a tray… those film platters are about four or five feet across,” he recalls.

“We had multiple burn-through where the film melted. In that case, you’d have to cut out the burnt frames and splice the film back together again.” Certainly digitization comes with fewer tangible problems that accompany the old 35mm format, but for many, the reality of the physical format is something to be missed.

Even educational institutions are experiencing a similar movement from celluloid to digital. While Ryerson and Concordia maintain the analog component of their film curricula, they have their own in-school processing labs and don’t yet own the infrastructure to completely do digital. York University has phased out the physical film component of its degree requirements.

In June of this year, mega-film makers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas voiced their predictions for an “implosion” within the film industry. Like wizened Dumbledores of the film world, both directors acknowledge the major changes afoot. In an event at USC in June of this years Lucas said, “the pathways to theatres are getting smaller and smaller.” He expects the movie industry to follow the theatre model in which ticket prices will be higher and movies will show for much longer. At the same talk, Spielberg predicted a series of big blockbuster flops prompting a hike in average movie ticket prices. We’ve seen such a flop just last year with Disney’s John Carter, which barely made back its budget and performed terribly at domestic box offices (but better overseas).

It isn’t just the formatting of film from celluloid to digital that’s changing; it’s everything to do with the industry as it stands. Directors like Christopher Nolan among other 35mm advocates will continue to shoot on 35mm, but studios will no longer distribute the prints for showcase in theatres.

So where does this leave us? As students, we are in the unique position of watching the waters churn before we have to jump in. The industries of television, radio, movies, and publishing are changing too quickly for anyone to know what’s going to happen, and this can be equally exciting as it is terrifying. With the end of 35mm distribution upon us, the movement to digital is just a marker for the major changes to come. Small theatres can hope to upgrade to digital while consumers can make the deliberate choice to see a print rather then a digital version of a film. This isn’t a goodbye forever to the mode of 35mm, celluloid film as a means of producing still lives, for now.

SEPEHR JAMALI

“SERIOUSLY FUNNY” ANTHONY BURTON November 14th was the premiere of Victoria College’s 141st Bob Sketch Comedy Revue, an annual tradition sketch comedy show that’s been entertaining Vic students in various forms for almost a century and a half now. It has its roots back when Vic was based in Cobourg, Ontario, and the eponymous Bob was a well-liked janitor of the College, Robert Beane.

The original Bob sounds like a sketch itself — in 1872, adoring students and faculty gathered and watched Robert Beane play violin and serve snow apples. Today’s show, student-run, directed and produced, is a truly impressive showcase of Vic’s best comedic talent, the sort of show you would gladly pay $10 to see even if it wasn’t populated with people you eat dining hall food in solidarity with.

This year’s show was bolstered by a special addition to the cast in the form of comedian Mark Little (a.k.a. BBQ Wizard), of internet comedy sensation Picnicface. Through producer Leah Moncada, Little’s services were procured and he added not only star power but energy and a maturity onstage that brought out the best of the other actors. Picnicface are probably best known as hucksters of the fictional Powerthirst energy drink, their ad for it being an in-your-face ironic interpretation of the sort of “extreme advertising” whose popularity has increased in turn with the emergence of “red bull, Doritos and Call of Duty” as a legitimate demographic indicator.

The video has amassed over 26 million views on YouTube, and a slew of other Picnicface videos show a humour style that reflects of Canada’s underground alt-comedy scene. The current crop of up-and-coming comedians in Canada tries to break free of the Canadian comedian tradition of neurotic self-observation with their own blend of absurdism and irony.

The sketches written for the Bob this year take that torch and run with it, and the blend of traditional comedy with the sketches influenced by this movement made for a show that never felt like it lost its steam.

Anybody who’s sat around making a

screenplay with friends knows that the creative process for that type of thing isn’t exactly the most methodical procedure. The sort of multi-person and multi-layered sketches that comprise the Bob’s stage time don’t just come out of some quality kush and the quick keystrokes of a coca-cola connoisseur. A staple of the Bob’s recent history has been their weekend cast retreat to Hart House Farm to collaborate amongst each other’s continued company and pump out much of the sketches that make it into the show. With budget cuts across the board for club funding this year, the funds for the retreat disappeared and the cast faced the tall task of writing without the stockholm syndrome of Hart House Farm motivating their humour. Enter Gillian Frederick, a York student who has spent the better part of this year working on a documentary of the Bob. Gillian’s ties to the revue go through years, family, and friends, and she hosted the cast for a night at her house to recreate the atmosphere of previous retreats.

This environment does its best work through how it facilitates the group approach that the Bob takes to creating sketches. According to cast member Jack Grobe, the multistage process from conception to execution is a group effort, with many people getting their hands dirty at various stages of the process.

Every sketch starts with a single idea, from a weird juxtaposition (this year’s sketch involving gossiping girls whose conversation evolves into a heated argument about the Syrian conflict), a random concept (a scrapped sketch about rappers at a Roman villa), to just using an interesting overheard conversation as a foundation. These then are brought to the group for critique and criticism, reworked and ultimately chosen by the directors to be in the show.

As evidenced in the success and longevity of the Bob, this is an approach that clearly works. The two-and-a-half hour runtime of the revue did not feel a minute too long, and the humour of the sketches was consistent and covered a vast array of styles. From the

physical comedy of a serial killer boyfriend reconsidering his in-progress break-enter-andmurder upon overhearing his girlfriend talk positively of him on the phone, to the fourthwall breaking yet somehow nonesoteric sketch involving Chekov’s physical gun, the sketches were intellectually informed but inviting — an impressive accomplishment considering Victoria College’s tendency to appeal to the highest common denominator. Cast member Greg Martin’s TED Talk on the financial potential brimming in the world of clams opened up the second act, a highlight of the show that showcased Martin’s acting chops and the writers’ ability to properly take the piss out of the sort of thing that we all find annoying but don’t quite yet realise it. Martin’s monologue was but one example of a given member wielding their material like a broadsword. The final night of the show was host to Mark Little’s appearance, and his energy in some of the Bob’s sketches infected the other actors and made for some of the strongest skits of the show. His turn as a professor teaching a class on surrealism to close the first act did not give the audience much time to catch their breath from laughter. Little’s acting chops combined with those of the Bob’s regulars lifted what would be otherwise a difficult concept into stratospherically funny territory, a vaccuumed representation of the overall ability of the cast to take fragile concepts and run with them successfully. Risk pays off, and when you have the sort of talent that the Bob strutted out onstage this year you turn risk factors into reward.

The Bob’s continued success as a staple of Victoria College’s creative community is something that should invoke pride in every Victorian. It’s a great feeling to know, amongst U of T’s status as a world class academic institution, that we also have creative minds rivalling those who call comedy a career. The title of this year’s show was “Seriously Funny”, and in a world of false advertising and big claims, it’s refreshing to be rewarded with what you came for.

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PHOTOS BY \MATTHEW CASACA

F/M

Carnival of the

CRONENBERGESQUE A look inside the Cronenberg Project at TIFF MATTHEW CASACA The Cronenberg Project isn’t just an exhibition—it’s an experience, an amusement park ride that is immersive, multifaceted, and above all, surreal. In other words, it’s a perfect fit considering its subject matter.

Although typical moviegoers associate the name “David Cronenberg” with the cinema of body horror and violence, this simple categorization is far from the truth. Sure, Cronenberg made The Fly (1986)—a movie where a teleportation experiment goes wrong and Jeff Goldblum becomes an insect/human hybrid—but he also made A Dangerous Method (2011), a historical film that showcases the interrelationships between Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Sabina Spielrein, rather than hallucinatory body horror so often considered a Cronenberg trademark. Because all of Cronenberg’s films are so radically different on the surface, it seems like a miracle the organizers of David Cronenberg: Evolution managed to make sense of his work at all.

Evolution, the main attraction of the Cronenberg Project, organizes 20 films into roughly chronological order and featuring over 300 artifacts, including letters, prints, unpublished film treatments, annotated notes, behind-the-scenes footage, prosthetics, and miniatures. Although some of the most informative documents occur near the beginning and near the end of

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the exhibit, these parts are much less visually engaging.

Most of the cool stuff in the exhibition happens in the middle— from the props of Videodrome (1983) to Crash (1996). These include the pear-shaped six-foot teleportation device from The Fly, the sadistically shaped “surgical” instruments created by an insane gynecologist in Dead Ringers (1988), and the endearingly deformed amphibians from eXistenZ (1999). A separate section called “Interzone” is devoted solely to artifacts and multimedia that relate to Cronenberg’s adaptation of William S. Borough’s The Naked Lunch.

This section is notable for its inyour-face sexual imagery and a shiny mahogany bar where you can stop for a drink and take a picture with a six-foot tall mugwump—a creature best described as looking like the bastard child of Greedo and Quasimodo.

Evolution is meant to be more than just the museum exhibition, however. In fact, on the Fourth Floor of the TIFF Bell Lightbox Theater, there are two other interesting extensions to the Cronenberg Project, both of which are free: the David Cronenberg: Virtual Exhibition and the Body Mind Change (BMC) Labs. TIFF, OCAD, York, and Sheridan built The Cronenberg Virtual Exhibit to be used as an online resource for post-secondary students because it offers not only scholar essays on Cronenberg’s work, but it also offers rare footage and new

interviews with Cronenberg’s collaborators. The website, though beautifully designed (exemplified by how every image of every prop in the exhibit below can be rotated a full 360 degrees), is only available via the TIFF servers—meaning if you’re writing an essay on Cronenberg and you want access TIFF resources, you have to commute; which kind of defeats the purpose of putting the information online in the first place.

This truism was at least taken to heart by the BMC Labs exhibit page since it’s accessible from anywhere. The point of this “digital extension” to Evolution is to fill out some online surveys and simulations which, based on your responses, will determine and change the shape of your so-called personal on-demand implant, or pod for short. In theory, if you finish the online simulations, then you will get a three-dimensional print of your pod, functionally useless but decoratively nice. Regardless of whether you participate in the surveys or not, the BMC space is still worth checking out in person since it looks like the pantry of a mad scientist—glass jars lining the walls are filled liquid and translucent pods, each unique in shape, size, and appearance.

Evolution finishes its initial run in Toronto on January 19.

PAULA RAZURI

BACKSTAGE WITH JEAN-PHILIP GROBLER OF ST. LUCIA ANDREA INGLES It was around 7pm and there was a long line of fans flocked outside of the Danforth Music Hall to see Two Door Cinema Club (TDCC) perform, with Peace and St. Lucia as the opening acts. I met with Jean Philip Grobler of St Lucia outside the venue, where he was swaying along to Peace’s sound check as he greeted me with a humble smile.

Jean was born and raised in Johannesburg where he attended an all boys’ choir boarding school.

He moved to Liverpool to study music for four years and landed a job in New York where he eventually formed St. Lucia. His current project is a cluster of 80’s-inspired vibes, a sprinkle of Gloria Estefan, and a dash of Madonna—with an overall summer aura.

Here is what we chatted about: The Strand: You have cited that 80’s pop icons, such as Madonna, are huge influences on your sound.

Are there any artists that your fans

would be surprised that you are influenced by?

Jean: Yeah, I mean for a long time I was making music that was very guitar-based, like quite rocky.

There was this band from Denmark that I was really into for a while called Mew, and I was hugely influenced by their album, The Glass Handed Kites. Their sound is hard to describe —really angelic, spacey vocals.

the road; they go out and party and they still put on a great show every night. And that to me is something, because I sing very strong and loud and I have to rest my voice sometimes but it’s good to remember to enjoy yourself!

ing those influences away, but with St. Lucia it’s the first time I feel like I can incorporate all my influences into one music.

TS: I read that growing up, you were part of an all boys’ choir. Was that something that pushed you towards the beginnings of St. Lucia?

TS: Since you have been touring with TDCC, have you been able to take anything from their success?

Or do you feel that you guys are on completely different paths?

J: I think that was definitely part of it; it was a huge part of my musical heritage and what I did. I think it has influenced the way I like to have my music. I like music to have layers and different melodies and more information than a melody, a chord, and rhythm. I think cold music has that: there are a lot of counterpoints and contrapuntal melodies and different things going on. We did a lot of African music in the choir as well and I’m from South Africa and I feel that that definitely influences what I do, especially rhythmically.

I think for a long time I was push-

J: What’s tough about it is that I think of what it can be, and what my approach to it is more so then what’s just on the first album. I think of it as a bigger thing than that. The way that the album is, is definitely nostalgic, romantic, and poppy.

J: I don’t know their whole backstory; I feel like they had a hit fairly early on in their career. We’ve been playing for about two years now, so things have been a little bit slower for us. I think in some ways it’s different. I think at some point something will blow up. But I think, what’s good to see is how they still manage to have fun on

TS: Can you define St Lucia in three words?

TS: What is your dream venue?

J: I think the venue that I’ve really been lucky enough to play at is Red Rocks in Denver—it’s this amazing outdoor venue, in the middle of the Rockies. I would just love to play there. I really like playing outside if I can, because inside can be a bit difficult because of the echo, but outside the sound escapes and if the weather is great then that’s perfect.

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WILLIAMSDB/FLICKR CC

DOCTOR WHO CELEBRATES 50YEARS OF TIMEY WIMEY FUN Anniversary episode airs on tv, in theatres CHERYL MINNS DOUGLAS COLLEGE Grab your fez and put on your thinking glasses because The Day of the Doctor has arrived. The long-awaited 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who premiered simultaneously at various movie theatres and on television screens around the world on Nov. 23.

The 75-minute episode follows the Doctor (currently played by Matt Smith), a Time Lord who travels the universe in a blue police box, as he and his former incarnations (David Tennant and John Hurt) go on an adventure through time and space to save the Earth and maybe even their soon-to-be-destroyed home planet, Gallifrey.

With an interesting plot set between present day and the Elizabethan era, and featuring special effects that rival blockbuster movie hits, the episode seems more like a cinematic film than a season opener for a television show.

In Vancouver, the televised broadcast and

theatre showings began at 11:50 a.m. to coincide with England’s 7:50 p.m. showtime. Dedicated fans sold out the theatre shows as soon as tickets became available while others loyally sat by their televisions for the commercial-free broadcast.

But how did a low-budget, black and white, children’s show that debuted on November 23, 1963 gain such a devoted fan following?

Many of the recent fans attribute their passion for the show to its 2005 reboot with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, the fan-voted number one companion of all time. The new series embraced the sci-fi genre and filled the show with special effects while sending the Doctor and Rose across the universe and through time from the Victorian era to the end of the world, battling foes and putting their lives in peril for the greater good.

The reboot also went for darker episodes than its predecessor and featured the deaths of lead characters—such as the Doctor, who regen-

erates instead of dying to allow for recasting— and the departure of companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams, who were attacked by Weeping Angel monsters.

Speculation over which former characters and guest stars would appear in the 50th anniversary episode ran rampant among fans over the last year. They predicted former companions like Rose and the actors who previously played the Doctor would appear in the episode.

Piper returns, as many expected, and plays a variation of her original Rose character. Tom Baker, who played the Doctor in the 1970s, also makes an appearance in the episode.

The Day of the Doctor is an instant fan favourite with solid writing and special effects, entertaining guest appearances and inside jokes, and fantastic comedic timing between Doctor actors Smith and Tennant. Doctor Who is an excellent example of what classic British television can achieve when people believe in it and support it.

WARREN GOODWIN

ONE DIRECTION’S VIDEO: “STORY OF MY LIFE” VITTORIA TESORO

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Attention all Directioners! One Direction’s second single, “Story of My Life,” has been released from their third studio album, Midnight Memories. The quintet has done it again with their chic non-matching outfits, catchy tune, and captivating solos. Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson have all cowritten a song intended to reflect their lives before their sudden musical fame.

One Direction uses thousands of photographs of their youth and their families to tranport fans back in time to the 90s . The video is set in a photography lab where the boys are seen developing photographs from their childhood. A series of photos demonstrate the transition the group has experienced from being silly children to performing their music as young men. It’s clear that the director, Ben Winston, wants the

video to display this transition from childhood to adulthood.

Oddly enough, the beginning lines of the song simply do not reflect this vision. It’s a great story to tell, but the beginning does not reflect the growth of the group nor does it introduce the idea of familal love. The lyrics do however demonstrate the yearning to stay fixed in a certain moment without having to leave its comfort. Harry illustrates this desire as he continues to sing the line, “And time is frozen.”

The band’s family members appear in the video to recreate the original scene in the photographs. When these are first introduced, only the band members are moving while the family member(s) is frozen in time as the boys continue to sing. The family members come alive towards the end of the video when they show affection towards their loved one. Harry stars his mum;

Zayn stars his younger sister; Niall stars his older brother; and Liam stars his parents and sisters. Louis’s photo recreation is rather personal as two of his elder family members, his grandparents, slowly fade away to illustrate their loss.

All that remains is Louis and two other family members in the distance.

Unlike One Direction’s previous music videos, “Story of My Life” is filmed in a rather dark setting with minimal light exposure and without any comedic scenes. Though the video is not designed to make you laugh, it’s hard not to smile at the boys’ warm memories. It’s interesting to see this side of the band since viewers are used to a group of cheeky lads who just want a laugh.

Over all, the video is well done, as the members’ sentiment is generously shared by means of the photos and emotions displayed throughout the music video.

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

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TEN OH-SO-VERY ACCURATE PREDICTIONS FOR 2014 EMILY DEIBERT

1. Someone, somewhere will predict the end of the world. It will be “backed by irrefutable scientific evidence” and be “completely unprecedented,” and it will send the world into a panicked uproar the night before it is due to happen. It will end up being about as successful as Y2K and 2012.

2. Gyms will have made 90% of their profits by the end of January. In other news, millions of people will by that time have lost roughly the cost of a year-long gym membership and given up on their New Year’s resolutions.

3. Rob Ford will own up to his former career as a porn star. Sales will skyrocket for his first feature-length film, Enough to Eat at Home.

4. Despite not being in any movies, Meryl Streep will win an Oscar. Leonardo DiCaprio will not.

5. Miley Cyrus will reprise her role as Hannah Montana. Parents everywhere will begin to question why they were so upset about her leaving that phase of life in the first place.

6. Every Russian athlete in the 2014 Olympics will be revealed to be gay. Putin will be forced to grin and bear it after his assurance that everyone will be made to feel welcome at the Olympics regardless of ethnicity, race, or sexual orientation.

7. Halle Berry will give birth to a daughter named Straw. Brad Pitt will adopt a son and name him Arm. Barry White’s child will have the first name Black and middle name And. Emma Stone’s firstborn will be called Rolling. They’ll all bond with North West. Aren’t I punny?

8. Robin Thicke will release a new album. Nobody will care.

9. The Royal Family will go out for a walk. The outing will headline every newspaper for a week.

BBC will release a limited edition DVD box set commemorating the occasion.

10. The Strand will be the #1 most-read student newspaper in Canada.

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Down: 1. A game of chance for the whole family 2. Ken’s girlfriend 3. A holiday horror filmed at Annesley 4. Katy Perry’s favorite alien 5. _______ of the Lonely (song) 6. Santa’s diet essential 7. Deep blue 8. ‘It’s a _______ Life’ (movie) 9. What you’ll be nursing on January 1st 10. Drink brought to you by chickens, cows and sugar cane 11. Number of French hens + number of ladies dancing sent by your true love 12. The act of preparing marshmallows

Across: 1. An illegal present with a purpose 5. A multi-coloured feline 13. 40s crime drama genre 14. Jim from ‘Holiday Inn’ 15. The sound you make when you step on your little brother’s lego in the dark 16. Winter weather in Canada 17. A blond teen heartthrob 18. Holiday mocha 19. Musical shuddering 20. A French gnome 21. A Christmas family reunion wardrobe staple

Answers will be posted in the next “Stranded,” so if you failed at this minor intellectual challenge, then no fear!

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