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The Vandoo | The Vanier College Newspaper
Year in Review Khaliq Martin Director of Publications
My name is Khaliq Martin and I ‘am proud to say that I was the Director of Publications for the Vandoo and Vanier College Council for the academic year of 2013-2014. This year Vanier College Council with the help of social subcommittee organized an amazing slew of events throughout the year. It all started out during Frosh week as we welcomed the new First year students with a tonne of exciting events from Wasaga beach to the tasteful boat cruise and all the humorous activity in between. From there on first year students established great connections with other Vanier affiliates and made lasting friendships that helped them survive what we all can agree is a sometimes stressful first year transition for any University student. Those who survived Frosh were able to relive the magic at Frosh revival party that included a collective of Frosh and Frosh bosses two weeks after Frosh week ended and reconnect with some of the frosh from other colleges.
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As the year progressed Vanier College Council arranged events in the fall term such as Halloweek in October that incorporated ghastly activities like the Halloween pub night and our annual trip to Wonderlands Halloween themed happenings. Other big events like Movember week, Movember pub night, Vanier’s annual Montreal trip, and the fall term coffee house took place in the month of November. December included various de-stressing activities for students dealing with anxiety and time management, with the help of Annalissa Crisostomo, Ilir Serbo and Social subcommittee nifty little exam packages were given to students and offered such things as candy, juice, sticky notes and other school materials to get them equipped for the scholarly battle against ex-
aminations. The winter term included events such as Frost week to welcome the new first year students arriving in the winter term of school and enlist those who enjoyed the wonders of Frosh week to make a second debut and help Vanier College welcome the new incoming students. During the course of this term events such as Suit up Thursdays, Blue Mountain, Vanier’s Valentine’s Day pub night, Vanier’s paintballing and bowling as well as our year ending formal took place.
Vanier’s very own Director of Promotions spearheaded the promotion and selling of the very appealing Vanier gear that was sold this year which included toques and crewnecks different types of colors such as pink, black and blue and was sold in innumerable quantity, so much so that he had to make a second order. The Vanier community gave back positive feedback about the Vanier Gear and hopefully the gear will be able to make a second appearance the academic year of 2014-2015.
As the year draws near to a close we would like to thank those students who showed Vanier College Council so much love and support. It has honest and truly been a great honor but it is indeed the students who make every year a great year here at Vanier. As we say our goodbyes to one another whether you’re graduating as a Vanier Alumni, travelling for the summer vacation or doing summer courses we would like to thank the Vanier community for everything and we hope to see you guys next year and want to encourage students to pass on the tradition of greatness Vanier has made and to go beyond our awesome reputation.
2014-04-08 10:59:44 PM
The Vandoo | The Vanier College Newspaper
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Vanier Award Winners 2013-2014 On Friday March 14th 2014, Vanier College Council and the Vanier community celebrated the end of the year at Vanier College’s annual formal event. During this event Vanier College Council took the opportunity of presenting a variety of awards to various Vanier affiliates for their outstanding commitment and involvement to the Vanier community. Each one of these students contributed to the success of the Vanier community. So we, at the Vandoo, want to take this time to congratulate those students for their determination throughout the year and let it be known amongst the community for their endeavors. We also wish to inspire those that wish to be a part of this wonderful community this year so that no achievement goes unnoticed. Those students who may have come up short from winning an award this year should realize that you’re zeal for being involved has been greatly appreciated and counts towards the total success of Vanier whether it be coordinating events on Vanier College Council, helping us win the Torch on Vanier Athletics, continuing to be a part of this lovely community as an Alumni or even those on the social subcommittee. Without the combined efforts of every student who played an important role in our community, Vanier would not be where it is today.
*The winner of ‘Rookie of the year’ goes to Nadia Greco for her ambition and willingness to go above and beyond her assigned duties as a First Year Reprentative. Vanier College thanks you.
*The winner of the Trailblazer award goes to Mike O’Reilly for the diverse amount of participation and aid he continually shows to our community and his love for all things Vanier. Vanier College thanks you.
*The Winner of the Vandoo staff member of the year award goes to Suneel Mistry for his service to the Vandoo, his proactive strive to do better for the Vandoo and becoming so involved in the Vanier community. Vanier College thanks you
*The winner of the Nancy Accinelli award goes to Dave Barnett for his super devotion to playing athletic activities, his incredible passion for the program, his tremendous reliability, his willingness to help out and playing with his heart. Vanier College thanks you.
The winner of the Meginnes fitness and lifestyle merit award goes to Matthew Triolo for always living and promoting a healthy lifestyle for all the members of the community. Vanier College thanks you.
*The winner of the Rob Mclean award goes to Ashley Jung for always going above and beyond her council duties, enthusiasm about the athletic program and persistently finding participants for the program. Vanier College thanks you.
*The winner of the female rookie of the year goes to Becca McNaughton for her ridiculous movement for a first year student and always being reliable to go above and beyond. Vanier College thanks you.
*The winner of the Alumni Athlete award goes to Mike O’Reilly in honor of Mike being *The winner of the male rookie award goes to one of the only Alumni who consistently comes Harshil Patel for his incredible sportsmanship and out to play a majority of the sports whenever he high-level of athleticism. Vanier College thanks can. Vanier College thanks you. you.
*The winner of Male athlete of the year goes to Andrew Weppler for his contribution to our athletics council and the amount of involvement and incredible athleticism he has given.*The winner of the Female Athlete of the year goes to Arti Kaushal for her outstanding performance as a female athlete, her great personality at every sport, the hundred percent reliability she has given and her accommodating atmosphere to welcome new people. Vanier College thanks you.
*Male and Female panther cup winners goes to Frank Gayle and Erin Cochrane. Frank Gayle has won due to his ability to go out of his way in making himself available and always happy to do so and his persistent energy. Erin Cochrane has won due to her constant commitment to the program, incredible attitude and athletic contribution. Vanier College thanks you. Brittany Griffith would like to congratulate the winners of the athletic awards and all the athletes who participated and helped Vanier in the goal towards winning the Torch. The combined effort of Vanier College has been greatly appreciated and this year we had an amazing array of athletes whom we hope will continue to do Vanier proud in the years to come. A special thank you to Brittany Griffith for all the hard work that you put into Vanier Athletics as President.-— you were the biggest asset to the Vanier Athletics program. The amount of time and effort you sacrificed to help Vanier win the torch cannot and will not go unrecognized. Vanier College would like to bestow upon you the greatest thank you for everything you have achieved and your insurmountable dedication and perseverance.
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2014-04-08 10:59:45 PM
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The Vandoo | The Vanier College Newspaper
Lifestyle Summer School can be fun! Survivng the Final Month The bright sun, the fresh smell of grass and long nights ultimately define summertime. But no one usually attaches the word “school” next to summer. Why not?
Acting for Non-Majors 2.
Eight months of university courses can be difficult, especially if you’re taking all 30 credits. Four months of school-free summer is the ultimate vacation. But if you have to take some electives, or if you’re looking for something interesting to learn, there are some enjoyable courses York offers in the summer that will surprise you!
Along with living the summer with some drama, you can also add a touch of your own music. Consider some of the non-major instrumental courses. I’ve heard some great views on Guitar for Non-Majors and Majors. How wonderful would it be to get your rock n’ roll side going while enjoying the amazing summer breeze?
First of all, consider some of York’s Theatre courses. Acting for Non-Majors I is widely recognized as a fun and easy elective. You start off with some simple breathing exercises and move on to some very captivating group presentations and monologues. I took it myself two summers ago so I can vouch for it! And if you love the course, you can continue to take
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Afifa Mahboob Copy Editor
Dance, Film and Culture. This course will take you around the world of dance, music and theatre. If you want to take on a challenge, consider taking some of York’s language courses. During the summer, York offers introductory courses for Arabic, Chinese, German, Italian and Spanish, and you’re not required to have experience in any of the languages. It may seem a little difficult, but learning a new language would definitely be an unforgettable experience!
So summer courses can actually be loads of fun-especially at York! Drama and music You just have to want aren’t the only entertaining genres of study to take them. If you need to take electives in the educational world; how about some or you’re just looking for something excitdancing? York offers a variety of Dance cours- ing, check out some of es during the summer, the courses mentioned above. such as Jazz Dance I, which is an introducSurprise yourself! tory course where you Fill this summer with will learn the various styles of jazz, including some excitement along funk, theatre dance and with education. It’s aceven hip-hop! If you’re tually a wonderful and a writer but love some satisfying combination. culture, you can take
It’s the time of the year, where we all start cramming, stressing and panicking! It’s the last month before exams, then every ones favorite time of the year SUMMER VACATION (well mine at least)! After battling the unbelievable winter we’ve had this year and the last couple months, it’s the time where students pull all nighters for those essays we’ve left last minute or the essays we’ve forgotten about, time to cram for those tests the night before and lets not forget dealing with life outside school. With a little confidence we can finally say WE ARE ALMOST DONE! But in the time being we still do have a month before finals, so with that in mind; always remember to not fall behind with your work and your studies. York has a lot of great services that could help if you need that little push, or if you need another pair of eyes to look over your work! If you need a pair of fresh eyes to look over the essays you’ve been
Farah Mansour Contributor
slaving and working hard to finish night after night; the writing center is a great place to go and get the editing you need done, they will edit your papers for you and even explain what you did wrong and help you fix it! Another great service at York is peer advising at Vanier College. It’s a great way to get one on one peer advising from students just like your selves! I’ve tried it out, and it’s always great to have someone who is stressing the same way you are to feel the pain you’re going through someone who can relate to you. Homework can get overwhelming especially during the last month; we all know how that feels. Always looking for a place to study could get pretty hectic and stressing. Well why not visit the Scott Library. You
could book a room on the first floor and have a calm and quiet place to study in. By the last week of the month and into exams the library opens 24 hours for those who are night owls and like to study during the night. Vanier College Renaissance is another great place to study in; can’t think of a better place to sit and relax and catch up on work. Never give up, because even the greatest people in the world have failed at something but always had the courage to keep going. Don’t over stress yourself because that isn’t what university life is about, it’s about balance. We may have a lot of assignments, essays and tests but always remember with that you always have to fun because what would life be without a little bit of fun added to it. Every moment in your life counts; so take that step and show the world and yourself how great you are!
2014-04-08 10:59:47 PM
The Vandoo | The Vanier College Newspaper
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A New Beginning It seems unbelievable to think that the year has already passed and I am a soon-to-be second year university student. Those days of putting on my black and pink frosh shirt are long gone, and yet it seems like they had been only a few weeks ago. I’m still trying to figure out how it came to be the end of the year. Thinking back to frosh week, I remember how highly I thought of all the bosses that immediately welcomed us, granted us with hundreds of opportunities on the spot and provided us with a base for Panther Pride to develop so strongly over the weeks at this school. Ever since then, they have become some of my greatest friends. Most of all I was beyond amazed that all of them seemed to be so close.
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Before coming to university, I was told that without living on res, I shouldn’t expect to make many strong friendships. Everyone warned me that I’d be going to school and going home to do work all night because that’s what “everyone” did. As long as I made friends with the two people who sat beside me in each lecture, I wouldn’t be lonely in university, they said. Well, I’m pleased to say that I’ve come to learn, understand and love how none of that is actually true - at least it’s not if you’re open to new opportunities! I’ve fallen in love with the idea of being able to walk into Vanier (and all around York) and see familiar Panther faces. There is always someone there to chit-chat with, someone there to lend you a hand, someone
Nadia Greco First Year Representative there to meet you for an absolutely delicious Starbucks Frappuccino post-lecture - not to mention that our college is home to plenty of inviting club spaces, our very own lounge and our two amazing offices, the Vanier College Council office and the Athletics Office, both of which are routinely open and welcoming. This is only because I’ve been open to opportunity. I highly encourage anyone who hasn’t had the chance to come around and say hello to do so. You’re bound to make a dozen new friends on the spot and possibly provide yourself with some amazing new opportunities. Come out to events, participate in our
intramural program, stop by and relieve some stress, and much more! When I first ran for student council, I had no idea what to expect. I knew very few people, and as a new student and had to campaign myself to hundreds of strangers. All it took was one second of courage, a dash of awkwardness and a pint of drive, and since then I’ve managed to have the happiest year of my life. I’ve reached the point where any invitation for a new opportunity has an automatic yes response. Why not? What do I have to lose by trying something new? Learning something new? Meeting new
friends? Vanier College Council and Vanier College altogether have become my most treasured experiences and my primary motivation to date. Being able to wake up in the morning, motivated and excited to go to school, is truly incredible. It makes those long lectures a lot easier, knowing that you have a reason to smile afterwards. I’m not sure where I would be right now if I hadn’t become so involved with Vanier, but I’m grateful that I am - I will continue to be for years to come. If you’re going to take anything out of this monologue of mine, it is to promise yourself that you’ll do something that you haven’t done at this school before, just because you can. This year has been a
journey of opportunity and none of this would have been possible if I didn’t take those few moments to engage in the community for the first time. Thank you to everyone who has crossed my path within the last few months for providing me with the best year of my life. I wish you all the best of luck throughout the summer. For those returning, and even for those of you moving onto bigger and better things, I’ll see you soon. #VaniervsEverybody Follow the Vanier College Council on Twitter, @Vanier_College, and on Instagram, @VaniervsEverybody
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2014-04-08 10:59:48 PM
Formal Review Review "And the Nominees Nominees Are..." Formal A " nd the Are..." KhaliqMartin Martin Khaliq
Directorof of P Publications Director ublicationsVCC VCC
This year Vanier College Council’s very own committee and social helped This year Vanier College Council’s veryformal own formal committee andsub-committee social sub-committee
create amazing formalformal eventevent with an Oscar’s theme thatthat hadhad everyone dressing helpedan create an amazing with an Oscar’s theme everyone dressingtotoimpress. impress.
Students transportedfrom fromYork YorkUniversity UniversitytotoChateau ChateauLe LeJardin, Jardin,where wherethey theywere weregreeted greeted Students were were transported by by a flashing cameras, red carpet leading into an elegant , and Vanier council’s a flashing cameras, a reda carpet leading into an elegant foyer, foyer and Vanier collegecollege council’s speaker
speaker Uy and myself, with equipped with microphones and interviewing the Vanier Mi-chael Mi-chael Uy and myself, equipped microphones and interviewing the Vanier student stars.
student stars. Upon Hall,seated the guests inside were by entertained a live feed Upon enter-ing the enter-ing Hall, the the guests insideseated were entertained a live feedbybroadcasting broadcasting Mike’s anticsthe from outside onto a big screen. Mike’s hilarious anticshilarious from outside foyer onto athe bigfoyer screen.
Guests opportunity to to take friends Guestshad hadthe the opportunity takeprofessional professionalphotos photoswith with friendsand andamazing amazingOscar Oscarprops, props,
given Vanier College College Council. Council. Students given to to the thePhotographer Photographer on on behalf behalf of of Vanier Students took took the the opportunity opportunityto to make many memories memories of of the the wonderful wonderfulevening eveningasasthey theycould couldduring duringthe thecourse course night. make as as many of of thethe night.
Sensational music was was played played by by the the DJ DJwith with subtle subtle musical musical melodies melodies throughout throughout the Sensational music the night night to to
create classyand andsophisticated sophisticatedatmosphere atmosphere among guests. Entertainment included offcreate aa classy among thethe guests. Entertainment included off-the-
the-chart singing performances College’s very talented Kibraand Tesfaye chart singing performances from from VanierVanier College’s very talented singers singers Kibra Tesfaye Sylvia and Sylviawho Nguyen, left awe-struck. the crowd awe-struck. Nguyen, left thewho crowd
Ph
y s b oT o
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ow Jen L
The night consisted a divine three course meal, starting off with an of appetizer of two The night consisted of a of divine three course meal, starting off with an appetizer two different sets different sets of with pasta, chicken with sautéed and a fantastic sauce. This of pasta, chicken sautéed mushrooms andmushrooms a fantastic mushroom sauce.mushroom This was accompanied was accompanied by and veggies and salad, and shortly ice thereafter , a heavenly iceincream desert.a by veggies and salad, shortly thereafter, a heavenly cream desert. Later on the evening, Later on insnack the evening, a mid-night where could mid-night buffet opened, wheresnack guestsbuffet could opened, create their ownguests poutine andcreate sliders.their own poutine sliders. Thisand year’s President of Vanier College Council, Chris Puckett, gave his final farewell to Vanier President Council , Chris his final farewell to Vanier (asThis wellyear’s as a cute thank of youVanier to hisCollege girlfriend, Erica, forPuckett all of, gave her help through his journey as (as well as and a cute thank with you to his girlfriend, forcouncil, all of her help Athletics, through his journey as President) followed thanks to VanierErica, College Vanier Vanier College President) and followed with to office, Vanierand College councilstudents , Vanier Athletics, College Productions, The Vandoo, thethanks Master’s the Vanier for such anVanier amazing year. Productions, The Vandoo, the Master’s office, and thecongratulated Vanier students forstudents such an like amazing The Master of Vanier College’s office Stanley Tweyman Vanier Chris year . TheRob Master of Vanier College’s office Stanley congratulated Vanierthe students Puckett, Krasny and Ann Le on graduat-ing fromTweyman York University and thanked staff of like Puckett , Rob and Ann Le on graduat-ing from York University thanked the the Chris Master’s Office heKrasny works alongside, including new-ly elected VCC Presidentand Daniel Cabalse, staff ofthem the Master’s Office calling his ‘All-star’ staff.he works alongside, including new-ly elected VCC President Daniel Cabalse, them his ’All-star’ staff. After calling the speeches came the Award ceremony, as you will see on the previous page, and various After thegiven speeches camestudents the Award as the youcommunity will see on and the previous page, and awards were to Vanier for ceremony, excellence in their dedication and various awards were given to Vanier students for excellence in the community and their commitment to Vanier’s success. dedication and commitment to Vanier’s success. Chris Puckett received a live feed of heart felt goodbyes from Vanier College Council and friends Chris Puckett received feed in ofheart heartwrenching felt goodbyes from Collegememories Council and as he watched along with athelive crowd sorrow as Vanier the nostalgic and friends as he watched along crowd in heart wrenching sorrow astell thethe nostalgic adieus flooded from the live with feed the as each person came on one by one to tale of memories how Chris and adieus floodedtheir fromlives. the live feed as each person came on one by one to tell the tale of how Puckett impacted Chris uckett impacted their After Pall was said and done thelives. DJ was given the A-Okay to get the crowd going and, as we at Vanier After all was said and done the DJ was given the A-Okay to get the crowd going and, as we at say, “Turn up!” Vanier ’Turn up!’ A bigsay, thanks from the Vanier College Council to all those who assisted in planning for formal, and A those big thanks from the Vanier Collegeand Council to all truly those whoFormal assisted planning for for all who attended - your dynamism excitement made an in amazing evening formal , and for all those who attended yourhope dynamism andcontinue excitement truly such mademagnificent Formal an of excite-ment, entertainment, and fun!- We that you to show amazing of excite-ment , entertainment , and fun! VCC We hope that you continue to show support evening for the Vanier community and the upcoming of 2014-2015 to make next such year’s magnificent forthis theone! Vanier community and the upcoming VCC of 2014-2015 to make formal even support better than next year’s formal even better than this one!
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The Vandoo | The Vanier College Newspaper
2014 - 2015 Vanier College Council Here is your Vanier College Council for 20142015. All of these people have shown extrem pride of Vanier and we at the Vandoo wish them the best in all their efforts to bring us the best possible year. Special notice also goes to Peter Man Van, Christine Nieto and Katherine Nguyen who also ran for council, their dedication is admirable and look at for them as this wont be the last
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time you see them. Looking to next year, this group of student will be brining you all the Vanier fun that you expect. From Frosh Week to Formal and everything inbetween, these will be the people to ask questions and go to about all things VCC related. Good Luck to this new team and we know we will have an amazing year.
2014-04-08 11:00:15 PM
The Vandoo | The Vanier College Newspaper
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Entertainment
Transformers: Age of Extinction: Looking at the Gears Recently, I got the chance to sit down with Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor who are main characters in this summer’s blockbuster “Transformers 4 Age of Extinction”. This new movie takes place in the same universe as the first 3 movies but stars and robots have been reinvented for this new take on the familiar childhood toys and series’. This new movie takes place years after the last movie we see and Transformers seem to be growing as a part of the world but some Transformers are in hiding. The main characters Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is an old mechanic who stumbles across an old transformer who ends up being Optimus Prime and from this his whole world unravels as the movie progresses. Nicola who plays
Suneel Mistry Layout Editor Tessa Yeager in the film, talked about her growing up with 6 brothers and how this affected her getting exposure to The Transformers in a big way. She was “over the moon” when she found out that she got the part and from her growing up with the Autobots she gives the film a great edge in developing her story. As the new movie comes out on June 27th we continue to see how this new universe has grown. Firstly, we see the first introduction of Dino-bots who from the Generation 1 show are an Autobot hybrid of Dinosaurs and Autobots. The introduction of them will bring a new edge and danger with this film.
Another new addition is the switch from the familiar Chevrolet cars to the new high end cars that we see in this new movie. The introduction of such cars as Lamborghinis and Bugatti’s bring the change. Personally it seems to be a darker movie with this change from everyday cars to more upscale ones, it shows that the transformers have no longer the need to hide their identities. This really affects the film as the actors say that the film’s tone is considerably darker from the first 3 and we see different aspects of the familiar characters that we know. Both stars shared many of the same feelings as the other on how filming
went for them. As they both are relatively new stars to the film industry, to do such a large scale movie with such a prestigious director and such a brand brought them to all new experiences and ways of acting. All of the Transformers are done through CGI and with this brings the challenge of how the stars act during a shoot. How does someone react and emotionalize with a being that is not there. The challenge stood for both of the stars but the learned from each other but also from fellow co start Mark Wahlberg. We see a new generation of Transformers born in this movie and with the new changes the future looks well-oiled for these mechanical marvels. Transformers Age of Extinction comes out on June 27th
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Our Story is Epic: The Return of Veronica Mars “A long time ago we used to be friends but I haven’t thought of you lately at all.” Hey there all you marshmallows! If you’re reading this and have absolutely no idea why I’m calling you all marshmallows, well, you’ve been living under a rock. But I’ll let you in on the secret, anyways: I’m talking about Veronica Mars! You know, the petite, blondhaired girl, with witty comebacks? The one who investigated crimes, always seemed to get in too deep, but always solved the case? Well, she’s back. After seven (almost eight) years of “radio silence,” we all will finally get what we wanted: a Veronica Mars movie. The TV show contained three seasons between 2004 and 2007 until it was cancelled, leaving us all with too many unanswered questions. What would happen with Veronica? Was she really going to stay with Piz? What about her friends Wallace and Mac? Would her father, Keith Mars, ever become sheriff again? The movie not only answers all of these ques-
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tions, but it also gives the fans everything they wanted. When the director of Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas, projected this idea of creating a Veronica Mars movie on Kickstarter he never expected to receive the reaction he got. Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform helping individuals make their creative projects a reality – art, music, design, comedy, theatre, film, etc. “It operates as a sort of Dragon’s Den on the web,” says Liz Braun from the Toronto Sun. The amount that was originally asked to be pledged to make this movie a reality was $2,000,000. However instead, they received a whopping $ 5,702,153 dollars pledged from a total of 91, 585 backers - none other than the loyal marshmallows (fans) themselves would be the ones to make the film happen. Depending on the amount you pledged for the movie, you would receive something in return: updates about the movie, limited edition Veronica Mars t-shirts, a pdf of the script, a digital
Annahita Esmaeili Contributor version of the movie, a phone message from the actors themselves, and a pass to the screening of the film. The more you pledged, the more fan gifts you received. The date was set. The Veronica Mars movie would be out in select theatres March 13, 2014. Being a fan of the show myself, I couldn’t wait to see what would happen in the end, and I have to say it was quite satisfying. Okay, it was brilliant. The movie begins with Veronica, played by none other than Kristen Bell, being interviewed for a job with a New York law firm. Even though marshmallows will know the pitch for season four included Veronica joining the F.B.I. In the movie a voiceover (Bell’s) gives a quick overview of everyone and everything that had happened prior. Explaining how she needed to get out of Neptune, leaving behind her ex-boyfriend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring)
and starting new in New York, as a lawyer, while still dating her college boyfriend Piz (Chris Lowell). Suddenly (**SPOILER ALERT**), the news reports of a murder in Neptune. The victim, Carrie Bishop, is an old classmate of Veronica’s who has become a pop singer and changed her name to Bonnie DeVille. The accused killer is none other than Logan Echolls. He calls Veronica for help, and as much as she doesn’t want to get back into her old habits, she can’t say no. This decision changes everything. Veronica heads back into Neptune, leaving New York and Piz, to aid Logan. Heading back into Neptune also resurfaces familiar faces such as, Gia, Dick, Weevil, Leo and so many other characters that I know all the marshmallows will be happy to see. Plus, a few cameos are also included, which only adds to the
always existing witty lines and wonderful acting. Not only does Veronica slip back into her detective work, but realizes that she is still attracted to Logan. Now, Neptune is in need of Veronica’s expertise and ability to solve crimes and fast. This movie was funded by the fans and created for the fans. It became the fastest project to reach $ 1,000,000, fastest project to reach $ 2,000,000, all-time highest-funded project in FILM category, the third highest-funded project in Kickstarter history, and the most projected backers of any project in Kickstarter history. I mean, this movie wasn’t just wanted, it was needed. Fans will definitely not be disappointed. Especially with scenes and lines that will cause marshmallows everywhere to smile ear to ear. Here are three scenes to look out for in the movie. Remember the scene in season 3, episode 8, where Veronica calls pretending to be Martina Vasquez, the “hottie from channel 9,” to get information from Sheriff Don
Lamb? Well, in the movie, we are shown an almost identical scene with Veronica and the new Sheriff, Dan Lamb, who is Don’s older brother. Of course the iconic theme song ‘We Used to be Friends’ is also featured in the movie. The audience is presented with Alejandro Vasquez as a street performer outside the building Piz works at, singing his own version of the theme song. Not to mention one of the most iconic lines said by Logan Echolls in season 2, episode 20 is also included. Here, Logan tells Veronica that their “story is epic.” The exact lines are said in the movie but with a much happier ending. If you haven’t gone in to see the movie yet, go right now. Don’t waste any time. It is a movie that entertains from start to finish. Now, I will leave you all with a Logan inspirational message: “You’ve reached Logan and here is today’s inspirational message. “Adversity is the diamond dust with which heaven polishes its jewels” – Thomas Carlyle.”
2014-04-08 11:00:16 PM
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The Vandoo | The Vanier College Newspaper
Politics
‘Rob Ford for Prime Minister’- Chronicling the Story of the Year Toronto mayor, Rob Ford, has set the stage for one of the most entertaining acts of the year. First came denial. Six months later, the confession. What followed thereafter was the unveiling of a prolonged investigation that revealed shocking allegations that the mayor of Toronto used crack cocaine. Here is how the story unfolded. A February 13th Globe and Mail report indicates that Ford’s schedule reveals “lots of private time” and extended periods in the afternoon with no official duties. He would often leave the office by 3:30. The Toronto Star later reported that in the three-month period from November 2012 to February 11th, 2013 he scheduled only seven official meetings, three official phone calls and took 88 blocks of “private time”. Several of these “private time” entries included whole weekdays. In fact, the Star noticed a declining workload in the months from November to March from the prior year. According to one of his former staffers, “He stopped listening to his chief of staff and former campaign manager, Nick Kouvalis, came into work late or not at all, ceased alerting his office to his whereabouts and refused to be accompanied by handlers from his office.” On May 22nd, Ford’s chief of staff Mark Towhey made a personal recommendation to Ford that he enter into rehab. Ford responded with an angry outburst. The next day, Towhey was formally fired when he refused to organize a pizza party for the Bosco team. The only statement he made was to say that he was no longer serving as
Salvatore Loiero Contributor Ford’s chief of staff, he had not tendered his resignation and that any conversations he had with Ford were confidential. Perhaps the most damning event for Ford came sometime between December 2012, and May 3rd, 2013. Reporters at Gawker and the Toronto Star claim that Ford was captured in a video that showed him smoking from a crack pipe. In the same video, he allegedly makes derogatory comments about Justin Trudeau, homosexuals and the visible minority players on the football team that he once coached. On May 16th, Gawker reported that it had in fact viewed the infamous crack video. Those in possession ransomed it for six figures. Even more damning, the Toronto Star reported that two of their reporters had watched it and confirmed what people at Gawker described in the video. The Toronto Star reports that Ford would later tell director of logistics and operations Dave Price, deputy chief of staff Earl Provost and deputy secretary George Christopoulos not to worry about a video appearing to show him smoking crack cocaine because he knew where it was. Ford then blurted out the address of two 17th-floor units—1701 and 1703—at a Dixon Rd. apartment complex, to the shock of staffers at a city hall meeting. The mayor cited ‘our contacts’ as the source of his information according to
the Star report. On May 24th, Ford issued the following statement: “I do not do crack cocaine, nor am I addicted to crack cocaine.” He said he could not comment on a video that he has not seen “or does not exist.” He would later admit to using crack cocaine. Ford’s May 24th statement, in which he denied being addicted to crack cocaine, led to his press secretary George Christopoulos and deputy press secretary Isaac Ransom resigning “on principle” three days later. The very next day Ford’s past would come back to haunt him. The Star published allegations of his drug dealing as a youth. In response, he accused the media of using cocaine while maintaining that the crack video does not exist. On March 7, 2013 came one of the most embarrassing blows to Ford’s reputation when former mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson claimed in a Facebook post that Ford had groped her and made inappropriate advances to her at a public party. Ford denied the charge. Information in a police document that was previously censored detailing the information of Ford’s substance abuse was made public and reveals some troubling allegations about his conduct at work and at home. The document released by the court contains the following allegations, none of which have been proven in
court: Ford’s former staffers stated that on several occasions he was allegedly drinking and driving, drinking at work, asking staff members to buy him bottles of vodka and smoking marijuana inside his house. Ford appears to rule over his staff with a heavy hand, once shoving current chief of staff Earl Provost and former staffer Brooks Barnett during a drunken St. Patrick’s Day party in his office. He often belittled former staffer Chris Fickel, the aide told police, including saying, “This kid is as useless as two tits on a bull.” Ford was demeaning and rude to a female staffer on at least one occasion where staff were present, they told police. On St. Patrick’s Day 2012, former staffer Isaac Ransom said Ford claimed to have slept with former staffer Olivia Gondek and made several lewd comments to her. Towhey also described Ford being “verbally abusive” to Gondek that night.’ Ford was upset that some of his former staffers told police that one of his friends was a prostitute. Ford told the media, “I don’t appreciate people calling Alana a prostitute. I never had a prostitute here. I’m very happily married at home. This is very disturbing against my wife…Oh ah, the last thing was, um. [Name of female staffer], says I wanted to eat her p***y. I never said that in my life to her. I would never do that. I’m happily married I’ve got more than enough to eat at home.” Later, on March 18th, Ford made a public spectacle of himself to a community of Orthodox Jews establishing a To-
http://www.opinion.financialpost.com ronto Eruv by using the event to promote his election campaign and casino bid. Councilor Joe Mihevc told the Toronto Sun, “I was embarrassed by his performance. He came in disheveled. He (almost) grabbed the mic. He did not do honour to our good city. It was just an awkward and embarrassing moment.” Ford’s nefarious ties would soon draw public attention. On March 28th, Anthony Smith was shot and killed outside a Toronto nightclub. What does this have to do with Ford? Ford was in a photograph with Smith and Muhammad Khattak sometime before March 28th. Khattak was also shot in the same incident. Ford continues to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day in 2014. Ford agreed to a Mississauga woman’s request to take a picture with her son on the Satur-
day of St Paddy’s day weekend, while swearing loudly in front of the thirteen year old. The mayor claims he was at city hall returning phone calls that night. The video shot by the teenager shows otherwise. And still, the Rob Ford story has yet to reach a conclusion. Four years on from his election, Ford has managed to appeal to his base despite, or perhaps due to, the media circus that follows him around, and has put on perhaps the most entertaining one-man act of the year(s). Will we see four more years of Rob Ford? Should we? Tweet @thevandoonews with your comments.
Panic Not Daniela Ponce
Contributor I can’t breathe. My chest feels like it’s being crushed. Something bad is happening. Something very bad is happening! These were all thoughts running through my head the day I had my first panic attack. I was 20. I had no idea that an anxiety attack could happen at my age, and I was scared. My parents rushed me, fetal and in hysterics, to the ER. An hour or so into the waiting room, I felt my heart race slow down and I felt better about unwinding my arms from my chest, though I was still convinced I was experiencing a minor heart attack. A doctor finally saw me, and after the usual drill of checking my air ways and pulse told me I had just experienced a panic attack and gave me a script for pills to help with the next one. I saw my family doctor a week later and he laughed at the diagnosis, smiled at me and told me, “You’re only 20, you’ve got nothing real to worry about.” This lie helped fuel my denial of what was really happening to me and nearly ruined the next two years of my life.
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From there on in, till I was 22, my life was filled with another 6 trips to the hospital, 4 ECGs (electrocardiogram), a year and a half of physiotherapy, countless “sick” days off from work and an overall fear that I would live the rest of my life under the covers of my bed. I clung to my own theory of a torn muscle in my chest; I clung to almost any conclusion that didn’t suggest a tear in my mental health. Then in one conversation with my physiotherapist my entire out- look on mental health changed. I shared with him the story of my first trip to the hospital, my fear, pain and what my family doctor had told me. He encouraged me to change doctors and educate myself on mental health disorders like panic attacks. I did and it was the best decision I could have ever made. It didn’t take long to learn that actually three quarters of people who experience panic disorder do so before they reach their 30’s and that as a women I am twice as likely to experience panic attacks than men. After my research took
me as far as it could, I switched doctors and after a few more tests I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder a form of mental health illness that similarly 1 in 5 Canadians experience. The day I accepted I had to... ...take care of my mental health, not just my physical health, was the first day in two years I made it longer than twelve hours without an anxiety attack. I wish I could share with you the happy ending where I now live in a land of perfect mental health and zero panic attacks, but the truth is that I had to learn to live with my Panic Disorder. While I have known weeks, even a month or so without excruciating chest pain, I still experience them. What made the greatest difference in my life was learning the facts about mental health and treating it with the same care I do my physical health. If you have experienced your own overwhelming anxiety or even a panic attack I encourage you to inform yourself. The go-to remedies of breathing exercises don’t work for everyone. They didn’t work for me but what did make the difference in my life was un-
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derstanding that what was happening wasn’t a determination of how the rest of my life was going to be. I can improve my mental health. As someone who has been there and stayed there for years, I can tell you with complete honesty I sincerely wish I had not been so closedminded towards mental health. If any of my story sounds familiar to your own situation I hope you approach your own mental health better than I did and decide to take an active role rather than hiding away from
the reality. Nowadays, I know how to reel myself back to a state of normal breathing. Comically enough, a song does the trick for me, “Like a Prayer” by Madonna (go ahead and laugh it up.) The last, and possibly most important, thing I learned on this 2-year journey of mental health was that accepting help, from wherever it may come from, is nothing to be ashamed of. I know that caring for my mental health is a lifelong journey. I’m just glad I started mine
World Renowned Documentary Filmmaker Calls LAPS Home
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York U Update Winter Winds Alexandria Lipani Contributor As a Canadian I take pride in being able to handle at least minus ten to fifteen degree weather. “Dress warm it’s going to be a blizzard today.” Is that supposed to scare me? “There’s going to be five centimetres of snow tomorrow!” No problem, snow boots are my regu-lar apparel. “Give yourself extra time to get to work/school because the roads are going to be bad!” Please. I leave the house three hours early at the first sign of a slight winter breeze, just to go to the gro-cery store. The harsh winter winds aren’t anything new to us Canadians. We often converse over the weather - It’s kind of a way to break the ice when trying to start a conversation with a stranger. “Wow, so this weather
huh?”
We don’t stay indoors when the weather network reports freezing rain and flurries. Bring it on Jack Frost - we are Canada, we are winter. However, I’ve never experienced a winter this long and severe in my life. It’s so bitterly cold out that it literally hurts to breathe - and when you can’t breathe, that’s when life becomes problem-atic, I’d say. In fact, it’s reported that this year Toronto is about to make history for its second coldest winter in twenty-five years - at least 10 days with the temperature below minus twenty degrees, and over 26 cold weather warnings issued in the city of Toronto alone. I think I speak for the majority of the York stu-
dent body when I say we’ve had enough winter to last us a life time. How difficult it is to navigate yourself to lecture when your eyes are tearing up and your scarf is wrapped so tightly around your face that you have to place your hands out in front of you to make sure you don’t walk into anyone? The worst thing about all this craziness is the way Mother Nature likes to taunt us with a random spring-like day and then rips it from our grasp as soon as we take our coats and boots off. I mean, we are so accustomed to negative degree weather that as soon as our thermometers reach over zero degrees, we’re wearing shorts, t-shirts and barbecuing hotdogs on our front porches (I say this from experience.) Only
in Canada is it warm enough one day to wear a light sweater outdoors and so cold the next that the roads are ice rinks and classes are actually can-celled. If we look on the bright side though, daylight savings is in progress and I can now take my dog out for a walk at seven o’clock without my flashlight app. So in spite of all our complaining, grumbling and frozen hands and feet, it won’t be long now un-til the sun wakes up from it’s prolonged winter slumber and we can walk outside within seconds in just a light jacket and running shoes. Hang in there fellow school mates, warm weather is al-most (hopefully) upon us!
Lewis Chaitov & Christopher Ford Contributor & Editor-in-Chief
This past November, Dr. Gail Vanstone, a faculty member here at York University, invited a special guest to her Experiencing Canadian Culture class. The name of this special guest was Mark Terry, who is currently the Communications Coordinator at the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies here at York University. But what’s so special about Terry? Well, in his spare time away from YorkU, he also happens be to an explorer and world-renowned documentary filmmaker. Mark Terry, a former student and humble member of our community here at York, has been well recognized for his work in exploration and film. Not only does he hold the distinction of being the first filmmaker to document a crossing of the northwest passage through the seldom-navigated Prince of Wales strait, but he also is a member of the Explorer’s Club (a 110year old professional society of explorers); a recipient of numerous awards, such as the Stefansson Medal from the Explorer’s Club (the explorer’s highest honour), the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Governor General, the Gemini Humanitarian Award in 2011 from the Academy of Canadian Cinema; a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society & David Suzuki Foundation Community leader; and the list goes on and on. During his guest appearance in the class, Mark
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presented and discussed two of his films that have been released within the past 5 years: “The Polar Explorer” (2011) and “The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning” (2009), both investigating climate change in the Arctic and Antarctica. These are not Terry’s only films, however. Over the past ten years, he has been involved in the production of twelve different films and two television shows, including Peter Kiwitt’s “Silent Lies” (1996) and the 2013 documentary “Heart to Head: How Amarok Society Women Are Teaching the World’s Poorest Children.” For both films, Terry was the executive producer. However, when it comes to those that Terry has both directed and produced, “The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning” has been by far his most influential, winning 10 awards at different film festivals across the globe. The film was also, by request of the United Nations, screened at the 2010 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. He sat down in an exclusive interview with Lewis Chaitov on CHRY 105.5 radio last semester to discuss the documentary. “A very curious thing happened with the making of this film,” Terry said. “As I was finishing off the film, I got a phone call from the United Nations. They told me that they had heard about the film, and were wondering if I would be interested in showing it to delegates, negotiators, and world leaders attending a
From Left to right- Mark Terry, Dr Gail Vanstone , Students Donna Rufa and Julia Maniccia climate summit in Copenhagen.” As Terry notes, it was International Polar Year at that time, and the UN had been looking for reports from the scientific community collected during that year from Arctic and Antarctica. While they had already received an abundance of reports from the Arctic regions, as it is generally more accessible than Antarctica, they had not received any useful information from down south in Antarctica. “And so,” Terry stated matter-of-factly, “they thought this [film] would be an excellent opportunity to show what was happening…in Antarctica.” When asked what sorts of changes he observed in Antarctica during the making of his documentary, Terry attributed much of what he observed to global warming.
“We are able to uncover new things and make new discoveries… basically because of the warming temperatures.…As the temperatures [have risen] throughout the years, it has caused a lot of environmental change in Antarctica. So, a lot of ice melted, obviously, and with that, new things were revealed.” Some of these new things revealed, as Terry explains, are pretty shocking and exciting. “We were able to find certain islands that, now, without ice, were having green vegetation grow for the very first time,” he said. “Antarctica is known as the world’s largest desert because nothing grows there, and so it was quite remarkable to find certain islands with vegetation that the botanists could not identify…. The genus of the species couldn’t be
found anywhere else in the world.” “What they concluded was that these [plants that were now growing] were from prehistoric seeds that had been buried deep within the soil that had been hidden by ice for thousands and thousands of years; now that that ice is gone, and the sunlight is hitting [it], the seeds and spores have been activated, and they are establishing themselves for the first time in thousands of years.” Terry also discusses some very telling decreases in penguin populations as an indirect result of the warming water temperatures. Furthermore, the documentary also follows a newly-discovered phenomenon known as penguin suicide, where individual penguins travel deep inland into the continent - where they al-
ready know has no food, or even water for that matter. This has been concluded by the scientists stationed there, according to Terry, “as suicidal behaviour.” This is but “the tip of the iceberg,” so to speak: this film, and “The Polar Explorer,” are both provide a first-hand look at the real environmental changes that are happening today in the polar regions. They are, like much of Terry’s other work, fantastic films, and they come from a member from our community. And as Lewis states in the CHRY interview, Mark Terry “is one of our own here at York University. And we should be very proud [of that].” Well, Vanier College is proud of you, Mark.
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