November 28, 2011

THE Varsity

Vol. CXXXII, No. 12

28 November, 2011

You are what you eat: the student diet see p12

What U of T’s happens to $2 billion your wasted challenge food see p4

Pizza = vegetable? see p9

see p3

Blues fall to Gee-Gees see p21

Dreaming on your feet see p19

Who inspired your ‘stache? photographed and compiled by Bernarda Gospic

“Waluigi.”

“Davy Jones.”

“Ron Burgundy.”

dan, 3rd YEAR philosophy

kareem, grad. studies civil engineering

sammy, 4th YEAR ECONOMICS & IR

“Billy D. Williams.”

“Ron Jeremy.”

“Stalin.”

Micah, 2nd YEAR political science

daniel, 3rd YEAR english

Curtis, 3RD YEAR PHILOSOPHY

“Paul Bisonnette.”

“Tom Selleck.”

“Patrick Love.”

arthur, 3RD YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE & history

gavin, 3rd YEAR english

paul, 5th year political science

VARSITY NEWS

news@thevarsity.ca

monday, November 28, 2011

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Waste not New cafeteria initiatives give leftover food to those in need

Simon Bredin VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Every year, students living in residence are obligated to buy meal plans. Organized by price and the number of meals included, various meal plan options are intended to accommodate different eating habits.

But as some find, even the cheapest plan proves to be too much for them.

“I had to buy, at minimum, 330 meals. At this rate, I’m not going to eat half of them,” said Alyssa Cameron, a first-year student.

David Holysh, a fourth-year student who now lives off-campus, echoed Cameron’s frustration.

“When I came to U of T in my first year, I bought the minimum number of meals available. But I had a class at lunch time almost every day, and classes during dinner as well,” he said. “By the end of the year, it added up to a lot of unused meals and wasted money. I didn’t understand why we can’t just get refunded for meals we don’t eat or allow them to carry over from year to year.”

U of T Food Services has introduced a new meal system for nonresidence students, who comprise the bulk of the university’s student population.

Under those meal plans, students can purchase “Flex Dollars,” money redeemable at some campus food retailers such as library food courts or franchised coffee shops. These al-

ternative plans also offer passes for dining hall meals, in significantly smaller instalments than is available to those in residence.

Non-resident students who purchase a U of T meal plan have money loaded onto their T-Card, which carries over from semester to semester and even from year to year. Refunds are available for a small fee. All of these options are unavailable to those on residence meal plans.

The Office of the Dean of Students at Trinity College has created a special food committee to suggest changes to the way that meal plans and other food-related issues are handled. The committee is tasked with reviewing existing policies on meal plans, among other foodrelated issues.

Committee chair Calvin Mitchell hopes to present findings in the new year before the college is due to decide whether to renew Sodexo’s contractual management of Trinity’s kitchens.

The rigidity of the current meal plan structure is at the top of Mitchell’s agenda.

“I would like to see some added flexibility in the meal plan, in how we use it, towards something more like flex dollars. Between my work and school schedule, I eat probably 10 out of the 17 meals I have per week,” said Mitchell.

“All the other times, I have to go

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

buy food from outside sources. It would be awesome if I could just go to the Buttery to buy a meal that I’ve already paid for,” he added.

Although there is no office at the university that keeps track of how many meals go unused each year, kitchen staff and management are determined to not allow food to go to waste.

Sodexo, an external corporation that manages food preparation and distribution for Trinity College, has donated thousands of meals to charitable organizations.

“We have a Better Tomorrow Plan at Sodexo that focuses on sustainable living. Over the last three years, we’ve made and donated over 100,000

New UTSC fast food franchises opening six months late

Negotiations between owners, franchisers and developers main cause of delay

Akihiko Tse VARSITY STAFF

Scheduled for early August, the opening of three new UTSC food outlets — KFC, Taco Bell, and Hero Burger — was delayed due to prolonged negotiations between the not-for-profit Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU), the franchisers, and the university’s design and construction department.

President of Scarborough Campus Student Union and the spaces’ owner, Pagalavan Thavarajah, said that the debate over design played a big role in the delay.

With a dental office being constructed right beside the establishments, he said it was imperative that all the design specifications be met so the SCSU could offer a request to lower building costs and “save as much student money as possible.”

From June until October, Yum! Brands (owner of KFC and Taco Bell), Hero Burger, and the design and construction department had to have regulations repeatedly checked as designs were being passed “back

and forth” to assess compatibility.

By February of this year, Hero Burger and the dental office had already completed their paperwork but needed to await the approval of Yum! Brands (owner of KFC and Taco Bell) to resume negotiations. Thavarajah said the company was dealing with internal issues at the time.

“There were a lot of little nuances that had to be taken care of,” he said. “It was an elongated process on all sides.”

After receiving final confirmation in mid-October, the SCSU put forward a request for proposal with final design models. Twin Contracting was eventually selected to construct the food outlets and the dental office.

Construction of the dental office and the three food establishments was tentatively set to end by January 2012, ready for a February opening the following month.

Hero Burger, KFC, and Taco Bell were all simultaneously chosen by the SCSU in February to replace A&W, which used to hold the space.

The franchise agreement with Yum! Brands was signed at the end of May, on Thavarajah’s first day in office.

The SCSU president said that August 1 as an opening for the restaurants was a “very idealistic date.”

The SCSU intends to hire around 60 part-time student employees. The bigger staff’s shorter shifts will better accommodate students’ schedules, which in turn will increase productivity, according to Thavarajah.

He added that with the franchises operating under a subsidiary corporation called SCSU Restaurants Inc., dividends will be passed through to the SCSU to fund student groups and organizations.

“What we want to have is something that is self-perpetuating and doesn’t need student funding… Imagine that these organizations are now paying up refunds to students which we put back in to student services and students organizations,” he explained.

“We’re not here to make excuses.

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meals to summer camps for underprivileged kids,” said Kevin McKay, a food service director at Sodexo. According to him, food that can’t be donated is almost entirely composted in kitchens across campus.

These efforts are paying off; high marks in the waste reduction and diversion category helped the University of Toronto obtain a grade of A on the 2010 College and University Sustainability Report Card.

In order to maintain its position near the top of the charts, the university must continuously build on its progress. This year, new pilot initiatives include “trayless” cafeterias, which are being tested at select locations.

Sarah Khan, Marketing and Communications Director for St. George’s Food Services department, said that there are several benefits in using a trayless sytem.

“You’re not throwing out extra food. Normally, when you have a tray, you just fill it up. With the trayless system, you can only carry what you eat,” Khan said.

She added that the system also wastes less water and uses food workers’ time more efficiently.

“You waste a lot [more] water washing dirty trays. You waste a lot less labour hours. And you take all the money that you save from this and fold it back into the menu to get higher quality food,” she said.

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EDITOR’S NOTE An article entitled “UTSC Pan Am building developers shortlisted” was published in the November 21 issue of The Varsity. The article reported on the absence of contracting company Ellis Don and architectural firm Diamond and Schmitt Architects from a shortlist for the construction of the Pan Am Aquatics Centre at Scarborough following the death of a construction worker on Scarborough campus last year.

The Varsity has since learned of factual inaccuracies with the original piece and has decided to retract the article and remove it from its online archives. In particular: UTSC did not terminate its partnership with Diamond and Schmitt Architects before completion of the Instructional Centre project.

The shortlist for developers for the Pan Am Aquatics Centre was picked by Infrastructure Ontario, not UTSC. Diamond and Schmitt Architects was not involved in the construction of the Instructional Centre and was not responsible for the site’s safety during construction.

The Varsity regrets the error.

Continued From P3 We were a part of that process and had we learned a little more about it before we opened our mouths, we wouldn’t have put those expectations out there but we’re very excited and we’re not regretting it.”

Apart from creating jobs and increasing food options on campus, the student union president said the opening of the three restaurants have “opened up the eyes” of other food vendors.

UTSC Food and Beverages manager Peter Smith said that Aramark, “the primary contracted food service operator” in the Scarborough campus has been aware of the increasingly competitive food environement since the 2004 opening of outlets including Treats, Subway, Asian Gourmet, A&W and Bluff’s, the precursor to Rex’s Den. “Last year changes were made in the choices of brands offered

by Aramark, bringing in new retail concepts [like Spring Rolls] and upgrading others to expand the choices,” said Smith. “The effect of new branded outlets in the Student Centre, the opening of a new outlet in the Instructional Centre in the new year and any other changes that will arise from the development of the campus will be monitored and business plans assessed.”

Rex’s Den also had a hand in drastically improving UTSC’s overall food quality and service, Thavarajah said.

He noted that while Rex’s Den’s profit returns are marginal, it has already taken profits away from big food vendors such as Aramark, who’ve had to “up their game.”

VARSITY NEWS

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Boundless: U of T’s $2 billion challenge Students groups concerned about donor influence and low government funding

Vice-President of Advancement David Palmer poses with the Boundless handbook in front of Simcoe Hall. SARAH Taguiam/THe VArsity

Murad Hemmadi VARSITY STAFF

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The University of Toronto formally launched “Boundless,” a historic $2 billion fundraising program, last week in Convocation Hall.

As the university’s “third organized campaign in the last 30 years,” according to Vice-President of Advancement David Palmer, Boundless aims to raise at least $600 million to globalize U of T’s student body and $1.4 billion to “meet global challenges.” A significant portion — $966 million — has already been pledged to the university during the last five years in the program’s “silent” phase.

Academic divisions have submitted $3.2 billion worth of funding requests for student programming, financial aid, faculty, and capital projects, says Palmer.

“We certainly hope that the $2 billion will be the minimum that we achieve,” he adds, pointing out that philanthropy only funds 30 to 50 per cent of such projects and the rest comes from other university sources and government grants.

Alumnus Paul Cadario, who has funded fellowships and scholarships in the School of Public Policy and Government, plans to support the university’s Boundless initiative.

“I could not be happier with how my gifts have had an impact,” he says. “I think I’m typical of many donors in that you support charities ... because you know about them, and you like what they do, and you like how they do it.”

Cadario, an engineering graduate and a Senior Manager at the World Bank, says that he’s “especially excited” about the Centre for Global Engineering.

Despite the optimism of donors like Cadario, students groups have raised concerns on philanthropy’s possible impact on the university’s autonomy and academic integrity.

The GSU and UTSU, are wary that donors might use their funding as an opportunity to push a specific agenda.

“Corporations have considerable influence at the institution, as we have seen at the Governing Council, where our government appointees often come from the private sector,” says UTSU President Danielle Sandhu.“We have seen a considerable resistance from students, staff and faculty over concerns of donor influence, particularly in relation to Peter Munk and the Munk School of Global Affairs.”

Palmer points out that donor agreements contain “a number of clauses that explicitly protect university’s freedom” and that the “first clause in every donor agreement is the protection of [the university’s] academic rights and freedom.”

U of T president David Naylor understands the student groups’ concerns but feels they can become overblown.

“I think it’s reasonable for people to always keep an eye on anything that might compromise our intellectual independence or academic freedom,” he says. “But

I also think at times, this becomes something of a line of easy sloganeering, rather than a genuine sustainable concern.”

Sandhu is also concerned that the campaign will lessen the provincial government obligation to increase student funding.

“By undertaking this campaign to make up for the chronic underfunding of education by the provincial government, we fear there is a disincentive created for the government to inject public dollars into the university,” she says. “Our members are studying in the province with the highest tuition fees, lowest per-student funding, and largest class sizes.”

Palmer admits that government funding in Ontario universities has been “tightly constrained.”

“Government funding of universities in Ontatio, in real dollars, has been on a fairly steady decline,” he says. Palmer, however, pointed out that despite the tough economic times, the university has received some of its “largest gifts” in the past two or three years.

“We are intending to be ‘boundless’ in our pursuit of improved funding for the core operations of the university, understanding that it’s a tough time when this may not be exactly the moment to press aggressively,” says Naylor.

“But as soon as things turn a little bit for the government, I think it’s essential for them to try to narrow the gap in per-student funding between Ontario and some of the other provinces.”

VARSITY NEWS

City officials say diverse food options in the hands of operators

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U of T food truck diversity lags behind city

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Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

Irina Vukosavic VARSITY STAFF

A Toronto-wide initiative to diversify food truck options has been in full swing in recent months — but it seems that U of T is lagging behind.

Though there are a handful of food truck vendors around the campus, their menus are usually split into two categories: standard “street meat” and Chinese food. The lack of diverse options has caused an issue with some students.

“I would want something healthier like salad or a wider selection of soup,” said Stephanie Tang, first-year life sciences student. “The substitution of brown rice on the menu [can possibly] make it healthier.”

Katherine Roos, manager of Enterprise Toronto, a program operated by the city to help entrepreneurs at the initial stages of business, recognized the higher demand for more food trucks around the city.

“We have a very well-educated and globally smart youth population demanding diverse foods in Toronto,” said Katherine Roos, manager of Enterprise Toronto.“The new student generation is more likely to eat more meals on the run, and this new trend in food trucks is trying to attend to that demand.”

But the choice of creating wider food truck options is not in the hands of U of T nor Enterprise Toronto’s, who have no control over who applies for a permit to sell food on campus.

Toronto Public Health’s food and safety manager Jim Chan said that Toronto Public Health also has no control over the diversification of food trucks.

Diversity is different from food safety, he said. A food truck, Chan stated, is allowed to sell any type of food as long as it follows health food regulations. And so, menus diversity is dependent on the operator.

Though there was a moratorium imposed on the downtown core (Wards 20, 27, and 28) in 2002 preventing street food vendors, the prohibition does not apply to food trucks.

Food trucks, which operate on the street and affect traffic, must also apply for a permit and preferably go through the city councilor to gain the community’s approval.

“It is not a right to occupy public space, but rather, it is a privilege given from the community and the council,” said Kristyn Wong-Tam, councilor of Ward 27, one of the areas affected by the moratorium.

Also, according to Roos, although food truck owners are able to change their menus and introduce more diverse food options, they are still restricted by the unpredictability of the food truck business, which has only boomed within the last five years.

“If the business owners are making enough profit from their existing menu, they may not have the initiative to change it,” said Roos.

There has been a surge of food truck activity around U of T in recent months.

“Food Truck Eats,” the first food truck festival held at the Distillery District, was held this summer and showcased a wide variety of food from 14 vendors. A mini version of Food Truck Eats also recently visited Ryerson University, where pop-up trucks parked at the vacant lot at Yonge and Gould St. for a number of days.

“We have a very welleducated and globally smart youth population demanding diverse foods in Toronto. The new student generation is more likely to eat more meals on the run, and this new trend in food trucks is trying to attend to that demand.”

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Foran wins Governor General Literary Award Mordecai: The Life & Times author returns to campus for a night of success Dalana Parris VARSITY STAFF

Many U of T graduates pursue greatness, but few have the luxury of returning to campus after an evening of grandeur with the Governor General.

U of T alumnus and author, Charles Foran, was presented the 75th Governor General’s Literary Award for English language non-fiction for his biography on the Montreal author, Mordecai Richler.

“It’s strange, it’s like a whole other world,” said Foran, looking out into the peaceful quad of Massey College. “There’s pomp and ceremony and protocol; fanfares, and string quartets, and a very grand hall in this very grand house. It is a slightly fairytale-like setting … it was like we had been whisked away from our lives for a few hours and then brought back.”

Entitled Mordecai: The Life & Times, the biography has earned Foran a total of four awards this year, including the Canadian Jewish Book Award, the Hilary Weston Writer’s Trust Non-Fiction Prize, and The Charles Taylor Prize.

Despite these successes, Foran re-

mains down-to-earth.

“I don’t take compliments that well, so I think I’ve been unusually ambivalent — but grateful,” he said.

“If you publish a lot of books as I have, if one gets very little attention and another gets a great deal of attention, it sort of behooves you to be equally sanguine about both.”

Foran has published ten novels to date, and attributes some of the attraction of Richler’s bio to its literary peculiarity — a novelist documenting the life of another novelist.

However, he confirmed that his subject choice was based on a longterm admiration and curiosity about the popular author of Jacob Two-Two. “He was a Canadian writer who meant the most to me… his work was singular, and outrageous and compelling and funny,” said Foran, smiling. “I awaited each of [his] books in ways I didn’t for many other Canadian writers.”

“He was a natural subject for me in that regard, and his life and his character were big and full of complexity and contradictions, appetites and inconsistency,” he continued. “The more I thought about it, the more I realized ‘Hey, well that’s a great subject!’”

Foran attributes his stylistic interests to concepts explored as a U of T undergrad. During his first year, he remembers enrolling in PSY100 at Con Hall with 600 other students who shared an interest in human behaviour.

Foran decided instead to explore human nature through literature rather than psychology, and as such wanted to capture Richler’s tribulations.

“The more tidy lives of sweet people probably don’t make for great biographies,” said Foran.

“A good subject for a biography, at least for me, perhaps because I also write novels on human nature, are subjects of complexity and shape – that aren’t perfect, and Richler had everything.”

Recalling his PSY100 Con Hall experience sparked other fond memories at U of T; his time as a St. Michael’s College student, studying at various libraries, writing for The Varsity, and attending events at Hart House.

“I have nothing but great memories of going to school here,” said Foran.

Continued On P8

Foran remember his undergrad years at U of T. Wyatt Clough/THe VArsity

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THE 100 SERIES: Meet Michael Reid

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

This star of the astronomy and astrophysics department tells us about breaking the “fourth wall” in Con Hall

“As long as you adapt your teaching style, you can be just as successful with a thousand [students] as you can with ten. You have to let your personality expand and relate to students in a different way.”

Sunnie Huang VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Standing at 6’3”, astronomy professor Michael Reid says his great stature allows him to have more presence when teaching at Convocation Hall. However, his height is not the only attribute that gives him a perfect overall score on instructor evaluation site ratemyprofessors. com and helps him command some of the largest classes at U of T. Described by students as engaging, friendly and funny, Reid teaches the popular course AST101, which is taken by students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.

“The challenge it raises is trying to get everyone thinking the same way and trying to present the material so that it’s accessible to everyone without any prior knowledge,” the salt-and-pepper-haired professor says.

While encouraging students to practise quantitative reasoning, Reid says he has taken math entirely out of AST101 to accommodate students with varying levels of math knowledge. In fact, during his exams, calculators are

not allowed, which stirs up some controversy at times.

“As a scientist, most of my colleagues want to teach with a fair bit of math. That’s the way we make sense of the material,” Reid explains.

“I personally feel a bit unfair to ask students to do a course that’s got math in it.”

To engage with a full auditorium, Reid says he tries to “break the fourth wall” and avoid spending too much time talking.

He also breaks up teaching sessions with i>Clicker quizzes.

“It turns the lecture into a game in a way,” Reid says, describing the moment of total silence when students eagerly wait for the answers.

In addition to MSN chats and Blackboard discussions, Reid also takes part in what he calls “the café chats” where he meets up with student groups off campus at cafe spots.

He points out that U of T has “a funny office hour culture,” where meeting students at a designated location during selected time slots has always been a challenge for many instructors, due to the sheer size of the campus and

the short breaks. Instructors must find innovative ways, both online and offline, to connect with students.

“As long as you adapt your teaching style, you can be just as successful with 1000 [students] as you can with ten,” Reid says. “You have to let your personality expand and relate to students in a different way.”

Aside from the occasional administrative challenge of managing more than 1200 students and 22 TAs, such as replying to emails, teaching at the 104-year-old campus fixture has been a very positive experience for Reid.

He says he appreciates the vibrant energy of Con Hall, and whenever he poses a questions, chances are there is someone who is willing to share their thoughts.

Astronomy students face a unique challenge in the field of science as they cannot touch or directly study the subjects they are learning about. Reid adds, however, that students with a degree in astronomy enjoy one of the highest employment rates in any field. The most common career path is to work at university or government research

labs. Also, with the variety of skills they acquire, students can expect to land a job in anything from finance and the medical field to technical writing and imaging.

Although Reid didn’t grow up with a telescope in his backyard, books on black holes and extraterrestrial lives sparked his interest and naturally led to his career choice as an astronomer. After completing his undergraduate studies in physics at the University of Waterloo, the Toronto native started teaching at McMaster University as a graduate student.

Recalling his first lecture — first-year astronomy with 120 students — Reid admits he was very nervous, despite the much smaller class size compared to his current classes at U of T. “The main thing first-time instructors worry about is that they are going to get stomped on by students. I got stomped on a couple times,” Reid says with a chuckle.

Few students know that the soft-spoken professor has been a strict vegan for over two decades. He also enjoys creative writing during his free time and is an avid reader. He is currently reading Dostoevsky.

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monday, November 28, 2011

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Bill Clinton graces Massey Hall Former US president praises Ontario and suggests how province can welcome its “next great era” Jonathan Scott VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

In a slim three-piece grey suit, former US president Bill Clinton commanded the stage during a conversational, wide-ranging speech at Massey Hall on November 21.

As the keynote speaker for the eighth annual Ontario Economic Summit, Clinton offered a nearly hour-long speech on ways Ontario might reach its “next great era.”

Clinton discussed policy ideas from around the world, referring to his new book, Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy, which he held a signing event for at the Manulife Indigo earlier that day.

There were three main ideas behind Clinton’s propsals for Ontario’s economy: continuing to subsidise and create a greenenergy sector, maintaining public healthcare while improving deliv-

ery mechanisms, and maintaining a focus on “cooperative networks.”

“I love driving from the Toronto [Pearson] airport along that highway and passing that humongous windmill. And I say to myself, ‘I love this town; they’re in the future business,’” the former president said. He added that Canada “should want America to get back into the ‘future business’” and should help the US economy grow and move out of an era of recession and government bickering.

Current politicians, especially the Tea Party, forget that “politics isn’t theology or even ideology but about principled compromise,” Clinton argued.

He praised Ontario, saying, “You’ve got something precious here: a great city, a diverse and tolerant province, people gathered cooperatively at a forum…

I’d kill to have Washington be like that: a common acknowl-

edgement that we live in an imperfect world but we can and have got to cooperate.”

Following the speech, TVO’s Steve Paikin continued the discussion by interviewing the president. Asked if he missed being president, Clinton stressed how much he loves working at his foundation but still misses the White House.

“It’s a good thing we have term limits or they’d have had to carry me out [of the Oval Office] in a pine box,” he joked.

Asked what he wished he could have done if he had one more year as US president, Clinton replied, “If I had one more year in office, we could’ve done the Middle East peace.”

“We were so close,” he said. “I wish I could do it over again — I would have done anything to keep [late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak] Rabin alive, and I regret

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that. I miss him.”

Jonathan Crombie, a first-year arts student who attended the speech with his family, was inspired by Clinton’s speech.

“It was inspiring to hear someone who can tell so many remarkable stories about not only the way the world works but to have met so many interesting people too,” he said. “It was like just hearing a bunch of the most amazing stories about the most amazing people of the past 30 or so years.

And his grasp on facts and stats is breathtaking.”

Towards the end of the evening, Paikin mentioned that Massey Hall, the event’s venue, has featured a wide array of “rockstars” like first French Canadian prime minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and former prime minister John Diefenbaker.

Looking at Clinton, Paikin concluded, “And you, Mr. President, are a rockstar.”

“I loved the [Hart House] gym. I used to play a lot of pick-up basketball [there], and I loved the little track. I never went to ‘Fort Jock’ though; it opened when I was an undergrad,” remembers Foran, smiling at the memory of the Athletic Centre’s opening 30 odd years ago.

“What I love most about U of T is that it’s a buffet — I learned as much by going to plays and lectures and musical performances unrelated to my course work. It’s got to be the most vibrant campus in Canada,” he said.

Foran prides himself on maintaining ties with U of T post-graduation. A member of the Quadrangle Society at Massey College since 1995, he views his regular visits to campus as a pleasure. Foran uses the serene of Massey College as a base when in Toronto and affirms that he will always find comfort in the historic buildings of the university, regardless of his successes.

NEWS in Brief Maple Leaf Gardens equals grocery complex?

The maple leaf logo on Maple Leaf Gardens was removed Wednesday, marking the end of an 80-year era in hockey history. The former hockey arena is being converted by Loblaw Companies, its new owner, into a supermarket, liquor outlet, medical clinic, and athletic centre.

In a press release issued last week, Loblaw announced that the renovated building would be unveiled on November 30 as “Toronto’s new crown jewel of food stores.” Planned attractions include an Amazing Wall of Cheese, 14 inhouse chefs, and hand-chiselled chocolate confectionaries.

The Maple Leaf Gardens first opened in 1931 and hosted the last Leafs’ game in 1999. The Gardens have also played host to other events, among them, one of Elvis Presley’s few live concerts outside the United States, and game two of the Summit Series, a 1972 competition between Canadian and Russian ice hockey teams.

—James Maiangowi With files from The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, and National Post.

New vegetarian café set to open

U of T remembers trans people

Fresh’s patio bid meets resistance

Harvest Noon Café, a volunteerbased vegetarian café, is set to open early second semester on the second floor of the Graduate Student Union office. The brainchild of Clair Luke, Willie Costello, John Pipitone, Mehdi Ravandi, Ryan Franks, and Mai Nguyen, the café encourages the use of local organic ingredients in all their recipes.

“It’s an alternative healthy sustainable eatery which is lacking in a number of other places; also, it’s independently run, so students can provide more feedback on what they’re eating,” said one of the organizers.

Asked about the challenges of working on the project, particularly with no business experience, Ravandi said that “balancing a student life is very difficult because it requires a lot of commitment,” but they are “lucky” to have a group dedicated to making the café a reality.

—Samantha Preddie

November 20 marked the start of a week of remembrance and awareness for trans persons at U of T. The Centre for Women and Trans People collaborated with UTSU to combat exclusion and marginalization and to provide a platform of discussion for issues faced by trans people.

“It is important for us as students to create dialogue and resistance around transphobia within our community…” said Corey Scott, UTSU VP Internal and Services.

Trans Remembrance Week started in 1998 after the killing of Rita Hester, a trans woman from Massachusetts.

“This day belongs to those still living with transphobic violence and violation, facing the stigma of gender nonconformity, and struggling, resisting, disrupting our deeply entrenched culture of hatred against trans people,” said Landan Wu, a volunteer with The Centre for Women and Trans People, during a speech. “I encourage you … to consider what you, personally, can do to create safer spaces for trans people on and off campus.”

—Dalana Parris

The Toronto East York Community Council recently met to decide the fate of local restaurant Fresh’s proposal to build an enclosed patio.

The Trinity Bellwoods Community Association (TBCA) and the Toronto Public Space Initiative (TPSI) stand firm against the local restaurant’s application to build the patio. Both organizations say Fresh’s bid will set precedent for other area restaurants, ultimately destroying the vibrant open air patio culture of the community.

In an interview, Chris Shulgan, the TBCA co-chair, referred to the Queen St. and Crawford St. location as “the gateway to the community.” He is concerned that Fresh’s building expansion will cut off part of the community and detract from the aesthetic value of the neighbourhood.

The TPSI’s co-chair Jayme Turney said that, “There is no justification for a restaurant to take over public space.”

Both the TBCA and TPSI stated this was not an attack on Fresh but a defence of the city’s open air patio culture.

The council deferred its decision in a meeting on November 2 until residents in the Trinity-Bellwoods community are polled on their opinion. The final verdict will be known in the new year.

—Georgia Williams

VARSITY COMMENT

comment@thevarsity.ca

monday, November 28, 2011

9

Creating controversy Why the United Colors of Benetton “unhate” campaign is stupid cials spoke at the event.

Hate exists. But it’s only a fraction of believers from any religion who carry out violence against others. While it’s noble to fight hate, you don’t start by throwing up gimmicky billboards with your company logo, especially when they infer widespread intolerance.

People from all religions need to engage in open conversations and learn to live side-by-side. By getting to know an “other,” individuals can build strong societies where hate is acknowledged, understood and undermined.

In the meantime, I’m boycotting Benetton. I can’t consciously buy from a company that exploits religious tension to sell overpriced sweaters.

EVA

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tians yelling at US-born Muslim families, insulting their religion and telling them to go back to where they came from. Some elected offi-

B EL

A poorly thought-out ad campaign landed the United Colors of Benetton in some hot water two weeks ago.

The Italian apparel maker launched a series of “unhate” ads featuring prominent world figures shown together in passionate embraces. Obama makes out with Hugo Chavez, French president Nicolas Sarkozy locks lips with German chancellor Angela Merkel, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu gets intimate with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

The images are rip-offs of a famous satirical Berlin Wall graffiti featuring Erich Honecker, head of East Germany, kissing Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. These posters had some shock value, though Benetton is known for running controversial advertisements that have nothing to do with their products.

But it was the ad featuring Pope Benedict XVI and an imam that received a lot of attention. Plastered across Italy, the ad enraged many Catholics and the Vatican even threatened legal action. The ad was removed shortly after. The row gained traction among many LGBT pundits, but the real problem with the ad runs much deeper than runof-the-mill homophobia.

The series of kissing ads all prominently feature the word “unhate.”

The website of the Benetton campaign describes its purpose as “not a cosmetic exercise, but a contribution that will have a real impact on the international community, especially through the vehicle of communication, which can reach social players in different areas.”

Whatever that means.

The ad is problematic because it is such a bad “vehicle of com-

munication.” Throwing the word “unhate” next to an image of the Pope and a Muslim religious leader suggests a false dichotomy of hate between Christians and Muslims. Impressions like this are particularly unhelpful given recent violence caused by extremists on both sides.

Catholic parishes across Toronto are now sponsoring Iraqi families seeking refugee status as Christians continue to be slaughtered in their homeland. A year ago, an al-Qaedalinked group seized a cathedral in downtown Baghdad and 58 were murdered.

In the Benetton ad, the Pope is smooching Mohammed Ahmed al-Tayeb, head of the alAzhar mosque in Cairo. Relations have been tense between the two since the Pope called out the Egyptian government for failing to protect its Christian minorities from violent attacks.

Egypt ended up withdrawing its ambassador to the Holy See and was conspicuously absent from a Vatican forum on inter-religious dialogue last month.

Ongoing attacks in postMubarak Egypt have made many Coptic Christians flee their homeland. A sizable number have sought refuge in austerity-plagued Italy, fuelling xenophobic tension.

Meanwhile, Muslims in the US face a new McCarthyism, with second-class rights to privacy, widespread racial profiling and paranoiac reporting on homegrown terrorism.

The YouTube video “Hate Comes to Orange County” documents a profoundly disturbing protest in California this February. The clip features radical American Chris-

AA

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

O LG

Dylan C. Robertson

Is pizza a vegetable?

The ridiculousness of public school lunch systems Davin Leivonen Fok VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

In a time when the public is constantly concerned with sex-offenders and Europe determining the fate of the world, we are far too distracted from considerations of what we should eat. Why is this so? The knowledge people have of food, of what is good and what leads to health problems such as heart disease, is quite accessible, right?

For years, public school lunch systems in North America and Europe have been facing criticism. Balanced lunches are not the only thing that cafeterias serve, and many hungry students opt for unhealthy foods choosing them because they are cheap. Last Monday, the US Congress passed a spending bill that would approve pizza with tomato sauce as a vegetable in the school lunch system. As a pizza enthusiast, I unabash-

Last Monday, the US Congress passed a spending bill that would approve pizza with tomato sauce as a vegetable in the school lunch system.

edly endorse that pizza is delicious. It’s a pie with cheese and slices of fattening meat and usually tastes like ambrosia. As the US is one of the countries leading in obesity, it seems only fitting that Congress, with donut-glazed eyes, is allowing young children to be subject to a “balanced” lunch of such items. With the aforementioned ingredients, it’s difficult to understand where the vegetables come in on your typical singletopping pizza: pepperoni, cheese, tomato sauce, and dough made of yeast, flour, sugar. The tomato sauce is the closest to vegetables out of any of those ingredients, and it should be noted that the tomato’s technically a fruit.

Efforts by food activists such as Jamie Oliver and Michelle Obama are still going strong. Jamie Oliver has successfully introduced healthy public school lunch programs in England with fresh ingredients

and attuned children to healthier foods.

Further, an activist group named “Mission: Readiness” is demanding that Congress amend its bill, which includes unhealthy foods that kids already eat enough of. “We are outraged that Congress is seriously considering language that would effectively categorize pizza as a vegetable in the school lunch program,” Amy Dawson Taggart, the director of the group, wrote in a letter to members of Congress. The group claims that poor nutrition in school lunch programs is a national security issue, as obesity is the leading medical disqualifier for military service.

Following the current rationale of Congress, when I eat Popeye’s fried chicken, I should no longer feel remotely ashamed since anyone can walk on over to Pizza Nova, and get four slices of greasy, meaty, cheesy vegetables.

10 monday, November 28, 2011

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VARSITY COMMENT

comment@thevarsity.ca

Inflamed rhetoric Our political language needs to cool down James Maiangowi VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Treachery is not a word used often outside the theatre — and for good cause. Accusing someone of an intent to betray a country or a cause should not be an action undertaken lightly.

Last week, however, a small drama sparked up on Parliament Hill when Peter Kent, Environmental Minister in the Harper cabinet, accused two opposition MPs of harbouring such an intent. That Kent should have felt the need to use the word “treachery” is worrisome; that his accusations have largely escaped scrutiny is even worse. Furthermore, the lack of a fall-out or even follow-up by the media to his statements paints a very poor picture of Canadian politics.

Last Tuesday, Claude Gravelle and Megan Leslie were in Washington, DC on a trip to speak to several US senators and congressmen about the Keystone XL pipeline. Both went to the US in their capacity as elected officials. Gravelle is the NDP’s critic for Natural Resources and Leslie is the NDP’ s Environment Critic. The next day, Minister Kent accused them of taking “the treacherous course of leaving the domestic debate and heading abroad to attack a legitimate Canadian resource.”

Treachery and treason lie close together in a dictionary and closer still in meaning. Did Kent intend to accuse the pair of wanting to betray Canada? Or, worse, does Kent actually believe their visit to Washington is evidence of “treachery?”

Neither Kent nor the Conservative party will comment on his remarks.

Injurious and reckless rhetoric has

become the hallmark of Canadian politics in recent years, and after the Conservative Party’s majority victory during last May’s election, it seems to have intensified. The same Wednesday that Kent made his accusations, NDP MP Pat Martin took to Twitter to express

lic Safety Minister Vic Toews accused NDP MP Joe Comartin of a “long and distinguished career of defending criminals.” House Leader Peter Van

WENDY GU/THe VArsity

his anger with the Conservative government’s decision to invoke closure on debate of the federal budget: one tweet read “This is a f—king disgrace ... closure again. And on the Budget!

There’s not a democracy in the world that would tolerate this jackboot sh—”, while another, in response to a critic, was more succinct: “f—k you.”

There have been some other choice events over the last few months. Pub-

Loan claimed the opposition parties have begun hindering the Conservative agenda with “unreasonable” amendments to proposed bills and last Thursday’s Question Period featured as many as four “for Dummies” references, which says something unpleasant and a little sad about the cultural literacy around Ottawa.

Although politics has never been

less than a full-contact sport, we should acknowledge that the state of our political discourse has been reduced to maladroit jibes notable only for their ugliness, and we should acknowledge that something is broken. Something has gone wrong in the way our political structures and media institutions are supposed to work, and this problem has only grown in the last five years. Ugly behaviour in individuals can be recognized and censured; ugly behaviour in institutions is a far more difficult problem to face, and this creeping rudeness threatens to reduce Canadian politics to taunts and vaudeville one-liners.

What should be done?

While it would be nice to hope that issuing a complimentary etiquette book to every new MP would solve this problem in a matter of years, it seems like Canadians either must learn to adapt to this new, shrill culture or else start agitating for change.

On the whole, improving political discourse must rank lower than improving our health care system or fixing our growing social inequalities, but it should still be a priority for any Canadian hoping to make Canada a better place.

Good communication is the bedrock of good government, and every step taken to encourage a more polite environment on Parliament Hill can only result in a more harmonious society. Given how some members of the government react to criticism, though, it may be best to ask them very nicely first.

Reducing food waste

Strategies to ensure that we have a more sustainable campus Jessica Zou VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The Lug-A-Mug campaign designers proudly advertise our beloved University of Toronto as the greenest university in Canada. Unfortunately, numerous cases of wastefulness are still noticeable on campus, one of which is the meals offered by campus residences.

I went to have dinner at New College a few days ago, and seeing the big garbage can labeled “compost” filled almost to the brim, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of despair.

While I was standing there lamenting the huge amount of food waste, a girl walked towards the station with five or six plates. The top one was filled with leftover pasta, beef stew, garlic bread, and desserts. Seeing me standing there, she blushed and mumbled as if trying to exonerate herself, “That was too much; I couldn’t finish it all.”

Indeed, large portions are one of the biggest problems underlying food waste. I do appreciate the cafeterias’ intention to feed the students well but in my opinion, “more” is certainly not better in this scenario. Portion size is a prominent problem for the residence cafeterias because all colleges offer buffet-style meal plans. I have to admit that, af-

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

ter paying $12 for a dinner and being dazzled by the great variety of food available at various stations, I wanted to at least try every single dish. This consumer psychology is probably shared by all buffet-goers and is exactly what prompts some restaurants to enact a policy on paying for leftover food just to prevent over-ordering. However, charging students for leftovers or changing the style of catering is certainly not a feasible solution since they will likely increase administrative difficulties or fail to accommodate students’ different needs.

Fortunately, we have chefs serving main dishes, thus making controlling portion sizes possible. What I noticed

at New College cafeteria is that currently, unless students ask for a reduced portion size, the chefs always give out a full plate of food. The solution I propose would be to do things the opposite way: how about giving students a reduced amount to begin with and, if they ask, add more?

Another reasonable way would be to put more efforts into raising awareness about food waste. So far, I have failed to see a single poster conveying messages about this issue; most food-related posters tend to focus on reduced prices, deliciousness, nutrition, and localness. To me, this approach seems to suggest that the poster designers are more inclined to regard students as just consum-

ers, not as members of the University of Toronto community who are responsible for maintaining a green campus. Designing posters specifically for raising awareness or having a campus-wide food waste awareness day (or week) will effectively contribute to filling this gap.

With the money saved, we can either reduce the residence fees or generally enhance students’ experience at the university. For example, as Jonathan Scott reported in the November 14 edition of The Varsity, the Office of Student Life has been frustrated by not having enough funding. As a result of this, it has been looking towards increasing already sky-rocketing student ancillary fees to better support campus clubs and organizations. The amount saved from reducing food waste would be ideal towards this end.

Members of the University of Toronto community should realize that food waste is a problem that has to be addressed immediately because besides the obvious issues, substantial amounts of energy and resources used for manufacturing products and collecting and disposing compost are also wasted. Reducing food waste is therefore an area worth investing energy in in order to sustain a more environmentally-friendly and viable campus.

comment@thevarsity.ca

VARSITY COMMENT

Abuses of power The Conservative Party of Canada doesn’t believe in democracy VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The repeated use of closure by the federal Conservatives to end parliamentary debates has triggered a firestorm of controversy leading many to question the government’s commitment to democratic principles. As the Globe and Mail observes, the Harper conservatives have invoked closure more frequently than any previous government. It has been used to end debate on everything from the longgun registry, to the Wheat Board, to adding more seats to the House of Commons. Criticisms range from Pat Martin’s colourful Twitter rant about the closure of debate on the budget to the more even-tempered comment by human rights lawyer and former Attorney General Irwin Cotler that the government’s use of the device to push it’s omnibus crime bill through second reading amounted to “a hijacking of democracy.”

Claims that the government’s actions are authoritarian and contrary to the democratic spirit are certainly correct. A healthy democracy requires that voices be heard, and dissent tolerated. Elizabeth May’s description of the repeated closures as “a stunning assault on democracy,” however, is only half-correct.

Anyone who is stunned that Harper’s Conservatives would assault democracy has not been paying much attention to Canadian politics over the last five years.

A brief review of their track record on this issue proves informative.

After taking office in 2006, one of the Harper government’s first official acts was the placement of sharp and unprecedented restrictions on the parliamentary press gallery. This has drastically decreased governmental transparency.

The move touched off what CTV described as a “battle between a PMO seeking total message control and news media defending their hard-won access.”

Harper spokesperson Sandra Buckler dismissed media concerns about the holding of secretive cabinet meetings and the pre-screening of questioners by claiming that average Canadians didn’t care about the lack of transparency “as long as they know their government is being well run.’’ However, she did not exactly say how they were supposed to know this despite carefully managed press access. Geoff Norquay, a close adviser to Harper, was a little more forthright explaining that the PMO wanted to “keep a tight lid on its messages,” as Harper had learned from the example of his predecessor, Paul Martin, who was too transparent for his own good.

Shortly after restricting the press gallery, the Conservatives made clear their position on another pillar of democracy: minority rights. When the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by

the Human Rights Council in 2006, in response to the “urgent need to respect and promote the inherent rights of indigenous peoples,” the newly elected Conservatives opposed it vigorously, working with New Zealand, the US, and Australia to obstruct the process. The Conservative Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development called UNDRIP “unworkable in a Western democracy under a constitutional government,” and Canada alone among Human Rights Council members opposed the declaration at the general assembly. It seemed that the Conservative rejection of UNDRIP was another attempt to evade responsibility for the crushing poverty in which much of Canada’s indigenous population live and they had reneged on a pledge by the previous government to provide development funds the same year. A statement on the government’s website, however, explained that the real reason was that “Canada wanted to build a broader consensus” for the declaration at the general assembly, as a vote of 143 to 4 in favor fell short of quorum in the Conservatives’ view.

Moving on to 2008, the govern-

by Stephane Dion, whom he accused of trying to “take power without an election.” The spin campaign failed, and with his government on the brink of defeat, Harper shut down Parliament to buy his party time. The first prorogation was a success, as the Conservatives weathered the storm and stayed in power. The cost to the taxpayer was in the tens of millions, along with, of course, the lack of governance for nearly two months.

Although Canadians were enraged by the contempt for democracy inherent in the prorogation of 2008, the government was again shut down just over a year later. In this case, the Conservatives were facing embarrassing pressure to release documents regarding the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan. Release of the documents was demanded after credible allegations arose that Canadian government and military officials had been turning a blind eye to the transfer of prisoners, by Canadian troops to security forces, which had been using torture as an interrogation tactic — a practice that would violate the third Geneva Convention. Harper responded to the allegations by saying that Canadians didn’t care whether or not the government was covering up the alleged torture of detainees, which ranged from the use of knives and electricity to sexual assault.

“That’s not on the top of the radar of most Canadians” he said at the time. “What’s on their radar is the economy.”

Once again, Harper prorogued Parliament to buy time for this issue to blow over — at a cost of roughly $130, 000, 000, and 22 days of governance. That brings us roughly up to date. Although the review is by no means exhaustive, it should give Canadians cause to consider the level of our government’s commitment, if any, to democratic principles.

So should the words of a young Stephen Harper, written almost a decade before he was Prime Minister.

In 1997, at the beginning of his political career, Harper penned a now-famous essay in which he complained that the Canada’s political system was badly broken. With the Conservative party fragmented and weak, a string of Liberal electoral victories had resulted in a “one-party-plus system” which was, he assured the reader, “little better than a benign dictatorship.” One can think what one likes about this characterization, but assuming that Harper really believes that the repeated winning of fair elections by a political party constitutes some kind of dictatorship, then how would he describe a government which silences debate, carefully manages press access, rejects minority rights, defunds its opposition, and suspends Parliament at its convenience? One shudders to think. jenny kim/THe VArsity

Simon Capobianco

ment made its first attempt in what would be an ultimately successful bid to eliminate a democratic form of political party funding while keeping an undemocratic one under the guise of strengthening democracy.

When Conservative Reform Minister of State Stephen Fletcher argued that the per-vote subsidy must be eliminated to protect voters from being “forced to make involuntary contributions based on parties (election) results” the three other major parties, recognizing that they would have their funding slashed while the Conservatives continued to enjoy publicly-subsidized donations from their wealthy constituents, unsurprisingly moved for a vote of no confidence in the minority government. Harper defied credulity in his attempts to paint the non-confidence vote ­— a parliamentary check against executive power — as a “backroom deal”

monday, November 28, 2011

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Democracy in decline

January 23, 2006: Harper’s Conservatives elected as a minority government.

January 15, 2008: The government engenders controversy when it fires Linda Keen, head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for refusing to bow to political pressure and allow the restart of a nuclear reactor deemed to be unsafe.

November 27, 2008: Finance Minister Jim Flaherty proposes ending per-vote subsidy for federal political parties, essentially slashing opposition party budgets while allowing the Conservatives to maintain an advantage in funding. The opposition agrees to defeat the government.

December 30, 2009: More than a year later, Harper suspends Parliament again when the government faces questions about the possible abuse of enemy soldiers captured in Afghanistan.

June 25–27, 2010: Government hosts G8 and G20 summits in Huntsville, ON and Toronto, ON respectively. They are criticized for their enormous cost of $1 billion and acts of police brutality towards peaceful protestors.

August 13, 2010: Veteran Affairs ombudsman Pat Stogran doesn’t have his contract renewed after highlighting poor treatment of veterans

by Veteran Affairs Canada.

November 16, 2011: NDP MP Pat Martin unleashes a profanity laced tweet on Twitter after the Conservatives invoke closure (close debate) on the federal budget. This is the third bill before the House of Commons for which closure was invoked. Closure can only be used during wartime or if the information in the bill is vital to national security. Neither criteria was met.

December 7, 2006: Harper tries to reopen debate on same-sex marriage.

The motion fails in the House of Commons.

April 15, 2008: Elections Canada and RCMP raid Conservative Party headquarters.

Long dispute between Elections Canada and the Tories over campaign financing rules.

December 4, 2008: Harper suspends Parliament to avoid nonconfidence vote.

June 17, 2010: Government replaces mandatory longform census with voluntary short-form despite protests from opposition parties, municipalities, provinces, social agencies, religious organizations, and economists.

July 21, 2010: Munir Sheikh, head of StatsCan, resigns over decision to kill census.

May 2, 2011: Harper’s Conservatives win majority government.

12

VARSITY FEATURES

monday, NOVEMBER 28, 2011

What’s that in my food?

Breakfast

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features@thevarsity.ca

A donut isn’t just a bad breakfast choice because of its scary ingredients. Rather, the drawback to consuming a donut for breakfast is the fact that one hour after eating it, when you’re sitting in lecture, your stomach will rumble and you’ll soon become preoccupied with your hunger again. Next thing you know, you’ve lost your focus and just missed the important detail that will be on your final exam.

In contrast, oatmeal takes a long time to digest and thus remains in your stomach for hours, slowly dispensing its energy and eliminating the sugar high and subsequent crash.

Boston Cream donut

by Mary Scourboutakos photos by Bernarda Gospic

Partially hydrogenated soybean oil — AKA, “trans fats,” a deadly food ingredient that increases bad cholesterol while simultaneously decreasing good cholesterol. Though the levels of trans fat are low enough that the label can legally state 0 grams, the fact is, trans fats still lurk in our food system, even in small amounts.

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “You are what you eat.” While this statement conjures images of the visible consequences of a suboptimal diet, the importance of nutrition is far greater.

Adelle Davis, a nutrition pioneer from the 1960s who warned against the consumption of trans fat decades before most people had ever heard of it, elegantly summarized the importance of nutrition: “We are indeed more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.”

We often forget that the food we eat has a direct impact on our energy levels, concentration, mood, and countless other aspects of our daily lives. Food is our fuel, and depending on what you choose to eat, it can aid or undermine your quest to achieve your “dream GPA” or whatever else it is you desire from life.

Just like a car, when you go to the pump (or in this case, the dinner table), you can choose to fill up on “regular gas,” or for a higher price, you can opt for “premium.” All too often, students opt for lower quality fuel, simply because it may be cheaper or more convenient.

Here’s why avoiding the “regular” student dietary staples and opting for “premium fuel” is worth the investment of your time and your money.

High fructose corn syrup — HFCS is everywhere! Though the controversy surrounding this ingredient continues, at the end of the day, it is at least as bad as sugar, which means it should be avoided.

Dextrose — AKA “sugar.” There’s a total of four teaspoons of sugar in the entire donut.

Beta-carotene — sounds unbelievable, but this is actually the same beta-carotene that’s found in orange-coloured fruits and vegetables.

In a donut, it’s used as a natural source of food colouring. But don’t get too excited, there isn’t enough to justify donuts as a source of this eye-protecting antioxidant.

Guar gum and xanthan gum — not as bad as they sound, these compounds (which are derived from guar beans and bacteria respectively) function as thickeners.

Yellow dye no. 5 and no. 6 — that’s right, nos. 5 and 6 are the varieties that are associated with hyperactivity.

Glucono delta lactone — though it sounds artificial, this is actually a naturally occurring food additive.

Oatmeal

Bran — the first of the three components (the other two being the endosperm and germ) that make up every grain. The presence of all three is what distinguishes “whole grains” from “refined grains.” Bran, which functions as the seed coat, is particularly nutritious and contains fibre, B vitamins, minerals, and plant nutrients called “phytochemicals.”

Endosperm — the second component of a “whole-grain,” which primarily consists of carbohydrates and protein. When products are refined, this is the only part that survives the refining process.

Germ — the third and final component of a “whole-grain.” It contains vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids, in addition to other nutrients.

In 17th-century Scotland, oatmeal was a staple in the university student’s diet. As a result, holidays, termed “Oatmeal Mondays,” were regularly scheduled to enable students to return home to their families’ farms to replenish their oatmeal supplies.

If you’re thinking of trying oatmeal, it’s easy and cheap to make. Just combine 2/3–1 cup (depending on your morning appetite) of old-fashioned or large flake oats with water and microwave for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Finally, add milk, nuts, seeds, cinnamon, and fruit for flavour.

Snacks Cheesy puffs Monosodium glutamate — though there’s controversy about whether or not this ingredient is harmful, if you experience a headache or insomnia after consumption, you may be one of the sensitive people who cannot tolerate MSG. Partially hydrogenated soybean oil — our old friend trans fat seems to be everywhere, meaning these tiny quantities are adding up.

Yellow dye no. 6 — another prevalent ingredient. Too bad they don’t use beta-carotene to colour these treats orange!

Plain popcorn Popcorn, which can be conveniently made in your microwave in only two minutes, is actually one of the best snacks to munch on (provided it’s not covered in sugar or butter). Add a pinch of salt or grate some real cheese on top and you’re good to go. With only 30 calories per cup, popcorn can help you keep the freshman 15 at bay.

Fibre — the high fibre content means popcorn will satisfy your hunger and keep you full.

features@thevarsity.ca

{

Lunch

VARSITY FEATURES

monday, NOVEMBER 28, 2011

You probably never thought you could find healthy food at a hot dog stand. Hark, it is possible!

The hot dog vendor located outside Mount Sinai Hospital (on University Ave., just south of College) offers baked sweet potatoes. So even though the food trucks might be closer, always opt for vitamins and minerals over chemical-laden and fat-filled fries.

French fries

Baked sweet potato

Hydrogenated soybean oil — here’s an example of where the food industry is sly.

The use of the term “hydrogenated” is ambiguous, since this oil could be fully hydrogenated (which means it does not contain trans fats) or it could be partially hydrogenated (meaning it contains trans fats). In this case, trans fats are present, as they are found on the food label.

Beta-carotene — beta-carotene, which gets converted to vitamin A after consumption, is so plentiful in sweet potatoes that consuming just one supplies eight times the recommended daily intake of vitamin A.

B vitamins — B vitamins perform countless essential functions in the body. A deficiency can cause depression, insomnia, or numerous other gruesome side effects.

Dextrose — our friend from the donut even turns up in french fries. Who knew there was sugar here?

Dimethylpolysiloxane — it also happens to be found in contact lenses, shampoo, and silly putty. This anti-foaming agent definitely doesn’t grow in potato patches.

Dinner

Pizza with meatballs

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What makes pizza a suboptimal choice is not just the large amounts of undesirable ingredients it contains, but more importantly, the lack of nutrients, especially if you order a “meatarian” variety. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with eating one piece, but you don’t want your entire meal to consist of pizza.

290

calories

200

15g

fat

6g

390mg

Try the 50:25:25 rule 50% fruits and vegetables 25% protein (meat, fish, legumes etc.)

25% carbohydrates (pasta, rice, bread etc.)

sodium

270mg

Pizza with vegetables on a multigrain crust

Wondering about the salt in the food on campus? Visit thevarsity.ca for a breakdown on cafeteria sodium levels.

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VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

MONday, NOVEMBER 28, 2011

arts@thevarsity.ca

Quiet please!

The Artist pays homage to the silent era greats Marie-Violette Bernard VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

French director Michel Hazanavicius made a bet on his upcoming movie The Artist to prove that in 2011, a black and white silent movie could be a success. As it so happens, The Artist was a winning bet, and the Wenstein Brothers, who own the rights for American, British, and Australian distribution, knew it right away.

The film follows the downfall of a silent movie star, George Valentin (played by Jean Dujardin), and an upcoming actress, Peppy Millerat (Bérénice Béjo) at a time when the “talkies” are gaining popularity. It is a lovely story about love and friendship, pride and altruism, evolution and heritage.

Some criticism has been made regarding the shallow romance between the two protagonists but you do not go to see The Artist for their story. You see The Artist to engage with the cinematic history addressed by the movie: it depicts, with a great deal of sensibility and humour, the figure of the actor in the ‘20s, when the cinematic world was full of frantic activity. The Artist is full of ref-

erences to the great masterpieces, from Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane to Rogers and Astaire musicals. Hazanivicius is paying a tribute to the “seventh art form,” as film was once described, and he does it perfectly.

he was awarded the Cannes Film Festival “prix d’interprétation masculine” last May, is outstanding. The rest of The Artist’s wonderful cast also deserves mention: John Goodman (The Big Lebowski, Pirates of the Caribbean) plays the cigar-smoking director perfectly; James Cromwell (The Green Mile, The Queen) in the role of the devoted butler convincingly stands as the film’s figure of morality; and the dog Uggy, who was granted the Palme Dog at Cannes this year, is also one of the most talented characters in this movie.

In the end, The Artist is a bold bet that uses both outstanding images and a great deal of humour and ultimately makes a powerful reflection on the evolution of cinema itself. At a time when digital cinema is taking over and every box office hit is in 3D, The Artist is a film that makes you want to rediscover Griffith, Eisenstein or Chaplin’s movies. The film also begs George Valentin and Peppy Miller star in The Artist the viewer to question whether or not the The duo, composed of Bérénice Béjo and technical innovations that are prevalent Jean Dujardin — who were already seen to- in today’s film industry are a positive evolugether in Hazanavicius’ OSS 117 — produce tion. More importantly, The Artist reminds us a remarkable example of alchemy. Dujardin’s of one very simple fact: masterpieces are timesubtle and moving performance, for which less, and so is the cinema.

Scrumptious singles Jakob Tanner counts the best five songs ever written about food

I

t was an honour to be chosen as the cultural connoisseur, worthy of compiling a top-five list of songs concerning food or, as I so often like to call it, “la musique nourriture.” The decisions were tough, as there were many good contenders. Many songs, while deserving honourable mentions, fell short, most of the time due to a lack of focus. But who can forget lines like, “Well, does he like butter tarts?” from the great Len hit single “Steal my Sunshine” or the lewd puns of Ludacris’ “Area Codes”: “Read your [w]hore-oscope and eat some [w]hore-d’oeuvres.” A worthy study of food-themed music would be hollow without a mention of Nelly’s “Batter Up” — conventionally perceived about baseball — but really a repressed rap song about whisking eggs in a bowl, most likely for any number of tasty treats. I believe that these five songs I have chosen — through the most rigorous of research — will be a delight to your listening appetites.

5. Piggies

ing your own pace, and having to just “let it go” without conjuring an image of those great golden arches?

“I’m Lovin’ It” is a salute to eating, to the best of restaurants: McDonalds. As JT, that loveable crooner, melodiously concludes the song and asks, “Don’t you love it too?,” we all know the answer: yes, we do.

4. I’m Lovin’ It

by Justin Timberlake This song is technically not about food. The music video follows good ol’ JT chasing a girl. But remember folks, like JT tells us, “You know this ain’t a pick up line.” It’s true. The song is a representation of the brainwashing power that subliminal messaging has over our cultural ethos. Who can listen to those lines about “love,” hav-

with Laura Kathleen Maize

Burger’s Priest

1636 Queen Street East

3. The Muffin Man

by Frank Zappa

I think we can all agree that the cupcake, in its essence, is a glorified, over-dressed, snooty-booty poodle of a mere muffin. Zappa addresses this problem from the likeable perspective of nursery rhyme hero the Muffin Man (You know him right? The one who lives on Drury Lane.) Voicing the Muffin Man, Zappa sings, “Some people like cupcakes better. I for one care less for them!” The song is enlightening and brings awareness to the prejudice and inequalities within the food world.

by The Beatles Many Beatles scholars will tell you this is a song about societal greed, obesity, and excess. The song is really less of a societal critique as some conclude it to be, and more a charming ode to being a carnivore.

The listener follows the “little piggies” as they become “bigger piggies” and then, in great Orwellian fashion, begin to sit and eat bacon with their “piggy wives.”

Now, maybe these piggies aren’t actually pigs and are human, or if they are pigs, they are cannibal piggies.

Regardless, as the final words of the song — “Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon” — echo in the ears and mind, listeners can’t help but crave some salty piggies themselves.

The $10 Restaurateur

2. Banana Pancakes

by Jack Johnson

It’s just like, a really good song, okay?

1. Eat It

by Weird Al Yankovic I know it would’ve been a next level top-ten-list maneuver to conclude with Arlo Guthrie’s 1967 classic, “Alice’s Restaurant,” but that seemed too obvious for my taste. Instead, here is a lesser-known tune that I’m sure is a surprise to you all: Weird Al’s “Eat It.” Yankovic facetiously spells it out: people are starving around the world, yet as members of the Western world, we continue to send our food back. To eat, or as the French say, manger, is at the core of food’s existence. “Eat it / open up your mouth and just feed it” sings Al. He is rejoicing in the very reason we, as in all of humankind (except for maybe vegans), love food: to eat it.

F

rom the outside, it looks like a boarding house and smells like a McDonalds, but what lies within the tiny, impressively decorated Burger’s Priest is people with high expectations. There’s been buzz about this burger place for some time and I fall prey time and time again to new food trends, fads, and must-try places.

After an hour on the Queen streetcar and a 10 minute wait for my cheeseburger, I took a big bite and thought, “It’s good.” Are they the city’s best burgers? Not even close. But can you go wrong with a burger made with real, fresh ingredients? Not at all.

With a cheeseburger and fries running you just under $10, you have a bit of space to experiment with the menu, and I suggest that you do some research before you go. “The option” looks incredible if you like portabellos, and chilly cheese fries are always a good (though coma inducing) choice. Bring cash, opt for a double burger (they’re not huge), and only go if you are in the neighbourhood or driving because ultimately, most Toronto hoods will have a momand-pop burger joint that is just as good, and much less hyped.

arts@thevarsity.ca

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

MONday, NOVEMBER 28, 2011

arts’ arts Ode to a frittata, or the love of my life

by Jenn Kucharz

Broken Wing by Elena Bilenky-Iourtaeva

You are always gone much too fast.

The tangled vines of your aroma are much more than the sum of your parts I can’t inhale enough.

Why is there such pleasure in having you alone when I can softly smile at the image of you for only I? And you’ll share with me your sweetest tastes your inner beauty your collisions and harmonies your parallel universe.

You’re done now must wait for another day maybe even two (is that torture?!)

Never scheduled forever sweet surprise of spontaneity.

Dents by Elena Bilenky-Iourtaeva

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MONday, NOVEMBER 28, 2011

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

arts@thevarsity.ca

It’s ready when it smells EMMA SARCONI explores the art of medieval paper making photos by Bernarda Gospic

I

t’s four thirty in the afternoon on a drizzly November Monday and here I am, forking wet, foul smelling strips of linen from a pot on my stove into a blender. I take one of the smaller measuring cups with painted cherries on it that my mom gave me for my birthday and scoop two cupfuls of murky, brownish gold — also foul smelling — water into the blender, tightly hold down the top and hit the “ice/crush” button with a little more vigour than necessary. Blend baby, blend. The blender whirrs unhappily as the linen strips are turned into a mushy pulp. Off goes the blender and out comes the newly-made-pulp. This process continues for another 40 minutes. So why exactly am I spending my afternoon over a blender instead of in bed desperately trying to catch up on Ulysses for tomorrow?

Believe it or not, I’m actually making paper.

Step One: The Pulp

I’ve always been a book enthusiast. My trifecta of literary scholarship includes a major in Book and Media Studies and minors in Literary Studies and English. When I arrived at U of T, books and literature were synonymous. A book was not just a vessel for the words and ideas of Jane Austen and John Fowles, but a book, you see, is really so much more. A book is a material object. Like the million little plastic pieces that make up your ballpoint pen, a book is made up of layouts, fonts, cover art, page numbers, marginalia, and paper. This might all seem very obvious to you, but to me, it was mindblowing. I haven’t looked at a book the same way since, and somewhere along the way, I picked up a passion for paper.

People always talk about how many advertisements you see in a day, but how many pieces of paper do you think you see in a day? How much paper is in your life? Probably a lot.

There are two ways to make pulp. First, there’s the hard way — the way that involves stealing your household’s dutch oven in the prime of soup making season and soaking linen in said dutch oven for four weeks on low heat — also known as my way, the fifteenth century way. I wouldn’t suggest this way. I would suggest the easy way. I would suggest you finish reading this lovely copy of The Varsity, rip it into long strips, and dunk it in water for a couple of hours. Either way, you’re going to need a blender.

As one person told me when I started this assignment, you know it’s ready when it smells — at least that’s how it goes with linen; if you’re doing this from newspaper, you know it’s ready when it’s soaking wet.

So you have your mushy newspaper or your smelly, mealy linen and basically you blend it until it turns into a really fine pulp. This shouldn’t take very long — maybe three minutes in the blender if you have some especially stubborn linen.

porous material like cheesecloth will be spread across the frame, covering the centre. The frame can be as big or as small as you want. Sometimes a special symbol will be sewn into the center of the porous material called a watermark.

In professional artisan papermaking operations, the papermaker will have a huge vat full of a mixture of pulp and water. They will take a hold of their frame on either side and dip it into the vat to the very bottom, picking up pulp along the way, like a gold panner. As they bring the frame up out of the water, the water drains through the cheesecloth and hopefully, an even spread of pulp will be left over the entire centre of the frame. This is harder than it sounds. For those of us without humongous vats, carefully placing and spreading the pulp over the cheesecloth with your hands also works, but not quite as well.

Once your frame is covered in pulp, you have to press out the excess water. It has to be a large, even-surfaced object that will cover most of the inside of the frame. I used a cutting board; in the olden days, they had a special piece of wood.

Step Two: The Frame

Step 3: The Waiting Game

This is where things get tricky. In order to make paper, you need to have what’s called a frame, which is basically four pieces of wood nailed together to make a rectangle; then a

After all the water has been pressed out of the paper pulp, carefully turn the frame over allowing the pulp to fall out.

Very carefully place it in a safe spot to dry. Depending on

The foundation of this newspaper and your current involvement at this university is almost entirely reliant on the 15thcentury development of paper (the printing press also had a fair amount to do with it).

I know all this because I am currently enrolled in a class called The Medieval Book through the Medieval Studies department. We learn about things like what the difference is between a medieval and ancient scroll, what a gloss text is and, of course, how they used to make paper.

Our final assignment is to recreate a medieval artifact in the medieval way. Having no interest in making parchment, which involves dipping animal skin in lyme (I’m a vegetarian), I jumped at the chance to make paper. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into.

So how exactly does one make paper?

how thick your paper is, this could take anywhere between one and four days.

Step 4: Is This Really Necessary?

So your pulp is now dry, and technically you have successfully made paper. If you’ve used this issue of The Varsity, your paper is probably a grayish colour and not horribly appealing. Luckily, the colour of your paper will change depending on what you make your pulp from. Using old class notes will probably yield a color similar to whatever color pen you write in, while using extra yellow flyers from your last club event will yield new yellow paper.

When they were making paper in the fifteenth century, after the paper would dry, they would dip the paper in clean water and then rub it smooth with a pumice stone. The final step would then be to dip the page in a gelatin made from boiling vellum or leather and allowing the fat to excrete. This would prevent the ink from running on the page; it also sounds disgusting. I would skip this step.

As much as I grimace as I scoop this goop into a blender, I also revel in it. This is an amazing tradition that has literally changed the world. And I have to admit I might have jumped for joy when my linen finally turned to pulp — not just because the success of this project is worth 40 per cent of my final mark, but because this is, in its own way, fun, or at the very least makes for a good story.

VARSITY SCIENCE

science@thevarsity.ca

monday, november 28, 2011

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Shaken, not stirred? Breasts might not appreciate either INGRID SANTAREN of the Nutritional Sciences Students Association exposes alcohol risks re moderate amounts of alcohol good for your health? Multiple studies have been published on the subject and have had different conclusions. Positive studies on alcohol have shown benefits to moderate drinking, such as the strengthening of bones, protection against heart disease, and reduced risk of cognitive impairment.

All these benefits may sound promising, but don’t get thirsty yet. A study published in the early November issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that low amounts of alcohol consumption are associated with an increase in breast cancer risk. The researchers found that consuming even three to six drinks per week (five to ten grams per day) significantly increased breast cancer risk by 15 per cent.

Aiming to find the link between breast cancer and adult alcohol consumption, the study examined the changes in drinking patterns during adult life. The authors claim that their study is the

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

A

first on the association of both frequent drinking and binge drinking with breast cancer risk. The study followed 105,986 women from the

Nurses’ Health Study from 1980 until 2008.

Dr. Chen, one of the authors of the study, stresses that the most

consistent and informative way to look at alcohol consumption is to look at the average cumulative intake over the long term, rather

than intake at one particular time. Moreover, drinking earlier (ages 18-40) and later (above age 40) in adult life were independently linked with breast cancer risk. The study did not find any difference between risks from drinking different types of alcoholic beverage.

So what does all this mean for you? Dr. Chen says that doctors need to look at the overall risk and benefit of an intervention for individual cases because with alcohol, there are increased negative risks but there are also some benefits, such as cardiovascular disease prevention. She explains that the study did not find an increase in risk with less than three drinks per week, so she suggests that this dosage may be safe for avoiding breast cancer risk.

Alcohol may be good in moderation in that it can lower risk for certain diseases, but it seems that this rule does not apply to breast cancer risk. The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) advises that the harmful effects of alcohol outweigh the good.

SC ENCe n br ef Waiter, there’s a fly in my beer

One tall order for sweet potatoes, and the address? outer space

Humans really like their soybeans, archaeological window into history reveals

Stopping the hunt for bushmeat may lead to childhood anemia

Raucous parties lead to abandoned alcohol, and the next morning, hosts may wake up to buzzing after-party guests — flies. In a study conducted at the University of California, entomologists found that flies from the Drosophilia species actually prefer beer to sucrose, despite its minimal sugar content and bitter taste. The cause of their attraction was determined to be Gr64e, a receptor for glycerol.

Flies with defective versions of this receptor showed a weakened preference for beer. These flies primarily seek out sugars as a food source since it is easily metabolized, and they are usually not attracted to alcohol due to its low sugar content.

In addition, the team found that the flies didn’t seem to rely on olfaction to find the alcohol — even flies with removed olfactory receptors shared the preference for beer. Like many partygoers, the flies seem to taste first and ask questions later.

A study by two Purdue University researchers, published in the journal Advances in Space Research, shows how sweet potatoes can be grown by cutting down the plant’s usual growing space while not reducing the amount of food it can produce.

Since the sweet potato plant is known for growing all over the place, the researchers had to figure out how to force the plant to grow vertically. Using cylindrically-shaped wire cages, they managed to make the vines grow in a tame upright fashion.

This vertical position is perfect for growing in outer space, since it makes the plants more stackable.

The next move the researchers want to make is to provide a source of light for the plants. If everything falls into place, we may not only have a new space crop but also an extra-terrestrial addition to Thanksgiving.

Soybeans have had a notable presence in the Asian diet for quite some time, but recent archaeological records indicate that the adoption and domestication of the legume goes farther back than previously thought.

The records point to a domestication period that began approximately 5,500 years ago, a far cry from the previous suggestion of 3,000 years. The study, published in PLoS ONE, examined 949 specimens from 22 sites and organized the age of the beans according to their size. The larger the bean, the more likely it was domesticated. A trend was found between the appearance of the soybean and the development of villages, suggesting that the soybean benefited from the human habitat and humans quickly learned how to cultivate them. The scientists hope this new information will encourage study into the impact that cultural contribution may have had on the development and domestication of the soybean.

The hunting of wildlife for bushmeat continues to be a source of contention between conservationists, who oppose the hunting of endangered species, and locals, who hunt wild animals in the African jungles for food. A recent study from the University of California, Berkeley adds some weight to the argument in favour of the locals. Evidence supports the claim that bushmeat is an important source of nutrition for people living in these areas. Researchers monitored the diet and health of children in Madagascar and estimated that a loss of local wildlife as a source of food could cause a rise of up to 29 per cent in the incidence of childhood anemia. Anemia is caused by a lack of iron — in this case, from not eating enough iron-rich foods such as meat.

These findings send the message that although conservationists are doing well to protect endangered species, we must find ways to do so without endangering human lives.

—Emily Dunbar Source: Science Daily

—Bianca Lemus Lavarreda Source: Science Daily, Purdue University

—Bianca Lemus Lavarreda Source: Science Daily, University of Oregon

—Emily Dunbar Source: Science Daily

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VARSITY SCIENCE

monday, november 28, 2011

science@thevarsity.ca

Unusual foods from around the world Would you have anything to do with these unsexy concoctions?

by Bianca Lemus Lavarreda illustrations by Caroline Lee

Bird’s nest soup

Balut

Fugu

Casu Marzu

Pigeon

A Chinese delicacy, bird’s nest soup is made from the swiftlet bird’s nest, composed of the bird’s hardened saliva. This very expensive dish has been around in Chinese culture for at least a thousand years.

A fertilized egg that is boiled and often eaten from the shell. The egg is usually eaten within the first few weeks of development and holds the shape of the chick. It is a common Filipino snack.

Japanese for “pufferfish,” this dish is composed of a carefully dissected pufferfish. Pufferfish can be poisonous, so if the fish is not handled properly, this main course can prove deadly.

Nicknamed “Maggot Cheese,” this cheese product is filled with thousands of larvae that soften it. You can eat it when the maggots are dead, but this is not recommended for sanitary reasons.

If you haven’t seen one of these before, then you probably don’t go to U of T. Known to hang around any promising food source, these birds are no stranger to weight gain. Commonly eaten in China, pigeons are served in a variety of ways, including deep-fried.

Kopi Luwak

Natto

Criadillas

Baby mice wine

Head cheese

Essentially pooped coffee beans. Critters called “civets” eat coffee berries and then poop out the coffee beans.

The digestive juices of the civet add a unique and highly coveted flavor to the roasted beans. Not a bad business model, right? Kopi Luwak ranks as one of the world’s most expensive coffees.

An extremely sticky web of fermented soybeans, this Japanese treat is a small test for tourists eager to try new cuisine. Noted for its pungent, cheesy smell, natto is usually eaten at breakfast with some rice on the side. Eating tip: quickly swirl your chopsticks.

If you are what you eat, then you are bull’s testicles when you eat criadillas. Also known as “Rocky Mountain Oysters,” this dish is the by-product of castration and is typically eaten in the Western region of the US. You can have them fried or seasoned — either way, it takes a tried-and-true cowboy to finish them off.

It is exactly what it sounds like. Although it is not rare to find animalpreserved wines in various parts of the world, this one may be particularly disturbing to rodent-phobic North Americans. Hailing from Asia, especially from South Korea, this drink apparently exists as a health tonic.

A European treat, head cheese is actually quite literal, minus the cheese.

The heads of various animals are finely separated to form a smorgasbord of different “head” cold cuts.

This meat jelly can be served pickled or with spices.

Is that a syringe in your pants?

A new HPV vaccine for men protects against deadly cancers Ken Euler ASSOCIATE SCIENCE EDITOR

In 2006, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil, was introduced to protect young women from developing cervical cancer.

However, a recent announcement from the US Food and Drug Administration has also extended this recommendation to be vaccinated to young men in order to help protect them from developing genital warts and anal cancer.

HPV is a type of virus that has over 100 subtypes and is spread to approximately 3000 new people

in Canada each year. While most HPV subtypes have little effect on human health, a number of them have been found to substantially increase the risk of developing certain forms of cancer and sexually transmitted diseases.

For instance, research has indicated that HPV-16 and HPV-18 are responsible for 70 per cent of cervical cancer and are the primary cause of anal and penile cancer.

In addition, HPV-6 and HPV-11 are responsible for 90 per cent of genital and anal warts. More recent research has also indicated that HPV-16 and HPV-18 may also be

responsible for a high proportion of head and neck cancers.

The recommendation to vaccinate men against HPV is supported by a number of recent studies. This past October, Dr. Joel Palefsky and his colleagues published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine that investigated the efficacy of the HPV vaccine in protecting men from developing anal cancer. The results indicated that the HPV vaccine significantly reduced the number of anal lesions that became cancerous in comparison to the control group that did not

receive the vaccine. In addition, research published last February

by Dr. Anna Giuliano and her colleagues indicated that the HPV vaccine significantly reduced the number of genital warts that men developed versus those who did not receive the vaccine.

Research has also suggested that HPV vaccinations in men may help protect women from developing cervical cancer. According to a report by the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada, HPV vaccine coverage in young women is only about 50 per cent in Ontario — substantially lower than expected.

As men can transmit HPV to any sexual partner (male or female), more men receiving the vaccine could also protect unvaccinated women from HPV. While research is still being conducted to determine whether the HPV vaccine can reduce the risk of developing head and neck cancer in men, the current research strongly supports its efficacy in reducing anal cancer and genital warts. In light of this research, it will be interesting to see whether the government of Canada decides to support a vaccination program for Canadian men.

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VARSITY SCIENCE

monday, november 28, 2011

19

Dreaming while awake MEKHALA GUNARATNE explores lucid dreaming

G

iven the wealth of opportunities available to us in daily life, we possess the potential to do lots of stuff, but not everything. Now, what if I told you that if you wanted it, you really could have it all?

Accessible to everyone, lucid dreaming holds the key to a world where anything is possible. We’ve seen lucid dreaming creatively explored in the hits Inception and Waking Life. What is it exactly and how can the average person learn this skill?

Dr. Dax Urbszat, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, is familiar with research on lucid dreaming and is also a longtime practitioner himself.

He describes lucid dreaming as “the act of being conscious — or what others would call ‘awake’ — while dreaming.” When asked what the average person could do to increase the likelihood of experiencing a lucid dream, Dr. Urbszat pointed to the cultivation of an open attitude: “We have relegated dreams in Western culture to non-importance, but because lucid dreaming has been tied to past life regression, out of body experiences, and astral projection, which aren’t scientifically based, it’s dismissed and put in the realm of pseudoscience.” Urbszat also suggests keeping a dream journal. Dream recall is also far greater when you wake up naturally rather than rising abruptly to the sound of an alarm clock. “What’s important is the act of trying to remember, which builds the skill of lucid dreaming. In the morning when you wake up, try to remember first thing what dreams you had.

Don’t even open your eyes or move; just think, ‘What was I dreaming about?’”

Another tip to increase the chance of lucid dreaming is to perform regular “reality checks” while awake. Because dreams are extremely fluid, their content is constantly being altered. For example, text in a dream may disappear or change rapidly into symbols or new text, making it difficult to decipher. Reality checks help trigger the realization that you are dreaming. Common reality checks include reading text, pinching yourself, or flipping on a light switch.

If you perform enough reality checks in your daily life, they will transfer over into your dream content. If you try pinching yourself in a dream, you may suddenly realize that it does not induce any pain (we do not experience pain in dreams). You may also find that reading text is difficult because the words are constantly changing — an impossible occurrence in reality. This trigger will induce lucidity by helping you distinguish between reality and a dream.

“Mindfulness meditation” is another technique that can increase the chance of being lucid while dreaming. Dr. Tony Toneatto, Director of the Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health Program at the University of Toronto, describes a causal

link between mindfulness meditation and lucid dreaming. He explains that mindfulness meditation can help enhance self-awareness and visualization skills, both of which are crucial to experience a lucid dream. These two skills can be acquired and refined through different forms of meditation in waking life and can help someone interact with their dreams as well as enhance the experience.

Lucid dreaming has also been studied scientifically. New research by scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Mu-

nich, in partnership with colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and the Charité hospital in Berlin, has successfully identified neural activity associated with dreaming. Up until now, scientists have only been able to visualize the patterns and location of sleep-related brain activity and have been less successful at measuring more specific neural activity associated with dream content alone. Unless researchers know the precise timing of a dream, it is impossible to identify the neural activity

associated with it without a cue to signal the onset of a dream. Unfortunately, only the dreamer can report when he or she is dreaming, and is usually unaware that it has happened until after he or she has awoken. In response, researchers recruited lucid dreamers who were instructed to fall asleep in a functional magnetic resonance imaging chamber and to cue researchers, using eye movements, upon entering a state of lucid dreaming.

Electroencephalographic (EEG) technology was also employed to detect when

Lucid dreaming can be applied to the treatment of phobias, harbours immense potential and has already been used in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Dr. Urbszat said, “Imagine if you could dream about your phobia and have superior control over the object; could you then completely overcome your fears?”

Aside from its beneficial application to phobias, lucid dreaming has also been used in sports and performance psychology.

Studies have demonstrated that when a skill is practiced within a dream, performance of the skill will improve, be it playing guitar or mastering a martial arts move. Dr. Urbszat explains that the electrochemical impulses occurring during sleep are identical to that occur during wakefulness: “If I want to learn or improve on a certain skill, like riding a bike, I practise, and as a result, neural pathways are created in the brain.

We create neural pathways even while we’re dreaming of ourselves performing this skill because the brain doesn’t differentiate when we’re dreaming from when we’re awake. This research is at the forefront of sports and performance psychology. It is used in visualization and imagining techniques to enhance and improve performance.”

With all the positive implications associated with lucid dreaming, what’s the catch? Dr. Urbszat reassures us that he has yet to encounter any scientific evidence suggesting that there are negative implications associated with lucid dreaming. However, he cautions that lack of evidence supporting negative implications does not entail that none exist. Rather, the negative consequences, if any, have yet to be recorded.

However, there are many false myths about lucid dreaming that are worth debunking: lucid dreaming is linked to hallucinations while waking; you can get caught in a dream and never wake up; lucid dreaming is the same as sleep paralysis. Dr. Urbszat clarifies, “There aren’t really any issues or problems that I can foresee for lucid dreaming.

It seems to be safe, healthy, and advantageous.”

Historically, dreams have been given quite a lot of attention and have been KIMBERLY KWAN/THe VArsity seen as gateways into unconscious realms. However, and which region of the brain was most ac- in recent years, dreams have garnered less tive while participants experienced a lucid enthusiasm from the scientific community dream. Participants were asked to dream and have sometimes been deemed pseudothat they were clenching their right fist fol- scientific. Dr. Urbszat stresses that this is lowed by their left fist for ten seconds. EEG a mistake. “There is something to be said reports demonstrated that at that time, about being in touch with your unconthere was frequent activity in the sensorim- scious, the part of you that you are rarely otor cortex, the same area of the brain as- allowed to communicate with in a consociated with the execution of movements scious way. Lucid dreaming lets us do this. while in a state of wakefulness.

Dreaming is something that every humanBeyond the scientific progress, the posi- being and virtually every animal does, so it tive implications for therapeutic and per- is a universal and critical phenomenon. We sonal uses of lucid dreaming are manifold. can’t stop it from happening.”

20 Monday, November 28, 2011

VARSITY SPORTS

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Toronto beats out fighting Lancers Men’s basketball team holds off #10 ranked Windsor in front of packed Athletic Centre Dave Cogliano VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

‘‘

Wasik led to easy second-chance points allowing the Blues to maintain their double-digit advantage.

In the dying seconds of the first half, Nickel managed a steal and passed to Dakota Laurin, who was sent to the line and made both free throws. The Blues cruised into halftime with a 56–34 lead as the Lanc-

ers struggled from the field, shooting just 2-of-14 from beyond the arc.

The second half opened up with the Blues feeding Wasik in the post for two quick scores. The teams traded blows in an uneventful third period as the Blues headed into the final frame with a comfortable 20-point cushion.

We can be

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

the generation

‘‘

The Varsity Blues defeated the Windsor Lancers 86–81 Saturday in a dramatic game at the Varsity Arena. Toronto took the lead early and never looked back, capping a two game winning run at home to bring the Blues back to .500 (3–3) on the season.

Forward Alex Hill set the tone early, hitting three consecutive three-pointers to score the Blues’ first nine points. The Lancers felt the brunt of some precision shooting, with the Blues making 63 per cent from the floor in the opening frame.

Accurate shooting and strong rebounding allowed the Blues to open up a sizable 15-point advantage going into the second quarter. Hill acknowledged after the game that it was crucial to make a quick start: “We just wanted to push early, go at them, and not let off.”

Hill brought the crowd at the Athletic Centre to their feet with a play early in the first period, driving to the hoop from the left elbow and crowning a Lancer defender with a dunk plus the foul. “When I go to the rim, I go hard,” said Hill.

It was more of the same in the second quarter, as the Blues outhustled their opponents on both ends of the court. Hard work off the glass from Sean Nickel and Andrew

stretch of eight straight points to bring the Lancers back within five of Toronto.

The Blues lead was cut to three points with just 25 seconds remaining, and the visitors were noticeably joyful as Toronto was forced to call a timeout. “Coach told us to relax and not listen to them … we [were] still winning,” said Hill.

Blues player-of-the-game Drazen Glisic recovered an offensive rebound from a Hill miss to finally put the game out of reach. Glisic scored a team-high 16 points, going 7-for-11 from the floor and adding six rebounds.

The win puts the Blues in a tie for second place with Ottawa in the OUA East Division.

The two-game winning streak provided excitement for home fans, and put the team back on track after a disappointing three-game losing streak.

Hill said that the team has high expectations for the season given their wealth of vexperience. The Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity Blues have more players in their fifth year of eligibility than any But the Lancers full-court press other team in the division, and Hill halted the Blues offense in the believes that could push them over fourth, while Windsor’s third- the top. “We’re a savvy, veteran year guard Enrico Diloreto took team and we’ve been through it over the game offensively. Dilore- all… We know what to expect.” to, the CIS’ second-highest scorer poured in 11 of his game-high 33 The Blues travel to Hamilton to take points in the last seven minutes on the red hot McMaster Marauders, of the fourth quarter, including a who have won five straight.

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VARSITY SPORTS

sports@thevarsity.ca

monday, November 28, 2011

Blues fail to maintain momentum BRIAN O’NEILL reports that men’s hockey team falls 2–1 to Ottawa Gee-Gees

T

he Varsity Blues men’s hockey team fell 2–1 to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees on the 16th annual Minor Hockey Night, Saturday at the Varsity Arena. The defeat followed a come-from-behind 4–3 overtime victory over the Carleton Ravens on Friday.

Blues head coach Darren Lowe described his team as “Flat. No other word for it. Really flat.”

The Gee-Gees opened the scoring at the 15:46 mark, on a two-on-one that beat Toronto goalie Garrett Sheehan on his blocker side. The Blues responded two minutes later as forward Kyle Ventura picked up a loose rebound in the slot following Cassidy Preston’s initial shot.

Ottawa scored the eventual winner in the second period on a 4-on3 power play.

Though it was an even game throughout, the goals just weren’t coming for the Blues. This wasn’t due to a lack of offensive pressure; the Blues had 24 shots and crashed the Ottawa net hard. “We got our chances; we just couldn’t put the puck in the net,” Lowe admitted.

Toronto’s power play proved particularly costly, with the Blues unable to convert, especially during a crucial

four-minute power play mid-way through the third period.

“They were clogging the neutral zone. We kept trying to deke in instead of just dumping it,” Lowe said.

In the last 15 minutes, U of T had a number of quality chances, maintaining pressure in the Ot-

utes left. When we did, we generated some good scoring chances.”

The Blues, 7–5–3 so far this season, sit sixth in the OUA East standings. “We’ve had to play some tough teams in the first half [of the season].

We have had some significant injuries and we played through it. We’ve grown as a team and have played some good hockey,” Lowe said.

The Blues focused on improving defensive zone game in the first half of the season. Toronto’s defensive play on Saturday suggested the plan is working. The Blues were able to play strongly down low in their own end and effectively disrupt the Gee-Gees shooting lanes.

“Our defensive zone coverage has been better in the last four games, but it’s a work in progress,” explained Lowe.

Wyatt Clough/THe VArsity “We have to make sure we execute the game tawa end. Playing like that for a plan, whatever it happens to be. We full 60 minutes might have led to a just didn’t do that tonight.” different result.

“It’s human nature after an emo- The Blues wrap up the first half of tional win like the one on Friday,” their season on the road on December explained Lowe. “There were some 2, against the University of Ontario things that we planned on doing Institute of Technology. The Blues retonight, but we didn’t get around to turn to Varsity Arena on January 13 to executing them until about 15 min- play the Ryerson Rams.

U of T athletes reflect on Guadalajara games Blues swimmers look forward to successful Toronto Pan-Am Games Gabriella Lambert VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Varsity Blues swimmers Frank Despond and Bridget Coley believe that Toronto has what it takes to host the 2015 Pan American Games. Despond and Coley both competed for Canada at the 2011 Pan American Games, held in Guadalajara, Mexico, from October 14–21.

The international sporting event was a pivotal moment in both swimmers’ careers; it was the largest international event either athlete had attended. I sat down with both swimmers to learn about their individual experiences in Guadalajara and their thoughts on Toronto as the host of the next Pan American Games.

Despond competed in a variety of freestyle events at the Games. In his individual events, he finished ninth overall in the 400-metre freestyle, and 12th overall in the 200-metre freestyle. Despond also swam the 4 x 100-metre freestyle relay, where his team came in seventh and the 4 x 200-metre freestyle relay in which they finished sixth.

As with many elite swimmers, Despond is eager to compete for a spot at the 2012 Olympic games, and believes that the 4x200 freestyle is his “best shot.”

Fellow Varsity Blue Bridget Coley represented Canada in her main event, the 800-metre freestyle, and also in the 400-metre freestyle. Coley

finished tenth in the longer race and one place further behind in the 400-metre.

As the 2011 Pan American games drew closer, reports of sanitation and security concerns arose. Though a number of athletes pulled out of the games, Despond and Coley were nevertheless eager to represent Canada at the senior level. Both athletes remarked on the strong military presence at the event. Despond said he felt safe with “a police presence of such magnitude,” and Coley said she “never felt at risk.”

of any athletes training regime.

“The pool facilities were amazing,” noted Frank Despond. Days before the event, Despond worried that he wouldn’t be able to race at all; the stands at the aquatic facility had not been finished. However, round-the-clock construction meant that “everything was finished at the last minute.”

Despite initially wariness, Despond changed his mind quickly and said “[It was] the best pool I have ever swum in.”

Both athletes agreed that Toronto has the ability to host great games when its turn with the Pan-Am Games arrives in 2015. Despond hopes negative media attention about the financing of 2015 games will not overshadow Toronto’s potential as a host city.

Both athletes are worried about the crowd turnout and the media attention the 2015 games will receive. “Canada isn’t very good at putting competitions of that level on television,” Colley said. Both swimmers agreed that the country has a bias towards supporting certain sports. Only the opening and closing ceremonies and some sporadic highlights of the Guadalajara games were televised within Canada.

With their first senior level competition behind them, both athletes are training for the 2012 Olympic trials. While the 2015 Games are a few years away, Despond and Coley are already keen.

Coley said it would be an honour “to compete for Canada on Canadian soil and have the whole crowd behind you.”

“[It would be an honour] to compete for Canada on Canadian soil and have the whole crowd behind you.”

“When we got there everything was not finished,” said Bridget Coley of the Athletes Village, noting the lack of hot water. While there were some initial queries, both athletes found the village to be “well kept and new,” and they “never felt in a dirty environment.”

The only major complaint was the limited food options. This became an issue for Despond, who suffered from food poisoning in the early days of competition. Training at high altitude causes athletes’ hunger to be surpressed, but a balanced diet is still a crucial component

21

BLUES

BY THE

NUMBERS 9–4 The score as the women’s water polo team won the OUA championship gold medal game against the Carleton Ravens in Ottawa on Sunday. The Blues went 2–1 in round-robin play to earn their place in the final.

7/2/2

The number of digs, blocks, and serving aces respectively recorded by men’s volleyball player Jonathan Adomait against Ryerson on Sunday. The Blues took the match 3–1 (25–27, 25–21, 25–19, 25–14).

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Varsity ClassiFieDs Cost $12.00 for twenty-five words. $0.25 for each additional word. Rates include one line of bold type for the ad header. No copy changes after submission. Submit ads by email, mail or phone. Ads must be submitted at least four days prior to publication. Varsity Classifieds, 21 Sussex Ave, Suite #306, Toronto, ON, M5S 1J6. Call 416-946-7604 or email ads@thevarsity.ca.

22 Monday, November 28, 2011

VARSITY SPORTS

sports@thevarsity.ca

Women edge Windsor in close encounter Blues basketball team defeats CIS #3 Lancers Susan Gordon VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The Varsity Blues women’s basketball team upset the CIS thirdranked University of Windsor Lancers 81–80 in a close game Saturday. The win improved the CIS number-ten Blues’ overall record to 6–1.

Both teams shot well in the first quarter of the game, but the Lancers’ rebounding strength allowed them to gain early momentum. Jill Stratton made an immediate impact for Toronto, scoring six points in the first six minutes of the game, but that wasn’t enough to stop the Lancers from ending the first quarter with a 22–17 lead.

Windsor’s defence was strong throughout the first half, as the team combined for six steals — many led to easy fast-break baskets. Missed shots by the Blues allowed the Lancers to retain their momentum, and Windsor ended the half up 42–36.

The third quarter followed a similar pattern, with Toronto missing opportunities and being pushed around by the Lancers’ size and physical game play. But the Lancers proved less consistent in the period, allowing the Blues to close the gap to three points at one stage. The

Lancers were then able to widen the scoring gap, and a missed lay up by the Blues allowed Windsor to end the third quarter ahead 59–52.

The Blues came out strong in the fourth, quickly bringing the score up to 59–56, before Windsor began to pull away to a seven point lead.

But Toronto wasn’t willing to give up on the game; a Blues run put the team ahead for the first time in the second half as they led 66–65.

A Joanna Medri three-pointer gave Toronto a brief three point lead towards the end of the fourth quarter, before a layup and foul shot by Windsor tied the score at 77–77 with just 1:35 left in the game. Foul shots by both teams brought the score to 79–78 to the Blues, before a turnover followed by a foul against the Blues allowed Windsor to take an 80–79 lead with under a minute left.

After a Toronto timeout and with just ten seconds left in the game, Stratton made a clutch field goal, putting the Blues ahead 81– 80. The Lancers tried to respond on their final possession, but the crushing Blues’ defence forced Windsor to try a long three-pointer that missed the net, cementing the win for Toronto.

What allowed the Blues to close the scoring gap in the fourth quar-

ter? “I think we stepped up on defence … and [Joanna Medri] found her rhythm on shots. Alicia hit some shots as well, and I finally got one to fall,” commented Jill Stratton, who finished the game with eleven points and five rebounds.

Varsity Blues head coach Michele Belanger was very impressed by her team’s performance. “[The Blues were] outstanding… They all relied on each other and everybody made contributions when they needed to make contributions, which I think is the sign of a great team.”

Toronto’s high-scorer Joanna Medri ended the night with 21 points. “[Winning felt] so good.

[The Lancer’s are] the numberthree team in the country, so that was huge for us… We knew that these were two big games this weekend, Western and Windsor … and it feels great that we went 2–0 [this weekend].”

Belanger noted that the Blues women weren’t intimidated by the Lancer’s high CIS ranking coming into the game. “If anything they were more excited… We beat [Windsor] last year by one so I guess this is two years in a row!”

The Blues next take on the McMaster Marauders in Hamilton on Friday, December 2.

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

VARSITY SPORTS FEATURE

sports@thevarsity.ca

How to lose at beer pong

Text by Murrad Hemmadi and Erene Stergiopoulos, Pictures by Bernarda Gospic, Illustration by Matthew D.H. Gray The Bruce Willis 1 Strap a water gun to your chest and put on some synth percussion from the ‘80s. It’s time to Die Hard — at beer pong, that is. The rules say that if you can topple over your opponent’s cup, it’s a point in your favour. Nice.

The coitus interruptus 2 This shot is about getting as close as you possibly can to gold but pulling away at the last possible moment.

It’s the perfect way to seem like you’re really trying to win, while losing enough to get to drink a LOT of beer. Emit a moan for effect.

monday, November 28, 2011

Beer pong is best played in teams of two. The objective is to throw a pingpong ball into the cups in front of your opponents. If you manage to get the ball into one of their cups, they have to drink the beer in it, and the cup is removed from play. In some forms of the game, getting your ball into the opposing team’s cup means you get another shot. The first team to have all its cups removed from the table loses. Or does it? After all, the “losing” team gets to drink more beer. So here are some ways to “lose” with style.

The skimmed rimshot 3 Another classic teasing shot. In "normal" beer pong, this shot skims the inside rim of the cup and drops into the centre. The "losing" variant involves getting the ball to circle the rim of the cup and fly outwards instead.

The Elvis Stojko 4 Channel your inner ice dancer for this acrobatically-demanding shot.

It’s all in a flick of the wrist, which will send the ball spinning in a hot mess of cool beer. Wear a skintight body suit for superior flexibility.

The Buzz Lightyear 5 Send your shot upwards to infinity, and beyond! Launch the ball straight out there with all your strength — the aim is to get it up into orbit. It’s one small throw for you, one giant leap for beery drunkenness.

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The parallel universe 6 For the science fiction aficionado, this shot involves whipping the ball sideways into oblivion or, you know, the wall. Not only will you confuse your opponent, you’ll also launch the game into another realm of drunken awesomeness.

DIVERSIONS

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Varsity Board of Directors Election

Voting will be conducted online at voting.utoronto.ca from 9 am till 8 pm.

Candidates by constituency:

Send a photo of your answers to this week’s crossword puzzle to contests@thevarsity.ca for a chance to win!

55

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He breaks into millions of homes every year France locale, Abbr.

Sweet-talk Keen The “A” in BAMF Bake sale org. ’95 De Niro film Wichita Airport code Culture that celebrates Diwali Post-Christmas spree 7th day of Kwanzaa Native Canadian tribe Critic of capitalism

Thursday December 1st. All undergraduate students are eligible to vote in their respective constituencies.

Want to win a pair of free tickets to 20th Century Fox’s The Sitter?

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Shakespeare and Atwood, e.g.

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St. George Arts and Science: Colin MacLeod Davison Thirugnanasampanthar Eshram Andrew Deonarain Benjamin Dionne UTM: Michael DiLeo Anthony Natoli UTSC: Dylan C. Robertson

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by Catherine Friedman

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One of Santa’s reindeer Quinn of Legends of the Fall Grandma’s go-to gift “Mr. Roboto” band Frat letter Something prisoners do Kindergarten stuff Typical CSI evidence Public university in Springfield, Illinois London hrs.

Like backpage content? Write us some. editor@thevarsity.ca

At the moment with Ivana Listen

My boyfriend and I have completely opposite sleeping schedules. We try to arrange convenient times to talk and hang out but he’s always going to bed way before me. Help! This is causing tension in our relationship.

This one’s tough. It’s hard enough coordinating schedules when they do match, especially in university!

I suggest a give-and-take solution. Let him know that there will be certain days you’ll be available during his peak hours and vice versa. Both of you need to be adamant about your availability — let him know that you are serious so that he will eventually come to rely on them too. In time, both of you will create a reliable communication system. Voila!

I have sex with my boyfriend to make him happy. If I don’t do it often enough, I feel that he starts to see me as less valuable, and ironically, more like a piece of meat.

You are never obligated to share that intimate side of yourself with anyone. Ivana must do you a favour and get a little serious here! Think of what your boyfriend would say if you told him to spread his legs and let you do odd things to his ballsack that did not get him off in any way. Laugh all you want, but the invasion of privacy is the same, and fundamentally, not loving at all.

Got a question? Need some relationship advice? Email Ivana at ivanalisten@thevarsity.ca

The Varsity

Weekly Horoscopes

by Destiny Starr

If your birthday is this week…

You’ve made it this far in life, so what’s holding you back from seizing the celestial wisdom of the stars? Today they’re telling you contemplate the geometry of the Toblerone as you kick back a glass of whisky from the backseat of your Toyota Camry. If you’re feeling extra saucy, buy a stephanotis plant to celebrate your special day.

Aries

March 21 – April 19 Aries, nothing can stop you from realizing even your most ambitious dreams. If your mission this week is to consume 1000 chocolate cakes, then the stars offer their full support.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20 Nobody knows perseverance like you do, Taurus, and this week it’s time to let it shine.

Harness the grace of the gazelle and show that Hart House elliptical machine who’s boss.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20 Though you might want to curl up in a fluffy robe right now, resist the urge and take on a new exciting project. The eyes of the cosmos are envisioning a future in hand modelling.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22 Though your relationships with others might seem a bit ambiguous this week, keep a clear head and stay true to yourself. Also, keep in mind that nobody actually likes fruit cake.

Leo

July 23 – August 22 You’re as svelte as a jaguar, so play it up this week when you make a new potential love connection. Invest in velvet undergarments and camo bedsheets.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22 You will experience great satisfaction in your academic pursuits this week. To offset these achievements, revisit your family photos and remember how awkward you looked at age 13.

Libra

September 23 – October 22 Though the past few weeks have drained your physical and mental energy, rest assured that the end is near. Blow off some steam with a relaxing day at the spa or a trip to your local taxidermist.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21 Be careful this week, as some might mistake your reserved nature for general douchebaggery. Show off your friendly side with a sultry dance or some homemade baklava.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21 The cosmos are telling you to listen to your instincts. Specifically, pick an empty classroom after hours and watch The Magic School Bus with the lights off.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19 Sometimes, a bit of self-care is all you need to get back on track after a long week of hard work. Go ahead, ask an acquaintance for a sensual massage and pretend it isn’t creepy.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18 You’ve hit a wall in your romantic pursuits and you don’t know how to proceed. For now, shift your focus to spending quality time with friends or reptiles of the genus Crocodylus.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20 There’s nothing wrong with spending time alone to reflect on the issues that really matter to you. If this involves singing along to Mariah Carey’s 1991 hit, “Emotions,” you’ll achieve major spiritual progress this week.