Imprint_2006-06-30_v29_i05

Experiencing by participating Theatre that pulls you in and doesn’t let go, page 15

What is hip hop all about?

KW rappers bring a new look to hip hop, page 12

i mprint un i v e r s ity of waterloo student newspaper

Friday, June 30, 2006

vol 29, no 5

imprint . uwaterloo . ca

Adding green to the red and white celebrations

claire mousseau

Emma Tarswell imprint staff

At this year’s Columbia Lake Canada Day celebrations, attendees are encouraged to “think green.” This year marks the 22nd annual Canada Day celebration at Columbia Lake, but will be the first year where environmental concerns are to be addressed.

Natai Shelsen, administrative co-ordinator for the Canada Day celebrations and UW speech communication and peace and conflict studies student, said that the idea to make the Columbia Lake Canada

Day event a green event came when, “Dana Evan, the program advisor, and I were talking about the Canada Day celebrations, and, as we are both environmentalists, we thought it would be a great place to promote green thinking.” She also said that, “the event gets so much exposure, it’s a great place to get people to think about the environment.”

Events will be taking place throughout the day beginning at 2 p.m. Shelsen has set up a green tent where campus environmental incentives will be displayed.

EngSoc and MathSoc will both

have activities in the booth and the school’s alternative fuel cars will all be present in the booth, including UW’s Midnight Sun solar race car.

There will also be a booth called “Activity World” where local businesses are offering free activities for children. UW Mad Science will be in attendance, offering fun scientific experiments. Checkers Fun Factory will also be there to entertain children, for a small fee, with their travelling amusement park.

The day will also include many guest performers. Throughout the day there will be entertainers for

children, including magicians. At 5 p.m. Eric Nagler, children’s entertainer from The Elephant Show and Eric’s World, will be performing on the main stage and Matthew Barber and The Union Dues will be performing at 9 p.m.

Grand River Transit (GRT) has also stepped up to support the environmental feel of the event by becoming its major sponsor.

Shelsen said that, “GRT was really enthusiastic when approached to be part of the day’s events” and “are the ideal sponsor for the day.” GRT even has its own tent devoted to thinking about and improving the

environment. GRT has also set up a giveaway of free bus rides when visitors say the phrase, “Think Canada Day, think green and ride clean with GRT.” The day is scheduled to end at 10:15 with the annual fireworks display. Shelsen said that at the end of the night there will be lots of “traffic idling” which is very harmful to the environment. She encourages people to keep in the spirit with the event and to walk, ride bikes or take public transit to get to the event. etarswell@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Decisions made on Feds services review Ashley Csanady imprint staff

The Federation of Students’ services review was the subject of much controversy and criticism when presented last January, but has now been reviewed and many of the proposed suggestions ratified by the new Students’ Council June 25.

Sai Kit Lo, vice-president internal (VPI) for Feds, said, “a lot of the recommendations are common sense ” Most notably, the Legal Resource Office (LRO) and the Wellness Centre were discontinued as Feds services.

Among other changes, the definition of a service itself was challenged.

Previously, services were required to be “important to the student body as a whole” and it has now been amended to “important to the student body.”

The original definition brought

many of the services’ mandates into question.

All services are now prescribed to “develop and promote Feds services Brand” and “advertise office locations through the use of signage and maps in the SLC.” Changes were also made to some of Lo’s responsibilities as VPI. He is now required to look into providing Feds services at the School of Architecture campus in Cambridge and other satellite campuses. It is also recommended he meets with service co-ordinators to develop term-byterm, as well as long-term, goals.

Changes were certified for almost every Feds service on campus. From the Campus Response Team (CRT) to Off Campus Dons (OCD) to the Food Bank.

Among those suggestions, the CRT should recruit non-response

volunteers, who are involved in health promotion on campus, and develop plans to expand coverage. While it is advised that the Food Bank needs to increase flexibility for its one bag limit, clarify its purpose on dropboxes, create an ad campaign to help its appeal for the “average student” and increase confidentiality.

Students will now be assigned to their dons based on geography as part of OCD. They should now also talk to students about relevant events and develop relationship with local establishments for said events.

It was also recommended the University of Waterloo Sustainability Project (UWSP) come up with guidelines for choosing projects and restructure its administration scheme.

The services whose reviews caused the most controversy in January were Gay and Lesbians of

Waterloo (GLOW) and the Womyn’s Centre. Most of the suggested changes regarding these services were amended by council.

As it stands, the Womyn’s Centre will change its name to the Women’s Centre and be required to “redecorate office to ensure material is displayed in a proper context,” according to the services review. It will also be required to “re-adjust image to reflect a more open and welcoming service,” which was amended from the original suggestion that it “re-adjust image to reflect a more open and welcoming and less political service.”

GLOW will now be required to “run at least one event per term which is geared toward reaching out to all students.” The recommendation that GLOW “take on the task of engaging in dialogue with students who hold diverse views on pertinent conten-

tious issues,” did not pass.

Lo explained, “It’s very hard to ask a bunch of volunteers to talk to people who disagree with them.”

Sue Weare, GLOW co-ordinator, said of the recommendations that were certified, “We’re fairly pleased,” and that “we were definitely happy that the [recommendation regarding discussing contentious issues] was dropped.

“They sort of insinuated we’d have to entertain heterosexist and homophobic opinions,” Weare continued. “UW as an organization has a commitment to diversity and to maintaining a welcoming environment… homophobia and heterosexism actively work against that welcoming environment… We thought it was very responsible on the part of council to drop that part.”

See SERVICES, page 4

i m print university of waterloo student newspaper

Friday, June 16, 2006 — Vol. 29, No. 4 Student Life Centre, Room 1116 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 P: 519.888.4048 F: 519.884.7800 imprint.uwaterloo.ca Editor-in-chief, Tim Alamenciak editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Advertising & Production Manager, Laurie Tigert-Dumas ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca General Manager, Catherine Bolger cbolger@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Editorial Staff Assistant Editor, Kirill Levin Cover Editor, Irshad Mulla Photo Editor, Vacant Graphics Editor, Claire Mousseau Web Editor, vacant Systems Administrator, Nick Ranchev Sys. Admin. Assistant, vacant Lead Proofreader, Shivaun Hoad Proofreader, Leslie Havens Proofreader, Kim Morrison Production Staff Steven R. McEvoy Tim Foster Katlan Huckabone Jacqueline McKoy Office Staff Distribution, Gillian Flanagan Distribution, Amy Pfaff Sales Assistant, Adam Rauf

Board of Directors board@imprint.uwaterloo.ca President, Jeff Anstett president@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Vice-president, Adam Gardiner vp@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Treasurer, Jacqueline McKoy treasurer@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Secretary, Wasim Parkar secretary@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Staff liaison, Darren Hutz staff.liasion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Imprint is the official student newspaper of the University of Waterloo. It is an editorially independent newspaper published by Imprint Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. Imprint is a member of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA). Editorial submissions may be considered for publication in any edition of Imprint. Imprint may also reproduce the material commercially in any format or medium as part of the newspaper database, Web site or any other product derived from the newspaper. Those submitting editorial content, including articles, letters, photos and graphics, will grant Imprint first publication rights of their submitted material, and as such, agree not to submit the same work to any other publication or group until such time as the material has been distributed in an issue of Imprint, or Imprint declares their intent not to publish the material. The full text of this agreement is available upon request.

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Next board meeting: TBA Next staff meeting Tuesday, July 4, 12:30 p.m.

opinion

FRIDAY, june 30, 2006

Political correctness disguises real issues behind a wall of euphemisms Everyone living outside of Dawson’s Creek has had the experience of being about to tell a joke or make a comment which could be interpreted as somehow derogatory and then holding back due to the risk social reprimand.

This is a classic example of political correctness restricting free speech and expression, which repeats daily around the “politically correct world” (which, ironically, is the same part of the world which prides itself on defending individual rights).

This circumstance isn’t restricted to the world of ethnically-inspired jest; woefully, it spills into the world of general societal interaction and institutional policy.

The political significance of language was adroitly illustrated in Orwell’s 1984, which sought to depict life in a dystopian society wherein the state wielded total control over all aspects of public and private life.

In the novel, the totalitarian regime periodically issues an official dictionary outlining the appropriate terms and usage of the national language. In doing so, the state attempts to control the thought of the populace by eliminating words denoting freedom and exemplifying those that reinforce loyalty and obedience.

The notion of control through language is not a new one. Politicians and interest groups routinely attempt to frame the public discourse favourable to their agendas by first

establishing the language by which the debate is to be carried out.

This tactic is nowhere more clear today than in the controversial issue of abortion.

Proponents of legalized abortion seek to frame the debate around the question of choice whereas detractors seek to frame it around the question of life. No one proudly claims to be anti-choice or anti-life.

This same ploy of using language to control discourse and hence thought is happening implicitly and much more perniciously everyday by way of “political correctness.” Political correctness is premised on the assumption that if “offensive” or “oppressive” language is removed from popular usage, society will magically reorder itself in a burst of tolerance and understanding.

This sort of dubious logic amounts to nothing short of cultural Marxism, in which the issues of our society are avoided instead of confronted, and individual speech, thought, and action is infringed.

The trouble with identifying political correctness as beyond reproach is that to do so is not politically correct, and political correctness dictates that well-structured and logical arguments should be politically correct.

This recursive protectionism by way of circular reasoning with which political correctness places itself beyond reproach reminds me of other politically motivated societal truths, such as the Chinese government’s proactive down-

play of the Tiananmen Square incident.

The insidious aspect of political correctness is that its defense is implicit within thought (or at least the expression of thought). This makes identifying the incorrectness of political correctness both a challenging mental exercise and a “forbidden” exercise.

By disguising social inequalities behind a wall of euphemisms (“differently-abled,” “herstory,” etc.) we are simply attacking the symptoms and not core issues with detrimental

BAR FLIES

side effects in the realm of free speech. The restriction of certain terms or the coddling of certain groups by constantly softening the language amounts to nothing short of the pussification of society.

Rather than focusing on what language is being used, people must learn to identify and address the causes of the social problems, lest we succumb to an Orwellian nightmare.

— Adam Smith and John Hinnegan

Ian Blechschmidt

opinion

FRIDAY, june 30, 2006

Minorities should share culture with one another His genius has been well documented through most of the 20th Century, but Albert Einstein is perhaps most well-known for a single, landmark paper on theoretical physics published in1915. While most of the mathematics soar over my head like a David Beckham penalty kick, the principle is simple — the universe is relative.

Yet while he may not have realized it at the time, the concept that the world around you is unique depending on how you perceive it nevertheless describes to perfection multiculturalism in the world nearly 100 years later.

The recent events that have unfolded in Toronto, where the RCMP and CSIS foiled an Al-Qaeda inspired terrorist group who had planned to hit local targets, only emphasize that point.

As an open-minded WASP from Toronto, my perception of Canadian multiculturalism is still positive despite these recent happenings. We

are working towards the seamless integration of various ethnicities into an urban environment while at the same time avoiding assimilation. This is most certainly an asset to our country — we are better off economically and better educated as a result.

But for others, even those with an upbringing and ethnicity very similar to my own — such as conservative-minded WASPs from Toronto — multiculturalism represents an infiltration of strange people that could very well threaten status quo and personal safety. Such was the mindset of the majority before the multiculturalism boom of the 1960s.

Thankfully, this group is shrinking.

The difference between these two, I would suggest, is that each has been introduced to, or dealt with afterward, the concept of multiculturalism in a fundamentally different way based on their experiences with it.

I believe it’s fair to say that any children with intolerant parents are likely to end up intolerant themselves.

And I think the same could be said for those who have found themselves on the wrong end of racism or a religious hate crime.

There is an interesting group caught somewhere in the middle. They are the minorities themselves. While they have the most to gain from a vertical

mosaic of cultures living together harmoniously and contributing to a common cause (such as democracy and economic well-being), they are the most likely to have experienced such intolerance. In response, again likely for safety concerns, they become isolated, especially from other minority groups.

A recently published article by Tarek Fatah in the Toronto Star highlighted this phenomenon. He wrote that while he attended a significant local minority group function, the only groups represented were of that minority… and WASPs. No other visible minority was there. He goes on to question why no others were involved.

If it is indeed a relative world, should not other minority groups be represented at such functions? Should they not also take an interest in issues that, while they may not stand to gain in a direct sense, have a greater impact in the form of general principle?

It is true that multiculturalism was originally intended to integrate a predominately Caucasian majority with incoming minority groups. But if it’s true that the biggest barriers remaining to be broken are those between minority groups themselves, then it says something about the maturation of Canadian culture to which we can all relate. kruch@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Are summer romantic comedies dead?

Summertime has rolled around again and along with it comes the summer blockbuster and, in turn, the annual romantic comedy that does really well despite its many plots holes and bad acting.

While perusing the release schedule for this summer, I noticed an oddity — none of the movies seemed to scream “summer romantic comedy.”

Not a single movie seemed to follow the archetype of the slightly-neuroticgirl-meets-the-perfect-guy-somethinggoes-wrong-but-it-all-works-out-inthe-end romantic comedy.

This type of movie, ever so popular in the ‘90s, has not been dominating the box offices as it once did. Last summer the comedies 40 Year-old Virgin and Wedding Crashers may have had romantic

EUCHRED

sub-plots, but it was the comedy, not the romance, that helped them rake in the bucks.

So what happened to the romantic comedies that our generation flocked to as tweens and teenagers?

I have my own theory: our generation has simply become too jaded to swallow these sorts of happy-go-lucky plotlines at face value. The She’s All Thats and the 10 Things I Hate About Yous of the ‘90s may still entertain and remind of the good old days of high school, but their clones, the Just My Lucks of today, don’t do well at the box office.

They are now replaced by comedies with romantic sub-plots, as opposed to being romances with comedic relief.

It’s as though we need the romance to be somehow lessened and mocked, as if we can’t really swallow it without a good laugh to chase it down — but why?

I believe that the romantic comedies we devoured in those pivotal years between the ages of 12 and 15 built our expectations so high that no man or woman could ever truly live up to them. When we finally did immerse

ourselves in the dating world, we expected all the romance, drama and surprise of a romantic comedy. That expectation wasn’t met and it created a generation of youth so jaded that even romantic comedies failed to meet our expectations.

I’m currently reading Chuck Klosterman’s Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, where he rants that his generation tends to measure their relationship against fake, idealized romances such as those portrayed in Say Anything, When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail. So if the generation before us took romantic comedies too personally and we now need over-the-top comedy to swallow our romances, where does that leave us?

Is romance dead? Or, to be more accurate, did it ever really exist and are we just now realizing that there is no ideal relationship?

As Klosterman says, no one will ever truly satisfy anyone because we are all in love with some character from a movie. acsanady@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Margie Mansell and Darren Hutz

Kegel exercise article excellent

I would like to compliment Shayna Sparling for her recent article discussing the origin and practice of Kegel exercises. The article was well written and presented a topic that is not discussed as often as it deserves.

I have been following one of the regimes as described in the article for the past eight days. My energy levels have increased and I can now lift two cinderblocks instead of just one.

— Colin Guthrie 2A earth sciences

More on David of Sassoun

In the last issue of Imprint, Margaret Clark mentioned how Armand Buzbuzian’s statue, “David of Sassoun,” resembles the letters “CS” when approached from the right. Nobody can argue against this point.

However, to shed some light on the subject, the piece is actually an abstraction of an original statue in Yerevan, Armenia. David of Sassoun, or Sassountsi Davit, is a character whose story surfaced around the 10th Century.

Not unlike King Arthur, he probably existed in history but his story morphed over several generations until it became the epic that exists today. It is actually only one part of a four-cycle story including sibling rivalries, heroism and a romantic backdrop. For more information, see www.csuohio.edu/english/epic111h. html.

— Edward Davidian 2B computer engineering

Campus Recreation offers golf lessons too

I was surprised to read in the June 16 edition of Imprint an article about golf lessons to be taught at the Waterloo Golf Academy. Currently, I am the Campus Recreation golf Co-ordinator and have a staff of UW students teaching golf lessons.

This year we actually had to cancel classes due to low interest.

The rates at the Waterloo Golf Academy are $90 for four onehour lessons with up to 10 people

in each class. Campus Recreation offers five, 1.5 hour lessons with a maximum of 8 people in one class for only $65. Lessons will be offered again in the fall for those interested.

I hope that Imprint will remind students that there are a wide range of instructional programs offered

by Campus Recreation that employ students as co-ordinators and instructors.

— Kyle Train 2B kinesiology

Don’t let Canada spend billions on terrorism

The [podium question on terrorism in Canada] appears to have little to do with an opinion, but is a matter of logic. Your decision to do or not do something is based on risk and return.

How many people are made aware of lightning safety and precautions to take during a thunderstorm? Slim to none. Although the chance of getting struck by lightning is far greater than being affected by terrorism, and there are prudent measures one can take during a storm to reduce this risk.

Clearly the risk is small, yet the average person feels terrorism is a key threat. This is not a mistake, but deliberately done through media and culture, but I digress.

Canadians can spend billions investing in protection with no real guarantee of safety that only you could provide yourself anyway, like when you stopped believing in the boogieman.

Do you believe Americans are safer from terrorism now after spending will reach $1 trillion, or are they a bigger target than before?

There are many more important social and domestic issues that need to be addressed before we go bananas like the Americans.

They are a clear failure and are testament to the effects of fear.

They invaded and killed thousands of Iraqis on the supposition that they had weapons of mass destruction that couldn’t even reach the US. Don’t let Canada become another player in this game of global threats that do not exist, but are shoved down our throats to provide a means to others’ agendas.

— Sinan Keser 4A electrical engineering

Imprint

10

If Canada was a superhero, what would its superpower be?

By Irshad Mulla

“Apathy” Allen George UW grad

“Making igloos, eh?”

Kara Menzies and Jill Heinrichs 5A biomedical science 4A biomedical science

“It would have a combination of superpowers, because we’re so multicultural.

We would be a toss salad.”

Gobhina Najarajah and Gordon Perolli

“The ability to make stink bombs out of Canadian geese poo.”

Karen Kwong and Afsaneh Nabifar

“It would hug their enemy to death.”

Nicholas Anumudu

“They wouldn’t be a superhero. They would be a sidekick, like America’s bitch.”

Jordan Lee

2B arts & business 4A psychology

4B political science

2B arts and business UW grad

IB mechanical engineering

“Powers comparable to those of Wonder Boy.” Eric Dingle and Chris MacDonald 2B computer engineering

“It would morph into other cultures.”

Adam Timmermans and Alex Chunaco 2B pure math 1B honurs arts

Across 1. Strongboxes 6. Politesse 10. Side of a polygon 14. Ticktock 15. Turkish military leader 16. Banned pesticide 17. Native people 19. Turkish currency 20. Great outdoors 21. Net search engine 22. Views 23. Calves nurse on 25. Feeling 26. For measuring rotation 30. Japanese entertainer 32. Farm land 35. I’d rather be...

39. Physical discomfort 40. Greek muse of astronomy 41. Cutting baby teeth 43. In a lucid manner 44. Sensible cars 46. Rock loving plant 47. Fingerboard bars 50. Social pariah 53. Lion’s noise 54. Plastic piping 55. Globes 60. In addition to 61. Absorbed heat 63. Humble and timid 64. Archaic exclamation 65. Jeweler’s rouge 66. How you say “SSSS” 67. Bubbly chocolate bar 68. Rosen or Potter

Friday, june 30, 2005

Down 1. Glance over 2. Movie star Jessica 3. Often stood upon 4. Very light brown 5. Avoid 6. Mai­ __ 7. From the father’s side 8. Car skeleton 9. Gossip 10. Accidental 911 call 11. E.T. 12. Worries 13. Wipe clean 18. Globe and Mail columnist Marcus 24. Grow older 25. Hobbit home 26. Pulled tight 27. Pimples 28. Algonquian people 29. Summer danger 31. Apostle Paul’s former

name 33. England-Australia cricket rivalry 34. Turned a horse to the right 36. Really dig it 37. Nothing pluralized 38. GLOW patrons 42. Business plan of 1-800GOT-JUNK 43. Egyptian cobra 45. Sweet liquid 47. Surrounds a picture 48. Portrayals 49. Remove difficulty 51. Short for even 52. Part of a ratchet 54. Last ditch demand 56. Big, flightless bird 57. Abbreviated terrace 58. 1960s musical 59. Stopped execution 62. Ancient Japanese capital

F eatures UW radio reveals heart of hip hop Imprint

Friday, june 30, 2006

11

features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Features Editor: Kinga Jakab

Led by CKMS, local hip hop artists clarify for the community what hip hop is really all about Kinga Jakab imprint staff

The Street Hop Sessions, hosted by DJ Carmelo (Carlo Farruggio) and KLP (Kristy-Lee Palma) of UW’s own radio station, CKMS 100.3, deviated from the usual shiznit that mainstream hip hop has to offer today. On June 25th, KLP and Carmelo created a platform for a positive hip hop movement, bringing together musicians, poets and community leaders to showcase their talents. The message of the session was clear: impact, and impact positively.

With the spirit of the old school, local artists took their game to the next level. They proved to the audience that hip hop’s soul was still lurking in the shadows, waiting for the next episode of songwriting, freestyling, battling and performing. Digressing from issues that some simply call “blunts, 40’s and bitches,” the wordsmiths vocalized strength, growth and beauty, instead. The lyrics were inclusive and clean, and promoted well-being and perseverance.

“A lot of people underestimate the power of faith. You have believe in yourself.”

Alter Ego, artist

KW rappers Titus, Shua James, Alter Ego and Tha Regiment took it back to the concrete streets of the rap game and even did some sketch comedy routines featuring mock interviews (“How many times you been shot? You ever been to jail?” asked Titus to Shua James on The Roneil Johnson Show. Shua, “Shot? Jail?”)

Shua James, a mellow-voiced maestro, sent the message to “never be ashamed of who you are and where you live.” Alter Ego got the audience to hold up a finger (not that finger) on one hand and hold up an “L” shape with the other to send his message: one love. The audience loved the interaction and affection.

Kinga Jakab

Aileen Bennet bared her soul at the hip hop session

Admittedly, I was shocked that not one artist uttered a curse word for the whole show. In fact, it seemed an impossible case of teaching an old dawg new tricks. Over the last few years, the majority of hip hop consistently nudged in one direction, so this movement is a welcome new path. Evolution is an element of any genre.

For example, the artists emphasized strength without associating it with violence — something we can all appreciate. Local rappers, one; mainstream hip hop, zero.

Carmelo and KLP are reaching out full force to support local musicians. Based on the radio show “Hip Hop and The Street,” originally created by DJ Carmelo, “The Street Hop Sessions” has the task of reviving a positive image of the hip hop culture within the community.

“There seems to be a real lost sense of inspiration and positive musicianship within hip hop music lately. There is a need to come together and feel alive again” said KLP. Come together they did. Performers cheered for each other from the sidelines. They had the audience laughing and joining in. They expressed over and over their respect for one another, making it feel like we were all one big hip hop loving family. Their efforts were not in vain, I realized, as two young girls and their mother ran around getting autographs, confessing to each artist how they were affected by their performance.

Artist, musician, and poet G Brown says that, “We need to be moved to make things happen.” G Brown originated a style known as Rap-so, setting his poetry to music. R&B crooner Aileen Bennett soulfully introduced issues ranging from hugging one another to homelessness in KW.

Kinga Jakab

From left to right: UW’s first radio hip hop producer, B-Mellow, with Titus and Shua James at The Street Hop Sessions.

“Give these kids out there more than empty lyrics; I want to be able to impact their lives in a positive way.”

Titus, artist

CKMS’ first-ever hip hop show producer, B-Mellow, was a leader inspiring the session. His show, “The Wax Jungle,” first aired in 1992 to “give fans the opportunity to experience urban music not found through commercial mediums.” He sat with the artists in the short panel discussion following the acts.

Lead by Amber Long of CKMS’ “Languid Lotus,” the panel discussed such things as musicians versus artists, goals, inspirations, and really keeping it real. On faith, Alter Ego says that, “a lot of people underestimate the power of faith. You have to believe in yourself.” Titus’ goals are to “give these kids out there … more than just empty lyrics; I want to be able to impact their lives in a positive way.”

If this small movement affects the larger community, their success can only get bigger.

Your own relationship with hip hop may soon be changing. The emerging heart of hip hop may go leaps and bounds past the covenant of words and beats. It will have strong leaders, its vibe reflecting the presence of spirit. And one can only hope that it will never again say “bling, bling.” kjakab@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Kinga Jakab

From left to right: artists Alter Ego, G Brown and Aileen Bennet participate in the panel discussion following the performances.

Kinga Jakab

From left to right: Titus, B-Mellow, DJ Carmelo, Shua James and Buddha.

12

features

FRIDAY, june 30, 2006

Retired UW prof teaches meditation and spirituality Kinga Jakab imprint staff

Dr. Raj Dubey gave a seminar on June 21st about meditation and life balance, stressing the elimination of what he calls “chatter of the mind.”

He believes this chatter must be brought to complete silence in order to be completely efficient when we’re trying to concentrate. This can be done through meditation.

Dubey is a founding member of the Spiritual Heritage Education Network Inc. (SHEN), which is a compilation of “thinkings and findings of people who have spent their lives studying the nature of humankind and its relationship in the universe,” according to their mission. He began his work in 1977 under his guru after becoming interested in spirituality and Indian philosophy.

After retiring from Waterloo in 1996, Dubey continued giving seminars to teach people how to find their inner peace when they really need it. That is, when they are trying to concentrate and thoughts interrupt that aren’t connected to what they are doing.

Dubey emphasizes that spirituality is not simply religion; rather, each religion merges into one spiritual connectivity. “If spirituality connects people, ritualism disconnects them,” Dubey says.

According to SHEN’s beliefs, spirituality is the source of life, and meditation lets you see this source.

Our spirit needs to learn to meditate in order to preserve our sanity. Breathing, Dubey acknowledges, is the most important element of meditation.

The theory behind this is that breathing out completely is like a vacuum and a deep breath in afterwards increases the chances of oxygen making it to every nook and cranny in your lungs.

A good deep breath lasts about 20 seconds, holding it in for a few seconds to marvel at how wonderful it feels, and about 15 seconds to exhale.

Make sure to always breath through your nose and pull your abdominal muscle in.

If you are focused on your breathing rate and the feeling it gives you, your mind doesn’t wander. As well, breathing exercises your internal organs and your abdominal muscles.

After a while, you won’t have to concentrate on the breathing.

Relaxation of your mind will come naturally, and you will be able to focus.

To relax, Dubey suggests an exercise of a tight, closed fist. Clench your fist as tight as you can and slowly release it. The feeling that comes over your hand is pure relaxation and should be the goal for the rest of your body.

The more you learn about how to meditate, the better you are at it.

The better you are it, the longer you can remain undistracted.

Imagine reading a paragraph from a textbook only once and retaining that information. Imagine being able to focus intently during a lecture. Imagine being able to sincerely give a damn.

Dubey maintains that this is possible, and that meditation is highly important for students and their concentration.

For further glimpses into spiritual heritage as well as Dr. Dubey’s work, visit http://www.spiritualheritage. org/AllContent.htm. kjakab@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Kinga Jakab

Dr. Raj Dubey at his Meditation and Life Balance seminar.

FRIDAY, june 30, 2006

Bizarre pairs Eggplant and chocolate proves interesting

Eggplants are cousins to the potato and tomato. In fact, they are actually a fruit — more specifically, a berry — due to their family lineage.

Personally, I like to refer to it as an aubergine — it sounds nicer. Aubergine is French for eggplant and a term used more commonly in Europe and Asia.

Choose aubergines that are firm to the touch, have smooth skin, and are heavy for their size. Avoid ones that are soft and have brown spots. Store in a cool dry place if using them within two days. If you use them any longer, store in the refrigerator.

The aubergine has a neutral flavour because the salt helps eliminate the bitter, sharp taste. It readily accepts the combination of chocolate with that added oomph of crunchiness from the almonds.

Here is a great afternoon snack, or even a dessert.

Ingredients: 2 aubergines, thinly sliced Coarse sea salt (regular salt is fine) 1/4- 1/2 cup all- purpose flour for dredging

1/3 cup olive oil or grape seed oil (or more if needed), for deep frying 16 oz bittersweet (or semi-sweet) chocolate, cut into small pieces (450g) 1 cup milk (240ml) 1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped (120ml) Directions: 1. Prepare the aubergine by salting the slices and laying them in a colander (strainer) in the sink for 30 minutes to sweat out any bitterness. Rinse and blot dry with paper towel.

2. Lightly coat aubergine slices with flour (start with a 1/4 cup and add more if needed) and deep-fry in olive oil at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. When they have turned a golden brown, place aubergine slices on paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

Note: Avoid frying too many at once, because this will lower the temperature of the oil and will cause the aubergine slices to become overly greasy.

3. To melt chocolate, place in the microwave on low, stirring every few seconds. Whisk in milk until the consistency of the chocolate becomes velvety.

4. Place aubergine slices on a dish.

Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle toasted almonds on top.

Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

features

13

A lesson in functional cursing Lea Chambers special to imprint

Blasphemy, swearing, profanity — do they all mean the same thing? The short answer is no. They are not the same. There are actually different types of swearing.

To get an understanding of the importance of swearing, I spoke with Timothy Jay — psychology professor at MCLA in Massachusetts and author of Cursing in America — and UW professor Andrew McMurry from the department of English language.

With a set of questions, I set out to discover the inner workings of profanity in our intricate English language. What are we to make of this mad world of swearing anyways?

Is it bad? Is it fun? Is it funny? Is it functional? Before we get too far, we should first understand a little bit more about swearing. Get your notepads out for this terrific learning session on swearing!

According to Jay, blasphemy is “attacks on religion” while profanity is an “indifference to religion,” such as the expression “Oh God!” Scatological swearing, which refers to excretory matters, is most common among young children, says Jay. In Shakespeare’s time, McMurry explained that scatological swearing was not as looked down upon as it is today. Our world’s set of swear words is ever evolving and shows no signs of stopping any time soon.

To begin to understand the purpose of swearing, Jay suggests asking the question “Why have we evolved to have this in our language?” Some monkeys, he says, will have grunting noises to warn others of predators.

Swearing has this wonderful ability of effectively expressing strong emotion in a very short period of time.

And that might actually have contributed to our historical survival.

You see, swearing has this wonderful ability of effectively expressing strong emotion in a very short period of time. And that might actually have contributed to our historical survival.

For today, Jay suggests swearing serves two purposes: venting and conveying emotion or information to those around us.

We don’t want to see you explode with anger at an inopportune time.

It is healthy for you to express happiness as well as anger.

McMurry stressed the point that swear words are “intensifiers.” As such, they should be reserved for when we need them — when we hit our thumb with a hammer, or when someone on the road cuts us off — McMurry says.

With mainstream use of our intensifiers, our marketplace for language is flooded with intensifiers and these words lose their edge.

So how and why do swear words offend others? McMurry says that we are offended by the denotative meaning of the swear. Take any one of your favourite swearing expressions, say “shit!”

Now, if someone beside you uses this expression and you picture poop beside you, I’m sure you’ll get a negative feeling for that person.

But if you consider it’s connotative meaning (which I think most of us do), you’re a little shocked and look around to see what happened to cause the swearing. Oh, he spilled his coffee on his notes. We are not offended.

McMurry suggests there is something private behind the words we consider swears — they are about our sexuality, our beliefs, and our excretory business. It is for these reasons, McMurry proposes, that most people do not like hearing cursing. But, perhaps they should just mind their own effing business.

tli@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Classifieds Campus Bulletin UPCOMING

HELP WANTED Weekend counsellors and relief staff to work in homes for individuals with developmental challenges. Minimum eight-month commitment. Paid positions. Send resume to Don Mader, KW Habilitation Services, 108 Sydney Street, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V2.

Al Madina Egyptian Cuisine needs part-time waitstaff. Deli counter servers are also needed at Just n’ Pita.

Please bring resume to 150 Philip Street, University Court Plaza, Waterloo during business hours.

HOUSING Available now - two-bedroom apartment at $900 per month and threebedroom house at $950 plus utilities per month. Available September 2006 - three-bedroom apartment at $395 per room, two-bedroom apartment at $900, five-bedroom apartment at $350 inclusive per room, five-bedroom house at $425 plus utilities per room (on Hazel St) and three-bedroom house at $950 plus utilities per month. For more info call 519-746-6327 or 519-501-1486.

Premium three-bedroom townhouse unit in a professionally managed student complex. Perfect for students, close to UW campus. Available May and September 2006. Call Perry now at 519-746-1411 for all the details and to set up a showing. Ask us about your signing bonus and gifts!

Three-and four-bedroom apartments available September 2006. A 15-minute walk to UW. Sixplex is located at 282 Erb Street, with a 12-month lease, $385 per room, utilities included. Building is very clean, laundry on main floor and parking lot. Don’t miss out – call Shadde at 519-7474711 or e-mail 282erb@gmail.com.

Attention Cambridge School of Architecture students! Live conveniently and comfortably right across the street from school in this beautifully renovated apartment. Four, eight and 12-month leases available, with excellent signing bonuses and rental incentives! Call Perry at 519746-1411 for more details.

Five bedroom house – available September 1 - must see. Columbia and Hazel Streets area. Walking distance to both universities, two kitchens, two bathrooms, five car parking, laundry newly renovated. Please call 519-575-1973.

FOR SALE

Apartment condo for sale – $119,900 on Northlake Drive, Waterloo. Well kept, open concept, two bedroom, top floor, controlled entry, storage with laminate/ceramic flooring, four appliances. Close to all amenities.

Call for appointment 519-888-7637.

SERVICES Proofreading – editing: Assignments, theses, letters, statements. We correct grammar and improve logic and flow. Onscreen, fast, professional. 30 years experience. Full details at www. checkedit.com. E-mail checkedit@ cogeco.ca. Phone (905) 335-3192.

Essays, papers, thesis and grnt proposals edited for grammar, spelling and style. Reasonable rates. Technical writer and published author – bluepencil@rogers.com.

IMPRINT IS BI-WEEKLY FROM MAY 5 TO JULY 28, 2006.

CAMPUS BULLETIN AND CLASSIFIED DEADLINES ARE MONDAYS AT 5 P.M., WEEK OF PUBLICATION. bring to slc room 1116.

Saturday, July 1, 2006 Dominion Day Picnic hosted by Doon Heritage Crossroads from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to celebrate Canada Day. Free admission. Held at 10 Huron Road Kitchener. Wendy Connell for more info 748-1914.

UW Canada Day festivities begin at 2 p.m., Columbia Lake with fireworks beginning at 10 p.m. See ya there!

Wednesday, July 5, 2006 “Familiar spaces between unknown places” with Lindsay Chambers.

Exhibit opens from 5-7 p.m. at the Rotunda Gallery, Kitchener City Hall 200 King St. W. For more information contact Cheryl York 741-3400 ext 3381.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 Summer Asian Food festival at Concourse patio outside SLC starting at 10 a.m. Celebrating food diversity.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Waterloo Regional Children’s Museum have lots of summer events happening from their site at UW’s July 1 festivities to summer day camps. For more info call 519-749-9387, ext 239 or website www.wrcm.ca or e-mail info@wrcm.ca.

SERVICES

i-TUTOR is a FREE student resource. We encourage learning and promote education within Ontario.

Our website resource helps tutees find qualified tutors. Tutors are university students who are independent of this organization and have their own rate and schedule. http://www. i-tutor.ca.

VOLUNTEER

Volunteer Action Centre Recruitment has the following volunteer positions open: K-W Special Olympics is looking for a volunteer fundraiser. Call Marilyn at 519-746-1881.

KidsAbility Centre is needing drivers two hours per week with flexible hours. Call 519-886-8886, ext 272 or e-mail acrump@kidsability.ca.

Grand River Hospital is looking for dependable and trustworthy volunteers to work in the gift shop. Call 519-749-4300, ext 3850 or e-mail volunteer@grandriverhospital.on.ca.

Rockway Centre needs snack bar volunteers. Please call 519-741-2564 or e-mail volunteer@kitchener.ca. Be a friend to a senior and visit people with disabilities. For more info call 519-742-6502 or info@k-wfriendship.org. Freeport Health Centre is looking for volunteers for the Thrift Shop. Come to the volunteer info session on July 4 from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

Call 519-749-4300, ext 7147 or e-mail pam.miller@grhosp.on.ca.

City of Waterloo has volunteer opportunities for an “intergenerational project seeking youth and seniors” to work together to produce an oral history of the senior volunteer’s life experiences. Two hours/week, summer and fall. Call Tiffany 519-579-6930.

ONGOING

MONDAYS The UW Stage Band has need of more players immediately in all sections. Everyone is welcome and participation can be taken for credit or for fun. Call Michael Wood at 2711488 or percwood@orc.ca. Rehearsals are from 7 to 10 p.m., Conrad Grebel, room 1111.

WEDNESDAYS Starting May 24, from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Charitable Research Reserve,

1679 Blair Road, Cambridge, presents “Warbler Watching” with Bill Wilson. Binoculars, appropriate dress and footwear for early mornings required. Rain or shine but will be cancelled during a thunderstorm.

Register early by calling Rachel 519650-9336, ext 122.

Join “Artist In Residence,” Julia Horgan, for a fun art lesson and learn a new art trick or two from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. www.wrcm.ca/whatshappening/ programs or 519-749-9387, ext 239.

THURSDAYS Join in on “Artist in Residence” series at the Homer Watson House & Gallery for the months of July and August. Call 519-748-4377, ext 224 for info.

FINANCIAL AID

July 2006 Stop by the Student Awards Office to see if your Ontario Access Grant cheques are here. OSAP deadlines: July 12 – last day to sign confirmationof enrollment. July 15 – last day to submit undergraduate bursary appeals. Note – as of 2006/2007 power of attorney forms can no longer be accepted. For further info visit the website http://safa.uwaterloo.ca/ or second floor Needles hall, ext 3583.

ROSES & HANGING BASKETS

A teenage granddaughter comes downstairs for her date with this see-through blouse on and no bra. Her grandmother just pitched a fit, telling her not to dare go out like that!

The teenager tells her, “Loosen up Grams. These are modern times. You gotta let your rose buds show!” and out she goes.

The next day the teenager comes downstairs and the grandmother is sitting there with no top on. The teenager wants to die. She explains to her grandmother that she has friends coming over and that it is just not appropriate.

The grandmother says, “Loosen up Sweetie. If you can show off your rosebuds, then I can display my hanging baskets.

HAPPY GARDENING!

14

features

FRIDAY, june 30, 2006

Clash of civilizations a double standard

A historical pattern of conflict dividing our nations to create history’s worst engagements Narmeen Lakhani special to imprint

“It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic.

The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural.”

This was the prediction made by Harvard professor Samuel P. Huntington in his book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, published in 1996.

Huntington begins his argument by describing the historical pattern of conflict. These conflicts began as ones between monarchs, then between nations and finally between ideologies such as communism and democracy. These were predominantly conflicts of the Western world. Increasingly, non-Western civilizations are independently participating in international decisions rather than being controlled as colonies of the West.

The world is divided into sections based more on culture than the economic and political implications set through the categorization of the First, Second, and Third Worlds.

Huntington defines a civilization as “the highest cultural grouping of people and the broadest level of cultural identity people have short of that which distinguishes humans from other species.”

A civilization consists of the commonalities between a group of people as well as an individual’s identification with a particular category.

There are six predominant reasons why the world’s major civilizations will clash, according to Huntington.

First, civilizations have historical, deep-

rooted differences in how they perceive religion, law and governance and family.

These differences have been known to create the world’s worst conflicts and could possibly follow a similar pattern in the future.

Second, there is increasing interaction between civilizations that makes each civilization

“The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural.”

—Samuel P. Huntington author of The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

more aware of how it is being recognized in the context of the world order.

Third, civilizations are using religion through “fundamentalist” movements to revive their identities, creating perhaps a stronger forefront than nationality alone.

Fourth, the power of the West is causing the reemergence of non-Western identity among elites because the two opposing forces each want to have the greatest influence in the world.

Fifth, ethnicity, religion, and other cultural identities that define civilizations are more concrete than previously used political and economic identities.

Lastly, cultural similarities within a particular region are creating stronger economies

in that region as opposed to isolated nations attempting to progress alone in the world economy.

The non-Western civilizations, in response to the dominance of the West, “will increasingly attempt to mobilize support by appealing to common religion and civilization identity.”

Huntington further discusses “fault lines between civilizations” that serve as boundaries of differences that go beyond any national boundaries.

One of the greatest conflicts is between the fault lines of the Western and Islamic civilizations. This conflict grew as the West played a greater role in Arab countries through and after the Gulf War. Its violent effects can also be seen increasingly in Africa and Europe.

Another prominent fault line is that between China or Japan and the United States due to great cultural differences along with varying beliefs on “human rights, trade and weapons proliferation.”

The diversity of ethnicities is also continuing to cause much violence within Europe.

Huntington also predicts that it will become even more evident in the future that regardless of individual quarrels and past agreements, a civilization will defend other people within that civilization against outsiders.

He writes, “a world of clashing civilizations … is inevitably a world of double standards: people apply one standard to their kin-countries and a different standard to others.”

This may have the greatest implication for the West, as non-Western civilizations oppose the West’s overwhelming authority in world affairs through its manipulation of such apparent democratic organizations as

the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund.

These outside civilizations can isolate themselves from the West, unite with Western ideals, or build for a counteraction against the West ultimately.

The last position suggests the development of a stronger military and the proliferation of various weapons of mass destruction, with the West desperately trying to resist through arms control.

In conclusion, Huntington believes that, “For the relevant future, there will be no universal civilization, but instead a world of different civilizations, each of which will have to learn to coexist with the others.”

The Clash of Civilizations, compiled a decade ago, is brought up increasingly in accordance with today’s affairs of conflict. Its greatest evaluation of the future can be witnessed through the clash between the West and the Islamic worlds.

According to an article by Olivia Ward in the Toronto Star, there is another possible clash in existence with this one.

This is the conflict within Islam itself, as moderate Muslims try to build democracy while a minority of radical militants opposes them and the West.

The West is also, as Huntington predicted, focusing greatly on preventing other civilizations from rising through enforcement of arms control, especially as is observed in its relations with North Korea and Iran.

He believes that different civilizations need to understand each other and appreciate their differences in building a cooperative world order; this role, especially imperative for the West, in preventing “a war between civilizations.”

Hate the game and sometimes hate the player Celebrating and condemning promiscuity from the eyes of men and women

I’ve heard too many conversations in line waiting for coffee to pass up talking about a little trend that has been plaguing our generation.

The latest conversation was two, seemingly intelligent, young women talking about how men are celebrated for promiscuity and women condemned for it — except the conversation wasn’t quite so elegant.

“You know what really pisses me off ?

“That guys go around screwing whoever they want and it makes them a stud.

But a girl hooks up with any guy she hasn’t been dating, like, forever, and she’s a slut.

It’s bullshit.”

“No shit,” chimes in the second, “I think that girls should just be able to do whoever they want, whenever they want and it shouldn’t matter.”

Now, hold on just a damn minute. That’s the solution?

This is what I think to myself standing behind them in line. I fully understand the nature of the problem.

Men are not only allowed to engage in this type of behaviour, but they’re encouraged to do it.

Women, on the other hand, are further objectified for mimicking the behaviour.

My suggested solution: stop allowing men who think of you as an object to be with you.

The mainstream entertainment industry promotes and condones the objectification of women.

It encourages men to treat women as prizes and trophies.

Random sexual acts are viewed as achieve-

ments. Sexual acts need to be consensual and meaningful.

Two friends who get together for mutual physical benefit is not wrong or immoral, but “hooking up” with a stranger is.

Just because you can find someone whose genitals line up with your own, this does not mean you are supposed to fornicate with them.

I’m not against masturbation (mutual or solo) but having sex with someone you have no respect or affection for is not a good idea.

These girls ahead of me in line, thinking they’re ahead of their time for suggesting that women treat their bodies and their partners with the same moral abandon, will never attain the respect and independence they seek.

Men will never look at a women who has had a random sexual encounter the same again.

It’s a double standard, to say the least. It’s a plague to say the most.

Respect cannot be asked for after the fact.

Men must show they respect the woman before they are allowed to engage in acts these women tentatively agree to.

Such a relationship, with so many physical and emotional repercussions, must be conditional on equal give and take.

There is no difference between a man wanting a sexual encounter with no emotional attachment or strings attached and a woman wanting the same thing.

But the answer is not to stoop to the level of those who act like animals.

The answer cannot be a race to the moral bottom.

Women will never free themselves of the “slut complex” by detaching emotion from sex.

They will never win, not because their cause isn’t just, but because women will never be able to convince men that this sort of liberation from prudence is empowering to anyone but the man.

You can’t shine someone’s shoes in order to get them to stop looking down at you.

The respect and power must come first and separately. So long as words like “servicing,” “hooking up” and “scoring” are used to describe what should be an intimate encounter, neither man nor woman will be able to escape this moral black hole.

Only when sex is associated with respect and not power will women be able to decide for themselves the consequences and implications of their actions. janstett@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Friday, june 30, 2006

arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Arts Editor: Margaret Clark

Arts Imprint

15

War ghosts from past and present haunt MT Space’s site-specific theatre Margaret Clark imprint staff

I found the place by photograph. Asking for help was useless; at best, those I asked spoke of the general vicinity, and the last two locals didn’t even know there was a former Legion, though I later realised the building was less than a block from their position.

In the end, a copy of Imprint steered me right; I held the press photo on the front page of Arts up against the city backdrop, crossing off buildings as I went: too old, too new. The windows were the real giveaway – sturdy, tall, with dark metal overhangs and textured concrete sills. I arrived with a better eye for the architectural differences around me and a profound sense of triumph.

While busing down to Kitchener for the MT Space performance, I’d wondered what the point of site-specifictheatrewas,andwhattheurgencybehind Legion of Memory would be, but by the time I entered the old, unassuming building I already had my answer: forgetting was just too damn easy.

Inside, we were led to a long room with a stage at the far end, a bar and kitchen at the other, a worn-down space cluttered with “found” items and a clean, open dance floor. The performers were already out, absorbed in routine. We were urged to wander and explore, but most didn’t even cross onto the dance floor, as if comforted by the existence, however contrived, of limits, of a line between audience and action. I couldn’t blame them either; when I passed to the far end of the room and looked back, the actors and crowd couldn’t be told apart.

Yet why should they? An intersection between war vets and refugees from the former Yugoslavia, the production’s blending of stories and impressions itself leads back to truths — the truth for each refugee writer Melanie Bennett and director Andy Houston spoke to in preparing the script; the actual excerpts from Milosevic’s war tribunal, refocused to portray the similar social indictments of war immigrants; the experience of one vet’s daughter, tap-dancing on the Legion’s stage while her father drank his war memories away.

Then there’s Vik Kovac, whose role as refugee is one she lives with every day. So where, then, does the line lie between the real and the performed?

With the audience? What audience? According to Bennett, the role of “witness” in site-specific theatre demands direct audience participation, so all action invariably implicates the spectator. In the end, there are no witnesses: just passive actors.

After the background soundscape sets the tone, and we have grown accustomed to the spectre of actors flicking lighters, pulling curtains and throwing themselves out the windows, Andy Houston enters. A drama professor at UW, he enters as Lloyd Stuebing, human manifestation of the building and the evening’s host. He is wearing a suit, and a bomb. Later he will tell me that he is seeking to alter expectations, to emphasize that the potential for explosion lies in us all, but in the moment so innocuous is his entrance that for a heartbeat I think him a real threat, the building suddenly unsafe and a bad taste rising in my mouth.

The moment passes. He takes the stage, now DJ of the absurd, and the crowd relaxes as they take their seats, scattered across the room. This, the convention of sitting, relieves them. Dialogue begins — a workout, a dance, a story of romance and youth. The death of a soldier is explored, and the question of nobility is tossed about. Brad Cook and Nicholas Cumming paint a striking opposition between the jaded soldier and the idealist who died early on. The scene shifts, and we shift our eyes with it. But just as we begin to get cozy, the façade is shattered; the DJ descends and we are called unexpectedly from our seats for a contest.

Margaret Clark

In Legion of Memory, impressions of war linger at the former Kitchener Legion, an abandoned spectre in its own right.

Who’s sacrificed more? Houston calls out the questions — innocent, minor; we answer yes by stepping forward. On the floor is recently spilled wine, which rises in the fan and floods the room with a warm, lulling scent. All our senses are at full attention. I win, a ribbon pinned unexpectedly to my chest, Stuebing declaring me the person who’s “sacrificed most.” I can feel my face flush, the absurdity of the exercise immediately clear — not the contest specifically, but all such contests. I finger the ribbon and undo it, turning to someone on my side who I feel has sacrificed more. She’s a stranger, but I want to give it to her; the trinket burning a hole in my hand. And then it hits me — it’s just a performance. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s not real.

Is it?

The actors bring out food and drink and disperse about the room, engaging in more conversations than any one of us could possibly follow at once. We have to choose who to shadow, and with the choice comes the painful realisation that the are more stories than we can possibly hear, that this impressionistic medley is just a drop in the proverbial well. But we go on.

Heather Hill acts the perfect inquisitor in the two interview scenes – one professional, one

informal — and near the end, after a surrealistic chess game and a brutal monologue about the “loving” in “in loving memory,” draws us into the kitchen, where sections of pipe lie disassembled.

She is trying, she explains, to put everything back together, to go back to the way things used to be. We understand now that it’s impossible and retreat into the main space only for the DJ, still in his suit and bomb, to apologize, to wish there’d been more time — for the decrepit ceiling, for compassion, for change.

Finally, we are led out by the back staircase.

Our guide, production manager Jacqui Kaiser, has played the ignorant, gum-chewing punk throughout the performance, her headphones blaring, her expression disinterested. She has been one of us, and yet by her indifference we couldn’t help but feel frustrated, even affected.

She leads us past a darkened room, scattered with beer bottles, where a lone cellist plays with his back to us. We spill out into the dark and look up to see the performers at the window, poised behind the glass: a haunting. We are handed pieces of chalk and read the brick, where audiences before us have written their messages. “If only the homeless could live here.” “If only I could understand.” “If only we could change.”

Houston later explains that site-specific theatre is important for students for many reasons: because it’s hard for students coming out of drama to get into theatre, but this form allows personal expression and hands-on experience; because you don’t have to rent the space, as the community is usually very happy to have you; because it’s good for students to use their skills to talk to the community through the places that matter to all of us.

But right then, the performance ending not in applause but reflection, and everyone’s attention fixed on the walls, I didn’t need to be told what the importance was. Nor did the older men who’d hardly seemed theatre-going types, yet stared in rapt attention at the words, or the stern old lady who’d frowned through most of the two hours, yet firmly left her mark upon the wall, or the young woman who wiped her eyes and leaned her head against her partner’s chest, too moved to do anything but watch. In our own ways, we’ve all been displaced, but Legion of Memory reminds us that even just a building is sometimes enough to give us back our sense of place. mclark@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

arts

16

FRIDAY, june 30, 2006

Don’t you know any nice songs?

A mixtape to keep you moving, moshing, raging, raving, rocking out and otherwise disturbing the peace Kinga Jakab imprint staff

Dancin’ Fool - Frank Zappa The instructional lyrics are enough to get you up and dancing, and combined with the bouncy bass this song guarantees you a “Keep it down!” from your neighbors. I especially like to hop around, throwing my elbows from side to side. Extra points if you run into things. Probably one of the weirdest musicians to grace the industry, Zappa’s hypnotizing voice and interesting lyrics make you want to commit social suicide and dance like a fool!

Helter Skelter - The Beatles If you get yelled at for listening to this song, you and your parents probably have something in common. Paul McCartney’s voice deviates from its usual sweetness and moves towards a harder more distorted sound that became common to the later career of the Beatles.

From The White Album, this song and others from the album were said to have convinced mass-murderer Charles Manson of the impending race and nuclear wars. Turn your speakers up because this song sounds as if any second it will break into meaningless noise, yet it never does.

Women Lose Weight — Morcheeba “Look, fat chicks, I don’t mean to sound rude,” but this politically incorrect song about a man who murders his wife because she is overweight is hilarious. In this upbeat and fun song with a completely inappropriate theme, Slick Rick is featured as the shallow husband who is eventually indicted for murder after he “sends that ass right to the morgue, miss.” A journey through a rocky marriage with a hip-hop flavor, this song is guaranteed to, at the very least, make you laugh and then feel incredibly guilty for enjoying it as much as you did.

Encore - DJ Danger Mouse Danger Mouse’s The Grey Album combines an acapella version of Jay-Z’s Black Album and unauthorized samples of The Beatles The White Album to create one of the coolest albums amidst plenty of controversy. As a mediocre fan of Jay-Z, it’s nice to listen to

rap that has a familiar sound. It has rap’s hard bass and Jay-Z’s traditional “Hova, Hova” chant. Though one would expect The Beatles’ samples to mellow out the rap, combined they create a unique and rough sound that is quite enjoyable.

Keep On Rockin’ In The Free World - Neil Young Any scolding you get for this song will probably make you like it more and want to use the chorus as a rebuttal.

Young narrates, with a vocal desperation, a world of differences, articulating problems in the “free world” alongside an intense drum and guitar medley that provokes sentimentality and thought. A superficial listening would trigger one to dismiss it as simply another hard rock song; however, a closer listen will ensure that you “keep on rockin’” to this song.

Hit ‘Em Up - 2Pac If you’re curious about what happened between Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur,

this highly quotable song tells all. The animosity between rappers is articulated by explicit-lyrical genius Shakur, along with a bit of sentimentality about a time when the two were good friends.

Arguably the angriest of Shakur’s hits, the upbeat music ironically compliments the way that Tupac tells everyone to f-off, and makes the listener want to get up and two-step.

Other than presenting his side of the story, Shakur gives the listener plenty of gossip about east and west side gangs, along with advice to “back the f*** up before you get smacked the f*** up” — a useful comeback for a listener getting hassled.

Personal Jesus - Marilyn Manson Manson’s cover of this Depeche Mode hit has much harder sounds than the original and works very well with his image as shock-rocker.

The drums are hit extra hard, the guitar played extra-fiercely, and Manson’s voice goes back and forth between a near-whisper and his well-known growl. A throwback, circa 1996, I guarantee that this upbeat tune will make you feel like moshing, and it will make those around you seriously question if you know any nice songs.

—kjakab@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Engineers get in touch with their artsy side Geoff Kooymans special to imprint

EngSoc B (the group of engineering students here this term) has done it again! I’m referring to the brilliantly planned rendition of “Two Dozen Red Roses” by playwright Aldo de Benedetti, adapted by Kenneth Horne. Set in Italy, this comedy investigates if the desire to commit infidelity is the same as the real thing.

Alberto Verani (Patrick Bunker) and Marina Verani (Rianne Ranta) are a happily married

couple. Nearing the stage of old age, Marina sets out to prove to herself that she is still young and attractive to other men by taking a vacation with her cousin. Although slightly uncomfortable with the idea of Marina attracting other men, Alberto allows her the vacation. As chance would have it, Alberto receives a phone call from a well-known countess trying to reach the florist nearby. Alberto decides to have some fun, and he sends the Countess some roses along with an anonymous note from a mystery admirer. Moments before Marina departs on

her vacation, the roses intended for the Countess from Alberto, are mistakenly delivered to Marina along with the mystery note. Interested in her chances with this stranger, Marina forgoes her vacation to see if the mystery man sends her any more roses. Alberto, realizing what has happened when his wife returns with roses and a secret admirer, decides to test his wife’s fidelity by sending her flowers once a day accompanied with the love notes. As the days pass, Alberto begins to worry desperately that his wife will forsake him for the mystery

June 30, July 1

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? — St. Jacob’s Church

Theatre

Reserve tickets, more info at 886-0660 — No cost listed

July 7, 8

A Dream Play — Southworks Outlet Mall, Cambridge

$10, $8 for students — 9 p.m.

July 8

2006 Fringe Festival: Living With Rick (featuring two

UW grads) — Royal St. George Theatre, Toronto

$8 — 7:30 p.m.

July 1

UW Canada Day Celebrations — Columbia Lake Fields

Free admission— 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

July 4

Proposition — Princess Cinemas

$6 at TurnKey, 18A — 7 p.m.

July 5

Tumi and the Volume, with Zaki Ibrahim, Isis, Astra,

DJ Nana and Dr Dreydle — Starlight

$10 Advance — 9 p.m.

July 5

TWSA Movie Nite: The Shutter — SLC Multi-Purpose

Room

$2 members/ $3 non-members — 8p.m.

July 7

Theatre On The Edge — Waterloo Community Arts Centre

$ 5 Admission — 8 p.m.

man. Tomasso Savelli (Ryan Wheeler), a family friend, attempts to mend all wounds by taking the blame for the anonymous letters and roses.

The path to the truth, however, is filled with hilarious twists and turns that leave Alberto and Marina closer than ever before.

The EngPlay will be running on July 12, 14 and 15 in MC 2066. The July 12 and 14 shows begin at 7:00 p.m., while the show on July 15 begins at 12:30 p.m.. Tickets are $6.00 each and can be purchased at the Turnkey Desk and at The Orifice (CPH 1303).

July 8

UW Ballroom Dancing Club: Social Dance — Emmanuel

United Church of Canada

$8 Admission — Workshop @ 7 p.m., Dance @ 8 p.m.

Margaret Clark imprint staff Graphic by John Toal

July 11

Antonio Gaudi — Pruncess Cinemas

$6 at TurnKey — 7 p.m.

July 12

The Yardbirds — Starlight

$30 Advance, 19+ — 8 p.m.

July 14

Theatre On The Edge — Waterloo Community Arts Centre

$5 Admission — 8 p.m.

arts

FRIDAY, june 30, 2006

17

Gore, global warming and a hybrid Cadillac Documentary raises the difficult, inescapable questions about pollution and the environment An Inconvenient Truth Davis Guggenheim Paramount Classics

David Suzuki David Suzuki: The Autobiography

Gregory Maguire Mirror Mirror

Greystone Books

Regan Books

David Suzuki is an unlikely celebrity. Society at present appears to hold up its sports and film stars to its highest levels. Yet the popularity of Suzuki, especially among young people, tends to surprise even environmentalists.

And now we have David Suzuki: The Autobiography, of course printed on 399 forestfriendly pages. He begins his tale in childhood, serving readers with a necessary reminder of the conditions faced by Japanese-Canadians in World War II. Not only did young Suzuki face institutional discrimination by being sent to an internment camp in a B.C. ghost town, but within the complex an intra-cultural racism existed which remains in Canada today.

His childhood extended to the small southern town of Leamington, then London, Ontario.

He writes of reaching adolescence, when sex was always on the mind, and follows with later tales of girlfriends and his election to the position of student council president.

Suzuki describes his days as a student and as a career- and family-builder from the wiser perspective of a 69-year-old with excellent hindsight. He tells of a young man going from school to school and city to city, time with family being stretched, looking for research grants in a bustling new field.

Genetics, and scientific research in general, was better funded in the United States, where he spent some of his time.

Suzuki goes on to describe unique opportunities he has had to travel the world, including remote locations from the Amazon to the Arctic. When filming for The Nature of Things, he saw ecological destruction wherever he went. On a camping trip in 2005 to the north with his wife, Tara, he noted, “Arctic peoples speak of global warming as a well-established fact that has changed their habitat and already threatens their way of life.”

He often combined scientific understanding with local knowledge.

Much of the book tells of hard-fought campaigns, against a dam in Brazil or preserving Haida Gwaii land, and the relationships that were formed in the efforts. For instance, Suzuki’s relationship with and understanding of Aboriginal peoples on different continents came out of these travels.

His many campaigns with native groups, when filming for television or as part of the David Suzuki Foundation, provide good lessons for environmentalists and others.

His final chapter is titled, “Thoughts as I Grow Old.” Though Suzuki may have written his final autobiography, it is doubtful his work is complete; age 70 is no longer very old. Whether he continues to speak out, writes more or decides to run for office, he is not likely to fully retire.

The book, like his life, is an inspiring one. Its lessons are numerous and include: work hard, nurture your passions, push for positive change and never give up.

From the moment I cracked the spine on Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire, I had nothing but the highest expectations; instead, I found nothing but disappointment staring back at me from the “Mirror.”

A high priority on my summer reading list, I anticipated a great read, much like Maguire’s Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, which I read earlier this year. Instead I was left disenchanted by Maguire’s latest spin on a classic fairy tale.

The book is a post-modern take on Snow White, with poetry interspersed between chapters, Lucrezia Borgia starring as the “wicked stepmother,” and the dwarves being mystical creatures who seem to transcend space and time. The poetry was trite, Borgia was cliché and the dwarves were, frankly, dull. From an author I once described as “one of the most original and refreshing novelists I’ve read in a long time,” Mirror Mirror proved more than a little disappointing.

The novel follows the story of Bianca de Nevada, a young girl growing up in politically-charged Renaissance Italy. When her father is sent away on a seemingly impossible mission, she ends up in the care of Lucrezia Borgia, who promptly fills the role of “evil stepmother.” Following the format of other Snow White tales, Bianca spends many years hidden away by seven dwarves, yadda yadda yadda; everyone lives happily ever after and the evil ones are vanquished.

In Confessions, Maguire seamlessly weaved his fictional and historical figures together to form an interesting and diverse group of characters; in Mirror Mirror, however, his Lucrezia Borgia was no more inventive or original than a Danielle Steele heroine. Instead of putting an original spin on Borgia’s character, Maguire just portrays her in the nymphomaniac-murderess role history normally ascribes to her.

One of the most interesting yet poorly done parts of the novel is Maguire’s spin on the seven dwarves. These mystical creatures become more human the more time they spend with Bianca, but they also spend half the novel ranting about the passing of time — making me wish time would speed up so I could be past their incessant, and often bewildering, storyline. An interesting concept, but the execution was lacking.

The most annoying part of the novel was that every chapter (which are only about three to five pages long maximum) he switches voices. So, just as I began to immerse myself in one story line, he jumps to another, leaving me feeling bereft, annoyed and — quite often — bored.

Maguire’s trademark ingenuity is omnipresent, but in the case of Mirror Mirror, the execution was as absent as my interest in the novel. This book had so much potential, but somewhere between the lack of a prince charming, the umpteenth rant about the nature of time and the discovery of the apples from the Garden of Eden, it lost me.

— Darcy Higgins

— Ashley Csanady

Half global-warming documentary, half Al Gore infomercial, Davis Guggenheim’s An Inconvenient Truth is a very informative lesson about the potential fate of planet Earth. Al Gore’s convincing presentation about globalwarming — shown in sections, throughout the film — is very frightening. His message is clear: global warming is occurring whether we appreciate that fact or not.

This movie is most intriguing since it is essentially a non-fiction crime movie in which the protagonist is planet Earth and the antagonist — or villain, if you will — is the human race.

In less than 100 minutes we learn how our actions are ruining our planet and what we should do about it. Al Gore takes the limited release movie-going public to school and teaches them the bare facts about global warming.

His arguments are made extremely provocative and convincing through the powerful use of images. Although many of us already know some of the facts about global-warming, it is extremely eye-opening to see the data trends compared with links drawn for us.

In between the sections of his globalwarming presentation are some of Gore’s life anecdotes, including interesting global-warming related topics such as his family growing

Angus beef and “tabacca” on his farm and him losing the election (which we knew he couldn’t help mentioning). He attempts to tie these autobiographical excerpts back into his crusade against global-warming very poorly.

Although Gore is extremely informative and comes across as very persuasive, I can’t help but feel as if this film’s message is slightly sullied by his pretentious digressions.

What’s even more interesting about An Inconvenient Truth is the slightly hypocritical way in which this film attempts to convince the audience to change their ways. Before imploring his audience to take action to decrease CO2 emissions to help prevent further global-warming, the crusader in question is shown driving a very fuel-inefficient Cadillac.

I suppose, by this, he is suggesting that the viewer should “do as I say and not as I do” to help reduce CO2 emissions.

Al Gore has done a very good job of compiling the scientific data available regarding global-warming to inform the world of what could happen if we continue the way that we are living. Although it contains some parts that could have been replaced with more scientific explanation, its message is still clear. I would recommend this film to anyone interested in becoming more aware of the effect that their actions have on the fate of our planet.

— Andrew Abela

18

Science Imprint

Friday, june 31, 2006

science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Science Editor: Vacant

Solving the world’s problems with tech

Tim Alamenciak

Tim Alamenciak editor-in-chief

Everyone remembers those excercises from when you were a kid: pat your tummy and rub your head at the same time.

Some people have difficulty multitasking. Even computers (prior to dual-core machines) function with an illusion of multitasking — performing many operations in sequence so fast it seems like it’s happening at the same time.

The Sharcnet cluster at UW takes multitasking to the max: 3072 proces-

sors are dedicated to performing any task the public desires.

Sharcnet stands for Shared Hierarchical Academic Research Computing Network. It’s a government-funded corporation that operates clusters at 14 southern Ontario academic institutions.

Clusters are groups of computers that perform complex calculations.

Currently, the Sharcnet cluster at UW is calculating Wilson primes.

Rob Schmidt, an employee of Sharcnet, enlightened me on the operations of a cluster.

The server room is located in a

new wing of the physics building. It houses four massive air conditioning units that keep the room at a decent temperature.

The racks produce an enormous amount of heat and must be cooled appropriately.

There are two different types of racks: storage and computing, both manufactured by HP. The storage racks are responsible for, well, storing stuff. Each one is equipped with a gaggle of Serial ATA hard drives.

Data is stored across the drives rather than on one in particular. By

spreading the data out, it optimizes the storage for both speed and efficiency.

The computing racks house small blade computers that store neatly in a rack formation. Each computer comes with two dual-core processors (making for a total of four processing cores) and four gigabytes of RAM. Ever ything communicates through gigabit ethernet.

Clustering has been around for quite some time and spans more efforts than simply academic computing. SETI@home is a project that uses personal computers connected

to the internet to process raw data and search for aliens.

More useful causes include protein folding examinations and cancer research.

The massive clusters operated by Sharcnet are part of a project to provide publicly available, high-powered computing for academics.

The Sharcnet cluster at UW recently ranked as the 80th most powerful cluster in the world, according to Top500, a company that keeps track of the larger clusters. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Friday, june 30, 2006

sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Sports Editor: Mohammad Jangda

Sports Imprint

19

Imprint’s predictions for FIFA quarterfinals Wasim Parkar imprint staff

Billions of fans all over the world have enjoyed the World Cup in Germany over the past two weeks.

The tournament has stirred up a fair amount of atmosphere and debate even at our very own UW, with matches being broadcast in Fed Hall and Great Hall in the SLC. Add in the multicultural atmosphere on campus, and we have several students rooting for their home teams during the Cup. After some cracking goals, breathtaking skill, tactical game plans and the usual dose of controversy, we are down to the last eight remaining teams. For many, this is where the tournament begins. Having watched every second of the tournament so far, yours truly has decided to take out his crystal ball to try and predict the results of the quarterfinals.

Germany vs. Argentina

Of all the match-ups, this game has the potential to be the most exciting. This match has a lot of history, as the two teams played each other in backto-back World Cup finals in 1986 and 1990, both each winning one. In addition, the two teams have probably played the most attacking and expansive football seen at the tournament so far.

On paper, one has to say that the Argentines are the favourites. The crucial factor for the Germans in this game is going to be the first 20 to 25 minutes. With the home crowd roaring them on, the Germans can be counted on to start the game with a fast tempo and a barrage on the Argentinean goal. If the Germans score first in this initial period, it will set up the game beautifully, with Argentina attacking, leaving space for Germany to counter through the fast passing of their midfielders.

However, if the Germans don’t score first, expect Argentina to gain a stranglehold in midfield and ultimately the better ball possession and more scoring opportunities. With a solid back four, and a brilliant defensive midfielder in Javier

Mascherano combining to form a shield against the German offense, exceptional playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme will have plenty of space to pull the strings and create chances for strike duo Hernan Crespo and Javier Saviola.

This will be a ploy that the home team will definitely try to negate, especially because the defence plays a really high line that is prone to leave opposing strikers in one-on-one situations. The key here is going to be the role of German captain Michael Ballack. There is a possibility that coach Jurgen Klinsmann might just ask him to focus on his defensive duties in this match, especially because Riquelme will probably be attacking through the left against the weakest link in the German defence, hopeless right back Arne Freidrich.

Prediction: Almost too close to call. Home advantage can never be underestimated. The Germans will certainly be pumped up, but the Argentines probably have the better all-round team, and extra options to call on from the bench.

Expect goals, with Argentina to win 3-2.

Italy vs. Ukraine

The least enticing of the quarterfinals, the Italians should be able to get by with minimum fuss. There is no such thing as an easy game in competitive sports, and the Ukrainians have done splendidly to get this far in the tournament.

Yet the reality is that they progressed from one of the easiest groups and subsequently beat the Swiss on penalties in what is a leading candidate for the worst match in football history. Their star player is captain Andriy Shevchenko, who hasn’t set the stage on fire as expected. Other than him, the team is bereft of genuine quality and depth to compete against the Italians.

The Italians seem to be peaking at the right time. It’s a fact, that not conceding goals in single elimination football is the first step towards winning.

The Italians have so far displayed the best defence in the tournament against some formidable teams like the Czech Republic and Ghana. Add in probably the world’s best goalkeeper in Gianluigi Buffon and

Baseball — the bastard child that Canada left behind Being a baseball fan in Canada is a lot like being a Jewish reporter amidst a band of Jihad insurgents — you just don’t feel the love. Then you get shot.

The Canadian baseball fan today is a dying breed — and who is to blame? Why, those zany immigrants, of course.

Apparently, the international community finds it difficult relating to a bunch of ball-scratching, tobacco-chewing, ass-slapping, white guys that hit balls with sticks. To those people I say “fie.”

Sure, white people may not understand you either, but in our defense, it’s because we don’t have to — our politicians pretend to for us.

The World Cup has made things especially difficult for baseball. Of the seven people or so who may have tuned into baseball before the World Cup, eight have turned to soccer for their sporting fix. That means that there are now approximately negative one people still watching baseball. How is that possible? Roy Halladay watches you sleep.

But why? Whereas the World Cup comes around once every four years, baseball has always been there for you. When you were pining over your girlfriend dumping you, baseball was there giving you words of consolation. When you lost your job and couldn’t pay your tuition, baseball was there loaning you money. When that one guy talked smack about you behind your back, baseball kicked his ass.

Other sports with international appeal suck too. Basketball is all decided in the last two

minutes, rendering the first 46 minutes useless.

Cricket is baseball that lasts too long. Tennis is baseball without enough people. Squash is tennis without enough nets. Cycling is squash without enough squash.

The Canadian baseball fan was once a prominent figure on the Canadian landscape, but after the Blue Jays stopped winning, most people jumped off of the baseball bandwagon.

The rest jumped off when the Montreal Expos were — ironically — moved to America’s capital.

This has left baseball as being that kind, pretty, sane, relatively problem-free girl that actually gives you the time of day and yet you keep on rejecting. All I’m saying is make that leap of faith back onto the bandwagon. The Jays are good again. Give that pretty girl a chance. Sure, she isn’t as appealing as that hot, bitchy, unattainable girl that makes you do her homework while she goes on dates with guys that treat her badly, but she isn’t as bad as that girl that you had the drunken rebound experience with after the girl you loved dumped you.

And for those of you who still aren’t convinced that baseball embraces diversity of all shapes and forms, I leave you with Chicago White Sox manager, Ozzie Guillen’s words of wisdom in response to allegations that he is homophobic: “I have friends in (the gay) community… I go to Madonna concerts and WNBA games”. Touché Señor Guillen. Touché.

— Steven Preisman

the magical attacking talents of Francesco Totti and the playmaking of Andrea Pirlo, the Italians are now genuine favourites for the Cup. Prediction: The Italians are not known to win by big numbers. Still, expect them to win a comfortable 2-0 against the Ukraine.

Portugal vs. England

Another eye-catching game. This game has a lot of history as well with England’s last two quarterfinal defeats coming against the intelligent Brazilian coach of Portugal, Luiz Felipe Scolari.

The Portuguese are hindered by some suspensions, especially to key playmaker Deco.

Nevertheless, in Luis Figo, Simao Sabrosa and Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese can be relied upon to carry the greater offensive threat in this game. Coupled with the ball-playing prowess of their defenders, they can also be relied upon to have the greater share of possession.

England has world-class depth in all positions of their team, except in forward, where they are down to just one forward. Nevertheless, that one forward is the mercurial Wayne Rooney.

England’s main problem is that coach Sven Goran Eriksson still hasn’t come up with a formula to play outstanding midfielders Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole effectively together.

The midfield is often caught unaware of their positional responsibilities, resulting in lack of possession even against inferior opponents. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say England has been the most boring team to watch so far.

Prediction: Another game that is too close to call. I think eventually the better use of the ball by the Portuguese will result in a victory.

The excellent English defence should manage to keep it really tight, so I am predicting a penalty shootout here.

Brazil vs. France

Once again, a match with a lot of history. The

last time these two met was the World Cup final in 1998, France celebrating their greatest triumph, winning 3-0 on home soil.

This game has all the elements to be one for the historybooks. There is some of the most famous football talent on offer in this game with Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka, and Roberto Carlos representing the Brazilians. On the other hand we have Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane and David Trezeguet representing the French.

Usually in big games like this, the team that has the better defence usually prevails. That’s why there is a huge possibility that the French can beat the Brazilians. While the Brazilians have barely raised a sweat in reaching this stage, they haven’t really been tested against quality opposition. Yet, they have exposed themselves a lot at the back. In addition, their stars really haven’t displayed great form so far, other than a few fancy flicks and dummies. However, in high-pressure games such as these, one rarely witnesses fancy moves and goals.

The French, like the Italians, seem to be peaking at exactly the right time. After two horrendous displays, against Switzerland and South Korea of all teams, the French have finally managed to raise their game. The key factor over here is the linking of forward Theirry Henry with the midfield trio of Zinedine Zidane, Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda. The four have combined very effectively to exploit defences, especially those that play a high line like Spain in the last round and, ominously, Brazil next.

Prediction: Once again, could go either way.

I am going to go for the upset over here. I think Thierry Henry’s pace will finally exploit the gaping holes in the Brazilian defence. France to emerge victorious in a close game by the score of 2-1.

That’s it for the predictions. Let’s wait till 11 a.m. on Friday for the quarters to kick off. There is bound to be some brilliant football no matter who wins, and let’s hope the referees keep their cards in their pockets. wparkar@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

sports

20

FRIDAY, june 30, 2006

Varsity tennis captain serves up lessons Mohammad Jangda imprint staff

In high school, Ely Schwartz took his parents’ advice and did something useful: he got a job as a tennis instructor.

Now in his last year at the University of Waterloo, he is continuing his tennis instruction except doing it his own way — through a program for kids called Varsity Junior Tennis.

The camp, now in its third year, introduces kids aged six to 18 to the sport of tennis. It was started by Schwartz to make it easier for him to grasp concepts he was learning in his recreation and leisure courses.

He said, “It was a chance for me to apply things I was learning in school to a passion of mine [tennis].”

It also gave him an opportunity to increase interest in the sport which, he explained, is lately in decline. “[Through the program], I’m trying to expose something that has been so good to me, to the kids,” he explained.

Schwartz began playing tennis around the age of 12. Being the athletic type, he was quick to pick up the sport and came to enjoy playing it. He moved on to teaching tennis during his high school years, and joined the Men’s Varsity Tennis team after coming to UW, of which he is now the captain.

His varsity status has played a large role in the success of his camps and, recognizing that, he has used it to his advantage. “Saying that varsity athletes are teachers is a big draw for both parents and kids,” he said.

“Kids do look up to university athletes,” he added, especially in a university town like Waterloo.

“When I tell the kids that I’m the captain of a varsity team, I can see their eyes [light up], and they’re thinking ‘wow!’”

A large reason why Schwartz chose to target his program towards children was the fact that they are a great way to further the sport. Having taught many children in high school, he feels very comfortable around them and knows that they are fast, eager learners, which makes his job easier.

It also came down to scheduling, “[in the summer,] the kids are out of school at the same time as I need a job, so it seemed to fit together.”

The camps are run weekly from the beginning of July till the end of August with the focus largely on tennis. Each day, the kids work on a different component, with smaller activities on the side to work on things like fitness, hand-eye coordination and sportsmanship.

At the end of the camp, the kids are given a chance to put together everything they’ve learned, as well as a report card to show how well they’ve done, something that Schwartz places great importance in.

A new component that Schwartz has introduced to camp this year is giving parents a chance to play with their kids on the last day. Having parents hold a rally with their children, even for a few volleys, can have amazing effects, he explained.

“It gives kids more confidence to play,” he said, “and the parents something to do with kids. Since courts are generally free and equipment relatively inexpensive, it’s not hard to pick up.”

As a way to promote the camp, Schwartz does visits to elementary schools in May and June, giving kids an hour introductory lesson to tennis during their gym class.

Often, he teaches up to 200 students in one day.

Having recently transferred into the independent studies program, Schwartz explained that he has gained a lot of flexibility and time in terms of developing and promoting his camp further. But as with any other business, he’s had his share of struggles.

“Every year, I thought it would be last year of the camp,” he said, explaining that it was very challenging working by himself. He found it very hard to stay motivated, especially when facing decreasing numbers between the first and second years.

He also suffered through various failures, finding that some of his marketing programs, which he invested a lot of his time and money into, didn’t work.

But he found that to overcome the problem, he just had to stick to his plan. Being a student, he realized that he didn’t have much to lose. “If I go bankrupt at this stage, it’s not going to be the worst thing in the world,” he said. Also, having some of funding provided by the Ontario Tennis Association and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, he found that had fewer risks.

Overall though, he has rated running the camp as an incredible experience. Despite being weak at organization, he’s learned a lot about managing programs, being responsible for everything relating to the camp, and learning how to do the little things he never thought about — things that are essential to running a business, like getting a business license, writing receipts, and creating release waivers.

Even though in his last year of studies, Schwartz is still unsure what he wants to do with his life.

He also does not know how long he will be in Waterloo, but said that he would like to see the program live on even after he’s gone. In fact, he’s working with the city to help make it a year round program by setting up a dome around the courts at Bechtel Park.

For more information on the Varsity Junior Tennis camp, you can contact Ely Schwartz at (519) 781-0122 or elyschwartz@hotmail. com. mjangda@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Kinga JAkab

Ely Schwartz, captain of the UW Men’s Tennis team, will be continuing his Varsity Junior Tennis program for kids for the third straight year.

Fed Hall court doubles up

Mohammad Jangda

After two weeks of construction and a fresh sprinkling of sand, the Fed Hall beach volleyball court now has a twin. The new double court system allows for more Campus Rec volleyball programming and provides a unique venue for events such as the upcoming Summerfest II. The courts are two of several beach volleyball courts that students can book for one-hour sessions.