Tennis court bubble brings fees Dome comes at a new price to UW students, page 20
Postcard Fiction Contest
Imprint readers get a chance to flex their creative skills as they vie for various prizes, page 10-11
i mprint un i v e r s ity of waterloo student newspaper
Friday, July 14, 2006
vol 29, no 6
imprint . uwaterloo . ca
Footbaggers showcase their skills
Mohammad jangda
Aron Tennant (blue shirt), computer science grad, and Jeff Timko (red shirt), math grad student, attempt various tricks during one of their frequent evening shredding sessions outside the SLC. Freestyle footbag is gaining momentum throughout the world as individuals try to step up the difficulty of the tricks. The moves shown above, from left to right, include “clipper stall,” “dexterity” and “toe stall.” Mohammad Jangda imprint staff
You’ve heard of it before, seen the circles and what goes on them. Chances are you’ve taken your shot at “hacking the sack” yourself, at one point or another. Though probably not in the way that computer science grad Aron Tennant and math grad student Jeff Timko currently do. They’re pretty serious about it. No, “hacking the sack” is not a new form of cult masturbation.
It’s slang for playing footbag — the sport more commonly (and incorrectly) known as “Hacky Sack” (which is actually a trademark). At its basic level, footbag involves a bag, typically filled with beans or sand, which you kick around with your feet. Now, you are probably thinking, “Kicking a bag? I can do that! Heck, I can kick two bags!” Kudos, if you can. Tennant and Timko, in fact, take it beyond simple kicking, practising a form called “freestyle footbag.”
This is where you perform a series of often difficult moves, such as kicks, stalls, dexterities and other components as a way to showcase your ability. The other common form of footbag is net, which borrows elements from badminton, tennis and volleyball and is played with singles or doubles. Sitting through one of their shredding sessions on a sunny Monday evening was breathtaking. We gathered at the bowl outside the Student Life Centre across from Brubaker’s. They brought along
a friend, Kara Hagedorn, one of the four serious footbaggers Tennant believes are in the Waterloo region. (She was still in the learning stages of freestyle, so she spent most of the session practising on her own.) There wasn’t anything quite special about how they were dressed — just your regular workout clothes. Their shoes stood out though. One could easily spot the wear on their shoes; areas that had obviously experienced repeated hits with a footbag over time.
All three wore Adidas Rod Lavers, a tennis shoe, which is deemed ideal for freestyle. It’s the shoe of choice among footbag professionals. Motioning to Hagedorn, Tennant explained, “Once she got the Rod Lavers, we considered her as seriously into footbag.” They set up some mini speakers to blast underground Brithop, music that perfectly matched the fast-pace of the session. After getting some stretches in, they began their magic. See FOOTBAG, page 19
Computer theft at UW leads to changes in security Amna Iqbal special to imprint
It has been a month since the incident at the School of Optometry took place and concerned readers might ask what has been done since to ensure that it does not happen again. Physical aspects of the building have been modified and the data has been made more secure by using encryption and passwords. Trefford Simpson from the School of Optometry added to this and said, “The changes have been intense at dual levels; both at the physical as
well as electronic level to ensure that this does not reoccur.” Unknown intruders broke into a locked room in the contact lens area in the optometry building and managed to steal two computers on June 10. The computers contained valuable information on 4000 individuals. The individuals were being considered for a study examining the problem of dry eye syndrome. The information included everything from addresses and birthdates to medical information. University of Waterloo has a comprehensive privacy statement that ensures that it will protect the privacy of those “who study or work
at Waterloo.” The School of Optometry takes privacy issues seriously, which was why the data had been well-protected by passwords. Martin Van Nierop, director of communications and public affairs, said that it wasn’t student data that was stolen, rather members of the public who had volunteered to be possible participants in eye studies conducted by optometry school researchers. He further said that the affected individuals were informed about the unfortunate occurrence. They were ensured that they should not fear privacy intrusions, as the
data was secure because it had been password protected and is not easily retrievable. The volunteers were generally understanding and since then, there have only been a handful of calls regarding the incident. There was a similar major computer theft in 1995, when $40,000 worth of computer equipment was stolen from an engineering computer lab. That year alone, the computer thefts totalled approximately $100,000. The fact that history has repeated itself on a milder scale should increase awareness among students and staff about safe computer
usage. Since the latest incident, UW has been investigating ways to increase security. For now, it is an ongoing matter and the investigation is ongoing. The police believed from the start that the thieves were after hardware, not the information or data. This makes it a general crime rather than a theft targeted just at the optometry department. When asked if they had any leads, Wayne Shortt from UW Police said “the investigation is open and ongoing.” Van Nierop had similar views and said, “we are not finished yet and we will keep the campus informed.”
news
FRIDAY, july 14, 2006
The ethics of news and sex A working group is quietly studying the changing nature of breaches of academic integrity here at UW. For the moment, it would appear that the policy is focusing on the purely academic — that is plagiarism, overcollaboration and cheating. I would argue that they should be looking beyond that. And here’s why. A few months ago, we here at Imprint began to hear a story that a student was either having, or had recently had, a conjugal relationship with their professor. At the time, we could do nothing but wait for the story to play itself out. To cut a long story short, the relationship started at the end of 2005 while the student was being taught by the prof and continued into 2006 while the two collaborated on an on-campus project worth academic credit. To our knowledge, after various levels of the university and the Waterloo Regional Police became
involved, the relationship was broken off with little more than a slap on the wrist. Frequently, at newspapers, there are story tips that we receive that we can’t act upon, whether for lack of corroborating evidence or conflicts of interest. At campus newspapers the situation is more acute, where if we push too hard, we may end up with more than a few sharp words from the administration. We are not the Globe and Mail but instead must operate within the confines of the campus community. In the case of this story, we can only sit by the sidelines and watch. Now I’m not a rube and I doubt that this relationship is the first, nor will it likely be the last of its type on this campus. Whether for love or credit, some people cannot keep their hands to themselves. The frosh leaders are told, in no uncertain terms, “No passes ‘til classes.” It’s likely that the strong majority of profs follow the same rule. This is obviously a sticky subject on campus. Reactions that I have heard from the campus community ranged from “That’s disgusting and immoral,” to “I wonder if the president knows?”
Depending on their problemsolving style, the issue was either lightly ignored, or a few wrists were slapped. Returning to the issue of academic integrity, it is easy to see where a prof-student conjugal relationship can easily cause trouble on campus. Advances from a prof can put a student in an awkward position. Will rejection lead to a lower mark? Yielding to advances from a student can equally put a prof in an awkward position. Is the student infatuated or simply wanting to get ahead? Universities are unique environments. They rely on the free and unhindered flow of ideas and conversations in order to make the world a better place. At its heart, a university campus is a series of friendships between academics looking for collaboration. When the boundaries are pushed, things become difficult and complicated. Prof-student collaboration is an exciting part of university life. Affairs are the sordid part which should be avoided. The academic integrity committee should write that in stone. nmoogksoulis@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Tim Alamenciak Emma Tarswell editor-in-chief imprint staff
Feds take control of health plan
The Federation of Students and Graduate Students Association (GSA) are taking control of your health plan in an effort to “better serve the students,” according to Feds president Michelle Zakrison. The motion was made to switch control of the plan from UW administration to Feds and GSA effective September 1. The carrier of the health care plan will change as a result of the switch. The plan was initially carried by Cowan Wright Beauchamp as the consultant or provider, with UW administration handling, well, administration. Under Feds and GSA rule, the plan will be serviced by studentcare.net/works, the people who currently provide dental coverage under the Feds umbrella. Studentcare oversees both aspects of the plan — they provide coverage and handle administration. Zakrison said that students wouldn’t notice the change come September 1, save for the added convenience of having one location to service any questions about the dental and health plans. GSA president Marek Rataczak emphasized the importance of the convenient location and expanded on some of the reasons for initiating the switch. “Things had to change. We were the last school in Canada that had two providers for dental and health. Now we have one provider. It’s really going to streamline things.” Both presidents emphasized the desire to serve the students better, both through a dedicated office and a potential reduction in cost. While the details are still being worked out, amalgamating the services under one provider will reduce the administration fee paid by Feds and GSA. “We’re going to have better coverage at a reduced cost. The
administration fees are going to be less because it’s one provider. It’s really servicing the students,” said Rataczak. No concrete financial numbers have been released at this time. “There are still details to be worked out, but we’ve taken the first step,” said Zakrison. Blood donor clinc comes to UW
From July 17 to July 21, Canadian Blood Services will be in the SLC’s Multi-Purpose Room so that students can donate blood. The process takes about an hour and 450 millilitres of blood is drawn — enough to fill one and a third beer bottles. In this hour, enough blood is taken to save up to three lives and all you need to do to give is bring identification and eat plenty before coming out. Sharr Cairns, the regional recruitment co-ordinator for CBS, said that, “the donation is made under sterile conditions. Blood samples are taken for the purposes of testing. Needles are sterile and only used once. Each unit is then separated into three components — red blood cells, plasma, platelets or cryoprecipitates. All components are then stored at the appropriate temperature and conditions to optimize their quality and shelf life. Hospital customers place orders for blood products. Canadian Blood Services laboratory staff monitor inventory levels of all products and fill the hospital orders as they arrive.” Last year, 849,939 units of blood were collected across the country, but in order to meet hospital demands about 870,000 units are needed. This year 19,000 clinics have been set up to try and meet this demand and if enough people come out it will easily be reached. Students can book an appointment at the Turnkey Desk or can stop by the Multi-Purpose Room from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the week of July 17. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca etarswell@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Friday, july 14, 2006
opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Opinion Editor: Tom Levesque
i m print Scientology — the perfect religion university of waterloo student newspaper
Friday, July 14, 2006 — Vol. 29, No. 6 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, Jess Sanson Systems Administrator, Nick Ranchev Sys. Admin. Assistant, vacant Lead Proofreader, Shivaun Hoad Proofreader, Leslie Havens Proofreader, Kim Morrison Production Staff Chris Miller Kaitlan Huckabone Cheng Seong Khor Steven R. McEvoy Tim Foster Simon Yarrow 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. Imprint does not guarantee to publish articles, photographs, letters or advertising. Material may not be published, at the discretion of Imprint, if that material is deemed to be libelous or in contravention with Imprint’s policies with reference to our code of ethics and journalistic standards. Imprint is published every Friday during fall and winter terms, and every second Friday during the spring term. Imprint reserves the right to screen, edit and refuse advertising. One copy per customer. Imprint ISSN 0706-7380. Imprint CDN Pub Mail Product Sales Agreement no. 40065122. Next board meeting: TBA
By now you’ve all undoubtedly heard of Scientology, either through Tom Cruise’s couchhopping escapades or the efforts of South Park to cleverly mock the religion. It’s a strange and weird thing to most — seemingly a foreign religion hardly deserving of the word. My own opinions on Scientology are pretty much in line with any other non-Scientologists: no, thank you. Keep your e-meter away from me. But that doesn’t stop me from investigating the sociological aspects of it. Scientology is popular — really popular. It’s not just because Tom Cruise and John Travolta are practically living ad campaigns; rather it’s because it is indeed the perfect religion for the modern world. You got a problem? Wet the bed once in awhile? Maybe you experience depression, or perhaps impure thoughts. Drop in to the Scientology centre, lay down a few hundred bucks and you’re cured. But that’s not all — there is always something wrong with you. I mean, once you get that first thing cured, shit, well you’ve struck gold. A few hundred to fix depression? That’s a steal.
Then you keep going back, patching up little bits of yourself with auditing and e-metering, listening to the soft voice coach you through past lives and experiences. It boggles my mind how people can say “Scientology — that’s so stupid, they believe we have alien souls attached to us.” That’s one part of what Scientologists believe, yes. After laying down a few grand curing yourself with thinly-veiled suggestive hypnotherapy, would you believe in aliens? I know I wouldn’t spend $100 on a shirt and later decide it was ugly. That shirt cost me $100, I don’t care if it screams trailer park. Scientology is a religion, but I think the real driving force behind much of it is consumerism. Think about it: do you ever feel bad and go to the mall, maybe buy some CDs or a new hat? Maybe you’re doing poorly in school, so you go buy a book on writing essays. You might not read it, but the act of buying it probably made you feel a little better. I spoke in my last column on the social perils of a cashless economy. Cashless means without paper and metal money, but I don’t see any perils in a trade-based society. Though I may sound a bit counter-culture (and I am), we are encouraged to spend money on absolutely everything — encouraged to the point in which we buy things based on the influence of advertising rather than the quality of the product. So then Scientology comes along and says, “We’re going to give you something that nobody
sells yet: we’re giving you personal improvement. You don’t have to go through any arduous steps, just hold these two handles and talk a bit.” And everyone acts surprised at how people can believe this. Well, it works. For that much money, it better damn well work. But it doesn’t work the way a religion should. It could be served at a drive-thru. I am by no means a religious man. Spiritual, maybe. But religious? Definitely not. I’m like the guys who watch UFC — might be nice to watch the battle, but no desire to jump in. I love watching religion. Scientology is one of those fighters that goes for groin shots. It’s a beautiful strategy but a horrid one at the same time. Scientology exists because it offers immediate satisfaction but dangles the thread for more. It cures you but not completely. There are still things to work on, auditing to be done. The bottom line is that Scientology works. Not just for some but for many. It gets bad press, but after you read the article condemning Scientology, you might hop on over to iTunes and buy some of the latest music. It’s all related: we have convenience everywhere in our lives except for the spiritual realm. Now Scientology can give you that convenience for one easy payment per month for the rest of your natural life — at least until you clear out all those grubby Thetans hitchiking across the Earth on your soul. What a beautiful world. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Equalization program needs to be revamped if Ottawa is to obey its constitutional requirements
By now, everyone in Canada has heard of — and is sick of — the phenomenon known as the “fiscal imbalance.” This wild theory has been pushed and pushed by the Bloc Québécois. The NDP and Conservatives, like trained poodles, have jumped on board to argue that the federal government was taking too much money from the provinces. Now that the Conservatives are in power — God help us all — they’ve decided that they no longer believe in the fiscal imbalance idea they helped to peddle. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has stated firmly that the federal government will not risk a deficit to fund provincial programs and suggested that the provinces raise their tax rates to remedy revenue shortfalls. A year ago, a statement like this would have earned repeated condemnation from the Conservative Party, but I’m glad they’ve woken up and smelled the coffee, finally. Giving provinces billions of dollars with no strings attached would be a foolish and obtuse move for the feds.
The Liberals hailed the fact that the national government has run consistent surpluses as solid fiscal management, but the Conservatives dismissed it as over-taxation and a symptom of a fiscal imbalance. The Tory finance minister has decided that instead of increasing spending for health care and education, which would help the provinces stay in the black in terms of their budgetary practices, he’s just going to implement massive tax cuts and dump more money into the sinkhole that is the Canadian military. Still, eight out of ten provinces in Canada are now running surpluses. The federal government does not have too much money — on the contrary, Liberal and Conservative tax cuts for the wealthy have eaten up funds that could have been used for the environment, education or debt reduction. This week saw a news story break that Albertans will have to wait until September to find out if they’re going to receive another fat prosperity cheque from the government — also known as “Ralph bucks.” Because the government of Alberta is awash in oil revenues, Premier Ralph Klein has eliminated their debt, given out one tax cut after another, and sent out free money to each and every citizen to thank them for being Albertan. Meanwhile, Ontario is still in a deficit and
Eastern Canada is dependent on payments from the federal government’s equalization program. It seems to me that there may be a fiscal imbalance in Canada, but it’s between the provinces themselves, not between the two orders of government. According to section 36.2 of the Constitution Act, 1982, “Parliament and the government of Canada are committed to the principle of making equalization payments to ensure that provincial governments have sufficient revenues to provide reasonably comparable levels of public services at reasonably comparable levels of taxation.” The fact that Alberta has no provincial sales tax and abnormally low income taxes while the Maritimes have huge sales taxes and struggle to make their payments makes clear the fact that our constitution is being abused and violated by renegade provinces and an inept, weakkneed federal government afraid to live up to its responsibilities. The politicians, particularly those of the Bloc variety, ought to stop pursuing the mythical fiscal imbalance crusade against the federal government and point their guns at the equalization program, which needs to be revamped to truly obey the constitution of Canada. mjohnson@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
FRIDAY, July 14, 2006
opinion
LGBT marriage not always political Symbols of love are getting mixed up in a cloud of politics — and it’s not helping
About two weeks ago, something momentous happened. Well, yes, it was Canada Day and our country’s 139th anniversary — but there was something else that occurred in a small Nova Scotia town that captured the attention of many. On June 30th, in the fishing town of Yar-
mouth, a small ceremony was held in a local community hall to wed Jason Tree and David Connors. Inside, there were around 100 family and friends. The real chaos was outside, which was — I am sure — teaming with reporters. Since same-sex weddings have been legal for some time now, it may seem strange that one simple marriage is garnering such attention, were it not for one small fact: Jason Tree and David Connors are RCMP officers. The media, social groups and the community at large have been focused on this event for several weeks, generating dozens of articles and press pieces. All of the discussion has dealt with how this event will be “sure to cast
BAR FLIES
one of the country’s most iconic symbols in a whole new light,” according to Alison Auld of the Globe and Mail. Egale Canada jumped on the event and hailed it a glowing symbol of the changing times in Canada. Canada’s increased acceptance of the LGBT community allowed such a wedding to occur, even in a small community away from the more “liberal” gay-havens of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. It is also a huge snub to the Harper government according to Egale’s president, Gemma Hickey, who said, “I think these Mounties are sending a message to the government that we are not going to let Harper dictate the natural progression of our relationships.”
Ian Bleschschmidt
Harper (in a move that was totally out of character) responded with a gag order for his MPs. By my unofficial tally, that brings us to around five standing gag orders placed on Conservative MPs in our new, transparent, responsible, accountable government. Of course, this is all really about the newlyweds. Considering the furor that they’ve managed to raise, surely they have some message they want to send to somebody — right? Well, no. It’s quite the opposite, in fact. According to Constable Tree, “I don’t think there’s any difference between us and anyone else who wants to get married. [...] I’m interested in getting married with David, and I guess I’m not interested in engaging in a political debate or anything like that.” This is a trait that I have noticed occurring more frequently within the LGBT communityat-large. Everything is political. From holding hands in public, to adopting children, to coming out, to getting married, everything is a political statement of some design or purpose, intended to get all up in the face of someone, somewhere. Which is a shame, really. While a political statement is a necessary engine of change, allowing every action you take as a LGBT individual robs those actions of their true intent. Mixing up our symbols of love in a cloud of ugly politics (and uglier politicians) is not the way to win our battle for equality. A wedding isn’t always about politics — it may well be about a crazy little thing called love. gbarclay@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Today’s youth has more options
My grandmother passed away about a month ago. I told my mother, with absolutely no foresight into the situation, that I would do the eulogy. The memorial service was this past Tuesday, so on Monday as I sat staring at a blank screen for the umpteenth time trying to sum up who my Nana was, I realized something. My grandmother and I were extremely close. She may have been my grandmother by blood, but she was more like a mother to me. My mother worked three jobs when I was little, so Nana was the person who baked cookies with me, who had tea parties with me and who nursed me when I was sick. While Nana and I were close, the generation gap between us was immense. She said to me once while making a bed, completely earnestly, “Ashley, if you don’t learn how to make a proper hospital corner, I don’t know how you will ever keep a house — or a husband.” This sentiment amused me at the time, but it now makes me realize how different the world she grew up in really was. While she was only born 81 years ago, society has changed in innumerable ways. When she was little, they still had operators on telephones, radios not TVs and iceboxes instead of fridges. More importantly, though, it was the role of women in her childhood world that I always found fascinating. She was raised with the expectation of finding a nice boy, settling down and raising a family — that’s it. Now, as I approach my nineteenth birthday this coming Monday, I wonder what society expects of me. When my grandmother was my age she was already married a year, Granted, it was wartime, but it’s still an odd concept to say the least. In the past, there were generally accepted standards and milestones by which to measure
our lives. Now, with more and more tweens dressing (and acting) like Paris Hilton, these typical rites of passage in the past seem to have fallen by the wayside. For my grandmother’s generation, they had a sense of what they were supposed to do. They knew their role was either to raise the family or support the family. Now, a sort of societal ambiguity has arisen. Does anyone know exactly what is expected of him or her? Different cultures, religions and families have their own sets of expectations, but there’s no set standard. So as I wait for my birthday, I wonder, am I who I thought I would be at this age? When you’re eight or so, you have these grand ideas of what your life should be. Formed by a combination of the media and your family, you shape an idea of what your future should look like. Am I who I thought I would be by this age? Probably not. Does that bother me? No. Here’s the question: was it simpler for my grandmother’s generation, no matter how limited and archaic it seemed, to know their purpose in life, or is the freedom to do whatever we want, and the ensuing ambiguity, that much better? If we can do whatever we want, marry whomever we want, live wherever we want, then how to decide? At the age I am now, my grandmother knew what her life was going to be. I have no idea. I believe there would be something amazingly relieving in that — but also potentially confining. I have all the freedom to decide my grandmother didn’t and while I’m sure it would be nice to have it figured out, I think I’m better off. Nana may have had it figured out, but that wasn’t her plan. It was that of those who came before and the world in which she grew up. If she hadn’t had that confinement in her life, what might she have become? It might have been simpler for her, but I think I’ll take the ambiguity any day because I can’t help but wonder if she lay awake at night wondering what her life could have been, if only she had the opportunity. acsanady@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
opinion
EUCHRED
Margie Mansell and Darren Hutz
FRIDAY, July 14, 2006
PC is serving its purpose In the last edition of Imprint, Adam Smith and John Hinnegan lamented at length the supposed terror of political correctness. The authors evoke George Orwell’s idea of speech curtailment, where the government issues edicts about what speech is and is not appropriate and people’s individual thoughts are controlled by the very construction of language. Were this scenario to be believed, it should have us all running to hide under our blankets. Thankfully however, this is, like Orwell’s 1984, a fantasy. The crusade against political correctness, which the authors are not the first nor the last to advocate, is generally little more than a propaganda tool employed by conservatives and libertarians, who are frustrated that their views are not echoed in mainstream society. It has, despite what Smith and Hinnegan claim, no adverse effect on freedom of speech. Political correctness is not forced top down by the government on the people. There are no thought or speech police in Canada. A commando team will never descend from the roof and arrest Adam Smith or John Hinnegan for telling an “ethnically inspired” joke. There are no laws in Canada restricting private
speech between individuals. The state encourages political correctness, but nowhere is it imposed. Political correctness is thus not a policy imposed by government, but rather a series of norms adopted freely by people in society. Why? To help them get along. Canada, like every other Western nation, has become more diverse than ever in the last 50 years. People of different races, religions, cultures and sexual orientation now live together openly under the same flag, and this requires a new sensitivity towards the feelings of others. We’ve become more aware than ever about the realities of racism, sexism, xenophobia and hate, and we have decided collectively, as free individuals, that they should have no place in our society. The development of our language reflects that fact. That people often avoid making racial jokes and off-colour comments is not, as Smith and Hinnegan assert, an affront to individual freedom. Instead, it is the natural by-product of a variety of individual freedoms interacting. Your freedom to tell an off-colour joke in a private conversation is absolute, but so is my right to be offended by it, to find it distasteful. Your freedom of speech does not curtail my freedom of conscience. People avoid telling off-colour
jokes or making non-politically correct comments not because they fear official reprimand, but instead because they wish to avoid alienating those around them. A collection of bigots has no incentive to abide the norms of political correctness. At the same time, most people avoid making racist jokes because they don’t want to be seen as bigots, sexist comments because they don’t want to be viewed as sexists. This is not the will of some manipulative, state imposed policy, but rather the will of a collection of free people. To compare this natural evolution of language, which helps an increasingly diverse selection of people get along, to the Chinese government’s downplay of Tiananmen Square is ludicrous. The authors did, however, get one thing right. Debates about semantics and political correctness do avoid the real issues of hate and intolerance in Canadian society. We need to debate less about how we talk and more about correcting the causes of social problems. A good start would be fewer editorials lamenting the evils of political correctness and more searching for proactive solutions to social problems. I look forward to their next article addressing these issues. — Warren Clarke
Canada needs a soccer team I could have sworn it was Rome. Or Venice. Or perhaps even Florence. The backdrop of a news report covering the World Cup was one of utter jubilation, the tri-coloured Italian flag being waved by hundreds, if not thousands, of fans. The spirit of the famous (if not infamous) Azzuri was strong in this crowd. After Italy’s not-so-surprising victory, albeit in an unexpected fashion, all seemed normal. Except for one thing … the rejoicing that is the subject of this story was taking place in Toronto. Naturally, this is an odd sight, for where else might a scene like this be found? I can’t imagine the Italian community in France transcending to such a state of euphoria under the Eiffel Tower, nor the English-Italians at Big Ben or Greek-Italians at the Parthenon. Soccer is simply the world’s game, a fact driven home at this year’s championships where every conti-
POSTSCRIPT
nent, save Antarctica of course, was represented. The tournament draws the world to a halt for a couple of hours every four years in times of both peace and war. Yet, for reasons unknown, this appeal has yet to take root at the elite level in Canada. At the youth level in Canada, it is the most popular sport — more so than even hockey — but this support drops off severely after that. Although the women’s program has shown signs of life, lead by NCAA female athlete-of-the-year Christine Sinclair, the men’s program has stumbled badly in international play. Slotted in 85th place, directly between the football powers of the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, our squad has languished in years past. Our most accomplished player, Calgarian Owen Hargreaves, spurned a chance to represent our country, opting for St. George’s cross and the England jersey over the maple leaf. While there is no shortage of blame to pass around, at least some of it must lie at the feet of every fan seen partying along College Street in Little Italy and elsewhere. Without strong support for our national team, there will never be sufficient pressure on corporate sponsors to promote the elite game
in Canada as it’s done all over Europe and South America. Though this may be a chicken and the egg state of affairs; if fans showed half the enthusiasm towards our country, as opposed to the “homeland,” the game here would certainly have the legs to take off. The historical aspect that Canada lacks so desperately needs to begin somewhere, and that place is with those soccer-mad fans seen partying in the streets of Toronto and every major Canadian city through the entire month of June. Canada’s elite performers deserve to have a country of fans behind them. For a sport to which politics has been and continues to be intrinsically linked, it is that much more important for us all to get behind the cause. With next year’s under-20 FIFA championship set to take place across this fine country of ours, it’s time we support the footballing Canucks. Let’s inspire the next generation of Hargreaves and Stalteris and Nashs to do their very best! In a sport where the unexpected can always be expected, you never know what showing a little Canadian pride could do. kruch@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Graham Moogk-Soulis
A rts Region of Waterloo Arts Fund Imprint
Friday, july 14, 2006
arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Arts Editor: Margaret Clark
announces spring grants for local art Financial backing the government’s arms-length approach to supporting the development of local arts Margaret Clark imprint staff
Late June, the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund announced 17 grants for arts organizations or individuals in the region of Waterloo. The total financial contribution of $64,600 is dedicated to arts that will “Make Arts Happen” in Waterloo Region. This spring’s grants include money for projects such as “The Gateway Project” at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery of Waterloo, which will work with “a select group of high school students” and professional artist John Hofstetter to create an original work of art for public installation. Also benefitting will be the KitchenerWaterloo Symphony Orchestra, which will be using their $5,000 grant to support the creation of a new composition from Peter Hatch, and MT Space (Multicultural Theatre Space), which is hosting “Pinteresque,” a production presently being workshopped that explores the lives of war refugees in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. Other community projects to benefit from this spring’s grants include My2Sense, which will be creating a CD recording with their grant money, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (to help with the mounting of “Mark, A Dedicated Man of Fashion”), the Poor Tom Productions initiative to stage “The Visit” (a play by a local playwright Kenneth J. Emberly) and Gamut Moving Pictures, which is working on a treatment and screenplay for the creation of a film called “Thirst.” The Arts Fund was founded in 2002 by the Regional Municipal Government, which receives 30 cents per capita to be dispersed
among artists in the community. A board of 14 members decides who will receive grants funding each season, and regularly has somewhere in the region of 45 to 55 applications for each deadline. Since its inception the Arts Fund has invested more than $415,000 in community arts events. The organization has no restrictions regarding the kinds of artists and arts organizations that can apply for government funding, and actually seeks as diverse a mosaic of arts as possible, just so long as all the projects are pertinent to the Waterloo community, and will aid in the community’s arts development in the coming months. Also important to the board is giving grants that will “enhance an individual or organization’s ability to make even more art.” As David Scott, Arts Fund chair explains: “We’re not going to tell the community what kind of arts they want; we’re going to let the community tell us.” The Arts Fund also stands apart from other grant organizations in the community in that they alone give money directly to artists, so long as the projects each individual is involved in will stimulate and develop the existing arts community in the next twelve months. The next deadline for applications is September 15, 2006. Anyone can apply for funding, and students with artistic, community-enabling visions of their own are likewise encouraged to learn more about Arts Fund opportunities. Further information on the Arts Fund can be found at www.artsfund.ca. mclark@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Courtesy of the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery
The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery is one of 17 artists and arts organizations to receive grants this spring from the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund.
July 14, 15 Two Dozen Red Roses — The Engineering Society, MC 2065 Tickets at Turnkey, Orifice — 7 p.m., 12:30 p.m.
July 21 Retro Night — Club Abstract $5 at the door, 19+ — 9 p.m. July 21, 22 Godspell — Centre in the Square Theatre $20 Advance — 7:30 p.m.
July 16 The New Amsterdams w/ Shuyler Jansen from Old Reliable — Starlight $12 Advance — 8 p.m. July 18, 19 Sophie Scholl: The Final Days — Princess Cinema $6 at Turnkey — 7 p.m. July 20 Supermarine w/ Todd Donald — The Grad House $5 (Free for GH members), 19+ — Doors at 8 p.m. July 20 Silent Film Soundtrack w/ the Sourkeys — Starlight No admission, all ages — Doors at 9 p.m. July 20 Theatre On The Edge — Waterloo Community Arts Centre $ 5 Admission — 8 p.m.
July 22 Jomamma — Starlight Tickets TBA — 9 p.m. July 24 Chamber Music, Orchestra — KWCMS Music Room $8 for students — 8 p.m. Margaret Clark imprint staff Graphic by John Toal
July 26, 27 Night Watch — Princess Cinemas $6 at Turnkey — 9:30 p.m. July 27 Theatre On The Edge — Waterloo Community Arts Centre $5 Admission — 8 p.m.
#2
Summer Postcard Fiction Contest Winners
#3
I know, I know. “Wait a minute,” you’re saying. You mean there are students at Waterloo University who, after a long day of writing essays and reports, grappling with “real” work in the form of CS, Engineering and Math assignments, and completing just one more mission in World of Warcraft, actually choose to write fiction — and of their own volition? You bet! And this term the Imprint Arts section asked these writers to send in samples of their writing in the form of “postcard fiction” (500 word short stories), for a chance to win dinner and a show for two. And Waterloo students responded in unexpected numbers! So what did we do? Well, first the arts editor stripped all references to the writer from each of the stories, such that each story could be judged on its own merits alone. Then she handed the stories to two judges for a blind reading, who separately assessed the submissions on the basis of four criteria. The judges loved what they were reading; the arts editor loved what she was reading. So now it’s our great pleasure to share with you the top three stories in Imprint’s first ever Summer Postcard Fiction Contest. We hope you enjoy reading these as much as we had fun picking them! Sincerely, Margaret Clark, Kinga Jakab and Mohammad Jangda The Postcard Fiction Contest Team
#1
Figurine(s) 650 guests. 30 bouquets of tulips. Two pianists. One priest. A groom in a tux, a bride in a gown. “Well I guess it’s finally here,” Lisa whispered to no one. She stared into the mirror and observed the woman with rosy cheeks and a glossy up-do. Not a hair was out of place, not a wrinkle embedded in her silky dress. A soft breeze let itself in through the window and she felt it run through the empty room. She sat still. In a matter of minutes, her life will assume a direction. Jake had walked into the diner where she worked the night shifts. He’d sat at the counter, his shoulders sagging with frustration. She placed a cup of coffee at his hands and her smile shone with sympathy. “Why is it that you can’t always get what you want?” he’d asked. “Because what you want is not always something you need,” she replied. From the second he gazed at Lisa, he never had reason to droop again. She had been embarrassed to invite him into her apartment. The scrapes on the wall matched the residue left behind by her previous boyfriend. But Jake complimented the cozy atmosphere she created in the living room and she felt at ease. Lisa stood up and crossed the room. She picked up her veil and played with the ribbon. The rest of their years would undoubtedly be filled with moments like those. Their travels would bring them to France and Italy and Spain. They’d reside in a house with walls painted fresh and rooms filled with warmth. They’d have kids who would increase their blood pressure and decrease the hours spent sleeping. They would host thanksgiving dinners in the fall and BBQs in the summer. They’d sip iced tea on the porch and watch their neighbours walk by. Comfort would rule their days. Two weeks into their relationship, Lisa knew she would never love Jake. A single drop of sweat formed on her forehead. Lisa took one last glance in the mirror. The way Jake’s eyes gazed into hers was not the same way her eyes met his. He loved her short-temper, her vulnerability, her soothing smile, the way her hair ran through his fingers. She liked how he was always there. Lisa was certain of what she had to do. She crossed the room and placed her hand on the cold handle. She opened the door and allowed her footsteps to carry her through the hollow hallway.
Gone Our mother always took us to church, Emily and me. When we were younger, about five or six, we often found ways to keep ourselves occupied when we were supposed to be paying attention. The rule wasn’t strictly enforced. Our mother always said that children would do what they do, and she couldn’t stop us. I felt that this gave us special permission. I silently sneered at all the other children there, trussed up in their Sunday outfits and given disapproving glances. The games we would play differed from week to week. Sometimes we played tic-tac-toe, drawing an invisible grid, X’s, O’s, tracing them with our fingers on the varnished wood of the pew. It felt like glass. Sometimes the game was to pretend we were pious. We would hold up our hymn books and develop those glazed looks of salvation on our faces, but we would always giggle afterwards. The saints stared down with their raised hands. The halos silenced me sometimes. “I’m going to run away,” said Emily as she leaned over my ear and stood up to sing. After the mass, she would light a candle in front of the Virgin and whisper a frantic prayer. They were married in a big church with the stained glass saints, intoxicated, I now thought, on the change from water to wine. They accepted the body of Christ, which was deposited on their tongues as they knelt, side by side, before the altar. Eat, said the priest. And they did, and they were husband and wife. My mother stood on the outskirts of the crowd, gently smiling. I couldn’t tell whether she was happy, or had merely accepted Emily’s fate. Admitted defeat, I would have liked to say, but then again she hadn’t really fought for anything at all. Emily stayed home. George supported her. Although, what did he support? Her rampant boredom, I assumed, and the degeneration of her sanity. But now, I know she was caught in the stillness of the world. She sat on the bed and fingered the beads, praying erratically. “Emily,” I whispered in her ear. But she was gone. — Magdalena Milosz
650 guests. Hundreds of streamers. Waiters with platters. A ten-piece band. Two figures united on top of a cake. — Patrycja Wawyka
MynameisPatrycjaWawryka.Iamcurrentlyinmy3BterminHonoursEnglishLiterature.Idonothavemuchexperiencewriting as this is the first story I have attempted to write. I like contemporary literature and I think it has influenced my writing style. Theinspirationfor“Figurine(s)”actuallycamefromaconversationwithafriendwhereIwassurprisedtofindthathewouldmarry someone he didn’t want to. I enjoyed contemplating this topic and writing this story. I thank Imprint for the recognition.
Magdalenaisasecond-yeararchitecturestudentinterestedintravelling,cinema,growingthingsandreading.Herincurablepassionfor writingbegansometimeinthelastcenturyandhassofarenduredontimestolenfromothercommitmentsandlate-nightwritingfrenzies. IthasalsogonethroughtwocreativewritingworkshopsattheUniversityofToronto,whichhasmadetheauthorrealizetheimportanceof gettingastoryoutofone’sheadandreadbyothers.OriginallyfromPoland,MagdalenahaslivedinGermanyandcurrentlyresidesinCambridge and Toronto with the hope of experiencing new places in the future.
Pause Walking home from the strip club, I pass another old campaign poster in the subway. It makes me feel so nauseous that I have to spit. In it, a cheerful blonde girl is staring straight at me. Her long hair’s in two braids, and her lips are coloured a kiss-me pink. Her shirt is cut low enough to be intriguing, but not tasteless. The text beside her flawless face reads “I’m going to solve world hunger.” World hunger. That’s how they won the referendum, with big noble ideas that no one could attack. How was it worded, on the ballot? “Do you support the pooling of excess individual resources to be utilized by the government?” Not “How about if we hijack your consciousness at will?” I’ll admit their campaign was good. Everyone wants to do something noble and good, and it’s even better when there’s no effort involved. Just sleep, and let someone smarter than you assign tasks and thoughts to your brain to make theirs more efficient. Be a part of something big! It’s flattering that someone needs your help to become augmented, a super-scientist working for our super-government. I voted for it, since I was just old enough. I regret that now. Well, we mostly fell for it, and it passed. And now everyone who isn’t wearing a Special Protection Unit badge can get “paused” at any time. There’s almost always one of the city’s sixty-one zones out of commission at any given time. I haven’t seen any wonderful humanitarian miracles worked yet, but I’m getting short on my rent from all these paused shifts. And the bar’s starting to get a bad reputation. Maybe they’ve got something against our sector. On the subway, there’s a mother with a kid who’s wearing a helmet and looking angry about it. Another reason to worry about children’s safety. Monkey bars were dangerous enough before every kid on them might get paused and fall off at the same time. It’s kind of creepy how fast people have adapted. When I walk home, there’s two very obvious groups, people who walk together on one side of the spray-painted sector line, and those who split themselves up. The first tends to be families with little kids, lovey-dovey couples. They don’t want to be separated. The second are mostly suits on some important errand, and who would rather one of them get paused and ditched than have the whole mission delayed. Those “time is money” types. Well, I suppose my time is money, but only in the evenings, when twenty bucks gets you a four minute couch-dance from me, no touching. That is, when all my customers aren’t unconscious. — Shivaun Hoad
Shivaun Hoad is a third-year CS student minoring in English. Her interest in writing has led her to volunteer at ImprintanddabbleinthenotoriousNaNoWriMochallenge...twice.Aftersubmittingalongerversionof“Pause”,she was invited to attend the Alpha Science Fiction, Fantasy and HorrorWorkshop forYoungWriters in Pittsburgh later thismonth.Owningseveralblacknotebooks,fingerlessgloves,afedoraandabluetypewriter,sheconsidersherselfto be well on the way to being the most pretentious hack on the block.
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arts
FRIDAY, june 14, 2006
Ambient instrumentals for end-of-term stress relief
Sonic Snippets asks you to start your pre- and post-exam mellow music wish-list early this term Ani DiFranco Reprieve Righteous Babe Records
You won’t find Ani’s newest album, Reprieve, in stores yet, but since music is often the gift students give themselves for finishing exams, consider this a teaser for your wish-lists. For those not familiar with the name, Ani DiFranco is a singer/songwriter/guitarist whose roots in slam poetry come out clearly in her more metaphorical lyrics. Since 1994 she’s put out at least one album every year except 2000, though the road to Reprieve was especially rocky. Tracked in New Orleans last year, Hurricane Katrina forced Ani to leave the studio, though she came back for her work only three days before the levees broke. She continued the album in Buffalo, but with an especially personal and socio-political bent, on account of how the tragedy of New Orleans had impacted her. Performing with bassist/pianist/organist Todd Sickafoose, Reprieve combines Ani’s usual undertones — folksy and instrumental alike -— with synth and electronic experimentation to create a tone so low and soothing that you won’t immediately notice how politically charged her lyrics are. “Decree,” for instance, is strongly critical of the tight relationship between American government and media
in lines like, “…because Daddy knows best, yeah / this is the news / ninety-second service / officially produced… by black and white pawns / while stars are going out, and stars / are getting bent.” Ani doesn’t neglect the more universal issues, though; in tracks like “Unrequited” and “Subconscious” she returns to familiar territory by using personal experience to approach feelings and situations to which almost everyone can relate. But you’re asking yourself now: what about the album as a whole? Well, here’s the kicker: Reprieve works on two levels. Got the house to yourself on a fine, breezy evening? Hike up the volume on this baby while you’re making dinner; the lyrics become secondary to the mellow vibe, which carries well from start to finish with only one abrupt ending to a track (“Hypnotized”). Or maybe you’re in a mood to be incensed — you’ve got a political paper to finish or you’re making plans to watch An Inconvenient Truth. In that case, slip on your headphones and keep an ear out for the social commentary, which rises smoothly in and out of the instrumental riffs. In either case, if you’re looking for a calming indiefolk sound with subtle political undertones, Ani’s your girl. And Reprieve, after August 8, is your album.
Sufjan Stevens The Avalanche Asthmatic Kitty
If Sufjan Stevens’ album C’mon Feel the Illinois wasn’t enough for you, his latest offering, The Avalanche, should fill the void in your life. This CD is described as “outtakes and extras from the Illinois” which was originally slotted to be a two disk CD until the record company discouraged the effort. It was whittled down to its current form and from the wreckage off the cutting room floor comes The Avalanche. Stevens’ trademark banjo and haunting lyrics decorate many of the most memorable tunes on the CD. Tracks such as “Springfield or Booby got a Shad-Fly Caught in his Hair” and the title track “The Avalanche” encompass everything we’ve come to expect from Stevens thus far and much more. Lyrically beautiful and set to his distinctive sound, these songs make the listeners feel as though they
are experiencing the Midwestern existence he describes. While typical Stevens-style folk is present throughout the CD, his banjo often takes a backseat to trumpet, xylophone and synthesizers, especially the instrumental tracks, creating a fresh and innovative sound. The CD ties in with Illinois in many ways. Three different versions of one of my favourite tracks from Illinois, “Chicago,” decorate the album. These illustrate Stevens’ musical ingenuity as each version is distinct from the last. Also, the song “Casimir Pulaski Day” from Illinois is continued through the song “Pittsfield.” The newer version is just as lamenting as the original. The Avalanche proves both Stevens’ continuing ingenuity and just how much can be salvaged after one’s artistic integrity has been compromised. — Ashley Csanady
Artist’s tortured mind and soul explored in big screen documentary
— Margaret Clark
The Devil and Daniel Johnston Jeff Feuerzeig Sony Pictures Classics
If art and musical history have taught me one thing, it would be that the more mentally unstable an individual is — be it either eccentric or even schizophrenic — the better their art is (for the most part). To name a few examples off the top of my head: Van Gogh, Da Vinci, Beethoven and Daniel Johnston. In a few loosely said words, he is a brilliant songwriter/artist and a tortured soul. The Devil and Daniel Johnston follows his life from birth, equally portraying both his artistic genius and his mental condition. His 30+
self-recorded audiotapes and his abstract, sometimes witty, drawings allow us to better comprehend how it feels to experience the highest manias and the lowest depressions so familiar to a bipolar person. The film superbly illustrates life according to Daniel Johnston as well as Daniel Johnston’s life according to everyone else — two things we quickly learn are very, very different. Feuerzeig’s representation of bipolar disorder throughout the entire documentary is highly commendable for its utmost sensitivity and accuracy. For someone well acquainted with bipolar disorder such as myself, I found his sensitive discretion with particular parts and lighthearted comical depiction of others extremely admirable. Although he is not a particularly talented vocalist or musician, Daniel’s music grabs you by the ears with its knack for story-telling, obscure analogies, and unique phrasing. His catchy, intimate yet disconnected musical style captured me and forced me to stay until the end of the credits to hear a song of his in its entirety (a ritual that I used to be forced into doing by my dad, which I have recently learned to appreciate). As I got up to leave and turned around, I was shocked to learn I wasn’t alone; everyone else in the theatre was as enthralled as I was to stay for the credits to hear the song. It was very interesting to learn about the life of such a unique person whose music and art remains largely unheard of. I exited the theatre with a huge grin on my face, completely infected by Daniel Johnston’s contagious, innocent charm and smile. Overall the movie left me feeling suddenly incomplete — I needed to hear more of his music and see his art as soon as possible. — Andrew Abela
arts
FRIDAY, june 14, 2006
Dealing with end-of-term arts stress a different way
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When arts students need a breather, arts aren’t always the answer Steven Preisman imprint staff
Max Nemni and Monique Nemni (trans. William Johnson) Young Trudeau: Son of Quebec, Father of Canada
Donald Miller Through Painted Deserts AKA Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance
McLelland & Stewart Ltd.
Nelson Books
Last October, the CBC released miniseries about the formative years of Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, titled Maverick in the Making. Throughout the early portion of the series, an irritatingly assertive teenage Trudeau snubbed his nose at the Quebec establishment and frequently voiced his heartfelt support for Canada. It was so over-the-top, I had to turn it off. In their recent book, Young Trudeau: Son of Quebec, Father of Canada, Max and Monique Nemni, personal friends of the former Prime Minister, describe a very different young Trudeau than the one idealized by the CBC. We learn that the young Trudeau was fully indoctrinated by the prevailing Quebec political culture which was nationalist, corporatist and intensely Catholic. The revelations are shocking. Far from being a proponent of democracy and equality in his early years, the architect of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was instead genuinely opposed to the very principles he would later defend — pluralism, liberal democracy and individual rights. The young Trudeau did not merely hold these views: he was intent to act upon them. The former Prime Minister was involved in a secret society, known as the L.X., intent on staging a revolution to establish an independent Quebec which was to be ruled by an authoritative government. Strong evidence is also presented that the young Trudeau held disparaging views toward minorities, particularly Jews, women and English Quebecois. How do the authors explain these startling revelations? They argue convincingly that the young Trudeau was indoctrinated fully by the prevailing views of Quebec between 1919 and 1944. Far from being a ‘contrarian,’ he assimilated all the knowledge passed to him from teachers and other influential Quebecois. These views were the result. Young Trudeau is certainly a great read for anyone interested in the politics and history of this country. The new and startling material sheds light on a period the former PM kept secret until after his death. The authors use personal papers from Trudeau’s own files to take the reader inside his head. As I read Young Trudeau, I felt increasingly conflicted. At times I found it wildly disconcerting, because it so clearly demonstrates how easily a person’s circumstances can dictate the values he holds and the things he believes — often for the worse. At other times I felt inspired by the fact that, as Trudeau’s later political career demonstrates, it is possible for people to overcome such dangerous ideas.
Some books that failed the first time should stay out of print, and this is definitely one of them. It should have stayed away on the shelves collecting dust. Back in 2003 Donald Miller published a book called Blue Like Jazz and that book went gangbusters — constantly selling out at bookstores and going through a few printings. It appeared, at the time, that every time you turned around someone was recommending the book. It was a collection of pensees, thoughts, and meandering recollections of a man who grew up to doubt religion but could not give up on faith. It was marketed as ‘Nonreligious thoughts on Christian Spirituality’. It was so popular it was even turned into a one-man stage show in Toronto, (www. jasonhildebrand.com/trailer.htm) and has toured the country. Then some genius at the publishing company decided to resurrect his first, failed book. That person is responsible for the unwarranted destruction of thousands and thousands of trees. This book is a classic road trip journey, in the vein of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. Yet unlike that classic book, this one does not live up to all the hype. This book is a shameless money grab by the publisher and the author. This greediness is seen time and time again once an author has a successful endeavour. Everything they have written, or will write, is considered gold. That was not the case with this book. Not only is the publishing of this book shameless marketing and abuse of success, it also has a shameful plug for a band that the author listened to while ‘rewriting’ the book. Miller states: ‘Robbie’s CD Better Days is to me the soundtrack for the revised edition of this book. I am pleased to introduce it to you.’ Miller’s prose is weak and his reflections are pedantic. “We are one day out, and home seems an ocean away. My watch ticks inside my boot. I don’t need it. I’m not late for anything. There is no disgruntled friend waiting for me at a coffee shop or office.” Are we supposed to be enthralled with the story of two guys traveling from Texas to Oregon? It was a chore to get through the book and I would not even recommend it for fans of Miller’s writings. Another example is “It is all rather odd, isn’t it, our eyes in our heads, our hands with five fingers, the capacity to understand beauty, to feel love, to feel pain.” Okay, so what do we do with Miller’s thoughts? In my opinion, not much! It was just pretentious to re-publish this book and milk the readers of Blue Like Jazz for money better spent elsewhere.
—Warren Clark
—Steven R. McEvoy
Arts finals are looming and arts students everywhere are finally starting to feel the stress weighing down on their shoulders. Now, I’m not exactly the best student in the world and so it probably wouldn’t be too wise of me to attempt to give y’all sound study advice, but what I can do is tell you fine people how to alleviate some of that stress. Now, the cardinal rule to destressifying is to keep your mind as far away from those things that are stressing you out in the first place. Quite simply, since those things more artistic will predominantly occupy your time in the coming month, you should devote yourself to the least artistic activities possible. After all, you’re not going to scale Mount Everest if you’re afraid of heights. In other words, if arts is bugging you out, think like a mathie. Let’s start with a simple example: This following Friday, you were planning on going to Centre in the
Square to view Godspell, a musical based on the Gospel of Saint Matthew — but wait — isn’t there a cyber café around the corner from there? For a quarter of the price of a ticket for a two hour concert, you can play Counterstrike or World of Warcraft for eight whole hours. For your music fix, forget checking out local bands like The Miniatures: Counterstrike and World of Warcraft soundtracks are readily available for download on Limewire or IRC. I use the term “music” very loosely here. The following example is a little bit more tricky, as it is a twoparter: You’ve been studying at home for hours on end and are starting to lose your focus. Usually this would mean taking a little break and curling up to some good ol’ non-course-related reading material, such as The Brothers Karamazov. Considered by many to be Dostoevsky’s greatest work and indeed one of the finest pieces of literature ever written, it is a murder mystery that explores the
core of humanity and morality. Reading is sooo overated, though. Instead, skim over the TV Guide and find out when Babylon 5 or Battlestar Galatica are on. Then, watch them. Other fine non-artistic activities include playing Magic: The Gathering on the third floor of the math building (where 1992 lives stronger than ever), having heated debates over whether Toadstool or Zelda is the hotter princess, seeking out people to challenge to some wireless Mario Kart battles on your brand new Nintendo DS Lite, or attending a convention of any sort. Some more no-no’s include taking swing-dancing lessons at The Vault on Monday nights, Club Abstract Retro Fridays — hell, dancing in general — colour-coordinating, visiting the Canadian Clay and Glass museum, taking up improv on Thursdays at the Waterloo Community Centre, using your imagination in any way shape or form, and otherwise “keeping it real.” spreisman@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Features Imprint
Friday, july 14, 2006
features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Features Editor: Kinga Jakab
Get your mojo on with this recipe Barbecue season is in full swing and while you await my perfected rib recipe (in the works — but I promise it’s on the way!), I shall share with you a sauce full of citrusy life that is able to jazz up any type of meat such as a thick, juicy cut of pan-seared pork. My family and I enjoyed this sauce with the pork to celebrate the final World Cup game — congrats to Italy by the way! A little background: limes grow in tropical climates (i.e. Mexico, California, Florida, and the Caribbean). There are two main varieties of this zesty fruit: the Persian lime and the Key lime. Compared to the Persian variety, the Key lime is smaller and rounder in size, and more yellow in colour. Peak seasons for limes are May through August, so stock up while they are readily available and at affordable prices. Look for brightly coloured limes with smooth skins that are heavy for their size. Store limes in the fridge; they last for about ten days uncut and five days if cut — just wrap a plastic bag around them first. Point in fact: since these fruits pack a powerful punch of vitamin C, they were fed to British sailors to prevent scurvy, which was an unfortunate occurrence that inevitably lead to the pejorative nickname “limey.”
Look for pork that is pale pink in colour with a small amount of white marbling and white fat. If not using immediately, wrap meat loosely in wax paper and store in the coldest part of the fridge (up to two days — any longer and store in the freezer by wrapping in airtight Ziploc/plastic bags; it will keep well for three to six months). Ingredients: 2 side pork tenderloins (12 to 16 ounces each), trimmed of fat and silver skin 1 1/4 teaspoons salt (kosher if you have it, because it has a nice coarse texture and is free from additives) 3/4 teaspoons ground black pepper 2 teaspoons vegetable oil Heat oven to 400 degrees. Courtesy james scott, SXC.hu
Mojo Sauce:
Ingredients: 1/2-cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin if you have it) 6 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (enough to make about 2 tablespoons) 1/2-teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 cup orange juice 1/4-cup lime juice (about four limes) 1-teaspoon table salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper Instructions: 1. Heat the oil in a small, deep saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 30 to 45 seconds.
2. Remove the pan from heat briefly to add the orange juice, lime juice, salt and pepper carefully (this helps avoid any splattering). 3. Place the pan back on the heat, bring to a simmer, and cook for one minute. Remove the pan from the heat and cool the sauce to room temperature. Makes one generous cup. The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days. Perfecto pork tenderloin:
The idea of this recipe is simple: pan sear the outsides to create a nice golden brown crust. Finish cooking the interior by popping it into the oven.
Instructions: 1. Sprinkle tenderloins evenly with salt and pepper; rub seasoning into meat. 2. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over mediumhigh heat until it begins to smoke. 3. Place both tenderloins in skillet; cook until well browned (about three minutes). 4. Rotate the round and brown (one to two minutes on each side). 5. Transfer tenderloins to a baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast the tenderloins for about 10 -16 minutes. A good way is to take it out of the oven after ten minutes and check if it feels firm; if it is, it’s done; if not put back into the oven and check every minute. Serves four. tli@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Get your mack on without hair or razor burn
The hot summer weather is here. The time of year when a young person’s thoughts turn to staying cool, weekends at the lake, and hair removal. This seems like a good time to talk about the three main ways to get rid of pubic hair as painlessly as possible; shaving, waxing, and creaming. For all of these methods, it works best if you first trim your pubic hair with scissors; it will be easier to see what you’re doing and things will be less messy. You’ll want the hairs to be around a quarter to half an inch long (that’s 6mm to 13mm). And remember, if you’re going to leave a patch of hair for decoration or direction, try not to be too much of a perfectionist. It’s easy to worry too much about making things even and end up with no hair at all. Shaving: It’s a myth that shaving makes hair grow back thicker, so don’t let that stop you. But you are more likely to get ingrown hairs this way, so here are some tips for getting the best shave possible. First, for accuracy, try and find a shaving mirror with suctions on the back. You can find the no-fog kind in bath and shower stores. For guys specifically, a little trimming is usually enough to show off your length. Men often have darker and more profuse body hair so it can look odd if they shave off all of their pubic hair. That said, you still might want to shave off
any of the stray hairs that are creeping up your you can shave frequently with no problems. Waxing/BodySugar (a thick syrupy prodshaft, closer to the base, and you could consider uct): Overall I would recommend having your shaving your scrotum. For these two jobs, the kind of razor you use waxing done by an experienced professional. on your face is probably good enough — espe- You’re less likely to end up bruised, injured, or cially if you use a fancy razor with more blades, only half waxed, and it’s easier for someone who can see those nooks and crannies from a you’ll be less likely to cut yourself. And the most important thing is to hold different angle. Also, you could consider getting the hair the skin taut. Wrinkled skin leads to cuts so you’ll want to shave your scrotum slowly and lasered off. It’s fairly painless and the hair would be gone for good. But if you are going to do carefully. your waxing/sugarBoth men and ing at home, here are women can shower before shaving. Show- ...If you’re going to leave a some tips: Before you wax, ering makes your hair patch of hair for you’ll want to exfoliate softer and easier to decoration or direction, the skin to help raise shave, which means the hairs, this makes less irritation, and the try not to be too much of them easier to extract. hot water will open people also recyour pores. You’ll also a perfectionist. It’s easy Some want to work in that ommend applying baby shave gel to soften to worry too much about oil the day before to help soften the follicles, the hair. making things even and but make certain the Use a new, sharp raarea is not oily when zor and rinse it often to prevent it from getting end up with no hair at all. you are waxing. Also consider takclogged or stuck. Shave with the grain of your hair as much as ing some ibuprofen before and a few hours possible, you still can get quite close and you’ll after, because this will help keep the swelling decrease your chances of getting ingrown hairs. down. Most importantly, make sure to stretch the Splash on some cold water when you are done skin tight. Loose skin leads to bad waxing and to close the pores up again. Generally, a good rule of thumb is to not pain. Apply the wax/sugar in thin strips (one go over a patch of skin more than three times inch or half inch strips). This will ensure that with the razor. the skin is tight and it will reduce the pain. Try not to shave the night before you’re Rip the strips off against the grain, in one going to do whatever it is you were shaving quick motion. Make sure you keep your hand for. Rather, split it up between two days to give close to your body because if you rip straight up you risk bruising or injuring your skin. your skin a little break. Afterwards you’ll want to make sure that you Once you start shaving regularily, your skin will get used to contact with the outside world and get rid of all the residual wax/sugar.
Then apply a cool cloth and any lotion that came with your kit. It’s also recommended to apply an antibiotic lotion or gel like Neosporin or aloe. Gentlemen, please don’t try to wax your scrotum. Men tend to wax their backs, chest, and butts. The scrotum is a bad, bad idea. Unless, of course, you’re living in the UK where back, sack and crack waxing is fairly trendy. Depilatory Cream (like Nair or Veet): This method is great for people who don’t like pain or ingrown hairs and whose skin can handle the chemicals. But this method is not for everyone because some people have sensitive skin and could get burnt. Follow the directions on the bottle for testing it out in advance. Even people with sturdy skin need to make sure that they don’t get the cream on their most sensitive areas, like close to the anus or vaginal opening. If you’re using this method it’s a good idea to wet your fingers after applying the cream to clean it away from the inner labia, the perineum, and anus. This method is pretty simple — trim the hair, apply the cream where you want the hair to go away, wash your hands, set the timer (do not go over the recommended time), and rinse. If your skin feels a bit “funny” after using the cream, try rubbing on some aloe cream/gel. Now, I’m not saying that you have to get rid of all your pubic hair — how much or how little you take off as you prepare for the hot weather and bikini/Speedo season is up to you and your own preferences. As I’ve said, sometimes just giving things a good trim is enough to make you feel fresh and sexy and let the beauty of your naughty bits shine. ssparling@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
features
FRIDAY, july 14, 2006
The truth about cattiness and girls Why do guys and girls fight so differently with their friends? I’ve ran my theory past people young and old, guy and girl, and I can’t find anyone who strongly disagrees that, when talking about genders as a whole, guys fight quickly and often, and then move on. Girls on the other hand, carry more burdens on their backs than a burden salesman who’s burden-mobile has broken down and he has to carry his load of burdens on his back to the next gas station. Guys don’t tend to carry hidden grudges either. If a guy dislikes another guy, most people will know about it. If there’s a fight, there’s no chance the guys will just forget about it and play nice. They’ll be angry until the fight is done and then they’ll move on. But how many times have you been at a bar and you see this scenario play out: A group of girls are enjoying vodka coolers (or something else generically feminine) when a girl approaches the group. “Oh my God, here comes Dana. She should just get slut advertised across her ass, which by the way seems to be getting bigger!” Yet, somehow, as poor unknowing Dana approaches, the scorn on the face of the girl whose mouth runneth over turns to a smile. “Oh my God Dana, it’s so good to see you. How have you been? How come we never hang out anymore? I miss you,” feigns the motor mouth. “Oh, Becky. It’s good to see you
too. I miss the old days when we used to hang out all the time.” You wonder if the vomit you smell is the disgust creeping up your throat, or just the guy running to the washroom with his hand over his mouth. The part of the story you don’t know is how, two years earlier, Dana and Becky were roommates. Becky was seeing some dumbass named Shane, who treated her like shit, but he was cute, so who cares. Less than two weeks later, Dana is making out with Shane on the couch the night Becky is supposed to be at her lab. A scene ensues, names are called, mothers and ex-boyfriends are needlessly brought into the situation, and in the end both Dana and Becky were locked in their rooms crying and Shane, the asshole, had still not gotten any. Disgruntled, the way assholes tend to be when they don’t get any, Shane calls Dana the next day and tells her that she’s a bitch and he doesn’t want to see her again. Fast forward back to present day and both Dana and Becky are pretending to remember good times neither of them had while biting their tongues hard enough to draw blood. Now here’s another scenario, equally fabricated, but similarly familiar. Dave throws a party one New Year’s eve. He invites all of his closest friends and tells them the party is BYOB and everyone’s supposed to bring an appetizer, even if it’s just a bag of chips. Dave’s friend Ronnie asks if it’s OK if his friend Ross comes along. Dave doesn’t like Ross, but he hates to see anyone left out and since Ronnie says that Ross’s got no plans, no friends and no hope of finding anything better to do, Dave decides to be a team player and invite Ross along. The night of the party, things
are going well. Drinks are being consumed faster than Clearasil samples at a highschool dance, the food is hot and so are the women. Ross, however, didn’t bring a snack or booze. He instead brought two friends, neither of whom anyone knows. Ross proceeded to insult the guests, eat tonnes of food, including a forty dollar cheese platter he refuses to share because “he called it” and get high in Dave’s parents bedroom (Dave, among other faults, is a townie). But, being an archetypal guy, Dave decides not to be passive aggressive. Instead, he is aggressive. He kicks out Ross’ friends, tells off Ronnie for inviting him and throws Ross into a snow bank. Two days later at a bar, they run into each other. Ross buys Dave a drink and everything is cool. Over time, Dave and Ross are able to have nice, cordial conversations. Neither one feels the need to offer platitudes or pretend to care about the other. That’s just the way guys work. But why do women behave so differently? Why all the feigning and cruelty? Why can’t girls just fight, get it over with and move on? I just don’t understand why girls will bring up things so far in the past, in order to wound one another. It seems to me that girls don’t “go for the kill” when fighting, they go for the maim. Their goal is not to win the battle, but to so seriously wound the other person that they will never forget the pain caused. In the end, I guess it has a lot to do with the stakes. Girls usually fight over things that are much more serious to each other whereas guys will choose any opportunity to fight. But please, girls out there, be kind and try to keep your fights relevant and your claws sheathed. janstett@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
UW library starts new era Kinga Jakab imprint staff
When my editor-in-chief said I should look into doing a feature on Web 2.0 I nodded and smiled. Web 2.0. Right. A simple Google search revealed that many people didn’t even think Web 2.0 was a real thing, simply dismissing it as a marketing buzzword. Others firmly say it uses the web as a podium for web-based applications. Some, myself included, are frantically looking for the blurred line that ended one era of the Internet and commenced a new one. First and foremost, I’m pretty sure it’s pronounced, “Web two-point-oh” not “two-point-zero.” Just the squares call it that. Second, the central principle of Web 2.0 application is embracing the collective intelligence of its users. It utilizes what is called “folksonomy” (versus the now too-formal, out-dated taxonomy system). Users choose their own labels, called tags, which increases the ease of a search because of the familiar vocabulary each user is inclined to use. “Tagging allows for the kind of multiple, overlapping associations that the brain itself uses, rather than rigid categories,” writes Tim O’Reilly — in-
stigator, founder, creator, and godfather of Web 2.0. For a while, Web 2.0 was simply the name of the 2004 conference that launched it. Not anymore. Recently, UW’s library staff, Web Ops and Library Web Review, began examining a number of Web 2.0 technologies as a move towards Library 2.0 — “a library that actively works with its community through technology,” said librarian Marina Wan. As of March 2006, the Library’s monthly online newsletter, news @ your library, added an RSS newsfeed as an alternative subscription method. “This inclusion of this feed provides students, faculty and other readers the option to receive news updates without having a subscription email lost among the myriad of items in their inbox,” said Wan. As an integral part of Ask a Librarian and Liaison Librarians, the library also offers instant messaging via MSN Messenger. Getting hold of a librarian regarding those ridiculously overdue books for which you now owe $135 has never been so easy. Another application called SFX/ Get It! @ Waterloo, links most research database citations to full-text articles in the blink of an eye as well as to other
related supporting resources available from the UW Library. As a bonus, two staff liaisons will offer students hands-on workshops demonstrating how to use Web 2.0 applications for organizing and sharing information. The featured tutorial sites include Flickr, an online photo organizer, del.icio.us, a social tagging and online book marking site, and Bloglines, an RSS feed reader and news aggregator and blog space provider. The bottom line is that Library 2.0 is for the users. “It’s about keeping the lines of communication open with our students, faculty, staff and guests by providing them options to how information is shared, delivered, and received. Overall, we’re enthusiastic about keeping current with how we provide online services to the UW community,” said Wan. Indeed this new era of blogging and tagging and feeding and folksonification (if they can make up a word, so can I) has commenced. Let’s hope the Web 2.0 bubble doesn’t burst like the dot-com bubble did. Judging by the mass user participation, this could be bigger than the Apocalypse. kjakab@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Imprint
16
What is your cure for insomnia? By Irshad Mulla
“Read an accounting textbook.” Raquel Leung
“You smoke pot.” Ryan Berckmans and Ilya Eidenzon
“Death.” Janet Yip
“Red Bull vodkas.” Adam Smith
3B accounting
4A electrical
2B computer science 2B actuarial science
4B political science
Across 1. Witch trials village 6. Navigation map 11. Certified public accountant 14. More than one asylum 15. Vietnamese capital 16. Boat propellant 17. Football stalwart 19. Company with limited liability 20. Bird house 21. Decorated US pilot Rickenbacker 23. Depression era Canadian PM 26. Big Brother 4 runner-up 27. Cactus pit 28. Can’t see it for the trees 30. Arts faculty mascot 31. Barn swallow locale 32. Lord of the Rings goblin 35. Psychic abilities 36. Destination 38. Cheer 39. Astrological sign 40. Type of beer 41. Earned money 42. Main organ of photosynthesis 44. Oklahoman aboriginals 46. Bee house 48. Superlatively equitable 49. One point 50. Maltreater 52. Brand of British stove 53. British flagship 58. Army commander 59. Fencing sword 60. Help rough up
Friday, july 14, 2005
61. Feminine suffix 62. Stupid, incompetent fools 63. Orderly arrangement Down 1. Distended membrane 2. Deciduous pinnate-leaf tree 3. Caustic solution 4. Franklin Roosevelt’s missus 5. Spiderman’s comic company 6. Break the rules 7. English mist 8. Artist Warhol 9. UW’s longest serving faculty member 10. Indefatigable 11. Refrigerator 12. Summer beer haunt 13. Singer Jann 18. American beer 22. Insult 23. Mythical heavenly tower 24. Jagged-edged
25. Citizens of Naples 26. Greek god of war 28. Taxi prices 29. Finished 31. Boundary 33. Tantrums 34. Storage box 36. The boy who cried wolf 37. English electrochemistry pioneer 41. Experienced in warfare 43. French water 44. Hop kiln 45. Mountain range 46. Proverb 47. Errand boys 48. Dynamite igniters 50. Birthplace of Albigensian movement 51. Actor Reynolds 54. Legal rule 55. Belongs to us 56. Neighbour to the south 57. Pig’s home
From June 30
“Norah Jones.” Vlad Moisseykin 3B math accounting
“A good whack on the head with a frying pan.” Ken McLachlin and Karen Letts 1B math 1B chemical engineering
“What insomnia? I sleep during exams.” Jackal Ngai 2B biomedical science
“Working the graveyard shift at the Turnkey desk.” Amelie Webb and Francisco Orduna 4A psychology 3B actuarial science
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Friday, july 14, 2006
sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Sports Editor: Mohammad Jangda
Sports Imprint
19
Footbag: shredding with the best of them Continued from cover
As they seamlessly integrated various components trick by trick, it was hard to keep up without giggling in joy. It was like watching an improvised, faster-paced version of ballet, with all the kicks and twirls — minus the tutus, of course. With the stuff these guys were pulling together, it was hard for even passersby not to stare. You could see the curiosity and amazement painted across their faces. With the footbag being fairly small and the flurry of motion it’s subjected to, it is easily missed. So at first glance, it may look as if Tennant and Timko are aimlessly jumping around like a bunch of crazies in a smooth, coordinated fashion. But then you notice the footbag flying about their body, and it makes more sense. Even with the mountains of stares, the guys pressed on, highly focused on getting the trick done and moving to the next. Interestingly enough, both admit to not being that great, relatively speaking. They’re still fairly new to the sport, with Tennant having roughly seven years of experience under his belt and Timko only three. Considering that variations of the game have been around since the beginning of ancient history, their experience is fairly small. Modern footbag got its official start in the ‘70s, when two guys from Oklahoma found that kicking a small beanbag around was a
great way to recover from knee surgery. And the game of “hacking the sack” was born. It went through a somewhat “hippie-ish” phase in the ‘80s, according to Tennant, alluding to its popularity among a certain group in society with high instances of drug usage. Recently, footbag has picked up significantly, gaining the status of a serious sport complete with an overseeing organization — the International Footbag Player’s Association — and tournaments held around the world. The World Footbag Championships are now in their 27th year, taking place at Frankfurt, Germany from July 16 to 22. Two highly coveted freestyle competitions are Footbag Freestyle and Shred30, representing the artistic and technical sides of the competition respectively. Footbag Freestyle is where players get their artistic juices flowing. They’re allotted two minutes each and have to plan out a routine of tricks that are choreographed to a music score chosen by them. “It’s somewhat like figure skating, except with shredding,” said Tennant. For Shred30, players basically “go nuts.” They’re allotted only 30 seconds and the objective is complete as many unique and technically challenging tricks as possible while trying not to drop the bag. There’s a set scoring system that looks at the number of adds, unique and repeated tricks, and number of times the bag is dropped.
Tennant has attended the world championships twice, in Montreal in 2004 and Finland in 2005. He came out with one conclusion: that he sucks. “There are ridiculous players out there that have blown my mind,” he said. “The [tricks] I’m hitting now,” he said, “the pros were hitting back when I was in high school and getting started [about 7 years ago].” He has a lot of catching up to do. But he’s not on his own though. “Even though it’s a small community, there’s definitely a presence,” said Tennant. He knows that he can call up someone to shred at anytime through the Internet. The online community http://modified.in has over 2000 members and is dedicated entirely to footbag. Even as footbag moves into its advanced stage, it shows no signs of stopping or slowing down. “The new kids are taking the sport way beyond where the inventors did,” explained Tennant. The current world champion Vasek Klouda of the Czech Republic, has been reigning champ for the last four years, claiming his first victory when he was only 16. And it doesn’t seem like anyone is likely to overthrow him either. New tricks continue to be invented (with awesome names, such as “Your mom” — which Tennant jokingly confessed he wants to “hit,” — “Food processor” and my personal fave “Superdeeduperfly”). In fact, Tennant added, “There are tricks out there that only one person in the world
can do. And chances are it’s going to be like that for a while.” Meanwhile, Tennant and Timko continue to shred as many as five times a week, although finding that life sometimes gets in the way. Each has his own reason for playing the sport. Tennant started originally because he was sick of basketball and wanted an individual sport. He had bought the Lavers previously and footbag seemed like the right option. He continues for the workout — which is definitely noticeable. Fifteen minutes into his shredding session and he was dripping with sweat. Timko, who picked up the sport through Tennant, said that he was completely “blown away” when he was first introduced to the sport. He loves the challenge it provides: “It’s a completely self-directed sport. You’re trying to improve your trick base, and you do it at your own pace.” Before meeting Timko, Tennant largely shredded on his own. Even now, their group is still small: “We’re two very lonely boys,” they expressed having shredded in Waterloo for four years all by their lonesome. “We’re shredding losers and definitely need a larger community,” they added. If you’re want to learn more about footbag or want to give shredding a shot, send Aron Tennant an email at xwize@hotmail.com. mjangda@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Footbag University 101 Step 1: Equipment
Required: Feet, footbag Optional: shoes, clothing (not required, but definitely recommended) Step 2: Learning to kick
Kick the footbag everywhere on your foot, focusing specifically on the inside, outside and toe regions. Step 3: Learning to stall
Kick the bag and try to catch it in the various positions shown on the right Step 4:
Shred on till your old and shrivelled
graphic by claire mousseau
The footbaggers dictionary: essential terms you need to talk the walk Footbag
Props
Stall
jumps, ducks or twists.
1. A small round bag filled with beans or sand 2. A name for sports that use a footbag.
Acknowledgement of a player’s skill by briefly connecting hands.
The act of catching the footbag instead of kicking it — most commonly performed with feet.
Add
Freestyle
Kick
Dexterity
Performance of a series of tricks, incorporating various components to showcase one’s ability.
Launching the ball into the air using your feet. (Three areas on a foot are typically utilized — toe, inside, outside.)
The act of moving a body part around the footbag. They can go out-in (right leg counterclockwise) or in-out (right leg clockwise).
Drop
Body
When the footbag hits the ground.
The act of moving the body as a whole in spins,
Shred
1. Engage in a freestyle session. 2. Play intensely.
Component of a trick, such as a stall, dexterity or body. Stands for additional degree of difficulty. Trick
Combination of adds. The more adds in a trick, the higher possibilities of spawning new tricks.
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sports
FRIDAY, juLY 14, 2006
Varsity tennis players forced to pay for practice time
Mohammad Jangda
The Waterloo Tennis Club bubble as seen from the stands in University Stadium. Since winter 2006, students have had to pay for use of the courts in the bubble. Wasim Parkar imprint staff
Since the beginning of the winter 2006 term, students at the University of Waterloo have had to pay for the use of previously free tennis courts at the Waterloo Tennis Club. This is due to the fact that UW is not covering the costs of a new bubble installed by the Tennis Club. Imprint interviewed Mick Kozlowski, manager of the Waterloo Tennis Club, to get some information. “The university has always been a good partner,” Kozlowski said. “They have always split costs, and taken equal responsibility for the maintenance of the courts. However, when it came to the installation of the new bubble, the university decided against [splitting costs].” Kozlowski nevertheless stated that the club does value the students who come to play tennis. In an attempt to keep the courts affordable for students, the club charges students $8 an hour compared to $14 an hour for other adults. Since tennis is a game that’s usually played between two, and sometimes four players, the cost when split is usually $4 an hour for students. When queried if the charge has affected student participation,
Kozlowski answered that students now book 100 hours a week, compared to 230 hours in previous years. Ali Randhawa, a fourth-year actuarial science student at UW, said that he was not surprised that the number of students playing has receded. “Its very rare that just a single hour is enough for playing tennis,” Randhawa said. “You need time to warm up and it takes about half an hour before you’re actually into your groove. So in reality you actually end up playing for two hours and $16 is simply not justifiable on student budgets.” Farhan Malik, a fourth-year computer engineering student, said that while he understood Randhawa’s reasons, he also understood the tennis club’s decision. “I personally don’t think $8 an hour is bad, especially when you split the cost with your playing partner.” Farhan believed the long-term interests of the tennis club have to be taken into consideration and thus paying for the privilege was worth it. A student who can best explain the significance of the new fee is UW’s very own varsity men’s tennis captain, Ely Schwartz. Having been heavily involved with Campus Rec’s tennis program as an instructor and program co-coordinator, Schwartz has a strong connection
with the tennis infrastructure at UW. “I think it’s just ridiculous,” Schwartz said. “Not only is it expensive for students, but it is also hampering the sport in general when the youth are dissuaded from playing it.” Schwartz thinks that the university should definitely reassess the situation and if the costs are not exorbitant, then they should take the interests of the students into concern. Schwartz’s frustration is not limited to just the general student populace, but also the varsity tennis players. “It’s unbelievable that, as tennis players representing the university, we actually have to pay to practise. It’s inconceivable that members of the basketball team, hockey team or any other sports would actually have to pay to practise at their facilities.” While Schwartz has admitted to being disenchanted with the current scenario, he is still trying his best to contribute to the game. (For details on Schwartz’s program for kids, refer to Imprint volume 29 issue 5.) Tennis still remains a game that is one of the most desirable for students at UW to play. This is a fact acknowledged by UW Campus Rec co-ordinator, Annette Bryndza. “Our tennis programs are always in sync with the academic semester at UW. Tennis is extremely
popular among students, and in fact the [registration] for tennis actually doubles that of squash, which is surprising considering the squash courts available at the Physical Activities Complex.” The tennis program provided by campus rec caters to four different learning levels: Beginner, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2 and Advanced. In addition, Bryndza stated that at the beginning of every term, there is a three-hour tennis workshop that focuses on basics and also enables students to gauge their level. The deadline to register during the upcoming fall term is the second week of academic classes. Registration takes place on a first come, first served basis, and Bryndza said it usually fills up pretty fast. When asked if the new fee for usage of courts has hindered interest in the program, Bryndza said the popularity of the campus rec program has managed to sustain healthy numbers. However, she said she didn’t have the numbers to know if signing up for the program automatically translated into these students playing the game, booking courts and paying for extra playing time. wparkar@imprint.uwaterloo.ca