Imprint_2006-11-18_v29_i18

Imprint The university of Waterloo’s official student newspaper

vol 29, no 18

Friday, November 17, 2006

imprint . uwaterloo . ca

Five game winning streak has Warriors atop Far West page 25

Region elects new municipal government vote in the election in an interview with Imprint during his campaign run. He stated that students should vote in order “to help them Rookie politician Brenda Halloran defeated fall in love with the community and stay here,” the incumbent Herb Epp to become the new adding that the community wants students to mayor of Waterloo in the region’s recent mu- continue to reside in Waterloo after completing their degrees due to their high level of nicipal election.

With 50.47 per cent of the votes, Halloran’s intelligence.

Incidentally, voter turnout for the city was win was the largest upset of the night, as inlowest in d’Ailly’s riding which totaled only cumbent Epp received only 32.43 per cent of the votes and former mayor Brian Turnbull 3003 votes, while McLean’s riding featured the highest turnout with 3405 votes. earned only 17.09 per cent.

For the position of regional chair, candiIn an interview with Imprint prior to the date Ken Seiling election, Halloran won against his stated that the two opponents position of mayor With 50.47 per cent of the with 76.64 per is “the centre of of the votes. the community,” votes, Halloran’s win was the cent Seiling, the inadding that her cumbent of this focus is on mainlargest upset of the night... position, told taining diversity Imprint during and tolerance his campaign run within the city that “the community is at a critical junction of Waterloo.

Upon receiving the news that she had in its growth,” citing that “amalgamation will been elected into office, Halloran cited three not go anywhere.”

Two candidates were elected for the regional concerns as her most urgent political priorities, according to The Record. Firstly, Halloran councilor positions: Sean Strickland — with intends to revisit the proposal of three new 36.73 per cent of votes — and Jane Mitchell subdivisions near sensitive groundwater areas — with 30.29 per cent of votes.

In an interview with Imprint prior to the in the city’s northwest corner. Second of all, she thinks that changes need to be made to election, Strickland stated that the most crack down on rowdy students living in Water- important election issue to him is growth, loo. Lastly, she said that she intends to fulfill saying that “we need to protect environmenher campaign promise of engaging youth in tally-sensitive lands where we can, but we also can’t stop development […] we need to find community life.

The city’s voter turnout rate for this year’s the right balance.”

Mitchell ran for re-election as regional counelection totaled 29 per cent, down from 33 per cent in 2003. Despite the four-point drop, cilor with a platform focused on environmental Waterloo still registered as the region’s highest and economic concern.

She also focused on the topic of amalgamavoter turnout, as Kitchener only reached 25 tion in an interview with Imprint prior to the per cent and Cambridge only 26.

Most students at the University of Waterloo election, citing “[Amalgamation is] not going reside in Wards 6 and 7, where councilors Jan to happen,” she said. “I would like to see fire D’Ailly and Ian McLean were voted in with and water turned over to the region, but there’s not the will for amalgamation.”

61.24 per cent of votes and 64.49 per cent of One of the most notable differences bevotes, respectively.

D’Ailly, the incumbent in his ward, told tween the old Waterloo council and the new Imprint in an interview prior to his re-election one to enter into office on December 4 is that he hopes to deal with remaining issues left that while not one woman sits on the outgoover from the RIM park scandal, cleaning up ing council, women make up half of the new city hall and building the community. He added council that was elected on November 13. that he wanted to “make sure we build a city Along with mayor-elect Halloran, Karen Scian, Angela Vieth and Diane Freeman (councilors that’s warm and welcoming.”

McLean, who previously held the ward in Wards 2, 3 and 4, respectively) will also join five councilor position before running for the new council. re-election in the newly-formed ward seven, sgardner@imprint.uwaterloo.ca discussed the importance of having students

Sonic Boom rumbles UW’s radio station CKMS recognizes local artists

Suzanne Gardner assistant editor-in-chief

Dinh nguyen

Tibor Torok from local hip-hop band Rabble Rouzer eagerly bangs on his bongo.

See page 17 for more details on Sonic Boom.

Friday, November 17, 2006

news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca News Editor: Ashley Csanady News Assistant: Rachel McNeil

First Darfur forum wishes it were the last

News Imprint

Bill comes to Bomber

Liberal leader expresses concerns for taxes, environment and political options with UW students

Khor Cheng Seong

Dinh Nguyen

reporter

staff reporter

The UW Genocide Action group, a Federation of Students club, recently organized a half-day conference. Its purpose was to raise awareness and discuss issues on what has been touted to be the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today — the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

Despite being held on a Sunday afternoon, the turnout was overwhelming. It was clearly a testimony of our students’ responsiveness towards pressing international human rights issues.

It was warrant of our attention as citizens of a global village which values the price of human rights and peace preservation.

Four speakers addressed the audience on subjects intended to impart sufficient background to the crisis as well as to depict the current horrifying situation. Mr. Sallaheldin Shugar, a Sudanese native, provided a glimpse of the history of Sudan and its western region of Darfur. Michelle Darcy then elucidated the humanitarian aid situation taking place while Mohammed Hassan, another Sudanese native, focussed on the responses of the United Nations towards the calamity.

In the final presentation, Debbie Bodkin, a sergeant with the Waterloo Regional Police, delivered a moving account of her experiences while investigating the Darfur refugee crisis, which resulted from the genocide, in internally displaced person (IDP) camps in Sudan and at the border of the neighbouring country of Chad.

Romania

The remote gypsy village of Glod is threatening to sue Borat star, Sacha Baron Cohen and distributor, 20th Century Fox, for misleading villagers into creating a parody of the town’s poverty.

According to the Associated Press, residents and officials of the Romanian village were horrified and humiliated when they learned that the film earned millions from a parody of their abject poverty and simple ways.

Many villagers claim to have been tricked into believing they were subjects for a documentary on their need for help. They thought that the film would ultimately provoke the world to help their situation; instead they were lead to do things outside of their usual routines.

“These people are poor and they were tricked by people more intelligent than us,” said Nicolae Staicu, leader of the gypsy village.

“They took one of our 75-year-old ladies, put huge silicone breasts on her and said she was 47. Another man they filmed to look like the poorest person in the world, and one of our men who is missing an arm had a plastic sex toy taped to his stump.”

According to Staicu, Borat producers refused to sign movie contracts and misleadingly paid local peasants $3.50 — $5.50 U.S. to appear in the movie.

U.S.

“[...] the refugees remind me of how fortunate we are in Canada with our day-to-day [lives].”

— Sergeant Debbie Bodkin

The conference ended with break-out discussion groups among the conference participants.

The groups reflected on matters that had been raised throughout the symposium. They addressed two major polemics: first, on why the international community has not come to full force to halt the massacre and second, on the roles and measures that can be taken by the Canadian government and the Canadian people with regards to this issue.

In an interview later with Imprint, Sergeant Bodkin expressed her frustrations at the blatant disorganization of the UN in handling investigations into the genocide. In particular, she highlighted the restriction that disallowed former UN investigators from communicating to the present ones on the grounds of maintaining impartiality in conducting the investigations.

She felt that this was counterproductive, as the current investigators had little or no knowledge of the actual villages that were involved in the genocide (since some villages were not attacked, deemed to be of less significance in terms of the number of people and the livestock that can be taken away by the perpetrators). This has severely limited the effectiveness of the outcome of the investigations.

Nonetheless, Bodkin had this to say in her closing remarks: “The stories of the refugees remind me of how fortunate we are in Canada with our day-to-day [lives], compared to these people who do not have anything. They touched me in ways that renew my commitment and resilience to really do something that contributes to making the world a better place for everyone.”

Ashley Csanady

Bill Graham speaks to students about modernizing the Liberal party.

Ashley Csanady news editor

Hearty applause echoed from the 30 or so students gathered around the Bomber as interim leader of the Liberal party Bill Graham took the stage.

Graham, the official leader of the operation, was at Bomber November 14, to speak with the Young Liberals chapters of UW and WLU. He was in town for a Liberal fundraising event for local MP Karen Redman and stopped by the SLC to chat with students in an open forum.

His view of the future of the Liberal party and his insistence on the importance of youth involvement was hopeful in comparison to his description of the party following the last election as “a bunch of dogs that have come in from a wet rainstorm.”

Graham kept his opening remarks short, instead opting to interact more directly with the students. His easy banter and his enthusiasm to engage students was perhaps a reflection of his time as a professor of law at the University of Toronto.

Criticism for the current government was unrelenting. He quipped that the biggest help for the state of the Liberal party has been Prime Minister Stephen Harper, that our foreign policy

can be described “as Bush-like, if you like” and that we received the “fossil prize” in regards to the Kyoto accord. He also chastised the government’s GST reductions as “the wrong tax cuts for the wrong kind of reasons.”

He summed up the current state of the country as “a new low for Canada,” but he added a positive political spin by suggesting that the Liberals can pull Canada out of its current state. He continued on this vein by insinuating that what has been bad for the country has been good for the Liberal party. He said, “I think we’ve got a great opportunity when we get ourselves a new leader in December.” “[There is] probably going to be an election in the spring,” said Graham. Encouraging student involvement, he added, “it’s going to be very important for the party to have its young leaders involved.”

When asked his opinion on what the biggest issue will be in the election, Graham said “the environment has always been an issue that was there for people, but nobody was too sure they wanted to do anything.”

He added, “We just can’t go on this way [regards to the environment]… we are going to have some hard decisions to make.”

See GRAHAM, page 6

Cornell University’s tradition of throwing fish on ice before the annual hockey game against Harvard has been prohibited.

Recently, fans of the Cornell team were given a warning, stating that anyone caught bearing fish would be thrown out of the rink.

In addition, the fans were asked to arrive at the game early so they could be searched.

According to the Canadian Press, Cornell fans have been partaking in the tradition for decades.

Previous observations revealed that the fish, and occasionally the odd lobster and octopus, have reached the count of more than 100.

Harvard hockey players have come to expect the fish throwing and, in fear of getting hit, have learned to step aside.

Now that the tradition has been outlawed, they may feel that something fishy is taking place.

New Zealand

Recently New Zealand’s school board officials ruled that “text-speak” will be permitted in official high school exams.

Paper containing “text-speak,” the instant messaging language that uses short forms to replace words and phrases like “you” with “u” and “laugh out loud” with “lol,” will be graded so long as the student’s paper makes sense and demonstrates their points clearly.

According to the Canadian Press, the new rule has divided students and teachers amongst each other. Some students feel that “text-speak” is a revolutionary way of expressing their relation to pop culture, while many teachers view it as a threat that may lower the quality of the English language.

Some language experts believe that “textspeak” is a sign of the English language deteriorating. Others agree dat itz no lolling mat’er.

dnguyen@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Sixth Decade Plan prepares for growth

news

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

GIS technology stems from grassroots

Population increase requires facility expansion, more open-minded undergraduates Jacqueline McKoy

for engineering and AHS. Details for these new projects may take several years to be approved, posWaterloo’s not only growing older, sibly happening after current UW but larger, too. undergraduates leave the school.

The University of Waterloo’s A commitment will be made to Sixth Decade Plan calls for the keeping new academic buildings construction of between 3,000 to close to Ring Road to ensure a 10 5,000 square feet of facilities over minute maximum of student travel the next 10 years at UW. With that time between classes. Huber points brings questions about the how, out that while North Campus is where and when of construction zoned for academic buildings, that on campus and how it will impact type of development there will be current and future students. limited since “getting undergraduAssociate provost of academic ate students between point A and and student affairs Amit Chakma re- point B is [especially] important,” marked while outlining the plan at a he says. recent town hall meeting for faculty Putting new buildings as close to and staff that “We don’t have any South Campus as possible, however, more room to build buildings!” means that parking lots surrounding Despite that, the plan proclaims Ring Road may disappear. Huber that UW will need to create new says that “reasonable” locations space to house an expected threefor new developfold increase ment include in the number Lots A and of graduate UW will need to create B. With parkstudents, and ing spots close new space to house up to an adto campus alditional 100 in short an expected three-fold ready to 200 faculty supply, Huber members and increase in the number of expects that 200 to 300 the university staff. Buildgraduate students, and will recoup ings will mainspace for cars up to an additional 100 by building ly be expected to house reto 200 faculty members surface-level search faciliparking garagties, but a proes under any and 200 to 300 staff. posed “scholnew buildings, ar’s village” similar to the to be built on parking lot unNorth Campus will provide resi- derneath Needles Hall. dences and student space for senior Reaction from student groups undergrad and grad students. has been quiet. Despite the possibil“Some you’ll see soon and some ity of a congested South Campus, are only planned,” said vice-presi- Campus Greens member Darcy dent of business operations Dennis Higgins “prefer[s] the concentraHuber. tion on [South] Campus instead of A variety of projects are sched- development on North Campus... uled to begin within the next year but it’s important to consult with and a half, including the nanotech- students and protect the open nology building on the B2 green, the [green space] and trees on the main new school of accountancy building campus.” Though expansion is beside Hagey Hall, additions to PAS expected, the environmental issues and Optometry, and the Centre raised are hard to ignore. for Photovoltaic Research already Higgins takes cues from reacunderway on the BMH Green. As tions to 2005’s announcement of well, systems design is busy raising the nanotech building construction. funds in hopes of approving a bid He states: “It even surprised me to start construction on a home for how important this is to students their department across University [...] people who don’t necessarily Ave. near Lot A. care about the environment per The Sixth Decade Plan, though, se [...] still appreciate the look of mainly references reports released their campus and the ability to have by the six faculties that call for a free space.” wish list of new facilities to meet future needs, including buildings jkmckoy@imprint.uwaterloo.ca staff reporter

michael l. davenport

On November 15, the ES I courtyard was transformed into a poster map gallery, displaying the geographical work of both staff and students. The presentation, described as “an annual grassroots event” by Eva Dodsworth of the University Map Library, was intended to celebrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and promote such tools to schools and businesses. Dodsworth encouraged “all students, faculty and staff [...] to participate in celebrating GIS Day. Learn what GIS is and how it can be used in both your academic and personal lives. Learn more about the different software that supports all the geospatial data available to the campus.” As well, various door prizes and giveaways were to be won and a variety of refreshments were served.

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news

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

Parking policy for Lot C restricts ticket holders Parking Services implements new policy to relieve congestion, though drivers harbour other concerns Rachel McNeil assistant news editor

University of Waterloo parking permit holders were delighted to find an increase in available spaces starting November 13, when Parking Services decided to restrict Lot C from dailyticket use.

The lot in question, south of University Avenue and west of Seagram Drive, was a notoriously congested area where some drivers resorted to creating their own spaces in front of the help phones if none were available. However, Parking Services’ decision to prohibit use of the lot to non-permit holders was made to alleviate the issue. Staff Sergeant Wayne Shortt says that the change in policy was made “in an attempt to better service the permit holders,” who significantly outnumber nonpermit parkers.

The office found it unfair for drivers to pay ahead for parking spaces that — if they arrive during a busy time of day — often aren’t available, even though the campus holds 5,500 available parking spaces.

Meanwhile, permit holders are often frustrated with the lack of spacing after they’ve already paid a hefty amount for their passes, which allow access to specific lots for a 21hour period.

When one lot is full, drivers are required to move to the next available location, which raises issues for students trying to reach class on time who have to park across campus from their classes.

The price for a parking permit at UW is currently $114 for each term — equaling $28 per month, plus taxes — and only $100 for those living in residence. While student drivers may have their qualms with the seemingly outrageous price, Sergeant Shortt assures permit payers that their cash is going to a worthwhile cause: “The money,” he says, “goes to the university to pay for the maintenance and general up-keep of the parking lots.”

However, students, like Nurin Jivani hold different opinions regarding the fairness in price: “Monthly parking is reasonable at $30 a month, but there aren’t enough lots for students [to park] in convenient locations. N lot fills up really quickly and the only available lots are farther than my home.

So I just pay $4 everyday, five days a week! I’m paying $80 to $90 a month! […] What ever happened to M lot being $2?” She elaborates that now some lots are even charging $2 an hour.

Regarding the complaints on pricing, Sergeant Shortt holds no sympathy for students already

indebted to UW due to tuition costs, stating that students who want parking privileges have to pay the same price as everyone else.

“Everyone pays for parking, from the president [of the university] down to the first-year students,” says Sergeant Shortt, and he doesn’t see a change in the cost occurring any time soon.

When asked whether there were any more-costeffective solutions to the parking issue, Sergeant Shortt had no comment, though

he did explain that he is only the temporary head of parking until the position can be permanently filled.

Meanwhile, students who buy

parking tickets on a daily basis will find a remedy to their restricted Lot C malady by venturing across Seagram Drive to Lot A. Though it used to have restricted access for staff members only, Lot A has now become an open-access area for daily-ticket buyers.

Sergeant Shortt and the rest of Parking Services hope this location change will solve the Lot C issue and aid in impeding student complaints. ramcneil@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

véronique lecat

November 20 Senate Finance Committee: “development scenarios” for 2007/2008 budget, Needles Hall 3004, 3:15 p.m.

November 17 Lecture: “A Christian Feminist Ethic of Risk,” by Cynthia Crysdale, Catholic University of America, in St. Jerome’s Siegfried Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Lecture: “Politics in the Media”,

by Warren Kinsella, present by Arts Student Union. Friday 7:30 p.m., St. Jerome’s Siegfried Hall

November 19 Health: Information forum on osteoporosis presented by the department of kinesiology, 2 p.m.

For more info call ext. 3-6357

Documentary: Sikhs in America and Cultural Diversity in a Post-9/11 World, presented by WPIRG int he Humanities Theatre, 7 p.m.

November 21 Workshop: Sex toys work shop in the SLC multipurpose room, 7 p.m. as part of Love Your Body Week presented by the Women’s Centre.

November 22

Health: Stress Relaxation Series hosted by Counselling Services/Health Services in MC 5158,11:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more info call extension 84830.

November 23 Discussion Group: “Gay Men and Eating Disorders” presented by the Women’s Centre as part of Love Your Body week, in the Women’s Centre, 7 p.m.

Health: Flu immunization clinics in SLC, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Continuing through to November 28.

Research: Arts research colloquium, “Creating Partnerships for Knowledge Mobilization” in Hagey Hall 334, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

news

Graham: “pure as Caesar’s wife” Continued from page 3

Graham was foreign affairs minister at the beginning of the Iraq war, and minister of “The environment is definitely an area where national defence under Prime Minister Martin. the government is vulnerable,” he continued. He used his unique vantage point as an ousted “People realize well, we are going to have global military decision maker and shared his insights warming, we are going to have to have [a] global on Canada’s decision to stay out of Iraq and solution.” what role we should play now stating, “Iran The war in Afghanistan will also be a heated presents a problem of an order of magnitude issue according to Graham. Letting his past bigger than Iraq at this time.” as foreign affairs minister at the outset of the He added that the U.S. is flawed in its logic war in Afghanistan show that they can find a quick through, Graham stated, fix for the situation in Iraq “an outright withdrawal commenting, “They’ve “[The Liberals] have to isn’t the answer because created the monster they it “would be very difficult face they fact that the now say they’re going to to do without [causing] a stop.”

Gomery commission did black eye for Canada.”

After touching on this He went on to exheated issue, Graham plain the importance [them] huge damage in lightened the mood by of NATO in decisionquipping, “Do I get a Quebec.” making in Afghanistan, drink? This is a pub isn’t it? saying, “If we are going — Bill Graham What’s student life about to do something, we are nowadays? going to have to do it as “Does this make me a a group.” warrior?” joked Graham, Not everything is sunshine and roses for the doning a Warriors T-shirt for a photo-op at future of the Liberal party, however, as Graham the end of his talk, before mingling with some acknowledges, they “have to face they fact that nervous-looking young Liberals. the Gomery commission did [them] huge damWhile Graham has declined to run for the age in Quebec.” top job in the Liberal party, the leadership race He put a hopeful spin on the situation saying, was still in the foreground throughout the day.

“I think in this election we could gain some seats Graham gave a very political answer when he [in Quebec]. Again he stressed the importance was asked who he would like to see take the reins. of youth involvement, stating “I think it will He explained his reluctance to pick favourites take young people … we’ve got some really joking, “I’d be killed,” adding that he needs to great young people.” stay “as pure as Caesar’s wife.”

He suggested the Liberals need to “modernize the party” and should vote for changes in acsanady@imprint.uwaterloo.ca the party structure in Montreal.

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

Toys for children sold for children

michael l. davenport

On November 15 the Hildegard Marsden Day Nursery held its annual toy fair.

Proceeds from the toy sales help support the nursery.

UW aids Sri Lankian environment Sukhpreet Sangha staff reporter

The University of Waterloo is one of four Canadian universities who will be working extensively with local partners to restore the economy and environment of six villages in Sri Lanka. The villages were destroyed by the December 2004 tsunami and have yet to recover.

The project will be headed by the RESTORE consortium which has the University of Guelph is the lead partner, with UW, University of Manitoba and Queen’s University completing the group. The project is a $2 million endeavour and is officially titled Environmental and Livelihood Restoration and Development in Tsunami-affected Coastal Areas of Sri Lanka.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has pledged $1.75 million in funding, with the balance of the $2 million coming from the four university partners. The project started in September and is scheduled to last three years.

The venture was initiated when CIDA issued a request for proposals to help rebuild Sri Lanka’s coastal infrastructure in 2005. UW representatives took part in a trip to Sri Lanka, organized by World University Service of Canada in May 2005, along with people from Guelph, Manitoba, Queen’s and Trent. The trip was successful in assessing the situation in Sri Lanka and determining what needs could be targeted by Canadian universities. A concept paper was also written as a result of this mission, leading to the full proposal which was eventually approved for funding by the CIDA. The RESTORE consortium, so dubbed due to its central focus on environmental rehabilitation and management, will also partner with three local Sri Lankan universities. These are Ruhuna University in Matara, Eastern University in Batticaloa and Southeastern University in Akkaraipattu. The universities were selected on the basis that they represent the three major religious and socio-cultural sectors of Sri Lanka— the Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim people. Non-governmental organizations and government agencies in the country will function as additional partners.

Deep Saini, dean of the faculty of environmental studies at UW, was quoted in the UW Daily Bulletin as believing that the project “brings into focus the four themes of our faculty, which are environmental decision-making and governance; environmental informatics; biophysical processes, such as ecosystem remediation; and community planning, design, infrastructure and development.”

“The purpose of the project is to implement a multi-sectoral approach to environmental restoration, sustainable livelihoods and development, with full community input and participation in the specific tsunami-affected districts,” according to David Wood, a research associate professor of international initiatives in the environmental studies faculty who was also quoted in the Bulletin. Wood also noted that all the partners in the project took part in a collaborative exercise, resulting in the proposal.

Six model villages will be developed in the endeavour, with the intent that they be replicated in other tsunami-affected regions as they will showcase a process of community development. Multiple community development initiatives will be undertaken with the help of the chosen villages. These include the restoration of destroyed and damaged environmental assets, including mangroves and coral reefs, and the restoration of traditional livelihoods like fishing, as well as the development of alternative livelihoods, such as minor industry.

According to a UW news release, other objectives of the community development initiatives are to establish disaster resilient community infrastructure using appropriate design, technologies and materials; build community-based institutional and human capacities for environmental management, sustainable livelihoods and community development; and develop community-based early warning and emergency response plans.

The devastation of the 2004 tsunami included approximately 35,000 deaths in Sri Lanka. Hundreds of thousands of people were also left homeless in Sri Lanka, and an estimated 300,000 people died in total. ssangha@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

news

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

Great, you’re elected, now serve me The municipal elections are all over but for the crying and the recounts.

If I learned one thing during this past municipal election, it was that, whenever I vote for mayor, my candidate always loses. So far I’m 0-2 in my voting career.

By the time that the City of Waterloo finished counting ballots at 9:10 p.m. Monday evening, three incumbents were re-elected and four new faces joined them along with a new mayor. This might appear to be a revolution, but underneath not much should change.

You many not have voted despite the exhortations from Echo Weekly’s subtle (Vote Damn it!) cover last week. I voted. Others didn’t. I heard of at least one student who decided against voting because they were too busy writing grad school proposals.

In all, 28 per cent of the people in Waterloo voted, down from the 33 per cent in 2003. Of the just under 80,000 registered voters, 22,400 showed up.

The turnout numbers can be misleading. Besides the mayor-elect, who gathered 11,000 votes from seven ridings, the only candidate to garner more than 2000 votes was incumbent Ian McLean who only had one opponent. Karen Scian, also in a two-person race, unseated incumbent Jim Bolger with only 1100 votes.

I was pondering these numbers earlier this week and I couldn’t help thinking of high school popularity contests. It’s likely not that hard to whip up support from 1100 of your friends and neighbours. If you’re not the incumbent, all that’s needed is to participate in a few key community groups, perhaps the local PTA, and you’re well on the way to victory.

A good political science thesis would be to compare voters lists in municipal elections. Who voted

last time? Who voted this time?

Is there a correlation between who’s running and who’s voting?

If people are only turning up to vote for who they know (ie their friends), that changes the nature of the ballot.

I would have loved to have called up each of this week’s winners and ask three questions. First, did you encounter any students during your campaigning? Second, what issues did they identify? Third, how are you going to address these issues?

Sadly, however, we are at that

Pondering these numbers [...] I couldn’t help thinking of high school popularity contests. point in the term where scholarship supersedes investigative journalism.

Instead I will have to rely on what’s been printed in The Record, subjective or otherwise, and the campaign information that came through my door.

Of all of the winners, only one, Ward 6 councillor Jan D’Ailly identified student issues when The Record called him for the requisite victory comment. He said that he hopes to strike a task force to find a long-term solution to disputes between students and others in the community on noise and property issue.

Despite all the promises that candidates make, once they get into office they are going to have some tough choices to make. For one, some of the claims that they have may be unsubstantiated. The biggest issue, according to The Record victory quotes was the environment.

At least three councillors identified the making decisions that considered the environment. For this I applaud them.

However, the new councillors must remember that development does not turn on a dime, nor does it appreciate when long-term plans

are unilaterally killed. Were council to immediately revoke building permits, it would find itself in front of the Ontario Municipal Board so fast, that it would make their head spin. Unless they are willing to compensate the developers for lost profit, they are going to have tough time with it. Sadly, the OMB is there to protect developers rather than citizens.

Of all the wins, Brenda Halloran was the biggest surprise. I heard informal polling numbers Saturday which had her trailing third. The media, also surprised, rushed to get someone to her campaign headquarters. The Record, after writer Luisa D’Amato endorsed her for mayor, has run several large stories on her since she won.

The biggest concern I have with Brenda Halloran is the approach that she appears to take with students. Her campaign material pushes for a youth advisory council to include high school, college and university students. While this is

laudible, do high school students as young as 14 and likely living at home have the same issues as university students who could be pushing thirty and living on their own? I don’t think so.

Halloran has also made comments recently to The Record that reveal her priorities vis à vis students in an online media clip labelled “Student Rowdyism.” She begins by stating that she’d like to encourage a code of respect between students and their neighbours. This is laudible.

She then raises the bogeyman of the rowdy student parties that are ‘devastating’ the families nearby.

“Our families have to take priority,” she said. Vandalism and urinating on front lawns because of large parties, “has gone on too long. That’s not acceptable for our families.”

Halloran conceded to The Record that it’s not every student is having a rowdy party, but she suggested that if students want to have a rowdy party that they should rent a hall instead

of hosting the party in a family neighbourhood.

What concerns me about these comments is that Halloran is characterizing the students as aliens and interlopers in the city who don’t belong in “family neighbourhoods”. The City has a long-standing policy of encouraging students to live within the city. University and college students are not alien, they belong here just as much as anyone else. Eventually, the students grow up, start families, start businesses and settle down. Where would Waterloo be if all the students left as soon as they graduated? Luckily a few have stayed behind to jump-start the high tech boom.

The coming weeks will see a new council installed at City Hall. I only hope that the candidates aren’t surprised by what they find or disappointed when they can’t do all that they promised to do. nmoogksoulis@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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Friday, november 17, 2006

opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Opinion Editor: Paul Marchwica Opinion Assistant: Ryan Webb

Friday, November 17, 2006 — Vol. 29, No. 17

Adoption is an option too

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, Suzanne Gardner Cover Editor, Anya Lomako Photo Editor, Tiffany Li Assistant Photo Editor, vacant Graphics Editor, Christine Ogley Assistant Graphics Editor, Véronique Lecat Web Editor, Mohammad Jangda Assistant Web Editor, vacant Systems Administrator, Gautam Khanna Sys. Admin. Assistant, Victor Ng Lead Proofreader, Emma Tarswell Proofreaders Andre Ulloa, Adrienne Raw, Leslie Havens, Tim Foster

Production Staff Michael L. Davenport, Kate Badger, Karina Graf, Chris Miller, Paul Collier, Jaqueline McKoy, Kelvin Lam

Pro-lifers always stir me up. The vivid displays of abortions that they tell us end lives are designed to stir people up. The rhetorical planning is astounding — it must take hours to hunt down the most gruesome of abortion photos.

Cruising around the massive global village of the internet brings up more shocking details. Abort73.com, a new effort to show the gruesome truth of abortion, ranks high on the scale of well-prepared presentations. They have pictures and stories and even quotes from the Bible and doctors. It’s awesome.

They even have a MySpace.

But amidst all the rabble from pro-life (or anti-choice) and pro-choice (or anti-life), adoption is being tossed by the wayside. I’ve written on this before — back in the day when I was a wee lad — but it’s a subject that warrants further exploration.

Adoption is mentioned half-heartedly in any literature about unexpected pregnancy.

There is a bullet point about it as though to say, “Yeah, we’re down with that.” But more emphasis is placed on abortion. It’s understandable — abortion doesn’t require carrying a child for nine months and casting it off into the great unknown to be taken in by some random parents.

There is, as Margarita Osipian from the Women’s Centre was kind enough to discuss with me, a significant attachment to a baby you carry for nine months. It’s an arduous thing for a woman to go through; I know.

Ronda Lobsinger, counselling co-ordinator at Planned Parenthood Waterloo Region, agrees. “It seems people sometimes say, ‘If I’m going to go through this long process, I am keeping this baby.’” Lobsinger attributes periodic aversion to adoption to unfamiliarity with the processes.

But a quick glance at the Canada Adopts! website at www.canadaadopts.com will reveal that the process is not as blind or risky as one may think. The UW Students for Life club website carefully neglects to mention any direct information about adoption.

Canada Adopts! details the process of open adoption; a system wherein the parents exchange identifying information with one another. I was the result of a closed adoption, privately arranged between my parents

and another family through a lawyer. Open adoption takes many steps to solve the dilemmas that arise when the child is, say, 21 and facing a major career change.

Luckily, Waterloo Region has Planned Parenthood to offer choice and support women in need of advice. Lobsinger detailed the process when a woman comes in with an unexpected pregnancy. “We would start by asking a client if she knows what her options are. If she doesn’t, we explain continuing pregnancy, place for adoption, or terminate the pregnancy. We support all three options.”

The whole kerfuffle really flummoxes me. We have abortion to solve unwanted pregnancies and fertility treatments for wanted but difficult pregnancies. Both of these procedures serve to circumvent the adoption system.

I think that if there were fewer abortions, there would be more babies up for adoption.

If there were fewer people using fertility treatments, there would be more families to take these babies in.

The volume and tone of the abortion debate needs to change. Adoption should be promoted as a viable and healthy alternative to abortion. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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Next board meeting: TBA

Gender rift in the newsroom Shunned columnist experiences firsthand that gender disparity lingers

On November 9, I was invited to meet Adrienne Clarkson. Being a former award-winning journalist I was really excited to meet her.

As journalism is still one of the hardest career paths for women, I was hoping for some words of encouragement or advice from this trail-blazer in my chosen field.

Walking into the room, I was a little nervous.

I’m used to interviewing and meeting prominent people by now, but Adrienne Clarkson was someone I really admired and respected. Taking the hand of my female companion, also from the paper, she asked if we were from The Record.

After our reply that no, we were from Imprint, her face fell, she quickly dropped my friend’s hand and turned back to signing her books. I never got even so much as a nod of acknowledgement before we were asked to leave the room a few minutes later.

A little crushed, I left feeling bereft — especially because our male colleague from Imprint was allowed to remain and seemed to feel at home.

Journalism is a hard career for anyone. Long hours hunting down stories and waiting for the press or sources to call don’t allow an easy life for raising a family. This seems to make it especially hard for women.

But the long hours aren’t the only problem.

There still seems to be something that is often referred to as the “pink ceiling” in the world of journalism. Women still seem to be confined to a certain level of involvement and certain types of stories.

It’s generally accepted that the best of the best end up writing for publications such as The Atlantic or The New Yorker. Yet, in this month’s issue of The Atlantic, only five articles are written by women; four of which concern books, art, grammar or travel. The New Yorker has only three things written by women, two of which are creative writing or music reviews.

Foreign Policy this month only has one article written by a woman — oh wait, I forgot! The Wall Street’s gossip column was also written by a woman.

So why does this kind of distinction still exist? Is it that women are just more oriented to this kind of writing? I would have to argue no, as I myself am also the news editor and adore sinking my teeth into a really hard-hitting story. I’m not the only one either. Imprint’s own editorial board is composed of a ratio of 7:4 women to men. Maybe it’s because we are

the new generation of journalists, but I don’t think that’s really the case.

Journalism isn’t just a career, it becomes more of a lifestyle. Sacrificing sleep and downtime are just part of the deal. For a woman, taking time off to raise a family could potentially hurt her career. I think there is still that stigma among editors that a woman will only be a hard-hitting journalist until her biological clock starts ticking and she wants to raise a family. In turn, they get assigned the type of stories more appropriate for this kind of lifestyle. Soft-news, sentimental heart-wrenchers, reviews, gardening columns, — all of which can be written while being both a wife and mother.

Journalism isn’t the only career path that is still littered with obstacles for women, but it’s the one that I have chosen. While I, and most of my comrades, are prepared for the fight ahead — we aren’t going to abandon our careers or go “soft” to have kids, to prove ourselves — it still would have been nice to get some encouragement from a woman who’s not only a prominent journalist, but someone who had to fight this uphill battle.

Maybe Clarkson has lost something of the “common touch” or her journalistic roots. I guess hanging out with the Queen could do that to you. acsanady@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

opinion

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

Seeking a place of refuge from the GLOWmos

I’ve held my tongue for too long now.

I’m long overdue to tackle the gay agenda. No, I’m not talking about a fabulously decorated day planner, but the suspiciously well organized effort by the gay community to gay up the world. Their numbers are great, and their weapons are many. Washboard abs, impeccable fashion sense, and generally very cultured, the armies of the gay are moving towards the gayification of the entire population.

The most repugnant part of it is that all these GLOWmos aren’t even

trying to not be gay. I know I could totally dig guys, but I know that God doesn’t want me to. Every morning I get up, pour myself a manly bowl of Raisin Bran and tell myself “Brendan, today you will totally dig girls.” Now, why can’t the rest of you realize that your most basic desires are completely controllable?

When will the gays start to see that their lifestyle makes me really uncomforatable? Everyone I know or have ever met is completely defined by his or her sexuality in all places and at all times. This point is so painfully obvious that to disagree with it would be as ridiculous as saying that I am not your hero. Take me, for instance. I love women. This fact is manifest not just in my bedroom (or on the kitchen table) but every time I go to school, play sports and make dinner. I even pee straight.

POSTSCRIPT

As a result of the ubiquity of the expression of sexual orientation, my knowledge of your gayocitude makes everything you do uncomfortable for me to be around. If my life was more interesting, I’d have something else to focus on, but that just ain’t in the cards, folks. This is why it makes it impossible for me to just live and let live. I really don’t have anything better to do. These Lesbianazis and their brutalizing Gaystapo have got to be stopped.

To counteract the toxic effect GLOW is having on our campus, I propose starting a new student group as a safe place for those of us who fear the gays. We’ll call it Waterlooians Against Nefarious Gays. My fellow WANG enthusiasts and I will work to end and reverse any social progress the LGBT community has made on campus.

Encouraging tolerance for sinful lifestyles is a slippery slope. You start

Graham Moogk-Soulis

with legalization of same-sex unions and the next logical step is marrying animals. Next on the list are plants, then parasitic organisms. If we don’t stop this evil now, the next generation of Canadians will be raised by tapeworms — that’s a scientific fact — and it will be your fault for not stopping it now.

Monogamy among gay couples?

Religious context aside, this ruins all the stereotypes I’ve ever learned. Those are really hard to maintain if I am to be inundated with counterexamples.

The gays of the campus conspire to inject us all with a sexual orientation that will homogenize us all. It seems like our country is doomed to become a colourful emulsion of hair gel and house music. Let’s pull together, straighten up and fly right.

I’m Brendan Pinto and I’m single (ladies and not gentlemen), so tell your friends. bpinto@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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something to be excited about — and not merely because the democrats managed to wrest away control of the House and Senate from Bush’s Bimbo Brigade.

Aside from the midterm elections, there were a number of other measures on several state ballots, including another eight amendments that would ban or otherwise prohibit same-sex marriages or civil unions.

While seven of them did unfortunately pass, one of them was turned down by voters in a truly heartening display of open-mindedness. Yes, apparently Arizona is now a beacon of social progressiveness, turning down the amendment which would also have prevented civil unions and domestic partnerships across the board.

While the other seven states now join many other parts of the United States in prohibiting same-sex marriage, it’s not all bad news. Those seven amendments passed with a far lower percentage of the vote then many of those which have passed before them, and Arizona now stands as the first time one of those amendments has been defeated.

While it certainly isn’t going to happen all at once, it is good to see that things are at least moving in the right direction.

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(King & University)

Benjamin

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for same-sex marriage. While the newspapers have mostly been filled with news of various amendments and movements to outright ban them south of the border, there has been some exciting headway.

On November 14, South Africa’s parliament passed legislation that will recognize same-sex marriage, making it the fifth nation worldwide to do so, joining Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.

The bill passed with flying colours, gaining 230 votes for the bill to 41 against. Officially known as the Civil Union Bill, it changes the laws governing marriage to say that marriage is a “…voluntary union of two persons, which is solemnized and registered by either a marriage or civil union.” It also incorporates protection to ensure that government or religious officials need not perform the ceremonies should they object to doing so on the basis of “conscience, religion [or] belief.”

What makes the situation in South Africa rather unique is that homosexuality is not nearly as accepted in South Africa as it is in the four other nations who have legalized same-sex marriage. It is still seen by many South Africans to be a significant sexual and moral taboo.

However, despite the fact that reservations about sexual diversity continue to exist there, the many similarities to apartheid — the echoes of which continue to reverberate throughout the small nation — swayed many of the politicians and people into understanding and abhorring the discrimination that was occurring. As was said

by Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula during a session of parliament, “When we attained our democracy, we sought to distinguish ourselves from an unjust painful past, by declaring that never again shall it be that any South African will be discriminated against on the basis of color, creed, culture and sex.”

South Africa’s embracing of samesex marriage has, of course, given new material to many of the satirists and pundits within the U.S. who take no small pleasuring in pointing out that the “land of the free” is now less socially progressive than the African nation.

Of course, it’s not all bad in the U.S. The recent elections are definitely

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opinion

10

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

Music reviews insulting and lacking in depth

This is a letter of complaint toward the Music Reviews section of the Imprint and in particular, Andrew King.

Music has always been a big part of our lives.

We are not angry about these reviews because they blatantly insult some of the bands we listen to, but at the lack of integrity exhibited

by Mr. King.

For example, in last week’s edition of Imprint, he wrote reviews of the Cradle of Filth album Thornography and House of Fools’ self-titled debut album.

Our problem with the first is the reference he makes to human excrement in the first paragraph and the subsequent accusation that people who listen to death metal are stupid (“...this paper is probably above their average reading level...”), and the perpetration of the immature stereotype that these people also own tarantulas.

What we wonder is: who chooses the albums that are reviewed and, if the choice is independent, why you would choose to review a genre of music that you view with contempt? Each review Mr. King has written has had nothing to do with the band and more to do with his personal views, which leads to the next point.

In the second review done by Mr. King in the same edition of Imprint, he makes a completely hypocritical statement. In paragraph two he says “...House of Fools offers more than just a ridiculous band name...” although in paragraph one he admits to having no background information on the band in the first sentence: “I don’t know who this band is or where they came from...”

Take, for instance, the classic band Lynyrd Skynyrd. At first glance the band name does not seem to scream coherence, but any self-respecting writer who did even minimal research would know that (in spite of intentional misspelling) he was a high school teacher the band members hated. If he was going to say anything about the band he should be in the right position to do so. The cup of tea rule should always apply when writing any kind of review. Essentially, even if the reviewer is not a fan of a particular genre or band he/she should remain objective within the review. People who read music reviews want to hear about the genre of music, the positives, negatives and background of the band and album and not just the writer’s stereotyping and how it does or does not fulfill their definition of music.

In closing, keep personal feelings out of the review and keep it general so that the majority might enjoy reading the column. Maybe those who read the music reviews in Imprint would be better off if Andrew King did “jam a curling iron down the front of [his] jeans.”

— Ashley Stock and Allison Baby

live? o t lace p a r g fo n i k Loo

Just one vice lacking on campus

To the editor,

Non-offensive checkpoints?

To the editor, I felt a deep chill when I saw students dressed in black gathered around the bridge across from the St. Jerome’s campus. My brother turned to me and said, “Look, Gloria a checkpoint!” They were the peace and conflict collective — a group of young students dressed in black, smiling and playing Israel soldiers — politely informing people about checkpoints in a non-offensive manner. As I saw these students smiling I wondered whether you could really inform people about things like checkpoints in a “non-offensive manner” or if a true representation demanded more.

My memories of checkpoints are slightly different, involving waiting for hours with18 year old soldiers pointing M16s at you nonchalantly, offensive searches and intrusive questions. Where these students said, “Hello,” an Israeli soldier would have probably said “sho biddak” — what do you want? Depending upon who you were things could proceed in a different manner. You may be allowed to pass — with a Canadian passport they might even make comments like, “Canada?

Nice country.” However, if you were Palestinian you could be prohibited from passing, searched, stripped, beaten, harassed or subjected to the whim of any Israeli soldier. If you were pregnant or in need of medical attention you might need to wait and, depending on the mood of the soldiers, your fate could be decided right then and there by a teenager with an M16.

Although I am glad that at least discussion is being generated about checkpoints, I remember them slightly differently. The biggest difference is that in Palestine these checkpoints are forced upon the population, whereas here, in Waterloo, the students politely engaged in an informative educational process. However, the question remains: can you really teach people about checkpoints in a non-offensive manner?

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Wikipedia, M.D.

To the editor, In Ashley Csanady’s article last week she claims that the term “partial birth abortions” refers mostly to “intact dilation and evacuation abortions” and describes the procedure. The procedure she described is actually a “dilation and evacuation” procedure; partial birth abortion generally refers to “intact dilation and extractions” also know as IDX. Wikipedia “crudely” describes IDX as a procedure that starts with dilation of the cervix, after which “the doctor subsequently extracts the rest of the fetus…leaving only the head still inside the birth canal. An incision is made at the base of the skull and a suction catheter is inserted into the cut. The brain tissue is removed, which causes the skull to collapse and allows the fetus to pass more easily through the birth canal.” The bill also defines partial birth abortion to be outlawed (except to save a woman’s life) as “an abortion in which the person performing the abortion partially vaginally delivers a living fetus before killing the fetus and completing the delivery.”

Csanady also states that the Roe v. Wade decision was a constitutional amendment, when in fact it, like all Supreme Court cases, is simply the Court interpretation of the constitutional right to privacy. Supreme Court decisions can be overruled but amendments are much harder to undo, and in fact cannot be removed completely.

— Ed Hyatt 2A computer science

As I walk through campus this year I finally have found the one thing this university is missing: a Starbucks.

It seems that a campus of 20,000-plus should have such an established coffee shop. Granted we have several Tim Hortons, but no one can honestly say that the coffee Tim Hortons serves can hold a candle to that of Starbucks. The only reason Tim Hortons does so well on campus (the ten-minute lines can prove this) is because of proximity. Maybe Food Services feels threatened

by Starbucks and that is why we do not have one, but if Laurier has one on campus and one right across the street, why can’t a larger — and as far as Maclean’s is concerned — better university like UW get one?

I personally don’t mind paying $5 for a latte.

I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but I do allow such an indulgence. I don’t smoke, do drugs and drink very little, and if my only true vice is Starbucks I can live with that. But out of all the indulgences I just listed the only one I cannot get on campus is Starbucks. I find that sad, and I would now like to start a lobby to put a Starbucks on campus. Now I want to hear more “I wish there was a Starbucks on campus” and less “I hate these long lines at Tim Hortons.”

—David Tubbs 3A honours history

A thorn in the side of metalheads

To the editor, In your latest issue of the Imprint there was a review on the new Cradle of Filth album Thornography. Andrew King made some rather asinine statements about fans of death metal. It should be noted Cradle of Filth is not death metal, as it is properly defined as goth metal. I question the point of having someone with prejudiced views towards fans of death metal reviewing this album.

How can someone who does not like this type of music (he doesn’t even know the genre) review the album? It would be the equivalent of having Toby Keith review the latest work from Slayer. I am very disappointed that you published this trash.

I am not defending the album, however, I expect more integrity from this paper as it represents our school. But what do I know; I can’t read and have to feed my tarantula while mutilating my mother’s dog. Hail Satan and all that rhetoric that apparently we fans of metal do.

Mr. King, get a clue, then review (for a guy who can’t read, I sure can rhyme).

— Michael Romatowski 1B arts

Corporate anarchism

To the editor, The recent “vandalism” on top of the Central Services building is being decried by all. Who would do such a thing? How can people be so disrespectful? Are we next to be terrorized?

“People should not fear their governments.

Governments should fear their people.” Oh shit, there’s a revolution brewing!

Right. It’s from a fucking movie people. Does that not speak for itself? It’s a very sad day in the struggle for “Vreedom” when the boldest act of resistance is to spray paint a trademark of a Hollywood movie on a rooftop. Guy Fawkes must be pretty pissed. He tried to blow up a building, not decorate it. I personally thought it was badass, but I would have been equally impressed with any giant symbol (maybe a bat-signal?). Whoever did it, you are a champ. But I sincerely hope you don’t expect anything to come of it, other than a slice of well-earned infamy pie. Everyone else needs to pop a Midol, wonder how they did it and laugh about it.

— Mike Rasmussen political science

Friday, november 17, 2006 features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Features Editor: Kinga Jakab Features Assistant: Ellen Ewart

Sheng-Jun Xu reporter

FJobs eatures on campus

If you’re looking for a job on campus, why not explore the full range of part- and fulltime academic work opportunities available to undergraduate and graduate students throughout UW? It’s a great way to earn money while advancing your education. The majority of these positions are for students in their second year or higher, but first-year students can get ahead by learning about the application processes.

The major categories of academic jobs for students are described below, but this article is not intended to give a comprehensive list of all available University of Waterloo academic positions. Rather it aims to provide a general guide on how students can pursue these opportunities.

Research assistants

Imprint

11

... that work for you

Teaching assistants

The typical teaching assistant (T.A.) job description includes a combination of marking assignments and tests; tutoring at tutorial and residence help centres; and running or helping to run tutorials and labs. The majority of T.A. positions at UW can be found in the science and engineering faculties because of the large number of courses with lab requirements, but comparable jobs are available across all faculties.

Some positions require formal training such as WHMIS or specific workshops, and all applicants must meet minimum academic requirements for their cumulative averages and for the course(s) for which they are assisting. Information regarding job openings, qualification requirements, application process and job descriptions

Research assistant (R.A.) jobs are generally full-time positions working with a professor on a particular research project. In order to become an R.A., students generally approach a professor about a research topic that they are interested in and ask the professor to supervise a project.

Research positions are available to both graduate and undergraduate students and, while rare, first-year students have been known to secure assistantships in the past. For students interested in graduate research, information seminars for applying for research grants and scholarships are held each fall. Students can check for seminar information on the university website bulletin board and on the board outside the graduate studies offices in Needles Hall. Graduate research applications only take place during early fall and applicants are generally expected to possess previous research experience.

Undergraduate research positions vary across faculties and departments, and students are advised to contact their departmental co-ordinators for application details and deadlines. Unlike graduate research applications, undergraduate applications are generally not limited to the fall term, but each department at the university is allotted a certain quota of undergraduate research positions. These applications are ranked on the basis of student merit, project merit and departmental balance among competing professors.

The main issue with research positions is funding. The most common source of funding comes from three discipline-oriented government councils: the National Science and Research Council of Canada (NSERC) (www.nserc.gc.ca), the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (www.sshrc.ca) and the Canadian Institute of Health Research (www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca).

differ across faculties and departments. Interested parties are advised to visit their faculty websites or contact their specific faculty undergraduate or graduate offices for further details. For example, both the faculty of mathematics and the department of biology in the faculty of science provide part-time T.A. application forms outside their undergraduate offices as well as on their faculty and departmental websites.

In contrast, the faculty of engineering hires its undergraduate T.A. fulltime on a four-month basis through both the co-op process and recruitment drives by current T.A.s. Some positions, such as residence science tutors, are secured through departmental societies or clubs.

A practical way to learn more about becoming a T.A. is to attend tutorials and help sessions of courses you wish to assist and ask the current T.A.s how they secured their positions.

Students do not apply for these government grants directly, but rather through their individual departments. Furthermore, only NSERC has an undergraduate program to date. Undergrads are funded by all three programs through research grants to faculties, but to access these types of jobs, undergrads must contact faculty members directly.

In all cases, the most practical way of getting started is to contact departmental offices or individual lecturers for information and leads on where R.A. positions might be available. In certain cases, supervising professors may choose to allocate a portion of their own government research grants to students, but many departments limit this source of funding to a certain percentage of total student earnings.

The undergraduate research internship program is a relatively unexplored prospect that provides further part- and full-time research opportunities for undergraduate students. These programs serve in large part to develop students’ research skills and appear as milestones on students’ transcripts upon completion. The full-time positions offer central funding of up to $1,500 per term, and further funding for both part- and full-time positions can be obtained through usual government and supervisor allocations. The program has not gained in popularity as much as originally hoped, mainly because of departmental uncertainty over student selection procedures. To date, only the biology, optometry and physics departments have submitted a formal set of qualification guidelines to the graduate studies office in Needles Hall.

If interested, contact your departmental co-ordinators to find out how guidelines can be developed for your department, and visit www.grad.uwaterloo.ca/forms/UWURI_Terms_of_Reference.pdf for further details.

Other faculty-specific positions

For those not interested in becoming T.A.s or R.A.s but have the skills or fresh ideas, there are alternative ways to be rewarded while contributing to the academic vibrancy of the university.

An option for undergraduate students is the work study program, which provides students with part-time, non-research academic work opportunities during study terms. Students can visit the undergraduate rewards and scholarships office in Needles Hall for information. International students can visit the international students section of the student awards and financial aid office webpage (http://safa.uwaterloo.ca) for information on a new program geared specifically towards them.

Some faculties allot a portion of their endowment funds to non-research projects proven to be beneficial to the students of those faculties.

For example, math students helping professors write course notes may be compensated by funding from the Math Endowment Fund.

Students need to contact the proper faculty or departmental funding authorities for approval, but project ideas can range from creating websites to developing student exam banks. So get

From couch groping to hot sex in the bedroom

So you’ve been dating for a while and things seem to be going really well. Now comes one of the trickiest parts of the relationship: making “The Move.” That is, making the move towards the bedroom for the first time you have sex with this partner.

I know that making “The Move” can seem like a huge deal, whether you’re a virgin or not.

Both men and women try to plan “The Move” in meticulous detail, but sometimes all the worrying and planning can just end up making it that much more difficult and awkward.

When you know that you are both ready and that you both want to take your relationship further, you just have to relax and let it happen.

Sometimes it’s best to just let things take their natural course, and you certainly don’t want to rush into things too soon. I know it seems weird for your sex columnist to say something like that, but it’s true: when it’s the right time you both should know and you won’t have to think about “The Move” — it will just happen.

If you’re obsessing over planning how, when and where to make “The Move,” then you might

not be ready. It might be a better idea to take I’m a big fan of communication in relationthings slowly; you’ll want to savour each moment ships because it clears up assumptions and and each sexual and not-so-sexual experience expectations and keeps us from screwing things with your new partner. up too badly.

When I was a young teen my dad explained So, you might want to simply ask your partto me that romantic relationships go through ner if they are ready to get sexually intimate a series of stages: the holding hands stage; the with you. kissing stage; the making out stage; the heavy Ask them “Do you feel ready to have sex petting stage; the sex stage. with me?” “Should we have sex tonight?”

After that, he told “How would you feel me, there aren’t many about me fucking more steps, so make your brains out for Recognising and being sure that you make the the next three hours?” sensitive to when they most of each step that — something like that. you do take, instead of they will aren’t interested or ready Hopefully trying to hurry right to give you an honest the next one. and you can for the next level can make answer But I’m sure you progress from there. don’t really need my But there are other all the difference between “sex-ed” type lecture. subtle and not so keeping a relationship What you’re looksubtle ways to let a ing for are tips for new partner know going or being charged knowing when it’s that you want to take time to make “The it from making out with sexual assault.

Move” and possibly on the couch to fullhow to do it. on sex.

With most peoTry some touchple, typically the best approach with a new ing, try some unbuttoning, try some whispers partner is not to say something like “so, after “Oh, you look so hot tonight,” “Oh I’m so this let’s go upstairs for sex, okay?” At least, excited,” try some slipping of hands into unnot until you are actually having sex together dergarments — pretty much try things to let regularly and you know that they’ll find that your partner know how interested in sex you kind of thing cute. are and monitor their responses.

I would like to emphasize here that monitoring your partner’s responses is key. Recognising and being sensitive to when they aren’t interested or ready for the next level can make all the difference between keeping a relationship going or being charged with sexual assault.

You’re just trying to let your partner know that you’re ready, not trying to force them into anything they aren’t ready for.

If your partner pushes your hand away as you slide it up her skirt or down his pants, then they are probably not ready. If they grab your hand and guide it further towards whatever you were groping for, then they might be interested and you should try more.

But remember that “no” still means “no,” no matter how far your partner lets you take things before they say it. Things may just flow smoothly into sex right there on the couch, so make sure you have condoms ready!

Or, if you really had your heart set on taking it to the bedroom, one of the best times to suggest it is when you are both trying not to fall off the couch as your making out gets more physical.

Even if your partner isn’t ready that night, all is not lost. If they are a healthy individual, they will be ready at some point — you just have to be patient. Who knows, maybe they are just waiting demurely for you to ask and if you’re lucky, they might even make “The Move” for you. ssparling@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

features

12

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

Dating heart-breakers worth a shot There’s really nothing quite as angering as a woman. When they’re good, they’re really good and when they’re bad, they’re even better. I’ve written in the past about how some girls will choose guys who treat them like crap, but there’s a counterpart.

While recently reading the Canadian men’s magazine, Toro, I encountered an advice column where a guy asked advice on how to manage a situation where a former lover was on his sports team.

The advice was: get a new team. The point wasn’t that it’s impossible to get along with former lovers, but rather that some women seem to have this sort of magnetism that allows them to be forgiven for whatever happens.

These beautiful, magnetic girls (who I call Sirens because they lure

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men to their doom), can spill their scalding hot coffee in your lap during a lecture and for some reason, instead of getting mad, you offer to replace their coffee. These women will always have doors opening for them and will never really have to see rejection.

But women like this are dangerous.

They’ve mastered the feminine mystique, which allows us to make the masculine mistake: falling for it.

I’m sure by now my avid readers know lots about my best friend and hetero life-mate, Tim. Well, even having me as his wingman doesn’t stop him from having the occasional woman trouble. Tim recently fell under the spell of a cute hippie girl in one of his classes. Now when I say cute and hippie, that’s what I think of her. He’s shown me pictures and I’ve heard lots about her. But to hear him describe her, she’s a one of a kind gem who has a zest for life rivaled only by Richard Simmons.

According to my bud, she’s a complete knockout who can stay up until the wee hours of the morning, after holding more than her fair share of liquor, and discuss philosophy, sex and rock and

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will probably be grateful for the chance to be so close to her lips, but I warn you: she is not what she appears. Before you crash your ship onto her shore, challenge yourself and most of all, test yourself. Is she all she’s cracked up to be?

Or will she leave you cracked up? janstett@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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I tried to explain to him that, in dealing with girls, he can’t pigeon-hole them (although, when I defined the Sirens above, I clearly pigeon-holed women).

I told him that he can’t expect any girl to act in any prescribed way. But he can realize that if this girl truly grasps the hippie mentality, she’s probably not playing him for a fool but rather she views their relationship, full of sexual tension and semi-romantic encounters, as normal and perhaps even ideal. She may always run into trouble because any traditional guy will view these signs as a go-ahead instead of the status quo.

But now Tim is wiser. He has become a sage in the way women work.

And although women will always be a mystery to anyone who tries to understand them, he has at least been warned. Men everywhere: beware the Siren for she will toy with your heart and force you to your knees. She will bend you to your breaking point and make you act like an idiot. She will chew you up and spit you out and you

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roll. She was a muse to Tim, inspiring him to really quest for the joie de vivre that he seemed to always lack.

Tim, although one of the funniest and most entertaining people I have on speed-dial, doesn’t seem to have the sense of sentimentality that most of us have. Tim doesn’t worry about hurting others’ feelings, doesn’t really care if he’s liked and certainly doesn’t try to impress anyone. He’s a renegade and a bit of a drifter. But after being swept off his feet by this buxom bedazzler, Tim had a bit of change of heart — or rather he grew one. Just like when the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes, Tim truly wanted a piece of the cake this girl was eating. He developed a sentimentality that would do a Nora Ephron film proud.

And yet, despite numerous quasidates, late night talk sessions, harmless and harmful flirting, and more than a few calling cards worth of minutes on the phone, it turns out that this girl was completely oblivious to his awe and was shocked to find that he thought of her as anything more than a friend.

One of my philosophies in life is about giving second chances — especially to food! I recall my younger years, where I cringed at the sight of raw carrots; their fibrous texture and sharp taste would linger on my taste buds for days. Now that my taste buds have matured, I have grown fond of this vibrant orange vegetable. While

I established a good rapport with carrots, cranberries became my next venture. Besides, how could I deny such ruby red beauties? Cranberries are also referred to as “bounceberries” because the ripe ones bounce, and “craneberries” because the shrub’s blossoms resemble the heads of cranes.

In season from October to December, fresh cranberries are relatively inexpensive at the grocery store. Select cranberries that have a deep red colour and quite firm to the touch.

Besides having cranberry sauce during Thanksgiving, I never really consumed this nutritional berry any

other time. Now I wonder why I didn’t. Cranberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, a very good source of dietary fibre and a good source of manganese (an essential mineral which helps manufacture enzymes necessary to metabolize proteins and fats, as well as support the immune system) and vitamin K, which is necessary for proper bone growth and blood coagulation, and assists the body in transporting calcium.

Toting these pearl-sized delights home, I was excited to taste the cranberries. All I could say is that with one bite, the tartness overwhelmed my body, my cheeks puckered up,

my eyelids firmly pinched together and my shoulders became stressed at the sheer intensity of the taste.

These were definitely not at all like the sweet dried variety of cranberries.

However, as I mentioned earlier, this berry deserved a second chance. What I discovered is that when baked, the cranberries remain pronounced but provide a more enjoyable, more mellow flavour on the palate. My recipe for pear and cranberry crumble is just the sort of comfort food you want to curl up with on the couch.

A little known fact: cranberries’ cousins are blueberries!

See CRANBERRIES, page 13

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features

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

13

Exchange student reveals Ecuadorian politics My first glimpse of Ecuadorian politics came through the cynical lens of my politics professor. In an introductory talk he gave during our orientation week we were introduced to the main political contenders and told why ultimately each was a flawed candidate. Eternal optimist that I am, I decided to do a little more searching. This being an election year in Ecuador there was potential for anything — a coup or some sort of civil unrest. One thing’s for sure, you can never accuse Ecuadorian politics of being boring.

Ecuador is a diverse country that has produced a wide variety of candidates from each of Ecuador’s three regions: the east Amazon, the central highlands and the western coast. From the beginning it was clear from the ads on television, the posters plastered around town and from my conversations with people that there were four main presidential candidates despite the fact that 17 contenders put their hats into the ring for this year’s presidential contest.

The first candidate for president to appear was Cynthia Viteri, candidate for the Social Christian party. As my cynical professor pointed out, the Social Christian party is neither social, nor Christian. On all her posters she wears an Ecuadorian bracelet with her hand over her heart and the slogan, “Yes, Ecuador can do it”(Ecuador, si se puede).

Despite the uplifting feeling of that slogan, what does it actually mean? As far as I can tell she supports increased health and education spending and more employment. Unfortunately, that line is a standard for everyone who wants to mount a half serious presidential campaign and does nothing to distinguish her at all. It would seem that Cynthia’s election as the Social Christian candidate was more a choice of style than substance.

A more reasonable choice from the top four is Leon Roldos, representative from Izquerda Democratica (Democratic Left). The conscious feeling from my family and others was that a vote

he erratically waves his arms in the air by army officers in full fatigues and for Roldos was a vote for stability. If you liked the status quo and didn’t want and shrieks when he speaks makes him carrying automatic rifles.

Viteri, all smiles as usual, proudly radical change in Ecuador in any way, seem more like some sort of fiendish Roldos was your man. His campaign goblin than a human being. One of my proclaimed she was voting for her list has focused mostly on delivering a professors went so far as to suggest he of senators. Correa moved through government that is free of corruption could actually be “mentally deficient.” the crowd at his booth with his usual and strong on ethics. With regards to Bush claims he speaks regularly with charisma. Noboa’s booth was pure trade he supports putting the proposed God, Noboa has publicly tried to pandemonium. It was not clear what free trade agreement with the U.S. to perform faith healings while on the the problem was but he needed the protection of his personal bodyguards a national referendum. Roldos’ down- campaign trail.

He would probably be completely to even get to the booth. Once there, he side is his complete and utter lack of charisma or facial expression. During ignored as a candidate except for the made a show of each ballot he marked the televised debates he would speak fact that he is extremely rich; his family and then, with his trophy wife in hand, in almost a mumble while chopping collectively controls about five per cent escaped through a side passage.

With voting finished and the polls his left hand up and down in rhythm of Ecuador’s GDP. closed, the entire to what he said. country then anHis other hand Ecuador has a no drinking law on election ticipated the first rehe kept glued sults, which would to his side, so weekend — apparently in previous years be the exit polls much so that I that would come actually became many have showed up totally plastered to out shortly after concerned that 5:00 p.m. Ecuador’s it might be paravote. system somehwat lyzed. resembles that of A more radiEcuador lurched its way into elec- the United States. They elect a provincal front-runner is the independent candidate, economist Rafael Correa. tion day on October 15. At the polling cial council, a national congress and a He exudes charisma like Hugo Chavez station in Sangolqui everything seemed president with executive powers. This and is backed by a strong core of sup- normal, except of course for the typical is combined with a run off system; the porters and a slick media campaign. Ecuadorian idiosyncrasies. Ecuador has top two candidates in the first round His platform is based on two main a no drinking law on election weekend then face off against each other in an ideas. First is constitutional reform. — apparently in previous years many additional month of campaigning. All He supports disbanding congress and have showed up totally plastered to vote. throughout the campaign people had launching a citizen’s assembly to draft a Along with the voters, there were ice been talking about a Roldos-Correa new form of government for Ecuador. cream, hot dog and other food vendors. runoff, although at the end some were Second, he is against the proposed free Men and women had to vote at separate talking about the slight possibility of trade agreement with the United States booths, each of which were protected a Noboa-Correa contest. The shock and very much in favour of economic nationalism. In the last government he, as minister of the economy, forcibly renegotiated Ecuador’s contracts with foreign oil companies to increase Ecuador’s share from 20 to 40 per cent of all oil revenues. He also redirected oil revenues away from the 75 per cent that was supposed to go towards paying off the debt as stipulated by the World Bank. As a result, the World Bank threatened to retract $400 million in loans unless he was removed from office, which he quickly was. He enters the race with this baggage but also with the precedent that he will act on his convictions.

Finally, the last of the front runners, if he even can be considered a legitimate candidate: Alvaro Noboa. I’ve finally found someone with more money and less intelligence than George W. Bush. I think he is by far the most ignorant, incompetent and ludicrous buffoon to ever enter politics.The way

Cranberries: revisited Continued from page 11

I Crumble for You 1 cup fresh cranberries or frozen, thawed (if using fresh berries, wash with care in a strainer under cold water) 3 pounds ripe Anjou pears (about five), peeled, cored, cut into one-inch pieces 3/4 cup granulated sugar 11/4 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup finely ground walnuts or pecans 1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon Pinch of nutmeg (optional) 1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled 1. Toss cranberries, pears, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in large bowl. Let stand 15 minutes. Then transfer mixture to 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. 2. Mix flour, walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in medium bowl. Add the melted butter; and using a fork, stir until moist clumps form. Sprinkle topping over fruit in dish.

3. Bake crumble for about 45 minutes, then increase the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly.

4. Serve warm and with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream or shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I know it sounds odd, but it tastes really good). Makes about 6-8 servings. Enjoy!

tli@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

came with the release of the first exit polls. Noboa was in first with 28.2 per cent followed by Correa one per cent behind. Responding to these shocks the national television networks rushed to get Noboa on their programs. His incompetence did not disappoint.

Later in the night, as the official results came in, it was apparent that Noboa’s lead was even greater.

While polls done the day before the election showed Correa in the high 20’s and Noboa in the low 20’s, the actual results were opposite.

Although 27 per cent of people were undecided the day before, the fact that things had changed that much seemed suspect. The Correa supporters claimed that Noboa had paid people $40 each to vote for him. Noboa received 40 per cent of the vote in the coastal region where he owns huge tracts of banana plantations.

Partisan bickering aside, there was one more election night fact that stuck in my mind.

Although all Ecuadorians have to vote, over 500,000 of them chose to leave their ballot blank or spoil their ballot. This is perhaps the true message of the election: some are so sick of the process that they won’t vote for anyone.

— Matthew Piggot

Imprint

14

Friday, november 17, 2006

crossword Across

How would you improve Imprint ?

By Anya Lomako

“Include professor quotes.”

Jeff Hendvycks 3A biomedical science

“We need more pretty pictures — some people don’t read, they only look for pictures.”

Clare Park 1A math

“Recycle old & unused issues.”

Todd Wieringa 2B geography

“I would like to see more about physics in and around the University of Waterloo.”

Geoff Stanley 3A political science

“A new crossword guy.”

Colin Werrer

4A computer science & business

“I would have a ‘U.S. News’ section.”

Patrick Lawson 1A computer science

“More ads from the Stag Shop, WINK!” Brent Duffon 3B science and business

1. UW offers it five days a week 6. Forcefully criticize 10. Healing crust 14. Jewish round dance 15. Perfect 16. Jekyll’s alter-ego 17. Largest human artery 18. I’m moral 20. Essential in a car (2 wds) 22. Bullied 23. Robin Hoods projectiles of choice 26. Misstep 27. Exacerbate 31. Prefix 32. Three square meals (2 wds) 35. Ancient weapon 38. Our sun 39. Strewn about the Peter Russell Garden 40. Theatre musicians’ den (2 wds) 43. Halifax Uni. 44. Headstrong U.S. WWII general 45. Heavy brew 48. Naval affirmative (2 wds) 51. Avril Lavigne’s first crush 53. Grape-based cooking salt 57. Dealing with accounts 59. Common bear name 60. Seriously wound 61. Beige 62. Introvert 63. Electric Bolts 64. Latin shave 65. Water pitchers

“Pants have nothing to do with the paper, but are an important topic nonetheless.”

Eliott Lipowski 1A computer science

November 10 solutions

Down

1. Celibate 2. Opportunistic plunderer 3. Unpaid bill 4. Gluts 5. Trial 6. Blackball 7. Not short 8. Again 9. Odourless greenhouse gas 10. Fashion brand Suzy’s last name 11. Like a cyclone 12. First gene therapy target 13. 10 decibels 19. Female pronoun 21. Deity representation 24. Seven days 25. Alcoholics 28. Marley’s religion 29. Contemptuous laugh

30. Ceremonial splendour 32. Contemptuous exclamation 33. Potable 34. Retro printer mark 35. Pop 36. Divinely implore 37. Mismatched styles and ideas 41. One who uses a spear 42. Fence support 45. Calibrate 46. Less fat 47. Typos 49. Orange-berried genus 50. Parliamentry affirmative 52. Points the way 54. A thin crystalline substance 55. Rowing scull propulsion 56. Chimney pipe 57. U.S. doctors’ oversight body 58. Suburban necessity

A rts Shannon Lyon, meet Jane Bond 16

Imprint

Friday, november 17, 2006

arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Arts Editor: Margaret Clark Arts Assistant: Dinh Nguyen

Cindy Ward

Called “The next Neil Young” in Australia, home-grown Shannon Lyon performs every Thursday this November at the Jane Bond, an Uptown Waterloo lounge.

Cindy Ward reporter

Shannon Lyon has been active in music for more than 15 years. Waterloo fans have a rare chance to catch him on his home turf for a month of Thursdays in November at the Jane Bond on Princess St. Often compared to Townes Van Zandt and Richard Buckner, Australia’s ABC network described him as “The next Neil Young.”

Billboard Magazine (USA) stated that Lyon has “meticulously crafted songs that rely largely on his talent for words and melody… untainted and pure.”

Lyon’s style is a combination of roots, country, folk and rock. His stage performance is so rich and powerful that the audience can’t help but get swept up in movement of the story in each song. As described by Impress in Australia, “The moment that Lyon entered the stage, it was clear that we were about to encounter an emotive set of intimate songs. He demands the attention of the audience as the room filled with the soft sounds of the soul.”

These are all reasons why Lyon has been a hot commodity amongst fellow musicians over

the years. He’s been sought out and shared the stage with the likes of Blue Rodeo, Stephen Fearing (Blackie & The Rodeo Kings), Fred J. Eaglesmith, Oh Susanna and The Sadies.

Lyon has released nine full CDs since 1994, and doesn’t seem to want to slow down anytime soon. His latest CD, Safe Inside, was released in February 2006 on Busted Flat Records as a solo-acoustic style album — highly reflective of his stage performances and highly acclaimed by the media.

Still a young man, his life experience seems to give him the “old-age wisdom” that keeps multiplying through each album. His poetry and his delivery of each and every song speak volumes about the man and the frankness with which he deals with reality.

For his first three albums, Lyon recorded with Swallow and EMI. Buffalo White, his first release, set the stage for his career as a serious contender in the rock/folk/acoustic genre. In 2001, he first toured Holland, which garnered him a very strong fan base. At that point, it didn’t take long for the Dutch label, InBetweens, to scoop him up. With InBetweens he released Dharma in 2002, his first true showing as an acoustic troubador.

Offshore touring has played a large part in Lyon’s success. Australia embraced his roots/ country/rock style five years ago, and has since provided great fans throughout his three tours. Western Europe has lavished even more attention on him and has become a backbone in Lyon’s career.

“I’m producing albums for two local songwriters at present,” Lyon explained. “David Fougere and Phil McTaggart. I’m also working on two new solo albums: one rock and one that is more acoustic. I’m planning on moving back to Amsterdam this summer. This summer I’ll be touring Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and France.

I’ve never been to Croatia, so this should be quite interesting.”

In 2003, Lyon was the first Canadian to sign with V2 Records, joining the likes of Moby, White Stripes and Paul Wellar. During his stay with V2, he released Wandered, one his finest works. Later that same year, he helped start a Canadian roots label, Busted Flat Records, under which he released his last three CDs. “Working with a local indie label has been great. Busted Flat is very artist-friendly. They offer the best of everything as an indie label: complete artistic freedom, national distribution

and the best royalty rates I’ve ever been offered.

And they are very kind and generous.

“I’ve never really felt that I belonged to an industry, let alone the Canadian music industry.

I don’t even know what the industry represents for me. Since the beginning, I’ve pretty much handled my career myself. I’ve been told that I belong to the ‘Shannon Lyon Music Industry,’ and that’s all right by me. I’ve found more success in Australia and Europe than when I’m at my home, here in Canada.”

But that may not be the case for very much longer. The triple bill of Shannon Lyon, Rob Szabo and Danny Michel set for June 14, 2007 at the Centre in the Square in Kitchener is already sold out. There’s a very strong chance they will be adding two more shows. For more information keep checking www.shannonlyon.net.

Lyon’s Thursday night series in November at the Jane Bond in Waterloo is an intimate treat and should not be missed (lest you wait in line for another sold-out show at the Centre in the Square). The shows start at 9:30, and entry is cheap at $5, so keep in mind that “when the musician is happy, everybody is happy.” And Lyon himself sure does enjoy a nice single malt scotch.

arts

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

17

CKMS Sonic Boom awards local talent Dinh Nguyen

assistant arts editor

The first annual CKMS Sonic Boom awards show — a night dedicated to recognizing the excellence of many UW radio shows and local performers was held on November 10 at the University of Waterloo’s Federation Hall. The ceremony, starting at 7 p.m., welcomed approximately 100 guests in semi-formal dress, artists and bands — all of whom seated themselves at decorative round tables facing the stage.

Fed Hall’s top floor was sealed off as a 19-plus drinking area. The bottom level was reserved for people of all ages, eagerly waiting for the ceremony to begin, and ultimately leading to the most important awards of the night: the Matt Osborne and the Best Program on CKMS awards.

The Matt Osborne award is given to a local group, who, much like Osborne, played an active role in the community, inspiring the growth of musical talent.

Furthermore, the winners of this award will be given $500 and approximately 15 hours of recording time to boost their music career. The Best Program on CKMS award is an honour given to the program voted best on CKMS by listeners.

Starting off the show, the night’s main hosts, Kristylee Palma (KLP) and Scott Crockard, introduced the first musical group of the evening, Three Sisters. The three-member band opened the awards ceremony with mellow, acoustic tribal music.

Soon after, they handed the stage back to Palma and Crockard, who would go on to open envelopes and announce winners of early awards.

While all the night’s performers were unique, some groups definitely stood out over the others. These included The Languid Lotus Project, Scott Wicken, Bocce and Rabble Rouzer. The Languid Lotus Project featured Amber Long, who spoke and sang poetry to an electric guitar and violin. Languid Lotus Project later won Favourite Creative Spoken Word Show, while Long was recognized as CKMS’s favourite female host.

stage and ran around the audience chamber hitting on what seemed to be a cowbell. The other band members continued playing their instruments as one of the keyboarders followed the lead singer into the crowd, drumming on the floor.

The next band to stand out was Rabble Rouzer, a hip-hop group whose members consisted of three bongo drummers, a keyboarder, a celloist, an electric guitar player and two rappers.

Rabble Rouzer’s music left the audience excited. The people who got up and danced continued dancing for the bands that followed, performing as more awards were handed out.

Along with Heather Majaury, station manager, show awards were presented for various categories. Favourite Faith show and Favourite Middle Eastern show — both of which were taken home by the program called Window to Islam. Meanwhile Caribbean Spice won Favourite Caribbean Show and Favourite World Music, and Monday Morning Drive was awarded Favourite Music Show and Favourite Mixed Program.

The awards were announced in groups of four to seven, each followed by a musical or poetic performance.

Scott Wicken likewise stunned the audience, but with a bold voice and powerful, vivid poetry. His use of strong imagery and allusions to the bible, as well as Greek mythology, kept the crowd quiet and attentive.

Audiences were later introduced to Bocce, an upbeat five-member band that never stopped moving throughout their performance. At one point the lead singer even climbed onto the stage’s side railing and sang with one hand to the mic and one on the rails. Soon after, he jumped off the

Rabble Rouzer played to a unique reg gae, tribal hip-hop sound, and their music was so energizing it moved many people from their seats and onto the dance floor. The band’s music left the audience excited. The people who got up and danced continued dancing for the bands that followed, performing as more awards were handed out.

Eventually, the night led to the two most anticipated awards — the Matt Osborne and the Best Program

on CKMS awards — which were given respectively to Languid Lotus Project and Vision and Sounds.

Lead artist Amber Long accepted the Osborne award on behalf of Languid Lotus Project. This was perhaps the most emotional event of the night, as Long received the award in tears. She thanked CKMS and referred to the many guest artists in her band, stating that the award belonged to “so many other people” because of their role in making the group what it was.

Vision and Sounds’ moment on stage proved less emotional, with the person who accepted the plaque simply taking the award and, having thanked the audience, leaving the stage.

With the presentation of the Best Program on CKMS award, the Sonic Boom ceremonies came to a close. However, the night was far from over, as an after party featuring The Jolly Llamas, Canary Mine, and various local bands then took the stage.

The bottom floor bar reopened as all people under the age of 19 were tossed out — after the long and animated evening, sober in name only.

dnguyen@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Shame on you, Bloc Party

OW AA WORLD TUOHTIWWITHOUT SREDROBBORDERS A SDEENNEEDS A ETAUDARGGRADUATE MARGORPPROGRAM TUOHTIWWITHOUT SREDROBBORDERS

Within the realm of arts snobbery, there exists a distinct code of ethics that works to attach a certain level of prestige to the profession. This set of “rules,” if you will, prevents the corruption of what we consider to be “real art” by lower forms of commercial entertainment. Accordingly, the more experimental, the more overtly intellectual, and the less well-known become adopted into an arts snob canon that cannot be infiltrated by the products of popular consumption.

Indeed, certain exceptions are made for the purpose of irony and hipster kitsch, but even this is restricted to the extreme: for instance, wearing a 90210 shirt is a far more acceptable parody of mainstream culture than a Green Day belt. For the most part, arts snobs must avoid anything that their peers in the unwashed masses may celebrate.

Ethics allow the arts snob to feel safe and secure inside a tight-knit community of art galleries, crappy bars and record stores that actually sell records.

They let us appreciate that our fauxoriental carpets are not being sullied

by Nike Shox and Lugz.

Every so often, however, the lines become fuzzy due to an unfortunate disregard for the integrity of this artistic society. As such, I would like to direct the following open letter to a certain group of English lads who recently forgot about the special place they hold in elitist society.

Dear Bloc Party: You are a Londonbased post-punk outfit, beloved for your art rock, sharp beats, dissonant guitars and fantastic fashion sense. You have delighted our indie hearts with Silent Alarm, one of the best albums of the past few years, as well as through

a history of magnificent creatures like M83, Ladytron and Pretty Girls Make Graves.

Your previous Toronto appearances have seen sold-out shows at The Docks as well as on Olympic Island, resulting in monumental arty-kid singalongs. As such, there is no apparent reason for you to be selling your soul to the devil.

However, in September you announced that you would be touring North America with the kings of pop-punk MTV indulgence, Las Vegas pretty boys Panic! at the Disco.

Why, Bloc Party? Why? Don’t say you like their music, because we know you don’t. There’s a reason you sound like Joy Division and not Fall Out Boy. Listen. We held our breath as The O.C. pillaged your catalogue to make Marissa seem deeper, as well as that time we heard “So Here We Are” on a Saturn commercial. But now you are forcing your fans to sacrifice their pride by going to Ticketmaster and having this conversation: “Hi, I’d like Bloc Party tickets.”

“Oh, you mean Panic! at the Disco tickets?”

“Uhhh… yeah. Could you not say that so loud please?”

Finally, as if this was not enough, you allow your drummer to collapse his lung just days before the Toronto show, forcing you to withdraw from the tour at the shortest possible notice.

Ticketmaster, assuming that everyone loves Panic!, neglects to send out notification of this cancellation. So, stripped of their pride and dignity, your fans find themselves standing at the back of Ricoh Colliseum, crying quietly to themselves and wondering why an annoying little man in a circus costume is dancing around on stage instead of their beloved Bloc Party.

Well, at least now I don’t feel so bad downloading your new album, which leaked last week three months before its release date. That’s karma for you, boys.

Perhaps next time you’ll understand the seriousness of elitist ethics.

MEET A YORK REPRESENTATIVE NOVEMBER 22 1PM CAREER CENTRE

Welcome to the interdisciplinary university.

York University’s graduate programs bring together thinkers from every discipline to tackle real world issues. At York, students and faculty are engaged in innovative research across 44 Masters and Doctoral programs. That and more is what makes York the inspired choice for graduate studies.

For more information visit

www.yorku.ca/graduatestudents

cmoffat@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Waterloo Imprint GRAD OFF-CAMPUS

24 HELP WANTED

Classifieds

SERVICES

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

Excellent student work opportunity! The Survey Research Centre (SRC) here at University of Waterloo is currently seeking part-time bilingual telephone interviewers. Must be able to converse in French and English. The SRC is an on-campus research centre that offers a variety of survey services. Telephone interviewers are responsible for conducting quality-orientated interviews and performing other administative tasks. Must have a clear, strong speaking voice and excellent communication skills. Experience in telepone work, data entry or customer service is helpful but not required.

Ten to twelve (10-12) hours per week required, mainly evenings and weekends. Starting wage is $11.50 an hour. Please send resume to Lindsey Skromeda, at e-mail lmskrome@artsmail.uwaterloo.ca. For more info e-mail or call 888-4567, ext 36689.

Student Works Painting Territory Manager – currently hiring hard working students. Don’t miss out! Open to all majors. Great resume builder. Average earnings last summer was $12,200! No previous experience necessary.

Full training and support provided. Do you want to get a head at a young age? Interested?

Please call 1-800-698-2770 asap and leave a great message to receive a call back. Deadline December 4, 2006.

Waterloo Inn and Conference Centre now hiring – our catering department is looking for hard working banquet servers willing to work evenings and weekends on a part-time basis.

Day shifts also available. Must be 18 years of

age to serve alcohol. Please contact: The Waterloo Inn and Conference Centre, 475 King Street, N., Waterloo, ON, N2J 2Z5 or fax: 519884-0321 or phone 519-884-0221, ext 518 or e-mail: ddoogan@waterlooinn.com.

Tutrors Required Mathematics, Sciences Must have own transportation. Grad students welcomed. Excellent pay. Aver In-Home Tutoring. Fax: 519-888-7125. Phone: 519-88347477.

Food prep servers needed at Just n’ Pita. Waitresses needed at Al Madina Egyptian Cuisine.

Please apply at store location during business hours. University Plaza, 150 University Ave, beside Campus Coin Laundry, Waterloo.

Summer of your life! Camp Wayne for girls – children’s sleep-away camp, Northeast Pennsylvania (6/16-8/12/07). If you love children and want a caring, fun environment we need Counselors and Program Directors for: tennis, swimming (W.S.I. preferred), golf, gymnastics, cheerleading, drama, high and low ropes, camping/nature, team sports, waterskiing, sailing, painting/drawing, ceramics, silkscreen, printmaking, batik, jewellery, calligraphy, photograhy, sculpture, guitar, aerobics, self-defense, video, piano. Other staff: administrative, CDL driver (21+), nurses (RN’s and nursing students), bookkeeper, mothers’ helper. On campus interview February 7. Select the camp that selects the best staff! Call 1-215-944-3069 or apply on-line at www.campwaynegirls.com.

Christmas Gift Wrappers - Creative individuals, locations--Downtown Toronto, North York, Richmond Hill, Thornhill. Managers to $10.50/ hour + bonuses. Wrappers to $8.85/hour. Full/ Part time, December 1-24. 416-533-9727 or www.torontowraps.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS

December 8 to 10 at 7 p.m. Contact Jeff Strokan - office: 519-268-8294 - residence: 519-2680236.

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

Phone (905) 335-3192.

SAVE UP TO 50% at Cartridge World plus 15% off if you bring this ad Imprint, on your next printer ink refill - just in time before your project papers and exam deadline! Two locations to serve you – 247 King Street, Waterloo (University & King), 519-886-9645 and 470 Highland Road, W., Kitchener (Highland & Westmount), 519-576-8889 or visit our website at www.cartridgeworld.ca.

J&A Airbrush, 84 Queen Street, S., Kitchener, 519-342-3147 or www.jandaairbrush.com. We paint anything on everything!

bonus and gifts!

Room for rent for a quiet individual in a detached home near both universities. Parking and all amenities. Please call 725-5348.

Attention Cambridge School of Architecture students! Live conveniently and comfortably right across the street from school in this beautifully renovated apartment. 4, 8 and 12-month leases available with excellent signing bonuses and rental incentives! Call Perry at 519-7461411 for more details.

FOR SALE

519-888-0020

DELL XPS Pentium 4 CPU 3.00 GHz, 1GB Ram, 110 Gig HD, includes 15” flatscreen DELL monitor $849.95; Volvo 850 winter tires on steel rims $199.95; Outback baby carrier $49.95; two night tables $29.95; bookshelf $29.95; dresser $49.95 – all IKEA; love seat (forest green) $29.905. All items in excellent condition. Telephone 519-746-2466.

test

Campus Bulletin Friday, November 17, 2006 Hildegard Marsden’s annual Toyfair - 8:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Davis Center, Room 1301 (ICR Lounge) University of Waterloo.

Saturday, November 18, 2006 Ontario University Competition for Hip hop (O.U.C.H) - UW PAC, UW Hiphop Club, 3 p.m. http://www.geocities.com/uw_hiphop/ Monday, November 20th 2006 Research Lecture Series: Wild Crabs and Feral Apples: Research on Hybridization. rare Administrative Centre, 1679 Blair Road, Cambridge. 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. For more information call 519-650-9336 ext. 122.

UW Pre-Optometry Club will hold Testimonial Night in MC 4080 from 5 to 8 p.m. Come hear speakers share about various stages in optometry, from first year student to established professional.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006 Peace is a feeling - it begins with you. Free DVD event. Prem Rawat, internationally acclaimed speaker and teacher, speaks about the possibility of inner peace at Harvard University.

4:30 to 5:30 p.m.. Grad House, UW, Seminar Room (upstairs).

Thursday, November 23, 2006 The UW community healthy population flu immunization clinics are being held November 23, 24, 27 and 28 - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Student Life Centre. Flu vaccine is now available at UW Health Services, walk-in nurse visits are Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 Lecture Series: Global Change Part 1: The Geological and historical background of Global Change and humanity’s impact on the planetary ecosystems. rare Administrative Centre, 1679 Blair Road, Cambridge. 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

For more information call 519-650-9336 ext.

122.

Wednesday, December 6th, 2006 Movie Night at rare will present “An Inconvenient Truth”. rare Administrative Centre, 1679 Blair Road, Cambridge. 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. For more information call 519-650-9336 ext. 122.

Friday, December 8, 2006 The Original Christmas story will be re-enacted outdoors at Dorchester Community Church located on Catherine Street. Performances are

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

CECS Monday, November 20, 2006 Work Search Strategies: Special Session for International Students - Attend the workshop from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in TC2218A. Wednesday, November 22, 2006 Career Interest Assessment Part2 - Two Sessions: Part2 - Find out how your interests relate to specific career opportunities from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Thursday, November 30, 2006 in TC1112.

York University Graduate Program Presentation from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. in TC1208.

Thursday, November 23, 2006 Alumni networking workshop. Two hour workshop, offering practical strategies and interactive activities from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. in TC 2218A&B. http://alumni.uwaterloo.uwaterloo. ca/alumni/services/workshops.

Camp Kummoniwannago

(a well known children’s summer day camp in Waterloo) is inviting applications for the position of:

CAMP DIRECTOR

to start immediately, Part-time; until April Full-time; April-Sept.

Potential candidates should possess strong communication skills. They should also be comfortable working with children, adolescents and adults. Ideal job for an upperlevel post secondary student.

Interested candidates should apply with cover letter and resume to: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church 54 Queen St. N. Kitchener, Ontario N2H 2H2 Attn: Stephen Eadie (camp chair) (519)744-1664 Email: p.meirowski@standrewskw.com www.campk.on.ca

EDUCATION

The Toronto Art Therapy Institute announces new options for streamlined training in art therapy. Please visit www.tati.on.ca or call 416924-6221.

HOUSING

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

160 University Ave., W, University Plaza WATERLOO

NOW HIRING full and part-time apply in person with resume

arts

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

19

Fire’s spark never ignites Catch a Fire Phillip Noyce Focus / Rogue Features

The Bitch Posse Martha O’Connor

Bloodletting & Miracle Cures Vincent Lam

St. Martin’s Press

Anchor Canada

It has been a long time since I last lost myself in a book to the extent I did with The Bitch Posse.

A book I picked up with a mixture of trepidation, curiosity and fascination, I was soon rewarded for my impulse purchase. A first novel from Martha O’Connor, the praise for her writing plastered across the book likened her to Joyce Carol Oates — a very apt comparison although, at times, O’Connor’s writing was a tad too reminiscent of Oates’ Foxfire. The sex-charged, girl-power oriented gang that becomes intoxicated with their own power and inevitably turns to violence may have been innovative and shocking in Foxfire, but creates a higher standard for The Bitch Posse to live up to.

O’Connor’s book follows the lives of three women in parallel timelines: the first three occur during the women’s senior year in high school, while the others take place about 15 years later. Rennie, Cherry and Amy took female bonding to the extreme in their teens — even taking a blood oath to tie them together forever as the “Bitch Posse.” Their stories, in turn, are intrinsically entwined throughout the high school storyline. Fifteen years later, we meet the three women inexplicably ripped apart and all struggling to come to terms with the friends they’ve lost, their current situations and the men further complicating their lives.

The Bitch Posse weaves between the stories of all three women, but it’s not at all disjointed; instead the readers are constantly left wanting more. The storytelling pulls you in and won’t let you go — like a bad addiction to crystal meth; just without the rotting face and withdrawal hell. O’Connor’s dark and twisted world shows how dangerous, overly passionate and pervasively intimate adolescent bonds can be. In their youth, the girls all careen out of control in a disturbingly quick ways. While they do provide a valuable support system for one another, the combination of all their troubles ultimately incites a fury that will destroy their friendship forever.

The catalyst for the break-up of the “Bitch Posse” is only alluded to throughout the novel and constant curiosity kept me turning pages into the wee hours of the morning. While the plot was predictable at times, the book still had an indelibly readable quality. O’Connor definitely has the potential to rival, and maybe even surpass, the works of Oates in the future.

My gauge for a good novel is always how long it lingers in my mind. I read this book in the warm sun on my front porch in the dying days of summer, and the characters of The Bitch Posse are still etched in my mind despite the fact that my tan has now long since faded.

Okay, you’ve got me: Lam’s first collection of short stories, which follows a series of characters from their pre-med studies to both the extraordinary and the everyday in their lives as doctors, is not bad. It’s just, in my oh-so-humble-opinion, not good enough to have won the Giller, “Canada’s premier literary prize for fiction.” Which, incredibly, it did on November 7, 2006.

Now, all right, there were some good points in the collection. The first story, “How to Get into Medical School Part 1,” was an immensely riveting piece about pre-med students, and it did a beautiful job of investing a measure of humanity into the process of “becoming doctors.” “Take All of Murphy,” which explored the complexities of dissecting a human corpse, was also well-written, while “Winston,” a story about one doctor’s first professional run-in with a schizophrenic patient was engaging despite the painful predictability of its closing motif.

But on the whole, Bloodletting & Miracle Cures failed to uphold the promise of its first story.

A good third of the 12 stories in this collection rely on stark dialogue that feels scripted from a typical day in Lam’s own life (he’s an emergency physician) — which is not to say writers should be condemned for writing from life, but that his writing at these points never seems to dig deeper, to assess and create worlds of peripheral response around the medical scripts he and his characters use every day. In other words, I call bullshit on Paul Gessell of the Ottawa Citizen, who said, “Human emotions, not medical science, dominate the stories of Bloodletting.” At best, the two are at war from story to story in this collection.

Also difficult to accept is Lam’s selectivity; he starts us down the path of understanding how doctors become who they are, then abruptly drops us off years later, with that crucial turning point between aspiration and accomplishment never fully explored. What follows is a melee of jumping between characters whose life choices in the interim are never explained, and certainly don’t always follow implicitly from what little we’ve been given about the human side of medicine. This is problematic because it makes it very hard for readers to maintain emotional investment in the work. The character Ming in “An Insistent Tide,” for instance, is wholly alien to the Ming we knew from “How to Get into Medical School Part 1,” and the reader has no idea why.

The crushing implication of Lam’s win is that the Giller Prize seems to have been chosen more on the basis of subject matter and potential than by the criteria of consistently good, well-developed writing. While Bloodletting & Miracle Cures is a solid first effort, and certainly not to be avoided, I strongly recommend reading the other nominees — De Niro’s Game and The Immaculate Conception especially — before giving Lam’s book a whirl.

— Ashley Csanady

— Margaret Clark

I was optimistic walking into Catch a Fire. I had greatly enjoyed director Philip Noyce’s RabbitProof Fence, and although I had not seen The Quiet American, I’d heard good things about it. When Catch a Fire came out, I was looking forward to a work of equal quality. However, while it certainly isn’t a bad film, Noyce’s latest effort leaves much to be desired, lacking the power and craftsmanship of his earlier films.

Catch a Fire revolves around the true story of Patrick Chamoosa (Derek Luke), a South African mining-foreman-turned-revolutionary after he and his wife are unjustly tortured at the hands of an apartheid anti-terrorist squad.

From Patrick’s humble beginnings to his growing role in the rebel movement, the film quickly establishes itself as a typical fight-for-freedom flick, unafraid of wallowing in the genre clichés and generally lacking in its attempts at inspirational feeling.

Patrick’s voice-overs are a particular sticking point, as Luke does his best to deliver some stunningly hackneyed lines with a semblance of credibility. The film does manage the occasional moment of patriotic warmth, mainly due to Luke’s earnest and charismatic portrayal of Patrick and some really astounding harmonies on the part of the African revolutionaries. Say what you will about the ANC, those guys could sing.

Amongst all this, one of the movie’s main (and arguably only) draws are the excellent performances given by its two male leads, Derek Luke and Tim Robbins. As Patrick, Luke does a good job of portraying an ordinary man driven to extremes. Flawed but nevertheless likeable, Luke creates a figure who is as believable visiting his mistress as he is marching in a revolutionary

corps. His performance is exactly what the movie needs and what holds the movie together: he’s someone the audience can sincerely root for. At the same time, Luke does an extraordinary job of showing the mental and physical wounds from which Patrick suffers. On the screen, Luke stirs an anger in his audience that matches his own, and it is this emotional involvement that makes for some of the film’s greatest moments.

Sharing the spotlight is Robbins, who is his usual impeccable self as Nick Vos, the head of an apartheid anti-terrorist squad directly responsible for most of the troubles throughout Patrick’s life. Robbins walks an interesting line here, fashioning a character who is both sinisterly amoral as well as admirably patriotic and close to his family. Unfortunately, Robbins’ acting is largely wasted here by a director who can’t seem to decide what he wants his villain to do. Throughout the film, Robbins’ Vos appears by turns to be an arch-nemesis, a political cog, sadistic, semi-honorable, and a host of other things, leaving viewers with the cumulative impression that he was just there. It’s a real shame too, as Robbins shows potential in some of his nastier moments to be the scene-stealing villain you just can’t wait to see die a horrible, horrible death. I was also impressed by Robbins’ South African accent, which flows smoothly through the movie without jarring his lines. The film’s other performances ranged from solid to good, but were on the whole unremarkable.

As such films go, Catch a Fire is by no means a failure. Noyce does a fairly good job of picking up his audience and sweeping them along, but it’s a languid current at best. If you go to see it, you’ll probably feel you’ve received your money’s worth — but there are better places to spend your money.

— Duncan Ramsay

arts

20

The Heavy Petters Smell the Groove Freaky Flow

The first track on this album completely misleads you as to the nature of this album. So does the whole first half, in fact. One thing that often draws me into an album is the artists’ experimentation with different sounds. This album overextends itself, however, in that many tracks sound like they are by completely different artists.

Smell the Groove spans hip-hop, R&B, jungle and more confusingly, a few Sheryl Crow-sounding vocals with acoustic guitar. Yet nothing in this whole range served to stand out against the din generally produced by the industry for any of these genres.

A few of the tracks I did like could be used as ideal make-out music, but the fact that you have no idea what the next track will hold would likely throw off the mood established by any of these songs.

Meanwhile, some tracks seem to fall infuriatingly in between, straddling the limbo of a song that is too slow to dance to, but too fast to really just sit and cool out with.

And while the vocals themselves were strong, the singer entirely failed to distinguish herself in any noticeable way. Quite honestly, anyone who can sing could sing for them.

— Brendan Pinto

Fat Joe Me, Myself and I Virgin Records

I’m not a huge fan of the current state of hip hop culture. It seems to me that rappers like The Game, 50 Cent and others whose parents are probably siblings are being accepted

into the mainstream, while great artists like Mos Def or even Buck 65 and RJD2 are only embraced by a select few who appreciate their clever craftsmanship with the language.

This is clearly an obvious bias I have against gangster rap that’s “all about the Benjamins.” For this reason, before listening to Fat Joe’s newest offering Me, Myself and I, I decided to consult a more reliable hip-hop source with whom I could cross reference my opinions later.

I ended up agreeing with my good friend Shane when he said: “Dude, this album really, really sucks.”

There aren’t any stand-out beats on this record — either for the club or for your iPod — nor does Chubby Joseph drop any lines that offer any social commentary or even witty wordplay, and so I can only recommend this album if, for some inexplicable reason, you’re already a fan.

If you were thinking of making this your yearly venture into rap, though, I suggest waiting for Jay-Z’s new one, because it is absolutely dynamite, and at least when he says he’s cooler than you, you can bank on it being true.

— Andrew King

Leviride Night of the Drive-By Universal Music Canada, Addictive Records

This album starts as a pleasantly accessible rock album and generally stays the course. Leviride’s lyrics are more thoughtful than most, as in their introductory track, “As I Lay Me Down to Sleep.” The singer’s vocal vibrato also proved to be a nice addition to the range he demonstrates on many of the tracks. He often sounds a great deal like Gordon Downie of The Tragically Hip in others.

There are a fair number of slow tracks to mellow out to, and these were

definitely the strongest points of the album as a whole. The heavier rock songs in no way sounded like they were lacking anything, but did not stand out on their own quite as much.

This album is Leviride’s third to date, and that maturity definitely comes across in their music here; with Night of the Drive-By it’s clear that they are already veterans of their genre.

While difficult to quantify, this was overall a very pleasurable album to listen to, and a band to look out for in the future. Night of the Drive-By, while not life-changing by any stretch of the imagination, will definitely start to appear in my usual musical rotation.

— Brendan Pinto

Foo Fighters Skin and Bones Sony Music Canada Inc.

Creating an interesting and successful live album is, in my opinion, really quite the challenge.

I mean, we’ve already heard all the band’s tracks before, and now they’re just throwing them onto a CD with a different picture on the cover and screaming fans in the background, right? For most bands, I have definitely found this to be the case with their live albums — but then again, the Foo Fighters aren’t “most bands.”

Not only is Skin and Bones the best live album I’ve ever heard, it is also the most aptly titled. This CD features lead singer and guitarist Dave Grohl at his most raw — stripped down to nothing but skin and bones. This is the Foos without their trademark hardcore screaming and rocking electric guitars, and, surprisingly enough, it actually works incredibly well.

Featuring a mix of acoustic-style classics (such as “Times Like These” and “Everlong”) and hits from the

November 18 O.U.C.H 2K6 — PAC Doors open at 2:15 p.m. — $10 adv. $12 at door November 18 Moulin Rouge Science Ball — Federation Hall 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. — $10 adv. $12 at door November 19 Author Event: Dave Bidini — Jane Bond 7 p.m. — $5 November 19 – 24 Manufactured Landscapes — Princess Cinema 9:30 p.m. (19 – 21), 7 p.m. (22,23). 7:15 p.m. (24) — $6 at Turnkey desk November 19 – 23 Fast Food Nation — Princess Twin 9:20 p.m. — $6 at Turnkey desk November 20 Belly/Contact Dance Workshop — Multipurpose Room Belly12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m./Contact 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

— Free admission

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

acoustic second disc of their most recent release, In Your Honor (such as “Walking After You” and “Razor”), this is a live album that I will actually continue to listen to a year from now — unlike most of the other live albums gathering dust on my CD rack.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a true Foos record if there wasn’t at least a little bit of extreme rocking-out-age, now would it? Sure enough, for the second-last track of Skin and Bones, Grohl quietly explains that he needs to do one “screaming song” before the night is over, and then suddenly breaks into a raucous rendition of the Foos hit “Best of You” — all while playing the shit out of his acoustic guitar.

Simply put, this album is incredibly engaging — not as engaging as seeing the Foos live, to be sure, but then nothing can really compare to that experience. In the meantime, this is a live album worth shelling out the dough for, and trust me when I say that’s a rare comment from me.

— Suzanne Gardner

Jerry Lee Lewis Last Man Standing

The album is a series of covers featuring guest appearances that represent the full scope of rock, country and blues; the genres that characterize Lewis’ career. It is a series of duets including one with B.B. King, a guy older than Lewis and “still standing,” and a country’d up version of the Zeppelin classic “Rock and Roll” with Jimmy Page. Keith Richards, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Springsteen, Jagger, Clapton, even Ringo Starr and Kid Rock added their talents to this album.

Each song is skillfully arranged to highlight Lewis’ piano and unique voice. All of the songs fall in between rock and country. Lewis sure doesn’t sound like he’s 71; his voice hasn’t lost any of its charm and his piano playing hasn’t lost any of its energy.

For fans, buying this album is a no-brainer, but with the vast spectrum of assistants, I would recommend this album to anybody who likes any kind of classic rock or country.

Imagine a Zeppelin song arranged to sound like country music, and arranged well. That alone makes this album worth checking out.

Artist First Records

At 71 years of age, Jerry Lee Lewis seems to be quite proud that he is not dead. And he has every right to be, with more than 40 albums and over half a century in the music industry.

Lewis seems to be so proud, in fact, that the name his latest album states that, of all the pioneers of rock and roll who recorded in Sun Studios in the 1950s, Lewis is literally the Last Man Standing.

With the passing of Johnny Cash, of the legends who recorded there, all are dead, including Roy Orbison, Sam Phillips, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins.

In the album Lewis proves that he is not only the last man standing; he is the last man playing piano too.

— Darren Hutz

Apology Last week’s Cradle of Filth review by Andrew King made inappropriate comments about those who listen to death metal.

Imprint apologizes for any insult their inclusion has caused.

November 21 Author Event: John English, Thomas Homer-Dixon and, Noah Richler — Knox Church, Waterloo 7:30 p.m. — $8

Imprint’s Music Mix The Zombies “Don’t Go Away” My Morning Jacket “Off the Record” The Tragically Hip “Lonely End of the Rink” Del Amitri “Roll to Me” Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” Two Hours’ Traffic “Jezebel”

November 23 Joel Plaskett Emergency, with Two Hour Traffic — Starlight 9 p.m. — $16 November 23 Christine Davis: Tasty Mix of Ideas and Perspectives — Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery 7 p.m. — Free admission November 24 Arts Variety Show: music, drama, dance performances, juried art show — Eastwood Collegiate 7 p.m. — $12 November 24 Checkmates Square Dance Club — Trinity Village old chapel 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. — Price not listed

S cience Holocene group rework collision theory Friday, november 17, 2006

Imprint

21

science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Science Editor: Rob Blom Science Assistant: Stephanie Anderson

Fields in geology, tsunami and archaeology join together to determine frequency of environmental catastrophes Holocene group believes the most plausible theory behind their existence is that they were created by massive tsunamis.

What they have found in the chevrons While tiny asteroids are bombarding the Earth’s atmosphere all the time, the idea they have studied so far is the remnants of of a large-scale meteor striking us is, to marine life, such as microfossils and shells, put it simply, not a cause for concern. The fused with metal deposits that could only have scientific community has for a long time been created by large-scale meteor collisions. echoed this sentiment, estimating that major Samples taken from Madagascar, for example, meteor impacts — the kind theorized to showed ocean floor fossils fused with iron, nickel and chrome have killed off the di— three metals which nosaurs — only occur are created when the once every 500,000 to most common type 1,000,000 years.

Their research of meteor vaporizes But according to suggests that major in the ocean. The the Holocene Working samples contained the Group, an internationimpacts, which can same ratio of metal to al team of researchers, fossil as would have that may not be the produce catastrophic been created by a case. Their research meteor impact. suggests that major environmental results, Next, the Holoimpacts, which can strike the earth much cene group has to produce catastrophic environmental results, more frequently — about figure out where the asteroid that created strike the earth much the chevron hit the more frequently — every thousand years.

Earth’s ocean. That’s about every thousand actually not all that years. Furthermore, difficult, as the “V” they’ve discovered that the evidence supporting their claims shape of each chevron usually points in can be found in land and oceans all around the direction of where it came from, like a giant arrow marker on the Earth’s surface. the world.

The group was named after the Holocene In cases where two or more chevrons came epoch, the time period of the last 10,000 years from the same impact site, the exact location in which they believe there is evidence most is even easier to triangulate. If the chevrons comets struck the earth. Their members spe- don’t point to the same site, the scientists cialize in fields such as geology, tsunamis and use satellites to scan the ocean floor, looking archaeology. First, they examine an area with for discrepancies in the sea’s surface heights large inland formations known as chevrons, to locate the impact crater.

So far, at least three of the ocean craters which can be found by using the satellite images on Google Earth. Chevrons are created the researchers have explored appear to by large deposits of sediment from the ocean have been caused by cosmic impacts. The floor; most measure hundreds of kilometres Madagascar crater has not yet been sampled, in length and over 300 metres in height. The but metals have been detected in its surAdam Gardiner

staff reporter

courtesy stock xchange

Ongoing research places the Holocene Working Group under the watchful eyes of scientists as they attempt to prove their large-scale meteor collision theories. rounding cores that are most likely the byproducts of a large-scale meteor crash. The other two, a pair of craters off the coast of northern Australia, contained rock that, as research scientist Dallas Abbott put it, “was pulverized, like it was hit with a hammer.”

She noted that only a cosmic impact could create the types of minerals and glass she found there.

Environmental archaeologist Bruce Masse is taking a different approach to the group’s theories, studying flood-related myths from different cultures to see how they correlate

with his colleagues’ findings. In the case of the Australia crater, he found 14 stories that mentioned a solar eclipse; he speculates that the eclipse might actually have been the Australia meteor before it struck the ocean.

He even has an exact date: May 10, 2807 B.C. “Of course,” he cautions, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof,” drawing attention to the fact that the group still has a lot of work to do before they can claim their theories have been substantially proven.

See CHEVRONS, page 22

Canadian youth activists strike back in Nairobi Darcy Higgins staff reporter

The twelfth United Nations Climate Change Conference in Nairobi, Kenya has opened with a dire warning from the president of the conference: “Climate change is rapidly emerging as one of the most serious threats that humanity may ever face.” Canadian youth are attending meetings and lobbying at the conference, which occurred in Montreal last year.

The Canadian government has removed youth positions from the Canadian negotiating team. Despite this, Canada has 20 youth representatives attending and fundraising their own travels — more than double that of any other country. Zoë Caron, prominent activist and founding member of the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition is one of them.

The new president of the conference, Kenyan environment minister Kivutha Kibwana, took over the role from Canadian minister of the environment Rona Ambrose. Caron and the youth delegation was granted a meeting with Ambrose Wednesday, November 15, 2006, the only Canadian group that have been given such access with the minister.

“We don’t agree with a lot of what the government is doing right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a positive relationship with Ambrose,” said Caron.

“Being straight-up with each other is the ous Canadian governments were insufficient only way that Canada is going to get anywhere and unaccountable. on this. As with any issue, the government has A Liberal environment critic struck back a responsibility to recognize its faults and work saying, “It’s outrageous when she uses an inwith Canadians to improve,” she added. ternational conference to attack the Liberals Canadian environmental groups and in a most inaccurate way. opposition parties have been attending the “She said we had no plan. We had a plan meetings to present an opposing viewpoint and we had programs yielding results. We had of Ambrose and the Canadian government. the EnerGuide program which had already Canada, along with Australia, has been given retrofitted 70,000 houses; we had doubled the “fossil” award by the Climate Action Net- the amount of wind power production in work, an international 2005.” organization pushing for Liberal leader Bill stronger climate action Graham had a similar The Canadian in Nairobi. line speaking on campus Ambrose attacked last week, remarking that government has the Liberals in her adthe situation in Canada’s dress to 180 countries at Arctic “is something we removed all youth the conference Wednesjust cannot understand positions from day, November 15. from where we live.”

“There are some who Green Party leader the Canadian are using the Kyoto Elizabeth May was also Protocol to create diviharsh in her criticism negotiating team. sions within our country, saying, “We know this but we will not let that is a government by onehappen,” Ambrose said. man rule. [Ambrose’s] “Canada has one target and we all share the mandate from her prime minister is to create responsibility to work together to fulfill our enough confusion, enough double-speak… obligations. while we are in flagrant violation of an inter“When Canada’s new government assumed national treaty for the first time in Canadian office this year, we found an unacceptable history.” situation,” she continued. “We found that Caron reports back that the negotiations measures to address climate change by previ- have stalled in Nairobi. A far different situ-

ation from Montreal, when youth delegates and those from the groups like the Sierra Club had happily achieved all their goals at the conference.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the conference there has been “a frightening lack of leadership,” saying that it would be much less expensive to fix the situation now.

“Let us start being more politically courageous,” said Annan.

Meanwhile, the Globe and Mail reported Wednesday November 15, that French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has urged the European Union to place a trade tax on Canadian goods, as well as to other countries that refuse signing onto a second negotiated climate deal.

The conference wraps up Friday November 17, 2006, with tense negotiations occurring constantly.

“We have four more days. We have four more days to influence one of the most important set of agreements in the entire world,” Caron said Monday, November 13, 2006.

“Bureaucrats or politicians, industry or non-governmental organization, youth or seasoned lobbyist, we’re all in this together.

Like President Bill Clinton said last year in Montreal, if we all work together on this, it’s hard to see how we can fail. And if we don’t, it’s hard to see how we can succeed.” dhiggins@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

science

22

New HIV treatment gives hope Basma Anabtawi reporter

Gene therapy began more than a decade ago and has since been providing a wide range of information about the human genome and systems. Research in gene therapy has been a rollercoaster ride filled with enthusiasm and disappointment due to the many advancements and setbacks therein. Gene therapy holds great potential in its capability to manipulate the body’s cells.

According to Carl June, an HIV gene therapy researcher, research in the gene therapy field is predicted to yield significant results in the coming years and decades. Endless possibilities exist in the ability to treat and cure killer diseases. According to a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, and published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, gene therapy advances are in the preliminary stage of HIV treatment.

Drugs used to treat HIV today have many long-term limitations, prompting researchers to find new methods of dealing with HIV infections. Drug treatments face the threat of virus mutation, which could lead to new drug-resistant strains. Gene therapy provides an alternative to antiviral drugs and offers many new opportunities for HIV treatments.

The trial testing involved five patients who did not respond to HIV drug therapy. The gene therapy method applied uses disabled HIV

genes, modified to block HIV reproduction and prevent immune system failure. When inserted into the lymphatic systems of the HIV patients, the cells caused stabilization of the virus in the blood stream.

The patients selected were injected with 10 million T-cells (cells of the immune system defense) that had been genetically modified to carry a manipulated version of HIV. This was done by inserting an antisense RNA molecule in order to disrupt the process of gene expression. This insertion prevents HIV from reproducing, controlling the infection. The results of the study showed an increased T-cell count in four of the five patients.

According to George Schmid, an HIV specialist at the World Health Organization, the results of the tests are very promising. However the technique must still undergo years of research and modification in order to ensure safety and efficiency.

Researchers believe that the HIV gene therapy approach could one day be adapted to treat other genetic illnesses such as hemophilia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

The modified genes for each disease studied could be inserted into bone marrow stem cell DNA in order to provide safe and secure treatment.

Volunteer recruitment for the second trial of the treatment is now taking place at the University of Pennsylvania in order to take a deeper look at the results and to improve the methodology.

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

Sustainability brought to the basics

The current impact that the global population has on this earth is unsustainable. There are many indicators of this such as global warming, soil degradation, deforestation, war, species extinction, increasing number of forest fires, declining fisheries, massive economic polarization and social inequalities.

The international drive to become “westernized” has led to environmentally- and socially-destructive patterns of development, extreme over-consumption, pollution and deepened dependence on non-renewable resources.

Fixing the mess we’ve gotten into is a complex issue. Complex issues generally require complex answers.

Because of these complexities, many of us believe that we have no say in pushing for a sustainable tomorrow and that it is up to big business and government to solve the problems. But, in reality, we all have the power to make change, and I personally believe that we all have the responsibility to do so.

Becoming more sustainable in everything that we do is an imperative aspect of effecting this much-needed change. The term

itself, sustainability, is becoming such a buzzword in the media, in businesses and in academic literature that in many cases it is losing its true meaning. So, then — what exactly does the term “sustainability” mean?

The commonly-used definition was put out in 1987 when the World Commission on Environment and Development formed the Brundtland Report, which stated, “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This may be a comprehensive definition, but it doesn’t explain how to go about implementing such a thing.

To remedy this, there are other definitions that use the threelegged-stool analogy for explaining sustainability and the importance of balancing the triple-bottom line.

The three legs represent the three E’s of sustainability: environment, economy and social equity; the stool-top is a governing body ensuring that all this balancing happens.

These are only two quick examples of how to define this term; there are many other approaches.

But the fact is you can’t really define sustainability as anything more than a principle. What is a principle?

A principle is just a point of departure, a place to start. Sustainability is a place for us to start examining our lives and trying to improve the numerous problems our planet

faces. Sustainable principles could be seen as the values your parents instilled in your childhood. These principles should guide you in your everyday life.

Also, I think it is important to note that sustainability shouldn’t be associated with stereotypes. Since writing this column I have run into many individuals who label me just because I advocate sustainability.

I am not a hippy, or a vegan, or a communist, and I am especially not a tree-hugger. All these labels carry a negative connotation for some people in society, making the principle of sustainability unattractive. Sustainability is more than just environmentalism; it’s about understanding that there are consequences to our actions — which we will face together. Sustainability isn’t just simply shutting off the lights when you leave a room, or buying only organic food; it is about so much more, such as promoting peace, living a healthy lifestyle, striving for an equilibrium, or avoiding consumerist urges.

As you can tell, there isn’t one answer or one set definition on what sustainability is, or how one goes about reaching it. It has to be defined and used in context. I urge you to sit down and thoroughly consider how you define sustainability and what it means for you, and then act to incorporate these values and principles into your lifestyle. tgarland@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

TRIPLESENSATION.CA

Urchin yields a wealth of information TORONTO AUDITIONS David Judah

THE SEARCH HAS BEGUN REGISTER ONLINE NOW

reporter

triplesensation.ca

GOTTAMAKE

Imagine a world where the closest related group to chordates, including us, contains the bizarre starfish and prickly sea urchin. Well, as confirmed by a special publication on the sea urchin genome in the November 10 issue of Science, that is exactly the case.

Adding to the growing list of animals to have their genomes sequenced, the purple sea urchin (S. purpuratus) takes its rightful place as one of the model organisms scientists depend on.

For over a century the echinoderms, like the sea urchin, have been a mainstay in embryological pursuits. This is because their eggs have no shell, are transparent and have qualities similar to that of vertebrate embryos, especially during early development. This means that their development can be easily observed and measured, allowing scientists to see the inner workings of an embryo in its early stages. These findings can then be applied to studies

IT

GOTTAACTGOTTASINGGOTTADANCEGOTTADREAMGOTTAMAKE

of vertebrates like us. With such an important role in labs, it is no wonder they had their genome sequenced.

The study of the urchin’s genome is already starting to yield surprising results. With over 7,000 genes in common with humans, the strikingly different sea urchin has turned out to be similar to humans. The vast array of obvious differences between a human and a starfish arise not only from the genes we do not share but also from the genes we have in common as they are often utilized differently.

For instance a gene found in humans related to the eye is found, strangely enough, in the tiny tube feet of the urchin. Most likely this gene was first found in a common relative that gave rise to both chordate and echinoderm phyla. Later this gene developed different functions in the different family lines. This is an example of what scientists call homology, two things of the same origin, but not necessarily the same function. By

looking at homologous genes scientists can gain insight into the course of evolution and the characteristics of common ancestors, even if the emergence of two phyla (the third scientific taxonomic unit) are separated by several hundred million years, as is the case with humans and the purple sea urchins.

The urchin genome can also teach us a great deal about the human immune system. In humans the immune system has two levels: a static, quick-response immune system and a slower, adaptive immune system.

Urchins by comparison only have the static system. This isn’t to say they are inferior; their immune system is many times more complex and powerful than ours. Furthermore they have what seems to be the start of an adaptive immune system. Studies of these systems may elucidate how our own immune system evolved. Scientists hope this will lead to medical treatments in the future.

Chevrons: a new direction of thinking Continued from page 21

IT

That fact is also the reason why many in the astronomical community remain sceptical of the Holocene group’s ideas. Geological Survey of Canada scientist Peter Bobrowski, for instance, holds onto the idea that the formation of chevrons can be explained in other ways, such as by erosion. Dr. David Morrison, a member of the Ames Research Centre in California, notes that the estimates of astronomers are based on very meticulous surveys of what comes in proximity to the Earth.

“We know what’s out there, when they return, how close they come,”

Morrison told the New York Times.

“There is no reason to think we have had major hits in the last 10,000 years.

If Dallas is right ... we’ll have a real contradiction on our hands.”

That possibility is keeping astronomers curious as to what the team’s ongoing research will ultimately prove.

Marine geologist William Ryan thinks the team’s work, in particular that of Dr. Abbott, is comparable to revolutionary theories such as the idea, put forth by Dr. Walter Alvarez, that an asteroid was what caused the dinosaurs to become extinct. “Many of us think Dallas is really onto something,” he told the New York Times. “She is building a story just like Walter Alvarez did.”

But then, it’s not hard to get caught up in a story which could turn out to be even more exciting than fiction. “No tsunami in the modern world could have made these features,” said geomorphologist Ted Bryant to the New York Times. “End-of-the-world movies do not capture the size of these waves.”

It will take many years of work before the story will be completed.

Fortunately, the team is confident that the chevrons are but one of the many ways they are being pointed in the right direction. agardiner@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

science

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

23

Playstation 3 and Wii in review Dead Sea Scrolls under close scrutiny Stacking up have been preserved. The animal hide paper, that these documents consist of are animals that are considered Since the discovery of the Dead Sea ritually pure in Judaic tradition; goat, Scrolls in the caves of Qumran by a calf, sheep, gazelle or ibex.

Roitman reported at the lecture Bedouin shepherd, researchers have been employing many powerful re- that “there are no [similar books] search tools to reconstruct the rem- known before Qumran.” With no nants of these ancient documents. similar documents to reference for The most current of these tools is a literary reconstruction, his answer to this problem is DNA. DNA, Adolfo Roitman, curator of The complexity of this probthe Shrine of the Book at the Israel lem is immense. There are over Museum in Jerusa40,000 fragments comprising lem, reported in a over 900 manuscripts. The lecture sponsored only information to by the AAAS Diahelp organize these logue on Science, scrolls is that they Ethics and Reare arranged in ligion (DoSER) 11 caves, efon November 1, fectively sub2006. dividing the The Dead Sea problem into Scrolls are a colsmaller puzlection of apzles. By using the proximately 825 preserved DNA and to 872 documents amplifying it by polydating from before merase chain reaction 100 AD. They were (PCR), a DNA fingerdiscovered between print of each piece of 1947 and 1956 in the the animal hide scroll ruins of the Khirbet can be determined.

Qumran settlement, This method is located by the Dead proving its worth; it Sea. They have a great véronique lecat can not only discover religious significance as they include some of the oldest the species of the animal used in known surviving texts from the the parchment, but in many cases even the individual animal. This will Hebrew Bible.

The scrolls were found at the lowest group the fragments into manageable groups, all belonging to the point of the Earth’s surface in one of the saltiest regions in the world, which same individual document. With has ensured the preservation of these the papyrus grouped according documents by creating a habitat un- to the animals from which they suitable to microbial growth. Without came, the individual documents microbes, both the physical and ge- can more easily be reconstructed netic properties of these manuscripts and translated.

Michael Jewer reporter

Stephanie Anderson assistant science editor

Silent jet developed

A silent, fuel-efficient conceptual design of a passenger plane was revealed at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London.

A group of 40 researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cambridge University along with 30 corporations have been working together to try and reduce the noise of passenger jets to meet the demands for increased air transport that previously could not be met due to noise traffic.

The collaboration, also referred to as the Silent Aircraft Initiative, hopes to reduce the noise of the common passenger plane to the sound of a gentle washing machine. The prototype describes a more streamlined, “batwinged” plane capable of carrying up to 215 passengers with 25 per cent more fuel efficiency than any current plane.

“Public concern about noise is a major constraint on expansion of aircraft operations. The ‘silent aircraft’ can help address this concern and thus aid in meeting the increasing passenger demand for air transport,” reported Edward Greitzer, a professor at MIT, to United Press International.

2030 is the target date for the production of this aircraft.

David Judah Michael Jewer reporters

Sony Playstation 3

The Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) is a marvel of technology, but may remain theoretical for most, despite its November 17 release date. With tremendous amounts of graphical power, a Blu-Ray DVD player and support from the world’s best game developers, the PS3 may seem like a quality product, but at $599 USD it may end up being, pound for processor, somewhat lacking. Add on the games that may cost up to an additional $70 each — according to the Famitsu Magazine owner during the CESA Developers Conference in Japan — and reports of reverse compatibility issues on the already released Japanese models and the price seems even more ridiculous.

The price then sky-rockets when you take into account that far fewer PS3s are shipping than expected, meaning eBay may be your only method to get one and an eBay PS3 can cost you over $9,000! Ultimately, it seems the PS3 may take a hit due to these shortcomings in the upcoming holiday console war, especially when you consider it will be facing the entrenched Xbox 360 (now featuring guns with chainsaws) and the ever so enticing Wii. If you truly need your Sony fix, the lesser PS2s now can be bought for $129.99 (or lower) and with Final Fantasy XII on the way, it may be a reasonable option.

PS3

Wii

CPU Cell Broadband

IBM “Broadway”

GPU RSX

ATI “Hollywood”

HDD S-ATA (20/60GB)

512MB built-in flash

I/O 4xUSB, MS/SD/CF 2xUSB ports.

Communication (same for both) 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T IEEE 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR) Wireless Controller Bluetooth (up to 7) AV Output Screen: up to 1080p, HDMI, VGA, DVI, Blu-ray

up to 480p

Media Blu-ray DVD/CD MS/SD/CF

12cm discs 8cm discs 2xSD input

Dimensions (mm) 325 x 98 x 274

110 x 249 x 378

Weight +/- 5 kg

+/- 3.5 kg

Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii, originally codenamed Revolution, is as much philosophy as it is a next generation gaming system. The Nintendo Wii offers a brand new gaming experience. Those people that love Duck Hunt, and even those who didn’t, will love this new game play. The key feature that makes this console unique is the controller — dubbed the Wii-mote.

The controller looks like a TV remote and functions based on motion sensing. In the E3 demos the controller was used as a tennis racket, golf club, it has been seen used as a drumstick, but most impressively it has been used as a sword and a gun — a controller as intuitive as it is easy to use. Games will boast many different uses upon release like turning the controller sideways and using it like a steering wheel, a sword, plasma canon and even a bow to shoot arrows. The controller’s functionality can be expanded by adding accessories like an analog stick or a zapper gun.

Of the next generation consoles, Wii will be the cheapest retailing at $249 USD This will include 512 MB flash memory and a slot to expand memory, play, videos and pictures enhanced graphics from the new ATI GPU Hollywood graphics processor. One of the most appealing features is the 802.11b/g WiFi connection.

The Nintendo Wii will connect wirelessly to any existing wireless network allowing you to browse the internet with the free Opera browser. There will be free online play for all Wii games. For those of us that miss the days of our N64, SNES, NES and Genesis games, they will be online in the virtual console to download and play on the Wii. These retro games combine to make the largest set of games at release ever seen, making a strong start for Wii. The Nintendo Wii combines the forward thinking game play, the appeal of decades of games and engaging controls that prevents the atrophy of gaming, to attract both hardcore and new gamers to the experience. Like the Nintendo press release says, Wii is the answer to the question “who will play?”

Conservation efforts may protect 50 new marine species

On November 8, Gloria Arroyo ratified a new national conservation policy that will act to protect marine species from destructive fishing practices such as the use of trawling and cyanide bombs.

The executive order Arroyo signed stated: “It is the policy of the state to protect, conserve and sustainably use biological diversity to ensure and secure the well-being of present and future generations of Filipinos.”

The protected area will span from the Philippines to Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

This “critical marine corridor” will remain unharmed by fishing practices through this policy, preserving marine-based tourism and international shipping.

“More and more, progressive leaders are recognizing that a healthy environment is the foundation for stable, productive societies that can develop in a sustainable manner,” reported Peter Seligmann, the CEO of Conservation International in a press release on November 8.

— with files from a Conservation International press release and ScienceDaily sanderson@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

465 PHILLIP STREET LOCATION ONLY LIMITED TIME OFFER

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Friday, november 17, 2006

sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Sports Editor: Shawn Bell Sports Assistant: Doug Copping

Sports Imprint

25

High-scoring Warriors sweep weekend games in Kingston Waterloo wins two on the road; still running neck and neck with Lakehead atop Far West with 15 points James Rowe reporter

The Warriors men’s hockey team travelled to Kingston this past weekend and came away with two wins thanks to an impressive offensive outburst.

On November 10, the Warriors came out strong against the Queen’s Golden Gaels, peppering Queen’s goaltender Ryan Gibb with 24 first period shots while allowing just 9 shots against.

Despite their advantage in shots, they exited the period with only a 2-1 lead on goals from Brandon Mulholland and Joel Olszowka.

In the second period, the Warriors exploded for five goals, stretching their lead to 7-2 in the process. Goal scorers for Waterloo were Mike Della Mora, Chris Golem, Sean Roche, Dave Philpott and Olszowka with his second of the game.

With the game all but wrapped up, the Warriors allowed Queen’s to get within striking distance with three straight goals before Philpott clinched the 8-5 win for Waterloo in the empty net.

For the game, the Warriors outshot the Golden Gaels 44-30; Curtis Darling made 25 saves in the Waterloo net for the win.

David Edgeworth and Shane Hart contributed with three assists apiece while Golem and Roche had two assists each for three points on the night.

Even in winning, the Warriors were haunted by a problem that has hurt them this season — namely, too many penalties taken and too many power play goals allowed.

Three of the five Queen’s goals were scored while the Warriors were a man short.

“We did take some bad penalties,” said head coach Brian Bourque when asked about his team’s discipline and penalty killing. “We’ve

been focusing on it and it’s coming around.

We had a few games without any problems before this.”

The following night, Waterloo faced the RMC Paladins.

This game would follow a similar script to that of the night before as the Warriors jumped out to a 2 - 1 lead after one period of play.

In the second period, Waterloo once again exploded offensively, this time to the tune of four goals on eleven shots. The Paladins beat Darling once, giving Waterloo a comfortable 6 - 2 lead after 40 minutes.

Each team would add a goal in the third period making the final score 7-3 in favour of the Warriors.

Goal scorers for Waterloo were Philpott, Kyle Pellerin, Ben Pasha, Bryan Fitzgerald, Cory Fraser and Golem with two.

Edgeworth, Mulholland and Jordan Brenner

each had two assists in the win while the always reliable Darling made 36 saves between the pipes.

Bourque attributed the team’s strong offensive performances to familiarity and continuity in the forward lines, while noting that his team is an offensively-balanced team to begin with.

“We’ve scored a lot of goals even though we’ve had some of our older players get off to slow starts,” the coach said.

The two wins give the Warriors a five-game unbeaten streak and keeps them tied for first with Lakehead in the ultra-competitive Far West division.

The Warriors next host the U of T Varsity Blues on Friday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Columbia Icefields Arena. They will then be faced with a short turnaround as they host the Ryerson Rams the next day at 2:00 p.m., also at the CIF arena.

Curtis Darling, goalie extraordinaire is active on and off the ice

Jim Hagan Simona Cherler

If Waterloo has a shot at CIS Nationals in Moncton, it’ll be Darling who takes them there.

James Rowe reporter

Growing up in Calgary, Alberta, Curtis Darling got his start as a goaltender through a rather organic process.

“We didn’t have a goalie so everyone took turns playing net and I did okay in my turn so I started playing more and more,” he said.

When the time came to decide between playing forward or goalie full time, Darling chose to strap on the pads and go between the pipes because he was “too small to make it as a forward.”

These days that decision seems like the right one as Darling has become an outstanding last line of defence for the Waterloo Warriors.

Now in his third season between the pipes for the Warriors, Darling has been named an OUA West first team all-star in each of his first two seasons.

Darling also the OUA West Rookie of the Year in his freshman season of 2004-05.

Last season Darling had a 13-6-3 record, 3.41 goals against average, .902 save percentage and one shutout on his way to being named the OUA West MVP.

This season Darling has posted a 6-2 record with a 3.26 GAA and .898 save percentage while leading the Warriors to the top of the tough Far West division.

Darling is an active puckhandler who likes to venture out of his crease to help his defencemen and move the puck whenever possible, something which his coach encourages.

“He’s the best in the league at playing the puck,” head coach Brian Bourque said. “He makes very good decisions and is very deceptive with it. He catches a lot of teams off-guard.”

Darling believes that his enthusiasm for puckhandling stems from his background as a forward.

“It’s something I practise a lot, and I play a lot of forward for fun in the summers so I think that’s where it comes from,” said the third year speech communications major.

Having an active goaltender is also an adjustment for the defence corps. “After a while the trust [between he and the defencemen)]grows,” Darling stated. “I try not to be too fancy and to limit my mistakes, and we help each other out.”

Darling’s puckhandling has even earned him a place in the record books. When playing in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), which is akin to Tier Two Junior A here in On-

OUA rookie of the year as a freshman, the third-year Darling’s been a First Team all-star twice and was OUA West MVP a year ago.

tario, Darling became the first goalie in league history to score a goal.

Coming out of the BCHL, Darling’s top priority was getting an education while still being able to play hockey.

Having played with the Spokane Chiefs and Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League, Darling was not eligible to play in the NCAA and so he looked to Canadian schools.

When he was recruited by then Warriors coach Karl Taylor, the decision became an easy one for the young, mild-mannered netminder.

“I knew the school had an unprecedented reputation and I was impressed by the ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ statistics,” he said. “There’s so much luck involved in making it anywhere in hockey that I wanted to make sure I got a good education.

“Also, coach Taylor was a hard-working recruiter, was committed to the program and because of that I knew that it was only a matter of time before the team improved.”

Since arriving here, Darling has been part of a UW men’s hockey revival of sorts, as the team has a legitimate opportunity to advance to the national championships in Moncton this March.

Bourque, who was an assistant under Taylor before becoming head coach, says that although Taylor knew Darling was the best goalie in the BCHL, “he has exceeded expectations since coming here.”

Described by his coach as “quiet but witty,” Darling juggles being a varsity athlete and a full-time student along with a number of other activities.

He also works as a linesman in the Ontario Hockey Association, works nights at a bar, and is a big brother in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada.

“I like having a lot of things on the go and meeting new people,” he explained. “It keeps things from getting boring.

While pleased with the start to the season that he and the team have enjoyed, Darling still sees room for improvement.

“Rebound control is something I try to work on, getting pucks to the corners and out of the scoring areas,” he said.

If the team continues to progress, Darling believes that the Warriors could make a serious playoff run and earn a place at the CIS Championships.

“We have high expectations without question,” said the goalie. “We’ve kept our core together for a while now and anytime you do that you expect to only get better.”

26

sports

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

Waterloo loses at Laurier

Shawn Bell

Hillary Lemieux (15) and her Warrior teammates can’t block the ref who sees all.

Shawn Bell sports editor

The Warriors, coming off a big upset win against Ottawa, traveled down the road to the WLU Athletic Complex for a match against the Golden Hawks on November 10. The girls didn’t seem to get comfortable in this foreign locale and the Hawks won easily 3-0.

Laurier’s gym is small and cozy. There is none of the aloofness found some days in the echoes of the PAC; a small crowd fills the stands, other varsity teams stand along the sidelines and throughout the Athletic Complex comes the shouts of athletes.

The first set went back and forth. Both teams had trouble scoring off the serve but in the end Laurier staved off two set points and came back to win 27-25.

The second set was not so pretty. The Laurier crowd got louder and the Laurier women seemed quicker and the Warriors were overwhelmed and lost 25-16.

The third set was another back and forth battle. Waterloo looked stronger, with big hits from the front line, Hillary Lemieux, Susan Murray and Bojana Josipovic; the Waterloo fans, especially Vikki Bouwer’s fans with her number 9 painted across their chests, started yelling to be heard. But Laurier held tough and though the Warriors took a brief lead late in the set the Hawks picked it up and after a few long points, with the crowd gasping and cheering to see the ball drop, won the set to sweep the match.

Amanda Verhoeve kept the team in the games with 21 digs for the match, while Sue Murray led the team with 13 kills.

After the game the Warriors were clearly disappointed in their efforts. “This was a tough match for us,” coach Gaby Jobst said. “Laurier did a good job, they played a very steady match, and got to show off in front of their home crowd. We haven’t seemed find our system or work our system. In every game we’ve had a different lineup, so we’ve got to figure out what will work best.”

“It was tough tonight,” left-hitter Hilary Lemieux elaborated. “We didn’t play as hard as we did in our win against Ottawa last weekend.”

“I don’t think we came in mentally prepared,” Murray said. “We all kind of fell apart, it wasn’t any individual but the whole team.”

“This wasn’t how Waterloo can play,” Lemieux said.

“We are definitely a better team than that,” Murray added. “We’ve got to step it up for our next game.”

“They’re a good core group of girls,” coach Jobst said. “We’re still trying to work on getting some consistency in play. We’re working through some injuries, so it has been difficult at times, but I know that they can play better than they played tonight.”

“Our goal is the playoffs,” Lemieux said.

The Warriors are in for a tough stretch as they try to get back on track. They continue this five-game road trip with games at Western and Brock this week. The Warriors do come back home until December 2 when Brock visits the PAC. sbell@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Shawn Bell

arts

18

Borat beats the hype

courtesy imdb

Cohen throws Americans for a loop in his latest movie role.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Larry Charles 20th Century Fox

Hey, have you heard about this guy named Sacha Baron Cohen who dresses up as this Kazakhstani journalist, Borat, who’s making a TV show about America and then says outrageous things while interviewing people? He, like, thinks women’s brains are the size of a squirrel’s and confuses an elevator for his hotel room. Wacky!

Let’s be honest: you already made up your mind about seeing this film and nothing I say is likely to change that. You either think Borat is exploitative, shallow and offensive or you think it’s totally hilarious because it’s so simple, yet edgy.

But the humour is anything but simple in this film, and greater reviewers than

yours truly have written treatises on just how complex and illuminating Borat is. Seriously, look it up; what they say is pretty interesting.

Instead of summarizing the critical “mouth relief ” or spoiling the gags for you, I’ll point out some of the subtler jokes that you might miss if you don’t have the right background. First of all, almost all the “Kazakh” text is actually Russian. Whenever a map is shown, all labels are in proper Russian. Except the label of Kazakhstan itself, which is just gibberish. The humour lies in the symbolism of the nationalistic push of ethnic languages and the rejection of Russian in ex-Soviet republics.

Another subtle gag is the fact that Borat’s “Kazakh” speech is actually perfect Hebrew. Cohen — who is fluent in Hebrew — could get away with speaking random words or even faking a language. Instead, he follows

the English subtitles and gives us such wonderful gems as yelling, “Stomp that Jewish egg before the chick hatches!” in Hebrew during the annual Running of the Jew festival, which he covers.

That’s irony.

The last one I’ll mention is probably unintentional as it is too obscure for non-Soviets to know. You see, Borat is in love with Pamela Anderson and wants to marry her — Kazakh style. I won’t tell you how things go down when he does meet her, but it is strangely reminiscent of a Russian classic called Kidnapping Caucassian [sic] Style (literally Prisoner of the Caucasus). Every single person who was born in the USSR knows exactly what movie I am talking about.

So we’ve got historical allusions, pop culture references and irony. That’s pretty clever humour! Unfortunately, it’s not always fresh — at least if you’ve already watched Da Ali G Show and seen the Borat skits. Several of the scenes in this film are rehashes. It also manages to drag on a bit towards the end, despite being only 82 minutes long. Finally, there is at least one scene, involving naked wrestling, that is arguably unnecessary, but — more importantly — is way too long. Of course, the audience was roaring the whole time, so maybe Mr. Cohen knows best.

As I was leaving the theatre, I overheard some guys talking about the film. One of them said, “It was good, but not great.” That’s true, but he probably wouldn’t have expected it to be great if it weren’t for all the hype surrounding this movie. At the end of the day, it’s low-brow: a guy pretends to be a foreigner and acts like an ass while everybody politely humours him.

If that sounds even remotely appealing to you, go see it. If not, just know that you will still have to endure a lot of catch phrases from this film for a long years to come.

— Kirill Levin

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

Earnest production honestly engaging Duncan Ramsay reporter

One of the surest ways to gauge the ability of a theatrical person or corps is to challenge them with a classic work and watch to see what they do with it. A character actor? See where they take either John or Carol from Oleanna. A set designer? Give them A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and see if they can create something truly original.

When dealing with works of this quality, the challenge is often not to create something inspired and original, but even to do such works justice. After watching a rehearsal, I had my suspicions, but was still very pleased to see them confirmed.

With their latest production, the UW theatre company has not only done Wilde’s classic The Importance of Being Earnest justice, but have brought forth a vitality and humour that is all their own.

The Importance of Being Earnest begins simple enough. Two friends and bachelors, Jack (Brendan Riggs) and Algernon (Brad Cook), have each fallen in love with one of the other’s relations; Algernon’s cousin Gwendolyn (Michelle Jedrzejewski) and Jack’s ward Cecily (Jennifer Lorbetski) respectively.

However, their courtships soon become difficult as the webs of false identities each of the bachelors use become grossly entangled, and issues of Jack’s birth present obstacles (“our only daughter…marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel?”)

The play continues as all four characters attempt to deal with these problems. Above all, Wilde’s play is known for its wit and flair, as well as some of the best dialogue in theatre, — and here the UW theatre corps show themselves to be well up to the task. UW’s drama cast positively revel in the outrageousness of their characters, delighting in the pomp and verve of their Victorian accents and manners and trading one-liners with a wonderful panache. It is an immensely fun production — I seldom went more than a minute or two without laughing out loud.

This could not be accomplished without the corps’ uniformly strong cast. Riggs and Cook form an admirable pair, working off each other’s energy to produce a pair of likeable rogues that the audience is more than happy to root for, and exchanging some of the play’s best lines with professional timing.

Jedrzejewski and Lorbetski provide an excellent counterpoint to this pair, creating a saucy, flirtatious Gwendolyn and a charismatically airheaded Cecily. The matching of innocence and experience between these four makes a chemistry that is fascinating to watch. Bridget Myers, John Cormier and Michael Kolodziej form a solid supporting cast.

Myers in particular is charming as the neurotic Miss Prism, with a range of facial expression that is fascinating to watch. The star of this show, however, is indisputably Greg Carere, who steals each scene he enters as the intimidating, patrician Lady Bracknell. Aside from the sheer comic potential of a middle-aged aunt built like a football player, Carere simply delivers the strongest performance by far, showing a sense of comedic timing and vocal control that is nothing if not impressive.

Kudos must also be dealt to the technical staff, who have produced a lush, detailed Victorian England for the cast to inhabit. The costumiers here deserve especial credit, having designed a assortment of rich period costumes that fill the stage with colour. Congratulations are also due to the set designers, who have formed a stage which transitions relatively seamlessly between several different indoor and outdoor scenes without compromising the decadence necessary to the era.

All in all, the UW Drama’s latest production is simply a huge amount of fun — between Wilde’s classic dialogue and the Theatre’s excellent production, The Importance of Being Earnest is well worth seeing, and a strong accomplishment for the group.

Christine Ogley

sports

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

27

Waterloo well represented in autumn All-Star selections

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Simona Cherler

Shawn Bell

Laura Sardone

Shawn Bell

Warriors honoured by OUA; the likes of OL Chris Best (66), men’s rugby eighth-man Paul Auzins, cross-country phenomenon Kelly-Lynne Spettigue and women’s rugby prop Lisa Kelly (1) named to All-Star teams in their respective sports.

Shawn Bell sports editor

The fall sports have finished; all that remains to be done is hand out the hardware. This autumn, Waterloo won three OUA medals: gold in men’s golf, bronze in women’s rugby and bronze in men’s tennis.

There are many individual Warriors recognized as elite in their respective position; here we look back on the fall season and the best from Waterloo.

The Warrior men dominated OUA golf. Besides winning their second consecutive gold medal, Waterloo featured three of the five first-team all-stars: fourth-year captain Jud Whiteside, first-year phenomenon Vic Ciesielski and second-year Jimmy Latta, who also won the individual gold being the only player under par at the OUA tournament in St. Catharines.

“This was an amazing year for Waterloo golf,” Ciesielski said. “We were led by captain Jud Whiteside to many record-breaking tournaments and an OUA championship.”

On the women’s side, Tiffany Terrier was a first team all-star in her first year at UW.

“The up and coming women’s golf team had a challenging yet productive season,” Terrier said. “With our never-give-up attitude we were able to instill fear into the more experienced teams throughout Ontario. My first team selection came as a surprise, and I am honoured to be able to take the Waterloo name to that level.”

In tennis, Marko Agatonovic, who played in the top spot all season long and won every match in the OUA tournament to lead the Warriors to OUA bronze, was named a first team all-star.

The women’s cross-country team was led all year by rookie Kelly-Lynne Spettigue. With an 17th place finish in the OUA’s and an eye-popping 14th place at the national race at Laval, Spettigue earned a place on the All-Canadian second-team.

The Warrior baseball team narrowly missed the playoffs but were recognized by the OUA with three players being named all-stars.

Brandon Wittig, a fifth-year second baseman, made his second straight all-star first-team. Warrior DH Scott Reynolds, who hit .340, with a slugging percentage of .490, joined Wittig on the first team, and outfielder

Brendan Smith was named to the second team.

“They are all good leaders,” baseball coach Brian Bishop said. “Brandon is a competitor. He shows up to play every day, and has had the best two years of his career the past two years. Scott also has improved as a hitter every year. So the selections are well deserved. Their hard work has paid off.”

The women’s soccer team that lost in the first round of the playoffs to CIS semi-finalist York had two players named to the OUA West second team: sweeper Rebecca Stewart and midfielder Nuala Marshall.

Midfielder Paul Arnold was named to the OUA West second team, Waterloo’s only selection from the soccer team that finished last in the West.

The Waterloo field hockey team that lost to Queen’s in the first round of the playoffs had two girls named to the OUA second team: Kate Critchley and Michelle John.

On the rugby pitch, the Waterloo men finished 4-4 and missed the playoffs. However, fifth-year Blyth Gill, third-year Paul Auzins and secondyear Jeff Robinson were named to the West all-star team, and centre Tyler Haladuick was the OUA West rookie of the year.

“It’s every first year players’ goal, to be the best rookie in Ontario,” Haladiuk said. “I played my heart out so it is good to be rewarded.”

The women’s rugby team that won OUA bronze and then fifth at the CIS National tournament was represented on the OUA West allstar team by flanker Linda Zack and prop Lisa Kelly.

To round out the autumn OUA all-stars, the Warrior football team had three all-star selections. Defensive end Darren Kissinger was named to the first team and defensive back Drew Haynes was named to the second team.

On offence, the leader of a very good Warrior offensive line, tackle Chris Best, was named a first team all-star and also won the 2006 J.P. Metras award, presented each season to the lineman of the year in the OUA. “Best’s pass protect is excellent, his trap blocks are outstanding and his run blocking is exceptional,” said Warrior head coach Marshall Bingeman.

Waterloo has been well represented on the OUA stage this autumn.

Congratulations to the many Warrior all-stars. We look forward to the winter edition. sbell@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Wheelchair racing: a sporting extravaganza

This past weekend marked Waterloo’s annual pre-winter sporting extravaganza: the Wheelchair Olympics.

Featuring four teams of four members, the Wheelchair Olympics bring together the very best society has to offer to the top of the Parkade: students, old wheelchairs and alcohol, for late-night competition in search of the grand prize — a wheelchair of your very own.

“Four wheelchairs were found beside a dumpster,” Wheelchair Olympic co-coordinator Kim Steinmetz said, “in various stages of decomposition.” All four were missing footrests. Two had no armrests.

One was faster than the others, two were mediocre and the fourth was badly beaten. This chair did not like to go straight and the contestants who rode it struggled to keep from spinning in circles.

“We rotate the wheelchairs through the teams for the first four events,” Steimetz said. “Then in the grand finale race the team with the most points from the first four events gets the fastest wheelchair.”

When I arrived to the top of the parkade a crowd was gathered.

Four tracks were lined on the pavement, 10 meters in length, each track divided by dollar-store toys that would serve as obstacles. The co-ordinators passed out numbers; I got number four and went to find the other members of the team. The first was a cute Mexican girl. She had a beer in one hand and called herself Margarita. Number two was a straightedge punk and the third, Wes, a longhaired bearded hippy, hobbled over on a sprained ankle and yelled “Team!”

Each contestant had to drink a tall can of Laker before the first event. The Punk didn’t drink so the three of us split his beer. Then the first race began. A standard relay, each member to wheel through the three obstacles down to the other end, chug a beer and then return.

“This is the comfort event,” Steinmetz said, “to let people figure out the wheelchair.” It was difficult.

I did not fall over though and after chugging the beer halfway through the relay I embarked on the drunk.

Wes turned out to be a madman on a wheelchair. He raced through the toys with reckless courage, slammed his beer and raced back.

Margarita was very slow and seemed to be drunk already. It took her a long time to drink her beer and we lost Wes’ lead. The Punk went last.

He got the hang of the chair quick, but we had to split his beer. Wes pounded most of it but the transfers were not smooth; we lost time and finished in third.

Event two was the same as event one, only it was done blindfolded.

In the dark a wheelchair feels very unstable. But the Punk, being sober, yelled solid directions and our team was fast and first.

Event three was the double. Margarita and I piled into the badly beaten chair. She worked the left wheel and I the right. Now drunk we were, the chair wanted to spin and it felt good her sitting on my lap so we spun and it took a very time long to get to beer and then we stayed sitting to drink our beer so time much passed before we were done. Wes and the Punk were much faster but we ended last.

Event four was the dizzy relay.

You had to wheel around the first toy three times forward, three times backward, then chug a beer and race the course.

We got a mediocre chair for the grand finale. The teams divided themselves in two across the parkade.

This was a race. Four wheelchairs in a pack, racing around the square roof of the parkade. Each member rolls half the perimeter carrying the tall can baton. The beer had to be gone before the next relay member takes control of the chair.

The Punk started for our team so the three of us cracked his beer

at the “Go!,” drank it down quick, handed him the empty can and he was off. One chair was in the lead, with a full beer in his lap. The other three were in a pack. I took over at the halfway point and chugged my beer before I started rolling. I was in third. One guy was half a lap ahead and a girl was just in front of me. The roof was spinning and I was pushing those old wheels for all they had, past the girl and into second to hand off the chair to Margarita. She held her beer and roared into first. She would pump the chair and then drink while it rolled. It was a good strategy. At the end she had to drink the last half of the beer while Wes bounded around, anxious to be off. The other team got there and exchanged chairs.

Finally Margarita’s beer was done.

She looked like she might puke. Wes leaped into the chair with a full beer in his lap and was off in a flash. He caught the leader and passed him in no time and then, with a big push, let the chair roll and cracked his beer.

With his head tossed back and his long hair flying he pounded the beer, raised his arms to the sky, tossed the can to the ground and rolled the final stretch yelling “Victory is mine!”

“Disqualified,” yelled the coordinator. “No can!”

So we lost. The winners celebrated and went home riding their very own wheelchair. We had to walk. cpeters@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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sports

28

FRIDAY, november 17, 2006

Men’s volleyball team exhibits strong potential The following article was written during a hands-on workshop for Waterloo Unlimited, a high school enrichment program focussed on exploring the theme of design. Six Grade 11 students from across Canada applied a lesson in journalism to create a story for Imprint. In alphabetical order, credit goes to Ben Gaffney, Ian Currie, John Fackoury, Malcom Bird, Robbie Irwin and Sarah Moroz.

simona cherler

Waterloo’s young Warriors showed rising strength this weekend by following a loss to Queen’s with victory against RMC. The first game was played against the undefeated Golden Gaels, ranked sixth in Canada. The Warriors exceeded expectations against the powerhouse Golden Gaels as they kept the sets close (22-25, 22-25, 21-25), and made them work hard for the win. “It was not an easy match. But we were fighting them until the end” said head coach Fernando Pardo.

The second match was against the lowly RMC Paladins, who fell to 0-7 with their defeat to the Warriors in four sets. With the victory, Waterloo advanced to a 2-5 record, and currently sit tied for seventh in the OUA with cross-town rivals Laurier Golden Hawks.

The future looks strong for the Warriors, with more than half the team consisting of

freshmen. “Certainly this year as the team evolves, we will grow stronger,” commented Pardo after the games. “Our team is powerful. We know we can compete with the best in Ontario.”

Two first-year starting captains illustrate the Warriors strong core of young players that will lead the team in the years to come. One of these captains is setter Andrew Thorpe, in his first year of recreational studies, who is commonly referred to as the “Thorpedo.”

He boasted an incredible 7 kills, 9 digs, 2 service aces, and 14 points over the course of the two matches against Queen’s and RMC, living up to his nickname. He also added 68 setting assists, to push his total to 180, good enough for fifth in the OUA. On November 19, the Warriors continue their road tour to play Windsor, looking to develop their young potential into victory.

James Rowe reporter

Squash

Men’s basketball

The Warriors opened their season with a split of two games in Kingston. On Friday, November 10, Queens beat UW 71-68 on a three-pointer at the buzzer. The next day, Waterloo bounced back to defeat RMC 75-55.

The team is on the road again this weekend with games at Laurentian and York.

Women’s hockey laura sardone

The Warriors fell to the Guelph Gryphons 3-1 on Thursday, November 9. Randi Wilson scored the lone goal for Waterloo. Next up for the 2-4-0-1 Warriors is a game against the Queen’s Golden Gaels in Kingston on Saturday, November 18.

Queen’s currently has a record of 4-2-0-2.

Cross-country

clive peters

Kelly-Lynne Spettigue represented Waterloo at the CIS Championships in Laval on Saturday, November 11. Spettigue finished the 5km course in a time of 18:56.2, good enough for 14th place.

For her efforts Spettigue was named a second team All-Canadian. The men’s and women’s overall titles were both captured by Guelph.

The Warriors won two of three matches on the weekend, starting out with a 6-0 romp over Brock on Friday, November 10. The next day they swept the McMaster team, again 6-0, before falling to the Western Mustangs 5-1 in their final match of the weekend.

Badminton

On Saturday, November 18 the OUA Championships will be held in the CIF gym. At 9:30 a.m. the Warriors will take on Toronto, while Western and York faceoff in the other semifinal. The gold and bronze medal matches will be played at 2:30 p.m. UW defeated Toronto 7-6 in their only meeting this season.

Dodgeball

Friday, November 24 and Saturday, November 25 is the annual residence dodgeball tournament. Held at the CIF gym, this 50 team tournament features three divisions (beginner, intermediate and advanced) and prizes. Cost is $30 per team, there is a minimum of seven players and a maximum of 10 per team. Students can register at the PAC Athletics Office. Registration closes November 22 at 4:30 p.m.

imprint archive photo

Presents

THIS WEEK IN ATHLETICS

Friday, November 17

vs vs Toronto Toronto Varsity Varsity Blues Blues 7:30 7:30 PM, PM, CIF CIF Arena Arena

Saturday, November 18

vs Ryerson Rams 2:00 PM, CIF Arena

[M]

HOCKEY

WARRIOR BADMINTON OUA CHAMPIONSHIP Saturday, November 18, 2006 Semi-Final Matches 9:30 AM WATERLOO vs U of T York vs Western Gold and Bronze Medal Matches 2:30 PM (Approx.)

All matches at the CIF Gym

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

IMPRINT | NOVEMBER 17

Eric Dingle | [M] Squash

Kelly-Lynne Spettique | [W] X-Country

Eric, a third year Engineering student from Calgary, Alberta, was the only player to go undefeated this past weekend at the West Sectionals in London. Eric won all three of his matches (vs. Brock, McMaster, and UWO) by the score of 3-0 including a straight set win over reigning OUA MVP Iain Crozier from Western. Western have been OUA Champions for the past 23 seasons. This is the first time the Warriors have been able to take a game against Western in seven OUA regular season matches.

Kelly-Lynne, a first year Engineering student from Richmond Hill, Ontario, represented Waterloo at the CIS Cross Country Championships this past weekend in Quebec City. Kelly-Lynne finished 14th overall and earned second team All-Canadian honours as the result of her effort running the 5km course in 18:56. KellyLynne started the race rather conservatively, however, after the first major hill Kelly-Lynne flew up the hill and was among the top twenty athletes at the end of the first lap. Continuing with her momentum, she continued to pass her competitors all the way to the finish line.

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