Impr int The university of Waterloo’s official student newspaper
Friday, March 14, 2008
vol 30, no 31
imprint . uwaterloo . ca
Installing Windows on your Mac
Science and Technology shows you how, page 18
Gearing up for good news
Mackenzie Keast
mackenzie keast
UW students direct traffic on March 11, 2008, otherwise known as “Campus Day,” when prospective students and their families tour campus before deciding whether or not to make UW their undergraduate or post-graduate homes.
sherif soliman
Just as positive for the student community is the Feds Executive Awards, a gala event promoted above by Siobhan Watters on March 12, 2008. The March 27 event will see prominent student leaders awarded for their contributions to the university community.
Students feel the brunt of winter storm Maggie Clark editor-in-chief
T
hough UW campus closed its doors on Saturday, March 8 in response to a winter storm that ultimately resulted in a record-breaking season for snowfall (246 cm, beating a 1920s record of 245.3 cm), not all students were off the hook. Beyond
the usual complications of snowfall — poor driving conditions, limited access to essential services, and for some the need to break out mittens and a shovel — students working part-time on campus found themselves caught up in some of the chaos surrounding both the decision to close campus, and also the decision made by Lee Elkas, director of Food Services, the next morning, to
post-pone re-opening Food Services. “We’ve never had to close like this before,” said Elkas, “but so many full-time, key-holder staff were calling in saying that they just couldn’t get through to campus that we had to make the call. We decided to postpone re-opening campus until noon on Sunday [March 9].” The confusion surrounding these decisions was best represented in post-
ers found around the SLC Tim Hortons, which noted the frustration of part-time students who had been called in early on Sunday morning, only to find the store closed, though the campus as a whole was open. Complaints were left with TurnKey staff, while a Feds Xpress employee (who wishes to remain anonymous) added that in the midst of Saturday’s confusion even she had been
late to receive the call to close up. Elkas said that this was “definitely an anomaly” on account of the extreme weather, and assures students that Food Services follows university standards as best as it is able in dealing with its outlets and employees. “I would assume everyone had been contacted, but we’re sorry if there was any confusion.” editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
News
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008 news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Michael L. Davenport
assistant editor-in-chief
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he Federation of Students executives have important jobs — a good executive will effectively manage Feds businesses, remain in close contact with the societies and services, and keep a keen eye out for the student interest. A bad executive could be lacking in all these things, as well as being ineffective “putting out fires” when the occasional emergency crops up. Such emergencies do happen, and they can have a palpable impact on student life. For example, an incident outside Federation Hall on New Years 2003 and the ensuing friction with UW administration eventually caused Bomber and Fed Hall to be closed for several months. In 2006 when Greyhound filed a
complaint with the Ontario Highway Transportation Board complaining the Fed Bus service was illegal, the Feds execs managed to acquire the necessary licences and fight the court battles necessary to keep the service running to this day. Though sometimes invisible to the average student, the Feds executives have a hand in quite a bit on our campus. They have seats on the university senate and board of governors, high level UW decision making bodies. The exec also negotiate on behalf of the undergrad students, making deals (for better or worse) like the U-Pass and dental plan. The question is, however, whether or not the work of the executives warrents a $4,750 pay increase, and whether the student body as a whole would actually be served by a pay raise.
The Federation of Students Board has voted (4 – 2) in favour of raising the salary of the Feds exec. However, board approval by itself is insufficient for the pay raise to occur, according to Feds board procedure number 14, any raise to Feds exec salary above the the Consumer Price Index must be approved at a general meeting. The next Feds General Meeting will be held Tuesday, March 25 at 4:00 p.m. Student Life Centre great hall. Would a pay increase lure the best people to the positions? Are students losing out because UW’s greatest talent leaves for greener pastures upon graduation? All full-time undergraduates will get the opportunity to voice their opinion and vote on this issue. mdavenport@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
The $5,000 question
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PRO
t the last Feds Board meeting I found myself in a very difficult position. While I have taken a primarily fiscally conservative stance in issues that have come to board in the past two years, I found myself advocating for a non-trivial increase in the 2008-2009 Executive salaries, from the current $35,250 to $40,000. Underlying my support is a belief that the positions are underpaid for similar positions in private and public industry (including charitable organizations). It is my personal belief that individuals should be paid a fair and living wage for the work that they do, and my observations over the past two years lead me to believe that we are vastly underpaying our executives. Unpaid overtime is the standard rather than the exception for these positions. The Feds Board is only authorized to levy the salaries by CPI, in this case to $36,025. Any higher change must be approved by the general membership, and in recognizing that, the Feds Board voted 4-2 (with three abstentions from the three incoming executives, who did not participate in the debate) to send the issue to the general meeting for ratification. In understanding this motion, I will first note that this will not increase the Feds fee and as such will not be a greater financial burden on students. In fact, this year students will actually see a decrease in their ancillary fees for numerous reasons (e.g. a reduction in the Student Services Fee). This change really comes down to a redistribution of funds within the internal Feds budget. Feds currently is very healthy financially, with Fed Hall looking to be in the black this year and the Used Bookstore continuing to remain profitable. Increased enrolment will also bring added revenue. Exceptional management of our Federation Xpress renovations has resulted in savings alone that could pay for this increase for the next five years. Such an increase over CPI is not unprecedented, and I will note the 2004/2005 - 2005/2006 year increase as an example. In making this decision the board considered the fact that Waterloo is a primarily co-op university and if we are to take a statistic from the Co-op Salary Survey, even with this proposed increase, the Feds exec will still be paid less than the average math co-op student on their last co-op term. While I do hope that financial considerations are not the prime motive of people running for executive positions, it is a factor that we must address to adapt to our unique university environment of highly gifted and skilled students sought by the external job market. Thank you for reading and I encourage you to attend the Feds Annual General meeting on March 25th to ratify this salary increase. — Jeffrey Aho
Federation of Students Engineering Councillor and Board member jaho@feds.ca
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CON
he undergraduate student body at UW should reject a motion to increase the Federation of Students Executive salaries at its March annual general meeting. Contrary to director Aho’s advocacy for comparing with the private and public sectors, the best comparative measurement for the Federation of Students’ executive salaries is similar bodies at other schools. By any measure, bloating our executive salaries by 13.5 per cent represents an unnecessary inflation that pulls resources away from other areas of the Federation of Students. Our executives will now be paid almost twice that of the Alma Mater Society at UBC, despite the AMS serving approximately 40 per cent more students. Our executives will be paid more than the USC at Western, a student union with revenues, staff, and responsibilities more than double that of the Federation of Students. The current salary of $35,250 pays a reasonable wage for a recent graduate or fourth year student in the Waterloo region. It’s not as though executives are living in Toronto Centre (unlike Ryerson’s student union execs, who make over $10,000 less than the Feds). Further, director Aho’s suggestion that this will not be a financial burden on students is fallacious and short-sighted. The Federation of Students fee will be proposed to be raised by CPI (and can’t be raised higher as per our bylaws) and, thus, the raise of $15,900 to the executives above that rate means funds must be pulled from elsewhere within the organization. The byproduct of this is that, if approved, the additional money will be spent simply compensating the executive with a 13.5 percent increase with absolutely zero expectations of further performance – there are no increased hours, responsibilities, or projects that come with increasing the executive pay. I would contend without hesitation that the $15,900 proposed is better spent elsewhere within the organization. Ultimately, the only compelling argument is that perhaps the current net of compensation is not being cast wide enough to entice strong, dedicated individuals to run for these positions. I would counter, however, with the suggestion that the true compensation of these positions is the responsibility and job satisfaction of the work done, coupled with a great working environment and the opportunity to work for students. I reject a suggestion that an increase of $4,000 above CPI lures any reasonable person at the margins to suddenly run for the position on that basis alone. Let me bottom-line this: the Federation of Students is already among the highest compensated executive across Canada, despite not leading in organizational or student size. Further, the money spent to compensate the executives could easily be spent more productively elsewhere within the organization. In an Imprint article about incoming executives Justin Williams and Del Pereira, the two suggested that cost-efficiencies would be a priority, in order to “see if we can cut down on over-spending.” To that end, I challenge both Williams and Pereira to make their first act of leadership in the 2008-2009 year to be one of taking a firm, clear stance against the extravagant salaries proposed at the AGM.. — Kevin Royal
Clarification
Federation of Students President pres@feds..ca
In relation to the cover story “Duped” in the March 7 issue of Imprint, Studio-T Salon is a legitimate salon that has confirmed it does honour the packages that AD-EFX sells without authorization in the SLC. Students who have bought packages from AD-EFX representatives on campus are strongly encouraged to contact their respective salons to confirm which ones are operational businesses that have active relationships with AD-EFX, and which ones are not. Imprint apologizes for any confusion.
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News
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
Go Orange Campaign kicks off at UW Volunteers brave the cold and an orange-cocktail shower to spread awareness of responsible living Marco Baldasaro assistant news editor
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ith a pancake breakfast, a dousing of cold water and orange crystals, an obstacle course and a panel discussion, the University of Waterloo’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders officially launched this term’s actionoriented campaign, “Be Orange” last Thursday, March 6. Like those in the environmental movement attaching themselves to the colour green, UW’s Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is pushing for the colour orange to signify making decisions with a socially responsible mindset. “Be Orange isn’t about trying to destroy the way people live, it’s about enhancing existing lifestyles. People in our society put so little thought into the broader consequences of our everyday actions,” said Sam van Berkel, VP Communications of UW’s EWB. He continued, “To me, being orange means living a deliberate life. How can I go about my day-to-day life and — instead of supporting systems and processes that have a negative impact on people on the other side of the world- how can I consciously alter my choices to have a positive impact?” Among the simple things van Berkel and the Be Orange campaign suggest we do to make a positive impact are switching to Fair Trade coffee, bananas, and other products, volunteer with a social justice club, experience a new culture through film, or cuisine, or talk to your Member of Parliament about what part Canada is playing in issues such as trade justice and international poverty reduction. “The idea isn’t to get people to stop wearing T-shirts, it’s about getting them to think consciously about how they can take an everyday action and have a positive impact with it,” said van Berkel. So why orange? It’s EWB Canada’s unofficial colour and was already made use of on the website and all the promotional material, said van Berkel. Coincidently though, the use of orange in the Be Orange
Michael L. Davenport
UWSP co-ordinator Mathieu Poirier (far right), Feds President-elect Justin Williams (second from right) and others show their support for Engineers Without Borders “Be Orange Campaign” while awaiting a frigid drenching last Thursday outside the SLC. campaign taps into a reservoir of signification. “Once we got to thinking more deeply about the concept of Be Orange, we realized that the colour orange has some historical significance as well. Throughout history it’s been used as a symbol for social change, [from] the orange revolution in the Ukraine, [to] the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (now the NDP), lead by Tommy Douglas that fought for universal free healthcare,” said van Berkel. If you missed Thursday’s kickoff, chances are there will be at least one more Be Orange event this term. In addition, UW’s EWB hope that the Be Orange campaign will continue from term to term, progressing as it develops. “Eventu-
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ally, we’d like to see the idea adopted by other groups on campus with similar goals, as well as other EWB chapters at different universities,” said van Berkel. With some hard work and perseverence, van Berkel hopes that the Be Orange campaign will be a success: “Hopefully with time the concept of Be Orange will become a staple of life at UW and EWB
will be able to focus on providing students with new and creative ways of making their lives a little oranger…The most important thing is to be conscious of how your actions impact the lives of people in developing countries. We want students and community members to do some research, start learning, and take action.” For more information, check out
the UW Engineers Without Borders website at www.uwaterloo.ewb.ca. Those interested in getting more involved with EWB specifically can show up at one of the weekly meetings typically held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays in RCH 307. Make sure to check out the website for confirmation prior to heading out. mbaldasaro@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
Campus & community events Keep current digitally
Monday, March 17 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. @ FLEX Lab, 3rd floor, Dana Porter Library The Keep Current hands-on session will demonstrate how to save your search strategies in various databases and have the results emailed to you on a regular basis. Covers research databases including Web of Science and CSA, e-journals, CISTI Source, and alerting services. Register at http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/usered/index. html
GLOW Wednesday Night Discussion Group
Wednesday, March 19 8:15 - 9:30 p.m. @ PAS Building, Room 3005 This group provides an opportunity for members of the local queer community and their allies to get together to meet new people while discussing topics of interest. The group has its roots in Peer Support and confidentiality is assured. All are welcome.
Law School Bound Thursday, March 20
New German Cinema – Films from the 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. 1970s and 1980s @ Tatham Centre (TC 1208) Tuesday, March 18 7:30 - 10:00 p.m. @ RCH 301
Classics films from the 1970s and 1980s (with a few recent films thrown in for good measure). All films are in German with English subtitles or in English. Open to the public. Hosted by the Germanic & Slavic Studies department. Admission is free.
Vagina Monologues
Wednesday, March 19 to Thursday, March 20 7 p.m. @ Theatre of the Arts An annual, international tradition now in its 10th year around the globe. The production, a series of monologues seeking to empower positive representations of female sexuality, will be performed by UW students and supplemented by tasty, relevant goodies. Admission is $7.
CTV’s Daine Vernile in discussion with Dr. Andrew Cooper
Tuesday, March 18 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. @ Centre for International Governance Innovation, 57 Erb Street West, Waterloo In his latest book Andrew Cooper explores the shift from traditional diplomacy by professionally trained civil servants to a new form of advocacy by famous entertainers and entrepreneurs. Book signing follows. RSVP at http://www.cigionline.com Free admission.
Are You Thinking of an MBA? Wednesday, March 19 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. @ Tatham Centre 2218 A and B
Hear information from a current MBA student, a representative from the MBA program from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a career advisor from the Univerity of Waterloo about applying for an MBA. A question & answer period follows. RSVP online by vuisiting http://careerser vices.uwaterloo.ca, and clicking on “Workshops/events.”
Hear about best practices to prepare an effective law school application. Presented by John Richardson (Toronto), lawyer, author and provider of professional test preparation programs. Sign up online at http://www.careerservices.uwaterloo. ca/workshopsevents/.
Teaching English Abroad Thursday, March 20 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. @ Tatham Centre (TC 1208)
Find out about what TESOL certification is, whats the relationship is between a certificate and employment, what the skills are required to teach English second language, and job opportunities in the field. The event will be presented by John Richardson. Sign up online at http://www.careerservices.uwaterloo.ca/ workshopsevents/.
Jennifer Henderson reporter
3, 2, 1, Blast off Shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven blasted into orbit on Tuesday, March 11, according to the Associated Press, on what was to be the longest space station mission ever. Launching out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, the crew prepared for a 16-day voyage to build a gangly robot and add a new room that will serve as a closet for a future lab. The space shuttle roared from its seaside pad at 2:28 a.m., lighting up the sky for miles around as it took off on a multinational flight involving Canada and Japan. The last time NASA launched a shuttle at nighttime was in 2006. Only about a quarter of shuttle flights have begun in darkness. The launch is the second of six planned shuttle missions this year, all but one to the space station. NASA faces a 2010 deadline for finishing the station and retiring its shuttles.
Rockets over Israel After an Israeli raid of the West Bank, Palestinian militants in Gaza launched a rocket Tuesday at the Israeli city of Ashkelon. A pursuant Israeli raid saw 5 Palestinian militants killed. Islamic Jihadists retaliated by firing 12 rockets at Israeli that night. The heightened violence threatens to upset a recent period of calm, however brief, since the last spate of conflict. The rocket fire came during a lull in fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. Intense violence had left three Israelis and 120 Palestinians dead, including dozens of civilians, in recent weeks. During that fighting, dozens of rockets hit Israel every day, including many that targeted Ashkelon. This was the first time the coastal town was heavily bombarded by Palestinian militants. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had left Ashkelon a short time before the rocket hit. The rocket landed in an open area south of the city of 120,000 people, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told the Associated Press. No one was injured in the initial volley.
Holocaust survivors to be paid The Belgian government and banks agreed on Tuesday to pay $170 million to Holocaust survivors, families of victims and the Jewish community for their material losses during World War II, according to the Associated Press. Campaigners welcomed the decision to compensate those whose property and goods in Belgium had been looted by Nazi occupiers. “In a certain way, justice has been done,” said Eli Ringer, co-chair of the committee on the restitution of Jewish assets. Overall, $54 million will be paid to individual claimants, with the rest going to a Jewish trust
that will help the poor and keep the memory of the horrors of the Holocaust alive.
China unwilling to abandon One-Child Policy The Times reported Tuesday that China will not consider changing its one-child policy for at least a decade, fearing that a population surge could spark social and economic instability. Zhang Weiqing of the State Population and Family Planning Commission told the official China Daily newspaper that the one-child rule should be maintained for now. “Given such a large population base, there would be major fluctuations in population growth if we abandoned the one-child rule now,” he was quoted as saying. Any change in the policy would be considered only after the end of the country’s next birth peak in 10 years, Zhang said. Over the next decade, nearly 200 million people are expected to enter childbearing years.
Al-Qaeda kidnapping under investigation Al-Qaeda in Islamic North Africa claimed responsibility for kidnapping two Austrian tourists last month in Tunisia in an audio recording aired Monday on Al-Jazeera television, reported CNN. A man who identified himself as Salah Abu Mohammed said in the recording that the terrorist group kidnapped the two Austrians on February 22 in retribution for Western co-operation with Israel. Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Gaertner said that a large-scale search had been under way since the two Austrians were reported missing. They had been identified as Wolfgang Ebner and Andrea Kloiber in the al-Qaeda statement. Austrian media have identified Ebner as a 51-year-old tax consultant from the town of Hallein and 43-year-old Kloiber as his girlfriend.
Five U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq’s capital It was the deadliest single attack on American soldiers in Baghdad since the height of the troop buildup here last summer. A man walked up to a group of American soldiers on foot patrol in an upscale shopping district in central Baghdad on Monday and detonated the explosives-filled vest he was wearing, reported the New York Times. The blast killed five soldiers and wounded three others. Nine Iraqi civilians were also wounded in the blast, according to officials at Yarmuk Hospital, where the victims were taken. Reports from Iraqi witnesses suggest that the soldiers may have let down their guard because of the relative quiet of the last few months, leaving the safety of their Humvees and chatting with residents and shopkeepers.
News
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
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Zerofootprint Students walk for Darfur Website aims to stomp out pollution Chris Miller staff reporter
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he University of Waterloo has teamed up with Zerofootprint, a Toronto-based non-profit organization founded in 2005, to bring Zerofootprint to the Waterloo students. Launched on March 8 in the Student Life Centre, the UW campaign features a Zerofootprint — a calculator that can quickly quantify a rough estimate of your impact on the environment based on the details of your lifestyle such as eating meat, driving a car, and whether or not you recycle. Involved in the activities were the deans of the two faculties — environmental studies and applied health sciences – along with Ron Dembo, an engineering alumnus and president of Zerofootprint. According to project co-ordinator Patti Cook of the environmental science program, “the Zerofootprint University of Waterloo Calculator will allow UW students, staff, and faculty to determine their carbon footprint — the impact we each make on the environment based on our lifestyle.” In 15 minutes, Zerofootprint promises, you can get a picture of your “carbon footprint” — the measure of the greenhouse gases an individual emits via consumption or activity. This can come from obvious sources such as home heating and automobiles as well as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels for energy involved in economic activities. Related to this, though independent of your lifestyle, is what is known as the “goods and
services footprint,” something that is particularly prominent among developed countries. This carbon comes from goods, services and infrastructure, but though it is integral to everyone’s lives, it is not captured by the footprint calculator. Instead, it is combined into a community factor. So what happens if you’re the environmental equivalent of a raging ball of fire, wiping out entire rainforests and untold species in your Kali-esque waltz of death? Don’t worry, Zerofootprint has some tips for you to curb your wasteful ways, ranging from a guide to “green commerce” (buying things that didn’t have a wasteful or destructive production) to online access to up-to-date news on environmental issues in the world. To find out more, visit the the UW version of the calculator at http:// zerofootprint.uwaterloo.ca or the main website at www.zerofootprint. net/calculators/uwaterloo to find further details and to take the test for yourself. cmiller@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Be your own boss Earn up to $3,000 in awards and turn what you love to do into a summer experience. Keep all business profits and develop entrepreneurial skills. Apply online at www.summercompany.ca. Application deadline: April 30, 2008. Summer Company is open to all students aged 15-29 who are returning to school in the fall.
For more information
rob.clement@kitchener.ca OR 519-741-2986
www.summercompany.ca
Jennifer Serrec
UW Genocide Action Group and UW Muslim Students’ Association sponsored the third annual Footsteps of Death: Walk for Darfur on March 26, attracting interested students
Opinion Friday, March 14, 2008 Vol. 30, No. 31 Student Life Centre, Room 1116 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 P: 519.888.4048 F: 519.884.7800 http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca Editor-in-chief, Maggie Clark editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Advertising & Production Manager, Laurie Tigert-Dumas ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca General Manager, Catherine Bolger cbolger@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Ad Assistant, vacant Sales Assisstant, Jason Kenney Volunteer Coordinator, Angela Gaetano Systems Admin. Dan Agar Distribution, Peter Blackman, Rob Blom Board of Directors board@imprint.uwaterloo.ca President, Adam Gardiner president@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Vice-president, Jacqueline McKoy vp@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Treasurer, Lu Jiang treasurer@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Secretary, Alaa Yassin secretary@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Staff liaison, Rob Blom liaison@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Editorial Staff Assistant Editor, Michael L. Davenport Lead Proofreader, Eric Gassner Cover Editor, Mark Kimmich News Editor, Travis Myers News Assistant, Marco Baldasaro Opinion Editor, Christine Ogley Opinion Assistant, Monica Harvey Features Editor, Dinh Nguyen Features Assistant, Cait Davidson Arts & Entertainment Editor, Andrew Abela Arts & Entertainment Assistant, Duncan Ramsay Science & Tech Editor, Adrienne Raw Science & Tech Assistant, Sherif Soliman Sports & Living Editor, Yang Liu Sports & Living Assistant, Olinda Pais Photo Editor, Jenn Serec Photo Assistant, Jamie Damaskinos Graphics Editor, Joyce Hsu Graphics Assistant, Yosef Yip Web Editor, Hoon Choi Web Assistant, vacant Systems Administrator, vacant Sys. Admin. Assistant, Peter Sutherland Production Staff Tejas Koshy, Paul Collier, Emma Tarswell, Tim Lawless, Matthew Wiebe Imprint is the official student newspaper of the University of Waterloo. It is an editorially independent newspaper published by Imprint Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. Imprint is a member of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA). Editorial submissions may be considered for publication in any edition of Imprint. Imprint may also reproduce the material commercially in any format or medium as part of the newspaper database, Web site or any other product derived from the newspaper. Those submitting editorial content, including articles, letters, photos and graphics, will grant Imprint first publication rights of their submitted material, and as such, agree not to submit the same work to any other publication or group until such time as the material has been distributed in an issue of Imprint, or Imprint declares their intent not to publish the material. The full text of this agreement is available upon request. Imprint does not guarantee to publish articles, photographs, letters or advertising. Material may not be published, at the discretion of Imprint, if that material is deemed to be libelous or in contravention with Imprint’s policies with reference to our code of ethics and journalistic standards. Imprint is published every Friday during fall and winter terms, and every second Friday during the spring term. Imprint reserves the right to screen, edit and refuse advertising. One copy per customer. Imprint ISSN 0706-7380. Imprint CDN Pub Mail Product Sales Agreement no. 40065122. Next staff meeting: Monday, March 17, 2008 12:30 p.m. Next board of directors meeting: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 11:30 a.m.
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008 opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Reinventing the wheel
Problems with Imprint coverage, and what we’re doing to improve
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omething is very wrong with Imprint. And it has been for some time. When I first started at this paper as a volunteer in Winter ’06, students of UW Drama and UW Athletics were our most regular and vocal critics. Student productions didn’t get the kind of coverage drama students wanted. Prominent student athletes didn’t get the accolades they deserved. Meanwhile, Imprint volunteers were frustrated — the sports section was almost always understaffed, and drama students only seemed willing to write for us when they needed immediate publicity (and even then, often with serious conflicts of interest). We only heard from UW Drama and UW Athletics when things went wrong; there was little positive reinforcement when coverage went right. (And if you want to talk about thankless work, ask any of my volunteers how much positive acknowledgement they receive from outside the office.) A feeling of dread would soon accompany any self-identifying member of either Drama or Athletics coming through our doors. We never print any content maliciously, but that didn’t stop some members from either group assuming “spite” to be the primary motivation for a lack of proper coverage. In short, there was a massive failure to communicate. Two years later, nothing has changed. Or if it has, it’s progressed perhaps for the worse. I wasn’t with this paper when the Homecoming issue — complete with a cover more befitting an allegiance to Wilfrid Laurier University’s athletics department — hit the stands last September, but anyone who mentions that paper to me is in for a few minutes of incoherent ranting and raving. However, the Imprint review of Alice in Wonderland happened during my time as EIC, and I’ll take responsibility for the further rift it’s formed between UW Drama and Imprint. But the real problem isn’t in individual stories — and it took a whole term of observing the UW news life cycle to reach this conclusion. The real problem runs much, much deeper: right
down to the basic structure of news reporting at Imprint. Essentially, we’ve been taught to print what’s urgent first, and then — if it can’t be urgent — what’s informative. And our sense of urgency hinges on actual events: a sports game, a gallery opening, a play in progress. I still remember my mentor’s firm response to a suggestion for covering UW theatre in advance: “We don’t print previews.” Which in one sense is very valid: the calibre of writing at that time was such that any preview would likely have been written as an unjustifiably glowing endorsement of the upcoming event.
“status reports” instead of previews and reviews. A really fantastic example of just such a story recently popped up in The New York Times, under the title, “Batman’s Burden: A Director Confronts Darkness and Death.” Loosely orbiting around the story of director Christopher Nolan, the piece ultimately gives insight into the culture of film-making itself — and in so doing, serves as a good example of how arts coverage of theatre and fine arts, as well as sports coverage of campus rec and varsity Warriors, can similarly be used to inform students about otherwise removed facets of university life. But providing that sort of coverage isn’t go-
The calibre of writing at that time was such that any preview would likely have been written as an unjustifiably glowing endorsement of the upcoming event. But in another sense, this journalistic mentality just doesn’t work. Not if we want to produce as comprehensive a weekly report as possible of what UW students are doing, and of what relevant things are happening around them. (And I assure you: even if it doesn’t always work, we are always trying to improve our coverage in these regards.) Instead, I strongly feel we need to shift away from the “urgency first” model when it comes to certain aspects of student life, and especially to get out of the mindset that we can only cover an event the week before or after it occurred. The basic test should really be: “What is most useful for students? What kind of coverage gives students the information they need to better participate in or gain awareness of their university community?” This is a lot harder, and a lot less intuitive, than it may sound — in large part because it requires training my staff to write a different kind of story:
ing to happen overnight — and I’m sorry to say we’ll likely only have it institutionalized (through new update features in both sections, and more expansive networking with both departments) just as winter 2008 draws to a close. In the meantime, this issue showcases two other redevelopment projects that have been in the works for the past few weeks: transforming Science and Technology into a section that better reflects the interests of our massively tech-based student population, and shaking News from its passive, after-the-fact reporting. So while there have definitely been problems during this, my first full term as EIC (and you’ll get a run down in my “report card” next week, as well as a chance to give feedback in our reader survey), I’m confident we’re doing better — if only because we know how very much we still need to improve. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Spitzer, roasted Prostitution ring humbles a proud man
I
n December of last year, I read a profile of now disgraced New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer in the New Yorker magazine. Of course, at the time of the article he wasn’t disgraced; the piece focused on his uncompromising moral standards and the frequent arrogance he displayed in dealing with those he considered part of the problem. Albany, the capital of New York, has a history of being a very insular political culture, rife with corruption and backroom deals; Spitzer campaigned for election based on the premise that he would be an agent of change who would clean up the legislator in much the same way that he cleaned up Wall Street when he was Attorney General. Spitzer was recently named as Client 9b in a federal investigation into a prostitution ring. He was picked up on at least six wiretaps and was clearly a return customer of the Emperor’s Club V.I.P. service. When I first saw the headlines I didn’t make the connection between the New Yorker profile I’d read and who the Governor of New York State was; my immediate reaction
was something along the lines of “those Puritan Yankees should just give it a rest.” Normally, I admire the French approach to the sex life of politicians. How a politician chooses to live their personal life isn’t really an issue for me, as long as it doesn’t impact their ability to govern. The French have a long history of ignoring the dilly dalliances of their public officials, rarely reporting it in the media; indeed, it seems to be the rare French president who has not had some love affair or another attached to them, to little detriment to their career. However, once I actually read the articles instead of just staring at the headlines I realized that Gov. Eliot Spitzer of the sex scandal was none other than Eliot Spitzer, the moralistic white collar crime crusader. I’m not a big fan of hypocrites under any scenario, but a hypocrite who has the power to legislate really grinds my gears. All that said, as of Wednesday March 12, Spitzer has resigned from his office, a wise move considering that he would have almost certainly been impeached anyway.
Once I actually read the articles instead of just staring at the headlines I realized that Gov. Eliot Spitzer of the sex scandal was none other than Eliot Spitzer, the moralistic white collar crime crusader.
Every time I hear some new scandal from our southern friends, it makes me a bit jealous. I mean, Canadian politics can be a bit staid as far as juicy exposés go, though we do get the wonderfully idiotic transcripts of question period to laugh at. However, in this case I think I’ll stick to the predictable. It’s doubtful that anyone saw Spitzer’s prostitution fuelled implosion coming; he was often touted as one of the Democrats’ rising stars and a possibility for a future presidential candidate. What’s interesting is that calls for his resignation have been near unanimous; the Democrats aren’t going to try to salvage him or his career, despite his much lauded potential. The apparently universal disappointment with his actions is in its own right reassuring; at least partisan politics don’t always trump good ol’ moral outrage. ghalpern@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Opinion
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
9
Are you there God? It’s me, Travis
The first of a 2 part series on homosexuality and religion
T
he rules of polite conversation dictate that there are two things that should never be discussed over dinner: politics and religion. Of course, nowadays the cat is out of the bag when it comes to politics, with political dicussion being a regular topic of conversation. On occasion it can result in some serious quarelling — probably why Miss Manners says politi-talk is a no-no. Like politics, religion is a topic that, for most, is not open to debate, or even possible to discuss in forum. But when it comes to Christianity, where does the LGBTQ population stand? An atheist friend of mine (who actively rejects religion at every turn) admitted that he felt,
as a gay person, that he had no place in his parents’ religion. His parents are staunch Catholics, he told me, and the Catholic doctrine they follow doesn’t leave room for him to be himself. The official papal denunciation of homosexual activity, he said, has had a similar effect on the majority of his ex-Catholic friends. This feeling is common among a lot of gays who are Christians by birth or baptism. There was a time when coming out of the closet meant trading in confessions and pews for dance music and gay bars — it was called the ‘70s — but with the gaining momentum of the “homophile movement� came more changes than were sought. In his 1978 novel Faggots, (which I might refer to as my bible if I weren’t doing a column on
sonia lee
I’m the son of two Anglican priests. I remember that when I came out to my family and friends the idea of continuing to attend church wasn’t even a question. I stopped going. My parents, though, had different ideas.
homosexuality and religion) Larry Kramer laid the groundwork for some of things we can see cropping up in gay life today. Kramer wrote of a man who was searching for more meaning to his life than the sex, drugs and debauchery that constituted gay culture in the 1970s. Of course, at the time being a self-accepting homosexual practising organized religion would have been unheard of, but Kramer was both a homosexual, and the epitome of a spiritual soul-searcher. At the same time as Kramer’s character was attempting to find his spiritual place on Fire Island, a movement was growing on the other side of the United States. Reverend Troy Perry, who was a married Baptist minister before coming out as a gay man, had began the first Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) a decade earlier. The movement, although originally consisting of only a few of his close friends, slowly picked up steam. Perry wasn’t the only non-heteronormative individual who felt that, despite the denunciation of homosexuality by most Christian denominations, he could forge his own connection to Christ. MCC now has 250 affiliated churches across the U.S., Canada and 21 other countries. I’m the son of two Anglican priests. I remember that when I came out to my family and friends the idea of continuing to attend church wasn’t even a question. I stopped going, justifying it to myself by reasoning, “if the congregation doesn’t want me there, I don’t want to be there.� My parents, though, had different ideas. My mother in particular worried that my spiritual well-being wasn’t a large enough priority in my life, as evidenced by some of the other reckless things I did at the time. I was in my phase of teenage rebellion and rejection of my parents’ ideals. I caved in to their concerns and started going to church on religious holidays to make them happy (and stop bugging me) after a year or so of blowing off God entirely. Although organized religion wasn’t my thing (and still isn’t), going back to church on holidays did me a great service. It allowed me the opportunity to re-examine and explore my place in the religious scheme of things. I realised a couple of important things. First off, when jerks like Fred Phelps and the rest of the
Westboro Baptist Church denounce homosexuality, they always go to a couple of Old Testament quotes. In Leviticus 18:22, it is stated that “you shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination,� and in Leviticus 20:13 it says that “if there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act.� As a gay Christian these should be looked at with a grain of salt for a few reasons. It should be known that there is a guy sittin’ around in Rome whose only job is to get messages from God on words in the Bible that need to be changed and change them. Not surprisingly, biblical quotes on the dicier topics such as homosexuality have all been changed to be less ambiguous in recent years. Also, the Old Testament has some other rules (my favourite of which includes the cutting off of a woman’s hand if she touches the genitals of another man besides her husband) that not even the most fundamental Christian would follow today. Secondly, what a lot of people forget is that when Jesus showed up he gave his people a new deal.
He basically said that all those crazy Old Testament rules to earn God’s love were out, and the new rule was simply that if you want God’s love, the only place to find it was through the J-man. I formed my own personal connection to the J-ster; Troy Perry found a way to organize a denomination for people living alternative lifestyles to express their connection to Christ. In a plainer sense, Christianity isn’t defined by the rules of any Bishop, Pope, priest or ancient Queen Spider – it is defined by your own feelings on your own terms, and that applies to everyone, no matter if you are gay or straight. So, for everyone out there who falls into the category of LGBTQQ2LOLWTFBBQ, and who has lost their connection to J.C. as a result of being gay, I’m going to issue a challenge. Easter is on the horizon. I’m not going to tell you to go to church unless you want to, but at the very least, try forming a new connection and see what happens. I’m sure the big guy will be happy to hear from you. tmyers@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Opinion
Letters Had a reaction to one of our articles, editorials or columns? Write a letter to the editor at letters@ imprint.uwaterloo.ca Re: Duped Vol. 30, Issue 30: March 7, 2008 In the article entitled “Duped Salon Scam Strikes UW Campus” your paper reported various inaccuracies regarding Ad Efx and the promotions it sells. Notably the article dubbed our promotions as “scams” and refers to Ad Efx as “salon scammers” stating that “Ad Efx cannot and should not be trusted if seen on campus.” Moreover, your article suggests that Ad Efx sells phony packages with an intention to dupe the buyer. We refer to your statement “Many have been victimized by this scam” in this regard. These statements are untrue and in our
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008 view, were made without thorough and proper investigation. The reality is that Ad Efx promotes salons through the sale of certificates that typically contain four individual beauty packages. Prior to offering a promotion, all packages and the specific contents of the certificates are fully authorized by the salon owner, for print and sale. Ad Efx does not sell any promotion without the express written authorization of the salon owner who will be honoring the certificate. Ad Efx has been in business since 1986, and over the years has promoted thousands of salons and spas with great success for their clients. Periodically, and for unforeseen reasons, salons are unable or refuse to honour the certificates. If this occurs all the customer need do is call the customer service number on the back of the certificate (888-4623339) and advise us of their redemption difficulty. Ad Efx will replace the certificate with one of equal or greater value/services at another salon. In this particular instance, we were promoting two different salons in the Kitchener Waterloo area. One of them ceased operations prior to honouring
all of the certificates, and the other one has had difficulty in honouring them for reasons which are not fully known to us at the time of print of this letter. We were made aware of the situation by those purchasers who read the entire certificate, and contacted our customer service number on the back of it. As soon as we became aware of the problem, we secured two fantastic and reputable unrelated salons who were gracious enough to help in the servicing of the displaced coupon purchasers. At the beginning of January, we began calling the phone numbers of all original purchasers we had on file to set up exchanges, and our customer service department fielded a number of calls related to this matter. All of these customers’ certificates were exchanged and they were fully satisfied. Unfortunately for Ad Efx, Ms. Baker apparently did not read the entire promotion, failed to contact our customer service number, did not provide us an opportunity to address her concerns, and rectify any dissatisfaction. Other consumers make the same mistake, assume they have no recourse,
and make false and unfounded statements. Once these untruths hit the “World Wide Web” retractions do little to restore the damage done. Ms. Baker reported that “The advertising company has received 11 complaints in the last 36 months. Five complaints existed before that.” in relation to complaints made to the Better Business Bureau. Granted zero complaints or a perfect record is ideal, 11 complaints in 36 months out of literally 10s of thousands of sales, is very respectable. One must also bear in mind that not all of the complaints are meritorious. Ad Efx sells terrific promotions that contain great value. They stand behind their product, and make every reasonable effort to align themselves with reputable salons. Studio T salon is not only a great salon and spa, it is run by great people. We invite the readers of this letter to visit Studio T Salon at 678 Belmont Ave. Suite 202 or call for an appointment 519886-8624.
— Steve Boutin V.P. of Marketing
Re: C U @ my place 2nite Vol. 30 Issue
23: January 18, 2008 After I read your article titled “Gay. com: C U @ my place 2nite?” released on Friday, January 18, 2008 which was about a series of gay partners seeking on-line activities, I was very shocked – not only because of the issue itself, but more for the complex forms of internet interactions and the connections they've brought. Here I would like to share my personal feelings about the chaotic complexity appearing on the Internet regarding the case you reported. First of all, although I'm straight, I have no problem with people who are gay or lesbian; and I have no problem with people who are trying to find partners. I am just shocked to find that people would do it in such an unknown and unsafe way. On the other hand, the power of the internet is also unbelievable. People far from each other with tiny little information known about one another could contact, communicate, and do whatever they want easily. Of course, everything has two sides: we could enrich our knowledge, make friends, and know what is happening in every corner of the world; or, increase opportunities for danger. The diversification provides different kinds of people with different kinds of needs, but are we benefiting or losing? While we are absorbing information, did we lose things such as morality and chastity? In the case this article provided, did people really get joy and lose nothing? Moreover, did the internet choose us, or we chose the internet? — Yichen (Michelle) Ma 1B Environment and Business
Re: Can you hate a religion without hating its followers?, Imprint, Vol. 30, Issue 29: Feburary 29, 2008
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I personally do not agree with “hating a religion without hating its followers,” obviously not everyone has the same religious beliefs but why does one have to “hate” a religion in the first place? There’s a fine line between expressing your opinion and degrading a religion, and I think that line has been crossed with the degradation of Muslim faith. Those who express damaging opinions only understand what they want to understand, they ignore the obvious, that everyone can practise the religion of their choice. I agree with Iman Kurdi; even though I do not practise Islam, I too felt the hurt. The word “hate” is such a strong word used against a religion that is not their own, it’s a disgrace, and it’s disappointing to see such racial comments still exist. I do not agree with hating a religion or the people who practise that religion because I believe it is just another form of racism. — Karen Wong
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Opinion
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
11
St. Paddy’s: about more than drinking
Y
ou may not realize this, but in just three days, the Bomber will have a line formed before you get to class — maybe even before you wake up. Monday is, after all, St. Patrick’s Day, and in the next few days I fully expect many of you to find yourselves stinking drunk, possibly while making a fool of yourself among friends both new and old. As unique a holiday as St. Paddy’s Day may well be, reflection on Ireland, St. Patrick, and alcohol will show the ties they have to the Canada we know today. Despite its size, Ireland has been a large source of new Canadians. Waves of Irish immigrants came to Canada throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, drawn by the promise of a new land, and sometimes pushed by forces from home, such as war and famine. Countless ships came from Europe, carrying millions of Irish to Canada and the United States in the 19th century, providing a great deal of manpower to help build and shape both countries. In their “green machine” voting blocks they helped to shape elections as well. Saint Patrick, who we celebrate — knowingly or not — on Monday, is well known around the world. It is said that he banished all the snakes from Ireland, a noteworthy feat indeed. This banishment is said to represent his work to convert the Irish to Christianity from their pagan beliefs.
Not to say that St. Patrick was solely responsible for this conversion, but can you imagine what North America would be like if these millions of Irish immigrants were not Christians, but pagans? If they had been, it is possible that their beliefs, many of which centered around nature, could have led us down a different path. The World Health Organization pegs our alcohol consumption at over 8L of pure alcohol a year. As much as some would like to think of Canada as a nation of heavy drinkers, The Economist would rank us around 40th in the world, right alongside the U.S., with Ireland’s nearly 14L second only to Luxembourg, whose citizens partake of close to 16L of pure alcohol each year. It makes our levels seem quite reasonable. Alcohol itself has been a part of Canadian politics since the beginning; our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald is said to have been an alcoholic from an early age. Of late, scandals have visited many of our leaders due to their drinking, with mixed results. BC Premier Gordon Campbell was caught driving under the influence in Hawaii, granting him a mugshot to be plastered throughout the media, and yet today he appears to be doing well running the province. Ex-Premier Ralph Klein, onetime ‘king of Alberta,’ has had numerous
well-covered incidents with alcohol over the years, and yet none seemed to tarnish his career, perhaps even endearing folks to his perseverance through those challenging times. We might also wonder how many times alcohol has been used by those running for public office to encourage supporters to gather, and to placate them. Donna Jacobs recently wrote in the Ottawa Citizen of stories of alcohol winding its way through politics, even “of getting a mickey of rye to go to the polls, just to oil the vote,” in some unnamed part of Nova Scotia in days long gone by. Really, St. Paddy’s day should make us pause to think about our country. Take a moment to think of all the immigrants, like the Irish, who helped shape this country. Think of and thank alcohol, perhaps, for being the social lubricant that, properly enjoyed, it can be. Think of how it brings strangers in our country together, and helps them to get acquainted and share a good laugh. There is plenty of meaning to this holiday that gets lost in all the hubbub — it can be an important symbol of our history and hope for our future. But let’s not forget that after we pause to think, we should get back to toasting and enjoying the company and good times that life has to offer us all.
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joyce hsu
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Opinion
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
When does debate become wrong? Ashley Csanady staff reporter
Christine Ogley staff reporter
T
he amount of debate and discussion that occurs not only in the classroom, but perhaps more notably outside of the official walls of academia, is one of the most amazing things about university. Walk through the SLC and you’ll hear people talking or deliberating everything from safe sex practices to bringing Jesus into your life. It’s this freedom of expression, the idea that everything is fair game as long as it’s for the sake of furthering the discourse, that I, Ashley, love about university. So when I was walking through the SLC Monday morning, I was appalled to see the cover of the National Post, which read “Is abortion too hot a topic for campuses.” Quickly grabbing the paper, I flipped it over and began to read on my way to the Tim Hortons line. According to the article, an abortion debate was cancelled last week at York University after it was nixed by the president of their Graduate Student’s Association, Kelly Holloway, and the executive who run the student centre where the debate was to be held. Holloway, who discovered the event planned to play host to Jose Ruba of the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform in Calgary, decided the infamous speaker, who regularly shows gruesome photos of aborted foetuses and likens the act to a Holocaust, was inappropriate in a diverse campus environment. At first, despite being someone who is staunchly pro-choice, I was miffed at the idea that any kind of debate was stifled — especially at a university where discussion, debate and critical thinking should be protected. After reading on, however, I realized Holloway had a point. “It would be equivalent to having a debate over whether or not you can beat your wife. People in this country have had the debate over abortion. The Supreme Court made a decision, and that’s good enough for me,” said Holloway in the article. Still mulling this over my morning coffee, some quick Googling quickly confirmed for me that abortion is, in fact, a right protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and it has been for 20 years. A background article on the history of abortion law in Canada from cbc.ca, “Abortion rights: A timeline of developments,” states that in 1988 “The Supreme Court of Canada [struck] down Canada’s abortion law as unconstitutional. The
law [was] found to violate Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it infringes upon a woman’s right to ‘life, liberty and security of person.’” That fact is, no matter how important free speech may be, there are certain debates that should be closed — and for a reason. It may sound extreme to say that debating abortion should be on the same level as debating the Holocaust, but then again maybe it isn’t. Challenging abortion rights, in any forum, challenges the idea that a woman should have control of her own body and endangers her right to do so. While there is a definite moral debate to be had regarding when life begins, that should occur outside of civic life and removed from public institutions. We need to consider what kind of impact continuing this debate really has, because “for many teenaged girls and women, particularly those who are poor, live in rural areas, are young, disabled, Aboriginal, are in a racial minority, are immigrants, or who do not speak English or French — those who are the most vulnerable — access to abortion is limited. In some provinces, abortions are not available at all. Only 17.8 per cent of all general hospitals provide abortion services, a decrease from 20.1 per cent in 1977,” states an article called “Abortion: ensuring access” in the Canadian Medical Journal. When you bear in mind that abortion is a right still only afforded to a privileged few, Holloway’s stance becomes all the more defensible. It comes down to the fact that the debate that lingers regarding a woman’s right to choose is a religious and moral one. Your personal stance on abortion and the decision to have one or not, like the decision whether or not to marry and what faith you practice, should be left out of the civil sphere and made by individuals. The scientific community has spoken. The courts have spoken. And the Charter protects the right. Much like the Holocaust, stifling the debate is acceptable because helps ensure the “never again” side of things. Holding a debate like this asks that women consider once again endangering themselves in back alley practices, or be forced to carry to term a baby that wrecks emotional and physical havoc upon her well being. And to that I say, “never again.” acsanady@imprint.uwaterloo.ca cogley@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Editor’s Note: As of March 8, 2008, Robert J. Tiffin, vice-president of students at York University, Toronto, says the incident is “regrettable” and “York’s administration is working on a request from one of the students involved, to arrange suitable venue on university property where this debate can take place,”
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Features
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008 features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Eating green on campus
Andrea Lorentz reporter
M
ention the word “vegetarian,” and visions of pale, dreadlocked hippies picketing outside the butcher’s shop with “Meat is Murder” signs may come to mind. But are all vegetarians such lettuce-loving liberals? According to Matt Heppler, co-president of the relatively new UW Vegetarians group, there is not one description that can be assigned to the term. “Many people give different definitions of ‘vegetarian.’ To me, a vegetarian is someone who does not consume animal products.” Of course, the kinds of animal products, and the amounts consumed, define varying degrees of vegetarianism. These range from the semi-vegetarian, who has given up red meats but continues to eat poultry and fish, to the vegan, who eats exclusively from plant sources. There are vegetarians who choose to further express their beliefs in other aspects of their life. Some choose to reflect their food choices through clothing: by means of not wearing anything made from animals; while others may also see vegetarianism through commercial choices: not eating eggs and or honey because they feel that chicken and bees too are exploited cruelly. So why do so many students opt for a greener diet? “Everyone has different reasons for abstaining from these [animal] products,
but the majority of vegetarians do so for ethical reasons,” says Heppler. In fact, UW Vegetarians exists for the very purpose of ensuring that all animals receive ethical treatment. More specifically, the group serves as a social network and a hub for activism to deal with issues involving animals. One of the campaigns currently in the works by UW Vegetarians is the implementation of a “student choice” policy, which would offer all undergraduate students a selection of alternatives in classes that use animals. “No student should be required to participate in activities that they morally object to,” says Heppler. “By implementing this policy, these classes would be more inclusive.” The effort for student choice within the classroom involves all levels of the university, including students, faculty, administration, and Feds. The hope is that certain classes will not be avoided due to the use of animals. But the ill treatment of animals is not the only reason why so many students on campus go without meat. Some choose a vegetarian lifestyle out of concern for the environment. According to Heppler’s research, it takes nearly five thousand gallons of water to produce one pound of meat, while only 25 gallons are needed to grow one pound of wheat. He also finds that cutting out meat from our diets would reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced yearly by 1.5 tonnes per person.
Finally, one of the last popular reasons for going veggie is for the health benefits. “It has been proven to reduce your chances of getting cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and numerous other chronic diseases,” explains Heppler. He also states that an association can be made between being overweight and eating meat. “Vegetarians are far less often overweight and obese, and therefore suffer far less from the symptoms associated with being overweight.” Sure, there are skeptics out there who may be thinking, “What about essential vitamins and minerals like iron and vitamin B12?” Heppler argues that the best sources of iron do not come from animals, but from leafy, dark green plants such as spinach. His research has also led him to find that vitamin B12 is actually a product of digestive bacteria, evident even in herbivorous animals, and thus could be produced outside the direct consumption of mammals. Those looking to find the vitamin can find more that enough of it in soymilk. For those looking for support in making the transition from meaty meals to an all veggie diet, or are interested in participating in animal activist movements, currently UW Vegetarians holds their general meetings on Mondays in room 2136 of the SLC at 4:30 p.m. More information is available on the UW Vegetarians website at uwveg.uwaterloo.ca.
Warning: maintaining a healthy vegetarian diet Cait Davidson assistant features editor
S
ome vegetarians may struggle with maintaining a healthy nutritional regime after cutting meat and other products out of their diet. As noted in a CNN report on health, in a non meat diet, Protein can be a major concern. While some vegetarians can get their protein from milk-products and eggs, others that don’t consume dairy products, need to find other sources. Legumes, nuts, seeds,
whole grains and soy products are all alternate sources of protein. As well, one needs to consider a full array of vitamins and minerals; such as iron, calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D, which are only found in animal products. Vegan.org recommends that vegetarians either take B12 supplements or foods prepared with it, for example, Red Star Nutritional yeast as well as in some fortified cereals. A deficiency in B12 can cause permanent nerve damage, fatigue and depression. The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) also mentions
that while maintaining healthy nerve cells and red blood cells as well as being needed to make DNA. Calcium is not something that those who consume dairy products need to worry about. For vegans, kale, broccoli and spinach all contain calcium. Fortified soymilk, calcium settofu, dried figs and fortified orange juice also are excellent supplements to a diet lacking calcium. The ODS mentions that calcium is needed in the body to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis, as well as losing weight and avoiding cancer.
Raisins, whole grain bread, spinach, tofu, oatmeal and many other foods are sources of iron. Iron deficiency anemia is dangerous as it can slow cognitive and social development in children, can cause fatigue and weakness, cause a decreased immune system function and even cause an inflamed tongue (glossitis). Vitamin D is found only in vitamin D fortified foods and sun exposure, other than meats. Healthy sun exposure is how most people get their vitamin D, but in Canada from November to February vitamin D absorption is too low to rely
mainly on that. Well known diseases caused by vitamin D deficiency are rickets and osteomalacia. As mentioned earlier, the most important part of choosing the vegetarian lifestyle is maintaining balanced and healthy nutrition. For more information and advice on how to become a vegetarian or learn how to eat properly as a vegan, or other types of vegetarianism try vegan.org or the Vegetarian Resource group at http://www.vrg.org/. cdavidson@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Joyce Hsu
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Features
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
Save your cash; kick poster ass
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t’s that wonderful time of year: fourth year research project time! Usually this doesn’t mean much to most students, but if this is your final term of undergrad, you’re probably scrambling to get results and present a fourth year project — that is, if you haven’t already done it. As for graduate students, getting data together and presenting it in poster form is probably second nature to you by now, even if your posters are in an undisclosed location for fear of horrible and/or fraudulent results, or embarrassing colour schemes and design, or both. Now you’re probably thinking, “Ira, what does printing a research poster have to do with saving money?” Well, stick with me here. While there are ways to save money in everything you do, making a nice research poster has longer lasting effects. As fellow ERS students and myself have just come out of the poster-printing process with not-so-fresh spirits, I figure it’s a good time to share some thoughts on research posters in general. Thus, I’m continuing the thinly-yeiled narrative of my life through this column — hopefully, someone finds it entertaining (and hopefully in a laughing with-me and not at-me sort of way). To be blunt, having a great research poster says a lot about you and can open up a lot of doors. You may catch the attention of faculty or visiting academics who could then offer you a future, or your colour scheme and Photoshop wizardry can gain you the compliments and respect of your peers. Perhaps more importantly, you won’t be the subject of quiet ridicule from passers-by in the hallways who feel like they can judge the quality of your research based on the colours and layout even though they may not know a damn thing about enzyme
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kinetics or bacterial gene transfer. Having a pretty poster means respect, which means increased self-esteem — this equals happiness, which means less money spent on fulfilling a void from being unhappy, which is less money spent by yourself boozing.
Software This will affect how your poster looks, as well as your sanity (in the long run). There are a bunch of desktop publishing applications out there to suit everyone’s needs and skills, but the two most popular ones are probably Microsoft Publisher and Adobe InDesign. You should be able to access both these programs at computer labs across campus. Personally, I’m partial to InDesign, but use what’s right for you.
Plan ahead Printer selection is probably going to be motivated by two factors: cost and your timeline, each can be dependent on the other. If you don’t have a lot of time, you’re probably going to pay dearly to get your poster printed off as soon as possible. This is where big dogs like Kinkos really make their money — yes, they’re open 24 hours and, usually, have a fast turnaround time, but it will probably cost you dearly in comparison to other printers. Be sure to call print shops ahead of time and find out when you’re going to have to submit your files to get them printed by your deadline, and stick to that schedule. The longer the wait the more money you’ll likely have to spend. Calling ahead can also be beneficial when dealing with smaller copy shops, because you’ll likely be speaking with the owner who can give you a firm,
honest answer on turnaround time, compared to larger shops where you’ll speak to a number of different people from day to day, who all tell you different things.
Sizing Along with pricing and deadlines, I can’t stress enough the importance of ensuring your project will print logistically. For those ambitious types who may not be able to fit all their data and text into the usual 3’ x 4’ poster, be aware that sometimes you don’t have a choice. Be sure to find out the sizes of bond paper available to print on ahead of time. You don’t want to spend two days as an insomniac working on a poster that’s 50’’ by 46’’, only to have someone tell you, with just the right amount of false sympathy, that the only size of bond paper available is 36’’.
Don’t get too attached This is the story of my life, and other Adobe addicts. You may have high hopes for your poster, and that’s great, but don’t let them run you into the ground. Things may not work out as you planned, and in the end, it’s better to look back on your poster and realize that you didn’t spend three days working in Adobe Illustrator to hand-draw your experimental methods to better illustrate the basics of a root tissue ethyl acetate extraction, only to realize that it had to be cut out of the final poster entirely due to size restrictions. Yes, it would have been a completely awesome poster in the end, but having that time back, with less stress, to work on the other work you have is likely just as beneficial in the end.
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Print a proof beforehand This isn’t possible at all printers, but if you can get a proof printed, do it. The following is printing advice that you should never, ever forget. Colours will never look the same on your monitor as they do in a hard copy printout. You may as well get comfortable with this little fact now; it will save you days of frustration in the future. Monitors illuminate everything on screen by default, so colours look more exact and also brighter, fuller, and, frankly, sexier. Ink, on the other hand, is different. The colours are absorbing more light, and are not illuminated artificially the way they are on screen. Trust me, it’s true. I printed out flyers this summer that used black and white photos on a kickass acid green background. When I got them printed, however, the green had turned from bright acid, to dark forest. The pop was gone. How do you best deal with this dilemma? Well, depending on what publishing software you use, it’s best to input colours with CMYK values. This colour system is the most common in the print industry, and so it has the best chance of being translated well. This is also where getting a proof ahead of time is invaluable. If this service isn’t available at your printer, consider saving your project as a .pdf file and printing out a colour copy or two on an 8.5’’ x 11’’ sheet. It’s worth spending a couple dollars on a good preview of your poster than spending a huge chunk of change to print the final job, and realizing that the colours completely suck.
Abstain from background photos Background photos can be striking, true. You may have a photo that is absolutely fantastic and thematically relevant to your research. Great! But you know what’s even more striking? How much of an idiot you’ll look like when you forget to set the transparency levels on your photograph, and your dark text becomes illegible. Trust me, there are always people who forget this step. Do you really want to throw your time and money away? Just like Mellee Mel said, “...it’s nobody’s fault but your own!”. Sure, he was talking about cocaine addiction in White Lines, but I feel it’s really the same sentient. Also, I’m falling
low on my quota of genesis-era hip hop references.
A tale of two printers The new guys on the block, The Essential Image offer a ridiculously good deal to UW students to help them in their time of need: $3.75/square foot for colour printing! Lamination also costs about $20 for the whole poster (assuming an approximate size of 12 square feet). They have fantastic service, and were extremely accommodating when faced with a zombie-like mass of fourth year ERS students who all needed to get their posters printed off in the same weekend. They even kept their shop open on Sundays to get everyone’s order processed. Other perks: online document submission, online quotes, cheque payment, and free parking! By comparison, Kinkos, or should I say FedExKinkos so as to be up on my corporate mergers, is the other end of the spectrum. The advantage here is that they’re open 24 hours — even on weekends — so there’s a good chance that you can get your poster printed off in one day or less. The bad news: it costs waaaaay more than smaller printing houses. Yep, you pay dearly for convenience — what a concept! At Kinkos, you’ll pay $9/sq. foot for colour copies, and $3/sq foot for lamination, should you choose. But wait! You’ll also pay an obscene $0.75 charge for — ready — trimming the lamination! Oh yes, you may be thinking that a small trim job would be either a) cost-effective business practice, or b) a common courtesy, but no! Apparently scissors cannot be factored into a $3/sq. foot charge. Amazing. Before I forget, you may as well buy an SPC Card if you’re going to Kinkos. You can save 30 per cent on all your print jobs there. Isn’t that wild?! The card that used to only save you $1 off a KFC meal is now the secret Achilles heel to gigantic corporate printing giants! The card costs about nine bucks, and is available right at their front desk. So, with a little careful planning, you too can make a totally kick-ass fourth year poster. Those “best poster” votes will be yours in no time! Until next time, keep those fists tight! isherr@uwaterloo.ca
Features
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
Body woes and body pros Brittany Baker reporter
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o, I’m just putting this out there, but when I last looked, most models in the media still look about two inches thick, and somewhere around 80 per cent of women are still dissatisfied with their bodies. This is nothing new. We’ve all seen the magazines with airbrush edwomen, and advertisements telling us how we should look. It’s the world we live in, and plenty of people aren’t happy about it — and plenty of people would do anything to be a part of it. That’s probably why the National Women’s Organization had this great idea. The idea was simple — that women and men shouldn’t have to look like the people in those advertisements. So they created a week. A week dedicated to teaching the general public that they didn’t have to be the people that television told them to be. They called this week, Love Your Body Week. The University of Waterloo’s Women’s Centre liked this idea. They thought they could use it to help their students. And they did. Like many other universities, last year the University of Waterloo has played host to Love Your Body Week, and they’ve met with success. However, this year, while others went on to repeat the event, the week of “Love
Your Body” did not reappear on this university’s event calendar. Love Your Body Week has been set up to help inform women and men about eating disorders, and of the dangers, which could affect those who find their bodies unseemly. It is a helpful, informative event, which educates students about the importance of loving their bodies, and keeping a healthier lifestyle, by means such as understanding signs and symptoms to hopefully prevent eating disorders. This year, the women’s centre could not choose to run the event because they didn’t have enough resources, such as volunteers. Since the women’s centre relies so heavily on those who volunteer to help with their events, their usual bigger events this year — such as Love Your Body Week — were cancelled, in favour of smaller, more easily manageable events, for fewer people. The unfortunate side effect of the smaller events are that “the word” cannot get out to as many people, as there is less advertising involved. This means that those such an important event could help, will never hear about it. In an interview, Ashley Kelly, a cocoordinator of the women’s centre, explained some ways that students can help to raise more awareness towards events like Love Your Body Week, and help to ensure their occurrence in the future: “Students can help and benefit from events like Love Your Body Week by getting involved. Come out to the events, participate in organizing, and most importantly, send us your feedback [...] we want to hold events that students
are interested in, so telling us what you want to see is one of the best ways to improve the services that the women’s centre offers. We have been shifting the focus of our events to deal with what students are asking for, and been getting a lot of positive feedback from that. “For instance, we are working with the International Student Connection to arrange a social between our volunteers/members and women who are international students.” Which means, students, that it’s time to once again get involved in student activities to try and improve your university experience! After all, there are a lot of women wandering around campus. You might have spotted a few in your classes. But the message isn’t just for you ladies! Guys, you can help too, because you should Love Your Body just as much as the rest of us, and the media also targets you. However, just because “Love Your Body Week” is gone this year does not mean that the women’s centre is letting eating disorders go about unnoticed. In place of “Love Your Body Week,” the women’s centre is hosting a new event. They’re calling it a “Body Image Awareness Session,” which will be held on April 1, 2008 from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. in the Student Life Centre Multi-Purpose Room. It isn’t the same as “Love Your Body Week,” but at least the word is being spread about the many issues students face in terms of their eating habits. According to the women’s centre: “Part of the event will look at typical issues associated with body image:
weight, height, bust size, etc. But the event will also discuss some less frequently addressed topics such as ethnicity and body image and men and body image.” This event will be run by two volunteers (yes, I did say two) Neha Sethi and Pooja Punjabi who came to the women’s centre themselves with the idea. So what’s your excuse? Everyone should also remember this: If you or someone you know has an eating disorder, or is simply concerned about their body and health, then the women’s centre can help. They hold discussion groups, and have other informative events that could help a lot. They also offer further information on other Waterloo groups who can help people who have issues with their bodies. And don’t let the name of the centre fool you: Men are welcome too! After all, according to our recent media, all men should be iron-pumping hockey-playing tall muscle men, so guys, this affects you too, don’t be shy. In short, you can get out there and help to raise awareness for events like Love Your Body Week (or other favourites you think UW should have) by volunteering at the women’s centre. And if you have concerns about yourself — or a friend — remember that there are people out there who can help. Your university staff and fellow students want to help you, so let them — and feel free to give a little back. Joyce Hsu
Be smart. Get suspended. It’s easy to put your Bell Internet service on hold for the summer and reactivate it in September. It’s also free.1 Come September, we’ll automatically get you hooked up and back online. No worries, no waiting. Plus, make it easy to reconnect your service and you could win $500.2 Visit us on February 26 and March 27 in the Student Life Centre for details.
bell.ca/getsuspended (1) Customer must reactivate by September 30, 2008, otherwise $10/mo. will be charged for each month the account was suspended. (2) No purchase necessary. Contest is open to residents of Ontario and Quebec who have reached the age of majority in their province of residence. The contest begins on February 25, 2008 and ends on August 4, 2008. Twenty (20) prizes are available to be won. The draws will take place weekly from June 2, 2008 to August 4, 2008. The number of prizes decreases as they are attributed during the contest period. Rules available at bell.ca/getsuspended.
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Features
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Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
Fresh fruit — vibrant and smart
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instein was best known for his theory of relativity as well his mass- energy equivalence E=Mc². This intellectual was named “Person of the Century” by Time magazine. We know of his reputation but I’ve always wondered about the personality behind his works. After a bit of reading, I learned he was quite a romantic and enjoyed classical music as a form of relaxation. His preference for intellectual solitude no doubt fostered the many great scientific theories we know today. Einstein was also quite witty, a tad eccentric and outspoken (he never wore socks because he didn’t like them). In spite of his various idiosyncrasies and admirable stature in the scientific realm as a Nobel Prize winner, I have a soft spot for Einstein because we both share an affinity for good eats. As he said: “A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?” Or “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” March 14 is Einstein’s birthday and to celebrate a man whose name is synonymous with genius, it is only
fitting to supply a recipe based on his notions of food. A smart salad will do the trick because it is a vegetarian dish and is unique because it is composed of fresh fruits. Einstein would adore this vibrant melange of fruits. The combination of cantaloupe, kiwi, and mango in a light sauce is the ideal brain fuel needed to digest any complexities the realm of academia may present. While you may think you have to wait until summer to enjoy these fruits, ideal climates in many places close to Canada (such as California) provide the perfect setting for these fruits to proliferate, allowing us to enjoy them year round. The true cantaloupe is actually named for a castle in Italy, and comes from Europe, but is actually not exported. What most of us consume as American “cantaloupes” are also known as muskmelons. Despite the discrepancy, this fruit has a soft orange tint and very juicy, sweet flesh. It also is an excellent source of vitamins A and C. Unripe cantaloupes can be stored at room temperature and ripe ones in the fridge. Once cut, wrap in plastic and store in the fridge and use within a day or two. However, be cautious
and avoid storing near foods with strong odours because it can easily pick them up. Kiwi fruit, also referred to as the Chinese gooseberry, is delightfully fuzzy on the outside and imparts a tingling sensation when biting into the flesh and edible seeds. People cannot decide whether this fruit tastes more like a pineapple or a strawberry. Even with its elusive taste, no one can deny that it tastes good. Just one kiwi provides 95 per cent of your daily vitamin C needs. The mango’s home country is in India, where mango trees are considered sacred. With a multifaceted exterior ranging from a grassy green to spotty deep red, the fragrant orange flesh is soft, juicy and sweet. Speed up the ripening process of mangoes by placing them in a paper bag at room temperature. Ripe mangoes can be placed in a plastic bag, stored in the fridge and used within five days. Mangoes are a rich source of vitamins A, C, and D. If you find yourself in a thought rut, catch a brain wave of genius with this Einstein inspired creation. tli@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
A World of Challenge
A career at the forefront of national security
Fresh Fruit Compote
Tiffany Li
Ingredients Fruits • 1 mango, peeled, and cut into cubes • 2 kiwifruits, peeled, cut into quarters • 1/2 of a cantaloupe, cut into segments and skin removed
Compote: • 1/4 cup sugar • 1/4 cup water • 2 tbsp honey • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract • 1 tbsp cornstarch • 1/2 tbsp cold water • 1 tbsp orange juice (or liqueur such as almond or strawberry)
For the fruits: Security matters to every Canadian. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) works at the forefront of national security to ensure that our country is a safe place to live and work. Our role is to investigate security threats, collect and analyze information and advise the Government of Canada on matters relating to the security of our country and its citizens. It’s a fast-paced environment where employees have opportunities to take on different challenges. The Service also fosters diversity and inclusion, and is representative of Canada’s population. Requirements To be considered for employment at CSIS, you must: • be a Canadian citizen residing in Canada for at least the past 10 years; • possess an undergraduate degree from a recognized institution or, for some positions, a community college diploma or certificate; and • be eligible to undergo the most stringent security process. The Service is actively recruiting qualified candidates from various ethnic backgrounds. For more information about CSIS or the positions currently available, please visit our Web site at www.csis.gc.ca.
For a rewarding career, choose to make a difference.
Join the CSIS team!
CSIS, an equal opportunity employer, has a drug-free policy.
www.csis.gc.ca
We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.
Arrange fruits decoratively in a bowl.
Make the compote: In a small saucepan, combine sugar, 1/4 cup water, and honey. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in cornstarch, and the 1/2 tbsp of cold water. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook for another 2 minutes. Cool mixture. Add vanilla and orange juice. Chill mixture in fridge until ready to serve. Ladle sauce over fruits. Add a level of indulgence with a dollop of creamy mascarpone cheese.
Correction In the March 7, 2008 issue of Imprint, the recipe ingredient list and measurements for “Baci Di Ricotta: Dreaming of ricotta kisses” were incorrect. The correct components are as followed: • 3/4 cup+ 1 tbsp ricotta • 2 large eggs • 1/2 cup+ 2 tbsp all-purpose flour • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon • 1 tbsp granulated sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Also check out Imprint online (www.imprint. uwaterloo.ca), Vol 30, No 30 for the correct list.
Features
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
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through foreign eyes
In view of a homeland David Yip staff reporter
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hina. What is it to you? Cheap mass produced goods? A growing economy? Maybe you think about the oft-quoted 1.2 billion people, which is actually now 1.3 billion, or approximately 39 Canadas. Maybe it’s the one-child policy, which affects 36 per cent of Chinese, or images of the Great Wall. Maybe the majestic Imperial Palace comes to mind, or the shocking footage from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Millennia of recorded history? Or last Communist bastion? (Good-bye Castro!) If you are of Chinese descent then maybe China represents home — at least an ancestral home. If you’ve been fortunate to visit, perhaps you miss the energy and excitement of its newly-glittering cities. Maybe your family is there. What is it to me? This article series is entitled “Through Foreign Eyes” but really, I am only half-foreign to China. China is all of those things I described previously, but it is of course much more. What I’ve seen though, in no way represents China as a whole — from north to south and east to west, China has some 56 ethnic groups and their corresponding cultures. What the world calls “Chinese food” is mostly southern Chinese food, partly because most early Chinese émigrés were southern Chinese. In fact, “Chinese food” entails at least four major styles of cooking, each with regional specialties. Just as French food is not just salade niçoise, Chinese food is not just dim sum. Booming coastal cities mask the underdeveloped countryside. Like Canada, there are urban or regional identities, so just as being from Toronto, Halifax, or Vancouver is laden with connotations, so is being from Guangzhou, Beijing, or Shanghai. Furthermore I’m from Hong Kong, a British colony from 1842 to 1997. While populated mostly by ethnic Chinese, those 155 years under the British Crown add another complication to what China is. Even driving over the border from Hong Kong into the border city of Shenzhen it is readily apparent that they are two very different places. My immediate family emigrated to Niagara Falls in 1987. We moved to St. Catharines in 1990, and my family has made efforts to haul me and my brother back to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China, regularly — maybe once every two or three years. Memories of those early visits are pretty hazy, but images of living in 27 story apartment buildings, watching early morning TV to deal with jet lag, and that shimmering Hong Kong skyline feature prominently. I remember watching with fascination as my mom hauled me off to fresh markets where fish swam in tanks, waiting to
be chosen, knocked out, gutted, and de-scaled right away. Freshness is important in Chinese food. Beggars on the streets were also new to me; no one slept on the street in suburban Ontario. I wonder if this early exposure to inequalities had a formative effect on my worldview. More recent visits are clearer to me through the magic of note-taking and pictures. In January 2002, the last term of high school, I spent three months in Guangzhou, a bustling city of 10 million to study Mandarin Chinese, the national dialect. The term “Cantonese” refers to Guangzhou’s historical English name of Canton.
identified seven of these: Loss of farmland, income gap, long-term unemployment, poverty, corruption, pollution, and psychological health. Apart from the traffic, something else stressed me out. Early weeks there were hard to take, not because of the new surroundings, but mostly because of my family — suddenly there was a lot of family around. Three uncles, an aunt, their corresponding spouses and children all seemed ready to talk. In the first weeks there it seemed like every day there was a family dinner, like every day I had to go out and entertain a new set of questions about some aspect of my life. For someone
latest coal mine explosion, Tibet, or Tiananmen anniversary. After that I didn’t visit again until 2005, mostly because of school. That visit, I didn’t stay in one place for long. I was a little more prepared for the family that time. I noted to myself that they were well meaning but talked incessantly, and considered the idea that they might be allergic to silence. That time I also tried to get out a little, as I have never really seen China on my own terms, having always been dragged around on a tour or by family. I was in a weird limbo where I was neither tourist, nor strictly native — attempts to explore on my own caused a minor
I remember being bewildered by the traffic. Just being in traffic — not even driving — stressed me out a little. Traffic in Guangzhou was more or less a free-for-all, as I’ve been told it is in Rome or Paris. Transport trucks competed with bicycles, cars, buses, motorcycles, and scooters all on the same road. Horns, generally unused in Canada, were blared with regularity in Hong Kong, despite clearly posted “No-horn” signs. Since then things have changed a little. On January 1, 2007 the city of Guangzhou banned motorcycles within city limits, and limits are often imposed on the movement of transport trucks at certain hours. The last time I went back in early 2007, traffic wardens sporting high-visibility vests and whistles worked hard to keep the surging traffic under control. Clearly authorities are not sitting on their hands, but the fact is that Guangzhou, and the rest of China, has a long list of problems to contend with — problems that have accumulated over the past two decades of breakneck growth. Traffic congestion is only one of them. In 2005 the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
who largely grew up in a three-person household in a quiet suburb it was overwhelming at the time, and at least on one occasion I ducked into my room just to get away from it all. I’ve heard people romanticize the big close-knit family, but at the time I wasn’t buying it. I wrote an article, perhaps similar to this one, about my impressions of China for my high school paper. Life, I noted, was more or less the same, Communist or not, but for the inaccessibility of certain websites and the occasional blackouts that occurred during news programs when the Hong Kong-based anchors talked about sensitive issues like the
panic with my family one morning when I walked down the a street of downtown Guangzhou on my own to a photo shop to have some pictures burned to CD. I suspected they were fairly convinced that I was unable to walk around on my own in the Chinese urban wilds. I figured they were overreacting. That said, the hotel where we stayed did have many friendly scam avoidance
David Yip
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tips, advising guests that “Sometimes there are some criminals on the street who ride motorcycle [sic] and rob you of your belongings when passing by.” The notice then went on to “Sincerely hope you will have a safe and pleasant trip in Guangzhou.” The colour of taxicabs was also worth noting — there was a visual spectrum of sketchiness ranging from blue (very sketchy) to yellow (trustworthy). There was some profiling at work here — the yellow cab company only hired local Cantonese, whereas the other cabs were generally staffed by migrants from other provinces. I didn’t remember that such a distinction had been made the last time I was in Guangzhou. That said, the last time I was in Guangzhou the cabs were not all new, and nor were the buses all new. Breakneck economic growth certainly manifests itself in obvious ways. In any case, I thought if my family was trying to get me cozy with my historical “hood”, the amount of scare involved was counterproductive. Or maybe the city required a certain amount of caution I was unaccustomed to. To date I maintain wallet-awareness in crowded spaces. Most recently I went back for two short weeks in 2007. Again everything is totally different — new buildings, new taxicabs, new malls, new everything. Many of my relatives have also upgraded their lodgings and gotten new cars. The family seems to have laid off a bit, maybe I’m even older now, or maybe I’ve just gotten used to them. Leaving China is always a mixed proposition. Canada is where my friends are, and where I grew up — I never regret going back to its neat streets and predictable order. Yet China is where most of my family is, and being in the ethnic majority is something I didn’t know I was missing. Truth told, it’s not as if minority status occurs to me every day anyway, but it was a novel feeling. I also didn’t know I was missing the big family, and every time the tires touch the ground in Toronto, it’s still nice to know that thousands of kilometers of away there are still people watching your back. dyip@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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First step will be to prepare the CD that contains the drivers you need to install on Windows. Boot Camp Assistant will ask you whether you already have a drivers CD, or if you need to burn one right there and then. Should you choose to burn it then, Boot Camp Assistant will ask you to insert your blank CD. After burning the necessary drivers — a process that will take a few minutes — it will perform a disk verification process that will make sure that there are no corrupted files on the CD.
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Next is a step that everybody loves: partitioning your hard disk. Windows recommends a minimum 8 GB of space, which is not really practical in today’s world, since Windows XP will be taking around half of that, give or take a few gigabytes. Under Boot Camp, the Windows partition will be constructed in FAT format. FAT allows a maximum of 32 GB for any partition, which sould be more than enough since Windows will be a supplementary OS for your Mac. Just click on the dot in the middle of the line dividing the Mac OS X and Windows XP paritions, and drag to adjust the space allotted for each to your preference. After that, Boot Camp Assistant will ask you to insert your Windows installation disk, and restart your system.
After restarting, Mac will detect your installation disk and boot from the CD. What follows is the mundane process of following instructions to install Windows XP. However, there exists a very important step you must pay attention to: choosing the partition on which to install Windows. Boot Camp will label the parition as “C:” and you will see “Unknown” between brackets. That is the partition you must choose. Of course, it is obvious that if you choose another partition, you might end up formatting and overwriting your Macintosh HD partition, and wiping out all your data.
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his... is your Mac on Window Sherif Soliman
assistant science
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& technology editor
ore Macs are dominating the desks and laps of users than ever before. However, many users are constricted in using their Macs due to Windows dominating the software market. That problem was solved once Apple released their Intel-based computers. The keyword here is “Intel;” the Core 2 Duo processor has — yes, you guessed it — two cores, which means that it allows for two operating systems to run on the same
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There is one more step in Windows XP installation that requires emphasis: choosing the partition format. In this stage, a choice, and a compromise, must be made. NTFS is the format Microsoft introduced with Windows 2000. It provides increased efficiency and enhanced security. However, Mac cannot read files stored under NTFS, therefore if you choose to go with NTFS, your files under Windows can only be accessed while using Windows. On the other hand, should you go with the FAT system, you would be giving up all the enhanced features of NTFS, but you will be able to access your files in the Windows partition while running Mac OS X. The choice is yours. It is worth noting, that with either choice, you will not be able to access files stored under the Macintosh HD partition while using Windows. The rest of the installation steps are easy enough for you to follow. The process should not take more than an hour to an hour an a half at worst.
computer, and most users will choose Windows XP. To benefit from this priceless feature free of charge, use Apple’s Boot Camp software. If you are using Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, you will have to download Boot Camp from the Apple website (www. apple.com). However, if you are using the new Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Boot Camp is already built into your operating system. After you make sure that you have Boot Camp properly installed, you must install the latest software and firmware updates, or Boot Camp will display an error message to inform you that Boot Camp Assistant cannot be used until you perform the neces-
sary updates. After updating your system, Boot Camp Assistant can be found in the Applications folder > Utilities > Boot Camp Assistant. Boot Camp’s main function is to divide your hard disk into two partitions: One for your Mac OS X, and one for Windows. It will also program an entry screen that will allow you to choose which operating system to use once you boot your Mac. Windows will need special drivers that Apple has designed so that the Windows software will correctly recognize and use the Mac hardware. Following are the steps you need to go through to burn the CD
#5 Once installation is over, your computer will restart. Now is a good time to state how to choose your startup disk. Once your Mac is turned on, that mythical hum is heard, and the Apple logo appears, hold down the OPTION key until the above screen shows up. You can alternate between the Macintosh HD and Windows disks by using the arrow keys, and hit the ENTER/RETURN key to choose. Another option is to just use your mouse, trackpad, or choice of pointer device.
Screenshots courtesy Dave Taylor, who hosts his own guide to the process at: http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_do_i_install_windows_xp_on_my_mac_using_boot_camp_1.html
that contains the drivers, partition your hard disk, and finalize your Windows installation. Note: You must provide the Windows installation disks on your own, and it must contain Service Pack 2, all on one installation disk. You also need to have a blank CD ready, and it is advised that you print the Boot Camp manual when prompted for further reference during the installation process. ssoliman@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
#6
Once Windows is installed, your computer will restart and the all too familiar background of the green pastures, clear blue sky, and the Recycle Bin will appear. Once you get over the fact that you now have Windows on your Mac, it is time for the installation of the drivers, which is critical for Windows. As Windows cannot recognize the CD drive yet, you will not be able to eject the Windows installation CD by pressing the Eject key on the Mac keyboard. You will have to go to My Computer, right click on the CD-ROM icon, and click Eject. Once you have the drivers CD inserted, start the drivers installation if it does not start automatically, and follow the on-screen instructions. Once the drivers installation is done, Windows will restart — again — and you’re all set! You have a brand new Windows XP on your sexy Mac.
Campus Bulletin ANNOUNCEMENTS
visit the website at www.grandhouse. wacsa.org. Napkin Books is currently accepting manuscripts for its next publication cycle. Publishing Canadian writers of sci-fi, horror and fantasy genres. To apply see the application process on the website www.napkinbooks.com. The Greater K-W Chamber of Commerce is presenting a curling event with great prizes. For info call Laura at 519-749-6035 or www.greaterkwchamber.com or lrichards@greaterkwchamber.com. Nominations are requested for the following graduate student seats on Senate: two graduate students of the University to be elected by/from the full and part-time graduate students of the University, terms from May 1, 2008 to April 30, 2010. Nomination forms are available from the Secretariat (ext 36125) and from the Secretariat webpage; see http:// ww.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/elections/nomelections.htm. At least five nominators are required in each case. Nominations should be sent to the Secretariat, Needles Hall, room 3060, no later than 3 p.m., Friday, March 28. Elections will follow if necessary. Graduate student senators whose terms expire April 30, 2008: Rashid Rehan (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Craig Sloss* (Combinatorics and Optimization). *not eligible for re-election having served for two consecutive terms.
“Morning Drive Radio Show” – 6:30 to 9 a.m., www.ckmsfm.ca, click on webcast for the latest news, traffic, school closures, interviews and a great mix of music! To get your important events on the air, e-mail morningdrivel@yahoo.ca. If you have an interesting person that CKMS should interview call 519-884-2567 between 6:30 to 9 a.m....qualify for a prize! Exchanges for undergraduates and graduates – 2008/09 academic years: Ontario/Rhone-Alpes, France, Ontario/Baden-Wurtemberg, Germany and Ontario/Maharastra-Goa, India. Scholarships available, for applications/deadlines please contact Maria Lango, ext 33999. MICEFA, Paris, France and the Chinese University of Hong Kong – internal deadline: March 17, 2008. For information and application forms contact Maria Lango, International Programs, Waterloo International, Needles Hall 1101, room 1113, ext 33999 or by e-mail mlango@uwaterloo.ca. Considering transferring to the Accounting and Financial Management program? Submit a Plan Modification form by Friday, March 14 to Carol Treitz, School of Accounting and Finance, HH290B, ext 36537. Forms available at the Registrar’s Office. Need help with your tax return? KW Access-Ability is hosting free income tax clinics for persons with low incomes. For info/appointment call 519-885-6770. The Grand House Student Co-operative is a non-profit housing co-op comprised of architecture students from UW, community members and professionals. Workshops are being organized on environmental techniques, solar power, non-toxic materials and more. For info/registration
UPCOMING Friday, March 14, 2008 Considering transferring to the Accounting and Financial Management program? Submit a Plan Modification form by today to Carol Treitz, School of Accounting
Jill Madison
B.A., M.A(dventure)
With over 2,300 graduate students, Memorial University of Newfoundland attracts adventureseeking and inquisitive students from many walks of life. Memorial University graduate students become future scholars and professionals, and our students benefit from attractive funding packages and some of the lowest graduate tuition rates in Canada. If you wish to carry out innovative research in a unique setting, begin the adventure by contacting us.
become an expert. SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND ST. JOHN’S, NL
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T. 709 737 8847
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and Finance, HH290B, ext 36537. Forms available at the Registrar’s Office. Sunday, March 16/Monday, March 17 WPRIG Free the Children action group will be having a pre-sale Krispy Kreme launch at 10:30 a.m. at Student Life Centre and Math and Computer to raise funds to go towards the Clean Water campaign in Kenya. E-mail uwfreethechildren@ gmail.com for more details. Tuesday, March 18, 2008 Contemporary dance meets the 17th century as renowned dancer-choreographer Julia Sasso joins the exciting new baroque ensemble Folia, 8 p.m. at the Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick Street, Kitchener. For info/tickets call 519-5781570 or foliapresents@gmail.com. CTV’s Daiene Vernile in discussion with Dr. Andrew Cooper, author, “Celebrity Diplomacy” from 7 to 9 p.m., CIGI, 57 Erb Street, W., Waterloo. RSVP www. cigionline.org or 519-885-2444, ext 307. Wednesday, March 19, 2008 Conference on Genocide Prevention: Human Rights Advocacy and the Freedom of Expression in DC 1350 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20, 2008 “Stuff Happens - Freedom is Untidy” playing at Studio 180. Hosted by Faculty of Arts. Bus leaves SLC at 5:45 p.m. for performance at 8 p.m. Register by March 18 at ext 37705. For info/tickets e-mail rkhalid.uwaterloo@gmail.com or allipper@watarts.uwaterloo.ca. Friday, March 21, 2008 UW Accounting Conference: May 2-4 weekend at Delta Hotel, Kitchener. Case competition with accounting/business students from across Canada, with keynote speaker Phil King! Sign-up booth in SLC on Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m. Registration ends March 21, 2008. Friday, March 28, 2008 Women in Politics: panel discussion in Student Life Centre, Great Hall from 2 to 4 p.m. Brought to you by student volunteers and the One Waterloo Campaign. Politicians from various levels of government have been invited to speak on diverse issues pertaining to women working in politics, their experiences and ways for students to get involved. Question/answer session. All welcome! April 2008 Used books wanted for CFUW Book Sale, April 18-19 at First United Church, King and William Street. Drop off donations at church (back door) April 16 and 17. For info call 519-740-5249. No textbooks please.
VOLUNTEER
Volunteer with a child at their school and help improve their self-esteem and confidence. One to three hours a week commitment. Call Canadian Mental Health 519-744-7645, ext 229. City of Waterloo, 519-888-6488 or volunteer@city.waterloo.on.ca has many volunteer opportunities. Check out the website today. Volunteer Action Centre, 519-7428610 or www.volunteerkw.ca, has many opportunities available – visit the website or call today! The Kitchener Youth Action Council is currently seeking volunteers aged 14-24 who are concerned about issues facing youth and young adults across Kitchener. For more info e-mail youth@kitchener.ca. Distress Line Volunteers Wanted - Canadian Mental Health Association is seeking caring volunteers to provide supportive listening and crisis deescalation to callers living in Waterloo Region. Please call 519744-7645, ext 300. The tri-Pride Community Association is looking for people to get involved with various projects leading up to Pride Week 2008 which will take place during the month of June. For more info e-mail info@triPride.ca or www.tri-Pride.ca. Career Services volunteers needed
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008 ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca for 2008-2009 – Student Career Assistant and Student Marketing Assistant. Depending on the position you will gain valuable job search, marketing and career-related skills by either promoting events and services or by helping other students in their career planning and job search. Open to regular and co-op students who are creative and possess strong interpersonal and communication skills. Applications available in Career Services, TC 1214 or from our webpage at careerservices.uwaterloo.ca. Deadline March 14, 2008. Local Red Cross Youth Group – want to volunteer in the community? Raise local awareness about International issues? Between 16 and 25 years of age? E-mail Lisa.Allen@red.cross.ca.
CO-OP/CAREER SERVICES
“Exploring Your Personality Type” – Part II: Thursday, March 20 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Both at TC 1112. “Work Search Strategies” – Wednesday, March 19 from 3:30 to 5 p.m., TC 1208. “Interview Skills: Preparing for Questions” – Monday, March 17 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., TC 2218. “Interview Skills: Selling Your Skills” – Tuesday, March 18 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 2218. “Success on the Job” – Wednesday, March 19 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., TC 1208. “Successfully Negotiating Job Offers” – Thursday, March 13 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208. “Writing CVs and Cover Letters” – Tuesday, March 11 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m., TC 2218. “Law School Bound” – Thursday, March 20 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., TC 1208.
“Preparing for the LSAT” – Thursday, March 20 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., TC 1208. “Teaching English Abroad” – Thursday, March 20 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., TC 1208. “Are You Thinking of an MBA?” – Wednesday, March 19 from 5 to 7 p.m., TC 1208.
STUDENT AWARDS FINANCIAL AID 2nd floor, Needles Hall, ext 33583. Please refer to safa.uwaterloo.ca to view a full listing of scholarships and awards. PLEASE NOTE: effective May 1, 2008 we can no longer accept the UW Watcard as a form of ID. Acceptable government photo ID includes valid drivers license, passport, immigration card, or citizenship card. March 15: last day to submit Undergraduate Bursary Appeals for winter term.
CHURCH SERVICE
St. Bede’s chapel at Renison College offers worship on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. or take a break midweek with a brief silence followed by Celtic noon prayers on Wednesdays. Come and walk the labyrinth the second Thursday of each month, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more info contact Megan at 519-884-4404, ext 28604 or www.renison.uwaterloo.ca/ministry-centre.
COUNSELLING SERVICES
English Language Proficiency Program (ELPP) – all workshops are scheduled between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Monday, March 17 or Tuesday, March 18 – “ELPE Strategy Session” (new). For more info/registration call 519-8884567, ext 32655 or kmaclean@uwaterloo.ca or ext 33245.
Classified HELP WANTED
Weekend counsellors and relief staff to work in homes for individuals with developmental challenges. Minimum eight-month commitment. Paid positions. Send resume to Don Mader, K-W Habilitation Services, 108 Sydney Street, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V2. Fun, games, sports and crafts with after-school children at Laurelwood Public School. Only a short walk from UW. Interested persons should leave a message at 519-741-8997. Employment opportunity – Success is Mine Textiles is looking for sales reps, bookkeeping, clerks, account manager, computer specialists and employees with business skills. Email resume to oguns4mine@yahoo.com. Best part-time job: watch video for $10/hour as one of our Video QA Representatives. We’ve got a young team, room for advancement and a start-up culture. Working here sure beats flipping burgers, working retail, or any other part-time job your’re considering – and it definitely looks better on a resume. No experience required and training is provided. Send your resume to resumes@miovision.com to apply. Weekends – permanent, part-time for varied shifts. Must be energetic, work independently and have good communication skills. Drop resume off at Club Willowells, 40 Blue Springs Drive, Waterloo (beside East Side Mario’s on King). Accountant representative, sales representative, store keeper, clerk and secretary needed. Must be computer literate, along with CV. For more info e-mail gina.limited@ gmail.com.
LOST & FOUND
Found: a bracelet in REN 2102. E-mail description and contact information to wordchick@gmail.com (put “bracelet” in the subject line) and I’ll get it back to you.
SERVICES
TechTown Dentistry – “Smile With Confidence” – welcoming new patients. Complete dental care including whitening and Invisilign, the invisible way to straighten your teeth. Located at 340 Hagey Boulevard, R&T Park, UW. Contact us at info@techtowndentistry.com or 519-746-7333.
COURSE INFO
SP-100 Forest Firefighting course to be held in London, Ontario March 1216, 2008 and Waterloo, Ontario March 19-23, 2008. Course will be held during evening hours during the week. To register, please call Wildfire Specialists Inc., 2233 Radar Road, Suite 5, Hanmer, Ontario, P3P 1R2, toll free 1-877381-5849. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources accredited. No guarantee of employment.
HOUSING
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 Darlene or Joanne at 519-746-1411 for more details. Five bedroom house available September 1. Recently renovated, very clean, central air and heat, parking and laundry included. Walking distance to UW. Please call 519-575-1973. Summer sublet, May to August 2008, at 31 High Street, Waterloo. $300 plus utilities (negotiable) Call Jason at 519208-5017 or kenkaniff02@hotmail. com.
21
Photo Feature
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
Jennifer Thomson
A red squirrel seen snacking outside of the Environmental Studies Coffee Shop.
Campus Clicks
T.J. Zhang
This week’s theme: The last days of winter
The sun pours through the cracks in this Village 1 dorm.
Andrew Wu
The Davis Centre, portraying the solar panel car, from a different perspective. Tilt your head to the left.
Nathalie Quagliotto
The word “Meander,” made as a path in the snow between Dana Porter Library and the Graduate House. This pathway was created by Nathalie Quagliotto, an MFA student at UW, to get students to interact with unused spaces on campus.
Ethan Wilding
A depiction of the trees across from the Environmental Studies building on a foggy winter day. Send your campus photos, along with the names of any people in them and a brief description, to photos@imprint.uwaterloo.ca.
Arts & Entertainment
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008 arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
What a Crummey reading Tim Lawless reporter
A
ll good things must come to an end, as was the case this past Monday when the final installment of this year’s St. Jerome’s University Reading Series was held. This last session featured a reading by Newfoundland-born author Michael Crummey. Students, faculty, and members of the community alike gathered in room 3012 of St. Jerome’s University for the opportunity to hear Crummey read. He had an aura of simplicity about him as he entered the room, casually dressed in blue jeans and a sweater and showing no signs of intimidation in front of the audience. Crummey began by reading from some unpublished work of his, inspired by several early to mid 20th century photographs of Newfoundlanders he had come across while helping to organize some material for the Rooms; an art gallery, museum, and archive in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He also gave the audience a brief taste of the novel he is currently working on.
It was interesting to hear bits and pieces of a seemingly forgotten accent emerge as Crummey read the dialogue of his stories. It was interesting to hear bits and pieces of a seemingly forgotten accent emerge as Crummey read the dialogue of his stories. After moving to Ontario at the age of 21 for a 14 year stay, Crummey developed what he jokingly dubbed “a ridiculous Ontario accent.” Yet as he read several lines spoken by Newfoundland children in a story called “Confession” there was a subtle, but noticeable lilt in his voice. When asked if he was dropping into the accent intentionally for the purpose of the reading Crummey simply replied “I have no control over it.” Crummey has been living in Newfoundland for the past eight years, and his voice reflects a unique fusion of two completely different Canadian accents. After completing his reading, Crummey gave the audience an update on the status of his latest work from which he read, a novel which focuses on the traditional lore of his native Newfoundland. He has been working on this particular book for the past 16 months, and although Crummey admits that it is not progressing as quickly as he would have liked it to, the book is scheduled for publication in September 2009. Many thanks are owed to Prof. Gary Draper who was able to — on relatively short notice — arrange for Crummey to substitute for the originally scheduled Pat Lane who was unfortunately unable to attend. Although it is a shame that we will not get the chance to hear Lane read this year, no one should be disappointed with Crummey’s excellent reading. And while this may have been the last episode of this year’s SJU Reading Series, we can all start looking forward to the fall which will mark the beginning of what will surely be another great year of readings.
courtesy UW drama
A dispassionate affair Cait Davidson staff reporter
T
raditionally a comedy about lies, heresy, and lechery, Tartuffe — performed on Tuesday for Alumni Night fell slightly short of expectations. The actors delivered their lines well, hit their marks, and had the basics of the performance down perfectly. The play moved quickly; an hour and 45 minutes disappeared before my very eyes. However, the Ranjit Bolt translation of the original French play was
written in rhyming couplets, which seemed a little stretched at times — as it was intended to rhyme in French, not English. And perhaps it was the rhyme that caused this, but at times the play itself lacked passion. Though the play is a comedy, the script does call for passion: passionate anger from the people of the house who hate the main villain, Tartuffe; zealous love from Tartuffe toward the lady of the house, Elmire, who does not reciprocate; thorough remorse from Orgon, the master of the household, who is fooled by Tartuffe. Despite
excellent acting from Reid Vanier (Tartuffe), and staging that can only suggest knowledgeable direction on the part of actor/director Jim Warren, the play became a series of well choreographed speeches in need of more emotion and feeling. The events of the play itself were intense, and required more fire and zeal from the actors on stage. Instead, Tartuffe was a physical comedy with a number of well delivered one-liners. As a production, it was more of a chuckler than a gut buster. That being said, the play was worth
seeing once. I would recommend a friend watch it, even just for the story it conveys, of a religious man who seems full of religious fervor and piety, fooling men and women into believing that he speaks God’s word, only to later be revealed as a fraud. Written by Poquelin (Molière), and first performed in 1664, Tartuffe still holds lessons that pertain to life today; particularly, concerning trusting people in authority or those who seem to be of great faith. See UNEXPECTED, page 23
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
St. Paddy’s Day Songs
S
t. Patrick’s Day is a confusing celebration around these parts. The night begins with green beer, Irish tunes, and Saint Paddy’s accessories but ends with the usual drinks, the same old music, and — fingers crossed — that “funny guy” who misplaces his green plastic fedora. By the end of the night the Saint Paddy’s scene looks a lot like any other post-party scene. While this sort of unauthentic partying may have some arguing that Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations should be more controlled and traditional, this column is impartial as long as the music isn’t lame. There comes a time when a song will no longer make people jump onto the dance floor. Your Saint Paddy’s playlist should avoid these songs even in the wee hours of the morning. If people are starting to clear out of the party, playing “Sexy Back” isn’t going to bring them back. To keep the party interesting, here are three less-than-usual song suggestions. To start the night off Irish, check out some tracks by The Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band of St. Paul. They’re a 46-year-old marching band made up of approximately 15 pipers and seven drummers. Their website explains that the band was established in 1962 “to preserve and advance Celtic piping, drumming, and dancing.” After nearly half a century this mission statement appears to have been maintained as the band offers some new aged tunes to go along with older classics. The band’s MySpace features six tracks, two of which are techno dance mixes, and four of which are classics. To get
and you make the shift away from Irish tunes back towards the usual party tracks, try throwing on Elvis Costello’s “Beyond Belief ” from his 1982 release Imperial Bedroom. Costello, who you may recognize from Hollywood films such as Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, is an English singer-song writer and musician who produces some truly classy songs. While you may think that your Saint Paddy’s Day celebrations lack in class, a track such as this one — that is both classy and kickin’ — can fit into almost any scene. For a listen to “Beyond Belief,” search “Elvis Costello Beyond Belief ” on YouTube and watch the video of a purple coloured map. If you’re desiring something with more bass — hiphop perhaps — look through the stellar discography of Will Smith; sometimes the best music at a party is the music you don’t actually enjoy, and Will Smith offers a copious amount of product like this. If your party needs a little rebellion, play the 1989 Grammy Award winning tune, “Parents Just Joyce Hsu Don’t Understand.” It’s a your party moving, play “Green Hills track released by the pairing of DJ Techno Dance Mix” straight off the Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. If band’s MySpace — it features some you’re looking for something more great bagpipes over a subtle techno hip, throw on the 1997 release mix. The tune’s simple composition “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’ it,” because allows it to be followed up by either nothing says cool like unnecessary Irish or North American tracks mispronunciation. If in the morning you feel you without there being a drastic shift have gained a new respect for the in sound. Once the green beer is drained music of Will Smith overnight, be sure to check out the albums Big Willie Style and Willenium for no other reason than to remember that Will Smith made albums entitled Big Willie Style and Willenium. This should begin to provide a little clarity after a night of confusing celebrations.
Arts & Entertainment 23 Unexpected: comedy and the link to the emotions that the actors were not showing. The costuming was also well done, although not changed throughout the entire play. That said, my last comment is not on the play so much as the advertising. Nowhere online or in the posters does it state that Tartuffe is a comedy. Being unfamiliar with the play, I went after reading the advertisement on the UW website,
Continuted from page 22
In today’s world, when identity theft is an even more complicated issue, trusting people too easily can threaten more than just money; also things that affect your future, like your credit rating. While you won’t be handing off your daughter to be married to a fraud, you may be handing off your fortune to one.
Nowhere online or in the posters does it state that Tartuffe is a comedy. The public hypocrites of our day believing that I was attending a serious, are less and less religious figures; in- almost tragic play. Somewhat surprised stead they are corporate bosses and that it was a comedy, I was not disappolitical leaders. So while Tartuffe is pointed, but would have liked to know an example of hypocrisy in religion, what I was attending beforehand. Tartuffe is being performed from it is a warning for the watchers against March 12 to March 15, at 8 p.m. in hypocrisy in general. The set and lighting of the play were Modern Languages, Theatre of the excellent. While it used few props, the Arts.On Saturday, March 15 there set was built with a peephole, for those will be a matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are who know of it, to watch the events and $10 for students and seniors, $12 for everyone else. conversations of others below. Throughout the play, the lighting 1/4RENT_imprint:Layout 1 2/19/08 cdavidson@imprint.uwaterloo.ca 12:11 PM Page 1 was expertly used to convey the actions
ktremblay@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Teach English Overseas
and South African Idol winner HEINZ WINCKLER as “Roger”
AMERICAN IDOL¤ finalist ANWAR ROBINSON as “Tom Collins”
Julie Lavelle
Wayside Ramblers performing at the Duke of Wellington as part of the Go! Music Festival this past weekend.
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Arts & Entertainment
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
Selling your webcomic, without selling out
L
ast January in 2006, I remember seeing a math major on campus in a crown and cape, holding a stick attached to a GameCube controller. He was celebrating Winter-een-mas, the official unofficial holiday of gamers invented by Tim Buckley, the artist and writer of the webcomic, Ctrl-Alt-Del. As I’ve said before, there are millions of webcomics out there. Because there are so many of these suckers online, some of them just don’t make it through the fray, and those become either dead space on the net or a one-click disappearing act. So how are a number of artists out there using this form of media as a means for a full-time career? With Ctrl-Alt-Del, Tim Buckley has developed a strong reputation in the webcomic scene business. With a strong connection with SplitReason. com, he’s been able to create high-quality merchandise such as printed versions of CAD, T-shirts, and accessories related to his most memorable characters. Also, along with Blind Ferret Entertainment (a business project from the webcomicists of Least I Could Do), Buckley was lucky enough to start an animated series, available through the CAD Premium fee-based services on his website. The first season came out April 2006 on DVD in his online store! Other successful webcomics include Megatokyo, Penny Arcade, and PvP. From what it looks like though, Penny Arcade seems to be the most successful of webcom-
ics merchandise-wise. I just wanted to mention CAD because it hasn’t gotten a lot of good cred recently. Of course, that’s probably because it kinda sucks. The simplest way to make profits that webcomic artists use is the most basic: they ask for it. Using an online transaction system like PayPal, many of these artists and writers place “tip jar” donation icons and links on their site. By a few simple clicks and confirmations, you can pitch whatever you want to the payee straight from your bank account or credit card. Some artists are even thankful enough to offer exclusive, donation-only rewards made by them for those willing enough to submit a certain amount of cash, like Gina Biggs of the highly manga-influenced webcomic Red String, who has a special gallery for donators, where with a given username and password, they can explore some online concept sketches and illustrations hidden from the general public. It’s best for a webcomicist to gain a sturdy fan-base first and have good material before he/she can even try to get some dough from online viewers. This is important for any website out there, actually. For example, my Wordpress blog has a small “Donations” button on it, and I’ve gotten jack-squat from it so far, but that’s because my site is only known and read by just a few people as of today, including myself, which is pretty sad. A successfully profiting webcomic requires both good-quality
I EARNED MY UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE,
entertainment and a lot of promotion. If you bring out some great, funny comics, and you get yourself known to a load of readers, you’re in a comfortable position for requesting more than just moral credit from a few friends. There’s also Project Wonderful, created by Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics. How this works is pretty ingenious, because it’s all based on the idea of micropayments; fees and profits are gained at very tiny, yet frequent, numbers. Webcomicists can submit a small advertisement banner for an “infinite auction” from a wide number of website owners. In turn, if you become (or are) an owner of a popular site, you could also be one of the many to sell from a pool of auctioned ads. This means it’s possible not only to try getting promotion, but a small profit can be gained, which is a bonus. A lot of webcomic readers are pretty big geeks, each with a need to own the coolest stuff, with the big commodity being specially-designed T-shirts. The most common and effective method I’ve seen for creating custom tees is by using a custom screen-printing shop like Brunetto T-Shirts, the printers for the massive merch group TopatoCo.
Joyce Hsu
(www.topatoco.com), created by Jeffrey Rowland of Overcompensating and Wigu. With this ability in hand, a webcomic artist can create an online store on their site, requesting orders from fans of the comic, usually by payments through PayPal or credit card. One really neat site out there is called Big Cartel (www.bigcartel. com) that lets you generate an online store through a really easy-to-use interface. Stuff like this is pretty intimidating
UW Drama presents
NOW, I WANT A REWARDING * CAREER
*not just a job
though, so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless you’re willing to sell these shirts to a large number of people. If you’re not greatly serious on selling merchandise, there’s always Cafepress (www.cafepress.com), a community online-store system that allows you to sell shirts based on two values: a set price that the website owners receive, and a commission price that the retailer gains for profit. The drawback to this method of selling is that the prices get really high on these products, usually around the $20-$25 mark for coloured T-shirts. Although, there’s also a large number of products that your custom designs can be printed on, including mouse pads, posters, and even coffee mugs. If you’re thinking of making your own graphic novel without much hassle, take a look at Lulu.com, which works similar to Cafepress, but is dedicated to publishing literature. It’s a lot of work to make a profit off a webcomic. But then again, that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be: work. ptrinh@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Arts & Entertainment
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
25
the modern novel
Video games have become the next new medium for storytelling
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ames get criticized a lot for not having much substance. Parents would rather see their children sitting down with an old book than with their eyes glued to the plasma screen. While I’ll even agree that games like Peggle are generally mindless, there are some games out there that shouldn’t be pushed aside as mind-mashers. The art of storytelling is ever-changing — from the oral traditions of old through the written word and even modern movies today. Both classical and contemporary RPGs are well known for their storylines and characters and with different genres starting to step up and add in more than just shooting, there’s room for videogames to evolve into modern storytellers. I’ll admit that there really can be no true comparison to developing a picture of a book’s setting inside your own mind and following the storyline in your imaginary world. This helps develop your imagination which furthers creativity, abstract thinking and the like for use in other areas of your life. While videogames may never reach the level of imagination exercise that books excel in, they can surely pull at the strings. RPGs have long stood as the etchers of lore and legend in the videogaming community. Many people argue that modern RPGs too often repeat the same type of stereotypical characters — “archetypes� — to tell their story. There are even innumerable lists devoted to giving the longest set of traits common to all Japanese-style RPGs, and even ones just to the genre as a whole. Many would suggest that, unlike in books, these shallow cookiecutter characters can’t allow for real attachment and love for a tale. This argument falls short in many ways. Not only are stereotypes/archetypes something used in video games, they are also found in every form of literature known to man. Quite often, the characters portrayed within modern games are just an extension of these well-known and well worked cookie cutters. While such copying often falls on its face, we can see that usually vast and in-depth storylines will make up for a lack of direct character depth. The Final Fantasy series, while containing many beloved characters, is more recognized by the stories and
realities it creates with every release. In Eternal Sonata, we not only get to experience the lives created by the game makers, but also learn something about the actual history of Chopin’s life, intertwined with the imaginary world and its tale — complete with musical selections. Most novels don’t come equipped with multi-media devices. There are countless other examples from other genres (as well as the directly RPG range) that truly show the evolution of books into videogame format — Xenosaga, Indigo Prophecy, Metal Gear, Lost Odyssey, Chrono Trigger, Star Ocean, Bioshock — and the list goes on. While the bare bones of these odysseys may be often no different than written tales of old, it can be sure that their flashy graphics and interactivity will draw more of a crowd today than their paper counterparts. That says something. Even the great stories developed in the Final Fantasy-esque RPGs can pale in comparison to the vast worlds and seemingly innumerable possibilities in today’s MMOs. Lore plays a big part in these worlds as it allows people to meet old heroes (such as in World of Warcraft (WoW), Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO) or Final Fantasy XI) and also to develop and act out their own characters and personal histories based upon the world in which they have immersed themselves. The Warcraft universe in WoW allows players to explore and recreate their favourite moments of the original Warcraft games (I-III and expansions). Everything revolves around the development of the original lore and building upon it to help players really feel attached to their factions, races and classes in Azeroth. LotRO does things a little differently by building on the ideas behind WoW and surrounding your character in NPC discussion and general interaction while you go on and investigate and play around them. This puts you even more so in the place of an observer to the world around you much like reading about the world as described by a narrator. Final Fantasy XI, on the other hand, takes things that much further as an MMO and truly starts to blend the differences between books and gaming — by adding the more imaginative and player-created aspects lacking in most regular RPGs. Starting as a
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citizen of a given city in the world, your character is given quests that relate to a major overarching story, complete with cutscenes. To top it off, these cutscenes even single you out from your party members and allow the key NPCs to interact with you alone to experience the story development on a more personal and intimate level. Dungeons & Dragons Online does that much more and even has narration over dungeon adventures and storyline sequences. By incorporating this type of gameplay with the backstory of the world, along with imaginative character development and the interactivity of an MMO, the line between what a novel offers and what a story-focused game can offer is faded greatly. Of course the transition between reading and gaming isn’t an easy one. There are many that try to take the act of storytelling a little too far and end up being more cutscenes with periodic gameplay. Xenosaga in particular was bad at giving too much story and not enough gamer involvement. Unfortunately these types of approaches mimic more that of a movie than of a novel. On the opposite side there are countless games that try to tell a story but don’t let you know enough of what’s going on. It’s clear that things have to change in order for gaming to truly become another stage in true storytelling evolution. One of the greatest pitfalls of this movement is the amount of useless gameplay mechanics that fall outside of the path of the story. Level grinding, for example, has no real place in a book except maybe a quick discussion of a character “getting stronger.� The balance between
Joyce Hsu
giving only the meat of a story and the meat plus banquet of accessories is something that clearly has a long way to go before it is easily attained. The best I can suggest is that the next time someone says they (or you tell a non-gamer that you) spend their free time playing video games don’t jump to the conclusion that it’s an idle activity. Gaming can be just an immersive, engaging and thought-
provoking experience as a good book. As we all have experienced, there are just as many mind-mushing books out there as mind-idling video games. Let’s just hope that soon society allows those storytelling masterpieces that exist in the gaming world to be recognized for the modern day books they are. jrickert@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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26
Arts & Entertainment Movie Review
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
Book Reviews The Wrath of Zar Shayne Easson Westbank Publishing
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courtesy movie vice
10,000 B.C. Roland Emmerich Warner Bros. Pictures
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iven the lack of semi-historical epic action movies in theatres recently, the last being the horrendous Beowulf which was released almost four months ago, I went into Ronald Emmerich’s 10,000 B.C. with mediocre expectations. Unfortunately, the movie not only fell short of those expectations, it might’ve even lowered them for years to come. 10,000 B.C. seems to be a culmination of every single thing that a director shouldn’t do when creating a movie of this genre. Let’s start with the story, shall we? Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love,
creating a movie: those that should be kept intact for the sake of believability, and those that should be changed to provide greater dramatic effect. Emmerich clearly had his labels mixed up on this one. While providing us with geographically impossible locations, animals that are two sizes too big and found in places they do not belong, and technologies that weren’t discovered until centuries later, the dialogue is utterly clichéd and could very well be replaced by grunts. We somehow get sailing ships, astronomy, and pyramids with golden tops, but only a handful of lines with any emotional depth to them. As for the fighting scenes, they are few and too far apart. The best scenes are quite possibly the ones with the ostrichlike creatures that’d rather stick their
The historical inaccuracies, poor acting, sub-par CGI, and a bad guy who is hinted at as coming from Atlantis (to put the icing on the proverbial fantasy cake) makes for two hours of time ill-wasted. love grows as time passes, man fights for sake of getting woman, woman gets taken away, man chases after her. A rather generic story — but no problem, I can live with that. What I can’t take are ridiculous prophecies and unbelievable coincidences that seem to follow him throughout his journey. Apparently every tribe he meets, from his own to the enemy’s and every ally in between, has a prophecy that speaks of his great destiny. While consistency is always convenient, there is such a thing as overkill. And let’s not forget how, just as he is about to die each time, just the right thing rolls by to saves his ass. There are two types of historical facts that should be managed when
heads in your guts than in the ground, which still isn’t saying a lot. The sabertoothed tiger doesn’t even fight anyone, and the final battle consists mostly of mammoths stampeding through enemy forces while conveniently avoiding all the slaves. This, combined with the historical inaccuracies, poor acting, sub-par CGI, and a bad guy who is hinted at as coming from Atlantis (to put the icing on the proverbial fantasy cake) makes for two hours of time ill-wasted. If you want to sit through large amounts of mediocrity to see a few good fight scenes, this movie might just do the trick. Otherwise, you may want to steer clear. — Rajul Saleh
cautiously approach first books by authors, especially if they are being touted as having great talent. Most of my favourite authors develop their voices as they progress through a number of works, from Douglas Coupland, to Chuck Palahniuk, Steven Brust and others. I have gone back and reread their books in the order they were written to see the progression in their skill and talent as a storyteller. Thus when I was asked to review Shayne Easson’s first book, I agreed with a little hesitation. Easson surprised! This book is action-packed and full of adventure, daring, and danger. Our hero is Adan Caynne who has a life full of mystery and trials. There are many unanswered questions about his father and a brother who has been captured and dragged away from home by demons. As time goes on and he searches for his brother, he discovers that a few key people will help shape the future of his people — if they are to have a future. He finds himself bound to these individuals: Prince Riordan of
Dump Your Trainer Ashley Marriott and Doctor Marc L. Paulsen Booksurge Publishing
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ome books are self-published — or as some call them, “vanity press books” — and for a reason. This happens to be one of them. Over the last decade or so I have read a number of fitness books from Body for Life to Sly Moves and from most I can take away some useful information and apply it to my life. I cannot even say that about this book. The book is touted as being a fun guide to weight loss and fitness, humorous and insightful. To be honest, I did not find it any of those things. The book has a number of things against it from the get-go. The cover is a joke and the photos that are supposed to show you how to do exercises are small, dark, and grainy. The margins are too big, and the amount of whole space per page makes the book look unfinished, unprofessional and like it is a draft version — not a finished product. The book makes a number of claims that just seem unfounded and irrational. It claims that you can burn three times the calories playing video games as you can in a training session with a personal trainer. It also states that some programs with a personal trainer can cause you to gain weight. In my experience that may be true, but in gaining that weight it is more
Corrona, and Princess Karyna of Wyndhaven, both of whom are on their own quests. Then Adan comes to realize that even though he is from a small village, he is one of them. This book, the first from Calagrian Shayne Easson, does not disappoint. It is ver y reminiscient of Peir’s Anthony’s Battle Circle trilogy, Sos the Rope, Var the Stick and Neq the Sword. Easson has developed a strong voice as a writer. His characters are believable and not one-dimensional. The plot moves at a great pace and keeps you drawn in. The story ends and leaves you wanting more. There is not much more you could ask for from a fiction novel — it entertains, it takes you to a different world, and it makes you care about the characters and leaves you desiring to know what happens next. lean muscle mass and dropped body fat and inches from the body. So gaining that weight is actually a good thing and a sign of progress. Marriott is a certified personal trainer, and I bet her rates went up after this book was published. The book is supposed to be a tool to work out on your own and not spend money on trainers, yet Marriot’s biography states that she has a wide range of clients and still teaches group classes. Dr. Paulsen claims that he lost over 50 pounds using this program and has kept it off for over eight years. Did he not use Marriott as a personal trainer to lose those pounds? The contradictions in these things make you not want to trust anything in the book. On a positive note the book will teach you how to do a personal fitness assessment. It does include sample shopping lists, meal plans, and a number of healthy recipes. Marriot also touts the Wii as an exercise tool — but why wouldn’t she? She is developing a video game for it based on this book. It’s said that the best way to make money from writing is to write a self-help book, a romance novel or a fitness book. Marriott has
This is a very good first book, and will be enjoyed by those who like sword and sorcery style fantasy. — Steven R. McEvoy
done just that and given it a clever title that will attract attention and some hype. So in conclusion, Marriott is great at marketing and self-promotion but the book in my opinion is no different from a lot of others on the market — and not as good as some of them — and therefore not worth the time or effort. Besides, who has time to read a fitness book, when you can go and play your Wii and call it today’s workout? — Steven R. McEvoy
Arts & Entertainment
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
b o n w i r e el s a R w e i v e r
27
Puccini for Beginners Maria Maggenti Eden Wurmfeld Films
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Yosef Yip
Curiosity of Chance Russell P. Marleau Bigfoot Entertainment
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tyled after ‘80s director movies and John Hughes films, Curiosity of Chance is an addition to the teenage problem and ragtag outcast genre. It was the last movie of Rainbow Reels Queer Film Festival and it seemed to go out with a fizzle rather than a bang. Curiosity of Chance was decent and fit into the genre — barely. The movie, based on high schools in the ‘80s, flipflopped between a spoof on and an attempt to be a John Hughes film. While it held no laugh out loud moments and the love story was hard to pick out, it had a good message and told an old story with an interesting twist. Similar to Hughes’ Pretty in Pink, main character Chance Marquis (Tad Hilgenbrink, American Pie: Band Camp) chooses to stand out based on his clothing. While getting help on being gay in high school (which is hard enough now, let alone in the ‘80s) from a drag queen, and trying to learn how to stand up for himself to the school bully, the background love story is lost among all the action of the story. While it’s typical of the genre, the movie would have been better off without the attempted love story, as while it gets lost, it seems somewhat pointless. Although not uproariously funny, there were several chuckle-inducing moments, particularly when one character states that someone needs to make “portable telephones” to make people easier to reach. Keeping in mind that it’s not being shown at Galaxy, but that it’s at a film festival, the film is of good quality and a nice story. That being said, I wouldn’t pay to watch it in theatre, but if it came out on DVD I’d rent it for a girls’ night.
f you’re looking for something so sickly sweet and farcical that you can taste the candy, Puccinni for Beginners is the movie for you. When a lesbian woman, Allegra’s true love, leaves her simply because Allegra couldn’t commit herself to their relationship, she finds herself in love again… with two people. A man, and a woman. Grace and Philip have been together for seven years, but Philip won’t ask Grace to marry him. Then Philip meets a new girlfriend and leaves Grace. Then Grace meets a lesbian who finally seems to understand her plight. A woman named Allegra. Samantha loves Allegra but Allegra won’t commit, so she finds a man who will — despite the fact that she still loves Allegra. But she still decides to get married. The story centres around Allegra and her search for love, with both a man and woman — which seems to work out pretty well, until she, Philip and Grace discover what’s happened in a city with millions of people. All three of them seem to love the same three people. Everything about this movie can be neatly summarized as… cute. From directing style, to acting, and even to the sets and script, it’s a chick-flick in the form of farce, presented in no other form. This isn’t to say it isn’t good, because the movie draws you in quite nicely and presents a very interesting love triangle, with a small spin-off making it more of a love… pentagon. If you’re looking for something adorable with a happy ending and plenty of jokes in between, I’d suggest this movie. If you can’t quite stand a sickly-sweet chick-flick, I’d say this isn’t really the movie for you. But it’s cute. Very cute. — Brittany Baker
Breakfast With Scot Laurie Lynd Scot Pictures
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reakfast with Scot was the first movie shown at this year’s Rainbow Reels Film Festival. It tells the intriguing tale of two very “straight” gay men who are forced to temporarily adopt a young boy, Scot, who is about 10 times more gay than either of the two men. Sam works as a lawyer, Eric is a sportscaster and ex-Maple Leaf, who had to quit when he was injured in a hockey accident. If you’re looking for a cute movie to lighten your spirits and give you a good laugh, this is the one to watch. The simple wit of having two gay men who act as ‘straight’ as they possibly can — and don’t know how to deal with an 11-year-old gay son — is both amusing and adorable as the older men discover the troubles of parenting, and the joy it brings. The constant comments from Eric implicating the Toronto Maple Leafs and homosexuality serve to make the audience laugh to the point of hysterics, while the growing paternal love in the story adds in a dash of, “Aww, how cute.” The acting is excellently done, with Noah Bernett playing the overtly gay 11-year-old boy who doesn’t really care if he fits in or not, and the two older men Ben Shenkman (as Sam) and Tom Cavanagh (as Eric) play both their own relationship and their growing love for Scot in a precise and realistic way. The sets are charming, and director Laurie Lynd truly helps movie-goers understand the troubles of parenthood, whether the parents are gay or straight. The film is also a great leap for gay rights in films and sports, as it is the first to be officially endorsed by NHL. If you’re looking for something to make you smile and improve your day, this is the movie for you, and I highly recommend it as an ‘innocent’ gay film, which even the most ‘straight’ person out there can enjoy. — Brittany Baker
— Cait Davidson
Itty Bitty Titty Committee Review Jamie Babbit Power Up Films
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art of the Queer Film Festival, Itty Bitty Titty Committee deals with both queer relationships/love affairs and feminism. Neither a cheesy romance nor a documentarystyle flick, this movie’s got a bit of everything. It was both thought-provoking and entertaining. Main character Ana starts the film off working as a receptionist at a silicone breast implant clinic. Her life gets flipped upside down when she meets Sadie, a member of the Clits In Action (CIA) as Sadie is in the middle of spraypainting the boob clinic. CIA is a guerrilla group of radical feminists, taking third-wave feminist dialogue right to the streets. If you’ve ever taken a women’s studies
course, you’ll find this incredibly refreshing — I’ve taken a couple WS courses, and trust me, it isn’t light reading. The critiques made in the movie may or may not be based on academic theories, but they’re easily accessible. Imagine your best shit-talking friend explaining feminism to you, and you’ve got the idea. The CIA, as they call themselves, spraypaint plastic surgery clinics, paste feminist additions onto sexist billboard ads, pull other such stunts, and aim to inspire feminists all across the U.S. by posting it all on their own website. The women are very serious about the work they do with CIA, but unfortunately, work and play starts to collide. Ana’s interest in Sadie rubs the other CIA members the wrong way, especially considering that Sadie has a live-in girlfriend. The love triangles are pretty complicated, actually, involving most of the main characters, one of whom is Daniela Sea, who you may recognize from The L Word.
Although the CIA are purportedly a radical group of feminists, I thought of them as pretty tame, for the most part. Perhaps that is because the film only showed a few of their “radical” acts before moving onto the lovedrama plot, so we didn’t get a real taste of what kind of activism they were part of. Or perhaps it’s because we really can’t envision radical feminism in today’s North America, and their few, tame stunts are the best that we can come up with. To be honest, I was hoping for some serious inspiration, and I got what I wanted. The most radical and controversial act in the film, while I won’t spoil it for you, was definitely extreme, but also completely unrealistic. It was great for the movie, but as I was watching it, I had to let go my conceptions of what’s possible. The love dramas were entertaining, dealing with some common but frustrating dilemmas,
although a little too sweet for my liking. As a reference for readers, I prefer Last Tango in Paris to Love Actually, so it all depends on how much sweetness you like in your love stories. I’m happy that it was a gay movie not involving suicide, death or well, okay it did involve imprisonment. But we aren’t talking about Brokeback Mountain style heartbreak — where the main character can’t accept his own sexuality, wrecks many people’s lives, and ultimately dies, letting the audience conclude that it’s them damn gays being gay that makes everything turn out wrong. So I do capitulate that the problems encountered were interesting, how ever the movie chose to deal with them. Overall, I’d recommend seeing this movie. Unfortunately, you can’t pick it up from Gen X yet, but hopefully it’ll be there soon. — Christine Ogley
Science & Technology
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008 science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Engineers test their mettle
University of Waterloo hosts Canadian Engineering Competition, wins second in debating Michael L. Davenport assistant editor-in-chief
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ou have two ice cubes, 1 cm apart. You have to melt one, but keep the other frozen. What do you do? This was one of the challenges presented on March 6 – 8 at the annual Canadian Engineering Competition, to which UW played host. “Canadian Engineering Competition” is an accurately descriptive name — the nation is divided into four regions (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, and West,) all of which have their own competitions; the winners proceed to the CEC. Likewise, the event is actually a “competition,” every category has winners and moderate cash prizes are handed out. All of the delegates attending had to perform well in the regional competition in order to qualify for the national meet. “We worked our butts off to get here,” said U of T delegate Jennifer Sauks. There were also two European teams in attendance, forerunners to an international engineering competition to be held in 2010. However, for the purposes of the competition, the definition of “engineering” is wider than one might suspect. While the senior design challenge (the aforementioned ice cube problem) falls clearly into the purview of engineering, CEC also hosted an “engineering communication” competition and a debate tournament. Amir Ali explained the purpose of the debate tournament, stating that “part of an engineer’s job is to weigh the pros and cons of issues presented to them, and they need to be able to clearly explain both their conclusions and their reasoning behind the conclusions. The expectations of engineers today go beyond calculations; in order to be an effective engineer, it is pivotal that you can clearly explain yourself and — as for the extemporaneous part of debates — any engineer will tell you that there is always time pressure.” Ali, along with
Michael L. Davenport
UBC students Jordan Ast, Justin Stevens and Andrew Carne put together their apparatus for the senior design challenge. UW student James Goh, snagged second place in the debate competition. Likewise, communication engineering event organizer David Marak said the event was “was developed as a way to challenge how well engineers can communicate with people who do not necessarily have a technical background. The competition is judged based on the oral presentation and the visual aids used, with the most attention paid to how well the presenters communicate their idea.”
The aforementioned social elements of CEC fits in with this year’s theme which was “designing global change,” which recurred throughout the conference. For instance “consulting engineering” challenge, an event where engineers propose a solution to a problem, was about finding an optimal public transit solution for the city of Ottawa. The senior design had its engineers keep track of not only the financial cost of their materials,
but the social (“orange”) and environmental (“green”) costs as well. Though it was a competition, the atmosphere throughout the conference appeared congenial. For instance, testing the ice-cube devices took 20 minutes, time which was filled by each group with a two-minute presentation of their choice. The University of Manitoba delegates elected to tell jokes about their home province, since they
were “disappointed the comedian last night didn’t make fun of us.” When a crowd member asked if the University of Manitoba was actually their province’s third largest city in the fall and winter, UoM delegate Greg Welch replied with friendly sternness, “Don’t worry about it.” Note: to view selected senior design challenge solutions, see ICE page 31. mdavenport@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
CUBE hosts the Symposium on Health Technology 2008
Samuel Cheng
Dr. Donald Plewes, senior scientist of imaging research of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in University of Toronto, presented a keynote address in which he discussed how the Sunnybrook lab was dedicated to studies related to women with specific genetic mutations being at a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
jennifer serec
Two nanotechnology engineering students, Mushfique A. Khan, and Shahriyar Nasir, assemble a defibrillator tester. A defibrillator is a device used used to correct dangerously defective heart rhythms.
Science & Technology
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
Love buttons
U
nfortunately, some people assume their sex lives are dead long before they even have a chance to begin. These people assign the absence of a fulfilling sexual relationship to a personal failure and resort to opening email spam labeled “feel and smell more sexy to women” and “cheap safe Viagra $0.99 a pound” in the midst of their misery. Fear not, for it is possible you are simply not using the resources at hand. These resources, being free and widely available in all shapes and sizes, are known as erogenous zones. Essentially, erogenous zones are specific areas of the body that are packed with nerve endings, intensifying the sensation of stimulation. Most people limited themselves by focusing on genitals in both sexes and breasts in females at their own loss because there are numerous zones that are effective for both men and women. Females are said to have five basic erogenous zones: genitals, breasts, lips, neck and ears. This is actually an underestimation, as the scalp, inner thighs, buttocks, hands, feet and navel are also hypersensitive and do not exhaust the list (only creativity can). The genitals are obviously the most sensitive of the erogenous zones, including both vaginal and clitoral stimulation. Although people depend on this type of stimulation, it is rarely sufficient. In fact, to increase chances of orgasm, it is beneficial to lengthen the period of foreplay prior to sex while stimulating multiple erogenous zones. Just like in Canada’s Food Guide, erogenous variety is good for you. Foreplay is very valuable to a good sex experience as it nourishes an environment of trust and open appreciation for your partner. It expresses one person’s admiration for the partner’s body
and company, while a short period of foreplay may be interpreted as a purely physical attraction. However, foreplay should be a team effort where both partners are equally contributing and benefitting from the interaction. Unfortunately, men are portrayed as responding mainly to genital stimulation. In reality, male erogenous zones are nearly as unlimited as female ones – excluding clitoral, of course. The nipples for instance, are equally effective for arousal for both genders. Also, the scalp, nape of the neck and ears are often unjustly missed. Scalp massages are harshly underrated, perhaps because few people know they trigger a release of endorphins into the blood. Despite the other options, genital stimulation for men is a versatile and direct route to arousal because the penis is loaded with nerve endings, with the most sensitive area located at the top of the penis (glans). The frenulum is a sensitive area as well, located just behind the opening of the urethra. Just like in females, genital arousal is not limited to reproductive organs. Caressing of the buttocks, testicles, and perineum (area between the scrotum and anus) is pleasurable to most males. There is no step-by-step foolproof method to assure orgasm or the perfect strategy for arousal. The only way to find out what works and what doesn’t for you and your partner is to take time to explore the way your bodies react to different types of stimulation. No matter how vast your knowledge of erogenous zones is, the key to a pleasurable sex experience is good communication. Not all bodies react the same to certain stimulation, and what is pleasurable to one person may be uncomfortable to another. When in doubt – don’t hesitate to ask what your partneralomako@imprint.uwaterloo.ca is comfortable with.
CEC Ice challenge Michael L. Davenport assistant editor-in-chief
W
hile the Canadian Engineering Competition held several events which emphasized a wide variety of skills (note: see page 30) engineers are best known for building things — building things to solve problems. One of the events which best captures this is the senior design challenge. The the problem to be solved at the challenge changes at every competition; this time around the delegates had to design an apparatus which would thaw one ice cube while attempting to keep the other ice cube frozen. To make the challenge more difficult, the ice cubes were only allowed to be a maximum of 1cm apart. The engineers had many construction materials and energy sources at their disposal. They could use a heat lamp (representing solar power) a fan (wind power) and hot or cold reservoirs of water (representing geothermal energy.) They could also use pumps, but pumps had the downside of consuming electricity, thus driving up operating costs. While some teams built complicated devices utilizing pump-driven heat exchangers or otherwise had moving parts, the winning entry from Queen’s (above) was relatively simple. The engineers simply constructed a tinfoil box — the box trapped in the light emitted by the heat lamp, melting one ice cube via radiation. The ice cube to be kept cold was simply placed in a adjacent closed foam box. Dalhousie came in second with their innovative design (left) — they used wind to melt one cube. However, they reasoned the melting rate of the “cold” cube would be proportional to the temperature difference across their insulating foam box. To minimize this temperature gradient, they collected the water from the “hot” cube (the water would still be at 0 degrees Celsius) in a reservoir below the “cold” cube. Pieces of copper were in contact with this reservoir and wrapped around the box, driving down the temperature difference across the insulation. graphics by michael l. Davenport
mdavenport@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Are you getting ready to graduate with your degree but don’t really have a focus?
“Turn Your Degree Into a Career”
Conestoga College Post-Grad Fair Wednesday March 26, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Waterloo Campus 108 University Ave, Waterloo, ON Are you ready to graduate but aren’t exactly sure of a career path? Or maybe you need some further skills to top off your diploma or degree. On Wednesday March 26th, Conestoga College is hosting a Post-Graduate Fair at our Waterloo Campus, just down the street from the University of Waterloo and Laurier. Program coordinators of our highly respected post-grad programs in Health & Community Services, Business, Engineering and IT, Media and Languages will be on hand to answer your questions and give insight into their programs. Light refreshments will be served!
29
Over 20 programs will be highlighted: Health & Community Services: Career Development Practitioner Advanced Police Studies Advanced Security Studies Early Childhood Education Resource Teacher Recreation Management for Older Adults Applied Counseling Business: Accounting & Information Technology Event Management Financial Planning Services Human Resources Management (Co-op & Non Co-op) Online Marketing Professional Accounting Practice Retail Operations Management Applied Organizational Leadership & Development
Engineering & IT Digital Media Environmental Engineering Applications (Co-op & Non Co-op) Computer Applications Development (Co-op) Woodworking Manufacturing Management Media Videography – Broadcast Journalism/Documentary Language Teaching English as a Second Language Media Sales
Top off your education at Conestoga College – the number one college in Ontario for the last nine straight years!
For more information go to our website www.conestogac.on.ca and look under College Events
30
Science & Technology
Sherif Soliman assistant science
& technology editor
Microsoft wows in TechFest 2008
Microsoft researchers meet in Microsoft’s annual science fair, TechFest, to share some of the latest projects MS has been working on. One of the main attractions of the fair was Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope software. Microsoft has updated the WorldWide Telescope program, which is similar to Google Earth software, except that it will be used to get closely observe celestial objects. Microsoft plans to use tens of millions of pictures from sources such as the Hubble telescope in the operation of the software. Microsoft will not be releasing a version of the software for operating systems other than Windows. However, since most of the astronomical community uses Mac or other Unix-based software, it wasn’t too surprising for WorldWide’s principal developer, Jonathan Fay, to occasionally display the program on a MacBook Pro. Mac users will be forces to use virtualization or doublebooting programs such as Apple’s free Boot Camp, or commercial software such as VMware’s Fusion or Parallels software. Wireless provider sharing information with U.S. government
A recent report released by security consultant and “Certified Ethical Hacker,” Badak Pasdar, claims to expose that a major wireless provider was sharing records of customer com-
munication interactions with the U.S. government. Pasdar says that, while implementing new technologies for the provider, he came across a circuit that everybody called the “Quantico Circuit.” According to Pasdar, the circuit provided an external third party with full access to the backed up recordings of all user communications. Long-term consultants who were assigned by the company to assist Pasdar in his work were very uncomfortable and avoidant in speaking about that specific circuit. Pasdar exclaimed that allowing a third party full access to a company’s network core was “against all security protocols,” and that it was even more suspicious since the company had installed firewalls on their own offices and affiliate systems. This report comes in time to increase worries about organizations such as the NSA mass-snooping on communication media such such as e-mail and text messaging, without sufficient court supervision or permission. Broadband access on the “fly”
Passengers on Virgin America and some of American Airlines’ aircrafts will soon be able to satisfy the irresistible urge to check the latest stock market quotes and their Facebook profiles. The new service called Gogo has just been finalized by Aircell, a company that specializes in telecommunication equipment for airlines, and is expected to cost between $12.95 for cross-country flights, and $9.95 for flights lasting three hours or less. — with files from CNET.com
Make technology work for you. In just two semesters at Humber, you could upgrade your degree with a postgraduate certificate in
Wireless Telecommunications, Supply Chain Management or Project Management. Apply now and be well on your way to a successful career in technology.
humber.ca/makeitwork
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
Maria Karpenko reporter
Winter “hibernation” for Antarctic cod
For the first time, Antarctic cod have been observed to hide out on the seafloor, reduce their feeding, and slow their heart rates during the long winter months, in a “torpid” state that is similar to hibernation in land animals. “[These] Antarctic fish actively reduce their ‘cost of living,” said study co-author Hamish Campbell, a zoologist at the University of Queensland, Australia. “This is quite similar to ‘denning’ in bears, where the hibernation isn’t so deep and the animals can be disturbed, then spend some time awake before going back to bed,” said co-author Keiron Fraser, a marine biologist from the British Antarctic Survey. Currently, the researchers do not know the reason behind the winter slowdown. “Perhaps they are visual predators, and in the [dark] winter they basically can’t see their food,” Fraser said. Further studies on Antarctic cod are needed to decipher the true motivation for this unusual survival strategy. “Sea slug”-like brain implants
Inspired by sea cucumbers, U.S. researchers have developed a new material with potential applications ranging from brain implants for patients who suffer from Parkinson’s disease, stroke or spinal cord injuries, to smart bullet proof vests and prosthetics. The material consists of cellulose fibers that are harvested from tunicates and are embedded in a polymer. Thus, the material resembles the sea cucumber dermis which is comprised of collagen nanofibres embedded in a soft con-
nective tissue and mimics the ability of the sea cucumber dermis to switch between being rigid to being flexible. “Normally it is very soft, but for example in response to a threat, the animal can activate its ‘body armor’ by hardening its dermis,” explained Dr. Jeffrey Capadona, a member of the research team. Chemicals secreted by the nervous system of the sea cucumber trigger rearrangement of collagen threads, resulting in changes in stiffness. “Our architecture is the same, but the chemistry is different,” explained Dr. Christoph Weder, a member of the research team. “The water acts as a chemical switch,” said Dr. Weder. Hydrogen bonds hold the nanofibres together in the absence of water, making the material rigid. In the presence of water, the water molecules “competitively” bond with the nanofibres and the material becomes approximately 1,000 times softer. This property is important as the brain is roughly 75 per cent water. The research team believes that therapeutic devices manufactured from this new material could overcome many existing problems of implants. First moon rings discovered around Saturn
Astronomers have observed rings around Saturn’s moon Rhea, the first ever moon rings to be discovered. In November 2005, the Cassini spacecraft passed Rhea about 500 km away. The rings block the normal flow of energetic electrons that are trapped by Saturn. Cassini detected the unusual flow of energetic electrons. “Although Cassini’s cameras have failed to see the rings, the electron measurements are solid,” said Larry Esposito of the
University of Colorado in Boulder, U.S., who was not involved in the study. At present, the origin of the rings is unclear. It is possible that due to an earlier impact in Rhea’s history, the rings are part of debris that was left behind. Generally, a small moon is necessary to collect the particles and keep them entrapped, but until now no satellites of Rhea have been detected. “Whatever is going on there is a real puzzle, so ultimately there may be another explanation — but from what we have at the moment, a debris disc and embedded rings are the best explanation,” said Geraint Jones of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London, UK. — with files from National Geographic, BBC News and New Scientist
Comics & Distractions
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
Crossword Tim Foster
Across 1. Occupied 5. Golf goal 8. Only country with non-quadrilateral flag 13. Go in 15. Night before 16. Monte ____ 17. Loss of muscle strength 18. Liquid stockpile 20. Gravestone acronym 21. Maiden 23. Whole-body fencing style 24. Frantically 27. Right-wing pundit Coulter 28. Playing field 29. Sub-religion 31. Pith helmet 34. Second digit to the left of a decimal 36. Jewish holy book 39. Curtail 41. Ridiculously irrational 43. Horse harnessed to the side of something 44. Ballet skirt 46. Consumes 47. French idea 49. Aquarium or feeder fish family 51. Cum ____ ergo propter ___ 53. Bashful 58. Ready for business 60. Family Day’s day of the week 61. Before prefix 62. Office missive 64. Arabic chiefs 66. Greek muse of love poetry 67. Florida reef-island 68. Zoolander’s first name 69. Wife of a raja 70. Short dash lengths 71. Expresses affirmation Down 1. Chin hair 2. Undo a knot
Sudoku 7 5 9 1
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What one piece of advice would you give to a prospective UW student?
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by Mark Kimmich
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3. Desists 4. Japanese dollar 5. Enduring 6. Zoroastrian language 7. View again 8. Carbonless copy-paper type (acronym) 9. Roof edge 10. Latin, patriotic cry or Italian soccer club 11. Foreign 12. Italian actor Sofia 14. Actress Winona 19. Perpendicular annexes 22. Narrow mountain ridge 25. Coupled 26. Abominable snowman. 30. Rabbits 31. One third of a tbsp. 32. Surprised exclamation
Tim Foster
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4 2 3 1 2 1 8 2 9 6 3 5 1 8 5 2 9 3 5 5 6 9 2 5 7 6
Of late it seems, quite from the blue That a popular trend at SJU Is to write this column, oft in jest To show one’s love for another best And ergo they come in droves – a torrent Each new one assuredly more abhorrent So bad by now I take offence At what they lack in wit and sense Devoid of meaning, pace and style (Causing me to wince, not smile) “It was a joke” can’t forgive, I suppose Killing the art of writing prose Rhyming “flute” and “fruit” amongst other drivel Upon reading this I died a little And so to show up these submissions pallid I offer instead this better ballad: I’ve never excelled with romance It was hard to ask you to the dance Despite your yes I remain shy Settling to merely catch your eye A laugh, a wave, a nod hello Is as far as I care to go But should you ever want to discuss
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The possibility of you, me, us I’d be overjoyed, my black-clad dancer And until then I await your answer! When you got kicked out of residence it was the worst thing that could have happened. I couldn’t imagine a life without you in it. I remember during our reading week we spent a lot of time together, and even slept beside each other... twice! I laid there, watching you sleep, hoping that one day I will be able to express my true feelings for you, Danda Bear. By the way, you look so fine with a shaved head! P.S. I love you! To my Hopeless Romantic, I can’t believe you don’t think I see you, oh I see you baby, shakin’ that ass. I need you to hurry up now, cause I can’t wait much longer. You need to see my real rugby skills and how I actually handle balls. How be we meet up, under my umbrella, ella, ella. I’ll be bringing sexy back. Let me see that thong...yours truly, Jewels
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68 71
33. Cop 35. Jewish Sabbaths 37. Archetypal hard-working insect 38. Masculine contraction 40. Free-standing tall plant 42. At an earlier place 45. Kenyan’s neighbour 48. Jane Austen book 50. Archaic, remunerated 51. Best baseball hit 52. Classical musical drama 54. Slang, head 55. Former vice-president Agnew 56. Made a mistake 57. Classroom furniture 59. Observe carefully 63. Fish eggs 65. Fathers, brothers, and sons
“Be as outgoing as possible.”
Vinnie Sivasubramaniam
“Go to Warrior Weekends!” Andra Olaveson
3A arts and business
1A biomedical science
Mar. 7 solutions
tfoster@imprint.uwaterloo.ca D A D S
A B E L
S T U N
O A T H
L O S E R
A P P L Y
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D A P O U T T E R M U P Y S T O S C K H I T I I T E E Y S A S P I S E R A N E A D R K S A E
4 2 1 6 8 5 7 3 9
7 3 5 4 9 1 8 2 6
8 6 3 5 2 4 9 7 1
A L A T E M E N E D I N I N G E N E S S O F A F R A U S I D S E S D E T H O R H E R E B S O C E S S A O G U E G G E D
9 4 2 8 1 7 5 6 3
1 5 7 9 6 3 2 8 4
3 7 9 2 4 6 1 5 8
L I P C A Y
O C C A S I O N A L
R I O T S
C A S E Y
T O D O
T R E E
“Don’t play World of Warcraft.”
“Stay organized.” Richard Carlsen
Domo Chlobowski
2B planning
“Go to class.”
“Goose poop proof boots.” Candice Appio
2B computer science
M E T R I L Y C L A P A O N E
2 1 4 3 5 8 6 9 7
5 8 6 1 7 9 3 4 2
Every morning I hear you sing your Persian song in the shower, just down the hall. I can’t wait until next year, when you will be living just upstairs from me. I won’t be able to sleep because I will be awake, staring at the ceiling wondering if you are staring and the floor, back at me. Remember when you showed me your rock collection?Well, I wrote you a song about it. It goes like this: “don’t be fooled by the rocks that he’s got, he’s still, he’s still Nadar from the block.” Hey creepy (smelly) girl! It’s not that im embarrassed to say that to u in person, but i wanted to say it in a special way (I know u like readin this section). I might have been buggin u a lot with all kinda short, long and instant msgs, but all that was because i really liked u... I wanted to ask u out that friday at the SLC, but i knew ur answer even before i even asked the question, so it was game over for me!! And the only way that I could think of to get over it was not to talk to or sit next to u anymore, which is kinda dumb I know... In short, I gave up, and I want u to know that ur smile
Veronica Diaz and Erica van Velsen
2B french and drama
2B spanish and 2B arts
was everything I needed to make my day, so if u change ur mind, u know how to reach me. As I walk past the Renison College Library, i notice you sitting at the desk being all that you can be. Your hair is a juicy but fiery red as it matches mine, all I can do is think of you while I am in my bed.Your lips look tender and soft while I gaze at you from the distance, all I can think is how perfect we can be together.The way you move those hips always fascinates me, your CONSTANT whining is music to my ears, I get so turned on when you say “that’s disgusting!” I would like to see the disgusting things that you could do to me. I can’t help to wonder what it would be like to play with you, since we love to play the same games. Just imagine what it would be like if only you would be beside me, just think of the constant excercise and memmories that we could share. Meet me at the library on tuesday afternoon and we will have it librarian style. XOXOXO!
To the girl in BMH who was reading Missed Connections last Friday. I overheard you saying you wanted someone to write one about you. I didn’t get a good look at you but you aren’t ugly and you have nice long brown hair. Looks soft, hah.Wish granted =) DS – I see you everyday in the dungeon and try to make my feelings known. I sit beside you most days and my advances go unnoticed. I play it all off as a joke but in truth it feels so right. I am disappointed that I am losing a third of the time we spend together in the front row. perhaps we could make up for this in other ways;). I miss your special toque and at night all I can think of is the feel of your denim jeans. If you feel the same way sit beside me in class and give me a smile. – MAN Missed a connection? Wanna break the ice? Email mkimmich@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Comics & Distractions
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
The Imprint caption contest And the winner is...
“University of Toronto engineers design sophisticated ballistic missle defence system. The shields use revolutionary materials and boast 95 per cent bodily coverage, while protecting all the areas most vulnerable to bean-bag attacks. “ -Ian Pappel, Arts
In need of a caption... E-mail submissions along with your name, your year (e.g. 2B) and your program, under the title “caption contest,” to: mkimmich@imprint.uwaterloo.ca.
Do something different The hunt is over! Complete just one course or begin work on a degree, diploma or certificate at home, on your time through Thompson Rivers University Open Learning (TRU OL) – bringing education directly to you. UÊ Ê ÃiÊvÀ Ê ÛiÀÊ{ääÊV ÕÀÃiÃÊ> `ÊxÓÊ«À }À> ÃÊ delivered in print or online formats UÊÊÊ À Ê> ÞÌ iÊ> `ÊV « iÌiÊÞ ÕÀÊÃÌÕ` iÃÊ>ÌÊ>Ê«>ViÊ and place that suits your lifestyle UÊ > Ê>` Ãà ÊÀiµÕ Ài i ÌÃÊÌ Ê«À }À> à UÊ Ài` ÌÃÊ>ÀiÊÌÀ> ÃviÀÀ>L i UÊÊÊ > ÊVÀi` ÌÃÊv ÀÊ«ÀiÛ ÕÃÊÜ À ÊiÝ«iÀ i ViÊ> `Ê apply them toward your program For a complete list of courses and programs visit us at www.truopen.ca
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Sports & Living
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008 sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Going to nationals
The Warrior men’s and women’s curling teams seek to represent Canada in Harbin, China next February by winning the 2008 CIS/CCA National University Championships at the Guelph and Elora curling clubs Yang Liu sports editor
A
courtesy fausto filho
Men’s team roster Women’s team roster Position First Name Last Name Year
Hometown
Position First Name Last Name
Year
Hometown
Skip
Ryan
Sayer
4
New Liskeard
Skip
Amber
Gebhardt
5
Listowel
3rd
Scott
Hindle
1
Ottawa
3rd
Bridget
Arnold
2
Kitchener
Lead
Rob
Fry
1
Midland
Lead
Grace
Goyle
1
Mississauga
5th
John
Feldkamp
2
Burlington
5th
Nathalie
Gagne
1
Waterloo
2nd
Edward
Cyr
1
Minden
2nd
Halyna
Tepylo
1
Trenton
Coach Steve
Allen
Coach Kathy
Gebhardt
t the Guelph and Elora curling clubs this week, 36 elite teams (19 men’s, 17 women’s) from across Canada will gather to compete in the first Canadian Inter-university and Canadian Curling Association sanctioned national championship. For the first time, the winner of the tournament will have the opportunity to represent Canada in international competition. The Warriors will send its men’s and women’s teams to compete alongside the likes of Charley Thomas, skip of the University of Calgary men’s team and a member of the 20062007 World Junior Champions. The women’s side remains formidable too; the University of Calgary women’s team features four members of the 2007 FISU championship team. All the teams are competing for the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2009 FISU (Federation Internationale de Sport Universitaire), which takes place in Harbin, China next February 18-28. The Warriors men’s team is skipped by Ryan Syer who was a member of the 2005 Warriors OUA championship team as lead. The Men’s finished just out of the medal positions at the OUA championship this year, which was won by Laurier. The field only gets tougher at the Nationals with several teams (Calgary, Alberta, Lethbridge) fielding members from the 2006-2007 World Junior Champion teams. The Warriors however, are not intimidated “We can compete with any team in the competition,” said head coach Scott Allen. “When we play aggressively, we are much more effective.” Indeed playing ag gressively seemed to pay off for the Warriors, who in their first game on Wednesday crushed Lethbridge 10-1 to start off on a high note. The women’s team features three rookies in their line-up and is skipped by veteran Amber Gebhardt. Even with a young line-up, the Warriors hope their enthusiasm will trump their inexperience. “If they believe in themselves, they can be successful and compete with the top teams in the tournament,” said Allen. The team showed mixed results in the regular season finishing in the middle of the pack with a 3-4 record. The team had a hard act to follow after the Warrior women skipped by Marika Bakewell captured the OUA championship in 2007. The CIS/CCA championship started out roughly for the Women, as they dropped their first match to Carleton by a score of 9-5. Nevertheless, the team still has five round-robin games remaining as of the time of publication to bounce back. The playoffs for the tournament will start on Saturday, March 15 with the quarter finals taking place in the late afternoon. The semi-finals and championship match is held the following day, March 16, with a trip to China on the line. yliu@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Sports & Living
Imprint, Friday, March 14, 2008
35
The other march madness
The CIS needs to revamp and spice up its tournament for mass appeal
O
ffice pools, sports books and of course millions of basketball fans across North America are all eagerly anticipating the annual 64-team single-elimination tournament known as March Madness, which starts next week. While the NCAA tourney is receiving prime-time billing on ESPN and CBS, it’s Canadian counterpart; the CIS final eight will languish with its coverage relegated to that of a third-rate sports channel. The major Canadian sports networks (TSN, Sportsnet) have cast aside the Canadian university tournament in favour of covering the flashier and more grandiose spectacle that is the NCAA March Madness. An eight team tournament just can’t compare to the frenzy of a 64 team free-for-all melee that is the NCAA tourney. Even the name of the CIS tourney: The CIS final eight, lacks the snazzy alliteration of its NCAA counterpart. The 64 team format of March Madness is a match made in heaven for office pools. Millions of people that wouldn’t know UCLA from UNLV tune in for March Madness lured in by the thrill of wagering. While the CIS final eight lacks the pomp of March Madness, it has plenty of narratives to follow. The Carleton Ravens are playing for a perfect season and their sixth consecutive CIS championship. The Ravens ran roughshod over the OUA, going a combined 25-0 in the regular season and OUA playoffs. Teams looking to knock off Carleton include CW champion UBC Thunderbirds and AUS champion Saint Mary’s Huskies. Also in the mix are the Western Mustangs who after a mediocre 12-10 regular season, peaked at just the right time and made
it all the way to the OUA championship game. In many ways the Mustangs can be likened to the upstart Giants and the Ravens to the perfection-seeking Patriots. The brackets are set-up such that the two teams are in line to meet again in the CIS championship match. One can only hope the final result mirrors the Super bowl. Perhaps part of the problem with the CIS tournament is the absence of upsets, Carleton is heavily favoured to win their sixth consecutive title. Victoria won seven in a row during the ‘80s, multi-year repeat winners are a common sight in this tourney. With 64 teams the NCAA format almost always guarantees one or two major upsets, there’s nothing sports fans love more than seeing upstart underdogs rise to the top. This element is frequently absent in the smaller CIS tournament, something to consider in the future would be the addition of more teams to create greater excitement across the country. The CIS final eight is merely another sporting event, while March Madness presents itself as a spectacle in the vein of the Super Bowl. Canadians have marketed shown much apathy for college sports and a large part of this is due to the way sporting events have been market to the public. More pomp and pageantry surrounding events wouldn’t be a bad thing. What the CIS needs to do is find a way to re-brand the final eight tournament so that it doesn’t just look like a scaled-down version of NCAA’s tournament. yliu@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
sonia lee
March 14 -15
March 19
3-on-3 March Madness Basketball Tournament
Eight hour spin for Lance Armstrong Foundation
Friday and Saturday
Wednesday
Friday - 4 pm to 11 pm & Saturday - 9 am to 5 pm @ CIF
Wednesday - 10 am to 6 pm @ SLC
64 Teams - Double elimination format Volunteer court monitors wanted!!
UW Cycling Club will be spinning in the Student Life Centre throughout Wednesday to raise money for cancer.
[See Marc Iturriaga at PAC]
[The fundraising goal is 1000 dollars]
Presents
07 THIS WEEK IN 08 ATHLETICS gowarriorsgo.ca Registered trademarks of Boston Pizza Royalties Limited Partnership, used under license. © Boston Pizza International Inc. 2005
2008 VARSITY
AWARDS
BANQUET
COLUMBIA ICEFIELD
Tickets are $27 and are available at the PAC office starting March 17, 2008. Athlete of the year rings provided by:
Athletes of the Week Kirk Ewen - Track and Field Kirk, a 4th year Optometry student from Watson, SK, was a standout for Waterloo in his relay events this past weekend at the CIS Championships at McGill. In the 4x200, he ran the fastest leg (21.9) as Waterloo finished 10th. In the 4x400 he ran the fastest leg (50.1) finishing 8th (1 point) and the second fastest 4x400 relay team time in Waterloo history. Kirk has been a valuable member of our team for many years and is graduating from optometry this spring.
IMPRINT | MAR 8 2008
Jenna Bell - Track and Field Jenna, a 5th year Kinesiology student from Toronto, Ontario, finished in 7th place in the Pentathlon at the CIS Championships at McGill with a score of 3393, second best score in Waterloo history (2nd only to her performance last year). In the 60m Hurdles she finished 12th, Shot Put 11th, 4x400 (62.5) 12th. Jenna has a had a very successful year and it is a major accomplishment just to make it to Nationals. Jenna scored the only 2 points for the women's team.