Imprint_2010-07-02_v33_05

Impr int The university of Waterloo’s official student newspaper

Friday, July 2, 2010

Vol 33, No

5

imprint . uwaterloo . ca

Dr. Stephen Hawking arrives in Waterloo staff reporter

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rguably one of the most well-known figures of the modern scientific community, Dr. Stephen Hawking was officially welcomed to his distinguished research post at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics by The Ontario Premier, Dalton McGuinty. Hawking, recruited by Perimeter’s director Neil Turok, from his position as Lucasian Professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, will begin a six-week stay at the institute conducting private research.

The event, which was taped for broadcast on TV Ontario, included a brief discussion by Hawking on his life, his work, and his influences. Aided by the well-known computer voice synonymous with his name, he spoke of an inspiring and free intellectual environment where he hopes to achieve “magical progress.” Expanding on his discussion of the private research institute funded by Mike Lazaridis of RIM fortune, Hawking said he is hoping and expecting great things will happen here.

“We are at the point where new ideas are needed if we are to secure our future,” he said.

As a part of his recount of his research career, Hawking described his relief of focusing on cosmology and quantum mechanics rather than particle physics. “I am glad I did not go into elementary particle physics, because none of my work

from that period would have survived,” he said.

In addition, he also recounted his success of working with Roger Penrose, with whom he would eventually share the Wolf Prize for Physics; in a word “they have greatly enlarged [the] understanding of the origin and possible fate of the Universe.”

In addition to his personal stories, Hawking gave a lecture on the idea of black holes and their intricate connections to the mystery of the origin of the Universe. Since black holes are the creation of gravity into a singularity of infinite temperature and density, they represent the most extreme conditions of the Universe — a curious window which has allowed Hawking to study and theorize about the beginning moments of the Big Bang.

Although wheel-chair bound by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Hawking provided an engaging and inspiring presentation that captured and held the attention of those in attendance. “It was fascinating the people he worked with

“

over the years and the development of theories that changed the world… the time just flew,” said Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

At the same time, Neil Turok, a personal friend of the renowned physicist described his joy of seeing Hawking in Waterloo. “It’s hard to take it all in, it’s very emotional for me, for him to come here and bring his endorsement, his enthusiasm to the Perimeter Institute,” he said.

Also at the event were two special high school students who won the institute’s video contest showing their love of science. The students were in awe by the presentation.

“It was really good to see him in person, the whole idea of meeting him was a dream,” they said.

The entire event will be rebroadcasted on TVO on July 4 at 5 a.m. and July 6 at 10 p.m.

“

Jinxu Zhang

jzhang@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

It was fascinating the people he worked with over the years and development of theories that changed the world... the time just flew.

- Jim Flaherty, Federal Finance Minister

An ongoing protest Streets of downtown Toronto were filled with protesters as the G8/G20 began on June 25.

Many police bordered streets as episodes of vandalism and riots broke out over the weekend.

Special Feature: Further coverage on G8/G20 protests on page 10–11 courtesy of Evan Bell

Sports

12 Arts

Athletic upgrades to CIF.

16

Annual Uptown Country Festival, soaking up the sun with the newest in country music.

News New menu for Bomber

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010 news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

G20 leaders reach agreement on deficit

Waterloo hosts some of India’s sharpest minds Daniel Hann

T

reporter

Courtesy Eduardo Ramirez

Howard Leung reporter

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t is the beginning of a brand new term at UW, you and your friends celebrate by visiting the Bombshelter Pub (otherwise known as “Bomber”). You flip open the menu, and you discover that there are starters that you have never seen before. No need to be surprised — this is the result of a recurring process that Bomber undergoes every term — with an extra twist for the upcoming fall.

According to Candice Hildebrandt, the Bombshelter Pub manager, there is a constant feedback mechanism that tries to match the shifting student demand. [The student feedback is measured] mostly from staff, as we draw the staffing from our students... we ask them what is successful, what is not, and why,” she said.

For example, the staff mentioned to Hildebrandt that offering mini-pitchers would prove to be popular, and a decision was made to add this option to the drinks menu this spring term.

Another piece of feedback that could be in the new Bomber menu is the addition of steak sandwiches. This suggestion is currently being passed onto the kitchen staff, where they will “determine the cost of the ingredients to add, so the management can determine the price,” explains Hildebrandt. In other words, the price of the items are always cost-driven, so “we are pricing as low as possible in order to keep costs low for students.” In general, the management tries to reduce costs by reusing the same type of ingredients in different menu choices. A simple example would be using chicken for both the crispy chicken wrap and chicken fingers, both on the menu this term.

Hildebrandt adds that a more big-picture change will also hit the menu. New for the upcoming fall term, the menu will be streamlined and redesigned by a “company that [is an] expert in the field of menu design and layout.”

Menu items will also be reclassified based on the changes, which will make it easier to read.

The details are still being fleshed out, as the final menu must be presented by Aug. 1, and the menu will be complete in time for the start of the fall 2010 term.

Of course, there are significant changes to the Bomber other than the menu. “Bomber is opening for breakfast for the fall/winter terms as students have lost the opportunity to go to Mel’s Diner [for breakfast],” Hildebrandt said.

Furthermore, Thursday and Saturday nights have been reserved for student groups to book the Bomber to create their own events, which is sure to be a hit with UW clubs on campus.

Hildebrandt says that “[Bomber’s] goal is to either improve existing items or replace them with new offerings.” For students that are coming back in the future terms, they can look to see if our friendly neighbourhood pub has fulfilled this goal. hleung@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

courtesy Fred Chartrand

Sunday, June 27, 2010 — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and United States President Barack Obama take part in an official group photo at the G20 summit held in Toronto over the weekend.

Paula Trelinska news editor

C

anadians watched as TV images, online news stories and blog posts indicated that Toronto’s downtown core had been destroyed by rioters. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Stephen Harper wrapped up the G8 summit in Huntsville and met with G20 leaders in downtown Toronto.

Beginning June 25, leaders of eight of the world’s most industrialized nations met at the Deerhurst resort in Hunstville up in the region of Muskoka for the annual G8 meeting.

Under heavy security, the leaders talked about many issues including maternal health, North Korea and Iran.

As part of what has been billed the Muskoka Initiative, G8 leaders committed $5 billion in new money to maternal, newborn initiatives.

Canada’s contribution to this is $1.1 billion.

There has also been another $2.3 billion secured from non G8 nations and private donors such as the Gates Foundation and the United Nations Foundations.

The leaders agreed that this money should be used to achieve the Millenium Development Goals by the year 2015. They hope to prevent 1.3 million deaths of children under five, and 6,400 maternal deaths.

The G8 leaders also stated that North Korea presented a clear and present danger and that world leaders cannot sit back and allow it to become a nuclear power. They urged North Korea to abandon their nuclear weapons and demanded they do not commit attacks against South Korea.

While they demanded North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons, the leaders recognized Iran’s right to a nuclear program but demanded greater transparency. They also said Iran must comply with the UN Security Council Resolutions.

See G20, page 4

he University of Waterloo is hosting eight of the sharpest young minds from India this summer to employ their talents for projects in the laboratories of leading Canadian researchers. As part of the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS) Globalink program, the goal of this is to introduce them to Canada and promote it as a future destination for graduate studies.

MITACS Globalink is a program which aims to give students the opportunity to complete a three-month research internship where they will be involved with cutting-edge and innovative research in science and engineering.

“Every year, tens of thousands of future entrepreneurs and scientists from India travel abroad to countries like the U.S. or the U.K. for graduate studies,” said Arvind Gupta, scientific director of MITACS. “Our message to international students is that Canada has world-class universities that provide superior education and innovative collaborative research opportunities. We also have some great companies interested in working with these students to help commercialize their ideas into the new products of tomorrow.”

The research itself spans a multitude of different areas in engineering and science and has potential innovative, real-world applications from new, more efficient types of ultrafiltration membranes that can remove viruses from drinking water to new proficient methods of debugging software.

Federally funded, MITACS is a non-profit institution that seeks to connect industry, academia and the public sector in a bid to develop cutting-edge tools vital for the knowledge-based economy, according to a press release. The Globalink program was developed with the backing of the Government of Ontario, which recently announced $500,000 of funding for this program over two years.

“In an increasingly global economy, Ontario needs to provide its students with learning opportunities abroad while opening our doors to the world as a destination of choice for post-secondary education,” said John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. “Through programs like [MITACS Globalink], we can strengthen our global ties and attract and keep more foreign students in Ontario.”

According to ministry statistics, each of the 37,000 international students who were enrolled at Ontario colleges and universities from 2008 to 2009 contributed an average of $27,000 each to the Ontario economy.

Nagarajan Rajagopal, a student from Anna University in Chennai India who is working on nanocomposites under UW Dr. Leonardo Simon in chemical engineering, said he is “loving every moment” spent in Canada. “I am really lucky to get a wonderful opportunity like this, I really love my project and it’s a totally different and challenging environment,” said Rajagopal. “I will definitely consider applying to UW for my Masters Degree.”

“We’re pleased to host a group of international students through the Globalink program,” said UW vice-president of university research ,George Dixon. “This opportunity will help both the international and Canadian university students build global relationships that will stretch throughout their research careers — a key element in truly creating and sharing knowledge.”

Ontario is hosting a total of 47 Indian students as a part of the MITACS Globalink program. It will be running from May to July.

Features G20 protests turn violent in the streets of Toronto. Riot police attempt to control the crowds.

See G20 coverage on pages 10 and 11

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News

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010

G20: Recovery on the agenda

Bill Chen reporter

UWO hosts International Association of Women Philosophers conference

Paula Trelinska

Members of the media, security, and secretariat were all able to experience a bit of Muskoka in the city at what has been dubbed the “fake lake” located at the Direct Energy Centre. The centre was home to over 2,000 members of the media for the duration of the G8 and G20 summits.

The International Association of Women Philosophers (IAPh) held its conference at the University of Western Ontario over the past weekend.

The association is a 36 year old organization that consists of more than 380 members from over 35 different countries all over the world.

The goal of IAPh is to remedy the under-representation of women in philosophy by building a friendly atmosphere where female philosophers can present their work and collaborate with others.

The IAPh has organized 14 conferences so far. This symposium, entitled “Feminism, Science and Values,” was the first one held in

Canada and the second in the entire North America.

This time, the group was gathered to reflect on the implications of scientific advancements in the field of pregnancy, sex and childbirth.

The gender differences in sports and military were also discussed.

University of New Brunswick receives $500,000 donation for upcoming expansion

The Sir James Dunn Foundation of Southern New Brunswick announced that it will contribute $500,000 to the Commons Project of the University of New Brunswick (UNB.) The Commons Project is a $25-million expansion plan to construct the University Commons building on the Saint John campus.

The building will have a similar func-

tion as our own Student Life Centre.

“We are so pleased the Dunn Foundation decided to get involved in this terrific project. Their generous contribution takes us one step closer to creating a facility that will transform the way our students interact and learn,” said Eddy Campbell, the president of the university.

This new building will sport a revolutionary energy-efficient design and other environmentally- friendly features.

It will have an on-site water recycling facility. These features will make the University Commons the first green building at the UNB. The Sir James Dunn Foundation has always been a generous affiliate of the UNB. It has made significant contributions to two other UNB construction projects in the past: the Sir James Dunn residence and the Sir James Dunn Wildlife Research Centre.

Continued from page 3

Following the G8 in Huntsville, leaders headed down to Toronto to meet at the larger G20 summit. The G20 summit, meant to be a forum for dicussion on the international financial system, had financial reform, amongst other topics, on the agenda.

On the topic of finanacial reform, the G20 leaders agreed that individual countries would have the choice on whether or not to levy a bank tax. To many, this was a relief as some countries, such as Canada and China, do not wish to implement the tax, while Britain and Germany are both going ahead with the levy.

“It is also important to note agreement on ongoing and important financial sector reforms, specifically to increase the quality and quantity of capital standards,” said Harper. The leaders also agreed to a plan for structural reform of the global economy. Countries which are running trade deficits, such as the United States, will be

maintaining open markets. Countries running trade surpluses, such as China, will focus on domestic sources of growth.

The leaders also agreed that the advanced economies will halve their debts by 2013. Japan was granted an exception from this. The leaders also agreed that strategies used to halve the debts must be “growth friendly,” meaning spending cuts, not tax increases.

One of the major announcements of the weekend was that Canada has cancelled its share of Haiti’s debt. While Canada had already cancelled the debt it was owed by Haiti under the Canadian Debt Initiative, it has now payed off its share of the debt to the Inter-American Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund. With $825 million owed to international financial institutions, Canada payed an estimated US $33 million in order to cancel the debt. ptrelinska@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Courtesy WPIRG

WPIRG PROTESTS — While the Shrine Circus was in Waterloo on Tuesday, June 22 and the WPIRG action group Students Against Animal Cruelty (SAAC) demonstrated against the use of animals in circuses before both of Tuesday’s shows.

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Correction In the June 18, 2010 issue of Imprint, the story “Are you protected?” implied that Feds was taking over the health and dental plans for the GSA, but the health and dental plan for the GSA and Feds will now be managed under each organization separately.

This decision was not determined by a survey, as suggested by the story. What was determined via a survey was that the undergraduate students wanted the dental plans to remain the same.

Also, students will only be covered and reimbursed for 30 minutes for deep cleaning, not one hour as was stated in the story, in addition to the regular cleaning covered in a check-up visit; saving students approximately $3.50 per term.

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010 opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

IMPRINT The University of Waterloo’s official student newspaper

Steroid scandal spotlights UW

Friday, July 2, 2010 Vol. 33, No. 5 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, Gina Racine editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Advertising & Production Manager, Laurie Tigert-Dumas ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca General Manager, Catherine Bolger cbolger@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Sales Assistant, Dina Hamdieh Systems Admin., vacant Distribution, Sherif Soliman Distribution, Abdul Asmat Volunteer co-ordinator, vacant Web Developer, vacant Board of Directors board@imprint.uwaterloo.ca President, E Aboyeji president@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Vice-president, Angela Gaetano vp@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Treasurer, Howard Leung treasurer@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Secretary, Erin Thompson secretary@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Staff liaison, Keriece Harris liaison@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Editorial Staff Assistant Editor, Adrienne Raw Head Reporter, Dinh Nguyen Lead Proofreader, Ivan Lui Cover Editor, Sonia Lee News Editor, Paula Trelinska Opinion Editor, Andrew Dodds Features Editor, Rosalind Gunn Arts & Entertainment, Felicia Rahaman Science & Tech Editor, Komal R. Lakhani Sports & Living Editor, Brent Golem Photo Editor, Peter Kreze Graphics Editor, Armel Chesnais Web Administrator, Jennifer Nguyen Production Staff Deanna Ostafichuk, Divyesh Mistry, Eduardo Ramirez, M. Chung, Alicia Mah, Mika Ilic, Chantal Jandard, Tejas Koshy, Jennifer Nguyen, Zuhal Ava Moradi, Gulan Abuzeyit, Sahill Goraya, Bogdan Caradima, Jacob McLellan

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 Thursday during fall and winter terms, and every second Thursday 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: Wednesday, June 30 12:00 p.m.

Next board of directors meeting: Monday, July 12 12:30 p.m.

editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

P

retty much every major newspaper and media outlet in the province and beyond has been covering the UW steroid “scandal.” Our school was mentioned in newspapers across the country.

Videos of the press conference where the test results were announced had been broadcasted via Youtube. CBC tweeted the news even before the press conference began and I’m pretty sure my backside as I updated my Facebook status on my iPhone was on the local news (how embarrassing).

The University of Waterloo made headlines across Canada, and beyond, on Monday, June 14, and Imprint was at the centre of all the drama. We fielded demands from other media outlets while sending our own reporters, photographers, and videographers to the press conference that happened right here on our campus.

We were there alongside some highly influential and fairly established media sources. We stepped up to the plate and, I believe, demonstrated just how much we want to get the news out there to students. We

also sent off information, photos, and other tidbits to media across Canada who wanted to cover the event but couldn’t attend the conference. Our bounty of vast knowledge about the Warriors football team and the University of Waterloo was needed, which in itself is a remarkable thing.

I remember a time in my career where I had to make room for the big dogs. It can be a very scary venture to prove yourself as a tough news nut when you’re surrounded by Global TV, CTV, and a plethora of cameras and mics, but there comes a time in every journalist’s career where it must be done.

It was during my first week as the editor of the Mayerthorpe Freelancer when the Fallen Four Memorial Park was officially unveiled. With rumours that Prime Minister Stephen Harper would be in attendance, making his way to our small town where exciting things don’t usually happen, you can imagine I took quite a few phone calls from media abroad that week.

At the unveiling, I really had to put my game face on.

I pushed, I shoved, I sneaked through the crowds

and I silently thanked my parents for giving me the genetic make-up to be so tiny and dexterous. I had to prove to everyone, and myself, that I represented an extremely credible and well-read news source and our presence at the opening was just as important as Global TV’s.

And on June 14, Imprint, the University of Waterloo’s official student newspaper, proved that we have what it takes to stand up against the rest of the media.

I think we can all agree that it’s a shame our school was put on the local and global map in a huge way because of events that transpired which painted us in a negative light. It’s a shame that we may forever be known as the university where those football players were caught using steroids. But Imprint was just as much a part of the action, striving, at every step of the game, to get the truth out there to our readers.

We sincerely tried to give both sides of the story the opportunity to be heard and in the end, deliver what I believe was fair and unbiased coverage of the events.

These engineers’ borders

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ngineers without Borders should ACT, but maybe not on aid.

Amidst all the brouhaha with the protests and such at this weekend’s G8/G20 conference, it might be worth noting that there were some more successful (and better organized) advocacy efforts focused on the same event. One of such was the brain child of Engineers without Borders (EWB), an international development organization birthed at this school. The initiative, called ACT, demands that the Canadian government makes its international development assistance to developing countries accountable, creative, and transparent.

Admittedly, reforming Canadian aid is an important subject. Still I must wonder, is it worth the effort? Especially considering the world’s renewed focus

eaboyeji@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

(especially at the G20 level) on investment and entrepreneurship as tested routes to development. Is aid reform the most important thing African countries need from professional organizations like the EWB? Even more importantly, since when did a futile cause like aid reform become the core competency of engineers?

Now, although I am not actively involved with this organization, I must say that I have had many wonderful interaction with them, and that many of their most respected leaders are also my most respected friends. No doubt, the organization has proven itself to be critical to whatever is left of vital development discourse on this campus (I wonder what WPIRG does these days...). Nevertheless, allow me to frankly state that I doubt this attempt at aid reform will be worth anyone’s time

or effort at the end of the day.

Why? First, with aid, the incentives for success and failure here are naturally misplaced. Everyone in development knows you can’t lose money on an aid project, so even with good intentions, recklessness drives a lot of the dollars into the ground. Second, African countries aren’t even enthusiastic about aid any longer. As Nigeria’s Ambassador to Canada said in the run up to the G8 last week, no one is interested in “coming here with a cap in hand begging for aid.”

Finally and most importantly, there are so many other initiatives that a competent and professional organization like EWB could be taking the lead on.

For example, Africa is hungry for innovations in energy and transport technology that is cost effective, high impact, and yet have low maintenance costs. Imagine if EWB worked on inno-

Community Editorial

vation challenges that helped to develop this kind of life changing technology.

Pioneering African software giants like Ushahidi and AppAfrica might not give as much in perks and pay as Google or Facebook, but perhaps EWB might be better suited to lending their skills to Africa’s emerging IT revolution than to sending lone volunteers to manage experienced farmers at the cost of hiring five local engineers for one year.

And while we are on the topic of local engineers, imagine if EWB actually had chapters of locally trained African engineers working to build worlds of opportunity in their own countries and communities.

If in the end, these engineers will move beyond borders, it will be good for them to retreat a little and explore better opportunities to do what they do best.

opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

UW Athletics: good decision or bad?

Komal R. Lakhani science and technology editor

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he topic has been in the air — on Facebook, Twitter, and other means of communication — since it was revealed last term that our football team has been associated with drugs.

This issue became the biggest scandal in the history of Canadian varsity athletics, but more importantly, a widespread argument in our university since the entire football team’s suspension was announced.

The university at this time is divided in three parts: one part that supports the team and say suspending the entire team for a year is wrong (this group is big and visible everywhere on campus).

A second group exists that has no opinion because they honestly don’t give a damn and live in their own world. Finally, a third group is the students who agree with the university’s decision (this is a significant group as well but quite a few of them are afraid to speak out for the fear of being considered traitors). My reason for writing this editorial is view all sides of the debate.

The university suspended the innocent athletes from playing along with guilty ones, even though the innocent ones stood strong and avoided the peer pressure of taking steroids. This is the plea of the football team and their supporters. In a statement

released by football teams in a previous issue of Imprint, they said they stand together as a team and support each other and do everything together but now that a few of them slipped up the team thinks that the rest of them should not be punished for the other people’s action and choices they make in their personal life. To me, this is just a double standard.

If one of those nine players got married, which is a highly personal thing, wouldn’t the team which claims to be really close be happy and join in the celebration?

Or if one of the players were to win a million dollar lottery with their own money in their personal life would the team say that he won that in the personal life and that we don’t care even if he doesn’t throw us a big crazy party to celebrate his winning.

The minute you talk to someone about something other than the team or game related you are becoming a part of their personal life. I agree that it sucks the team got suspended but before we start saying the university is wrong we should also consider the other point of view.

Now if you were a student considering coming to this university, how would you perceive it to be?

As an international student, if my parents knew that students at this university took steroids and the school did not take strong action against it, they would have never sent me here. Waterloo is an educational insti-

tution. Fifty-three clean players had to be suspended from playing this season to save the reputation of thousands of undergraduate and graduate students who will be judged by their co-op employers as well as companies hiring them after graduation on the basis of the quality of the university they are from.

This is the other side of the debate where our fellow students agree with the university. This also includes students involved in other sports. The voice of the third section won’t go unheard. There are many reasons for them not to care, and we cannot blame them for it.

I want to state that I am not bias to any of the sides, I attended the press conference by the football team at CIF and heard their point. I heard what the university had to say and why they took this action and I have heard opinions from people from various faculties and other athletes and this is one of those times where we have to wait and see the effects of it in the long run.

We all feel bad for the innocent players, which is apparent by the thousands of players on the “bring back the Waterloo Football team’s” Facebook group.

But something had to be done; good or bad it is done and maybe we should trust the university who we picked to educate us in the first place to be capable of making an informed decision.

6

Opinion

McChrystal clear

Rolling Stone article sheds light on an un-winnable war

U

nless you’ve been living under a rock, you likely heard about the Rolling Stone article featuring General Stanley McChrystal, Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Besides painting a picture of the enigmatic McChrystal, the article underscored just how tenuous a hold NATO forces have on the country — if it can be said that they hold anything.

It was significant in that it pushed Afghanistan back into the public sphere, though not quite into a symposium. You see, people have been damaged by limitless access to TMZ and People magazine. The result? People read an article like the piece by Hastings and see only gossip; much of the discussion in its aftermath centred on McChrystal’s comments about Obama and the staff in charge of Afghanistan.

I’ll give you that it was a Rolling Stone piece; that Hastings clearly reveled in being able to dig up this kind of dirt; and that the article was, at its base, about McChrystal.

Nonetheless, the fact that so many people have ignored the “We’re effed in Afghanistan” subtext is baffling.

(Note: to call this sentiment ‘subtext’ in the article is to call the French Revolution ‘subtext’ in A Tale of Two Cities).

Maybe people are tired of hearing about Afghanistan. Maybe the story was buried, like so many turtles, beneath the BP oil spill. Or maybe this is yet another illustration of our toothless North American society, unable to effect change; unable, it seems, to care enough about an issue to at the very least stand on one side of the line or the other. (Note: I have dismounted my high horse.)

The fact remains that the Obama administration dodged an IED here.

The article makes clear — in uncertain terms, mind you — that the best the

U.S. can hope for in Afghanistan is a dishonourable discharge.

This has been the consensus for quite awhile, but the article diagrams the situation: 1) the primary objective (the dismantling of Al Qaeda) is mired in limbo because Al Qaeda has moved its operations to Pakistan, and 2) McChrystal’s counter-insurgency strategy seems to take two steps back for every half-step forward. If there was any kind of an active resistance to the war, Obama might have been forced to do more than just fire McChrystal.

In reality, a U.S. pullout now — well ahead of the July 2011 target — would not have been the worst scenario as far as mitigating what will surely be a public relations nightmare. McChrystal could have been painted as the fall guy; after all, he was the one who fervently boosted the present strategy.

Instead, the U.S. is forced to save face. To pull out now, without significant calls to do so from the public, would validate McChrystal’s assertion that the administration is a bunch of wimps.

It would be a self-condemnation, particularly damning in light of the recent additions of troops, and of the dedication to a flawed new strategy that was supposed to turn around an already-faulty war.

The solution? Maintain the status quo, and hope that progress can be made. The scary angle is that the war in Afghanistan has become just that: the status quo.

Its inclusion in our daily news has become as common as the sports pages. And with a strategy — counterinsurgency — that bills itself as a difficult and protracted process, any kind of significant withdrawal seems a long way away. pmcgeown@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Enjoy Half Price Mondays and 2-4-1 Wednesdays or else!

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010

Canadian nuclear policy

I

nternational effort to prevent the development of nuclear weapons and other terrifying weaponry are visibly failing, and as a potentially significant world player in this arena, Canada is unable or unwilling to play its hand strategically, instead choosing to comply with United States foreign policy when it is not in Canada’s interest to do so.

Given that Canada is one of the few countries in possession of nuclear technology and the technical knowledge required to build and deliver nuclear ordinance, our government should consider how Canada’s current advantageous position and counterproductive actions are undermining our efforts to eliminate these weapons.

News has just surfaced that Prime Minister Harper and his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, have signed a nuclear co-operation deal with India, allowing for Canada to begin uranium exports, technological exchanges and training of personnel in India.

The treaty was signed with both the heads of state grinning for the cameras, yet our prime minister seems ignorant of our past dealings with India.

In 1974, relations with the populous country sharply declined after the Indian government used plutonium from a Canadian reactor in order to build an atomic bomb. Canada’s inconsistent policy is made even more dubious when one recalls that Harper recently agreed to apply sanctions on Iran, a nation that not only has national interests in developing civilian nuclear tech-

nology, but also a strict policy against using nuclear weaponry, as repetitiously and patiently explained by the Ayatollah Khamenei as being un-Islamic (incidentally, the President of Iran is largely a figurehead, contrary to his portrayal in the media). These sanctions have also been applied in spite of the lack of evidence that Iran was seeking to build a nuclear weapon.

On the other hand, the Indian government has not only blatantly broken agreements in the past, it is also not even a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, even though Iran recently signed on.

This example of double standards is telling, in that it shows how nuclear nations quite openly peddle these technologies to untrustworthy nations for financial or strategic gain (Pakistan is yet another example of U.S. nuclear assistance), only to refuse their support for countries that may have perfectly legitimate aims.

In order to prevent the proliferation of nuclear arms, Canada needs to conduct itself according to the international treaties that it has signed. The government must no longer trade away nuclear technology, especially to a man such as Manmohan Singh, who merely pledged that India would play by the rules before signing the deal.

Our government must also avoid aping the policy of the United States, perhaps one of the most egregious violators of international law with respect to nuclear weapons, among other things. bcaradima@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

letters@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Removing the stigma of religion

R

eligion is a heavy word. In western society it has come to carry so much baggage that often people sour or become uncomfortable at its very mention. Indeed, it has been afflicted by a serious stigma.

The causes for this are many, including the very persons championing religious movements, whose actions have incited violence and bloodshed, or whose views and ideologies have defied the common sense and good nature of decent people everywhere.

However, it should be noted that although there are people who abuse religion and misuse it for their own selfish motives, abandoning their God-given sensibilities when practicing their faith. I feel it’s unfair to castigate the institution of religion as a whole because of the actions of a small minority.

Any judicious and informed reader would agree that religion has been the source of an overwhelming amount of good and greatness in this world.

There are countless people all over the world who selflessly serve the lesser fortunate — dedicating their time and wealth — and who attribute their noble and humanitarian attitudes to their religious values.

Nevertheless, in order to shed the stigma attended to it, it’s beneficial to examine religion from a fresh vantage point.

The Holy Quran describes man as a two-fold creature, consisting of a physical body, and a spiritual body – known as the soul. The Holy Quran states that as man’s physical body requires nourishment for growth, so too does the soul require spiritual sustenance in order to flourish and, in the same way that God provided food for our physical wellness, He likewise provided religion to serve as our spiritual nourishment.

People sometimes remark that religion is strictly about outward form and that religions only teach ceremonial acts and mechanical worship. This is simply untrue.

A study of the various world religions largely reveals the common theme that physical and verbal modes of worship are only a means to an end, and that stress is laid on cultivation of the soul – which is the supreme objective – so that humanity might achieve the individual and social peace we inherently desire.

Indeed, Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) once said that if the heart of a person is good, then all is good, implying that the supreme object of Islam (and all religions from God) was to reform the personality and inner condition of man.

The concept of worship in Islam is to follow and obey one’s Creator so devotedly and humbly that one seeks Him in every part of life, becoming attracted to God so strongly, that a person’s heart gets inebriated with love of the Divine.

The natural consequence of this is that all that is dear to a person’s Lord, also becomes dear to him too, leading him to render selfless and supreme services and sacrifices for the benefit of his fellow man.

Another prevailing misconception, is that religion promotes narrow-mindedness. The Holy Quran completely refutes this allegation, with many verses urging Muslims and mankind in general to contemplate – using their natural faculties of mind and thought – the systems of nature and the universe and deduce much about the physical as well as spiritual world therefrom (10:6, 10:25, 13:4, 13:20 etc).

Indeed, in a famous saying of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) he states: “In the pursuit of knowledge, go even as far as China (which was another way of saying that Muslims should go to great lengths for knowledge).”

It is true that religious teachings cover all spheres of human life, however, Islam says that the ultimate aim of religion is to equip man with the fundamental broader principles, and not to manage the minutia of every act of human existence.

Given this, and the fact that ultimately everyone lives by some type of code or ideology or world-view, I do not think that it should be a matter of any ridicule whatsoever.

Many people turn to religion as their source for moral and spiritual guidance, for in my opinion, religion – when not abused and practiced sensibly according to the original roots of that religion – is at the very least as good as any other code of life. asahi@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010 science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Do you know what is in your drinking water?

Jinxu Zhang staff reporter

I

n an event broadcasted live across Waterloo Region, a heated and oftentimes passionate debate took place at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex concerning the continued fluoridation of Waterloo’s water supply.

The event, which was represented on both sides by dental and environmental experts, was an opportunity to inform the public about the benefits and dangers of fluoridated water.

This, along with two additional debates, will culminate in a municipal referendum on Oct. 25 to determine whether the Municipality of Waterloo will continue to fluoridate its water.

Dr. Ira Kirshen and Dr. Harry Houdiono, past president and current vice president of the Ontario Dental Association (ODA) respectively, debated in favour of continued flouridation while Dr. Paul Connett, chemistry professor of St. Lawrence University, and director of the Fluoride Action Network, along with Peter Van Caulart, director of the Environmental Training Institute provided the opposing views in favour of stopping flouridation.

In the tightly structured discussion, both sides debated the widely contested issue with scientific evidence and professional opinions. According to the

members of the ODA, fluoridation of water is recommended as a safe and effective preventative measure against tooth decay, supported by Health Canada, U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization.

According to reports released from these health organizations, “fluoridation of community water supplies [is] safe, effective, and necessary in preventing tooth decay.”

Additionally, Kirshen and Houdiono point to studies showing the reduction of tooth decay in children by as much as 60 per cent through the use of fluoridation and nearly 35 per cent among adults. As a result, the CDC claims “ flouoridation of drinking water is one of the 10 most successful public health measures in the 20th century.”

The arguments sounded logical, being backed by scientific data and support from various public health agencies. Yet, why is this a hotly contested issue?

Why do experts from various fields feel the need to debate against the use of fluoride in the water? Why is it that many European countries have stopped fluoridation of their own waters leaving only a handful that continue to do so today?

The concept of fluoridated water came from a man by the name of Henry Trendley Dean, who in 1945

Ivan Lui staff reporter

Another smashing record at LHC A new collision of particles has generated a new record for collision rates at the Large Hadron Collidor (LHC).

This new record has generated 10,000 particles on collision, twice as many as previous numbers. Despite its size and cost, some researchers doubted the abilities of the LHC. With new discoveries such as this, even skeptics are beginning to admit that the machine may be the most powerful yet.

“It’s clear that the LHC is the new boy in town, but in two years running we’re going to put Fermilab out of business,” operation group leader Mike Lamont told BBC News.

The Tevatron particle accelerator at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Illinois, is its current rival. Unlike the LHC, the Tevatron particle accelerator is run at a more intense rate. With the LHC’s rapid progress, they will soon replace the Tevatron.

By smashing together beams of energy, the scientists working with the LHC hoped that they will find the elusive Higgs boson, or the “God Particle” that will hopefully explain why matter has mass.

The main usage of LHC is to measure the number of particles colliding per second, also known as luminosity. Lamont said that luminosity shows the power of particles being smashed together, which then can lead to the discover of the Higgs boson.

“Protons are complicated particles; they’ve got quarks, muons, [and other small particles], and colliding them is like colliding two garbage cans and watching carrots come out,” Professor John Ellis, one of Cern’s top theoretical physicists, told BBC News.

“The more collisions we get, the closer we get to supersymmetry, dark matter, the Higgs boson and other types of new physics.”

Predicting menopause A study of 266 women over a 12 year process has allowed researchers in Iran to pinpoint when

produced a chart that showed that with increasing concentration of fluoride in the public water supply, the number of dental carries decreased.

With this evidence, fluoridation became an official policy of the U.S. in 1951 and slowly spread around the world. Sixteen years after the initial release of that chart, however, the chart and its conclusions were recanted after a chart with all the data points from the initial study showed no significant relationship between fluoride levels and dental caries. Yet fluoridation continued as an official public policy.

To understand why many experts believe fluoride in the water supply is such a public hazard, we need only to look at a periodic table.

Located near the top right corner, fluorine is the most electronegative element and thus reacts with nearly everything. Inside the human body, unbounded ions from fluoridated water have the capability of undergoing many reactions. Additionally, even while fluoride is ingested into the body, it has only been proven useful as a topical treatment, something already present in toothpaste. According to current Health Canada guidelines, which have been reduced four times in recent years, there is a maximum of 1.5 mg/L of fluoride in the water supply.

While this is described by fluoride advocates as a safe and effective level,

menopause will occur by measuring a hormone known as Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH).

Follicle developments are controlled by AMH. When this study is complete, people will be able to control when they have menopause. This new research will benefit some women who may experience menopause earlier.

This is not the first time hormone studies have been used to predict bodily fertility. Some tests are able to look into the “ovarian reserves” of a woman, showing when menopause could possibly occur.

During this 12 year process, those participating within the study were given blood tests in three year intervals.

Presenting the study to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference in Rome, the leader of the study Dr. Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani, from the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, said that they have developed a mathematical model to predict when menopause will occur according to AMH levels in blood.

From the course of this study, 63 female participants reached the age of menopause.

Using their formula, researchers were able to get a near perfect prediction as to when these women would experience menopause.

Some predictions, however, had large margins of error; these errors could be off by three months or three years.

While this study may have its values in the medical fields, U.K. researchers are warning growing adults not to use this as a way of starting a family late.

Stuart Lavery, a consultant gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital in London and spokesman for the British Fertility Society, mentions that it is not only menopause that generates problems when trying to procreate.

Factors such as sperm quality or bodily conditions for birth may change rapidly in the older years.

“Given that women are tending to start their families later and later, postponing having a child until careers are established or until ‘Mr Right’ comes along, foreknowledge of the length of their fertile lifespan should help them to plan ahead,” said Dr. Dagan Wells, senior scientific the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Oxford.

even Health Canada, supporters of community-wide fluoridation, warns that infants are particularly vulnerable if they ingest powdered infant formula reconstituted with fluoridated water.

There is an issue with delivery of a reactive medical ingredient in an uncontrolled format. The opponent of fluoridation points to the lack of control over the dose of fluoride each individual receives, which could differ vastly based on the amount of tap water consumed. In individuals who consume an elevated level of fluoride, there is the possibility of developing dental fluorosis, a whitening of patches on teethand ostiosarcoma, a cancerous condition of the bones that currently has no definitive medical causes.

In addition to the many possible harms of fluoride in the human body, there is a growing concern of the chemicals used to fluoridate community water.

According to Dr. Mitra Doherty, a practicing dental surgeon, the medical grade fluoride found in toothpastes and used in medical studies differs from the industrial grade fluoride used in the water supply. Calcium fluoride, commonly found in toothpaste and nature, is not used to fluoridate water.

Instead, hydrofluorosilic acid, a common byproduct of the fertilizer industry, which contains trace levels

Mars Scars

Images sent back by a magnetometer on board the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) while orbiting Mars show that there may be strips of iron-bearing minerals permanently magnetized with alternating orientations. Even though scientists are aware that dynamos, hot spots of molten metal, once existed, they are not sure as to why these strip patterns exist.

A new theory for these strips have been developed by Ken Sprenke of the University of Idaho. Sprenke stated in his theory that these were hotspots beneath the surface. Sometimes material from the internal core would come spewing out, creating these zones, and then freezing again.

Sprenke’s publication in Icarus says that these strips can be compared to hotspot strips on Earth, such as Hawaii. These hotspots, moving very slowly underneath the planet’s crust, may have left behind parallel tracks seen in the magnetization maps from the MGS “There could easily have been dozens of hotspots back then,” Sprenke says of the first

of lead, arsenic and mercury, is utilized to fluoridate the water. While fluoride is a chemical naturally present in our body, there are no safe levels for lead, arsenic or mercury.

Among those present was Dr..

Anne Marie Mingiardi, a practicing physician who was also concerned with the health of medicated patients.

With such a reactive substance consumed with reactive medications, Mingiardi voiced her discomfort at any amount of fluoride if the synergetic effects have not been carefully studied.

Alfred, a concerned citizen in the audience, voiced his displeasure at being forced to consume medicated water. Having lived most of his life on naturally filtered well water, Alfred believes that there are better ways of applying fluoride, such as selffluoridation.

At the end of the 90 minutes, neither side was able to score any major victories. Yet, that was not the point.

These informative debates are for the benefit of the public, both the proponents and opponents of this controversial issue.

In the end, the community referendum on Oct. 25 will decide whether the City of Waterloo will end fluoridation or whether Alfred will remain a disappointed resident. jzhang@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

half-billion years of the planet’s existence, when the magnetic dynamo — molten iron circulating in the planet’s core — was probably active.

Sprenke in his research states that the strips could fall into two families. Each of these families represents the poles of the planet. These magnetic poles with a third polar wandering occurring in between, can represent the axis spin of the planet.

Some scientists, however, are skeptical about some of Sprenke’s explanation and say they may fall short of questions that could later be asked. Other scientists such as John Connerney, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, says that there are no topographical associations with these hotspots.

Without any signs such as volcanoes or other areas of rupture that would give away these spots, no one is for sure why these spots exist.

— With files from BBC, Nature and Solarviews.com ilui@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Waterloo gets fresh and healthy

komal R. lakhani

The summer farmers market held in the SLC lower atrium started on June 17.

It will be held every Thursday till mid-fall.

Science & Technology

8

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010

Bread-baking: an art or a science? achiang@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

I

n the toffee-nosed world of authentic artisan boulangerie, the question of whether breadmaking is really an art or a science, is one of great dispute.

What most everyone will unanimously acknowledge, however, is that producing great bread, the kind that distinguishes the amateurs from the pros, requires a particular savoir-faire — the much-coveted “magic touch,” which can only be acquired through many, many years of trial and practice.

At least, that’s what we thought, pre-2006. It’s been nearly four years since Jim Lahey, owner of the Sullivan Street Bakery in Manhattan, and Mark Bittman of the New York Times, revolutionized the world of the everyday baker with their release of the “No-Knead Bread”— a recipe that requires little to no effort, yields beautifully structured bread, and that most importantly, Lahey claims, is simple enough for a four-year-old to master. (In his original article,

No-Knead Bread

Bittman pointed out the inaccuracy of Lahey’s sweeping statement: “The method is complicated enough that you would need a very ambitious eight year old.”)

To start, you will need the four foundational ingredients of all artisan breads: flour, water, salt, and yeast.

The truly special ingredient in this recipe, however, is time.

As Harold McGee, author of “On Food and Cooking,” explained: “The long slow rise does over hours what intensive kneading does in minutes: it brings the gluten molecules into side-by-side alignment to maximize

their opportunity to bind to each other and produce a strong, elastic network. The wetness of the dough is an important piece of this because the gluten molecules are more mobile in a high proportion of water, and so can move into alignment easier and faster than if the dough were [sic] stiff.”

If it’s starting to sound scientific to you, let it be known that there are still aesthetics involved.

The trick to getting that professional-looking crackling crust is getting moisture on the bread as the crust develops—a problem that

Lahey solves by placing the dough in a pre-heated, blazing hot, oven-safe pot, and baking it with the lid on for the first half, to retain the steam and moisture.

The results are incredible and extremely forgiving, and I should know — my first attempt at the No Knead Bread last weekend included more mistakes than I care to list, and it still came out gorgeous.

Whether the bread-making process is scientific or artistic is still subject to debate — personally, I think it’s a bit of both—but as Lahey says, “The proof is in the loaf.”

(Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery) Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting ¼ teaspoon instant yeast 1¼ teaspoons salt Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

Directions:

1 2

3

4

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Aletheia Chiang

Earthquake felt at UW campus

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Komal R. Lakhani

Waterloo

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A

n earthquake hit parts of Ontario and Quebec on Wednesday, June 23 at ap-

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proximately 1:41 pm EDT. It had a magnitude of 5.0 according to Natural Resources website of Canada.

The epicenter for the quake was eight kilometers from Val-des-Bois, Quebec.

This earthquake which lasted for about 30 seconds was also felt in many parts of the KitchenerWaterloo region.

Many people in our university felt it as well. “It was really quick, but quite interesting everything seemed to be swaying”, said Tracy Dietrich who works in Secretariat.

From the president’s office to the top floors of Dana Porter, many people ignored the shaking tables thinking that it was the construction happening at the campus.

The Research and Finance office was in quite a tremor with a number of people talking about the earthquake.

“I thought it was the construction at Quantum and Nano Technology building when the earthquake happened,” said Matt Schumacher one of the people from the Research and Finance office.

“I was sitting in one of those cubicles and I heard some noise.

The desk was shaking but I thought it was the construction,” said Vicky Lounder a master’s student working on her thesis on the sixth floor of the Dana Porter Library.

The earthquake was felt in the RIM buildings as well. Co-op student, Taniya Gupta, working in one of the RIM buildings said “I was sitting on my desk and thought my supervisor was shaking my chair.

Then my desk started shaking too.

When I turned around there was nobody. That is when I realized that it was an earthquake.”

According to research published by the Waterloo Centre for Groundwater Research, based in the University of Waterloo,Southern Ontario is more earthquake-prone than it was believed to be.

This research was conducted on the seismic activities of Lake Ontario.

The study also points out how often an earthquake will return with a certain magnitude level. Large earthquakes have a higher frequency of returning. klakhani@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Features

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010 features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

The secret about networking

A

fter reading my column for a few weeks, there is one important thing I think you should know. What I’m about to tell you is something that most people haven’t figured out yet, so it’s kind of secret. But if you know it, you’ll get better at meeting new people – so obviously I’m going to tell you what it is.

Networking is not about getting what you want from people. It’s about connecting others with what they want.

In the comments section of one of my articles (on www.imprint.uwaterloo.ca – check it out), someone described networking as, “a tool for the lazy and selfish. Always with the ‘what can you do for me’ mentality.” Even though this comment is really critical, I like it. It highlights what we should all be striving not to do while meeting new people.

imerrow@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

After all, there are many selfish reasons for networking. Expanding your professional network allows you greater freedom in the places you work, increases your connections to other industries, and presents opportunities you might not otherwise have. So how does this help anyone but yourself?

The truth is that lazy and selfish networkers never do help anyone else, and their credibility suffers for it. The key to networking successfully is helping people in your network achieve their goals.

Working out, reading, and networking are all equally “selfish” activities. However, networking involves other people, and it gets a bad reputation when those relationships are abused. True networkers help others, and are more likely to be helped in return.

There are a few ways you can ensure you’re not giving people the wrong idea when networking. First of all, be polite to everyone you meet — even if you’re in a rush or don’t feel like it’s someone you might like to network with. You never know who someone is connected to, and making a bad impression on one person can damage your relationship with others. If you are short on time or feel like you need an exit, be honest about your rushed schedule and offer to follow up with them later.

The next most important thing is to avoid making people feel like you’re only after something you want. If you are only after something you want, it’s going to be obvious and this is a problem. You can (and should) still try to meet the person, but you don’t have to appear superficial or selfish while doing it. It’s important to

take a look from the other person’s perspective so you can show them why you might be a valuable person to know. Can’t appeal to their self interest? What about their sense of humour?

Sharing a genuine conversation with someone (including stories, jokes and a lot of listening) will build a stronger relationship with someone than any kind of robotic business card exchange.

The secret of networking isn’t about how many people you can meet in the first 60 seconds after you walk into a room. It is about building genuine relationships with people, and that takes time.

If you have a bad experience with selfish and lazy people in the past, don’t give up on networking. Take the time to get to know people and help them achieve their goals — the relationships you build will help you succeed in the future.

Building an oasis made easy T

jbelanger@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

his summer, I took it upon myself to learn more about how my food is produced and how it arrives at my kitchen table. Distraught by many of my findings, I decided to start my own kitchen garden.

Seeing as I have limited space and arable land, living in an apartment downtown Kitchener, I claimed a corner of the building’s parking lot and started my own container garden.

Container gardens are an ideal solution for city dwellers who want to take up gardening and grow their own produce. By growing your own produce, you significantly decrease your food-based environmental impact by reducing transport-related environmental ills as well as pesticide output, if you choose to grow organically.

You reap the taste and health benefits of eating food at its optimal freshness. You also learn vital self-sustaining skills, which are largely being left behind by society.

Before starting my new project, I had decided that my undertakings would be as sustainable and cost-effective as possible. First, I procured two unused recycling bins (free). Then I proceeded to buy five bags of soil ($20) and an assortment of seeds ($4). Hauling these items to my apartment was comical, and seeing as the soil outweighed me and I have no access to a car, I decided to borrow a shopping cart to be wheeled home downhill.

I then began to fill the clean containers with the soil, while breaking up clumps with my hands, and sowed the seeds as

directed. Since my first sowing, I’ve become more confident in my gardening abilities, so I decided to experiment with a wider variety of plants. I had to purchase seedlings ($2-$4 each) which can be more expensive than starting out your own seedlings indoors, but time and the growing season is slowly dwindling.

I now have tomatoes, eggplant, sweet peppers, carrots, basil, garlic, chives, thyme, spinach, beans and two zucchini plants.

Important things to keep in mind before starting a container garden is that containers typically dry out quicker than a regular garden would. They require more watering, thus it is practical and environmentally sensitive to set-up a rainwater collector.

You should use a container that is at least six inches deep for most plants. You can also make your own mulch to save money.

It is also important to select plants appropriate to the sunlight they shall be receiving. If you have little experience gardening, like me, I suggest you make a trip to the local library to check out books on the gardening fundamentals.

If you’ve ever had any desire to grow your own food or to adopt a more locally-sourced diet, I urge you to start your own garden. I now have a greater appreciation for food, spent more time outdoors and embellished my backyard.

I have met new neighbours, a few of whom have generously donated planting pots and helpful advice. To date, I’ve feasted on my homegrown spinach and basil, which were delightful, and now I patiently await my next harvest. I’ve yet to encounter any off-putting obstacles, although my zucchini plants have a touch

of mildew, which I plan to eradicate this morning by spraying the affected areas with a milk and water cocktail. Regardless, the experience has been incredibly fulfilling and I look forward to continue gardening. I’ve greatly enjoyed learning about the ecology of the plants I eat. Mostly, I look forward to eating the vegetables and fruits of my labour.

Courtesy Chad Gillen

A glimpse of what Belanger’s garden looks like (above).

Rome sweet Rome cshin@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

R

City of Ruins (Day 1) ome, or Roma in Italian, is one of the most famous cities in Italy and it attracts millions of tourists every year. After my three day stay in this beautiful city it was not hard to understand why so many people come from all over the world to see this historical place.

It was a city built in 753 B.C. by the ancient Romans and as I walked down the streets of Rome I felt like I could almost breathe in the rich history and culture that the Romans worked so hard to build. One specific part of the city that has grabbed my attention is the ruins from the Palatine Hill. Seeing the tomb of one of the greatest historical figures Julius Caesar and the place of his assassination was an unreal experience.

I also got a chance to get a tour inside the Colosseum. I dare say Colosseum is the symbol of Italy just like the Eiffel tower is the symbol of France. It was a place of entertainment in the ancient Rome where thousands of people

watched gladiators as they fought animals and other gladiators.

It was overwhelming to see the Gate of Death which led to Spoliarium where the corpses of the gladiators who were mercilessly killed in the arena were stripped of their armour and weapons.

After that, we went to a local restaurant near Colosseum and ate pizza, wine, and ate gelato for desert (all for 15 Euros).

Vatican City (Day 2) The second day in Rome started at 9:00 a.m. in the smallest country in the world: the Vatican City. The first place I went to in the Vatican City Museum which had many relics that dates back up to a couple centuries, collected by former Popes.

I also got a chance to visit the Sistine Chapel, which had the famous ceiling art work by Michelangelo (creation) that took over four years to complete.

Since the Vatican City is the centre of Roman Catholicism, many of the most respected Saints and Popes were buried in this small country.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of this burial place posted up on my blog (nerdinheels. blogspot.com) since it is a holy place: however, it was probably the most overwhelming moment of the whole trip for me.

There was what seemed to be like never ending line of admirers of Pope John Paul II in front of his tomb stone. After that we went to St. Peter’s Basilica which was basically the Holy Bible turned into reality. It was not surprising to see so many priests and nurses paying homage to the deceased Popes and Saints.

Cappucine’s Teachings (Day 3) Our last destination in Rome was not a very well known one. Cappucine monks were a group of friars in the 16th century whose skeletons got turned into a funeral art. This is where the name of the coffee “cappuccino” originated

from, possibly referring to the colours of their habits and their white heads surrounded by a ring of brown hair. Anyways, I still remember a motto written on one of the tomb stones placed alongside with a skeleton with skin still attached to it: “What you are now we used to be, what we are now you will be.”

It gave me a surge of body chills. Seeing over 4000 skeletons in such a small enclosed space made me realize I should live everyday to the fullest and without regrets.

Sometimes I feel like I am too caught up in working towards my goal that I overlook the beauty and joy of living everyday life. Carpe diem. (seize the day.)

The next morning the Contiki group left early morning to head to Venice, Italy.

My stay in Rome was not too long. However, I am glad a well-scheduled tour given by Contiki allowed me to fit in many of the major tourist attractions without rushing. Rome is for sure a city full of surprises.

10

Features

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010

11

Evan Bell reporter

W

all photos by evan bell and ryan webb

FROM THE TRENCHES Police incompetence: Mistakes and mismanaged responses become standard operating procedure

Media ineptitude: Civic duty and balanced reporting are missing in action

What began as a peaceful protest on the afternoon of Friday, June 25, and the morning of Saturday, June 26 (left and right), ended for some in violence and property destruction (centre). Among the issues highlighted by the disparate groups participating in the march were the need for support for Native Canadians and the poor, workers’, women’s, and animal rights, drug legalization, socialism, environmentalism and government conspiracies. Many follow-ups on the weekend’s events focus on this violence and downplay the peaceful protests of the weekend, including the Raging Grannies (right) who peacefully sang their songs of protest at Allen Gardens during the feminist picnic on June 25.

hat a fiasco. Although, to be fair, the events of the protests surrounding the G20 were not unexpected. Digesting the deluge of experience from the weekend is something that would leave a hardened journalist unsettled at the very least. After three days of sketchy internet access from the streets, it was interesting to step back and see what the media’s reported perspective was.

However, I was a little disappointed at what was focused on, but for the second time not surprised. The efficacy of peaceful protest hinges on media reporting, and the scattered incidents of vandalism that were focussed on detracted from the legitimate messages of peaceful protesters. The staging area for the anti-poverty march on the afternoon of Friday, June 25 displayed a much more jovial atmosphere than the rest of the weekend. Sunny skies and a diverse crowd paved the way for a peaceful march from Allen Gardens. An incredible number of activist organizations were represented, from PETA and the Iranian Socialist Party, to the Raging Grannies and KW’s own Radical Choir.

Police presence was large but, at this point in the weekend, was limited to searches of protesters’ bags and some ejection of people entering the public space. I was not approached by police, but saw officers confront the people walking beside me, including Waterloo students and members of the KW Community Centre for Social Justice. Several arrests occurred later during the march, but I was across the street and missed the action.

Friday night (June 25) I met up with a friend in the Beaches and went to a birthday party at a rented lounge. Nobody there cared to chat about what was happening a short ride down Queen Street.

It seemed their daddies all owned businesses and tuition was paid so the party-goers kept busy searching for their next hook-up (a gross generalization, but I digress). I sat at the bar drinking rusty nails and mulling over what I had seen that day, concerned about the inevitable escalation tomorrow.

Saturday morning (June 26) I hopped on the street car, heading to Queen’s Park to meet up with my brother and join in the “People’s First” march spearheaded by several unions. The rain didn’t dampen spirits; the convergence mobilized in serious force. Several contingents travelled down College Street to convene in the park, including Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and many others.

The march left with a large police escort at 1:20 p.m. and headed down University towards Queen Street. Marching continued in a peaceful manner until the first major clashes with police near Much Music at 1:45 p.m., as a group of Black Bloc protesters attempted to pass police lines down John Street. Quickly repelled, I saw several bloody welts delivered by the “Public Order” unit, and the mass of the march continued unhindered towards Spadina.

At this corner, the marches split into two contingents, the official action headed north up Spadina, with marshals suggesting “Protest this way, tear gas that way” pointing south. At this point, any semblance of protest organization or police control fell apart.

The next several hours were a blur. My brother and I left Spadina, and tried to make our way back to Queen’s Park, the specified “free speech” protest zone. Avoiding seemingly random police lines, we made the park proper, only to find ourselves within a police cordon.

We were part of a peaceful protest rushed by mounted police (not an experience I would like to repeat), and watched/avoided arrest by “snatch squads.” These squads would emerge from the riot lines to shoot what seemed to be an arbitrary protester with rubber bullets, take them down, apply zipties, and then melt back into the police lines.

We were told the Riot Act had been read and anyone in the area was subject to arrest.

Quickly realizing that this “free speech” zone was not safe, we travelled north and found an unguarded alley that led east.

After escaping the chaos at Queen’s Park, my brother and I wandered down to the security fence in the early evening; we wanted to see what the real fuss was about. It was completely anticlimactic. Front Street and Wellington were sombre and mostly deserted, save for Nikon wielding tourists and incredibly bored police units from Calgary guarding the fence. One wonders why this presence was justified to protect the integrity and safety of delegates inside the fence but gave little concern to citizens’ businesses outside.

Admittedly, the police had an impossible task. Firsthand accounts were heard from those arrested at a Queen and Spadina sit in, after “kettling” tactics by police trapped a contingent of protestors between two lines of riot gear. I had been there earlier in the day, snapping photos of a squad car while it was being smashed: the iconic images of it being burned happened later in the afternoon.

It is impossible to tell from a glance which protesters are legitimately peaceful and simply causing a vocal ruckus from those with more direct action planned. That being said, charging a sit in, arbitrarily arresting protesters, and sending snatch squads into poorly-named free speech zone is problematic. All that was demonstrated is the poor strategy of security planners.

Accusations of police brutality? More like police incompetence. In my experience, first hand, the money was mismanaged, and the entire reaction to the protests seemed pretty inept (n.b. I am obviously not a trained police officer).

A very significant portion of the folks both arrested at and attending “protests” were curiosity seekers, drawn to massive convergences of police and genuine protesters alike. The riot cops were spread too thinly, and didn’t choose their concentrations and battles well.

Charging the “free speech” zone at Queen’s Park was a mistake, “kettling” tactics at Spadina and Queen Street were a mistake, not reacting to the roving bands of Black Bloc in time to save private property was a mistake, and overloading the security of the fence while ignoring the city proper was a mistake. They basically told Torontonians, we don’t give a shit about this city, we are just making sure the integrity of the conference is upheld.

International summits aside, get your priorities straight. Do the civil servants of Canada report to the people of the city they work for, or Harper’s pet summit?

At times, it seemed the number of cameras and lenses far eclipsed those actually protesting, especially among those doing damage in the financial district. How does this change reaction to police interaction? It was clearly obvious that the police exercised a reasonable amount of force restraint (see YouTube for South Korean protests as an extreme example) in much of the cases.

I question if the media has some sort of citizen responsibility in this case. Just because you have a camera does not remove you from civic duty. Images and footage of the destruction on Bay Street shows a handful of Black Bloc protestors performing direct action against their chosen corporate enemies, while dozens of accredited media persons point and shoot gleefully.

I generally tend to sympathize with the underdogs. Who wouldn’t appreciate cheaper tuition or greater responsibility for climate change and women’s rights internationally?

However, after attending the circuses — err protests — of the weekend, I became slightly discouraged at the message surmised by the mobilization.

The inability of the Toronto Community Mobilization Network to distance itself from the direct tactics of the Black Bloc seriously damaged its credibility and skewed the focus of the mainstream media. From an online Globe and Mail gallery of 35 pictures of the “protest,” not one is of the peaceful marches comprised of many groups with real messages and real issues. Everything from Greenpeace to the Raging Grannies and Free Tibet groups were represented in significantly greater numbers than the rabble rousers who stole the show. The media sucks at reporting this stuff, but unless organizers of the peaceful protests condemn criminal action they will be ignored as the more dramatic images take headlines and center stage.

The People’s First march moves through downtown Toronto on Saturday, June 26. While the bulk of the march progressed peacefully, there were several clashes with police officers outside of the official march route.

Public order units protect a vandalized squad car at the intersection of Queen Street and Spadina Avenue on the afternoon of Saturday, June 26. At several points, protesters vandalized isolated police vehicles, setting several ablaze.

Making use of more subdued tactics, a small group of demonstrators sit atop the Richmond Street streetcar tracks at Yonge Street, on Saturday, June 26. Although the Toronto Transit Commission had promised minimal disruptions to subway and streetcar schedules during the G20, the scale of protests seen on Saturday caused a number of routes to be closed, including the subway system.

Sports & Living

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010 sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Ground breaking for turf technology

Waterloo begins a total of $1.8 million in improvements to Warrior Field.

Brent Golem sports & living editor Namish Modi reporter

E

ver since selling University Stadium to the City of Waterloo because of looming repair and maintenance costs, the University of Waterloo has been without a stadium to call their own.

Finally, Waterloo is getting a proper field. Thanks to a $1.2 million grant successfully obtained by UW Athletics director Bob Copeland, the university has commenced phase two of Warrior Field. This phase will build a new field surface, as well as fencing and additional bermed seating in both end-zones to create a “bowl” seating atmosphere. The $1.8 million project is going in at Warrior field, next to the Columbia Ice Field Arena, on the North Campus. The turf installation is set to be finished by September and ready for the Fall 2010 term.

The field will be large enough to support field hockey, soccer and football. The turf is part of the university’s master plan and has been needed for several years. However, the funding for this project was a problem. The recent announcement of a grant to receive provincial and federal funding from a matching program called Recreational Infrastructure Canada (RInC) program came into fruition.

The Federation of Students and associate provost student services Bud Walker supported the application, which allowed this project to happen.

The turf field will be widely useful for many different athletic events.

“This is one of the significant advantages of installing turf. It will provide more access for more user

groups then the previous grass field, which had limited use in order to maintain the integrity of the field,” said Copeland.

The largest user group will be campus recreation, mainly soccer.

It should surpass their expectations as the field will be FIFA certified.

Copeland added that the installation of the turf will help manage risk of injury. The grass intramural fields had become very muddy every season, and these sports can be moved to the turf field. The field is also to be used by special events and other student recreation such as ultimate frisbee.

Varsity sports such as soccer, rugby, and field hockey will also use this field.

“The field will, for the first time, allow our women’s field hockey team to compete on our own campus versus having to rent external locations and play home games at other universities, including Western,” Copeland said.

A committee which included representatives from the Department of Athletics, Campus Recreation, UW Plant Operations, and others were included in the decision to use “FieldTurf ” as the type that will be installed at Warrior field. There was a very in-depth process in choosing a company to provide the new artificial turf. This process including seven different vendors, and 11 different turf products bid.

There is even the potential for installing lights on the field, allowing late night use as is done at Laurier’s Alumni Field.

“We do not have budget for the lights in this phase of the project; however, all of the necessary electrical services will be installed in this phase so we can add lights in our next phase,” Copeland said. Waterloo is the only university in

Brent Golem

A bulldozer rests on Warrior Field, which is now being excavated in preparation for the installation of a turf field and new bermed grass seating. The construction is set to be completed by September 2010. this province without outdoor lit fields.

The campus recreation experience could be enhanced significantly with the installation of lights. The turf field will apparently also be cheaper to maintain than the grass field.

“A turf field has significant maintenance cost advantages over a typical grass field and will save us approximately $40,000 per year in what we were spending to maintain a grass field, as well as paying for teams to

rent other facilities,” Copeland said.

The Warrior football team, when they commence play after their suspended season, will finally be able to play at their own stadium. Until last year, when Waterloo built its own field and temporary bleachers, the team had played at University Stadium. Waterloo originally built the University Stadium in 1957, and opened it the following May in 1958.

The university leased the stadium

from 1968 to 1974 to the city, until the stadium was in such disrepair that the university decided to sell the stadium to the city for $1 million. In 1992, the city sold the stadium to Laurier for the same amount. The Warriors had shared the stadium with Laurier until 2008. The final tally of this phase of the expansion is estimated to cost $1,847,822. sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Sports Editorial Monumental differences — subway series and the experience at Rogers Centre Namish Modi 3a environmental studies

“L

et’s go Yankees,” “Yankees Suck,” and “Derek Jeeeeeeter” were some of the variety of cheers heard at the year old Citi Field on May 22. I was sitting at the top of the stadium, but the experience was unlike any other baseball game I have attended.

The game featured the Queens’ own New York Mets facing their cross town rival, the hated New York Yankees. The crowd appeared to be split. I am a Jays fan, but went to the game as a Mets fan because of hatred for the Jays’ AL East rival Yankees.

Sitting at the top of stadium offered a view of Manhattan’s beautiful skyline including the Empire State Building, and various landmarks in Queens such as Arthur Ashe Stadium (home of the annual Tennis US Open). Virtually every seat was filled in what felt like a playoff game, an atmosphere I have never felt at a Blue Jays game. Mets and Yankees fans continuously chirped each other while Yankees reminded Mets fans of their last title in 1986—Yankees won the World Series in 2009.

We went down to the 100 level to view the last three innings to get a closer view of the play. When Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez

finally closed out the game for the team, Mets fans stood in glee as their team had the upper hand over the hated Yankees for at least one night. The Mets won the game 5–3, and went on to take two out of three from the Yankees over the weekend. They were honoured by having the Empire State Building light up in their team colours on Monday after the series ended.

The open air Citi Field offered a new experience then the enclosed dome that is the Rogers Centre. Even though there are never rain delays in Toronto baseball games, there is a novelty to watching a ball game completely outside, even on a crisp night.

The Blue Jays have had a very hard time drawing fans in 2010, even with a fairly solid start—39 wins, 35 losses. The Rogers Centre is averaging a crowd of 18,898 over their first 39 home games.

The Blue Jays’ average attendance thus far has decreased substantially from 2008 where they averaged a crowd of 29,626. While part of this year’s dismal attendance is no doubt in relation to the trade of former ace Roy Halladay.

An attendance of 15,966 is simply a dismal number for the large market Toronto is. The Blue Jays are not the only team in Major League Baseball with attendance problems, though. The

Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, and Cleveland Indians have also had problems with drawing in fans.

The Blue Jays don’t have the same draw as the Maple Leafs: they must field a winning team to have a crowd. Hiked ticket prices over the offseason didn’t help either.

I think Major League Baseball has many options on improving attendance in markets like Toronto. The first thing I would have is an expansion of the playoff format similar to that of the National Football League.

The division winners would get the top three seeds in each league per usual, but there would be three wildcard spots instead of one. The top two seeds would get a bye to the divisional series. They could also cut down the season to coincide with an extra playoff round—do we really need to see the Yankees 19 times a year?

Another option is a realignment of the divisions. There is no way the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays and Jays should be in the same division, while the dismal Pirates, Reds, Brewers and Astros are also in the same division. Usually the fourth place team in the AL East would be able move to the much weaker National League East and find themselves in second place.

The MLB should move either the Blue Jays or Rays and have the Nationals move over to

the East. The Yankees or Red Sox could also move to the National League East. Another way to balance out the field across the league is a hard salary cap, similar to the one implemented by the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association. Since the cap has been instituted in the National Hockey League, there has been much greater parody, with different teams in the playoffs every season and five different cup champions.

There are a lot of ways to improve the actual experience at the Rogers Centre, also.

First of all, food and drinks are outrageously expensive. How could you charge five dollars for a bottle of water? There also used to be giveaways such as hats, t-shirts and ties. The amount of promotions like this has decreased substantially.

The scheduling could also improve for Toronto and other teams. The Jays should be home every Canada Day, period. They could also incorporate more Canadian flavour into the team and the uniform.

I know a new stadium is highly unlikely, but imagine a field overlooking the entire Toronto harbor, similar to AT&T in San Francisco.

Imagine a view of the CN Tower, skyscrapers and Lake Ontario. If Minnesota can deal with an open field, Toronto can.

Sports & Living

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010

13

Wimbledon exciting enough for even a Queen jsmith@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Going, Going, Going...

Somewhere out there John Isner and Nicholas Mahut are sleeping. As well they should be.

Anyone who watched the 11-plus hour, 183 game, three day marathon that was their opening round match knows they deserve it. Without overstating, it’s safe to say that is one of the greatest feats in tennis, or in any sport. Nothing that has happened in any other sport over the past 150 years is comparable to this epic event.

That being said, it wasn’t the greatest match ever played, or even close to it. The 2008 Federer – Nadal Wimbledon final has a claim on that (not even debatable). The quality of tennis on display between Isner and Mahut was typical of a first round match and what you would expect between two no-name players. Don’t tell the American media that Isner isn’t a contender; there is a reason he was on court 18.

First Down...

There is something compelling about Lleyton Hewitt right now. Whether it’s his all-out style of play or his dismissal of Federer in a tune-up match, he could make the second week interesting for the top players. He faces a tough road to the finals, however, needing to go through Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and finally Roger Federer. Definitely a tall task but he’s playing his best tennis since 2002 and has moved easily through the first three rounds...

The talk around Wimbledon is that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have looked decidedly beatable in their first three rounds. While that is true to an extent, both of these players seem to know how to take their game to the next level when it really counts.

Federer will likely cruise to the semis with only Jurgen Melzer and Tomas Berdych in

his way. Nadal will face either Robin Soderling or David Ferrer in the quarterfinals which is a potential upset in the making. Ferrer could pose more problems than Soderling would for Nadal since Ferrer is a fellow Spaniard and really knows Nadal’s game better than anyone. All that being said, don’t count on anything different than a Nadal-Federer final...

Seventh Inning Stretch...

Another day, another no-hitter in Major League Baseball. Apparently it’s just one big game of wiffle-ball being played. Edwin Jackson no-hit the Tampa Bay Rays in probably the least impressive fashion imaginable. Eight walks, seven in the first three innings and 149 pitches thrown made for an atrocious evening in the 1-0 victory. The fact that he was left in there with a one run lead and that high of a pitch count just emphasizes how bad the Arizona Diamondbacks’ bullpen is...

Should Stephen Strasburg be allowed to participate in the all-star game? Can you name another player on the Washington Nationals?

Overtime...

Whether you enjoy the World Cup or not, can we all agree that it is too long of an event?

The entire Olympics are played out over two weeks; but a 32 team soccer tournament has to encompass a month.

The second most enjoyable part about the World Cup is watching two countries who couldn’t be more different (see Ghana - USA) compete. The most enjoyable is watching Ghana win...

When did Pam Shriver become tennis royalty? She did nothing notable in her career except become partners with Martina

Navratilova and latch onto her success in doubles. Side bar: Navratilova can win a doubles match with a cardboard cutout of Pam Shriver as her partner. Now Shriver is chirping James Blake during a match? Blake is playing like a scrub and should probably end his career after the US Open but you can’t have an exchange with a player during a match, as a former player Shriver should know better...

Shout out of the Week: A sincere tip of the hat to Alejandro Falla, not just for his cool name but also for producing one of the best first round matches at Wimbledon (Isner-Mahut match not withstanding) in a number of years. Falla had Federer on the ropes taking the first two sets and was up a break in the fourth but ultimately couldn’t hold it and proceeded to get whitewashed in the fifth set 6-0.

Courtesy Bruno Girin/Wikimedia commons

French player Nicolas Mahut (above), ranked 148th in the world, fell to American Johgn Isner, ranked 19th in the world, in the longest recorded tennis match ever.

The match lasted 11 hours and five minutes, taking almost three days to finish.

UW workout facilities see equipment upgrades Ron Kielstra Jr. staff reporter

T

Brent Golem

Students are enjoying the new treadmills purchased by UW Athletics. The treadmills were among the many equipment upgrades to the CIF and PAC workout facilities.

he University of Waterloo announced upgrades to its athletic facilities on June 21, highlighting improvements to the strength and conditioning areas in both the PAC and the CIF gyms.

The PAC gym opened in 1969 as “the crown jewel of the athletic program,” but its relatively small workout space has been criticized in recent years. Similarly, the CIF gym, which opened in 2004, has struggled to meet the needs of students, as its facilities were geared towards basic workouts and students were forced to look elsewhere for an all-around workout.

The equipment upgrades, which include new treadmills, free weights and Olympic benches, should meet the needs of students looking for an ‘all-around’ workout, according to a press release on UW Athletics’ website. The university also said that the new equipment should allow student-athletes to enhance their performance without having to look elsewhere.

In addition to new equipment, the upgrades also focused on improving the workout areas’ layout—something sorely needed in light of the low amount of strength and conditioning space available on campus.

The National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) recommends that space in athletic facilities be roughly equal to 10 square feet per student, with at least one square foot per student devoted to strength and conditioning areas. With an average oncampus student population of 30,000 during the fall and winter terms, this amounts to about 300,000 square feet of total athletic space and a minimum 30,000 square feet for strength and conditioning.

Including the soccer fields at the CIF and other recreational spaces on campus, Waterloo’s total athletic facility space is approximately 326,000 square feet. While Waterloo has enough athletic space, the total area devoted to strength and conditioning within the CIF and the PAC

is only 12,000 square feet — woefully short of the 30,000 square feet recommended.

While the more efficient use of space has helped improve the wait times for equipment at these facilities, some of the users think that more machines is not enough.

“I think that the equipment they have in CIF is great, but I don’t think it’s big enough,” student Adrienne Corbett said. “Now that they’ve added better machines, more people are using them.”

This includes many more varsity athletes who are taking advantage of the new equipment. Even though it is open to everyone, many students stay away from the crowded basement workout area in PAC. “During peak hours it can be crowded and uncomfortable from the heat of everyone,” student Will Hillock said. “I don’t like having to wait to use certain machines and weights, but I’m not interested in working out with the varsity athletes at PAC.” The university estimates that there are only 3,000 intramural participants each year, with an additional 5,000 ‘non-programmed’ participants. In addition, the plethora of private health facilities in the Waterloo community make it conceivable that students living off-campus make use of other facilities. Feds president Brad Moggach and UW Athletics director Bob Copeland are currently discussing future plans for athletic services improvement. Copeland has stated that student input is valuable.

“We’ve also had extensive input through a survey of first year students, and there is a Facebook page with about 800 members wanting improved facilities. We want to hear from students,” Copeland said.

Copeland and Moggach are in the process of visiting other schools, such as McMaster, Western and Queens, that have recently renovated their athletic facilities. On the top of their list is visiting McMaster to take a look at the Marauder’s new state-of-the-art David Braley Athletic Centre. rkielstra@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Sports & Living

14

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010

UW Dragon Boat team beats their way to a UW record Brent Golem sports & living editor

W

aterloo Warriors Dragon Boat teams Black and Gold, competed Saturday June 19 at the Toronto International Dragon Boat Festival.

The Warriors team “Black” set a University of Waterloo record time of 2:09.49, beating the previous record, which stood at 2:11.78. They placed 6th out of 23 university teams in a close final, missing a medal position by only 1.11 seconds. The Warriors team “Gold” placed a respectable 11th out of 23 with a best time of 2:20.22.

The Dragon Boat team practices year-round, and are especially active in over the summer term. The team was restarted in May 2008 by Philip and George Wang after a hiatus. The team has steadily improved, with two of the club’s members paddling for Canada at the 2009 World Dragon Boat Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.

The team has dry-land practise every Tuesday and Thursday, while conducting lake practice every weekend in Stratford.

Their next competition will be the Montreal International Dragon Boat Race Festival which is held July 23–25.

The UW Dragon Boat team practices their techniques on the water at Stratford.

sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Courtesy Stephen Lake

“

Warrior golf wows at Worlds

“

Garrett Rank and Simon McInnis both finished top five in a tournament which consisted of 103 players.

Namish Modi reporter

T

he Warriors’ golf team hit the links at the RCGA University/ College championships in early June. Waterloo finished seventh, while two of their golfers were named first team all Canadians: Garrett Rank and Simon McInnis. Both finished top five in a tournament which consisted of 103 players. The tournament was cut down to three rounds by the hampering weather conditions. McInnis finished third overall with a three under par, while Rank tied for fifth with a two under par.

“It is very satisfying knowing that we can compete with the other teams and individuals that were there,” said Rank.

“Finishing tied for fifth only two shots back from being a medalist while being named an All Canadian along with Simon bodes well for the program and pays off for all the hard work we do in the offseason.” Rank also stated that mental weakness was a problem to go along with the pouring rain to start the second round of the tournament.

Phillip Andre-Bannon of the University of Montreal won the tournament in a playoff while Mitchell Evanecz of the University of Victoria finished second. The Warriors finished with a score of 890, 26 over par.

“We struggled as a team the first day which got us off to a bad start but the boys competed hard and we had one of the lowest team totals for the next two days,” Rank said about the team’s overall performance. Laval University won the team portion of the tournament by 10 strokes over second place Humber College, who shot 13 over par. Humber tied with

the University of British Columbia for second. Twenty teams competed in the tournament.

On the woman’s side, Warriors’ Tiffany Terrier finished 13th in the individual portion shooting 21 over.

Anna Balser of the University of Victoria won the tournament. The tournament took place from May 31–June 2 at Kingswood Park in Fredericton.

Rank also represented Canada in the 13th World Golf University Championship from June 8-11 in Malaga, Spain.

“The golf course was amazing,” Rank said. “It was much different than traditional North American courses.

Built on the side of a mountain, if your ball wasn’t down a fairway then it was bouncing down a cliff, or out of bounds, or in the water.”

Rank was the highest Canadian as he finished, tying for 10th overall in the tournament. He shot a 68, 69, 82, and 74 in the four rounds of the tournament. Rank led after the first two rounds, before shooting eight over on the back nine, and 10 over on the day to drop to 10th. The 18th hole caused Rank many problems in the final two rounds.

Gerard Piris Mateu of Spain won the individual portion of the tournament. Korea won the team portion of the tournament with a score of 869, while Canada shot an 881, good for fifth place. Other members of the Canadian team included the aforementioned Evanecz, Bannon, and also included Mathieu Gingras.

Rank will be looking to keep on improving his game for the upcoming season. “I am continuing to learn, grow and improve my golf game to see if I have chance to play some serious professional golf,” Rank said.

Getting big I

f a single word could describe the reason a lot of people go to the gym, I think it could be safely summed up in the following: vanity. Though it might be seen as uncouth, your physical appearance does matter and always will matter. In fact, there is a whole area of psychology dedicated to understanding how your looks affect the way people respond and react to you. Regardless of what is fair or just, this is simply a fact of life. It is an individual pursuit when someone chooses to define what their body ideal is.

Lifting for hypertrophy is by no means easy. Getting bigger is incredibly difficult and requires serious dedication. Due to the excess stresses put on the body, it carries a greater level of risk and should not be done by anyone without a base level of strength and reasonable amount of experience. A general rule I like to go by is, until you’ve been working out consistently for at least six months, as well as squatting and deadlifting 1.5 times your weight, a hypertrophy program will not benefit you like the “starting strength” style program I mentioned in the previous week’s column.

Alongside lifting, nutrition plays a pivotal role in the growth one hopes to see. Gaining size requires a daily caloric surplus.

As another rule of thumb goes, you should be ingesting about a gram of protein for every pound of bodyweight. If, over time, you aren’t seeing or feeling improvements, a lack of food is your most likely culprit. Many people will forgo any type of regimented diet and simply eat constantly, then dieting later on to show off a more chiseled physique. While this is more taxing on your body, it is arguably easier. As always, do your research, and make an educated decision.

While competing opinions will leave anyone looking for a straightforward answer as to “what is the best method for getting big,” it all essentially boils down to working out the muscle group you want to grow harder than you had ever thought possible.

Scores of websites are devoted to this topic, and if you aren’t keen on the regime I share below, by all means find one that better suits your tastes and keeps you going back to the gym for more.

This is simply a method I have personally seen friends use to great success. This is a template that can be altered; however, to those newer to the fold: “Cavefish’s Bodybuilding Routine” is a tried and true method that will generate results with proper effort. And as a final thought remember, the amount of weight you lift is never as important as the effort and squeeze you put in to each pump. Keep your blood flowing, be safe, and good luck.

Calves can be worked on Tuesday and Friday, while abdominals fit nicely on Monday and Thursday.

Animated .gifs of all the aforementioned exercises can be found by searching on the almighty google.

mjefkins@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

MONDAY - Legs

Sets Reps

Leg extension

4

10-15

Squat

4

6-10

Leg press

3

10-12

Leg curl

4

12

Stiff legged dead-lift

3

10-12

TUESDAY - Chest

Sets Reps

Incline dumbbell bench press 4

8-12

Flat dumbbell bench

3

8-12

Dumbbell fly

2

12-15

Weighted dips

3

12

WEDNESDAY - Rest THURSDAY - Back

Sets Reps

Pull-ups

4

10-15

Dumbbell bent over row

4

6-10

Front pull-down

3

10-12

Cable row

4

12

FRIDAY - Shoulders/Arms

Sets Reps

Shoulder press

3

8-10

Dumbbell lateral raise

3

10-12

Behind the back shrugs

3

8

Front shrugs

3

8

Rope pulldown

3

10-15

Reverse pushdown

3

10-15

Skull crushers

3

6-10

E-Z curls

3

8-12

Preacher curls

3

8-12

Dumbbell hammer curls

2

10-15

Wrist curls

2

1

Campus Bulletin UPTOWN WATERLOO BIA EVENTS 2010

July 16-18 – UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival August 26-29 – Waterloo Busker Carnival Sunday, September 12 – UpTown Dining Saturday, October 9 – 29th Annual Pancake Breakfast Saturday, October 9 – 32nd Annual Great Oktoberfest Barrel Race Monday, October 11 – Thanksgiving Day Parade November 2010 – UpTown Waterloo BIA Annual General Meeting November 4-6 – UpTown Waterloo Treasure Hunt Saturday, November 20 – Santa Claus Parade November 2010 – Holiday Open House December 2010 – FREE Horse Drawn Trolley Rides December 2010 – Victorian Carolers For more information about the above events call 519-885-1921 or email uptownwaterloobia@waterloo.ca or www. uptownwaterloobia.com.

UPCOMING June 19 to August 14, 2010 20th Annual Homer Watson Exhibition with opening reception June 20 from 2 to 4 p.m. For info call 519-748-4377, ext 233 or www.homerwatson.on.ca.

July 2010 “Interzone 002, Laura De Decker” is being presented at Rotunda Gallery, City Hall, Kitchener for the month of July.

Reception July 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. For info call 519-741-3400, ext 3381 or www. lauradedecker.com. rare presents – events July 4, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28. For info/tickets 519-650-9336 or info@raresites.org or www.raresites. org.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 Summer Film Series hosted by OWWA and WEAO. Come out and join us for a screening and discussion of two thoughtprovoking films about the environment.

July 6 – Up the Yangtze at 2 p.m. ; July 14 – H2Oil at 12:30 p.m. Both films will be shown in DWE 3522. Refreshments will be provided.

Friday, July 9, 2010 UWIC (University of Waterloo Indian Connection) is presenting a semi-formal event named ‘Ekta – United India, United World’ on Friday, July 9th 2010.

The events begins at 8 p.m. at the ES courtyard. For more information about the event, or to purchase tickets, email uwindianconnection@gmail.com.

Saturday, July 10, 2010 2010 Call To Artists – The Nonviolence

Festival, 6th Annual – at Victoria Park, Kitchener. To participate, info, questions call 519-342-8667 or administrators@ nonviolencefestival.com or www.nonviolencefestival.com.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 Scrabble event tournament from 2 to 5 p.m., ES Courtyard in EV1, to support Alzheimer Society of K-W. To sign up and receive your fund raising package email 2010scrabble@gmail.com.

July 23 – 25, 2010 Second annual Human Rights Docfest 2010, hosted at the National Film Board’s Toronto Mediateque. Will showcase Canadian films that highlight both national and international human rights issues. For info www.hrdocfest.com.

Friday, July 30, 2010 Come, enjoy and celebrate humanity with Nicaraguan singer/songwriter Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy and his band Tierra Fertil. This is a benefit concert for Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support at 7:30 p.m. at Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts. For info/tickets call 519-571-1912 or refugee@mcrs.ca.

Saturday, August 7, 2010 Paddles up! Get ready for the upcoming 12th annual Waterloo Dragonboat Festival, at Laurel Creek Conservation area.

A fun community experience with food, live entertainment and of course, racing!

Please come out and support the event.

For info www.waterloodragonboat.org.

ONGOING

MONDAYS Gambling can ruin your life. Gamblers Anonymous, 7 p.m. at St Marks, 825 King Street, W, basement.

THURSDAYS The UW Toastmaster Club has general meetings every Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., SLC 2105B. We will help you build up your communication and leadership skills. Everyone is welcome.

For more info uwtoastmaster@gmail. com or www.groups.google.com/group/ uw_toastmasters.

CAREER SERVICES WORKSHOPS Please refer to https://strobe.uwaterloo.ca/ cecs/cs for updates/changes to workshops.

Monday, July 5: Exploring Your Personality Type (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - Part 2) – 2 to 4 p.m., TC 1113.

Wednesday, July 7: Work Search Strategies – go to cdm.uwterloo.ca to complete online module – 2:30 to 4 p.m., TC 1208.

Tuesday, July 13: Business Etiquette and Professionaism – 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Wednesday, July 14: Success ont he Job – 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Monday, July 19: Career Interst Assessment (Srong Interest Iventory) – note:

material charge of $10 payable at Career Services prior to the first session – 2:30 to 4 p.m., TC 1113.

Tuesday, July 20: Job Information Session for Graduating Students – 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., AL 116.

Interview Skills - Preparing for Questions – go to cdm.uwaterloo.ca to complete online module – 2:30 to 4 p.m., TC 1208.

Wednesday, July 21: Successfully Negotiating Job Offers – note: workshop geared toward graduating students – 3:30 to 5 p.m., TC 1208.

Thursday, July 22: Iterview Skills – Selling Your Skills – go to cdm.uwaterloo.ca to complete online module – 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Job Information Session for Graduating Students – 3:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., AL 116.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Remember the Seagram barrels? If you took a barrel at last year’s giveaway, Pat the Dog Playwright Centre wants to know! Contact Charmian at charmian@patthedog.org to tell your barrel’s story!

Story writers wanted for free paranormal magazine. Short stories, articles accepted. Free for free exposure.

Submit your scariest stories true or fictional. Distributed locally to ghost tours and online. www.kwparamag. com.

Tune in to Sound 100.3 FM radio or www.soundfm.ca for great music, prize giveaways, weather, traffic reports, community events and more!

STUDENT AWARDS & FINANCIAL AID July 2010 2010/2011 OSAP Application now available – apply early.

July 15: last day to sign Confirmation of Enrolment for spring term or winter and spring term to ensure full OSAP funding.

July 28: recommended last submission date for Continuation of Interest Free Status Forms for this term.

OSAP Access Number (OAN) is now required when accessing your OSAP account online. If you can not retrieve the OAN, you will need to bring in your SIN card and valid, government issued photo ID to get the number.

Go to safa.uwaterloo.ca for a full listing of scholarships and awards.

IMPRINT

Imprint

Poke Your Head In And See What We’re Up To Located in the SLC or contact www.imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Student Life Centre room 1116 www.imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010 ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

UPCOMING Sunday, July 25, 2010 Memorial fundraiser for Chris Lane, UW alumni who passed away at the age of 29 from Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Join us from 12 to 10 p.m. at Waterloo Public Square, UpTown Waterloo.

This family-friendly event will include face painting, guitar hero contests, food vendors and much more! Live

music with local musicians and bands.

All proceeds being donated to the Canadian Cancer Society to fund Lymphoma research.

Classified HOUSING

All ensuite bedrooms! Condo style units at 74 Marshall Street present a lavish twist on student living.

Each bedroom features an ensuite bathroom. Greens, blues and browns compliment the high-end aesthetics, featuring dark cabinets, dark wood flooring and glass tiling – a beautiful way to study and live in style. Price per student is $595/month including utilities and internet (rare for new buildings). Parking available. September start, one year lease. Please call 519-572-0278 to book an appointment.

Luxury Lester Lofts – welcome to the start of a new era in student living. Premium, luxury student accommodation steps away from UW. Open-concept floor plans, sleek, urban finishes/colours, high ceilings, kitchen peninsulas, black appliances including dishwasher, large windows, onsite laundry, over 100 square feet in bedrooms, ensuite bathrooms and private balconies. Parking $35/ month. Prices from $547 – $600 depending on floor. Includes utilities, hi-speed internet and cable. Call 519-572-0278 for a viewing.

Room for rent for a quiet individual

in a detached house, near both universities. Parking and all amenities.

Please phone 519-725-5348 before noon.

SERVICES

Finish your dissertation! ... in 4 to 12 weeks. Proven system to simplify entire process. Works for all disciplines and the most complex theises. 20 years experience and excellent references. Call 519-620-9046.

Does your thesis or major paper need a fresh pair of eyes to catch English spelling and grammar errors? Thesis English editing. Five business day turnaround.

Neal Moogk-Soulis, ncmoogks@uwaterloo.ca.

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 Human Resources, K-W Habilitation Services, 108 Sydney Street, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V2.

2 PAPERS REMAINING FOR SPRING/SUMMER TERM ...

July 16, 30

IMPRINT The University of Waterloo’s official student newspaper

JOBS

Systems Administrator

Up to 15 hours/week at $11/hour.

Candidates will have Webmail server administration experience, be familiar with medium scale Linux network administration, SAMBA file management, Windows XP workstations, LDAP authentication and Apache admin. Duties include maintaining and strengthening our office’s network system. Applicants must be full-time students and eligible for OSAP. Please send resume to editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca.

Web Developer

TO APPLY FOR THIS JOB, YOU MUST FIRST BE APPROVED FOR ELIGIBILITY INTO THE INTERNATIONAL WORK STUDY PROGRAM FOR SPRING 2010

Up to 5 hours/week at $11/hour. Qualifications; working knowledge of LAMP servers ; experience with DJango web framework ; proficient with CSS, HTML, experience with JavaScript, JQuery an asset ; experience with PHP & MySQL is an asset ; proficient with Adobe Photoshop CS4 ; knowledge of current web trends, common practices, Web 2.0 SEO optimization. Job description tasks; web exculsive content for sections, web server maintenance ; curating comment/forum pages ; updating links to other websites ; blogging projects ; promoting Imprint website to students.

Please send resume to editor@imprint. uwaterloo.ca

Arts & Entertainment 2010 MUCH MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010 arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

For more MMVA photos visit Imprint’s website

Photos by Steve Krysak

Crowds gather for a rehersal performance by Justin Bieber at the 2010 Much Music Video Awards on Sunday, June 20 in Toronto.

Above: Adam Lambert won the UR Fave International Video award. Lambert performed his single “What Do You Want From Me” during the awards.

Above: Hedley won the Video Of The Year award.

They performed their single “Perfect” during the show.

Above: Karl Wolf presented an award during the show.

Uptown Country: Country Music Festival Deanna Ostafichuk staff reporter

I

got sunburnt, I got drenched, and I got to listen to country music. What could be better? Oh yeah, I got to sit on a hay barrel the entire time.

Uptown Country is a country music festival featuring Canadian talent, hosted every year by KIX 106.7 in uptown Waterloo. We are given the opportunity to see and hear-up-and coming country music stars, free of charge. This year’s featured artists included Tonya Kennedy, Brad James, Ally Howatt, Dry Country, Victoria Banks and local boy Dawson Reigns.

This year a special kick-off concert was organized for Friday night. Sadly not much can be said about it.

Tonya Kennedy was boring: she sang too many top singles from other artists, and her music wasn’t even catchy. All in all, the kick-off concert wasn’t much of a kick-off, and while leaving, I couldn’t help but hope that the next day would be much better.

The main festival day was perfect. From the hay barrels scattered around the Regina Street parking lot, to the cowboy boot, the cowboy hat wearing, and line dancing country music fans, everything screamed country. And this was all before the music started. At first, the number of people was small, but it steadily grew throughout the day in anticipation for the headliner, Victoria Banks. Most artists were able to increase

Paula Trelinska

our excitement and keep the line dancers dancing. Brad James, an aspiring artist from Bellville, has the voice and the attitude for country music. This is a guy who, with some more exposure could be big. He managed to pump up those who were present, keeping us excited for the next artists. He played a combination of original songs and covers, but unlike Tonya Kennedy, his choices for covers were more appropriate and less popular.

He showcased his voice. You could tell that the crowd and the line dancers were excited when he started to sing some Johnny Cash.

Following Ally Howatt was local boy, Dawson Reigns, who managed to almost bore me. The most exciting part of his set was the rain shower that accompanied it, and man-

aged to drown out most of his music. He didn’t do any covers, playing only original music, which can be a little boring if you don’t know any of it. Throughout the set I couldn’t help but think: this isn’t country music, this is rock with a pinch of country.

Dry County was next, their popularity evident through the number of people crowding around the stage. Every part of their set was original, from their entrance tap featuring sirens, to their music, which they describe as AC/DC meets Alabama and that’s exactly what they were. Dry County was also the only band to get an encore, and the first band to really generate a crowd around the stage. The best part was instead of drinking water on stage like most artists, they drank beer, making sure to show it off.

Headliner Victoria Banks, slowed things down, having an acoustic set with but one drum. This didn’t stop the crowd from being excited, as she is actually famous; not for her music but for her song writing. She has written for artists like Jessica Simpson and Johnny Reid, but now she is showcasing her own talents. Maybe she isn’t as good as singing as the artists she writes for, but she manages to bring more emotion to her performance. She like any good songwriter described what the songs meant to her.

Uptown Country was the perfect place for people craving a heavy dose of country music. I couldn’t help but picture myself back home in Alberta.

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010

17

Blur vs Split/Second tkoshy@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

I

f one were to describe Blur and Split/Second in a sentence, I would call them bastard children. Both are the unholy spawn between Mario Kart and Forza Motorsport or Death Race.

Both have players compete in races, with no real emphasis on reality, and featuring ridiculous tweaks to the gameplay (power-ups or racetrack destructibility). However, it’s at this key junction that these two sibling take off in different directions. Split/Second can be described as the prodigal son, the one whom completely tries something new and unique, yet is still subtly influenced by its heritage. Blur is the one whom stays at home and just tries to improve on an old model. Both have their positives and negatives, yet only one can reign supreme.

courtesy gamepro

The graphics style of Blur is heavily influenced by racers such as Need For Speed, Project Gotham Racing, and other such urban, arcade racers. The graphics are competent enough to keep up with the current standard of graphical quality. It does render the dents, bumps, burns, cracked windows and other such effects that come courtesy of taking a missile in the rear.

The graphics for Split/Second on the other hand, blow away Blur, with gorgeous vistas that includes canyons and urban city centres. While

COURTESY ROUGHTRADERECORDS

Phrazes for the Young Julian Casablancas Rough Trade

ou’re shuffling your feet into the next dimension / Soon skyscrapers will be everywhere.”

Skyscrapers will eventually be outdated, but Phrazes for the Young could remain powerful to the youth of many generations — unless, of course, we reach the 2012 phenomenon.

In an interview with NME in 2009, Julian Casablancas said, “The whole ‘Phrazes for the Young’ concept comes from the idea that there’s just so much knowledge and wisdom that gets lost from generation to generation.”

Inspired by “Phrases and Philosophies For the Use of the Young” by Oscar Wilde,

Split/Second, however, does suffer from a small library of tracks in comparison to Blur.

Featuring only 12 racing tracks in comparison to the enormous library of tracks that Blur, Split/ Second’s advantage shrivels up. While one could argue that there exists the possibility for Split/ Second’s tracks to be changed via routine gameplay (explosions and what-not), the fact remains that the library is very small.

However, Split/Second does have an array of interesting modes and challenges. One particular favourite is one that seems like a rip-off from Death Race. Featuring large freight rigs that randomly offload barrels of explosives at you, this mode is by far one of the most exciting modes.

Of course Split/Second’s “normal” gameplay is surprisingly addicting.

To be honest, it would seem that Split/ Second is far more forgiving of those whom lag behind the competition, as the options to trigger explosives built into the track to destroy your opponents does give you the leg up. Mind you, nearly everyone will be using it.

Playing Split/Second is like eating a decadent ice-cream banana-fudge sundae, albeit one the size of a walnut. Its tastes amazing, but you’ll wish it were bigger.

One of the key components that define racing games, is the selection of cars available. In this category, both Blur and Split/Second take a different approach. Split/Second uses “generic” racers, muscle cars, and trucks. The car models to say the least are beautiful, both are limited in their canvas. Cars go from pristine condition to a flaming wreckage within one second, with absolutely no transition. Essentially, a muscle car can go through an explosion without showing a scratch, before being transformed into a pile of flaming parts and machinery courtesy of a flaming bus.

Blur on the other hand, uses vast selection of real world car models. These can range from a variety of types and brands, whether it be the Audi R8 or the Land Rover. While it would be wrong to say that they handle like their real-life counterparts, the fact remains that each one has a unique feel to it.

The Strokes’ member decided to release his own album four years ago when his band members started their own projects. With the help of Wilde’s quotes of wisdom, fresh ideas sprung up for Casablancas for his solo album, Phrazes for the Young, as well as The Strokes’s fourth album, set to be released in early 2011.

Casablancas contrasts the style in Phrazes for the Young with his previous albums from The Strokes. Electric beats flow through the album at perfect moments, grasping the listeners attention and driving them to sing the catchy tunes. Varying between industrial-synths to slow motion tracks, this short but avant-garde

In fact with both titles, each car handles differently. Some sacrifice speed for handling and vice versa. Others accelerate faster than a squirrel on acid fleeing a cat. Others models have a tight grip onto the road, enough to rival a druggie’s grip on a bag of cocaine.

Perhaps the best analogy for these two games would be comparing them to martial artists (an odd analogy, I know, but bear with me). Split/ Second is the one who would start throwing stuff at you, such as punches and the kitchen sink, forcing to rely on your reflexes and instincts in order to survive. Blur is the one who would give you a selection between fists, knives and wrenches, and then proceed to attack you using judo thus forcing you to rely on perception and minor forethought.

One must bear in mind that in order to fully enjoy these games, you must have a working internet connection and an Xbox Live and/or a PSN account.

In the end, Split/Second gets my vote as the game to buy, since it’s gorgeous graphics, interesting game-modes, addictive and forgiving gameplay make it much more compelling purchase over Blur’s more run of the mill gameplay.

courtesy gamepro

album features four to five minute songs of pure cutting-edge music. Full of keyboards and guitar solos, Casablancas’ album is like a revolution to the (mainstream) music industry.

Truly passionate about his work, Casablancas finished and released his album while expecting a baby with his wife, Juliet — former assistant manager for The Strokes. The couple’s new baby, Cal, was born during Casablancas Phrazes for the Young tour, where he hit up areas in North America including our neighbouring city, Toronto.

— Marta Borowska

Music Review

“Y

Blur might be lacking in the explosions department, Split/Second goes the whole nine yards with it and more. With the ability to change the track explosively, this brings on a whole assortment of eye candy. With bridges and water towers being consumed by explosions and ocean liners sent careening through dry docks, Split/Second would be enough to give any Michael Bay fan an erection.

If I were to describe Blur within one sentence, it would be: Mario Kart with a different coat of paint and a few extras. Blur for all intents and purposes takes the Mario Kart gameplay, kicks out Mario and his gang, and plants in a pseudo-Need for Speed setting.. The Mario Kart style of racing, with power-ups littering the track like the trail of crumbs left by Hansel and Gretel. Almost all of these power-ups are useful and hilarious to use.

One power-ups lets you fire off a missile and other gives you a temporary shield. Most races consist of a general mad rush for the missile power-up (in my experience) as some racers slam, push, and shove.

Blur’s gameplay is entertaining to use, as long as you’re the first one to grab the power-ups. If you’re lagging behind the pack, be prepared for an extremely long race, because by then, nearly all the good power-ups have been taken (no one likes the EMP Power-Up). Otherwise, the gameplay is essentially trying to get ahead of the pack. While the power-ups are fun, it just feels like something is missing. Blur’s gameplay is akin to eating a three course dinner, at McDonalds.

Sure it tastes decent, but it doesn’t have anything that makes it stick out.

Split/Second, on the other hand, is probably the illegitimate child of Need For Speed and Death Race (the 2008 film). In comparison to Blur, Split/ Second is probably meant for those whom enjoy the spectacle of Michael Bay films. Placing players on tracks, all of which are either rigged to explode or change. These changes can be triggered by players, via an interface that is very intuitive and simple to use. With the ability to change entire tracks around and create detours, more often than not the track at which you started at the beginning was extremely different by the end.

18

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010

KW Symphony presents: Star Trek Aletheia Chiang staff reporter

O

n June 2, Kitchener’s Centre in the Square was host to hundreds of Star Trek fans and general music connoisseurs alike as the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony played some of the most notable selections from the Star Trek TV series and feature films.

Led by guest conductor John Morris Russell, the special concert series, called “Star Trek: The Music,” highlighted well-known titles and themes all the way from Star Trek (1966) to Star Trek: Voyager (1995).

On stage, the symphony was joined by the concert’s hosts, veteran Star Trek actors John de Lancie (Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager) and Robert Picardo (The Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager).

In between selections, this charming pair took the audience on a true “voyage” through the history of the franchise, noting its successes

and poking fun at its fiascos, all in an impeccably-delivered, clever dialogue.

Their commentary was wellintegrated into the performance of the symphony: conductor John Morris Russell even had a few “unexpected” cameos.

The concert was followed by an exclusive ticketed after party, where Trekkies (or Trekkers) and non-Trekkies alike were able to meet-and-greet with Picardo and de Lancie.

While many of the audience members showed up to the event dressed up as their favourite Star Trek characters — some even convincingly so — others were content simply to enjoy a truly delightful evening performance by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.

Creating harmonious, eclectic, and out-of-world sounds, the symphony fulfilled their on-going mission: “to explore new sounds; to seek out new audiences; to boldly go where few orchestras have gone before.”

Aletheia Chiang

Continued: Music Review Save money on your insurance with group rates!

Innerspeak Tame Impala

courtesy tameimpala

Modular Recordings

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Judy Westman,

I

nnerspeaker is Tame Impala’s first full length album, and what a solid debut it is.

Tame Impala, a four member rock band from Australia, weaves songs full of effects laden guitars, minimalist bass lines, and echoing vocals. The first single of the album “Solitude Is Bliss” seems like a curious choice to promote the album with since it doesn’t contain the same drive as the rest of the album.

Highlights of the album include the pulsing trip of “The Bold Ar-

row Of Time,” the addictive vocal chorus of “Runway, Houses, City, Cloud” and the encompassing echoes and pans of “Why Don’t You Make Up Your Mind.”

Throughout the album lead vocalist Kevin Parker sounds very reminiscent of John Lennon circa the Beatles’ psychedelic years but it works for him.

Similar to fellow Australian rockers Wolfmother, Tame Impala embraces a nostalgic feel of classic rock but feel fresh solely because there are many active bands that sound like them.

Innerspeaker is a well-balanced album never letting up and just when you think it’s starting to lose momentum it picks back up and draws you in with interesting production flourishes and epic soaring combinations of guitar and vocals.

This album is best listened to as a whole so set aside some time and set your mind free.

If you are a fan of classic psychedelic rock from the late sixties and early seventies definitely check out Innerspeaker by Tame Impala.

- Michael Hay

Insurance Advisor

519.743.5221 ext. 214 jwestman@staebler.com STAEBLER INSURANCE BROKERS 871 Victoria St North Kitchener ON N2B 3S4 www.staebler.com

Want to write a review for the arts section?

Email arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Comics & Distractions

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010

crossword ACROSS 1. Item of economic value 6. Negative type of campaign 11. Didn’t go 13. Desires 14. Backspaces 16. Mean 17. February X 19. Electricity Distributors Association 20. Query 21. Fishing equipment 22. X 27. Comfy underwear company 28. Oohs and ___ 29. Starcraft II, e.g.

30. Dentists’ grp.

31. City of Toronto, Peel, York et al.

32. Japanese poem 34. X 36. Show ___ 37. Brow prefix 38. Performance 41. X 46. Flying horse 47. Run 49. Like a wasteland 50. Paper fixer 51. Ancient Greek unit of length 52. Movie part DOWN 1. Atrial Septal Defect 2. McQueen or Martin 3. Fruit or pasta, for example 4. Common obscurer of vision 5. Jacques’ head 6. Hunt 7. Amphibious force 8. 1996 Schwarzenegger film 9. Typical teenage emotion 10. Relative Standard Error 12. Home office 13. ___s Saint Laurent 15. Missouri and denial

“X” Rated 1

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16. Crooner Paul 18. Doctrines or belief systems 23. The Liberals or Progressive Conservatives e.g., to Pierre 24. Available in pints or pitchers 25. They meet in the center 26. Pant colour 30. 1995 Scorsese and DeNiro flick 31. Birds’ digestive organ 32. Famous YouTube star William who “bangs” 33. Pertaining to the Turkic branch of the Altaic family

34. Famous little blue diamond pill 35. Spanish filmmaker Buñuel Portolés 36. How a sheep goes 39. Angered 40. “_____ my horse...”

42. “Well, _____ now...”

43. Our star 44. Your ancestor?

45. Nugent and Bundy 46. U.S. non-profit T.V. channel 48. Old-timey “before”

Crossword Solving Tip of the Week

Note the question marks. If a clue ends with a question mark, then that’s your hint that you should not take the clue at face value; there is likely some word play going on. For example, consider the clue “Citizen of Hollywood?” You might think “CALIFORNIAN” or even “STAR”, but the answer is “KANE”.

You creep me out. Stop following me to the laundry room and stop trying to get an invite to my parties over and over again. I gave you one chance you bugged my brains out. Now sit in your damn corner and continue being a looser.

No love, - The fun arts student

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For the girl that ‘s on the 12 or 29 bus now and then in the morning, Thank you for your funny t-shirts, they make me smile and sometimes you’re the best part of my day.

- Humored

Missed any connections lately?

Got any ideas, gripes, or randomly entertaining thoughts?

Send them (with utmost affection) to:

distractions@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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June 18, 2010 P O E M

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Fireworks or vuvuzelas?

By Sonia Lee and Michael Chung

“Vuvuzelas — so I can practice my blowing.

“Fireworks — because they’re less annoying, look better and you can’t bring them indoors.”

Michelle Talamo

Manu Zope

4B Sex, Marriage and Family

1B Computer Engineering

“I’d do vuvuzelas any time.”

Ray Rong 2B Software Engineering

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To the weird irritating mathie, who lives in my building...

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“Vuvuzelas because the image of bees playing soccer in my head is really funny.”

Mike Rolfe, Kevin Raymond, Mike Hammond and Jaqueline Issac 1B Chemical Engineering (x3) and 2A Biology

“Vuvuzelas because I actually don’t think they’re annoying and because I love soccer.”

Ben Restivo 2B Geomatics

O U S E N N E R E S T S E A T N T A T C H C L U E H E R E O D E L A A R O N

K N A V E

9 6 5 3 7 2 8 4 1

E G R E T

S E E N

4 1 2 8 6 5 9 7 3

20

Comics & Distractions

Imprint, Friday, July 2, 2010

RAJUL SALEH (adifferentperspective@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)

ADRIENNE RAW (araw@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)

MICHAEL TO (irresponsiblyoptomistic@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)

“J.T.” (geese@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)