Thursday, November 13, 2014

Suit up!

Matthew McConaughey stars in Nolan’s galactic-sized masterpiece Interstellar >> Pg. 5

thegazette Where’s The Gazette flag since 1906

WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Ontario gov’t might fund grad students

TODAY high 2 low -2

TOMORROW high 2 low -2 VOLUME 108, ISSUE 39

Flag representation in UCC upsets students

Jonathan Hermina GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette

Ontario is considering funding international graduate students.

According to an article published by the Globe and Mail, the province is discussing the possibility of increasing the financial opportunities available to international graduate students. This discussion has been motivated by increasing pressure from universities who believe their international reputation is damaged by having to turn away qualified applicants because of insufficient funding.

The issue is of great importance to Western, Mary Eileen Wennakers, vice-president academic of the Society of Graduate Students, noted.

“In terms of thinking about what that [funding] bring to the quality of research, it would be a huge benefit to the Western community as a whole if international students had access to resources,” Wennakers said.

Presently, Western offers funding to graduate students.

Winnie Lu • GAZETTE

Palestinian, Syrian flags missing and Iraqi flag backwards Amy O’Kruk NEWS EDITOR @AmyAtGazette

>> see FUNDING pg.3

Inside

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Ask me anything academic

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Summers shines in fall

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Bigger is better: iPhone 6

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Flag flop frustrating

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No more NHL expansion

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Women’s soccer comes 5th nationally

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Western’s International Week has stirred up controversy with its flag display in the University Community Centre.

The campus-wide celebration is put on by Western International in partnership with the University Students’ Council’s Ethno-Cultural Support Services and runs from November 10 to 14. The week features events like cultural film screenings, keynote speakers and information sessions on different campus ethnic groups as well as advocacy for international issues and opportunities.

As part of the festivities, the USC productions department hung flags in the UCC atrium. The collection,

however, only showcases 52 national banners out of the 117 countries from around the world that Western’s student body represents.

Luna Shaker, a fifth-year student and vice-president finance of the Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights club at Western, noted the Iraqi flag was backwards, the State of Palestine’s flag was absent and the Syrian flag supporting the Bashar Al-Assad regime was displayed while the Syrian National Coalition flag was not.

“If we’re going to do International Week, why not … put all the flags up and be politically correct?” she said.

“I don’t understand why we’re going to be ignorant about things and just put some flags randomly up.”

Shaker elaborated that the Palestinian flag was displayed last

year. She stated that the current display of the Israeli flag in combination with the absence of the State of Palestine’s flag could be interpreted by students as a political statement.

Emerson Tithecott, vice-president communications for the USC, said that while the USC declines to comment, they will be reaching out to students who are offended by the oversights and work toward resolving the issues.

Jessica Currado, a member of SPHR, said the omission of the Palestinian flag this year makes a political statement that alienates some of Western’s students.

“By not placing Palestine among the other flags … a statement is made that says these people and their long battle for self-determination are not important.”

The university states the purpose of International Week is to celebrate Western’s international community and international collaborations, learn about international opportunities for students, staff and faculty, and engage campus communities in global learning and connection.

Keith Marnoch, director of media relations at Western, said it’s the responsibility of the USC and Ethno-Cultural Support Services to determine how and what they’re doing with the flags.

Currado added the Palestinian flag deserved to be recognized during International Week.

“Considering that 135 member countries of the UN officially recognize Palestine as a state, it is crucial that they be equally and adequately represented.”

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thegazette • Thursday, November 13, 2014

Caught on Camera

Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE

JUSTICE FOR THE 43 STUDENTS WHO WENT MISSING. Students gathered in the atrium of the UCC to raise awareness for the 43 students who went missing in Mexico this past September. Protestors looked to engage Western students about the tragic events that happened and encourage them to become active on social media.

CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer

News Briefs

Mo Movement for Movember

Dr. Robert Petrella, a researcher at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, has received a grant from the Movember Foundation to launch his Hockey Fit program.

The program centres on the cultural artifact that brings men together — hockey. It aims to reduce chronic disease by getting men more active and eating healthier.

“My research is looking at lifestyle change. We have difficulties recruiting men into our studies, so we did some specific planning activities to find out where men wanted to become active and get that kind of advice,” Petrella said.

He found that men wanted to get active in places they felt comfortable — sports environments, for example. He also found men wanted to work amongst themselves — they didn’t want women involved.

Petrella researches family medicine and kinesiology at Western.

His program was one of 15 across Canada selected by the Movember Foundation for funding.

Jonathan Dunn • GAZETTE

Solution to puzzle on page 7

Hockey Fit will work with its OHL partner teams, the London Knights and the Sarnia Sting.

“The idea is that sports fans would have the chance for 90 minutes per week over a 12-week period to train with Hockey Fit coaches who will provide men with ways to improve their lifestyles including creating personalized health and nutrition plans and leading them through sports-based training exercises,” a press release from Schulich reads.

Petrella will look at lifestyle changes after the 12-week period and again one year later.

The idea of incorporating local hockey clubs is to provide support to help cement healthier lifestyle changes.

“A lot of fans are associated with OHL teams,” Petrella said. “Those hockey clubs are the main cultural focus of the whole community.”

• Megan Devlin

Ermahgerd, we’re getting a new email system

There seems to be no lack of complaints about Western’s current email system.

From a shortage of storage space, to problems with mobile compatibility, students are ready for a change – and the university is finally listening.

In late October, Western’s Information Technology Services announced that the undergraduate student email system will be moving to Microsoft’s Office 365.

With a pilot program launching in January and full implementation occurring sometime in the following months, the new system looks to offer much more than just an upgraded email service.

“The number one complaint we hear from students about our current system is the lack of space,” said Emily Addison, vice-president internal for the University Students’ Council, in an email.

“By switching to Office 365 that concern will be alleviated.”

One of the most prominent features advertised about the new system is the increase in memory storage to 50GB. This increase will allow students to participate in larger file transfers in addition to document storage.

According to the Western ITS website, Office 365 also promises seamless mobile integration – hopefully putting an end to the mobile concerns raised with the current

system.

Office 365 also offers a unique, “Student Advantage” program. The agreement provides free access to MS Office applications on up to five different devices. This will allow main campus students to create, edit and track changes on Word documents, Powerpoint files, and Excel spreadsheets all using online Office 365 applications. Affiliate students will not initially be able to access these features, according to the ITS website.

“A huge benefit to student is to receive free access to the Microsoft Office Suite so they do not have to pay for these essential services out of their own pockets,” Addison explains.

“Overall, we are incredibly excited to see the possibilities with this new system and to work with students and the university to ensure its successful implementation.”

Western ITS is currently seeking student volunteers to participate in a pilot program of Microsoft Office 365.

• Albert Van Santvoort

Olympian Hughes speaks at King’s today

Canadian Olympian Clara Hughes will be making a visit to King’s University College today, but not to talk about her athletic accomplishments.

Rather, Hughes presentation will revolve around themes of mental health.

Concluding King’s Mental Health Awareness Week, Hughes’ talk is culminating a series of events and activities that have been constructed as therapeutic for students’ well-being.

Hughes is no stranger to mental health issues. As the national spokesperson for Bell’s “Let’s Talk Mental Health” initiative, she’s been vocal about her own struggles with depression and wishes to fight the stigma involved with mental health.

Last year, Hughes initiated a number of bike rides in various Canadian communities to facilitate conversation around and raise awareness for such issues.

Today’s speaking event, costing a $5 entrance fee, is taking place at King’s Joanne and Peter Kenny Theatre at 7 p.m.

Other programming held today for King’s Mental Health Awareness Week include yoga at 12:30 p.m. and free messages at 2 p.m., both in the affiliate college’s reflection room.

• Kevin Hurren

The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal O throughout the puzzle. Single letters, short words and words using an apostrophe give you clues to locating vowels. Solution is by trial and error. © 2002 by Kings Features Syndicate, Inc.

Luxury Student Housing 519-858-2525 • themarq.ca • 75 Ann St.

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thegazette • Thursday, November 13, 2014

want to know where to live next year?

check out the gazette’s HOUSING ISSUE Winnie Lu • GAZETTE

November 21, 2o14

Int’l students would benefit from funding “Western has guaranteed funding for all students. Everyone who’s accepted into a doctoral program is offered guaranteed funding of $12,000 plus tuition,” she said.

However, Wennaker noted that the situation for international students is more difficult.

“International students, unless they’re permanent residents or citizens, can’t access external scholarships,” she said. “What that means is that domestic students, like me, have access to this guaranteed funding of $12,000, which is not enough to live on for a year.”

Wennakers notes that she is able

to supplement her income by competing in external scholarship competitions. Many graduate students take on part-time jobs in non-academic fields, as well as using OSAP or bank loans to help supplement their income. For international students, this is not an option.

Despite the economic hardship in front of them, Wennakers is impressed by the dedication driving international students.

“A few years ago I conducted a lot of research into the living conditions of international students, and one of the things that I found very striking was the commitment of people who come to Western

from their country to research,” she said. “They’re under immense psychological pressure due to economic insecurity. This [provincial decision] would have a substantial and immediately noticeable effect on the lives of the international students that come to Western and do amazing work.”

The benefit that Western, as an institution, would gain from this funding is not lost on Wennakers.

“They deserve all the support in the world, and if they had adequate support then the results that we would see as a community, Western as a whole … would be immensely worth the support they receive.”

Reddit class for Western Jonathan Hermina GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette

This Friday, Western will get more interactive online with the addition of the Reddit sub forum “Ask Anything Academic.”

The initiative, run by Learning Skills Services, will be an academic resource that students can use to address their concerns.

Melissa Simone, a learning skills coordinator at the University Students’ Council, co-founded the project along with the USC executive.

“The purpose of it is for students to ask questions, concerns and comments on academic things,” Simone

said.

The forum will allow students to get access to answers quickly and conveniently.

“A USC learning skills committee member will answer their question in 48 hours,” Simone said. “We are also encouraging students to answer the questions of their own peers.”

The online initiative is convenient for students because they won’t have to leave their residences or houses while getting their questions answered promptly, she continued.

The purpose of the “Ask Anything Academic” project is helping students connect with the resources that will help them succeed.

“A big issue that we found was

that no one knows that there are such things as ‘How to Write a Multiple Choice Exam’ — a program held by Learning Services,” Simone said. “Hopefully by doing this we can direct students into the right direction of where they can find help.”

According to Simone, the initiative will benefit the Western community as a whole as it will bring the student population together by creating an online community unrestricted by faculty and other divisions.

“It will unite all students together,” she said. “The initiative is not faculty based, it’s all student run.

We are unifying everyone together.”

We would like to remind you that you must meet with a counsellor at Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), in the Student Development Centre, to arrange academic accommodation for your 2014/15 winter courses.

If you have not yet requested accommodation for your courses, and you wish to use accommodation for December 2014 exams, you must meet with a counsellor by Friday, November 21st. If requested after this date, accommodation for December 2014 exams cannot be arranged by Exam Services.

To book your appointment please call

519-661-2147

141106

>> FUNDING continued from pg.1

MMPA

Master of Management & Professional Accounting

• Designed primarily for non-business undergraduates • For careers in Management, Finance and Accounting • Extremely high co-op and permanent placement To learn more about the MMPA Program, attend our information sessions: Friday, November 14th, 2014, 11 am – 1 pm Room 210, University Centre (UCC), Western University Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014, 11 am – 1 pm Room 210, University Centre (UCC), Western University Wednesday, January 21st, 2015, 11 am – 1 pm Room 210, University Centre (UCC), Western University

mmpa.utoronto.ca Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE

4 •

thegazette • Thursday, November 13, 2014

arts&life Women’s rights at steak Jennafer Freeman ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @JennaAtGazette

Have you ever noticed the feminine curves of your well-done steak?

According to feminist author Carol J. Adams, this may not be an accident.

Tonight, Adams will be visiting Western to discuss her book The Sexual Politics of Meat. The event will be taking place at 7 p.m. in Talbot College, Room 141, with no admission fee.

“The Sexual Politics of Meat says that there’s a connection between how we look at women and disempowered people and how we look at animals,” explains Adams.

The slideshow that she will be presenting draws on culture, advertisements and menu items, which can be used to identify the connection between the oppression of women and animals.

According to Adams, these representations are conveying attitudes that are quite pernicious, however, they are so prevalent within society that many people don’t step back and look at what they’re really saying.

“The sound bite would be that women are animalized and animals are sexualized and feminized,” says Adams.

In order to explain how animals have been feminized, Adams points to images of pigs being barbequed.

In such images, the pig being barbecued often looks like a very well formed female body.

“The pigs look like women except that they have a pig head,” says Adams. “It’s showing violence against a being and it’s suggesting that that being is a woman, but because it’s a barbecue everybody kind of knows it’s a pig.”

This is approaching the boundary of what could be called patriarchal humour, according to Adams.

In the same way that animals are feminized, Adams suggests that women are often animalized.

This can be seen in the reference to women as meat. Phrases such as “are you a breast or a legs man?” identify this connection.

Another example given by Adams would be a menu that features a “DD-cup breast of turkey sandwich.”

References like such are problematic because they are saying something about attitudes.

“What the slideshow does is look at these attitudes with resistance,” says Adams. “It’s questioning this dominant overarching positioning of who is to be looked at, who is to be consumed and who is the consumer.”

Such concerns led Adams to grasp the connection between women and animals almost 40 years ago.

“It was sort of like Alice falling down the rabbit hole,” says Adams.

“I followed the path and suddenly I was falling into theory.”

Adams points to Margaret Atwood as an excellent example of someone who has explored issues of feminism and vegetarianism in many of her novels. Some of these novels include Surfacing, The Edible Woman and her dystopian series.

Adams began noticing themes that were appearing in books like these, which led her to her conclusion.

“I was walking in Cambridge towards Harvard Square when suddenly I felt this idea flood over me that there was a connection,” says Adams. “Then I spent the next 15 years trying to figure out how to explain it and the end result was The Sexual Politics of Meat.”

The next book Adams wrote was Neither Man nor Beast, which was a further reflection between feminism and what she calls the defence of animals. From there she began working on anthologies to help raise the visibility of the subject by including other scholars.

Another thing that Adams became interested in was writing prayers.

“I feel that we are deeply connected to other animals,” says Adams. “And our culture doesn’t actually know how to help us grieve when an animal dies or how to respond to the immense emotions that being connected to animals opens us to.”

Adams adds that she is really looking forward to returning to London for her first visit in 15 years and she hopes that her presentation of The Sexual Politics of Meat will inspire Western students to continue the conversation.

No matter the size or scale of injustice, Adams hopes that students are able to recognize that these are symptoms of a larger problem.

Adams will be speaking tonight at Talbot College in Room 141 at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

From Iron Maiden’s arguably most-popular album, The Number of the Beast, The Prisoner was inspired by the 1960s TV show starring Patrick McGoohan. The band got McGoohan’s permission to use the opening dialogue from the show’s episodes as the intro to the song.

Summers shines this fall Conrad Floryan ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @ConradAtGazette

“The orchestral world is such a rich, big spectrum that often people don’t realize until they’re actually sitting or standing beside a real-live orchestra, a 70 or 80-piece orchestra, just the power that it has, not volume power but power just the music itself,” professed Jerome Summers, acclaimed conductor, clarinetist, composer and professor emeritus at Western.

This October, Summers released his latest album The Transfigured Nightingale and rereleased his debut CD Songs of the Nightingale for its 20th anniversary. The works are part of the four-album Nightingale series, which feature Summers on clarinet accompanied mostly by piano.

The nightingale is a metaphor for the clarinet, originating from the 19th century when Viennese composer Johannes Brahms enjoyed his friend Muhlfeld’s playing so much that he called him “my dear nightingale.”

Looking back at his first solo album, Summers remembers it as an exciting time. He had done considerable recording at that point with orchestras, within large ensembles and for Hollywood soundtracks but Songs of the Nightingale marked his first solo effort with piano. He relished the opportunity to reach a larger audience.

“We you give a concert in a city you get a couple hundred people out but broadcasting opened up a whole other dimension for me,” Summers said.

As a clarinetist Summers regularly appears with Orchestra London and he has performed with renowned ensembles and artists such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Camerata and Il Divo. His conducting activities have included appearances with many of Canada’s major orchestras and he has broadcast frequently on CBC National Radio.

He has conducted performances around the world encompassing a wide range of styles, including ballet

Courtesy of Jerome Summers

productions and chamber orchestra pieces. He has also composed a broad spectrum of music performed by many of North America’s leading ensembles.

Summers has flamed a lifelong passion for music ever since he was a child growing up in Vancouver.

“I’ve just always been drawn to it and although people in my family are somewhat musical that wasn’t so much the spark as much as my own instinct,” explained Summers.

Young people are often more interested in popular music than classical music and Summers has long had a missionary zeal to encourage youth to explore the full riches of musical culture.

“I try and inspire people to go further with understanding classical music whether it’s orchestral, choral or chamber music,” said Summers.

“There’s so much, there’s hundreds and hundreds of years of rich repertoire that they’re unaware of.”

Summers’s commitment to youth steered him to serve on the Performance Faculty at Western before retiring. He fondly remembers organizing a grand performance

of Requiem by Hector Berlioz.

“It was an incredible mass of voices and orchestras and we combined the university orchestra with orchestra London, a brass group in town, choirs from Hamilton and professional choirs from London as well as 400 singers from Western,” Summers reminisced.

An illustrious career has reaped many more highlights and a trip to China two years ago stands out in particular. Summers led an orchestra on a tour of China for two weeks.

He was excited to engage in an interesting cultural exchange with Chinese audiences.

“I managed to get some young kids out of the audience to come up and conduct a piece and all the parents went wild with excitement for that,” enthused Summers.

Summers welcomes the opportunity to quash the stigma of classical music as too highbrow and old-fashioned one sweet note at a time.

Transfigured Nightingale and Songs of the Nightingale are available on itunes.apple.com

>> On Disc > The Transfigured Nightingale

GGGGF Jerome Summers and Robert Kortgaard The Transfigured Nightingale Cambria Master Recordings Classical

Courtesy of Mark Goldsmith

songmeanings

The Transfigured Nightingale is the fourth album in the Nightingale series by Western professor Jerome Summers. This album could be found playing in a classy hotel foyer,

in a study room or a nursery. The diversity of locations this music could be found is apropos given the meaning behind the album’s title, The Transfigured Nightingale.

Summers puts emphasis on the transfigured aspect, musing that all the tracks originally started their life forms in other settings. The songs eventually all found their way onto Summer’s fourth album of the Nightingale series.

The songs draw from the likes of Brahms, Rachmaninoff and more recent composers such as Marek Norman and Michael Conway Baker; despite the differing tones, there is an overarching theme of good quality music.

The second sonata on the album is a new take on the classical Brahms.

It is the ultimate study song with its use of delicate yet distinct melodies.

It is interesting enough to want to listen to without it being distracting.

Even if classical music isn’t your

kind of music, the eighth track of the album, a clarinet and piano version of sonata in G minor, opus 2, is accessible to all listeners and is well-worth the look. Although the song was originally written for cello and piano, the induction of the clarinet brings the piece to a new level. It incorporates melancholic overtones into an holistically light and spring-like piece.

Listening to the final track, Just Think from the musical Wanderlust, one would expect Josh Groban or Michael Buble to start singing.

Either one would have created a seamless fit to such a longing and emotional song. Just Think is a final farewell to a romantic album.

If you want to venture into classical music, The Transfigured Nightingale is a good place to start given its easy listening and diverse soundtrack.

• Darcy Mundair

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thegazette • Thursday, November 13, 2014

Size matters for Apple’s iPhones Christina Carfagnini GAZETTE STAFF While the release of the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus have Apple fan boys and girls excited, some may be wondering what the fuss is about over new innovations in the latest phone release. With a price tag of between $749–1,079, Apple is releasing the most expensive phones on the market.

For Media and Information Studies professor John Reed, the craze over the latest iPhones is based around Apple having a cool factor to build the popularity of their product.

“Other than being shiny and new — so there is a kind of sublime aspect to it— right now I think Apple has a certain cool factor, maybe because it is twice as expensive then some of the competitors.”

The immediate impression of the new phones is that they’re massive — the iPhone 6 screen measures 4.7” and the iPhone 6 Plus measures 5.5”.

“The larger devices are phablets.

They are selling really big in Asia, and that’s probably the main reason they came out with it. Another reason is that Android has a huge piece of the market and those larger phones are selling,” Reed said.

Although larger phones are selling, Reed predicts

Earlier this year, Apple and Windows released major software improvements to their respective mobile devices and Google has decided to follow the trend with the release of Android 5.0.

If you’re not an Android fan, then you might be unaware of Google’s tradition when it comes to naming their mobile software updates.

Each new version of Android has been named after a confectionary product, in alphabetical order starting with Cupcake, and then on to Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean and KitKat, with this year’s version being named Lollipop.

Despite these awesome names, the one problem that has always plagued Android is that it has never been an aesthetically appealing operating system. Google is tackling this problem head-on by making Lollipop the biggest redesign in Android history.

Right off the bat, two words you’re going to hear a lot when it comes to Android 5.0 are “material design.” With material design, there’s an emphasis on bright, bold colors, as well as animations and interactions that are grounded in real-world physics.

that, “a lot of people are going to find it too big.”

Reed noted that larger phones make it more difficult to text with one hand and the larger size may not be practical for students in Canada.

“When they came out with it my first questions was can I wear it in my front pocket?” Reed said.

By releasing two sizes at once, Reed thinks that Apple is trying to play it safe to see how marketable larger sized phones are by trying to push buyers towards the iPhone 6 Plus.

The move to a larger phone size could also be a response to the popularity of larger phones such as the Android’s HTC One. Apple also swapped the the 32GB storage option for 128GB in their new phones, contributing to Reed’s perspective that the iPhone 6 functions as phablets.

“If you’re putting that much space on the drive, you’re going to be using it like an iPad or a tablet. It’s your heavy duty go to media device,” Reed says.

For Reed, the big selling point was an updated camera, which he viewed as more important than the phone’s size.

“When I heard how good the camera was and some of the other little things they did to it, then I thought, how am I going to adjust my lifestyle to carry this thing around?”

On the surface, the biggest change between Lollipop and its predecessor is the shift from a dark to bright colour palette. Google has also improved its treatment of imagery, opting for a textured, colourful, graphical style; a change that can be seen across the entire system.

After diving a bit deeper, it is clear that Google has thought beyond how its user interface should look and has extended it to how it should feel. Every button press, animation and UI layer is given physical properties so navigation is not only consistent but allows users to see the point of origin of any action, and follow the transition to the next step.

Some of the features found within Lollipop are enhanced notifications, a battery saver mode and improved multitasking features.

Like Apple and Microsoft, Google is on a mission to seamlessly tie its various devices together. While there are a couple noteworthy features on Lollipop, Google has decided to put an emphasis on design, as they think this is the first step in getting customers to buy into the “Google Ecosystem.”

• Shachar Dahan

>> IN THEATRES > INTERSTELLAR

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Another stellar Nolan film Erik Bajzert GAZETTE STAFF GGGGF Director: Christopher Nolan Starring: Matthew McConaghey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine and Jessica Chastain There aren’t enough adjectives in the English language to describe what Interstellar is like.

Words like ambitious, massive and dumbfounding certainly come to mind, but to describe the totality of Christopher Nolan’s latest epic is impossible. In order to grasp the feeling of Interstellar, one must actually see the film. It certainly isn’t perfect, but its stubborn ambition and goal to enthrall the audience do not go unnoticed.

The Interstellar team and its notoriously secretive director intended to keep the plot of the film shrouded in secrecy. Audiences don’t go in knowing the places they are about to venture. This is a respectable quality as it prevents the film’s fantastic qualities from being over-hyped or spoiled.

Interstellar deals with a dystopian future, where humanity has been forced to leave earth in order

to avoid its now inhospitable conditions and survive on another planet.

Cooper (Matthew McConaghey) is an astronaut and engineer, who must leave his family behind and embark on a journey across the universe to save humanity from extinction.

While one can describe Interstellar in any way that they please, to call the film “stupid” would be grossly uninformed. The film weaves an intricate plot, balancing scientific fact and fiction with weighty human emotions.

While Interstellar can be over-sentimental at times, the emotional core between a father and his daughter is quite beautiful. The Nolan brothers have worked extensively on the screenplay and it shows.

The scientific elements are interwoven with the emotions on display, where every theory and principle that the characters deal with is met with heavy human consequence. The moments of humane beauty and scientific exploration are coupled with breathtaking cinematography and an extensive use of visual effects, many of which are done practically, rather than with CGI. This is a nice touch from a director

who cares about the level of immersion that his films contain.

On a technical level, the film is flawlessly shot, acted, scored and directed. When Interstellar falls though, it crash lands into a fiery wreck and while it gets soaring quickly, it becomes hard to ignore.

While the story is certainly well -written, the expository dialogue that makes up the opening twenty minutes is cringe inducing. A scene, which involved the introduction of a secret character, was certainly well written but quite distracting. But when the film isn’t busy hammering in awkward dialogue or gimmicky reveals, it’s really quite fantastic.

Interstellar isn’t Nolan’s best film, it’s certainly his most ambitious one.

At times Interstellar is an awe-inspiring masterpiece; at others, it’s rather irritating. As a whole though, it’s unforgettable. It’s hard to say how any one person will react to this mammoth of a film. It’s something everyone should see themselves and, ultimately, it’s a trip across the stars that everyone should consider taking.

Interstellar is playing at Rainbow Cinemas at 1:00, 3:15, 4:15, 7:15 and 9:15 p.m.

6 •

thegazette • Thursday, November 13, 2014

opinions Flag flop frustrating This week Western celebrates International Week. In an annual tradition, flags representing the student body’s native countries are draped around the UCC atrium. This year, however, several issues with the flag arrangement have been observed.

The Iraqi flag is backwards, the Palestinian flag has been omitted completely (even though it was displayed last year) and, amidst the ongoing Syrian civil war, the Syrian Arab Republic flag is represented while the flag of the Syrian National Coalition is absent. Furthermore there are less flags than in years past and there are countries with a student presence that have been excluded, such as Taiwan.

Hanging the Iraqi flag backwards appears to be the result of human error although this mistake could have quickly been rectified. While some students could care less if their native flag is displayed incorrectly and many will walk through the UCC atrium without noticing anything amiss, a flag is a powerful symbol of cultural identity and the USC needs to respectfully represent Western’s abundant global community. It’s easy to do a little research to ensure that all flags are properly exhibited.

The Syrian and Palestinian flags present the USC with a dilemma. Syria has been in a civil war for several years and the ruling regime has faced intense international pressure to resign. Recognizing their flag has clearly touched a nerve among some students and it should perhaps be taken down or accompanied by the revolutionaries’ flag out of respect for the bitter conflict.

The Palestinian flag is just as thorny politically. Despite most of the international community recognizing Palestine, Canada does not currently. The USC, however, did hang the Palestinian flag last year.

Displaying the flag simply shows that we recognize many students are Palestinian and they believe Palestine should be recognized as a country, not whether it should be or not. It’s inclusive more than it divides. No matter how the USC chooses to represent these states’ flags, controversy is unavoidable.

The USC should be politically neutral and if they chose to take a political position, it should represent the majority of the student body. They are unqualified to take a stand on an international front.

Countries have been omitted in years past and most likely there are further mistakes with the flags this year and in previous years that have failed to be noticed. The USC need to decide how seriously they want to treat International Week.

Is it sufficient to represent only the majority of the student body and just have a colourful display that’s fun to look? Or is the flag display a serious cultural matter that requires due diligence to ensure that all Western students are represented properly?

• Gazette Editorial Board

I regard the Klan, the Anglo-Saxon clubs and White American societies, as far as the Negro is concerned, as better friends of the race than all other groups of hypocritical whites put together.

• Marcus Garvey

Seeing through the inKlusionary tactic

Volume 108, Issue 39 www.westerngazette.ca

Jenny from the Block

Jenny Jay ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @JennyAtGazette

The Ku Klux Klan is a group that still makes me cringe when I hear its name.

Its affiliations in history and values as a group still make me question the existence of logic in humanity. In recent news, this group has decided to open up a new chapter as a new Klux clan that “opens its doors to Blacks, Jews, Hispanics and Gays.”

Now, it’s not like I’ve been anxiously waiting for the day that I could possibly join a group that advocated for a so-called better, “whiter” America — as a person of colour. According to the KKK’s application for association, being a part of the KKK up until recently entailed that members agreed with the conditions: I am white and not of racially mixed descent. I am not married to a nonwhite.

I do not date nonwhites nor do I have nonwhite dependents.

The last time I checked in the mirror, the pigment of my skin meant that I was (fortunately) excluded from joining this elitist group. This new, apparently all-inclusive chapter of the Klan that simply strives for a better America, however, makes me question why the group specifically opened it up only to “blacks, Jews, Hispanics and gays,” without any mention of where someone of South Asian descent would fall into the picture.

Regardless of whether or not the group is allowing any of these specific races into their world, or anyone regardless of

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Dear Life, Why do stairs exist?

Dear Life, If I had a letter to life, it would consist of 17 zzzz’s all in a row. I need sleep. Now. Dear Life, To those who think whispering in the silent study zone is ok: NO IT’S NOT. Go to lib.uwo.ca, read the rules, respect them and be a good Canadian.

Dear Life, Had a veggie wrap from the Spoke. My immediate thought from the first bite was it could use some meat.

Dear Life, He looked down on his phone, And smiled.

I looked at him, And did the same.

Dear Life, Here’s an idea to fix the LTC: cut routes like Lambeth so we can get a 10 Wonderland every 15 minutes during peak times.

Dear Life, Alternated between passing out and waking up as bodily “things” left my drunk body this weekend.

At this time in 2005, Western had its own Avengers super team form to fight crime: Campus Community Police Service and London Police Service teamed together to catch a student prankster who was pulling fire alarms in Huron University College residences during Western’s fall preview day.

This crime-solving pair certainly brought the heat — there was even a $500 reward for any student who came forward with identifying information about the culprit. Though maybe not literally, Western’s campus (police force) was definitely on fire.

Editorials are decided by a majority of the editorial board and are written by a member of the editorial board but are not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial board member. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff.

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race, what I want to know is how and why would a person would choose to use the KKK as a basis for an all-inclusive positive group as a voice for America.

The nature of the group suggest that the negative connotation of its name means that their reputation is far beyond repair — it may have been decades since the group was at its violent zenith, but nobody would endorse renaming the term “Nazi” into a voice for a positive and brighter Germany.

However, what is most intriguing and frustrating about this whole concept is how pointless the actual stunt really is — because that’s exactly what it is, simply a publicity stunt.

The actual original KKK is, at kindest, simply non-existent. The only remnants of a once thriving ideology and political movement are chapters or small groups that take on the nation-wide name.

The idea behind this new chapter advocating “inclusion” is that Montana white supremacist John Abarr is creating a group that is open to everyone.

This group supports America under the name of the Ku Klux Klan. The group simply associates itself with the name and the traditions from the original White Knights.

In a statement during Abarr’s run for Montana Congress, Abarr stated that, “I think that the fact Obama got elected shows that the white people are starting to lose their political power.” This is the same person who’s supposedly now advocating for inclusion? Maybe it’s just me, but I see something extremely hypocritical about this.

Frankly, the whole ordeal is just plain silly. The upsetting idea (in theory) that I am not able to be a part of the KKK, as well as the idea that the KKK can ever be rebranded as a positive group of people in white sheets, is, quite frankly, not kool.

Dear Life, Why is Bradley Metlin the only editor who gets Dear Life’s? Jenny Jay wants some love (hate) too.

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•7

thegazette • Thursday, November 13, 2014

sports

today’stweet Not to overlook the shots Kobe hasn’t missed: He has MADE 11,121 field goals, most among active players and sixth on the NBA career list

• @ESPNStatsInfo concerning Kobe Bryant’s new record for most missed shots in the NBA

Rundown >> Western took down the competition in men and women’s wrestling as both teams claim bronze at the Greater Toronto Open tournament. Brayden Ambo and Ligrit Sadiku placed first in their respective weight classes of 76 kg and 54 kg, respectively.

Mustangs cap off solid season in Quebec Robert Nanni SPORTS EDITOR @RobertAtGazette

The Mustangs travelled to Quebec this past weekend to participate in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships. The team lost 3–2 to Laval, won 2–0 to Memorial and took fifth place overall with their 2–0 win over Montreal University.

While the Mustangs were consistently in the lead in the Laval game, a 68th minute goal by Laval striker Joëlle Gosselin tied up the game, sending the two teams into overtime.

Extra time saw the Mustangs Jessi Couto score a top-corner goal and Laval Rouge et Or striker Melissande Guy tied up the game in the 103rd minute, resulting in the match being decided in a shootout.

“It was a controversial goal that we don’t think crossed the line, but it is what it is,” Martin Painter, Mustangs coach, said of Guy’s overtime goal. Painter argued the ball had not crossed the line, resulting in his removal from the bench.

As Couto missed the fifth shootout goal and Laval’s Helene Moreau scored, the game was Laval’s. While Western goalkeeper Tori Edgar attempted to keep up with Laval’s shooters, she couldn’t keep the ball from going into the net.

Western continued on to play Memorial and Montreal University over the next two days. Although they won these next two games, they were significantly slower-paced than the Laval game.

“We played fantastic, a lot of people were surprised with how our team played,” Painter said. “As we reached our third game in three days, the team was much slower than they were on the first day.”

With the completion of the

season, the team reflects on their performance and final outcome.

Edgar, a first-team OUA all-star, provided a solid foundation for the team along with Couto. Midfielder Angelika Mihalopulos also had a great season, making her mark in the second half after returning from an injury.

While fifth place is hardly something to be ashamed of, Painter holds that the team’s performance is not reflective of this final standing.

Considering the team’s very young composure, they fought hard against more experienced and highly skilled teams.

Although they still made it to Nationals, the team strives for improvement in the next season, looking to ultimately win the championship in the future.

“Moving forward, we want to become mentally stronger, more ruthless, more confident, more aware of the details in certain situations,” Painter said. “We showed a lot of growth this year from last year and we definitely want to continue that trend.”

Having come second overall for Ontario universities behind the Ottawa Gee-Gees, the women’s soccer team did relatively well compared to the rest of the province.

Ultimately, Laval won the championship in a 5–0 game against Trinity Western, the five-time CIS women’s soccer champions, making Laval the first Quebec team to ever win the title.

As for the Mustangs, Coach Painter noted “there were a lot of question marks going into this season,” and they “were answered with positives.” He plans to build upon this year’s success for next year, holding onto the possibility for a more cohesive team.

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thegazette • Thursday, November 13, 2014

Mustangs down two in opening weekend Robert Nanni SPORTS EDITOR @SportsAtGazette

The Mustang women’s basketball team suffered a major letdown on Wednesday night, falling to the Windsor Lancers in an unfortunate 88–41 loss.

The four-time defending Canadian Interuniversity Sport champions wiped the floor with the Mustangs in the first half, stealing seven times to grab a 43–17 lead. Western’s defence struggled, allowing in the Lancers’ Korissa Williams, who capitalized on Mustang missteps to earn a gamehigh 19 points.

“Every time we turn the ball over we have to get back and play [defence],” said Brian Cheng, Mustangs coach identifying a poor defensive execution on behalf of his team.

After halftime, Western strengthened their game and got more into the rhythm, but it was hardly enough to combat the Lancers’ skill.

Having been outscored in every quarter, the ‘Stangs knew there was no retribution to be had. Although Western outscored Windsor 31–28 in the second half, this could not undo the damage done in the first quarter.

While Mustang Mackenzie Pucklicz scored a team-high 11 points, five Lancers each scored in the double digits, resulting in last week’s tragic loss.

“Did we perform the way we wanted to against Windsor? No,” Cheng stated bluntly. “Some of that was on us, some of that was on them; we have to go back to the drawing board.”

O

UR WHOLE FOCUS IS TO GET BETTER … WE CAN’T BE CAUGHT UP IN THE WINS AND LOSSES — YOU CAN’T FASTTRACK IMPROVEMENT.” BRIAN CHENG

MUSTANGS COACH

And back to the drawing board they went, improving their game against the Guelph Gryphons on Friday night. While it still was not enough to attain a victory, the score gap was greatly reduced, resulting in a 69–56 loss for the Mustangs.

After starting once again on a weak note, the ‘Stangs quickly picked up their game and nearly tied the Gryphons in the last three quarters. Had it not been for their first quarter 25–11 pummelling, Western may have actually emerged victorious in the contest.

Cheng attributed the team’s second loss of the season to a lack of “value for the basketball.”

“We turn over the ball too much — we’re averaging 27 turnovers per game,” Cheng said. “That comes with young teams; it’s something that needs to be taught, which we

Courtesy of Nikki Hankin

can learn from experience.”

The team saw the loss of many Western veterans, such as 2013–14 Ontario University Athletics West Player of the Year Jenny Vaughan.

This led to very scattered gameplay through the game.

While all the Mustangs made attempts to overcome the Gryphons, their lack of experience playing together was a hinderance. In fact, the team worked so well individually

Mustangs split week 1–1

that a good portion of their scoring came from free throws, managing 21 of 26 of them.

Cheng identifies two main areas of improvement with the team: “Taking care of the ball and making sure we stick to a game plan. We’re having trouble executing a game plan.”

As the ‘Stangs move past their losses, they travel to Toronto tonight to face the Ryerson Rams in hopes of

More NHL teams?

No thanks!

Kant Touch This

Nathan Kanter SPORTS EDITOR @NathanAtGazette

Courtesy of Nikki Hankin

Robert Nanni SPORTS EDITOR @SportsAtGazette

The Western Mustangs men’s basketball opened their season with a devastating loss Wednesday night to the Windsor Lancers, ending up 50 points short with the final score at 85–35.

Although the game was relatively close after the first quarter, Western found themselves 30 points behind when the quarter ended. From the very first tip-off, the Lancers took control and maintained an early lead.

The Mustangs attempted a comeback, but the Lancers were too far ahead to be caught. While forward Greg Morrow was able to score a game-high 18 points followed by guard Elliot Dooley with 15 points, the Lancers would not hold up.

Despite the attempted offence, Mustangs men’s basketball head coach Brad Campbell recognizes

the poor gameplay.

“Our defence didn’t execute to the level we had hoped and we struggled to make shots,” he said.

While the second half of the game saw stronger rebounding and an improved shooting percentage from the Mustangs, they failed to close the gap significantly.

The fourth quarter saw the peak of the game’s pace as Dooley sunk two three-pointers within 30 seconds. Despite this hustle against the clock, the Lancers arose victorious in the season opener.

As the Mustangs accepted their defeat, they prepared for their Friday night game against the Guelph Gryphons, where they hoped to correct previous mistakes. It was during this game last Friday the Mustangs saw their first win of the season.

It was a tight game, with the ‘Stangs walking away with an 85–71 victory. While the first quarter had Guelph taking a minor early lead,

the Mustangs quickly grounded the Gryphons in the remainder of the game.

“Against Guelph we were able to dominate the second half with our defence and ability to create open shots through ball movement,” Campbell said.

First-year Mustang guard Jedson Tavernier impressed with 14 points in what was only his second OUA game. Senior guard Quinn Henderson also performed well, finishing the game with 13 points and two steals, contributing both offensive and defensive character to the team.

“How good we can be will depend on how much we can improve during the season,” Campbell said concerning the remainder of the season.

The Mustangs traveled to Toronto to face the Ryerson Rams on Wednesday at 8 p.m., hoping to carry over this momentum and net another win.

their first win of the season.

While Cheng is unsure whether the team will have the capacity to do this, he claims that practice and team bonding will improve their overall game quality.

“Our whole focus is to get better,” Cheng said, standing by his belief that these losses are attributable to a young team. “We can’t be caught up in the wins and losses – you can’t fast-track improvement.”

On Tuesday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly met with a potential ownership group in Las Vegas.

The idea that the NHL is seriously considering expanding to Vegas has me absoltuely irate.

The NHL should not avoid expanding to Las Vegas. It should avoid expansion, period.

At Tuesday’s Florida Panthers game against the San Jose Sharks the attendance was 8,075. These numbers are not outliers – the team has averaged just 8,916 fans in six home games so far. The arena has been at 52.6 per cent capacity – literally half empty.

The Carolina Hurricanes aren’t faring much better. They have averaged 12,740 fans this season, for an average capacity of 68.2 per cent.

These numbers do not prove that the NHL will fail in all southern markets. It has done well in most of them. The Kings, Ducks, Sharks, Lightning and Predators are all filling their arenas to at least 95 per cent capacity so far this season.

When they win, fans show up. The problem is in some markets fans don’t show up even when the team

is winning. And those markets do not deserve NHL franchises. Yes, Arizona, I’m talking about you.

In 2011–12, the Coyotes finished in third in the Western conference with 97 points. They also finished dead last in the league in average attendance with 12,420.

In 2006 the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. They also averaged just 15,596 fans per game that season.

Relocation? Perhaps. Expansion?

No. It’s been no secret that the Phoenix Coyotes have been losing money over the years. They filed for bankrupcy in 2009 after losing nearly $30 million in that season alone. Since then the NHL has been covering their losses, to the tune of $112.7 million over the four seasons between 2010-2013. This year, Arizona taxpayers are paying even more for the Coyotes to stay after city council approved a subsidy to operate the arena in Glendale.

Logically – for a league that is hungrier than ever for profits, one would expect that markets that care about hockey – like Quebec City, Toronto and Seattle – could prove beneficial for the league if it expanded.

But why expand at all? Does the league need to expand to 32 teams instead of fixing those that aren’t working?

Las Vegas as a potential destination for an NHL franchise isn’t the problem. The bigger problem is the idea of expansion at all. It shouldn’t be discussed, at least not until Phoenix moves.