Friday, November 16, 2012

w w w .w e sterngazette.c a • @uw ogazette

Fontana caucus blocks London mayor misses Ottawa meeting of minds >> pg. 4

thegazette Growing in size since 1906

Friday, November 16, 2012

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canada’s only Daily Student Newspaper • founded 1906

Volume 106, Issue 42

USC aiming for change with USC planning on an second annual unconference introspective look Jesica Hurst News Editor

Julian Uzielli Gazette

Aaron Zaltzman News Editor Change was on the menu Wednesday night, along with various finger foods, at the University Students’ Council’s second annual ChangeCamp. The “unconference” was aimed at promoting discussion among participants from all over the university.

“We had students both inside and outside of the USC, sophs, non-sophs, university staff and administration,” Alysha Li, vice-president university affairs for the USC, said. “It was great for students to talk to them, and feel that their voices carried up to the top decision makers. The diversity of the turnout is what we’re really happy about.”

“I think the worst thing we can do, as an organization, is to become insular and not be aware of people’s opinions,” Amir Arya, university affairs commissioner for the USC and organizer of the event, said.

“ChangeCamp is based on the idea that every single student, administrator or staff that wants to express themselves has a forum in which to do that.”

The brainchild of former vicepresident university affairs Pat Searle, the event was first held last year when it was promoted as the opposite of a regular conference,

due to its bottom-up organization.

“The main point of ChangeCamp is that it’s participantdriven. People can come in and talk about whatever they want, and they are able to find people with similar interests and [can] discuss with them those interests” Li said.

“This really allows for a free flow of dialogue, and allows students to find common interests.”

I think the worst thing we can do, as an organization, is to become insular and not be aware of people’s opinions.

—Amir Arya

University Affairs Commissioner for the University Students’ Council and organizer of ChangeCamp

The unique structure of the event involved participants writing down topics for discussion on sticky notes and posting them on a wall. They then voted on the propositions, which were grouped into six topics—O-Week and sophing culture, charity on campus, classroom experience, the best student experience, cost of tuition and mental health support. Partic-

ipants could move around the tables at the event and discuss each topic.

“Participants had the opportunity to sit at the table with the issue they wanted to discuss,” Ahsan Syed, a first-year student at the Ivey School of Business who attended the event, said. “With different priorities and interests coming together, it was interesting to hear different perspectives on an issue, and everyone definitely came away learning something they didn’t know before.”

“It was a really good event, and it was really interesting to hear different points of view,” Sarah Kanna, a third-year political science student and moderator-scribe for the table discussing charity, said. “It will be interesting to see [at the next one] more people come out with more opinions. “ The next step is to compile the discussions into a report that can be accessed by any interested party, and possibly be used to determine USC policy. However, the event doesn’t stop there.

“We’ll have one next semester, and we’ll have people coming in afterwards to give people an idea of some of the various ways they can turn their thoughts into action,” Arya explained. “This year, we’re really focusing on empowering people to take what they discuss and make a change.”

Late last month, in an address entitled “The Untold Story of Western,” University Students’ Council president Adam Fearnall announced the USC would be redefining its relationship with the university.

Since then, Fearnall has continued this discussion with presidents of the faculty and affiliate students’ councils to discuss the future of the student experience, as well as how to ensure student voices are taken into consideration in university planning.

After meeting, it is apparent the most important question the USC needs to answer is whether or not it has institutionalized advocacy in a way that fulfills their mission statement—“to enhance the educational experience and quality of life for all undergraduates at Western University.”

“If you look at what the core mandate of the USC is, advocacy has always been a big part, and I think that for us to become truly relevant to students-at-large on campus, we need to put ourselves in places where they can actually feel the effect of what we’re doing,” Fearnall said. “That means being relevant everywhere from in the classroom to the bus shelter, and some of the more traditional things we’re known for doing, like the Wave and putting on concerts.”

“We need to try and find out what students are thinking and amplify that voice to a higher level.”

According to Fearnall, meeting with the presidents was the first step after announcing the USC’s future plan during his address on October 22.

“It’s a good thing that we put all of these new ideas out there, but council has been asking what the next steps are, or how we’re going to follow through,” he said. “This was the start of that follow-through to get a smaller group of people together in a room to try and figure out why the USC is currently a bit misunderstood, and to figure out what we need to do to make us a more legitimate partner at the table, and how we can be a more accurate representative of what students want.”

Jordan Coop, president of the Faculty of Information and Media Studies Students’ Council, believes discourse is a necessary precursor to change of any kind, and having these discussions is constructive.

“Self-reflexive conversations concerning the efficiency of the USC’s structural organization is a good starting point to address heretofore neglected student needs,” Coop explained. “In this context, I think it is useful for the USC—or any organization, for that matter—to clearly identify its role on campus.”

Ritchie Sham Gazette

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thegazette • Friday, November 16, 2012

Caught on Camera

Crossword By Eugene Sheffer Sam Burgess GAZETTE

EXTREME MAKEOVER. The curtains were drawn earlier this week on Social Science Centre’s counselling office renovations, with work crews continuing to add a few finishing touches.

News Brief

PAWS is currently fund-raising for a Humane Alliance-partnered, Non-Profit Companion Animal Hospital Caring for Vulnerable Pets.

This hospital will function as a high-volume spay/neuter clinic for animals belonging to low-income individuals — THIS INCLUDES STUDENTS! The hospital will also shelter pets belonging to atrisk individuals, including women fleeing domestic abuse and the homeless during personal emergencies.

You can help by voting for us in the AVIVA Community Fund web competition!

Register, sign in and then vote daily for idea #ACF14032 scan using phone

www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf14032

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N V I S I T W W W . PA W S L O N D O N . C A

Youth honoured for gerontology program Western health sciences students had reason to celebrate Tuesday, as Western’s Gerontology in Practice program received a Pillar Community Innovation Award.

The Pillar Nonprofit Network honoured the Gerontology in Practice program at its sixth annual awards event in the community collaboration category.

Pillar event and program coordinator Nicole St. John said the category recognizes “the strength of the collaborations, the community partners and seeing how those partnerships and collaborations are benefiting the community, and the nonprofit sector.”

Selection committee chair Sheila Simpson explained the interest of young Western students to apply their understanding of aging issues in direct collaboration with senior citizens, and associated not-for-profit organizations, inspired the selection committee to consider the program eligible for nomination.

“We hear about the great divide between town and gown, but this is a real example of the community and the students of Western working together,” Simpson commented.

The Pillar Nonprofit Network is a 300-member strong organization providing leadership and professional development opportunities to strengthen the effectiveness of the nonprofit sector.

“The Pillar Community Innovation Awards is our signature event for the nonprofit sector to recognize all of those whose work and dedication in support of the nonprofit sector is strengthening our community,” St. John stated.

—Mason Zimmer

Solution to puzzle on page 11

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.

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•3

thegazette • Friday, November 16, 2012

Colleges make a play for degrees Katie Roseman Gazette Staff Colleges Ontario has made an official request to the provincial government to begin offering threeyear degrees. Traditionally, colleges in Ontario have been able to provide only advanced diplomas after three years of study.

The organization, which represents the 24 colleges in the province, stated in its report that the title of “degree” is important due to its value in employers’ eyes. It claimed the educational quality and standards are comparable between current three-year college diploma programs and university degrees, and argued that, because of this equivalency, colleges should be allowed to offer baccalaureate degrees.

Apparently Ontario is unique in not offering college students the option of earning a three-year degree. The report stated colleges in other countries, including Ireland and Germany, offer undergraduate and even graduate degrees.

“There’s virtually no place else in the world where a three-year program of study at a post-secondary institution is called a diploma.

They’re all called degrees,” Linda Franklin, president of Colleges Ontario, said.

The request for the distinction in title comes from a desire to offer students various educational options out of high school. The term “diploma” has also created confusion for international students, who see it as a lesser option than a degree. These college degrees would offer more work-specific skills.

“There’s a number of colleges who are looking at the upcoming labour shortage, who are looking at students who go from university back to college to get some specific skill sets and employers who are expecting graduates to come

to them and be job-ready immediately,” Franklin explained.

The report also stated parents guide their children towards universities due to the appeal of the “degree” distinction.

“Despite their primary objective of a good job for their children, many parents continue to push their children towards a university education, even though college training often will frequently open many more career doors,” the report explained.

Tim Klassen, director of Ontario College Quality Assurance Service, said there are various frameworks in place to ensure college degrees are set to a similar baccalaureate standard.

“The first thing we will have to do is really generate and write a more creative set of standardlevel outcomes for baccalaureate degrees. There currently exists a qualifications framework that the ministry produced that really sets out some of the minimum parameters around that, and we would use that to determine our own degree level standards, against which we would evaluate any program that came to us,” he said.

As to whether or not this will draw high school students away from universities and towards colleges, Franklin seemed to think it’s an individual decision. She said degrees offered by colleges would differ in that they would maintain the hands-on structure traditionally associated with the institution, despite the change in title.

“We’re not intending to compete at all with universities. I think at the end of the day colleges deliver a very different kind of learning. I think the question is, shouldn’t a student who is more comfortable in an applied learning environment be able to fulfill their educational journey where they’ll see the most success.”

News Brief

Flu season gets a head start If you’ve been putting off getting your flu shot, time may be running out more quickly than you think.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit has officially diagnosed its first case of the flu of the season, indicating this year’s flu season may have taken a head start.

While cases of the flu in early November are not unheard of, the disease is typically much more prevalent once winter has taken a firm hold.

“We’ve seen cases as early as November, but this is fairly early— usually it’s more in December or January,” Bryna Warshawsky, acting medical officer for the MLHU,

said. “Even though it’s early, it’s not completely unusual.”

Warshawsky stressed a case of the flu this early in the year is just one more reason for students to get their flu shot as soon as possible.

“If a student hasn’t had the vaccine, this is a really good time to get it. There are a lot of opportunities to get it—we have our walk-in immunization clinic at the Health Unit, and there are other clinics in the community where you can get it, which you can find on our website,” she said.

Warshawsky also cautioned students feeling under the weather to stay home, rather than risk infecting healthy students.

—Alex Carmona

Caught on Camera

Cameron Wilson GAZETTE

A COMMANDING PRESENCE. Darin Barney, an associate professor at McGill University, delivers his talk “Democracy, communication and the wager of politics” at the 3M Centre Thursday night as part of FIMS Students’ Council Undergraduate Speaker Series.

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

PhD in Management: Accounting Program Gaining momentum for accounting success.

Teaching and performing research in accounting is a career worth investigating.

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Donate to the Gazette www.westerngazette.ca/donate

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY WATERLOO | Brantford | Kitchener | Toronto

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thegazette • Friday, November 16, 2012

Acorns and oak trees are not the enemies Carma’s a Bitch

Alex Carmona News Editor There are few things harder to complain about than a mother’s concern for her child. All in all, it’s a pretty positive thing, and it’s probably kept many people reading this article out of the hospital, or worse. But, like all good things in life, moderation is an important word to remember.

Apparently suburban Toronto mother Donna Giustizia, however, has forgotten this fairly basic concept. In what has to be one of the strangest, most mind-bogglingly unnecessary cases of over-protectiveness in quite a while, she has requested the City of Vaughan cut down the oak trees on city-owned property near her kids’ elementary school in order to protect children with nut allergies. Just to be clear, I’m going to repeat that.

She wants the City to cut down all the oak trees in the school’s vicinity because she is afraid the acorns from the trees—which we should remember are only accessible after they fall from the trees—will endanger the health and safety of kids who might eat them off the ground.

When I first read about this, I thought I had mistakenly opened The Onion instead of The Globe and Mail on my laptop, because it honestly reads like satire. Giustizia is supporting her position by arguing that even the mere sight of

these nuts, which are bitter to the taste and, again, must be picked up off the ground and eaten to cause actual harm, could cause anxiety attacks, or be used to “bully and torment” an allergic child. She also stated having the acorn-dispersing oak trees on city property near the school creates a “false sense of security.”

I’m going to tackle these one at a time. First thing’s first—the government should not be responsible for making sure your kid doesn’t eat dangerous garbage. If you’re confident enough to send your child to school, you should also be confident they have the metal faculty not to eat regular food they are allergic to, let alone yard debris. To be fair, we all knew one kid in elementary school who ate worms, dirt, grass and anything else they could stuff into their gob, but if you’re a responsible parent whose child has a deadly nut allergy, it should be on you, rather than the poor oak trees, to prevent your kid from being that kid.

As for any potential anxiety attacks, every child everywhere comes into contact with a dozen things each day that could kill them if they stuck them in their mouth.

As long as these kids know they’re allergic, why on earth would the sight of nuts cause them anymore fear than the sight of, say, bleach or rat poison?

Finally, if the mother is worried about roving gangs of school bullies that are actually so heartless as to pelt allergic children with nuts, maybe she should consider having a conversation with the school principal, rather than start brandishing chainsaws around. Or, better yet, consider homeschooling.

Fontana’s conference absence not a concern Cam Smith News Editor Mayor Joe Fontana’s absence at the Big City Mayors’ Caucus in Ottawa certainly did not escape notice. The London Free Press covered it in two separate articles, with headlines ‘Fontana bows out of mayors’ meeting,’ and ‘It’s unclear why London mayor Joe Fontana is not attending a conference for Canada’s Big City Mayors.’

Fontana is also apparently out of town, and in his place Ward 13 city councillor Judy Bryant is serving as acting mayor.

“When the mayor is away, one of us from around the council table becomes acting mayor,” Bryant explained. “I happened to be next in line.”

After Fontana’s recent controversy surrounding the alleged mismanagement of city funds, his absence from the conference is particularly notable. However, when asked if this was detrimental to Fontana politically, Bryant responded, “I don’t know. I have no comment.”

Attending the conference in Fontana’s place is Ward 12 councillor Harold Usher, who was also unaware of why the mayor was unable to attend.

“I haven’t got a clue,” Usher explained. “All I know is he asked me to attend, so I came.”

Despite the apparent negativity of Mayor Fontana’s decision to not attend the Big City Mayors’ Caucus, Usher was adamant in saying it was not unwarranted or unusual.

“This is something that hap-

Cameron Wilson Gazette

pens all the time. Everybody’s busy, sometimes when these meeting are called, the mayor can’t go,” he explained. “There are other mayors who sent representatives. For instance, the mayor of Windsor can’t be here, so he sent a representative, and there are a couple of mayors who attended by telephone this morning.”

“We can’t be more than one place at the same time,” Usher added.

This Big City Mayors’ Caucus is specifically aimed at procuring

money for the improvement of city infrastructure.

“It’s about decisions the big city mayors make,” Usher said. “This particular one is about asking the federal government for more money to improve infrastructure.”

While ambiguous and particularly notable in light of recent controversy, it appears Fontana’s decision to not attend the Ottawa conference provides no real cause for concern, at least for the councillors involved during his absence.

•5

thegazette • Friday, November 16, 2012

Tech

didyouknow?

Halo was originally supposed to be a Mac-exclusive title, up until Microsoft bought up Bungie.

>> Halo 4 > Campaign

Gameplay Storyline Reply value Innovation

GGGGH GGGGG GGGGF GGGFF

“Every Great Journey begins with a single step. This is our beginning.

Thanks for trusting us with the universe you love and joining us on this epic adventure.”

This memo, courtesy of 343 Industries, appears after you complete the campaign in Halo 4—but it shouldn’t be them thanking us.

We should be thanking them.

After Bungie walked away from the Halo franchise, 343 stepped in.

And, despite doubt and criticism, they pulled off more than a merely

competent game—this game is one for the ages. There are many great aspects to this installment, but this review will focus on the campaign.

Halo 4 picks up where the third game ended. If you didn’t complete that campaign on Legendary difficulty, you may have thought John117—more commonly known as Master Chief—was dead. However, that’s not the case.

Awoken four years after the catastrophic events of Halo 3, Cortana and Master Chief are in trouble.

Their ship is crippled, and they’re orbiting a Forerunner world. The Covenant is also there, and despite the truce achieved in Halo 3, things have apparently changed in the intervening time—the Covenant soldiers are more than happy to try to kill you.

Despite its lust for murder, the Covenant isn’t the dangerous enemy, however. An ancient power has been reawakened, and wouldn’t you know it, it falls on Master Chief—and Cortana, of course—to stop him.

While the gameplay is extraordinary, it’s the storyline that provides the heart of this adventure.

Master Chief, retaining his formi-

dable presence, is more talkative than in the other games, but the main focus is on Cortana, and her odd relationship with the Chief.

As far as gameplay goes, there isn’t too much that is elevated above Halo: Reach. That’s not to say it’s bad—in fact, the controls are easy to use whether you engaged in Reach or Halo 3. The new enemies, the Prometheans, present a challenging obstacle.

Another thing about Halo 4—if you’re only proficient with one or two weapons, you’re doomed if you attempt Legendary. Limited ammo means you’ll always be scavenging weapons off corpses, and you’ll constantly be challenged with new guns.

As the story progresses, the player becomes more invested in the characters, up to the point where the pain experienced ingame almost transcends the gap to reality. Stunning visuals, coupled with long—but not drawn-out— cinematic cut scenes, makes this an experience worth having.

343 Industries played it safe with Halo 4, and it worked. This one is for the fans, and the fans love it.

—Cam Parkes

The familiar cast of birds have been adapted into Star Wars characters, and each have an associated power to take down green storm pigs—Luke can perform a lightsaber attack, Obi-Wan can force push objects and Han Solo blasts green piggies.

The current version of Angry Birds: Star Wars vaguely follows the plot of the original Star Wars movie, with Tatooine and the Death Star as playable areas. While Hoth will later be provided as a free update, Dagobah requires a $2 fee to unlock. Buyers get to experience the full power of the price

gouge—especially since the game is more than a few inches short of a lightsaber.

Like any Angry Birds game, the phone version has the disadvantage of having a small screen, meaning shooting a bird through the correct thermal exhaust port to hit the target is mostly trial and error.

Overall, Angry Birds: Star Wars is still a really fun game in spite of its Yoda-sized shortcomings. The force is strong with this one.

—Brent Holmes

>> Angry Birds: Star Wars

GGGGF Angry Birds: Star Wars is the fifth game in the Angry Birds series and continues the franchise’s addictive quality with much of the same gameplay elements that made Angry Birds compelling in the first place.

Tired of investing in fleeting fancies In the Nic of Time

Nicole Gibillini Deputy Editor

I am currently a BlackBerry owner.

I know, I know, when am I going to get an iPhone? Well, my friends, it won’t be anytime soon.

I’m tired of keeping up with you tech-savvy folk.

I have nothing against the iPhone, the Nexus 4, or any other hot mobiles currently on the market. But trying to stay relevant with ever-changing technology is exhausting.

I purchased my BlackBerry in August 2011, just as the phone was at its height in popularity.

My friends often complained I was only one of the few people on their contact list they had to text—BlackBerry Messenger was way more convenient for them, apparently.

At the time, I was content with my LG Rumour. It had a great alternate keyboard slide-out feature—which I thought was pretty innovative.

But my contract was coming up and I decided to make the switch, only to find out Research In Motion was having trouble, and everyone’s BlackBerries were blacking out. As my fairly new, extensive BBM list started to shrink, my frustration levels began to rise. It was only months before when I felt the pressure to buy a BlackBerry, and now I had more pressure to upgrade once again.

From what I can tell, the new iPhones are great—they take

care of every technological need imaginable and are just about the best invention since sliced bread.

But what if I do make the investment—will there be a new, better and more up-to-date phone instantaneously? Probably.

I don’t want to sound antitechnology or anti-innovation.

I’m all for that. I just feel as though we are being robbed blindly. We are being tricked into thinking we would be happier, our lives would be easier if we had a high quality phone. Well, every time I’ve made a new investment in a better phone, my life has remained at the same level of difficulty.

We have to be careful before buying into these companies’ market strategies. I mean, look what happened with BlackBerry, and I hear people complaining about how “[their] new iPhone just broke” all the time.

Society has become more and more convenience and consumer-driven. As Megan Fox tweeted the other day: “We live a world where losing your phone is more dramatic than losing your virginity.”

The value we place on our phones is excessive. We often feel lost without them. This kind of dependency is unhealthy—especially when many of our lives are computer-focused already.

What I’m really getting at here, is that we put too much thought into our phones. My BlackBerry, no matter how out of date it is, will suffice until it breaks. In fact, my first-ever cell phone still works just as well.

And while I’d love to stay trendy and join you iPhone users, I’m not one to be so easily persuaded.

Great gadget gifts to give Free study apps >> Flashcards+ If you like to study with flashcards but don’t want to carry them around, Flashcards+ is for you. An environmentally friendly version of an old study trick, Flashcards+ allows users to create and organize flashcards and share them with your study partners.

Shake your iPhone to shuffle the deck and check off what you already know.

Nintendo Wii U $299.99 Any gamer would be happy to unwrap this next-generation Wii console. With this new console, Nintento has added a second screen on the game controller, which acts as both a dual joystick and a touchscreen—much like on a tablet or smartphone—allowing gamers to engage more aptly with the game.

Having the second screen also allows someone to play the game even if the television is occupied, much like the classic Game Boy. You can find this console at Future Shop or Best Buy.

Logitech Wireless Boombox $129.99 This gift is versatile and will surely leave someone feeling upbeat.

This set of speakers easily connects with any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone or tablet, and conveniently allows you to control the music using your device. It also comes with an audio jack so any music player or computer can connect with it. This boombox packs a punch, offering clear and crisp sound that can be heard throughout the house. You can pick one up at your local Best Buy.

Kobo Mini $79.99 The new Kobo mini is a great choice for any bookworms on your list. Chapters-Indigo recently unveiled this mini e-reader—the world’s smallest—making it portable and ideal for people constantly on the go. The Kobo mini offers high contrast images, an infrared touchscreen and up to a month of battery life. While this gift might look small, it’s sure to leave a big smile on a friend’s face.

—Kaitlyn McGrath

>> Dropbox Dropbox is a great tool to use if you need to take your files on the go with you. By downloading this application, you will have access to any files you upload from you iPhone, iPad, computer or even the Dropbox website. Dropbox is quick for sharing, backup, syncing and much more.

>> Evernote Do you have troubles staying organized? Need a little help staying productive? Evernote is an all-in-one application that lets you create to-do lists, record voice reminders, take notes and capture photos—all of which are at your fingertips when you’re at work, at home or on the go.

—Jesica Hurst

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thegazette • Friday, November 16, 2012

Arts&Life Gazette-tested > Brown sugar chocolate chip cookies These are no ordinary chocolate chip cookies. The secret—brown sugar.

By using brown instead of white sugar, these sweets are softer and chewier than the standard cookie. They’re a perfect homemade treat to keep your spirits up during midterm and essay season.

—Katie Roseman

✁

funfact TIME magazine chose Adolf Hitler as man of the year in 1938.

New band boots up The Bootlegs release first EP today

Brown sugar chocolate chip cookies Ingredients ½ cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup brown sugar, packed 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla 1 cup + 3 tbsp. plain flour 1 cup chocolate chips

• • • • • • • •

Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a few trays with baking paper.

2. In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, salt and baking soda until it is completely combined.

3. Add the egg and vanilla, and keep mixing until it is combined. Add the flour, then chocolate chips. Mix until everything is incorporated.

Scoop ping-pong sized balls of dough spaced out evenly on your baking sheets.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cookies are just set in the centre. Makes about 18 cookies.

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Music Tees Superhero Tees

Courtesy of The Bootlegs

WE WILL ROCK YOU!

Acne + Accutane

090923

Danielle Bozinoff Gazette Staff

Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Accutane, a drug used for patients with severe acne, has been associated with causing Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Crohn’s Disease and Colitis.

When checking out bands in London, it’s often easy to overlook talent right here on campus. Andrew Oliver and Brady Burke, third-year undergraduate students at Western, make up half of indie rock band The Bootlegs. Along with two friends from their hometown, Oakville, The Bootlegs are set to release their first EP today.

The band’s first single, “Fail to Recall,” was released last week on YouTube, and has already received more than 1,000 views. The song, about dealing with nostalgia, has gained quite a bit of buzz on campus.

“It was on CHRW [Wednesday] morning,” says vocalist Andrew Oliver. “I woke up and heard it—first time I woke up at 9 a.m. in over a year.”

Because Oliver and guitarist

Burke go to Western, bassist Elliot Hepworth attends McMaster University and drummer Ben Labenski is at Queen’s University, it’s a wonder how the group managed to produce the album.

“We did most of the recording during the summer, and since then it’s just been kind of editing,” Oliver explains.

The band laments it’s hard to plan gigs with all of them in differ-

We kind of just talked about what direction we wanted to take [the album]. It just naturally ended up being a compilation of all our influences.

—Andrew Oliver

Vocalist

ent cities.

“I think the plan is to get big enough to get them all to drop out of school, and make music with me,” Oliver jokes.

Although this album sounds like it was produced in a big stu-

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dio, everything was independently produced by Mighty Records and edited on, believe it or not, a MacBook. Mixing cool, California-like tunes like “Knock Me Down” with heavy rock ‘n’ roll songs like “Righteous,” this album offers something for everyone.

“We started recording last year,” Oliver says. “We kind of just talked about what direction we wanted to take [the album]. It just naturally ended up being a compilation of all our influences.”

Right now, the focus is on The Bootlegs, a name with a funny story attached to it.

“My friends and I would use the term ‘bootleg’ to describe anything bad. Like, this rain is ‘bootleg,’ or that girl is ‘bootleg,’ so the name just stuck,” Oliver explains.

While their music proves to be anything but ‘bootleg,’ the boys have big plans for the future. With their album release today, Burke and Oliver plan to do some acoustic versions of their songs, and get some gigs together over the holidays once they are all together again. The Bootlegs are also in talks about making a music video.

The band is quickly taking London by storm. It won’t be long before the rest of Canada is “ooo-ing” to their unique and cool sound.

For more Arts & Life content, visit westerngazette.ca /arts-life

•7

thegazette • Friday, November 16, 2012

Wood hammers out charming performance Melissa Maduri Contributor Performance Openers Setlist Crowd Worth the $$

>> Fast facts > Royal Wood

•

Royal Wood was born and raised just outside of Peterborough, Ontario

GGGFF GGGGG GGFFF GGFFF GGHFF

Aeolian Hall, the theatre for musician Royal Wood’s London show last Thursday night, was small and stuffy, but had an indefinable charm to it. It was the perfect setting for an intimate evening of storytelling through song.

Opening acts are often overlooked—however, when Elisapie Isaac took the stage every member of the audience was fixated on her.

The Juno award-winning singersongwriter was incredibly peculiar. Breathy, poised and heavily saturated in reverb, her voice was hauntingly beautiful. Isaac was masterful in layering harmonies, instruments and languages to create a rounded sound. She had a pure, sexy tone that would dip deep and peak high, comparable to the

On Disc

GGHFF Taylor Swift Red Big Machine Records Red is Taylor Swift’s fourth charttopping studio album full of boring, typical love and relationship songs that make the lengthy album a frustrating experience.

Musically, Swift isn’t too bad, but ultimately lacks any defining sound outside of her voice. There are no real interesting arrangements in instrumentations—it’s the standard chorus-verse structure with no treacherous explorations or experimentations.

Swift abandons her country origins, evolving her sound by adding pop and dubstep influences.

The songs are catchy, but the lead single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” has already spawned a Breaking Bad parody that is thoroughly better than the original.

Lyrically, Swift writes the same boring love and break-up songs that have the emotional maturity of a high school student. The pseudo-spiritual lyrics of “State of Grace” and “Holy Ground” don’t add the monumental feel to the poetry of Mumford & Sons, but here are just overbearingly melodramatic and the metaphors are bland and unoriginal.

Swift deserves credit for a few things—she writes her own music and her voice is strong. The duets with Ed Sheeran and Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody on “Everything Has Changed” and “The Last Time” are a nice change of pace.

After listening to Swift’s Red, the only thing to do is to imitate her exboyfriends and put on some indie record that is way better than this.

—Brent Holmes

•

He was named after his great grandfather, Royal Rufus Wood

•

He studied business and McGill University file photo

likes of Feist, Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple. The only critique was her performance ended too soon, as it was truly outstanding.

As soon as Royal Wood stepped on the stage, his talent became evident. He glided with ease and confidence between the guitar, the piano and the microphone, delivering soulful arrangementshe penned himself. His voice, somewhat reminiscent of big band crooners like Bobby Darin, was pure, sharp and

inspired. Despite a slightly distorted bass, the sound was clear and the melodies were flawless.

Despite his talent, confidence and passion, the performance, at moments, lagged. Each song seemed to bleed into the next and there lacked any great diversity. The lyrics weren’t particularly unique from one another, and many transitional songs were flat and unable to build a satisfying hook.

This note aside, the final ap-

plause lingered until Royal Wood granted his fans an encore performance.

During the chorus of “Lady in White,” which Wood had written for a friend who had recently experienced a death in her family, the entire audience joined in to sing. At the end of the song there were even some wet eyes in the room.

Overall, his fans had a strong appreciation and connection to his songs and performance.

•

Wood released his first EP, The Milkweed in 2003

•

He released his latest album, We Were Born To Glory this year

•

In 2010, Wood was nominated for a Juno award for songwriter of the year

8•

thegazette • Friday, November 16, 2012

Opinions From the desk of the managing edtior

A lifelong love of books Yesterday, while walking around the University Community Centre, I noticed a friend fervently reading a book, with the intent focus I associate with a great story.

When I asked what he was reading, he responded that he was just reading for a class. The way he said it— somewhat defensively—seemed to imply that, if given the choice, he wouldn’t be reading.

Oddly enough, I’ve noticed this trend among a lot of my peers. If you ask any of them, they’d likely tell you that it’s quite common to see me with my nose in a book whenever I have down time. And this sparks comments.

“Why are you reading?” they might ask. “Is that for a class?”

No. It’s not for a class. I happen to love reading, especially just for leisure. Is that a rare mindset now?

Every morning, as a part of my routine, I set aside 15 minutes to read a chapter of my current book before I leave for work. If I mention this to people, they express incredulity, and ask why I don’t just sleep longer.

How to explain the feeling reading gives me, to those who’d rather surf Reddit or Tumblr for hours?

Sometimes I wonder why this difference exists. Is it because of the way we are raised? My parents read me a bedtime story every night without fail while I was growing up, and then when I was a bit older, they gave me a choice—go to bed at this time, or stay up an extra half hour—provided I was reading for that half hour.

Now, what child would go to bed if they could stay up later? That extra half hour—what came to be known as ‘Reading Time’—instilled in me a love for reading.

And so I read.

I’d get in trouble during class in elementary school for ignoring the lesson and reading. I’d get in trouble in high school for being late to class because I just wanted to finish my chapter. And now I get in trouble with my friends, because occasionally I’d rather stay in with a good book than go out drinking.

Perhaps it’s not our upraising, but the fault of course loads. It stands to reason that, if you’re not a fanatic reader to start, the mountain of required readings for classes dissuades you from reading in your brief leisure time. Or perhaps it’s just that there’s so much else to do—who has time to read when there’s the Internet to explore, or a new video game to play?

Okay, I’ll admit it—my reading took a hit when Halo 4 came out earlier this month. But still, there’s not much I’d rather do than grab a book and read, even if it’s on my own time.

—Cam Parkes

We read to know we are not alone.

—C.S. Lewis, British novelist

Music taste needs to be analyzed, justified Smoth soundin’ off Cam Smith News Editor It’s a pretty popular and accepted belief that music is an entirely subjective experience. Whatever floats your boat, different strokes for different folks, et cetera. Hey dude, if you want to listen to house beats and Taylor Swift for hours, all the power to you.

I’d like to raise an objection to this mentality.

People listen to music for a variety of reasons—escapism, dancing, drowning out the noise on the bus, to name but a few.

Unfortunately, some music—in fact, a disturbing amount—is just damn awful. One might protest, “Yeah, well, that’s just like your opinion, man.”

True. But to those people I must pose this question. Why is your music good?

What makes it so? Justify what you listen to for me.

Break it down. The lyrics could be exceptionally clever or inspiring—the musicians could be exceptionally talented, the composition excellent. You might relate on an intimate level with the song. These are all important factors when assessing music.

Let’s look at an ‘artist’ like Taylor Swift. Her zealous fanbase will undoubtedly leap to her defence whenever her merit is questioned, but question it I will. Her melodies are simple and unchallenging, her lyrics boring and vapid, her themes monotonous and repetitive. Sure, you may have been dumped, or dumped someone, and can relate to her on that level, but there must be a more fulfilling way to experi-

ence this relation.

Think about club music. Sure, it’s not so bad to wiggle and shake to after a few stiff drinks, but it’s incredibly less desirable over a Sunday morning brunch, or a study session at the library. In the end, it’s little more than a pulsating wall of sound, engineered to be catchy in the short term. Like a dose of heroin, it’ll probably make you feel good briefly, but it’s not particularly good for you, or healthy in large doses.

If you enjoy country music, there is a plethora of artists who transcend the easy archetypes Swift so readily adopts.

If you’re into electronic, there is an immense farrago of styles and musicians that possess unique compositional qualities that shatter the throbbing, pounding mold of traditional club music.

There are countless genres, and a seemingly inexhaustible variety of artists to explore. Many of these can inspire and move you. So why waste your time?

Take time to assess why you like something. Analyze it carefully. Try to impose some objectivity on your decision. It may take some time, it may be a little less easy than throwing on something from the top 40, but in the end it will make your musical experience all the more worthwhile.

In the immortal words of Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 fame, “The trash on the chart leaves you gasping for art.” I encourage you to take a step outside your realm of comfort, surface from the quagmire of musical crap and take a big breath of that art.

Like what you like. You can’t really help it. But try understanding why you like something. There are only so many hours in a day, and so many gigabytes on your iPod. Try not to dispose of them on something not worth your time, or intelligence.

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•9

thegazette • Friday, November 16, 2012

Sports

gameday The Mustangs women’s wrestling team will host Canadian and American teams on Saturday in this year’s Harry Geris Memorial Duals.

Rundown >> Four Mustangs teams were featured in this week’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport top 10 rankings > The final cross-country rankings were released this week, and both the men’s and women’s teams were represented with the women moving up to third, and the men sneaking into the ninth spot in the ranking > The men’s and women’s hockey teams were also ranked ninth and eighth respectively.

Mustangs double down this weekend Western looks to get two wins against UOIT and Windsor Jason Sinukoff Sports Editor The Mustangs women’s hockey team will double down this weekend, hosting the UOIT Ridgebacks tonight at 7 p.m. and then travelling to Windsor to take on the Lancers on Sunday at 4:10 p.m.

The Ridgebacks, rolling into London boasting a 4–6–2 record, will hope to change their fortunes against the 8–3 Mustangs. Despite UOIT’s record, Chris Higgins, head coach of the Mustangs, knows that winning this game is anything but a forgone conclusion.

“The funny thing is that every team in this league is a good team.

People say that the Ridgebacks’ record is 4–6, so it should be an easy game. Not true,” Higgins said. “The last time we played them it was 1–0 for us late in the third period and we got a goal. It will be a tough game.”

What UOIT brings to the table is a solid team with solid coaching. Ridgebacks head coach Karen Nystrom has turned this team into a threat—no matter what their record suggests. So in order to get the win, the Mustangs will have to utilize their greatest asset—their speed.

“UOIT is just a solid team with a great coach that just plays all games very, very well. You can’t make mistakes against them,” Higgins said. “We have to use our team speed. One of the things we really have is great team speed.”

After facing off against the Ridgebacks, the purple and white have to contend with the Lancers—a team that brought them to the brink in their last outing.

“Then we’re going into Wind-

Corey Stanford Gazette

sor. We beat Windsor in a game they probably thought they should have won here, and they’ve been playing extremely well,” Higgins said. “I suspect that‘s going to be a real knock ‘em down, drag ‘em out affair as well.”

The Lancers—a team hungry for revenge after their 7–5 loss to the Mustangs on November 2— boast incredible Division One talent, and will be a huge threat for the Mustangs and their quest for a 2–0 weekend.

“Windsor has got three or four kids who’ve got incredible talent.

A couple of kids have gone back from D1 schools,” Higgins said.

“They can put the puck in the net, so you’ve got to be on guard all the time.”

Coming off of a massive 6–1 victory over the Brock Badgers, the Mustangs are riding a huge wave of momentum into this weekend’s games, and will surely be ready to take on the competition.

“We’ve had momentum all year.

Corey Stanford Gazette

We come to play pretty much every game,” Higgins said. “We’ve had a couple games where we didn’t play our best, but that’s just normal.

The girls will be ready. They know that these are important games.”

And because the team knows what is at stake each and every game, you can bet on each Mustang player giving it their all this weekend.

“I suspect all 20 of them are going to step up just like they have all season,” Higgins said.

The Mustangs are hoping this weekend will help improve their seeding come playoff time, when they will try to dethrone the defending champions, the Laurier Golden Hawks.

“When I took over three years ago, I set my sights on Laurier. That was the team to beat, and they play on Olympic ice. So I’ve recruited kids with speed. We also have some tough kids,” Higgins concluded.

Mike Laine Gazette

10 •

thegazette • Friday, November 16, 2012

Heisman a big hoax Sights set on crucial road victory

‘Stangs, Lions clash Richard Raycraft Sports Editor The Mustangs women’s basketball squad will take to the road for the first time this season, heading to Toronto to face off against the York Lions at York’s Tait McKenzie Centre Friday evening. The ‘Stangs will also travel all the way to Sudbury to face Laurentian the following day.

The Mustangs are looking to improve their performance on the road after struggling last year.

“Last year, we were 3–8 in road games,” Brian Cheng, Mustangs head coach, said. “To win games

on the road, your team needs to be very strong.”

“Your team has to have a strong team identity—they have to be mentally tough,” he continued.

The Mustangs have amassed a 1–1 record to start the season, winning 74–72 versus defending champions Ottawa, but losing 69–48 to the Carleton Ravens last weekend. They currently place third in the Ontario University Athletics West division behind the Queen’s Gaels and Brock Badgers.

A win versus York would give >> see basketball pg.11

Nyssa Kuwahara Gazette

The Tables Have Sterned Ryan Stern Sports Editor And the Heisman Trophy goes to...

How can an award be viewed as one of the most prestigious individual awards in the North American sports landscape, yet exclude all but a small margin of the players in the sport?

The question itself is seemingly a laughable oxymoron, but this disastrous injustice is what the Heisman Trophy has become.

“The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”

Does a linebacker not play with integrity? Is the performance of a running back at Alabama inherently more outstanding than an equally impressive performance by a defensive lineman at South Carolina?

The Heisman voters—comprised of members of the media and past Heisman winners—seem to think the answer is yes. But I guess you can’t really blame them because, until the new BCS system rolls in for the 2014 season, everything in college football is backwards.

The Heisman Trophy, first awarded in 1935, is often viewed as one of the greatest individual awards in amateur sports, but in the minds of many, it has become more meaningless than ever before.

In the past 50 years, only one player that was not a quarterback, running back or wide receiver has won the award, and that was Charles Woodson in 1997—who

himself made significant contributions on offence and special teams regularly. Maybe it has something to do with the trophy itself—after all, the statue is of a player running with the ball. The worst part about this is the segregation is only getting worse, with nine of the last 11 Heisman Trophies going to quarterbacks.

If I were to say at the beginning of each year that the Heisman will go to the most valuable offensive player on the top-ranked team going into post-season play, I would have been correct on guessing seven of the last 10 winners.

Yes, the Heisman often honours the most valuable player in American college football, but that is not the essence of the award. Imagine a similar injustice in any other major American sport.

Imagine the NBA MVP trophy being awarded to point guards for 10 straight years, or the Baseball Writers’ Association of America choosing players for their annual Gold Glove Awards based off of hitting statistics alone—I guess that happens already, but it is ridiculous nonetheless.

Every position on the football field has an award exclusively recognizing the best player at that position, ideally freeing up the Heisman to represent all of college football, not just these three prime offensive positions. The Davey O’Brien, Fred Biletnikoff and Doak Walker awards represent the best quarterback, wide receiver and running back in the nation, so why should the Heisman also be reserved for those positions?

The Heisman voters have become so rigid and blinded in their perception of the field of players that they nearly discount any player that plays on the defensive side of the ball, or the offensive line. If a player that plays in either of those positions even gets invited to the award ceremony in New York, it is the mark of a year for the

ages.

Along with the exclusion of entire groups of players, the Heisman Trophy also excludes most college football teams. The award is supposed to recognize the most outstanding player, but if that player happens to play on a non-contending team, he would be best served keeping his expectations in check.

The best example of this in recent years is Kellen Moore of Boise State. Moore was a four-year starter that finished his career with the most wins by any Division One quarterback ever. Moore led the nation in passing efficiency for two straight years and brought his team into the national spotlight on multiple occasions. One of the most prolific passers in college football history led a program out of obscurity and into the national spotlight, and all he got was a trip to New York.

Someone should tell Manti Te’o his six interceptions and 90 total tackles while leading his team to an undefeated record isn’t outstanding enough. I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell Chance Warmack his steamroll blocking wasn’t in the pursuit of excellence.

Don’t get me wrong, Collin Klein—this season’s Heisman favourite—is very deserving of the award as it is constituted now.

He plays quarterback for the topranked Kansas State Wildcats after all, but it is on voters to look beyond the scope of traditional Heisman winners and pick the player that truly exemplifies the description of the trophy.

Klein exemplifies the Heisman award as well, but his position at the top of many Heisman watch lists is, by default, not on play alone.

Maybe some day a burly lineman or hard-hitting safety will be holding the stiff-armed statue, but for the time being…(insert quarterback here).

Your Weekly Horoscope The week of Nov 16 – 22

This horoscope is intended for entertainment purposes only.

ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Wonderful things can happen when you really don’t expect them. You may experience a pleasant surprise in the next several days, so be on the lookout for excitement.

LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 You are ready to begin a big adventure. There may be moments that are scary, but overall the experience will be a good one for you and anyone else involved.

TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 You may have to juggle a few events to get eve- Although you like to step up to a challenge, this rything you want to have accomplished done by a week you really are not feeling like exerting yourcertain date. It could prove to be a hairy few days. self. Take some time to recuperate and build up renewed energy.

GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Now is the time to get serious about saving. No matter how hard you wish it, you will not see extra money simply appear in your bank account unless you put it there.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 This week you may be called to go above and beyond. As usual, you are ready to rise to the challenge. Take care to put your best effort into the task.

CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 It could take a couple of attempts before you reach That monster vacation you have been planning may the level of satisfaction you are seeking. Patience is have to be put on hold. But that doesn’t mean that key whenever delving into uncharted waters. you can’t take a few weekend jaunts to make up for it.

LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 A lot of things need to get done, but you’re worried The only way to recharge your batteries this week is there simply isn’t enough time to clear your docket. to plan a trip. There is nothing like a change of You have to cut out some of the nonessentials for scenery to breathe new life into a situation. now.

VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Now might be the time for a permanent change in When someone does not take your advice, it can be scenery. Your finances might be ready for you to easy to feel slighted. Don’t let it bother you as it’s uproot and follow your heart to another locale. beyond your control.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS NOVEMBER 18 – Linda Evans, Actress (70) NOVEMBER 20 – Josh Turner, Singer (35) NOVEMBER 22 – Scarlett Johansson, Actress (28)

NOVEMBER 19 – Jodie Foster, Actress (50) NOVEMBER 21 – Carly Rae Jepsen, Singer (27)

Student Saving Tip: Use the coupons inside your Westernizer Going out for the night and want to use your coupons?

Just tear some out and slip them in your bus pass.

You’ll have them handy when you’re on the go!

Liwei Zhou Gazette

• 11

thegazette • Friday, November 16, 2012

Above .500 in sight with victory

Black and silver still relevant

cracked her ribs playing last weekend. Cheng commented Nieuwenhuizen was still having trouble breathing and probably would not play.

The most challenging aspect of the weekend may not be the games themselves, but the long road trip. Following their game versus York on Friday, the Mustangs will head to Sudbury to face Laurentian.

Spurs should be noticed before old age kicks in

>> continued from pg.10

a boost to the Mustangs’ strong start. York currently sits at the bottom of the OUA’s East division early in the year.

The Lions have lost their first two games of the season on the road versus McMaster and Brock.

York bested Western in their showdown last season 76–66. York has had some issues with scoring points early in this season, having scored only 93 points between their two games. “[York] has a lot of good shooters. They have a few penetrators that can really cause you havoc,” Coach Cheng said of the Lions.

The Mustangs will look to get their offence going early, after it got off to a slow start versus Carleton in their last game. It will be led by veteran guard Jenny Vaughan, who leads the OUA division in points, and points per game, with 47 and 23.5, respectively. The Lions will be led by experienced forward Courtney Osborne, who has posted 26 points in York’s two games so far this season.

The Mustangs go into the game with some injury trouble, however, that may impact their offence quite significantly. Star forward Melissa Rondinelli missed the game against Carleton with a shoulder injury and is questionable for the game versus York. “[Rondinelli] gets re-evaluated [Thursday],” Cheng said. “We expect her to be in the lineup, but she’s still day-to-day.”

The ‘Stangs will also be missing Emma Nieuwenhuizen, who

It will be a good opportunity to see where the character for our team is.

—Brian Cheng

Mustang’s head coach

Despite the stresses of travel, Cheng expressed his belief this weekend would be an important opportunity for the women to grow and develop as a team.

“That swing will be very challenging in terms of the time frames that we have to cover,” Cheng commented. “It will be a good opportunity for us to see where the character of our team is.”

A couple of wins this weekend would put the Mustangs in a good position to take on the University of Toronto and Ryerson University next weekend at home.

RySpace

Ryan Hurlbut Opinions Editor

Every guy hits a point in his life where he thinks he can beat up his dad. After years of being completely overpowered, a combination of your own growth and your dad’s aging convince you that you will emerge from a fight as a victor. Inevitably, your dad handles your advances with ease, and pins you to the ground within a matter of seconds. Your dad is the San Antonio Spurs.

After almost a decade of dominance, experts continue to predict each year as the one when the Spurs will cease to be a superpower, and slowly float to the bottom of the Western Conference.

The evidence is overwhelming. Tim Duncan, their perennial star player, battles knee problems and old age while appearing to slowly lumber around the court. The other two stars on the team are soft-spoken Europeans who are in their thirties. Hardly a team one would expect to excel in a competitive league like the NBA. Yet, they do every year. After ending the 2011–12 season on a 10-game winning streak—one

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PUT YOUR SUDOKU SAVVY TO THE TEST! To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.

For solution, turn to page 2

UPCOMING EVENTS BFA VISUAL ARTS Studio Class presents their first show Free Association in the Artlab located within the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre until November 16th. Hours: Mon to Fri, 12 noon to 6 pm; Thurs 12 noon to 8 pm.

ANNOUNCEMENTS HAPKIDO: TRADITIONAL KOREAN Martial Arts, The Huron Hapkido Society meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00PM–9:30PM, Huron University College Dining Hall (Huron Room) Visit us at “UWO Hapkido” on Facebook for more info.

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Check out the salon and spa coupons in your Westernizer.

that ceased to break until the 11th game of the highly-competitive playoffs—they have started off strong once again with a 7–1 record as of Thursday afternoon.

For some inexplicable reason, people do not have the same intense feelings about this dynasty as others. Teams like the Boston Celtics—who have won three less championships than the Spurs in the past decade and a half—are treated with far more respect.

People attribute this to the fact the Spurs play a boring brand of basketball, devoid of the flash and personality of the league’s LeBrons and Durants. If a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs was able to pull off the success of the Spurs in similarly boring fashion, I’m sure the media wouldn’t show them such indifference.

While it is admittedly true that Duncan’s nickname is “Big Fundamental,” the playing style of the Spurs has undergone a change in recent years to a fastpaced, run and gun scoring frenzy. This year alone, two of their first three games were decided by a clutch shot during the last minute of play.

Duncan—a man who has shied away from the slam-dunk in the past—posterized one of the league’s top defenders in Serge Ibaka early in the season. If there is anything about a 36-year-old man hanging from a basketball hoop that isn’t entertaining, I’d like to hear it.

The very thing that makes the Spurs so boring should make them more interesting. How do they keep finding ways to win against all odds? How does Duncan—who sits out games with the boxscore reading DNP-old— continue posting double-doubles on a near-nightly basis? Why does nobody seem to care about their success?

The Spurs are a team that consistently deliver a riveting ingame experience to the casual viewer, and to ignore that is to say that sport has evolved into a petty celebrity spectacle, rather than an indication of a team’s playing ability.

Throughout the season, one thing is certain to me—the Spurs are going to keep finding a way to play at an elite level, and finish at, or near the top of the Western Conference.

This year, however, we as an audience can make one thing different. We can finally take notice.

We can learn to appreciate the Spurs for the awkward, camera shy group of freakishly tall men that they are, and acknowledge their success and resolve.

While the Spurs may not be too old to start crumbling yet, it will eventually happen—and it would be a shame if the world did not appreciate them for what they were during their glorious reign as one of the league’s dynasties.

12 •

thegazette • Friday, November 16, 2012