Thursday, October 11, 2012

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City council butts in New bylaw will likely ban smoking within 30 feet of playgrounds, municipal buildings >> pg. 3

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Thursday, October 11, 2012

On Campus > Mental Health

35% of Mac students report depression Alex Carmona News Editor If you’re feeling depressed and overwhelmed, take solace in knowing you’re not alone. A recent survey at McMaster University revealed that over a third of students have battled bouts of depression.

Of the 950 students sampled at McMaster, half reported feeling overwhelmed with anxiety, 35 per cent reported feelings of depression and 6.5 per cent had contemplated suicide. Ten had attempted to kill themselves.

According to Sandra Fisman, professor of psychiatry at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, the high proportion of depressed students was par for the course.

I don’t want to say that Western isn’t very good at this, but I don’t think Western is open enough about who you can talk to, or what you can do if you’re stressed.

—Alexandra Marinucci

Third-year medical science student at Western

“Although this sounds like a high number, I’m really not surprised. There’s a relationship between stress and depression, especially if the survey included first-year students. Part of it may be that the transition to university is more stressful than it used to be—very often it’s coupled with leaving home, moving to a new city and having fewer social supports.”

Alexandra Marinucci, a third-

year medical sciences student at Western, has dealt with school-related depression first-hand.

“I was actually diagnosed with depression last year. It wasn’t because of school, but I think my disorder probably amplified when I went away to university because I didn’t have my parents with me,” she said. “I was diagnosed late, and school didn’t really help with that.”

Unsurprisingly, Marinucci found midterm season the most difficult. This year she’s decided to take a smaller course load to ease the pressure. She also said that while Western certainly makes an effort to cater to students struggling with depression, the university still has room for improvement.

“I don’t want to say that Western isn’t very good at this, but I don’t think Western is open enough about who you can talk to or what you can do if you’re stressed. I didn’t like that I had to reach out—I had to put in all the effort, I had to do all the work,” she said.

She added, however, that Western has made strides since last year.

“This year, I’ve seen a lot more advertising about mental health around campus, which is very different from last year. I didn’t know where to go—I had to go to my doctor back in Toronto, and she had to follow up with Western on her own.

I didn’t know what to do—I didn’t want to just go to academic counselling, because to me that didn’t make much sense. “ Myuri Komaragiri, vice-president campus issues for the University Students’ Council, agreed that more has to be done to combat student depression.

“It’s completely unacceptable that a statistic like this could ever be normalized though, so this is how serious the situation has become.”

—With files from Jesica Hurst

FREE TEETH WHITENING WITH COMPLETE EXAM AND CLEANING

Volume 106, Issue 21

APK Live to shutter doors

Andrei Calinescu GAZETTE

DÉJÀ VU. For the second time in less than five years, indie music venue APK Live will be closing its doors to the public, with a final farewell planned October 17. See the full story on page 4.

Western falls in rankings Western’s rankings

2011/2012: 216 Teaching: 38.8 International outlook: 55.7 Industry income: 41.9 Research: 34.3 Citations: 38.5

2012/2013: 244 Teaching: 39.4 International outlook: 51.3 Industry income: 44.6 Research: 37.2 Citations: 44.8 Source: The Times Higher Education

Julian Uzielli Online Editor Western may be working to improve its international image, but it seems the world hasn’t taken notice.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings, one of the most respected markers of global university performance, released their list for the 2012-2013 year, and Western saw its position drop in the ranks compared to last year.

Though the THE website doesn’t provide numbered rankings after the top 200, according to Phil Baty, editor of the THE rankings, Western dropped from 216 last year to 244.

Kevin Goldthorp, Western’s vicepresident external, said the administration pays close attention to international rankings.

“We compete for research dollars internationally, we compete for staff internationally and, increas-

ingly, we compete for students internationally,” he said. “You’re paying a lot of money, and the question is why this university over another?

So the international rankings matter more [than domestic rankings]—the Times Higher Education and the QS rankings are the two probably most carefully watched by us.”

Most other Canadian universities dropped in rank as well, with a only a few exceptions. Goldthorp and Baty both pointed to Canada’s approach to funding—some countries tend to focus resources on a smaller number of successful universities, unlike Canada’s equitable approach.

“Canada clearly has a strong system, with a good number of institutions in the top 200,” Baty said.

“But there has been some concern raised that the egalitarian approach to higher education in >> see 216 to 244 pg.3

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thegazette • Thursday, October 11, 2012

Caught on Camera

Crossword By Eugene Sheffer

Ritchie Sham GAZETTE

RUN, FORREST, RUN! Western’s track team took to UC Hill last week to practice outside while the weather was still nice.

News Brief

A boring read What does it mean to be bored? A group of Canadian researchers recently dove headfirst into the exciting world of boredom and came up with a new, precise definition of the word.

The researchers wanted to better understand the mental processes that fuel feelings of boredom. While many people view boredom as trivial and temporary, it is actually linked to a range of psychological, social and health problems that may lead to overeating, alcohol abuse and on-the-job accidents.

An understudied area of psychology, boredom lacks a universal definition that researchers can use

to explore the condition in more detail.

John Eastwood, a psychology professor at York University, led the team of researchers who wrote the paper published in Perspectives on Psychological Science. They reviewed existing psychological science and neuroscience studies about the aimless state that is boredom.

The new definition they have proposed for boredom is “an aversive state of wanting, but being unable to engage in satisfying activity,” which arises from failures in one of the attention networks in the brain.

“At the heart of it is our desire to engage with the world, or some

other mental activity, and that takes attention,” Mark Fenske, a psychology professor at the University of Guelph and co-author of the paper, said in a news release.

“When we cannot do this, that seems to be what leads to frustration and the aversive state we call ‘boredom.’”

According to the news release, if you’re feeling bored, you have difficulty paying attention to the internal information, such as thoughts or feelings, or outside stimuli required to take part in satisfying activity. You are also aware that you’re having difficulty paying attention, and you blame the environment for your sorry state.

—Iain Boekhoff

Students shun ICTs in class Cam Smith News Editor The Internet has allowed for online shopping, online dating and now, even online schooling. More and more courses, lectures and learning tools are being hosted online, as well as the employment of Information Communication Technologies.

Yet, according to a study conducted

by Concordia University, digital schooling has been met with mixed reviews.

“The biggest paradox we found in our research was that students preferred old-school lecture styles, and they associated good lectures with these styles,” Vivek Venkatesh, researcher and associate dean of academic programs and development at Concordia, explained. “We asked similar questions to the profs,

Solution to puzzle on page 8

and profs associated conventional lecture style as negatively received.”

Venkatesh also noted ICTs and online learning were a bit of a shock for first-year students, fresh out of high school.

“When you leave grade 11 and grade 12 it’s a whole new world.

You’re taking courses and learning new material. How do [professors] engage 200, 300, 400 students to absorb the material?” Venkatesh said.

“We need to train our profs to teach an engaging lecture because the data from 15,000 students indicates they associate a good course with an old-school lecture style and that uses ICTs efficiently.”

Professors at Western have employed digital classrooms with varied responses.

“Some of the students have said bluntly they prefer taking it online,” Mark Kearney, a writing professor at Western, said. “But I get the sense that at least some of them wish they could have gotten into the live version.”

For many students, online courses are attractive primarily as a matter of convenience.

“People who can’t come to classes or can’t schedule things can have access to it,” Kearney explained.

While the accessibility of online courses may be attractive for some students, not all are as impressed by it.

“While I do think that for some this could be a very effective way to learn, for me it is not,” Jackie Prince, a first-year social science student, said. “I have discovered that I learn better in a classroom setting.”

Yet, the ability to focus and study can also be a factor affecting a student’s opinion on online courses.

“For those who are insightful and disciplined, online classes can be very effective,” Prince explained.

“For me, I need more structure. I find the classroom setting more effective.”

On the other hand, some students feel their productivity is positively impacted by the availability and accessibility of online courses.

“I could watch the archived lectures whenever I wanted,” Alex Grosdanis, a fourth-year pharmacology student, said. “The best part was that I didn’t have to get dressed to watch them.”

While the flexibility of online courses permits some students to consider them easier, Anushree Dave, a fifth-year health sciences and psychology student, cautioned against this perception.

“While many online courses often get labelled as ‘bird courses’ it is easy to fall behind in them,” Dave said. “You don’t have a weekly, real life prompt telling you when things are due and what is expected of you.”

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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thegazette • Thursday, October 11, 2012

216 to 244 City council tells Londoners to butt out >> continued from pg.1

Canada may mean that limited resources are being spread too thinly.”

Despite Western’s launch of a $200,000 rebranding campaign last January—part of president Amit Chakma’s goal to increase Western’s international standing—the THE showed Western’s score in the “international outlook” category drop from 55.7 to 51.3 out of 100.

However, Goldthorp said he wasn’t worried.

“That has no connection, whatsoever. The international reputation issue is one that’s sort of hard fought, hard won,” he said. “We are working with our team, and our alumni internationally to establish exchange relationships with—I’ll say bluntly—the universities that matter internationally, and with research partners internationally.

That will drive the other part of the equation where we suffer.”

“This will take a decade to change,” he underlined.

According to Goldthorp, Western is already ahead of schedule on one of its internationalization goals. This year, approximately nine per cent of the first-year class is made up of international students, compared to 2.6 per cent three years ago.

“Our target was to reach 10 per cent by 2015, so we’re ahead of schedule. This will have a direct effect on our ratings for next year,” he said.

Western’s internationalization strategies are still in their early stages and will take some time to produce their full effect, Goldthorpe explained. He said he expected Western to crack the top 100 by the end of the decade.

Council votes to ban smoking within 30 feet of playgrounds Aaron Zaltzman News Editor Londoners can take a breath of a fresh air, as city council voted Tuesday to support a bylaw which will likely restrict people from smoking within nine metres of a playground or municipal building. The motion to recommend the drafting of a bylaw was approved 13-2 in favour of the playground restriction, and 14-1 in favour of the municipal property restriction.

“Council heard from the Middlesex-London Health Unit, and they wanted a ban on smoking on municipal property,” Joni Baechler, Ward 5 councillor for the City of London, said. “I think most people were in support of the ban, though there were a couple that weren’t, and the committee tried to find a compromise between them.”

I know smoking is an addiction and very difficult to overcome, but I do believe there’s a broader health issue that we need to address.

—Joni Baechler

Ward 5 councillor for the City of London

The main purpose of the bylaw will be to protect people, notably children, from second-hand smoke.

The Canadian Cancer Society told council outdoor second-hand

Cameron Wilson Gazette

smoke can be just as concentrated as indoor fumes depending on the air conditions.

“The whole idea of stretching the law to this was to cut down the number of children that are exposed to smokers,” Harold Usher, Ward 12 councillor, said. “We were trying to get people to not smoke in parks where there are children, but it didn’t go that far because not everyone accepted that.”

The bylaw, which has been on council’s agenda for nearly a year, has proven to be a divisive issue.

“There were some that weren’t going to support the bylaw because they didn’t want any restrictions, and some of us wanted to go with […] a ban on smoking on municipal property,” Baechler said. “I was one

of those individuals. I know smoking is an addiction and very difficult to overcome, but I do believe there’s a broader health issue that we need to address.”

Denise Brown, Ward 11 councillor, said she supports the restrictions, but feels they require some fine-tuning.

“We need to get feedback from our partners, such as Budweiser Gardens, the Convention Centre and Centennial Hall,” Brown said.

“These buildings may require an exemption, due to the nature of the businesses.”

Baechler said she doesn’t believe the restrictions go far enough.

“Somebody suggested making a timeline in which we would phase out and move to a total smoking ban

on municipal property, so that’s one of the things that staff will be bringing forward in their report,” she said.

Usher explained this timeline could be put together “at some point in time in the near future. Right now we’re just saying you should not smoke near the parks.”

“The amendment that was made to look at the situation over the next two years and see if we want to expand it to include all the parks, and I think that that is reasonable,” Usher said. “However, I would like to see the provincial government get involved and present a law right across the province.”

The bylaw will go to staff for drafting, and is expected to be brought back to council in the next few months.

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thegazette • Thursday, October 11, 2012

Arts&Life

saywhat?

“This liberty will look easy by and by when nobody dies to get it.”

—Maxwell Anderson American playwright, author and poet

Local music fans upset APK is going away Venue to shut down due to unaffordable maintenance costs Jesica Hurst News Editor It’s official—APK Live, London’s downtown hub for diverse and local entertainment, is shutting its doors to the public on October 15.

The announcement, which was posted on APK Live’s website late Tuesday evening, came as a result of an ongoing struggle with repairs and finances.

“Unfortunately, in our lease it said that we were responsible for repairs. That was okay to a point, but then things started to happen,” Elaine Knight, co-owner of APK Live, says. “For instance, the air conditioner and heat wouldn’t work upstairs, and because it’s a big system we couldn’t afford to pay for that. We negotiated with the landlord to close the upstairs and just concentrate on the downstairs, but there was still a bunch of different things we had to fix, like electrical and plumbing.”

“It set us back financially by paying for all of these things. We fell behind in rent, and we tried to negotiate with the landlord to pay him weekly or something and he just said no—he gave us two weeks notice and told us to leave.”

The news came as a surprise for a variety of APK Live supporters, including Matt Trocchi, the booker for the venue and founder of Half A Dino, a promotion company and

Andrei Calinescu GAZETTE

SO LONG, FAREWELL. Local music and entertainment venue APK Live plans to shut its doors for good on October 15.

The news comes as a surprise to many APK supporters.

arts collective.

“I’m still a little bit shocked, I guess,” Trocchi expresses. “[Monday] night around midnight I got word that things weren’t going so good and that we’d be closing next Monday. I haven’t really talked with anyone I’ve worked with yet, but the owners and managers are a bit

On the Shelf

GFFFF The Casual Vacancy J.K. Rowling J.K. Rowling seems to believe that adult fiction must be obscene, incoherent and all-encompassing. Her unfocused novel touches on every tragic subject known to man—death, poverty, rape, pedophilia, mental illness, betrayal, sabotage, adultery, racism, greed, violence, bullying, selfmutilation, suicide, mendacity, manipulation, unplanned pregnancy, child abuse, spousal abuse, sexual abuse and drug abuse—in the hopes that maybe all these things combined can make weak writing compelling.

This swamp of prose about the lives of 20 indistinguishable characters is set in the fictitious town of Pagford. Pagford and its crowd succumb to every possible small-town stereotype. They—including the teen trio of Andrew, Sukhvinder and Gaia, who garner some sympathy—are predictable and tedious, mere mouthpieces for some greater message that never

sad of course.”

Even though Trocchi is upset about the current situation, he admits to shifting his focus towards the support the venue has been receiving from members of the London community.

“I’ve been all over Facebook and Twitter and it’s been pretty crazy to

see how everyone is reacting,” he says. “There’s been so many awesome, awesome messages from a lot of people I do know, like bands I’ve booked, and people I don’t know. It’s been kind of bittersweet I guess to see that crazy support after the fact that we’re closing.”

According to Knight, the long-

term plan for APK Live is to form a creative collective dedicated to turning this into a not-for-profit model instead.

“Instead of being bitter and twisted, we’re going to look at this and try to make something better by going for the social enterprise, not-for-profit model and have the community run it for the community,” Knight explains. “There are so many talented people that want it to be alive, and nobody needs to make a profit off of the arts and culture scene—they need to support it.”

“I think it’s probably a better model anyways moving forward.”

Sam Allen, a local musician and graduate student at Western, is looking forward to hearing more about what a not-for-profit APK collective would look like.

“I think anything is possible and anything might work in this scene.

Local indie music could definitely benefit from more organizations dedicated to providing structural support to the musicians in the scene,” Allen says. “The legacy of APK will always give future organizations attached to that name legitimacy within the scene and will always motivate those within the scene to believe that anything is possible if we work towards it.”

APK Live will be hosting their final fundraiser show for LifePaths Global Alliance on October 14.

On Disc really clears its raspy throat.

Rowling’s roots are obvious in this heavy tome. She guides the readers through every scene as if they were children—they are told what to think and when to think it. She is intent on presenting a political commentary about community responsibility— the working title was Responsible— but any insight drowns in 500 pages of misery.

The novel is tragic, beginning and ending with death, but the tragedy is lost in overwriting. Readers will find it hard to care what happens to the amorphous blob of characters.

However, the novel isn’t entirely bleak—glimpses of Rowling’s purported storytelling brilliance do shine through. When she uses her own metaphors, instead of tired clichés, they are refreshing. When she infuses her wit, it is biting. The conclusion, the novel’s best part, expertly ties together characters and events.

The myriad of depressing themes is a clear attempt to provoke a sense of real-life grittiness. Perhaps the mirror that art holds up to reality is not completely shattered, but maybe it would be more interesting if it were. Further, the artistic hammer that shapes reality is unwieldy in the hands of this multimillionaire, who pounds the middle and lower classes on the anvil of futility.

Great expectations for this book are not met. Pubescent readers may like the clumsy sex scenes, but Harry Potter fans and literati will be disappointed.

—Nathan Tebokkel

GFFFF Green Day ¡Uno! Reprise Highlight Track: “Kill the DJ” After the spectacular American Idiot and the stronger, but less noticed 21st Century Breakdown, the punk-lite rock band Green Day has finally run out of steam in time for their triple album release.

The worst part about ¡Uno!, is that within the next six months, there’s going to be two more albums that will likely be of the same lackluster quality.

If one were to skip every track in which Green Day used a chord progression that sounded ripped from one of their previous songs, ¡Uno! would be half as long. “Carpe Diem,” “Nuclear Family,” “Troublemaker” and “Let Yourself Go” all sound like they’ve been done before.

There are some decent tracks on the album, like “Kill the DJ,” which represents the high point of the album—punchy bass and a fresh sound make for a compelling listen. Bass and guitar solos on “Nuclear Family” and “Loss of Control” are other instrumental high points.

After their diversion into concept and narrative based albums, ¡Uno! does feature some of the 90s-style Green Day that longtime fans may have missed. The album has its moments, but is the first in a series of albums that could have been great if the band had been patient and not thrown everything they wrote into three rushed and undeveloped albums.

—Brent Holmes

Do you want to see your art or photos published in the Gazette?

Email them to arts@westerngazette.ca Naira Ahmed Gazette

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thegazette • Thursday, October 11, 2012

Sweet new folk trio getting Becoming a real life sound right the first time paper bag princess Chelsey Gauthier Contributor Winnipeg is known as one of the biggest musical stomping grounds of western Canada, turning out bands like the Oh My Darling, The Crooked Brothers and Andrew Neville. The newest group to come out of the prairies is the talented Sweet Alibi, a band whose eclectic sound mixes soul, R&B, pop, country and folk into beautiful and heartfelt music.

The band is comprised of three members—Jessica Rae Ayre, Michelle Anderson and Amber Nielsen. While Rae Ayre and Anderson’s history spans almost 15 years, Nielsen became a part of the band when it first formed back in 2009, meeting Anderson for the first time during their initial rehearsal.

“I went to school with Jessica in junior high and we would kind of sing together and have fun,” Anderson says. “We went our separate ways for a little while, and then after university I said, ‘Oh, we should start a band.’” The two started Sweet Alibi and brought in Nielsen, a friend of Rae Ayre’s, shortly thereafter.

According to Anderson, Sweet Alibi’s soulful sound comes from Rae Ayre.

“It was really Jessica’s influence.

She was in a blues band before and she’s just always had it kind of ingrained in her—she really enjoys it, and that’s always been something that’s interested me as well.

I like to try and be diverse in our sound.”

To achieve this diversity, the girls are constantly working with different instruments. However, it isn’t just Rae Ayre’s blues influence that has shaped the band.

The band says they’ve been greatly influenced by their peers of the musical world, often taking inspiration and guidance from other great bands that have come out of the prairies.

This past year, Sweet Alibi released their debut album and created their first single “Get It Right.”

The song is about making better

Seven minutes in Kevin Kevin Hurren Arts & Life Editor

Courtesy of RoseAnna Schick

choices and improving your life and the lives of others. Meaningful lyrics are very important to the trio—their songs are almost always based off of past experiences or relationships.

“Phoebe’s Song,” for example, is a song about loss and death based on Nielsen’s loss of her pet bird.

Because Sweet Alibi constantly works together, their debut album wasn’t difficult to make, although it took a very long time due to the group’s perfectionism.“It wasn’t hard at all, but it took a long time just because we really wanted it to sound the best it could, so we would sit in the studio and listen to things over and over and over and there’s a point where you just have to let things go,” Anderson recalls.

After the long album making process, the band’s hard work definitely paid off when they were

nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award.

The nomination came out of left field—the trio found out over Facebook while on the road—but they couldn’t be more ecstatic about it.

“It’s a big deal for us,” Anderson says.

Now, the band is moving at a fast pace through the musical world, and they hope to continue touring Canada, while eventually breaking into the U.S., Europe and Australia. Despite not having a manager and rarely having a publicist, Sweet Alibi has accomplished a lot.

For young Canadians trying to break into the musical world, the band has a little advice.

“You could be good, but if you don’t put the work behind it, no one is going to see you. You have to put yourself out there.”

If you tune into the European runway shows this season and see models strutting their stuff with little brown paper bags, it’s not because they decided to pack their lunch to work.

These designer paper bags— rendered from highly durable, coated paper and featuring stitched seams and metal eyelets—are brought to the world of fashion by German designer Jil Sander. It’s no surprise that Sander, a minimalist designer, would include such a seemingly modest accessory in her newest line. What is surprising is the amount these paper bags are being sold for.

Aimed at a ‘luxury’ demographic, the bags go for $290, and unless you’re equipped with diamond cutlery, this is one bag where the content is definitely less than the packaging. While some may scoff at the paper bags, know that they are currently sold out. That’s right, the $290 little peanut brown paper bags are currently sold out.

Barely distinguishable from a regular paper bag, these couture equivalents are visually unique only in the small black letters near the bottom. Barely noticeable, the words ‘JIL SANDER’ make up the bags’ only markings. These nine letters are what drives the price up and what makes the bags so desirable.

It’s not a groundbreaking move in the fashion world to see an emphasis on brands. Branding an article of clothing or an accessory is common practice for designers who hope to not only prevent thrift manufacturing from copying their work, but also to create a kind of correlation between their brand and some kind of sensation. In the case of the paper bags, the sensation is luxury.

What’s odd about Sander’s paper bags is the subtle way in which her

brand is being implemented. Unlike other branded products, which plaster the designers name or symbol over the product, the writing on the paper bags is subtle and barely recognizable.

Consumers partake in designer brand shopping as a kind of outward expression of class, wealth or status. Does that then make this paper bag a kind of inward expression? Because no one else is able to discern the value of the bag, it stands as a symbol only to the owner. With this in mind, the expensive paper bag connoisseur only really has two options.

First, is to brag to friends and co-workers about the costly lengths undergone to possess the bag. The second option is to quietly revel in the purchase, clutching the paper bag in the corner of the office lunch space while whispering ‘my precious.’

The choice between the office brag and the office Gollum is an unpleasant one, and one that doesn’t show signs of stopping anytime soon. As long as people are willing to dish out the big bucks for the ego boost that comes with such items, designers will still make them.

You may wonder what the issue is here. Who cares that some designer wants to slap her name and a few hundred bucks on a folded piece of paper? That isn’t the problem. The problem is that people want it. What does it say about our culture if a name or a brand means more to us then the item?

As previously mentioned, we already see this in clothing and accessories, but now brand names are trickling down to the most basic, mundane items such as paper bags for inspiration. This begs the question, what is next? Branded buttons, chic shoelaces, couture cue tips?

With our power as consumers we determine how common the trends become. Who knows, maybe the designer paper bags will die out.

Maybe they mark the beginning of a long line of designer everyday items. We’ll have to wait and see, but until then, the only words I plan on reading off my paper bag are ‘tuna salad.’

Resurrecting Burton’s unique visual flair Brian McNamara Contributor GGGGF Director: Tim Burton Starring: Charlie Tahan, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau Frankenweenie is a wonderfully creative animated film directed by Tim Burton. The film is based on a 30-minute short film of the same name that Burton directed for Disney in 1984. Although this interpretation of Frankenweenie is primarily aimed towards children, it is a film that also holds appeal for people of all ages.

The film centers around an adolescent boy named Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) and his dog Sparky, who live in the town of New Holland. Victor spends most of his time playing with Sparky and creating stop motion films. When Sparky dies, Victor takes inspiration from his science teacher Mr. Rzykruski

(Martin Landau) and brings Sparky back to life.

The result is a series of converging plots featuring Victor’s attempts to hide Sparky from the rest of the residents of New Holland, Sparky’s various misadventures around the town, and a subplot involving several of Victor’s classmates attempting to re-animate other animals to win first prize at a science fair.

The world that the characters inhabit is incredibly lush despite being presented in black and white.

While many animated movies today bank as much on the marketability of their stars as the quality of their graphics, Frankenweenie’s voice cast blends into the distinctive world that Burton has created. Particular credit should go to Martin Short and Catherine O’Hara, who each voice three characters, giving them all diversity and vibrancy that other actors haven’t provided.

Burton, in returning to his roots, has also toned down the worst of

file photo

his eccentric excesses, which have marred his recent work. The absence of both Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter from the film is, despite their respective talents, refreshing. Composer Danny Elfman, whose score is haunting

and suspenseful in all the right spots without leering into the bouncy jubilance, also took this scaling down to heart.

The film is a loving homage to monster movies from all generations, with references to many fa-

miliar classics. However, Frankenweenie is a simple film aimed at a younger crowd. The sweet story of a boy and his dog at its core, however, transcends this, and the detailed visual world created by Burton enhances the experience significantly.

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thegazette • Thursday, October 11, 2012

Opinions Cleaner lungs a worthwhile goal Recently, the City of London approved a new bylaw to be drafted which will ban smoking within 30 feet of playgrounds and municipal buildings. The bylaw will likely take effect next spring.

Although the bylaw means well, it is one that will be difficult to enforce. Much like speeding, you can only be charged if there is an officer in sight to catch you—if no one is around, then you will likely be able to get away with the infraction.

This new bylaw will largely rely on selfenforcement, and as any media, information and technoculture student could attest, the panopticon effect is a valid idea, but doesn’t always pan out.

That being said, the bylaw does have its advantages.

For one, banning smoking around playgrounds will not only save children from being exposed to secondhand smoke, but it will also lessen children’s exposure to the act of smoking, and hopefully deter them from ever picking up the habit.

Smoking, by and large, is a personal choice, and those who choose to smoke are aware of the health issues connected to it. However, when smoking starts to affect other people it becomes a problem. This bylaw will hopefully lessen everyone’s exposure to unwanted smoke.

Some may argue that it is unfair to just thrust this bylaw on the smokers of London, that they are already restricted from smoking in public buildings, and the places where smoking is legally allowed is shrinking.

However, keep in mind the city is not littered with playgrounds and municipal buildings. Also, a 30-foot radius isn’t that large. So even with these restrictions, there are still many places people can smoke.

It’s entirely possible, as well, that many smokers will never be aware of this ban and will continue to smoke wherever they please. But having the bylaw in place is a start, and could assist in discouraging smoking.

Most smokers these days are courteous towards other people when they’re smoking and often will choose a secluded place to light up. However, for those smokers who are more liberal with their choice of location, the bylaw will at least restrict them from certain highly populated areas.

Overall, the bylaw can’t do any harm. Although you can’t control people’s choice to smoke, this is a step in the right direction to help protect those who don’t.

—The Gazette Editorial Board

Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.

—Albert Einstein, American physicist

Grilling vegetarianism What’s Sumedha With You? Sumedha Arya Arts & Life Editor I usually don’t advertise to others that I am a vegetarian. It’s not because I’m not proud of being a vegetarian—it’s just because, after a while, it can get a little frustrating answering personal questions about my diet and religion, many regarding whether or not I worship cows—no, I don’t.

Over the years, one of the main responses I’ve received from people discovering that I’m a vegetarian is “Oh, wow! I could never live without meat.

How do you do it?”

Quite easily, actually.

Ten years ago, especially throughout elementary school, I found that my dietary lifestyle was unpopular among many. Now, I find vegetarianism is be-

coming a more popular choice. Restaurants cater to vegetarians more than they did in the past, or, at least, that’s what I’ve experienced, but it may just be that 20-year-old me is better at articulating alternate options for herself when reading meat-based entrées than 10-year-old me.

I’ve been a vegetarian for a very long time, and there are a few things I’d like to clarify.

Firstly, this is a personal choice for many people, myself included. Vegetarianism does not necessarily have to do with religion. For instance, just as it is amiss to say that all vegetarians are Hindus, it is amiss to say that all Hindus are vegetarians.

Now, when people who I eat with discover that my meals never contain any meat, they are usually curious and impressed. So, on to my second point— because of the simplicity of eating vegetarian meals, there’s really not much to be impressed about.

More and more people have been telling me over the last few years that they would like to cut down their meat

Dear Life

Letter to the Editor

Thanksgiving To the Editor: This Thanksgiving, I have noticed several pictures floating around the Internet.

They often contain some sort of reference to the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony, or to the many injustices that have been committed in the history of this country against aboriginals.

It appears they have been published to deliberately coincide with Canadian Thanksgiving, but are woefully ignorant. Canadian Thanksgiving has nothing to do with American Thanksgiving—which celebrates the arrival of the Pilgrims, who then betrayed the trust of aboriginals who helped them survive their first winters—or Columbus Day, the holiday held in the U.S. on the same weekend as Canadian Thanksgiving,

celebrating one of the most evil people in history.

In contrast, Canadian Thanksgiving was held periodically to celebrate ends of wars, or events of the monarchy. It was finally established as a federal holiday to celebrate the fall harvest.

There is certainly a legitimate debate to be had about the theft of land from Canadians, and how agriculture, among other things, has benefited from this, but this is also just as legitimate a discussion to be had at a birthday, a wedding, or Christmas.

It is simply ignorance that leads Thanksgiving to bear the brunt of the attack. So, next year, remember to give thanks to all of the people who suffered in centuries past to put you where you are today—but do not feel guilty because of others’ historical ignorance.

—Howell Hollis Film Studies IV

thisdayinhistory On October 11, 1995, the university was abuzz over a new technology that was “right out of Star Trek.”

This technology allowed graduate students at three universities to converse with each other over video chat.

Video chat classes were set to revolutionize university courses—a single expert could teach people who were dispersed across the country. Although the technology ended up becoming something more of a social product, the hope of the past is the focus of this day in history. thegazette

Volume 106, Issue 21 www.westerngazette.ca

Gloria Dickie Editor-In-Chief Nicole Gibillini Deputy Editor Cam Parkes Managing Editor

Contact: www.westerngazette.ca University Community Centre Rm. 263 The University of Western Ontario London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial Offices: (519) 661-3580 Advertising Dept.: (519) 661-3579

The Gazette is owned and published by the University Students’ Council.

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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Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Robert Armstrong

intake, or that they would like to become vegetarians. The reasons I’ve heard cited are numerous—beliefs about animal rights, health concerns and distaste for the way meat is prepared.

Regardless of their personal rationale, many of the people I have spoken to have found it easy to eat vegetarian or, in some cases, vegan. There are a variety of ways to obtain protein, such as lentils, almonds, peanut butter and tofu. And although tofu may have a bad reputation for tastelessness, at least you don’t hear of any tofu recalls.

However, I still find that, while it’s more commonplace to be vegetarian today than it was 10 years ago, some vegetarians have a hard time explaining themselves to others. But why should they?

At the end of the day, I think we all need to be conscientious of what we’re eating and be comfortable with our dietary choices, without worrying about what others think. I think that we should be respectful of others’ diets. Lastly, I think we should do our own research before grilling others. Ignorance shows.

Karen Savino Diana Watson

Gazette Staff 2012-2013

Greg Colgan, David Czosniak, Megan Devlin, Kevin Estakhri, Connor Hill, Elton Hobson, Kelly Hobson, Katherine Horodnyk, Sarah Mai Chitty, Victoria Marroccoli, Megan McPhaden, John Petrella, Megan Puterman, Chen Rao, Pat Robinson, Taylor Rodrigues, Nathan TeBokkel, Amy Wang, Hillete Warner, Kate Wilkinson, Kartikeya Vishal, Usman Zahid, Mason Zimmer

News Alex Carmona Jesica Hurst Cam Smith Aaron Zaltzman Arts & Life Sumedha Arya Brent Holmes Kevin Hurren Sports Richard Raycraft Jason Sinukoff Ryan Stern Opinions Ryan Hurlbut Associate Kaitlyn McGrath

Your anonymous letters to life.

Dear Life, More people need to listen to the Tragically Hip. The Hip are awesome.

Dear Life, Drinking caffeine before bedtime is never a good idea.

Dear Life, Am I just getting dumber or are the Sudoku puzzles harder this year?

Dear Life, To the person that went over the character limit, oatmeal raisin instead of chocolate chip isn’t so bad, try picking up ‘chocolate chip’ muffins and having them all be blueberry instead.

Submit your letters to life at www.westerngazette.ca /dearlife.

Photography Andrei Calinescu Ritchie Sham Cameron Wilson Graphics Naira Ahmed Mike Laine Illustrations Christopher Miszczak Liwei Zhou Online Julian Uzielli Web Cameron Wilson Video Chris Kay

• Please recycle this newspaper •

•7

thegazette • Thursday, October 11, 2012

Sports

saywhat?

“Not to be all overconfident or anything, I think I’m going to catch everything out there. Obviously it doesn’t happen that way - duh Detroit, right?”

Oakland Athletics outfielder Coco Crisp said of his home run saving catch

Rundown >> Following their loss to the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday, the Mustangs football team dropped to ninth place in the CIS top 10 rankings > The men’s hockey team sits in sixth place in the CIS rankings.

Mustangs handily repeat as CCSA champions Victory over Durham College in finals avenges only loss Ryan Stern Sports Editor

The Mustangs softball powerhouse flexed their muscles again en route to a second straight Canadian Collegiate Softball Association title. Beating Durham College in the finals, the Mustangs were able to secure the title in a dominant season that saw them outscore their opponents by a collective score of 213–26 to this point.

Travelling to Regina, Saskatchewan to take on the nation’s best, the Mustangs proved dominant again in the pursuit of defending their championship. Pitching shutouts in their first two games for a combined score of 17–0 over the University of Lethbridge and the University of Regina, the Mustangs steamrolled their opponents as they had all season.

“We were the defending champs and we expected to repeat,” head coach Pete Lemon said. “We set our goals, and rather than just trying to win games, we set goals for particular skills that we work on.”

Running into their only trouble of the season, the Mustangs fell to Durham College by a score of 4–1. Despite their only loss of the season, the Mustangs were able to use the agony of defeat as fuel for their charge towards the championship.

“It was a watershed moment for us,” Lemon said. “We have players on the team who are third- and fourth-year players who haven’t lost a game ever, and they didn’t think they could lose a game. It was really important with the message to not take

Cameron Wilson GAZETTE

HOT POTATO, HOT POTATO. Pitcher Stacie Cox hurls a strike towards home plate. Cox was a part of the tournament all-star team at the CCSA championships in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Mustangs captured their second straight national championship with a 10–2 win over Durham College.

teams nicely.”

Plowing through the quarterfinals and semifinals with victories over Humber College and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, the Mustangs had their shot at redemption and ran with it.

“I just asked them to not leave any doubt as to who the better team was and they responded in an awesome way,” Lemon said.

Along with the victory, the Mustangs received plenty of other accolades, including Kara Sterling’s tournament MVP. Ad-

We have a whole team of all-stars. I am very used to that. I could put anyone on the field. If we have an injury and I put a backup player in, she is just as good as the one I took out.

—Pete Lemon

Mustangs head coach

ditionally, Tricia Mackay, Tara Cress and Stacie Cox were named to the tournament’s all-star team.

The accolades are nothing new to these Mustangs, as their coach believes they have the deepest and most talented softball team in the nation.

“We have a whole team of all-stars. I am very used to that,” Lemon said. “I could put anyone on the field. If we have an injury and I put a backup player in, she is just as good as the one I took out.”

Despite having won the na-

tional championship, the Mustangs are set to host the Ontario Championship on October 19 at Stronach Park. As heavy favourites entering the tournament, the Mustangs will undoubtedly have a large target on their back.

“We set out to be competitive for the nationals again [next year], and of course we have the provincials in a couple of weeks,” Lemon said. “We need to worry about Ontario. We still have season games to play. We aren’t finished and sitting back because we won the nationals.”

Are you mad? Ads are bad The Sin Bin Jason Sinukoff Sports Editor

Naira Ahmed Gazette

In April, the NBA’s Board of Governors met to discuss the possibility of allowing ads on their teams’ uniforms. This has backed by a couple of NBA owners, but the proposal was never taken seriously because it was always met with resistance from the league’s commissioner— David Stern.

However, it now seems that the NBA has made major strides towards making the two-by-two inch ad a reality, and they could be on NBA jerseys as early as the 2013– 2014 season. Even Stern has mentioned in an NBA press conference that, although he is still against the

ads, the presence of them on NBA jerseys seems inevitable.

I’m not usually one to side with Stern. I have my whacky conspiracy theories that he manipulates the NBA draft, but in this case, I think Stern is right for opposing the ads.

I do understand where some of the owners are coming from.

Teams have been losing money and this could be the shot in the arm that teams with shallow pockets have been looking for.

However, the repercussions that the ads will bring the NBA and their fans aren’t worth the hassle.

Firstly, none of the other big four sports (the NHL, NFL and MLB) place ads on their teams’ jerseys. I’m of the opinion that when teams do this, they are selling out.

Every other aspect of the game is advertised, be it the arenas or commercial breaks during games. At least let the uniforms remain pure.

Another reason this is a bad idea is because small market teams will

suffer even more. Though they’ll be able to make a bit more money to try and stay competitive, bigger-market teams will be able to charge more money for their ads, and therefore increase the financial gap between small and big market teams.

The NBA is not just a business.

Fans are proud to have a team that they are proud to call their own.

Sports teams have the ability to unite a community and should not tarnish the purity of their jerseys to make a couple of extra bucks.

file photo

8•

thegazette • Thursday, October 11, 2012

Getting back to basics necessary after loss Tumultuous start forces Mustangs to shift focus Richard Raycraft Sports Editor With their loss to the Guelph Gryphons last Saturday, the Mustangs football team has fallen to ninth in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport rankings. The loss has the Mustangs at a record of 3–3, which puts them at fourth in the Ontario University Athletics division. Despite this, Western stands above Lau-

rier—fifth—and Windsor—sixth— only in their points scored, sharing an even record with them.

The defeat ensures that the Mustangs will not be enjoying home-field advantage come playoff time. Even more troubling is the fact that the Mustangs have not yet managed to secure a playoff spot.

Granted, they are just one victory away from clinching a post-season berth—and considering their less-

than-stellar upcoming competition, this outcome remains likely.

At the same time, the average record and lower ranking present a Mustang team that does not appear to be as dominant as in years past. Expectations were high at the beginning of the season, but now a shift of focus has begun to take place for both coaches and players. With three losses already, the Mustangs can no longer focus on

Naira Ahmed Gazette

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Ryan Hurlbut Opinions Editor As the NHL lockout continues to blither on, more and more players are taking their talents overseas. With hundreds of players already in other leagues, it’s time to think about the impact that this may have in the future.

As we learned last lockout, some players do not return to North America when everything is said and done.

While the players lost may not be the biggest stars in the game, they represent solid hockey players who are a considerable upgrade in skill over the next replacements.

Cody Franson has already signed a full-year deal, which could somehow turn the Leafs into the losers of the Brett Lebda trade. Let’s not forget the fact that Jaromir Jagr left the NHL after the last lockout, and his playing level is still top tier in the NHL today.

Especially for players of European or Asian descent, playing across the

ocean allows them to stay closer to a lot of their family, and enter an environment in which they are highly praised by their fans. Some of these players are offered salaries that dwarf what they make in the NHL, and could lure them away.

Even in regards to players who will come back to the NHL the second the lockout is over, the fact that there are a variety of professional leagues around the world which accept highcaliber players with open arms is a huge roadblock in regards to lockout negotiations. Although the players are locked out, they are not denied the opportunity to play, which really only hurts people who are uninvolved in negotiations, such as fans and arena staff.

Not only are players moving overseas, they are followed by the watchful eyes of fans, who may start watching other hockey, or even a different sport altogether.

In the end, everyone is just attempting to do their job, and make as much money as they can. This greed has created an atmosphere in which both players and fans are finding alternative sources of entertainment and work, and a prolonged lockout can only hurt the NHL’s credibility.

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night and performed very well.”

“Will has demonstrated in practice that he has the ability to lead this football team,” he continued.

The rookie quarterback will be helped in his transition by one of the top running offences in the nation. Mustangs running back Garret Sanvido leads the OUA in touchdowns with 12, and in yards rushed with 905. Western’s offence leads the OUA in yards rushed with 1635. The stellar running game will assist in taking pressure off Finch as he grows more familiar with the offence.

Next up for the Mustangs are the Laurier Golden Hawks in their final home contest. The match-up will be a decisive one, as the two teams share identical records and playoff aspirations. A win by either team would virtually guarantee them a spot in the post-season, ensuring that both squads will be playing for keeps. Though the pressure is high and mistakes must be held to a minimum, Marshall commented that the main focus will be simple—getting the Mustangs to play the best football that they can.

“We need to stress the positives and we need to get our confidence back,” he said. “We’re going to work hard this week in practice and get back to where we believe that we can be.”

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dominating the OUA division, but instead on more immediate matters—namely, playing better football in every aspect of the game.

“At the end of the day we need to play good football and get this young team to where we think we are capable of playing,” Greg Marshall, Mustangs head coach, said.

“We’ve just got to step up a bit and take some responsibility—good teams can overcome adversity, and we need to find out what kind of team we have.”

The quarterback position will be the big question mark for the Mustangs going forward. With starting quarterback Donnie Marshall still on crutches with an ankle injury, expectations will remain high for back-up rookie Will Finch.

Finch disappointed in the contest versus Guelph, having recovered from surgery to remove his appendix only days before.

Despite this, coach Marshall confirmed that Finch has performed well in practice and that the occasional poor performance is part of the transition.

“Though Will knows [the offence], knowing it in practice and knowing it in games when you have that added stress is a little bit different,” Marshall commented. “It’s just about getting the reps in and he took the majority of the reps last

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